The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 64

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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 64

* * *

Jin Ga-muk, the Family Head of the Nakhyang Jin Family, drained his cup repeatedly.
Gatherings with good people were always a joy.
And it was his birthday.
He could not refuse the wine offered to him, and as he drank, his hand naturally reached for more.
As the alcohol warmed his blood, his spirits lifted, and his usually reserved lips began to loosen.
He seemed to be genuinely savoring this moment.
What captured Jin Ga-muk’s attention most were none other than Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo.
It was the first time Jin Cheon-u had brought close friends as guests, and those friends were from the Paeng and Eon families—the very clans that dominated Hebei.
Since Jin Cheon-u rarely cultivated deep connections with the martial arts families, his attention naturally gravitated toward them.
“Haha—splendid! I’ve long wished to meet the Paeng Family Head, yet here I see his son instead.”
“Thank you, Family Head! My father would be delighted to hear of this.”
“Is he not the renowned wandering knight, the Righteous Blade? The Blade King’s name echoes across the Central Plains. That such a man’s son should be Cheon-u’s close friend—it gladdens my heart.”
At those words, Paeng Dohan’s pride swelled.
He had just received praise from Jin Ga-muk himself.
When Eon Garyeo beside him cast an envious glance, Jin Ga-muk naturally refilled her empty cup and continued speaking.
“The Eon Family Head is equally remarkable. Are not the Blade King and the Power King the twin suns that illuminate Hebei? Thanks to both of you guarding Hebei, we enjoy peace. Haha. I am truly grateful.”
“Hoho—I did not expect the Family Head to praise us so.”
“Haha, indeed. But where has that boy gone? Why is he not here?”
Jin Ga-muk looked around, searching for Jin Cheon-u.
As the Young Master, he should have been mingling among the guests, yet he had been nowhere to be seen since afternoon.
After searching the surroundings, he gave up and turned to the Chief Administrator.
“The Young Master went to find Old Man Geum with food.”
“Old Man Geum is still alive?”
“I misspoke, Family Head. Haha, if the opportunity arises, you should visit him yourself.”
“I see. I had not thought of it. Haha, this boy Cheon-u thought of everything.”
“Before the Young Master left, he said you should enjoy yourself until your spirits soar.”
“Hahaha, this boy knows something. Yes, let me revel in this.”
At Jin Ga-muk’s words, Yu Hyeon smiled.
It had been a long time since she saw the Family Head so relaxed.
Only once a year.
Only on his birthday could one witness such ease, and she understood well Jin Cheon-u’s desire to let him enjoy himself fully on this day.
“He left in the afternoon and hasn’t returned?”
At that moment, Gu Gunbaek, who had been blowing into an empty wine bottle nearby, looked toward Yu Hyeon.
So many bottles lay scattered on the ground that one could not count them all.
Baek Ja-hyeon, who had been drinking beside him, lay sprawled out with his face flushed crimson.
Yu Hyeon’s eyes widened as he witnessed this, and an awkward smile crossed his face as he clicked his tongue.
“Ah… yes, that’s correct. But… is it really safe to drink that much…?”
“Perfectly fine. I could still drink ten more buckets. However… ugh.”
Gu Gunbaek groaned and rose from his seat.
Then, as if loosening his muscles, he twisted his joints this way and that.
Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo’s gazes felt heavy upon him, as though they sensed something amiss, but Gu Gunbaek paid them no mind and grinned wickedly.
“Shall we see what’s happening?”
Gu Gunbaek gazed upward at the sky.
The moonlight hung brilliantly, truly beautiful.
Yet the wind that blew was rather fierce.
As if presaging a storm.
It was a night when something amusing seemed destined to unfold.

* * *

I brought food suitable for young children, fine wine, and things Old Man Geum favored.
After all the hardship he’d endured, this much was the least I could offer.
Watching Old Man Geum’s withered face bloom with joy, I stepped outside.
Night had fallen without my notice.
The moon hung high, indicating the hour had grown quite late.
With people retreating into their homes, the streets lay dark and devoid of any human presence.
“A night fit for corpses to roll through the streets,” I murmured with a quiet chuckle.
I turned my steps, letting the chirping of crickets fill my ears.
My destination was already determined.
Though the night had deepened, the Nakhyang Jin Family would be in full revelry. Father, drinking heavily for the first time in ages, would be intoxicated and merry, and the endless laughter and chatter of the guests would spill beyond the compound walls.
Truly, it was the most joyous place in all of Hannam.
A place that must not be stained with blood.
No matter what transpired, I could not allow the laughter to cease.
Then.
Crack—!
A violent impact struck the back of my neck, and darkness consumed my vision.
Suddenly, a sharp blow struck the back of his neck, and everything went black.

* * *

It was not difficult for Sa Gong-chun to locate Jin Cheon-u. Though he had placed watchers, the path from their location to the Nakhyang Jin Family inevitably converged, making an encounter unavoidable.
This simplified matters considerably.
All that remained was to eliminate Jin Cheon-u along the road to the Nakhyang Jin Family, recover the Jade Orb, and then assault the Jin Family to conclude the operation.
It seemed the task would not take as long as initially anticipated.
Moving along the darkened path, I locate my target.
As though darkness held no meaning whatsoever, I survey my surroundings and successfully identify Jin Cheon-u, my primary objective.
Though at some distance, it is unmistakably Jin Cheon-u.
He walks the dark road without a single Imperial Guard in attendance.
Whether one should call it audacity or fearlessness remains uncertain.
From the vanguard, Sa Gong-chun observes Jin Cheon-u, smiles, and draws his sword.
He will announce the beginning of his work by severing the man’s neck.
It will all end in a single stroke.
In the very moment Sa Gong-chun commits himself to approaching Jin Cheon-u’s back in stealth—
“…?!”
Something abruptly erupts from the darkness.
The Black Shadow surges toward Jin Cheon-u in an instant, striking the base of his skull and rendering him unconscious.
“Gah?!”
With a final gasp, Jin Cheon-u’s body collapses helplessly.
Before Sa Gong-chun and the Shadow Assassins can even properly react, so stunned are they by the sequence of events—
The shadow figure seizes something hanging from the neck.
That which emits a faint luminescence even in darkness is unmistakably the Jade Orb.
“Leader!”
The Deputy Leader’s voice rings out.
Sa Gong-chun swallows hard, his expression darkening.
He hurls himself forward with greater urgency, rapidly closing the distance to his opponent.
Does the shadow figure sense his approach?
Confirming the Shadow Assassins rushing toward him, the shadow figure hastily launches himself away from the scene.
“Damn it! Pursue!”
Sa Gong-chun’s expression contorts with fury.
He shouts harshly, and the Shadow Assassins begin their chase after the shadow figure.
In an instant, the members vanish like an ebbing tide.
Sa Gong-chun stands motionless, his furrowed brow refusing to ease as he examines Jin Cheon-u sprawled upon the ground.
He approaches slowly and places his hand near the man’s nose.
Has he merely been rendered unconscious?
He still breathes.
Yet the Jade Orb that should hang from his neck is nowhere to be found.
“What manner of wretch…!”
Sa Gong-chun clenches his fists, grinding his teeth.
Having witnessed the Jade Orb vanish before his eyes, his fury surges unbearably.
Suppressing his rage with effort, he examines Jin Cheon-u once more.
He’s someone who needs to be killed anyway.
His unconsciousness doesn’t change that reality.
The moment Sa Gong-chun, sword in hand, thrust toward Jin Cheon-u’s throat.
“Young Master!”
“How dare you lay hands on him!”
A sudden voice cut through the air.
Turning my gaze, I saw two men rushing forward with terrifying speed. The instant I recognized one of their faces, Sa Gong-chun’s brow furrowed.
It was Yang Jachun, the renowned swordmaster.
He drew his blade and swung it in a sweeping arc.
Shhhhwing—!
Clang!
Unable to pierce through Jin Cheon-u’s throat against the fearsome sword energy descending upon him, Sa Gong-chun blocked the incoming strike and retreated several steps.
Simultaneously, his expression darkened.
His palm tingled with numbness.
A single stroke that proved the swordmaster’s skill was far beyond contempt.
‘Should I kill him?’
Conflict stirred briefly within me.
But soon I shook my head and retreated once more.
While killing Jin Cheon-u seemed inevitable, I had no desire to face Yang Jachun—whose martial prowess remained uncertain—when the Jade Orb was my priority.
“Damn it—!”
I withdrew.
The Jade Orb came first now.
Though my men followed, my concerns were manifold.
Killing Jin Cheon-u would have to wait.
Sa Gong-chun turned swiftly and pursued his subordinates into the darkness.
‘Who exactly was that?’
The one who had ambushed Jin Cheon-u in the shadows.
It was strange beyond measure that they took only the Jade Orb if their motive was money.
They acted as though it had been their objective from the start, deepening Sa Gong-chun’s suspicion.
Or perhaps…
‘Gyeom Sa-chan?’
Had he orchestrated this to obtain a second Jade Orb?
While it was the most plausible assumption, such overt action contradicted his nature, and his movements differed drastically from the Gyeom Sa-chan I knew.
Which meant someone else was after the Jade Orb?
Sa Gong-chun furrowed his brow and steadied his breathing.
Once again, an ominous foreboding crept through my mind.

* * *

“Young Master?! Young Master! Are you alright?”
“Stop, stop! Don’t shake me.”
“What are you saying? Look at the state our Young Master is in!”
Chu Hyeongi’s loud voice rang painfully in my ears.
My eardrums felt like they might burst, and with someone grabbing my body and shaking it about, my head spun terribly.
Without thinking, I frowned and slowly opened my eyes.
“Stop it. I can’t think straight.”
“Are you alright?!”
“I’m not alright because of you.”
At those words, Chu Hyeongi hastily stepped back.
Only then did he seem to realize he had been rather rough.
Feeling my body’s freedom return, I rose to my feet.
I brushed the dust from my clothes and looked toward Yang Jachun.
“Did they all follow?”
“Yes, I confirmed it.”
“There must have been quite a number of them?”
“By rough count, it looked like well over a hundred.”
At those words, I nodded.
The Shadow Assassins gathered in full. That number seemed about right.
But on our side, we had barely forty.
Even counting Chu Hyeongi and myself, we still fell far short.
But soon, numbers would cease to matter much.
“What exactly are you trying to do? Why am I the only one left in the dark?”
Then Chu Hyeongi, who had been listening nearby, looked between me and Yang Jachun with a puzzled expression, unable to grasp the situation.
His eyes and face pleaded for an explanation.
I smiled faintly and drew out the mask I had hidden in my breast.
As I placed it on my face, Yang Jachun also donned his mask.
“What are you doing? You received one too, didn’t you?”
“Huh? This?”
“Yes, put it on.”
Chu Hyeongi pulled a mask from his breast.
He turned it over, examining it carefully piece by piece, then put it on backward. At first, dissatisfied with the view, he adjusted it this way and that, but eventually seemed pleased and grinned widely.
“Is it alright?”
“Splendid.”
“Hehehehe, call me Yaksha Hyeongi.”
Yang Jachun and I watched the grinning Chu Hyeongi, then as if by agreement, we ignored him and turned our gaze toward the direction the Shadow Assassins had vanished.
“Now it’s time to reel in the hooked fish.”
Following this path would take us further from Luoyang City.
We had lured them in that direction from the start, after all.
Even if a battle erupted, the city would remain peaceful, and those laughing and reveling would spend this quiet night in blissful ignorance.

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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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