The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 349

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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 349

After an arduous journey, I had finally entered Luoyang.
Those leading their horses forward all bore the unmistakable marks of exhaustion on their faces.
Even Haryeon, who had maintained an expressionless demeanor until now, was sleeping deeply in Yeon-un’s arms—a sight that spoke volumes about how grueling this brief journey had been.
Yet there was one who did not share this state.
I turned my gaze as I slowly guided my horse forward.
“….”
Dazed—
There stood someone with an oddly vacant expression.
As if something were amiss, yet incomprehensible.
Or perhaps, as if they couldn’t fathom how things had come to this.
I asked with a puzzled expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“…Young Master.”
“Yes?”
“Why am I even here?”
“How should I know? You followed of your own accord, didn’t you?”
“But you never told me to go back!”
“I didn’t expect you to follow for a thousand li.”
“….”
Na Cheonmun stood with his mouth agape, unable to close it.
Had he regained his senses even slightly, there would have been countless opportunities to turn back.
But swept up in the momentum, he had come all the way to Luoyang, transforming the thousand li distance to Tianshan into ten thousand li.
Faced with such an insurmountable distance, Na Cheonmun squeezed his eyes shut.
“There are plenty of rooms. Rest if you wish—or return home if that’s your preference.”
“Th-thank you….”
“But tell me one thing. Has the Sect Leader’s demeanor changed?”
“I couldn’t say. Someone like me wouldn’t understand such things in the first place.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
I offered a bitter smile and furrowed my brow.
In truth, the matter of Geuk Ma Ji Bo weighed oddly on my mind.
Everything about it seemed designed to foster my growth, from beginning to end.
That troubled me greatly.
Unable to discern what thoughts drove Muk Hwang Mawoon to entrust this task to me, I needed information—anything to dispel this frustration.
In times like these, there was only one answer: Ha Omun.
“Go on ahead and return. There’s somewhere I need to visit.”
At my words, Yeon-un nodded and led Na Cheonmun away.
Haryeon, who had been following, paused as if reluctant, turned to look at me with an unreadable expression, stared for a long moment, then finally turned away and disappeared.
I couldn’t tell if she wanted to have a conversation or hoped to join me, but that peculiar expression and the light in her eyes troubled me somewhat.
I set aside my thoughts and sought out Baek Jin-hwa.
The Huaxian Inn remained as bustling as ever.
When the door to her quarters opened, Baek Jin-hwa greeted me warmly as always, her face radiant with makeup.
“I heard you’d gone to Gansu, but it seems you’ve returned already.”
“Yes, it was quite an entertaining journey.”
Baek Jin-hwa offered a subtle smile.
Her eyes held both composure and the knowledge that she understood at least some of what had transpired—perhaps she even believed she’d grasped my weakness through the Demon Sect’s involvement.
I accepted her amusement with indifference and took a seat.
“So, what brings you here today? Your expression suggests something quite serious.”
“Do you remember what Hao Munzhu said last time?”
“Which part…?”
“That she’d grant me one difficult favor, whatever it might be.”
“…!”
At my casual remark, Baek Jin-hwa’s eyes widened. It was clear I was seeking information of considerable difficulty.
Significant enough to use the card Hao Munzhu had given me.
I smiled faintly and continued.
“She’ll do anything, won’t she? Even stake her life on it.”
“If it is the Master’s debt, then anything… Yes, that’s true. But what exactly do you wish to know…?”
“The Demon Sect.”
“…!?”
“I want detailed information on Ma Un and the Demon Sect’s movements.”
At those words, her face beneath the makeup hardened.
Even for the Hao family, there were places they could not easily touch, and if one were to name the most difficult among them, it would be the Demon Sect.
They lived surrounded by the Tianshan Mountains, so information was difficult to obtain, and anything gathered from the villages below was hardly worth hearing.
Thus, it was the most expensive and troublesome request.
Yet because it was what I needed most, such circumstances were of no concern to me.
“I’d prefer to go directly and verify it myself… but it’s far too distant.”
“Ahaha…”
“So I’m asking you. There’s no organization better suited for this than the Hao family, is there?”
I spoke with a smile, but it was a command.
Baek Jin-hwa, who understood this better than anyone, could not bring herself to refuse and merely offered an awkward smile.
“Why the Demon Sect exactly…?”
“There’s something troubling me.”
One might think it a trivial matter typical of Ma Un.
After all, I had known of Nam Tae-cheon’s affair yet did not intervene.
But this time, something felt off in a way I couldn’t ignore.
A small doubt lodged in my mind could sometimes grow beyond control.
Especially if it concerned Muk Hwang Ma Un, I needed to be cautious.
“Can you do it?”
I fixed my gaze upon Baek Jin-hwa as I posed my final question.
Her trembling eyes soon filled with resignation, and she nodded.

* * *

The following morning.
I opened my eyes before dawn broke and rose from my seat. After a simple wash and dressing, I stepped outside and followed a presence I sensed emanating from somewhere.
As I moved slowly, taking in the landscape of early morning, I spotted Gu Gunbaek in a pavilion within the courtyard of the annex, gazing at the pond while playing a wine bottle like a trumpet.
I let out an exasperated sigh.
“You’re drinking at dawn?”
“Huh? You’ve arrived, you rascal! Where have you been wandering about?”
“My duties have kept me occupied, so I’ve been unable to visit you.”
“Hmph, how busy could you possibly be? Come now—!”
Gu Gunbaek snorted and rose to his feet.
The way he stretched languidly was so massive it brought to mind a great bear.
I quietly took a seat beside him.
“Is Namman doing well?”
“Hm? Nothing special. Always the same. Drinks his fill, hunts, and sleeps like a log.”
“That’s a relief. I was concerned that the previous incident might have caused some trouble.”
“Puhaha—! If trouble comes, so what? What would you do about it? Would you come running and wield your sword for me?”
Gu Gunbaek gazed at me with an incredulous expression and burst into laughter, his eyes revealing not even the slightest expectation.
Yet this was not mockery—rather, it reflected his confidence that Namman possessed the strength to overcome any obstacle.
I nodded and posed another question.
“Has there been any progress regarding the Demon Sect?”
“What would we do with those bastards? Every time we meet, we just growl at each other… But you, what do you really want to ask?”
“Haha, you knew?”
“When you keep asking questions like that, you always have an ulterior motive. So what is it this time? The Demon Sect? Namman? Or perhaps the Potala Palace?”
“The Demon Sect.”
“Hmm.”
At my words, Gu Gunbaek stroked his chin and leaned against the railing. Whether he was recalling something or simply pondering, I couldn’t tell.
After a long silence spent rummaging through his thoughts, he finally spoke.
“Since we’re close by, I know quite a bit about them. But there’s nothing special about those bastards either. Everything’s always the same.”
“The same…”
“Yes, if there’s one thing different from usual… it’s that that fox bastard has entered seclusion.”
“…Seclusion?”
At my question, Gu Gunbaek nodded.
However, it didn’t seem to be the kind of seclusion I was thinking of.
“He’s been going in and out of it. But since he’s always been obsessed with martial arts, it’s hardly surprising, is it?”
Entering seclusion meant, in essence, that he had encountered a wall in his cultivation.
Given that he was someone consumed by obsession with martial arts, it was obvious he would be desperate to break through the barrier before him.
Closing the gates was the natural course of action.
However, the incident at the Extreme Demon’s Stronghold that unfolded in that situation.
If Ma Un’s purpose was to break through the wall, he wouldn’t have created something worth worrying about.
There was no way the Extreme Demon’s Stronghold would naturally leak outside.
If what Gu Gunbaek said was true, that situation troubled me even more.
“You? You find someone and then fall into deep thought.”
“Ah, haha—my apologies. I had something on my mind.”
“If it’s about the Demon Sect, don’t think too deeply about it. If you leave them alone, they’ll reveal their purpose on their own.”
“Won’t that be too late by then?”
“Someone called the next Sword Emperor—what could you possibly fear from the Demon Sect?”
Gu Gunbaek, wearing a hollow smile, looked at me with an incredulous gaze.
Yet his words were both right and wrong.
It wasn’t the martial prowess of the Demon Sect disciples that frightened me, but rather the fear that the blades of a hundred thousand sect members might turn toward the martial world. And beyond that, the existence of Muk Hwang Mawoon was enough to instill unease.
The man closest to the Divine.
Was I not one who heard such words spoken of him?
Whether my thoughts showed in my eyes, Gu Gunbaek chuckled.
“Want to spar?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s been a while—how about it? I’m dying to know how far your skills have progressed.”
Crack—!
Gu Gunbaek clapped his fists together and grinned widely. With a provocative glint in his eyes urging me to come at him, he revealed the savage aura of a beast without restraint.
I watched for a moment, then shook my head with a sigh.
“I’d rather not exhaust myself so early in the morning.”
“Afraid?”
“Haha, I’m not who I was before.”
“Exactly why we should do this. Come on—!”
Boom—!
In an instant, Gu Gunbaek’s fist came flying at me.
Carrying an aura entirely different from the past.
I hurriedly dodged, but the distance didn’t open up.
It felt as though he was pursuing me the moment I evaded.
I couldn’t help but marvel at that incredible speed.
“Please stop.”
“Stop? You should be grateful that the Demon King himself is willing to face you.”
Gu Gunbaek showed no sign of stopping.
Instead, like someone provoked, he began unleashing his fists more violently, intensifying the pressure. The stronger his movements became, the greater the threat I felt.
Zing—
Zing—
Alarm bells rang frantically in my mind.
Just from how Gok Ok was reacting, I could tell Gu Gunbaek was going all out. Knowing that even a single careless touch could shatter me to pieces, I hastily drew my sword and infused it with flowing water.
“I’m sick of this, you bastard!”
Splash—!
But it had no effect on Gu Gunbaek.
He shattered the turbulent current with a single punch, thrust his body through the opening, and extended his fist again.
Gu Gunbaek’s relentless assault was shocking, and it crushed my confidence in the strength I had gained in one fell swoop.
Boom—!
“Ugh!”
I was driven back more than ten paces, swallowing a groan.
Without time to say anything, as Gu Gunbaek pressed his attack again, I quickly regained my balance and swung my sword with all my might.
In an instant, Gu Gunbaek’s leg met my blade and bounced away, his massive body spinning through the air before landing on the ground.
At the same time, I felt a sharpness like a leopard charging at me.
Sensing it, I created a gust of wind.
As the chill gathered on my blade flowed toward the beast.
“You’re so loud I can’t sleep—!”
Chaeseoha’s sharp cry pierced through the chaos and stabbed into my ears.
Both Gu Gunbaek and I stopped simultaneously.
His fist halted mere inches from my face, and my blade was just about to pierce through his chest.
Gu Gunbaek and I exchanged glances, then slowly lowered our stances. As we turned our gazes to one side, Chaeseoha approached, breathing heavily from having rushed out.
“Just let me sleep! What are you doing at the crack of dawn!”
Her sharp eyes that had been glaring at Gu Gunbaek turned toward me. She stared at me intently, narrowing her gaze, then let out a small sigh and pressed her fingers to her brow.
When I expressed my confusion, Chaeseoha’s eyes scanned across my body.
“You’re bleeding.”
“Huh?”
Only then did I check my condition and realize that the wounds I had sustained in Gansu had reopened, soaking my clothes in crimson.
I let out a bitter smile and scratched my head, and Chaeseoha’s sigh erupted once more.
“Sigh… seriously.”
Today, her sigh carried an unusually deep frustration.

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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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