The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 70

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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 70

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Father’s birthday celebration concluded in grand fashion.
Those who had been drinking until dawn departed one by one, while the thoroughly intoxicated sprawled across the courtyard, surrendering to sleep.
Even Jin Ga-muk, whose composure rarely wavered, succumbed to the effects of alcohol and slept so deeply that when he awoke, noon had already passed.
Yet Nakhyang’s morning arrived with remarkable swiftness.
From the crack of dawn, guards poured forth from the magistrate’s office in a torrent.
The sudden commotion left the people unable to conceal their astonishment.
When carts laden with corpses began filing toward the magistrate’s office in succession, whispers erupted throughout the streets.
“People have died, I tell you!”
“But… where?”
“On the mountain outside the city walls. Seems like martial artists clashed with one another?”
“For so many bodies to appear?”
Each cart did not carry merely a single corpse.
With multiple bodies loaded onto each cart, a rough count suggested over a hundred casualties.
One might have thought a war had erupted without raising an eyebrow.
“I saw them myself. Ghosts, I tell you—ghosts.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I’m serious! I passed through that mountain yesterday… and I saw ghosts there. Ghosts swarming everywhere!”
“Ghosts? Are you still dreaming, man?”
“You fool! Do you think I’m lying? They were real ghosts, not just one or two!”
A man with the bearing of a Walbaek bandit leader seized another by the collar and raised his fist.
He looked ready to pummel the doubter into submission.
Those nearby cowered and lowered their heads.
“I’m telling you it’s true, you fools! If they weren’t ghosts, then…”
“Then… then what?”
“Then they were people wearing demon masks.”
At those words, audible gulps echoed throughout the crowd.
Few had truly believed in ghosts from the start.
Since martial artists had died, their killer was undoubtedly a martial artist as well. Yet the fact that they wore a demon mask cast an inexplicable dread and terror over everyone.
Thus the rumor spread like wildfire.
Within half a day, there was scarcely a soul in Nakhyang who had not heard of the Masked Martial Artist.
And questions multiplied.
The over hundred martial artists slain by those wearing demon masks—
Who were they?
What purpose had brought them to gather near Luoyang City?
These cascading questions showed no sign of being answered.
And that rumor reached the ears of others as well.

The Throne—a seat so elevated that one must crane their neck skyward just to glimpse it.
From that perch, a man with a twisted expression gazed downward, his vision encompassing countless figures trembling before him.
As he swept his gaze across those who could not lift their heads, their bodies quaking, a man rose from his seat and offered a bow before speaking.
“We have confirmed the deaths of all Shadow Assassins personnel, with the exception of Deputy Leader Hu Yeom.”
“….”
The Divine offered no response to such words.
He merely answered with his gaze, urging the man to continue.
“We cannot identify the opponent, but it is said he wore a demon mask. Furthermore, his target was undoubtedly the Dao and the Shadow Assassins.”
At those words, murderous intent rippled through the chamber.
An unknown enemy—yet clearly one who had targeted them with deliberate purpose.
Caught in that scheme, the Shadow Assassins had been annihilated.
Daring to obstruct their path and ruin their plans.
Should permission be granted, any would step forward to seize those wretches and execute them along with their entire bloodline.
“There is one more matter. This is merely speculation, but… the one who vanished with the Jade Pendant of the Eastern Families has left no trace to this day. It seems reasonable to conclude that he either joined forces with them or was slain by them.”
Even at those words, The Divine merely blazed with silent intensity.
At that chilling gaze, all present shuddered, pressing their foreheads harder against the floor.
His eyes turned once more toward the Grand Master.
Understanding the unspoken command, the man swallowed hard and spoke with even greater caution.
“According to Hu Yeom’s account… it appeared as though the opponent possessed complete knowledge of all Shadow Assassins techniques. Therefore… we deduce that someone well-versed in both our organization and the Jade Pendant orchestrated this attack.”
A sharp silence fell over the chamber.
“Anyone could speak such words.”
At The Divine’s utterance, the Grand Master bowed and withdrew.
As those words suggested, considering the circumstances, such a conclusion was inevitable.
In that moment, The Divine let out a soft, bitter laugh.
“I sensed something amiss… so this was the reason.”
The déjà vu no longer lingered, yet it had been there before—that nagging sense that something was wrong. Now, it crystallized into certainty.
Someone who knew me well was interfering.
I closed my eyes slowly, conjuring countless faces in my mind.
One by one, I erased them from my thoughts, until at last the visage of the final figure emerged with vivid clarity, as though standing before me now.
“Was he alive? My elder brother?”
A Powerful Expert who understood the Sect’s affairs, martial techniques, and the Jade Pendant well—and who had reached a level capable of effectively obstructing these plans.
Only one person came to mind.
The man whose life I had ended with my own hands long ago.
Though I never found his corpse, the sensation I felt in my palm then was unmistakably that of severing a meridian.
Yet it would not be strange if he had survived.
He was as tenacious as a cockroach, after all.
If it were him, he would know the Sect and the Jade Pendant better than anyone, and with his talent for cultivating disciples, he could certainly create a worthy opponent.
Enough time had passed for such a thing.
Those wearing masks are likely the ones responsible.
Considering it from that angle, I understood what had befallen the Young Master So, who backed the Moyong Family.
Since they were unaware he was our informant, it was clear they used the name Pyohyeong Sword to make him what he became.
Such a crude approach was exactly the sort of thing my elder brother would do.
The Divine recalled my elder brother’s past visage and smiled with a bitter edge.
“Find him. The Imperial Regent lives.”
[Your will—!]
The butterfly’s new wingbeat was becoming a tempest.

* * *

Father, having barely overcome his intoxication, listened to the events of last night with undisguised shock.
Not only Yu Hyeon, who was present, but Baek Ja-hyeon as well.
While they indulged themselves in drinking, I—the Young Master So—had been locked in a brutal fight, and as a result, casualties had occurred.
It required no deliberation to understand that without Gu Gunbaek’s intervention, the losses would have been far greater.
Crash—!
Father, his fury reaching its peak, swept his hand across the table and trembled with rage.
I could only imagine his anguish—his son fighting for his life while his parents lay senseless from drink.
“Why did you not inform me!”
“There was no need to inform you.”
“You wretch—!”
“Moreover, this occurs but once a year. I wished to allow you to enjoy it fully.”
At my words, Father’s eyes transformed with savage intensity.
They blazed like those of a beast, as though he might devour me on the spot.
Yet soon his gaze began to fade, for he understood that anger over what had already passed was futile.
“Then… the corpses being carried into the palace…”
“Yes, Uncle Baek. They are the enemy.”
“Sigh… so many dead.”
“It was done by the elder.”
Upon mentioning Gu Gunbaek’s name, Baek Ja-hyeon fell silent, his jaw tightening. Yet now he seemed to understand why the elite of Sega had been withdrawn.
“Should we not respond at once? Recover their bodies and…”
“Leave them be.”
“No, Young Master So. How can—”
“These are not foes we can currently contend with through our own strength. Besides, having redirected their attention, we should be safe for the time being.”
At my words, all present struggled to conceal their bewilderment.
They could not fathom why I would leave untouched a hostile force attempting to breach Sega, rather than investigate it thoroughly.
But there was no cause for concern.
By now, they would be in considerable distress.
Unable to identify who was responsible, they would exhaust all their intelligence networks searching.
The deaths of the Shadow Assassins mattered, but they would be desperate to recover the Jade Orb above all else.
I will devote all my strength to finding those behind this, so any thought of swallowing the Nakhyang Jin Family will never cross their minds.
We simply need to add a few more details.
“And if we spread word that last evening, Hong Gu-hyeon and several other members of Sega were killed in an attack by unknown assailants, that should suffice.”
“…What did you say?”
“We’ll make everyone believe that the Masked Martial Artists returned with Hong Gu-hyeon on the occasion of Father’s birthday celebration and killed him along with his associates.”
If we do that, they won’t dare touch the Jin Family carelessly. All the internal pawns will have vanished, so they’d have to start their infiltration from scratch.
“Prepare an empty coffin and hold a grand funeral. Let everyone know. And we simply mourn and grieve as victims.”
“My… goodness, what a cunning young man.”
I let out a quiet laugh.
With things arranged this way, there’s no need to hide information about the Ten Elders anymore. Since we’re completely severing ties, it felt as refreshing as having a troublesome tooth finally extracted.
Father’s expression grew hollow.
But all of this is merely damage control.
The real matter begins now.
“And it seems I must leave Sega for a time.”
“Where are you planning to go…?”
“Beijing.”
“…Beijing? Why would you go to Beijing?”
“Chaeseoha has disappeared.”
“…!”
“From the circumstances, it appears the Grand Chamberlain was involved.”
The Imperial Palace’s intelligence network is formidable.
Moreover, my uncle Jin Baek-ryong can also utilize Sega’s information channels, so he must have learned through some route that a woman presumed to be Chaeseoha was here.
That’s why a powerful figure in the position of Grand Chamberlain came all the way here.
It was a mistake not to think deeply about the Grand Chamberlain while dealing with the Shadow Assassins situation.
“You intend to… save that child? If what you say is true, she surely entered the Imperial Palace, so how could you….”
“I have no intention of entering the Imperial Palace… but I will bring her back with me.”
“What?”
Everyone couldn’t help but be bewildered by such an incomprehensible statement.
Most would naturally assume that since Chaeseoha surely entered the Imperial Palace, she couldn’t be saved without going there.
But it’s possible to save her without entering at all.
I’ve already witnessed it once before.
As I paused to think and held my tongue, Father seemed to sense something in the atmosphere and gave a small nod.
Then he exhaled slowly with a long sigh.
“I can tell what you’re thinking. Then I must handle things here. Chief Administrator.”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“Prepare the funeral since we must mourn the dead. Purchase good land for burial. Hold a grand ceremony and inform people, then receive those who wish to pay their respects.”
“Understood.”
“Also, post a reward.”
“…A reward, sir?”
At Father’s question, Yu Hyeon’s eyes filled with doubt.
I could understand the funeral arrangements, but the bounty was another matter entirely.
As I regarded him with a puzzled expression, Father nodded and struck the table once more.
“On my birthday, these wretches dared to infiltrate the Nakhyang Jin Family and slaughter my men. Whoever finds and brings them to me shall receive a handsome reward.”
“Eh?! Ah, yes! Understood, sir!”
I noticed Baek Ja-hyeon beside me stifle a laugh at those words.
I found myself in the same predicament.
He had instructed me to act, yet he seemed to believe his own performance—there was not a shred of artificiality in his demeanor.
Father’s eyes blazed with fierce, smoldering intensity.
Of course, it seemed unlikely that anyone would ever claim the bounty I had placed.

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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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