The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 148

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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 209

“….”
“….”
Her gaze upon me, silent and unwavering, was glacial.
More than cold—it felt as though my entire body was being encased in frost, frozen solid by the chill radiating from her eyes.
Feeling an inexplicable chill that seemed to cut through my skin, I forced an awkward smile and looked toward Chaeseoha.
“Is something troubling you?”
“Why is it that every time you leave, you come back injured?”
“That’s simply how life is.”
“Sigh….”
Chaeseoha pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose and shook her head with an exasperated exhale.
Her hands moved with meticulous precision as she began treatment, yet her mouth never ceased moving, assailing my ears with an endless stream of words.
“If you simply avoided doing things that would get you hurt, you wouldn’t suffer like this. Why do you court danger? Live comfortably, will you? Com. Fort. Ably!”
Though her hands stitched my wounds with unparalleled gentleness, the relentless torrent of scolding was so vexing that I would have preferred facing an enemy in combat.
“Please, I’m begging you! Please— just think of your body’s wellbeing when you go out!”
“I understand. That’s enough.”
“It’s only enough when I say it is!”
Chaeseoha cried out sharply, her eyes fixed upon me with unmistakable anger.
This was distinctly different from before.
Her fury was evident enough to reach the tips of her hair, and I found myself unable to respond, regarding her with an uncertain gaze.
In that moment, Chaeseoha took a deep breath, composing herself.
As I watched her eyes gradually soften from their fierce glare, I finally found myself able to breathe easier.
I then looked at her awkwardly.
“Still, you’re far better than before, aren’t you? Even considering how dangerous the situation was.”
“Is that what you should be saying? The fact that you rushed here day and night in that condition is astounding. If you were anyone else, you’d already be dead. And—don’t you dare say something like ‘but I’m alive and well.'”
Faced with Chaeseoha’s stern expression demanding my reflection, I nodded and averted my gaze from hers.
Meeting her eyes felt more painful than any blade wound.
“There—all done. As I say every time! Refrain from any strenuous activity for a while. You understand, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll prepare a potent medicinal decoction for you to drink daily!”
Chaeseoha rose abruptly from her seat, spoke to me in a firm tone, and then stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Sitting alone on the bed, I stared blankly after her when the closed door quietly opened, and a familiar face came into view.
It was Cheon Yul.
He glanced back and forth between me and Chaeseoha as she left, then swallowed hard and carefully opened his mouth.
“That’s frightening. Are all the mistresses of the Jin Family like that?”
“She’s not the mistress. She’s a physician.”
“…Can a physician really speak to the family head like that? If it were Sa Do-cheon, no matter how beautiful she was, her head would have rolled.”
“This is the Jin Family. More importantly, why are you still here?”
At those words, Cheon Yul simply gazed at me.
Soon after, he let out a soft chuckle.
“If you’re around, there’ll be no shortage of people willing to use you as a stepping stone.”
“…Even ten lives wouldn’t be enough.”
“Ha-ha, so that’s why she’s angry, isn’t it?”
At Cheon Yul’s words, I offered a bitter smile.
I spoke of danger to others while carelessly throwing myself into peril regardless—from Chaeseoha’s perspective, she had every right to be furious.
After all, one could interpret my reckless actions as only possible because I trusted her so completely.
Of course, that was true.
I rose from my seat with an awkward expression.
Then, as I changed into fresh clothes, I spoke to Cheon Yul.
“If word spreads that you’re still here, every ambitious cultivator will come rushing to the Jin Family’s gates. It will become quite troublesome—are you certain that’s acceptable?”
“Ah, it doesn’t matter. Why would I fear them? Ha-ha-ha. My reputation will only grow higher, won’t it?”
Cheon Yul spoke casually and laughed.
It was clear he cared little about whoever might come.
Rather, it seemed he welcomed the prospect.
His expression suggested he would eagerly welcome any powerful expert capable of elevating his own level.
I shook my head without thinking.
“If someone from Sa Do-cheon comes searching for Soocheonchu, matters will become far more serious.”
“Ah—don’t worry. I sent word ahead.”
“…Was there no mention of returning?”
“I told them to enjoy themselves thoroughly.”
At those words, I furrowed my brow.
Cheon Yul’s utterly confident expression.
It was clear he intended to thoroughly enjoy himself within the Jin Family of Luoyang, which lay squarely in orthodox sect territory, with no intention of leaving.
He had no thought of returning whatsoever.
A sigh escaped me unbidden.
Soon after, I watched as Cheon Yul began examining the room.
“Why are there so many valuable things here?”
“Please don’t touch anything. It’s bad luck.”
“Am I some kind of plague?”
Cheon Yul furrowed his brow and looked at me with an exasperated expression.
His dissatisfied face was quite a sight.
Yet his interest in observing seemed greater, as he continued glancing around, showing fascination with each object that caught his eye.
I was about to sigh and drive him out when—
Jang Chuchyeong’s voice came from outside.
“Young Master, are you here?”
“What is it?”
“The Family Head is looking for you.”
I couldn’t fathom why he would call for me at such a time.
Unable to smooth the furrow from my brow, I couldn’t pull Cheon Yul away from his silent inspection of the room, so I had no choice but to head toward where Father was.

* * *

Jang Chuchyeong led me not to Father’s study, but to the So Family’s conference chamber.
As I stepped through the door, I took in the considerable number of people present. Father, of course, along with Commander Yu Hyeon, Imperial Guard Commander Baek Ja-hyeon, and Yang Jachun as well.
There were several others besides them.
Seeing especially the executives who oversaw the Yunryong Trading Company seated there, I gathered this discussion would center on a commercial expedition.
I bowed respectfully to them and took my seat beside Father.
“You’ve arrived. Do you have any idea why I called you?”
“Is it about a commercial expedition?”
“Yes, you understand well.”
Father laughed brightly, as if in excellent spirits.
A chill ran down my spine.
This was unmistakably the smile he showed when foisting some troublesome matter onto someone else.
Without thinking, my brow furrowed.
I then examined the faces of those seated around me.
Each time our eyes met, they would avert their gaze and turn away.
It was clear they were all quite uncomfortable about this.
“Is the expedition a large one?”
“Quite large. It’s a considerable distance to travel.”
“To where exactly…?”
I asked while carefully gauging the atmosphere around me.
Yet no one opened their mouth easily, all too busy staring at the ground—it seemed this was no ordinary destination.
In the moment I looked back at Father with narrowed eyes, he offered an awkward smile.
“The Northern Sea.”
Words I didn’t want to hear had been spoken.
In terms of distance alone, it wasn’t much different from a journey to and from Namman.
But the real problem was that we’d have to pass through Shanxi, and afterward traverse the so-called lawless wasteland of the Great Khingan Range, then navigate through the Great Desert and the Great Steppe.
It was no easy journey, and without sufficient strength, one would either fall behind or perish.
“I apologize, Father. The fatigue from my recent journey to Namman hasn’t yet faded, so I’m afraid I cannot undertake this. Soon, my second brother will return, so perhaps this should be entrusted to him instead.”
The moment I heard the proposal, I refused outright.
It hadn’t been long since I returned from Namman.
And now another such lengthy journey?
Moreover, since this was a commercial expedition to a distant destination, its scale would be several times larger than the previous Gansu expedition, which meant the travel speed would inevitably be quite slow.
Under no circumstances could I accept this.
“You truly won’t go? Then there’s no one to lead it.”
“Isn’t there Yang Jachun?”
I glanced subtly toward Yang Jachun.
Upon receiving my gaze, he lowered his head as if ashamed.
“My apologies, Young Master. I must depart for the Western Regions on an expedition shortly….”
“What of Baek Chong-gwal….”
“No, I must remain to protect the family.”
“And my second brother….”
“That fool overexerted himself and injured his back, or so I heard. He’s being transported here by carriage as we speak. You expect me to send someone in that condition?”
“….”
Father’s gaze fixed upon me.
Even those who had bowed their heads in shame now lifted them one by one, their eyes pressing down upon me with silent pressure.
As if to say it was time I finally did my part.
When I let out a hollow laugh, Father broke into a broad smile and patted my shoulder.
“From the beginning, every expedition to the Northern Sea has been led by direct descendants. But with you here, how could I send anyone else? It would reflect poorly on them, after all.”
I sensed it immediately.
Just like Gansu.
There was no escaping this.
I found myself closing my eyes tightly and nodding in acceptance.
Was it because of that?
The eyes of those seated in the room brightened considerably.
They exhaled sighs of relief that they would not have to go.

* * *

“Wait, you’re really going?”
“That’s how it is.”
“How long have we even been back!”
As I left the conference room, Jang Chuchyeong’s exasperated voice reached my ears, and I squeezed my eyes shut.
I had no desire to go either.
But the way he pressed the matter left no room for escape.
Moreover, despite holding the title of Young Master So, I barely accomplished one proper task a year, so I couldn’t stubbornly refuse this, and I couldn’t deny that every expedition to the Northern Sea had always been led by direct descendants, just as Father said.
Jang Chuchyeong’s eyes and expression went lifeless, but all I could do was pat his back lightly.
After all, he would bear the brunt of the hardship anyway.
Then I spoke to him.
“What are you doing? Go pack your things.”
“…Yes.”
The fellow’s shoulders drooped as he sighed and disappeared.
It was a journey as distant as Namman, so he already seemed dispirited.
I had no desire to go either.
I sighed and opened the door, stepping inside.
At the same time, I could see two people seated leisurely, drinking tea.
“So you see, Miss, Soocheonchu is the strongest individual to lead the Sa Do-cheon.”
“Ah— just like our Young Master, right?”
“Hahaha—that’s right! But the subordinates under them are absolutely extraordinary. Some even have mansions like palaces, and they have servants too.”
“Ah—like our Young Master?”
“Hahaha—exactly! Moreover, they have vast wealth. I hear they spend money so freely that it never runs out!”
“Ah—like our Young Master?”
“Damn it! There’s nothing that outshines him.”
Cheon Yul, scratching his head vigorously, resorted to his final gambit when nothing else seemed to work.
He dropped to one knee before Chaeseoha and cried out.
“I fell in love at first sight! Please marry me!”
“How charming.”
Chaeseoha sipped her tea with an indifferent expression.
Yet Cheon Yul’s expression remained untroubled, as if he had already anticipated the outcome.
Astounded by the sheer absurdity of it all, I pressed my hand to my forehead and turned to leave.
“What are you doing?”
“Well, since she’s not going to be the lady of the house, I thought I’d try to persuade her. But it’s not working. This is my first time experiencing something like this… yet somehow I find myself drawn to her even more?”
At his words, I let out an exasperated laugh.
My mind was already troubled by the journey to the Northern Sea, and he had just given me another reason to shake my head in disbelief.
With a small sigh, I was about to send Cheon Yul away when—
Suddenly, his voice pierced through.
“Ah—come to think of it, when did you go and come back?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Northern Sea, I mean. When did you go and come back?”
“I’ve never been. Rather, it’s a place I must go to from now on.”
At those words, Cheon Yul tilted his head in confusion.
Then he slowly lifted something he held in his hand.
The painting I had carelessly left on the table.
The one I had drawn based on what I obtained from Nam Tae-cheon’s secret chamber.
Cheon Yul waved the painting and asked again.
“You drew this because you went there, didn’t you?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“This is the Northern Sea right here.”
“…!”
Cheon Yul stared intently at me, rendered speechless by his sudden remark, then tilted his head as if finding it strange.
“You didn’t know?”

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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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