The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 231

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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 231

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A frozen wasteland that seemed capable of freezing even human flesh solid.
The howling wind threatened to freeze one’s very breath, and the blizzard raged with such ferocity that visibility extended barely a hand’s breadth ahead.
Even bundled in thick garments, the biting cold that gnawed at exposed skin showed no mercy, making one question whether this desolate place could truly be inhabited by human beings.
Yet people existed everywhere, even here.
A vast settlement.
Surrounding an enormous frozen lake so expansive that one’s eyes could not take in its entirety, a city rivaling the great northern capitals had flourished, and at the settlement’s edge stood a palace that appeared to be constructed entirely of ice.
This was the Northern Sea, and this was Binggung.
Thus, the Northern Ice Palace.
Among the forces known as the New Martial Realm, an absolute power that rivaled even Namman itself.
Within this Binggung, a woman walked.
Thud, thud—
Her expression was glacially cold, her very presence capable of freezing all things.
Those who passed her could not bring themselves to raise their heads, so overwhelming was the aura that emanated from her—like the bitter north wind and frozen snow given form.
After walking for some time, the woman came to a halt at a particular location.
A place no one else could enter.
She stood alone, gazing forward with unwavering resolve.
Before her loomed an enormous gate, sealed shut and immovable.
Considering that for centuries no one had been able to pass through it, one might conclude that all hope of opening it was now lost.
The woman’s brow furrowed as she slowly drew her sword.
Channeling the power of ice crystallization, she thrust forward with formidable force.
Screeeech—!
The blade, sharp with keen momentum, was drawn into a small opening within the gate’s seams.
A remarkably precise technique.
Yet the gate did not budge even slightly.
She drew upon her inner power more forcefully, pouring her energy into the gate, but whether the method itself was flawed or simply not the correct approach, the gate remained utterly unmoved.
The woman exhaled a long sigh and turned away.
The Binghua Yujing—a place that had remained sealed for centuries.
Though it was said to be where Binggung had originated, no one had entered it in all those centuries, so none knew what lay within or what manner of place it truly was.
Yet the woman desperately wished to open this gate.
Only by accomplishing what no one had managed in centuries could she become the true ruler of the Northern Sea.
As she steadied her breathing with such thoughts, a familiar voice reached her ears.
“Haha, have you failed again?”
“Yes. No matter what method I employ, it will not open.”
“If it opened so easily, it would not be called the Binghua Yujing. There must surely be another way, so do not worry yourself overmuch.”
“I understand. But now, when Binggung’s situation grows precarious, is this not precisely the time when we must open it?”
At the sharp-tongued woman’s words, the man wore a bitter smile.
Her words were not wrong in the slightest.
The Binggung was indeed walking a path of decline.
The level of martial prowess had fallen considerably compared to the past, and it was common knowledge that their influence no longer matched what it once was.
Moreover, the finances that had once been abundant had deteriorated over the years, and now even maintaining their livelihood had become a burden.
Given such circumstances, I could understand the desire to open the Binghua Yujing once more for the revival of the Northern Ice Palace.
Whether out of pity for his struggling daughter, the man sighed before forcing a light smile and gently patted her back to change the mood.
“Now that I think about it, a merchant caravan arrived after a long time. Will you go with them?”
“A merchant caravan? You mean… the Jin Family of Luoyang?”
“Ha, yes, that’s right.”
“…Has the Second Young Master come?”
“Haha, unfortunately not this time. Instead, the Young Master So of the Jin Family has led them here personally.”
The Young Master So of the Jin Family of Luoyang had come to the Northern Ice Palace.
For the Princess, it was an extraordinarily welcome occasion.
It proved that the Jin Family still valued their relationship with the North, and someone of Young Master So’s position was convenient for pushing forward various matters.
Yet somehow, his daughter’s complexion was not good.
Her displeasure was laid bare without reservation.
“I see. So the Second Young Master is not coming.”
A voice as cold as ice flowed out, and soon she began to leave as if she had lost all interest.
“Where are you going? There are many guests, and you should attend to at least one of them, should you not?”
“If it is not the Binghua Yujing, I have no interest.”
As she spoke with such finality and began to walk away, the Princess, now alone, gazed at his departing daughter’s silhouette and shook his head with a sigh.

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“Ugh, it’s freezing. I’m going to die…”
“Oh, I feel like I’m going to freeze to death.”
We had finally arrived at the Northern Sea, and the phrase “northern winds and cold snow” became viscerally real. The relentless chill that never ceased to blow bit into my flesh, and each breath seemed to crystallize into frost before my eyes.
The water pouch hanging from my waist had long since frozen solid and become undrinkable, and the icy path beneath our feet made walking treacherous.
It was utterly different from crossing the desert.
I found myself thinking that Namman would have been far more bearable.
Even the layers of clothing we wore seemed meaningless against the overwhelming cold that assailed us, and everyone trembled as they barely managed to keep themselves together.
I withdrew my gaze along with a sigh and looked toward one place.
The Binggung—our destination—lay directly before us.
The moment the caravan came to a halt before the Binggung’s gates, the tightly sealed doors swung open and a group of people rushed out urgently.
I fixed my attention on one figure among them.
Someone whose presence was distinctly remarkable.
Snow-white hair and snow-white robes.
That imposing figure was unmistakably Seol Mu, known as the Princess of the Northern Ice Palace.
“Are you Jin Cheon-u, the Young Master of the Jin Family?”
“It is an honor to meet you, Gung-ju. I am Jin Cheon-u, responsible for this merchant expedition.”
“Haha— What became of Jin Myeong, who always came before?”
“I understand he departed on a journey. So I came in his stead.”
At my words, Seol Mu nodded with a satisfied expression. Anyone could see that building a relationship with the Young Master was preferable to dealing with the second son.
Then Seol Mu’s gaze shifted to Cheon Yul beside me, and she raised her eyes in apparent surprise.
“You are… Soocheonchu Cheon Yul, are you not?”
“Haha— I hope you have been well? Today I simply came along to enjoy myself with my friend here.”
At Cheon Yul’s words, the Gung-ju’s eyes widened further.
Her expression suggested she found it unbelievable that he had formed such a close friendship with the Soocheonchu of Sa Do-cheon. After all, the Jin Family was renowned for maintaining distance from the martial world.
Thus, while we traded with the Northern Sea, we had never cultivated other relationships.
After a moment of contemplation, Seol Mu nodded as if it mattered little and gestured toward the interior.
“What an interesting combination this is. Haha, how fares the Cheonju?”
“Yes, he remains in excellent health. Should the opportunity arise, please do visit. He would be most delighted.”
At Cheon Yul’s words, Seol Mu readily nodded in agreement.
From this exchange alone, the relationship between Sa Do-cheon and the Northern Sea appeared quite deep, yet the eyes of the smiling Cheon Yul had grown considerably more profound.
Unlike the guileless Seol Mu, there was something being concealed.
I observed this and clicked my tongue inwardly.
Though he always laughed and chattered, appearing careless, he was undoubtedly the one destined to lead Sa Do-cheon in the next generation.
Conversely, Seol Mu, unaware of the depth that had entered Cheon Yul’s eyes, led us forward with a smile, seemingly in excellent spirits.
“Come now, let us go inside. We have been expecting you. Haha, it has been quite some time since so many guests have visited the Northern Sea.”
At those words, I regarded the Gung-ju with a puzzled expression.
I could not discern whether she spoke merely of myself, Cheon Yul, and the expedition members, or if other guests had arrived.
Thus, I voiced my question.
“…Are there other guests besides us?”
“Ah— of course. An expedition has come from the Fengyun Escort Bureau. They are inside at present.”
“The Fengyun Merchant Guild…”
At those words, I stopped dead in my tracks.
The Fengyun Merchant Guild had arrived?
Of course, since this was the Northern Ice Palace and not some other place, it was conceivable that merchant guilds could come and go.
However, the timing felt far too convenient.
As if they had been waiting, the fact that the Fengyun Merchant Guild arrived the moment Sang-haeng did troubled me.
Moreover, if other merchant houses or trading guilds were moving toward the same destination as me, the Jin Family’s intelligence network would have caught wind of it and informed me.
Yet there had been nothing.
I could only feel that the situation was decidedly strange.
“Am I overthinking this?”
“Haha, what are you doing? Come along.”
At the voice that followed, I pushed my thoughts aside and entered the palace following the Gung-ju.
The interior was resplendent, and I could see the warriors of the Binggung patrolling throughout the halls, which only prompted another question.
The Northern Ice Palace was said to be one of the greatest powers beyond the realm, comparable only to Namman.
Yet the aura it gave off felt strangely weak.
It hardly seemed like the Northern Sea at all.
One might attribute it to them being lower-ranked warriors, but even so, their inferior level could not be denied.
“Was this the reason?”
I glanced sideways at Cheon Yul.
When our eyes met with him grinning, I saw him wearing an expression as if to ask why I was looking at him like that.
But the circumstances were clear.
The first thing Cheon Yul had done upon ascending to the position of Soocheonchu was to swallow the Northern Sea whole.
I had wondered why he would devour the Northern Sea, which was distant and difficult to govern, but now I could confirm the reason with certainty.
Who would refuse weakened prey right before their eyes?
Distance meant nothing in expanding one’s power, and if it was the Northern Ice Palace, it could instantly elevate Sa Do-cheon’s reputation and naturally become a great achievement for the newly ascended Soocheonchu.
Perhaps his continued cultivation of relations with the Binggung had not been mere espionage, but rather reconnaissance.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I was thinking you are someone who cannot be underestimated.”
“Haha, so you think I’m nothing but schemes and plots?”
At Cheon Yul’s words, still carrying that smile, I let out an exasperated sigh.
Imprinting Cheon Yul’s cunning deeper into my mind, I continued following the Gung-ju for some time.
Then we finally stopped, apparently having reached our destination.
“Would you mind waiting in the guest hall for a moment? I did not expect you both to arrive simultaneously, so I have not yet made proper preparations.”
“Surely there are people from the Fengyun Merchant Guild inside?”
“Perhaps… are your relations not good?”
“That is not the case.”
“Then would you keep me company for a moment? I shall quickly finish my discussion with the Commander and arrange separate quarters.”
“Understood.”
Seol Mu hurried off with his entourage.
The way he left without even introducing us showed just how flustered he was at this moment.
I exhaled a long sigh and turned my gaze away.
The firmly closed door of the guest hall.
I slowly pushed it open and stepped inside.
In that instant, my feet came to an involuntary halt as my eyes fixed forward.
Behind a man standing in formation were ten bodyguards dressed in the garb of the Fengyun Escort Agency, but that was not the issue.
My gaze could not tear itself away from a single person.
A towering frame reaching eight chi in height.
A body so densely packed with muscle it seemed carved from stone itself.
Though he resembled Gu Gunbaek in form, this presence radiated a far more sinister gleam and intensity—yet his expression remained leisurely, his eyes calm as he slowly turned his gaze toward us, and a contemptuous smile played at the corners of his mouth.
I recognized him instantly.
Gang Cheonho, the Horn Master of Tiger’s Horn.
He stood before me.
“Oh-?”
As an intrigued voice reached my ears, our eyes met.

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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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