The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 58

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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 119

I had overwhelmed him.
Depending on how one heard it, it could sound like a compliment.
However, there was no doubt—the victor and vanquished were clear, and Cheon Yul had suffered a defeat so pathetic it was almost pitiful.
Yet Danju had chosen the word “overwhelmed” rather than “victory” or “defeat”—it was his way of preserving his pride.
And everyone present was far too intelligent not to understand what he truly meant.
I looked at Danju and offered a bitter smile.
“Well, that’s how it turned out.”
“Indeed, there must have been a reason you sat here alone without fear. I wondered what kind of madman you were.”
It was certainly a situation worthy of suspicion.
No matter that I was the Young Master So of the Jin Family of Luoyang, I had come alone to this place—practically enemy territory—without a single Imperial Guard to my name.
Had a fight broken out, I would have had no choice but to act, and anyone would have called me mad for it.
As I shrugged at his words, Danju’s blade quietly turned to point at me.
“Young Master So is someone who far surpasses us. If you overwhelmed such a person… I find myself curious to see just how remarkable you truly are.”
“I don’t engage in fights that serve no purpose.”
I shook my head in refusal, but my opponent showed no sign of backing down—instead, he closed the distance by another step.
In that instant, Namgung Yeon’s blade swept forward.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-!
A blade arrived at tremendous speed, pressing down upon Danju.
She did not miss the gaps that appeared between strikes.
She seemed intent on drawing him into her rhythm and seizing control of the fight, yet her still-insufficient experience held her back.
Thud-!
“Ugh?!”
She was struck in the abdomen and slid backward.
Simultaneously, a blade thrust toward her brow.
One could tell from Namgung Yeon’s tightly shut eyes alone.
She instinctively sensed she could not block it.
I quickly extended my hand.
Clang-!
A projectile flew out with precision, striking Danju’s blade away.
Caught off guard, he frowned and stepped back, then noticed the ohdoksa that had fallen to the ground and wore an expression of disbelief.
“A hidden weapon? You carry interesting things.”
“Not quite on the level of the Sacheon Clan, but close enough.”
“Either way, it matters not. Draw your sword now. I wish to see the martial skill with which you overwhelmed Young Master So.”
Danju spoke these words and pointed his blade at me once more. His resolve not to yield was palpable once again.
Did he wish to confirm the difference between himself and Cheon Yul?
Or did he truly wish to witness the martial prowess with which I had overwhelmed Cheon Yul?
Either way, I was not inclined to oblige.
From the start, in a situation where I had nothing to gain and no clear objective, I had no desire to waste strength on meaningless displays of power.
I glanced subtly at Namgung Yeon and Chu Hyeongi.
Were they not the ones most suited for this moment?
“Hyaaah!”
In that instant, Chu Hyeongi rushed forward and threw a punch.
Seeing this, Danju furrowed his brow and retreated, yet his gaze never left me.
It was the resolve of one who would not miss any opening.
“Lose focus for even a moment, and you die.”
“…!”
The moment those words left my lips, Namgung Yeon’s blade flew forward.
The sharp and precise edge, missing no gap, posed a genuine threat to Danju.
He hastily deflected Namgung Yeon’s sword.
Clang!
With a flash of sparks, her blade was knocked back, revealing a slight opening.
I seized that opportunity without hesitation.
A perfect technique to cleanly sever the opponent’s lifeline.
However, the fist that flew forward was faster than the sword being swung.
Boom!
“This madman is really trying to kill me!?”
“Ugh!”
Crash!
From Chu Hyeongi’s single blow, his body went flying.
Just as the frightened Jinpung Sword Sect members threw themselves toward the two, Danju suddenly rose to his feet and charged forward with evident delight.
The exchange of blows had begun.
Clang! Boom! Crash!
In terms of individual skill, Danju held a clear advantage.
However, the coordinated assault of Chu Hyeongi and Namgung Yeon, filling each other’s gaps, was solid enough to bridge the difference in realm between them.
Considering they had never coordinated before, it seemed they had acknowledged that their opponent’s capabilities surpassed their own, and had devised a fighting method to match.
This was quite impressive.
I turned away with a satisfied smile.
What caught my eye was Baek Ja-hyeon with a vacant expression, and the warriors watching the situation with disbelief written across their faces.
They had lost themselves watching the spirited duel of the two against Danju of the Jinpung Sword Sect.
Among them, several showed eyes burning with fighting spirit.
I approached the vacant-eyed Baek Ja-hyeon.
“I ask that you watch over the two of them. You need only stop them at an appropriate point.”
“Me? Handle that?”
“Are you not the commander of the Imperial Guards?”
“Well, even so….”
Crash! Clang clang!
From the successive sounds of blade strikes and explosions alone, one could discern how fierce the exchange of blows had become.
Intercepting them in the midst of their exchange was no simple feat.
Moreover, what they were trading were undoubtedly killing techniques.
One misstep, and my life could be forfeit.
Baek Ja-hyeon, knowing this well, could only hesitate.
I moved forward with a smile on my face.
I ascended the stairs slowly, making my way toward this floor.
The moment I stepped onto this level, I saw countless corpses strewn about.
The absence of the Jinpung Sword Sect meant there were no more enemies left to eliminate on this floor.
With each step, I felt something clinging to my feet.
Glancing down at the ground, I saw sticky blood drenching the surroundings—it was impossible to avoid stepping in it.
I moved slowly, tracking the presence of life.
Though it felt as though no survivors remained, I sensed a living presence deeper within.
The moment I opened the tightly sealed door, I saw people huddled together, trembling in fear.
Having witnessed the screams echoing from all directions and the flowing blood, they would be consumed by terror.
Thud—
The instant I stepped inside.
Their gazes snapped toward me.
“…Young Master So?!”
“Cheon-u!”
“It has been a while, Sister.”
I greeted my family warmly and smiled.

* * *

Naturally, the situation was resolved swiftly.
The clash between Danju Ha Un-jang, Namgung Yeon, and Chu Hyeongi did not last long before reaching its conclusion.
Though no clear victor emerged, the fact that they faced off against the formidable Jinpung Sword Sect Master without sustaining injuries was worthy of commendation.
All three seemed to have gained something from this confrontation, making it a satisfactory outcome regardless.
The Jinpung Sword Sect departed hastily to complete their remaining tasks.
They gathered every valuable item from the Hyang-un Inn, and finding even the disposal of corpses tedious, they set fire to everything, leaving no trace behind.
Naturally, their destination would be none other than the Hyang-un Sega.
Since they had been ordered to bring all of Hyang-un Sega’s possessions to Sa Do-cheon, the name Hyang-un Sega would be erased from the Central Plains after this affair.
“Thanks to you, I’ve survived.”
I turned my gaze toward the voice that reached my ears.
A familiar woman sitting beside Chaeseoha.
None other than Jin Ji-yak, the third child and sister of the Jin Family of Luoyang.
Though she had been held hostage for a duration both short and long, she bore no visible injuries, and her complexion had improved considerably.
“Is it truly thanks to me? Your color looks far better than before.”
“Hehe—try doing nothing but resting for a few days yourself. Anyone’s complexion would improve. Isn’t that right, physician?”
“Absolutely! That’s correct. Rest is the finest tonic of all.”
Chaeseoha answered hurriedly as I smiled with ease and posed the question.
Perhaps because we had only just met and were both women, she seemed to find the interaction rather difficult.
“But you’ve changed quite a bit. You seem more dependable somehow.”
“I’ve had considerable matters to attend to.”
“Yes, I’ve heard. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help despite such circumstances.”
“It’s fine. It’s already in the past, isn’t it? Moreover, I was able to become stronger because of it, so it was actually beneficial.”
My sister and the others outside had only recently learned of Hong Gu-hyeon’s affair.
Secrets, after all, are best kept when fewer people know of them.
Though the shock must have been considerable when they learned, dwelling on past matters only turns them into memories.
“Then it’s fortunate it turned out that way. But what of Hyang-un Sega?”
“Hyang-un Sega? Ah—are you asking if I intend to let them be absorbed into Sa Do-cheon as things stand?”
“Precisely. In truth, looking at the situation, we’ve only suffered losses. We gained nothing, only lost.”
I nodded in agreement with Jin Ji-yak’s words.
Hyang-un Sega, which initiated this affair, would collapse and be absorbed into Sa Do-cheon.
Sa Do-cheon would obtain everything they possessed and, more than that, gain the right to participate in imperial enterprises, while the Jin Family of Luoyang gained nothing and only surrendered.
By a merchant’s reckoning, the current situation was dire.
Jin Ji-yak had pointed out precisely that aspect.
“There’s no need to worry about that.”
“Have you gained something?”
I shook my head at Jin Ji-yak’s question.
It was undeniable that we had lost without gaining anything immediate.
But if one looks toward the future, the story changes.
If our relationship with Sa Do-cheon becomes more solidified, the Jin Family’s entire operations could expand into Shanxi, a region we had been unable to easily enter due to their influence until now.
We could gain far more profit than what we’ve lost.
Moreover, if it were possible to penetrate Shanxi, then Xiewei above it could also be targeted—this situation was far from unfavorable.
Rather, I had gained far more than I expected.
And there was one more thing.
I leaned my elbow against the window frame and gazed outside.
As fleeting scenes passed before my eyes, I recalled Cheon Gong-hak’s voice.
Gwanbaek and Mu Heo.
Geomcheon—the one called a being that fell from the heavens.
He was known by the name Mu Heo, but that was not his true name.
Gwanbaek.
An unforgettable name that had fallen from Yeom Ji-hak’s lips.
Which meant Geomcheon had some connection to them.
Whether they were on good terms or not.
Only then could I understand why people spoke of Geomcheon as one who fell from the heavens.
Because he truly belonged to a place that both existed and did not exist.
And now, he was a vanished existence.
Unlike the other two beings who occasionally showed themselves in the martial world, he had disappeared completely without leaving a single trace.
The reason could be inferred from the dead man’s words.
The entity calling itself the Divine who leads the Divine Cult was actually Gwanbaek’s disciple, and it was most reasonable to assume he died alongside him.
But they believed he was still alive.
They attributed all the circumstances that had begun with the Shadow Assassins’ actions to Gwanbaek, and it seemed they prioritized finding him above all else.
The tangled threads unraveled, one by one.
I had been wondering why Yeom Ji-hak came to Anhui, but if the opponent was Geomcheon, he was certainly a powerful expert of sufficient caliber, was he not?
A laugh escaped my lips before I could help it.
If they believed that, I could use it to my advantage. I could even push their already distant gaze further away.
But before that, there was something I needed to know.
None other than the movements of Geomcheon Mu Heo.
No, it was not merely his movements.
His personality, his manner of speech, and even his appearance.
If I failed to engrave every detail into my mind, gaps would form for them to exploit.
Before departing for Yasu Palace, I had to learn all of it.
The place that could bring me such information most swiftly.
I recalled a certain woman.
“It’s been a while. I should pay Baek Jin-hwa a visit.”

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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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