The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 137
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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 198
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Myeong-ryun sighed as he climbed the winding mountain path of Mount Song, shaking his head.
The image of Jin Cheon-u that had surfaced in his mind refused to fade.
Having entered the martial arts world and met countless individuals, I had never encountered someone so audacious when invoking the names of the Martial Arts Alliance or the Blue Heaven Sect.
“Young Master, that is…!”
“Could it be he is not present? Then, with whom should Soocheonchu and I speak upon entering the Martial Arts Alliance? Surely not the Commander? Or perhaps the Sword Emperor?”
In that instant, my head throbbed at his irrefutable words, having become the spokesman for the Jin Family of Luoyang.
Ordinarily, the Commander and Mo Yong-cheon would have discussed this matter, but Jin Cheon-u had drawn in the actual leader of the faction—the Alliance Master himself.
There were more than one or two reasons why refusal was impossible.
It was a meeting where the Young Master of the Jin Family of Luoyang would directly address his relationship with Sa Do-cheon, and Soocheonchu would be present there as well.
The absence of the Alliance Master would seem peculiar.
“However, it will not be easy… Amitabha Buddha.”
Yet things would not unfold as Jin Cheon-u intended.
Though he held the title of Alliance Master, the one known as Gonghuang Venerable Hyemyeong made Buddhist offerings and harbored no interest in worldly affairs.
Only Myeong-ryun would know that this was no mere devotion.
His master was now attempting to break through an impenetrable wall.
To ascend to that unreachable heaven, he was refining his body and spirit, cultivating his mind, and seeking enlightenment.
Therefore, he would never descend.
Myeong-ryun had already reached Mount Song and passed through the temple gate.
Confirming the disciples who bowed their heads, I hurled myself toward the place where my master dwelled.
A location within Shaolin that no one else visited—containing only a small hermitage and a Buddhist statue for making offerings.
Upon arriving at that place.
Myeong-ryun witnessed it.
His master sitting in meditation before the Buddhist statue.
The solemnity was so profound that even speaking felt irreverent, so I remained silent, passing time, when at last Hyemyeong’s voice reached me.
“Amitabha Buddha—what brings you to this place?”
“Master, your disciple has come urgently with something to tell you.”
“Something to tell… ? If you wish to speak of descending the mountain, then leave.”
At those words, Myeong-ryun offered a bitter smile.
Though he was my master, he was truly harsh and merciless.
The world turned as it did, and with ears and eyes, he could not help but see and hear, yet my master clung solely to one thing and disregarded all else.
He had even accepted the death of Martial Arts Master Ho-yeon with indifference.
How could I possibly turn such a master’s heart?
Myeong-ryun exhaled a sigh and continued speaking.
The Jin Family of Luoyang had formed an alliance with Sa Do-cheon, and Sa Do-cheon’s Celestial Lord had arbitrarily entered the lands of Henan and established a stronghold within the Jin Family compound.
Beyond that, I had spoken of various matters circulating within the Jin Family, yet none of it proved sufficient to move Hye-myeong’s heart.
Just as I was beginning to think perhaps I should abandon this effort, Myeong-ryun withdrew a small letter from his robes.
“A letter addressed to the Alliance Master.”
“I shall not receive that either.”
“Then simply leave it and depart. Whether to read it or not is surely the Alliance Master’s decision, is it not?”
The faint smile that had graced Jin Cheon-u’s face did not fade.
Though I could not know the letter’s contents, I wondered if perhaps it contained matters concerning Sa Do-cheon.
“It is a letter sent by the Young Master of the Jin Family of Luoyang.”
“Leave it and go.”
“Master… please…”
“Did I not tell you to leave—!”
Clang—!
Whoosh—!
Hye-myeong’s voice echoed forth like madness, reverberating with tremendous force.
Simultaneously, countless birds took flight in great flocks.
For merely a single utterance, the power contained within it seemed to surpass even thunder itself.
Myeong-ryun, who had been about to speak, closed his mouth.
A master possessed only of the will to breach walls had now become something beyond reach—an existence one could not touch nor address carelessly.
In the end, Myeong-ryun had no choice but to lower his head and withdraw from the chamber.
* * *
The Blue Heaven Sect departed with Cheon Yul’s bodyguards as hostages, and already a day had passed.
It was fortunate that no major conflict had erupted, but oddly enough, my quarters had been filled with nothing but noise.
I furrowed my brow and turned my gaze away.
“This is all your fault!”
There stood Soocheonchu Cheon Yul.
Unable to contain his roiling emotions, he paced back and forth across the room, displaying his anxiety and indignation.
His sharp gaze pierced toward me menacingly.
Having abstained from food and drink for a fortnight, his pallid and ashen complexion had long since regained its natural color.
Contrary to the commotion he was making as if displeased, it only meant he had eaten his fill and rested comfortably.
With his restored health, Cheon Yul’s fierce voice battered my ears.
“If you had properly engaged in a martial contest with me, I would never have needed to meet that bastard!”
At those words, I let out a dry chuckle and shook my head.
I had never intended to engage in a martial contest from the beginning.
Was it not he who persisted despite hearing that I would not do so?
As a result, I provoked the Martial Arts Alliance.
Or rather, to be more precise, it was I who provoked them.
Using Baek Jin-hwa, I had secretly spread rumors about Cheon Yul, and eventually even the Martial Arts Alliance, which had not believed them at first, could not help but believe. They investigated through their own methods.
As a result, the Blue Heaven Sect moved.
If there was any fault on my part, it was merely that I somewhat exploited Cheon Yul’s arrival.
I pressed him forward with an expression showing I had no qualms.
“The fault lies with the Young Master So who came seeking me out.”
“But what am I supposed to do if I hand over all my bodyguards to those Martial Arts Alliance bastards!? Is there any greater humiliation!”
Cheon Yul furrowed his brow, unable to contain his resentment.
Not only had he failed to draw his sword even once when facing the Blue Heaven Sect, but he had also suffered the humiliation of his own bodyguards being captured by them.
For the Young Master So of Sa Do-cheon, it was enough to make one’s teeth grind.
This was likely the first time in his life he had experienced such humiliation.
I smiled and took a seat.
Despite hearing his sharp tone, I maintained my composure, set down the empty teacup, and carefully filled it before handing it to him.
Whether his throat had become parched from all his shouting, Cheon Yul snatched the teacup and gulped it down without even savoring it.
It must have been quite hot, yet he endured it remarkably well.
I continued speaking as I watched him.
“Still, I did prevent the Young Master So from being taken away.”
“Do you think I would have gone willingly?”
“If you had resisted, some of your limbs would have been severed.”
“Ugh….”
Cheon Yul swallowed a groan and furrowed his brow.
No matter how much pride he possessed in Sa Do-cheon, he seemed to understand that it would not have been easy given the strength and numbers of the Blue Heaven Sect.
Then, picking up a snack that lay nearby and eating it, he frowned and looked at me.
“You’re my friend, but I truly cannot fathom what you’re thinking.”
“I am not your friend. And I am not thinking of anything.”
“A man who thinks of nothing wouldn’t appear in such a situation. If left alone, it would have ended on its own.”
I neither affirmed nor denied his words.
But it would certainly be so.
No matter how formidable the Blue Heaven Sect was, facing Soocheonchu would not have been easy. Moreover, if he had died in the fight, I knew that Sa Do-cheon’s fury would not merely end in anger.
A true confrontation between the great powers could have erupted, so Myeong-ryun would have exerted some effort while trying to resolve the matter smoothly.
It was I who blocked that situation.
Rather, I stirred up trouble.
Did he not know this?
Cheon Yul, tilting his head with a somewhat crooked expression, pointed at me with the dried fruit in his hand and asked.
“What do you want?”
“I want nothing from Soocheonchu.”
“So you do want something from the Martial Arts Alliance?”
“Haha.”
“My friend had this cunning side to him.”
“I am not your friend. Rather, shouldn’t you start preparing? I intend to depart tomorrow.”
“What’s there to prepare? One sword that anyone can wield is enough.”
Cheon Yul tapped the sword resting to the side and laughed.
As if thinking that with just that, he could traverse all under heaven, his expression and eyes brimmed with confidence.
But his grasp of the situation was certain.
“But that fellow Myeong-ryun. You said he was a disciple of Gonghuang?”
“That is correct.”
“Wow— that was no joke. Every time our eyes met, I felt chills. But I felt nothing from that disciple of the Sword Emperor.”
Though both were disciples of those bearing the title “Emperor,” the Sword Emperor and Gonghuang could not be compared on the same level.
Like the Death Emperor, he was an absolute Powerful Expert who dominated an entire era, and now he is recognized as the supreme master of the orthodox sects.
No matter how greatly the Sword Emperor’s achievements are respected, compared to what Gonghuang has accomplished, they are but drops in the ocean.
Just as Cheon Yul was, Gonghuang too had deliberately cultivated his disciple, so the strength that resulted could only transcend common sense.
“Blue Heaven Sect Master Myeong-ryun! I’ll remember!”
“It is surprising that you did not know until now.”
“I did know. But I didn’t realize he was at that level.”
At those words, I shook my head.
There were none who did not know the name of Blue Heaven Sect Master Myeong-ryun.
With more than a decade of age difference between us, the experience and achievements he had built in the martial world during that time far surpassed Cheon Yul.
He entered the Dragon Creation Sect at the youngest age and became its Master in an instant, then escaped from there at the same age as Moryeong Hyeok and entered the Blue Heaven Sect.
And now, he even holds the position of Sect Master.
Having accomplished all of this with overwhelming speed and skill, even the jealous Moryeong Hyeok could not help but acknowledge Myeong-ryun and harbor inferiority.
As I sighed softly while thinking such thoughts, Cheon Yul suddenly pointed his finger at me.
“First I’ll defeat you, then that fellow!”
“Why am I first and he comes after?”
“…That fellow is stronger than you.”
At those words, a smile escaped my lips unbidden.
Cheon Yul tilted his head, perhaps due to some indecipherable glint in my eyes and expression.
“Or is it the other way around? He’s first and you’re second?”
“Think as you wish.”
“Ah, forget it! I’m going to rest. Come find me when you’re ready. Whether it’s him or you, I’ll beat you both anyway.”
Cheon Yul rose from his seat with a smirk.
Soon after, he patted my back lightly, waved his hand, and left the room.
It seemed he was returning to the empty quarters that had been provided to him.
As the door closed and the once-chaotic room fell into a silence as deep as death, I finally felt my mind ease with the quiet.
I lay back comfortably and sank into thought.
“I’m certain it will reach him.”
I smiled, thinking of the letter I had given to Myeong-ryun.
Venerable Hyemyeong, who had supposedly secluded himself in the mountains performing ascetic practices.
But I knew that was not the truth.
He who had glimpsed the heavens in his duel with Geomcheon had fallen into an obsession—not to merely see that heaven, but to ascend to it.
It had intoxicated him like opium, slowly consuming him until he reached this state.
This journey to the Martial Arts Alliance was for one purpose: to draw out that Venerable Hyemyeong.
A seat where someone exists yet does not exist.
A person whose name can be spoken but whose face cannot be seen.
A seat where only a name sits—I would place its master there once more.
“Now it is time for you to work. Venerable Hyemyeong.”
I smiled, picturing his face, which I had never seen.
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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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