The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 194

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Youngest Son of the Jin Family of Luoyang – Chapter 194

* * *

“Refreshing.”
The moment the carriage led by the coachman entered Luoyang, I felt as though the very air had changed.
The air of my homeland, after so long away.
Drawing a deep breath and exhaling, I finally felt the weight of the long journey lift from my shoulders.
Glancing around, even those who had been drooping their shoulders in exhaustion now sparkled with renewed energy and excitement.
It had been quite an arduous journey.
Of course, not as grueling as the outbound trip, but spending entire days counting down the arrival date from inside a carriage was considerably taxing.
Moreover, the situation itself was rather precarious.
Since Jin Cheon-u had already returned to Luoyang from Gansu, I could not afford to appear in crowded places again.
Thus, I traveled only along deserted roads and slept either in the carriage or under the open sky.
That is why everyone looked so disheveled.
Though it seemed we had managed to avoid drawing attention.
It was while I was thinking such thoughts.
Chaeseoha, who had been gazing out the window with a sense of ease, quietly approached me and clasped both my hands firmly.
Soon after, she pleaded with eyes brimming with earnestness.
“For the time being, you absolutely must rest at home. No matter what happens!”
“That is my intention.”
Seeing her expression and eyes so desperate they bordered on pitiful, I found myself offering a bitter smile.
Yes, she must have suffered greatly.
Especially since, unlike the others, she had not even begun to learn martial arts, so beneath her composed exterior, the hardship must have been several times greater.
“But you will not learn martial arts?”
“Ah, you mean the technique you gave me? I looked at it, but it seemed rather difficult. And I… I really don’t like sweating.”
I had already secured the Demonic Cult’s Spirit Elixir and hidden it somewhere, and I always carried the Saintly Soul Needle in my possession.
But this is why she refuses to even glance at the secret manual.
She fundamentally dislikes moving her body.
She did not mind sweating while performing treatments, but her philosophy was that she could not bear the sweat that came from moving her body, not even in death.
I chuckled softly.
“Then I may take it?”
“Do you need it? I can lend it to you. But it is a debt our ancestor must repay, so I cannot hand it over permanently.”
“I will only examine it briefly.”
“Then do as you wish.”
While she has no great interest in martial arts, it is a debt the family must honor. Handing it to another would be somewhat distasteful, but merely looking at it for a moment seemed acceptable to her.
At her rather absurd words that no martial artist could even imagine, I let out a hollow laugh and turned my gaze away, only to hear Namgung Yeon utter something equally unbelievable, his expression one of shock as he stared at Chaeseoha.
“More importantly, Lady Namgung, what about you? The secret manual has returned, yes? Truly, not a fake.”
“Yes, I have verified it multiple times. It is unmistakably the Imperial Sword Form.”
“Why was it in the Demonic Cult?”
“According to Grand Master Baek-gong, they sent someone to destroy the Namgung Family in secret. But when they arrived, someone had already finished the assault. They discovered it while pursuing the traces of those culprits.”
More precisely, he said they obtained it after slaying the one who stole the secret manual following an intense battle.
Whether it was someone from the Divine Sect, the Moyong Family, or others remained unknown, but the Demonic Cult would not have been pleased.
They had lost the opportunity to destroy the Namgung Family with their own hands.
Yet fortunately, they obtained the Namgung Family’s secret manual.
They must have been conflicted about whether to be pleased or not.
“Is it a different style of swordsmanship from Spear Palace?”
“Yes, moreover, this Imperial Sword Method compensates for what was lacking in Spear Palace Unobstructed in its early stages. It should prove extremely helpful.”
I nodded at her words.
Despite obtaining the Imperial Sword Form, I had not seen her master it during our return journey.
There was one reason.
The Imperial Sword Form could be called the supreme swordsmanship representing the Namgung Family, and I had heard that its roots lay in the Spear Palace Unobstructed Sword Method.
Naturally, to master the Imperial Sword Form, one had to perfect the Spear Palace Unobstructed to the highest degree, so she could not begin immediately.
“Young Master! We’ve arrived!”
At that moment, accompanied by Jang Chuchyeong’s excited voice, the familiar scenery of the Jin Family of Luoyang came into view.
The carriage stopped before the main gate, and the gatekeeper cautiously approached to confirm my appearance through the window.
Startled, he quickly moved to open the firmly closed gate, and only then did the carriage resume its movement, finally entering the Jin Family of Luoyang’s interior.
I spent some time gazing at the interior landscape I had missed so dearly, when the carriage came to a halt and I stepped down as the door opened.
“Good.”
“How long has it been…”
“Hahaha! Jang Chuchyeong has returned!”
“My apologies. It seems I must first report to my older brother.”
Simultaneously, each person spoke differently.
Chaeseoha seemed to savor the scenery as if the place felt as comfortable as her own home, while Jang Chuchyeong spread both arms wide and shouted loudly.
Thanks to him, not only the servants working but also the maids became aware of his presence.
The most rational among them was Namgung Yeon.
She quickly bowed her head, asked for permission to find Namgung Baek, and hurried away.
She had found the lost Imperial Sword Form.
Her lips seemed to itch with eagerness to inform Namgung Baek of this fact immediately.
I smiled faintly and turned away.
I should report to Father first, but bathing and changing into clean clothes took priority.
During the long journey, I had maintained a somewhat disheveled appearance to conceal my identity as much as possible.
As a result, I felt quite uncomfortable.
I hurried toward my quarters.
Opening the door and entering, the first thing I did was remove my clothes.
Becoming naked in an instant, I submerged myself in the bath, and the accumulated fatigue seemed to vanish immediately.
I remained in the water for quite some time.
After a while had passed, I emerged, changed into fresh clothes, and groomed myself as neatly as possible.
The soft silk I wore for the first time in ages felt strangely unfamiliar.
I offered a bitter smile at the awkward rustling and moved first toward Father’s study.
By now, he would surely know that I had returned.
I stood before the door and naturally announced my presence.
“Father, it’s Cheon-u.”
“Come in.”
At the sound of his voice, I opened the door without hesitation.
The sight that greeted my eyes was quite remarkable.
Father’s once-vibrant face was now shadowed by deep exhaustion, and his desk was piled high with mountains of documents.
Moreover, the medicinal herb bowls scattered about the room numbered well over thirty—an overwhelming quantity.
Observing this, I understood one thing clearly.
Ah, my older brother and sister who had returned have left again.
Given how much time had passed, it was certainly reasonable for them to depart.
As a result, Father was handling all the remaining duties alone.
I asked while suppressing a bitter smile.
“Are you managing well?”
“I’m fine. This much is nothing. If I endure a little longer, the second son will return, they say… it’s bearable. More importantly, your face looks brighter. Has something good happened?”
“It was a journey where I witnessed and learned much. It was educational.”
“Haha… well… I’m glad to hear it.”
As I spoke with a slight smile, I noticed Father’s brow twitch.
Yet it seemed he had no particular intention to say anything, merely composing himself and settling his mind.
“By the way, where is Grandfather? I heard he’s not visible.”
“He is in Namman. It appears he will handle major and minor affairs there for the time being.”
“Haha, so Grandfather does work as well…”
Father’s gaze shifted toward me as his words trailed off. His eyes seemed to ask: Even Gu Gunbaek works, so why don’t you? But I deliberately averted my gaze, pretending not to understand.
Was that the reason?
Father let out a small sigh, and his voice came again.
“I’ve heard about recent events. Mount Hua and Mount Zhongnan… and what happened in Gansu. And you’ve made a complete enemy of the Moyong Family?”
“I haven’t made an enemy. It was merely a light martial exchange.”
“I heard you shattered someone’s jaw. I’ve been investigating that child further, and apparently only now can he manage to eat something.”
At those words, I nodded.
Indeed, more time had passed than I expected.
With Chu Won dead, there was no one left to easily mend his body, so he had merely survived on gruel, and only now did his condition seem to have recovered somewhat.
But that humiliation—he would never forget it until death.
Without realizing it, I let out a scoff, and Father’s brow furrowed.
“Because of that, I couldn’t remain idle either. Since my son created such a situation, what could I do? I sent fine medicinal herbs and medicine. I also provided appropriate compensation.”
“You did well.”
“However, I don’t believe the Sword Emperor’s anger will subside with merely that. The Moyong Family has sent people to find you several times.”
“What did you do?”
“I said I was too busy to see them. One cannot present someone who isn’t here, can one?”
The Moyong Family’s search for me was not solely because of Mo Yong-cheon. They were using it as a pretext to see my face and determine whether I was truly at home.
However, since he has not shown himself until now, suspicion is inevitable to some degree.
Yet I do not concern myself greatly with it.
Whether I like it or not, I must see him at least once.
I too have things I wish to confirm.
“Are you giving up so easily?”
“Not at all. He has even sent others several times to spy on us.”
Father shook his head with a faint smile playing at his lips.
This reaction came from the fact that he could never have imagined the legendary Sword Emperor would resort to such tactics.
How amusing it must be that a being who is always confident, never bows to others, and rules the heavens with a single sword would scheme behind the scenes to gather information about me?
“Tsk tsk, now I understand why you keep your distance from the Moyong Family. But for some time now, they have made no moves, so I gathered some information recently. It seems he is either busy with matters or has disappeared from sight.”
“Disappeared, you say?”
“Yes, well, since I have no interest in their affairs anyway, I am satisfied that they no longer trouble us.”
Father smiled softly and seemed genuinely content with this outcome.
Had Mo Yong-cheon’s spying continued, Father would never have tolerated it. Even the Sword Emperor cannot afford to ignore us.
It occurred to me that this timing, coming after the deaths of Chu Won and Yeom Ji-hak, might not be coincidental.
The thought that perhaps the Sword Emperor has ascended to a new position troubles me somewhat, as this is a matter of considerable concern.
Yet I cannot leave it unconfirmed.
Whether he has become a new authority or not, obtaining information in this situation could prove decisive in changing the course of events.
I organized my thoughts, studied Father’s expression, and then withdrew a single sheet of paper from my sleeve.
Father gazed at the paper that suddenly appeared before him, examined the beautifully rendered landscape painting, and his expression shifted to surprise.
“What a magnificent painting. Where did you obtain it?”
“I acquired it by chance. But do you perhaps have any idea where this place might be?”
Father has traveled throughout the Central Plains since childhood.
Both through merchant routes and official roads.
He must have visited places even I do not know of, so I showed it to him with a small hope he might recognize it.
But he soon shook his head, as if his memory held nothing.
“No, this is the first time I have seen this place. But is it a real location?”
“I am not certain… I wish to verify this myself.”
When the answer I hoped for did not come, I offered a bitter smile.
If even Father does not know this place, it seems I must eventually seek out Baek Jin-hwa.
It was then.
“Young Master! Young Master!”
A small commotion erupted from outside.
Furrowing my brow, I opened the door to find the gatekeeper who guards the family’s main gate.
He spoke in a flurry of agitation.
“What is the matter?”
“Something terrible has happened! You must go out and see at once!”
In that moment when both Father and I exchanged confused glances at his sudden words.
Crash—!
An enormous sound suddenly pierced through our ears.
That was undoubtedly where the Moyong Family’s main gate stood.
Without giving anyone time to protest, I hurled myself forward with desperate urgency.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————