The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 16

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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 16

“Damn it… what a mess.”
Crunch—
Gu Yang-cheol, barely holding Pyo Haeng together, ground his teeth as he recalled the events of the previous night.
The wolves’ resistance had been far more ferocious than anticipated.
Though I had witnessed many wolves before, these possessed a strength that transcended such ordinary beasts. Mere wolves hunted with tactics as sophisticated as those employed by men.
Each time they attacked and we reformed our lines, they would vanish in an instant, only to strike again once our vigilance had waned.
As a result, both body and spirit were utterly exhausted.
The battle had proven far more grueling than initially conceived.
Against mere wolves, no less.
By the time we had eliminated all the wolves, the sun had already risen.
Because of that, I could not even sleep properly.
A glance at the condition of the Jo-won revealed that most sustained only minor injuries, yet their appearance was utterly wretched.
Everywhere bore the marks of tears and bites.
It testified to the ferocity of the wolves’ assault.
“As if that weren’t enough, this had to happen too.”
The supply wagon burned, goods were stolen, and now wolves.
For so many calamities to converge at once seemed almost beyond belief.
Yet there was a silver lining.
After battling the wolves through the night, we managed to secure provisions.
Having obtained a considerable amount of their flesh, we need not worry about food until reaching our destination.
The only problem was that both body and spirit were so depleted that all I desired was to lie down, regardless of eating or anything else.
At that moment, Cheol-gyun, the deputy leader who had been surveying the surroundings, approached.
“Leader… something seems amiss.”
“What do you mean?”
“The surroundings are far too quiet. Moreover, there are traces of a carriage passing ahead of us.”
Gu Yang-cheol frowned at this unexpected report.
That would mean someone was ahead of them…
Of course, such a thing was entirely possible.
Countless people traversed these mountains, so the presence of human traces was perfectly normal.
“Is that what troubles you?”
“…I thought it warranted reporting.”
“Don’t make a fuss over a carriage.”
“Yes, but there is one more thing that concerns me.”
“What is it?”
“The surveillance tail that had been following us has disappeared.”
Only then did Gu Yang-cheol turn to look behind them.
Indeed, the figure who had always maintained a certain distance behind them was nowhere to be seen. I had confirmed their presence until just before the wolf pack attacked, yet…
But when exactly he had disappeared remained unclear. Gu Yang-cheol stroked his lips, lost in thought for a moment.
However, he did not dwell on it deeply.
“He either fell to the wolves or fled to escape. Don’t worry—just maintain a thorough watch of the perimeter. We can’t know what else might emerge.”
“Do you think bandits might appear this time?”
“It’s possible. Such things are common in places like this. But has the letter from Honggu County arrived yet?”
“No, it hasn’t arrived yet. We’ll need to check again once we return to Sega.”
“Has the old man lost his mind? Not a single message despite the arrival of a division leader—he needs discipline. Go handle your duties.”
Cheol-gyun bowed and withdrew.
Only then did Gu Yang-cheol steady his breathing and begin surveying his surroundings.
He first examined the ground around them.
Though faint, the tracks of a carriage were clearly visible.
Moreover, there were numerous footprints—evidence that a considerable group had passed through.
A carriage traversing the mountain?
It seemed someone of considerable importance was riding in it.
Could it be royalty?
Gu Yang-cheol let out a soft chuckle.
Under different circumstances, he might have prepared for an ambush, but the fact that they had left such obvious traces suggested these were people entirely unrelated to his operation.
The real problem was the missing scout.
Contemplating this, Gu Yang-cheol examined the carriage tracks once more.
He concluded these traces might belong to the Nakhyang Jin Family—perhaps they had gone ahead to confirm that Pyo Haeng’s escort mission would be completed without the scout’s interference.
If that were the case, the scout’s disappearance made sense.
“This explanation seems more plausible.”
Gu Yang-cheol nodded and glanced around briefly.
Of those who had started with him, few remained besides Jo-won.
Unlike what he had anticipated, the heat, hunger, and exhaustion—compounded by last night’s battle—had caused many to abandon the mission.
Only the Walbaek Bandits remained.
Compared to their initial numbers, the situation was absurd.
Under normal circumstances, even if the cargo reached its destination, this escort mission would be considered a failure.
But Gu Yang-cheol harbored no concerns.
Hong Gu-hyeon’s influence would ultimately prevail.
Above all, they had earned credit for protecting everyone against the wolf pack.
And it was the Nakhyang Jin Family who had inserted these ruffians into the escort, creating this disaster.
There was nothing to worry about.
Then.
The Wal-pae Leader, who had been guarding the cargo wagon being pulled by the ruffians at the rear, looked around as if checking something, then suddenly shouted.
“Shouldn’t we eat something first?!”
“We’re almost there. We’ll eat once we arrive.”
“What, you want to watch our men starve to death? Or should we just eat the leftover wolf meat?”
“….”
Gu Yang-cheol frowned and glared at the Wal-pae Leader.
A man who should have cowered in fear and held his tongue instead met Gu Yang-cheol’s gaze with brazen confidence.
That audacity pricked Gu Yang-cheol’s pride.
Clop-clop—
Gu Yang-cheol, who had been leading at the front, halted his horse and turned its head sharply around.
The killing intent flickering in his eyes and the overwhelming aura he exuded were so potent that the Walbaek Bandits visibly lost their nerve.
“Do you wish to die?”
A razor-sharp utterance.
Gulp—
The moment his voice reached their ears, the sound of nervous swallowing echoed from all directions. Some of them grew so pale they instinctively bowed their heads without realizing it.
Such was the magnitude of Gu Yang-cheol’s killing intent—unbearable to withstand.
The Wal-pae Leader was no exception.
His complexion turned a sickly pallor as he swallowed hard once, then drew a shaky breath before breaking into a laugh.
As if shaking off his fear.
And then came his coarse voice.
“Damn it all! One word from you and it’s death, death, death! This is so repulsive I can’t stomach it anymore, truly.”
“What?”
“What do you mean ‘what’?! I said we’re not doing it, you bastard!”
“Are you truly mad!?”
“You’re the one driving people mad. In any case, we’re not doing it! I won’t, so kill me or roast me—do as you please.”
“You mad fool!?”
“Ah yes, I’m a madman. You’ll have quite the time hauling those cargo wagons yourselves.”
“You—!”
“I’ve been cursed at enough times. Figure it out yourselves. I’m done.”
As the Wal-pae Leader shouted and strode away boldly, the bandits who had lost their courage began to recover. They blinked their eyes and straightened their shoulders with newfound confidence.
It was as though their fear had evaporated.
Seeing this, the Wal-pae Leader cried out loudly.
“Come on, lads! Let those bastards handle it themselves!”
At the Leader’s call, not only the bandits who had been standing guard but also those pushing cargo wagons from the rear came rushing over with broad grins.
Gathered together, the Walbaek Bandits no longer bore a trace of fear in their eyes.
Instead, as they gazed upon the Jo-won members who would now have to push those heavy cargo wagons, their expressions radiated satisfaction.
Hiss—
The Wal-pae Leader, letting out a pleased laugh, looked toward Gu Yang-cheol with a sneer.
“Handle it yourselves then. Hahaha!”
As the remaining bandits began rushing down the mountain, the Jo-won members’ eyes gleamed with lethal intent. They took steps as if ready to chase them down and cut them to pieces, but Gu Yang-cheol raised his hand to stop them.
“Leave them be. They are of no concern to us. Once our business is finished, we shall hunt them down and kill them.”
“Yes!”
“You and you—pull the cargo wagons to the destination. Since I have no wish to waste time, move as swiftly as possible.”
The foremost cargo wagon was already being pulled by other Jo-won members, so those who had been serving as guards would need to take up the task for the remaining ones.
Several of them dismounted and approached the cargo wagons.
Then, from somewhere, a strange odor assailed their nostrils.
A completely different smell from the rotting meat of last night.
This was more like….
“Fierce Fire Oil?”
One of the Tenth Division members furrowed his brow and glanced around. He had noticed that Fierce Fire Oil was leaking from the cargo wagon the Walbaek Bandits were hauling.
A clay jar containing the Fierce Fire Oil had shattered.
From the broken jar, the oil flowed across the ground in a long, continuous trail.
When it had broken was unclear, but it was undoubtedly the spreading oil that had created this path.
Following the trail with his eyes, the man’s gaze widened in shock.
“What is this?!”
He had no time to cry out.
The flame rushing toward the cargo wagon was far too swift.
In the moment of horror as the fire reached him in an instant.
Boom—!
The flames met the jar, and a tremendous explosion erupted. Simultaneously, the Tenth Division members clustered nearby were sent flying, crashing into everything around them.
“…!”
Gu Yang-cheol stood frozen, watching the members scatter through the air. His mind had gone blank—the situation was simply too absurd to process.
Four of the scattered members writhed, stifling groans. Blood streamed from wounds across their bodies.
Only then did Gu Yang-cheol snap back to awareness and cry out.
“What in blazes is happening?!”
“Ugh… It appears the Walbaek Bandits broke the Fierce Fire Oil jar and set it ablaze….”
Crunch—
“…I know that much.”
The incomprehensible turn of events left Gu Yang-cheol’s mind reeling.
Mere bandits.
They would know better than anyone that such an act would have irreversible consequences. Yes, four had been struck down, but many remained unharmed—if they pursued with intent, they could easily capture them.
Yet they would attempt such madness?
It was impossible without losing one’s mind.
Then, suddenly, the face of that bandit leader flashed through his memory.
The man who had been so intimidated by a single glare that he could barely speak coherently—now acting as though he had seized some newfound power.
The pieces were beginning to fit together.
With composure restored, Gu Yang-cheol’s eyes turned cold as he surveyed his surroundings.
One, two, three… fifteen in total.
Compared to when they had departed from the Nakhyang Jin Family, the numbers had dwindled absurdly.
But what was even more infuriating was this.
All the others had vanished, and by some cruel twist of fate, only the Tenth Division members remained.
Twitch—
His eye twitched involuntarily.
Then, something strange came flying through the air.
Round in shape, resembling an elixir pill, yet larger and far more solid in appearance.
The moment it traced an arc through the air and struck the ground.
Whoooosh—!
A tremendous sound erupted as smoke bombs scattered in all directions.
“Cough?!”
“Hack, hack! What… what is this?!”
The moment the smoke bomb detonated and the acrid fumes invaded my nostrils, my entire body seized with a tingling paralysis, my movements becoming sluggish and heavy.
Simultaneously, mucus and saliva streamed from my mouth and nose.
This was unmistakably a smoke bomb from the Sacheon Tang Family.
“Ugh!”
Despite the sudden chaos, Gu Yang-cheol swiftly drew his sword and channeled his inner force through a sweeping arc.
The thick veil of smoke was torn apart by the blade’s wind, dissipating into nothing.
Gradually, the landscape came into view.
Gu Yang-cheol squinted hard, sensing an ominous presence, his blurred vision slowly sharpening into clarity.
“…!”
As the scene revealed itself, Gu Yang-cheol’s lips trembled, words failing him entirely.
People surrounded him.
Not merely one or two.
Warriors bearing the insignia of the Nakhyang Jin Family had encircled him completely, as if executing a siege.
And at the center stood a solitary figure.
Eyes as fathomless as an abyss.
A familiar man gazed down at him.
The youngest Young Master of the Nakhyang Jin Family.
Jin Cheon-u.
He regarded them with a cold, contemptuous smile playing at his lips.

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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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