The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 23

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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 84

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The Imperial Guard’s head before me flew through the air and crashed against the wall.
Thud-thud-thud-
Watching the head roll across the floor and fall at the Emperor’s feet, I turned my gaze toward the Iron-Blooded Emperor.
Our eyes met.
The pupils of a being who rules a nation, brimming with majesty.
Though the Yellow Dragon mask obscured his face, I could confidently say that most would cower from his gaze and momentum alone.
Yet his momentum was fading.
Was he dying?
From the moment I consumed the Spirit Pill, there was no method of survival to be found.
In truth, it was remarkable that he had endured this long.
“How dare you raise your head before me!”
Then.
I heard Ga Inhoo’s cry from beside me.
Simultaneously, with a sharp metallic ring, a blade was drawn, and my companion’s sword technique came slashing toward me.
Clang!
Heavy and powerful.
The moment I deflected his strike infused with the subtlety of a greatsword, I felt it.
Not particularly fast, but possessed of strength and technique?
Swish-swish-swish-crash!
Ga Inhoo’s swordplay was simple.
Yet each strike felt sharp enough to be lethal. Moreover, most of his attacks targeted vital points, so failing to defend properly would result in grave injury.
Clang-clang-clang-clang!
I blocked his attacks while gradually retreating backward.
As distance and space opened between us, the other Imperial Guards protecting the Emperor rushed toward me as well.
What had been one opponent—Ga Inhoo—suddenly multiplied until there were six.
Their blades came at me relentlessly.
Clang—clang-clang-clang!
I observed their movements and employed footwork, evading and deflecting while leaving no openings.
In this situation, their coordinated assault actually favored me.
The passage was narrow, so all six couldn’t wield their swords simultaneously. At most, only two or three could swing freely, so I would simply take them down one by one.
Rip!
Splash!
I cut through the body of the guard before me, spun around, and unleashed a hidden projectile.
The moment the dart pierced the guard’s brow and embedded itself in the wall, the figures of the two men before me crumbled, spraying blood.
“Gack?!”
I saw Ga Inhoo gritting his teeth.
With a fleeting glance, he confirmed the two corpses.
Whether to discern the method of their deaths, his eyes examining the bodies remained vigilant and unceasing.
However, unfortunately, there was little time to uncover the truth.
I seized the opening and pressed forward.
In that instant, the other Imperial Guards retreated, evading my blade.
As if he had been waiting for it, he stretched out his hand and shot the poisoned dart, which flew silently through one creature’s chest and pierced another’s neck.
“Gahhh!”
I confirmed those collapsing in sprays of blood. It was a narrow space where escape was scarcely possible.
Without a torch, it’s difficult to even see what’s ahead. In such a place, a misreading would be fatal.
Smaller than a pinky finger and utterly silent.
Even if one heard it and dodged, the confined space would make even that impossible.
I watched the last remaining man retreat cautiously, then instantly lowered my stance and closed in, seeking an opening.
My extended blade deftly disarmed the man’s sword and severed his artery as I withdrew.
“This is utterly impossible…”
“It happens often enough.”
Ga Inhoo trembled violently, gripping his sword with both hands.
Five of the Emperor’s Imperial Guards had fallen in mere moments before his eyes.
They must have been selected from among the finest warriors within the Imperial Palace, yet they had died without even properly drawing their strength.
Even for someone like Ga Inhoo, fear was inevitable.
“Your Majesty! I shall hold the line with all my strength! In that moment…!”
“…”
Ga Inhoo cried out, but the Emperor did not respond.
He simply gazed at me intently.
I did not miss that moment.
That brief instant when the Emperor’s attention turned away.
I swiftly extended my blade toward Ga Inhoo’s throat.
Squelch!
“Gahhhhh!”
He grasped the blade embedded in his throat, trembling violently. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at me, but no words escaped—only strangled, gurgling sounds.
As my blade withdrew, he collapsed, clutching his throat.
Glug, glug—
As blood surged forth and he died, his eyes gazing upon the Emperor revealed a desperate yearning for life.
“Cough, cough.”
The Emperor coughed, watching Ga Inhoo die before him. Then he slowly walked forward, picked up the fallen blade from the ground, and—
Squelch!
Without hesitation, drove it through Ga Inhoo’s brow.
“Useless. If a life is forfeit anyway, it should be disposed of usefully for my sake.”
Shwack—!
The Emperor shook the blood from his blade and gazed at me.
Even as death approached, those eyes remained arrogant.
A being who knew better than anyone that he was the Son of Heaven.
I too met his gaze without flinching.
“How presumptuous. Since I ascended the throne, I have never witnessed such a look in anyone’s eyes.”
“You may not have seen it before, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
As I spoke with a faint smirk, the Emperor’s pupils trembled.
He must be quite displeased.
No one had ever dared to talk back to him.
Having lived such a life for nearly a hundred years, the Emperor could hardly be pleased with this situation.
“Let us return to the matter at hand. You possess the golden curved jewel?”
“Do you dare question me?”
His voice carried irritation, as if my question toward the Emperor had displeased him.
His eyes gleamed with lethal intent, and it seemed clear to anyone watching that he had no intention of answering.
The moment I subtly grasped my sword.
The massive Emperor closed the distance and swung his blade.
Clang!
The two swords locked together with a sharp, piercing sound.
A force so powerful it seemed impossible from a dying man, and simultaneously, the Emperor’s sword moved along the blade in an unusual manner, thrusting forward.
Fast.
Clang!
Deflecting it, both the Emperor and I stepped back half a pace.
The moment we separate, we give the opponent an opening.
I was aware of this.
Zing—
Then, a bell rang and the scene flashed.
Ducking my head hastily, something severed my hair.
The Emperor had swung a dagger he held in his left hand.
Bang!
I pushed the Emperor back with force and stepped away, and he too created distance, regarding me with surprised eyes.
“The title ‘Iron-Blooded Emperor’ doesn’t seem to come merely from slaughter. Your skill is considerable.”
“An interesting fellow. To evade in such a brief moment.”
The Iron-Blooded Emperor’s martial arts were not of the Imperial Court.
They were techniques learned while wandering back alleys since childhood to survive—refined and mastered as true martial arts, they felt entirely different from anything I had witnessed before.
The Emperor twirled the dagger in his left hand and laughed.
A sword in his right hand, a dagger in his left.
Both were threatening.
Combined with his trained physique, he did not seem like an opponent I could face as easily as Ga Inhoo.
I remained still and observed the situation carefully.
Suddenly, the Emperor’s eyes gleamed with light as he drew near.
Whoosh!
A blade swept through the air, aiming for my neck.
I saw a dagger emerging from within his robes, thrusting precisely toward my heart as if he anticipated my light retreat.
Clang—clang clang!
I evaded the dagger and blocked the sword.
Then I retreated again, creating distance between us.
The Emperor’s movements grew even faster.
It was hard to believe such speed and agility came from a withered body.
I was not attacking—merely observing, blocking, and evading. If one were to ask whether the Emperor’s assault was so fierce and seamless that I could find no opening, the answer would be no.
I was simply waiting.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—slash!
The relentless cascade of blades targeted only the vital pressure points.
This was not swordplay meant merely to kill.
Seeing how he aimed only for the most agonizing pressure points, I could sense how much he savored watching his opponent writhe and perish in torment.
A laugh escaped me without thinking.
“Cough, cough!”
A cough erupted from the Emperor’s mouth.
This time, it did not stop there—his body staggered.
The weapon fell from his grip, yet unwilling to collapse, he grasped the wall and breathed heavily.
Then the Emperor’s gaze turned toward Chaeseoha.
“Haa, haa—what are you doing? Heal me at once. Now!”
There was nothing I could do in this moment.
Yet he cried out because of the fear of my blade, which could strike at any moment.
A man who once sat upon the throne and ruled all under heaven would not wish to die in such a manner.
The Emperor’s urgent gaze pressed Chaeseoha.
But she did not grant his wish.
She shook her head gently.
“It is impossible.”
“…What did you say?!”
“Your Majesty’s body has already been ravaged by age and poison. If there were a Spirit Pill, the situation would be different… but…”
“Then produce that Spirit Pill!”
“Even that is impossible. Do you think Spirit Pills are made in mere days?”
“You wench…! Your words have not changed.”
“What difference is there between Your Majesty struggling so desperately to live and me, who spoke falsehoods to survive?”
Step by step—
Chaeseoha, who had kept her distance, slowly approached and closed the gap. Soon she fearlessly drew near the Emperor, supported him, and helped him slide down against the wall.
Only then did I see it.
The Emperor’s hands trembling violently.
Though he tried to exert strength, it seemed power would not flow into them properly.
Simultaneously, a strange phenomenon was occurring. The Emperor’s body began to visibly wither.
Even his once-black hair was turning white in an instant.
“I… I…”
“If you wish to live even a moment longer, you must not speak anymore.”
Chaeseoha fumbled through her robes and withdrew acupuncture needles.
As I watched her insert them methodically across his body, it became clear she was administering a final measure.
“Your innate vital energy has nearly depleted. If you refrain from moving and cease speaking entirely… you might endure for perhaps two more days.”
Chaeseoha withdrew the needles one by one, closed her eyes gently, and delivered her final verdict.
These words came from her, after all.
Her assertion that he could survive two more days if he did nothing would certainly be no lie, and it was equally certain that even the slightest exertion of strength would rob him of even that meager reprieve.
The Emperor trembled, his eyes wide with shock as he gazed at Chaeseoha.
Though he desperately tried to grasp her, his body possessed no strength—his hand that had clutched her shoulder simply slipped away.
She rose from her seat and turned to look at me.
“I believe it would be wise for you to abandon hope as well. The Emperor will be unable to speak any further.”
Chaeseoha’s resolute voice struck my ears.
Even if I forced his mouth open and wrung out sounds, I would not be able to comprehend them accurately.
Besides, I had no desire to forcibly pry open the mouth of a dying man.
It seemed I had to accept this as the limit of what could be achieved.
Thump, thump—
Just as I was about to abandon this line of thought.
Footsteps echoed from deeper within the cave where the Emperor had walked.
Not just one or two.
Undoubtedly, the Crown Prince had found the hidden passage and entered.
I seized Chaeseoha’s hand and ran swiftly in the opposite direction.
“I hear them! This way!”
Someone’s shout echoed and reverberated through the cavern.
Was the voice Chungho’s?
They advanced faster than I had anticipated.
I forcibly pulled Chaeseoha close and embraced her. Startled by the sudden action, her eyes widened, but I felt her relief as she swiftly deployed her lightness technique with even greater speed.
Her voice came softly.
“Thank you. I never thought you would actually come.”
“You are an important member of Sega. Of course I had to come rescue you.”
“Did you come alone?”
“Chu Hyeongi and the elders came as well. By now, they’re probably making quite a racket outside.”
“Ah—could this commotion be…?”
“Not all of it, just part of it. This was where it started, though.”
I let out a quiet laugh and broke free from the formation.
As I deployed my lightness technique with greater speed and rushed toward where Gu Gunbaek and Jang Chuchyeong were, the closer I drew, the more clearly the sounds of chaos reached my ears.
Clang, clang, clang—!
The sound of clashing blades echoed relentlessly from all directions.
The dying screams of someone accompanied them as well.
Flames that had started somewhere were gradually consuming the entirety of Dowon Village, and it seemed clear that restoring this place to its former state would be impossible.
A scene entirely different from the past.
The Crown Prince’s rebellion was indeed taking place in Dowon Village, but there had been no riots, no fires, nothing of the sort.
Moreover, I knew that the Crown Prince, who had ascended to the throne, had made good use of Dowon Village and enjoyed its benefits.
“If Baek Jin-hwa finds out about this, all hell will break loose.”
I sighed with an awkward expression.
Just thinking of her anger was already giving me a headache.
“Young Master—! Over here!”
At that moment, Jang Chuchyeong’s voice rang out.
He was waving his hands, drenched in blood from head to toe.
I couldn’t even fathom how many people he had killed.
Without realizing it, I shook my head and came to a halt.
“That man got away!”
“You mean Uncle?”
“Yes! The Master let him go!”
At those words, I looked toward Gu Gunbaek.
In the midst of this chaos, he had removed his mask from somewhere and was blowing on a wine bottle like a trumpet, and when our eyes met, he grinned widely and waved a scroll he pulled from his robes.
“Forty percent interest per day. Only a madman would accept that right now. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Very clever of you.”
I nodded in agreement.
It was a method anyone with a bit of sense could figure out. But Gu Gunbaek seemed to see only one thing and think no further.
He simply burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha! Come on—! Let’s go! If we stay any longer, we’ll be roasted alive.”
Gu Gunbaek drained the remaining wine in one gulp and rose to his feet.
As he said, it was time to leave this place.

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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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