The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 305

—————
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 305

I could not afford to relax my vigilance while treading this singular path.
Considering the sinister nature of those from the Snake Clan, Hoyeon would be no different—it was inconceivable that his preparations would amount to merely Guhonsa’s level.
Moreover, this place had been created by Hoyeon to maintain his connection with Singyeo.
I harbored no doubt that he had made thorough preparations, for nothing here could afford to be exposed.
To protect what lay within.
After entertaining such thoughts for a moment, I shifted my gaze.
Cheongdam walked silently with his mouth firmly closed.
Yet his eyes darted about, surveying the surroundings. Though his expression remained guarded, the tension was evident in the intensity of his gaze.
He too seemed to have grasped that this place was far from ordinary.
Sssshhh—
At that moment, a sound from somewhere ahead caused Chu Hyeongi to snap his attention forward.
“Young Master, snakes are approaching.”
“Did they breach the wall?”
“Not many, but they’re definitely coming this way. What do we do?”
“What else? We have no choice but to continue widening the distance.”
Having experienced Guhonsa’s threat firsthand, everyone’s expressions twisted with disgust and dread.
Simultaneously, our pace began to quicken gradually, as if revealing an unwavering resolve never to face those snakes again.
I too pressed forward with Chaeseoha cradled in my arms, my senses heightened.
After traversing this passage for some time, uncertain of its true length, an opening finally came into view.
I stopped abruptly.
“Hold.”
“Isn’t that the exit? Why aren’t we going…?”
I carefully lowered Chaeseoha from my arms and took a single step forward. The exit that now came into view appeared decidedly peculiar.
In a space where not even a whisper of wind stirred, a hazy mist hung suspended. The drifting fog seemed to dominate the chamber, yet strangely, it did not spread beyond this confined space.
I turned my gaze elsewhere.
Strange, small plants visible on the ceiling.
Their stems stretched as if to cover the entire wall surface, and the bodies of the plants opened and closed their maws while emitting fine wisps of mist.
“He’s thought of everything.”
I shook my head with an expression of disbelief.
Is that so?
Cheongdam’s voice came with a note of curiosity.
“What is it? Tell me as well, please.”
“That mist induces hallucinations. You would descend into madness and ultimately become sustenance for those plants—do you wish to proceed?”
“…There is no reason for me to enter first. This seems a decision that requires your judgment, Grand Hero.”
Cheongdam quietly retreated backward, laughing awkwardly.
He withdrew his body, making clear his unwillingness to venture inside.
I exhaled a sigh at the sight.
“Give me the sword.”
“My sword, you mean?”
“The only person here carrying a sword is Cheongdam.”
“Huh?”
Cheongdam frowned and hesitated.
He seemed reluctant to hand over his weapon to anyone, but recognizing the unavoidable circumstances, he sighed and passed it to me.
I grasped it in my hand and drew the blade.
Shing—!
“Wait?! You’re leaving?”
I didn’t answer Cheongdam’s voice from behind. Instead, I offered a faint smile and stepped forward.
Boom—!
The moment my feet left the ground, I felt an enormous force explode through me. My body shot forward through the air, and before my feet could touch the ground again, I swung the sword.
Screeeech—!
The blade flashed like lightning, severing all the vegetation that filled the ceiling. The cut stems scattered through the air like debris, and for an instant, even the air itself trembled heavily.
The moment my feet touched the ground.
There was no time to breathe.
Whoooosh—!
As if they had been waiting, the Guhonsa burst forth from the cracks in the floor like madness, their blue-green scales undulating as venom overflowed.
“Young Master—?!”
Chaeseoha’s sharp cry pierced my ears, but I raised the sword again.
Flash—!
As the blade swung, a gale erupted and tore through the air.
The rushing wind scattered the mist to shreds, and at the same moment, the leaping Guhonsa were severed instantly and fell to the ground.
Thud thud thud—!
The severed pieces writhed on the ground before ceasing their movement. Red venom dripped down, but they could no longer maintain their momentum.
The mist that had filled the space also dispersed and vanished in the wake of the torn wind.
I took a deep breath and sheathed the sword.
“Hah….”
“Insane….”
“I… just blinked and… hah….”
Those watching the situation wore expressions of shock. Just as Cheongdam said, I had resolved everything in the blink of an eye, so anyone would be astonished.
I looked at them and spoke calmly.
“Let’s go. It seems we don’t have much distance left to our destination.”
“How… do you know that?”
“Intuition.”
A violent explosive sound echoed, but it dispersed from a single point. What that meant was simple—there was a much larger space beyond this place.
I picked up Chaeseoha, who was cautiously approaching me, and moved toward another passage.
However, the path to our destination was truly treacherous.
We were distracted by illusions, nearly became porcupines from poisoned needles, and when the passage suddenly split into multiple paths, another wave of Guhonsa poured down upon us in utter chaos.
It was truly a scene of pandemonium.
The malice of whoever created this place was palpable enough to feel distinctly.
“Huff, huff… th-this absolutely cannot be a place created by Jang Munin. I mean, how can something be this vicious! It must be either a heterodox sect or the Demonic Cult, truly!”
Cheongdam, breathing heavily, ground his teeth.
Not for a single moment could I release the tension.
As if crafted to target the moment one’s guard dropped, the sudden traps appearing in unforeseen situations were exhausting both body and spirit.
Because of this, dark circles had formed beneath Cheongdam’s eyes.
Observing his state, I forced a smile.
“It is certainly malicious.”
“Just what kind of person would create such a thing in front of the Martial Artist’s residence…!”
“You believe it was not Jang Munin?”
“It couldn’t be! Jang Munin has always been someone who upholds the righteous path!”
Cheongdam, with only the Hoyeon he had witnessed with his own eyes occupying his mind, shook his head in firm denial.
Yet the way his eyes trembled faintly suggested that even as he denied it, he could not shake the thought of ‘what if?’
It seemed less a matter of faith in Hoyeon, and more a fear that such a thing might tarnish the reputation of the Martial Artist.
In this regard, he resembled Tae-hwang.
I curved my lips into a smile and turned my gaze away.
Whoooosh—
I felt it.
A breeze entering from somewhere.
It was not the biting cold I had felt in this place, but rather as if it carried warmth from the sunlight.
“In any case, it seems we have arrived at our destination.”
“Really!?”
I nodded at the loud exclamation.
Undoubtedly, it was wind flowing in from outside.
Which meant the destination lay beyond this point.
Everyone’s eyes gleamed as they hastily moved forward.
They all appeared eager to escape this unsettling place as quickly as possible.
I moved along with them.
After advancing perhaps another two hundred paces following the breeze, a vast space suddenly revealed itself before us.
The moment it entered my vision, everyone’s eyes widened.
“Light enters the cave?”
“That is not all—there are traces of human presence.”
This was no ordinary cave.
The ceiling had an opening through which sunlight seeped, softly dispersing and dispelling the darkness.
The wind too flowed through the opening, adding a cool yet strangely warm breath.
For those who had endured the long journey, even that breeze felt like the breath of the living.
Where the light gathered, there stood a stone platform carved with care, upon which lay several worn books arranged neatly.
Whether they were secret letters from Singyeo or martial manuals remained unclear, but it was certain that Hoyeon had personally hidden them here.
Beside them lay hardened ink and a worn brush.
Next to it were hardened ink and a worn-out brush.
An inkstone bearing traces of use sat upon the stone surface, revealing that paintings and writings had been left here regularly.
“There are medicinal herbs here as well.”
“Even Beopgokdan…”
It was clear this was not merely a hideaway to conceal secrets, but a space prepared to accommodate prolonged stays if necessary.
And across the floor lay deep sword marks gouged into the stone in all directions.
They were traces of someone ceaselessly wielding a blade to master martial techniques.
This place had been used for martial practice.
As I moved slowly examining those marks, I soon discovered a book resting upon the stone.
A single volume that appeared to be a secret manual of Singyeo.
When I carefully opened it, the contents had already faded beyond legibility—a reasonable conclusion being that everything had been memorized and all traces of Singyeo deliberately erased.
“What is this?”
At that moment, Cheongdam approached quietly and held another book in his hands, opening it to examine.
Contrary to what one would naturally expect to find text, the pages were densely covered in small scrawls and doodles, which seemed to strike him as peculiar.
“I do not know.”
At my words, Cheongdam released a sigh and flipped through the pages before withdrawing his hand and pressing his forehead.
“What am I to report to Taesajo… This is not simple.”
Complexity colored Cheongdam’s voice.
From the moment we entered this place until now, determining whether everything I have witnessed with my own eyes is the work of Hoyeon or something created by another is itself no easy task.
To affirm it would suggest malice beyond measure, yet to deny it leaves too many inexplicable details.
Even examining the book yields no interpretation.
That is the reason for my headache.
“Even I can see there would be no way to explain this, so would it not be better to bring him here directly?”
“Ah—.”
At my words, Cheongdam regained his composure and let out a small exclamation.
Then his eyes gleamed as he regarded me.
“Indeed, one truly must possess a sharp mind. Ha ha.”
Cheongdam, bearing a broad smile, set the book he held upon the stone and began surveying the surroundings once more with a relaxed expression.
Seeking to obtain whatever else might be found.
I observed this and picked up the book Cheongdam had set down.
Scrawls densely written in small characters.
For anyone unfamiliar with Singyeo, no one could possibly decipher the contents of this book.
Rustle—!
Page by page.
I continued turning through the pages, lightly scanning the contents to determine whether this was something I required or something the Emperor desired.
But it was neither.
There was nothing written about Singyeo, nor anything the Emperor sought.
In the moment I closed the book with a sense of deflation, releasing a sigh.
“Huh…?”
A brief exclamation from somewhere drew my attention.
None other than Chaeseoha.
I found myself staring intently at something discovered in a corner, trembling with an oddly intense sense of surprise.
Before I could stop myself, I approached quietly and asked.
“What’s wrong?”
“Th-that is… th-this…!”
Chaeseoha showed me what she held in her trembling hands.
It was a book as well.
Unlike the others, a book not written in cipher.
Moreover, an ancient tome of considerable age.
The paper had yellowed with time as if it might crumble away, and a faint mingling of herbal and ink scents wafted from it.
Yet the characters themselves remained distinct.
Chaeseoha’s eyes widened with trembling intensity.
“This was… written by Uiseon long ago.”
“What?”
“Truly! There’s no doubt about it!”
Chaeseoha thrust her face forward with a loud voice. Her cry was so sudden that all eyes turned toward her.
Startled by the attention, she lost her grip on the book, and it fell to the floor. In that instant, the final page of the book opened, revealing an illustration.
Gok Ok.
A form both familiar and strange pierced my vision like a lance.
In that moment, a chill ran down my spine.

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