The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 88

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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 Jin Family of Luoyang – Chapter 149

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The name “Jin Family of Nakhyang” struck my ears with terrifying weight.
Hyeon Illyang, who had been sneering moments before, froze, and the bodyguards beside him widened their eyes as they stared at me.
It was not only them.
The bandits writhing in agony, as well as the members of the Seolsan Sect and the Myeongsa Sect—I could see them all recoiling in disbelief.
I paid no heed to their stares and pressed forward.
My gaze remained fixed solely upon Hyeon Illyang, unwavering.
“I ask again. Is the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family currently waging war against the Jin Family of Nakhyang?”
“…What are you saying….”
“No? Then what is this situation, and why does the Young Master of your family stand here?”
Each time my heavy voice struck his ears, he flinched.
Hyeon Illyang, pale and at a loss for words, swallowed hard and quietly stepped backward.
“This is a matter between those women and myself!”
“The woman over there is a physician of the Jin Family, and Lady Namgung is my bodyguard. Then that means your family is currently threatening both of them—is that correct?”
“…!”
“N… Namgung?!”
“Now that you mention it… I heard about it. From the Gongdong Sect….”
Gulp—!
The sound of gulping echoed loudly from all around.
The events that unfolded at the Gongdong Sect had already become the talk of the Central Plains.
The emergence of Namgung Yeon, who inherited the legacy of the Number One Sword Sect that had once vanished, and the Golden Dragon who crushed Moryeong Hyeok in an instant.
There was hardly anyone who had not heard of it—such was its fame.
As a result, not only Hyeon Illyang but all those around him turned ashen.
This was no mere hornet’s nest that had been disturbed.
This was the nest of the Great Hornet itself that had been provoked.
This meant that not only the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family, but all those who had interfered in this matter would have to bear the wrath of the Jin Family.
Especially striking were the expressions of the Seolsan Sect and the Myeongsa Sect, who had come trusting the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family.
They had aided them seeking economic gain, but they were well aware of which side held superiority between the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family and the Jin Family of Nakhyang.
Then.
As if Hyeon Illyang had found a way to break through this situation, he pointed at me and shouted.
“Do you take me for a fool! Where do you get off impersonating the Jin Family of Nakhyang!”
“Ha ha….”
“Would anyone believe that a Young Master of the Jin Family travels about with merely one bodyguard and a physician? Wouldn’t you all agree?”
“Now that you mention it… I heard that when they entered Gansu this time, there was a nameplate. But this person has….”
“Right, right. There’s no nameplate. And they said the entourage was quite large.”
Hyeon Illyang’s outburst seemed to resonate well, as people throughout the area began nodding in agreement with his words.
Perhaps he truly is the Young Master of the Jin Family of Nakhyang, but if that were the truth, I feared the backlash that would befall us.
This was not merely the thought of the Hyeon Family and the other sect alone.
The bandits who were regaining their senses shared the same sentiment.
Whether he was the Young Master or not, if they could cleanly dispose of him here and keep their mouths shut, perhaps they could avoid the worst outcome—such a faint hope seemed to drive them.
A laugh escaped me without my realizing it.
Was it because of such a display?
All eyes turned toward me.
Feeling the gaze of everyone upon me, I naturally rose and settled myself upon a small rock nearby.
Then, as Chaeseoha and Namgung Yeon approached and stood beside me, I could see the wariness in their eyes, as if questioning what I intended to do.
I met the gaze of Hyeon Illyang, who wore a smile of conviction.
“Believe or don’t believe—it matters little. However, this matter is far too significant to simply overlook. I hear the Young Master’s actions even damaged the carriage of the Nanjou Yunryong Inn?”
“That, well….”
“We suffered the losses, and while your side lost those you call elite swordsmen of the Gi Ryeon Family, we were prepared to let it pass. But now that you’ve placed a bounty and created this situation, what could we possibly do?”
“What nonsense do you speak! And stop acting as though you are the Young Master of the Jin Family—such claims require proof first….”
Thunk—
I casually tossed the golden token.
The golden token, crafted from pure gold, bore intricate and delicate patterns that testified to the skill of a master craftsman. Those familiar with the Jin Family of Nakhyang could not possibly mistake the meaning of those patterns.
Those who beheld it—a token proving one’s identity as a member of the Jin Family—widened their eyes in shock, and I addressed them directly.
“For each neck of a lower-ranked warrior of the Gi Ryeon-hyeon Family: ten silver taels. For the elite warriors: five gold taels each….”
At Hyeon Illyang’s bewildered expression, I smiled mockingly and pointed a finger at him.
“For the Young Master’s head: twenty gold taels. For the Family Head of the Hyeon Family: I shall offer a golden seal.”
Only then did those who heard my words widen their eyes in understanding.
In other words, the Jin Family would annihilate the Hyeon Family entirely.
Just as the Gi Ryeon-hyeon Family had placed bounties upon the two women, I was now placing bounties upon their heads, stirring the hearts of the people.
“Gasp?!”
“…Is this real?”
The first to react were none other than the bandits.
Those most sensitive to coin.
Those who possessed an uncanny sense for the scent of money.
As they exchanged words among themselves, one of them grasped his sword and steadied his breathing, as if having made a decision.
Yet it seemed they had not fully committed.
I gave them a gentle push forward.
Retrieving the fallen golden token of the Jin Family from the ground, I turned it over in my hands and spoke.
“I pledge this upon the honor of the Jin Family.”
“Kill him! Kill him now!”
“The Young Master’s head is worth twenty gold taels!”
The moment the bandits cried out, the guards of the Hyeon Family swiftly formed a defensive formation around Hyeon Illyang.
Their eyes burned with fervor.
Though their skill was lacking, their numbers were considerable—a troublesome situation.
“What are you doing?! Protect the Young Master!”
Naturally, I turned to the Seolsan Sect and the Myeongsa Sect, seeking their aid, but they remained motionless, conversing with one another instead.
They appeared to be weighing what would profit them and what would cost them.
Yet their conclusion was singular.
If they sided with the Nakyang Jin Family to drive out the Hyeon Family, they could pocket considerable wealth in the process, and the two sects could divide the Hyeon Family’s collapsed enterprises between them.
Though fierce combat would erupt in the course of this, the difference between building something from nothing and remaining with nothing was simply too great to ignore.
“Then we ask for your assistance.”

-Uwaaaaaa!

The bandits’ thunderous roar accompanied the eruption of battle.
The emboldened bandits surged forward first, targeting Hyeon Illyang, and the Seolsan Sect and Myeongsa Sect wasted no time joining the fray.
Hyeon Illyang had no choice but to retreat.
He evaded and deflected the incoming blades while swiftly extracting himself from the chaos.
“Young Master So, make haste!”
“I’m going!”
Clang clang clang clang-!
Such a situation was truly amusing.
Money could command even ghosts.
Was that not precisely what this demonstrated?
Watching Hyeon Illyang depart with a pallid expression, I turned my gaze toward Namgung Yeon.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you leaving?”
“Should I not go as well?”
“Shouldn’t you have unfinished business with the Young Master?”
“…Understood.”
Namgung Yeon nodded at my words and launched himself forward.
After confirming that Namgung Yeon had vanished like a feather on the wind, I finally rose from my seat and moved slowly toward the carriage.
Did this raise questions?
Chaeseoha’s voice reached my ears.
“Where are you going?”
“Where else? To his residence. I should witness his collapse.”
“Do you truly intend to destroy him?”
Chaeseoha, apparently believing I would merely demonstrate my strength and leave it at that, gazed at me with astonishment and posed the question.
I found her expression utterly absurd.
They had insulted the Nakyang Jin Family.
Moreover, had I not possessed something provable or the strength to back it, they would not have hesitated to kill me.
This was not merely a matter concerning the Young Master.
Was it not commonly said?
The upper waters must be pure for the lower waters to be pure.
When children witness and learn such conduct from their parents, they harbor no guilt in adopting and employing the same methods themselves.
They must be erased.
That is for the sake of Gansu and the martial world.
Just as the Eastern Sega vanished without a trace.
I boarded the carriage with a smile on my face.
“What are you doing? Let’s go already.”
“Ugh, seriously! I shouldn’t have learned how to drive a carriage in the first place. Fine, fine! I’m going! But you do know the way, right?”
“Just start driving. The path will reveal itself as we go.”
At my words, Chaeseoha stared at me in disbelief.

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Hyeon Illyang clutched his head and began running like a madman. The bodyguards beside him were locked in desperate combat, struggling to hold back the advancing forces.
Thanks to them, he could escape now.
“Huff, huff, huff… Something is terribly wrong. Terribly wrong!”
Even as he ran, Hyeon Illyang’s mind raced.
This situation was far more wrong than anything he could have imagined.
He had always been the hunter, never the hunted. The notion that someone would target his life and that he would flee for survival was something he could never have conceived.
And in Gansu, of all places.
In Gansu, he was king and emperor.
The Gongdong Sect, which housed the body of a Daoist master, cared little for power and strength, focusing instead on upholding the righteous path.
As a result, they wielded far less influence and authority than the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family.
Though they were called one of the Nine Great Sects and treated as a major faction, their poverty compared to the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family spoke volumes.
Hyeon Illyang had lived this way.
And he had grown up this way.
But now, someone had appeared who overwhelmed him.
Someone who wanted his head.
The Jin Family of Luoyang.
Unlike his own family, who lorded over this small corner of Gansu, they possessed tremendous influence spanning the entire Central Plains.
Though they were not a martial family and could be dismissed on that account, their connections and power were not to be taken lightly.
And from such a place, they wanted his head.
As if in retaliation for placing a bounty on one of their own family members, they had placed an absurd sum on his head.
That casual remark, spat out as if such money were worthless, still echoed in his ears with a ringing sound.
The voice carried such confidence and weight.
The eyes and expression that suggested the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family meant nothing to them.
It was so vivid that it would not leave his mind.
“I… I must hurry and inform Father.”
Only Father could break through this situation. Even if he had to go to the Jin Family of Luoyang with a white flag and bow his head, it would be Father who could do it.
Surely they wouldn’t destroy such sincerity?
Hyeon Illyang swallowed hard and pushed his legs faster.
With no intention of solving the problem he had created himself, he thought only of dumping everything onto his parents.
At that moment.
Screeeech—!
Something hurtled through the air toward me.
But it moved far too quickly to even lift my head and see what it was.
Crack—!
“Gaaahhh—!”
As the object struck precisely against Hyeon Illyang’s head, his body—mid-flight from his lightness technique—tumbled forward and crashed to the ground.
Screeeech—!
His clothes tore as he skidded across the earth, his skin scraped raw, but there was no time to dwell on such things.
Before I knew it, a woman stood motionless before me.
She descended with movements as graceful as falling feathers, regarding me with an indifferent gaze.
“Lady Namgung….”
It was Namgung Yeon.
She descended before Hyeon Illyang with movements so ethereal they seemed divine, and without answering to her name being called, she raised her blade.
“…Wait, please! I, I apologize! I did not know you were affiliated with the Namgung and the Jin Family of Nakhyang. If I speak to my father, he will provide ample compensation. It would surely aid the Namgung in rising anew!”
Hyeon Illyang spouted whatever came to mind to escape this situation.
As if he were placating her.
But what returned was an oddly frigid gaze.
Realizing something had gone terribly wrong, Hyeon Illyang cried out again.
“…That blade! Please, take that blade, my lady. Ha, haha, it does not suit me anyway. And I have money too. Not quite as much as the Young Master So of the Jin Family, but still a considerable sum.”
Hyeon Illyang hastily withdrew the purse from his robes and cast it at Lady Namgung’s feet.
Clatter—!
A substantial quantity of silver coins and promissory notes spilled forth, the amount so considerable that any ordinary person would have their eyes light up.
Yet Lady Namgung, without even glancing at it, smiled.
How pathetic.
Is this what the martial world is truly like?
The final moments of Moryeong Hyeok that I witnessed at the Gongdong Sect overlapped with the figure of Hyeon Illyang before me now—this was no mere coincidence.
She furrowed her brow slightly and opened her mouth quietly.
“Is the name of Namgung so light in your eyes?”
Screeeech—!
Her blade extended sharply, flashing with brilliant light.

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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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