The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 116

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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 116

Chapter 116. The Puppet Master Was Always Close By (1)

I followed Tang Soo-bin out of the Separate Pavilion.
“Our Sichuan Tang Family is divided into three main sections: the Inner Quarters, the Outer Quarters, and the Martial Training Ground.”
“Then where will I be staying?”
“Of course, the Outer Quarters. By law, outsiders are absolutely forbidden from residing within the Inner Quarters.”
“Then I won’t be able to see the Inner Quarters today.”
She shook her head at my disappointed remark.
“That’s not necessarily true.”
“Pardon? You just said outsiders are absolutely forbidden from staying in the Inner Quarters…”
“As long as you leave before the Hour of the Boar—between nine and eleven in the evening.”
I understood what she meant.
“So the restriction against staying in the Inner Quarters means one cannot spend the night there, correct?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Tang Soo-bin nodded.
“It’s a rule that applies to those without direct lineage and to outsiders.”
I asked another question.
“Then how is direct lineage distinguished from collateral lineage?”
Tang Soo-bin kindly explained my question.
“Direct lineage refers to the main line. So everyone except the Grand Patriarch, the House Master, and their children are considered collateral.”
“I see.”
“If one of your siblings becomes the House Master, the rest of the siblings cease to be direct line and become collateral instead. I imagine most great families operate this way.”
The Eunhae Trading Company operates the same way.
That’s why fierce succession struggles erupt in large families.
To avoid being relegated to collateral status.
And to ensure one’s own children continue the direct lineage.
Thinking about it, Eun Jung-ho’s decision to yield the position of Merchant Guild Leader to me in my past life had been quite a significant resolve.
Still, in our Trading Company, any blood relative can enter and reside in the Inner Compound.
This place is quite strict.
“Would you like to visit the Inner Quarters first?”
“Yes, please guide me.”
Tang Soo-bin led me and my entourage along a path between high walls.
Walking along a road wide enough for two carriages to pass comfortably, I felt as though I were strolling through the alleys of a marketplace.
Soon we arrived at the Inner Quarters of the Sichuan Tang Family Estate.
As we approached, the warriors guarding the entrance to the Inner Quarters crossed their spears with one another.
“Halt!”
“Only those with authorization may enter this place.”
At those words, Tang Soo-bin withdrew a token from her garment and displayed it.
“I am Tang Soo-bin. These individuals are benefactors of our family, and they are touring the Jegal Family Estate with the House Master’s permission.”
Then she turned to address us.
“Remember the token I gave you earlier? Please show it to them.”
Now that I thought about it, before we left the Separate Pavilion, Tang Soo-bin had distributed jade tokens to each of us.
According to her explanation, they were special identity passes.
When we displayed them, the warriors straightened their spears and opened the passage.
“My apologies. Please, proceed.”
I crossed through the main gate of the Inner Quarters, glancing at the jade token in my hand.
So this was essentially a travel permit that circulated within the Sichuan Tang Family Estate.
Convenient.

The Inner Quarters of the Sichuan Tang Family Estate was remarkably well-appointed.
With crimson roofs and towering structures, yet somehow the place exuded a sense of tranquility.
She pointed toward something and spoke.
“That is my quarters. Would you care to have some tea there?”
Tea in her private quarters rather than the Guest Reception Room—what was she thinking?
I laughed and politely declined.
“I appreciate the offer, but truthfully, I have limited time. And I’ve heard the Sichuan Tang Family Estate is quite expansive.”
“That is true.”
Tang Soo-bin acknowledged my words with a disappointed expression, but soon resumed her radiant smile and guided us throughout the grounds.
The Inner Quarters was where the direct bloodline resided.
That meant fewer inhabitants dwelled here.
Yet the scale was staggering nonetheless.
I had to dedicate the entire morning to touring the Inner Quarters.
But through it all, I discovered something.
Every building, every tree and stone arranged for landscaping—none of it was placed haphazardly.
Everything was constructed according to strict formation principles.
In my previous life, I had suffered considerably from formation traps and studied the subject extensively.
Thanks to that knowledge, I could recognize that everything comprising the Inner Quarters was a formation.
A formation designed to repel intruders while simultaneously preventing easy escape.
Should circumstances demand it, this place would become my final stronghold.
Tang Soo-bin spoke.
“Then after lunch, we can tour the Outer Quarters and the Martial Training Ground.”
“That sounds appropriate.”
“Before that, just a moment.”
She gazed at me, and I tilted my head in puzzlement.
“Is there something you wish to say?”
“No, rather—I simply wish to find some peace of mind while looking upon my benefactor.”
“Pardon?”
“When I see a handsome man, my heart finds peace.”
“….”
Watching her with her hands clasped together gazing at me, I found myself at a loss for words.
Behind me, Palgap looked like he was about to burst from amusement.
If Tang Soo-bin’s death had truly been orchestrated by the Murim Alliance, they would have certainly employed such a beauty scheme.
.
.
.
After lunch, we made our way to the Outer Quarters.
“The Outer Quarters is where those with external bloodlines and members of vassal families reside. I too shall eventually find myself staying here.”
From those words, I discerned that Tang Soo-bin harbored no ambitions toward becoming House Master.
“There is no Young House Master yet, is there?”
“That is true.”
The absence of a Young House Master meant that all the House Master’s children still had opportunity.
Tang Soo-bin too possessed such opportunity.
In ordinary scholarly families, perhaps it would differ, but families with standing in the martial arts world cared not whether the House Master was man or woman.
Those with formidable martial prowess and the caliber to lead the family to prosperity became House Master.
Such was the law and nature of the martial arts world, where the strong became the standard of justice.
And the Tang Soo-bin I knew was an exceptionally talented individual.
The title of Jade of Sichuan was not bestowed upon just anyone.
She shook her head and spoke.
“However, I harbor no particular aspirations toward the House Master position. That is why, once a Young House Master is decided, I intend to join the Murim Alliance.”
“The Murim Alliance… you say?”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“I have no wish to be confined within the Sichuan Tang Family. I wish to venture forth into broader seas.”
Her eyes gleamed with determination as she spoke.
Yet I knew what fate she ultimately met after joining the Murim Alliance.
And so I could not bring myself to encourage her dreams.
“In truth, I am deeply grateful that the Benefactor saved Jo Ung this time.”
Jo Woong was the House Master’s youngest child.
Which made him Tang Soo-bin’s youngest brother.
“As I mentioned to the House Master, it was only because we had formed a connection that I could save him.”
“I knew you would say that.”
She continued with a gentle smile.
“Of course I am grateful for saving Jo Ung, but I am also personally grateful.”
“Pardon?”
“Because Jo Ung is destined to become a great pillar of the Sichuan Tang Family.”
From those words, I could discern which successor she was supporting for House Master.
She was supporting Jo Woong.
However, in my previous life, Jo Woong had been kidnapped, and during that time, the House Master would have had no choice but to devote all his attention to finding Jo Woong.
So the opinion that a Deputy House Master should be formally appointed to lead the Sichuan Tang Family in his stead would have surfaced.
Thus, the House Master’s third son became the Deputy House Master.
Now that Jo Woong hasn’t been kidnapped, does Tang Soo-bin believe that Jo Woong could become the Deputy House Master?
But he’s so young.
Come to think of it, even in my previous life, Jo Woong had made a name for himself as a master at a young age.
Despite the long gap in martial arts training, if he achieved that much, just how exceptional must his talent be?
I observed her.
Just as before, she seemed unbothered by the fact that she would soon have to leave the Inner Quarters and live in the Outer Quarters.
Was she truly unbothered?
“Forgive me for asking such a presumptuous question, but are you truly at ease with this?”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“Once the House Master is decided, the remaining brothers and sisters become outsiders and must leave the Inner Quarters. In a sense, aren’t they being cast out?”
I continued.
“If it were me, I think I would feel quite resentful.”
At my words, she shrugged her shoulders.
“Well, what can be done? That’s the law of our family. So I gave up on the position of House Master early on and worked hard to prove my usefulness.”
“Your usefulness…?”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“Our Sichuan Tang Family is quite a ruthless place. If you can’t prove your usefulness, you have no voice at all.”
“I see.”
“So my voice gradually grew louder.”
I nodded at her words.
And when I turned my head at that moment, I caught sight of Lee Pil Warrior’s face.
His expression looked rather complicated.

I had to enter the Outer Quarters through a large main gate as well. Once again, I presented the special identification token and stepped inside.
However, the martial aura of the guards stationed here was noticeably less intense than that of the Inner Quarters.
The warriors who had guarded the Inner Quarters this morning possessed an aura as sharp as frost.
“Is it possible that the guards of the Inner and Outer Quarters belong to different organizations?”
Tang Soo-bin nodded at my question.
“Yes, that’s correct. The Inner Quarters are exclusively guarded by the Danhwa Guard, the elite among the elite of the Main House.”
The Danhwa Guard.
It symbolized the crimson camellia that represented the Sichuan Tang Family.
“The Danhwa Guard is not a place anyone can enter. One must not only receive a recommendation from a direct family member but also possess both exceptional martial prowess and impeccable character.”
“I see. Then who is the commander of such a place?”
“My uncle oversees it. I’m not sure if you know of him, but he is called the Crimson Flower Whip King.”
“Oh! Of course I know of him. How could I not?”
The Crimson Flower Whip King, Tang Dae-jung.
A master of the whip without peer.
When he wielded his whip, the blood of his enemies would scatter like crimson flowers dancing through the air, earning him that illustrious title.
He was also one of the most steadfast pillars supporting the current House Master, Dang Gyu-jeong.
However,
he would soon perish.
More precisely, after Jo Woong was found, he would fall in battle against the Black Path at the Murim Alliance’s request.
News of his death sent shockwaves not only through the Sichuan Tang Family but throughout the entire martial arts world.
Now that I thought about it, the Sichuan Tang Family had lost quite a number of capable individuals.
No matter how unknowable the fates of men are, this simply didn’t make sense.
Connecting Tang Dae-jung’s death to Tang Soo-bin’s death that I had just learned of, I sensed that something sinister must have been hidden beneath his demise.
Wait.
A single fact suddenly struck my mind.
In my past life, those who had kidnapped Jo Woong were acting under the orders of the Murim Alliance.
In truth, even events that appear unrelated become intricately woven together like a spider’s web when examined closely.
If Jo Woong’s kidnapping was the beginning, then why did the Murim Alliance specifically target Jo Woong?
Because he was young and easy to abduct?
Because it was easy to imprint the Murim Alliance as his benefactor?
I found the clue in what Tang Soo-bin had said earlier.
That he was material to become a great pillar of the Sichuan Tang Family.
In other words, a strong candidate to become the next House Master.
And Tang Dae-jung was a man who cared deeply for the Sichuan Tang Family.
Moreover, he was renowned as someone who was not blinded by personal gain, would not yield to anyone’s pressure, and made fair judgments.
If such a man judged Jo Woong to be material for the House Master position, it was inevitable that Jo Woong would become the successor and inherit the position of House Master.
Could it be… this?
There exists a person called ‘A’.
‘A’ realizes that Jo Woong has the makings to become House Master.
‘A’ must prevent Jo Woong from becoming House Master. It is then that the Murim Alliance makes its approach.
‘A’ kidnaps Jo Woong with the aid of the Murim Alliance.
And eliminates Tang Soo-bin and Tang Dae-jung, the Grand Patriarch, who would become Jo Woong’s supporters.
So then, who is ‘A’?
I focused on why ‘A’ didn’t kill Jo Woong.
Why choose kidnapping over simply ending his life?
Killing him would have been the simpler solution.
If ‘A’ were Jo Woong’s brother, it makes sense.
He wanted to become House Master, but couldn’t bring himself to kill his own brother.
Or perhaps, after becoming House Master himself, he kept Jo Woong alive to use the family’s strength through him.
Then what of Tang Soo-bin?
Killing Tang Soo-bin might have been a mistake.
Or perhaps ‘A’ wanted to spare her, but the Murim Alliance had reasons they couldn’t let her live.
Different from that previous life, now with toxins presumed to be from the Sichuan Tang Family spreading throughout the world, this perpetrator must be one of the House Master’s children.
Ah….
Am I speculating too much?
I shook my head to clear the thoughts from my mind.
Suddenly, looking at Lee Pil Warrior, I noticed his expression had hardened.
It wasn’t like that when we visited the Inner Quarters earlier.
Ah….
I realized my own oversight.

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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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