The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 327

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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 327

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The Martial Arts Alliance.
Powerful experts who governed the martial realm gathered together, their expressions grave and unyielding.
Not a single one dared speak easily, yet their gazes remained fixed upon one location.
The place where all their eyes converged.
There stood a man.
His clothes were torn to shreds, his wounds laid bare.
The terror and fear he had endured was evident in his bloodless face and trembling frame, quivering like an aspen leaf, unable to find composure.
The man’s ragged breathing made him appear as though he had barely survived the depths of hell itself.
As Mu-jin stared silently, unable to speak, a single voice pierced through the suffocating silence of the chamber, broken only by labored breathing.
“Amitabha Buddha—I ask once more. What did you witness?”
“It, it was certainly the Sword Emperor. With those… those clad in pitch-black robes, they… they massacred an entire village and vanished!”
“…!”
At that anguished cry, Hye-myeong closed his eyes tightly once more.
Finding Mo Yong-cheon, whom they had been searching for, was indeed fortunate, but to have annihilated an entire village and disappeared?
Such a horrific act was unthinkable from one once called the Jeongdo Samhwang.
Yet the matter did not end there.
Crash—!
The conference hall door burst open suddenly, and Jegal Daewun appeared. Gasping for breath as he entered, he cast a single glance at the survivor before his eyes trembled, and he hurried toward Hye-myeong.
“Alliance Leader, please examine this.”
“….”
Rustle—.
Upon reading the hastily delivered letter, Hye-myeong’s brows furrowed deeply. Unable to believe what he read, he examined the contents several times before closing his eyes once more and handing the letter to Mu-jin beside him.
“What is it?”
“Sigh… The Sword Emperor has appeared again. And… three villages have been massacred in his wake.”
“…!”
“This is absurd…!”
Gasps of disbelief echoed throughout the chamber, and Mu-jin’s brow furrowed as well. The blood-stained letter had been sent before Gaebangdo’s death, containing far more detailed information than the man’s account.
“Hundreds of… powerful experts. Amitabha Buddha—.”
Had the Sword Emperor, believing he had nowhere left to hide, gathered his followers to overturn the martial realm of Jeongdo?
There was no other possibility.
Then, Hye-myeong’s closed eyes opened once more.
“Where is he now?”
“He has… vanished again.”
The word “vanished” was imprecise.
To be exact, he had annihilated every last survivor, leaving no one to send information and making it impossible to determine his location.
There’s no way I wouldn’t know that.
Whoosh—
Hye-myeong steadied his breathing once more.
As if trying to rein in the fury that threatened to boil over.
Then his gaze blazed toward Jegal Daewun.
“What do you think their objective is?”
Jegal Daewun, upon hearing the question, held his breath.
A fierce momentum surging upward from south of Hanan, pressing northward with relentless force.
As if driven by the will to sweep away everything blocking the path ahead, it advanced without hesitation.
And at the end of that trajectory lay.
Jeongdo and Luoyang.
If the objective were to overthrow the Martial Arts Alliance, they would certainly advance toward Jeongdo, but even Mo Yong-cheon couldn’t face both Hye-myeong and Mu-jin simultaneously.
Then there was only one possibility to consider.
Jegal Daewun’s lips slowly parted.
“Luoyang. Jin Cheon-u.”
“Amitabha Buddha—.”

* * *

Before long, I returned home and first handed over Jin Myeong, whom I’d brought with me, to my father, then after settling the remaining matters, I made my way to the annex.
Following carefully behind me was Seol Ha-yeon.
The unfamiliar sights of the Jin Family seemed to captivate her, as her eyes rarely stopped moving.
“Is it fascinating?”
“It’s quite different from the Northern Sea. Everything feels fresh.”
“Once you grow accustomed to it, you’ll find yourself missing the Northern Sea. I still can’t shake the landscapes I saw there.”
“…You mean the ice stained with blood?”
“Ha, no. I mean the landscape that preserved the heart of deepest winter.”
I offered a bitter smile and shook my head.
Certainly, that place held more than its share of horrors, yet the scenery I witnessed there would likely remain unforgettable until my dying breath.
I understood well enough why Jin Myeong didn’t hesitate to undertake the journey northward.
Because I knew the taste of that landscape all too well.
Just as I turned back with another smile playing at my lips.
“…What is this, exactly?”
Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo, who had somehow attached themselves to me, wore expressions of dejection, their eyes seeming to plead not to be forgotten.
As I regarded them with puzzlement, Paeng Dohan opened his mouth with difficulty.
“Well, you see, I thought we’d accomplish something remarkable… but in the end, we didn’t do much.”
“I feel like we’ve been forgotten.”
Yes, had we been even slightly delayed, I surely would have left them behind.
I myself had completely forgotten their existence.
“You’ve been of considerable help, so it’s fine.”
“How has that been helpful?”
“Well… you eased the tension?”
“Sigh.”
My words caused both their shoulders to slump.
They were already burdened with considerable worries.
Unlike Jang Chuchyeong and Namgung Yeon’s overwhelming prowess, and lacking Chaeseoha’s specialized utility, they felt their inadequacy keenly.
Knowing naturally that their position lagged furthest behind, they strived desperately to overcome it in any way possible, yet such efforts were far from easy.
“Worrying about it only means you’ve already lost. Did you truly believe I brought you both along without consideration?”
“Then… we have value to you as well?”
“Of course.”
Though Cheon Yul wasn’t present now, with these two here, no one in the Martial Arts Alliance questioned the Jin Family’s neutrality.
Moreover, while they offered little immediate benefit, once they grew stronger, they would prove invaluable. And when I eventually embarked on my wandering knight’s journey, the Jin Family name would be spoken alongside mine—a perfect dual benefit.
I smiled while concealing these true intentions.
“Your very presence is already providing sufficient help. Hani, you need not obsess over immediate results.”
“I see. But I shall strive ceaselessly to grow worthy of the Young Master’s eyes.”
The two prepared to return to the training grounds, when unexpectedly, a visitor arrived.
None other than Steward Yu Hyeon.
“There you are, Young Master.”
“What brings you here?”
“Haha, I wondered if I might have a word with you?”
“Of course. Please, come inside.”
I led Yu Hyeon into my quarters.
After we seated ourselves at the table, a maid soon entered bearing tea and refreshments.
“What is this matter?”
“I’m uncertain if you’ve heard, but strange incidents have been occurring recently in Henan.”
“Strange incidents?”
“Yes, several villages have been completely annihilated. I felt compelled to inform you, Young Master.”
“Completely annihilated…?”
I furrowed my brow.
I could have dismissed it as mere banditry or pirate raids.
Most such incidents were perpetrated by such ruffians.
Yet the fact that the Steward sought me out specifically to relay this meant it was no ordinary matter.
“The intelligence networks of the families are all abuzz with this incident.”
“What connection does this have to me?”
“This is merely rumor, you understand, but a witness who observed the situation from afar claims to have seen… the Sword Emperor there.”
“…!”
Muyong Jungcheon, the Sword Emperor.
The moment his name was spoken, my blood ran cold.
I narrowed my eyes.
“Are you saying Mo Yong-cheon attacked the villages?”
“Yes, at the moment it’s impossible to gather information even if we wanted to. Everyone is doing their best, but….”
Yu Hyeon trailed off, swallowing a groan.
To obtain information, someone would have to risk their life. I couldn’t expose the family’s people to such danger, and extracting people from Gaebangdo or elsewhere wasn’t easy either.
I nodded in acknowledgment.
“I’ll look into the rest myself.”
“Yes, understood. Then I shall take my leave….”
Yu Hyeon rose carefully from his seat with a respectful bow. Something unprecedented was unfolding. The Jin Family would need to prepare for unforeseen circumstances, so there would be much to do.
I watched him hurry out before rising from my seat as well.
I left the room and made my way through the corridors.
As I ventured beyond the family compound toward the marketplace, my furrowed brow refused to relax, and my mind continued churning, struggling to comprehend the current situation.
Mo Ryeong-san, who had remained silent until now, had clearly made a move.
The Huncheon Gangsi would not stir without his command.
The question was—why had he attacked the village?
If he needed the corpses of martial artists, he would have targeted the Nine Schools or the Eight Great Families.
But this was a place with no connection to any of that.
Moreover, by committing such a horrific massacre that would inevitably draw public attention, he had made his intentions impossible to ignore.
What was he after?
Gok Ok?
If not that, then Gwanbaek? Or perhaps me.
With various scenarios tangled in my mind, unable to reach a clear conclusion, I entered the Hwaseon Inn to gather more concrete information.
“….”
But something was wrong.
The inn’s doors were completely shut, and there was no sign of life inside. I glanced around the surroundings, but even the Ha Omun members who usually frequented this area were nowhere to be seen.
I walked slowly through the strange atmosphere.
Dusk was settling in.
The crimson sunset blazed intensely overhead, and the world seemed dyed blood-red.
As if heralding the calm before a storm, the wind gradually grew fiercer, and dark clouds gathered in the distant sky, swallowing the red streets below.
Feeling the ominous atmosphere, I quickened my pace. Within moments of entering the red-light district and surveying my surroundings, my unease became reality.
“They’ve all disappeared?”
The pleasure houses where Ha Omun gathered information—the entire district was sealed shut.
Moreover, the people who should have been scattered throughout the red-light district were nowhere to be found, as if they had withdrawn from Luoyang entirely.
What did this mean?
There was no need for deep contemplation.
Because it was dangerous.
The moment my thoughts concluded, I moved swiftly and rushed toward the family compound.
Mo Ryeong-san had mobilized countless Huncheon Gangsi.
His target was me.
I should have realized it from the moment he brazenly revealed the Huncheon Gangsi without any attempt at secrecy.
“Damn it!”
What he wanted was—
Divine retribution.

* * *

“Krraaaaaaagh-!”
In that instant, a horrific scream echoed from somewhere nearby.
I launched myself skyward in a blur, landing atop the highest roof. Sharpening my perception toward the source of the sound, I couldn’t help but gasp at the sight before me.
“Insane…”
Countless Huncheon Gangsi surged forward like a tide of darkness.
Their black shadows consumed even the deepening gloom itself.
The number pouring through the city gates was beyond counting, and they charged relentlessly at anything with life, tearing and rending without mercy.
“Kekek!”
“Aaaagh!”
“Save me! Save-gack!”
The sheer numbers were overwhelming, but the true catastrophe lay in their power.
Each individual Huncheon Gangsi was a martial artist of renown throughout the Central Plains, making them far too formidable for mere constables or even the martial artists scattered through the streets to handle.
I moved with urgency.
The moment I descended like an arrow to strike the ground.
Flash-!
Every Huncheon Gangsi’s gaze snapped toward me.
As if they had found their target.
Yet they did not cease their slaughter.
Seeing this, I hastily drew my blade and swung it with force.
Shing-!
My razor-sharp steel cut through arms and heads of the Huncheon Gangsi, and I began rescuing those teetering on the brink of death one by one.
In the brief moment of respite, those who had survived cried out.
“It… it’s the Young Master of the Jin Family!”
“H-he’s as incredible as the rumors say!”
“What are you doing?! Flee! Run away!”
As if there were no time for shock, someone’s cry spurred the helpless masses to scramble away.
Yet the majority could not escape from their grasp.
Splurch-!
Some had their chests pierced, their throats torn away.
As if to demonstrate their intent, they killed one person after another while keeping their gaze fixed upon me—their purpose was unmistakably divine retribution directed at me.
Witnessing this, my lips trembled despite myself.
I drew upon my power with even greater intensity, swinging my blade with devastating force.
Shing-!

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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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