The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 187

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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 Demon Suppressor.
He sat upon an ornate throne, propping his chin in his hand as he gazed intently forward.
Observing the subordinate prostrated before him, he furrowed his brow with displeasure, his eyes reflecting clear dissatisfaction.
“Still no contact with them?”
“Yes, we continue to attempt communication, but there is no response.”
“What could have happened?”
Nam Tae-cheon narrowed his eyes, recalling Yeom Ji-hak, the corner master of the Snake Clan.
He was supposed to arrive here once his affairs were settled, yet considerable time had passed without his appearance.
The inauguration ceremony would commence very soon.
The more I contemplated Muk-hwang ascending to the Sect Leader’s throne, the more my teeth ground together—and the one who should provide the greatest assistance was nowhere to be found.
On top of that, the current situation.
Those strange individuals who appeared at Cho Hon Jeon had reached the Heavenly Demon Peak in mere days.
It was unprecedented in the history of the Demonic Sect, striking with considerable shock, but the greater problem was the high likelihood that these individuals served under Muk-hwang.
“Have you gathered any information on those who came from Cho Hon Jeon?”
“…There is no information whatsoever.”
“None at all?”
“Yes, as if by agreement, the Leader of Cho Hon Jeon keeps his mouth sealed, and the others there seem unaware that such individuals even existed.”
“Thorough indeed… But then, that would be Muk-hwang.”
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 Heavenly Demon Peak.
The disparity between lower and upper ranks was that severe, yet it was Muk-hwang who shattered this absolute rule.
Through overwhelming martial prowess.
The Demonic Sect has always been where the strong survive and the strong move the sect.
Even if one hails from the Demonic Cultivation Ground, if one is strong enough, it is only natural that the demonic practitioners follow their will.
But would everyone think the same?
No.
The moment a thousand-year-old rule crumbles, the authority of those who have fiercely coveted that seat collapses as well.
Though unspoken, many prestigious families from the Heavenly Demon Peak viewed this inauguration of Muk-hwang with considerable displeasure.
At the center of this opposition stood Nam Tae-cheon.
As a scion of the most renowned noble house in the Heavenly Demon Peak, he had displayed overwhelming talent since childhood, and none doubted he would become the next Heavenly Demon.
Until Ma Un appeared.
The one who rose from the Demonic Cultivation Ground always blocked my path.
That man, lacking even a background, manipulated elders and protectors to forge one, and one by one bent the rigid experts of the Heavenly Demon Peak to his will, building his own faction.
It grew progressively larger until it eventually threatened the prestigious families, and now no one could oppose him.
He had become an overwhelming presence.
Nam Tae-cheon was deeply displeased with the situation.
And now, it was time to set everything back in order.
“I cannot simply wait idly by.”
Time was never Nam Tae-cheon’s ally.
For now, he had not yet ascended to the position of Sect Leader, so his authority remained unestablished, but once he claimed that seat and time flowed forward, even those who had resented him would one by one kneel before him.
After all, he possessed something that drew people to him.
“Summon all those who wish to share in this vision.”
No matter how much the title of Muk-hwang was bestowed upon him, no matter how he was called the strongest of the Demonic Sect, he could not face all the powerful experts from the countless noble families alone.
Nam Tae-cheon smiled with this thought.
Yet the unease that had taken root deep within his heart did not easily fade.
Especially without Yeom Ji-hak, that towering pillar.

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The place where the Heavenly Demon Forging Chamber stood was truly a living painting.
Countless peaks spread before my eyes could be taken in at a glance, and the landscape unfolding around them seemed almost unreal—as if it could not possibly exist in the mortal world.
Moreover, despite being at a height where an ordinary person would struggle to breathe, the blacksmiths here paid no mind whatsoever, striking their hammers with steady rhythm.
Clang—clang—clang—clang!
It was not a cacophonous sound.
Like a melody, it came to my ears not as jarring noise, but somehow brought a sense of peace to the heart.
Surely this was amplified by the harmony with the atmosphere of this place.
As I surveyed such surroundings, my gaze soon met that of one person.
Short whiskers and piercing eyes.
Though he possessed not a single strand of hair, his rugged musculature was well-proportioned.
Was it because of this?
Though clearly an old man, he seemed strangely youthful.
He, whose gaze had met mine, briefly confirmed Gu Ma-hyeop beside me, then approached with a peculiar expression and spoke.
“What brings you to this place?”
“I am simply carrying out orders.”
“Orders? From Muk-hwang? Then your business is with this one here?”
The old man’s gaze naturally turned toward me.
His seasoned eyes swept across my entire form as if appraising it, then tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
Then he approached Gu Ma-hyeop and jabbed him in the ribs.
“Who is that fellow? Could he be… a hidden son of Muk-hwang?”
“No, sir.”
“Not that? Then why is he so sharp? His presence is quite keen. Even Muk-hwang’s son, who will soon become the Sect Leader, is not at this level…”
“Are you Chung-mu, the Master of the Forging Chamber? I am called Cheon.”
I performed a respectful fist salute and maintained proper courtesy.
Perhaps because of this, Chung-mu’s expression became even more peculiar.
It was the look of someone seeing such meticulous courtesy for the first time.
“Kekeke! That’s right, I am Chung-mu, the master of this forging chamber. But… what brings you here? Do you need weapons?”
“Yes, I do need weapons, but I haven’t come to purchase them. I’ve come to have one repaired.”
“Repaired? What needs repairing?”
I glanced subtly at Jang Chuchyeong.
Understanding my intent, he set down the bundle he carried and unwrapped it.
At the same moment, a dark-colored sword broken 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 craftsman of considerable skill. Someone nearly as skilled as myself. Hmph… and you broke this?”
“Yes.”
“Since it’s your sword, you must have been the one who wielded it in combat?”
“That’s correct.”
I nodded and answered, whereupon 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 before tilting his head and letting out an incredulous laugh.
“You’re fortunate to still 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.
He then glanced at me with a furrowed brow, as if questioning how I could emerge unscathed from facing someone of Muk-hwang’s caliber.
Chung-mu shared the same sentiment.
“I was fortunate.”
“Yes, fortune favored you. If it had ended with merely a broken sword… that’s more than fortune.”
As Chung-mu spoke, he began examining the broken blade meticulously. The careful way his fingers traced the edges and the gleam in his eyes—truly, he was a master craftsman.
“Frost Soul Obsidian Iron…”
“Isn’t it just Obsidian Iron?”
“Heh, you thought it was merely that? But no, this is Frost Soul Obsidian Iron. It’s iron that’s difficult to obtain even in the Northern Sea.”
“It was… such a thing?”
“Even in the Northern Sea, I suspect there are only one or two swords made from this iron. Where on earth did you acquire something so precious?”
Where did I acquire it?
My grandfather purchased it by spending considerable funds.
Given that Chung-mu, the master of this forging chamber, spoke of it in such terms, it was clear my grandfather had paid no small sum.
I was beginning to suspect that perhaps this was why Binggung, which had been drying up financially, had begun to flourish again.
“You don’t have to tell me if you’d rather not. In any case… I see. Repairing this…”
“Is it difficult?”
Chung-mu shook his head at my question.
It seemed the repair itself wasn’t difficult, but the careful way his fingers and eyes moved across the broken edges suggested there was something I didn’t understand.
“Because it broke cleanly, repair is possible, but it’s been fractured into too many pieces. I can fix it, but its durability will be compromised.”
“It’s impossible to restore it to its original condition?”
“That’s right. I guarantee you, it would be a hundred times better to 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 was something I had carried with me until the very brink of death in my past life, I harbored an attachment to it that no other possession could rival.
Thus, I found myself unwilling to abandon it 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 need to remain before the flames all night, never taking my eyes off it for even a moment… it’s quite demanding.”
Chung-mu subtly pressed his thumb and forefinger together, forming a circle.
This signified money.
Observing the questioning gleam in his eyes and expression, I found myself smiling involuntarily and nodded readily.
If the matter could be resolved with coin, it was the simplest solution.
Though the blade would inevitably differ from the one my grandfather had given me, if the hilt remained intact and unbroken, that was sufficient.
What matters most is one’s resolve, does it not?
“How much would it cost?”
“Only I can handle this. If you see that this old man crafts only weapons for the Heavenly Demon, what do you think it would cost if I were to forge a sword myself?”
“Please name your price. Whatever the amount, I shall provide it.”
“Hehehehe! This fellow seems to have some coin to spare. But here’s the thing… money isn’t the issue.”
“What else could there be?”
“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 Demonic Cult’s regulations.”
Chung-mu’s gaze turned toward the Heavenly Demon 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 Heavenly Demon Palace and inherited the position of Heavenly Demon could the situation arise where I could seek such permission.
I scratched my head.
It wasn’t far off.
Since the enthronement ceremony was tomorrow, it seemed it wouldn’t consume much time.
The problem was the condition attached: only if nothing goes wrong during the ceremony.
I could dismiss someone like Nam Tae-cheon of the Blood Rights Jin Family as insignificant, but I couldn’t overlook those entangled with him, and furthermore, I needed Muk-hwang’s consent as well to seek this permission.
I turned my head with a bitter smile.
Gazing into the smithy, countless weapons hanging on one side caught my eye.
Though not all forged by Chung-mu himself, each was an exceptional weapon—the kind that would be called a legendary blade anywhere.
Most weapons produced here went to the upper echelons of the Demonic Cult, incomparable to the shabby items from Ma Yeon-ji.
I grasped the sword that pleased me most.
Then I swung it lightly.
Whoosh!
A sharp sound pierced my ears.
Was that why?
Both Chung-mu and Gu Ma-hyeop stared at me with astonished eyes.
Though I had merely swung it lightly through empty air, they surely heard it.
The sound of wind being severed.
“The cost matters not. Please forge the sword first. I will certainly obtain the necessary permission after the enthronement ceremony concludes.”
Was it because of the certainty in my gaze and expression?
Chung-mu, who had been staring blankly, swallowed hard 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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