The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 350

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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 350

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“Are you truly considering such a thing?”
Jegal Daewun, listening to Mu-jin’s words, stared at him with an expression of utter disbelief.
Though this situation was undoubtedly reality and not a dream, the words coming from his mouth were the sort one might hear only in a dream.
Yet Mu-jin merely laughed it off and sipped his tea.
“Has senility already set in? Do you need to hear it twice before you understand?”
“The timing is… far too coincidental.”
Jegal Daewun shook his head with a troubled expression.
In a situation where nothing had been resolved even after thinking about it a hundred or thousand times, this seemed nothing but a reckless venture.
However, Mu-jin was different.
Rather, he regarded him with an expression of bewilderment.
“Is holding a martial arts tournament a reckless idea?”
“The timing is….”
“Listen here, Commander Jegal.”
Mu-jin gazed at Jegal Daewun intently.
His eyes held a certain displeasure.
As if questioning how one of the Commander’s standing could fail to see ahead—such a gaze it was.
Because of that very look, Jegal Daewun hastily bowed his head.
“In times like these, one must gather strength firmly. Is not a tournament hosted by the Martial Arts Alliance a festival for the righteous? Do you not understand that failing to hold it could instead give rise to rumors that we are not thriving?”
The moment his words ended, Hye-myeong, who had been listening silently until now, nodded and responded to Mu-jin’s words.
“Amitabha—I believe the Tae-hwang speaks rightly. Would it not be sufficient to hold it on a grand scale and bolster morale more than ever?”
As even Hye-myeong assented with a nod, Jegal Daewun found himself at a loss for words. With two great elders of the Martial Arts Alliance thinking alike, none would dare raise objections.
Hye-myeong’s gaze turned toward those gathered, and his voice posed a question.
“What do you all think?”
“Considering the Commander’s words about this being a turbulent time, I would prefer to avoid it… yet the Sect Leader and Tae-hwang’s words seem correct.”
“Indeed. Though there will be unfavorable opinions, there seems no better choice for raising morale than this.”
One by one, they voiced their opinions, and ultimately, most were in favor of holding the martial arts tournament.
The moment Jegal Daewun pressed his brow.
At the end of his gaze, one person with an unpleasant expression appeared.
The Treasury Chamber.
The director of the place that handled the Martial Arts Alliance’s finances.
“If the Treasury Director has something to say, please speak.”
“That… forgive me for saying so, but even if we hold the tournament, the scale must be modest. With so much money going out recently… the Alliance’s finances cannot support a grand festival.”
At the Treasury Director’s objection, Jegal Daewun’s expression brightened.
Conversely, the expressions of those who had supported it grew troubled.
Some even shouted directly at the Director, questioning how it made sense that the Martial Arts Alliance could not hold a grand festival due to lack of funds.
In an instant, the conference hall erupted into chaos.
“How can someone like you claim we have no money when you’ve been squandering it left and right!”
“Who wants to do this? Weren’t all of you spending money recklessly?”
“Who! Who exactly has been spending recklessly!”
Those who had overspent looked ready to draw their blades.
The Sect Leader of Hojon’s single remark had turned the conference hall into complete pandemonium.
That was when it happened.
Crash—!
Hye-myeong, who had been listening quietly, slammed his hand on the table.
The violent sound echoed through the hall with such force that it seemed the table might shatter, and those who had been loudly arguing fell silent in an instant.
Then Hye-myeong’s chilling voice spread throughout the chamber.
“Amitabha Buddha—Sect Leader of Hojon, proceed with your preparations without sparing expenses as planned. I, the Sect Leader, shall procure whatever funds are lacking.”
At the Sect Leader’s words, everyone’s eyes widened in astonishment.
How could Hye-myeong, who didn’t even receive a monthly stipend, obtain such funds?
Some even wondered if he planned to raid the Shaolin Temple itself.

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“So that’s why you’ve come to find me?”
I regarded Hye-myeong with an incredulous expression.
His eyes were tightly shut as he rolled prayer beads in his palm.
His appearance was so reverent that one might wonder if this was how Buddha himself looked in life.
His solemn bearing, which seemed to demand endless veneration, made me acutely aware that this man was indeed Gonghuang Hye-myeong, the supreme master of the Jeongdo Martial Arts Alliance.
Yet…
“The Sect Leader has come to borrow money…”
“Amitabha Buddha.”
I let out a hollow laugh and shook my head.
No one would believe this situation.
Even I, who was experiencing it firsthand, couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.
I clicked my tongue lightly and posed a question.
“This is the first time I’ve heard that the Martial Arts Alliance lacks funds.”
“It has come to this. There have been many incidents of one sort or another.”
Fatigue was evident in Hye-myeong’s tone.
The Black Ox Society, the Sword Emperor, the Luoyang Blood Assassins—blood had been spilled in every incident, and money had flowed out accordingly.
The claim that the Martial Arts Alliance’s finances had hit rock bottom was no exaggeration whatsoever.
I scratched my head and gazed out the window.
“So that’s why you’ve come to find me at such a late hour in secret?”
“Hehe—if no one sees it, wouldn’t that help preserve the Sect Leader’s dignity?”
Ordinarily, people who come to borrow money care nothing for dignity, but when one is the Sect Leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, such concerns cannot be ignored.
Watching Hye-myeong offer an unusually awkward smile, I allowed myself a subtle grin.
“That must be what Tae-hwang had in mind.”
“How did you know?”
“Because it’s the sort of thing he would consider.”
Taehwang Mujin grasped the current situation better than anyone else.
On the surface, Jeongdo appeared stable, but internally it was shaken considerably. Among the methods to bind it together, the most brilliant was to organize something that people could laugh, talk, and enjoy.
Of course, there were other methods.
Such as capturing and executing dozens of criminals being hunted by the Martial Arts Alliance, thereby displaying formidable military might and restoring prestige. However, the drawback was that it required considerable time, manpower, and money.
So when all three factors needed to be balanced equally, nothing was as effective as a festival.
I stroked my chin and asked.
“If the Nine Sects and Eight Great Families pooled their funds, wouldn’t that be sufficient?”
“Haha— it would be nice if that were the case, but it’s not that simple. Some contributed modest amounts, but there’s still a shortfall.”
Hye-myeong seemed intent on holding a festival of grand scale if they were going to do it at all.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense that the combined funds of the Nine Sects and Eight Great Families would be insufficient.
A larger scale would draw more people, and that required more money.
Conversely, it was also an opportunity to earn money.
I smiled and nodded.
“There is a condition.”
“A condition?”
“We will provide whatever amount is needed. However, we will control everything from the location of the martial arts tournament down to the smallest detail.”
What Hye-myeong and Mujin wanted was to create a festival grand and magnificent enough to resound across all of the Central Plains.
If it succeeded perfectly, nothing else would matter.
“Even the tournament grounds? Not held by the Martial Arts Alliance?”
“The Alliance’s interior has many restricted spaces with limited capacity. At that scale… we cannot earn money.”
“Hahahaha—.”
Festivals always cost great sums, but they were structured to earn proportionally.
To miss this opportunity would be unworthy of Jin Family blood.
In that moment, as I sketched the image in my mind, I chuckled softly.
“If you trust me with this, I will make it a truly magnificent and successful festival.”
“Amitabha— your words are truly reassuring.”
“However, regardless of what happens, complaints will arise, and I will not… take responsibility for those.”
“Hahahaha?”
Hye-myeong tilted his head at the incomprehensible remark.
He clearly couldn’t understand what I meant.
I let out a quiet laugh.
“Then I should begin preparations.”
“Very well. The Sect Leader shall take his leave now… but who is that child?”
Hye-myeong, who had been smiling, turned his gaze toward the door.
Haryeon, peering inside through the slightly open doorway.
Curious about something, she alternated her gaze between me and Hye-myeong.
I observed her for a moment before asking.
“You weren’t asleep?”
Nod—
Haryeon nodded lightly, gauging the situation.
I nodded at the unspoken question in her expression asking if she could enter, and looked toward Hye-myeong.
“This is Sword Boy, whom I’m keeping as a temporary guest.”
“Sword Boy, you say… Hehe, such a frail child… Amitabha—.”
Hye-myeong’s eyes conveyed utter disbelief.
By anyone’s measure, the child appeared incapable of properly wielding a single sword. Though he had gained some weight since before, there was no denying he remained gaunt compared to other well-fed children.
Haryeon entered with quick, hurried steps and stood beside me.
Then, she gazed at Hye-myeong with an enigmatic expression.
Hye-myeong also observed Haryeon with an odd look.
In that moment, as if sensing something, Hye-myeong pressed his palms together and bowed his head.
“Amitabha—.”
“Why do you do that?”
“No, it’s nothing. It’s just that the child’s eyes are so beautiful I found myself captivated. Hehehehe.”
At those words, I too looked toward Haryeon.
That sensation I had felt before.
Eyes as clear as if they held moonlight itself.
The moment one gazed into them, anyone would be drawn in—even the illustrious Hye-myeong was shaken by them.
I furrowed my brow.
“I’ve never seen a child with eyes like these before.”
“The Sect Leader has not either. Whether born under the moon… or bearing the stars… Amitabha—.”
There are those in this world born carrying mysterious things.
Such as a life-force or perhaps a severed meridian.
I suspected Haryeon possessed something similar.
Yet even Hye-myeong seemed unable to discern what this child was born with.
“Hehe— Well then, the Sect Leader shall take his leave.”
“Yes, when dawn breaks I will complete my preparations and enter the Alliance shortly.”
At those words, Hye-myeong nodded and moved.
Even in that final moment, I felt his gaze lingering on Haryeon, but he soon wore the warm smile of a Buddha and departed the room.
The door closed, and Hye-myeong’s presence vanished in an instant.
No matter how hard I tried to sense him, I could detect nothing—it was clear he had left the estate in this brief span of time.
“Haryeon—!”
That was when.
A loud voice suddenly echoed from the corridor.
Someone urgently calling and searching for Haryeon.
The voice’s owner was undoubtedly Yeon-un.
Upon spotting my lamp-lit room, he roughly opened the door.
“Huff, huff…! Y-you were here.”
The moment Yeon-un’s eyes confirmed Haryeon’s presence, relief washed over his face.
Yet something felt amiss.
For someone who had traveled such a short distance, his breathing was far too ragged.
As if he had just emerged from a fierce battle, sweat drenched his entire frame—cold perspiration dripped from his hair in such abundance that it dampened the floor beneath him.
I narrowed my eyes with suspicion.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
“Ah!? Y-Young Master, I-I apologize. I made a terrible mistake….”
“No, but why are you sweating so profusely?”
At my question, Yeon-un offered an awkward smile.
He stood there in evident distress, wrestling with whether to speak or remain silent, before finally releasing a heavy sigh and opening his lips with great reluctance.
“My grandmother appeared….”
“What?”
“She kept telling me to leave, tormenting me so….”
“And what does that have to do with Haryeon?”
“Ah—this child possesses a constitution that harbors yin energy within his body. Since spirits emanate yin energy, when Haryeon is near… my grandmother cannot touch me….”
It was a tale that no one would believe upon hearing it, yet I spoke of it without concern. However, if one knew that his family’s legacy was intertwined with spirits, it was hardly an unusual matter at all.
Moreover, thanks to this revelation, I now understood to some degree why Haryeon’s eyes gleamed like moonlight captured within them.
“S-So, Young Master, please rest. I shall take my leave….”
Yeon-un hurriedly led Haryeon out of the room.
There was something peculiar about the child’s gaze as he crossed the threshold that lingered oddly in my mind.

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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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