The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 169

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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 169

Chapter 169. Bok Yun (2)

I feigned ignorance and asked.
“An assassin? What do you mean by that?”
He wore a troubled expression as he spoke.
“There were clear signs of an assassination attempt on me. I found a poisoned dart embedded in the leg of the horse I was riding.”
“Exactly! I thought it was absurd that a trading company specializing in horses couldn’t handle a single horse properly, but now I understand there was a reason.”
Bok Yun Sub-leader nodded gravely.
His face bore a mixture of pride in the company and concern about this assassination attempt.
“But the fact that you believe this was an assassination rather than an accident suggests there have been previous attempts?”
“There have been.”
“And yet you continue your business activities regardless?”
“If I cower within the company walls, afraid of an assassin’s blade, how could I ever build the greatest trading company in all of Liaoning?”
From Bok Yun Sub-leader came an air of unwavering resolve and confidence.
But regrettably, that assassination attempt had succeeded.
In my previous life, it was Bok Young, not Bok Yun, who became the Merchant Guild Leader.
From that point onward, the merchant guilds of Liaoning began to falter, and several trading companies seized the opportunity to grow rapidly.
They monopolized not only horses but also medicinal materials like ginseng and deer antlers, reaping enormous profits, and the Eunhae Trading Company suffered considerable losses as a result.
Later, we managed to resolve it by merely establishing a branch here, but I have no intention of doing the same this time.
Setting up a branch would require considerable expenditure.
“But did you truly not realize that an assassin was following you?”
“I did not.”
“I wondered if you had deliberately positioned yourself in a place unseen by others and noticed something was amiss.”
“No, it’s simply that I don’t particularly enjoy being the focus of others’ attention.”
“I see.”
In truth, his suspicion was correct, but it was difficult to explain the process and reasons, so I chose to feign ignorance.
We exchanged various conversations while waiting for the food we had ordered to arrive.
“Oh, by the way, how were you able to calm that wild horse?”
A question I had anticipated.
After all, I had calmed a horse that even the trading company’s horse specialists couldn’t manage.
Of course, I had already prepared an answer.
“Actually, that is a secret technique of my family. I hope you’ll understand that I cannot freely share it with others.”
“Then there’s nothing to be done. I’m not so petty as to demand everything from the person who saved my life.”
We continued our conversation.
I could see that Bok Yun Sub-leader was a person of broad vision and wisdom.
Even the most trivial conversation can reveal much about a person’s character and temperament.
Thanks to that, we were able to enjoy a pleasant conversation.
Honestly, among my peers, I had never met someone with whom conversation flowed so naturally.
“By the way, how old is the Young Master of the Eunhae Trading Company?”
“I am nineteen this year. My birthday is in the eleventh month, so I will turn twenty soon.”
“Oh!”
Bok Yun Sub-leader exclaimed in wonder.
“What a remarkable coincidence! I too am nineteen with a birthday in the eleventh month.”
“Could it be that your birthday is….”
Not only the month, but the day was identical.
Which meant we were the same age—true peers in every sense.
That fact made me all the more delighted.

“Your ordered dishes have arrived.”
The Shop Attendants placed the food upon the dining table and withdrew.
“Forgive me. I must ask your understanding as I taste the food first.”
Bok Yun’s Attendant stepped forward to request permission, then carefully sampled each dish with silver chopsticks.
He was checking whether the food contained poison.
Inwardly, I marveled at his loyalty.
Poison-tasting was a duty performed with one’s life on the line.
Seeing his steady hands, it appeared his devotion to Bok Yun Sub-leader had overcome his fear.
Wait—devotion overcoming fear?
Such people existed, but true loyalty that conquered death itself was rarer than one might think.
There were those whose hands trembled and whose legs shook, yet who would not retreat before death for their lord’s sake.
But fearing death was instinct—how could one overcome such a fundamental nature?
How do I know this?
Because in my previous life, Palgap died exactly that way.
For that reason, I observed the Attendant more carefully.
Hmm? Something seemed off.
Even if his hands did not tremble, the moment one consumed food, one’s expression inevitably betrayed one’s true feelings.
This was especially true when eating something hot.
That was why, when discerning another’s intentions, one deliberately served scalding tea.
For in the struggle not to burn one’s tongue, genuine expression would inevitably surface.
Yet while consuming food that might contain poison…he was smiling?
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine, and Jin Yu Warrior’s voice transmission reached me.
– My lord! Be cautious! I sense the aura of an Assassin in the marketplace.
My premonition had not deceived me.
An Assassin concealing murderous intent!
I began to understand why Bok Yun Sub-leader had died in my previous life.
He must have trusted completely, for his Attendant even performed poison-tasting for him.
In the end, he had been slain by the very blade he trusted most.
Then my course of action is simple.
When I saved Bok Yun Sub-leader’s life, there was certainly calculation involved regarding what I stood to gain, but truthfully, this was the first time I’d met someone whose thoughts aligned so perfectly with my own.
A true friend… perhaps?
Though I was surrounded by good people, among the young merchants of the guild, there was no one I could truly call a friend.
Our aspirations never aligned, and our conversations never flowed naturally.
If I saved this man, Gwangjun Trading Company would surely rise even higher than it stands now.
A good friend and a worthy rival.
I could not stand idle and watch such a person perish.
And this matter was also for my own sake.
Why would someone I’m certain is an assassin smile while showing signs of amusement?
It meant he was scheming something.
Perhaps he intended to frame me as the culprit by using my offer to provide a meal as pretext.
After all, there exist poisons that do not react to silver.
The attendant likely had no intention of poisoning anyone today.
But as circumstances shifted, he saw an opportunity.
If that were the case, I needed to strike first.
I sent a silent transmission to Seo-woo Warrior.
– There is poison in that food. You must not consume it.
– Understood. Jin Yu Warrior already informed me.
It seemed Jin Yu Warrior had already explained the situation to Seo-woo Warrior.
Given that an assassin lurked nearby, explaining beforehand would allow us to respond with sharp awareness.
– And I will perform a bit of acting.
– Acting, you say?
– You’ll understand when you see it.
I apologize, but if I reveal it beforehand, it will appear unnatural.
At that moment, the attendant set down his chopsticks and spoke.
“All is well. You may eat now.”
“It looks delicious.”
I quickly reached for my chopsticks to eat, but the attendant stopped me.
“My apologies, Sub-leader. This food is quite hot. It would be better to let it cool first.”
The fact that he said this just as I was about to eat confirmed my suspicions.
Damn it!
I had planned to pretend to eat first, then act as though the poison had taken hold and I was collapsing.
“Young Master may eat now. You are quite accustomed to eating hot food, after all.”
“Ah, is that so? Then I shall eat first.”
Bok Yun Sub-leader smiled and lifted a spoonful of the dish toward his mouth.
Damn, there’s definitely poison in that.
In a situation like this, whether I objected or remained silent, the likelihood of being framed as the culprit was equally high.
Then….
A brilliant stratagem suddenly flashed through my mind, and I executed it without hesitation.
“Geumryeong! Body slam into Palgap!”
At my whispered command, Geumryeong darted swiftly from my sleeve and drove his body into Palgap’s stomach beneath the dining table.
“Ugh—!”
The impact caused Palgap, who had been about to eat across from me, to drop his chopsticks just before the food reached his mouth, and he let out a groan.
The sight made it appear as though he’d been poisoned, and I suppressed a triumphant smile as I rushed toward him.
Naturally, Bok Yun Sub-leader set down his chopsticks at this sudden turn of events.
“Palgap! Are you alright? What’s wrong?”
“I… poi…”
“What? Deadly poison?”
“I… I…”
Geumryeong’s body slam had been so forceful that Palgap could barely speak.
Palgap wrote the culprit’s name—Geumryeong—in the spilled tea from the overturned cup, but I quickly wiped it away and spoke.
“Sub-leader Bok Yun. It appears my attendant has ingested poison.”
.
.
.
Sixteen Ho could not comprehend what was happening.
The poison was meant for Bok Yun, the young master he served—so why had Eun Seo-ho’s attendant suddenly collapsed after consuming it?
This meant the mission had failed.
‘How much effort I invested in securing this attendant position.’
He suppressed his rage internally.
Whoever had commissioned this assassination seemed to harbor a vicious grudge against Bok Yun Sub-leader. Otherwise, they would not have simultaneously contracted multiple assassination organizations.
As far as he knew, the client had promised one hundred gold coins to whoever succeeded in assassinating Bok Yun.
One hundred gold coins—enough for three generations to live in comfort.
The organization to which Sixteen Ho belonged had sent him, their most skilled operative.
He had immediately investigated his target and realized this task would not be simple.
Bok Yun, despite appearances, was cautious in all matters and exceedingly careful.
Moreover, he was wise and meticulous, leaving few openings to exploit, so Sixteen Ho had chosen a method that would take time but guarantee success.
Becoming his attendant and assassinating him from within.
Of course, not just anyone could become an attendant, so he had kidnapped the original one and assumed his identity.
For an entire year, he had served with utmost dedication, even handling the preparation of meals.
As a result, Bok Yun seemed to trust him completely.
Just as he was carefully waiting for the right moment to carry out the assassination, an incident occurred that filled him with dread.
An assassin from a rival organization had poisoned the horse that carried Bok Yun.
He grew anxious, fearing he would end up working for nothing while another reaped the reward.
Then, a perfect opportunity had presented itself.
Eun Seo-ho had offered to provide a meal for Bok Yun.
It was a chance for him to slip away and frame Eun Seo-ho and his companions as the culprits.
But that opportunity had vanished in the most absurd manner.
He quickly composed himself.
‘This is not the time for this.’
While pretending to taste the food earlier, I had applied poison to my sleeve during the process.
If a body search were conducted, I would be caught without question.
He quietly hid the poison in the crevices of the tavern’s wooden beams. Now, even if the poison were discovered, no one would know who had possessed it.
But he had not anticipated one thing.
A small pig had approached the poison he had hidden.

* * *

Soon, people from the County Office rushed to the scene.
It was only natural—a failed poisoning attempt had occurred at the most bustling tavern in Liaoning, and the Sub-leader of Gwangjun Trading Company was present at the scene.
As a result, not only the Patrol Officers but also Jihyeon came rushing to investigate the incident.
“We fed the food to a chicken, and since the chicken died, it is certain that poison was in the food.”
“….”
“Therefore, we must conduct a body search.”
The Patrol Officer asked for permission and began the search.
In the process, my pocket became the object of suspicion.
“For the sake of certainty, would it not be better if Inspector Jihyeon examined it directly?”
“Very well.”
Jihyeon approached and opened my pocket himself, and there he saw the identification badge of an Imperial Inspector.
“…!”
Upon seeing it, Jihyeon was startled and tried to bow in respect, but I gently stopped him and whispered softly.
“Act as though it is nothing. Life is precious.”
“Of, of course… I see.”
Though not a welcome credential, it allowed the matter to pass smoothly.
Sigh… Is power truly supreme?
It leaves a bitter taste.
That was when it happened.
“What, what is this?”
“I know nothing of it, sir!”
“This is poison, is it not!”
At that moment, the Patrol Officer searching Bok Yun’s Attendant shouted, and chaos erupted.
The poison in the attendant’s sleeve had been discovered.
“If you know nothing of it, why was the poison pouch open?”
“That, that is….”
“I heard you went to check on things earlier. Then you must have placed the poison there in the meantime!”
“I, I am innocent, sir.”
“Yeon-i could not possibly be the culprit.”
Bok Yun also stood beside him, asserting the attendant’s innocence. It showed how much he trusted him.
That poison—I had Geumryeong place it back inside the sleeve after the attendant had hidden it.
I had harbored suspicions, but now I could confirm with certainty that the Murim Alliance was not behind this affair.
They would never conduct their operations with such sloppiness.
I approached them and hurled a dagger toward the Attendant.
*Whoosh!*
My action startled those around us, and Bok Yun Sub-leader’s face flushed with anger.
“Eun Sub-leader! What in blazes are you doing?”
“Does Bok Sub-leader still believe that marketplace figure is truly your Attendant?”
“What do you mean by that…?”
At that moment, one of the Patrol Officers drew his weapon and spoke.
“A human-faced demon mask.”
Bok Yun Sub-leader gasped in horror as he beheld the Attendant’s true form and cried out.
“Who are you?”
“Damn it!”
In that instant, he hurled a dagger concealed in his robes toward Bok Yun Sub-leader….
*Crash!*
“Ugh!”
Palgap, you’re not supposed to throw the dining table….
No, more importantly—he’s already recovered? His healing is remarkably swift.

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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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