The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 29

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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 29

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The vast courtyard was strewn with a considerable number of wounded.
While some wore light injuries, many bore severe wounds, and groans echoed from every corner. The devastation was so thorough that one could scarcely attribute it to a mere Green Forest Bandit raid.
A dozen physicians moved with urgency, attending to the most critical cases first, yet their numbers proved insufficient, and it seemed considerable time would be required to examine everyone.
In such circumstances, one person stood out.
A remarkable woman commanded attention.
Like the other physicians, Chaeseoha prioritized those in critical condition, yet while the other physicians were still taking pulses and beginning treatment, she had already finished with one patient and moved on to the next.
She was remarkably swift.
Yet this speed did not come at the cost of thoroughness.
Several physicians, uncertain, rechecked their patients’ conditions, only to find each one perfectly treated.
I observed the entire scene with quiet attention.
“Ahhhhhhh! It hurts! It really hurts!”
“A broken bone must be set. You must endure the pain!”
“Ahhhhhhh!”
One physician used his hands to realign a fractured bone.
As Pyosa’s anguished cries pierced the air and his body convulsed, the physician applied greater force, intensifying the agony. Unable to bear the torment, Pyosa foamed at the mouth and lost consciousness.
Those with broken bones watched in horror, their breath catching.
By contrast.
“This will hurt a little.”
“Ugh?!”
Chaeseoha, too, realigned the fractured bone.
A brief, muted sound of discomfort escaped, and as if the bone had been fully set, she immediately applied a splint and began wrapping it with bandages.
Pyosa was left utterly astonished.
“Is… is it already set?”
“Yes, there is no need for concern. Of course, you must not use that limb until the bone has fully healed.”
“…I understand.”
Pyosa stared at his unconscious companion with an expression of disbelief. He had harbored the same anxiety about foaming at the mouth, yet faced with the opposite outcome, he could only laugh in bewilderment.
Chaeseoha then rose and moved to examine another patient.
She sutured wounds, administered acupuncture, and realigned dislocated and fractured bones—every step of the process was incomparably faster and more precise than the other physicians.
Perhaps because of this?
Father too gazed at Chaeseoha with an expression of astonishment.
Nor was it Father alone.
Chief Administrator Yu Hyeon, who observed from the side, and even Guard Commander Baek Ja-hyeon.
Witnessing Chaeseoha accomplish the seemingly impossible with such ease, all of them appeared to have lost their composure entirely.
Moreover, as I watched the entire scene as though it were perfectly natural, I felt Father’s gaze turn toward me.
Surprise and astonishment.
At the same time, as if recalling something, my lips trembled slightly.
“Could it be… that what I’m thinking right now is correct?”
“What are you talking about, sir?”
“That woman. You said her name was Chaeseoha, didn’t you? If there’s a physician with such skill bearing the Chae surname, there’s one place that comes to mind. I’m asking if my suspicion is correct.”
I shrugged—
In response to his words, I simply moved my shoulders without answering.
Yet Father gazed at Chaeseoha again as though he had received a reply, his expression one of disbelief.
He seemed utterly captivated by her overwhelming medical prowess.
“I cannot divulge the details, but of one thing I am certain: she is a talent we must not let slip away, no matter what.”
“I see.”
“Then, trusting in Father’s judgment, I shall take my leave now.”
At my words, Father’s gaze shifted from Chaeseoha back to me, his brow furrowing as though he already knew where I intended to go and what I meant to do.
“You truly refuse to abandon this stubborn resolve of yours.”
“If I do not go, matters will only grow more complicated. I shall go myself and settle this matter directly.”
“Can you manage it?”
“Who am I? Your son.”
As I spoke with a smile and unwavering conviction, Father nodded with a satisfied expression. Yet it seemed he had no intention of letting me depart without precaution, for he turned his gaze toward Yang Jachun, who had been observing the condition of the Pyosa.
At that, I shook my head.
“The two of us shall go.”
“What?”
“Chu Hyeongi and I. Just the two of us.”
“…!”
As a result, Father’s surprised round eyes—a sight I had not seen in some time—were a bonus.

* * *

“Sigh…”
Chaeseoha did not cease her care of the patients even as the night grew late. Her speed, far superior to that of others, meant she tended to most of the wounded herself.
As a result, my energy was depleted.
Moreover, I had not even managed to eat properly, which only worsened the exhaustion.
Fortunately, the wounded had stabilized.
I exhaled a breath of relief and glanced around my surroundings.
Someone who should have been present was nowhere to be found.
No matter how much I looked, Jin Cheon-u was not in sight.
Moreover, Chu Hyeongi, whose face I had grown somewhat familiar with, had also vanished.
At that moment, as I stood bewildered and glanced about uncertainly, a heavy voice reached my ears.
“The Young Master departed with his servant.”
“Pardon? …He left?”
“Indeed. And I am called Gu Gunbaek, and the Family Head has ordered me to escort you to the Annex.”
“Ah— there is no need…”
Chaeseoha, reluctant to be in the company of a stranger, attempted to refuse with an awkward smile, but as she glanced about, she realized she did not know the way.
In the end, she lowered her head and cautiously followed Gu Gunbaek.
As if to memorize the path to the Annex, she slowly surveyed her surroundings and confirmed the route, and before long, a familiar building came into view.
Only then did Gu Gunbaek come to a halt.
“Thanks to you, many lives were saved, and the Family Head has issued a special order to receive you with utmost care.”
“There is truly no need to go to such lengths…”
“I merely follow orders. And this is a gift from the Family Head.”
Chaeseoha, taken aback by the unexpected gift, accepted it. The moment the unknown object was placed in her hands, she felt its weight.
Her eyes widened involuntarily.
A purse.
And a remarkably heavy one at that.
Judging by its weight, it contained not mere copper coins, but silver taels rolling about within.
Startled, she opened her eyes wide and looked at Gu Gunbaek, but he simply spoke and turned away without emotion.
“A meal will be prepared in your room. Eat well and rest at ease.”
Chaeseoha stood dazed, unable to move even after Gu Gunbaek departed. Soon, regaining her senses, she examined the purse in her hand once more.
Peeking inside cautiously, sure enough, dozens of silver taels rolled about within.
She could not even remember the last time she had seen a single silver tael.
Yet now, holding an almost incomprehensible sum of money, her hands began to tremble involuntarily, and she anxiously glanced about her surroundings.
Fearful that someone might steal it.
Unable to steady her ragged breathing, she hastily entered the Annex. Drawing upon unfamiliar memories, she opened the door to her room and stepped inside.
And at the sight that unfolded before her eyes, her body froze.
“Wow…”
An impossible abundance of food was laid out before her.
A feast of dishes she had never once tasted in her entire life.
Gulp—
As she beheld the sumptuous spread—dishes she had never even seen before, much less knew the names of—she unconsciously swallowed and slowly approached the food.
I grabbed some unknown delicacy, popped it into my mouth, and felt it dissolve on my tongue with an exquisite sweetness. I hastily seized my chopsticks and began stuffing food into my mouth with reckless abandon.
Though her expression was filled with urgency, her cheeks bulging with food, she looked utterly blissful.

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Crackle, crackle—
I kindled a campfire and laid out our bedding.
As I threaded the meat onto wooden skewers and began roasting it, the savory aroma wafting through the air set my mouth watering.
I handed a piece of perfectly cooked meat to Chu Hyeongi.
The boy, clearly famished, accepted it eagerly and tore into it with abandon.
Ha—
Watching him, I found myself smiling without thinking.
I had done this sort of rough camping far too many times to count.
Whether fleeing or not fleeing, it was always the same.
There was a time when even sleeping in an inn and eating a proper meal felt like an unimaginable luxury. Back then, I would kindle a campfire on bare earth without even laying out bedding, and fill my belly with wild vegetables and berries foraged from the mountains.
Chu Hyeongi, too, seemed as though he might have such experiences, yet those memories were too distant from his childhood to surface. It appeared that both of us had learned through sheer trial and error, literally with our faces pressed to the ground.
As a result, in the beginning I knew nothing and nearly died from eating poisonous mushrooms. There were many days when I couldn’t hunt properly and went hungry.
Now, camping out with him again, those memories came flooding back.
“What’s so funny? And sleeping outdoors?! Sleeping outdoors?!”
“The village is still quite a distance away, and night has fallen. We have no choice. Bear with it.”
“Even so… how am I supposed to sleep like this? You could have brought a carriage…”
“We need to venture deep into the mountains. A carriage is impossible. If walking isn’t enough, then walk.”
“Ugh, seriously…”
Chu Hyeongi, knowing nothing of such hardship, grumbled incessantly with a displeased expression. The servants’ quarters where he normally stayed were far more comfortable than one might expect.
Though shared with others, there were proper beds and thick quilts.
And since he had recently begun using the Annex, he had grown accustomed to comfort—bare earth would naturally feel unbearable to him.
I chuckled softly, spread out my bedding, and lay down upon it.
Back then, I couldn’t even imagine having a blanket like this.
Compared to now, it was truly like heaven and earth.
It was then that a voice broke through my reverie.
“Are you certain it’s wise to leave that young woman behind? What if she runs away while we’re gone?”
“It will be fine. She has caught Father’s eye.”
I observed the look in Father’s eyes as he gazed upon Chaeseoha.
The gleam of one who has discovered treasure.
Given Father’s nature—that once he sets his mind to possessing something, he will obtain it by any means necessary—he would surely win over Chaeseoha’s heart through whatever methods available.
And Mother would lend her hand as well.
They would push and pull without ever crossing the line into burden, and I was certain Chaeseoha would become trapped in the swamp of comfort and ease that my parents had dug for her, unable to escape.
So for now, I should set such concerns aside and focus on the present.
“We are going to Shanxi. You understand, yes?”
“Ah, of course! Kekhe—! Traveling alone with Young Master! How wonderful! I’ve dreamed of this, hehehehe. But why are we going to Shanxi?”
Jang Chuchyeong’s eyes sparkled with delight as he asked, his expression brimming with excitement.
That’s right.
I had mentioned going to Shanxi, but I hadn’t revealed the reason.
Since he remained utterly ignorant of why we were going, his cheerful demeanor was inevitable.
I smiled.
“You know that Green Forest has been hostile toward us, don’t you?”
“Of course! If you didn’t know that, would you even be human? Look at how many people have suffered because of them.”
“That’s why we’re going to see his face. The face of this fellow called the Nok-rim King.”
“What?”
“We’re heading out for a confrontation. And this place is the territory of the bandits who follow Chilsipichae.”
…?
Jang Chuchyeong’s smile gradually faded from his expression as he tilted his head in confusion.
He seemed utterly unable to comprehend the meaning of what he’d just heard.
It was in that moment, as I suppressed an involuntary chuckle.
Crackle—!
At the sudden sound, Jang Chuchyeong sprang to his feet. He then opened his eyes cautiously and surveyed the surroundings, his demeanor suggesting he sensed something amiss.
I slowly reached out and took a bite of the well-roasted meat.
“We’re in the heart of enemy territory with only the two of us. If you were one of them, what would you do?”
“Well… that is…”
“Draw your blade. It’s an opportunity to earn merit.”
I tore off another piece of meat and smiled once more.
Rustle—rustle—
Suddenly, the rustling commotion grew increasingly louder.
Don’t assume that Green Forest lacks intelligence networks.
They are men of Sadao, deeply connected to Hao Gate.
Naturally, my information was falling into their hands with each passing moment.
“Ha ha ha! It’s really true! There are only two of them!”
“Is he the Young Master So of the Nakhyang Jin Family?”
“No doubt about it. He looks exactly like the portrait!”
Over a dozen bandits emerged from the darkness.
With blades drawn and gripped in their hands, they gazed upon Jang Chuchyeong and me with joyous laughter.
With this opportunity to earn merit and catch the Nok-rim King’s eye, they might even become one of the Chilsipichae if fortune favored them.
I turned my head toward Jang Chuchyeong as I observed them.
“These are perfect practice opponents to hone your skills.”
“Uh… what?!”
“Grit your teeth and give it your all.”
At my words, Jang Chuchyeong stood there with a vacant expression, still holding his meat.

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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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