The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 25

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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 25

Slash! Slash, slash!
The sword that had felt as heavy as a thousand pounds now seemed to dance through the air with effortless grace.
I could move faster, strike with greater force.
Compared to my past self at the pinnacle of transcendence, my current movements and strength were woefully inadequate.
Yet a sword infused with the experience and enlightenment of those days could not possibly be stopped by mere Green Forest Sect members.
“Mon… monster…!”
Seo Geok!
They surrounded me, attempting every conceivable attack, but their techniques were shallow.
Compared to when I’d been encircled by them before, their coordinated assault was so tediously predictable I could barely suppress a yawn.
I watched the Green Forest Sect members retreat hesitantly, fear etched into their movements.
I did not let that opening slip away.
I pressed forward, my blade singing through the air.
Seo geok geok—!
“Cough.”
“Gahhh!”
Several men collapsed, spraying blood as they fell.
Those watching seemed unable to even comprehend how the sword had moved, their faces flooded with terror.
Yet they could not bring themselves to retreat.
They gripped their blades with both hands and leveled them toward me.
“…We are… the Green Forest’s Hochi…!”
“I did not ask.”
One of them, gripped by fear, had cried out their identity, attempting to invoke their reputation as a shield. But such things held no meaning here.
We had drawn our blades and wagered our lives.
In the Sword Forest, such distinctions were worthless.
Slash, slash, slash—!
My blade cut viciously through another man’s body.
Watching him collapse with a scream, they finally seemed to grasp the reality: they had to fight to survive.
I saw the shift in their eyes as that understanding took hold.
Slash—
I shook the blood from my blade and steadied my breathing.
Then.
Hearing the horn signal, even more Green Forest Sect members came rushing in.
“Who is this bastard!?”
“Has this madman lost all sense of fear!”
Their eyes blazed with fury as they took in the scene before them. Seeing their comrades lying on the ground, bleeding and groaning in agony, their killing intent burned even brighter.
Yet none of them dared approach easily.
Instead, they began to part, opening a path to either side.
Someone was approaching.
I watched their figure quietly.
Thump, thump—
An unknown man walked toward me, gripping an enormous axe in his hand.
“I wondered what mongrel dog had caused this mess. So it was the Young Master?”
Cha Hak-sang, leader of Hochi Fortress.
He recognized me at a glance and burst into an incredulous laugh.
Understandably so.
This was Hannam, with Nakhyang right beside it.
Even the Green Forest bandits didn’t confine themselves to the mountains alone; they must have traveled to Nakhyang quite frequently.
Naturally, he couldn’t fail to know my face.
Moreover, given the nature of the Green Forest, they were inextricably linked to the Nakhyang Jin Family.
“And you are?”
“I am Cha Hak-sang, leader of Hochi Fortress. But Young Master, do you realize what you’ve just done?”
“Well, I simply rescued a woman from the Green Forest bandits. What’s the problem?”
“Ha! I never knew our Young Master possessed such righteous spirit. However, you’ve made quite the mess of things. Even for a Young Master, this isn’t a situation that can be swept under the rug.”
“I won’t ask for your leniency, so step aside. Father will be returning soon, and I need to get back quickly.”
“…This madman!”
“Kill him, Chieftain! No one will ever know!”
“That’s right! How many of our men have already fallen…!”
Despite the situation, my composed demeanor provoked the bandits to gnash their teeth and grip their weapons. They looked ready to charge without hesitation if the order came.
But Cha Hak-sang couldn’t bring himself to do it.
He knew my identity.
No matter how formidable the Green Forest was, they couldn’t easily lay hands on me.
If the Nakhyang Jin Family decided to wage war against the Green Forest, there was no telling how many of the so-called Seventy-Two Forests would survive.
Cha Hak-sang was smiling, but conflict flickered in his eyes.
Yet he couldn’t simply let me go either.
His subordinates had suffered, and his honor had been wounded.
I opened my mouth to provoke him further.
“I must leave, and you wish to stop me. There’s only one way this ends.”
“You think you can break through… If you truly believe that, I’d advise you to reconsider, Young Master.”
“Well… I’ll try, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll think of something then.”
I smiled faintly and drew my sword.
Whoosh—
In an instant, I closed the distance.
Watching Cha Hak-sang’s startled expression, I swung my blade with terrifying force, channeling the power of torrential currents.
Clang—!
He raised his axe and blocked the strike.
But his expression darkened.
The moment he blocked, I twisted the blade and thrust it fiercely toward his throat. It was only because his nose caught against the axe handle that it stopped barely in time—otherwise, his neck would have been pierced clean through.
I took in the face of the flustered opponent before moving again.
My target was not Cha Hak-sang.
It was the Green Forest Bandits gathered around him.
Shing—!
“Argh!”
Several Green Forest Bandits who had been standing dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events collapsed, spewing blood.
At the screams of their comrades, they finally snapped to attention.
In particular, I could see Cha Hak-sang grinding his teeth, pouring strength into the hand gripping his axe.
The moment I saw that, I didn’t hesitate.
Before the axe could move, I closed the distance and swung my sword.
Clang—!
Unable to respond properly to the sudden closure of distance, Cha Hak-sang furrowed his brow and hastily created space between us.
As I tried to pursue and narrow the gap, several Green Forest Bandits came rushing at me fiercely, as if to obstruct my path.
I lowered my body and evaded the incoming blades of the Green Forest Bandits.
Feeling the sensation of the passing blade, I raised my left hand and threw a punch.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The struck subordinate’s body wavered, and simultaneously I stepped forward with footwork, slashing at another’s abdomen and sweeping the legs of yet another who had gathered nearby.
“Gack—cough!”
Before a groan could even escape the fallen one’s lips, I extended my foot and crushed his face. At that very moment, as if waiting for it, a tremendous gust of wind crashed down.
The axe blade reached my vision.
One.
Screeeech—!
I smoothly redirected the fearsome force of the incoming axe.
The moment the axe targeting me lost its mark and struck the ground futilely, a violent crash erupted and dust billowed up in thick clouds.
“Huh!?”
“Where did he go!”
As my vision was suddenly obscured, I heard the panicked voices of the men.
I moved my body to the sound of their voices.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
Crack! Crack crack crack!
Flashing sword light swept across, and relentless strikes of fists and kicks rained down upon them.
In a short span of time, cries of agony echoed from all directions.
When the dust finally settled, half of the Green Forest Bandits who had rushed forward were crawling on the ground, spewing blood.
At that sight, Cha Hak-sang’s face flushed crimson with rage.
Tremble—
His eyes trembled as he stared at me, and flames ignited within them.
“You damned bastard!”
Whoosh—!
His massive axe swung down fearfully.
He was clearly trying to avoid closing the distance between us.
Given the nature of his weapon, if the gap narrowed, there was nothing he could do.
But I didn’t stop my charge.
Instead, I accelerated further and lowered my stance as much as possible.
Whoosh—!
I felt the axe graze past my head, and at the same time, I saw my hair scatter downward.
But my neck remained unscathed.
Then, the moment I surged upward, Cha Hak-sang’s face came into view.
I could see the panic in his expression.
Without missing that opening, I drove my head forward with all my might.
Crack—!
“Gack!”
Blood erupted from his nose as the blow struck his face hard, and he staggered back half a step.
But he quickly regained his balance and swung the axe with one hand.
Clang—!
Yet it was the same for him.
I deflected the swung axe lightly.
Without a precise target, the axe merely cut through empty air uselessly.
I didn’t miss that moment.
Moving forward half a step, I naturally twisted my sword.
Slice—!
“Argh!”
A scream tore from Cha Hak-sang’s mouth as his chest was cut.
But it wasn’t very deep.
The man, having regained his composure, seemed about to counterattack by swinging his axe, but given the nature of such a large weapon, his movements could only be slow.
I struck down before his swinging axe could fully gain momentum.
Clang—clang-clang—!
A sharp ringing echoed in succession.
At the same time, I could see Cha Hak-sang retreating step by step, his expression growing desperate. Since his axe lost its power before it could fully swing, there was nothing he could do.
“You bastard—!”
Then, as if coming to Cha Hak-sang’s rescue, a Masked Martial Artist rushed in wildly and swung a broadsword.
It was a reckless, indiscriminate slash—no real threat at all.
Frowning, I created some distance, and as if he’d been waiting for that moment, Cha Hak-sang’s axe came flying with concentrated force.
Whoosh—!
A terrifying sound came from the axe as it rushed toward me.
A sound like wind being torn asunder.
I absorbed that sound and moved my sword.
Clang—!
No different from before.
I naturally deflected his force and changed its direction.
I would not be foolish enough to clash head-on.
However, Cha Hak-sang was no fool either.
The power coursing through the swung axe was incomparably greater than before.
I tried to deflect it, but he suppressed the motion with sheer force.
Cha Hak-sang’s formidable strength transmitted through the blade and into my grip.
“You bastard—! I’ll kill you for real this time!”
I could see Cha Hak-sang’s face flushed crimson with barely contained rage. The murderous intent blazing in his eyes made it clear he had reached the limit of his patience.
Crrrunch—!
I felt his power mounting steadily.
My grip weakened gradually, and the blade and axe crept closer toward the space between my brows, threatening me.
In that instant.
I twisted my body swiftly and released the sword.
“Huh!?”
Cha Hak-sang’s balance shattered as he pressed down with all his might.
Just as his axe struck the ground again.
Crack!
I channeled every ounce of my inner energy and hurled a punch.
A devastating blow raked across his face, and teeth and blood sprayed forth as he staggered.
I seized the moment, launching my body forward and extending my leg to kick his face once more.
Boom—!
“Gaaaahhh!”
With a tremendous sound, his face was driven into the earth.
Faint groans escaped him as his body convulsed like a worm.
Even the Masked Martial Artists surrounding us remained motionless, merely watching.
To anyone’s eyes, the victor was unmistakably clear.
They seemed to understand that with Cha Hak-sang fallen, they could not intervene.
“Grrrrr—.”
Then.
Cha Hak-sang, still embedded in the ground, writhed like a worm and moved his limbs, slowly attempting to push himself upright.
The fact that he could barely manage even that told me the impact he had endured was no trivial matter.
I moved slowly and grasped the sword that had fallen to the ground.
Approaching the struggling Cha Hak-sang, I pressed the blade against his throat.
His movement to rise ceased instantly.
“Do you intend to continue?”
“Gack!”
“I spared you this time, but if you persist, I will end this.”
I tightened my grip on the sword slightly.
Simultaneously, the blade bit into his neck.
Drip, drip—
As blood trickled down, Cha Hak-sang’s complexion grew increasingly dark.
Yet the word surrender seemed reluctant to leave his lips. He chewed on it several times, and only when he felt the blade bite deeper did he finally cry out.
“I yield! I yield! Spare me, I beg you!”
At his plea, I smiled and slowly withdrew my sword.
“You should have said so from the start.”
It was the final moment of my long journey away from home.

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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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