The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 344

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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 344

The journey from Shaanxi into Gansu took less time than expected. While I had deliberately minimized rest stops, the absence of any significant obstacles allowed me to shorten the travel considerably.
I loosened my hair and let my bangs fall forward to obscure my face.
To those who knew of my existence as Jin Cheon-u, such a disguise would prove utterly useless, yet those unfamiliar with me would find it difficult to recognize me at a glance.
I harbored no illusions about how long such concealment would last, but for now, I judged it prudent to remain hidden.
Turning my gaze forward, I found Na Cheonmun spreading out a large map, searching for our destination.
“I believe it should be this way….”
Unfamiliar with the routes of the Central Plains, he groaned in frustration, scrutinizing the map intently for some time while wracking his brain.
Fortunately, we had not lost our way.
We continued steadily closing the distance toward our objective.
“But weren’t they supposed to keep moving? It seems we won’t be able to find them easily….”
“Ah, there is no need to worry. We are tracking their location through carrier pigeons.”
Na Cheonmun’s confident response eased Yeon-un’s concerns.
At his assured expression, Yeon-un raised his thumb in approval.
These two truly were a well-matched pair.
With a hollow laugh and a click of my tongue, we pressed forward for another half day when I sensed a presence from somewhere and turned my attention toward it.
“Over there.”
“Eh!? How did you know?”
“I sense a presence.”
At my words, Yeon-un and Na Cheonmun focused on the direction I was looking, yet their expressions betrayed confusion—they felt nothing.
I smiled faintly and headed toward the source of the presence.
Cutting through the undergrowth and venturing deeper, I finally encountered those who were the true purpose of our journey to Gansu.
Twenty or so men dressed in pitch-black robes stood gathered there.
Whether they had already noticed our approach, they sat by the campfire, tearing into meat without even glancing in our direction.
After observing them briefly, I fixed my gaze upon one man in particular.
The one gnawing on roasted bird meat while staring at me.
A hint of wariness gleamed in his eyes.
I offered him a light fist salute.
“I am called Cheon. Are you the Demon King?”
“…Yes, I am the Demon King. So you are the one the Sect Leader sent.”
His tone carried a barb.
It was clear he viewed me with displeasure.
The reason required no speculation.
Beginning with what transpired within the Demon Sect, followed by Ma Un’s favor and receiving a sword from the Master of Danjang, how could the Demon Sect disciples not resent me?
I smiled mockingly and posed a question.
“It appears you were not successful….”
“….”
“Shall I hear the circumstances?”
“Did you come here without even knowing?”
“I believe I’ll understand once I hear it from the Leader himself.”
Was such a remark taken as provocation?
Goh Ak-sang, the Demon King, furrowed his brow and glared at me.
And it was not just him.
The eyes of those tearing into their meat sharpened.
True to their nature as Demon Sect disciples, their loyalty was excessive.
I shrugged lightly and spoke again.
“Am I wrong?”
“Hmph, what do you intend to do bringing along such worthless rabble?”
Goh Ak-sang’s gaze turned backward.
After confirming Na Cheonmun, Yeon-un, and Haryeon, he spoke with a sneer, and snickering sounds echoed from those around him.
In their eyes too, the level of the two men was apparent.
“They are merely a guide and a servant, so pay them no mind. So then, who are you pursuing and what is the situation? I have asked twice now.”
“Hmph. As you can see, we lost them.”
Goh Ak-sang, his expression darkening, turned his head away as if disinclined. It seemed he had no intention of elaborating beyond what was lost, and no further words followed.
I quietly stroked my chin.
“Young Master, you must… exercise restraint.”
At that moment, Na Cheonmun approached and grasped my collar, shaking his head.
The opponent was the Demon King’s faction.
They were strong enough to earn great renown even within the Demon Sect, so it seemed he feared that matters might escalate dangerously.
I nodded lightly and looked back at Goh Ak-sang.
“I ask for the third time. What is the situation?”
“Sigh— Did you not understand? We failed and are in pursuit. Are you perhaps deaf… Gack!?”
Whoosh—!
It was, quite literally, a single instant.
Before Goh Ak-sang could finish speaking, I launched myself forward and struck his face with an outstretched hand.
With a sharp cry, I seized the staggering man and headbutted his face once more, then hooked his legs as he fell backward and sent him crashing down.
Before his airborne body could even touch the ground.
Whoosh—!
A kick drove deep into his abdomen, and the Demon King flew through the air and tumbled across the earth.
“Gack!”
“This… this madman!?”
At that moment, Goh Ak-sang’s subordinates who had been watching leaped to their feet.
They hurled the meat they held and drew their swords as one, then rushed forward with mindless ferocity.
“Eek!?”
“Ahhh!”
At the sight, shrieks erupted from Na Cheonmun and Yeon-un, who were horrified.
They attempted to draw their blades in haste, but their hands trembled from the overwhelming pressure they felt, and both collapsed without managing to unsheathe their swords.
In that moment.
I lifted the sword gauntlet high.
“Indeed, the Demon Sect’s discipline is unparalleled.”
A dark smile played across my lips as I wielded the gauntlet.
I struck down those who rushed toward me with heavy, cutting force.
I slashed one opponent’s shoulder and slipped away, then drove my blade into another’s abdomen.
Twisting my body to evade a sword strike, I brought my weapon down in a straight line, crashing it against a head.
Thud-thud-thud!
Several men fell in a single, effortless move.
Sharp cries burst from their lips, and those sprawled on the ground wailed in agony.
Yet I showed no mercy, pressing the remaining attackers harder, and my merciless gauntlet drove more than twenty Demon King subordinates to the ground in mere moments.
“Gahhh!”
“Ughhhh….”
“Cough, cough!”
Na Cheonmun and Yeon-un watched the scene unfold with wide eyes.
In particular, as old memories seemed to surface, Na Cheonmun’s gaze held reverence, while Yeon-un rubbed his eyes repeatedly, unable to distinguish dream from reality.
“Sigh.”
I let out a light breath and turned my gaze.
A figure trembling in one corner.
Goh Ak-sang, the Demon King.
Unable to believe the carnage before him, he began to tremble violently, and as I approached, he swallowed hard, his eyes betraying indescribable terror.
His pupils were filled with a fear beyond words.
“This… this can’t be real…!”
“Denying reality is a poor habit, Leader.”
“…!”
Shing—
I spoke thus and slowly drew my sword, pressing the blade against his neck.
“One final question, Leader. What is the situation?”
“Ugh…! W-we pursued them five times… but all attempts failed. It seems… that those within the sect who follow them may be providing information.”
I nodded at those words.
Evading the Demon King’s forces from Tianshan to Gansu.
It appeared no battles had occurred during that time, making it clear that someone was deliberately leaking information.
I nodded and posed another question.
“I heard they were followers of Nam Tae-cheon?”
“Y-yes, that’s correct. Liu Sihun, Do Hwa-ryang, Ha Mok-rin. Their subordinates who follow them.”
With each name that fell from Goh Ak-sang’s lips, I drew forth memories from the past.
Were they not all prominent figures who had made names for themselves at Sect Leader Nam Tae-cheon’s side?
If such individuals had hidden themselves in the Central Plains, the Martial Arts Alliance should have been on high alert, but given that all its intelligence resources were concentrated elsewhere, it seemed they had yet to notice.
Thinking thus far, I sensed something amiss and furrowed my brow.
“Surely the Demon King’s forces alone would be insufficient?”
“…I, I apologize.”
The individuals mentioned are of considerable standing even within the Demon Sect.
While I cannot claim they rank among the top ten, it is no exaggeration to say they hover near that echelon, which means even the Demon King himself would have no chance of success.
In truth, I am grateful the information leaked.
Had combat erupted, they would not have survived.
There is a reason they were annihilated once before.
“This… the price keeps climbing, doesn’t it?”
I let out a hollow laugh and shook my head.
Three renowned Powerful Experts representing the Demon Sect.
The subordinates who follow them would be formidable as well.
Yet the aid I could receive from the Demon Sect amounts only to the Demon King and…
“Pardon? What troubles you?”
I sighed as I watched Na Cheonmun tilt his head in confusion.
“You are being worked far too hard.”
I shook my head, recalling Ma Un, who would surely be smiling by now.
Clearly, this stratagem was only possible because they had verified the rumors about me circulating outside.
Which means their purpose is not merely to obtain the Extreme Demon Scripture.
Could there be an intention to verify those rumors as well?
Of course, these are not all their objectives.
I finished my thoughts and surveyed my surroundings.
Those who had been beaten were rising to their feet one by one, their eyes fixed upon me with fear evident in their gaze.
After observing them briefly, I cleared the atmosphere.
“Let us proceed with swift resolution.”
“What… do you mean?”
“First, we need only determine the purpose behind these men’s entry into the Central Plains, do we not?”
The Demon Sect disciple had stolen the Extreme Demon Scripture and fled into the Central Plains.
While there was certainly an intention to shake off pursuers, judging by how unobstructed their advance has been, it was clear they had a destination in mind.
Then who was it that determined this destination?
“Which of the three is the strongest?”
“Yu Sa-hon.”
I nodded and fell into thought.
Yu Sa-hon is the strongest, but strength alone does not make one capable of leading a group.
I needed a different sense of things.
Also, someone who might have connections to the Central Plains.
“Who among them is most skilled at strategy?”
“Do Hwa-ryang. Moreover, he has managed various operations under Nam Tae-cheon.”
Such operations would not be limited solely to the Demon Sect. Even if one operates an inn, acquiring the necessary provisions requires connections with merchants as a matter of course.
And what naturally connects such things is precisely this:
Nam Tae-cheon’s secret residence.
Given how meticulous this man is—thorough enough to establish escape routes—he would have prepared a refuge for contingencies.
Then the destination toward which they are headed must be that secret residence.
“Let us send a carrier pigeon first. Once we determine who Do Hwa-ryang conducted business with, the answer will come swiftly.”
“That is… as I mentioned, the information…”
“There is no need for concern. I intend to use the information networks of the merchant clans, not those of the Demon Sect.”
“Pardon?”
“No, it is nothing.”
Goh Ak-sang’s expression betrayed his confusion at my mention of the merchant clans’ information, but I simply smiled and redirected the conversation.
Merchants are a breed that rarely trust others easily.
Therefore, to obtain their accurate information, one must approach those they deem trustworthy and those from whom they stand to gain profit.
If that source were the Jin Family of Luoyang, all the better.
Should merchants be involved, acquiring every detail about them would be far easier and swifter than relying on the Demon Sect’s intelligence networks or Ha Omun, allowing me to uncover everything about them in no time.
Having finished my deliberation, I shifted my gaze.
The nearest place from here where one could send a carrier pigeon.
“Let us depart for now. Nothing resolves without taking action.”
“Should we not… examine the traces first?”
“Leave it be. It does not seem necessary.”
“…?”
Goh Ak-sang regarded me with questioning eyes.
It was only natural that this situation seemed strange to him, for tracking traces and pursuing leads was their profession.
But why go through the tedium of pursuit?
It was simpler to arrive first and wait.
I ignored his questioning gaze and walked at a leisurely pace.

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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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