The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 155

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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 216

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With the death of the Flesh Demon Duo, those who wished to survive lowered their swords. As each one knelt without resistance, I could finally feel that the battle had ended.
Sighs of relief escaped the lips of the surviving Changryongdan members.
Though they could not hide their anger at the sight of their wounded comrades, this situation simply meant that their own strength had been insufficient.
Moreover, they would have learned the importance of thorough reconnaissance.
Because of this, the looks they cast toward Moryeong Hyeok were far from favorable.
Since this had occurred due to inadequate investigation and poor reporting, Moryeong Hyeok’s reputation would plummet even further.
Moryeong Hyeok, who could hardly be unaware of such matters, stood apart from the others who gathered in small groups, watching the situation unfold in silence.
“I am grateful, my lord! I shall never forget this kindness.”
“There is no need to speak of kindness. Had our positions been reversed, would you not have done the same?”
“Ha-ha! A fair point indeed! Yet the debt of gratitude remains true. Should you ever need my strength, call upon me at any time. I shall not hesitate to offer myself wholly.”
Paeng Dohan laughed heartily while maintaining proper courtesy.
Though our meeting was chance, the fact remained that the Changryongdan had been saved because of it, and all should consider themselves indebted.
Sure enough, whenever the Changryongdan members caught my eye, they lowered their heads and offered their gratitude.
Was it mere imagination that reverence gleamed in some of their gazes?
I found myself smiling without thinking.
“However, is it not necessary to check on Eon Garyeo? I believe her treatment should be complete by now.”
“Ah—that’s right. I nearly forgot. Do not worry. Once matters here are settled, I shall fetch her.”
Paeng Dohan surveyed the surroundings and took a breath.
There were quite a few wounded, both minor and severe.
In particular, with serious cases like Hwangbo Yun, who had lost an arm, he could not simply leave.
Since Moryeong Hyeok offered no instructions and merely observed, Vice-leader Paeng Dohan had to take command directly.
Or rather, it was not that he gave no instructions at all.
Even if he spoke, the members would not listen.
Their trust in Moryeong Hyeok had already completely shattered.
Paeng Dohan, fully aware of this, was essentially responsible for managing this situation.
Though concerned for Eon Garyeo, this was not the moment to leave.
As I nodded at such thoughts.
“I’m here—.”
Suddenly, Cheon Yul appeared with a familiar voice. At the unexpected arrival of the Sa Do-cheon Soocheonchu, those who had been relieved tensed and gripped their swords.
Though all eyes surely focused on him in that instant, Cheon Yul displayed utter composure and approached me leisurely.
Following behind came Chaeseoha and Eon Garyeo.
“Garyeo!”
“Ah—I’m fine. Thanks to the physician.”
Eon Garyeo, whose complexion had returned to full health as the poison was completely purged, smiled toward Paeng Dohan who rushed over.
The sickly pallor that had been so evident was nowhere to be found, only a somewhat weary gaze remained.
“Haha— Our physician’s skills are quite remarkable, aren’t they? You’re all healed now, so don’t worry.”
“….”
At that moment, Cheon Yul quietly wedged himself between the two reuniting figures and created distance.
Perhaps because his posture resembled that of a man protecting his woman, Paeng Dohan’s brow furrowed even deeper.
He emanated a formidable aura as if ready to draw his blade at any moment, issuing a silent threat, but Cheon Yul remained unfazed and composed.
Witnessing this spectacle, I let out a sigh.
I quietly approached and grabbed Cheon Yul by the scruff of his neck, dragging him away.
“…What are you doing?”
“I must warn you—refrain from unnecessary provocations.”
“Ah….”
Cheon Yul, his spirits dampened by my expression, quietly turned his head. He had undoubtedly been attempting to gauge the strength of the late-stage master who would stand before Sa Do-cheon from this point forward.
Or perhaps he also harbored the desire to make clear in this opportunity who stood above and who below.
Such circumstances were rarely commonplace, after all.
But at my restraint, he smacked his lips in frustration and withdrew.
I offered a bitter smile at his demeanor and gazed upward at the sky.
The rain that had been subsiding began to intensify once more.
If it poured down again, escaping the mountain would prove difficult, so it seemed wisest to move now.
“For now, there’s a village nearby—let us head there.”
I recalled the village reeking of corpses.
Most of it was destroyed, and I couldn’t know how many places remained usable, but it would be far better than remaining here.
I turned my head and looked toward Moryeong Hyeok.
When our eyes met, I saw him flinch.
“Will you come? Or do you intend to stay?”
“…I will come.”
At his listless reply, I nodded.

* * *

Most of the village lay in ruins, yet there were still usable supplies scattered about. Moreover, thanks to the Imperial Guards and the Changryongdan members having already disposed of the corpses, I was spared from the stench of death.
Once we established positions in the empty buildings and prepared places to rest, the exhausted ones quickly closed their eyes, and those with severe injuries finally received treatment from Chaeseoha.
The situation was stabilizing rapidly.
But conversely, the weather remained violent.
Another torrential downpour poured down madly, and the driving rain and wind produced clattering sounds from various places that assaulted the ears.
Had this been heard at night rather than day, one might have thought ghosts themselves were emerging—the gloom had reached its peak.
I gazed upon such a sight, then turned my gaze away.
The person who caught my eye was just one.
None other than Moryeong Hyeok.
He still stood apart from the group, motionless and vacant.
Whether he hadn’t even grasped the fact that he bore responsibility for this situation and needed to address it, he showed no movement whatsoever.
Was he then engaged in serious self-reflection?
No.
Such an element could not be felt in his eyes at all.
What I sensed was resentment and inferiority.
There was not the slightest guilt toward those who had died or been wounded because of this incident—only resentment that his own strength amounted to no more than this, and the inferiority complex accumulating toward us.
To conceal such emotions as much as possible, he was hiding his words and expressions, but while he could hide from others, he could not escape my gaze.
The moment our eyes met, he frowned and turned his head away.
Laughter escaped me unbidden.
There was something I wished to hear, but it hardly seemed the right moment for him to tell me anything.
Then.
Paeng Dohan, who had been glancing back and forth between me and Moryeong Hyeok, approached carefully and spoke.
“I, I apologize, Jin Gongja.”
“What could Paeng Sohyeop possibly have to apologize to me for?”
“I trust you understand. Hyeok’s actions at that moment. I apologize on his behalf.”
I grasped Paeng Dohan’s meaning immediately.
He was referring to that time when he had aimed for Namgung Yeon.
It was a situation where, given the obvious hostility anyone could see, it would not have been strange had his neck been forfeit right then.
I smiled faintly and shook my head.
“That is not something you need apologize to me for. And… I understand his feelings well enough. How frustrated must he have been to harbor such thoughts?”
A groan escaped Paeng Dohan’s throat.
His gaze shifted slightly. Though he was whispering quietly, the distance was not so great that I could not hear.
Thanks to this, Moryeong Hyeok’s face flushed crimson.
His clenched fists trembled.
He displayed the behavior of one desperate to burst with rage.
Yet in an instant, his eyes wavered and he turned his head away again.
It was not me he was looking at.
None other than Cheon Yul beside me.
She held a deep smile at the corners of her lips, regarding Moryeong Hyeok provocatively.
Her eyes and expression seemed to say: if you’re upset, come at me anytime.
Before my confident declaration that I would trample upon the Moyong Family’s name whenever I pleased, Moryeong Hyeok could only hold his breath.
The Black Ox Society, Gansuk, and now this place.
He must surely understand that the family’s honor could not be cast to the ground three times over.
As expected, Moryeong Hyeok, who had been watching me with his back against the wall, hurried outside as if he could no longer bear to remain in this place.
Yet there was nowhere for him to go.
Wherever he went, he would have to endure the unfavorable gazes of the Changryongdan members.
I watched this unfold and smiled.
“He’s not like he used to be, is he?”
“You speak of Hyeok?”
“Yes, something about it… The members’ eyes have changed from before.”
“Haha, well, he began to waver starting with Gansuk, and now he’s lost all his prestige with this incident. Not a single Changryongdan member thinks of Hyeok as the leader anymore.”
Paeng Dohan shook his head and sighed.
Even he, who could hardly be called anything less than a childhood friend, seemed to have given up.
Though he still protected Moryeong Hyeok, his eyes revealed clear displeasure.
That Paeng Dohan’s heart, which once gave Moryeong Hyeok a thumbs up, seemed to have completely turned away was undoubtedly because I had witnessed his animosity toward Namgung Yeon.
“But isn’t he of the Number One Sword Sect? It seems they cannot ignore him so openly…”
“Haha, well, no one pays attention to that anymore. Once Venerable Hyemyeong resumed his position as the Alliance Lord, the Sword Emperor’s influence all but disappeared.”
“To that extent?”
“Sigh… don’t even mention it. And because the Sword Emperor returned to Liaoning, his influence weakened even further.”
Hearing this for the first time, my eyes gleamed.
The Sword Emperor had returned to Liaoning?
Contrary to my assumption that he would remain in the Martial Arts Alliance to preserve the Moyong Family’s influence, he had apparently returned to Liaoning where the Moyong Family resided.
This made me think it was not merely to prevent the family’s immediate loss of influence in the Alliance, but to prevent the family’s strength from weakening in the future.
Moreover, the shock of losing Gok Ok right before his eyes must have been considerable.
I wondered if he had gone there to recuperate.
But thanks to this, the influence he wielded over the Martial Arts Alliance had diminished.
This was a favorable situation.
Now that he was no longer in Henan, I would have no need to be cautious.
I nodded.
I had heard enough of what I needed to hear.
In truth, Paeng Dohan’s words, who knew the internal affairs of the Martial Arts Alliance best, were more helpful than information coming from the Hao Clan or the family.
“Then please rest a bit as well, Paeng Sohyeop. The Imperial Guards sent a letter to the Alliance, so those who can help will arrive soon.”
“I understand. And let me say once more… I am truly grateful!”
I waved my hand to stop Paeng Dohan, who bowed once again, then turned my back and moved toward where my companions had gathered.
Among them, there was a woman whose eyes were particularly sharp.
Namgung Yeon.
She was looking out the window.
When I turned my gaze to confirm, I could see Moryeong Hyeok standing alone with aloof dignity beneath the eaves, unable to bring himself to enter where the members were.
I smiled softly.
“Don’t get too worked up about it.”
“I’m not angry. I was merely thinking about how pitiful humans can be.”
“Building something is difficult, but its collapse comes in an instant.”
“Yes, that seems to be the case.”
Namgung Yeon did not appear to take pleasure in Moryeong Hyeok’s pathetic downfall.
She slowly steadied her breathing and composed herself.
As if waiting for that moment of satisfaction upon witnessing his ruin.
I turned to address Namgung Yeon.
“Go send a letter to the Chief Administrator.”
“To Yu Hyeon… you mean the Chief Administrator?”
“Yes.”
I nodded and shifted my gaze, taking in the sight of Moryeong Hyeok standing there blankly.
Then, I curved my lips into a dark smile.
“Tell him to gather everything he can about Yao-ling’s current situation and the Moyong Family.”
“…!?”

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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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