The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 119

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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 119

I had overwhelmed him.
Depending on how one heard it, those could be pleasant words.
Yet there was no doubt—the victor and vanquished were clear, and Cheon-yul had suffered a defeat so utterly pathetic it was almost pitiful.
Still, rather than speak of victory or defeat, Danju chose the word “overwhelmed”—a matter of his own pride.
And everyone present was far too intelligent not to understand what he truly meant.
I regarded Danju with a bitter smile.
“Well, that’s how it went.”
“Indeed, there must be a reason you sat here alone without fear. I wondered if you were simply mad.”
It was certainly a situation worthy of suspicion.
No matter that I was the Young Master of the Nakhyang Jin Family, I had come alone to what was essentially enemy territory without a single guard at my side.
Had a fight broken out, I would have had no choice but to act. By any measure, it seemed the act of a madman.
As I shrugged at his words, Danju’s blade quietly turned toward me.
“The Junior Heavenly Lord is someone we fall far short of. If you truly overwhelmed such a figure… I find myself curious to witness such power.”
“I don’t engage in fights that serve no purpose.”
I shook my head in refusal, but my opponent showed no sign of backing away. Instead, he closed the distance by another step.
In that instant, Namgung Yeon’s blade swept forth.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
A blade arrived at tremendous speed, pressing Danju hard.
She did not miss the gaps that opened between strikes.
She seemed intent on drawing him into her rhythm and seizing control of the exchange, yet her still-insufficient experience betrayed her.
Thud!
“Ugh?!”
Struck in the abdomen, she slid backward in a rush.
Simultaneously, a blade thrust toward her brow.
One could tell from Namgung Yeon’s tightly shut eyes alone.
She instinctively sensed she could not block it.
I moved swiftly, extending my hand.
Clang!
The projectile I released struck Danju’s blade with perfect precision.
Caught off guard, he frowned and retreated, then noticed the five-poison dart that had fallen to the ground and wore an expression of disbelief.
“A projectile weapon? You carry interesting things.”
“Not quite on the level of the Sichuan Tang Family, though.”
“Either way, it matters not. Draw your sword now. I wish to see that power with which you overwhelmed the Junior Heavenly Lord.”
Danju spoke thus and leveled his blade at me once more. I felt again the unwavering resolve that he would not yield.
Did he wish to confirm the difference between himself and Cheon-yul?
Or did he truly wish to witness the martial prowess that had overwhelmed Cheon-yul?
Either way, I was not inclined to oblige.
In a situation where I had nothing to gain and no clear objective, I had no desire to engage in pointless displays of strength.
I glanced subtly at Namgung Yeon and Jang Chuchyeong.
Were they not the most fitting for this moment?
“Hiyah—!”
In that instant, Jang Chuchyeong rushed forward and unleashed a punch.
Danju, witnessing this, furrowed his brow and retreated, yet his gaze never left me.
It was the resolve of one who would seize any opening that presented itself.
“Lose focus for a moment, and you die.”
“…!”
The instant those words left my lips, Namgung Yeon’s blade came flying.
The sharp and precise edge, missing no opening, posed a genuine threat to Danju.
He hastily deflected Namgung Yeon’s sword.
Clang—!
With a flash of sparks, her blade was knocked back, revealing a slight gap in his defense.
I seized upon it without hesitation.
A flawless technique to decisively cut off the opponent’s breath.
Yet the fist that came flying was faster than the sword being swung.
Boom!
“This madman is actually trying to kill me!?”
“Gack!”
Crash—!
With one blow from Jang Chuchyeong, his body went flying.
The Jinpung Sword Sect members, alarmed, were about to hurl themselves toward the two when Danju, springing to his feet, rushed forward as though finding this amusing.
Their exchange of blows had begun.
Clang—! Thud! Clang!
In terms of skill, Danju held an undeniable advantage.
However, the combined assault of Jang Chuchyeong and Namgung Yeon, filling in each other’s gaps, was solid enough to bridge the disparity in cultivation between them.
Considering they had never coordinated before, they seemed to have recognized that their opponent’s capabilities surpassed their own and had devised a fighting style to match.
This was quite impressive.
I turned away with a satisfied smile.
What caught my eye was Baek Ja-hyeon standing there in a daze, and the warriors watching the situation with expressions of disbelief.
They had lost themselves watching the spirited combat of the two against the leader of the Jinpung Sword Sect.
Some among them even showed eyes burning with fighting spirit.
I approached the dazed Baek Ja-hyeon.
“I ask that you watch over the two of them. Simply stop them at an appropriate point.”
“Me? To do that?”
“Are you not the Guard Commander?”
“Well, even so….”
Crash—! Clang clang!
From the successive sounds of clashing blades and explosive force alone, one could discern the intensity of the exchange unfolding.
Intercepting them by stepping between the two was far from a simple task.
Moreover, what they were exchanging were undoubtedly killing techniques.
One misstep, and my life could be forfeit.
Baek Ja-hyeon, knowing this well, could only hesitate.
I moved forward with a smile on my face.
I climbed the stairs slowly, making my way toward this floor.
The moment I ascended to this level, I saw countless corpses strewn about.
The absence of the Jinpung Sword Sect members meant there were no more enemies left to eliminate on this floor.
The instant I took a step, I felt something sticky beneath my foot.
Glancing down at the ground, I saw blood so thick and pervasive that there was no way to avoid stepping in it.
I moved slowly, tracking the presence of life.
Though it seemed no survivors remained, I sensed a living presence deeper within.
The moment I opened the tightly sealed door, I saw people huddled together, trembling in fear.
Having witnessed the screams echoing from all directions and the blood flowing everywhere, they must have been consumed by terror.
Thud—
The instant I stepped inside.
Their gazes quickly turned toward me.
“…Young Master So?!”
“Cheon-u!”
“It has been a long time, Elder Sister.”
I greeted my family warmly with a smile.

* * *

As expected, the situation was swiftly resolved.
The clash between Danju Ha Un-jang, Namgung Yeon, and Chu Hyeongi did not last long before reaching its conclusion.
Though no clear victor emerged, the fact that they sustained no injuries while facing the formidable Jin Pung Sword Sect Leader was worthy of commendation.
All three had gained something from this confrontation, making it a satisfactory outcome.
The Jinpung Sword Sect departed hastily to complete their remaining tasks.
They gathered every valuable item from the Hyangun Inn, and finding even the disposal of corpses tedious, they set fire to everything, leaving no trace behind.
Their destination was unmistakably the Hyang-un Sega.
Having been ordered to bring all of the Hyang-un Sega’s possessions to Sadocheon, the name Hyang-un Sega would be erased from the Central Plains after this affair.
“Thanks to you, I’ve survived.”
I turned my gaze toward the approaching voice.
A familiar woman seated beside Chaeseoha.
None other than Jin Ji-yak, the third child and elder sister of the Nakhyang Jin Family.
Though she had been held hostage for a duration—whether brief or extended—she bore no visible injuries, and her complexion had grown considerably healthier.
“Is it truly thanks to me? Your color looks even better than before.”
“Hehe— You try doing nothing but resting for several days. Anyone’s complexion would improve. Isn’t that right, Physician?”
“Of course! Rest is the finest tonic of all.”
I smiled gently as I posed the question, and Chaeseoha responded eagerly.
Meeting for the first time and being of the same gender seemed to make her feel somewhat awkward.
“But you’ve changed quite a bit. You seem more dependable somehow.”
“I’ve had considerable matters to attend to.”
“Yes, I’ve heard. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help despite such circumstances.”
“There’s no need. It’s already in the past, isn’t it? Moreover, because of it, I’ve become all the stronger. It was actually a gain.”
My elder sister and the others outside had only recently learned of the Honggu County incident.
Secrets, after all, are best kept when fewer people know of them.
Though the shock upon learning must have been considerable, dwelling on past events only transforms them into memories.
“Then it’s fortunate it turned out that way. But what of the Hyang-un Sega?”
“The Hyang-un Sega? Ah—! Are you asking if I intend to let them be absorbed into Sadocheon as things stand?”
“Precisely. Looking at the situation, we’ve only suffered losses. We’ve gained nothing, only lost.”
I nodded in agreement with Jin Ji-yak’s words.
The Hyang-un Sega, having orchestrated this affair, would collapse and be absorbed into Sadocheon.
Sadocheon would obtain everything they possessed and, beyond that, gain the right to participate in Imperial Court ventures, while the Nakhyang Jin Family received nothing and only gave.
By a merchant’s reckoning, the immediate situation was dire.
Jin Ji-yak had identified precisely that point.
“There’s no need to worry about that aspect.”
“Have you gained something?”
I shook my head at Jin Ji-yak’s question.
For now, we had lost without gaining anything—that much was certain.
But when one looks to the future, the story changes.
If our relationship with Sadocheon deepened further, the Jin Family’s entire enterprise could expand into Shanxi, a region we had previously been unable to enter due to their influence.
We could reap far greater profits than what we had lost.
Moreover, if penetrating Shanxi was possible, then the Outer Realms above it were equally within reach—this situation was far from unfavorable.
Rather, I had gained far more than I’d lost.
And there was one more thing.
I rested my elbows against the window frame, gazing out at the passing landscape.
As I absorbed the fleeting scenery, I recalled Cheon Gong-hak’s voice.
Gwanbaek and Mu Heo.
The being called Geomcheon—one who had fallen from the heavens.
Known by the name Mu Heo, yet that was not his true name.
Gwanbaek.
An unforgettable name that had escaped from Yeom Ji-hak’s lips.
That meant Geomcheon was connected to them in some way.
Whether the relationship was amicable or otherwise.
Only then did I understand why people spoke of Geomcheon as having fallen from the heavens.
Because he had truly belonged to a place that both existed and did not exist.
And now, he was a vanished existence.
Unlike the other two beings who occasionally surfaced in the Murim, he had disappeared completely, leaving not even a trace behind.
The reason could be inferred from the dead man’s words.
The entity calling itself the “Divine” who leads the Religious Cult was actually Gwanbaek’s priest, and it was most reasonable to assume he had died alongside him.
But they believed he was still alive.
They attributed all the circumstances—from the Shadow Assassins’ activities onward—to Gwanbaek’s machinations, and it seemed they prioritized finding him above all else.
The tangled threads unraveled, one by one.
I had been wondering why Yeom Ji-hak had come to Anhui, but if the opponent was Geomcheon, he was certainly a powerful expert worthy of such consideration, was he not?
A faint laugh escaped my lips unbidden.
If that’s what they believed, I could use it to my advantage. I could draw their attention even further away.
But before that, there was something I needed to know.
Nothing less than the movements of Geomcheon Muheo.
No, it wasn’t merely his movements.
His temperament, his manner of speech, his very appearance.
If I failed to engrave every detail into my mind, gaps would form that could be exploited.
Before departing for the Beast Palace, I had to uncover all of it.
The place that could bring me such information most swiftly.
I recalled a certain woman.
“It’s been a while. I should pay Baek Jin-hwa a visit.”

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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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