The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 354

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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 354

The moment the main tournament began, fervent cheers never ceased.
Martial prowess that couldn’t even be compared to the preliminaries unfolded, drawing gasps of admiration from the crowd.
People finally understood why the Nine Sects and One School, the Eight Great Families commanded such respect—and that understanding erupted from their mouths as roaring cheers.
“Who… who is that?”
“I’m telling you! He’s said to be a disciple of the Fierce Tiger Emperor!”
“A disciple of the Ten Emperors!”
Moreover, what made the situation even more tumultuous was that Jang Chuchyeong’s identity had been revealed.
The fact that he was a disciple of the Fierce Tiger Emperor couldn’t help but captivate the crowd’s attention, and now all they wanted was to see who held the advantage between Myeong-ryun and Jang Chuchyeong.
Boom—!
At that moment, with a tremendous sound, Jang Chuchyeong’s fist struck a man.
As if hit by an explosion, the arena trembled and the man flew out pathetically, prompting a thunderous roar that tore through the ears.
-Uwaaaaaaa!
At the deafening sound, Jang Chuchyeong, standing tall, furrowed his brow. Yet pleased by the victory itself, he turned toward me and gave a light thumbs up.
Whether that gesture lifted the crowd’s spirits, the cheers intensified, and Jang Chuchyeong covered both ears and hurriedly descended from the platform.
“Ugh… my ears are killing me.”
Even Chaeseoha beside him covered her ears and frowned.
“Look at it this way. It means you’re drawing attention.”
“Even so… my throat’s going to be hoarse.”
She sighed and let out a helpless laugh, but I turned my focus back to the arena and lifted the corners of my mouth.
“She’s here.”
At that moment, a woman appeared on the arena.
A staff in one hand, prayer beads hanging from the other.
It was Myeong-ryun, a disciple of Gong Hwang Hye-myeong.
Facing her was Cheong-hyeon of the Mudang Ogum.
As the two stood motionless on the arena, the people who had been shouting endlessly fell silent.
Then came the profound quiet that followed.
Northern Shaolin and Southern Wudang.
They felt the weight that these two names carried.
“Why is it so quiet? It was loud just a moment ago.”
“Because it’s Shaolin and Wudang. The two pillars of orthodox martial arts, and a clash between their chief disciples at that.”
I glanced toward Hye-myeong and Mu-jin.
Both wore indifferent expressions as they watched the arena. Yet their eyes burned with fiercer intensity than ever before.
“Who do you think will win?”
“Are you curious?”
“Not particularly… but the Chui Bodyguard seems curious.”
I let out a helpless laugh at the sudden remark.
Was he planning to place a wager on the outcome?
It seems that old habit of his still hasn’t been corrected.
“Myeong-ryun.”
Before those words could even finish, the two figures collided.
The staff cleaved through the wind, and the sword cut through darkness itself.
Kwaaang—!
With a deafening crash that made eardrums ring, their momentum exploded upon impact, and the shockwave rippled through the arena, stirring the crowd’s emotions to fever pitch.
Bang—clang—! Whoosh!
The relentless exchange of blows held everyone’s gaze captive.
They clashed fiercely, each seeking to exploit the other’s openings.
With every move laden with power and technique far surpassing anything witnessed before, the spectators erupted in thunderous cheers.
“Shaolin—! Shaolin—!”
“Martial Artist—! It’s the Martial Artist, what are you saying!”
As passionate cheers volleyed back and forth among the crowd, voices grew louder, and it seemed fists might even fly in the spectator stands rather than just the arena.
Fortunately, however, it didn’t take long before a result emerged.
Myeong-ryun’s staff sharply intercepted the incoming blade and pulled it aside, while the Shaolin palm technique struck Cheong-hyeon’s chest with devastating force.
Whoosh—!
Cheong-hyeon’s body flew pathetically beyond the arena’s boundary.
Thus ended their duel.
As Cheong-hyeon struggled to rise, breathing heavily, Myeong-ryun rushed over and extended his hand.
“Amitabha—that was an excellent match.”
“Cough! Th-thank you, Master.”
The difference in skill between Myeong-ryun and Cheong-hyeon was unmistakable.
Though both held the position of senior disciples, in terms of martial depth, Myeong-ryun’s superiority was overwhelming.
Glancing toward Hye-myeong and Mu-jin, I could see Hye-myeong trying to hide his satisfaction, yet his lips curled upward, while Mu-jin remained composed though his brows furrowed slightly.
However, he didn’t seem greatly angered, suggesting their expectations for Cheong-hyeon hadn’t been particularly high.
“Is Cheongdam their pride?”
“Wasn’t that person the senior disciple?”
“Yes, that’s what it appears to be on the surface.”
The defeat of the senior disciple was tantamount to the Martial Artist’s sword being broken, yet Mu-jin knew he wasn’t the true pride of the Martial Artists.
I turned my gaze elsewhere.
The figure who had been observing the match from the sidelines.
Cheongdam.
He was supporting the limping Cheong-hyeon and making a fuss over him.
Yet as Myeong-ryun passed by, his gaze followed, and his eyes were colder than ever, carrying a sharp edge.
Myeong-ryun couldn’t possibly miss this.
Their eyes met briefly.
Not a word was exchanged, but the faint smile that crossed Myeong-ryun’s lips seemed to convey that he understood everything.
“A match between those two would be worth watching.”
“Who do you think would win?”
“Well, I suppose we’d have to see them clash to know for certain.”
I turned my gaze away with a faint smile playing at my lips.
Tap, tap—
A woman ascended the martial stage, cutting through the deafening roar of the crowd.
Seol Ha-yeon, her expression as cold as ice, her gaze fixed ahead as if she carried the bitter chill of winter winds within her.
Standing before her was—
“I look forward to this match!”
Paeng Dohan.
He gripped his sword, his eyes burning with fierce determination.
The moment Seol Ha-yeon gave a light nod in response to that blazing gaze—
“Let’s go.”
“What? Aren’t you going to watch?”
“It’s a predictable match either way.”
I led Chaeseoha away from the arena, her expression bewildered.
Crash—!

* * *

The morning matches had ended before I knew it.
As the crowd that had filled the martial grounds emptied out like a receding tide, the streets became a sea of humanity.
Despite the roads being laid out quite generously, they were packed so densely that there was barely room to set foot.
The inns were already full, and long queues formed at the street stalls.
Having shouted themselves hoarse, people were eager to fill their hungry bellies.
“Wherever we go, there will be crowds,” Chaeseoha said with a helpless laugh, glancing around.
No matter where we went, waiting was inevitable, so considerable patience would be required to get a meal.
I smiled and led her forward.
“Where are we going?”
“The side streets should be easier to find a quick meal than here.”
“Ah—!”
Chaeseoha let out a short exclamation and nodded eagerly, moving quickly. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones thinking this way—quite a few people were already heading toward the side streets.
If we delayed any longer, we wouldn’t be able to find a spot at all.
Chaeseoha clicked her tongue.
“We just have to endure until tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, we should be able to return to Luoyang the day after. Assuming nothing goes wrong, that is.”
“…The way you say that makes it sound like something will definitely happen.”
“Unexpected events always have a way of occurring.”
Not only were the Jin Family guards on watch, but those dispatched from the Alliance were also maintaining vigilance. Yet despite all this, fights had broken out and several people had suffered injuries.
There was no guarantee that something serious wouldn’t happen.
“However, nothing serious enough to halt the festival should occur.”
“Are you certain?”
Are you sure?
“Right, with three of the Ten Sovereigns gathered in one place, there’s no fool bold enough to cause trouble.”
“Ah—”
Moreover, I continued to survey my surroundings, yet I found no traces of the Demonic Cult or those bearing Gwanbaek’s mark.
Thanks to that, I too was enjoying myself at leisure.
Such a secure situation was rare indeed.
“So what are we doing? Let’s go!”
“What’s the rush? If we use the Yeon-un Inn, there’s no need to wait.”
“Ugh, since we’re already at the festival, we should try other things too. Let’s go somewhere else today. I’ve spotted a place.”
Chaeseoha said so with her eyes gleaming.
Having marked a spot beforehand, her footsteps toward the marketplace grew brisk.
After pushing through the crowds for some time and arriving at the marketplace, the place she headed for was a shabby little inn tucked away in a corner.
“This is a famous place that only people in the know visit.”
Perhaps due to the shabby appearance of the inn, most of those who frequented it were poorly dressed. However, true to Chaeseoha’s word, the food was excellent—as soon as we stepped inside, the place was bustling with customers.
Fortunately securing one remaining table, Chaeseoha ordered from the server as if she had already decided what to eat beforehand.
As the server bowed and left, she smiled brightly.
“This is supposedly the most famous dish here. I heard that once you eat it, you can’t escape its spell.”
“From whom?”
“From Chui Bodyguard.”
“Seems he’s doing well.”
“Of course! He says our tastes align perfectly.”
Chaeseoha broke into a beaming smile.
Judging from her demeanor now, so different from the somewhat uneasy expression she’d worn at first, the anxiety she’d harbored about Chwiayeok seemed to have vanished.
The moment I nodded with a small smile.
The ordered dishes arrived before long, and the table began to fill one by one.
It was quite a generous portion for two people.
When I gave her a questioning look, she silently picked up her chopsticks and began consuming the dishes one after another.
“I’m telling you it’s true!”
“What nonsense are you spouting, man?”
That’s when it happened.
The voices of men came from the adjacent table.
Glancing over as I picked up my chopsticks, one man was drinking hurriedly with a pallid face, while the other wore a furrowed brow and an expression of disbelief.
As if he’d heard some preposterous tale.
“I really saw him, I tell you! That’s definitely him. Ugh… I’m losing my mind.”
“So what you’re saying is that ghosts are wandering about? Hahaha. You’ve had too much to drink.”
“Ha! Why won’t you believe me? I saw him dead with my own two eyes.”
The man drained his cup hastily with a hollow expression.
His eyes trembled violently as if he’d witnessed something he shouldn’t have, and his complexion was so ashen that not a trace of color remained.
Truly, as if he’d seen a ghost.
At such a tale, laughter escaped me unbidden.
Why was he speaking of ghosts with such seriousness?
Perhaps I had merely glimpsed a shadow of Mo Ryeong-san.
“I saw it with my own eyes. He was dead! Absolutely! So why is he alive now!”
“It could be someone else.”
“Impossible! That face, that expression, those eyes! How could I not recognize him? We’ve drawn swords together and hunted down enemies more times than I can count!”
“But you said you didn’t stay until the end?”
“Well… yes, I got scared and gave up, came back… but I saw that bastard die with my own eyes. Yet now he’s walking around alive! Participating in the martial arts tournament, no less!”
Clack—
My chopsticks froze mid-motion.
My ears perked up at the conversation.
The mention of a dead man participating in the Martial Arts Alliance tournament caught my attention. From the man’s expression alone, he didn’t seem to be lying, which made this tale all the more impossible to ignore.
Not only I, but Chaeseoha, who had been listening with apparent interest, turned her gaze toward the two men.
Then my lips parted.
“Yeon-un, that bastard! How did he survive? His heart had stopped…”
“Haha— you’re spouting nonsense, my friend.”
“Why won’t you believe me!”
The moment the man’s words struck my ears.
My gaze turned toward him, and the words echoing in my ears reverberated through my mind like an echo.

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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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