The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 62

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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 62

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“A peculiar person?”
Baek Jin-hwa, the innkeeper of the Hwaseon Guesthouse, furrowed her brow at the sudden report.
Someone had been investigating not only Jin Cheon-u but also Hong Gu-hyeon.
It was common enough for people to look into Jin Cheon-u’s background, given how many took interest in the Nakhyang Jin Family.
Yet the fact that such a report had reached her suggested that whoever was behind this had intentions far different from the usual curious onlookers.
“Hong Gu-hyeon… Hong Gu-hyeon… Dong-baek, wasn’t this man the head servant overseer?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“So they were only investigating a mere servant overseer?”
“Yes, that appears to be the case.”
As Dong-baek nodded in agreement, Baek Jin-hwa’s frown deepened.
They hadn’t inquired about the high-ranking members of the Nakhyang Jin Family, but rather dug into someone who merely managed the household servants…
It seemed this peculiarity was precisely why the report had been brought to her.
Moreover, Hong Gu-hyeon was the very man whose whereabouts had become mysterious after the Nakhyang Jin Family incident last time.
Most of the family’s servants claimed he had gone to Beijing, and that was the prevailing assumption.
Yet even a moment’s reflection revealed there was no reason for such a thing.
A man responsible for overseeing servants and maids during the Family Head’s birthday—one of the year’s most important events—would never still be absent when the date was nearly upon them.
Baek Jin-hwa let out a soft chuckle.

‘Soon enough, others will begin digging into the Jin Family’s affairs. When that time comes, I’ll simply ensure our information stays hidden. This payment is for that purpose.’

Not long ago, Jin Cheon-u had come to me with words I couldn’t quite comprehend at the time.
But now, as I pieced things together, the situation became clear.
Someone was making moves against the Nakhyang Jin Family.
Hong Gu-hyeon was likely their agent.
Jin Cheon-u, having caught wind of it, swiftly eliminated him, and now these fools had arrived in Nakhyang a step too late, already infiltrating the city to target the Jin Family.
“Hehe, our Young Master truly fears nothing.”
I couldn’t say exactly who the enemy was, but considering Jin Cheon-u’s recent actions and the intelligence network of the Hao Gate, they were certainly no trivial foe.
And Jin Cheon-u was already preparing countermeasures against them.
Preparing?
No—knowing his nature, it was likely already finished.
“Something amusing is about to unfold. As promised, conceal all information regarding the Jin Family as thoroughly as possible. Let no one know.”
“Yes.”
As Dong-baek bowed and disappeared, Baek Jin-hwa turned her gaze toward the window.
The countless people passing through the marketplace caught her eye.
Among all those faces, there existed a force targeting Jin Cheon-u and the Nakhyang Jin Family—identities unknown even to the Hao Gate.
Even the Hao Gate didn’t fully understand.
Her lips curved into a cold smile.

* * *

The full moon hung high, brilliant and luminous.
As I gazed up at it illuminating the night sky, something circled overhead before landing upon my shoulder.
Rustle—
I carefully unfolded the letter bound to its ankle. It was from Baek Jin-hwa.
Information about those who had been inquiring after Hong Gu-hyeon, and details of those within Nakhyang recently making moves to gather intelligence on the Jin Family.
There were far more than I had anticipated.
Some among them were surely from the Shadow Assassins, while the others were likely factions seeking to check the Nakhyang Jin Family’s power.
I nodded and cast the letter into the campfire.
Watching it turn to ash and scatter, I shifted my gaze to see some forty warriors sprawled across the courtyard.
Huff… huff…
All of them gasped for breath, unable to even rise properly.
From morning until night.
Having endured countless blows until now, it was only natural that even those with trained bodies couldn’t stand.
Clink—
I slung my sword across my shoulder as I observed them.
“Huff, huff, huff…!”
Then, someone’s ragged breathing reached my ears.
Opening my eyes slightly, I turned my gaze toward the sound, and a man struggled to his feet, his eyes gleaming with determination.
He then grasped the sword lying on the ground.
A laugh escaped me unbidden.
“He has more backbone than I expected.”
While Yang Jachun lay motionless, there was one who gritted his teeth and endured—
Gu Gunbaek.
I had deliberately drawn him into this situation for precisely this reason.
An unwavering will that refused to yield no matter the circumstances.
A stubborn breed who knew better than anyone his own weakness, yet clenched his teeth to overcome it.
Cultivating such a man would make things easier down the line.
And there were other benefits as well.
The moment Gu Gunbaek rose to his feet, the others found strength within themselves.
Their trembling bodies straightened as they pushed themselves upright.
One by one, they grasped their swords and took their stance before me once more.
Their eyes gleamed with sharp determination, renewed resolve burning within them to overcome this trial.
“Impressive.”
Crack—
I watched them and tightened my grip on my sword.
I deployed my movement technique and closed the distance rapidly.
Swinging my blade again, I toyed with them once more.
A one-against-many battle.
Save for one, they were all masters beyond the first rank, yet such combat was second nature to me.
Surviving alone with Chu Hyeongi.
We had endured that hell together.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thump!
In an instant, they fell before my whirling blade.
They struggled valiantly to hold their ground, but the moment my sword appeared before their eyes, they could only fall once more.
I watched them collapse again and wiped the blood from my blade with my sleeve.
“Do you intend to rise again?”
I turned my gaze toward Gu Gunbaek.
Bruises that made comparison with the others meaningless.
His appearance was so pitiful I wondered if he had ever taken such a beating, yet sprawled on the ground with his body trembling, he was already attempting to rise.
And Yang Jachun, spurred by his example, was doing the same.
“Come to think of it, I never explained why I’m doing this. One should know the reason before taking a beating, shouldn’t they?”
“Ugh…”
“Cough!”
Reactions came from all around at my words.
They had no idea why this unjust beating had been inflicted upon them.
I had thought that being beaten under the guise of training was sufficient with Gu Gunbaek alone.
I observed them writhing quietly.
I felt their gazes turning toward me one by one.
I saw the light of those seeking answers in their eyes.
“You will face those who once targeted the Jin Family again.”
“…!”
At those words, every head in the room lifted. Their eyes burned with questions, disbelief, and fury.
I met their gaze calmly and continued.
“This time will be different from before. We’ll mount a total offensive and crush them in one decisive blow. We’ll erase them down to the very foundation.”
Silence fell.
Shock and horror etched themselves across every face. Of course, there were many who had clashed with the Jin Family or harbored designs against them.
But no one had ever dared to wage war with the intention of exterminating them entirely.
Though not among the Martial Arts Families, the Jin Family’s strength was not something to be taken lightly.
The name of the Nakhyang Jin Family carried weight that could not be dismissed.
Yet now they spoke of marching to annihilate them?
For a moment, Jin Cheon-u’s words seemed almost impossible to believe.
“Their numbers and strength are vastly different from before. Can any of you survive if you face them now? I think not.”
“…Then if we endure this, we can survive?”
Yang Jachun’s voice.
He fixed me with burning eyes.
Not dismissing this as mere fantasy, but genuinely accepting the reality of the situation.
He must know that I would never speak empty words.
The same was true for Gu Gunbaek.
He waited for my answer with his jaw set firm.
“The martial techniques I’m using against you now mirror theirs as closely as possible. Watch with your eyes and learn with your body. I’ll reduce the number of sword strikes you’d normally take from ten to three or four.”
At those words, Yang Jachun staggered to his feet.
He gasped roughly, his eyes sharp and piercing as he looked at me.
Then he grasped the sword that had fallen to the ground.
“Are they strong?”
Strong?
They were strong.
Pressed from all sides, betrayed by those I had trusted, with no means to fight back.
But that was then.
“They are strong. But we will win.”
At those resolute words, Yang Jachun tightened his grip on his sword.
One by one, the others rose to their feet.
Though their bodies trembled with exhaustion and they could barely move, it was Yang Jachun’s fighting spirit that lifted them up.
I watched them and let out a quiet laugh.
So they still had reserves left in them, then?
They seemed capable of taking a few more blows.
Just as I was about to swing my sword again.
“Any more and they’ll all be dead.”
A sharp woman’s voice cut through the air.
I turned in surprise toward the source of the sound.
Chaeseoha, her face covered with a veil, walked toward us, though I couldn’t say when she had arrived.
I gazed at her with a puzzled expression.
“How did you find your way here?”
“The Young Master is always meticulous, but there are gaps in your vigilance. I simply followed the path you always take and traced the signs you left behind.”
“Ah.”
A hollow laugh escaped me at her words.
Since the house was already tidied, I hadn’t paid much attention to such details—which meant Chaeseoha had managed to tail me.
She exhaled with a soft sigh and turned her gaze toward the warriors.
The moment she took in their battered appearance, her eyes gleamed with unmistakable sharpness.
“I won’t say anything to the Elder. But Young Master, this is far too severe. Any ordinary person would be dead. How many days did you beat them?”
“This much should be nothing to endure….”
“Then you experience the same beating, Young Master. See if you can call it nothing. You can say such things because you’re strong. Please consider the position of the weak.”
The moment she spoke of the strong and the weak, Yang Jachun and the other warriors’ faces flushed with an odd heat.
These men, who had lived with pride in their place among the strong, had suddenly become the weak with a single word from Chaeseoha.
As I shrugged my shoulders, Chaeseoha nudged me aside and approached the warriors.
“Leave this to me for now. People need to be alive to protect anything or fight, don’t they?”
“A fair point.”
I nodded at her words and stepped back.
Only then did she release a relieved sigh and begin examining the warriors’ conditions.
Watching them suppress their pain with sharp groans each time she touched an injury, it became clear their state was worse than I’d initially thought.
Gu Gunbaek especially so.
I sat awkwardly to one side, clearing my throat, observing the situation in silence, when Yang Jachun—who hadn’t yet received treatment—approached me.
He seemed to have yielded his turn to the others first.
He stood motionless, his gaze fixed intently upon me.
“I have a question.”
“Speak.”
“Those targeting Sega will truly come… is that certain?”
“I stake my name on it. They will come.”
“…But you cannot know when?”
When?
At such a question, a bitter smile crossed my lips.
How many days remained until Father’s birthday celebration?
“The day of the birthday feast… or perhaps a day or two sooner.”
I deliberately refrained from naming a precise date.
Circumstances shift at any moment, and those bastards would surely maintain some vigilance due to the Ten Elders’ involvement.
Thus, arriving a few days earlier would not be unusual.
Of course, it wasn’t as though I had no way to know for certain.
The day those bastards make their move will be the day I—who possess the Jade Orb they so desperately covet—am attacked.
“Then shouldn’t you inform Sega immediately? We don’t know when they’ll scale the compound wall….”
“Scale? The wall?”
I looked up at Yang Jachun calmly, narrowing my eyes.
In that instant, I saw him flinch, his body trembling as my gaze fell upon him.
Yet my piercing stare remained unwavering.
Today was none other than Father’s birthday celebration.
I had no intention of letting blood stain this auspicious day. After all, I had been moving and preparing for this very purpose all along.
I smiled faintly and opened my mouth.
“Do not worry. They will never… breach the compound wall.”

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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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