The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 297

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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 297

Jeongdo. One of the Three Sovereigns.
The Grand Sovereign, Mu-jin.

He sighed as he surveyed the empty chamber hall.
The death of Hoyeon, the Martial Artist of the South, known as “Northern Reverence to Shaolin, Southern Respect to the Martial Arts Sect.”
Though considerable time had passed, the murderer remained uncaught—a fatal blemish not only upon the Martial Artist’s name but upon the very foundation of Jeongdo’s martial world.
It was fortunate that public attention had turned toward the Sword Emperor and the Moyong Family; otherwise, countless fingers would have pointed toward the Martial Arts Sect.
Mu-jin twisted his lips into a bitter smile and turned his gaze away.
Though considerable time had passed since the funeral, the room remained untouched—a testament to the lingering longing he felt for Hoyeon.
The chamber laid bare the very essence of Hoyeon’s character.
His possessions were austere and unpretentious.
Landscape paintings adorned each wall, speaking to the unadorned heart of their owner.
Hoyeon’s childhood habit of appreciating art had never wavered, and beside them stood shelves lined densely with books.
From treatises on the game of Go to the classics themselves.
Each bore the patina of constant use, worn and weathered—not mere decoration, but the very roots that had sustained his life and contemplation.
Mu-jin slowly traced his fingertips along the spines before withdrawing one volume.
With each page turned, the fragrance of aged paper diffused through the air, and his chest suddenly tightened with an aching sensation.
Why had such a sincere and unpretentious disciple been driven toward death?
The sigh that escaped as he closed the book was neither prayer nor lament alone.
Something was undoubtedly hidden, yet what it was remained frustratingly beyond his grasp, pressing heavily upon his heart.
“Infinite Buddha.”
Soon after, he whispered a prayer to the Primordial Celestial Worthy.
As Mu-jin steadied his breath and departed the chamber, a familiar figure came rushing from afar and bowed respectfully.
At his questioning gaze, the figure quickly spoke.
“Grand Master, Cheongdam has returned.”
“Already?”
“Yes, you should go at once. He said to meet him at the Jade Clarity Tower.”
Mu-jin nodded and moved with haste.
The place where the elders and highest-ranking members of the Martial Arts Sect dwelt and convened.
Upon arriving and opening the door, he beheld Cheongdam standing upright, his head bowed.
Mu-jin approached with a gentle smile.
“Well, did you have a good journey?”
“Yes, Grand Master. I returned without incident.”
Cheongdam’s expression, tinged with a subtle smile, appeared considerably lighter.
In his eyes and bearing—as though he had experienced something amusing—Mu-jin perceived this and offered another gentle smile, nodding in acknowledgment.
To ease the atmosphere first, he broached a rumor he had heard.
“I heard you traveled with a young one from the Jin Family. Is that so?”
“Yes, we boarded a boat together in Beijing. You should see how handsome and manly he is. The moment I laid eyes on him, I couldn’t help but….”
“Hehe- Calm yourself, calm down. So, that child killed Chae Ju of the Water Transport Bureau… Is that true?”
“It is fact. And the unfolding of Sword Force was genuine as well.”
“…!”
Cheongdam’s eyes gleamed as his emotions surfaced.
As though he were recalling someone worthy of reverence.
Many dismissed Cheongdam as frivolous due to his usual chattiness, yet he was a seasoned operator who always assessed situations coldly and read people with precision.
I had never seen him speak with such captivation before.
“I heard he was young… Has he truly already reached the transcendent realm?”
“Indeed. It was unmistakably a Sword Force that had achieved complete mastery.”
“Amitabha Buddha.”
Mu-jin shook his head with a hollow laugh.
The deeds of Jin Cheon-u that I had heard thus far were remarkable enough, yet breaking through the wall of the transcendent peak and manifesting a Sword Force of complete mastery was, quite literally, a shock that transcended astonishment.
Most would share this sentiment.
But Mu-jin and Gong Hwang Hye-myeong knew the truth.
Enlightenment does not arrive simply through the passage of time, born from experience, the life one has lived, and the martial arts one has accumulated.
Thus, age meant nothing.
Having reached this conclusion, Mu-jin wore a bitter smile and changed the subject.
While Jin Cheon-u was most intriguing, now that the tense atmosphere had eased, there was something more pressing to hear first.
“A remarkable child indeed. We shall discuss this in detail later. Tell me, did you meet Chungho?”
“Yes, though difficult, we were fortunate enough to meet.”
“What did he say?”
“…He only said he did not know much.”
“He did not know? The boy said such a thing?”
“Yes.”
At Cheongdam’s response, Mu-jin’s brow furrowed.
Sending Cheongdam, called one of the Five Masters, to Beijing to meet Chungho.
It was for no other reason than to unearth what Chungho knew about Hoyeon.
Hoyeon, who had falsely accused a cherished disciple and severed his meridians.
There must be a clear reason for his great anger, and I thought that by digging into it, perhaps even the circumstances of his death might be revealed.
For there were countless inconsistencies in Hoyeon’s conduct during his lifetime.
Yet even Chungho, who had left the Martial Artist sect, had sealed his lips?
“What is your assessment?”
“…It seemed he was concealing something. He answered with ordinary smiles, but when questioned about the sect leader, his discomfort became apparent.”
At Cheongdam’s words, Mu-jin’s frown deepened further.
These were the words of one who knew Chungho better than anyone. That he had reached such a conclusion meant Chungho was indeed hiding something.
“As I thought… There is something….”
The face of Hoyeon surfaced in Mu-jin’s mind.
From childhood, he had been simple and unassuming, unremarkable, yet from some point onward he revealed his presence and swiftly caught up to and surpassed his senior brothers.
His sudden death weighed heavily on me.
Perhaps the whispered rumors that continued to circulate from the Martial Arts Alliance only deepened the suspicion.
Mu-jin’s eyes grew even more profound.

* * *

The landscape stretching before us was entirely different from the waters of the Yangtze I had witnessed until now.
Massive mountain ranges encircled us like a folding screen, with white clouds nestled between the peaks.
The dense pine forests exhaled a rich fragrance, and upon the ancient cliff faces, the layered roofs of ancient temples stood as testament to the passage of centuries.
A clear and solemn resonance stirred my chest, reminding me anew that this was the sacred ground of the orthodox sect—Wudang.
I lifted my gaze toward the jewel-like temples perched upon the summit.
They possessed a weighty dignity and an elegant grace steeped in the ages.
The Way of the Sword, refined over decades—nay, centuries—by countless martial artists ascending and descending these slopes, seemed to envelop the entire mountain.
“So this is… Wudang.”
Namgung Yeon murmured in a hushed voice.
Reverence gleamed in her eyes as well.
Chaeseoha too fell silent for a moment, gazing upon the mountain’s form, before releasing a small sigh.
“Phew—barely escaped the water, and now it’s mountains.”
Chaeseoha, climbing at the very rear, seemed oblivious to Namgung Yeon’s words of admiration, grumbling as she wiped away the sweat streaming down her face.
Though not quite as treacherous as the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, the path was equally formidable in its difficulty.
For Chaeseoha, who had grown careless believing this to be a well-traveled route, the climb was proving exhaustingly arduous.
I offered her a bitter smile as I looked back.
“We’re almost there. Just a little longer.”
“You’ve been saying that since we started climbing Wudang!”
Her sharp words and piercing gaze cut through the air.
From the expression of someone who never wished to climb another mountain again, I could keenly sense just how exhausted she truly was.
When I quietly extended my hand, she glared at me with defiant eyes for a moment before, as if resigned to the inevitable, grasped it and resumed her ascent.
And so we pressed onward for some time longer.
“Young Master! Look there. There are people.”
At that moment, Chu Hyeongi, who had been leading our group, pointed toward something he had spotted.
Unlike the path we had followed until now—mere traces of footsteps upon earth—beyond a small pond visible ahead, a neatly constructed stone pathway extended inward.
Two figures stood at that location.
Clad in martial robes bearing the taiji symbol, they watched us approach with composed dignity, yet spoke no greeting until we drew near.
“That place is…?”
“The Sword-Releasing Pool.”
“Is that the famous one?”
“Yes. It’s an unavoidable necessity for ascending Wudang.”
I offered a bitter smile and adjusted my sword belt.
To ascend Wudang, one must necessarily surrender all weapons. Should one fail to do so, no one may proceed—meaning there was no choice in the matter at all.
As we approached their location, I could see the eyes of those who had been calmly observing us suddenly gleam with intensity.
“Please stop. Beyond this point lies the mountain gate of Wudang. If you have no business here, we ask that you turn back.”
At the words of the Wudang disciple guarding the Sword-Releasing Pool, I stepped forward and clasped my fist in salute.
I maintained my composure and offered a subtle smile.
After all, my purpose was already established.
“I am Cheon-u of the Jin Family. I’ve come to meet Cheongdam, a Daoist with whom I traveled.”
The moment they heard my name, both men’s eyes widened.
News of the Suro Waterway had spread across the Central Plains on wings of rumor. Despite the chaos surrounding the death of the Sect Master, there was no way the Mudang sect would remain ignorant of such tidings.
As expected.
“The Jin Family’s Cheon-u… Then you must be Jin Cheon-u, the Great Martial Master of the Jin Family of Luoyang?”
“Great Martial Master is far too generous a title. I am merely a merchant.”
“Hahaha! A merchant who defeated the Suro Waterway’s Master and reached the pinnacle, unleashing sword energy? I’ve never heard of such a thing! Truly, my congratulations, Great Master! This is a blessing upon the martial world!”
“Wait a moment. I shall inform my senior brother that the Young Master has arrived!”
One of the men, whose eyes had been gleaming as he looked at me, suddenly burst inward with explosive speed.
Given that he was guarding the Haejeon Grounds, he was undoubtedly a junior disciple, yet the lightness technique he displayed was extraordinary.
Thanks to this, Namgung Yeon’s eyes sparkled.
“Cheongdam is impressive, but each disciple of the Mudang sect is truly remarkable.”
“That’s precisely why they’re called the Two Great Peaks. When you have time later, visit Shaolin as well. There will be much to see.”
At my words, Namgung Yeon nodded.
The Mudang and Shaolin.
Though it was impossible to determine which held supremacy, merely hearing their names was enough to stir the hearts of any martial artist with grandeur.
I was wearing a small smile when—
“Great Master Jin!”
A booming voice reached my ears from somewhere.
Turning my gaze, I saw none other than Cheongdam rushing toward me. From the fierce determination in his eyes and expression mingled with joy, it was clear that my arrival delighted him greatly.
He came to a stop before me, breathing heavily.
“Huff— huff! You’ve found your way here, Great Master! I, I never truly believed you would come! Did you really come to see me?”
“Did I not say we would meet soon? Having come to Hubei, I could not overlook the Mudang Mountains, and having come this far, how could I not see Great Master Cheongdam?”
As I spoke with a smile, Cheongdam was left speechless.
Since I had singled him out specifically, his heart naturally swelled with emotion.
Sure enough, his complexion grew increasingly flushed, and soon his eyes sparkled as a broad grin spread across his face.
“Hahaha! Thank you, Great Master! I’ve been wondering when we might meet again, and to have you seek me out like this brings me such joy—”
As I watched him begin to ramble on again, I wore a bitter smile.
I let his words go in one ear and out the other, turning my gaze elsewhere.
Beyond the mountain gate, a colossal hall loomed faintly into view.
Though its full form remained obscured, the Mudang’s aura—as if embracing the very mountain itself—seemed to reach even here.
And layered upon it was a presence directed solely at me.
Invisible to the eye, yet a sensation as if scrutinizing every inch of my being.
Though distinctly different from Hye-myeong’s aura, that clear and gentle presence was unmistakably the Mudang itself.
I recalled a certain figure and smiled with my eyes.
“You’re quite impatient by nature.”

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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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