The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 161
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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 161
Chapter 161. The Meaning of Heavenly Secrets (2)
The Jinmu Emperor who appeared in my dream revealed a heavenly secret as his reward—information about the location where the Black Flute Physician currently resided.
In this life, I had already cured my illness caused by the Hyun Ryong Constitution, so I hadn’t paid much attention to where the Black Flute Physician was.
Besides, he was the sort of person who drifted like the wind.
The Jinmu Emperor had loudly proclaimed that I would bow in gratitude later when he revealed this to me.
At the time, I thought, “What is this?” But I was wrong.
It was the heavenly secret I needed most right now.
But why was this a heavenly secret rather than mere information?
And why did I only remember it now after forgetting about it?
If I had remembered from the beginning, I would have sought out the Black Flute Physician long ago.
Just as I remembered it only after seeing where the Blood Sect Member had been confined, it seemed the nature of the heavenly secret had prevented me from remembering until now.
My memory was quite good, even if not as exceptional as Heo Woon Officer’s.
If that was the case, there must be a reason for it to be this way.
But now was not the time to ponder such matters.
I rushed immediately to my father.
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.
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Father granted me permission to leave.
I prepared to depart at once and set out within the hour.
My destination was Akyoung in Honam.
We rode at full speed for a while before taking a brief rest. We were fine since we had martial arts training, but the horses were not.
“Still, we’re fortunate,” Lee Pil Warrior said, wiping sweat from his brow.
“The destination isn’t far.”
“That’s true enough.”
Akyoung lay on the border between Hubei Province and Honam, so it was a distance we could cover quickly.
If it had been much farther, it would have been quite troublesome.
It seemed the Jinmu Emperor had revealed the Black Flute Physician’s location because he was nearest to me.
We rested briefly and set out again.
This was not a simple merchant’s journey or leisurely travel—it was a matter of urgency.
It wasn’t just a simple trip or journey—it was a situation where every minute counted.
Without sleep, I rode on and on until I finally arrived in Akyoung.
And I reached the inn where the Black Flute Physician was staying.
This was thanks to the Jinmu Emperor informing me of which inn in Akyoung the Black Flute Physician was at.
“Welcome!”
We entered the inn while hearing the Inn Keeper’s greeting.
Then I spotted a middle-aged man eating on the first floor.
I smiled upon seeing him.
It was almost exactly as he appeared when I met him in my previous life, just after turning twenty-three.
Since I was now nineteen, I was meeting him about four years earlier than in my previous life.
I approached him and greeted him with a martial salute.
“What brings you here?”
“I’ve come seeking your aid, Black Flute Physician.”
At my words, he stared at me intently.
“It seems you have urgent patients.”
“Yes, we do.”
“You’re quite fortunate. I was planning to leave this village around midday.”
That meant if we had delayed even slightly longer, we would have missed the Black Flute Physician and wasted the journey.
“Have you eaten breakfast?”
At those words, I scratched behind my ear and replied.
“Not yet, I’m afraid.”
In my haste to ride here, I’d managed only about one meal a day, and that was merely dumplings eaten while on horseback.
“Where did you come from?”
“From Hubei, Songyang County.”
“That’s not a place one can reach quickly. Still, you should eat breakfast before departing.”
“We’ll manage without it.”
“Tsk, tsk. You already look quite exhausted. I need to gather my belongings, so eat something while I’m gone.”
“Very well.”
While I ordered noodles that could be eaten quickly, the Black Flute Physician finished his meal and went upstairs to gather his things.
To be honest, the food didn’t go down easily, but following his words, I forced myself to eat and regain some strength.
That was when it happened.
“Hmm?”
I sensed something through my energy perception, and soon three men entered where we were.
A revulsion far stronger than before.
Black Blade Warriors.
The Inn Keeper hurried over nervously and asked.
“W-what brings you here?”
“We heard Bang Do of the Sea Black Faction is here?”
“….”
“He’s not?”
“Those bastards said he was here.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t come out. We can just kill them all.”
With that, the Black Blade Warrior in the center drew his sword.
What kind of madman does this?
I muttered inwardly and quickly drew my blade to block him from striking down the Shop Attendant.
Clang!
At the same moment, Seo-woo Warrior and Jin Yu Warrior, who had received my signal beforehand, pointed their swords at the others.
“Who are you?”
“Just a passing traveler, if you will?”
I parried calmly while assessing their level.
The one whose sword I blocked and those around him were first-rate masters—precisely, first-rate on the verge of reaching the peak.
For ruffians causing trouble, their skill was considerable, but our group was more than sufficient.
I had no time to be entangled in such matters, but there was no choice but to resolve this and move on.
“Tch!”
Enraged that his blade had been blocked, he struck my sword away and swung at me again.
Clang! Clang-clang!
I met his attacks with my own blade, exchanging strikes and pressing forward.
After crossing swords a few times, I began to understand his style.
A heavy blade relying entirely on brute force.
For such swordplay, the illusory blade Seolhwa was perfect.
“Wh-what…!”
Flowers of illusion bloomed from my blade, obscuring his vision, and my sword finally touched his throat.
“I… I lost…”
With those words, he pulled something from his robes and hurled it at me, crying out.
“Fooled you, you bastard!”
Truly, how predictable he was.
I calmly deflected the hidden projectile with my scabbard, and it bounced back to embed itself in his shoulder.
Thud!
“Huh?”
Realizing something had gone wrong, he trembled at the sharp pain radiating from his shoulder.
“No, no! P-poison!”
The hidden projectile he’d thrown at me had been coated with poison.
It didn’t seem to be a lethal toxin; judging by his complete paralysis, it appeared to be a numbing poison.
Well, he brought it upon himself.
Looking around, the other Guard Warriors had completely subdued the other Black Blade Warriors.
At that moment, the Black Flute Physician, startled from above, descended and blinked his eyes.
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.
.
We handed them over to the Constables and departed for the Main Headquarters with the Black Flute Physician.
During the journey, I began to understand why the Jinmu Emperor had called the Black Flute Physician’s location a heavenly secret.
If we hadn’t been there, everyone in that place would have died.
The Black Flute Physician wouldn’t have fared any better, given his martial skills weren’t exceptional either.
In other words, through my actions, I was able to save not just the Black Flute Physician but countless others in that place.
If I had known the Black Flute Physician’s whereabouts beforehand and brought him with me, many would have lost their lives at the inn.
Moreover, judging by their capabilities and objectives, they would have killed many more people in various places, not just there.
Yet doubt crept into my mind.
In my previous life, I met the Black Flute Physician several years from now, not at this moment.
That meant he wouldn’t die here.
But my thoughts were interrupted by Jin Yu Warrior’s words.
“The horses are growing weary. It would be best if we rested for a while.”
We decided to take a brief rest.
We needed to give the horses food and water and let them recover.
It was then that the Black Flute Physician spoke, gazing at a distant mountain.
“Oh, doesn’t that mountain resemble Wudang Mountain?”
“Now that you mention it, it does.”
At Yeo Eung-am Warrior’s response, the Black Flute Physician showed curiosity.
“Have you seen Wudang Mountain?”
“Yes. I visited Wudang Mountain earlier this year.”
“I see. I was at Wudang Mountain not long ago before coming here.”
His words resolved my doubt.
In my previous life, the Blood Calamity unfolded due to the Blood Sect Leader confined within the Wudang Sect, and countless people died and were wounded.
That catastrophe had occurred around this same time in my previous life as well.
I had taken the Bok Si-ryeong Sect, which was the catalyst for that incident, so I thought it wouldn’t happen in this life, yet it nearly occurred again due to the Murim Alliance.
In any case, would the Black Flute Physician, who was there at that time, have abandoned them and come to Honam?
That couldn’t be.
In other words, because of me, the future changed, and the Black Flute Physician left Wudang Mountain and went to Akyoung instead.
Because of me, the Black Flute Physician could have died.
Realizing this fact, cold sweat broke out unbidden.
The Black Flute Physician was my Master’s father-in-law, before being a physician worthy of respect.
Even if I told my Master about this, he would tell me not to worry, as it was unavoidable.
But my heart couldn’t accept that.
The Black Flute Physician was my benefactor who saved my life in my previous existence.
The celestial secret the Jinmu Emperor revealed to me wasn’t merely for my ailing nephews.
It was the key to correcting a twisted future.
I really need to go bow in gratitude to the Jinmu Emperor.
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.
.
We arrived at the Main Headquarters.
“Lord, you’ve arrived?”
“Yes. I’ve brought the Black Flute Physician. And the children?”
Haeng-su, who had come to greet me, answered my question.
“They’re stable for now, but you should hurry to see them.”
We quickly washed and made our way to Jung-ho’s Separate Residence.
“Ah, bring a bottle or two of high-proof spirits.”
At the Black Flute Physician’s words, Palgap immediately headed to the storage where the liquor was kept.
“I’ve brought the Physician.”
At my announcement, everyone in Jung-ho’s Separate Residence turned their eyes toward us.
And I could see hope flickering across their faces.
Palgap returned with the spirits, and the Black Flute Physician washed his hands with the liquor, then channeled his inner energy to evaporate the alcohol.
Now that I thought about it, the Black Flute Physician could indeed use martial arts.
Though only at the second-rate level, he said it was martial arts he had learned for treating patients.
The Black Flute Physician asked.
“Where are the patients?”
“H-here they are!”
Jung-ho quickly led him to Geon-hyuk and Bo-yeon’s room, and the Black Flute Physician entered.
He gazed quietly at the two children.
I was grateful they had held on so well.
I had been anxious, fearing that if we arrived too late, I would lose them again.
“Hmm… indeed, there was no choice but to summon me.”
The Black Flute Physician nodded, then retrieved needles from his medicine chest and inserted them into the two children at several points.
After placing needles at several locations, he carefully withdrew them in the order they had been inserted.
Then the two children began to vomit what they had eaten.
“P-Physician. Is it alright that the children are vomiting?”
Elder Brother’s Wife asked with concern, and the Black Flute Physician answered calmly.
“It’s fine. They’re vomiting because we’ve removed the cause of the illness. Their vital energy isn’t circulating properly, so they couldn’t digest what they ate. How could they not suffer if you kept feeding them milk in such a state?”
“What? Then…?”
“It’s food stagnation caused by multiple factors. Likely, no one understood the cause or the symptoms properly, so treatment was impossible.”
The Black Flute Physician continued.
“They should be fine now. So have the nursemaid stand by and wait.”
“Ah, understood.”
“And prepare some lukewarm water to clean the children with.”
“Yes.”
Thus, Geon-hyuk and Bo-yeon were able to save their lives.
Had the two children been able to speak, treatment might have been possible more easily.
But since they were still newborns, such a thing was impossible.
Seeing how the Black Flute Physician identified what was wrong with the children at a glance, he was truly a physician of skill.
Come to think of it, when the Black Flute Physician first saw me, didn’t he say something like, “It seems there are urgent patients”?
Usually one would say “an urgent patient,” not “urgent patients,” wouldn’t one?
How did he know there was more than one patient?
Could it be?
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.
.
Several days passed.
Geon-hyuk and Bo-yeon were now completely healthy.
Father instructed me to deliver a reward to the Black Flute Physician, and I set out toward where he was staying with the reward Father had given me.
As a courtesy to the Black Flute Physician, I had provided him with a small separate quarters.
And there, I encountered the Black Flute Physician emerging from the quarters.
“Where are you headed, sir?”
“As it happens, my daughter lives nearby, so I thought I’d pay her a brief visit.”
I knew where the Black Flute Physician’s daughter lived, but I could not reveal that knowledge, so I concealed it and spoke.
“If you could tell me roughly where it is, I would be happy to guide you.”
“That would be appreciated. I believe it was near a bamboo forest.”
“This way, if you please.”
I escorted the Black Flute Physician toward my Master’s residence.
But would my Master be home at this hour?
He had departed on a journey not long before I left for Akyoung.
“Pardon me, but there is only one house here.”
“How would you know that?”
“I learned of it when I came to rescue a child whose home is located here.”
“Is that so? Could that child be Gwak?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
The Black Flute Physician regarded me quietly, then nodded.
“I see. Thank you for saving my grandson.”
“Pardon? Were you Hyung-jin’s maternal grandfather?”
“Indeed. My eldest grandson’s name is Hyung-jin.”
We soon arrived at my Master’s residence.
Rather than entering the house immediately, the Black Flute Physician turned to me and asked.
“But tell me, young one.”
“Yes?”
“What is your relationship to my son-in-law?”
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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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