The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 21

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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 21

Crunch… crunch…
A woman walked through the forest.
She wore a bamboo hat wrapped in pristine white cloth to conceal her face, and as she walked, she constantly glanced about as if anxious about something.
Like someone fleeing from pursuit.
How much time had passed like this?
Sigh…
After maintaining constant vigilance and confirming that no one followed, she released her tension and exhaled in relief.
She turned her head and gazed eastward.
“If I continue just a bit further this way, will I reach Nakhyang?”
Could it truly be called just a bit further?
On horseback, one could arrive within a day and a half, but on foot, it would require double that time.
Moreover, having failed to eat properly, even walking exhausted her, so the journey would inevitably take even longer.
Yet it was acceptable.
Exploring new places had always been a pleasant thing.
“…”
As Chaeseoha smiled with such thoughts, she soon wore a bitter smile and sighed.
Though she consoled herself that exploring new places was good, naturally she could not help but feel cautious and afraid.
If her face were revealed as it had been in the Slash-and-Burn Village days ago, she would certainly be rejected.
Such was an era of great concern over plague.
To people, plague was truly a calamity.
The problem lay in the present.
Though I had practiced medicine in the Slash-and-Burn Village days ago, I had received no payment. Those people had never possessed money to give in the first place.
I had received only a small amount of food.
Because of this, lacking any money in hand, entering a city posed problems.
I would likely head to the slums again, and there practice medicine before receiving food sufficient to fill my belly, then move about while evading people’s eyes.
A life of utter desolation.
From the moment of my birth, losing my mother until now.
Even during what could be called my happiest years, wandering the Central Plains with my father practicing medicine, incidents and accidents never ceased.
Beauty.
Surely all women would wish to avoid it, yet not for her.
For one without strength, it was merely an excessive appearance.
Because of it, before reaching adulthood, I had to struggle to escape the grasping hands of countless men.
My father, who had always been my steadfast bulwark in childhood, was even killed because of my beauty—what more need be said?
At that time, all the men who beheld my face spoke in unison.
A beauty that topples nations, a face that shames the moon, a countenance like flowers beneath moonlight, the Moon Goddess herself.
Every phrase ever created to praise a woman’s beauty was said to have been made for her.
She possessed beauty so overwhelming.
Having spent her entire life avoiding men, on the day she lost her father—the only one who had ever truly stood by her side—she finally made her choice.
She destroyed her own face.
As if she were a plague victim.
She believed that if she became ugly, she could live an ordinary life.
But it was nothing more than a foolish delusion.
When she was beautiful, people wouldn’t leave her alone because of her beauty, and now that she was hideous, they tormented her precisely because of her hideousness.
A cruel duality.
This was why Chaeseoha—no, the woman—lived buried in shadow, never mixing with the light.
Yet even that shadow was not easy to adapt to.
What happened in Slash-and-Burn Village was a prime example.
It wasn’t something that happened just once or twice, so by now she should have grown accustomed to it, yet she couldn’t help but fear the moment when those who had been smiling warmly at her would suddenly turn hostile.
Then why not simply stop?
She had entertained that thought countless times, but the reason she couldn’t was simple: to survive, she had no choice but to continue.
Reflecting on her turbulent life, she wore a bitter smile.
With her breathing steadied, Chaeseoha steeled her resolve and continued down the path.
The narrow trail was lined densely with trees on both sides of the mountain slope, making the footing treacherous.
She simply walked carefully, one step at a time, her thoughts drifting toward Nakhyang, which would soon come into view.
Then.
“Well, well, I thought some mad fool was wandering this path alone without fear, but it turns out it’s not a fool—it’s a woman.”
A rough male voice suddenly cut through the air.
She startled and whirled her head toward the sound.
Four men stood on the narrow path.
They wore sinister smiles and gripped broad swords in their hands.
She froze for a moment before turning to flee.
Rustle—
Two more men had appeared behind her.
“Bandits…?”
“Ha ha ha! We’re the Green Forest! How dare you compare us to common rabble?”
Gulp—
At those words, she swallowed hard, her eyes darting about.
Having no enemies in the martial world, she didn’t know the exact difference, but she had heard the name Green Forest before.
To ordinary people, they were a martial arts collective equivalent to the heavens themselves.
Regardless, the situation was dire.
Surrounded on all sides.
There was no way forward or back.
The only other direction visible was the densely overgrown thicket covering the steep slope.
Only those called Seonin—true martial artists—could navigate such terrain, but if she took even a single step in that direction, she would tumble uncontrollably down the mountainside.
Sigh…
Chaeseoha swallowed her breath and clenched her fists tightly.
Truly, her life knew no peace.
“What… what is this about?”
“Listen to that cunning voice. Just hearing it makes my skin crawl.”
“Hahaha! Her appearance alone puts even the Gaebang to shame, but she’s clearly worth money, brother!”
“Yes, excellent! Or should we present her to the new Green Forest King? Who knows if he’ll look favorably upon our Mountain Stronghold?”
“Oh! That does sound like a splendid idea.”
Even though no one had offered her anything, Chaeseoha found herself furrowing her brow as she watched these men already dividing up their spoils.
They acted as though her very life hung in the balance of their hands.
Yes, that was precisely the situation.
The moment she steadied her breathing, the Masked Martial Artist they called “brother” stepped forward one deliberate pace at a time, raising his blade high.
I flinched!
My body trembled as I stumbled backward half a step, but there was nowhere to escape.
Crack—tumble—
A small stone scattered loose, its faint echo drifting down the steep mountain slope below.
I glanced at that precipice, then turned my gaze forward again to find the bandits smiling wickedly, waiting for me to come closer.
Then the bandit leader, closing the distance, approached once more and moved his blade again.
I tried to dodge, but the blade pursued as if it had eyes, and soon it began slowly shredding the fabric covering my face.
“Let’s see just how remarkable this beauty truly is.”
Watching the veil tear open gradually, my body trembled. If my face became completely exposed, these men would show no mercy—they would cut me down without hesitation.
I clenched my teeth.
This was no time for deliberation.
I hurled myself toward the mountain slope.
“That… that woman!?”
A harsh voice reached my ears amid the violent rush of wind.
But it was already too late.
The steep incline offered no purchase for balance.
My body tumbled down at an uncontrollable speed, colliding with rocks and brush as I fell.
“Chase her!”
“Y… yes!”
Hearing their voices, I regained my senses.
As my tumbling slowed, I turned my head to see the bandits descending the steep slope with ease.
To them, such terrain meant nothing.
Seeing them descend swiftly and steadily close the gap, desperation seized me as I scrambled to my feet and began to run.
“Please, my life! Just once—can’t things go smoothly for me?”
I cried out, remembering the cursed existence I had endured.
Though countless people walked this world, I was certain none lived a life as turbulent and wretched as mine.
I pressed forward, breathing heavily.
Tears filled my eyes.
Please, someone…
“Help me!”

* * *

“Cough, cough!”
I hacked violently, my eyes scanning the surroundings.
The steep slopes visible in every direction confirmed that the terrain was far more treacherous than I’d anticipated.
With narrow passages winding through the landscape, once surrounded, escape would be nearly impossible—which explained perfectly why the Green Forest Bandits had chosen this location as their stronghold.
I steadied my mind, taking in every detail around me.
I pushed all five senses to their absolute limit.
I was certain she had to be here by now, given the timing.
Therefore, I needed to locate her presence as quickly as possible.
As I rode in circles, maintaining my concentration, I heard it.
The sound of footsteps—several people, not far away.
I turned my head toward the noise.
The moment I pulled the reins, my horse responded by accelerating rapidly in the direction I was looking.
Clop-clop, clop-clop—
Despite the dense thicket, the beast proved itself a thoroughbred, galloping swiftly through the undergrowth.
I crouched low, trusting the horse completely.
Sensing my confidence, the animal surged forward with even greater assurance.
Then—
A man and a woman came into view.
“Hahahaha! I’ve got you!”
“Ahhh!”
The man seized the woman by her hair, his laughter booming. He yanked her toward him, then tore away the cloth veil covering her face with brutal force.
“Nooo! What… what is this!?”
The moment Chaeseoha’s face was revealed, the man recoiled in shock and hurled her away. She fell hard but scrambled to her feet immediately, desperate to flee as she began running again.
“You mad wretch! Are you trying to spread plague!?”
The man, having recovered from his initial terror, drew a broadsword without hesitation and charged toward Chaeseoha with murderous intent.
His blade sang through the air, ready to cleave her down in a single stroke.
I reached for my sword but stopped myself.
The distance was still too great.
If I drew and swung, I’d never close the gap in time—her neck would be severed before I could intervene.
I extended my hand instead.
Whoosh—!
The hidden projectile from my sleeve pierced the Green Forest Bandit’s heart in an instant.
“Guh… gack!”
A strangled sound escaped his lips.
His sword arm froze mid-swing as blood streamed from his mouth and nose.
His massive body crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, and everyone present gasped, their eyes snapping toward me.
Simultaneously, the other Green Forest Bandits approaching from behind reacted the same way.
“Who the hell is that!?”
“You bastard! Our child!”
As the men rushed toward us, I gently extended my hand toward Chaeseoha.
In that instant, startled by the sudden turn of events, I watched her eyes widen as she looked at me, and I smiled before speaking.
“If you want to live, take my hand.”
“…!”
At my words, she seemed to hesitate.
But time was not on our side.
I had no intention of being surrounded by bandits.
Without hesitation, I reached out and grasped her hand, pulling her up. Feeling her weight as light as a feather, I hoisted her onto the horse in front of me.
Neigh—
As I seized the reins firmly once more, the horse surged forward at full speed, breaking free from the encirclement.
“You wretch—! Don’t dare hope you’ll escape this place alive—!”
At the same time, the voice of the Green Forest Bandits’ leader echoed from behind us, reverberating across the entire mountain range.
‘Let them try.’
The threats of some nameless fool were merely laughable.

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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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