The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 185

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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 185

Chapter 185. The Frozen Sea Absolute Technique (1)

As the boat from the Hwari Ship Shop that we boarded began to move, the surrounding vessels that had come to assist also moved in unison.
Just as in my past life, the boats nearby had helped together.
Of course, thanks to us approaching quickly and rescuing them, the other boats merely had to receive the passengers.
Soon the boat arrived at the dock near the Daegun Shop.
The passengers who had nearly died when the Daegun Shop’s boat capsized naturally did not remain silent.
They rushed to the Daegun Shop in a group and lodged their complaints.
However,
“As you can see written here, our shop provides no compensation whatsoever in the event of an accident.”
Indeed, a notice was plainly posted on the wall stating: [No compensation for damages under any circumstances.]
“Our shop has suffered tremendous losses due to the boat’s sinking! So please leave now. If you continue like this, I will report you to the County Office.”
The Daegun Shop’s owner responded with an arrogant attitude instead.
The passengers had no choice but to grumble and retreat.
“This is outrageous!”
“Unbelievable!”
“I’ll never use Daegun Trading Company goods again!”
Witnessing this, I shook my head in disbelief.
I had expected it, but this was truly something else.
From what I knew, the owner of the Daegun Shop was the Third Son of the Merchant Guild Master.
I had no idea what kind of education he received, but his approach to customer service—the most crucial aspect of commerce—was fundamentally flawed.
Even if this incident hadn’t occurred in my past life, I felt he would have failed anyway.
No matter how much he tried to evade responsibility with such notices, couldn’t he at least offer an apology?
But to threaten to report them to the County Office—that was the height of audacity.
Thanks to this, I now had another justification.
I turned my steps and headed directly to the County Office.
Upon arriving at the County Office, I immediately requested an audience with the County Magistrate.
“Who are you, if I may ask?”
“I am Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master of the Eunhae Trading Company. Please convey this to him.”
Thanks to the reputation of the Trading Company, I did not have to wait long to meet the County Magistrate.
“So, you wished to see me?”
“Yes. I am Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master of the Eunhae Trading Company, and I greet you, County Magistrate.”
“What brings you to seek an audience with me?”
“Are you aware of the incident last night where the Daegun Shop’s boat capsized on Dongjeong Lake?”
“…I am aware of it.”
“I have come to request an investigation into this matter. This is clearly the fault of the Daegun Shop, yet they deny responsibility.”
At my words, Jihyeon clicked his tongue.
“The Daegun Boat House bears no fault. It was merely an accident of unknown cause that occurred in the darkness of night.”
“Has the investigation already concluded?”
“Of course. I’ve already visited the scene myself.”
When could he possibly have done that?
I hadn’t even caught a glimpse of him at that location.
Yet Jihyeon smiled subtly and spoke with measured composure.
“I understand the Eunhae Trading Company’s reputation is considerable, but pressuring such a small merchant guild hardly seems becoming.”
It was certain.
The Jihyeon before me had accepted a bribe from the Daegun Trading Company.
“Do you truly believe that?”
“It’s not a matter of belief—it’s the truth.”
“Would it be acceptable to report your words exactly as stated to His Majesty the Emperor?”
I exhaled slowly and withdrew the Imperial Inspector’s badge from my robes, holding it before his eyes.
“What? What is that…?”
Upon seeing the Imperial Inspector’s badge I presented, Jihyeon’s face drained of all color.
“Gasp!”
I gestured for silence and spoke in a hushed voice.
“I act under the Emperor’s secret mandate. Should you reveal my identity to others, I will hold you accountable.”
“….”
“Do you understand?”
He nodded repeatedly, his face ashen.
To handle the matter more decisively, I even withdrew a scroll and presented it to him.
“His Majesty has granted me authority to conduct independent investigations. Therefore, my report on this matter will be submitted directly to the Emperor.”
I smiled gently and spoke.
“You said the investigation was already complete? That you’d visited the scene yourself? Then would you tell me what I need to know so I can prepare my report?”
Jihyeon’s voice trembled as he bowed his head in supplication.
“The truth is, the investigation last night was a lie!”
Exactly as I had anticipated.
Remaining silent to encourage him to continue, he confessed readily.
“The Daegun Trading Company handed me a substantial sum to cover up this incident, and so I… I made a false report.”
“I see such circumstances existed.”
“I will conduct a proper investigation starting now. So please, just this once.”
“Hmm….”
“Please, just this once. I must support my elderly mother, and provide for my wife and children.”
“Sigh, very well. I will overlook this matter this one time. But if I hear of such conduct again, I cannot be so lenient.”
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
The County Magistrate continued bowing his head repeatedly.
I had no intention of punishing him severely.
Officials’ salaries were meager, and he had committed no grave crime.
Now that I think about it, the County Magistrate of Chongyang County comes to mind.
As our Merchant Guild grew larger, the expectations for gifts we presented continued to rise.
I should visit him as well.
I spoke to the County Magistrate.
“County Magistrate.”
“Yes, yes. Please speak.”
“A thorough investigation is necessary. I need you to examine everything from A to Z.”
“I shall do so.”
.
.
.
On the way out of the County Office toward the Hwari Ship Shop, I encountered a family.
It was the child I had rescued last night and his parents.
“Ah! Aren’t you Seon Hyeop Mi-rang, the Great Hero?”
“How embarrassing. I’m not yet at an age to be called a Great Hero.”
“Then I shall call you a Lesser Hero. But where are you headed?”
“I’m on my way to the Hwari Ship Shop. By the way… is the child all right?”
“Yes. The Physician said it was safe to move about, so he just woke up.”
“Are there any other injuries?”
“None.”
“That’s a relief.”
The child’s father, seeing my genuine relief, clasped his hands and spoke.
“It is all thanks to you, Lesser Hero. I shall never forget this kindness.”
He bowed to me and said.
“I apologize for the late introduction. My name is Hwang Bon-ji. I come from Guizhou. This is my wife, and the boy you saved yesterday is named Hwang In-seon.”
“I am Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master of the Eunhae Trading Company. And this is my Attendant and my Guards.”
I introduced our entire party and smiled as I greeted them.
“Then we shall take our leave first.”
“Yes, please go safely.”
I bowed once more and passed them, heading toward the Hwari Ship Shop.
The boat capsizing incident that had occurred in my previous life.
For the Emperor to personally intervene in an incident of that magnitude was highly unusual.
Ordinarily, such a matter wouldn’t even be reported, but the reason this exceptional event occurred was because of that man.
Scholar Hwang Bon-ji.
Once falsely accused and forced to retire, the Emperor had favored him and summoned him back to Beijing.
But in the meantime, he had crossed a river from which there was no return, and thus the Emperor ordered an investigation.
During that investigation, he learned of the capsizing of the Daegun Boat House’s vessel on Dongjeong Lake.
In my previous life, Scholar Hwang Bon-ji had made grand plans for his son’s birthday.
Wishing to cultivate his son’s noble spirit, he had commissioned the Pyo Bureau to arrange a family trip to see Dongjeong Lake.
But their finances were not abundant, and they had no choice but to board one of the Daegun Boat House’s vessels, which were being sold cheaply at the time.
Unfortunately, the boat capsized, and in the chaos, the Lady and her son drowned first.
Grief-stricken, Hwang Bon-ji fell ill and soon passed away. When the Emperor learned of this, he flew into a terrible rage.
From my perspective, the Emperor seemed furious at losing a talented administrator who had lightened his workload.
In any case, that’s how the Daegun Trading Company was crushed and fell into ruin.
Well, this time I have no intention of letting matters rest.

“Welcome!”
As I approached the Hwari Ship Shop, Kang Shop Owner hurried over to greet me.
“I thought there would be no customers because of what happened last night, but there seem to be quite a few.”
“Indeed, that’s surprising.”
He smiled as he spoke.
“To be honest, I’m bewildered myself.”
He claimed not to understand, but I thought I knew the reason.
It was because of his character—he had always been meticulous about safety.
On my way here, I stopped by a shop and overheard an interesting conversation.

“But I heard the boat capsized.”
“If you’re that worried, just go to the Hwari Ship Shop.”
“Is it safe?”
“It’s safe. In fact, they’re so obsessive about safety it’s almost a problem.”

Recalling that conversation, I chuckled softly. Indeed, truly good people are those recognized by those around them.
This business would surely catch favorable winds now.
But still…
What exactly was that thing I saw last night?
The rocks at the bottom of Dongjeong Lake when I entered to rescue the child Hwang In-seon.
They felt familiar, and a strong intuition gripped me—I had to go there.
Could it be… traces of Snowwind Palace?
The Ancestor did mention it.
That he had left traces in various places.
But it hadn’t been that long since I returned from the Northern Sea…
Still, I felt I should verify it at least once.

* * *

At that moment.
The Daegun Merchant Guild Master’s mood was far from pleasant.
“So, we have to abandon that ship?”
“Yes, sir.”
O Jin-chuk, the Deputy Officer, spoke carefully.
“I’ve made inquiries here and there, but the ship is too large and has sunk completely. Raising it again is impossible, they say. If we must find a way, we could dive down and dismantle the ship piece by piece… but that would cost far more than the ship’s value.”
“….”
Then a young man sitting beside him spoke.
“Father, does this mean I can’t do business anymore?”
“….”
“I was finally getting my act together and trying to work, but heaven isn’t helping.”
“Be quiet.”
“…Yes, sir.”
The Daegun Merchant Guild Master furrowed his brow and asked the Deputy Officer.
“How much was that ship worth?”
“Three hundred silver taels, sir.”
At those words, the Daegun Merchant Guild Master clutched his throbbing head.
What exactly had gone wrong?
Was it that we tried to swallow up the Hwari Ship Shop’s business entirely?
Or was it that we lowered prices to compete with the Hwari Ship Shop and loaded far too many passengers aboard?
‘If we doubled the passengers, we’d double the money too, so that’s what we did….’
The sailors had strongly opposed it, but they couldn’t go against his word.
That was when it happened.
“Guild Master! Disaster has struck! Guild Master!”
“What is it?”
“Constables have come from the County Office!”
“Constables?”
Wondering what this was about, I stepped out into the courtyard, only to find dozens of constables already filling the guild’s grounds.
“What is this…! Ah, County Magistrate Jihyeon!”
Jihyeon approached him just then.
“What brings you here so suddenly? And with all these constables, no less….”
“I’ve come to investigate the accident that occurred yesterday. I ask for your cooperation.”
“Wasn’t that matter already concluded as having an unknown cause? Why are you doing this?”
He whispered in a low voice.
“Perhaps the gift wasn’t sufficient?”
“That’s not it.”
“Pardon?”
“No matter how much I enjoy gifts, my life is always the most important thing.”
“…!”
At those words, he was startled.
If Jihyeon needed to protect his own life, it meant the situation had spiraled far beyond my control as well.
The Daegun Merchant Guild Master felt his vision whiten as he collapsed onto the spot.
‘Damn it. I’m finished!’

* * *

That night.
I headed toward the lake shore where the rocky terrain was visible, bringing Seo-woo Warrior and Palgap with me.
“So you’re saying you saw something at the bottom of Dongjeong Lake?”
“Yes.”
“And you won’t be able to sleep until you confirm it?”
“Yes.”
Seo-woo Warrior exhaled deeply and spoke.
“I really need to learn water techniques soon. It seems like I keep needing them more than I expected.”
“Once you learn them, they’re quite useful.”
Regardless of the reason, there was no harm in acquiring any skill.
I removed my outer robe and handed it to Palgap, then entered Dongjeong Lake wearing only a thin undershirt and trousers.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Be careful.”
“Please be cautious.”
I nodded and slipped into Dongjeong Lake.
Exhale…
I slowly began the Glacial Harmony Heart Method.
My body temperature gradually dropped as I felt myself merging with the water.
Then I moved my body using the Glacial Water Severing Technique.
My body moved swiftly through the water like a fish gliding freely.
And I headed toward that location in my memory.
Though everything around me was dark, thanks to the Glacial Harmony Heart Method, my vision remained unobstructed.
After swimming for about half a quarter of an hour, I saw the sunken boat of the Daegun Boat House.
Then the rocky terrain should be nearby.
I slowly examined my surroundings.
“…!”
There it is.
I smiled and slowly approached it.
Familiar characters were inscribed on that rock.

[Heir of Snow and Wind, prove your worthiness.]

I activated the Glacial Heart Technique and placed my hand against the rocky terrain.
A deep hum resonated.
The rock vibrated, and familiar traces began to etch themselves into its surface.
In that moment, I recalled being forcibly confined by my Ancestor while mastering the Jinseol Twelve-Form Sword Technique.
It had been truly grueling. And now I had to do it all over again?
The vibration of the rock I felt at that moment.
A low hum, a low hum,
Surely it was my imagination that the rock seemed to cry out pitifully, “Please, just don’t leave me.”

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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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