The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 12

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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 12

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“Is it true?”
“I’m telling you, it’s real! The Nakhyang Jin Family posted an opening!”
“Wow… how long has it been?”
“From what I hear, it’s been over five years. Hahaha! This time, I’m definitely getting into the Jin Family!”
The already bustling streets of Nakhyang grew even more chaotic.
From the mouths of the gathered crowds flowed the same conversation, repeated endlessly.
It was none other than the opening posted by the Nakhyang Jin Family.
It wasn’t just Nakhyang that stirred—all of Hannam trembled with the news.
Moreover, word spread swiftly across every corner of the Central Plains.
For ordinary folk, it was a dream made manifest, a golden opportunity.
With the saying that one’s fortune blooms the moment they enter, people from across the Central Plains would surely gather.
Just as countless scholars journeyed to Beijing for the imperial examinations, those seeking fortune began their preparations and set their sights toward Nakhyang.

Nakhyang Jin Family Recruitment Notice
The Nakhyang Jin Family seeks individuals to work with us as family.
Positions
Imperial Guards and miscellaneous duties.
All ranks are subject to change at any time.

Grand Steward Yu Hyeon. Imperial Guard Commander Baek Ja-hyeon. Servant Supervisor Hong Gu-hyeon.

I had to work all day with no days off.
It was an absurd arrangement by any measure, yet there was always a reason why people flocked to such positions.
An overwhelming monthly wage.
If one could grit their teeth and endure for merely ten years, they could earn enough to live comfortably anywhere—it was only natural that people rushed to apply.
No matter how grueling the work, this was the reason they persevered through gritted teeth.
“Sometimes I think the Young Master must be insane.”
“Cough. You say amusing things.”
In the Separate Building Practice Hall.
Jang Chuchyeong stood at the center of the training ground, continuously beads of sweat streaming down his face as he threw punch after punch.
Each time his fists tore through the air, the sharp sound of displacement struck my ears forcefully.
It was as though he were slashing at the very air itself.
He glanced at me sitting and watching, then stuck out his tongue.
“No, opening rooms for rent at a time like this? What if strange people show up?”
At his words, I nodded in understanding.
Anyone would think the same.
We had opened rooms for rent mere days after that incident occurred. Despite nothing being properly settled yet, we had taken such action—suspicion was inevitable.
I found myself laughing softly without thinking.
“We are the Nakhyang Jin Family. We must always appear strong.”
“Even so, this is a bit… If the Family Head finds out, there will be chaos.”
“He won’t find out, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“That’s exactly it! But why? A major incident has struck the clan, yet you don’t inform the Family Head? If it were me, I’d run straight there crying and shouting about it.”
Jang Chuchyeong looked at me as though I were a strange creature.
The Family Head of the Nakhyang Jin Family.
The power my father possessed was far beyond imagination.
He conducted dealings with the Imperial Court, the Martial Arts Alliance, and countless powerful figures and martial artists alike.
To control the purse strings of the Central Plains meant exactly that.
Naturally, as the child of such a man, the moment I learned someone sought my death, I should have rushed to my father first to discuss the matter.
But I did not.
I had not done so in the past either.
Father had to return after dealing with the bandit gang.
If I were to send a letter from here informing him of the situation, I could not predict what hasty decision he might make in his urgency.
There was a risk he might stumble.
That is why I remained silent.
Things over there must proceed as they naturally would.
“Stop your chatter and throw more punches. Your stance is collapsing.”
“Ugh?!”
In any case, three days had passed since the rooms were posted.
During that time, I had been observing Jang Chuchyeong’s martial techniques. Though I was merely correcting his form, even that alone seemed to help considerably.
The way he threw his punches had become more stable.
Compared to his clumsy movements from days ago, one might say he had become a different person entirely.
My growth rate had become steep.
Whether it was due to my innate strength or that boy’s talent, I couldn’t say for certain, but if I could properly establish his dantian, he would grow exponentially.
That man had every reason to covet him.
Without thinking, I let out a quiet chuckle and rose from my seat.
I grasped the wooden sword lying nearby and stood before Chu Hyeongi.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you mean? A sparring match. Let’s keep it light.”
“With the Young Master? No, that doesn’t make sense…”
Toward the boy spouting such nonsense, I thrust my sword forward.
Whoosh!
The blade extended in an instant, barely grazing Chu Hyeongi’s hair as he tilted his head back. Had he not dodged, it would have certainly struck him.
“…What!?”
“This is keeping it light.”
“…!”
Watching the boy’s eyes widen with disbelief, I moved my sword again, aiming for his shoulder.
Seeing him evade and retreat half a step backward, I pivoted my body and swung the sword once more.
Crack!
“Eek!?”
Chu Hyeongi collapsed in shock at the sharp whistling sound of the blade cutting through air.
Yet I did not cease my assault.
I continued forward, thrusting the sword down.
I wove variation into my rapid movements.
The straight trajectory of the blade wavered, creating a shift in its path.
Startled, Chu Hyeongi rolled across the ground.
Boom!
The wooden sword shattered the training hall floor, sending fragments flying.
“I’m going to die!”
“Hmm…”
Both in the past and now, the swordsmanship I employ is called the Water Moon Sword Technique.
Originally, the Nakhyang Jin Family, which once dreamed of becoming a martial clan, had purchased countless secret manuals and created this martial art from them.
Through a life of pursuit and being pursued, I had deconstructed and rebuilt it, creating something entirely new.
But it fell short.
Because it was incomplete, I could not escape death.
Despite all my efforts to break through the wall of perfection, my failure was not merely a matter of enlightenment.
I concluded that some flaw within my martial art prevented enlightenment from arriving.
That is why I had been meticulously examining my martial art for the past several days. However, unlike before when I had created the technique anew, this was not easy.
Back then, someone’s guidance made it possible, but now I had to accomplish it with only my own strength, without such aid.
I had to create it myself, not through someone else’s counsel.
With such thoughts, I grasped the wooden sword once more.
“Again.”
“Please, don’t hold back!”
“A wise choice.”
Thwack—!
“Ugh?!”
I struck the brow of the opponent charging at me like a mindless wild boar.
As he grasped at the blow and crumpled, his defenses crumbled entirely.
I swung my wooden sword lightly, striking his torso repeatedly.
Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!
“Aaaahhh!”
Chu Hyeongi shrieked and flinched back. He seemed to be in genuine pain, groaning softly with his head bowed.
“Sloppy. In real combat, your opponent would show no mercy.”
“If it were real combat, I’d have been dead the moment you landed that first strike!”
Chu Hyeongi huffed indignantly, rubbing his head.
Yet he gradually rose to his feet and resumed his stance. I could sense his eyes had grown serious—he was preparing to attack again.
Then.
“Cough!”
A cough erupted from my chest.
Despite barely exerting myself, sweat already drenched my body.
I could feel the considerable strain my body was enduring.
I frowned involuntarily.
Cursed body.
I tossed the wooden sword in my hand aside and looked at Chu Hyeongi.
“That’s enough for now. Next time, try to respond a bit better.”
“Ugh, I’m dying. I’m really dying.”
Only then did Chu Hyeongi collapse with exaggerated groans.
But I already knew it was mere theatrics.
This was the man who’d knocked out Gam Cheong-un with a single punch.
He wouldn’t be affected by such a light sparring match.
I shook my head at the sight of him sprawling dramatically.
Then Chu Hyeongi, massaging his body here and there, rolled his eyes toward me. His gaze was like that of a child wanting something.
“Let’s eat first. The sun’s already high in the sky.”
Hearing Chu Hyeongi’s words, I looked up at the heavens.
Indeed, the sun hung directly overhead.
Was it because I’d noticed this?
A sound came from my stomach.
I smiled awkwardly despite myself, looking at him.
“A good idea. Let’s go. I’ve been craving street food again.”
“Again? Sigh…”
I heard Chu Hyeongi sigh, but I deliberately ignored it. Now that there was nothing particularly unsettling about eating at home, it might actually be far better than going out to eat.
Yet I wanted street food.
I’m curious to see what kind of chaos has erupted in the streets of Nakhyang by now.

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The marketplace was always bustling.
Countless people flowed through the streets, filling them to the brim.
The sensation that there were more people than usual was no mere illusion—visitors from the various large and small towns in the surrounding region had arrived, making the throng even more pronounced than before.
Such was the power of the Nakhyang Jin Family’s name.
There were those who benefited greatly from this.
From the moment the Nakhyang Jin Family’s recruitment notice was posted until the day recruitment ended.
The marketplace became nothing short of a festival.
Various troupes of performers wandered about, displaying their acrobatic arts and captivating the crowd’s attention.
Despite the inns charging double their usual rates, not a single vacant room could be found—they were packed to overflowing. Consequently, the residents in the surrounding area were renting out their own rooms for coin, a common sight throughout the district.
Even the street vendors prepared twice their normal stock of food, and the farce of charging double prices was playing out everywhere.
A true festival, in every sense.
A natural phenomenon that occurs whenever crowds gather.
As I etched this spectacle into my memory, I found myself laughing at the absurdity of it all.
The saying goes that the bear performs the tricks while the people pocket the money—and this was precisely that arrangement.
No wonder the marketplace folk eagerly awaited the times when the Nakhyang Jin Family opened recruitment.
Without thinking, I clicked my tongue and took a bite of the skewer.
“Shouldn’t we be the ones getting paid for this?”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“It feels like we’re being completely exploited, doesn’t it?”
“We are being exploited. We just turn a blind eye to it. Besides, once they earn that much money, it’ll eventually cycle back to the Nakhyang Jin Family anyway.”
“Is… is that how it works?”
I nodded in agreement.
When people earn such substantial sums, they naturally want to spend it. Not just at the Unryong Inn, which they couldn’t normally afford to visit, but at other establishments as well.
The money would eventually circulate and flow back into the Nakhyang Jin Family’s coffers. After all, the family had their fingers in many ventures.
In the end, it was nothing more than mutual benefit.
I bit into the remaining skewer and smiled.
As I chewed through the rest of my food while committing the complex movements of the crowd to memory, something familiar caught my eye.
A man, unremarkably blending in with those around him as he observed the surroundings. To all appearances, no one would have found anything suspicious about him.
But his face was far too familiar.
I took in his features and naturally shifted my gaze away.
As if I had merely turned my head and happened to catch sight of him by chance. We locked eyes for a moment, but he showed no particular suspicion and disappeared into the crowd.
I turned my head and began walking in the opposite direction.
Even so, I recalled his face.
He was faster than expected.
Despite having roughly four more days until the full moon, he had already made his way into Nakhyang.

Gu Yang-cheol. Leader of the Tenth Unit of the Shadow Assassins.

I smiled without realizing it, stepping slowly into the street.
My second prey.

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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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