The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 118
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Youngest Son of the Nakhyang Jin Family — Chapter 118
Gulp—
My eyes trembled violently, and my throat had grown so parched that the sound of me swallowing echoed loudly through the space.
The expression on my face had stiffened awkwardly as I regarded him.
I looked uncertain whether to smile or remain silent.
Hyang Un-sin hastily reached for the tea before him, taking a sip to moisten his desiccated mouth.
Only then did Hyang Un-sin’s voice emerge.
“You did not come to negotiate? Is that what you are saying right now?”
“That is correct.”
“…Are you toying with me? What of those who have been captured, and by what means do you intend to leave this place?”
Hyang Un-sin raised his voice menacingly, his tone turning savage.
He did not accept my words at face value, as though I were attempting to shake him with absurd rhetoric.
The other warriors of the Hyangun Se Family shared this sentiment.
Moreover, the Jinpung Sword Sect, which had been observing the situation with tedium, now displayed keen interest, their eyes brightening as they regarded me.
“Does the Family Head perhaps negotiate with those who have drawn their blades against the Hyangun Se Family?”
“…!”
“We do not. While anyone who stands to gain becomes a subject for negotiation, the moment someone draws their sword against the Jin Family, they become our enemy.”
“…What.”
“That is precisely what the Nakhyang Jin Family is.”
I slowly raised my hand.
In that instant.
Clang—clang—clang—clang!
Not only the warriors of the Jin Family, but Baek Ja-hyeon and Namgung Yeon as well.
Every one of them drew their blades.
The killing intent and gaze were so sharp they seemed capable of tearing everything asunder. I could feel their resolve—the determination to repay what they had suffered on that previous day, right here and now.
Despite the greatest threat before us in the form of the Jinpung Sword Sect, they paid it no mind whatsoever. It was as though they stood ready to surrender their very lives at my single word.
Clang—clang—clang—clang!
Simultaneously, the Hyangun Se Family did the same.
Those who had drawn their blades in an instant emanated a ferocious killing intent.
The fact that they disregarded the name of the Nakhyang Jin Family entirely suggested they too had resolved to lay down their lives for the Hyangun Se Family.
I regarded this with a crooked expression and turned my gaze away.
What remained was the Jinpung Sword Sect.
As though prepared to intervene at any moment—or as though they wished to tear apart those before them immediately—they placed their hands upon their sword hilts, revealing a ferocious killing intent.
The momentum of these three forces collided savagely against one another.
Even the flowing air had turned cold.
“Listen here, Young Master So. Do not do anything foolish. Do you truly believe you can win?”
“That is precisely what I should be asking you. Did you truly believe the Hyangun Se Family could prevail against the Jin Family?”
“How amusing! With merely a handful of people, what do you intend to accomplish! We have the Jinpung Sword Sect! Are you all prepared to die?!”
At my words, Hyang Un-sin’s voice grew louder still.
Though he believed his faction possessed superior strength and could force submission through raw power, he refrained from recklessly initiating conflict.
What he truly desired was the Imperial business venture.
If he could obtain only that, any struggle with the Jin Family would be meaningless.
He emphasized that their very survival depended on it, desperately hoping to secure this single concession by any means.
Perhaps he believed it held little significance for the Nakhyang Jin Family and would be surrendered willingly.
Yet Hyang Un-sin had committed one unmistakable error.
He had drawn his blade and swung it against the Jin Family for his own purposes.
This alone, I could not tolerate.
“Now then, Young Master So! Do you truly intend to proceed in this manner?!”
“Was it not the Hyangun Se Family who drew their sword first? Why must we endure this, and why should we yield?”
“If conflict erupts here, those we hold captive will not emerge unscathed. Do you not understand this?”
“But surely those here are clearly visible? Retrieving them should require little effort.”
At those words, Hyang Un-sin’s face flushed crimson.
From beginning to end, he had endured mockery, provocation, and contempt directed at him. Now, unable to restrain himself any longer, he cried out.
“Jin Pung Sword Sect Leader—! Make that wretch kneel before me!”
The moment those words were spoken, wind swept through the space.
Simultaneously, my gaze shifted.
The Danju, who had appeared before me in an instant, extended his hand toward me with an indifferent expression.
In that moment.
Whoosh—!
Namgung Yeon’s blade, suddenly thrust forth, grazed past my wrist by the narrowest margin.
“…!”
Yet it was far from over.
Seeing me retreat slightly to evade the blade, Jang Chuchyeong launched himself forward at impossible speed, unleashing a devastating punch.
Upon seeing the incoming fist, the Danju’s eyes widened, and he hastily brought both hands together in defense.
Boom!
“Ugh!?”
Yet the force transcended imagination.
Crash—!
Though he had managed to block, the power did not dissipate. The Danju’s body was sent flying, destroying every piece of furniture in the inn before he finally collided with the wall and came to rest.
“Danju!”
“You bastards!”
“Enough.”
The Jinpung Sword Sect warriors cried out in shock and immediately drew their weapons, releasing their killing intent. Yet before they could act, the Danju’s voice seized them in place.
Every eye in the room turned toward the Jin Pung Sword Sect Leader.
He, who had been embedded in the wall, slowly rose to his feet.
Brushing the dust from his body, he regarded Namgung Yeon and Jang Chuchyeong in turn with an expression of bewilderment.
“Entertaining. I cannot recall the last time I was sent sprawling. What are your names, you two?”
“I am Jang Chuchyeong, you fool!”
“It’s Namgung Yeon.”
The people in the hall gasped not at the name Jang Chuchyeong, but at the sight of Namgung Yeon.
The greatest clan under heaven—once legendary in the martial world—had vanished into the shadows of history, unmentioned for years.
The Namgung Family had emerged.
Even Danju’s eyes widened in shock, and he quickly glanced down at his own wrist.
A shallow scratch.
Yet the blade had been extraordinarily sharp.
He examined the faint trace of blood, smiled bitterly at the metallic taste, then walked back to his original position and grasped the sword that lay waiting.
“I’ve heard that the Namgung blade has grown dull, but it seems that’s not the case.”
“Hey! It was me who sent you flying! Not him—it was this Jang Chuchyeong!”
At the sudden outburst, Danju’s gaze shifted toward Jang Chuchyeong. Yet his interest lay not in the man’s appearance or skill, but in the name Namgung.
His head turned naturally toward Namgung Yeon.
Just as he began to slowly draw his sword.
I withdrew a letter from my robes and hurled it toward him.
Danju caught the flying letter and wore a peculiar expression, alternating his gaze between me and the document.
“What is this?”
“You don’t recognize it? The seal on that letter. A man named Ryu Hyeok-sang said you were its lord.”
“…!”
The moment Ryu Hyeok-sang’s name was spoken, his eyes flashed with an unprecedented intensity.
It was the strongest reaction he had shown thus far. Moreover, even Hyang Un-sin’s complexion turned ashen as he urgently looked toward Danju.
He seemed to realize that something was unfolding in an unexpected direction.
Hyang Un-sin’s second mistake.
Despite knowing that I had visited Sadocheon, he had failed to ascertain what conversation had transpired between us there, or what had occurred.
This was the most fatal oversight.
I could not know what was written in the letter.
After all, it had been sealed from the beginning.
Yet merely observing how Danju’s eyes darted rapidly toward me suggested that this was hardly favorable news for Hyang Un-sin.
Danju folded the letter and turned his gaze away.
“What… what is the meaning of this? Why would the Chief Administrator’s letter be brought by the Evaluator?”
His voice and eyes trembled, as if he sensed something ominous.
He had sent several inquiries attempting to learn of the situation, yet received no answers. Now I had arrived bearing the Chief Administrator’s letter.
For the Hyang-un Sega, the contents were impossible not to crave.
The answer flowed from Danju’s lips.
“The Heavenly Lord has….”
“Speak at once! Or shall I…what? Cheon!”
Seo Geok!
It was instantaneous.
Everyone in the hall froze.
Hyang Un-sin’s severed head fell to the floor with a dull thud, and his body collapsed, spurting blood in violent waves.
“He commanded that all of the Hyang-un Sega be seized.”
With that single word, blades descended like a torrential downpour.
The Jinpung Sword Sect members, understanding precisely what the Danju’s actions signified, drew their swords without awaiting orders and began slaughtering the Hyangun Se Family warriors.
“Gaaaahhh!”
“Kugh!”
“Mercy…!”
Some shrieked in terror while others fled for their lives. Yet none could escape the relentless, blindingly swift blades of the Jinpung Sword Sect—they swept through the air with such velocity that evasion proved impossible.
Blood sprayed in all directions, and anguished screams echoed throughout the entire inn.
Soon, several sect members rushed up to the upper floor, where ear-splitting shrieks continued to pierce the air.
“… What is this?”
“How can they slaughter people like this…!”
Jang Chuchyeong and Namgung Yeon wore expressions of disbelief, as though their eyes deceived them.
Namgung Yeon, in particular, lacked any tolerance for such brutality.
He made a retching sound, then covered his mouth and stumbled outside.
The surroundings were that ghastly.
True to their reputation as a death-dealing collective, many of them showed no hesitation in killing—some even laughed as they did so.
“In all my years, I have witnessed countless villains… but this….”
“Is this not precisely why the martial sects earn such infamy?”
“Even so… ugh….”
Baek Ja-hyeon could not bear the sight; he groaned softly and shut his eyes tight.
Even for martial artists, the spectacle was abhorrent.
Yet I watched in silence, etching every detail into memory, and a single figure came to mind.
Cheon Gong-hak, the Heavenly Lord of Sadocheon.
I doubt one could find another to whom the epithet Death Emperor suited so perfectly.
An old man who scarcely remembered the Hyangun Se Family had suddenly orchestrated this slaughter.
There was only one conclusion to draw.
This was a warning directed at me.
Do not disrespect Sadocheon.
Do not attempt to exploit Sadocheon.
Do not betray Sadocheon.
Since we’ve agreed to work together, this is a warning from the Death Emperor regarding all matters that may arise within that arrangement.
It was likely a choice made with the Martial Arts Alliance in mind.
Since the Imperial Court’s operations aren’t confined to a single location, there will inevitably come times when martial sect figures must enter Hannam.
At that point, the Martial Arts Alliance won’t remain idle, and if they move to strike down Sadocheon for such reasons, the Nakhyang Jin Family will face the same fate.
Isn’t that an extraordinarily forceful warning?
Without realizing it, I exhaled a long sigh and shook my head slowly.
“…Is it over?”
Just then, Namgung Yeon, who had stepped outside, returned.
Even from his ashen complexion alone, I could see he had endured considerable hardship, yet he seemed to have realized that he needed to remain at my side.
True to form, unlike her, Jang Chuchyeong stood motionless beside me, watching him for a moment before steadying his breath with a soft exhale and lowering his head.
“My apologies, Young Master. From now on, I will remain at your side no matter what happens.”
“It’s fine. Nothing happened.”
In that instant.
Whoosh—!
Something suddenly flew toward us.
I watched it approach without moving, and simultaneously, Namgung Yeon’s sword beside me reacted faster than Jang Chuchyeong’s, sweeping through the air.
Clang—!
“Ugh?!”
The moment Namgung Yeon deflected the heavy sword that came flying in, he staggered backward a step. It was a moment where the disparity in power between him and his opponent became starkly apparent.
I clenched my teeth once more and held back Namgung Yeon as he tried to step forward, then turned my gaze slightly.
At the end of my line of sight stood the Master of the Jin Pung Sword Sect, treading upon blood, grinning widely as he looked at me.
“So, you overwhelmed the Junior Heavenly Lord in a martial duel?”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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