The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 303

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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 303

After finishing my meal and stepping outside, the person I found was none other than Cheongdam.
There were only so many places a Martial Artist couldn’t visit.
The problem was that whenever one tried to find something—whether person or object—it inevitably eluded discovery.
Whether due to the Five Masters’ circumstances or not, despite wandering the surroundings for an entire hour, I couldn’t locate him.
“What do you mean you’d show me around? Where did you go?”
Jang Chuchyeong’s brow furrowed as he glanced about.
When I wasn’t looking for him, he’d appear of his own accord and chatter away, yet now that I actually needed him, he’d vanished without a trace.
I furrowed my brow.
“We’re wasting time…”
“We can’t simply wander into every place we encounter… This has become troublesome.”
Beside me, Namgung Yeon’s delicate brows knitted together.
Everyone was growing impatient.
Even if we resolved matters at the Martial Sect, we’d ultimately have to return to Beijing, so none of us wanted to squander even a moment.
That urgency was evident in our expressions.
Then, from a distance, I sensed a familiar presence.
“Finally, he’s here.”
As I turned my gaze toward the approaching presence, Cheongdam came into view, his expression distinctly displeased.
He stopped before me and broke into a broad smile.
“Ah ha ha, my apologies, Master Jin. So many people have been seeking me out…”
“It’s fine.”
“Then, Master Jin! Today I shall personally guide you through the various halls of the Martial Sect. There are pavilions you wouldn’t normally see—”
“Actually, there’s a place I’d like to visit.”
I cut him off.
Cheongdam’s expression froze momentarily.
“If it’s somewhere accessible, I have no objection… but what place do you speak of?”
I narrowed my eyes slightly, searching my memory.
The paintings I’d seen yesterday. The four seasons of the Martial Sect rendered by Ho Yeon—verdant spring mountains, pavilions drenched in monsoon rains, snow-capped peaks. Among them, one location stood out as having been painted repeatedly.
“Is it possible to see the location where Master Ho Yeon painted the four seasons?”
“Ah, that place! Of course I know it. It’s the hidden gem among hidden gems! Ha ha, few people know of it, so you’re quite fortunate, Master Jin.”
“Was it an undisclosed location?”
“Master Jang Munin kept it carefully concealed. He boasted so much about it being his exclusive secret spot. Well, eventually a few of us discovered it anyway. I’m one of them!”
Cheongdam straightened his shoulders with evident pride, displaying his satisfaction at knowing Master Jang Munin’s hidden sanctuary, which only a handful within the Martial Sect were aware of.
I smiled.
“I’d like to visit that place.”
“…So you’re not interested in touring the Martial Sect itself, but rather that location?”
Cheongdam scratched his head, his smile fading.
Yet he quickly composed himself and smiled again, as though deliberately concealing his true emotions.
I watched it intently and posed a question.
“Where is it?”
“You head west from here and climb the mountain. It’s quite high, and it will take considerable time to reach.”
“That means it’s a place I can reach.”
“Haha, of course. It’s outside the Martial Artist’s domain. If you don’t mind, I can guide you there personally.”
“That won’t be necessary. We’ll go on our own.”
“Eh?! You won’t go with me…?”
“We’ll see each other later.”
“Young Master…!”
Leaving the whimpering figure behind, I moved quickly.
Since it would take considerable time, I intended to find it before sunset.

* * *

We left the Martial Artist’s domain and began moving in the direction Cheongdam had indicated.
As we climbed higher, the terrain grew increasingly treacherous, with steep slopes stretching endlessly. Occasionally, the sound of stones rolling beneath our feet echoed, and sweat dripped down my forehead.
At the same time, as the altitude increased, the wind blew fiercely, whipping at our garments.
Because of this, Chaeseoha was breathing so heavily she could barely catch her breath.
“…Wait a moment. I’m dying…”
“I told you to stay behind.”
“Huff, huff… If I hadn’t come… something bad always happens. Besides, I didn’t want to be alone in a place filled with nothing but Martial Artists.”
Watching her struggle forward with all her might, I had no choice but to extend my arms and lift her into them.
She gasped in surprise, her eyes widening, but soon her expression softened and she began to enjoy the comfort.
“Why aren’t you surprised?”
“Because this isn’t the first or second time. Phew— and it’s comfortable.”
Chaeseoha smiled brightly and gave a thumbs up.
Her expression suggested that there was no more convenient mode of transportation than gliding smoothly across the rough mountain path without having to use her own two feet.
It felt as though I had become a horse.
I furrowed my brow at her, but she seemed determined to ignore me, keeping her eyes closed and refusing to meet my gaze.
I sighed and increased my pace further.
“Kyaaaah!”
The sharp cry that followed sounded like a song.
Hearing it lifted my spirits.
“Young Master, how much further must we go?”
Then, Namgung Yeon’s voice reached me from behind. Her gaze swept rapidly across the surroundings, taking in the landscape.
Her intention in asking was clear.
We had already been traveling for quite some time.
While Chaeseoha had slowed our pace somewhat, at least an hour had certainly passed, so I wondered if we should be approaching our destination soon.
“We’re close now, so it should appear shortly.”
“Yes, but… something is following us.”
“I’m aware.”
At Namgung Yeon’s words, I glanced back over my shoulder.
Though distant, the presence was unmistakable.
Someone was following us.
They were making every effort to suppress their aura, but it wasn’t perfect enough to fool those of us gathered here.
“I figured it out—you’re not just out for sightseeing. That fellow has decent instincts.”
“Shall we shake them off?”
“Leave them be. Besides, you and Chu Hyeongi lack the skill for it.”
“…To that extent?”
At Namgung Yeon’s question, I nodded.
Outwardly appearing carefree, he possessed a cunning fox-like nature, concealing his true abilities even from his elder brothers.
He surely knew that I had sensed his presence.
Yet he continued to follow, driven by the hope that he might finally resolve the questions weighing on his mind.
The true purpose behind the sudden visit to the Mudang.
That was what he wanted to know.
Meeting with Cheongdam and claiming to visit the Mudang felt somewhat off, which must have troubled him.
I smiled faintly and gazed ahead.
“Here it is.”
While I had been lost in thought, the landscape had transformed around us.
Towering rocks appeared in scattered clusters. Turning my gaze back toward where we had come, the entire vista of the mountains and the Mudang lay fully exposed before us.
The vast panorama was too expansive for the eyes to capture in full, and that overwhelming scenery was a spectacle rarely seen anywhere.
“It has a different charm than Tianshan.”
“Huff, huff… Yes, that’s true. But I think I prefer this place to Tianshan. That one feels somewhat sharp….”
Jang Chuchyeong, who had drawn close beside me, caught his breath while taking in the view.
Without exception, all who gazed upon this scenery in silence felt as though they were receiving a gift from heaven itself.
As we lingered in appreciation of it.
“Haha— What do you think? Isn’t it truly magnificent!?”
With a resonant voice, Cheongdam appeared. Judging by how intently he had pursued us, he was drenched in sweat from head to toe—enough to make one’s tongue click involuntarily.
I gazed at Cheongdam with a slight smile.
“Were you bored?”
“Haha, no. Well, it’s not that… but wouldn’t you be curious? You said you came to see the Mudang, yet you’re not looking at it and instead going to see the scenery… how could one not be concerned?”
Cheongdam made no effort to hide his purpose.
He knew there was no benefit in concealing it in such circumstances. Rather, revealing rather than hiding was the way to avoid unnecessary suspicion.
He understood that all too well.
“Phew, how exhausting. And Jin Daehaep is being too much as well. I don’t know what you’re doing here, but didn’t you sell me out to enter the Mudang? Because of that, I ended up being attached to you.”
He followed with a long sigh and a reproachful gaze.
Watching him, I realized one thing.
The reason Cheongdam had pursued us so relentlessly.
It wasn’t mere curiosity—there was someone behind him.
If there was someone capable of moving Cheongdam right now, who could it be?
“Did Tae-hwang order you to do this?”
“Then who else would it be? Even though Taesajo appears benevolent, he’s actually more cunning than a fox. The Young Master came from Beijing, and if he entered the Martial Arts Sect… well, one might wonder.”
“Is that why you showed me the Zixiao Palace?”
“Haha, I suppose so.”
I laughed hollowly, thinking of Mu-jin.
He had disarmed me with his gentle smile, tone, and demeanor, yet all along he was merely confirming my true intentions.
Indeed, the reputation of the Ten Sovereigns is well-deserved.
“But why did you really come here? No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like you came just to admire the scenery.”
Cheongdam glanced subtly around the surroundings.
A landscape truly like a jewel of nature.
It was undoubtedly beautiful, the kind one would want to remember for a lifetime, yet he couldn’t understand why I would seek this place first without any thought of exchanging with the Martial Arts Sect.
“What exactly is here?”
“And if there is something?”
“Hmm— I came searching after seeing Ho Yeon’s painting, so could it be something like a hidden treasure?”
“It could be, or it might not be.”
At my words, Cheongdam scratched his head.
I too couldn’t provide an answer since I had no idea what I was searching for or whose it was. Yet he seemed uncertain about what words to speak in response.
“If… there’s something at the place we find, what then?”
“The stronger one takes it, or one side must yield.”
“Aha— Should I perhaps bring Taesajo here?”
Cheongdam scratched his head again and sighed.
His eyes showed resignation, as if he instinctively knew that no matter what he tried, he couldn’t defeat me.
“Well, it should be fine. I just need to confirm and report. But… is this the Emperor’s command?”
“It is.”
“Can I ask what it is…?”
“You cannot.”
“Ah, as expected.”
Cheongdam sighed again with genuine regret and turned his gaze away.
Whatever emerged, there was no way to take it back to the Martial Arts Sect, so I sensed he was devising a plan to overcome the situation by any means necessary.
I moved forward with a slight smirk on my lips.
“Then, let us search. It must be somewhere.”
At my words, Cheongdam’s eyes sparkled.
“Ah! Let me ask just one more thing. Is what we’re looking for something that belonged to the Painter, or something the Painter was trying to find?”
“Why not think about that after we find it?”
“Tsk.”
At my words, Cheongdam clicked his tongue.
If it were the former, he would call the disciples of the Martial Arts Sect to stop us; if the latter, it seemed he would need to deliberate.
Observing this and laughing absurdly, Jang Chuchyeong, who had been watching, quietly approached me and whispered softly.
“Doesn’t it seem like that man’s personality has changed?”
“That’s probably his true self. Everything we’ve seen so far was likely an act to conceal himself.”
“Tsk— even the Martial Artist pulls off every absurd trick in the book.”
Watching him shake his head in disbelief, clicking his tongue, I nodded in agreement.
Then I turned my gaze toward the vast landscape stretching before me.
Somewhere in this place, Ho-yeon must have hidden the secret passage.
But no matter how hard I looked, finding it seemed far from simple.
“Even in death, he still manages to cause trouble.”
I clicked my tongue and turned my attention away.

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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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