The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 265

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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 265

Chapter 265. The Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament (2)

Soon we arrived at the Jegal Family Branch Residence.
“Thank you for bringing me this far.”
“It was nothing.”
“Would you not like to pay your respects to Grandfather before leaving?”
I shook my head at her suggestion.
“No, it’s getting late. I’ll visit the Grand Patriarch tomorrow. Please, go inside.”
Jegal Yu-ah paused at the main gate and turned back to look at me.
Did she have something more to say?
“Um, tomorrow… will you watch the preliminary matches?”
“Yes. I plan to watch with Mother.”
“You’ll… cheer for me, won’t you?”
I nodded at her question.
“Of course. I’ll wish you good fortune in your matches.”
“Thank you.”
And with that, she hurried inside.
I watched her disappear, then turned away.
So if Jegal Yu-ah has come, that means the Sichuan Tang Family has arrived as well.
It seems I’ll be able to meet some pleasant people there.
But… there was something unsettling about the way Palgap was looking at me.
“What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…It’s nothing, sir.”
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.
The next day.
We started early in the morning.
We stopped by the Eun Hae Merchant Temporary Shop, returned to the inn, picked up Mother, and set out from the inn.
Along the way, we met Lady Gwangjun Merchant and headed toward the Martial Arts Arena.
“I heard the daughter of the Jegal Family is competing today.”
“I’ve heard that too.”
“And I also heard that a young master from the Hebei Peng Clan and disciples from the Ami Sect are competing.”
“Is that so? Then…”
I quickly continued.
“Sister Hyang-ok’s turn hasn’t come yet, it seems.”
The Lady Gwangjun Merchant spoke with an expression of anticipation.
“And to think, a daughter of the Jegal Family! I’m truly curious what kind of skill she’ll display.”
“….”
I suddenly understood why the scions of prestigious families had resorted to match-fixing.
People held a certain expectation that the disciples of the Eight Major Martial Families and the Nine Great Sects should at least pass the preliminary rounds.
But such expectations and admiration were double-edged swords.
If they demonstrated skills worthy of that reputation, people would praise them as true scions of prestigious families.
But if they failed to meet those expectations, ridicule would pour down not only upon them but also upon their clans and sects.
Their standing would inevitably narrow as a result.
That’s why they resorted to match-fixing just to pass the preliminary rounds.
They would meet under the pretext of unity among those competing in the same day’s preliminaries, gradually approaching one another.
We arrived at the Martial Arts Arena and entered.
After waiting about a quarter hour, the announcer finally appeared.
It was the Plum Blossom Sword Master I had seen yesterday.
What was his name again?
“Thank you all for joining us today. Now we shall begin the preliminary matches of the second day of the thirty-sixth Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament. The first match of today is….”
Yesterday too, several promising new masters had appeared. And today was no different.
The matches continued, and finally the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived.
“The next match is Jegal Yu-ah of the Jegal Family! Her opponent is Moon-suk Warrior from the Mun Family Martial School in Fujian Province!”
I smiled.
Jegal Yu-ah looked truly impressive as she stepped onto the martial arena.
Jegal Yu-ah and Moon-suk Warrior clasped their fists in salute to each other.
“Then, let the match begin!”
Boom!
The match began with the resonant sound of the drum.
The two, having taken their stances, moved slowly while probing each other.
How much time passed like this?
Moon-suk Warrior moved first. His blade shot toward Jegal Yu-ah’s shoulder with a sharp momentum.
But Jegal Yu-ah nimbly evaded the attack by shifting her body.
“If she attacked Moon-suk Warrior now that his balance is broken… Wait? Why isn’t she attacking?”
Despite the opening for an attack presenting itself just as Mother had said, Jegal Yu-ah did not strike.
Her expression showed confusion.
Seeing this, Moon-suk Warrior seized the opportunity and began pressing Jegal Yu-ah harder.
Jegal Yu-ah’s expression turned grim.
Yet for some reason, I felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu from her expression.
What was it?
Why this strange feeling… Ah!
In that instant, I inwardly clicked my tongue.
Jegal Yu-ah was actually acting in the martial tournament.
The sense of déjà vu I felt came from recognizing that same feeling from when she had acted as a brilliant madman during the crisis that befell the Jegal Family.
Anyway, what was all that acting for just now?
That’s when Seo-woo Warrior spoke.
“They say the Jegal Family is miraculous, and it’s not an exaggeration.”
“Pardon?”
“I think I understand Jegal Yu-ah’s hidden strategy.”
I tilted my head and looked at Jegal Yu-ah. She had a hidden strategy?
Wait, when did she get so close to the edge of the Martial Arts Arena?
Only then could I smile knowingly.
“I think I see it too.”
But Moon-suk Warrior, caught in Jegal Yu-ah’s act, hadn’t noticed her strategy at all.
Soon the decisive moment arrived.
“Haaah!”
With a resounding battle cry, Moon-suk Warrior drew his sword. His face was radiant with the joy of victory.
But Jegal Yu-ah was no longer in front of Moon-suk Warrior.
She had moved behind him in an instant and swung her sword toward him.
“Gasp!”
The startled Moon-suk Warrior turned his body to defend against the attack. However,
“Ugh!”
Jegal Yu-ah’s attack was ferocious, and he was driven back by the force of it.
“What? Aaaaah!”
Crash!
He fell outside the Martial Arts Arena.
That was it.
One of the rules of the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament was that falling outside the arena meant elimination.
That was Jegal Yu-ah’s hidden strategy.
“Jegal Yu-ah wins by ring-out!”
“Wooooow!”
The crowd erupted in cheers.
“The Jegal Family is truly remarkable!”
“We knew it all along!”
But I wondered why she had gone for a ring-out victory when she could have won with a direct attack.
She wouldn’t do something like that without reason.
I’d have to ask her about it later.

The morning martial arts tournament concluded, and after one hour, it resumed.
Everyone needed to rest and have lunch, after all.
After the lunch break, the tournament resumed, and today too, it ended before sunset.
I headed to the inn with Mother. However, her expression seemed somewhat bitter.
What was troubling her?
Concerned, I asked Mother about it.
“Mother, is something worrying you? Your complexion doesn’t look well.”
“Ah, is that so? I’m sorry. I was just thinking about this and that, and it must have shown on my face.”
“What were you thinking about?”
In response to my question, Mother spoke while gazing at the sunset in the sky.
“Long ago, before I was married, my older brother participated in the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament.”
Mother’s older brother—she was referring to my Maternal Uncle.
“My brother passed the preliminary rounds and joined the ranks of one hundred and eight rising masters. But after that, my brother never participated in the tournament again. So I asked him why. I said he could gain greater honor if he competed again and rose higher. Then my brother said….”
Mother, who had paused for a moment, continued.
“He said this: The Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament is, as the name suggests, a tournament for the young elite. So he told me never to think of participating in the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament….”
“….”
“Just live quietly, and when someone you admire appears, if he is a man without major flaws, I will persuade your father…. Build a happy family through marriage… Back then, I honestly didn’t understand my brother’s words. I just thought my brother was jealous of me. Honestly, I had far more talent than my brother. But….”
Mother looked at me.
“Now I think I understand. My brother was truly worried about me and spoke those words out of genuine concern.”
I listened to Mother’s words in silence.
“The young elite in the martial arts world refers to unmarried heirs of great families.”
“….”
Mother sighed.
“Among the matches I saw today… several of them trouble me. Especially the match of Peng Baek-ah….”
Peng Baek-ah was one of the people who had been at the tavern with Jegal Yu-ah yesterday.
And Mother seemed to have noticed something about their victory as well.
“I felt it too. There was no will to win in that opponent’s eyes.”
Mother nodded with a complicated expression.
“That’s not all. There were quite a few situations where they could have attacked but deliberately refrained from doing so.”
“….”
Mother was right.
“But what can I say about this? It was their decision.”
“….”
“Still, I’m concerned that the Orthodox Martial Arts World’s influence might weaken because of this.”
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.
.
Soon we arrived at the inn.
Since the sunset hadn’t completely faded, it wasn’t late yet.
“Mother, I need to stop by the temporary shop and meet someone. I may be a bit late.”
“Yes, be careful on your way.”
“I will.”
I had promised yesterday to visit the Jegal Family’s Grand Elder, so I needed to pay my respects.
First, I stopped by the temporary shop to receive a report, then headed toward the Jegal Family Branch Residence.
I asked the Gate Keeper to summon Jegal Yu-ah.
It was the same Gate Keeper from when I had come with Jegal Yu-ah yesterday, so he readily relayed my request inside.
Soon she came rushing out to greet me warmly.
“Eun So-hyup! You kept your promise.”
“Of course. And congratulations on winning the preliminary round today.”
“Thank you.”
She smiled brightly as she spoke.
“Please come inside. Grandfather has been eager to meet you after hearing about you.”
I smiled awkwardly and stepped inside the branch residence.
As I entered, I brought up the curiosity I had felt earlier.
“Ah, Miss Jegal. I have a question for you.”
“Yes?”
“Why did you knock your opponent out of the arena today?”
“Ah… that?”
She let out a scoff and spoke.
“He complained that I didn’t participate in that matter.”
“…”
In other words, it was a form of retaliation.
As expected… Miss Jegal Yu-ah has quite the personality.
“But others won’t know about this. I made it seem like I did it to conserve my stamina.”
I chuckled inwardly.
Soon we arrived at the building where the Jegal Family’s Grand Elder resided.
“Grandfather, Eun Seo-ho from the Eunhae Trading Company has come to pay his respects.”
The door opened quickly, and I bowed with a fist salute.
“Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Trading Company greets the Grand Elder.”
“It has been quite a while.”
I lifted my head to look at his face.
Five years had passed, yet his face had scarcely changed. In fact, he seemed even more vigorous than before.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes. I have been doing well. I apologize for not inquiring about your health during this time.”
“Not at all. I am always in good health. And I have been hearing about your well-being through letters from my brother.”
Yu Inner Chief Manager still exchanged frequent correspondence with the Grand Elder.
That was how he knew about Jegal Yu-ah’s hidden journey.
It was truly a heartwarming matter.
“Have you not yet eaten?”
“Ah. No…”
“Excellent. Let us dine together this evening.”
“I beg your pardon?”
In truth, I had only intended to pay my respects. Yet this sudden dinner invitation was entirely unexpected.
“You see, there was a dinner gathering scheduled for today, but I had no desire to attend. So I claimed to have a prior engagement.”
Ah, so he had made an excuse about a prior commitment.
Given his words, I could hardly refuse to share the evening meal with him.
“I understand. I shall do so.”
.
.
.
The dinner was quite delicious.
After conversing about this and that throughout the banquet, I departed from the Jegal Family Branch Residence.
Suddenly, my mother’s words from earlier today came to mind.
This martial arts world… is it truly fine as it stands?
In my previous life, until the moment of my death, there were no significant upheavals in the martial arts world.
But in this life, I intend to live long.
If that is so, then the martial arts world should remain undisturbed…
Since time immemorial, when upheaval strikes the martial arts world, not only do common folk suffer, but we merchants suffer as well.
Now that I think of it, strange incidents did occasionally occur in the time before my death…
Were those harbingers of a great calamity about to befall the martial arts world?
I was lost in such thoughts as I walked along the street.
“Eun Seo-ho, Great Hero!”
A loud voice called out to me from behind.
I turned my head, and my eyes widened at once.
“Hm?”
A young boy came rushing toward me with rapid footsteps!
It was none other than Tang Jo-ung, the youngest son of the Sichuan Tang Family.
“Oh? Jo Ung… are you here because of the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament?”
“Yes.”
Tang Jo-ung nodded.
“My elder sister is competing, and I too shall participate in this tournament.”
What?
A familiar presence caught my attention, and I turned to see a recognizable figure.
“It has been quite some time.”
It was Dang Su-bin, the jewel of the Sichuan Tang Family. And beside her stood the Crimson Fire Blade King, Dang Dae-jung, whom I had seen before.
I quickly clasped my fist in salute and greeted them.
“Hmm…”
Dang Dae-jung observed me carefully, then asked with some caution.
“By any chance, are you also participating in this Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament?”

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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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