The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 139

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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 139

Chapter 139. The Gathering of the Top Hundred Trading Companies (1)

I returned to my separate pavilion.
“Are you well, young master?”
“Hmm?”
“You appear to have something troubling you.”
At Palgap’s words, I tilted my head in confusion.
I wasn’t the sort of person who failed to control my expressions.
Noticing my bewilderment, Palgap continued.
“Your left eyebrow is drooping as low as an ant’s hind leg, young master.”
He noticed that? He’s more observant than I expected.
Since I couldn’t reveal my true concerns, I offered a convenient excuse.
“I’m going to the gathering of the Top Hundred Trading Companies with Father this time, so naturally I’m anxious.”
“You’re attending that gathering this time?”
“Yes. Since it’s where the merchant leaders of the Top Hundred Trading Companies of the World convene, it’s quite daunting.”
“I don’t believe you need to carry such burden, young master. You are a capable person—why would you feel such anxiety?”
Seo-woo Warrior, who had also entered my chamber, added his support.
“I agree with Palgap’s sentiment as well. Honestly, the things my lord has accomplished thus far are impossible for ordinary people. So I’m certain you’ll make an excellent impression at the gathering.”
.
.
.
Time passed swiftly.
Though Palgap and the Guard Warriors and those around me offered encouragement, my inner anxiety did not easily fade.
The problem wasn’t the gathering itself, but rather the figures from the Murim Alliance and the Merchant Guild Leader of Baekcheon Trading Company I would encounter there.
Yet this was something I could not speak of to others.
So I simply suffered in silence.
Nearly four years had passed since I reversed time, yet the image of Namgung Kang, the Baekcheon Merchant Guild Leader, slitting my throat remained vivid before my eyes.
Not to mention Jin-ho’s severed head, and the wretched deaths of the guards and Palgap who had followed me.
Because of this, I had no confidence in maintaining composure when meeting Merchant Guild Leader Namgung Kang.
I might unknowingly emit killing intent.
Excessive worry, you say?
In my previous life, upon seeing Jin-ho’s severed head, I lost my reason.
Normally, no matter how furious I became, I never lost my composure.
I believe I’ve grown more composed than I was then, but given that such an event occurred, I cannot be certain.
If I inadvertently caused harm to our trading company, all the preparations I’ve made thus far would be rendered meaningless.
This won’t do.
No matter how much I pondered it, the answer remained singular.
I simply wasn’t prepared to meet the Baekcheon Merchant Guild Master at the Martial Alliance Courtyard just yet.
I would need to ask Father to go there with Jin-ho instead.
It was then that Palgap spoke from behind me.
“Isn’t that the elder from the miscellaneous goods shop?”
“Hmm?”
Behind the Eunhae Trading Company lay a forest path perfect for leisurely walks.
As autumn had fully settled in, the crisp weather made for a pleasant stroll.
I was currently taking a walk to clear my troubled mind.
At the sound of Palgap’s voice, I snapped back to attention and looked ahead.
The Ghost-Face Pao Elder from the miscellaneous goods shop was approaching.
I quickly clasped my fists in greeting.
“I pay my respects, Elder.”
“Ah, what brings you here? Aren’t you usually too busy to catch your breath?”
“Well, I needed a change of pace now and then… But Elder, what brings you to this place?”
“I heard that honeycomb is good for one’s health, so I was gathering some.”
Indeed, the General Store Elder was carrying a box in his hands, and inside it lay honeycomb that looked distinctly dark and rich.
With honeycomb of this quality, the bees must have swarmed quite fiercely…
Who was I to worry about?
The General Store Elder was someone who had earned his reputation as Ghost-Face Pao. He was at least a supreme master.
“It seems the walk didn’t lift your spirits much.”
The General Store Elder continued speaking.
“When you need a lift, something sweet is always best. Come along. Let me brew you a cup of honeycomb tea.”
“Will you charge me for it?”
At my question, the elder let out a soft chuckle.
“Not this time, so just follow me. You rascal.”
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.
.
A short while later,
I entered the Ghost-Face Pao Elder’s Miscellaneous Shop.
The elder brewed honeycomb tea with the freshly gathered honeycomb and served it to me.
He also gave a cup each to Palgap and the Guard Warriors who had followed me.
“Thank you.”
“We are grateful.”
The Yeo Eung-am Warrior seemed deeply moved to receive honeycomb tea from a senior master of the martial world.
I lifted the teacup and took a sip of the honeycomb tea.
Ugh, so sweet…
Judging by how much honey he’d added, it felt less like drinking tea and more like eating honey itself.
Yet thanks to it, my mood seemed to improve almost instantly.
Was that why?
I posed the question to the Old Man abruptly.
“Elder, if you found yourself in a situation where you had to meet an irreconcilable enemy in their own home, what would you do?”
“Hmm? Why do you ask that?”
“I was simply curious about what you would do, Elder. You don’t need to answer if you’d rather not.”
“You ask a question and then say no answer is necessary? Are you mocking me?”
“No, no. I just….”
“Are you asking whether one should avoid the meeting or simply face them?”
“….”
“If it were me, I would simply go and meet them.”
“Really?”
“An irreconcilable enemy is someone who harbors such intense hatred. But if they display that hatred so easily, then they’re not truly an irreconcilable enemy.”
“Really?”
“Because that would mean their feelings are too shallow.”
“….”
“An irreconcilable enemy presupposes revenge, doesn’t it? There’s a saying that a gentleman’s revenge is never too late even after ten years. That means one must endure and endure again for a perfect revenge.”
The Old Man paused for a moment before continuing.
“Does that answer your question?”
“Yes. You’re saying I should be patient and endure.”
“That too, but in my case, meeting such a person is quite thrilling.”
“Really?”
Thrilling to meet an enemy? I tilted my head, not understanding what he meant.
The Old Man chuckled at my confusion.
“My temperament isn’t particularly good, you see. When I imagine what expression that person will make upon hearing that their plans have fallen to ruin, I get excited. Hehehehe.”
His words sparked something in my mind.
Now that I thought about it, there were things to be gained in Luoyang around this time.
More precisely, there were multiple things to be obtained.
One of them was something the Baekcheon Trading Company had discarded.
They threw it away thinking it was useless, but it turned out to be a treasure.
If the Baekcheon Trading Company later realized it was a treasure that shouldn’t have been abandoned, wouldn’t they be absolutely heartbroken and furious?
So this is what the Old Man meant by thrilling.
The Old Man said he gets excited because his temperament isn’t good, but truthfully, my temperament isn’t particularly good either.
As I thought about the things I could obtain in Luoyang, I began to feel quite excited.
The fact that I would have to meet the Baekcheon Merchant Guild Master—the man who killed me—in the Martial Alliance Courtyard had felt like quite a burden.
I had almost forgotten that I possessed the powerful weapon of knowing the future.
I let out a quiet laugh.
The worries that had consumed me just moments ago were resolved so instantly!
The Ghost-Face Pao Elder is definitely confirmed as our Merchant Guild’s advisor.
With that thought, I took another sip of the remaining honey tea.
“Ugh!”
“Why are you acting like that?”
“How much honey did you put in this, anyway?”
The General Store Elder’s voice thundered through the shop.
“I give you something and you complain? If you don’t want it, hand it back. You brat! That’s hundred-year-old wild honey….”
I quickly shielded the teacup with my hand and spoke.
“I won’t be so petty as to give and take back!”

* * *

The General Store Elder watched Eun Seo-ho’s retreating figure disappear into the distance.
His steps seemed remarkably lighter than before.
The old man glanced at Eun Seo-ho’s teacup.
“The boy said he’d drink it all….”
The fact that he’d met Eun Seo-ho precisely when he’d retrieved the wild honey suggested that Heaven was indeed orchestrating something.
‘A mortal enemy….’
He too had possessed such an enemy.
An old friend and his sovereign—the current Emperor—whom that man had sought to kill.
Suddenly, the memory of striking the back of that man’s head surfaced, and laughter escaped him.
It had truly been satisfying.
But that was ancient history now.
That man had become a wandering spirit in the Underworld.
He knew that Eun Seo-ho was traveling to Luoyang this time.
And he believed he understood who Eun Seo-ho’s mortal enemy was.
‘It’s likely the Murim Alliance.’
The letter the Emperor had sent him contained speculation about the relationship between the Murim Alliance and Eun Seo-ho.
‘To be precise, it’s the Baekcheon Trading Company that the Murim Alliance put forward as his enemy.’
There was no other point of contact with the Murim Alliance.
The General Store Elder also knew of the Baekcheon Trading Company.
As one of the top five among the Top Hundred Trading Companies of the Realm, it was impossible not to know of them.
And there was a fact he knew precisely because he had been the Emperor’s instrument.
The Baekcheon Trading Company’s true purpose was not profit.
While they appeared faithful to their duties as a merchant guild, they occasionally took actions that defied understanding.
A faint smile crossed his lips.
Fortunately, his advice seemed to have helped Eun Seo-ho.
The moment the boy heard his words, he’d worn that same smile the old man himself used to wear in the past.
He was curious what kind of havoc Eun Seo-ho would wreak in Luoyang and what he’d return with.
‘This is precisely why I cannot leave this place.’

* * *

The time to depart for Luoyang had arrived at last.
Given that this was a gathering of the Top Hundred Trading Companies of the World, a rather luxurious carriage had been prepared to maintain our dignity.
Father wasn’t particularly fond of such ostentation, but there was no helping it.
I’d attended in my previous life and knew well enough—the others arrived far more elaborately adorned than we did.
Rumors spread like wildfire that any merchant guild not draped in expensive finery must be struggling.
So to demonstrate our merchant guild’s continued prosperity, we had no choice.
Once my preparations were complete, I made my way to the Cha-jang.
Since the Guard Warriors had to attend the gathering as well, they too wore garments different from their usual attire.
“These clothes must cost a fortune… I’m so worried about damaging them that I don’t think I can even swing my sword properly. Haha.”
At Yeo Eung-am Warrior’s remark, Lee Pil Warrior let out a quiet chuckle.
“Brother Yeo, now that I think about it, your courage seems smaller than expected.”
“What are you talking about? My courage is small?”
“You’ll likely be wearing clothes like these often from now on, so it would be wise to adapt to it beforehand.”
“Still, this one outfit costs a month’s wages!”
“The master’s standing changes depending on what we wear. It subtly demonstrates that he even provides silk garments to those who serve him.”
I couldn’t help but smile at their exchange.
Lee Pil Warrior hailed from the Sichuan Tang Family. Though his belly was often empty and life had been arduous, he’d received a refined education and lived a polished existence on the surface.
That’s why he understood these matters properly.
“As Lee Pil Warrior says, so please bear with the discomfort a little longer.”
“Ah, no! It’s not uncomfortable at all.”
Yeo Eung-am Warrior waved his hand.
“The silk is so soft, and it actually moves quite freely.”
Silk was durable and sturdy, excellent for defense, and tailored for warriors to move with ease—there should be no inconvenience in wielding weapons.
The only problem was psychological burden.
Seeing that Yeo Eung-am Warrior’s expression still seemed uncomfortable, it appeared his psychological unease hadn’t eased.
“Warrior Yeo.”
“Ah, yes!”
“Is that silk outfit more valuable, or is my life?”
“They cannot be compared.”
“Exactly. They cannot be compared.”
I smiled as I continued.
“If you hesitate to draw your sword because you’re worried about damaging the silk, then who will protect my life?”
“Ah!”
At my words, Yeo Eung-am Warrior quickly bowed in acknowledgment.
“My thinking was too narrow.”
“It’s fine. I understand. Honestly, I find it wasteful too.”
I continued with a smile.
“But there’s no way around it. The gathering is a battlefield, and these clothes are armor. So don’t burden yourself with worry.”

We arrived at Cha-jang shortly thereafter.
Not long after, Father and Mother arrived as well.
Gatherings of the Top Hundred Trading Companies of the World are fundamentally attended by couples.
The wives of the guild leaders even hold their own separate meetings.
Father was dressed in fine silk garments, as was Mother.
“Preparations for departure are complete.”
With both the Merchant Guild Leader and his wife moving, the escort contingent was assembled generously.
Go Il-pyeong himself took the lead, and the Eunpung Corps dispatched Squad One and Squad Two.
Seeing this, Seo-woo Warrior marveled aloud.
“Il-geom Jin-cheon Chief Manager and two squads from the Eunpung Corps! I wonder if there will be any work for us to do.”
I laughed heartily at that.
My guards will have quite a bit of work to do this time.
Since I plan to sweep up everything I can obtain while we’re in Luoyang.
Even what the Baekcheon Trading Company abandoned, I’ll pick up.
In other words, I’m going to strip the Martial Alliance Courtyard bare.
Until recently, I was worried, but thanks to the General Store Elder’s advice, I’m not anymore.
Thinking of what I would gain, I felt utterly thrilled.

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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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