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 105
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The following morning.
Still unable to move my body properly, I lay in bed. Chaeseoha, who had not even returned to her own quarters and continued to watch over me, had her head buried in one corner of the bed, fast asleep.
I gazed at her quietly before checking my condition.
Certainly much improved compared to the first day.
Moving my body remained difficult, but the pain I felt had lessened, which seemed like evidence that I was recovering.
Indeed, Chaeseoha’s skills were not to be underestimated.
I drank the medicinal broth she had prepared in advance and closed my eyes again.
Nothing could restore the body faster than sound sleep.
However, there was a disturbance.
The door suddenly opened and a familiar face entered.
“You’re awake?”
“I was thinking of sleeping again.”
“Huh? Really? Then I’ll just send them away.”
“…Who came looking for me?”
“Yes, that Moryeong Hyeok or whatever. He came by.”
At those words, I let out a small laugh.
How long had it been since he arrived with the Sword Emperor before he came again?
It seemed he wanted to find out something.
In the end, I could not avoid meeting him.
I tapped Chaeseoha’s shoulder as she slept and woke her.
“Young Master?”
“We have a guest. I need you to prepare me.”
“…This won’t be good if you keep doing this.”
“I need to appear fine.”
Realizing she could not break my resolve, Chaeseoha let out a short sigh and shook her head.
Soon she withdrew needles from her pouch, loosened my upper garment, and began inserting them into the acupoints.
As time passed, I felt the dulled sensation returning, and my body recovered quickly enough to move.
Soon I rose from the bed and looked into the bronze mirror.
Confirming that the pupils reflected in the mirror had returned to clarity, I groomed my hair, changed clothes, and left the room.
I headed toward the guest hall within the annex.
Opening the door and stepping inside, I saw familiar faces.
Namgung Baek and Namgung Yeon stood with stern expressions, and before them was Moryeong Hyeok, who wore a small smile.
He acknowledged me and offered a warm greeting.
“It has been a while, Young Master So. I came by because I was troubled about not properly greeting you last time. I hope it has not been an inconvenience… is that correct? Haha.”
“Not at all, it is fine. I was actually hoping to see your face before departing, so I am grateful you came. ”
I settled into the seat across from Moryeong Hyeok with a casual expression.
I noticed his face had stiffened slightly.
Unlike before, when he had praised me generously with titles like “great swordsman” and “sword dragon,” now that I referred to myself as merely a “minor swordsman,” he must be feeling both distance and displeasure from his position.
I deliberately fouled his mood a bit further.
“You seem to have recovered considerably. I visited you shortly after the Pyo Hyeong-geom incident, and you were wrapped in bandages from head to toe, which worried me greatly. But seeing you now, it seems my concerns were unfounded.”
“Ha, haha, I received help from a skilled physician. Thanks to them, I’m quite vigorous now, so there’s no need to worry.”
Moryeong Hyeok laughed with a somewhat awkward expression, but upon hearing that I had been worried about him, he seemed to find it pleasing and changed his expression to one of indifference.
Then he gazed at me quietly.
“But I’m more concerned about Young Master So than myself.”
“You mean me?”
“I heard that ever since the Chohyeon Clan incident, you haven’t left the inn even once. I wondered if perhaps you were ill.”
“I’m not ill. I’m simply preparing to depart soon, and given the ominous atmosphere and poor security resulting from the Chohyeon Clan matter, I’m being cautious. After all, I’m not nearly as strong as a minor swordsman like yourself, am I?”
“Ah—is that so? The atmosphere outside certainly is ominous. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. Hahaha.”
My answer didn’t seem to satisfy him. Though he laughed, his eyes were filled with disappointment. It was obvious he was trying to extract something, anything, from me.
Just as he seemed intent on pressing me relentlessly about something, I yawned as if bored, and Moryeong Hyeok hastily changed the subject, turning his gaze toward Namgung Baek.
“By the way… is it true that you’re taking that fellow as an Imperial Guard?”
“As I said that day, the Imperial Guard is someone else. Namgung the minor swordsman is coming with me as a servant to where I stay.”
“What? He’s not an Imperial Guard?”
“No. As you know, the Nakhyang Jin Family has no shortage of warriors stronger than Namgung the minor swordsman. If I were thinking of selecting an Imperial Guard, I wouldn’t have chosen him.”
“Haha… hahahaha! That’s true, but merely a servant? Hahaha.”
A sneer laden with clear mockery burst forth.
He laughed with such hearty, booming laughter that everyone both inside and outside could hear it.
Because of this, Namgung Baek’s face, which I glanced at, flushed crimson.
Meanwhile, Namgung Yeon’s expression hardened, yet remained composed.
Only her eyes burned with fierce intensity.
I offered Moryeong Hyeok a more interesting story.
“During the Pyo Hyeong-geom incident last time, Namgung the minor swordsman and I were left behind together, weren’t we? At that time, his care for me was far superior to my current servant’s. So I made the proposal, and he accepted it yesterday.”
“Haha, I see. He is quite good at handling chores. But is his younger sister going with you as well?”
Moryeong Hyeok stared directly at Namgung Yeon.
Despite seeing her gaze, which seemed displeased, directed straight at him, he responded with mockery as if he found it amusing.
Observing this scene, I opened my mouth.
“Yes, that’s how it turned out. As you know, she takes exceptional care of her brother, so I couldn’t very well leave her behind, could I?”
“Haha, I see. I hope my loose tongue isn’t burdening Young Master So unnecessarily. Haha, oh right! But where are the others? The security is poor, yet I don’t see any Imperial Guards….”
Moryeong Hyeok looked around and asked.
It was natural to question this—he had said security was poor and he wasn’t leaving the inn, yet he wasn’t even bringing Imperial Guards with him.
However, it didn’t feel like a simple question.
It seemed he had already ascertained how many people were staying in the annex.
Apparently, his purpose was to confirm their faces.
I smiled faintly.
“Minor Swordsman Moyong… are you perhaps sitting there thinking that whenever you ask, I must answer everything you want to know?”
“…!”
I observed Moryeong Hyeok quietly as his expression shifted subtly.
I curved the corners of my lips upward slightly, meeting his gaze directly, and opened my mouth without turning my eyes away even for a moment.
“So-ha and I maintain a horizontal relationship, not a vertical one. This remains true even if the one seated were not Young Master Moyong, but the Sword Emperor himself.”
“…!”
“Gasp!”
My single remark sent shockwaves through the room.
Moryeong Hyeok shot to his feet and glared at me sharply, while Namgung Baek and Namgung Yeon standing nearby stared at me with eyes that seemed ready to burst from their sockets.
The reason was simple—I had dared to speak the name of the Sword Emperor.
As expected, Moryeong Hyeok’s body trembled violently.
In any other circumstance, he would have undoubtedly drawn his blade.
Yet Moryeong Hyeok lacked the courage to do so.
Though the Moyong Family’s financial power was considerable, compared to the Nakhyang Jin Family it was nothing more than a drop in the ocean, and even their wealth ultimately traced back to connections with the Nakhyang Jin Family.
But did pride matter?
Unable to draw his sword, yet unwilling to lose in this moment, Moryeong Hyeok began to release his aura and press down upon me.
Sensing this, I narrowed my eyes.
Hum—!
In an instant.
I could see Moryeong Hyeok’s body trembling as he faced me directly. At that very moment, I subtly shifted my gaze and withdrew my presence.
His aura vanished at that exact instant.
“I shall take my leave now.”
“I will not see you out. Please, go safely.”
Though he had failed to achieve his purpose, his pride was the problem.
Having mentioned the Sword Emperor’s name, he seemed to feel he could no longer remain seated. Moryeong Hyeok abruptly rose and left in a flash.
Outside, the sound of his angry footsteps echoed loudly.
“Is this truly wise? You may provoke the Sword Emperor’s displeasure.”
Then, Namgung Baek, who had been quietly observing the situation, spoke with a trembling voice.
It was a name feared to such a degree.
Yet I smiled as though it were of no consequence.
“What is there to fear from one who eats dog dung?”
“Pardon?”
“Eh?”
I left the inn, observing the bewildered expressions of the two men who did not understand my meaning.
A clear blue sky welcomed me.
* * *
I returned to the annex and stole a glance out the window.
Moryeong Hyeok, his anger evident, was disappearing down the road on horseback. His lips moved as if he were exchanging silent transmissions with someone.
Around the inn, I could sense figures positioned to watch me.
So he couldn’t be certain, yet suspicion lingered?
From Mo Yong-cheon’s perspective, it was entirely understandable.
Whether as Pyo Hyeong-geom or now, incidents kept unfolding wherever I appeared, so he couldn’t help but harbor doubts.
Yet the reason he refused to commit to certainty was not merely the absence of concrete evidence, but rather the arrogance in his heart—the conviction that he could never be played by the mere bloodline of a merchant family.
Had it been otherwise, it would have been Mo Yong-cheon himself who visited today, not Moryeong Hyeok.
I opened my eyes slightly and extended my perception.
“Twelve?”
The presences I sensed around me numbered twelve.
Whether they were all elite members of the Moyong Family, they were remarkably skilled at concealing their auras.
However, they weren’t skilled enough to deceive my senses.
The fact that they showed no concern about being discovered made it abundantly clear that Mo Yong-cheon regarded me as beneath him.
I let out a quiet chuckle and closed the window.
Soon, as I slowly sat on the bed and lay back, I felt pain gradually surge from my toes to the crown of my head.
The drawback of this technique was that all the pain struck at once.
I employed it because it was the only means to appear unharmed, but at this very moment, the agony was almost unbearable.
Cold sweat dripped down as I swallowed a groan.
Just as I clenched my teeth to suppress any sound whatsoever, the door opened and Chaeseoha entered.
“Please drink this. It should ease the pain somewhat.”
She, who had anticipated this situation, had already prepared a medicinal decoction.
I carefully drank the bitter brew, desperate for the pain to fade even slightly.
After confirming the bowl was empty, she glanced at me.
“What were you thinking, meeting with him and suffering like this?”
“If I hadn’t met him, he would have suspected me even more. With surveillance closing in from all sides as it is, this much is necessary. And you—how is the elder?”
“She’s packing in her room. She said we’ll be leaving soon.”
“Yes, I plan to stay home for a while.”
“There’s no choice. If you push yourself further in that condition, I can’t guarantee you’ll survive next time.”
Chaeseoha spoke with exasperation, her hand pressed to her forehead, and sighed deeply.
Her firm tone made it clear that my injuries were serious enough to warrant genuine concern.
I managed a bitter smile.
“Don’t worry. I’ve endured wounds like these far too many times.”
“Have you experienced something like this before? I’ve never heard of it.”
“I have. Many times over.”
I recalled the past.
Now I had Chaeseoha, but back then I didn’t.
There were countless moments when my life hung by a thread, and I remember several instances where my breath nearly left me before returning.
I had survived through such fierce struggle.
I wouldn’t die from mere wounds like these.
I found myself smiling despite my better judgment as I looked at her.
“So don’t worry. Besides, I have somewhere I need to go.”
“Again? Have you lost your mind?”
At her alarmed gaze, I let out a bitter laugh. Could I possibly be pleased about this situation, where I must move without even a moment to catch my breath?
Yet I cannot afford to remain idle.
“That’s still in Namman, you know? Haha—”
Before it fell into their hands, I absolutely had to retrieve it.
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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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