The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 4

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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 4

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A place that seemed to rival the Imperial Palace in grandeur.
Within the Nakhyang Jin Family, countless people labored to maintain such magnificence. At the lowest tier were servants and maids who managed the cleaning and meals throughout Sega.
Given the vast expanse of the compound, over a hundred individuals were stationed permanently within Sega’s walls, with roughly a dozen assigned to each main hall to oversee their respective duties.
Then there were the Imperial Guards.
From various regions, skilled wanderers or warriors from martial sects and Sega itself were recruited to protect the compound.
However, their role extended far beyond mere protection.
When needed, they were dispatched to merchant caravans, Pyo Haeng, battlefields, and inns. Those who distinguished themselves through exceptional skill were even entrusted with guarding the Jin Family’s bloodline directly.
Naturally, no position in Nakhyang compared to such opportunities.
Even becoming a maid or servant was considered a stroke of fortune.
The salaries far exceeded those offered anywhere else in the region.
Whenever a position opened, countless applicants traveled from distant provinces just to apply—what more need be said?
Naturally, the compound was filled with diverse individuals.
Among them were those who concealed their true identities.
A woman discovered something while scrubbing the floor.
The woman, who had memorized the peculiar marking, quickly wiped it away with her cloth.
The spot became so clean that one could never tell a marking had existed there.
She hurried away from the location, heading elsewhere with purpose.
Soon, after glancing around cautiously, she carved something onto a wall and departed hastily. Not long after, a man passing by that spot discovered the marking etched into the wall.
He carefully erased it with his sleeve, returned to his quarters, retrieved paper, and began drawing a small symbol.
A crest symbolizing the youngest son of the Nakhyang Jin Family.
This was a mark known only to them.
A single line was drawn through it.
Moreover, dots indicated the date and time.
Among those who understood the marking, none were ignorant of its meaning.

Kill Jin Cheon-u.

Such was the order that had been issued.
The man folded the paper into a small square and placed it in his pocket. Soon, it would be passed one by one to his comrades.
Time was slowly tightening the noose.

* * *

The moment I completed my breathing exercise, I slowly opened my eyes.
What had begun late last night had somehow turned into morning again. Yet despite this, my physical condition seemed improved compared to yesterday.
Whether it was the effect of the breathing exercise or the benefit of unconsciously avoiding poison, one thing was certain—my mind felt far clearer than the day before.
I slowly rose from my seat.
Judging by the time, Chu Hyeongi should be arriving soon.
“Young Master, are you awake?”
Right on cue, the door burst open and he entered.
Following behind, the maids brought in a lavish breakfast spread.
It was an extravagant feast once again.
The aroma was exquisite, and the presentation was impeccable.
Every dish looked appetizing enough to make one’s mouth water.
After the maids set the food on the table and left, Chu Hyeongi sat down with nothing else to do and stared at me intently.
“You’re not planning to eat again today, are you?”
“That’s right.”
“Then may I eat it? Ah—I had such a meager breakfast that I’m starving.”
He rubbed his belly while drooling slightly.
After all, if I don’t eat it, the food will only be wasted.
Or perhaps the hungry maids will snack on it later.
Such a trivial amount wouldn’t matter, but judging by Chu Hyeongi’s appearance, he would undoubtedly devour everything on the table.
“Leave it. I’ll eat it later.”
“Come on! If you’re going to eat later, just have them prepare it then. I’ll eat this.”
“I don’t feel like asking them to prepare it later.”
“But you did the same thing yesterday and threw it away…”
Chu Hyeongi grumbled and complained, but realizing his words were falling on deaf ears, he withdrew his gaze in resignation.
Still, his hunger persisted as he clutched his belly once more.
I sighed as I watched him.
“Let’s go out.”
“Huh? Where to?”
“I haven’t had street food in a while. Some thin noodles with dumplings? Skewers would be nice too.”
“What? You eat such things from the street?”
“I’m human too, so of course I eat.”
Of course, that was only after the family fell and I ended up on the streets.
Back at the house, if I merely mentioned it, far superior noodles and dumplings would appear compared to what was sold outside, so there was no reason to buy from street vendors.
But things are different now.
Once you’ve tasted something, you naturally crave it from time to time.
I took Chu Hyeongi and headed outside.
As we hurried toward the marketplace, countless people were already coming and going in the early morning.
“Young Master.”
“What is it?”
“The Unryong Inn…”
“This street stall looks appetizing. Let’s sit.”
“….”
I chuckled softly at the sight of Chu Hyeongi, whose spirits had flagged.
He must have been craving something from the Unryong Inn.
But not now.
We ordered simple fare from the stall.
Thin noodles, dumplings, and skewers.
Though modest, the meal was enough to satisfy our hunger, and I felt a renewed vitality wash over me with that pleasant fullness.
Chu Hyeongi, who had been grumbling with a reluctant expression, took one bite of the noodles and, finding them to his taste, devoured them as if inhaling them whole.
The heaping bowl of noodles vanished in moments.
It was as though he didn’t even pause to breathe between bites.
I found myself shaking my head in amusement.
We spent the rest of the day eating and passing time.
We went to Daru for tea, and at the gambling hall—a place I hadn’t visited in ages—I managed to win a fair sum.
Chu Hyeongi witnessed the miracle of turning one silver tael into five, the very coins I had given him before.
All of it was the result of following my lead.
Because of that, he wore a beaming smile across his face.
“As expected, Young Master, fortune smiles upon those who walk beside you.”
“Gambling is luck. We won because fortune favored us—don’t boast about it. Next time, we’re certain to lose.”
“Yes, yes, Young Master. I won’t touch gambling without you, so rest assured.”
Watching him grin and tuck the silver coins into his purse, I couldn’t help but smile as we left the gambling hall.
By then, darkness had fallen.
Looking up at the sky, thick clouds obscured even the moonlight.
Without a lantern, one couldn’t see what lay ahead.
I walked with a soft chuckle.
“Let’s head back.”
“Yes!”
And so we made our way home through the darkened streets.
The road back to the Nakhyang Jin Family was empty at night.
Most of the surrounding land belonged to the Jin Family, so no one could build homes there, and besides, most of the family’s members used the lodgings within the compound after nightfall.
Though the street bustled with countless people during the day due to business, it was inevitably deserted once night fell.
The street was quiet and desolate.
As if it held silence itself.
“Ugh—it feels like ghosts might appear.”
Chu Hyeongi rubbed his arms with both hands and shivered.
Without even moonlight, the feeling was all the more pronounced.
I chuckled at the sight of him.
Then I gave his shoulder a light push.
Whoosh—!
Thud!
“Hiii—?! Wh… what?!”
Chu Hyeongi cried out in panic at the sudden turn of events.
I had clearly felt something pass through the air just now.
As I turned my head with eyes wide open, I spotted a dagger embedded deep into the trunk of a nearby tree.
“A… blade?”
“Stop hiding and show yourself.”
“…Young Master? What are you saying…?”
Chu Hyeongi, bewildered by my sudden words, quickly scanned the surroundings. But finding nothing of note, he furrowed his brow—and in that moment, he looked back at me.
Cough, cough.
“If you wish to kill me, step forward with courage. Or are you merely incompetent fools who know nothing but ambush?”
“…!”
A faint chuckle echoed from somewhere in response to my provocation.
At that mocking laughter directed at me, I returned the mockery in kind.
Heh—
“You’re not even worth the thugs lurking in back alleys. Am I truly so frightening to you? Or perhaps you fear failure?”
As I spoke with a smile, the surroundings fell silent once more.
Then.
Footsteps—
Figures began to emerge from the darkness.
Not just one.
Roughly twenty of them.
All clad in black garments with masks covering their faces, they stepped forward with blades in hand. Though the darkness obscured their features, there was something unmistakably familiar about the gleam in their eyes.
“We harbor no personal grudge… but you must leave this place tonight.”
“So it seems. But are you certain this is wise? Gam Cheong-un. If you fail to kill me, the consequences will be dire, won’t they?”
“…!”
At my sudden invocation of his name, surprise flashed unmistakably in his eyes.
He had not anticipated his name being spoken aloud, and he stared at me with widened eyes. Though his expression remained hidden, the shock in his gaze was abundantly clear.
That was the moment.
Chu Hyeongi’s rough voice rang out.
“Gam Cheong-un?! You mean that servant bastard?! Hey—! Take off that mask!”
“….”
Gam Cheong-un said nothing.
Still reeling from shock, he seemed uncertain what to say first. But I withdrew my gaze from him and began examining each of the gathered figures one by one.
“Jo Gongseok. Baek Chaemin. Ma Hoon. Quite the collection of familiar faces here.”
“What…! How dare you!”
“Enough… stop this nonsense!”
One by one, as names were called, some erupted in denial while others burst into fury. They had never anticipated their identities would be revealed so easily.
I hadn’t known either.
Not until I experienced it.
I let out a soft chuckle.
“Do you take me for a fool? No matter how much you conceal your faces, I could never forget you—not when I’ve known you since childhood.”
“…!”
“And it seems you’ve forgotten why I became Young Master So despite having an older brother and sister.”
Because I excelled.
Far beyond anyone else.
Of course, my status as the legitimate heir played its part as well.
My older siblings are children of concubines, but I alone am born of the primary wife. In such circumstances, when my abilities proved exceptional and my talents undeniable, no one dared oppose my ascension to the position of Young Master So.
“Kugh… Kill them! Now—!”
Gam Cheong-un’s voice cut through the air with brutal force.
In that instant, those who had lost their senses began to regain their composure one by one.
What good was knowing their identity?
As long as they left no survivors, it mattered not.
Gritting their teeth, they clung to this thought.
Watching them, I smiled as well.
“What utter fools you are. Cough! You don’t even realize why I’ve been wandering about, dragging out this time until now.”
“…What?”
“Who do you think carved those marks in the first place? Marks that specified exactly where and when to gather, with precise orders to attack. Has anything like this ever happened before?”
“…!”
“Cough, cough! By now, not only the maid who first discovered the mark, but all those who received and relayed it should be in custody.”
“…!”
“Of course.”
Snap—!
I flicked my fingers lightly.
In that moment, dozens of warriors emerged from all directions.
Those clad in garments bearing the emblem of the Nakhyang Jin Family were the elite I had personally selected from the remaining Imperial Guards.
They were also those who had once burned their very bodies for the Nakhyang Jin Family in its final hour, vanishing into legend.
“You are no exception. Seize them. Kill them if you must. There are more than enough who will talk.”
[Yes, sir!]
The Jin Family warriors moved with a resounding cry, their momentum like a tempest unleashed. Most bore expressions of humiliation and betrayal in their eyes.
A companion they had fought alongside for years had betrayed them.
Someone they saw every day had betrayed them.
How could anyone not burn with rage in such circumstances?
The Nakhyang Jin Family warriors surged forward like a storm, hurtling toward their enemies.
The pale moon slowly began to illuminate the darkness that had held its silence.

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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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