The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 44

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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 44

I gazed quietly at my hand.
The Jade Orb that had been before my eyes vanished without a trace.
Though the sensation of holding it still lingered in my palm, its form and shape could not be found anywhere.
As if it had never existed in this world from the beginning.
Or as though everything I had seen and touched were merely illusions.
I furrowed my brow at this incomprehensible situation.
“What in the world just happened?”
In the past, I had obtained the Jade Orb several times.
But the circumstances were entirely different now.
It emitted no light, and despite my not touching it, it neither shattered nor crumbled to dust.
Moreover, the Jade Orb possessed considerable hardness.
Each time I bit down on it, my teeth would crack and shatter—a memory still vivid in my mind, and even then it refused to break properly.
For this reason, I could scarcely believe that it had disintegrated so easily into powder and vanished.
And yet.
It was absorbed.
I saw it clearly with both eyes, so I cannot deny it.
Unlike what had happened in the Ancestral Hall, where it scattered in the wind and disappeared, this time it undoubtedly turned to powder and was absorbed into my body.
I slowly extended my hand and touched my chest.
“Was it you?”
I asked carefully, drenched by the pouring rain.
Of course, my heart did not answer.
No, I was not asking my heart.
The Green-Light Curved Jade.
I posed the question while recalling it, but naturally, no answer came.
Yet the most suspicious thing was precisely this.
Each time my heart beat with a sound as if speaking something, the Blue Curved Jade gradually cracked, and ultimately turned to powder.
“I cannot decide whether to be pleased or displeased by this… I am at a loss.”
I had certainly obtained the object I sought to acquire.
Of course, it had been absorbed and vanished.
The problem was that I could not even determine whether I had gained the power the Jade Orb possessed or obtained nothing at all.
If the ability were to send one back in time, then unless I died as before, there would be no way to verify it.
I slowly steadied my breathing and ceased my immediate deliberation.
Since there was no way to verify it, it seemed most comforting to think favorably and simply consider that I had gained an extra life.
If it were not such an ability, I could draw it out someday, so there was no point in thinking about it now.
Only then did I turn my head to gaze upon Gyeom Sa-chan’s corpse.
Confirming that he continued to cough up the remaining blood, I withdrew a small jade bottle from my garment.
An item obtained from the Haowen Black Market.
It wasn’t something easily procured even in the underworld, and the moment others learned of its possession, it was perfect for arousing unwanted suspicion.
Bone-Melting Powder.
The instant I poured it over Gyeom Sa-chan’s corpse, a peculiar stench spread through the air as flesh and organs began to dissolve.
His head suffered the same fate.
The sight was grotesque beyond measure, yet I didn’t avert my gaze—I observed the situation unfold.
Before long, where Gyeom Sa-chan had once existed, only bones remained.
However, due to the potent effects of the Bone-Melting Powder, the ground beneath bore a yellowish scorch mark.
Anyone knowledgeable about Bone-Melting Powder would instantly recognize that someone had used it here.
I stared at it and kicked at the earth.
Boom—
A technique Gu Gunbaek had once demonstrated to Jang Chuchyeong.
It required no martial skill whatsoever—merely internal energy control and leg strength, making it hardly difficult.
Though not as crude as Gu Gunbaek’s display, I was capable of shattering the scorched earth and bones into fragments, scattering them far.
The debris fell into the swollen waterway nearby, where the raging current swept it away without hesitation.
Then.
Rumble—!
At the sudden sound, I threw myself aside urgently.
Simultaneously, soil cascaded down from the slope, completely burying the spot where Gyeom Sa-chan and I had been. Bamboo that had withstood the storm was torn and snapped in all directions.
Now, even if someone investigated, they would find no trace of combat.
I let out an involuntary chuckle.
“That saved me some trouble.”
Was this what they meant by the grace of nature?
Having eliminated one tedious task, I turned my back with a slight smile playing at my lips.

* * *

Sa Gong-chun, commander of the Shadow Assassins, furrowed his brow at his subordinate’s report. His eyes, fixed upon the window where the sunset burned, seemed to grow increasingly crimson with each passing moment.
His subordinate, sensing the shift in mood, hastily lowered his head.
“Gyeom Sa-chan….”
Sa Gong-chun recalled Gyeom Sa-chan.
Talented, yes—but a man consumed by insatiable ambition.
Moreover, his hunger for power surpassed that of any other. He would stop at nothing to grow stronger, making him the most dangerous among the squad leaders of the Shadow Assassins’ Ten Elders.
Yet Sa Gong-chun had wielded this very nature to his advantage, guiding the man with practiced ease.
Manipulating such a creature was child’s play.
But now, that creature had caused a catastrophe.
A catastrophe of the gravest magnitude.
Not content with slaughtering every member of the Seventh Squad, he had absconded with the Jade Orb—the very objective of this operation.
To guard against such contingencies, I had stationed a Deputy Leader of comparable skill alongside him, yet even that precaution had proven worthless.
Sa Gong-chun could scarcely relax his expression.
I myself had issued the order to Gyeom Sa-chan.
There would be no escaping censure from the Sect.
For one who had executed every task flawlessly until now, this was an extraordinarily vexing turn of events.
“What is the current situation?”
“We have dispatched the nearest squad in pursuit… but the weather has proven most uncooperative, making their efforts considerably difficult.”
The pursuit squad possessed the Shadow Assassins’ finest tracking skills and intelligence capabilities. For such men to speak of difficulty was tantamount to admitting impossibility.
It was as though the heavens themselves conspired to aid Gyeom Sa-chan’s escape.
Sa Gong-chun turned to face his subordinate.
“Pursue him. Move the entire Shadow Assassins corps if necessary—apprehend him with all speed.”
“Understood!”
“And what of the other matter?”
“Among the corpses discovered at the Dongfang Family compound, we have identified members of the Black Crow Society.”
“The Black Crow Society? Those vermin I know of?”
“Yes, it appears they obtained some intelligence and infiltrated the Dongfang Family estate.”
At these words, Sa Gong-chun squeezed his eyes shut.
Gyeom Sa-chan alone was vexation enough, and now the Black Crow Society had inserted themselves into the affair. Though I could not discern where they had acquired their information, the fact that they had attempted to assault the Dongfang Family suggested their objectives might align with my own.
Had word of the Jade Orb leaked?
If so, the situation had descended into absolute catastrophe.
That intelligence, above all else, had to remain concealed.
Whoooosh—
Sa Gong-chun steadied his breathing and laughed—a laugh of bitter resignation.
Had my affairs ever become so hopelessly entangled?
In all my years, not once.
Tsk—
With a click of his tongue, he spoke again.
“Blame it all on the Black Crow Society. The Martial Arts Alliance will handle the cleanup themselves.”
“Yes. However… the Martial Arts Alliance will conduct an investigation. What shall we do with the Seventh Squad’s corpses? Should we recover them?”
“Leave it be. The Martial Arts Alliance won’t bother investigating anyway.”
“Pardon?”
Sa Gong-chun clicked his tongue as he observed the confusion flickering across his subordinate’s face.
Despite ascending to the rank of Deputy Captain, the man still failed to grasp the true nature of the martial world.
The frustration of having to spell out something so elementary was nearly unbearable.
Yet Sa Gong-chun composed himself and spoke.
“The Dongfang Family holds no value to the Martial Arts Alliance. The authorities will demand results, so we must act—but a thorough investigation would waste manpower. And conveniently, the Black Crow Society has already been branded as the culprits.”
“Ah—.”
“Whether they’re truly guilty matters little to us. Since they’ve been named as the ones who annihilated an entire family, we’ll sweep them away without hesitation and claim the glory for ourselves.”
The Deputy Captain nodded in understanding.
Only after the full explanation did he seem to grasp it.
Or perhaps he had merely feigned ignorance.
Either way, it displeased me.
“In the meantime, we capture Gyeom Sa-chan as swiftly as possible. Send word to all squads. Nowhere he hides can escape our sight.”
“Yes!”
The Deputy Captain bowed and swiftly departed.
He needed to dispatch messengers to the other squads.
Sa Gong-chun’s gaze followed him before turning toward the window.
“Who… orchestrated this?”
It was far too peculiar.
Gyeom Sa-chan’s betrayal and the Black Crow Society.
Both striking the same family on the same day, at the same hour.
The probability of such events unfolding simultaneously without someone pulling strings behind the scenes was extraordinarily low. Without external manipulation, such a coincidence would be nearly impossible.
“Or perhaps I’m merely being paranoid….”
Sa Gong-chun muttered thus, his eyes narrowing.

* * *

I slipped out of the Old Man’s House around noon. After changing out of my drenched clothes and dressing properly, I concealed my face beneath the bamboo hat I’d brought.
I exchanged a brief farewell with the old man and mounted my horse.
Clip-clop, clip-clop—
As I guided the reins through the village, murmurs of commotion drifted from every corner.
“Have you heard? The Dongfang Family has been annihilated!”
“I heard too. Phew… completely wiped out… my heart feels so relieved!”
“Haha! I feel the same way!”
“Perhaps we should hold a celebration today.”
Despite the regional tyrant—one of the great families—having vanished in complete annihilation, not a single atmosphere of gloom hung over the village.
From the relieved expressions on every face, I could gauge just how severe the Dongfang Family’s tyranny had been.
“But who on earth did it? Shouldn’t we know who they are to send them even a measure of rice?”
“Haha, you too? I was thinking the same thing. Does anyone know who it was?”
“I overheard Hyeon-ryeong talking to someone earlier… what was it called? The Black Crow Society? Something like that.”
The moment the name Black Crow Society left their lips, those who’d been speaking of sending rice clamped their mouths shut with a gulp.
Those ignorant of the Martial Arts World regarded this strangely, but the faces of those who knew what the Black Crow Society was drained of all color.
It seemed unlikely they would be sending any rice.
“Ahem! Well, in any case, since it’s a matter between martial artists, I heard the Martial Arts Alliance will be sending people soon.”
“The Martial Arts Alliance? What’s that?”
“Are you serious? Living in Hannam and not knowing that?”
The situation was unfolding exactly as I’d anticipated.
Whether they’d leaked the information themselves or Hyeon-ryeong possessed keen insight, it mattered little—with corpses bearing the Black Crow Society’s mark among the dead, he’d passed the matter to the Martial Arts Alliance.
Naturally, a subjugation force would be organized by the Martial Arts Alliance.
When that happened, the Black Crow Society would disappear, fulfilling my promise to Baek Jin-hwa.
Achieving my goal without lifting a finger.
I’d deliberately drawn the Black Crow Society into this for precisely that reason.
“There’s no need to dirty my hands with a place like the Black Crow Society.”
I chuckled softly and adjusted the reins.
Sensing that I was heading home, the horse wagged its tail contentedly, then naturally shifted direction and began moving forward.
Just as I was about to leave the village entrance—
I spotted a peculiar group entering from outside.
“What is this anyway? The Dongfang Family? We’re going to a place we’ve never even heard of?”
“We happened to be at a nearby branch, so there’s no helping it. Didn’t I tell you? Let’s leave as soon as possible. You’re the one who delayed us.”
“Ugh…”
“Hehe— Well, the culprit has already been identified, hasn’t it?”
“Tsk… I’m busy with my training.”
Five men and women.
They wore martial robes of azure blue, with embroidered characters reading “Changryongdan” emblazoned across their chests.
That was unmistakably—
The Changryongdan.
One of the organizations gathering the talents who would lead the Central Plains in the future, and a place where one of the five called the strongest rising prodigies resided.
I pulled the bamboo hat lower, concealing my face entirely.
Through the brim, I observed the landscape before me, my gaze settling on a man passing by—one engaged in casual conversation with his companions, their voices drifting like whispers on the wind.
My eyes narrowed as I studied his features.
I had to exert considerable effort to suppress the murderous intent rising within me.

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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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