The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 211
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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 211
Chapter 211. A Fateful Connection in Hangzhou (4)
She turned her head, and upon seeing me, her eyes widened in recognition.
“I sensed a familiar aura, and it was my benefactor. So you are Eun Seo-ho, the Small Merchant Leader?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
“To meet you here in Hangzhou is quite unexpected.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“But what brings you to this place?”
She smiled as she answered.
Yet her voice carried a subtle chill.
“Surely, even if you are my benefactor, I need not reveal my personal circumstances?”
Hmm, rather prickly.
“Of course not. I merely noticed you seemed troubled by the disappearance of the Yangyang Martial Hall that was here. I thought if this matter concerned you, I might be able to offer assistance, so I inquired.”
“Ah….”
Her face flushed slightly, and she bowed respectfully.
“I apologize. I reacted too sensitively.”
“It’s quite alright.”
“But do you know about the Yangyang Martial Hall? It was definitely here the last time I visited.”
“It relocated.”
“What? It relocated?”
“Just days ago. That’s likely why you hadn’t heard the news.”
“Ah, I see. So that’s….”
In that moment, caution flickered across her eyes.
“It seems you know quite a great deal about the Yangyang Martial Hall, Small Merchant Leader.”
“Ah, I realize I haven’t properly introduced myself yet.”
I clasped my fist in salute as I spoke.
“I am Eun Seo-ho, a disciple of Seolpung Palace.”
At this, her wariness subsided, and her voice grew gentler.
“…I see. I did sense something familiar about your aura.”
“Allow me to guide you to the Yangyang Martial Hall.”
“I would appreciate that.”
I led her toward the Yangyang Martial Hall. The newly relocated site was merely a short distance—no more than a quarter hour’s walk—from where it had originally stood.
“Here we are.”
“Hmm, it has the feel of an estate.”
“You’ve guessed correctly. Until recently, this place was indeed an estate.”
As we stepped inside, Yeom Chief Manager, who happened to be in the courtyard, spotted us and hurried over.
“Young Palace Master, you’ve arrived?”
“It’s been a while, Chief Manager. Have you been well?”
“Oh, well enough. But what brings you all the way here?”
“I’ve brought the sponsorship funds from the Ice Palace.”
“Ah, is that so?”
At the mention of sponsorship funds, Yeom Chief Manager’s face brightened instantly.
Truly an honest man.
“Please, come inside.”
“Yes.”
As Yeom Chief Manager turned to escort Bing Haerin, Young Palace Master inside, he turned his head toward me and bowed respectfully.
“Ah, Small Merchant Guild Leader. Thank you. Everyone ate very well because of your kindness.”
“I’m glad to hear they enjoyed it.”
When we were eating at the tavern earlier, I was genuinely concerned about the children.
So I slipped some money to the Shop Attendant and asked him to have food delivered here as well.
I worried they might get indigestion from eating too much at once, but then again, wouldn’t it be putting the cart before the horse to deny them delicious food?
I’ll have them play vigorously later—that should aid their digestion well enough.
Yeom Chief Manager headed toward the office but turned back, asking me with a puzzled expression.
“What are you doing?”
“Pardon?”
“You should come along. After all, you’ve received full authority from the Palace Master of Snowwind Palace.”
“Ah, of course.”
.
.
.
And so the three of us sat around a table in Yeom Chief Manager’s office, sipping tea.
“So then….”
Bing Haerin, Young Palace Master, looked at me and asked.
“Eun Small Merchant Leader has received full authority from the Snowwind Palace Master?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Has something happened to the Snowwind Palace Master’s health….”
“No. She is in excellent health.”
“Then why….”
“There are circumstances behind it.”
I explained the entire situation to her. Since Bing Haerin, Young Palace Master, was also aware of Snowwind Palace, there was no need to hide anything.
“…And that’s how it came to be.”
As I finished speaking, a brief silence settled over us.
“Do you perhaps think it’s too much for me to acquire the land where the Yangyang Martial School once stood?”
At my question, she shook her head.
“No, not at all. I don’t feel pity for the ungrateful. I’m delighted that the children will have a good home.”
She looked at me and spoke.
“If it were me, I would have taken that real contract and immediately made the land the property of Yangyang Martial School. But I’m amazed at your wisdom to endure and set your sights on something greater.”
“You flatter me. I mention this just to be cautious, but this matter is confidential.”
“Of course.”
Then Yeom Chief Manager asked Bing Haerin, Young Palace Master a question.
“But when did you leave the Ice Palace? By now, travel in the Northern Sea should be difficult because of the snowstorms…”
“Ah, I left before the snowstorms began in earnest. And since there was an urgent matter to attend to, I had to handle that first, so I only just arrived here.”
“I see.”
Still, arriving late wasn’t a problem. I had heard that funds were originally supposed to arrive around spring.
So arriving now was still early enough.
“So it seems I’ll need to impose on your hospitality here until spring arrives.”
“Please do so.”
Bing Haerin, Young Palace Master would be staying here.
The martial prowess I had witnessed from her was considerable. Simply having such a master present with the children gave me a sense of reassurance.
“Please look after Yangyang Martial School.”
“Where…are you going?”
“I must return to Hubei soon. I’ll likely depart the day after tomorrow.”
“I see.”
“It seems our conversation is finished, so I’ll take my leave first. I need to play with the children for a bit.”
“Yes?”
After concluding our talk, I headed toward the courtyard.
The sun was setting gradually, but it wasn’t yet time for the children to sleep. So I planned to help them digest what they had overeaten earlier by playing with them enthusiastically.
.
.
.
The next morning.
The children each came to me and mentioned one gift they desired.
“I want to have pigments.”
“Pigments? You mean the dyes used for painting?”
“Yes. I enjoy drawing pictures.”
“Alright, I understand. What about you, Amin?”
“I want to have a poetry collection. There’s a very famous poetry collection called the Soak Poetry Collection.”
I never expected to hear that name here.
It was the poetry collection I had published using the poems composed by Yu Inner Chief Manager in the past.
Several years had passed, but I understood it was still famous.
“Understood.”
Among what the children desired, there were no toys. That was admirable, but it also made me feel a bit sorrowful.
It meant they had no choice but to mature far too early given their circumstances.
At that moment, a familiar voice called out from beyond the door.
“Are you in?”
“Ah! Yes!”
I hurried out to the main gate.
Wi Shop Owner stood waiting with a porter.
“I’ve brought the paper you requested.”
“Thank you.”
“Where should we place this paper?”
“Ah, just hand it to me.”
Palgap stepped forward at the opportune moment and, hoisting the heavy stack of paper with ease, carried it inside.
Ever since I’d begun training in martial arts, my strength had noticeably increased.
After thanking Wi Shop Owner and seeing him off, I returned inside to find the children gazing at the paper with sparkling eyes.
“Wow! The paper is shining!”
“It looks amazing.”
Watching the children’s eyes gleam as they admired the paper, I smiled.
This was perfect.
Since Bing Haerin, Young Palace Master, was here, I could have her deliver the letters the children wrote when she returned to the Ice Palace.
And for the Changin Escort Agency, there was Ha Pyo-doo.
“Children, I and the people from the Changin Escort Agency will be leaving tomorrow. So if you write your letters by dawn tomorrow, I’ll ask Ha Pyo-doo to have the Escort Warriors deliver them.”
“But… can we really write on this paper?”
“Of course. I bought it for you to use. Wouldn’t I be disappointed if you didn’t use it?”
“Ah!”
“Y-you’re right.”
I distributed five sheets of paper to each of the children.
With so much paper in total, the loss was barely noticeable.
While the children were writing their letters, I went out and purchased the gifts they had wanted.
Then I headed to Yeom Chief Manager’s office with those gifts in hand.
“Gasp! W-what is all this?”
“These are things the children wanted.”
“But why did you bring them here? Why not give them directly to the children?”
“Please distribute these to the children after I leave, Chief Manager.”
“I beg your pardon? But why….”
“The time I spend here with the children won’t even amount to a hundred days. In contrast, you spend the entire year with them.”
“That may be true, but….”
“I’m using my own money so that you can be a good Chief Manager to them.”
At my words, the Chief Manager’s eyes grew red with emotion.
“I’m truly grateful.”
“Don’t mention it. Oh, and….”
I pulled Geumryeong out from my sleeve and showed her to him.
“Squeak!”
“From now on, through this creature….”
“Gasp!”
But before I could finish speaking, Yeom Chief Manager gasped in shock and pointed at Geumryeong.
“C-could this be Han Ho-su? Why is it here….”
“First, yes, it is Han Ho-su. And… there’s quite a complicated story behind it.”
“Are you aware that this is a divine creature and spirit of Seolpung Palace?”
“Yes, my Master told me about it.”
“….”
Seeing his shocked expression, I decided not to mention that I also possessed the Silver Shadowless Sword, lest he faint.
“In any case, I’ll be sending letters through Geumryeong for urgent communications from now on, so please keep that in mind.”
“Ah, I understand.”
“And we plan to depart at dawn tomorrow.”
He nodded at my words.
“I’ve already heard that from Ha Pyo-doo. And….”
He smiled, seeming to have regained his composure, and continued speaking.
“I’m truly grateful. The fact that the Small Guild Master is a disciple of Seolpung Palace is a great blessing for our Yangyang Martial School.”
Seeing his genuine emotion, I felt embarrassed and scratched behind my ear.
.
.
.
The next day, we prepared to depart for Hubei.
To be honest, I wanted to stay a bit longer, but there was much to be done.
And if we delayed any further, we might have to endure a brutal cold spell.
As we were making preparations to leave, one of the children—their representative, so to speak—approached us.
He was carrying a large basket borrowed from the kitchen, and it was overflowing with papers inside.
I stepped forward and accepted the basket.
Seeing letters piled high within it, it was clear everyone had much to say.
“Quite a substantial amount.”
“I wrote about various things, so the letters became rather lengthy. It’s also my first time writing correspondence.”
Watching the letters, Ha Pyo-doo’s eyes grew slightly red. He knew about this because I had asked him yesterday to deliver the letters.
“Understood. I will make certain these are delivered without fail.”
“Thank you.”
At that moment, Ha Pyo-doo’s eyes wavered slightly as he gathered the letters.
“However… the Pyo Bureau’s affairs are so demanding that even if I receive these, I may not have time to write replies. Will that be acceptable?”
“It’s fine. We’re simply grateful to be able to send word. That’s enough for us.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
At his words, I tilted my head in confusion.
Even if the Pyo Bureau’s work was demanding, it couldn’t be so overwhelming that there was no time to write a single letter.
So why would he say such a thing…?
Ah, I see.
The moment I recalled what the Escort Warriors actually did, understanding dawned.
They were people who lived by the sword, no less than those of the Martial Arts World.
There would surely be Escort Warriors who fell in battles against the Green Forest Bandits during their journeys, and others who perished caught in the conflicts of martial artists.
In other words, Ha Pyo-doo was speaking indirectly about those who could never send replies.
My heart ached at the thought.
To lighten the mood, I asked the children a question.
“By the way, are there no letters for me?”
At my question, the child broke into a bright smile.
“There are.”
“Really?”
Soon after, two children brought forward another basket.
Could it be…?
“These are the letters for Senior Brother.”
“…”
I’m an adult—I shouldn’t cry.
Yet I was moved to tears.
Before long, our preparations for departure were complete.
I exchanged farewells with Yeom Chief Manager, Bing Haerin Young Palace Master, and the children of Yangyang Martial Hall.
“Then, farewell to you.”
“Safe travels.”
And so we departed Hangzhou, heading toward Hubei.
We crossed Huangshan and passed through the very place where I had died.
When I first came here, I was so tense I nearly fainted, but now this place was where I obtained a precious eight-hundred-year-old Bing Lian Wine.
And it was a place that ignited my fighting spirit.
* * *
After Eun Seo-ho and Ha Pyo-doo’s group departed, that afternoon arrived.
Wi Jun-deok Shop Owner visited Yangyang Martial Hall and spoke of the items Eun Seo-ho had requested.
“What? All of those items, you say?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Hmm….”
Yeom Chief Manager could only let out a sigh of admiration.
‘Eun Small Merchant Leader is truly wealthy!’
Indeed, he lived up to being the master of Han Ho-su, a Spirit Creature who loved money.
* * *
After several days of traveling by boat and horseback, we finally arrived home.
“We’re home!”
At my words, Palgap asked.
“You seem quite pleased, sir?”
“Of course. It’s home, after all. Home.”
We thanked the people of Changin Escort Agency for their efforts, exchanged greetings with the Merchant Guild staff, and each returned to our respective places.
And I headed toward my father’s office.
“Father, I have returned from my travels.”
“Good, you must be weary. But… you received a letter.”
“A letter, you say?”
Tilting my head in confusion, I received the letter and saw a familiar name written on its outer envelope.
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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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