The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 126
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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 Jin Family of Luoyang – Chapter 187
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Nam Tae-cheon, the Blood Rights Jin Family.
He sat in an ornate high seat, resting his chin in his palm as he gazed intently ahead.
Observing his subordinate prostrated before him, dissatisfaction flickered across his features as he furrowed his brow, his eyes betraying his displeasure.
“Still no contact with them?”
“Yes, we continue to attempt communication, but we receive no response.”
“What has happened?”
Nam Tae-cheon narrowed his brow, recalling Yeom Ji-hak, the vice-leader of the Snake Clan.
He was supposed to arrive here once his affairs were settled, yet considerable time had passed without his appearance.
The coronation ceremony would commence soon.
The more I contemplated Muk-hwang ascending to the sect leader’s throne, the more my teeth gnashed—and the one who should have provided the greatest assistance was nowhere to be found.
And then there was the current situation.
Those strange individuals who appeared at Cho Hon Jeon had reached the Demon Heavenly Peak within mere days.
This was unprecedented in the history of the Demon Sect, striking with considerable shock, yet what troubled me most was the high likelihood that these individuals served under Muk-hwang.
“Have you gathered any information on those who came from Cho Hon Jeon?”
“…We have no information whatsoever.”
“None at all?”
“Yes, as if bound by agreement, the leader of Cho Hon Jeon remains silent, and the others there seem unaware such individuals even existed.”
“Thorough indeed… Well, that would be Muk-hwang’s way.”
Nam Tae-cheon exhaled a long sigh and leaned back in his chair.
The master of the Heavenly Demon Sect has always come from the Demon Heavenly Peak.
The disparity between lower and upper ranks was that severe, yet it was Muk-hwang who shattered this absolute rule.
Through overwhelming martial might.
The Demon Sect has always been where the strong survive and the strong move the sect.
Even if one hailed from the Demon Abyss, should they possess sufficient strength, the demons would naturally follow their will.
But would all accept this?
No.
The moment a thousand-year-old law crumbles, the authority of those who have fiercely competed for that position collapses as well.
Though unspoken, many prominent families from the Demon Heavenly Peak viewed Muk-hwang’s coronation with considerable displeasure.
At the center of this resistance stood Nam Tae-cheon.
As a scion of the most renowned noble house in the Demon Heavenly Peak, he had displayed overwhelming talent since childhood, and none doubted he would become the next Demon Heavenly Master.
Until Ma Un appeared.
That one who rose from the Demon Abyss had always blocked my path.
Though lacking any background, he manipulated the elders and protectors, forged his own foundation, and one by one bent the stubborn masters of the Demon Heavenly Peak to his will, building his own faction.
It grew progressively larger until it eventually threatened the noble families, and now none could stand against him.
He had become an overwhelming force.
Nam Tae-cheon was deeply displeased with it.
And now, it was time to set everything back in order.
“I cannot simply wait idly by.”
Time was never on Nam Tae-cheon’s side.
For now, he had not yet ascended to the position of sect leader, so his authority had not been established, but once he sat upon that throne and time flowed forward, even those who had resented him would eventually kneel one by one.
After all, he possessed something that drew people toward him.
“Gather those who wish to share in this vision.”
No matter how much the title of Muk-hwang had been bestowed upon him, no matter how he was called the strongest of the Demon Sect, he could not face all the powerful experts from the countless prestigious families alone.
Nam Tae-cheon smiled at this thought.
Yet the unease that had taken root deep within his heart did not easily fade.
All the more so because the great pillar known as Yeom Ji-hak was gone.
* * *
The place where the Cheon Ma Forging Chamber stood was nothing short of a living painting.
Countless peaks spread before my eyes could be taken in at a glance, and the landscape unfolding around them made one wonder if this truly existed in the mortal realm.
Moreover, despite being at a height where an ordinary person would scarcely be able to breathe, the blacksmiths here struck their hammers without the slightest concern.
Clang—clang—clang—clang!
It was not a cacophonous sound.
Like a melody, it reached the ears not as jarring noise, but rather brought a sense of inexplicable peace to the heart.
Surely this was heightened by the harmony with the atmosphere of this place.
As I surveyed such surroundings, my gaze eventually met that of one person.
Short whiskers and piercing eyes.
Though he possessed not a single strand of hair, his burly muscles were well-proportioned.
Was it because of this?
Though clearly an elder, he seemed strangely youthful.
The old man, meeting my gaze, casually glanced at Gu Ma-hyeop beside me, then approached with a peculiar expression and spoke.
“What brings you to this place?”
“I am merely carrying out orders.”
“Orders? From Muk-hwang? Then the business is with this one here?”
The old man’s gaze naturally turned toward me.
The eyes of an experienced master swept across my entire form as if appraising it, then tilted his head in curiosity.
Then he casually approached Gu Ma-hyeop and jabbed his ribs.
“Who is that fellow? Could it be… a hidden son of Muk-hwang?”
“No, sir.”
“It’s not? Then why is he so sharp? His aura is quite keen. Even Muk-hwang’s son, who will soon become the young sect leader, is not of this caliber…”
“Are you Chung-mu, the master of the Forging Chamber? I am called Cheon.”
I offered a light fist salute and conducted myself with proper courtesy.
Perhaps because of this, Chung-mu’s expression became even more peculiar.
It was the look of one seeing such meticulous courtesy for the first time.
“Kekekeke—! That’s right, I am Chung-mu, the master of this forge. But… what brings you here? Do you need a weapon?”
“Yes, I do need a weapon, but I’ve come not to purchase one, but to have it repaired.”
“Repaired? What needs repairing?”
I glanced subtly at Jang Chuchyeong.
Understanding my intent, he set down the bundle he had been carrying and unwrapped it.
At the same moment, a dark-colored sword cut into three pieces was revealed.
Chung-mu’s eyes widened at the sight of it.
“This… what is this?!”
“Do you recognize it?”
“No, I don’t! But it was clearly forged by a blacksmith of considerable skill. A craftsman nearly as talented as myself. Hmm… and you broke this?”
“Yes.”
“This is your sword, so you must have been the one who wielded it in battle?”
“That’s correct.”
As I nodded and answered, Chung-mu regarded me with a skeptical expression.
As if he couldn’t believe it at all, he alternated his gaze between the broken sword and me several times, then tilted his head with an incredulous laugh.
“You’re fortunate to be alive. If someone could cleave a blade like this, they’d be a match even for Muk-hwang.”
Twitch—
In that instant, Gu Ma-hyeop’s eyebrows twitched.
Then, glancing at me with a furrowed brow, he seemed to harbor doubts about how I could emerge unscathed from facing someone of Muk-hwang’s caliber.
Chung-mu shared the same sentiment.
“I was fortunate.”
“Yes, fortune smiled upon you. If it had ended with just one broken sword… that would be more than mere fortune.”
As Chung-mu spoke, he began to examine the broken sword meticulously. His eyes, as he carefully traced the blade with a cautious touch, were those of a true master craftsman.
“Frost Soul Obsidian Iron…”
“Isn’t it just Obsidian Iron?”
“Haha, so you believed it to be merely that? But no, this is Frost Soul Obsidian Iron. It’s iron that’s difficult to obtain even in the Northern Sea.”
“So it was… something like that?”
“In the Northern Sea, there are perhaps only one or two swords made from this material. Where on earth did you acquire something so precious?”
Where did I acquire it?
My grandfather spent considerable funds to purchase it.
Given that the master of the forge himself spoke of it in such terms, it was clear that my grandfather had paid no small sum.
I was beginning to suspect that perhaps this was the reason the Ice Palace, which had been struggling with depleted finances, had regained its former prosperity.
“You don’t have to tell me if you’d rather not. In any case… I see. To repair this…”
“Is it difficult?”
At my question, Chung-mu shook his head.
It seemed that repairing it wouldn’t be difficult, but in the careful touch and gaze with which he handled the two broken blades, there was something I couldn’t discern.
“It’s possible because it broke so cleanly, but it’s fragmented into too many pieces. I can repair it, but the durability will be compromised.”
“Is it impossible to restore it to its original condition?”
“That’s right. I assure you, it would be a hundred times better to simply take one of the swords lying around here than to use a repaired one.”
At those words, I furrowed my brow.
It was none other than a gift from my grandfather.
Moreover, since it had been with me until just before my death in my past life, I harbored an attachment to it that no other possession could compare to.
Thus, I found myself unwilling to let it go easily.
“Is there truly no way?”
“If we melt it down and forge it anew, it’s possible. But it will take considerable time. I’d have to stay before the flames all night, never taking my eyes off it for even a moment… so it’ll cost quite a bit.”
Chung-mu quietly pressed his thumb and index finger together, forming a circle.
This was a gesture meaning money.
Seeing the gleam in his eyes and the expression on his face questioning whether I could afford it, I found myself smiling and nodding readily.
If it could be resolved with money, it was the easiest solution.
Though it would inevitably feel different from what my grandfather had given me, if I consider the handle intact and unbroken, that should suffice.
Isn’t it all a matter of mindset?
“How much will it cost?”
“Only I can handle this. If you see that this old man only forges weapons for the Heavenly Demon, how much do you think it would cost if I were to forge a sword directly?”
“Please name your price. Whatever the amount, I will pay it.”
“Kuhehehe! This fellow seems to have some money. But here’s the thing… money isn’t the problem.”
“What else is there?”
“As I said, the swords this old man forges are only for the Heavenly Demon. That means permission is required. And from someone willing to grant it despite breaking the Demon Sect’s rules.”
Chung-mu’s gaze turned toward the Demon Heaven Palace, built at the highest point of Heavenly Demon Ridge.
The seat that would soon be filled.
In other words, only when Ma Un fully entered the Demon Heaven Palace and inherited the position of Heavenly Demon would the situation arise where I could seek permission.
I scratched my head.
It wasn’t far off anyway.
Since the coronation ceremony was tomorrow, it seemed it wouldn’t consume much time.
The problem was the condition that nothing would go wrong during the coronation ceremony.
I thought little of someone like Nam Tae-cheon of the Blood Rights Jin Family, but I couldn’t overlook those connected to him, and on top of that, I also needed to win over Muk-hwang’s heart to seek permission.
I turned my head with a bitter smile.
Looking inside the forging chamber, countless weapons hanging on one side caught my eye.
Though not made by the master of this place, Chung-mu, they were all extraordinary weapons—the kind that would be called renowned blades wherever they went.
Most weapons produced here went to the upper echelons of the Demon Sect, so they were incomparable to the shabby things from Ma Yeon-ji.
I grasped the sword that pleased me most among them.
Then I swung it lightly.
Whiiiing!
A sharp sound pierced my ears.
Was that why?
Both Chung-mu and Gu Ma-hyeop stared at me with startled eyes.
It was merely a light swing through empty air, but it must have reached their ears clearly.
The sound of wind being cut.
“The cost matters not. Please forge the sword first. I will certainly obtain permission after the coronation ceremony is complete.”
Was it because of the certainty in my eyes and expression?
Chung-mu, who had been staring blankly, swallowed dryly and nodded.
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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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