The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 177

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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 238

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The village where the Northern Ice Palace stood was in disarray.
The Ice Palace, known as the absolute sovereign of the Northern Sea, had been attacked. Moreover, the death of the Palace Master was a shock no one could escape.
Of the hundreds who had gathered at the Ice Palace, fewer than half survived—utterly devastated and trampled.
This meant only one thing.
The collapse of the Northern Ice Palace.
Those who had taken pride in the Ice Palace could not hide their despair, and the wails of those who had lost family echoed ceaselessly for three days and nights.
Thus another week passed.
Though one might feel suffocated by the stretching time, we within the auxiliary palace remained busy, tending to the survivors.
Those with severe injuries showed rapid recovery thanks to Chaeseoha’s care, while those with minor wounds patrolled within the main palace, preparing for any unforeseen circumstances.
I confirmed these matters and entered a room, turning my gaze inward.
Inside a large chamber within the auxiliary palace.
I gazed at the woman lying quietly for a long while before exhaling a sigh.
A woman who had not opened her eyes for over two weeks.
Though Chaeseoha and Namgung Yeon took turns caring for her, she could not eat or drink properly, so her body grew thinner with each passing day.
I stared at such a woman for a moment before opening my mouth.
“How much longer will you deny reality?”
“….”
“If you do not open your eyes soon, there is nothing we can do.”
Twitch—
At those words, the woman’s body, which had not stirred even slightly, moved.
Yes, she had already regained consciousness the day before.
Neither Chaeseoha nor I were unaware of this.
But because she could not accept the situation unfolding before her eyes, she kept them shut and turned away, refusing to look directly.
The problem was on my end.
Since we had to return to the So Family as soon as possible, I could not continue indulging her stubbornness.
“Rise and face reality squarely. Do what must be done. The warriors of the Ice Palace await only your awakening.”
“….”
I saw the woman’s eyes tremble. Knowing that opening them meant confronting reality, she hesitated even at that moment.
I watched quietly before speaking again with a stern expression.
“You chose the wrong person to indulge your petulance with. We depart tomorrow, Junior Prince. Furthermore, as you know, without the Palace Master’s seal, the merchants will take back the goods they brought. Can you endure that?”
In that instant, the woman’s eyes opened.
Simultaneously, her gaze pierced me with sharp intensity.
Having lost her father and those like family, she appeared enraged that I spoke of merchant matters when her heart could not even settle.
But I am a merchant.
Merchants are inherently cold to matters that yield no profit.
No matter how deeply the Jin Family had cultivated relations with the Northern Sea over the years, it was only possible because it benefited us—not out of any desire to serve.
“The Young Master of the Jin Family could not possibly understand my heart at this moment.”
“I understand it well. However, I have no intention of consoling you. Denying reality does not bring the dead back to life.”
“It is not denial of reality….”
“I see. If I were in the Junior Prince’s position… I would first regain my composure, accept the situation, and sharpen my blade. Then I would turn it toward those bastards. Is that not what a warrior does?”
I saw the woman’s eyes tremble at my words. Though she understood it herself, she could not calm her turbulent heart and remained paralyzed.
At the sight of her, I smiled faintly.
Then, I turned my back lightly and left the room.
“Let the Junior Prince fulfill the Junior Prince’s role.”
“….”
I did not dwell on the silence that followed. As I stepped outside with light footsteps, I saw Chaeseoha looking at me with concern.
“She has awakened.”
“That is fortunate. I was quite worried about what to do.”
“What did you tell her?”
“I made her face reality. And we leave tomorrow, so pack your things.”
“…We are leaving just like this?”
“Have not all these people occupied the Ice Palace’s food and rooms for nearly half a month? We are no longer guests—we have become unwelcome visitors.”
The situation is unfortunate, but we have done all we can.
The rest must be handled by the Junior Prince herself.
That is the responsibility of one who sits in the highest seat.
Sensing my resolve, Chaeseoha nodded without further words.
Shortly after, Jang Chuchyeong and Namgung Yeon, who had gathered, began moving swiftly to pack their belongings, and Namgung Baek, having assessed the situation, summoned the Imperial Guards and porters.
Thanks to this, the atmosphere shifted slightly.
The Jin Family members revealed bright eyes at the thought of returning home, while the Ice Palace warriors displayed anxious expressions and gazes, perhaps because those who had cared for them were departing.
With no knowing when another attack might come and the Junior Prince herself bedridden, we had been their only support.
It is unfortunate, but I cannot indulge them further.
As I was thinking such thoughts.
Suddenly, the door opened and the Junior Prince appeared.
“Junior Prince!”
“Are you well!?”
The moment I saw her face, the Ice Palace people rose from their seats and hurried toward her, as if they knew who had suffered the greatest wound in this place.
Though they themselves must have faced death’s threshold, such thoughts seemed absent from their minds.
At their eyes and gazes, the Junior Prince smiled softly. She deliberately nodded with composure, dismissed the people, and stood before me, looking directly at me as she spoke.
“…I will handle matters in place of the Palace Master. But before that, let us reconsider the conditions. Follow me.”

* * *

The reception chamber of the Bing Palace Master.
I sat across from the Junior Prince in that place.
She scrutinized the list I had handed over with piercing intensity, searching for every possible flaw as if determined to negotiate terms favorable to the Northern Ice Palace, sparing no effort in her examination.
Naturally, it was futile.
After all, it was my Father who had drafted the document in the first place, and she was a warrior, not a merchant.
No matter how sharp her mind might be, she could not find fault in a document deliberately crafted by my Father.
Even the Bing Palace Master herself had not persisted in trying.
The Junior Prince continued to alternate her gaze between the document and me, verifying every detail, yet finding nothing she could challenge, she appeared considerably troubled.
“What is it you seek?”
“…Of course, I’m simply confirming whether there’s any way to receive more.”
Watching her speak her thoughts so openly, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
Yet the Northern Ice Palace’s finances had been depleted, and with the considerable expenses needed to repair and restore what had been damaged in the future, she seemed determined to extract whatever advantage she could from this transaction with the Jin Family.
The Bing Palace Master herself had agreed to provide medicinal herbs for this very reason.
However, that had been discussed verbally and was not written in the document.
Seeing the Junior Prince unaware of such circumstances, I smiled faintly.
“There is indeed a way to receive more in value.”
“What is it?”
“Provide me with an Ice Soul Stone.”
“…!”
I presented the proposal in exactly the same manner I had with the Bing Palace Master.
Though the Bing Palace Master had responded with a stern refusal at that time, the Junior Prince could not possibly know this, and circumstances had shifted dramatically in an unfavorable direction for her.
The Junior Prince’s lips moved silently as she fell into contemplation, and observing her, I became certain of one thing.
It had worked.
While the value of an Ice Soul Stone was undoubtedly considerable, considering the expenses that would be required to rebuild the Northern Ice Palace going forward, every coin was desperately needed immediately.
She could not refuse.
“…One would be possible.”
“That will suffice.”
“May I ask what you intend to use it for?”
I nodded and lifted the sword case.
The moment she caught sight of the sword within, her eyes widened in shock.
Anyone from the Northern Ice Palace would surely recognize it.
“Ice Soul Black Iron…”
“You are well informed.”
“…”
In that instant, I saw the Junior Prince’s fists clench tightly.
From that reaction alone, I could gauge the worth of this iron—Chung-mu of the Demonic Cult had said that even the Northern Ice Palace might possess only one or two blades of it, if that.
Even when I had seen the Bing Palace Master, she had not possessed one, and considering that the Junior Prince herself did not have one either, I suspected they had been sold off due to financial ruin.
Her expression was precisely that of someone confirming such a suspicion.
After staring at the sword for a long while, she finally closed her eyes, then nodded with a small sigh.
“Very well. I shall provide it. However, the Ice Soul Stone in the Northern Ice Palace is…”
“The goods we sell are thirty percent cheaper. We’ll appraise the items you’re offering at forty percent above market value, and let’s calculate the Ice Soul Stone separately. If it’s acceptable, I’d like to receive ten thousand cold snow grass as a bonus?”
“That’s no problem at all.”
At the Junior Prince’s approval, I smiled.
It felt like a fresh transaction, yet nothing had changed. Just as I’d agreed with the Palace Master, everything was clean and simple—I’d lost nothing.
Only the Ice Soul Stone had been added to the arrangement.
We wrote the terms on paper as promised and completed the agreement by stamping it with both my seal and the Palace Master’s seal.
I tucked the documents into my robes and sat for a moment. She rose and left the room, heading somewhere.
After a considerable wait, the Junior Prince returned carrying a small wooden box.
“I sincerely hope this will be of service to your endeavors, Young Master.”
“Thank you.”
I accepted the wooden box containing the Ice Soul Stone and stood from my seat.
Just as I turned to leave.
“May I ask one thing?”
“Of course. Please, ask whatever you wish.”
“…That man—who is he? It seemed like you two knew each other.”
At the thought of Gang Cheonho, a sharp gleam flickered in the Junior Prince’s eyes.
The fury that blazed in her gaze like consuming karma fire showed no sign of subsiding before his neck was severed.
Seeing this, I offered a bitter smile.
“Gang Cheonho.”
“Gang… Cheonho.”
“I’ve given you his name, but there is one thing you must remember.”
“…What is it?”
“Do not become a moth drawn to flame, consumed by the desire for vengeance.”
At my words, the Junior Prince regarded me in silence.
Those people are not to be trifled with.
If you merely swing your sword driven by vengeance alone, you will surely perish like a moth in the fire.
She doesn’t know this, but considering that it was merely one tiger’s horn that shattered the Northern Ice Palace’s entire military strength in an instant, it becomes all the more apparent.
I smiled faintly and offered another bow.

* * *

Returning to my quarters, the first thing I did was examine the Ice Soul Stone.
As I placed it on the table and opened the wooden box, I felt an intense, biting cold emanate from within.
While not as formidable as the ten-thousand-year ice jade, I couldn’t help but think that those without proper martial training would have their hands frozen solid the moment they touched it.
“So this is the Ice Soul Stone….”
Wasn’t this what the Northern Ice Palace used when creating their warriors?
Considering that by obtaining this, one could seal frigid energy within their body, it was undeniably an object of impossible power.
Of course, it would require the foundational techniques of the Ice Palace to support it.
The beautiful and frigid martial arts that the woman had displayed flashed vividly in my mind.
Without thinking, I shook my head and let out a faint smile.
Soon, I reached out lightly and touched the Ice Soul Stone.
“…!”
A piercing cold surged through my palm.
As if intent on freezing it solid.
From that alone, I could definitively say that without protecting my hand through inner energy, I couldn’t even grip the Ice Soul Stone.
Moreover, the energy was stronger than the Palace Master had indicated.
Whether it was because the Binghua Yujing had opened, or whether the Junior Prince brought something with stronger energy as a gesture of gratitude, I couldn’t say—but it exceeded my expectations.
I smiled faintly and drew my sword.
“To infuse the Ice Soul Stone into the blade… that’s what was said, right?”
Recalling those words, I understood.
What I needed to do.
In an instant, I extended my sword and cut through the Ice Soul Stone.
Crack—!

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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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