The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 7

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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 7

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Chu Hyeongi was drenched in blood.
Crimson gore covered every inch of his body.
He knew nothing of martial arts—all he possessed was his body and raw strength. The result of subduing opponents through nothing but crude brawling, fist against fist.
Yet he paid no mind to such details as he ran.
Jin Cheon-u’s safety took absolute precedence over everything else.
Given the gravity of the situation, there was no way to predict what might unfold. Unable to suppress his anxiety, he had set out to find Jin Cheon-u.
The Nakhyang Jin Family compound he arrived at was in absolute chaos.
Already, countless figures stood beyond the gates, their bodies trembling with fear. The sight alone was enough to confirm that something catastrophic had occurred within.
‘So it really happened?’
It was not merely enemies from outside targeting Jin Cheon-u.
There were those conspiring from within as well.
Jin Cheon-u had orchestrated this entire affair to purge them all at once, or so he had said.
As the words he’d heard from the bodyguards echoed in his mind once more, Chu Hyeongi clenched his fists tightly, his brow furrowing.
‘Not even a single word to me!’
He was closer to Jin Cheon-u than any of the bodyguards here. They had grown up together, weathering countless trials both great and small.
When Jin Cheon-u had fought the wanderers and Hong Gu-hyeon was struck by a blade, Chu Hyeongi had clenched his small fists and charged at them without hesitation.
He had risked his life to protect Jin Cheon-u.
Yet this matter had unfolded without his knowledge, and Jin Cheon-u had not even told him.
That stung.
Chu Hyeongi furrowed his brow and stepped inside.
In an instant, he saw numerous figures bound throughout the vast courtyard.
All of them were familiar faces.
Some were servants who had laughed and chattered about their duties; among the maids was even a woman he had harbored some affection for.
But that was not all.
There were also quite a few of the bodyguards known as the Three Family Swords.
If he had heard correctly, they were all traitors.
They had betrayed Jin Cheon-u and, by extension, the Nakhyang Jin Family.
Or perhaps they had never been on the same side to begin with.
Witnessing this reality with his own eyes, his blood boiled.
“Damn bastards…!”
The thought struck him that Jin Cheon-u might have been killed by one of their blades. Though it was in the past, the moment the thought crossed his mind, rage erupted like molten lava from the depths of his heart.
As he clenched his fists and moved toward them.
“Stop! That’s enough!”
The voice of Grand Steward Yu Hyeon rang out.
Only then did Chu Hyeongi come to his senses and turn his head.
I watched as Yu Hyeon released a breath of relief.
When I furrowed my brow at him, he waved his hand as if to tell me to stay calm and opened his mouth.
“The ones we’ve captured are people who will talk. We mustn’t kill them carelessly.”
“What? You’re saying we should let those bastards live after they tried to kill our Young Master? We should at least break their limbs!”
“That’s precisely why Young Master So must decide. But where is Young Master So?”
“Huh? He hasn’t returned?”
“What are you talking about? Young Master So wasn’t here, so I took charge of the situation.”
“What do you mean? He said he was going home….”
Chu Hyeongi and Yu Hyeon looked at each other.
Yu Hyeon hadn’t seen Jin Cheon-u, while Chu Hyeongi had clearly heard with both ears that he was heading home.
As I recalled that moment, I remembered throwing my body in a direction completely opposite to the path home.
Chu Hyeongi roughly tousled his hair.
“Ah— this crazy bastard!”

* * *

Rustle—
I held a book and turned the page.
Reading through the densely written passages one by one, I found myself smirking without realizing it.
Indeed, they were famous for leaving no traces.
I had reviewed everything Hong Gu-hyeon had written, yet I couldn’t glean a single clue about them.
Based on the content alone, it seemed as though Hong Gu-hyeon had orchestrated this entire situation by himself.
But all of this was merely a means to deceive the enemy’s eyes when things went wrong.
This book contained cipher text.
I began to decode it.
My struggle against them had spanned a full decade.
Digging and digging and digging again—understanding what they did, how they moved, and even the ciphers through which they issued commands to one another. Our connection ran that deep.
I extracted each character from the written pages.
By combining them, I reconstructed the message.

-Jin Gu-hyeok was disguised as a natural death through the use of poison.

Jin Gu-hyeok was the name of my late grandfather.
Therefore, the reason my grandfather, who had been in good health, fell ill and died was because those villains had orchestrated it.
The moment my suspicion transformed into certainty.
There were many other things as well.
They guided the direction of Sega according to their desires.
They made me engage in dealings with their puppets and conspirators without my knowledge, and through every step of that process, it became clear they sought to seize everything of the Nakhyang Jin Family—to tear it to shreds and place it all in their hands, once they obtained the Jade Orb.
The Nakhyang Jin Family was certainly worth coveting for such villains.
A clan that commanded the golden veins running through the Central Plains.
If they could naturally seize control of it, they would possess immense wealth.
Rustle—
I turned the page again and examined what came next.
Reading each character one by one, I pieced together what lay before my eyes.
There were also accounts concerning me.
It appeared their greatest objective was to kill me when Sega was empty, thereby throwing the Nakhyang Jin Family into chaos.
But this proved meaningless.
They had failed at it before, just as they were failing now.
There was something that occupied a considerable portion of the contents.
The Jade Orb itself.

-Not found in the Patriarch’s Office.
-Searched the Secondary Patriarch’s Chamber but found nothing.

From the time of the previous Family Head until now, they had made tireless efforts to search every corner of the Nakhyang Jin Family for the Jade Orb.
As a servant, I had visited every place accessible to me.
Moreover, they had searched for locations that seemed to conceal secrets, and appeared to have invested considerable effort in examining each one carefully.
Such hidden spaces would be immediately noticed if tampered with, so they moved slowly and deliberately, taking all the time they needed.
Additionally, they intended to use my death to create chaos, allowing them to search the interior more thoroughly and locate the Jade Orb.
And the final page.
Rustle—
As I turned the paper, recent writing caught my eye.

-Will investigate the Ancestral Hall as ordered, soon.

After winding through countless corridors, I finally arrived at the Ancestral Hall.
Since only direct bloodline members were permitted entry to this space, bodyguards were permanently stationed at the entrance to the Ancestral Hall.
It was a secretive and important location that should have been searched first, yet it remained inaccessible from Hong Gu-hyeon’s position.
It seemed the intention was to investigate the Ancestral Hall during the chaos created by my death.
But Hong Gu-hyeon could not have found it.
They would only learn of the Gok Ok’s existence when my father gave it to me, calling it a protective charm.
That was what triggered the incident.
I let out a quiet chuckle, closed the book, and tucked it into my robes.
There was nothing more to see.
I had searched thoroughly, but found nothing of consequence.
Without realizing it, I smacked my lips and stepped outside.
“Young Master—!”
At that moment, a loud voice echoed from somewhere.
Turning my gaze, I saw Jang Chuchyeong calling out from the darkness, searching for me. The figure who had been glancing around suddenly rushed toward me as if he had discovered something urgent.
“Huh?!”
As he approached, he caught sight of Hong Gu-hyeon’s corpse. At the same moment, Jang Chuchyeong’s eyes trembled as he recognized the body.
“…How dare someone—!”
Jang Chuchyeong’s fury erupted at the death of his close companion, his fists clenching with barely restrained rage. The intensity radiating from him suggested he would show no mercy to the culprit if found here.
It was understandable.
Though they appeared to bicker constantly, from the day Jang Chuchyeong arrived at the Nakhyang Jin Family, he and Hong Gu-hyeon had been inseparable.
Since he had taught me everything about life in the Nakhyang Jin Family, it was only natural he had grown attached.
I found myself letting out a hollow laugh.
“It was me.”
“Y-Young Master?!”
“Yes, I did it.”
“You killed Hong… the Elder, Young Master?”
As I nodded, Jang Chuchyeong’s eyes wavered.
He understood the implications of those words.
Especially considering the situation unfolding throughout Sega at this very moment.
His expression shifted to disbelief, insisting it was impossible, but as I calmly met his gaze, Jang Chuchyeong released the tension from his clenched fists.
“Damn it! This makes no sense! How is this even possible! Ugh! This is absolutely insane!”
“Consider it something that could happen.”
“But Young Master, are you alright?! And of all people, the Elder!”
“I feel rather good about it. In fact, it’s quite refreshing.”
As I spoke with a smile, Jang Chuchyeong’s expression showed incomprehension. This was clearly a shocking situation, yet I was brushing past it without concern.
I steadied my breathing and glanced briefly at Hong Gu-hyeon’s corpse.
I could see the tassel hanging from the sword hilt embedded in his brow swaying gently in the breeze.
“I have no intention of moving it, but you should listen.”
“Should I carry the body?”
“Yes.”
“Damn it….”
Just as Chu Hyeongi was about to curse, I narrowed my brows.
No matter how close we were, there were clearly boundaries.
I had no intention of accepting even this.
Realizing his own mistake, Chu Hyeongi closed his mouth.
Soon after, he gazed quietly at Hong Gu-hyeon’s corpse before exhaling slowly—whoosh. It seemed he was wrestling with considerable conflict, as his gaze lingered upon the body for quite some time.
Then he clenched his teeth.
He approached slowly and withdrew the sword embedded in Hong Gu-hyeon’s brow.
“Damn it! What kind of madness was that old fool thinking! What have you done?”
He surely knew no answer would come. Yet Chu Hyeongi cried out as if venting his anguish.
Then he gently closed Hong Gu-hyeon’s wide-open eyes. I could see the extended hand trembling faintly.
The shock would not fade easily.
It would cut far deeper than any betrayal from others.
Chu Hyeongi steadied his breathing once more and lifted the corpse.
“Where shall I bury him?”
“What are you saying?”
“…Weren’t you telling me to bury him?”
“Nonsense. I’ll take him to use as leverage against those bastards.”
“…!”
“He was useful in life, and it seems he remains quite useful in death.”
In that moment, Chu Hyeongi’s expression shifted.
But soon he shook his head vigorously, seeming to steel his resolve.
The other was a traitor, and he was the one who must stand by my side.
He seemed to be making that distinction clear to himself.
I let out a soft chuckle at the sight.
“Don’t trouble yourself. Such things happen, and other things happen too. Besides…there will be compensation, unlike before.”
“Compensation?”
“You protected me. Of course you should receive it.”
“Ahem!”
At my words, Chu Hyeongi coughed dryly.
Given the circumstances, he seemed to be trying hard to accept it calmly, yet he could not hide the corners of his mouth twitching upward.
Yes, if one endured hardship, one deserved compensation.
Rather, it was strange that in the past, he had risked his life without even that.
I found myself smiling and began walking slowly.
Then, something peculiar caught my eye in the sky. I stopped and focused my vision intently.
With the sound of fluttering wings, something flew toward us. It passed naturally through the open door of the mansion and entered within.
As if it had found its own nest.
“What is that?”
I did not answer his question.
I simply moved my body and stepped back into the mansion. There, the creature that had just flown in was perched in its place as if it belonged there, pecking at the scattered seeds I had left behind.
That was unmistakably.
“Jeon Seo-gu….”
Without realizing it, I smiled and approached Jeon Seo-gu.

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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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