The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 1

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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 1

The acrid stench of blood hung thick in the air, vibrating with each breath.
The metallic reek emanating from corpses scattered across the mountainside drew wild beasts from every direction.
Caw—caw—
Above, flocks of crows circled in formation, their dark wings cutting through the sky as they waited for their moment.
The ghastly scene spoke volumes of the brutal battle that had unfolded here.
Countless bodies lay strewn about—too many to count.
Yet those who remained alive did not falter. Like hunters driving prey toward a cliff, they advanced in perfect formation toward the mountain’s summit.
And there, at the summit.
Those who had completed their drive stood watching a lone man, their sword tips gleaming with lethal intent as their eyes burned with cold fury.
“Hah—hah—!”
A man of imposing stature stood there.
Yet his condition was beyond description.
From face to feet, his original clothing was indistinguishable beneath the deep crimson of blood.
His entire body was covered in cuts and puncture wounds.
Dozens of projectiles protruded from his back, dangling loosely with each movement.
These were wounds that should have claimed his life instantly, yet his eyes—fixed forward—burned with the ferocity of a wild beast.
Before him stood several shadowy figures.
Their gazes bore down upon him with glacial indifference.
Then one of them hurled a cloth bundle at the man’s feet.
The bundle tumbled across the ground and unraveled, revealing a severed head.
In that moment, the man who had seemed unbreakable collapsed entirely.
With trembling hands, I reached out to touch the face of one I had walked beside for so long.
“…Chu Hyeongi.”
“With this final one, all the retainers who served the Young Master are now dead.”
At those words, I swallowed hard.
Chu Hyeongi had been like a brother to me since childhood—a loyal subordinate who had stood by my side.
When the family fell, he survived with me. Though he could have fled, he chose to remain and protect me.
And Chu Hyeongi was not alone.
Over the past decade and more, despite the family’s collapse, those who had helped and sheltered me—their faces now appeared one by one in my mind.
Their deaths shook my very being.
“More than ten years have passed, Young Master. At last, this endless chase comes to an end.”
Shing—
With those words came the sound of a blade being drawn.
Then footsteps approached, piercing my ears.
I lifted my head to look at them.
I gazed upon the figures before me—men whose eyes burned with vitality that belied the approach of death.
Ho Yeon-jin, Ju Yeom-chan, So Gu-hyeon… Yeom Ji-hak.
I spoke aloud the names of each man, one by one. With every name I uttered, their expressions twisted and contorted.
They seemed not to have expected me to remember such a fleeting encounter, a mere brush of fate from long ago.
“Your memory is truly extraordinary, Young Master. Well, I suppose that’s how you’ve managed to survive in our grasp for over a decade.”
“Haha, hahaha hahahaha—!”
A burst of wild laughter erupted from me, echoing across the entire mountain.
Despite standing at death’s threshold, I showed not a trace of fear. Instead, I faced them with unwavering composure.
I staggered to my feet with great difficulty, my body trembling.
“Hahaha! What is a decade? What is a century? Even if a thousand years pass, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and tear you asunder!”
“….”
“With your blood, I shall dye Dong Jing Lake crimson, and this battle shall not end until your bloodline burns to ash and cinder! Even in Hell itself, I swear it! Hahahaha—!”
As I spat out this blood-soaked curse, I laughed once more.
My laughter, defiant even before death itself, echoed and reverberated across the entire mountain.
In that moment.
I withdrew from my robes a Gok Ok that emanated a soft green luminescence.
It radiated a mysterious spiritual energy that seemed to pull one’s gaze inward with an irresistible force.
At the same time, the eyes of the Shadow Figures watching widened in shock.
“That is…?!”
The startled men rushed forward, but their movements proved futile.
I shoved the Gok Ok into my mouth and bit down hard.
Crunch— crunch—!
As I crushed the solid Gok Ok as though it were brittle candy, the shattered fragments tore and lacerated the inside of my mouth.
With each bite, blood streamed from my lips.
Was it my overwhelming spirit that paralyzed them?
Watching the Gok Ok shatter in real time, not a soul dared move.
“What are you doing?! Seize it at once!”
“Ugh?!”
Snapping to their senses, they rushed forward desperately.
Drip—
Yet I only laughed harder, blood streaming from my mouth.
The ashen terror on their faces was far too amusing.
Slowly, I stepped backward, spreading both arms wide.
“Even in death… I will not… fall to you!”
With the desolate sky at my back, I gazed at those approaching me and muttered words barely audible beneath the chaos of movement. Yet the meaning was unmistakable to all who witnessed it.
“No—!”
My body plummeted straight down the Thousand-Zhang Cliff.
Outstretched hands barely grazed my collar.
All that remained in sight was my figure, falling endlessly into the abyss.
Splat— crack!
Soon after, the sickening sound of something being crushed echoed upward.

* * *

High above, where mortals must crane their necks to see, stood the Throne of the Absolute Being.
Seated in a crooked posture, the Absolute Being rested his chin upon his hand, gazing downward with an air of profound boredom.
Unable to overcome his ennui, he closed his eyes as if surrendering to slumber, while all those gathered before him remained motionless—heads bowed to the earth, lips sealed in reverent silence.
Flash—!
Then.
The man’s eyes opened.
His gaze swept across the scene before him in a single, sweeping glance.
Countless figures prostrated themselves, their bodies bent in worship toward him.
The man’s eyes shifted subtly, scanning the periphery around him.
A strange sense of déjà vu.
As if he had experienced this once before.
Seized by this peculiar sensation, he turned his gaze toward his own wrist.
A single jade orb, deep crimson and luminous, caught his eye—its radiance mesmerizing, its beauty captivating.
The man slowly raised his hand to examine it more closely.
As one might regard the most precious treasure in all the world.
His eyes and expression had grown so peculiar that it seemed as though the jade orb had stolen everything from him—his very essence.
Yet he was not alone in this fixation.
Among those prostrated before him, many inadvertently lifted their heads to gaze upon the jade orb, and all of them breathed in ragged gasps, overwhelmed by rapture.
This was the Stone—the one imbued with Divine Power.
Merely to behold it was to feel as though one could embrace the entire world.
Yet the man’s eyes began to narrow as he stared at it.
Crack!
He clenched the jade orb in his grip with tremendous force, and it shattered into countless fragments, crumbling to dust that scattered through the air—only to be absorbed slowly, impossibly, into his own body.
“Ah—”
Soft gasps of astonishment echoed throughout the chamber.
Yet this Absolute Being paid them no heed, neither granting permission nor acknowledging those who dared to lift their heads and speak.
He merely gazed upon the space where the jade orb had vanished, his expression cold and distant.
And then, he arrived at a singular certainty.
“Something has gone terribly wrong.”
Though his memory eluded him, this déjà vu provided the answer.
Something had gone profoundly, irreversibly wrong.

* * *

“Young Master! Are you alright?”
A familiar voice I’d forgotten pierced through the fog of my consciousness.
In that instant, seeing the old man before me, my eyes snapped open without thinking.
An elderly man with a benevolent expression.
As he gazed down at me with worried eyes and spoke, I found myself reaching out without hesitation.
Smack!
“Ow! I’m done for!”
“W-wait, Young Master, why did you suddenly—?!”
The old man tumbled backward while another figure cried out beside him.
Turning my head in bewilderment, I recognized the face of a familiar person.
Tall enough to be called eight feet in stature.
Muscles so overwhelming that one couldn’t possibly mistake him for a mere servant.
It was Jang Chuchyeong, the last person I’d seen.
“Chu… brother?”
“Yes, it’s me—but why did you suddenly do that?! What if you’ve hurt Hong Gu-hyeon?”
“Hong… the old man?”
The words reached my ears, but my mind couldn’t process the situation.
Staring blankly at the fallen Hong Gu-hyeon, I soon shifted my gaze elsewhere, surveying my surroundings.
A familiar room.
So vast that mere words couldn’t capture its grandeur.
Every object adorning the chamber was of immeasurable value—selling even a few pieces would yield enough to support an ordinary person’s annual salary.
“My… room? Cough—”
Confronted with incomprehensible circumstances, I suddenly coughed.
Slowly, I turned my head to gaze at Jang Chuchyeong once more.
As I did, I noticed a puzzled expression crossing his face.
“Is your head alright?”
Watching him tilt his head in confusion, I slowly reached out. The moment my fingers brushed his cheek, a flood of memories crashed through me.
Without thinking, I pinched his cheek.
“Aaaahhhhh—!”
A piercing shriek rang out, sharp and vivid in my ears.
As if to prove this was reality, the sensation was unmistakably real.
Watching him recoil in shock, I found myself rising from the bed.
“Cough, cough!”
Another fit of coughing seized me.
But there was no time to stand here coughing in a daze.
“Young Master?!”
“Good heavens… what’s gotten into him?”
“I have no idea!”
Patter-patter—
I rushed out of the room.
As I passed through the familiar corridor, memories from the past flooded back with vivid clarity.
Gasp—gasp—
With each recollection, my breathing grew more labored and frantic.
My breath caught in my throat as I stumbled forward, desperately pushing open another door.
In that instant, the landscape before me was revealed.
So achingly familiar—the very place I had yearned for countless times.
“Cough!”
Before the towering gate lay Dowon Village, spread out in all its splendor.
Brilliant flowers and ancient trees, weathered rocks and tranquil ponds—all arranged in perfect harmony for the one person who dwelled beyond that gate.
It was so breathtakingly beautiful that one could scarcely believe it had been created for a single soul; it resembled a masterpiece painting brought to life.
I slowly made my way out of that place and into the open air.
Before me stretched an expanse so vast it was difficult to take in at a glance—a sprawling territory that seemed to contain an entire Imperial Palace within its bounds.
At the cardinal points stood the Main Hall overseeing Pyoguk, Jeongjang, and the Inn, while at the center lay the Nakhyang Jin Family, the force that commanded all of it.
And this place where I stood was the Annex—a sanctuary granted only to Young Master So within the entire Nakhyang Jin Family.
“What is the meaning of this… cough.”
My lips trembled as I began to slowly circle the grounds.
It had burned to ash. Everyone had perished.
For centuries, the Nakhyang Jin Family had wielded the financial lifeblood of the Central Plains—an absolute power in wealth and influence.
And I am Jin Cheon-u, the youngest of that house.
This place had vanished without a trace, not a single foundation stone remaining, yet here it stood before me, perfectly intact. How could this be?
I could not comprehend it.
I considered the possibility that this was merely a dream, but even that seemed impossible.
The gentle breeze caressing my neck, the scent of grass spreading through the air, the brilliant sun overhead—none of it could be false.
“Greetings, Young Master!”
“Are you feeling better today?”
I heard the voices of people calling out from various corners of the estate.
Familiar faces.
People I had known since childhood, people who had died before my eyes.
Without thinking, my fists clenched tightly.
“Could it be…?”
Had I returned?
It defied all logic and reason.
Yet no matter how I reasoned, I could not convince myself this was a dream. The appearance of the people, their voices, the surrounding landscape, the sensations I felt—
Everything was so vivid and real that I could not accept it as illusion.
I swallowed hard, my mind churning with questions.
But why?
There was nothing to give me certainty.
Then, something suddenly came to mind.
In that same moment, I quickened my pace.
I moved swiftly through the vast grounds of the Nakhyang Jin Family, heading toward the Main Hall that stood at the highest point within the estate.

The Ancestral Hall.

A sacred sanctuary that none but the legitimate bloodline of the Nakhyang Jin Family could even be permitted to enter.
I pushed open the heavy doors of the Ancestral Hall and stepped inside.
Countless ancestral tablets came into view.
But that was not what I sought.
The floor in the deepest recesses of the Ancestral Hall.
When I opened it, a small box emerged.
“Hah…”
I slowly steadied my breathing and opened the box.
In the moment it opened with a soft click—
“…!”
The Jade Orb was there.
Or rather, not the Jade Orb that once radiated that mysterious green light, but something that appeared to have lost all vitality.
Soon, as a gentle breeze stirred, the Jade Orb crumbled to dust and vanished without a trace.
“Ha… haha.”
I stared at it, laughing hollowly, then sank down and gazed at the ancestral tablets with an expression of utter bewilderment.
“Had I known of such an ability, no one would have refrained from coveting it.”
Yes, it sends people to the past.
If anyone learned of an object possessing such an impossible power, their eyes would burn with greed.
It was the reason the Sega was annihilated.
Whether from the martial arts world or those wielding political power, it was enough to drive them mad.
Above all, I now understood why those bastards were so desperate to find the Jade Orb.
I swallowed hard, thinking of the vanished Jade Orb.
There was certainly more than one.
Considering the movements those fools made to recover it, there must exist other Jade Orbs possessing similar or entirely different powers.
I gathered my thoughts, rose to my feet, and lit an incense stick.
“Thanks to you… I received your aid.”
Aid hardly describes it.
I had resigned myself to death.
Even if I had been fortunate enough to survive the fall from the cliff, my body would not have endured even half a day before my breath ceased.
But what was the outcome?
I survived.
I even returned to the past.
Of course, had the Jade Orb not existed in the first place, the annihilation of the Sega would never have occurred, but regardless, I could not deny that I survived through the Jade Orb’s power in the calamity that befell me.
Cough, cough—
I coughed and let out a bitter laugh, then slowly departed the Ancestral Hall and made my way back to the Sega.
The scenery I had always witnessed in childhood unfolded before my eyes.
A vibrant courtyard.
A sanctuary where no one had perished, where no flames had consumed everything.
Gazing upon such a place, my heart swelled with unexpected emotion. As my eyes began to glisten, I steadied myself once more.
The shadow of death was still drawing near, after all.
Cough—cough—
Another fit of coughing wracked my body.
I wiped away what clung to my lips, and the blood smeared across my palm caught my eye.
This alone made it unmistakable.
A year before the clan’s annihilation, I was already poisoned, my body weakened by toxins.
Because of it, I collapsed daily and coughed relentlessly without respite.
Despite countless physicians coming to examine me and take my pulse, none could identify the cause—a torment I remembered well.
Thinking of this, I let out a bitter laugh.
I had crossed this mountain once before. Why should crossing it a second time be any harder?
“Cough! This time, things will not go as you wish.”
My clenched fist tightened with resolve.
I felt my nails bite into my flesh, blood trickling from the wounds.
But it was fine.
This too was proof that I was alive.

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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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