The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 218

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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 218

Chapter 218. Karma Repaid (7)

Jin Yu Warrior’s expression was solemn, his voice heavy with gravity.
I addressed the others present.
“Please, give us a moment alone.”
At this, Jin Yu Warrior shook his head.
“No. Everyone should hear this—so they can understand why I’m insisting on taking the front lines.”
His words made sense, so I nodded in agreement.
“Very well. Let’s find a quiet place to rest for a moment.”
After traveling for about an hour, our entire party dismounted from our horses.
There were no people around, and I spotted some rocky terrain suitable for sitting and resting.
I settled onto a rock and spoke.
“Please, everyone sit. Let’s hear what Jin Yu Warrior has to say about his circumstances.”
In truth, Jin Yu Warrior’s insistence on taking the front lines had surprised me.
He had always avoided drawing attention to himself before.
Jin Yu Warrior hesitated briefly, then exhaled deeply and spoke.
“The truth is, the Baek Rae Group… they are the ones who killed my closest friends.”
“What?”
Killed his friends? What did he mean by that?
“Please, explain further.”
“As you know, my origins are… as an assassin. But that wasn’t always the case. In truth, I come from Snowwind Palace.”
Just as I had suspected.
“Why have you kept your origins at Snowwind Palace secret all this time?”
“Because… I wasn’t emotionally prepared until now. But today, I feel I must tell you.”
“Does Master know of this?”
“Yes. It has been an extraordinarily long time since we last met. Nearly twenty years.”
Twenty years?
If Snowwind Palace’s destruction came after that, then that meant…
“I was left in the care of Snowwind Palace, and when I turned seven, my uncle came and took me away from there.”
I had heard before that if someone from the father’s side came to claim a child, Snowwind Palace could not refuse.
“At the time, I was overjoyed at the thought of finally living with my father. But that was merely my delusion.”
Jin Yu Warrior clenched his fists tightly.
So tightly that his white knuckles became prominent.
“My father had already passed away. He had left instructions regarding me in his will… but he should never have written such a will.”
“…”
“At that time, the family’s finances were in dire straits, so they sought assistance from the Murim Alliance. But the Murim Alliance demanded blood relatives as collateral in exchange for the loan, and that is when the family learned of my existence.”
“….”
“So I was forcibly sent to the Murim Alliance and raised as one of their hidden swords. It was nothing but endless, grueling training.”
From Jin Yu Warrior’s expression, I could gauge the extent of the suffering he had endured.
Of course, since it wasn’t my own experience, I couldn’t know everything.
“When I arrived, I found children in circumstances similar to mine gathered together. There were nearly a hundred of them. And… more than half of them were killed by the Baek Rae Group.”
Jin Yu Warrior’s account was utterly horrific.
They released children into the mountain interior and had warriors hunt them down and kill them.
It was the Baek Rae Group that carried out this atrocity.
They claimed it was to teach us hiding techniques….
“If it had been merely killing, I wouldn’t have spoken of revenge. After all, they were only following orders. But….”
Jin Yu Warrior turned his head and gazed into the void as he spoke.
“They captured children and… played with them before killing them.”
That ‘playing’ certainly wasn’t the kind of innocent amusement I was imagining.
“My closest friend among us….”
Jin Yu Warrior calmly explained what had happened to the children, and I was reminded once again of just how cruel humans could be.
“At that time, I was powerless and unable to seek revenge. But now I am not.”
Jin Yu Warrior bowed his head to me once more.
“I beg of you.”
I turned my gaze toward Seo-woo Warrior.
This wasn’t something only Jin Yu Warrior and I would do.
“Such creatures deserve nothing but death. Very well. Let us settle Jin Yu Warrior’s long-standing grudge today.”
Seo-woo Warrior agreed as well.
“Thank you.”
Watching this unfold, I reflected.
It seemed the Murim Alliance’s corruption hadn’t happened in a short span of time.
“Ah, but what of Jin Yu Warrior’s paternal family clan?”
“It was exterminated long ago. They say it was destroyed by a mysterious group.”
Jin Yu Warrior, speaking thus, didn’t appear particularly sorrowful.
Indeed, if they were such wretches, I wouldn’t feel sorrow either.

* * *

“Whoa, whoa!”
The sound of hooves thundered across the ground.
A group of riders arrived at the Ma Family Estate.
They were the White Thunder Group, one of the martial forces under the Murim Alliance.
The Murim Alliance’s martial forces were divided into two main categories.
Groups and Units.
Groups were large organizations with over a hundred members, while Units were much smaller martial forces.
The White Thunder Group was also a small unit of roughly twenty members.
They typically had no standing assignments, moving only at the command of the League Master.
Half of the White Thunder Group—ten men—had come to the Ma Family Estate.
“Welcome. I am Ma Jeong, the Manor Lord of this estate.”
As he introduced himself, the Murim Alliance representative introduced the Vice Commander of the White Thunder Group.
“This is Sa-gu Vice Commander of the White Thunder Group.”
“It is an honor to meet you.”
However, Sa-gu Vice Commander merely nodded in acknowledgment.
“We plan to depart tomorrow morning, so please ensure we are well accommodated.”
“Of course, there is no question about that.”
Then Sa-gu Vice Commander spoke.
“I heard that the guards working here stole ten thousand gold taels?”
“Ah, yes. That is correct. It has been quite difficult securing additional funds because of it.”
At those words, Sa-gu Vice Commander’s eyes gleamed.
“If I were to find it, would it be acceptable for me to keep half?”
Honestly, it was a request no different from highway robbery.
But from Ma Jang-ju’s perspective, it was not an unfavorable proposal.
The money had remained lost anyway; recovering even half would be a blessing.
“Very well.”
“Then, let us go to the County Office. It does not seem to be far from here.”
“I shall guide you.”

A short while later, they arrived at the County Office of Taekyung County.
Upon hearing of the Vice Commander of the White Thunder Group—one of the martial forces under the Murim Alliance—Jihyeon rushed out to greet them.
No matter how inviolable the boundary between the martial world and government authority might be, life was precious, and a mere county magistrate could not afford to fall out of favor with the Murim Alliance, whose headquarters lay in Henan.
“Welcome, sir.”
They exchanged names and pleasantries with one another.
“We’ve come because we heard those who stole Ma Jang-ju’s money are being held here.”
“Yes, we are currently interrogating them.”
“Show us the way.”
“Of course, sir.”
Those sent by the Imperial Inspectorate of Henan Province were currently conducting the interrogation, he explained.
Since the crime had occurred here and locating the gold was the objective, it made sense.
As we descended into the Prison beneath the County Office, the stench of blood grew thick.
“Arrrgghhh!”
“You bastard! Still won’t talk?”
“I really don’t know! Arrrgghhh!”
The interrogator dispatched from the Jehyung Inspection Bureau noticed Sa-gu Vice Commander and his entourage approaching and came forward to meet them.
“Where are you gentlemen from?”
“Ah, Sa-gu Vice Commander of the White Thunder Group from the Murim Alliance.”
“Ah! Is that so?”
Sa-gu Vice Commander surveyed the battered warriors and spoke.
“It seems there hasn’t been much progress.”
“My apologies.”
“No, no. You’ve done your best, I’m sure. But I see the meridians in their hands and feet have been severed.”
“They appear to be first-rate warriors, so we had to resort to such measures to manage them.”
“Well done.”
The interrogator recounted what they had learned so far.
“They claim they were ambushed by a trio wearing laughing face masks. However, frankly, it’s only ten thousand gold coins. How would three people carry and transport that?”
“True enough.”
“There’s no trace of them using horses or carriages. I suspect that during their quarrel over the gold, they experienced hallucinations—perhaps they hid it somewhere and lost their minds.”
“Hallucinations?”
“Yes. Among the poisons they possessed was a hallucinogenic toxin. According to the one who carried it, it’s called the Oblivion Hallucination Poison.”
“Hmm? That’s a hallucinogenic poison that causes one to lose memories of what occurred while under its influence? Why would they even possess such a thing?”
“They used it when assaulting women from the village, apparently. Despicable wretches!”
Ma Jang-ju stepped forward, his fury unleashed.
“That I harbored such a man! Unforgivable!”
He risked being accused of negligent oversight.
Ordinarily it would matter little, but now he stood before representatives of both the Jehyung Inspection Bureau and the Murim Alliance.
“To commit such shameless acts while wearing the mask of righteousness! They deserve to be torn to shreds!”
“…You speak truly.”
Sa-gu Vice Commander nodded with a somewhat reluctant expression.
After all, he possessed that hallucinogenic poison himself. His purpose was not so different from that of the Warrior currently suffering.
He stepped forward with a false cough.
“Ahem, ahem. Let me conduct an interrogation myself.”
“Understood.”

That day, the Warriors under Ma Jang-ju’s command experienced a pain they had never known in their entire lives.
Because of this, they felt increasingly frustrated, as if they might go mad.
For it was not truly their doing.
But did they know?
The suffering they endured was laughable compared to what the residents of Taekyung County had experienced.
These were men who drew blades at a mere glance, stole possessions on a whim, and committed assault whenever desire seized them.

Despite interrogating the Warriors and hearing no substantial confessions, Sa-gu Vice Commander conducted a thorough search of the area surrounding where the gold taels had been stolen.
Yet he found neither the gold taels nor a single coin.
He had no choice but to abandon the search, swallowing his regret.
The circumstances did not permit him to remain and investigate for several days.
.
.
.
‘Am I growing tired?’
Sa-gu Vice Commander rubbed the back of his neck.
‘Well, I did search the surroundings all through last night.’
The members of the Baek Rae Group were in the same state. Still, it was merely a matter of transporting ten thousand gold taels.
Most common thieves and Green Forest Bandits would not dare approach upon seeing the Murim Alliance’s banner planted on the cart.
Moreover, this place was Henan Province, the headquarters of the Murim Alliance.
So this task was no different from a leisurely excursion.
Rather than remaining vigilant, they walked along the road as they pleased, exchanging jokes with one another.
This was inevitable given the nature of the Baek Rae Group.
It was an organization assembled from reckless young scions of families loyal to the Murim Alliance, merely for the sake of appearances.
Of course, their martial prowess was not particularly low.
Had their martial skills been inadequate, they could not have been employed by the Murim Alliance’s military force.
“Hmm….”
Sa-gu Vice Commander, who had recently reached the pinnacle realm, gazed down at his left chest and stroked it gently.
For some reason, it throbbed painfully today.
‘It hasn’t hurt since then?’
Long ago, when he was a member of the Baek Rae Group, there was a child who had targeted his heart during a mission.
What the child had wielded was a blade ground from stone.
Had it been a well-forged iron sword instead of that crude stone blade, he would have died.
And that child had escaped.
‘But why did that brat try to kill me back then?’
Sa-gu Vice Commander had no recollection whatsoever of what he had done back then.
A member of the Murim Alliance standing nearby spoke up.
“Sir, we should begin looking for a place to spend the night soon.”
“Yes, we should.”

* * *

I gazed toward where the campfire burned.
Ten people… no, counting the representative the Murim Alliance had sent for the contract, that made eleven.
When I turned my head, I could see Jin Yu Warrior with his eyes closed.
It was because of Seo-woo Warrior’s request.

“However, if Jin Yu Warrior does not grant my request, I cannot consent to him taking the forefront.”
“What is it?”
“Master your emotions. Think of this matter not as Jin Yu Warrior’s revenge, but as one of the tasks your lord has commanded.”
“Pardon?”
“When blinded by vengeance, one fails to see what must be seen. If you cannot perceive the blade aimed at your lord because of this, is that not absurd? Should Jin Yu Warrior’s actions bring harm to my lord, I will cut him down.”
At his resolute words, Jin Yu Warrior nodded obediently.
“…You are right, Seo-woo Warrior. I cannot endanger my lord, who has given me this opportunity.”
“Do not lower your guard until the very end. And there is no harm in celebrating after the task is complete.”
“Understood. Thank you for the counsel. Thanks to you, I have come to understand something important.”

After that, he kept his eyes closed the entire time.
Seo-woo Warrior was proving to be a most reliable pillar among my Guard Warriors.
It seemed that even while confined to a sickbed for so long, his constant struggle with himself had made him remarkably steadfast.
I too had gained insight from hearing those words.
Yes, if I focus on building the Eunhae Trading Company into the greatest merchant house in the Realm without being consumed by vengeance, I will eventually be able to exact revenge upon the Baekcheon Trading Company and the Murim Alliance.
Still, to escort such a large sum of money while camping out and drinking on top of it all… how reckless.
But it works in our favor.
Soon they began falling asleep one by one.
I donned my mask and sent a silent message to the two of them.
– Let’s go.

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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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