The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 3

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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 64

* * *

Jin Ga-muk, the patriarch of the Nakhyang Jin Family, drained his cup repeatedly.
Gatherings with good people were always a joy.
And it was his birthday.
He could not refuse the drinks offered to him, and as he drank, his hand naturally reached for more.
As the intoxication set in, his spirits lifted, and his normally reserved lips began to loosen.
He seemed to be genuinely enjoying this moment.
What captured Jin Ga-muk’s attention most were none other than Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo.
It was the first time that close friends had come as Jin Cheon-u’s guests, and those friends were from the Paeng Family and Eon Family, who held sway over Hebei.
Since Jin Cheon-u had not built strong connections with martial arts families, his interest was naturally drawn to them.
“Haha—how delightful. I’ve long wished to meet the Paeng Family patriarch, yet here I see his son instead.”
“Thank you, Patriarch! My father would be overjoyed to hear this.”
“Is he not the renowned wanderer known for his chivalrous exploits? The reputation of the Sword King echoes across the Central Plains, and to think his son is a close friend of Cheon-u’s. My mood grows even better.”
At those words, Paeng Dohan’s pride swelled.
He had just received praise from Jin Ga-muk himself.
Noticing Eon Garyeo’s envious gaze beside him, Jin Ga-muk naturally refilled her empty cup and continued speaking.
“The Eon Family patriarch is equally impressive. Are not the Sword King and the Fist King the two suns that illuminate Hebei? Thanks to both of you protecting Hebei, we are at ease. Haha. It is truly something to be grateful for.”
“Hoho—I did not expect the Patriarch to praise us so.”
“Haha, indeed. But where has that boy gone? Why is he not here?”
Jin Ga-muk looked around, searching for Jin Cheon-u.
As the young patriarch, he should have been mingling and attending to the guests, but he had been nowhere to be seen since afternoon.
After searching the surroundings without success, he turned his gaze to the steward.
“The young master went to find Old Man Geum with some food.”
“Old Man Geum is still alive?”
“My apologies, Patriarch. Haha, if the opportunity arises, you should visit him.”
“I see. I had not thought of it myself. Haha, this boy Cheon-u has thought of everything.”
“Before the young master departed, he said this: enjoy yourself until your spirits soar into the clouds.”
“Hahaha, this boy knows something after all. Yes, let me enjoy myself to the fullest.”
At Jin Ga-muk’s words, Yuhyeon smiled.
It had been a long time since the patriarch had relaxed so completely.
Only once a year.
Since it could only be seen on his birthday, she could well understand Jin Cheon-u’s desire to let him enjoy himself fully on this day.
“He went out in the afternoon and hasn’t returned?”
At that moment, Gu Gunbaek, who had been blowing on an empty wine bottle nearby, looked toward Yuhyeon.
So many bottles lay scattered on the ground that one could not count them all.
Baek Ja-hyeon, who had been drinking beside him, lay sprawled with his face flushed crimson.
Noticing this, Yuhyeon clicked his tongue and offered an awkward smile.
“Ah… yes, that’s right. But… is it really safe to drink that much?”
“Perfectly fine. I could still drink ten more bowls. But… hm.”
Gu Gunbaek rose from his seat with a groan.
Then, as if loosening his body, he cracked his joints this way and that.
I felt the gazes of Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo fixed upon me, as if they sensed something amiss, but Gu Gunbaek paid them no mind and grinned wickedly.
“Shall I go see what’s happening?”
Gu Gunbaek gazed up at the sky.
The moonlight hung brilliantly—truly beautiful.
But the wind that blew was rather fierce.
As if foreboding a tempest.
It was a night when something amusing seemed bound to occur.

* * *

I brought food suitable for young children, quality wine, and things that Old Man Geum favored.
After all the hardship he’d endured, this much was the least I could do.
Confirming that Old Man Geum’s face, which had been withering away, now bloomed with vitality, I stepped outside.
Night had fallen without my notice.
The moon hung high in the sky, the hour grown quite late.
With people having retreated into their homes, the streets lay dark and devoid of any sign of life.
“A night when corpses might roll through the streets.”
I chuckled at my own morbid remark.
I turned my steps away, the chirping of crickets filling my ears.
My destination was already determined.
Though the night had deepened, the Nakhyang Jin Family would be in full revelry. My father, drinking heavily for the first time in ages, would be growing merry with intoxication, and the endless voices of laughter and chatter would spill beyond the compound walls.
Truly, it would be the most joyful place in all of Hannam.
A place that must not be stained with blood.
No matter what, I could not allow the laughter to cease.
Then.
Crack!
A sudden, violent impact struck the back of my neck, and darkness consumed my vision.

* * *

Locating Jin Cheon-u proved far simpler than Sa Gong-chun had anticipated. Though I had placed surveillance on him, the path from their location to the Nakhyang Jin Family inevitably converged, making it impossible to avoid crossing his trail.
This saved me considerable effort.
I would eliminate Jin Cheon-u on the road leading to the Nakhyang Jin Family, recover the Curved Jade, and then assault the Jin Family compound to conclude the matter.
It seemed the task would require far less time than originally anticipated.
I advanced along the darkened path, searching for my target.
As though darkness held no significance whatsoever, I surveyed my surroundings and successfully located Jin Cheon-u, my primary objective.
Though at some distance, there was no mistaking him—Jin Cheon-u.
He walked the dark road without a single escort.
Whether one called it audacity or fearlessness, it mattered little.
Sa Gong-chun, observing from the vanguard, smiled and drew his blade.
I would signal the beginning by severing his neck.
It would be finished in a single stroke.
The moment I resolved to approach Jin Cheon-u’s back discreetly—
“…?!”
Something suddenly erupted from the darkness.
The black shadow figure surged toward Jin Cheon-u in an instant, striking his nape and rendering him unconscious.
“Kugh?!”
With a faint groan, Jin Cheon-u’s body collapsed helplessly.
While Sa Gong-chun and the Yeongsal Corps stood frozen in shock, unable to mount a proper response—
The shadow figure seized something hanging from his neck.
Even in the darkness, it gleamed with a subtle radiance—unmistakably the Curved Jade.
“Deputy Leader!”
The Deputy Leader’s voice rang out.
Sa Gong-chun drew a sharp breath, his expression darkening.
I hurled myself forward with greater urgency, rapidly closing the distance.
Had the shadow figure sensed my approach?
Upon noticing the Yeongsal Corps rushing toward him, the shadow figure hastily launched himself away from the scene.
“Tch?! Pursue!”
Sa Gong-chun’s expression twisted in frustration.
I barked the order harshly, and the Yeongsal Corps members began chasing after the shadow figure.
In moments, they vanished like a receding tide.
Standing motionless, Sa Gong-chun examined Jin Cheon-u sprawled on the ground, his expression remaining deeply furrowed.
I approached slowly and placed my hand near his nose.
Had he merely been rendered unconscious?
He was still breathing.
However, the Curved Jade that should have hung from his neck had vanished without a trace.
“Who was that bastard…!”
Sa Gong-chun clenched his fists, grinding his teeth.
Having witnessed the Curved Jade disappear before my eyes, the surge of frustration was inevitable.
Suppressing my anger with effort, I examined Jin Cheon-u once more.
He was someone who needed to be killed anyway.
The fact that he had lost consciousness didn’t change that situation.
In the moment Sa Gong-chun, sword in hand, thrust toward Jin Cheon-u’s neck—
“Young Master!”
“How dare you lay hands on him!”
A sudden voice rang out.
When I turned my gaze, I saw two men rushing forward with terrifying speed. The moment I recognized the face of one of them, my brow furrowed.
It was Yang Jachun, the renowned master.
He drew his blade and swung it.
Shhhhwing—!
Clang!
Faced with the fearsome sword energy hurtling toward him, Sa Gong-chun abandoned his attempt to pierce Jin Cheon-u’s neck and blocked the incoming strike, retreating with a sharp step back.
At the same time, my expression darkened.
My palm tingled with numbness.
That single exchange proved the renowned master’s skill was far from something to be underestimated.
‘Should I kill him?’
A moment of conflict arose.
But soon I shook my head and retreated once more.
Killing Jin Cheon-u was certainly necessary, but in a situation where I needed to find the jade orb, I had no desire to face Yang Jachun, whose strength remained uncertain.
“Damn it—!”
I withdrew.
The jade orb took priority now.
Though my men followed, there were more than one or two things weighing on my mind.
Killing Jin Cheon-u would have to wait.
Sa Gong-chun quickly turned and pursued his men into the darkness.
‘Who on earth was that?’
The one who had attacked Jin Cheon-u in the shadows.
If it were merely for money, it was extraordinarily strange that they had taken only the jade orb.
Since they were acting as though that had been their objective from the start, Sa Gong-chun’s suspicions only deepened.
Or perhaps…
‘Gyeom Sa-chan?’
Was he behind this to obtain a second jade orb?
It was the most plausible assumption, but given his nature, he would never move so openly, and above all, his movements were entirely different from the Gyeom Sa-chan I knew.
Which meant someone else was after the jade orb?
Sa Gong-chun furrowed his brow and steadied his breathing.
Once again, an ominous feeling began to creep up within me.

* * *

“Young Master?! Young Master! Are you alright?!”
“Stop, stop! Don’t shake me.”
“What are you saying? Look at the state our Young Master is in!”
Chu Hyeongi’s loud voice rang painfully in my ears.
My eardrums felt like they might burst, and with someone grabbing my body and shaking me about, my head was spinning terribly.
Without realizing it, I frowned and slowly opened my eyes.
“Enough. You’re making my head spin.”
“Are you alright?!”
“I’m not alright because of you.”
At those words, Chu Hyeongi quickly stepped back.
It seemed he realized he had been a bit too rough.
Feeling my body’s freedom return, I rose to my feet.
I brushed the dust from my clothes and looked at Yang Jachun.
“Did they all follow?”
“Yes, I confirmed it.”
“There were quite a few of them, weren’t there?”
“By my count, it looked to be over a hundred.”
At those words, I nodded.
The entire Yeongsal Corps gathered. I had expected that many.
But on our side, we had barely forty.
Even counting Chu Hyeongi and myself, we were still significantly outnumbered.
But soon, numbers would cease to matter much at all.
“What are you trying to do, exactly? And why am I the only one left in the dark?”
Then, Chu Hyeongi, who had been listening beside us, looked confused and alternated his gaze between Yang Jachun and me.
His eyes and expression were seeking an explanation.
I let out a soft laugh and pulled out the mask I had hidden in my robes.
As I placed it on my face, Yang Jachun also put on his mask.
“What are you doing? You received one too, didn’t you?”
“Huh? This?”
“Yes, put it on.”
Chu Hyeongi pulled out a mask from his robes.
He turned it over this way and that, examining it piece by piece, then put it on backward. At first, dissatisfied with his vision, he adjusted it repeatedly, but eventually seemed pleased and grinned widely.
“How is it?”
“Splendid.”
“Hehehehe, call me Yaksha Chu Hyeongi.”
Yang Jachun and I watched the grinning Chu Hyeongi, then turned our heads in unison as if by agreement, gazing toward the direction the Yeongsal Corps had vanished.
“Now it’s time to reel in the hooked fish.”
Following this path would take us further from Luoyang City.
After all, we had lured them in that direction from the start.
Even if a battle erupted, the city would remain peaceful, and those reveling and enjoying themselves would spend this quiet night as they pleased.

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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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