The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 68

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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 129

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The first floor of the inn where Baek Cheon and Oh Hyeon had fought was long since reduced to complete chaos.
It was difficult to find anything that hadn’t been destroyed, which meant the first floor would have to close its doors for business for some time.
The inn keeper and the escort members who had accompanied the escort mission hurried to clean up the surroundings.
With such a considerable number of people, the cleanup seemed like it would finish quickly, but repairing the new tables, chairs, and broken walls would still take considerable time.
I sat in the reception room of the annex and gazed intently at the two men.
Baek Cheon and Oh Hyeon, who had continued to display confidence, were now swallowing their breath with their spirits visibly broken.
They had looked at Namgung Yeon with competitive eyes, but soon turned their gaze to confirm my presence, then lowered their heads with a heavy sigh and could not raise them.
They could not have failed to hear rumors about me, and I had proven that my skills were no mere fabrication with a single clap of my hands.
These two men, who understood how difficult that was, naturally had their spirits crushed.
I exhaled a small sigh and stared at the two men with their heads bowed.
Then I calmly posed a question.
“Tell me, do the two of you find the Nakhyang Jin Family amusing? Or do you believe Huashan and Songshan can do whatever they please?”
“Ha, Young Master, it is not such a thing… we simply became heated while eating.”
“That is correct. We hope you will not misunderstand.”
A far cry from what one would expect of a First Disciple of a major sect.
Whether it was Huashan or Songshan, they understood that the Jin Family’s financial power could not be ignored.
I sighed and leaned back against my chair, then directed my gaze toward Kang Han, the manager who oversaw this place.
“How much do you estimate it will be?”
“Well… I would need to confirm precisely, but just the cost of furnishings that need to be purchased seems to amount to several dozen taels of silver.”
At the mention of several dozen taels, Baek Cheon and Oh Hyeon offered bitter smiles.
Such an amount was not particularly large for them.
Most First Disciples were typically talented members of prominent families.
But I was not sitting here merely to collect a few taels of silver.
“There is more than that, is there not? The repairs you made without reporting, despite the inn being destroyed and fights occurring repeatedly.”
“Ha, yes, there is. Of course, but… most of it I covered from my own pocket, so it is fine.”
Kang Han smiled awkwardly and shook his head. Repairing something others had destroyed using one’s own money required a reason.
It was an effort to avoid falling out of favor with both sects.
There was no need to even read between the lines of Kang Han’s thoughts; I could understand why he had spent his own money.
To fulfill his son’s dream of becoming a martial artist, to push him as a disciple into Huashan or Songshan.
Initially, he probably had no intention of causing such a large incident.
But as increasingly larger incidents occurred and his son still desired to become a disciple of the Nine Sects, these disciples from Huashan and Songshan, noticing his tacit approval, became increasingly brazen.
I directed my gaze once more and posed the question firmly.
“How much?”
“…If I include everything, it seems to amount to around three or four taels of gold.”
“You have broken quite a lot.”
With a soft chuckle, I glanced at Baek Cheon and Oh Hyeon, and the two men who had barely managed to lift their heads flinched and averted their gazes.
This was not a problem that could be attributed to merely these two individuals.
If they could casually brawl in an inn without consequence, it meant such incidents occurred with considerable frequency, and that could hardly be considered the affair of just two people.
Sometimes it involved others, or entire groups.
Moreover, since they were perceived as bearing no responsibility despite perpetrating such acts, they simply did so without hesitation.
I pressed my forehead against my palm and sighed at this absurd reality.
“Do you gentlemen have any idea what the daily revenue of the section you destroyed amounts to?”
“That… well, I haven’t really paid attention to such matters.”
“My arithmetic is quite weak.”
The two men stammered out their responses.
It was natural that the figure would be substantial, given it belonged to the Jin Family of Nakhyang, but I feared that merely speaking the number aloud would set in motion irreversible consequences.
I turned my gaze toward Kang Han with a gentle smile.
“On a light day, it amounts to approximately thirteen to fifteen taels of silver, and on busier days, it reaches twenty to thirty taels.”
At those words, the complexions of Oh Hyeon and Baek Cheon drained to an ashen hue.
For merely a single floor, the daily revenue ranged between thirteen and thirty taels of silver.
Since one tael of gold was worth twenty taels of silver, they might well find themselves liable for more than one tael of gold in compensation.
I steadied my breathing and regarded the two men directly.
“The first floor will be unusable for some time. How do you propose to resolve this?”
“Cough, cough!”
“Mm…”
At this point, the matter had exceeded what these two could handle alone.
No matter how wealthy one’s household, spending one or two gold ingots would cause trembling, and when the sum climbed to dozens of taels, it transcended what they could resolve independently.
Ultimately, they would have to rely upon their family or sect.
While compensation could certainly be extracted, I found myself wondering whether any faction would regard these two favorably if they incurred such needless expenditures through their actions.
I gazed silently and intently at the two men.
Beads of cold sweat were streaming down their faces in profusion.
Simply witnessing it brought a satisfying sense of relief.
Yet I could not simply stand by and observe with indifference.
I glanced subtly at Yang Jachun, who stood beside me.
“Yang, how much time do we have remaining?”
“If no further incidents occur, approximately ten days.”
“And if we use five of those days?”
“That would still be sufficient.”
Yang Jachun affirmed without hesitation, as though he understood what answer I sought.
He had determined that even if another matter arose during our journey, we could still arrive within an ample timeframe if we pressed forward.
I nodded with a satisfied expression.
The opponents were first disciples of Zhongnan and Huashan.
Though not chief disciples, such an opportunity to witness directly the martial arts of two sects that stood as pillars of their respective traditions was rare indeed.
As a bonus, I could allow Namgung Yeon to accumulate experience—was this not a stroke of fortune?
I gazed at the two men and lifted the corners of my mouth into a smile.
“For the time being, I would appreciate it if you would serve as a sparring partner for Namgung Yeon. Let us resolve this matter in that way.”
“…Is it permissible to do so?”
These were two men who staked their lives on martial arts.
They too understood that opportunities to witness the martial techniques of the Namgung clan were exceedingly rare, so rather than hesitate, they brightened with enthusiasm and sprang eagerly to their feet.
Moreover, they would not need to pay extra coin.
There was no reason for them to refuse such a proposal—it held nothing but advantage for their position.
I glanced at Namgung Yeon, who appeared somewhat flustered, and posed my question.
“What do you think? What is your opinion? From where I stand, I cannot imagine two better opponents for you to gain experience against.”
“I shall follow your wishes, Young Master.”
Namgung Yeon regarded Baek Cheon and Oh Hyeon with a resolute expression.
Though she had displayed an elegant technique, deflecting and blocking their attacks while seizing the advantage, the fact that she had grown weary after merely a handful of exchanges revealed that had this been true combat, her life would already be forfeit.
Knowing this, she chose to redouble her efforts to improve.
I nodded with a satisfied expression and turned my gaze toward the two men.
“It shall be for five days. I ask for your cooperation during that time.”
“Hahaha! Very well! We welcome such an arrangement! Do we not?”
“To witness the swordsmanship of the Namgung clan for five whole days… we are most pleased.”
The two men, their spirits lifted, let their eyes gleam brilliantly as they smiled brightly.

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“That is not it!”
“Goodness! Then what is it? I did it correctly!”
“A bit more—what is it? Like this, sharp and crisp! You know what I mean! Why do you not understand?”
At the piercing sound of the loud voice, Chu Hyeongi’s brow furrowed.
Though he seemed to be performing adequately, Gu Gunbaek appeared to find his execution somewhat lacking.
If proper instruction were given, it should suffice, yet there lay a fundamental difference in their positions: Gu Gunbaek, who wielded martial arts instinctively, and Chu Hyeongi, who could not.
The question of why he could not do it, and how to accomplish it.
Chu Hyeongi, his brow remaining furrowed, exhaled a sigh and surveyed his surroundings.
The number of those who had fallen seemed endless.
Even if he employed both hands and feet, he could not count them all.
Upon confirming this, Chu Hyeongi drew in a measured breath.
One against many.
It was a situation he could scarcely believe he had created himself.
Compared to the time before meeting Gu Gunbaek, it could only be described as tremendous growth.
I began to understand why Jin Cheon-u had so persistently urged him to study with such determination.
“Ugh….”
Thwack!
At that moment.
A groan escaped from someone lying prone on the ground.
Chu Hyeongi, as if by reflex, extended his foot and struck the man’s face. The groan that had been grating on his ears ceased at once, and the face of the man who had been attempting to lift his head was driven into the earth.
Chu Hyeongi scratched his head as he watched this.
“Is that supposed to be better?”
“Better than what?”
“No… these people are bandits.”
“So what if they’re bandits?”
It was Chu Hyeongi who found himself flustered by the unexpected remark.
So what if they’re bandits?
It was as if he had never mingled with bandits before—that’s how his tone sounded. Or rather, he seemed completely unaware that he himself had once been the Bandit King.
“No, Master, you were… the Bandit King. Technically we’re on the same side, so I was wondering if it’s really okay to beat them like this.”
“Huh? What are you talking about? I’m the Lord of the Namman Martial Palace, the Lord. Don’t spout nonsense about kings.”
“…No, this person definitely said something to you before collapsing—’Your Majesty, what is this!’ I heard it clearly.”
“Bah! You must have misheard. Do you really think I, the Lord of the Namman Martial Palace, would associate with these lowly bandits?”
“….”
“Where are you spouting such nonsense? How irritating.”
Chu Hyeongi came to understand one thing.
There was no hint of deception in Gu Gunbaek’s expression.
In other words, he truly had no memory of being the Bandit King.
Perhaps it simply wasn’t interesting enough, or he had genuinely never considered the position of Bandit King to be significant enough to remember.
If Jin Cheon-u had been present, he would surely have stared with an incredulous expression and clicked his tongue.
Chu Hyeongi sighed and steadied his breathing.
What was the point of saying anything more?
“More importantly, are you getting used to it now?”
“I’m trying. It’s just difficult because I’m slow.”
“Ha ha ha! Well, at least you’re aware of it. Then, from now on, let’s pick up the pace a bit.”
“Pick up the pace from here?”
They were already moving at a speed so fast it was draining their stamina.
Though time had been lost beating down bandits and brigands along the way, the fact that they had reached near Gansu in such a short span was an exceptional pace.
Yet Gu Gunbaek was urging them to go even faster.
Chu Hyeongi tilted his head, not understanding.
“Aren’t we getting too far from the Young Master?”
“That bastard will find his way here just fine. Why worry?”
When Gu Gunbaek raised his fist slightly, Chu Hyeongi quickly stepped back and created distance.
He had no desire to get hit for an unnecessary remark.
Gu Gunbaek clicked his tongue at the sight, slowly lowered his fist, then turned toward the direction the wind was blowing and sniffed the air.
It was like watching a dog catching a scent.
Just as Chu Hyeongi was letting out a hollow laugh with a bewildered expression,
suddenly, a smile began spreading across Gu Gunbaek’s face.
“It’s faded with time, but that’s definitely his scent.”
“What are you saying? Have you lost your mind?”
“Never mind—let’s go. That direction bothers me.”
“Gah?!”
Gu Gunbaek reached out and seized Chu Hyeongi by the back of the neck.
In the next instant, he kicked off the ground and surged forward, his figure vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
Aaaaah—

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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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