The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 110

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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 Eunhae Trading Company – Chapter 110

Chapter 110. A Gift for Elder Brother Jin-ho (4)

Manjol Physician took a sip of wine and broke into a knowing smile.
“Your request for me to craft that fragrance, and your insistence that I attend this banquet today no matter what—there’s a reason behind all of it, isn’t there?”
As expected of someone with such keen perception.
“If you’re only realizing it now, I’m disappointed.”
“I figured it out long ago, you brat.”
I glanced around at the other guests before offering Manjol Physician a respectful bow.
“I’ll speak with you again shortly.”
Then I turned my attention toward the other guests.
I tapped Geumryeong inside my sleeve and spoke.
“Seeing how you have no interest in food, you’re clearly not your average spirit creature.”
“Squeak!”
“That’s right, you’re that special spirit creature who loves money above all else, aren’t you?”
“Squeak squeak!”
I chuckled softly, then glanced at the three Guard Warriors following behind me.
Given the importance of today, all three were accompanying me as escorts.
“Lee Pil Warrior, and Jin Yu Warrior.”
“Yes.”
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
They hesitated briefly at my request, but soon nodded in agreement. They each received a pouch from me and headed off in different directions.
I made my rounds greeting the guests at today’s banquet, showing my face to all.
As a fragrant scent reached my nose, that irritating sensation which had been bothering me since earlier began to subside.
As it reached its peak, the noxious aura felt slightly weaker, just as my Master had described.
Yet noxious was still noxious.
But this aura mixed within the Mountain Poison—why does it feel so familiar?
In truth, this fragrance was evidence that my two guards were faithfully carrying out my request.
I had asked them to burn incense throughout the venue.
That incense was crafted by Manjol Physician, one of the measures to ensure today’s banquet proceeded without incident.
In my previous life, on this very day—Elder Brother Jin-ho’s proclamation as Small Merchant Guild Leader—someone had used Mountain Poison to kill a martial artist attending the banquet.
Mountain Poison was a toxin that prevented one from using inner energy.
Multiple assassins were deployed to attack that martial artist.
Because of this, other warriors couldn’t stop them, and the banquet hall descended into chaos.
If someone wanted to cause trouble, why not do it somewhere quieter instead of harming innocent people unrelated to the matter here?
And on the day of Elder Brother Jin-ho’s proclamation as Small Merchant Guild Leader, no less.
That was something I could not tolerate.
Then why couldn’t we have prevented him from setting foot here in the first place?
That’s not possible.
Because he is the House Master of the Soongtae Yun Family, the greatest martial family in Chongyang County.
It’s only natural that he attends the Eunhae Trading Company’s banquet.
If he didn’t come, rumors would spread that there might be some problem in our relationship with the trading company.
In my previous life, the House Master of the Soongtae Yun Family was killed in an attack by assassins.
That had a rather negative impact on Chongyang County.
The Black Path orchestrated the assassination of the Soongtae Yun Family’s House Master to seize hegemony over Chongyang County.
That meant the struggle for dominance had truly begun, and our trading company suffered losses in the process.
Moreover, such an incident occurred at a banquet hosted by the Eunhae Trading Company….
So today, the House Master of the Soongtae Yun Family must live.
The best approach would be to stop the assassins before they act, but that proved difficult.
At that time, I couldn’t identify who the assassin targeting the Soongtae Yun Family’s House Master was.
So the only viable method was to burn incense that neutralizes the Mountain Poison and spread it throughout the hall.

* * *

As the banquet continued, the atmosphere grew increasingly festive.
And gathered among the martial artists were Go Il-pyeong, the External Chief Manager of the Eunhae Trading Company, along with numerous invited martial artists.
Go Il-pyeong had invited them for Eun Jin-ho, who enjoyed discussing martial arts matters.
And there were those whose attendance was naturally expected.
One of them was Yun Il, the House Master of the Soongtae Yun Family.
“Congratulations on becoming a Small Merchant Guild Leader!”
“Thank you.”
“I’ve watched you since childhood, and now you’ve become such a fine and stalwart man!”
“I hear your martial prowess is also exceptional.”
“This is something Il-geom Jin-cheon can be proud of!”
“Haha. My disciple is indeed quite accomplished.”
“But that spear on your back—it certainly doesn’t look ordinary?”
Eun Jin-ho answered with pride.
“It’s a gift from my younger brother. And for one who practices martial arts, how could one ever part with their weapon, even for a moment?”
“Indeed!”
“Tell me, do you have a betrothed? If not….”
“Hey now! Who are you eyeing?”
“I was hoping to claim him first!”
“Hahaha.”
Though the banquet overflowed with laughter, there was someone watching with a bitter smile.
‘Enjoy yourselves well. This will be your last banquet.’
He was a disciple of the Black Bear Sect, one of the Black Path factions established in Chongyang County.
In the Black Bear Sect’s bid for hegemony over Chongyang County, the Soongtae Yun Family was a major obstacle.
He was normally meticulous, making it difficult to eliminate him—but an opportunity had finally presented itself.
The banquet at the Eunhae Trading Company.
Just as at the previous banquet, vigilance would surely be relaxed this time as well.
So I had procured something special.
Acupoint-Sealing Poison.
‘I have no idea how the Sect Leader obtained it, but….’
Acupoint-Sealing Poison prevented the use of inner energy, making it extraordinarily difficult to acquire.
If discovery of its procurement became known, one could be branded a criminal of the martial arts world.
Furthermore, I had hired assassins as a contingency measure.
Acupoint-Sealing Poison and assassins.
With this combination, even if the House Master of the Soongtae Yun Family was a master, and those around him were equally skilled, the operation could succeed.
A martial artist unable to use martial techniques was only half a martial artist.
Boom, boom, boom, boom—!
The sound of a drum echoed.
It was the drum announcing the hour of Wei—between one and three in the afternoon.
It was the signal for the operation to begin.
“Kill him!”
At that moment, assassins who had been disguised throughout the venue rushed forward.
And they attacked their target: Yun Il, the House Master of the Soongtae Yun Family.
All the disguised assassins had consumed the antidote to Acupoint-Sealing Poison beforehand, so they could use their inner energy.
In contrast, the others would be unable to employ martial techniques!
Knowing this, their movements were unobstructed.
But then.
Clang—!
Clang, clang—!
Scrape—!
Something unexpected occurred.
Those whom I thought unable to use inner energy began channeling their power without any difficulty, intercepting the assassins.
Moreover, a considerable number of assassins were captured before they could even approach Yun Il.
Somehow, warriors of the Eunpung Corps had positioned themselves near the assassins.
When Go Il-pyeong, Yun Il, and the others stepped forward, this assault was resolved far more easily than anticipated.
The disciples of the Heukwoong Sect were bewildered by the situation.
“This… this cannot be….”
Failure.
I had to flee immediately.
I needed to report this to the Heukwoong Sect and devise countermeasures.
But even if I had to leave, I could not depart empty-handed.
I felt that in this chaos, the weapon I possessed could prove its worth.
He withdrew a tube from his garment.
A weapon that fired poisoned needles through blowing.
Whoosh—!
He fired a poison needle at Yun Il.
“Yun Il Family Head!”
Those who spotted it cried out a warning, but since Yun Il had his back turned, he couldn’t respond in time.
“Gasp!”
It seemed he would be struck by the poison needle.
But then.
Whoosh—!
Eun Jin-ho threw himself forward and swung his spear. He too had spotted the poison needle being fired.
He demonstrated the advantage Eun Seo-ho had mentioned—his wide field of vision.
And the Azure Dragon Technique moved exactly as he intended.
Tap—!
The poison needle struck the spear and fell to the ground.
Confirming his failure, the Black Bear Sect disciple immediately attempted to flee.
But someone blocked his path.
“So it’s you. The culprit behind this chaos.”
A cold smile bloomed across his handsome face.

* * *

I looked at the man before me.
That nauseating aura mixed within the Mountain Poison Technique emanated from him.
In other words, he was the culprit who had used the Mountain Poison Technique.
And something else caught my senses.
“Jin Yu Warrior, Lee Pil Warrior, search this man’s body.”
At my command, they quickly subdued him and searched him.
But no matter how thoroughly they searched, nothing suspicious appeared, and he shouted triumphantly.
“Why are you detaining an innocent person like this? I will formally lodge a complaint with the Merchant Guild Leader about this matter….”
“Found it.”
That was when Jin Yu Warrior spoke.
In Jin Yu Warrior’s hand were a small tube and an empty medicine pouch.
The man’s mouth fell open as he collapsed to the ground.
“How, how did you….”
“The hiding place is always obvious. But this is the method typically used by assassins….”
A former assassin indeed.
Today I had reaped the full benefits of Jin Yu Warrior’s expertise.
An assassin recognizes an assassin—seeing the assassins disguised as guests, he identified where each one was positioned.
And thanks to stationing warriors at those locations, we were able to minimize casualties.
.
.
.
The banquet resumed, and people began to enjoy themselves anew, using the incident that had just occurred as a topic of conversation over their drinks.
Elder Brother Jung-ho moved about busily, taking care of matters in Father’s stead.
There were no casualties, and they had even apprehended someone who sought to harm the Yun Il Family Head, so his expression looked pleased as he handled the aftermath.
Thanks to the advance warning he had given about today’s events, he managed the situation without difficulty.
As a result, I could hear people praising Elder Brother Jung-ho’s abilities.
I also heard stories circulating about Elder Brother Jin-ho’s exploits.
I turned my head to look at Elder Brother Jin-ho.
The Yun Il Family Head was thanking Elder Brother Jin-ho profusely. After all, thanks to him, they had avoided a grave disaster.
In truth, I had not anticipated that the assassin would fire a poisoned dart. It was Elder Brother Jin-ho who threw himself forward and blocked it.
The reason the Yun Il Family Head remained unharmed today was because Elder Brother Jin-ho’s broad perspective and keen judgment aligned perfectly with the Azure Dragon Spear I had gifted him.
It was fortunate that I had given Elder Brother Jin-ho the spear the day before.
.
.
.
I made my way toward the Manjol Physician.
He was treating those who had sustained injuries from the events of today.
“Master, have you finished treating everyone?”
“This patient is the last one.”
“I see.”
The Manjol Physician finished treating that patient and rose from his seat. Then he spoke to me.
“It seems you have something you wish to discuss.”
I laughed awkwardly.
“Let us go to my separate pavilion.”
“Very well.”
We sat upon the veranda of my separate pavilion.
The weather was fine.
The sounds of boisterous music and singing drifted to us from the banquet hall.
“First, I wish to thank you for your assistance. In truth, my sensitivity to detecting qi is somewhat acute.”
“I am aware.”
“You were… aware of this?”
“Your constitution is of such a nature. And your inner energy is likewise so.”
“Then my explanation shall be brief.”
I continued.
“Today, I sensed the same qi I felt during my previous encounter with the Hyungmun Sect. At that time, you told me that the plague spreading through the Hyungmun Sect was artificially created by someone, and that it bore the mark of the Sichuan Tang Family’s craftsmanship.”
“Are you suggesting that the Mountain Ginseng Poison that nearly ruined today’s banquet is also the work of the Sichuan Tang Family?”
“…Yes. That is what I believe.”
“Your conjecture is correct.”
“Then…”
The Manjol Physician exhaled a long sigh and spoke.
“This mountain poison is also the handiwork of the Sichuan Tang Family.”
As I suspected.
In my previous life, the House Master of the Sichuan Tang Family was an ardent supporter of the Murim Alliance.
It was said to be because I had saved Tang Jo-ung, the youngest son of the House Master, but even so, it seemed excessive.
Thinking of the Sichuan Tang Family as I knew it, there was clearly some other reason at play.
Since I had saved Tang Jo-ung when I went to Sichuan before, there should be no reason for them to become a supporting force of the Murim Alliance through that incident.
If that were the case, what I could deduce was that the Murim Alliance was employing other methods to manipulate the Sichuan Tang Family.
If the Sichuan Tang Family became a supporting force for the Murim Alliance, it would become quite troublesome for me.
It was such a difficult place to deal with.
It seemed I would have to go to Sichuan again this time.
I spoke to Manjol Physician.
“Elder, I would like you to accompany me to the Sichuan Tang Family this time.”
“That would be difficult.”
“Pardon?”
Caught off guard by the unexpected response, I was bewildered.
The Sichuan Tang Family was honestly not a place anyone could simply enter.
If such an opportunity arose, one would think to set everything aside and go….
Why did he refuse to go?
“Have I perhaps displeased you in some way?”
“That is not it. Your treatment and that of this trading company is excellent. I simply do not wish to go, so do not concern yourself with it.”
“….”
With him speaking so firmly, I could not press further.
I would need to know the reason to persuade him, but he offered no explanation whatsoever.
.
.
.
A few days after Elder Brother Jin-ho’s proclamation ceremony as Small Merchant Guild Leader.
Manjol Physician departed from the Eunhae Trading Company.
He left without a single word of notice, only a letter behind.

[I go, you fool. Keep yourself whole until we meet again.]

It was a letter befitting Manjol Physician.
Yet why did I have a premonition that I would meet Manjol Physician again soon?

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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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