The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 339

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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 339

“Is he going to be alright?”
“Both of them are stubborn as mules….”
Passersby moving through the city gates fixed their gaze on one spot, their eyes filled with unease.
Mo Yong-heon, the second son of the Moyong Family, remained prostrate as he begged for forgiveness without rising, and Namgung Yeon standing before him was no different.
Both of them remained motionless, abstaining from food and drink.
While Mo Yong-heon was hidden from view, the ordeal that Namgung Yeon endured while standing was no trivial matter.
Her lips had turned pale and cracked, her once vibrant skin had grown dull and withered, and the shadows beneath her eyes were remarkably dark.
Her bloodshot eyes seemed as though they would plunge into a deep abyss the moment she closed them.
Anyone could see this was an arduous situation.
Yet Namgung Yeon showed no sign of distress, her gaze fixed downward as she kept only Mo Yong-heon in her sight.
“Truly… both of them are remarkable. I wouldn’t have lasted even half a day.”
“Indeed. Half a day? I couldn’t have managed even half a watch.”
The passing crowds shook their heads as they watched the two.
Not merely the common folk, but even the bereaved families who initially glared at Mo Yong-heon with eyes burning with rage gradually found such expressions fading from their faces.
Witnessing Mo Yong-heon’s sincere apology, they felt their hearts softening, if only slightly.
“He’s lost his mind… what is he doing?”
From a distance away, Jang Chuchyeong, who observed the situation, furrowed his brow as if displeased.
He understood why Mo Yong-heon was doing this, but he could not comprehend why Namgung Yeon had also gotten involved and was suffering so grievously.
I turned to look at him shaking his head and sighing, allowing a faint smile to cross my lips.
“Does his suffering displease you? Or do you think it’s madness?”
“Both. That wretch deserves to be beaten to death… yet she’s protecting him….”
“Does it look like she’s protecting him?”
“Wouldn’t he have been beaten to death here otherwise?”
I nodded at Jang Chuchyeong’s conviction.
No matter how refined one’s martial techniques, there is no way to withstand the endless barrage of fists and clubs raining down.
Moreover, considering the bandits who lurked waiting for such an opportunity, if Namgung Yeon had not stepped forward and Mo Yong-heon had been alone, he would have lasted at most four days.
I was certain he would have died within that time.
A member of the Jin Family of Luoyang, a descendant of the great Namgung Family.
With such a woman standing as if protecting Mo Yong-heon, no one could approach, and all they could do was point and whisper.
Since it was Namgung Yeon who created such circumstances, there was no denying that she appeared to have stepped forward of her own accord to protect the Moyong Family.
“I wonder if she has any sense at all….”
Displeased by this, Jang Chuchyeong clicked his tongue and turned away.
“Once today passes, it will be over. So do not concern yourself.”
The span of a fortnight passed faster than expected.
Once today ended, that unsightly spectacle would no longer be visible to our eyes.
Perhaps for this reason, people marveled at how long the two had endured, and quite a large crowd had gathered to witness their final moments.
It felt as though not just the people of Luoyang, but all those from the surrounding areas had assembled.
Observing this, Jang Chuchyeong’s discomfort became even more apparent as he turned his head to look at me.
“But Young Master, are you truly forgiving the Moyong Family with just that?”
“For now?”
“F-for now?”
Either way, the Moyong Family would face sealing.
There would be differences in how strict or lenient that sealing would be, but considering Mo Yong-heon’s plea for forgiveness, it was certain to be lenient.
But would the family’s influence truly recover from that?
No.
The Moyong Family was already despised by everyone in the Central Plains, and they knew that even the Sword Emperor, who had served as their pillar, was gone from this world.
The Moyong Family would gradually have everything they desperately clung to stripped away, and eventually, all they possessed would be seized.
Wolves were circling, waiting for their opportunity.
To obtain everything the Number One Sword Sect once held.
I couldn’t know who would become the next Family Head, but depending on his abilities, I would be able to tell whether they would be robbed or could protect everything intact.
I briefly recalled Mo Yong-heon and Moryong Paeng.
Soon after, I smiled faintly.
“No, they’re finished.”
“The Moyong Family?”
“Yes. The one who will become the next Family Head is undoubtedly Moryong Paeng. Mo Yong-heon is merely a scapegoat for atonement… When he returns, he will surely lose everything and depart.”
“Gasp?!”
“It’s an unavoidable choice to erase the shadow of the Sword Emperor.”
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
The appearance of Moryong Paeng that I witnessed at the tournament grounds.
Despite everything crumbling and collapsing, his gaze and expression still refused to abandon the pride that remained.
That man would push the Moyong Family into the abyss.
“So even if I don’t extract him, he will naturally be selected.”
“A wise statement, Young Master. My Master said that if you intend to spare an enemy, you must solidify them thoroughly, and if you intend to kill them, you must uproot them completely to avoid future troubles.”
Watching Jang Chuchyeong laugh, I nodded.
I share the same thought.
However, having lost both the Sword Emperor and Mo Yong-hyeok, with their very roots shaken, wouldn’t it be far more fitting for those they despised and scorned to decorate their final chapter, rather than us who possess such tremendous power?
I stopped my thoughts and looked at Jang Chuchyeong.
“But how is it? Meeting your Master after so long?”
“How is it? It’s more chaotic than before. Absolutely, he’s trying to kill me.”
Jang Chuchyeong’s body trembled as he spoke.
His eyes were like those of a dead fish, and I could tell how much fear and terror he was experiencing.
But he wouldn’t have come for nothing.
I smiled softly and looked at Jang Chuchyeong.
“You brought new martial techniques, didn’t you?”
“Gasp?! How did you know?”
Confirming the surprised expression on his face, I couldn’t help but laugh. Gu Gunbaek must have certainly told him to keep it secret from me.
To surprise me greatly someday.
But I had already witnessed the fight between Gu Gunbaek and Mo Ryeong-san. Against someone who had risen to a level far beyond Yeom Ji-hak or Chu Won, Gu Gunbaek held his ground firmly and even wiped the smile from that man’s face.
“Did you think you could hide it?”
“My Master said I only needed to watch my tongue.”
“Ha, you still don’t know me well.”
I knew Mo Ryeong-san’s strength better than anyone.
It was clear that he was an opponent who couldn’t be dealt with simply because Gu Gunbaek’s level had advanced slightly, but considering how he had pressured that man instead, it meant he too had taken a much greater step forward.
It was obvious that he would have created new martial techniques from the enlightenment gained there, and refined and elevated his existing ones even further.
He must have been eager to teach those techniques, and ultimately left Namman to come to Luoyang.
Thanks to that, he appeared at a critical moment and helped me, so Gu Gunbaek’s value to me was beyond mere fortune.
I pulled out a silver ingot from my pocket and tossed it to Jang Chuchyeong.
“This, this is?!”
“Go buy something delicious to eat with your elder. You could even treat him to some fine wine. I promised to do so, so I must keep my word.”
“Really, truly?”
As he caught it with a surprised expression, I nodded calmly.
“….”
Soon after, he gazed at the silver ingot in his hand, lost in thought, and when something seemed to occur to him, a deep smile spread across his lips.
“Can I go anywhere I want?!”
Where was he thinking of going?
His expression was utterly incomprehensible, but I answered casually.
“I gave it, and you received it, so now it’s yours. Go wherever you wish. Don’t forget that I promised to treat you generously.”
“O, of course! Hehehehe!”
“And learn well from your elder. He’ll cram everything you need right now into you.”
“Ugh… just thinking about it makes me shudder… But since you said so, Young Master, I’ll do my best!”
I gently patted Jang Chuchyeong’s back.
In that instant, he carefully tucked the silver ingot into his pocket, spun around to face me, and broke into a beaming smile.
“Then I have somewhere to go with my Master, so I’ll be going now!”
“Ah… yes.”
Whether excited by the unexpected money or delighted about where he would go with his Master, he rushed off with remarkably light steps.
His figure vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.
I found myself letting out an involuntary laugh and shaking my head.
In the middle of the street, where countless passersby brushed past each other.
Among the throng of people, I caught sight of a strangely familiar figure moving hurriedly.
The person revealed his face only briefly before being swept back into the crowd and disappearing, yet I clearly recalled that unforgettable face and felt a sense of doubt.
“That person…?”
If I wasn’t mistaken, it was someone who shouldn’t be in Luoyang.
Because of this, my furrowed brow refused to relax.

A full moon rose above the gates of Luoyang.
Even the footsteps of people had ceased, leaving only desolation and silence in their wake.
No gaze could be felt, and there was not even the sound of footsteps.
Namgung Yeon’s eyes, which had been gazing downward, trembled slightly, and at that same moment, the sound of a bell announcing the hour of the Rat echoed from somewhere.
Dong— dong— dong—
Upon hearing the sound that gently pierced through the darkness, she released a small sigh and showed movement for the first time in half a month.
She took a step backward.
At the same moment, as her weakened body swayed and threatened to collapse, Mo Yong-heon, who had been lying prone, urgently threw himself forward.
“Cough?!”
Namgung Yeon’s body tumbled over Mo Yong-heon.
A violent groan burst from his lips, but he endured the pain, composed his expression, and spoke to her in an awkward tone.
A sound like scraping metal came from his parched lips.
“A-are you all right?”
“…I apologize.”
“Apologize? Rather, did I not receive your help?”
“It was not help. It was merely… no, it was nothing.”
Namgung Yeon shook her head and struggled to rise to her feet.
Then, glancing down at the ground, she spotted the bamboo tube that Chu Hyeongi had brought with an expression of exasperation.
It surely contained water.
She hastily reached out and drank from it greedily.
As water seeped into her parched and cracked lips, she felt an inexplicable sense of relief that this ordeal had finally ended.
While she continued to quench her thirst for some time, Namgung Yeon, noticing Mo Yong-heon’s gaze, furrowed her brow and looked at him.
“…If it is all right, might I have just a sip as well?”
“Of course. You may drink it all.”
Mo Yong-heon drained the water he had been given in one gulp.
Though his wounds cried out with each movement of his body, his mind grew hazy from the life-giving water flowing into his mouth, overshadowing even that pain.
After watching him for a moment, Namgung Yeon turned away.
Step by step—
She walked with the same dignified bearing as when she had arrived.
As if she would no longer entangle herself with Mo Yong-heon.
Seeing this, Mo Yong-heon, who had been drinking for some time, hastily withdrew from the bamboo tube and spoke out, as if grasping at her ankle.
“Miss—! Does this mean… you have accepted my apology?”
“Your apology changes nothing. However, my heart feels somewhat lighter.”
“I-I see. Thank you, thank you. Miss, thanks to you, I have learned much.”
His once stiff neck bowed more gracefully than anyone’s, and he paid his respects properly.
Namgung Yeon, confirming this sight, let out a soft laugh.
“It is fortunate that the Moyong Family has someone who knows how to bow their head.”
“…Had circumstances not been thus, I would not have done so either. But someone must, must they not?”
“…”
“And after rolling about covered in filth, such things as pride seem of little consequence now. Ha ha.”
Mo Yong-heon scratched his head, his awkward smile fading as he released all pretense, revealing an expression of liberation.
Then, turning toward her—
“I do not know what transpired between the Namgung Family and the Moyong Family, but should the day come when my life has purpose, I swear it shall be spent in your service.”
“That is enough. The road ahead stretches ten thousand li—do not concern yourself with me.”
“Ha, thank you. My lady.”
As Namgung Yeon watched him turn and walk away with that warm smile, she felt an indescribable tangle of emotions stirring within her.
For there was something forlorn about his departing figure.
Her eyes lingered long upon the silhouette of one man dissolving into the darkness.

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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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