The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 5

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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 5

Clang! Clang! Clang!
The battle was fierce and unrelenting.
Though they had infiltrated as mere servants or bodyguards to conceal their true identities, these schemers possessed considerable martial skill.
Of course, I could not deny that lacking reinforcements played its part as well.
As blades clashed with violent intensity, screams pierced the air alongside the metallic ring of steel.
I stood at the rear, observing the spectacle with unwavering attention.
I would not overlook a single one.
Had we not said we would see this through to the bitter end in that hell?
This battle would not conclude until one side lay dead.
And even this was merely a prelude to what was to come.
Through my narrowed gaze, I saw someone rushing toward me.
It was Gam Cheong-un.
The face revealed through the torn mask confirmed my suspicion once more.
“Die, you wretch!”
The blade-wielder charged like a madman.
The bodyguards pursued urgently in his wake, but they fell short of catching him.
I did not move, even as I watched.
As though I already knew that blade would never reach me.
“You miserable worm!”
A heavy thud echoed.
Then.
Before the blade could touch me, a fist flew in.
Jang Chuchyeong’s crude fist smashed across Gam Cheong-un’s face.
The raw power of one born with a giant’s frame.
Though my body in this life had not trained in martial arts unlike my past existence, this single blow carried enough force to effortlessly pierce through even the basic defensive techniques of someone like Gam Cheong-un.
Gam Cheong-un’s body flew backward and crashed against the wall.
Blood streamed downward.
The sight of his completely shattered face sliding down was truly a spectacle.
But it did not end there.
As the man groaned and writhed, Jang Chuchyeong rushed forward.
Another heavy blow.
“You bastard! You dog! Hong Elder and I—we treated you so well! How dare you draw a blade against anyone?!”
Blow after blow! Again and again!
Fists rained down with terrifying force.
This was beyond mere beating.
Bones shattered and splintered, the face pulverized into fragments.
Watching the now-motionless figure, I found myself smiling silently.
Yes, that’s right.
He risked his life to protect me.
It wasn’t a matter of trusting his own fists or anything like that.
His loyalty to me.
With that alone, he charged forward against any opponent.
The most trustworthy man in the world.
I let out a soft chuckle, grasped a fallen sword from the ground, and turned my back.
The fighting was still raging, but this wasn’t the moment to keep watching.
Especially with Jang Chuchyeong joining in, I was certain those enemies didn’t have even a shred of a chance at victory.
“Ah— where are you going?!”
“Home. Clean this up and follow me.”
“No, Young Master?! Ugh! These bastards!”
I moved slowly, taking in the sounds that reached my ears.
***
The Nakhyang Jin Family was thrown into chaos.
Dozens of bodyguards protecting the Sega moved covertly. They suddenly burst into the Maidservant Quarters, seizing a woman by the hair.
“Kyaaaah!”
“It’s her!”
“Search everywhere! Pull out all of her belongings, whatever they are!”
Everyone was thrown into panic by the sudden situation.
The maids were terrified as the bodyguards stormed the quarters, and they trembled with fear as the woman was dragged away by her hair without hesitation.
And it wasn’t just one person.
Chaos was erupting everywhere.
Another maid was dragged out, and one who resisted fiercely with a dagger was slaughtered.
That wasn’t all.
The servants met the same fate.
Though some tried to resist by wielding swords with desperate fury, they were only torn apart and killed by the blades of seasoned warriors.
But some were not going down easily.
“Damn you! How dare you betray the Jin Family?!”
“Betray? Don’t spout such nonsense. I never considered you lot as comrades from the start.”
“We’ve been together for five years…!”
“Hahaha! Five years, ten years, a hundred years—what do I care?”
The Guards’ Quarters were nothing short of ferocious.
More than a dozen men wielded swords and resisted fiercely.
Confident in their own abilities, they seemed determined to break through this situation and escape by any means.
The fighting grew increasingly intense.
Though they were overwhelmingly outnumbered, most of those remaining here were not the Sega’s elite forces, which made a significant difference.
Moreover, without even a commander to coordinate in such circumstances, they appeared somewhat like a disorganized rabble.
The difference between a place where Jin Cheon-u stood and one where he didn’t was starkly evident.
“These are the ones who tried to kill Young Master So! Seize all traitors! I will bestow great rewards upon those who capture them!”
It was Grand Steward Yu Hyeon who bolstered the situation. He ground his teeth and cast a sharp, piercing gaze upon those gathered before him.
In this moment when the Family Head was absent, they had attempted to murder Jin Cheon-u. They had poisoned him and drawn blades against his body, seeking to tear him to shreds.
That alone was cause enough to seethe with indignation.
What made his teeth gnash even more was that whether they were maids, servants, or bodyguards, every last one of them had served within the Jin Family for years or more.
These very people had been operating freely, yet I had perceived nothing.
Because I had not perceived it, the youngest Young Master had been poisoned and nearly lost his life.
Throughout the centuries-long history of the Nakhyang Jin Family, tragedies had occasionally unfolded, yet never in such a manner as this.
It was, without question, the gravest of oversights.
This failure had to be rectified, no matter the cost.
“Do not let them escape! Not a single one must leave this place alive!”
Yu Hyeon’s voice rang out with resounding clarity and force. Though it was the voice of one lacking inner strength, his unwavering resolve infused every syllable, ensuring all within earshot heard him.
Spurred by his words, the Sega bodyguards fought with renewed vigor.
Each of them had received kindness from the Nakhyang Jin Family, whether great or small.
To protect the Jin Family and safeguard their bloodline was their sacred duty. They gripped their blades tighter, channeling greater strength into their limbs, their fighting spirit blazing ever brighter.
The battle intensified, yet the tide of victory was gradually turning in their favor.
There was one who observed this unfolding scene from a distance.
He held his breath, his trembling eyes fixed upon the chaos, and soon steadied his breathing.
With only the corners of his mouth quivering, he seemed unable to comprehend what was transpiring, yet he recognized with absolute clarity that what was occurring was undeniably real.
‘Why is this happening?’
He had issued no orders whatsoever.
Yet for some reason, his subordinates had moved of their own accord.
This disaster had resulted from that unexpected action.
It was as though someone had woven a trap, threading everything together with deliberate precision.
But who?
No one came to mind.
Could it be that someone knew of their existence?
He entertained such thoughts, yet shook his head as if even that remained beyond his comprehension.
Nevertheless, he had to act now.
He had to inform them of the current situation at once.
That was, after all, his role as the man in charge.
Fortunately, there was no sign of anyone pursuing him.
Though others had been caught, it appeared the one who could be called their leader—himself—had not yet been discovered.
That was sufficient.
The man moved cautiously, concealing himself within the shadows.
He then slipped into the throng of confused people and made his way outside.
Countless individuals had emerged from the Nakhyang Jin Family compound and were watching the situation within, so the disappearance of a single person would scarcely be noticed.
The man moved with bated breath, exercising utmost caution.
Having abstained from martial arts for so long, his movements were somewhat sluggish, yet he concealed himself with such discretion that ordinary people could not discern who had vanished.
He departed the Nakhyang Jin Family compound and hurried onward.
His destination was the path leading toward the slums.
This district was notorious throughout Nakhyang for its poor security.
As a result, people avoided it altogether.
No one could predict what the impoverished residents might do to a visitor.
There was no better location to establish the Underground Organization.
I moved my body with practiced ease along the dark paths, advancing toward the Underground Organization. I navigated through labyrinthine alleys and passed countless abandoned houses.
Anyone unfamiliar with the geography of this place would inevitably lose their way.
But I proceeded along the path with unhurried composure.
Eventually, I came to a halt before one of the abandoned houses.
Scanning the ground rather than the visible front entrance, I discovered a hidden entrance leading downward.
I entered through it.
Fortunately, there were no signs of anyone having visited.
Everything remained exactly as it had been when I left several days ago.
I hurried inside, used a fire starter to ignite the lamp, and picked up a brush. I began writing urgently on paper, then retrieved a hidden messenger hawk and placed it in a tube attached to the room.
“Fly as fast as you can.”
As I murmured the words like an incantation, the hawk seemed to understand, letting out a small, gurgling cry.
I carefully took the hawk outside.
The moment I released it into the sky from my hand.
Crack!
A stone suddenly flew in and struck the hawk precisely. The creature fell helplessly to the ground, fluttering weakly.
“Cough.”
Then came the sound of coughing.
My body went rigid at that all-too-familiar sound.
This cough—didn’t it sound exactly like the one that came from my own throat?
My eyelids trembled as I stared ahead.
Footsteps.
Someone was walking toward me.
And a voice equally familiar pierced my ears.
“I’ve been curious about this for a while now. Where exactly have you been leaking information to those bastards? So it was here all along.”
The voice’s owner brimmed with composure.
He muttered softly while glancing around, and eventually our eyes met. He shrugged his shoulders lightly.
“I hope this trouble wasn’t in vain. I trust there are quite a few important things inside.”
“….”
I couldn’t respond.
I still couldn’t tell whether what stood before me was a dream or reality. The situation was utterly absurd.
Why was he standing before me?
How could he be standing there so calmly?
I glanced cautiously around.
I sensed no presence other than Jin Cheon-u.
Did that mean he came alone?
A hollow laugh nearly escaped my lips at the absurdity of it all.
But Jin Cheon-u’s voice came first.
“You couldn’t possibly have anticipated this situation. I had no intention of moving, yet I have no idea why my subordinates acted on their own.”
“….”
“I did it. By inscribing a mark. The very mark you use to designate me.”
“…!”
Jin Cheon-u drew a symbol in the empty air as if inscribing a seal.
It was unmistakably the mark signifying the youngest son of the Nakhyang Jin Family.
By adding certain elements to it one by one, it could take on different meanings.
He knew of this?
The man’s lips trembled as if he couldn’t believe it.
“You won’t understand how I know. Even I wouldn’t understand in your position. But I have… seen it hundreds of times. What marks you use, their meanings, everything.”
It was absurd.
Such a thing couldn’t possibly be true.
This was something only they used, so it could never be known to anyone.
Yet there was no falsehood in Jin Cheon-u’s words.
Especially not in that composure he displayed.
“Cough, cough. Don’t think too deeply about it. No matter what you ponder, you won’t find the answer anyway. But….”
Jin Cheon-u drew his sword.
He pointed it at the man and smiled faintly.
In that moment.
The thick dark clouds that had obscured the moonlight slowly parted.
Moonlight poured down brilliantly, illuminating Jin Cheon-u’s figure.
Simultaneously, the man’s form became equally clear.
Jin Cheon-u’s smile deepened further.
“I have thought about it. Hundreds, thousands of times. I swore that if I could only return to the past, I would tear out your throat before anything else.”
“How absurd.”
“Cough! The faces of those who died before my eyes, my mother’s visage with her heart pierced by your blade, my father’s expression as he shouted for me to flee. The cries urging me to run through tears.”
“What are you saying….”
Jin Cheon-u exhaled slowly.
It was as though he were trying to suppress overwhelming anguish.
The moment the man’s brow furrowed at these incomprehensible words.
“Therefore, from the moment I opened my eyes until now… I have sworn that I alone would be the one to kill you.”
“…!”
“Hong Gu-hyeon. You die by my hand today.”
In that instant, Hong Gu-hyeon’s eyes trembled visibly in the moonlight.

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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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