The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 318

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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 318

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The streets bustled with vitality, and the vigorous voices of the people echoed endlessly. Pedestrians hurried back and forth with purposeful steps, and throughout the district, warriors patrolled with watchful eyes—a sight that was far from uncommon.
The Martial Arts Alliance of Henan.
Though the Alliance’s prestige had been somewhat diminished by the recent series of incidents, the atmosphere of the streets showed little concern, having regained its former vibrancy.
The only difference from before was that the number of patrolling warriors from the Alliance had increased.
Their eyes gleamed with a sharpness as though they were vigilant against something.
I narrowed my brow as I observed these men.
“It seems something has happened.”
It was possible they were simply patrolling due to the Sword Emperor’s matter, but the unusually tense atmosphere they displayed suggested that the Sword Emperor alone could not be the reason.
Moreover, the beggars scattered throughout the district exhibited the same behavior.
I smiled as I felt their gazes upon me from every corner.
Wherever I went, their eyes followed me like sentries.
This was unmistakably evidence of Gwak Il-cho’s orders.
They were attempting to uncover something, but even with all their efforts, investigating my background would not be easy.
I moved forward, ignoring their watchful stares.
My destination was the Martial Arts Alliance.
After walking for some time, I stopped before the main gate of the Alliance, and those who recognized me bowed respectfully.
“My goodness, Young Master! Welcome! What brings you here today…?”
“I wish to meet with the Sect Leader.”
“Ah—! I shall inform him at once. Please wait a moment.”
I smiled brightly as I watched the gatekeeper disappear inside, then turned my attention to the one who remained.
His expression was unusually bright.
Seeing how different he appeared from the patrolling warriors, I realized he had not been informed of some important matter. Simultaneously, I understood that there was something that would bring joy to these subordinates.
I casually probed the remaining gatekeeper.
“The atmosphere seems better than before. Has something good happened?”
“Ah—of course! Hahaha! The Martial Arts Alliance has something that will allow it to soar once more!”
The man grinned widely as he spoke.
Soon after, he glanced left and right to confirm the surroundings, then leaned in close to me and lowered his voice.
“Tae-hwang has come to the Alliance!”
“…Him?”
“Yes, with two of the Ten Emperors joining the Alliance’s strength, what could be more joyous!”
The man spoke with great excitement.
Following Gonghuang, now Tae-hwang as well.
With two of the Three Emperors of the Righteous Path having joined, there could be no better news for martial artists walking that path.
And one was from Shaolin, the other from the Martial Artists—no less.
I smiled in response to his beaming expression.
“What delightful news. I trust this troublesome matter will be resolved soon.”
“Yes, of course! Hahaha!”
Unlike those celebrating, I thought differently about the situation.
It seemed that Tae-hwang had been with the Martial Arts Alliance for quite some time now.
It was certainly news sensational enough to spread through the streets of Beijing, yet no one there had spoken of it.
That silence meant they were concealing it—which suggested there was something more urgent to handle than announcing Tae-hwang’s arrival.
I stroked my chin and furrowed my brow.
My doubts were deepening by the moment.
Just then, the door opened again, and the gatekeeper who had gone to deliver the message returned.
He came rushing in with ragged breaths, and upon stopping before me, his face broke into a bright smile.
“The Sect Leader wishes to see you. Please follow me.”
I nodded at the man’s words.
I naturally proceeded deeper into the Martial Arts Alliance, moving toward the Sect Leader’s quarters.
As I walked, I observed the people passing through the corridors.
Some wore grave expressions, others appeared shocked, and still others displayed pure joy on their faces.
Noting how their emotions were completely at odds with one another, I posed a question to the gatekeeper ahead of me.
“The atmosphere seems quite different from before.”
“Haha, well, there have been many recent events, so that’s likely the cause. But it should change soon. An extraordinary piece of news awaits.”
“Are you referring to Tae-hwang’s matter?”
“Gasp?! How did you know?”
The man stared at me in shock.
He clearly hadn’t considered that a colleague might have told me, and his eyes widened with astonishment.
Then, breaking into an awkward laugh while cold sweat beaded his forehead, he spoke.
“Ha, haha, someone of the Jin Family of Luoyang’s standing would naturally know such internal matters.”
“I heard it just now from another gatekeeper.”
“That loose-mouthed fool! His mouth needs sewing shut before he goes around blabbing carelessly!”
“Haha.”
The man cursed harshly and twisted his expression into something fierce. I could tell just how loose-tongued the one who had spoken of Tae-hwang truly was.
And so we walked for some time before entering deeper into the compound.
Eventually, we arrived at the office where the Sect Leader conducted his affairs.
“Sect Leader, Jin Gongja of the Jin Family of Luoyang has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
Hearing the weighty voice, I opened the door and stepped inside.
Turning my gaze naturally to survey the interior, I spotted Hye-myeong and Mu-jin seated at a table positioned to one side of the office.
I bowed my head toward the two of them.
“It has been a long time since we last met.”
“Hehe—it has indeed been quite some time since Beijing. How wonderful to see you again.”
“I never expected to see you here at the Alliance.”
Hye-myeong smiled warmly at the reunion, while Mu-jin regarded me with a somewhat surprised expression.
It had only been recently that I’d seen him at the Martial Artist’s residence, so I too hadn’t anticipated meeting him again here at the Martial Arts Alliance.
I smiled back at the two of them in response.
“I’m relieved to see that both of you are well.”
“Amitabha Buddha.”
Hye-myeong invoked the Buddha and offered me a seat.
I settled naturally into the chair and observed the two of them, noticing that both their eyes carried a glimmer of curiosity.
They must have wondered what reason brought me here.
“Actually, I came seeking to meet Moryeong Hyeok.”
“…!”
The moment the name Moryeong Hyeok left my lips, I saw both Hye-myeong and Mu-jin’s complexions stiffen.
Sensing the bright atmosphere dim, I furrowed my brow and posed another question.
“Has something happened?”
“Hehe…”
Hye-myeong fell silent without speaking.
As if conflicted over whether to speak or remain quiet.
As my eyes grew clouded by that strange atmosphere, Mu-jin’s lips finally parted first, unable to hold back any longer.
“That child is dead. Infinite Buddha.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly as I said. This old man also learned of it upon entering the Martial Arts Alliance, but it seems all members of the Moyong Family who were imprisoned were killed.”
At Mu-jin’s words, Hye-myeong furrowed his brow as if reopening a painful wound.
The members of the Moyong Family had been killed not elsewhere, but within the Martial Arts Alliance itself. From his tone, it was clearly not suicide—they had been murdered by someone.
“How could this…”
“Amitabha Buddha—this old monk’s negligence. Hehe, who could have known an intruder would breach our walls?”
Hye-myeong sighed helplessly and shook his head.
Who would believe that someone, without fear, could penetrate the Martial Arts Alliance itself and reach its deepest sanctum to harm others?
Having witnessed no intruders for so many years, he had grown complacent, and now that negligence pricked at his conscience.
I exhaled deeply, yet spoke with measured calm.
“The Sect Leader must be bearing an immense burden.”
“Indeed. We must make this public, yet we find ourselves unable to act either way. Hehe, and we haven’t even apprehended the culprit…”
The furrows between Hye-myeong and Mu-jin’s brows deepened further.
The Moyong Family, called the Number One Sword Sect under heaven.
Now the Martial Arts Alliance faced the situation of having to announce that the Young Master of that sect and his retinue had been murdered within its walls.
No matter how poorly the Sword Emperor’s incident had cast the Moyong Family in the eyes of others, their influence could not be ignored.
First the Sword Emperor, now Moryeong Hyeok.
The name of the Martial Arts Alliance would plummet into the abyss.
“What became of the bodies?”
“The bodies… the bodies, you say… hehe…”
I observed Hye-myeong’s expression and reached my conclusion.
They had discovered the bodies, but had not been able to conduct a thorough examination.
As time passed, they would have decomposed rapidly, and eventually nothing would remain—not even bone fragments, completely vanished.
“Amitabha Buddha—they dissolved without leaving even bone behind. Less than two hours had passed since the bodies were discovered.”
I blinked in surprise at those words.
As if I had heard something utterly unbelievable.
However, if what Mo Ryeong-san had scattered upon the corpse at Xiao’ao Peak was indeed a poison with similar properties, and he had used it to commit murder, then this would certainly be a plausible outcome.
I composed my expression and posed a natural question.
“Is such a thing even possible?”
“Amitabha—even our Sect Leader finds it difficult to believe. Had the Hwangbo Patriarch not noticed the deaths and reported them, we would not have known whether they were dead or had escaped alive.”
Hye-myeong shook his head.
The intruders had entered quietly, carried out their work, and the dead would have opened their eyes in the afterlife without even knowing how they had perished.
Such was the secrecy of these people.
The Shadow Society.
Singyeo’s assassination unit.
Their involvement meant that Moryeong Hyeok’s actions had provoked even Singyeo’s wrath.
Was it Sa Myeong-gyeom who sent them?
Having targeted me to restore pride after the destroyed branch and Sin Gak’s humiliation, it was clear he sought to eliminate the troublesome Moryeong Hyeok beforehand.
As I exhaled softly and fell silent with furrowed brows, Hye-myeong, who had only been answering questions until now, turned his gaze toward me and posed a question in return.
“But why did you seek to meet that child?”
“I wished to hear about the Sword Emperor. Surely I cannot lose sleep indefinitely?”
Upon hearing my explanation, Hye-myeong nodded in understanding. In that moment, a soft chuckle echoed from one side.
Instantly, Hye-myeong’s gaze turned toward Mu-jin.
“What is it? That hardly seems like an odd tale.”
“If that child truly feared the Sword Emperor, he would not have scratched him at the tournament grounds as you say. Moreover… that is not the face of one losing sleep.”
“Hehehehe.”
At words that sounded like a jest, Hye-myeong also smiled.
Yet there was substance to the remark.
As if possessing certainty that I regarded the Sword Emperor as utterly trivial.
Sure enough, Mu-jin, bringing the teacup to his lips, gazed at me once more with a faint smile.
“Indeed, a child who looks this old Taoist straight in the eye and requests a martial contest—why would he fear the Sword Emperor?”
“That is… what do you mean? A martial contest? A martial contest? Are you saying the two of you fought?”
Mu-jin offered no answer, but the atmosphere provided one.
As the astonished Hye-myeong looked toward me with wide eyes, I found myself smiling awkwardly and bowing my head slightly.
“Tae-hwang showed considerable mercy.”
“Hmph—even with mercy, it was not something to endure. Yet you overcame it and pierced the opening, so you must have taken it with you, yes? Did you deliver it well to the Emperor?”
“Haha, yes, he was most pleased.”
With each exchange of words, Hye-myeong could not hide his astonishment.
To anyone listening, it was clear a martial contest had taken place, and the conversation was flowing as if there had been a victor.
One of the Ten Sovereigns of All Under Heaven, one of the Three Sovereigns of the Righteous Path.
To have achieved victory against Tae-hwang Mu-jin, the absolute being among Martial Artists, was no ordinary matter.
“Amitabha—has the time come for this old monk to depart, that I hear such nonsense?”
“Do not pretend to be a deaf old man. It is the truth.”
“Hehehehe—.”
My words came out somewhat crude, yet Mu-jin’s expression remained serene.
The moment I confirmed this, I narrowed my brow.
The reason I broached this topic in such circumstances.
While it served to shift the atmosphere, what truly bothered me was that this absurd legend had yet to spread across the Central Plains.
As though I yearned for a tale as legendary as this to ripple outward.
Beyond the dignity of Taehwang Mu-jin and the Martial Artist, I wished to ensure that within the narrative of an existence destined to stand tall in the distant future, my own presence was also known.
I regarded Mu-jin with an expression of reluctance.
The corners of his mouth rose in a peculiar manner.

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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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