The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 121

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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 121

Chapter 121. The Truth Revealed (2)

What lay before us was unmistakably a research chamber.
Research tools were meticulously arranged throughout the space, and the shelves beside them were crammed with books.
On the wooden table, a book appeared to be in the midst of being written, held in place by a paperweight.
Dang Su-bin approached it first and began reading the notes.
Meanwhile, I made my way toward the shelves.
By examining the books stored there, I could discern what this place was meant for.
[Methods of Poison Combination]
[Manifestations of Poisoning]
[White Papers on Toxins and Poisonous Plants] and so forth.
There were countless types of books, but it wasn’t difficult to deduce their purpose.
They were for creating and manufacturing poisons.
“This cannot be!”
At that moment, Dang Su-bin’s expression shifted to one of shock.
“What is it?”
“This is… research material on the Inner Force Plague and the Seven Treasures Mountain Poison that were mentioned this morning.”
“What?”
“Their names are written right here.”
I looked at where Dang Su-bin was pointing.
She was right.
“It appears this place was where those two poisons were secretly created. And the books on these shelves seem to be the ones necessary for this research.”
Dang Su-bin approached the shelves to examine the books more closely, and her shock deepened.
“Wait… these books are… ones I saw when I was younger.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re essential texts that anyone from the Sichuan Tang Family learns in the academy.”
The Sichuan Tang Family operated their own academy, where members learned the fundamentals.
Yesterday, while touring the Outer Quarters, I had also visited the academy.
In any case, if these were basic texts taught in the academy, something didn’t add up.
The Third Young Master must have created those poisons himself.
But why would he need such basic texts?
If Dang Su-bin had already mastered them, then surely the Third Young Master would have as well.
Then another rumor surfaced in my memory.

“But what happened to the Third Young Master? He’s become a minor house leader while conducting secret training.”
“Now that you mention it, they say his personality changed somewhat.”
“Right. I heard he used to be rather smooth-talking, but he’s become sharper somehow.”
“Did something shocking happen to him?”

That rumor about his changed personality caught my attention.
At that moment, a particular book caught my eye.
It was a book that gave me an inexplicably unsettling feeling, yet I sensed I had to read it.
I picked up the book.
It had no title.
As I turned the pages, what appeared was a method for creating human skin masks.
Why would this be here?
In my view, nothing exists without reason.
I began connecting the rumors I remembered from my previous life with this book.
And the moment I saw Dang Su-bin, the words she had spoken to me yesterday came flooding back.

“I’m not sure if I should say this on a first meeting, but ever since some point, whenever I see my Third Elder Brother, something feels wrong.”

That was how she had answered when asked why she disliked the Third Young Master.
And the Third Young Master had avoided certain pronunciations that would sound unnatural with a human skin mask.
“Surely not…!”
“What’s wrong?”
Dang Su-bin looked at me with concern, but I couldn’t answer.
It was absurd, yet this was the only conclusion.
The person we’ve known as Dang Yeon-chil all this time is not the real Dang Yeon-chil.
They say his personality changed, but it wasn’t a personality change.
The person changed.
When I had seen the Third Young Master, I felt the aura of the Black Path emanating from him.
An aura far more repulsive than Jegal Kyung of the Jegal Family.
That meant he was originally a member of the Black Path.
Though no one had noticed what method was used, the perceptive Dang Su-bin had instinctively sensed it.
I had to revise the hypothesis I had set in my previous life.
The reason they had kidnapped Tang Jo-ung instead of killing him in my past life.
It was likely because the real Dang Yeon-chil had stubbornly refused to cooperate unless Tang Jo-ung was kept alive.
The reason they killed Dang Su-bin might have been because she discovered the Third Young Master was a fake and tried to rescue him.
Once the real Dang Yeon-chil became unnecessary, they killed him and simultaneously discarded Tang Jo-ung, whose usefulness had diminished.
If that were the case, it meant the real Third Young Master was still alive.
I surveyed the bookshelves lined with volumes.
Creating poison is impossible without specialized knowledge.
That meant the fake Dang Yeon-chil also possessed considerable knowledge of poisons.
However, their skill level couldn’t truly match the Third Young Master, which is why I had gathered these reference materials.
I needed these texts to create poison using the Sichuan Tang Family method.
But could I really create poison in the Sichuan Tang Family way by merely consulting texts?
No.
It would require someone’s guidance to accomplish.
And that guidance almost certainly came from the real Third Young Master.
As a direct descendant of the House Master, he would have received advanced training.
If so, there was a high probability he was being held somewhere in this place.
But where?
“Young Master?”
“….”
“Young Master!”
Dang Su-bin’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
“Ah! My lady.”
I shook my head.
“My apologies. I was lost in thought for a moment.”
Then I sent a telepathic message to Seo-woo Warrior and Jin Yu Warrior.
– Is there perhaps a door leading to a secret chamber somewhere in here?
– Why do you ask that?
At Seo-woo Warrior’s question, I sent another message.
– If we find it, everything will make sense. Please search for any traces suggesting a space large enough to hide a person.
At my words, the two immediately began searching, and soon Seo-woo Warrior called out to me.
“Here it is.”
Seo-woo Warrior hails from Pyodo.
Because of that, he too missed no minor detail.
It was one of the pillars where a night-luminous pearl hung fixed to the wall, and the moment I saw it, I understood why Seo-woo Warrior had pointed there.
Only that spot was free of dust.
I immediately called out to Dang Su-bin.
“My lady, doesn’t something seem odd here?”
“Pardon?”
“Only this spot has no dust.”
“My goodness, you’re right.”
I pulled it downward.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
In that instant, the wall directly beneath the pillar where the night-luminous pearl hung slid open with a soft rumble.
And the revealed staircase descended far below.
I swallowed hard and asked Dang Su-bin.
“You’re going down, aren’t you?”
“That’s an obvious question.”
“Jin Yu Warrior, I’m entrusting this place to you.”
“Go ahead.”
I pulled out the night-luminous pillar. The way it came free suggested I was meant to take it with me.
We moved forward slowly.
Taking no chances, we suppressed our presence and muffled our footsteps as we proceeded with utmost caution.
After walking for perhaps half a quarter hour, light began to appear in the distance.
The closer we drew, the stronger the sickening sensation became.
It meant a Black Blade Warrior was in that space.
I whispered softly to Seo-woo Warrior.
“There’s a guard ahead. It appears there’s only one of them.”
“I’ll handle it.”
Seo-woo Warrior immediately burst forward and subdued the man.
“Move, and you die.”
“Ugh, w-who…”
Dang Su-bin and I approached him and asked.
“What is this place for?”
“I, I can’t tell you that…”
At those words, Dang Su-bin drew a sharp dagger from somewhere and drove it into his shoulder.
“Aaaahhh!”
“Answer me.”
“This, this is a prison.”
“A prison for whom?”
“For, for Dang Yeon-chil…”
At those words, Dang Su-bin’s eyes widened, but soon they filled with venom.
“By whose order?”
“That, that is…”
As he hesitated, Dang Su-bin twisted the dagger without delay.
Squelch!
“Aaaahhhhh!”
He trembled in agony, and finally confessed.
“Bae Du-gap’s… orders.”
Bae Du-gap.
A name I’d never heard before.
In any case, entering that chamber was the priority now.
“Knock him unconscious.”
“Yes.”
Thud!
Seo-woo Warrior immediately struck the back of his neck, rendering him unconscious. He was an important witness.
We couldn’t afford to kill him.
Just then, the sound of a group of people rushing toward us reached our ears.
And the voices that followed.
“Young Master! Where are you?”
It was Palgap’s voice.
I whistled in response.
The broken whistle pattern was a signal known to everyone in the Eunhae Trading Company.
It meant I was nearby.
Soon, Palgap and a group of warriors approached.
From the emblems on their left chests, they were Danhwa Guard warriors.
“Miss!”
They were startled by the blood on Dang Su-bin’s hands, but she answered calmly.
“Just conducting an interrogation.”
“….”
“More importantly, we need to get inside quickly. This man said my Third Elder Brother is in here.”
“What? The Third Young Master, you say?”
While they exchanged words, I searched the unconscious man’s belongings and found a key.
Then I opened the iron door.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
Dang Su-bin and I hurried inside, with the warriors following behind us.
I couldn’t help but stiffen my expression.
The metallic scent grew stronger and stronger.
It was unmistakably the smell of blood.
Dang Su-bin seemed to notice it too, her face hardening completely.
Soon we reached a dead end.
There was only a single door there, and Dang Su-bin hesitated to open it.
“Miss….”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ll open it.”
I immediately pushed the door open.
Creeeeak.
The door opened with an unpleasant metallic screech, and at the sight revealed, Dang Su-bin covered her mouth with her hand.
Someone was hanging against the wall, wrapped tightly in iron chains.
His entire body was covered in wounds—a pitiful sight—but Dang Su-bin seemed to recognize him.
“Elder… Brother?”
“Who… who is it…?”
A hoarse, cracked voice answered back.
“Dang Yeon-chil, Elder Brother!”
“That voice… Su-bin?”
I sensed no aura of the Black Path from him.
This was the real Third Young Master, Dang Yeon-chil.
The warriors who had followed us also stood speechless, shocked by the sight.
I came to realize that even the Danhwa Guard of the entire Realm could be paralyzed by such an unprecedented crisis.
I assessed the situation with cold clarity.
This was no time to stand idle.
“Jo Jang.”
“…Yes?”
“Summon the Physician at once.”
“Ah! Yes!”
“And immediately inform the House Master of this matter so he can apprehend the false Dang Yeon-chil.”
“Yes! Understood!”
Jo Jang issued orders to those he had brought with him.
The group moved with urgent haste.
“Let’s take the real Dang Yeon-chil downstairs.”
“Understood.”
We approached Dang Yeon-chil.
“Yeon-chil Elder Brother… black….”
To the whimpering Dang Su-bin, he spoke in a strained voice.
“The Blood Poison Ghost. The Blood Poison Ghost has been targeting this family.”
“Is that person perhaps someone named Bae Du-gap?”
“W-well… yes, but who are you?”
In response to his question, Dang Su-bin explained who I was.
The Blood Poison Ghost?
His real name was Bae Du-gap?
Among the Black Path martial artists who wielded poison, there were those with fearsome reputations.
The Blood Poison Ghost was one of them.
His specialty was attacking opponents with poison-coated blades.
In other words, he had mastered both poison techniques and swordsmanship simultaneously.
He was posing as the deputy commander of the Tiger Step Squad, which meant he had to master the martial arts of the Sichuan Tang Family?
“Wasn’t the Blood Poison Ghost said to be dead?”
“But he was alive.”
Ah….
I began to understand what had transpired.
This scheme had been set in motion from the moment the Blood Poison Ghost was declared dead.
The Murim Alliance announced that the Blood Poison Ghost had died, erasing him from the world.
Then they had him master the martial arts of the Sichuan Tang Family, waiting for an opportunity before finally switching him with the real Dang Yeon-chil.
The fact that the Inner Force Plague and the Seven Treasure Mountain Poison were created here, of all places, was unavoidable because this estate managed poison-related matters with such meticulous care.
“Inform the House Master of this fact as well.”
“Understood.”
Jo Jang promptly sent two Group Members to relay this information.
At that moment, the Warrior struggling to unlock the chains spoke.
“The chains are fixed so firmly that without a key, I cannot unlock them.”
At those words, Seo-woo Warrior stepped forward.
“I will sever the chains.”
I nodded at Seo-woo Warrior’s words.
“Please do.”
Soon a faint glow emanated from Seo-woo Warrior’s blade, and he brought his sword down upon the iron chains.
Screech—!
In that same instant, the chains were severed as cleanly as tofu.
The Jo Jang of the Danhwa Guard was startled at the sight.
“That… sword aura?!”
Sword aura—the mark of a supreme warrior.
In truth, when Seo-woo Warrior had gone with me to search for Jin-ho, he had been merely a first-rate warrior, but not long ago, he had transcended to become a supreme master.

“The time I spent bedridden was never wasted. During those days, all I could do was think, and through endless contemplation, I arrived at this enlightenment.”

With that, he swore once more to dedicate his life in service to me.
He said this transformation would never have come to pass had I not bestowed upon him the Bok Si-ryeong Sect’s teachings.
Hearing such a vow left me deeply embarrassed.
In any case, thanks to this, Dang Yeon-chil’s limbs were freed, and the warriors of the Danhwa Guard gently supported him and laid him down upon the ground.

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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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