The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 114
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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 175
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Within the rugged landscape of the Tianshan Mountains, a magnificent structure stood as if melting into the terrain itself.
The plaque hanging there was written in perfect calligraphy, as if modeled after the form of a dragon—this was the place where the shadows of the Demonic Cult were nurtured.
The Hall of Twilight Dusk.
There, Hall Master Ryu Jin-hong gazed at his son Ryu Gak standing before him and tilted his head in confusion.
“What are you saying?”
“He claims to be a disciple of the Demon King.”
“Why in the world is such a person here?!”
Ryu Jin-hong shot to his feet as if he couldn’t believe the words he was hearing.
What kind of place was the Demon King’s Palace?
They were savages who seized members of the Demonic Cult at any time and picked fights without provocation.
Considering the relationship between the Demonic Cult and Namman since the Demon King became their ruler, this was an existence that should not be here unless one had lost their mind.
Moreover, with the inauguration ceremony of the new Sect Leader just around the corner, the Demonic Cult was extremely reluctant to become entangled with Namman.
Yet it was none other than a disciple of the Demon King?
That was equivalent to saying he was the Young Palace Master of the Demon King’s Palace.
Ryu Jin-hong felt his head throbbing and pressed his temples.
“How exactly did this happen…!”
“It’s because of the horse that Na Cheonmun brought not long ago. It turned out the Demon King had given it as a gift to his disciple.”
Ryu Jin-hong exhaled a long sigh and furrowed his brow.
Of all times, to become entangled with the Demon King’s Palace now.
Even if things went well, he’d break even; if not, he wouldn’t recover his losses.
Considering the Demon King’s temperament, he would surely gnash his teeth and swing his fists first.
“That’s why they said it was a rare horse to see in these parts…”
Ryu Jin-hong recalled the face of Na Cheonmun, who had brought the horse with a self-satisfied expression.
He should have sensed something was amiss from the moment Na Cheonmun mentioned finding it in a village near Namman, his eyes gleaming.
There was no way a prized steed could be obtained in such a remote backwater.
It was his own fault for not suspecting anything.
“What am I to do… I’ve already presented it to the new Sect Leader…”
…”
The greatest problem was that he had already presented the horse to the Sect Leader who would soon be inaugurated.
Of the three horses, two had long since been given to the one who would become the Young Sect Leader and his betrothed, the Young Master of the Demonic Pavilion.
Since the Hall of Twilight Dusk was the lowest-ranking among the countless halls of the Demonic Cult, this was how one had to appease the higher-ups to survive.
There was no way to reclaim them.
Throb, throb—
His head didn’t just ache; it felt like it would split open.
The hot-tempered Demon King and those Namman barbarians.
It wouldn’t be strange if they attacked and destroyed everything on the spot.
Ryu Jin-hong exhaled a long sigh and rose from his seat.
He had to defuse this situation by any means necessary.
Ideally, he would have liked to capture those Chu Hyeongi bastards and force them to their knees, but since he knew that wasn’t immediately possible, he had no choice but to intervene personally.
“I’ll go myself.”
“I’ll accompany you.”
“…But tell me, is he really a disciple of the Demon King?”
“Go and see for yourself. The moment you lay eyes on him, you’ll understand.”
At his son’s words, the furrow between Ryu Jin-hong’s brows deepened further.
The confidence in his son’s voice left no room for doubt.
With a sigh, he moved with urgency.
Before the auspicious event could unfold and the Namman forces descended upon them to cause chaos, this crisis needed to be resolved swiftly.
* * *
“What an extraordinary place.”
I took in the landscape visible through the window.
This was the Demonic Sect.
The saying that all of Mount Tian was the Demonic Sect proved to be no exaggeration—buildings were scattered throughout, constructed in a way that preserved the natural terrain as much as possible.
Because of this, proper roads hadn’t been built, and the resulting landscape appeared almost surreal to the eye.
Whenever people needed to move, they employed lightness martial arts to scale cliffs, treading on towering branches and traversing the gaps between them.
But that wasn’t all.
Where ravines existed, they leaped across them, and if the distance fell short, they didn’t hesitate to drive their swords into cliff faces and climb their way up.
They slid down slopes and launched themselves through the air by pushing off rocks—a spectacular sight unfolded everywhere.
“Madmen in a different sense than Namman.”
“Indeed… Wow, it’s breathtaking.”
Even Chu Hyeongi seemed at a loss for words at the sight.
Yet watching these people, I began to understand why the Orthodox and Heterodox sects feared the Demonic Sect so intensely.
For them, daily life was cultivation.
Even for short distances, they deployed lightness martial arts, climbed cliffs, and raced down slopes—every action was performed so naturally that it was indistinguishable from their everyday existence.
One could not survive without becoming stronger.
Their visible forms proved this truth.
I glanced subtly at Namgung Yeon beside me.
Her gaze, fixed on the window, scarcely wavered.
It was as if she were determined to commit every detail of the Demonic Sect disciples’ daily lives to memory, while simultaneously driving herself harder through self-discipline.
The spectacle was certainly remarkable enough to warrant such dedication.
“So the Namgung Clan managed to hold back people like these?”
“…Yes, that’s correct. I feel a sense of pride in that.”
“Polish yourself further. Don’t bring shame upon your predecessors.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Namgung Yeon nodded with a faint smile.
She would understand without me having to spell it out.
After all, she had always intended to grow stronger by utilizing everything at her disposal.
I smiled faintly and turned my gaze back to Chu Hyeongi.
“Remember what I said, you too.”
“Huh? You’re really doing this?”
“Of course. Would I be joking?”
“But still, how am I supposed to… use you as my guard?”
Chu Hyeongi grumbled with a dissatisfied expression.
Yes, this was precisely what differed from before.
The Demonic Sect was a place where the name of the Jin Family of Luoyang held no sway. There was no need to drag out Jin Cheon-u, who had returned to Luoyang.
Moreover, in this place, it was the Namman Demon Palace that commanded a greater presence than I did, was it not?
Unlike before, I had shifted my approach to subtly assist from the shadows.
“Even with the Demonic Sect’s superior intelligence, they won’t know my face yet. And it would be unwise if I, who had returned to Luoyang, were to be exposed here, wouldn’t it?”
“Well, that’s… true enough.”
“So I’m putting you at the forefront.”
“But what exactly am I supposed to do?”
Chu Hyeongi muttered anxiously.
He had grown accustomed to serving me since birth.
But now, being asked to perform a sudden reversal of roles would naturally be awkward for him.
Of course it would feel strange, but these people’s attention was consumed by the enthronement ceremony.
Since they weren’t in a position to scrutinize information arriving from the Central Plains in detail, I judged that we could easily deceive them.
“Don’t worry. Just act like you normally do. I’ll step in to cover any gaps.”
“Ah… understood.”
“Casual speech.”
“Hahaha! Got it, you brat. Why do you talk so much? I said I’d handle it.”
…
Thump, thump.
He burst into loud laughter and patted my back repeatedly.
Was that the reason?
Namgung Yeon and even Chaeseoha stared at Chu Hyeongi in astonishment, but he paid no mind to such things, lost in self-indulgent satisfaction.
Just as I was about to speak.
I sensed a presence from outside.
I pulled Chaeseoha and Namgung Yeon close to my side and forcibly kicked Chu Hyeongi’s knees, pushing him into his chair.
“Ugh?!”
With a brief groan, his brow furrowed, but as the door opened and people entered, he concealed his expression and observed them.
There were just over ten people who entered.
The first to catch my eye was Ryu Gak, the one who had brought us here.
I had heard he was the Vice Master of the Chohon Hall?
Then the one standing beside him must be Ryu Jin-hong, the Master of the Chohon Hall.
I subtly kicked the chair back.
Only then did Chu Hyeongi notice my signal and rise from his seat.
“I am Chu Hyeongi of the Namman Demon King’s Palace. The master’s one and only disciple, at that! Ahahaha!”
Chu Hyeongi laughed heartily.
His words and the confidence radiating from him were unmistakable.
It was as if I were looking at a smaller version of myself.
I couldn’t believe how quickly he’d adapted.
“So you’re Ryu Jin-hong, the Primordial Soul Master. The Demon King’s direct disciple, then?”
“That would be correct.”
“Can you prove it?”
In that instant, Chu Hyeongi smirked with amusement.
It was so identical to my own expression that it felt like an illusion—so much so that Namgung Yeon and Chaeseoha exchanged glances and looked at me sideways.
It felt like they were wondering what exactly I had taught him.
As I unconsciously scratched my cheek,
Chu Hyeongi’s aura radiated outward in all directions.
The aura of a fierce beast.
Simultaneously, his muscles began to swell without restraint, and they possessed the quality of a weapon that could be wielded at any moment without seeming out of place.
What Chu Hyeongi displayed was undoubtedly a martial art that only the Demon King’s Palace Master could master.
No one versed in the demonic arts could fail to recognize it.
“Is that sufficient?”
“…Indeed. That is proof enough.”
At those words, Chu Hyeongi withdrew his aura and released a small sigh of relief.
Then, glancing at me with a slight smile, he lifted the corners of his mouth—much like watching a child boasting about his accomplishments.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“Well, I’ve heard what happened. If it’s something I can resolve, I’ll do so as quickly as possible… but the thing is…”
“Surely you didn’t sell us out?”
“Haha, nothing of the sort. Well, it’s true enough. The problem is, your words were delivered to the one who will become the new sect leader.”
Flinch—!
At that moment, Chu Hyeongi flinched upon hearing this and looked at me.
His expression showed he hadn’t anticipated this situation, as if asking what should be done now.
Was such a look unfamiliar to me?
I could see Ryu Jin-hong regarding me with an enigmatic gaze.
It was the look of someone wondering what kind of person I was.
Observing that, I lightly assumed a fist salute and offered proper courtesy.
“I am Cheon, guardian of the Palace Master. I apologize for intruding so abruptly, but does that mean you won’t return it?”
“Haha, it’s not that we won’t return it…”
“…but rather that we cannot return it, is it?”
I smiled softly.
After all, to anyone with even a modicum of understanding, such information would be a prized horse worth going mad over.
Given such circumstances, it was only natural that it would be brought forth to catch the sect leader’s eye.
In the demonic sect where only the strong survive, it was entirely plausible behavior—to impress a stronger master and receive superior teachings.
This was something I had anticipated as well.
However, I could not surrender what was mine.
Even if that person were to become the new sect leader of the Demonic Cult.
The real issue was that I needed to extract maximum benefit from this situation.
“Ha… haha, I shall inform the Sect Leader. However, I cannot guarantee that the outcome you desire will come to pass.”
“Understood. Then we shall wait here for the time being.”
“Here… you mean in the Hall of Initial Souls?”
“Must we not hear the answer before we depart? Moreover, with the enthronement ceremony approaching, how could we possibly leave without meeting the successor of the Demon King’s Palace who has come all this way?”
“That is… well…”
Ryu Jin-hong’s expression grew strained.
Though he wished to cast us out immediately, the circumstances prevented him from even uttering such words.
If he could drive us down to the villages below Tianshan, that would be his best option—but if I had intended to be dismissed so easily, I would never have orchestrated this meeting.
I smiled faintly, observing Ryu Jin-hong.
“I trust you will provide a favorable answer, considering the relationship between Namman and the Demonic Cult.”
At my words, Ryu Jin-hong shut his eyes tightly.
No matter what measures he took, a favorable answer was impossible, and he now understood that even expelling us had become impossible.
The Hall of Initial Souls would treat us with utmost courtesy until this enthronement ceremony concluded.
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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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