The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 42

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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 103

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“Please, lie down.”
“This pain is no trivial matter….”
The moment I opened my eyes, pain flooded through me, leaving me speechless.
Given the agony I’d endured in such a brief span, I could only sympathize with what the Emperor must have experienced drawing upon all his innate true energy.
Indeed, I now understood why he couldn’t move a single finger.
“The fact that you didn’t cry out is remarkable in itself.”
“Yes… I suppose that much is true.”
I spoke with a furrowed brow.
This was a procedure I had no desire to perform twice.
Yet without it, I could never have deceived Mo Yong-cheon’s eyes.
The fact that he’d found this place meant he harbored suspicions.
Without thinking, I let out a bitter laugh and shook my head.
“It was fortunate that he wasn’t here.”
“I never expected him to come looking.”
“Neither did I.”
What would have happened if Gu Gunbaek had been present?
Mo Yong-cheon’s suspicion would have crystallized into certainty.
Having witnessed Yeom Ji-hak’s condition, he would surely understand that only a handful of people possessed the capability for such a deed.
“With this, the Moyong Family is confirmed.”
“Confirmed as… what, exactly?”
“As my enemy.”
At those words, Chaeseoha swallowed hard.
Behind me, Namgung Baek and Namgung Yeon, who had been quietly observing the situation, turned ashen as well.
It was the weight that came with the name Moyong Family itself.
And more than that—the Sword Emperor.
Among the countless martial artists of the jianghu, as numerous as grains of sand, there existed only ten absolute masters, and he stood among the top five, did he not?
Laughter escaped me unbidden.
But in the next instant, as my body jolted and pain surged through me, I could only manage a pained groan instead.
“When… do you think I’ll be able to leave?”
“Based on your condition alone, you’ll need several months of recovery here just to become capable of departure.”
“I’ll be leaving within two days. When that time comes… I’ll need your help once more. I must leave in the best possible condition.”
“Sigh….”
At my words, Chaeseoha let out a heavy sigh.
Yet this was an unavoidable choice.
Though I had withdrawn without resistance, Mo Yong-cheon would not neglect his surveillance of the inn.
The moment my physical condition became apparent, he would gain confidence. I had to rely on Chaeseoha’s healing techniques and present myself as perfectly fine.
With such thoughts, I slowly turned my gaze.
What came into view were none other than Namgung Baek and Namgung Yeon.
Though Namgung Baek wore a dull expression, I could see his eyes darting rapidly as his mind worked, and I also noticed Namgung Yeon’s face as she silently observed the situation.
I addressed them.
“What are you two planning to do?”
“I’m… not sure what you mean…?”
“I’m asking whether you intend to remain here.”
“This is our homeland. Of course…”
“Come with me.”
I cut off Namgung Baek’s trailing words and spoke firmly. Then, rolling my eyes slightly toward Namgung Yeon, I continued.
“Staying here will gain you nothing. The collapse of the Chohyeon Clan doesn’t mean the Namgung Clan will be revived.”
“Isn’t this our opportunity?”
At Namgung Baek’s words, I let out a scoff.
It was undeniably true that with the Chohyeon Clan’s collapse and disappearance, the opportunity to seize hegemony over Anhui was perfect.
But that was only possible for those with power.
Though hidden under the name of the Chohyeon Clan, there were quite a few clans with well-organized structures and skilled martial artists.
The battles that would unfold from now on would involve such forces.
The Namgung Clan, with only Namgung Yeon as its martial artist and lacking both wealth and capability, was hardly in a position to accomplish anything.
If Namgung Yeon herself could take the initiative, form alliances, and draw people in, it might be possible. But from what I could see, her abilities beyond martial prowess were hardly remarkable.
What would happen if they remained in Hefei?
The Chohyeon Clan’s interference with the Namgung family’s future had ended, but others were likely to make bolder decisions.
After all, unlike the Chohyeon Clan which had been completely eradicated, the Namgung Clan still had its estate remaining, and more importantly, its bloodline survived.
“Will… such things really happen?”
“The choice is yours. I’m simply sharing my thoughts.”
Namgung Baek rolled his eyes in confusion and swallowed a groan. Though he seemed to be considering various possibilities, he clearly couldn’t arrive at a definitive answer, his hesitation evident.
Was it because I noticed this?
Namgung Yeon, standing beside him, let out a long sigh.
“I’ll do it.”
“Yeon!”
“I’m entering the Nakhyang Jin Family, aren’t I? Will you accept me as the young master’s guard and my brother as a servant?”
At her bold question, meeting my eyes directly, I nodded.
Did that help her decision further?
Namgung Yeon spoke as if there was no need to deliberate further.
“Then I’m counting on you, Young Master. From today on, I am your guard.”
“No, that’s not something you should decide on your own…”
“Brother, I don’t think this is the end. I’ll grow stronger by the Young Master’s side. When I return to Hefei, no one will dare look down on the Namgung name.”
Her determination to grow stronger and return to rebuild the Namgung family was so steadfast that even Chaeseoha standing beside me could feel it.
Just from her eyes and expression, Namgung Baek couldn’t break her resolve now.
I threw more kindling onto the flames of her burning will.
“Yes, grow stronger. Strong enough to bring down the Moyong Family.”
“Pardon? Why the Moyong Family…?”
“While investigating the traces left behind in the Namgung estate, I discovered something intriguing. A sword mark—the same technique Moryeong Hyeok once used against Pyo Hyeong-geom.”
“…!”
“What?!”
Namgung Yeon’s eyes widened in shock as she grasped the implication, while Namgung Baek seemed taken aback that the name Pyo Hyeong-geom had escaped my lips.
Yet eventually, as the true meaning of my words sank in, his gaze began to settle into something colder.
“Then you’re saying… the Moyong Family is responsible for the Namgung clan’s downfall?”
“I cannot claim absolute certainty. However, the fact that a technique Pyo Hyeong-geom once faced is etched into that place cannot be denied.”
I answered with a light smile.
This was no fabrication.
When I examined the remaining traces, I saw it clearly.
Unmistakably, the same unpleasant sword mark that Moryeong Hyeok had unleashed upon me.
The spacing and precision might differ, but the sword path itself was identical.
In essence, this meant the Moyong Family was undeniably connected to the Namgung clan’s destruction in some form.
“Is there not a shred of doubt in what you say?”
At that moment, Namgung Yeon’s gaze sharpened toward me.
The weight behind her words felt immense.
As if she would not forgive me should this be a fabrication, I found myself smiling bitterly despite myself.
“I stake the honor of the Jin Family on my answer. That is undoubtedly the sword mark of the Moyong Family.”
“….”
I too maintained my composure, offering certainty without wavering.
Namgung Yeon, who could not possibly misunderstand the weight of my words, drew a deep breath.
She exhaled slowly, composing herself, then looked toward me with a faint smile.
“Your enemies are my enemies. Though I am lowborn now, when your blade turns toward the Moyong Family, mine shall carve through them without mercy.”
The first part of her declaration was a vow to fulfill her duties as a guard, while the latter was a pledge of vengeance for the Namgung clan.
I did not accept it lightly.
I took it to heart and nodded solemnly.
“A splendid vow. I am pleased.”
I nodded readily and glanced toward her side.
Namgung Baek, while not radiating killing intent quite as openly as Namgung Yeon, was clearly shaken, his breathing measured and deliberate.
All the humiliation he had endured at Moryeong Hyeok’s hands, all the times he had bowed his head to earn money for his sister’s survival—it all seemed to transform now from mere shame into something far deeper.
Soon, as Namgung Baek steadied his breathing, his eyes changed.
“I am in your debt. Young Master.”
Hearing his voice, I smiled.
With this, the purpose of my journey to Hepei was accomplished.

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“You were here all along?”
Deep within the mountains, far beyond the walls of Hapbi Fortress.
Jang Chuchyeong, who had been searching that area, finally discovered the person he sought and rushed forward eagerly.
The one who captured Jang Chuchyeong’s attention was Gu Gunbaek.
He too seemed to be searching for something, constantly glancing about, his brow furrowed as if whatever he sought refused to reveal itself.
“What are you doing? Shouldn’t we leave? They said Mo Yong-cheon or someone came.”
“That fool can come or not—I don’t care. Be quiet and help me search.”
The one said to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Demon King was none other than the Sword Emperor, Mo Yong-cheon.
The mere appearance of such a figure should have been more than enough to pique Gu Gunbaek’s interest, yet he seemed oddly indifferent to it.
And search for what, no less?
Jang Chuchyeong, unable to comprehend, asked again.
“What are you looking for?”
“Traces.”
“Traces? Whose traces?”
Jang Chuchyeong glanced about, attempting to spot something.
Yet all that met his eyes were animal droppings and footprints. In the first place, nothing conspicuous could be found within the dense undergrowth.
Thus, he turned to Gu Gunbaek with bewilderment, but the latter paid him no mind, merely continuing deeper into the mountains.
“Where are you going?!”
“I smell something.”
“A smell?”
At the sudden remark, Jang Chuchyeong sniffed himself. Yet beyond his own familiar scent, there was nothing remarkable.
Nor was there any other scent emanating from the surroundings.
Still, Gu Gunbaek sniffed the air like a hunting hound, ceaselessly moving forward.
They say the martial arts of the Southern Barbarians require one to become a beast—and he truly seemed to have become one.
Jang Chuchyeong, shaking his head in disbelief, continued to follow Gu Gunbaek as he advanced.
Then, at a certain moment.
His footsteps halted.
“Sniff sniff! Here it is.”
“What exactly are you smelling?”
“A scent impossible to forget.”
“Huh?”
At those words, as Jang Chuchyeong tilted his head in confusion, Gu Gunbaek stood rigid at a single point and gazed downward.
Human footprints and bloodstains marked the ground.
To anyone’s eyes, it was clear that both the wounded and the unwounded had been present here.
Soon, Gu Gunbaek dipped his finger into the bloodstain on the ground and rubbed it, a smirk spreading across his lips.
“This bastard really was alive.”
“Is this the one you injured, sir?”
“Yeah, one of them. And the other one who was here….”
Gu Gunbaek trailed off and turned his gaze to the opposite direction.
As if he were certain someone had stood there, and as if he already knew exactly who it was.
“Moyong, that bastard’s stench.”
“The Sword Emperor was here?!”
“Yes, there’s no mistaking that revolting scent.”
Gu Gunbaek waved his hand dismissively, as though he had no desire to catch even a whiff of Mo Yong-cheon’s odor.
From his visibly displeased expression and the coldness in his eyes, it was clear that the relationship between these two men was far from amicable.
Soon, Gu Gunbaek turned his gaze away, redirecting it toward the bloodstains once more.
Yet his eyes held a different intensity than before.
The cold, predatory gaze of a beast gleamed with an icy brilliance.
In that moment, he drew a deep breath through his nose as if to confirm the scent, and upon recognizing something with certainty, his lips curled into a broad grin, baring his teeth.
“Found you, you bastard.”
The beast had begun to prepare for the hunt.

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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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