The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 20

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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 20

The atmosphere of Sega remained unchanged from before.
It was so eerily calm that it felt unbelievable—as though those who had shared daily life with us mere days ago had never existed at all.
This place was silent, as if nothing had ever happened here.
What occurred then could not escape beyond the Nakhyang Jin Family, like a bird trapped within an enormous cage.
As time passed, the workers seemed to have grown accustomed to this situation, unlike before, and they laughed and chattered as they always had.
Thanks to this, the outward atmosphere of Sega appeared even brighter.
Yet that was merely what appeared on the surface.
Not a single one of those who wielded swords was swept up in that atmosphere.
Their eyes burned with an intense, smoldering heat.
Whether standing guard or training in the Training Hall, they all threw themselves into their practice with blazing determination.
As if remembering comrades who might not have died had they been just a little stronger in the previous incident, they clenched their teeth all the harder.
And truly, how often does one experience such things while living as a soldier of the Nakhyang Jin Family?
The opponents we faced were at best bandits and brigands who couldn’t even join the Green Forest or Hao Gate.
Against such rabble, we had always achieved overwhelming victory, bearing the name of the Nakhyang Jin Family behind us.
But this time was different.
We had only proven our own incompetence.
Any martial artist who lived with pride in their skills from the Sword Forest would naturally feel bitter resentment.
I smiled as I listened to the shouts of exertion erupting from the Training Hall.
I smiled.
Though built upon blood, the result could only be beneficial for the Jin Family.
If they continued to build their strength over time like this, they could narrow the gap with the elite forces that had forged the name of the Nakhyang Jin Family.
All of that would become the strength of the Jin Family.
Moreover, it was invaluable preparation for what was to come.
Shhk—
With such thoughts, I rose from my seat.
As I washed my face briefly and was about to change clothes, I sensed a presence outside.
Just then.
Creak—
Before I could even grant permission, the door opened and someone wrapped entirely in bandages poked their head inside.
Chu Hyeongi.
Without thinking, I frowned as I looked at him.
“I told you to rest. What are you doing here?”
“Well… I was worried about you, Young Master. Without me, you can’t do anything, can you?”
“Did you just wake up? Can’t you tell the difference between dreams and reality?”
At my words, Chu Hyeongi scratched his head.
The sight of him wrapped entirely in bandages looked pitiful. Whether he knew my thoughts or not, he quietly slipped inside and blinked his eyes innocently.
“Where are you going?”
“You don’t need to know. Moving around won’t be easy for you anyway—just go back and finish your recovery.”
“Take me with you! Ugh, lying in the Medical Chamber is driving me insane, seriously.”
Chu Hyeongi frowned and plopped down in the corner of the room. He settled in as though it were his own quarters, then suddenly began unwrapping the bandages wound tightly around his arms.
“What are you doing?”
“Well, lying in the Medical Chamber suffocates me, and the snoring from those soldiers sleeping nearby is unbearably loud. You have no idea.”
“And?”
“I thought I’d head back to my room for comfort, but the Chief Administrator wouldn’t allow it, so I came to attend to you instead. Just give me this space here. I’ll serve you with utmost sincerity.”
Chu Hyeongi surveyed the spacious room and gave a thumbs up.
It was an obvious ploy, but I couldn’t hate him for it. In his own way, he was worried about me.
Besides, my quarters were genuinely vast. It was hard to believe one person used it alone.
To be precise, where I resided couldn’t even be called a room. I occupied an entire Annex.
But there was no space I could offer to Chu Hyeongi.
“If you want to sleep, do it outside the door.”
“The wind is biting. And I’m still a patient.”
“You’re probably the only one complaining about the cold in this weather. And judging by how you got here, you seem healthy enough.”
“Well….”
Chu Hyeongi, who had been gauging my mood, quietly rose from his seat.
Looking at his body with the bandages unwrapped, I could understand why the Physician had wrapped him so excessively. Blood was still seeping from the cuts scattered across his frame.
Even with full recovery, the scars would be quite prominent.
These too were things that didn’t exist in the past.
I offered a bitter smile.
“Take a room in the Annex and use it. There are plenty of spare rooms—just pick one you like.”
“Huh… Really? I can truly do that?!”
Chu Hyeongi let out a dumbfounded sound at the unexpected response.
“Do I seem like someone who speaks carelessly?”
Whoosh— whoosh—
Chu Hyeongi shook his head rapidly.
For a moment, I could see him wince as pain surged from his wounds. Though he carried himself outwardly as though unaffected, his true condition was unmistakably evident.
“But you must receive proper treatment as a condition.”
“Understood! I’ll head to the Medical Chamber right away! Haha!”
Chu Hyeongi laughed heartily and sprang to his feet, seemingly forgetting he’d only partially unwrapped his bandages as he headed toward the Medical Chamber.
I could already imagine the Physician’s irritated voice.
At that moment, for some reason, Chu Hyeongi—who had been about to leave—stopped in his tracks. Standing still, he slowly turned to face me.
“By the way, Young Master.”
“What?”
“Where are you going?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“I have a duty to attend to you. If you’re going somewhere, I must accompany you.”
“If you don’t need a room, then that works. I don’t mind either way.”
“Go ahead and return safely—!”
Chu Hyeongi’s demeanor shifted in an instant. He bowed at the waist and gestured toward the door. I found his sudden change of attitude utterly absurd.
Without thinking, I shook my head and left the room.
My destination was clear.
My body’s condition was deteriorating.
The poison’s essence had penetrated to my very marrow, gnawing away at me from within.
If I waited here until she arrived, I would undoubtedly become a husk—unable to move even a single finger.
There was no time to waste.
I made my way to the stable.
Fine-bred horses lined the enclosure, their quality evident at a glance.
Most were exceptional specimens, yet from the moment I entered, my gaze had fixed upon one alone.
A horse my father had gifted me on my coming-of-age birthday.
Like my sword, it bore a lustrous ink-black sheen and possessed musculature so robust and well-defined that it made every other horse in the stable seem diminished by comparison.
With that beast standing among them, the others appeared almost small.
One might assume such bulk would bring slowness, yet this creature boasted the swiftest hooves of every horse present.
I was certain that in all the Central Plains, fewer than five horses could rival this one.
And even those belonged to the Imperial Palace. Outside the Imperial Court, no other horse could match its speed—of that I had no doubt.
I approached the beast slowly and stroked its head.
Neigh—
In that instant, it whinnied with unmistakable joy, as though welcoming my return.
I found myself smiling despite everything and mounted the horse.
In that moment, the world took on a different hue—no illusion, but truth.
The horse whinnied again, and I stroked its head once more, whispering softly.
“Let’s go.”
Clop-clop—
As though understanding my words, the beast began to move.
With long, measured strides, it paraded its elegant gait. As we slowly departed the Sega compound, its presence commanded every eye upon us.
I held the reins and turned my gaze westward.
By now, she would be leaving Slash-and-Burn Village, heading toward Nakhyang.
Considering the distance Baek Jin-hwa had mentioned between the village and Nakhyang, and the routes between them, her path narrowed to a single option.
A small path few travelers frequented.
A path connected to the mountains, where those registered with the Green Forest had established themselves.
I suspected that was why her appearance had been so wretched when she first arrived in Nakhyang.
There was no reason to hesitate.
“Hyah!”
I departed the Sega compound, snapped the reins toward the city gate, and surged forward at speed.

* * *

“Oh my, thank you! Thank you so much, Physician!”
“Truly, we are grateful. That you would offer your medical skills to wretches like us… we are genuinely thankful.”
The villagers of Hwajeon bowed deeply toward the woman.
Just days ago, they had been languishing, waiting only for death to claim them.
Yet now, not a trace of illness remained visible upon their faces.
It was all thanks to this woman.
She had appeared suddenly from nowhere, healing the villagers with her miraculous medical arts.
Her skill was so extraordinary that treating the people of Hwajeon presented no difficulty whatsoever.
A day and a half had been sufficient.
Moreover, since she had said she sought no great compensation, everyone could only be delighted.
Though she kept her face veiled and they could not see her features, her voice alone—like jade pearls rolling smoothly—suggested she must be a woman of considerable beauty.
“It is no trouble. This is work I wish to do, so there is no need for such gratitude.”
“How can you speak such words? You have saved us from the brink of death. If we possessed anything more, we would gladly give it all to you, truly.”
The old man spoke thus and handed over a basket with an awkward expression. It contained potatoes and various harvested crops in fair quantity.
Given the nature of slash-and-burn farming, he must have exerted considerable effort to bring it.
The woman gazed quietly at the scene.
In her view, she could see the old man’s hands trembling as he offered the basket.
This was food from Hwajeon, where there was little to spare.
It might well be their rations for several days.
Recognizing this, the woman steadied her breath and offered an awkward smile. Of course, because of the veil, they could not see what expression she wore.
“I am fine. You must care for your health, so please eat this yourselves.”
“…Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
With merely a single refusal, the old man immediately accepted it and hastily retrieved the basket.
In that moment, a faint smile crept across the old man’s lips as he turned his head.
It was not a smile the woman failed to notice.
She had been deceived again.
It was something that happened often when caring for the ailing villagers, but the bitter taste in her mouth could not be helped.
Yet knowing they were hungrier than she, she could only let it pass.
In the next city, she would be able to practice her medicine under better circumstances, so she thought only of hastening her steps onward.
It was then.
Whiiing—
A wind suddenly arose.
The sudden gust swept her veil away.
In that instant, her revealed face caused shock to register on everyone’s countenance.
“Ugh—”
“Worse than a bear…”
Deep burns had twisted her entire facial skin grotesquely, covered with pustules and sores everywhere.
Though the villagers of Hwajeon had witnessed harsher sights than those of ordinary folk, even they found the woman’s face horrifying.
So much so that the children who saw it burst into tears.
The expressions of those who had been smiling just moments before shifted dramatically. Fear flickered across their faces as they began to regard me with caution and suspicion.
With my face twisted and covered in pustules, I could hardly blame them—I resembled nothing so much as a plague-bearer.
Several of them swallowed hard, their hands tightening around their farming implements.
Seeing their reaction, she quickly gathered the cotton cloth and turned away.
Without so much as a farewell, she broke into a rapid stride, her feet moving with practiced urgency.
Behind her fleeing form—
“…A vengeful ghost!”
“What in the world are you saying!”
“It must be a vengeful ghost! All our illnesses—they were caused by that wretch!”
“Y-yes! Did you see that face?! If that isn’t a vengeful ghost, what else could it be!”
The villagers’ voices rang sharply in my ears.
The woman fleeing in haste clenched her teeth.
Her pace quickened even more as she hurried to escape this place.
Even as she ran, she reflected on her situation.
It was fine.
This was hardly the first or second time she had endured such treatment.
It was merely another day—as ordinary as any other.

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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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