The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 141

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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 141

Chapter 141. Clearing Out the Front Courtyard (1)

The night streets of Luoyang glittered with splendor.
I walked those luminous streets now.
Dressed not in elaborate silk garments but in plain linen, with a bamboo hat pulled low, our appearance bore no resemblance to the young masters of the Top Hundred Trading Companies and their retinue.
This disguise suited me perfectly.
Had we paraded about in finery, drawing the eyes of others, someone might have intercepted what I needed to acquire.
“Master, where are we headed?” Seo-woo Warrior asked.
Seo-woo Warrior posed the question.
I traveled with only Yeo Eung-am Warrior and Seo-woo Warrior at my side.
Though I maintained the pretense of remaining in the inn, bringing all my guards would have invited suspicion.
So I took only one from each room—just these two.
Yet Seo-woo Warrior stood at the pinnacle of mastery, and Yeo Eung-am Warrior was a seasoned master of the first rank.
And I myself had reached the apex of skill.
There was no need to fear for our safety.
“To claim something that belongs to no one.”
“Pardon?”
Both warriors exchanged puzzled glances.
But since my knowledge came from my previous life, I could not speak plainly, so I offered a vague explanation instead.
“You remember when I visited Book Street in Beijing before, yes?”
“Yes, I recall it.”
“I discovered an intriguing note tucked within one of the books I purchased. I wanted to verify whether it was genuine.”
“Is that so?”
“It could be someone’s jest. But if it’s real, all the better. And even if it’s a prank, at least we’ve had the pleasure of walking Luoyang’s night streets.”
“So you’ve discovered a treasure map?”
“Something like that.”
I continued.
“And truthfully, doesn’t everyone harbor a touch of romance about treasure maps?”
At my words, both Yeo Eung-am Warrior and Seo-woo Warrior chuckled softly.
Why were they laughing?
But it felt awkward to ask, so I let it pass.
As we spoke, we arrived at an abandoned manor.
“This is our destination for the night.”
Yeo Eung-am Warrior spoke, observing the crumbling structure.
“It looks as though ghosts might emerge from it.”
Seo-woo Warrior answered in response.
“That may well be the case.”
“Pardon?”
“In truth, this place is where a blood calamity once occurred. Those who died unjustly in that tragedy may have become vengeful spirits.”
“B-blood calamity, you say?”
Seo-woo Warrior continued in a measured tone.
“I heard this tale long ago. The Manor Lord of this estate possessed immense wealth. But he became obsessed with the forbidden martial arts of the Black Path, and eventually lost his mind.”
“….”
“In the end, he began slaughtering his own household indiscriminately. Only after the Murim Alliance intervened was the situation brought to an end.”
Seo-woo Warrior paused to catch his breath before continuing.
“After such a blood calamity, who would dare live here? Moreover, since the entire family of the Manor Lord perished in that tragedy, the estate became ownerless and was left to decay.”
Then he turned to me with a question.
“Will you still enter this place?”
“Yes.”
“Understood. Then I shall lead the way.”
He proceeded cautiously, surveying his surroundings, and Yeo Eung-am Warrior and I followed behind.
The interior was utterly desolate.
Furniture lay scattered in disarray, broken and damaged—evidence that the blood calamity had indeed occurred here.
But beyond that, nothing else remained.
Observing this, Yeo Eung-am Warrior posed a question.
“Something seems amiss. You said this place once held tremendous wealth, yet there were no survivors to claim it. Surely the government would have catalogued the remaining assets—so why has this estate not been properly cleared?”
“Thieves descended upon it immediately after the blood calamity struck. Before the authorities could even begin their work, they stripped the estate of its treasures.”
“I see. That explains why it has been left in such neglect.”
Indeed, Seo-woo Warrior, true to his former position as Pyo Du, possessed considerable knowledge of this estate.
Yet there was one fact he did not know.
Those thieves had been agents of the Baekcheon Trading Company.
In my previous life, during a gathering of the Top Hundred Trading Companies, this place had been a topic of discussion.
More precisely, the treasure discovered here had become the subject of conversation.
At that time, I had overheard a conversation between the Baekcheon Merchant Guild Master and his Deputy Officer.

“You said there was nothing left to find.”
“I have confirmed it multiple times.”

Back then, I didn’t know what that story was about, but I learned later.
It was about this estate.
I chuckled softly to myself, recalling the information I had gathered.
That’s right—there was supposed to be a large earthenware jar buried behind the building on the left.
Seo-woo Warrior, who had been surveying the surroundings, spoke up.
“There’s no one around.”
I nodded and headed toward the back of the left building.
Soon I discovered an open ground overgrown with yellowing, withered grass.
That was when it happened.
Geumryeong poked his head out from inside my sleeve.
Seeing that, I let out a hollow laugh.
This creature really does have an uncanny talent for sniffing out money.
I spoke to Geumryeong.
“You know there’s something valuable here, don’t you? Find out where it is.”
“Chirp?”
“If you find it, I’ll give you a silver coin.”
At my words, Geumryeong shook his head. Now he was negotiating with me.
But the fact that Geumryeong was pushing back meant one silver coin wouldn’t be enough.
It also meant whatever we could find here had tremendous value.
His instincts really were sharp.
So I immediately raised the offer.
“I’ll give you a gold coin.”
At my words, Geumryeong wiggled his rear excitedly and stood in the open ground.
Then he scurried about, chirping eagerly.
His tail swayed with unmistakable enthusiasm.
Then suddenly, he stopped at one spot and began digging frantically.
Scratch, scratch, scratch, scratch—!
The force with which he dug was extraordinary; Geumryeong alone was doing the work of ten men.
Before long, Geumryeong stopped digging and looked up at me from inside the pit.
His eyes sparkled as if seeking praise.
“Good work.”
“Chirp…”
Ah, he was asking for his gold coin.
“We need to confirm what this is first, so I’ll give you the gold coin when we get back to the inn.”
At my words, Geumryeong nodded and tried to slip back into my sleeve—
“Hold on! You’re covered in dirt—you’re not going anywhere like that!”
I caught him and brushed him off roughly, then wiped him down with a handkerchief.
When we got back, Palgap would probably get into another argument trying to bathe this creature.
Anyway, the earthenware jar in the pit took priority now.
“I’ll open it, sir.”
The Yeo Eung-am Warrior carefully swept the dirt from the pit to one side and opened the lid.
In that instant.
“….”
We all fell silent.
The pit was filled with night-luminous pearls.
Even I, who knew what lay inside, was left speechless by the sheer quantity.
“It seems the note that my lord discovered was genuine after all.”
At the Yeo Eung-am Warrior’s words, the Seo-woo Warrior nodded in agreement.
“But how much do you think this is worth?”
“It appears to be at least over a hundred pieces.”
The night-luminous pearls illuminated the space around us with a brilliant glow.
I spoke to the two Guard Warriors.
“Let’s gather them quickly.”
“Yes.”
I retrieved a black pouch, and the two Guard Warriors began carefully extracting the night-luminous pearls from inside and placing them into it.
This way, I benefit, and I can also prevent the incident that would arise from this—two birds with one stone.
These night-luminous pearls were so valuable that they left all of us at a loss for words.
And so they ultimately become the root cause of an incident.
Every five years, the Murim Alliance hosts a martial arts tournament.
It’s called the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, and those who rank within the top positions gain both honor and the qualification to become a warrior of the Murim Alliance.
Thus, countless martial artists come to Luoyang to challenge the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, and those who discovered these night-luminous pearls were also among those who came to Luoyang for the tournament.
As impoverished martial family disciples, they had no suitable lodging.
The martial arts tournament was so grand that countless sects and martial families flocked to Luoyang.
They had heard by chance that this estate was abandoned.
So they stayed here, discovered a faint light, dug at that spot, and found this jar.
The jar was cracked, allowing the light to seep through.
It could be called fortune, but it brought misfortune upon them.
They intended to sell the night-luminous pearls to pay for lodging, but somehow word spread.
Naturally, those seeking the night-luminous pearls appeared, and eventually the brothers entrusted them to the Murim Alliance.
So these night-luminous pearls are a treasure that troubled the brothers who found them and ended up in the hands of the Murim Alliance.
I’ve just swallowed an item that would have gone to the Murim Alliance.
I feel oddly exhilarated.
.
.
.
The next morning.
As promised beforehand, when the Hour of the Dragon arrived, I descended to the first floor.
My industrious father had come down first.
“Good morning.”
“Yes, did you sleep well?”
“Yes.”
I took a seat before Father, and after a brief wait, Mother descended after completing her morning preparations.
Breakfast arrived shortly after.
I had ordered congee as we ate at home, and it came with a plate of various accompaniments to add to the white porridge.
After finishing breakfast and sipping tea, Father spoke.
“So, what do you plan to do today?”
“I was thinking of exploring the Luoyang Marketplace today.”
It was at that moment.
“Then it wouldn’t be bad for my son to accompany you.”
At those words, I turned to see the family of Sa Gu-cheol that I had seen yesterday descending into the dining hall.
“Ah, good morning.”
“Yes, good morning indeed.”
Behind Sa Gu-cheol stood a young man I hadn’t seen yesterday.
“He’s the one who will succeed me. He arrived late last night because business delayed his departure.”
Following his introduction, the young man standing behind him cupped his fist in greeting.
“I am Sa Kang, Branch Master of the Saguchul Trading Company.”
“I am Eun Seo-ho, Branch Master of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
Once the introductions were complete, Father spoke.
“Yes, since we’ve met by fate, it wouldn’t be bad to spend the day with Branch Master Sa.”
With the agreement of Sa Gu-cheol and Father, it was settled that I would explore the marketplace today with Sa Kang.
In truth, I had planned to find a second treasure today while exploring the marketplace, following the Night-Luminous Pearl I had obtained yesterday.
However, I had no good reason to refuse.
Well, I’ll simply go along with them.

A moment later,
I left the inn together with Sakang Branch Master.
“….”
Sakang Branch Master was remarkably taciturn.
While it was pleasant that he didn’t waste words, his excessive silence made conversation difficult.
“That silk fabric has such a beautiful color—it appears to be Shu brocade.”
“Indeed.”
“That painting seems to be a work by the renowned Sung Geum, though I’m not entirely certain.”
“….”
Conversation simply wouldn’t flow in this manner.
However,
there were moments when his eyes would gleam. That happened when we passed by the blacksmith workshop.
“Wait, let us observe for a moment.”
And as I watched the blacksmiths work the metal for quite some time, Palgap spoke in a low voice.
“Remarkable concentration. Now I understand how he became one of the Top Hundred Trading Companies of the World with just weapons.”
That was certainly true.
After observing the blacksmith workshop, we resumed our journey.
During our walk, I stopped in front of a jewelry shop.
“Let us enter here.”
“…?”
Sakang Branch Master tilted his head in confusion.
“Since we’ve come to Luoyang, I thought to purchase an ornament as a gift for my mother.”
I continued speaking.
“Would it not be fitting for you to prepare a gift here as well, Branch Master?”
After a brief moment of thought, he nodded.
“My mother, my younger sister… I see.”
He intended to prepare gifts for his mother and younger sister.
As we entered, the Shop Attendant greeted us.
“Welcome.”
“We would like to examine some items for a moment.”
“Of course, please take your time browsing.”
I began leisurely examining the merchandise.
As expected of Luoyang, the shop was filled with magnificent items.
“….”
Yet Sakang Branch Master’s expression appeared grave.
“What troubles you?”
“Well….”
“Are you uncertain which item to select?”
He nodded with an embarrassed expression.
“In my judgment, your mother would be well-suited to items in these crimson tones. And….”
Drawing upon the discerning eye I had honed through rigorous training under Eun Jung-ho in my past life, I selected jewelry befitting his family.
As Sakang Branch Master departed in satisfaction, I too began selecting items.
Or rather, I pretended to select them.
My true purpose was to find the treasures hidden within this shop.
I was searching for two specific artifacts.
The probability of finding two such artifacts in a single shop was equivalent to lightning striking the same coin twice as it fell to the ground.
Yet that impossible miracle had truly occurred in this very shop.
A smile crossed my face.
‘There it is!’

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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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