The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 367

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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 367

“What are you talking about?”
Myeong Jeong, an Elder of the Ami Sect, furrowed his brow as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, his gaze fixed on Dang Cheon-ro, the Family Head of the Dang Family.
Cheong Do-sang, the Sect Leader of Qingcheng, remained silent, but bewilderment was plainly written across his face.
Despite hearing it with his own ears, the story felt utterly unreal.
So much time had passed that the very word “Dark Sect” now sounded strange and out of place.
The others gathered here shared the same sentiment.
Suspicion gleamed in Cheong Do-sang’s eyes, while even Dang Cheon-ro, who had spoken these words, seemed lost in thought, fully aware of the weight of what he had just said.
Realizing that persuasion would be difficult with their current reactions, he turned his head toward another direction.
“Chan, explain this to them.”
“Yes, Father.”
Dang Chan stepped forward, carefully examining each face in the gathering before taking a breath and continuing.
“This is information I received from Young Master Jin Cheon-u. As you know… the Fierce Tiger Emperor is present there, is he not?”
At those words, everyone nodded.
A name impossible to forget since the Martial Arts Tournament. The fact that Chu Hyeongi, a disciple of the Fierce Tiger Emperor, served as Young Master Jin Cheon-u’s guard was now known to all.
“The Emperor stated that the Dark Sect has infiltrated Sichuan and is operating there.”
“…!?”
“W-what…!”
“Ha, what an absurd tale.”
Myeong Jeong and Cheong Do-sang both let out hollow laughs simultaneously.
The Dark Sect infiltrating Sichuan?
If true, it would shake the entire martial world, yet the Martial Arts Alliance remained silent, and even Kunlun, who should have reacted first, showed no signs of movement.
Moreover, the Emperor’s temperament did little to lend credibility to such claims.
He was far too willful and unpredictable.
“I understand what you must be thinking. However, the rumors circulating recently are certainly unsettling.”
At Dang Chan’s words, everyone’s expressions hardened.
Mysterious figures appearing and disappearing throughout Sichuan. Movements that left no trace, as if they were ghosts. When combined with the information brought by Jin Cheon-u, there were indeed circumstances too substantial to dismiss as mere nonsense.
Finally, Cheong Do-sang exhaled a long sigh.
“Does the Family Head believe this matter warrants investigation, which is why you summoned us?”
“Indeed. If this is merely rumor, that would be fortunate… but if there is even a chance it is true―.”
Myeong Jeong pressed his palms together and steadied his breathing before uttering a soft exclamation.
“Amitabha Buddha…”
In the past, there had been instances where they dismissed things with “surely not,” only to suffer greatly for it.
Regardless of the truth, verification was essential.
Thus, Dang Cheon-ro concluded with a firm tone.
“Please lend us your strength, both of you.”
Myeong Jeong and Cheong Do-sang closed their eyes and fell into thought for a moment, but their deliberation did not take long.
“The Ami Sect will search with all our might.”
“Cheong Do-sang feels the same way.”
“Thank you. The Dang Family will also do our utmost.”
It was the moment when the three greatest powers of Sichuan’s martial world joined hands.

* * *

Sichuan’s capital city possessed a texture distinctly different from Luoyang or Zhengzhou.
The lines and colors of the buildings differed subtly, and the scents drifting through the streets felt entirely unfamiliar.
With a sense of alienation as if we had stepped into a completely foreign land, our entire party abandoned the inn and ventured outside.
Among us, Chaeseoha appeared more animated than ever before.
“Look at that! These are medicinal herbs found only in this region!”
Her eyes sparkling as she examined the pile of herbs, she looked as though she had discovered some precious treasure.
Her basket had become filled with mysterious herbs and dried insects, emanating such a foul stench that it would assault the nostrils of anyone who drew near.
Namgung Yeon and I discreetly increased the distance between us.
“M-Madam Physician, isn’t that rather excessive?”
“Oh, Brother Namgung. These cannot be obtained anywhere else but here.”
“It’s just that… people seem to be looking at us rather strangely.”
At those words, Chaeseoha glanced around.
The gazes of passersby had indeed gathered in our direction.
A beautiful woman carrying a mountain of gruesome dried insects and medicinal herbs was certainly a sight worth observing.
Combined with her excited and exuberant demeanor, the stares showed no sign of dispersing.
Chaeseoha’s face flushed crimson. She lowered her head and quietly pressed herself against me, extending the basket.
I accepted it, my brow furrowing.
“Why are you giving me this foul thing?”
“It’s yours, Young Master. I was merely holding it.”
“….”
“….”
I regarded Chaeseoha with an expression of disbelief.
As our eyes remained locked for a considerable moment, Chaeseoha turned her head awkwardly and gazed into the distance, shifting the mood.
“Ah, isn’t that Yeon-un and Haryeon over there?”
Following where Chaeseoha pointed, I could see Yeon-un and Haryeon wandering about.
Fascinated by the sights of Sichuan’s marketplace, they looked around with gleaming eyes, purchasing food from street stalls and eating as they walked.
They appeared as though they had come on a leisurely excursion.
I let out a hollow laugh.
“Everyone seems to be here for sightseeing.”
“We’ve come all this way—we can’t simply do nothing. Besides, Young Master, there’s nothing to do except remain at the inn anyway.”
“For now, that’s true.”
“For now?”
I nodded.
While we indulged in this leisure, somewhere unseen, someone was surely moving diligently to find something.
The moment that effort bore fruit would be my opportunity to strike.
Therefore, I needed to savor this leisure fully while I had it.
A small smile crossed my lips without my realizing it.
“The expression of someone plotting something wicked.”
Chaeseoha, perhaps troubled by that peculiar smile, studied me with narrowed eyes.
As I turned my head to brush off her scrutiny.
The thunderous sound of hoofbeats erupted from one direction.
My eyes naturally turned toward the commotion.
A group of roughly a dozen riders on massive steeds moved through the street, and the people hurriedly cleared the way, likely due to their distinctive attire and the emblems emblazoned upon them.
As I too stepped back slightly.
“Are you not Jin Gongja?”
Someone halted with the neighing of their horse.
It was Dang Chan.
When he, who had been moving with the warriors of the Sichuan Dang Family, stopped, the entire procession came to a halt and turned their gazes toward me.
Eyes as if beholding someone of great importance.
Among them, one gaze fixed upon me with particular intensity.
I offered Dang Chan a light nod of acknowledgment, then turned my head toward the source of that concentrated gaze, and with a gentle expression, I clasped my fist in salute.
“It is an honor to meet you, Family Head. I am Jin Cheon-u of the Jin Family.”
“I am Dang Cheon-ro. Yet you recognize me without prior acquaintance?”
“The illustrious reputation of Family Head Dang has already spread throughout the Central Plains. How could I not know of it?”
Satisfied by my words, Dang Cheon-ro smiled. His eyes remained fixed upon me with an intensity that suggested he had discovered something intriguing.
Soon his gaze shifted to those around me.
Seol Ha-yeon, Namgung Yeon, and Chaeseoha.
Even Yeon-un and Haryeon, who had quietly drawn near.
His eyes held a questioning look, as if he found their combination peculiar, before a smile played at his lips and he posed a question.
“An intriguing assembly indeed. Particularly… is that woman the rumored Junior Princess of the Northern Ice Palace?”
“She is.”
“…I offer my respects. I am Seol Ha-yeon.”
Dang Cheon-ro nodded readily, his satisfaction evident.
Turning his gaze back to me, he paused as if considering something, then stroked his chin and continued.
“It seems you were sightseeing in the marketplace.”
“Yes, having come to Sichuan’s capital, one cannot help but observe its sights.”
To my words, Dang Cheon-ro nodded as if it were obvious.
Yet the corners of his mouth curled upward with a peculiar intensity.
An inexplicable unease crept over me.
“It appears you have considerable leisure time.”
“While browsing the marketplace may appear leisurely, I am quite occupied conducting market research in my own way.”
“Haha, I see. But you do have some spare time, do you not?”
“Well, yes…”
As if that single word held significance, Dang Cheon-ro’s eyes suddenly widened, and he pressed forward with a forceful tone.
“What do you say? Would you consider joining us?”
“I’m not sure what you mean…”
“You created this situation, didn’t you? Hani, I’m suggesting we suffer through this together.”
I shook my head with a gentle smile.
“That’s kind of you, but I think sightseeing in the city would be more enjoyable.”
“Everyone is eager to see you. Yet you refuse to come?”
“I am merely a merchant, after all…”
“Ha, a merchant with quite the reputation in the martial world, wouldn’t you say? And as I’ve mentioned, you’re the one who created this mess in the first place.”
The bitter smile lingered stubbornly on his face.
Seeing the look in his eyes that showed no intention of accepting any refusal, continuing to decline felt burdensome.
I let out a sigh.
“May I ask where you’re headed?”
At my question, Dang Cheon-ro glanced around.
The Family Head of the Dang Family and Jin Cheon-u of the Jin Family of Luoyang.
And adding to that, the eye-catching Chaeseoha and Seol Ha-yeon.
Because of them, attention was concentrated all the more intensely, and no small number of people had gathered with their ears perked up to our words.
The moment something left my lips, it would spread in an instant.
“Why don’t we talk as we go?”
“Very well.”
I nodded reluctantly.
Moving slowly with them back to the inn and mounting our horses, I now appeared to anyone watching as nothing more than one of their companions.
Chaeseoha’s gaze, tinged with displeasure, was an added bonus.
“Why on earth…”
“What can we do? We’re simply unlucky to have crossed paths.”
“This is absurd.”
Chaeseoha looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
She sent me a desperate look begging me to leave her behind, but I casually ignored it and moved forward.
In the meantime, Seol Ha-yeon drew closer to me.
Wondering about something, she observed Dang Cheon-ro’s expression ahead before whispering her question in a small voice.
“The members of the Dang Family we saw in Jeongdo seem quite… different from these.”
“Those were the branch line, while this is the main line.”
“…A branch line in such an important place?”
Seol Ha-yeon tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.
The most important place in Jeongdo’s martial world was the Martial Arts Alliance.
If one made a name for themselves there, they would soon command the entire realm, so many organizations were channeling their strength toward the Alliance.
Yet the Dang Family was not doing so.
“It’s because of Qingcheng and Emei.”
“…?”
Same Jeongdo, same Martial Arts Alliance affiliation.
Moreover, since they were in the same Sichuan region, it was obvious she harbored the naive thought that they would cooperate with each other.
“Ha—you’re right, Young Master Jin. If we prevent those two from rising up, won’t the Dang Family remain the hegemon of Sichuan?”
Even as Dang Cheon-ro acknowledged the friction between the Nine Sects and the Eight Great Families, he smiled without a shred of concern.
Only then did Seol Ha-yeon nod as if she understood.
“The martial world of the Central Plains is truly… complicated.”
“It’s because the Northern Ice Palace is an absolute hegemon in that region, so you wouldn’t know.”
Like the Dark Sect.
I deliberately refrained from elaborating further, yet Seol Ha-yeon seemed to grasp my meaning perfectly from those words alone, nodding thoughtfully as she fell into contemplation.
Thus we proceeded with idle chatter as we passed through the city gates and ventured outside.
Once I confirmed that no one lingered on the path and the surroundings had fallen silent, I spurred my horse forward and drew alongside Dang Cheon-ro.
As I approached, his gaze turned toward me.
“Where exactly are we headed?”
“Ha, you seem quite curious.”
“Well, I’m being dragged along, after all…”
“Dragged? Hahaha! You’re quite an amusing fellow.”
Dang Cheon-ro laughed with wide eyes as if genuinely surprised.
Perhaps because no one had ever spoken to him in such a manner to his face, his eyes gleamed with an even brighter light of amusement.
Soon his lips parted once more.
“Do you know where the last rumor originated?”
“I’m afraid I don’t.”
“From the Valley of Ghost Fire.”
At the mention of the Valley of Ghost Fire, I furrowed my brow.
A place even the people of Sichuan avoided.
And what lay beyond it was none other than.
“The Black Plum Forest.”
“Precisely that place.”
Watching Dang Cheon-ro smile with grim satisfaction, I furrowed my brow.

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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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