The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 71

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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 Nakhyang Jin Family – Chapter 132

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The procession advanced along the wide-open road.
The escort mission that had departed from Chang’an moved with remarkable speed, expending the stamina we had accumulated over time, and swiftly left Shaanxi Province behind.
We were moving at a pace incomparable to other escort missions, and this was thanks to the absence of bandits who typically blocked our path demanding tolls, and the disappearance of brigands altogether.
With no one blocking our procession as usual, we were able to leave Shaanxi Province and enter Gansu Province in genuine comfort.
“I’ve never experienced such a smooth escort mission before.”
Yang Jachun, despite his extensive experience, let out a bewildered laugh at this unusual situation.
No matter how prominently we displayed the Jin Family of Luoyang’s banner, bold bandits could appear anywhere, and unexpected troubles were bound to occur.
“It must be the credit of those two ahead. I never expected them to demolish the bandit gangs as they went.”
I clicked my tongue and recalled the state of the bandit hideouts I had seen along the way.
My suspicion proved correct.
Looking at the destroyed bandit hideouts from every angle, it was clear that Gu Gunbaek and Chu Hyeongi had left their mark.
Shallow and deep gouges scattered throughout resembled the claw marks of a tiger.
It seemed everyone had realized that the subjects of the rumors were Gu Gunbaek and Chu Hyeongi.
And as a result, our escort mission had become considerably easier.
I had expected them to clear the path diligently, but they had organized things almost excessively thoroughly.
Chu Hyeongi’s efforts were evident.
The problem lay in another rumor.
“There were tales of goblins and such, but those seem to be false.”
“Is that what it appears to be?”
“Do you think otherwise?”
At Yang Jachun’s question, I furrowed my brow without answering.
Mist and goblins.
The moment I heard those words, one person came to mind.
Chu Won, the advisor of Sin Gak.
A master of the Eight Trigrams Formation and medicine who moves with strange mist.
With his hunched appearance, seeing him shrouded in mist could easily make one think he was a goblin or ghost.
If such a person was moving westward like me…
If that were true, whether by coincidence or inevitability, we were moving in the same direction as them.
And what lay at the end was none other than.
Namman.
What if he had discovered that the jade orb remained in Namman?
Or even if he hadn’t discovered it, what if he had found something suspicious?
Given that our objectives were the same, it was entirely possible.
“Young Master, we’ve arrived.”
As I was organizing my thoughts, Yang Jachun’s voice reached my ears.
I suddenly lifted my head and gazed forward.
A massive mountain and village came into view before my eyes.
The mountain behind us was our destination—Mount Kongtong.
The small village below appeared to be a settlement of slash-and-burn farmers seeking protection from the Kongtong Sect, a major faction that sheltered the powerless common folk.
Though modest, the village had everything from inns to markets, yet the most important government office was nowhere to be seen.
I surveyed the village and began ascending the mountain gradually.
Naturally, since the Kongtong Sect wasn’t located within the village, I had to climb the mountain.
Fortunately, the mountain path was well-maintained, allowing cargo wagons and carts to move smoothly.
Still, the steep incline meant that after advancing only about two hours, the faces of the porters had turned the color of earth.
Those gasping for breath and sweating like rain were everywhere.
Those riding horses fared somewhat better, but even the horses’ pace was gradually slowing.
As I considered taking a brief rest, numerous pavilion structures came into view not far ahead.
“That’s the Kongtong Sect.”
“We’ve finally arrived.”
I exhaled and urged my horse forward more quickly.
Even the porters leading the procession, realizing we were nearly at our destination, squeezed out their remaining strength and pressed onward.
Soon, as we reached the Kongtong Sect’s main gate.
“Halt! This is Kongtong Sect territory. What brings you here?”
“I am Jin Cheon-u of the Jin Family of Luoyang. I’ve brought the tribute goods as promised.”
Upon hearing the name Jin Family of Luoyang, the robed man seemed to recognize it, nodding slightly.
He then whispered something to someone, and one person vanished from sight using light steps, while the robed man pushed open the tightly sealed main gate of the Kongtong Sect wide.
“Please enter! I shall guide you to where the tribute goods are to be received.”
I nodded and dismounted from my horse.
Leading my horse inside, the man guided me to a spacious courtyard.
At last, the tribute goods had found their destination.
The porters hurried to untie the ropes binding the cargo wagons and carts, then began unloading the tribute goods one by one.
The tribute goods loaded on twelve cargo wagons were so abundant that even unloading them required considerable effort.
“Are you the Young Master of the Jin Family of Luoyang?”
Suddenly, a voice came from behind me.
I turned my head slightly and saw a powerfully built figure.
Tall in stature, dressed in white robes, with a long snow-white beard flowing down.
Yet the long beard and wrinkles visible across his face suggested his age.
Though merely standing, an overwhelming sense of pressure emanated from him.
Indeed, a figure destined to ascend to the position of Sect Master.
Observing him, I withdrew a letter from my sleeve.
“It is an honor to meet you, Elder. I am Jin Cheon-u, who has led this tribute delegation.”
“How surprising—the Young Master himself has come.”
“Surely that is only natural for a tribute mission to the Kongtong Sect?”
“Hehe, I appreciate you saying so.”
“Now, if you would simply affix your seal here, we shall be finished.”
I handed the document to Gam Cheong-un, who was smiling. The moment he stamped it as received, this matter would be concluded.
“Hehehehe— why are you in such a hurry? You’ve had a long journey and must be exhausted. We’ve prepared quarters for you. Why not rest there for a while?”
“I have a large entourage.”
“Don’t worry about that. Does our sect lack space for that many people? Besides, Jin Gu-hyeok—isn’t he your grandfather? I couldn’t possibly send you away like that.”
At the mention of Jin Gu-hyeok, I couldn’t help but smile.
My grandfather’s name had come up.
Though he spoke as if they were close acquaintances, my grandfather had actually made far more effort than my father to avoid entanglement with martial artists.
I was certain they had seen each other only once or twice, and had exchanged few words at most.
I studied Gam Cheong-un intently.
His smile and expression were guileless, yet his eyes betrayed a clear determination to keep me here by any means necessary.
Countless martial artists had gathered to offer their congratulations.
If the Young Master So of the Jin Family of Luoyang were present in such a place, it would strengthen the sect’s standing considerably.
In any case, people of this sort always had something of the cunning old fox about them.
I let out a soft laugh and nodded lightly.
“I understand.”
“Hehe, excellent, excellent! Come now, let us go.”
I had intended to stay until the celebration ended anyway.
I judged it better to remain here than to go down to the village.
However.
“Huh?! Young Master Jin!”
The problem was having to endure the attention of these bothersome people.

* * *

Shaman Jangmun Hoyeon held a pristine white sheet of paper up to the sunlight.
At the same moment.
Strange characters appeared on the paper.
In time, the paper gradually deteriorated and crumbled, eventually turning to dust and vanishing.
Hoyeon closed his eyes after confirming it.
He recalled the pattern he had just witnessed and set about interpreting it.
“So Chu Won traveled to Namman alongside the others. What could be there?”
Hoyeon dismissed such idle thoughts.
Chu Won’s movements were for the Divine’s purposes.
There was no need to question matters concerning the Divine.
After all, it was through faith and trust in the Divine that I could stand here now.
Regardless, this information helped me understand why rumors of goblins appearing alongside the mist spreading through the world had surfaced.
Surely, they had witnessed Chu Won, the Vice-Leader of Sin Gak.
A smile graced Hoyeon’s lips as he turned his gaze elsewhere.
A single ring lay neatly placed to one side.
Finding nothing particularly distinctive about it, I grasped it firmly in my hand and clenched my fist.
Crack!
The small ring instantly crumbled to powder.
As I brushed my hand lightly toward the window, the dust of the ring—no longer retaining any form—scattered into the wind and drifted away.
Soon, my gaze shifted elsewhere.
A strangely familiar aura had caught my attention.
What entered my view was none other than.
“So we meet again… tsk.”
Jin Cheon-u.
Gam Cheong-un, the Jangmun of the Gongdong Sect, followed behind him along with several companions—all faces I had seen before.
Hoyeon observed them while stroking his beard.
“There’s definitely something going on… ”
The Shadow Assassins’ failure and the matters in the Eastern Four Families and Anhui.
The Eastern Four Families were one thing, but most matters entangled with Jin Cheon-u had flowed in directions entirely contrary to their natural course.
Moreover, the recent incident involving Sa Do-cheon.
Even the Divine Sect’s intelligence network had assessed Jin Cheon-u as merely having learned basic self-defense techniques, yet he had shattered that assessment entirely.
If he had been concealing such strength, could it be possible that with someone’s assistance, he had eliminated the Shadow Assassins? Such suspicions multiplied endlessly in my mind.
Then.
Our eyes met as Jin Cheon-u passed by.
A light greeting offered with an expressionless face.
Hoyeon reciprocated with a smile, concealing his true thoughts.
In that moment, something peculiar caught my eye.
Jin Cheon-u’s lips curved into a smile.
He smiled while facing me directly, then turned his head away.
As if issuing a provocation.
“That bastard….”
I couldn’t quite grasp the true meaning behind that laughter.
Whether I’d laughed at Paeng Dohan’s rambling words, or if it had been a genuine smile of recognition without ulterior motive—I couldn’t even say for certain.
Still, this unease gnawed at me.

* * *

“Is something wrong?”
Following behind Gam Cheong-un, the sect leader, I snapped back to attention at the sudden sound of Chaeseoha’s voice and turned around.
I could see her tilting her head as she looked at me.
“Wrong? What do you mean?”
“Well, you were smiling at something over there. I got worried about what you might be plotting and asked.”
For a moment, I found myself staring at Chaeseoha with an expression of disbelief. She spoke casually as if nothing was amiss, yet somehow her words struck right at the heart of the matter.
Watching her sigh, it seemed she was convinced I was up to something.
I scratched my head and offered a bitter smile.
“I just smiled because I recognized someone. There’s nothing more to it than that.”
“So is this person you know on the bad side or the good side?”
“….”
“See?”
Chaeseoha sighed in resignation, shaking her head slowly.
But it seemed she didn’t particularly want to press further, so she said nothing more.
Was she showing concern in her own way?
I let out a quiet chuckle and casually approached her.
“Speaking of which, could you make something for me?”
“Again? And here, of all places?”
“Yes, I have a feeling I’ll need it soon.”
Chaeseoha let out a small sound before reluctantly nodding as if she had no choice.
Though she didn’t know exactly what I wanted, she seemed to understand it was something she could make that I needed.
“What should I make for you?”
“A Sincerity Pill.”
“…!”
At my words, her eyes widened in surprise.
It was a substance created to ease the suffering of those dying in agony—so potent that even those with severed limbs or pierced lungs could forget their pain.
It was essentially a painkiller.
An extraordinarily powerful one at that.
The reason it hadn’t been used in Anhui was that it took considerable time to produce, and its addictive properties were several times stronger than opium.
Those who took it once would seek it again, and those who took it twice would spend their remaining days chasing after it.
Even if they were martial artists.
That’s why it was only used to ease the suffering of the dying—a pill reserved for such desperate circumstances.
“What… are you planning to use that for?”
“I use it to survive.”
Taking in her expression as she looked at me with utter bewilderment, I responded with a bright smile.

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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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