The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 81

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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 81

* * *

From the moment I was brought to the Imperial Palace and presented before the Emperor, my daily life became utterly different from what it had been in the Nakhyang Jin Family.
I rose earlier than anyone else to prepare medicinal broths and acupuncture needles, assessed the Emperor’s condition, and administered treatment.
Afterward, returning to my quarters and removing my mask, I would finish a brief meal before dedicating myself entirely to crafting Spirit Elixirs.
Thanks to the countless spiritual medicines and rare herbs I had never encountered even in the Nakhyang Jin Family, one could scarcely overstate the time consumed in gathering materials.
Even when something was lacking, it would be procured within half a day.
I labored ceaselessly on the Spirit Elixirs, forgetting even rest.
That was why the scent of medicinal herbs saturated my chamber.
The problem was…
Though my medical skills seemed to have improved the Emperor’s condition somewhat, those improvements would not endure.
The broths merely nourished the body, and acupuncture only temporarily invigorated his innate vital force, lending him a healthier complexion for a time.
Should I make even the slightest error, his condition would deteriorate beyond recovery.
The accumulated blood stagnation would rupture all at once.
When that occurred, he would be unable to move, much less speak a single coherent word.
Therefore, before that moment arrived, I had to either escape the Imperial Palace or create a perfect Spirit Elixir to cure him.
Yet even if I devoted all my strength to crafting a Spirit Elixir within the remaining time, I held no confidence in producing something equal to what Cheon-u had consumed.
Spirit Elixirs, after all, were not fashioned in a single day.
Creating a Spirit Elixir required a minimum of one year, and could take a decade or more.
What Cheon-u had consumed was crafted by my grandfather—the Spirit Elixir made with the most devoted effort over the longest period—and it was said to have taken over seventy years.
This was precisely why the great elixirs of Shaolin, such as the Grand Restoration Pill or the Summoning Pill, could not be easily produced despite having the materials.
Thus, my claim that I could treat the Emperor with a Spirit Elixir was merely a temporary expedient to buy time.
Then why was I spending time crafting a Spirit Elixir at all?
I gazed at the Spirit Elixir I had completed.
It was neither half a year, nor a year, nor even a decade in the making.
Merely two days.
I smiled with satisfaction as I beheld the Spirit Elixir created in just two days.
“Excellent.”
I placed the Spirit Elixir formed in my mortar and pestle and ground it further.
Confirming that the rounded form crumbled perfectly, I transferred a portion to another vessel and, gazing into the mirror, began applying it to my face.
“How fortunate that they provide anything when I claim it is for curing the Emperor.”
Though the medicinal materials and spiritual herbs were provided for the Emperor’s treatment, I could never actually produce a proper Spirit Elixir. Yet I could not simply idle away, so I used what was given to create what I had originally intended.
The Chae Family’s trauma salve.
A special preparation infused with ground spiritual herbs.
I could confidently assert that no trauma salve in all the Central Plains could match the efficacy of this one.
“There.”
Having applied the trauma salve across my entire face, I covered it with a cloth I had prepared beforehand, then placed my mask over it to conceal everything.
The cloth was to prevent the golden wound salve from dripping, and the mask was necessary because I could not reveal such a face to those who watched me.
Soon I turned my gaze and my eyes sparkled with delight.
The remaining medicinal herbs and spirit plants were abundant.
If I lacked anything, I need only ask.
Since everything was being supplied as if without limit, I smiled faintly and pondered the possibilities.
My mind conjured countless methods to protect my body.
They would prove invaluable in any crisis.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that very moment.
The Crown Prince, having returned to the Imperial Palace, sat in his quarters with his eyes gently closed.
His mind was consumed by a single thought.

Dowon Village.

Though he could not discern all the details, observing the circumstances was sufficient to understand the nature of such a place.
A paradise for those who possessed tokens.
A place where those without them were not even treated as human.
By donning masks to conceal their faces, they indulged in revealing their base natures without restraint, and once ensnared, there was no escape.
“So this is why those who vanished and returned have betrayed me.”
The Crown Prince understood why those who had supported him changed overnight. He even recalled familiar voices he had heard in various places.
For even with a mask, one cannot alter one’s voice.
Unmistakably, the voice of one who had supported me not long ago.
With such thoughts, I gazed quietly at the bronze token resting upon the table.
The higher the grade of one’s token, the closer one stood to the Emperor.
Moreover, it signified possessing commensurate power and authority.
“Chungho, what are your thoughts on this?”
“…A place that should not exist, Your Highness.”
“Hah, given your service to the Righteous Path, I understand your sentiment. But that is not what I asked.”
“The Hao Gate, then?”
“Would it not be easier to breach than the Imperial Palace itself? No, this question already has its answer.”
“….”
The Crown Prince smiled with satisfaction and leaned back in his chair.
It would involve confronting fewer numbers than within the Palace.
For Chungho, nothing could be simpler.
Then the matter became one of assembling sufficient forces.
The Crown Prince smiled and gazed at Chungho with his chin tilted, as if seeking confirmation of something.
The eyes of one desperate to affirm a conviction.
“Would you… lay down your life for me?”
“From that moment onward, my life belongs to you.”
Chungho had been the foremost disciple of the Southern Taoist Priests.
The grand senior who would lead the next generation of the sect.
The most brilliant, the most assured talent among them all.
Yet for reasons unknown, he had been excommunicated, destined to have his meridians severed and his dantian destroyed.
It was the Crown Prince who had saved him from that fate.
No matter how formidable the Southern Taoist Priests were, they could not refuse the Crown Prince’s command to release Chungho, and what sealed that decision was none other than the Emperor himself, observing from the shadows.
Even the Southern Taoist Priests, one of the two pillars of the Rival Sects alongside Northern Shaolin, could not defy the Iron-Blooded Emperor’s absolute decree.
In the end, the sect released him only after imposing certain conditions.
Thus, that he could stand here now, whole and unbroken, was entirely due to the Crown Prince’s grace—how could such a debt ever be repaid?
“I see. So this is what it feels like to have a true ally. Hah… Then, are you prepared?”
Those piercing eyes, that faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth, that expression.
In that moment, Chungho swallowed hard.
A side of the Crown Prince he had never witnessed before.
It was as though he stood face to face with the Iron-Blooded Emperor himself.
Chungho swallowed again and bowed his head.
“They have already entered Beijing long ago.”
Though excommunicated and no longer bound to the sect, the influence he once wielded as a respected grand senior had not entirely vanished.
Lay disciples who had been close to him within the sect.
Or second and third generation disciples stationed outside.
Though they remained disciples of the Southern Taoist Priests, they stood distant from the sect’s power structure, and while loyal to the sect, they desired their own advancement more.
Such men now waited in Beijing for Chungho’s command.
And the Crown Prince, too, possessed forces he had cultivated over the years for this very day.
Not enough to assault the Imperial Palace itself, but sufficient to overturn Dowon Village.
“I trust you.”
At those weighty words, Chungho bowed his head.
The moment the Emperor revealed himself in Dowon Village.
That would be the beginning.
The moment to accept a new Emperor.

* * *

Dowon Village offered plenty of entertainment beyond mere gambling.
Among these, the Auction House held special significance—items that could not be found even in the Hao Gate Black Market frequently appeared here.
There was nothing one could not purchase in this place.
Objects, divine weapons, spirit elixirs, treasures, and even people.
With enough coin to outbid one’s competitors, anything could be obtained.
“The secret manual of the Heukhyeolmun, which once threatened the Gupa Yibang! Now then—we begin at two silver taels!”
The auctioneer’s boisterous voice rang out, and people began raising their bids without hesitation, their hands gesturing rapidly. The Heukhyeolmun manual, which had started at two silver taels, quickly surpassed dozens of taels.
“Is the Heukhyeolmun really that impressive?”
Chu Hyeongi, who had been watching the proceedings with a puzzled expression, glanced between me and Gu Gunbaek alternately.
He had never heard of such a place.
I was in the same position.
When I glanced subtly at Gu Gunbaek, he let out a soft chuckle.
“They were famous once. They went bankrupt playing both sides—selling Martial Arts Alliance intelligence to the sects and sect information to the Alliance. That sort of thing.”
“Ah—so why is their manual so expensive?”
“How should I know?”
“It’s simple logic. The mere fact that something appears here creates the perception that it’s no ordinary item. Moreover, most people here are satisfied simply enjoying the spectacle, regardless of whether their purchase proves worthless.”
I watched the cheering crowd with disdain.
Though not quite at the level of the Nakhyang Jin Family, dozens of silver taels were mere pocket change to these people.
And there was no one here who would rage over squandering such pittance.
Thus the manual was sold to someone, and finally a new item was brought forth.
My gaze fixed upon it and would not move.
“Now, a treasure acquired with great difficulty. Who knows when it shall appear again! The Spirit Elixir of the Shaolin Monastery!”
The auctioneer’s resonant voice drew every eye in the room.
Even to those unfamiliar with the Martial Arts World, the Spirit Elixir was an extraordinarily renowned treasure.
Thus all eyes gleamed with desire.
“The opening bid is…!”
“Ten gold taels.”
“…!”
Before the auctioneer could even finish speaking, I raised my hand. The auctioneer, who had not yet uttered the opening bid, stared at me in astonishment.
“Uh… that, ten gold taels you say? Ha, haha—quite the opening! Then, is there anyone willing to offer more?”
“…Thirteen!”
“Twenty!”
The crowd could not hide their bewilderment at the sudden turn of events. In the past, the opening bid for the Spirit Elixir had been one gold tael.
To suddenly raise it was certainly shocking.
Yet knowing that such an item was rarely obtainable, those with sufficient wealth raised their hands.
The price climbed rapidly, surpassing twenty taels in an instant.
One by one, fewer hands rose. Apparently, the price was skyrocketing beyond reason.
At that moment, I raised my hand slightly.
“One gold ingot.”
“…A gold ingot has been offered! Does anyone else wish to bid?”
One Gold Origin Note.
In gold, it was worth fifty taels.
In silver, its value reached ten thousand taels.
Considering that even those with considerable wealth could not easily overlook such a sum, this auction was mine to win.
“…Gold Origin Note plus two taels of gold!”
“Then I’ll add one more Gold Origin Note.”
“What?!”
Despite one Gold Origin Note alone being a substantial amount, I added another.
In that instant, I felt the gazes of those who had been raising their hands turn toward me.
They seemed ready to bid again, unwilling to concede, but as if realizing they could not afford any higher, they exhaled in resignation and lowered their hands.
“Three, two, one! Sold! It is sold!”
As the auctioneer’s cry concluded, someone approached me carrying the item.
I casually withdrew the payment and handed it over.
After all, I had earned a considerable sum yesterday.
Yet there remained something I had yet to receive.
As I smiled faintly and accepted the Spirit Elixir, Gu Gunbaek beside me clicked his tongue, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“Looking at this madman makes the money in my pocket seem like it’s not money at all.”
“Do you have any funds, sir?”
“I have dust, you bastard.”
“Ha, well, at least you have that much.”
I rose from my seat with a smile.
I had unexpectedly obtained what I desired.
Though not immediately necessary, this item would prove sufficiently useful.
Now, it was time to shake Dowon Village to its core.

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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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