The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 32

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Youngest Son of the Nakhyang Jin Family – Chapter 93

* * *

I gazed intently out the window.
Watching Ma Hyeong-chu enter the inn, his purpose became readily apparent to me.
There was only one thing he would be curious about right now.
The moment he learned I had come to Hefei, it was within my expectations that he would move to investigate matters concerning the Nakhyang Jin Family, the Shadow Assassins, and other affairs.
But it was impossible.
I had already instructed the innkeeper to refuse any guests seeking me out.
He was not a man to draw attention through reckless actions, so he would not force his way in. He would naturally withdraw quietly.
After waiting a day or two, if I did not come to him, he would return to this place once more.
After a brief moment, just as I expected, Ma Hyeong-chu emerged from the inn once again.
Though his face was not clearly visible, even his eyes betrayed considerable displeasure.
As I harbored such thoughts and a faint smile played at my lips, it happened.
Namgung Baek suddenly discovered something and sprang to his feet with startled eyes.
Following his gaze, I too looked outside.
A group of men.
I did not recognize their faces, but seeing Namgung Baek’s ashen complexion, it was clear he knew them.
They gathered and spoke of something, then set their direction and began walking.
“…Wait, I suddenly have somewhere urgent I must go. I apologize, truly!”
Upon confirming this, Namgung Baek moved hastily.
As if he had to block their path.
I glanced at the seat where Namgung Baek had been sitting.
Only the food he had carefully prepared for his younger brother remained, with no sign that Namgung Baek had taken a single bite.
Once again, he had eaten nothing at all.
I rose from my seat with an exasperated expression.
“Where are you going?”
“Follow me.”
As Chu Hyeongi nodded and stood, Chaeseoha, as if she had been waiting, set down her chopsticks and followed suit.
I regarded her with a somewhat puzzled expression.
“Whenever you have that look, Young Master, it seems I’m needed.”
As she answered my unspoken question with a gentle smile, my brow furrowed despite myself.

* * *

Namgung Baek hurried out of the inn.
He burst through the door and sprinted toward his residence, his direction set with urgency.
Those people he’d glimpsed moments ago were unmistakably members of the Chohyeon Clan. The one at the center was their Young Master, flanked by loyal companions who served as his hands and feet.
Without exception, they were all scions of families wielding considerable influence in Hefei.
Knowing this better than anyone, Namgung Baek pushed himself harder, his legs pumping with desperate energy.
Sure enough, their figures appeared not far ahead.
They were heading directly toward my residence.
I closed the distance rapidly and called out to them in haste.
“…Young Master! My goodness, it’s been quite some time!”
“Hmm? What brings you to these parts?”
“Hehe, just heading home after finishing some business, sir.”
“I see. How fortunate then. I was actually on my way to visit your sister.”
“You mean Yeon? What business brings you to see her…?”
Namgung Baek asked, his expression clouded with suspicion.
Yet I already knew the reason.
Namgung Yeon’s beauty was renowned even throughout Hefei.
That was precisely why he sought to make advances toward her.
Knowing how the Chohyeon Clan’s name emboldened him, how he believed there was nothing he couldn’t accomplish if he set his mind to it, I had been doing everything possible to keep the two from meeting.
An enraged Namgung Yeon would be an opponent they could never defeat.
Whether they got beaten down was of no concern to me.
But her martial prowess being exposed—that I absolutely had to prevent.
“Haha, that Yeon isn’t feeling well today and cannot receive visitors.”
“Oh dear—then I simply must visit. Besides, you likely don’t even have the means to buy her medicine, so I’ll take her to a physician myself.”
Cho Hyeon-neung, the Young Master of the Chohyeon Clan, let out a smirk and shoved Namgung Baek aside with brutal force.
Ugh—
Crash!
The force sent my body tumbling helplessly to the ground.
Yet I could not yield.
I scrambled back to my feet.
“Please, I beg your patience. The cold is severe and might spread to you, sir. Once she recovers, I shall visit you with utmost respect.”
“I heard that excuse last time, and the time before that. When exactly do you plan to visit? Haha, enough. Step aside. I have matters to discuss with the lady directly.”
“Matters to discuss?”
“Marriage. Wouldn’t it be better for her to become my concubine and remain at my side rather than live in such circumstances?”
At the word concubine, Namgung Baek’s fists clenched.
No matter how fallen the Namgung family had become, they were not so devoid of pride as to become anyone’s concubine.
For the first time, my eyes turned cold, piercing Cho Hyeon-neung with a glacial stare.
“A concubine? What manner of words are these?!”
“Has hunger made you deaf?”
Yeon will never become anyone’s concubine. Now leave.
Crack—!
“What?!”
In an instant.
Cho Hyeon-neung swept his leg at Namgung Baek’s shin.
As Namgung Baek collapsed with a pained groan, Cho Hyeon-neung showed no hesitation, driving his knee upward into his jaw.
Crack!
With another violent cry, Namgung Baek’s body crumpled to the ground.
Cho Hyeon-neung kicked at his abdomen without pause.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
“How dare you glare at me, you wretch? Do you wish to die?”
Cho Hyeon-neung’s kicks showed no sign of stopping.
Venting his fury with every ounce of strength, his relentless assault left Namgung Baek’s face drenched in blood, his entire body becoming a pitiful mess of dirt and crimson.
It was a merciless barrage, as though death itself held no consequence.
Even Cho Hyeon-neung’s robes were staining crimson with Namgung Baek’s blood in that moment.
“Did you learn martial arts merely to wield them against the weak?”
A chilling voice pierced through Cho Hyeon-neung’s ears.

* * *

Even in Hefei, this was a desolate place, and few people passed through.
Because of this, no one stepped in to stop the beating.
Yet even if they had been present, intervention would have been unthinkable.
The one delivering the blows was the Head of the Chohyeon Family.
“Who are you?”
“It matters not. Step aside.”
I gazed at Namgung Baek, stained crimson with blood and dust.
His face had been beaten beyond recognition, and the blood trickling from various wounds spoke volumes of his condition.
Glancing subtly at Chaeseoha, she nodded urgently and rushed forward.
In that moment, all eyes turned toward Chaeseoha.
It was only natural—she wore no veil.
Even the Head of the Chohyeon Family, who had been discussing marriage just moments before, stared at her in shock. I responded by casually swinging my blade.
Whoosh!
“Gasp?!”
The sword wind shot past the tip of the Young Master’s nose and dissipated. As his scattered wits returned, he swallowed hard and stared at me.
“…Who are you?”
“It matters not. Will you leave, or remain?”
As I spoke, I turned my gaze toward Chu Hyeongi beside me.
Understanding my intent, he stepped forward.
His diligent training bore fruit—muscles far superior to before rippled as he clenched his fists, radiating considerable pressure.
Even Cho Hyeon-neung swallowed hard.
He took a ready stance and fixed his gaze upon Cho Hyeon-neung.
“Get lost, all of you. Unless you want to get beaten to a pulp.”
If there had been a younger version of Gu Gunbaek, would he have looked like this?
The same tone and manner of speech.
From the perspective of that Young Master of the Chohyeon Clan, he would have snorted dismissively and drawn his sword with an incredulous expression.
But he couldn’t do that now.
Not only because of the technique I’d just demonstrated, but because the momentum of Chu Hyeongi standing before him wasn’t light enough for that Young Master to take lightly.
You’ve grown considerably, Chu Hyeongi.
I let out a quiet chuckle and rested my hand on the hilt of my sword.
“…I’ll be going. Now, hurry and leave!”
The terrified Young Master hastily vacated the area.
The sight of him fleeing with his tail between his legs was rather amusing.
Once they disappeared, I moved forward to approach Chaeseoha, who was checking on Namgung Baek’s condition.
“How is he?”
“For someone who took such a beating, he’s doing remarkably well. This man protected all the vital spots when he was hit. How many times does someone have to get beaten to manage something like this?”
At Chaeseoha’s astonished voice, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Since childhood, he must have spared no effort to protect Namgung Yeon, throwing himself into harm’s way without hesitation. He’d certainly grown accustomed to taking blows.
That said, he wasn’t entirely unaffected by the impact.
I watched as he slowly opened his eyes.
“Are you alright?”
Namgung Baek, regaining consciousness, struggled to roll his eyes and look around. Upon confirming that the Young Master of the Chohyeon Clan was gone and that I was in his place, he seemed to grasp the situation to some degree and managed to open his mouth with difficulty.
“D-did you help me, Young Master? Thank you, truly….”
“You were simply fortunate. More importantly, how are you feeling?”
“I-I’m fine. This much is….”
His words lacked conviction.
No matter how well he’d protected the vital spots, he’d taken countless kicks from someone trained in martial arts.
It was understandable that he couldn’t fully gather his wits.
Despite such circumstances, Namgung Baek, as if reluctant to be a burden, struggled to compose himself and rose to his feet.
He then looked at me and bowed his head deeply.
Watching him, I withdrew several silver coins from my pocket and handed them to him.
“In that condition, you won’t be able to work for some time. Use this to recover for now.”
“I cannot accept something like this.”
“It’s fine, take it. I promised to buy you a meal, but I’ve failed to keep that promise again, so consider this in its place.”
Did my words persuade him?
Or did he have other thoughts?
Namgung Baek lowered his head deeply and accepted the money I offered.
He seemed to place more weight on being able to feed his younger brother with this money in such a desperate situation, rather than on his pride or his apologies for being a burden.
Namgung Baek bowed to me once more.
“…I will repay this debt, I swear it.”
“And this is food I packed from the inn. Take it with you and eat.”
As I handed over the food I’d packed, Namgung Baek accepted it with trembling hands.
Rendered speechless by my every action, Namgung Baek could not open his mouth.
Perhaps unwilling to let his glistening eyes betray his tears, Namgung Baek hastily turned his head and began moving toward his home.
His limping gait back to the house was enough to strike anyone who witnessed it as pitiful and lamentable.
Yet to my eyes, Namgung Baek’s retreating figure appeared as the desperate struggle of a family head fighting by any means necessary to preserve the Namgung clan’s bloodline.

* * *

“Oh… Brother?!”
At the sight of Namgung Baek returning home, Namgung Yeon could not suppress her shock.
Despite having undertaken many dangerous tasks in the interim, her older brother had always returned without a single broken bone or serious injury—yet now he appeared utterly mangled beyond recognition.
His face bore no semblance of its original form.
Too bewildered to speak further, Namgung Baek seemed unconcerned, patting her shoulder reassuringly before lifting the food the inn had packed for him.
“Let’s eat.”
“…Brother.”
In that state, Namgung Baek laughed.
Moreover, as if boasting, he withdrew five silver taels from his pocket and pressed them firmly into his sister’s trembling hand, as though urging her to use them as she wished.
Namgung Yeon’s grip began to tremble violently.
Five silver taels—an enormous sum.
And unmistakably food from the Unryong Inn.
Combined with her brother’s appearance.
Fire ignited in Namgung Yeon’s eyes.
The thought struck her that someone had beaten her brother senseless as the price for this money and food.
As though he were a plaything.
And the culprit?
A rumor that had circulated through the neighborhood just moments before.
The Young Master of the Nakhyang Jin Family was at the Unryong Inn, was he not?
And her brother had been there with him, or so they said.
Namgung Yeon’s hand moved swiftly.
Thump!
Her extended fingers struck her brother’s vital point, and as Namgung Baek, who had been standing perfectly upright, began to collapse helplessly, she quickly caught him and carefully laid him upon the bed.
She then gazed intently at her brother’s severely swollen face, brought a blanket to cover him, and grasped the sword she had carefully set aside.
Shing!
“Jin Cheon-u…!”
A voice tinged with killing intent flowed from her lips.
Rage directed in the wrong direction.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————