The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 254

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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 254

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A fortnight had passed since Hye-myeong’s departure.
Yet the martial world remained abuzz with fervent discussion.
Tongues wagged ceaselessly as people recounted the events of that fateful day.
The vanished Sword Emperor and the Moyong Family stripped of its former glory.
Speculation ran rampant about what would become of these two powers.
The Sword Emperor’s sudden disappearance after orchestrating upheaval across the martial realm naturally commanded intense scrutiny and fascination.
And there was one more matter.
Would the Jin Family of Luoyang truly remain idle?
Given that the Young Master So’s life had been endangered, even the Moyong Family—renowned as the Number One Sword Sect—would face considerable difficulty.
Conversely, some argued that even a family boasting the greatest wealth under heaven could not afford to provoke the Moyong Family.
Such was the extent of public attention focused upon these matters.
Yet the Jin Family of Luoyang remained silent.
Whatever transpired in the outside world, whatever heated disputes erupted between factions—none of it seemed to capture their interest.
They simply continued as they always had.
Beneath that deathly silence lay a lethal poison, perhaps unnoticed by all.
They were merely waiting.
Waiting for the moment when fangs would sink deep.
Yet nowhere within the Jin Family of Luoyang could one detect such an undercurrent.
Since no one dared speak carelessly, no secrets of the family would leak beyond its walls.
I savored this rare tranquility while my mind continued to trace invisible lines.
Not simple lines, mind you.
The sword movements Mu Heo had demonstrated.
I labored ceaselessly to pursue the faint essence of his energy, following those perfect and intricate movements so flawless that even replicating a single sequence seemed impossible.
Then I rose to my feet and grasped my sword.
I moved slowly.
Following the flow of the blade, I advanced with each step and swung my sword in pursuit of the wind I could feel.
It appeared as pure swordplay rather than a fusion with nature, yet with each stance and footfall, sweat poured down in torrents.
I furrowed my brow as I felt this.
I had come to realize anew just how exalted a realm Mu Heo inhabited.
Thus, though I strove to grasp whatever I could, the greatest obstacle remained the upper dantian I had yet to unlock.
No matter how I contemplated it, the reason each movement felt labored was that even a single gesture from Mu Heo’s dance fundamentally required the upper dantian to be opened—or so I believed.
The moment it opens, I will take another step closer to my former level. Yet the problem is that I cannot unlock it through the same enlightenment as before.
I clicked my tongue and put away my sword.
When the mind grew tangled, nothing served better than walking without thought.
Without a word to Jang Chuchyeong or Namgung Yeon, I slipped through the gate and ventured outside.
I hadn’t set a specific destination in mind.
Wandering wherever my feet took me, I soon found myself arriving at the marketplace.
I could see people who recognized me widen their eyes in surprise, and no small number of them whispered among themselves.
The events from last time had been that shocking.
I turned my gaze away with a bitter smile.
In that moment, I caught sight of a familiar woman.
Dressed in light armor, she stood alone in one spot, waving her hand lightly as she looked at me.
Furrowing my brow, I approached her cautiously, and Baek Jin-hwa of Ha Omun greeted me with a radiant smile.
“Shall we have a drink, Young Master?”
“Sounds good.”

* * *

The Hwaseon Inn, which I visited after a long time, had a somewhat different atmosphere.
The bustle of people coming and going remained the same, but the expressions of the Ha Omun disciples who appeared to be guards and staff were all uniformly tense.
Just from that alone, it was clear something had happened.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for Baek Jin-hwa to seek me out.
As I entered Baek Jin-hwa’s room, a table of drinks was already prepared as if waiting for me.
Splash—
With careful hands, she filled an empty cup and raised it to her lips, drinking it down in one gulp.
“Mmm— that’s good. It tastes even better drinking it while seeing Young Master’s face after so long.”
“The service here improves the less often you visit. Next time, I could go years without coming. I’m curious what kind of treatment I’ll receive then.”
At those words, Baek Jin-hwa blinked her eyes and made an awkward expression. But it was certainly true that we hadn’t met in quite some time.
Part of it was because there had been no need to use Ha Omun’s information network, but the biggest reason was that I had been far too busy with other matters.
As I chuckled softly, she refilled my empty cup and continued speaking carefully.
“I heard there was a major incident in Jeongju. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. The Alliance Leader protected me well.”
“Hoho— that’s a relief. I was quite worried after hearing that you took a strike from the Sword Emperor.”
As expected of Ha Omun.
It was true that rumors had spread about the Sword Emperor launching a surprise attack on Jin Cheon-u, but the part about taking a strike hadn’t circulated.
I hadn’t expected them to have an information network even within the Alliance itself.
Their intelligence capabilities were more impressive than I had thought.
“Don’t tell me you also know where the Sword Emperor is?”
“Hoho— how could that be? It seemed like it might be profitable, so I looked into it, but he vanished without a trace. However, I have a feeling that Young Master might know better than I do… what do you say? I’ll pay handsomely for the information.”
“I don’t know either. If I find out, I’d appreciate it if you’d buy it at an even higher price.”
“Hohoho— of course.”
At her laughter, I lifted the corners of my mouth into a smile.
She must be quite concerned about my movements after leaving the Martial Arts Alliance. Both the Sword Emperor and I had suddenly disappeared from Ha Omun’s information network.
Because of that, she seemed to have concluded that I knew the Sword Emperor’s location.
But she was mistaken.
I have no intention of telling you.
It’s not as if I’m in desperate need of money.
I brushed past the situation with a light laugh and shifted the mood entirely.
“So what is it you want from me? You didn’t go through the trouble of finding me just to ask about the Sword Emperor’s whereabouts, surely.”
At my grave inquiry, Baek Jin-hwa’s expression hardened as well. She refilled her cup and drank hurriedly, then steadied herself and met my gaze directly.
“There is something I would ask for your help with.”
“You? Or Ha Omun?”
“Isn’t it the same either way?”
“The price tends to vary depending on who’s asking.”
Pft—
As if she hadn’t expected such a response, Baek Jin-hwa let out a soft chuckle and shook her head.
Then she gazed at me again and smiled faintly.
“Which one is cheaper?”
“Baek Jin-hwa, I’d say.”
“Then I’ll make this a personal request.”
“So what is it? Is it urgent enough to summon me like this?”
“Yes, I would like you to find Hao Munzhu, who has gone missing.”
At those words, I stared at her intently.
She wasn’t lying.
Hao Munzhu had disappeared.
Just from the gleam in her eyes as she gazed at me with that serious expression, it was clear this was more than a simple disappearance.
I found myself frowning without thinking.
“Hao Munzhu has vanished, and you’re asking me to find her? Isn’t this Ha Omun’s specialty?”
“We’re already mobilizing all our intelligence networks, but it’s proving difficult. Moreover… it seems she’s being pursued by someone.”
Hao Munzhu is being hunted?
It was a situation difficult to imagine.
Ha Omun boasts of being among the top three in lightness of movement throughout the Central Plains.
If she is Hao Munzhu, she would be even more exceptional.
The fact that she couldn’t escape despite being impossible to catch in any circumstance and capable of shaking off any opponent meant her pursuer’s level was extraordinarily high.
That piqued my interest.
“Fine, I’ll go.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I was the one who said to tell me whenever you need a favor.”
I smiled softly.
From the moment I returned until now.
There were many troubles I would have faced without Ha Omun’s assistance.
The fact that I was able to protect the Jin Family of Luoyang because of them is true, so resolving one of their difficulties didn’t seem like a bad thing at all.
And if this matter allowed me to use Ha Omun more conveniently, all the better.
But I shouldn’t receive only on one side.
“In exchange, it seems I’ll need you to listen to what I want as well.”
“What is it you need?”
“I’d like you to spread a rumor. There’s no one in the Central Plains better at this than Ha Omun, wouldn’t you say?”
“Hehe— you speak the obvious, my lord. So what shall it be? Whatever it is, I’ll have it spread across the entire Central Plains.”
I nodded at her confident words.
But I didn’t think it was mere bluster.
When it came to public opinion warfare, Ha Omun was unparalleled.
“The death of Geomcheon Muheo.”
“…!?”
“I’d like you to spread that far and wide.”
At my sudden words, Baek Jin-hwa’s pupils trembled.
Though we’d conducted many transactions before, the weight of this one would be considerable.
Geomcheon is a legend of the martial world.
Though he still hasn’t revealed himself, he’s an existence revered by countless people regardless of their standing, so his death…?
Moreover, such words coming not from mere rumor, but from my own lips, would lend them credibility.
Gulp—!
As expected, Baek Jin-hwa swallowed hard.
Her expression and eyes still disbelieving.
The cold sweat trickling down seemed to reveal what she was truly feeling.
“Is that… truly a fact?”
“Who knows? What do you think?”
“….”
“And one more thing.”
“…What might that be?”
“That it was the reason Gonghuang descended from Songshan.”
“…!”
With each shocking revelation, Baek Jin-hwa froze completely.
Watching her, I smiled.
Yes, hadn’t Gwanbaek said it?
Muheo’s final moment.
Then wouldn’t it be better to make the entire Central Plains aware of it? So that even if he wanted to crawl back out from somewhere, he couldn’t.
I would bury the name Muheo completely in the ground.
At the same time, the Martial Arts Alliance, which holds the gaze of all martial artists in the Central Plains, would find things somewhat easier.
The name Sword Emperor would be erased in an instant.
With the world’s attention fixed upon the Martial Arts Alliance, the Alliance Master, feeling that responsibility, would have no leisure to concern himself with other matters.
But with this rumor, he would catch his breath.
In that interval, I could investigate many of the things I’d been curious about.
As I smiled at such thoughts, it was then that Baek Jin-hwa’s trembling voice pierced through again.
“How can I possibly…”
“You can’t do it?”
“…No, that’s not it.”
Baek Jin-hwa’s expression and eyes betrayed her confusion, yet she kept her lips sealed. She knew that no matter what question she asked, no answer would come.
Besides, being in the position of making a request, she couldn’t very well press for details.
As a result, the corners of her mouth trembled.
She wanted to ask questions, but her position didn’t allow it.
So she simply took several deep breaths to calm her mind.
“Then our deal is sealed. So… where should I begin searching?”
“Ah—I nearly forgot. The last letter arrived from Dabie Mountain.”
“Dabie Mountain?”
About seven days’ journey south of Luoyang.
A place where waterways stretched long toward Hubei.
If I moved swiftly on horseback, I could close the distance in three or four days, so it didn’t seem like an unreasonable distance.
What troubled me was whether Hao Munzhu was truly under attack.
“It’s not terribly far. But are you certain the Munzhu is actually being attacked?”
“This is… the last letter the Munzhu sent.”
She withdrew the letter from her robes and showed it to me.
Just as one would expect from someone under attack, blood was smeared across various parts of the paper.
I furrowed my brow and looked at Baek Jin-hwa again.
I sent her a questioning look asking if I could read the contents, and after a moment’s hesitation, she nodded along with a sigh.
The moment permission was granted, I naturally unfolded the creased letter.
In that instant, what caught my eye were faint characters.
Simple characters that appeared to have been washed away by blood.
“…Found the map?”
“Yes, beyond that, the characters were too faded for us to decipher anything else.”
At her weak response, I nodded. Then I carefully folded the letter again and handed it back to her, rising from my seat.
“Whether the characters are visible or not, searching Dabie Mountain should yield something.”
“Thank you, Young Master.”
“Don’t worry and wait.”
I reassured her with a smile and a gentle pat before turning away. I then opened the door, stepped outside, and left the inn, recalling the contents written in the letter.
“…Found the map?”
The contents of the letter and memories of the past.
If I compared them and thought it through, it was undoubtedly.

The Heavenly Mechanism Map.

A place heaven itself had concealed.
Simultaneously, the Treasure Map that had once brought a tide of blood to the martial world of the Central Plains in ages past.
It was attempting to reveal itself once more.

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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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