The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 80

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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 80

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“Aaaaaargh—!”
Jin Baek-ryong, having returned to his residence at the Unryong Inn, vented his fury by smashing furniture, unable to contain his rage.
The sound echoed so loudly that even those working in the distance felt their spirits dampened as they exchanged nervous glances.
“Hah… hah… who in the world is that bastard…?”
Jin Baek-ryong ground his teeth as he recalled the person who had humiliated him.
That existence who had mocked and crushed him right before his eyes.
Yet no matter how much he pondered, he could not discern their identity.
Someone carrying that much wealth would have to be at least a figure from one of the merchant houses—and specifically, one of the Five Great Merchant Houses of the Central Plains.
“Feng Yun? Central Plains? Jin Cheon?”
Following the Nakhyang Jin Family, he named the Three Great Merchant Houses. If they were merchant houses with close ties to the Martial Arts Alliance or martial sects, it would not be unusual for them to maintain such powerful guards at their side.
He shook his head.
But soon he dismissed the thought.
Even they could not casually carry a promissory note worth a hundred taels of gold.
Not even Jin Baek-ryong could easily manage such a sum.
For someone to produce it so effortlessly…
“Elder Brother?”
Yes, it could only be the Family Head of the Nakhyang Jin Family.
Or perhaps the Emperor himself.
But that made no sense either.
Because of the mask, he could not determine things precisely, but one thing was certain.
The person was young.
Perhaps even younger than he had initially thought.
The eyes visible between the mask’s edges bore not a single wrinkle, and the voice differed greatly from those of seasoned individuals.
Then who could it be?
Jin Baek-ryong steadied his breathing and attempted to deduce the person’s identity.
But a chilling voice pierced clearly into his ears, dragging him back to the harsh reality once more.

“Bring the remaining money by this time tomorrow. For each day you are late, the interest compounds at forty percent. Sign the agreement.”

The debt owed amounted to just over forty taels of gold.
But the situation was somewhat precarious.
Unlike Jin Ga-muk, who could freely draw funds from the military treasury, I had recently traveled back and forth to Nakhyang celebrating Jin Ga-muk’s birthday and entertaining Ga Inhoo, and my expenditures had ballooned after presenting tribute to win more of the Emperor’s favor.
If forty taels of gold went out now, it would punch a massive hole in the finances of the inn and Daru that I operated.
Yet I couldn’t simply ignore the matter either.
The creditor knew my face.
Worse still, there was a promissory note—I couldn’t deny the debt. If I failed to repay, the interest would accumulate beyond control as time passed.
“Tch…!”
Jin Baek-ryong clenched his fists, trembling with barely contained rage.
I had to resolve this situation by any means necessary.
Then, suddenly, an obvious thought descended upon my mind.
It was simple logic.
What was lost to gambling could be reclaimed through gambling.
In truth, that bastard had merely gotten lucky with one spectacular win—before that, I had never lost once and had taken everything.
Moreover, nothing was as smooth and certain as this.
If even that failed, blood would have to spill.
Jin Baek-ryong’s lips curved into a sinister smile.
“Are they outside?”
“Yes! Have you decided on something?”
“Go and bring me the Five Masters.”
“Yes!”
Those called the Five Masters.
Not the Imperial Guards raised by the Nakhyang Jin Family, but martial artists I had cultivated connections with here in Beijing, building a network of my own.
Their skills were incomparable to those thugs I’d faced yesterday.
Beijing’s finest martial masters.
Disciples of the Qixing Gate, after all.
Jin Baek-ryong’s lips curled upward with dark satisfaction.

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The Crown Prince had learned of Dowon Village’s existence.
Far sooner than originally anticipated.
Though Dowon Village was supposedly guarded with iron-clad security by the Powerful Experts of the Hao Gate and the Imperial Palace, there remained an inevitable gap when compared to the Imperial Palace itself.
After all, the Eastern Camp and Golden Armored Guards numbered only a handful, making it far easier to proceed than launching an assault on the Imperial Palace.
Moreover, having identified Dowon Village, he would also come to understand the significance of the tokens held there.
Bronze, silver, gold, and jade tokens.
He would have realized that the closer one stood to the Emperor, and the greater their power and authority, the different the type of token they possessed.
And should he manage to completely eliminate those carrying gold or jade tokens, he could uproot the most formidable forces following the Emperor.
For a Crown Prince yearning to sit upon the imperial throne, no situation could be more favorable.
The problem was that Chaeseoha would undoubtedly be on his death list.
Having kept alive an Emperor wasting away in sickness, she would be a thorn in his side.
Therefore, the moment chaos erupted, my plan was to find Chaeseoha as swiftly as possible and flee Beijing.
That was what I had to do.
But before that, there was someone I needed to settle accounts with.
It was my uncle who discovered Chaeseoha’s whereabouts, and it was my uncle who inflicted humiliation upon me in the past.
The grievances were too substantial to simply overlook as ancient history, and knowing my uncle’s contemptible nature as I did, it seemed wise to eliminate him decisively while this opportunity presented itself.
As I finished my deliberations and turned my gaze away, I had already arrived at the inn.
It was the hour before dawn, when the sun was about to rise.
The darkness was particularly profound at this time.
It seemed an opportune moment to take brief rest.
I separated Gu Gunbaek and Jang Chuchyeong and returned to my room.
Rather than sleep, I cultivated my inner energy, and when I opened my eyes, my mind was refreshed.
As I scratched my itching ear, left the room, and descended to the first floor, I found Gu Gunbaek and Jang Chuchyeong, who appeared to have barely slept themselves, already seated and eating.
Their bowls were piled high, suggesting considerable hunger.
Both of them possessed remarkable appetites.
“You’re awake? Come eat something. This innkeeper grandmother’s cooking is as skillful as her conversation.”
Though the inn carried a somewhat musty odor, the Innkeeper Grandmother’s culinary prowess was exceptional.
The reason this remote establishment was always filled with guests was entirely due to her talent.
Cuisine rivaling that of high-class inns, coupled with reasonable prices.
I took a seat across from Gu Gunbaek.
Then suddenly, a rough palm entered my field of vision.
“What is it?”
“What do you mean? You need to return what’s mine.”
For a moment, I blinked in confusion, unable to comprehend his meaning. I had borrowed nothing from him, so I couldn’t understand this sudden situation.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Obviously, I’m talking about what I lost yesterday. You need to return it. Thirty taels of gold. Keep the change.”
Only then did I understand what Gu Gunbaek was referring to.
The thirty taels of gold I had won from Jin Baek-ryong at Dowon Village.
He was asking me to return it.
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“I won it with my own money, so why must I return it?”
“Listen here, you fool. That money was gathered to build a palace for my disciple in Namman. Isn’t that right, my disciple?”
“Yes! It’s my palace, Young Master!”
Jang Chuchyeong, who had been eating, suddenly lifted his head and chimed in agreement. His eyes sparkled like those of an innocent child, as if he truly believed he would live in a palace.
What shameless audacity.
As I stared at Gu Gunbaek with an exasperated expression, he grinned wickedly, his lips curling upward as he pointed at me with his chopsticks.
“Think about it. You only won that money because of me.”
“And what sort of sophistry is that?”
“Well, consider this. I won a fortune with just a few silver coins, so that bastard targeted me. Since he fleeced me, you were able to fleece him. So you earned that money thanks to me, didn’t you?”
“I see.”
“So your earnings are thanks to my efforts. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Gu Gunbaek looked at Jang Chuchyeong, whose eyes were shining brightly, seeking his agreement.
“Master’s logic is flawless.”
“See? Even this one agrees with me.”
Gu Gunbaek laughed at me with a brazen expression on his face.
Then he extended his hand again, demanding money.
Is this what it feels like to be extorted by bandits?
It seemed he had learned some questionable habits from his time as the Bandit King.
I found myself at a loss for words.
I simply shook my head and picked up my chopsticks again.
“Stingy bastard! You’ve got plenty of money and you’re going to be like this?”
“A merchant by nature does not squander money frivolously. If you wish to be repaid, propose a trade worthy of the sum.”
“Puhaha! What trade could I possibly make with someone who owns nothing? Hmm… wait, actually there is something.”
“And what might that be?”
“There is indeed. Who am I, after all? Would you perhaps like to raise Baek Gu?”
At those words, I set down my chopsticks and stared intently at Gu Gunbaek.
No matter how I thought about it, his words made no sense.
My brow furrowed involuntarily.
“You raise him well yourself.”
“Really? He’s of excellent bloodline, you know.”
“That will suffice.”
The fact that he spoke of excellent bloodline suggested the dog was indeed fine, but I had no desire to raise an animal.
Besides, I could not imagine Gu Gunbaek raising a dog in any proper manner, so this was hardly a viable condition for trade.
“Tsk, that Baek Gu pup is useless anyway. Ugh! You really won’t give it up?”
“Propose a trade that appeals to my interests. Until then, I shall keep it safe and unused.”
“Damn these merchant bastards!”
It seemed odd for someone living off a merchant’s household without doing any work to speak thus.
I smiled and picked up my chopsticks once more.
Now I could finally eat in peace and satisfy my hunger.
Just then, the inn door creaked open.
At the same moment, five men entered through the doorway.
They wore martial robes of unknown origin, swords gripped firmly in their hands. At a glance, one could tell they were warriors, and I found myself scrutinizing their strangely familiar faces with unexpected care.
But only for a moment.
“The Five Masters of the Qixing Gate.”
“Really? What brings them here…”
Voices echoed from various corners of the inn, each person gazing at them with eyes filled with reverence.
The men called the Five Masters seemed accustomed to such attention, responding with small smiles.
I knew of them as well.
The Qixing Gate—Beijing’s representative martial sect—and its Five Masters.
Though incomparable to places like the Rival Sects or the Eight Great Families, they were counted among Beijing’s finest sects.
And those called the Five Masters were the very core of the Qixing Gate.
They maintained Beijing’s security, conducted martial patrols, and apprehended criminals—their activities were so extensive that no Beijing resident was unaware of them.
Most notably, they had once served as Jin Baek-ryong’s guards, standing at his side.
Upon entering, they seemed to have come with no particular target in mind, taking seats in a corner and ordering simple refreshments.
From their manner alone, it appeared they had come merely to satisfy their hunger.
I withdrew my gaze from them while opening my ears, concentrating on their voices.
The inn grew even more chaotic with their arrival.
Multiple sounds blended together, making it difficult to isolate their voices. Yet by opening my senses fully, I began to pinpoint their conversation. And soon enough, I could hear what I sought.
“Still, no matter how much of a connection there is, can they really summon people around like this?”
“Keep quiet. Isn’t he a bloodline of the Nakhyang Jin Family? He has every right to be arrogant.”
“Ha, let’s think positively. We’re here to help, not harm, are we not? The Master sent us for this reason as well.”
Though they spoke in what they thought were whispers, their voices were not quiet enough to escape my ears or Gu Gunbaek’s.
Gu Gunbaek, who had been using his chopsticks, stared directly at me.
“Did you call them?”
“It was not I.”
“An arrogant bloodline of the Nakhyang Jin Family. It has to be you.”
“It was not.”
I ignored Gu Gunbaek’s words and moved my chopsticks.
As I ate to satisfy my hunger, I gazed at them with a natural expression, committing each familiar face to memory once more.
The Qixing Gate and its Five Masters.
Compared to the sects and families that comprised the Martial Arts Alliance, they were so obscure that even calling them insignificant would be generous.
There was only one reason I remembered their names, their sect, and their faces.
They were the ones who beat Jang Chuchyeong on Jin Baek-ryong’s orders.
They were none other than the Five Masters of the Qixing Gate.
Past incidents aside, the reason they were summoned by Jin Baek-ryong at this particular time.
There was no need to think deeply—the answer came naturally.
I moved my chopsticks to my mouth and let out a soft laugh.
“He’s setting the stage.”
And it was a most interesting stage indeed.

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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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