The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 35

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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 96

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I gazed at Namgung Baek before me, my arms crossed.
He kept his head lowered, barely touching the lavishly spread dishes, and I could see beads of cold sweat forming on his brow.
He looked like a man burdened by guilt.
Namgung Yeon, by contrast, couldn’t pick up his chopsticks for an entirely different reason.
Uncertain of what to eat first or how to proceed, he seemed to be waiting for someone else to begin.
I casually lifted my chopsticks and began eating.
If I didn’t eat, no one else would dare to touch the food.
Only then did Namgung Yeon’s eyes brighten as she grasped her chopsticks and began sampling each dish carefully.
Her eyes widened with wonder at the exquisite cuisine she was tasting for the first time.
“This is absolutely delicious.”
“Eat as much as you like. I promised to treat you properly, so let me make good on that promise.”
“Yes, thank you, Young Master.”
Namgung Yeon bowed respectfully, observing proper etiquette.
Then she glanced sideways and gave Namgung Baek a gentle nudge with her elbow.
It was a subtle reproach toward Namgung Baek, who had remained silent and still until now.
Snapping back to attention, Namgung Baek quickly raised his head and looked at me quietly.
His eyes clearly reflected the turmoil within—uncertainty about what to say first.
I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
Was that the reason?
Namgung Baek’s pupils trembled slightly.
“What are you doing, brother? You’re not eating.”
“Ah, yes, that’s right. I should eat. Thank you for this meal, Young Master.”
Hearing Namgung Yeon’s voice beside him, Namgung Baek seemed to regain his composure, releasing a short sigh as he lifted his chopsticks.
Only then did he carefully place food into his mouth.
Though we had faced each other twice before at the inn, this was the first time Namgung Baek had actually eaten anything.
His eyes widened as he discovered the food was quite delicious.
The anxiety that had plagued him moments before vanished entirely, as if he had cast aside all unnecessary concerns, and he continued moving his chopsticks steadily.
Neither Namgung Baek nor Namgung Yeon’s chopsticks rested for long.
Beyond the novelty of tasting such refined cuisine for the first time, they were clearly quite hungry, having not eaten properly in recent days.
Yet unlike Chaeseoha, who ate as if possessed, they moved their chopsticks with urgency to satisfy their hunger—as if afraid someone might snatch the food away—while still maintaining proper decorum.
Even in ruin, the bloodline of a noble house does not fade, it seems.
As I watched them with an unconscious smile, Namgung Baek noticed my gaze and paused, looking at me.
“Forgive me… Young Master, aren’t you eating?”
“Don’t worry about me. Eat your fill. I don’t go hungry wherever I go.”
I said this and set down my chopsticks.
I hadn’t eaten yet, but I felt no hunger. Besides, watching Namgung Yeon eat with sparkling eyes made me hesitant to reach for the food—it felt like I’d be stealing from him.
Instead, something other than rice caught my attention.
I gazed at the wine bottle placed on the table.
Whether it was Namgung Baek or Namgung Yeon, they were so absorbed in eating that neither of them had even touched the alcohol.
Perhaps they judged it more profitable to wield their chopsticks as much as possible rather than waste time drinking.
In the end, it fell to me to fill the empty cups.
I filled both their cups to the brim and raised my own.
Those absorbed in their meal seemed to understand what the gesture meant, for both of them lifted their cups and drained them.
For a while, we exchanged drinks back and forth.
I slowed their eating pace and accelerated my drinking pace instead.
Neither of them seemed to have much experience with alcohol, for their faces flushed crimson after drinking only a modest amount.
Namgung Baek appeared not to even consider dispelling the intoxication with inner energy, while Namgung Yeon simply didn’t seem to know how.
Only then did my gaze turn toward Namgung Baek.
“Are you enjoying the meal?”
“Of course! Ha ha, I never knew food provided by you could taste this delicious.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I’ve felt guilty about it since you left twice without even tasting anything.”
“Ha, ha ha, I apologize.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for… but earlier, it seemed like you were avoiding me. Was I mistaken?”
Hic—!
Namgung Baek hiccupped with a somewhat hazy expression.
He seemed to be trying to recall what had happened moments before, but the alcohol had taken too strong a hold for it to come easily.
I waited quietly for him to speak.
After a brief silence, Namgung Baek finally seemed to make a decision, looking directly at me and carefully opening his mouth.
“Hic! Phew… everything’s spinning. You were asking about earlier, right? I wasn’t really avoiding you… it’s just that ever since that day, I’ve been having these strange dreams. They’re nonsensical dreams, but they’re so vivid… hic!”
“Dreams?”
“Yes! Ha ha, it’s rather absurd, but you know that day? The day when Pyo Hyeong-geom caused such a commotion with Moryeong Hyeok.”
I nodded and refilled his empty cup. At that, Namgung Baek’s eyes sparkled as if he’d just discovered the taste of wine, and he drained the cup cleanly.
Then he looked at me again.
“That day keeps appearing in my dreams… you were wearing black clothes, and you were putting those clothes and something like a mask into fire… something like that. Ha ha ha. Isn’t it ridiculous?”
Ha ha ha—
I smiled back at him as he laughed, as if it were nothing of consequence.
At the time, I had struck the vital point perfectly.
I’d confirmed him collapsing, but by the time I returned, he seemed to have regained some consciousness.
Though I’d attempted to verify, my confirmation had been incomplete.
With only a faint consciousness, he’d caught sight of me, and the events of that moment had been imprinted in his mind, manifesting as dreams. That seemed reasonable.
I let out an involuntary laugh.
Was he truly afraid of me for such a trivial reason?
“You thought I was that Pyo Hyeong-geom?”
“Ah— … of course not. It’s just that Yeon mentioned your skills were extraordinary… so the dream kept coming to mind, ha, ha ha. I apologize.”
“No, it’s fine. Anyone would be sensitive about such things.”
“Is that… so?”
“I would have done the same. No one wants to get caught in the middle and die.”
“Ha, haha.”
No matter how much I tried to dismiss it as a dream, this involved none other than the Nakhyang Jin Family and the Moyong Family.
It felt too vivid to be merely a dream, yet when I considered the possibility that it was real, the aftermath terrified me.
If I were to speak such words to someone and they reached the ears of either faction, Namgung Baek would inevitably find himself caught between them—that was the reality.
My life had already fallen into ruin without this.
If matters escalated, I would be relocating to the afterlife.
Just thinking about such a situation made me shudder, so the best I could do was exercise extreme caution and seal my lips shut to prevent any careless words from escaping.
In any case, I had grasped the meaning behind the look in his eyes.
In short, it was a trivial matter.
The real problem lay elsewhere.
“Then let me ask you something else. Was there truly no one named Cho Hyeon-gang within the Sega?”
“Cho Hyeon-gang, Cho Hyeon-gang… hmm… that young master. I apologize, but I am certain—I have never even heard such a name.”
Namgung Baek, who had paused to consider my question, answered with a firm expression, shaking his head.
Judging by the fact that he was looking directly into my eyes to convey the sincerity of his words, it seemed he was not lying.
I steadied my breathing and leaned back in my chair.
Ma Hyeong-chu had tried to extract information by fabricating the existence of someone who didn’t exist.
Yet he had suddenly vanished.
The series of events involving the deaths of spies planted within the Shadow Assassins and the Nakhyang Jin Family.
From his perspective, he would surely want to obtain information…
But he was gone.
Considering Namgung Baek’s statement that he knew of no such person, I had to assume that not just Ma Hyeong-chu alone, but the entire Blood Demon Sect had disappeared.
Just two days ago, he had come to the inn searching for me.
This was undoubtedly because of the reason Namgung Baek had mentioned.
A distinguished guest was arriving, he had said?
This meant either that the guest was someone so important the Blood Demon Sect Leader himself had to greet them, or someone so formidable that he had to avoid them.
The former would be someone from their faction, while the latter would be a high-ranking member of the Martial Alliance.
“You don’t know who is coming?”
“No, no one told me anything.”
At the look in Namgung Baek’s eyes, as if questioning why I would be curious about such a thing, I exhaled another sigh and pressed my fingers to the bridge of my nose.
The reason for his sudden disappearance—it weighed on my mind.
I felt I needed to see and verify it with my own eyes.
I rose from my seat.
“Once you finish eating, rest here. Speak with the innkeeper and he will prepare a room for you.”
“Eh?!”
I ignored the bewildered voices of the two and slipped out of the inn.

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I donned my mask and positioned myself on the highest nearby rooftop, maintaining maximum distance from the Chohyeon Clan.
From such a distance, people appeared as small as ants, though by sharpening my vision slightly, I could discern the faint contours of their faces.
Despite the sun having set and the moon having risen, the Chohyeon Clan remained brilliantly illuminated.
Merely observing the continuous stream of carts carrying goods in and out made it clear they were preparing various things for an honored guest.
Judging by the quantity, this was no mere day or two of preparation.
The provisions and supplies were sufficient for at least a fortnight of festivities.
The manner of their preparations was peculiarly strange—as if this guest intended to remain barricaded within those walls, with no thought of ever departing.
Who could possibly warrant such elaborate arrangements?
I opened my eyes wide and observed the situation intently for a considerable time.
Half a double-hour passed, then another full double-hour elapsed.
Finally, the stream of carts ceased, and soon even the pedestrians vanished from the streets, leaving only darkness and silence in their wake.
Then.
Creeeeak—!
The firmly sealed gates of the Chohyeon Clan burst wide open.
As if to welcome someone.
I immediately sharpened my vision, forcing myself to focus.
Soon, torchlight began to bloom across the street.
Not just a few.
At least thirty figures appeared, emerging from nowhere, moving with torches held aloft.
“The Blood Demon Sect…?”
Though the distance made certainty impossible, their gait unmistakably marked them as Blood Demon Sect members.
They moved as if escorting someone.
The Blood Demon Sect escorting someone?
The moment that thought crossed my mind, my chest tightened.
Thump—
I felt my heart surge violently.
Moreover, my senses sharpened to an almost unnatural degree.
Without tearing my gaze from the Blood Demon Sect members visible before me, I concentrated intently as they began entering the Chohyeon Clan one by one.
Had they reached the midpoint?
“…!”
Between the torch-bearing members, two figures became visible.
One was unmistakably Ma Hyeong-chu.
His usual smile had vanished, replaced by a stern expression as he respectfully attended to the figure beside him.
Crunch—!
The moment I confirmed this, my fists clenched involuntarily.
I squeezed with such force that my knuckles nearly shattered.
I felt blood trickling from my palms.
A figure with crimson hair standing beside Ma Hyeong-chu.
“Yeom Ji-hak….”
The face of that man who had smiled down at me from the summit of Taekhak Mountain surfaced in my mind.

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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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