The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 381

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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 381

“What will you do?”
I placed my hand on the sword hilt and posed the question once more.
It was then that a chilling wind swept past.
As if every sense in my body had been set on edge.
Because of it, the eyes of those looking at me wavered. Their palms grew slick with sweat, and their expressions grew increasingly grim.
The rumors about me.
Even those from the heterodox sects could not have failed to hear them.
While one might dismiss all the rumors as exaggeration, the fact that I had slain the Sword Emperor remained unchanged, and this alone would be an enormous burden for them.
“Surely you wouldn’t do this? The Jin Family and we are in a cooperative relationship, are we not?”
“That was a relationship forged with the previous Heavenly Lord. Since he has passed, there is no reason to continue it. Moreover, I nearly fell to a blade just moments ago.”
I glanced sideways and gestured with my chin toward the corpse sprawled to one side.
A man whose neck had been broken in a pitiful manner.
It was an undeniable fact that his sword had flown toward me.
With the unmistakable killing intent to harm a person, my response could be seen as a justified action taken by one who had been drawn into their affair rather than merely interfering.
In that moment, a small smile played at the corners of my lips.
Simultaneously, Chu Hyeongi stepped forward with both fists clenched tightly, and Namgung Yeon poured his energy into his blade, revealing his momentum.
Seol Ha-yeon’s chill made the night wind even colder, while the weighty auras of Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo poured down upon them.
“Ugh…!?”
“Damn it…!”
Despair settled across their faces.
They had realized that defeating us and achieving their objective was impossible.
“Kugh… The Heavenly Lord will not let this stand.”
“I wonder. It was you who drew your blades against us while we remained still. And within the territory of the orthodox sect at that. If anything, I have far more to say.”
The man’s eyes narrowed further.
Though he appeared desperate to swing his blade in anger regardless of life or death, he forcibly restrained himself and swallowed it inwardly.
Eventually, he dampened his momentum and turned his back.
“I will never forget what happened today.”
“I’ve already forgotten it. The night is dark—be careful on your way.”
I saw them off with a mocking smile playing on my lips.
As I gave a slight wave, the men’s brows furrowed deeper, but they soon hurled themselves forward and moved toward the ridge beyond.
I watched their forms become mere specks and disappear, and once I confirmed that no trace of them remained, I turned and gazed at one place.
Beings standing blankly, observing the situation.
As the enemies completely vanished, they caught their breath, and the tension that had been taut slowly began to subside.
Soon, noticing my gaze, they hurriedly attempted to assume a formal stance.
Grrrr—
In that moment, a loud sound erupted from his stomach.
It was not just one person.
The same sound echoed from the bellies of several of them.
Judging by how their faces flushed crimson, they felt ashamed.
I chuckled softly and spoke.
“Well then, shall we eat first?”
“Y-yes, thank you.”
At my words, Chu Hyeongi moved to prepare the seating.
It was merely a matter of adding a few more bowls and laying out chopsticks. With food abundant enough to overflow, there was nothing to begrudge.
Thus the meal began.
Crackle, crackle—!
I sat before the blazing campfire and gazed ahead.
Whether they had been starving for a long time was clear—these men who devoured their food so ravenously were undoubtedly those who had been driven away from Cheon Yul’s side in Henan by the order of Hye-myeong, the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance.
They filled their bellies in silence, consuming food and water, and only after stuffing their stomachs for quite some time did they regain their composure.
“I-I’m sorry, Young Master. We’ve been starving for nearly ten days….”
“It’s fine. There’s plenty of food, so please eat more if you wish.”
At my words, the man’s eyes gleamed.
It seemed he still wanted more despite having eaten so much.
However, with their bellies somewhat satisfied, they regained the capacity to think. Rising abruptly, they looked at me and clasped their fists in salute.
“I am Baek Sa-gyeong. I thank you once more for saving our lives. Without you, Young Master, we would have….”
“Enough with the pleasantries. Rather, what brings you here? Pursued even into the territories of the orthodox sects.”
“I believe you already know from the rumors, but Soocheonchu has been imprisoned in the Brain Prison. And… a new Heavenly Lord has ascended.”
I nodded.
A story I’d grown tired of hearing.
If I heard it one more time, I’d fall asleep.
I waved my hand, cutting off whatever Baek Sa-gyeong was about to say.
“You’ve been moving to rescue Soocheonchu?”
“Yes. We… are determined to save him. And we will restore this absurd situation to how it was.”
Baek Sa-gyeong clenched his fists, steeling his resolve.
By any measure, it was an unfavorable fight.
The greatest asset one could call upon, Cheon Gong-hak, had left this world, Cheon Yul was captured, and the enemy was Kang Mu-yeom, called the strongest of the current Sa Do-cheon.
But that was far from all.
There were countless others following Ryu Hyeok-sang and the two of them.
Cheon Yul’s situation was absolute disadvantage itself.
He didn’t even possess a card capable of overturning the table.
As I harbored such thoughts and clicked my tongue lightly.
The man’s eyes blazed with intense light as they fixed upon me.
“Please help us, Young Master!”
What followed was an unexpected request.
I tilted my head in confusion and asked again.
“You mean that?”
“Yes. I beg you, Young Master. There is no one but you who can save Soocheonchu.”
“Haha.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurd words I was hearing.
Now I finally understood why they had fled from Shanxi into the orthodox faction’s territory.
It wasn’t simply to shake off pursuit—they had come seeking my help.
“If you’ve come to ask me for assistance, I’m afraid you’ve chosen poorly. You may not know this, but my situation isn’t particularly favorable either.”
Yet Baek Sa-gyeong showed no sign of backing down easily.
He gazed at me again with a desperate expression.
A fierce determination gleamed in those eyes.
“Young Master, our request isn’t born from friendship or bonds with Soocheonchu.”
“…Continue.”
“Soocheonchu has always said this: not a friend, but an insurmountable wall. That’s why he wishes to become someone equal—to break through that wall and stand beside him as his peer.”
I furrowed my brow.
It was persuasive, yet ambiguous enough not to sway my heart.
But what came next was rather intriguing.
“If you command me to kneel, I shall kneel. If you command me to crawl, I shall crawl. So please… grant Soocheonchu the opportunity to stand equal with you, Young Master.”
“Hmm.”
I crossed my arms and leaned against a tree.
Having grown up in Sa Do-cheon since childhood, Cheon Yul must have had no shortage of those who served him with loyalty.
Moreover, considering his nature, he would have made many acquaintances. Yet they were asking me, not those others—which meant they had reached a point where they could trust no one else.
With that thought, I looked at them again.
The way they bowed their heads deeply before me.
As if they felt they had already reached the limits of their own strength.
I fell into thought for a moment, closing my eyes gently, and silence descended.
The decision rested solely with me.
That’s why I could feel every gaze fixed upon me.
Once I finished deliberating, a small smile played at my lips.
“Very well.”
“…!”
If I were to weigh gains and losses, I wasn’t inclined to accept.
My desire to reach the Northern Sea as soon as possible was strong.
Yet given that the current situation was unfolding in a completely different direction from the past, I couldn’t help but suspect there was some hidden reason or presence behind it.
Whether it was Singyeo or Gwanbaek.
If it was their scheme, I would have to destroy it.
Whatever their purpose, destroying it was my role and my duty.
Besides, creating a debt with Cheon Yul wasn’t a bad thing either.
Only…
Pinch!
“…”
Chaeseoha beside me pinched my side with a sharp glare, as if urging me that this wasn’t the time for such thoughts.
I gently moved my hand to remove her fingers and asked.
“Where is Cheon Yul right now?”
“In the underground prison….”
“I already know that. I’m asking about the specific location. Surely you wouldn’t have confined someone as important as Cheon Yul in a mere ordinary cell.”
“Do you know the mountain that overlooks Taiyuan, the capital city?”
“Isn’t it Qinghua Mountain?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Deep within that mountain lies the Cheonwon Clan.”
At the mention of the Cheonwon Clan, I furrowed my brow.
Wasn’t it once the clan that represented Sa Do-cheon?
The birthplace of Cheon Gong-hak and his family.
Yet now, the name of the Cheonwon Clan no longer exists in Sa Do-cheon.
Because Cheon Gong-hak himself had brought complete annihilation upon his own family.
For reasons I couldn’t fathom, it was no exaggeration to say that the three characters of Cheon Gong-hak’s name had soared prominently through the martial world of Sa Do-cheon as a result.
They imprisoned Cheon Yul in such a place?
“Regardless of the circumstances, it’s clear that he’s definitely confined there.”
The man nodded.
I sipped the remaining tea and smiled.

* * *

This was Sa Do-cheon.
Those gathered within wore tense expressions as they gazed upon someone.
The being seated upon the largest and most ornate throne.
On that seat which none but Cheon Gong-hak could have occupied, a new existence named Kang Mu-yeom now sat, proving that the era had changed.
A relaxed expression and gaze.
A smile whose thoughts were unfathomable.
Kang Mu-yeom’s eyes looked down upon the one who bowed their head below.
“You let him escape?”
“Yes… so it seems.”
“Tsk tsk, how did this come to pass? Baek Sa-gyeong is skilled, yet those I sent shouldn’t have been repelled by him.”
Though his tone expressed displeasure and he clicked his tongue as if discontented with the situation, the smile spreading across his lips shone with an eerie brightness.
As if this failure was fascinating to him.
His eyes gleamed as he awaited the man’s words.
“It was… Jin Cheon-u.”
“Of the Jin Family of Luoyang?”
“Yes, that child apparently interfered.”
“Hahaha-.”
Jin Cheon-u of the Jin Family of Luoyang.
There was no way I wouldn’t know that name.
It was widely known not only in the orthodox sects but also in the heterodox schools.
Once it was because he had easily defeated Cheon Yul in a martial contest, and now the entire martial world was abuzz because he had slain the Sword Emperor.
Moreover, wasn’t it because of Jin Cheon-u that the Jin Family and Sa Do-cheon formed a business relationship in the first place?
Whether it was due to his martial prowess or some other reason, that name kept reaching my ears.
“I hear he was close with Cheon Yul. It seems he’s gone to seek his help.”
“That appears to be the case. What should we do?”
Kang Mu-yeom smiled faintly and leaned back in his seat.
What should we do?
Kill everyone who follows Cheon Yul.
That was the thought I harbored.
But an unexpected obstacle had appeared, and if he intended to join hands with Cheon Yul, what then?
I would crush him beneath my heel.
The Jin Family of Luoyang and Jin Cheon-u—they were certainly impressive if one were to call them so. But Sa Do-cheon, who had dominated the heterodox martial world for long years and become its pride, could not allow his dignity to be wounded by such people.
Furthermore, I disliked the fact that Jin Cheon-u was stepping forward in this situation.
“Can we discern that child’s purpose?”
“No, but it’s clear that Baek Sa-gyeong has joined him.”
“I see.”
Whether he was merely passing through Shanxi or had come seeking to save Cheon Yul after hearing of his plight, I found it disagreeable that flies were gathering on the board I had constructed.
Kang Mu-yeom laughed.
With an intensity that was utterly suffocating.
Soon, heavy words spilled from his lips.
“Will you go?”
“Of course, my lord.”
A man raised the corners of his mouth darkly and assumed a fist salute.

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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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