The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 204

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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 204

Chapter 204. Yangyang Martial School (3)

This journey to Zhejiang Province proved relatively comfortable.
There were no detours required along the way, and we weren’t transporting goods for trade, after all.
So we decided to travel by boat along the Yangtze River.
With little snow falling, we reached the ferry terminal without difficulty.
“The Yangtze River truly is vast, isn’t it?”
“It didn’t earn its name for nothing.”
The Yangtze rarely freezes even in winter.
It flows through the relatively warmer southern regions of the Central Plains, after all.
Yet even the Yangtze succumbed to portions freezing during this bitter cold snap. The frost was that severe.
As the frozen upper reaches thawed and torrential rains compounded the crisis, flooding devastated multiple regions along the middle and lower courses.
We suffered considerable losses because of it.
Most of our branch offices, including our main headquarters in Hubei, were situated along the Yangtze.
The logistics network collapsed, and while managing the aftermath, my small guild leader Gong Pyosik fell further and further behind.
While I wore a bitter smile inwardly, Ha Pyo-doo’s voice reached my ears.
“We’ll arrive at Huangshan soon.”
“That means we need to disembark now.”
“Yes, sir.”
Huangshan is the largest mountain in Anhui Province.
And Anhui Province is home to the Namgung Family, one of the great martial clans, and
the family of Namgung Kang, who killed me in my previous life, and Namgung Bo, whom I clashed with during the imperial silk delivery competition.
The Namgung Family was the most actively supportive force of the Murim Alliance.
And for good reason—the Murim Alliance Leader hails from the Namgung Family.
The Yeom Clan, the regional overlords of this area, are also fervent supporters of the Murim Alliance.
Now that I think about it… Padu Papa’s Husband Yu Yu Geom Je fell into demonic cultivation because of the Yeom Clan’s machinations.
If that couple were to face the Yeom Clan, they wouldn’t let them off easily.
In truth, I’d had reasons to visit Anhui Province before, but I deliberately avoided it.
Because that’s where I died.
More precisely, at the foot of Huangshan.
I was killed there within Namgung Family territory, likely because it made evidence manipulation that much easier.
Honestly, who would want to visit the place where they died?
But I couldn’t keep avoiding it forever.
So I resolved to help my Master with his troubles this time. To do so, I had to pass through here.
Once I speak a promise, I always keep it.
Yet seeing Huangshan now, I felt as though my breath caught in my throat.
“Young Master? Are you alright?”
At Palgap’s worried expression, I forced a smile.
“I’m fine.”
“Your complexion appears quite pale, sir.”
“My face is naturally fair. It probably just looks paler because it’s winter, don’t you think?”
“….”
At my flippant remark, Palgap simply stared at me in silence.
It felt like he was cursing me with his eyes.
Yet somehow, thanks to that, my tension eased a little.
Soon the boat docked at the ferry terminal, and after disembarking, we decided to rest at a nearby inn before departing early the next morning.

The inn where we would be staying was a place I knew well.
“Welcome.”
A middle-aged woman of considerable stature greeted us.
“We plan to stay for one night.”
“Of course. You’ve arrived at a fortunate time when we have plenty of rooms available. Please choose whichever suits you best.”
“Then….”
I generously secured one room for every two people, and decided to share a room with Palgap.
“It’s remarkably clean, sir.”
“Yes, it is.”
The room was neither large nor ornate, but spotlessly clean.
This inn’s pride lay in its cleanliness and affordability.
That’s why it was always bustling with guests, though we were fortunate to find rooms available today.
In fact, I had been prepared to share one room among four of us.
This inn was where the Changin Escort Agency always stayed whenever they came to Anhui Province, so I had lodged here frequently myself.
Previously, I had wondered why they preferred this place over other finer establishments, but there was a reason.
Unlike other respectable inns, this place remained free from the interference of martial arts factions.
The woman greeting us now was both the inn owner and the head chef’s wife.
And in truth, they were martial artists.
Both of them were warriors at the pinnacle of mastery.
Since even the elders of moderately renowned sects barely reached the pinnacle level, ordinary martial arts factions would not dare to meddle with this place.
The couple had severed their ties with the martial arts world.
It was because of their two sons’ deaths.
Their elder son had entered the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, held once every five years by the Murim Alliance, to make a name for himself.
But he drew an unfortunate opponent.
His adversary was the heir of a prestigious martial arts family, and his techniques were ruthlessly merciless.
Despite it being a martial tournament, the elder son suffered severe internal injuries and ultimately perished.
The younger son then sought out his brother’s killer to avenge him, but returned only having been toyed with.
Unable to bear such humiliation, he took his own life, and the couple lost both sons in an instant.
Stripped of all desire for revenge, the couple severed their connection to the martial arts world and now lived quietly, running this inn.
I learned about this story through the Information Bureau that the Eunhae Trading Company operated.
Of course, most people didn’t know about it.
However, it was quietly known among martial artists that the couple running the inn were quite skilled, so no one caused trouble here.
Therefore, it was natural that Seolpung Palace, which needed to hide their identity, frequented this place.
And I too found this place comfortable.
Since it was beyond the reach of the Murim Alliance and the Namgung Family’s eyes, I could do things in secret here.
.
.
.
After washing up and coming downstairs, Ha Pyo-doo and the Escort Warriors were already there.
“Oh my, I seem to be the last one here.”
“Not at all. We just came down ourselves. What would you like to eat?”
“I’m not particularly picky. I’ll eat whatever you recommend, Pyo-doo. Besides, this is my first time in this region.”
“Understood.”
Ha Pyo-doo rose from his seat, went directly to the kitchen to place an order, and returned.
Shortly after, the Inn Owner’s Wife brought tea first.
As I savored the tea lightly, dishes began to arrive one by one.
The first to arrive was noodles made with chicken broth, followed by steamed fish.
“Ugh! Blech! What is that smell?”
Palgap made a face of disgust at the sight of the fish.
“It’s a dish made from aged mandarin fish—fried and then steamed with seasoning.”
Now that I thought about it, in my previous life, Palgap had also disliked this dish.
As winter approached, mandarin fish caught from the Yangtze River would naturally age during transport.
They would fry it, season it, and then steam it—a regional specialty famous near Huangshan. The locals here loved it, saying the stronger the smell, the better aged it was.
At first, I too disliked it because of the smell, but after tasting it myself, I became completely captivated by its chewy yet springy texture.
And the salty-sweet seasoning was delicious too.
“How did you know this was aged mandarin fish?”
Oh no—I was supposed to be visiting here for the first time, so I shouldn’t know this.
I laughed awkwardly and quickly made an excuse.
“My Elder Brothers mentioned it. They said it was quite a delicacy.”
“I see… that makes sense.”
“Just looking at it makes my mouth water. I’ll enjoy it.”
Then I quickly picked up the fish meat with my chopsticks and put it in my mouth.
The smell is pungent, but it really is delicious.
Seeing me eat like that, Ha Pyo-doo tilted his head.
“You eat quite well… better than I expected.”
“Yes, it suits my taste.”
But Palgap wouldn’t even bring his chopsticks near it.
Now that I thought about it, Palgap had no food preferences and could eat even Sichuan cuisine without issue, but there were a few dishes he disliked.
Like aged mandarin fish steamed with seasoning or stinky tofu…
Ah, so you dislike fermented foods.
Now that I think about it, they say bears don’t eat rotten meat… Are you truly a bear?
Ha Pyo-doo looked at me and chuckled softly.
“Seeing how well you’re eating, it was worth ordering this dish for you.”
“Haha, thank you.”
“This fermented mandarin fish would be sublime with a cup of wine, I must say. Kah!”
The Escort Warriors nodded in agreement at Ha Pyo-doo’s words.
However, no wine graced our dining table. This was because they were currently on an escort mission.
They had come under the pretext of protecting me.
“We’ll purchase some fermented mandarin fish on our way back. Since the weather is cold anyway, it shouldn’t be difficult to preserve.”
“That’s an excellent idea.”
Of course, the smell would be everyone’s own burden.

The next morning.
We departed from the Inn early.
And I found myself unable to help but grow tense.
Soon, I would arrive at the place where I had died in my previous life.
Even now, when I close my eyes, those memories are vivid before me.
At that time, I had decided to take a boat, entered Anhui from Zhejiang Province, and was heading toward the Ferry Terminal where we had arrived yesterday.
It was precisely twenty li ahead of the Inn where we had stayed last night.
The Murim Alliance Warriors suddenly appeared and blocked our path, attacking without warning or negotiation.
We desperately fought to open a path and escape, but there were more Murim Alliance Warriors waiting there as well.
In the chaos, Palgap sacrificed himself, taking countless arrows with his body to create an opening for my escape, and the other Guards fell one by one.
And the last one to die while protecting me was Gwak Jun-ha.
As those memories resurfaced, my chest grew heavy without my realizing it.
And then, suddenly, the sight before my eyes made my breath catch sharply.
The screams of countless people, the voices of Guards shouting they would protect me, the sound of footsteps chasing me, my lungs burning as I fled at full speed with breath rising to my throat as if they would burst….
And the metallic scent of blood.
My vision wavered.
Because I saw a tree.
A fairly thick tree beside a cliff with a large boulder exposed.
Beneath it was the place where I had died in my previous life.
Gasp….
Was it too soon?
I thought I would be fine after five years of returning.
I barely have nightmares anymore, but perhaps my cultivation was still insufficient to face the place where I had died again.
My breath grew tight.
“Young Master? Are you alright?”
“….”
Palgap was the first to notice something was wrong with my condition.
“My lord!”
The Seo-woo Warrior closest to me hurried over and supported me.
“Your complexion is far too pale.”
“….”
I barely managed to speak in response to their words.
“Let me… rest for a moment… then we’ll go.”
With the help of Palgap and the Seo-woo Warrior, I dismounted from my horse, and after that, I had no memory of anything.
.
.
.
It was a dream.
It had to be a dream. Otherwise, how could I be seeing my own dead body?
Blood flowing from the sword wound in my neck was drenching everything around me.
Or perhaps that was reality and I was a spirit. That’s why my desires became imagination….
Smack—!
“Ugh!”
In that instant, the tremendous pain that struck my head made me cry out involuntarily as I clutched it.
“You foolish wretch!”
At the familiar voice, I turned around to see Seol Pung-gung’s Instructor standing there.
“What? Instructor?”
Seeing his fist clenched, it was clear that he had struck my head with it.
But more than that, why was he here?
“Look properly! Does that really look like you?”
“Pardon?”
The Instructor approached me, grabbed my shoulders, and forcibly turned my body so I could see my corpse.
“Does that really look like you? Look carefully, don’t avert your gaze, and see it as it truly is.”
“…What?”
The dead me that had been there had vanished.
No, what lay there was merely a pile of earth that had fallen from the cliff.
“I thought you were clever, but you’re more foolish than I expected.”
I couldn’t help but protest at those words.
“Why am I foolish?”
“A fool is one who cannot distinguish between reality and illusion. Then are you clever? And you’ve even mastered the Taiyin Ice-Sea Divine Art.”
“….”
I had nothing to say.
“Eun Seo-ho is the only one I see before me. The one I saved at the cost of my remaining life. Your memories are beyond help, but you’re wallowing in despair over something that hasn’t happened.”
“…!”
At the Instructor’s words, I suddenly came to my senses.
That’s right—my death hasn’t happened yet.
It’s only a memory from the past, something that won’t happen in the future, so why did I act that way?
The Ancestor smiled faintly and pointed to the spot right beside the tree.
“You seem to have regained your senses. Dig there. I’ve prepared a gift for you.”
.
.
.
“What? Young Master? Are you alright?”
As I opened my eyes, Palgap was looking down at me with concern etched across his face.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
As I rose to my feet, the guards and Ha Pyo-doo approached with worried expressions.
“You suddenly lost consciousness. We were quite alarmed.”
“Ah, my apologies. I hadn’t slept the night before our departure while handling various matters, so fatigue must have accumulated.”
I said with a smile.
“Still, after such a deep sleep, I feel considerably refreshed.”
It was true.
The suffocating tension that had gripped my chest moments ago had vanished as if it were nothing but a lie.
I rose from my seat and approached the spot where I had died. After staring at it for a long moment, I turned to Palgap.
“Palgap, would you mind digging here?”
“Pardon?”
Palgap tilted his head at my sudden request, but soon nodded and retrieved a small shovel, beginning to dig into the earth.
The others exchanged puzzled glances but said nothing, waiting for me patiently.
Clink.
Soon, the sound of something striking an obstruction echoed from below.
“Hm? There’s something buried here.”

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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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