The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 85

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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 85

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“Did he truly escape through here?”
The Crown Prince surveyed his surroundings as he spoke.
It was the largest and most ornate building in all of Dowon Village.
They had cut down everyone desperately defending this place and entered within.
Finding the secret passage had proven effortless.
The hasty flight had left abundant traces—they merely needed to follow the path.
The secret passage was dark and cramped.
Without torches, visibility would be nonexistent, yet with only a single route forward, there was no danger of losing their way.
Thump, thump—
Chungho, walking ahead, began searching for traces of the Emperor as he surveyed the surroundings.
“We have little time. Hurry.”
At the Crown Prince’s urging from behind, Chungho nodded. Capturing the fleeing Emperor was most urgent, yet battle now raged across all of Dowon Village.
If they did not swiftly seize the Emperor and depart to aid their forces, they risked losing the talented individuals they had so carefully cultivated.
“Rebellion here, rebellion there… how amusing.”
The Crown Prince chuckled softly and quickened his pace.
Chungho, who had initially worried about traps, accelerated his speed once confirming none existed.
Then, at a certain moment—
Chungho, who had been leading, extended his hand and stopped.
Unlike before, the surroundings were illuminated by night pearls.
And there lay—
“Corpses, Your Highness.”
“…”
Six bodies lay before them.
Wounds from swords and hidden weapons immediately caught the eye.
Chungho crouched, examining the corpses, and upon inspecting the final body, his voice grew grave.
“It is Ga Inhoo, Your Highness.”
“What?”
Ga Inhoo.
The Crown Prince, who could not fail to recognize that name, rushed forward. After slowly examining the corpse, his brow furrowed.
It was unmistakably the Grand Chamberlain, Ga Inhoo.
Sensing something amiss in the unfolding situation, the Crown Prince moved toward a somewhat dimly lit space that the night pearls failed to illuminate properly.
Narrowing his eyes as he observed, he saw countless sword marks etched upon the passage walls.
Someone had fought here.
As he examined these marks and gradually ventured deeper—
“Hah, hah, hah…”
I turned my head at the faint sound of breathing.
In that instant, everyone froze, unable to move.
Not knowing what to say,
I confirmed an old man leaning against the wall with a rigid expression and trembling gaze.
“Your Majesty….”
“Ha… ha….”
It was unmistakably the Emperor.
Yet something was terribly wrong.
The robust frame that had stood before me mere moments ago had withered at an alarming pace, resembling Mok Nae-i himself. His face was drained of all color, pallid as death, and his eyes gazing upon the Crown Prince held not a flicker of vitality.
Even his breathing was shallow.
Had I not been acutely attuned, I would have believed he had ceased breathing altogether.
“Ha….”
The Crown Prince stared at this sight and released a hollow laugh.
His father—the Emperor—who could not be broken no matter how hard one tried, who could not be destroyed no matter how fiercely one attacked.
Like Mount Tai blocking his path, his father had seemed immovable, unshakeable by any force. Yet now he was dying, unable to move even a single finger properly.
The Crown Prince had entered here with sword drawn to ascend the Imperial Throne and slay the Emperor, but this was not the father he had envisioned.
Thud—
The Crown Prince removed his mask and gazed intently at his father.
His father met his son’s eyes weakly.
Then his father’s hand rose feebly, grasping his son’s shoulder.
In that moment.
Kwaaaagh!
As if squeezing out every last ounce of strength, he seized his son’s shoulder as though to crush it, and with eyes and expression as demonic as a malevolent spirit, he screamed.
“…I am—! The Emperor of this realm—! You wretch—!”
The cry pierced through—!
His roar pierced the ears of all present.
Yet even as his voice echoed and faded, the light in the Emperor’s eyes dimmed rapidly.
It became clear at once that this was not merely from the exertion of his cry.
Blood dripped—
Chungho saw blood flowing from the Emperor’s chest.
Somewhere in that moment, the Crown Prince’s dagger had pierced the Emperor’s heart.
Soon Chungho’s eyes captured the Crown Prince’s face, smiling.
“This is why you have come to this, Your Majesty.”
Warm blood began to soak the now-cold corpse.

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Chaos and skirmishes continued to unfold throughout Dowon Village.
Those attempting to escape, residents willing to risk their lives targeting the Noble Concubine, soldiers executing the Crown Prince’s orders, and the Noble Concubine herself driving her bodyguards to protect her—all of it converged into one maelstrom.
With flames consuming every corner, Dowon Village had transformed from a paradise into a living hell.
Under normal circumstances, the Crown Prince’s soldiers would have slaughtered the concubines and swiftly seized control of the village.
But with the residents armed and incited to rebellion, such swift victory became impossible.
Even if the Crown Prince returned and joined forces with Chungho, they would not be able to suppress this chaos quickly.
For us, it was a stroke of fortune.
We were able to slip away unnoticed because of it.
Those fleeing surged toward the exits, and we easily melted into their midst, escaping in the confusion.
But the outside was no better.
The beautiful manor of Dowon Village was drenched in blood.
When the Crown Prince arrived, he had slaughtered all the Hao Sect disciples guarding the place. Corpses lay scattered everywhere, forming a sea of blood and death.
Because of this, there was nothing to ride.
We hurried down the road toward the inn.
The sun was already beginning to rise, so we needed to return as quickly as possible if we wanted to avoid drawing attention.
“Hehehehe! This is fun! So much fun!”
Gu Gunbaek, trailing at the rear, burst into laughter with such delight that he began blowing on a wine flask he’d procured from somewhere.
Just hearing his laughter made it clear how thoroughly he’d enjoyed this trip to Beijing.
I carefully removed my mask and glanced back at Gu Gunbaek.
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Of course! Had a blast! Gambled, won some money, beat up some people! Hahahaha! But what’s all that commotion about? Hehehehe!”
“A rebellion.”
“A rebellion?!”
Jang Chuchyeong was startled at the word.
He had merely assumed that some disturbance was occurring elsewhere, but the notion of a full rebellion seemed beyond his imagination.
I smiled faintly.
“Yes. The age is about to change.”
“Gasp… I was actually there?”
As I nodded in confirmation, Jang Chuchyeong swallowed hard, his expression betraying his anxiety.
The mightiest and most bloodthirsty emperor in the empire’s history.
The Iron-Blooded Emperor, who had reigned longer than any before him and still wielded immense power and influence, was vanishing into the annals of history.
No one could fail to be astonished.
I smiled faintly.
“Don’t boast about this to anyone.”
“Huh? I shouldn’t?”
“A storm of blood will sweep through starting tomorrow. Do you want to be caught in it?”
“No. I’ll stay quiet as a mouse.”
Jang Chuchyeong, who had been itching to brag to someone, quickly sealed his lips.
This was no ordinary matter—it was the Rebellion of the Crown Prince.
Merely having been present could have cost him his life.
They would certainly conceal the truth and package it as favorably as possible.
How agonizing it must be for those who know the real truth?
Then.
Chaeseoha’s voice reached me as she followed slowly behind.
“Perhaps that Emperor actually desired this outcome?”
I turned my gaze toward the voice, and there she stood, still wearing the white mask that covered her entire face.
I asked with a somewhat puzzled expression.
“Desired it?”
“Yes, by wishing for the Crown Prince to become even stronger, he orchestrated this very situation. In doing so, he gained the power to make his subjects kneel and prevent them from raising their heads.”
Chaeseoha’s reasoning certainly held merit.
The Iron-Blooded Emperor used the rebellion to uproot the Previous Emperor entirely.
And by filling that void with those loyal to him, he solidified his foundation, which was precisely why the Iron-Blooded Emperor had been able to wield such overwhelming power and influence.
“That man would certainly think such thoughts.”
If Chaeseoha’s conjecture were true, the Iron-Blooded Emperor would never show weakness to his son, not even in his final moment.
Perhaps he would even welcome dying by his son’s hand?
Thus, an even more hardened Iron-Blooded Emperor would be born.
“The only regret is….”
I had not learned about the Jade Orb.
I could not have known in the past, but if his words were true, he certainly possessed it.
Whether it was the same thing I and those others sought remained uncertain, but considering it was an object the Emperor possessed and something that shone with a golden light, the probability was quite high.
It was unfortunate that I had not heard the details about it.
Had I known from the beginning, I would have employed a somewhat different strategy.
Then, Chaeseoha, who had been following behind, quietly stepped to my side.
Apparently not finding it frustrating, she still wore the mask covering her entire face as she gazed up at me with a smile in her eyes.
“What is it?”
“Is it the Jade Orb that Young Master wishes to know about?”
“How did you know?”
“Because I was there at that moment.”
Her counter-question was so absurd that Chaeseoha shot me a sharp look.
Only then did I smile and nod.
“You’re right. But it no longer matters now.”
“Then allow me to tell you. As repayment for saving me.”
“You know about it?”
“Yes, I heard it. From the bodyguard who followed me in that place.”
Chaeseoha’s eyes curved into crescents.
It was clear she had either cured the bodyguard’s illness or completely healed a family member’s ailment in exchange for the information.
It would have been a transaction with no downside from the bodyguard’s perspective.
Of course, he was likely no longer among the living.
I recalled a few of the bodyguards who had died at the Emperor’s side, then dismissed the stray thoughts and looked at her.
“They say it was a keepsake from his mother. He carried it with him always and treasured it more than any jewel. He never separated from it, whether sleeping or bathing.”
“He was that obsessed with it?”
“It appeared he believed everything he possessed stemmed from the power of that Jade Orb. Indeed, from the moment the object vanished, he began to waste away.”
I nodded as I listened to Chaeseoha’s words.
I could not say with certainty whether that Jade Orb was truly what we—and those men—were searching for, but if it were genuine, the Emperor’s obsession made perfect sense.
Even if he could not absorb the Jade Orb’s power, it was undoubtedly an object that ensnared and captivated merely by being beheld.
And then, without warning, it had vanished.
“This is troubling.”
That could only mean those men had taken it.
No matter how vigilant the Imperial Palace’s defenses, men of their caliber would find infiltration trivial.
Especially since they could plant agents within, much as the Nakhyang Jin Family had done.
Therefore, it was reasonable to assume one of the Jade Orbs had been stolen.
I exhaled softly, steadying my troubled heart.
What was lost could not be recovered.
We had not known the Emperor possessed it in the first place, so this situation was unavoidable.
I could not afford to dwell on such matters.
I composed myself and turned my gaze toward Chaeseoha.
“Enough of that. How much longer do you intend to wear that mask?”
“Ah—”
“You didn’t know?”
“Get used to it. I can’t even tell if I’m wearing it anymore. There’s a lock fastened to the back—can you open it?”
At her words, I glanced at the back of her head and saw a lock fashioned from steel, firmly secured.
The moment I reached for my sword—
“You intend to swing a blade at the back of a woman’s head?”
“Then what should I do?”
“Smash it.”
Gu Gunbaek seized the lock.
Crack!
Though he had not applied tremendous force, the steel lock crumpled with a violent sound.
Jang Chuchyeong and I exchanged bewildered glances.
Thus, finally freed, Chaeseoha removed the mask.
“Ahh—”
She exhaled softly and tidied her tousled hair, then peeled away the cloth that had wrapped her face and whatever had clung to it.
In that moment, as moonlight illuminated her, her face was revealed in perfect clarity.
Jang Chuchyeong and Gu Gunbaek gasped, their mouths falling open, while I found myself unable to tear my gaze from her.
“What is it? Why do you all stare?”
Luminous—
She stood silhouetted against the radiant moonlight.
In her appearance, as though all the world’s beauty had been gathered into a single form, no one could speak, and no one could move.
We could only gaze and hold that beauty within our eyes.
A beauty so ethereal it seemed it might vanish like a mirage.
Soon, she looked at me and broke into a gentle smile.

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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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