The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 149

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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 210

The Northern Sea.

A place that could rightfully be called the origin of the phrase “northern winds and harsh snow.”
It was eternally blanketed in perpetual snow, and there existed tales that the biting cold that swept across it could freeze even one’s breath solid.
And situated in that desolate expanse was none other than—
The Northern Sea Ice Palace, one of the two great pillars of the Outer Territories.
Among the countless forces of the Outer Territories, it wielded power and influence rivaling only Namman itself.
Yet despite its renown, few had ever actually set foot there.
Even I, having traveled through countless lands, had never ventured in that direction. While the treacherous terrain served as one reason, the true barrier was the cold itself.
Without proper preparation, one would inevitably freeze to death, and even with adequate supplies, the relentless blizzards made it all too easy to lose one’s way.
Should one encounter an avalanche, everything could be lost, and if provisions were buried, finding sustenance would become a desperate struggle.
A land of unforgiving, bitter desolation.
That was the Northern Sea.
I sat quietly for a moment, lost in thought.
What Cheon Yul had said.

“This is the Northern Sea.”
“…How did you know this was the Northern Sea, sir?”
“I’ve seen it before. I once saw a place similar to this drawing in the storage of my friend, the Junior Prince. The layout is different, but I’m certain of it. Haha.”
“You’ve actually been inside?”
“No. I’m not entirely sure, but I couldn’t get in. What was it again? Something about it not opening or something like that.”

Considering the expression and gaze of that man who smiled without ulterior motive, it seemed certain that this place was indeed similar to where he had been.
Of course, I couldn’t say with absolute certainty, but since no clues had emerged until now, there was no harm in holding onto hope.
Besides, the journey to the Northern Sea was inevitable anyway.
I leaned back in my chair and gazed at the ceiling.
“What is this… does the will of the Divine truly exist?”
Events in Namman, the Demon Sect, and now the Ice Palace.
As if trials were descending from heaven, matters continued to unfold at precisely calculated moments.
Not even granting me a moment’s respite.
I furrowed my brow and drew a breath.
In any case, to verify the identity of that painting, this journey to the Northern Sea had become something I must undertake no matter what.
I rose from my seat with a hollow laugh.
Looking out the window, I could see people moving about busily.
Numerous cargo wagons were coming and going, and I could see servants loading goods onto those stationed there.
Merchandise to be sold in the Northern Sea.
Since we go whenever the Ice Palace makes requests, we must bring sufficient goods so that the Northern Sea side won’t express reluctance.
It’s a place merchants rarely venture into.
The treacherous paths and long travel time are one thing, but what most stops merchants in their tracks is none other than the bitter cold.
Because of this, nearly all goods entering the Northern Sea are handled almost entirely by the Jin Family of Luoyang.
Yet despite the hardship, there is no substantial profit to be gained.
We simply bear the losses out of loyalty to the previous generation’s connections.
Stepping outside briefly to survey the surroundings, I could see some wearing sorrowful expressions while others laughed with joy.
Those selected for the Ice Palace journey wept, while those not chosen cheered.
That was likely the reason.
Then, a subtle presence approached me.
I didn’t need to turn around to know.
It was Namgung Yeon.
Sure enough, her soft voice reached my ears.
“Um… Young Master.”
“What is it?”
“About this trip to the Ice Palace. I’m going because you’re going, but… my older brother… he’s…”
“It wasn’t my decision—it was Father’s. That cannot be questioned. Besides, he seems like he’ll be helpful.”
“You mean your older brother?”
Looking at her wide, upturned eyes, I nodded.
Even I am making this journey for the first time.
Moreover, I cannot know what will happen in that frozen land.
Considering these circumstances, I believed Namgung Baek’s fortune would be considerably valuable assistance.
I understand the desire for her older brother’s safety, but now I would rather leave Namgung Yeon behind and take Namgung Baek with me.
Did she sense that firm resolve?
Namgung Yeon nodded with a bitter smile.
“But are you really taking her? That… the Junior Prince?”
“We’ll need to pass through Shanxi, so it’ll be useful like a travel permit.”
“Ah— so?”
“Does it bother you that we’re using it?”
“No, sir. It’s just that… the idea of righteousness being necessary feels somewhat unfamiliar to me.”
An unexpected remark.
I had thought that becoming one of the Jin Family would mean not caring about such things, yet she still seemed to walk the path of the orthodox sects.
Pfft—
I found myself laughing despite myself.
“What are you saying after going all the way to the Demon Sect and coming back? Didn’t Na Cheonmun suit you well enough there?”
“…That may be true, but he somehow doesn’t feel like a Demon Sect disciple. Soocheonchu, on the other hand, carries a distinctly heterodox aura. Moreover, he continues to make advances toward both me and the physician.”
“Ah— Miss, if you’re going to curse me, do it to my face. We’re close now, aren’t we?”
At that moment, Cheon Yul suddenly spoke up and appeared beside Namgung Yeon.
He had pressed himself so close that their cheeks nearly touched.
Namgung Yeon startled and stepped back.
She narrowed her eyes with the bearing of one ready to draw a blade at any moment.
“Do not come near me.”
“Ugh, why are all the women of the Jin Family like this? What did I do? I merely said I love you, didn’t I?”
Shiver—
In that instant, Namgung Yeon’s body trembled.
She glared at him with eyes that held even greater disgust than when she looked at Jang Chuchyeong, and eager to spend not a moment longer in his presence, she hastily left.
It seemed she didn’t even want to breathe the same air as him in one place.
I looked at such a fellow and laughed helplessly.
“If you’re seeking female companionship, find a courtesan.”
“Nah, that’s not it. I’m looking for someone to marry. Here, you see. There are prettier women than Sa Do-cheon, aren’t there? Especially those two.”
Cheon Yul gestured subtly with his chin toward the distant Namgung Yeon.
By then, Chaeseoha had joined her side, and after Namgung Yeon whispered something in her ear, Chaeseoha too cast a look of utter contempt upon him.
Pure revulsion, nothing more.
Shake, shake—
I shook my head and furrowed my brow.
“You mentioned being close with the Northern Sea Princess?”
“A friend! The best of friends!”
“Sa Do-cheon and the Northern Sea…?”
“A place both near and far, but we shared our friendship! Every time I saw her face, I confessed. How many times was it? A thousand? Then she sighed and said she could remain friends with me.”
“…She was a woman?”
“Of course! And quite beautiful too. That cold expression of hers… ah—.”
“Is there nothing else besides that?”
“Nothing much. Terribly cold, nothing to eat, and everyone’s expressions are frozen like ice. If not for the Princess, I would’ve slaughtered them all.”
Cheon Yul, having spoken thus far, gazed at me quietly.
Soon, a small smile played at the corners of his mouth.
The expression of Soocheonchu.
It caught my eye.
As if he had grasped the true intention behind my question.
“But that’s not what you really want to know, is it? What are you actually curious about?”
“Perhaps legends about the Ice Palace?”
“Ha—ask the Junior Prince about that instead of me. If you pester him a thousand times, he’ll get tired of it and answer you.”
Cheon Yul turned his back as he spoke.
It seemed he was about to wander through the Jin Family grounds again, searching for some woman to flirt with.
Hmm—
That’s when Cheon Yul’s voice pierced through.
“The place in that painting is called the Realm of Glacial Jade. Since it came from my friend’s mouth, it must be true.”
“The Realm of Glacial Jade…”
“But even if you knew, you couldn’t enter it, could you? There’s a reason it can’t be opened. Moreover, it’s a place outsiders cannot simply access. Do you understand what that means?”
A forbidden ground of the Ice Palace.
A place unknown to anyone.
I was certain that even those Divine Sect bastards hadn’t found it.
I smiled and nodded.
Doesn’t hearing the word “forbidden” make you want to sneak in and see it?
My rebellious nature surfaced.

* * *

Preparing the merchant caravan took far more time than I had anticipated. This was because we were heading to the Northern Sea, and the scale was so massive that we needed countless supplies.
It was different from when I had traveled to Gansu.
The number of cargo wagons we were pulling reached fifty, the assembled bodyguards exceeded two hundred, and the number of porters matched that figure.
An overwhelming scale, truly.
Considering that even merchant caravans heading to the Western Regions and eastward didn’t reach this magnitude, I could clearly feel just how important this journey to the Northern Sea was.
I whistled as I gazed upon this scale.
It wasn’t simply because of the numbers.
It was truly magnificent and overwhelming.
Even compared to the so-called ten greatest merchant houses of the Central Plains, only about two could assemble a caravan of this caliber.
Yet despite the overwhelming spectacle, the atmosphere was subtle.
Everyone looked as if they were staring at corpses.
Like soldiers being dragged to a war they didn’t want to fight, their expressions were uniformly grim, suggesting they understood how arduous the Northern Sea journey would be.
I mounted my horse and observed them.
The eyes that glanced at me lacked vitality.
Their eyes conveyed a desire not to go, and while I wholeheartedly agreed, there was no way around it either.
I smiled faintly and looked around.
“I’m sure you don’t want to go. Neither do I.”
At my words directed toward the dispirited crowd, people wore expressions of bewilderment.
They hadn’t expected me to speak so directly.
But I understand and accept it.
Even I don’t wish to walk this path, so what of the others?
Even setting aside the bodyguards, the porters carrying supplies are those who haven’t properly mastered martial arts.
They surely know how much this arduous journey will wear down their bodies compared to the coin they receive.
I smiled as I looked upon such people.
“The Northern Sea expedition yields no profit, they say, yet we cannot simply refuse to go. So I propose this: those who wish not to go may remain.”
At my words, everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.
Their gaze asked if they truly need not go, and I nodded in affirmation.
I would not stop them.
Their bodies would certainly suffer, so it was obvious that refusing to go and enduring some curses would be far more advantageous.
Yet I need these people.
Each individual selected here is a seasoned veteran who has made the Northern Sea journey countless times, and their absence would cause considerable disruption to our expedition.
Therefore, I speak.
“Double.”
“What?!”
“…What did you just say?”
“For this Northern Sea expedition, I will pay double what you have received thus far. So those who wish to go shall go, and those who wish to remain may stay. I have no objection.”
As though it truly mattered not at all.
I convey that you can proceed without them. It is true that I need the experience of those who have traveled this route many times, but there is one here who can substitute for that.
I glanced briefly at Cheon Yul.
He tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
Once a troublesome presence, but having traversed the Northern Sea enough to befriend the Junior Prince, he would prove far more reliable than anyone else here.
Moreover, he would serve as the travel permit through Shanxi.
“…No, Young Master. The payment from the Ice Palace is already fixed. Doubling it would mean you’re taking a loss, would it not?”
“These people here will do their utmost work, and they deserve proper compensation. What does it matter if the Jin Family profits a single silver coin?”
At my words, everyone’s eyes widened in astonishment.
If I truly gave double wages to everyone gathered here, there might be nothing left to gain.
Those who understood this were the ones expressing concern.
But it was fine.
I could simply extract more from the Ice Palace.
Even if not, there were countless ways to earn coin, so these were matters they need not worry about.
“So, will you go or not? I have little time to spare.”
Were they provoked by my words?
Everyone present exchanged glances and communicated through their eyes.
They swallowed dryly at the question of what to do.
Double wages would be far too substantial to refuse.
But soon, everyone’s eyes gleamed with determination.
The reason all these people entered the Jin Family of Luoyang.
To earn coin.
Having entered with the resolve to sacrifice everything for their children and descendants to live comfortably and proudly, none could resist.
“Let’s go!”
“I’m coming too!”
I chuckled at the bright voices echoing from all around. The heavy atmosphere that had weighed upon us moments before had vanished without a trace, replaced entirely by the unwavering determination of those eager to earn their fortune.
I smiled faintly and nodded.
“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s move.”
In that moment, our long journey began anew.

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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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