The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 275

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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 275

Chapter 275. What I Gained (3)

After finishing my conversation with Master, I cupped my fists and bowed, but when I raised my head again, he had already vanished from my sight.
I asked Seo-woo Warrior.
“Has he left?”
“Yes.”
Seo-woo Warrior nodded and spoke.
“This is merely my personal opinion, but it pains me that someone of such caliber must remain as a mere Pyo-doo. He should be the hero, not I.”
“I agree entirely.”
.
.
.
Time passed, and the day of the fourth round of the main tournament arrived.
Among the fourteen remaining competitors in the fourth round bracket, Jegal Yu-ah and Tang Soo-bin had their names listed.
Tang Jo-ung, who advanced to the third round with a bye, was eliminated as expected.
And Sister Hyang-ok was also eliminated.
In truth, I had anticipated Sister Hyang-ok’s elimination. In my previous life, when she first competed in the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, she was eliminated in the third round.
When she competed again later, she advanced further, but this time her elimination was such a shame that she was quite frustrated.
I examined the bracket.
Since there were fourteen competitors in this fourth round, there would be seven winners.
That meant the numbers didn’t match evenly, so there were those who received the fortune of a bye.
In fact, Tang Soo-bin had received the fortune of a bye. However, she declared, “I will refuse the bye!”
The Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament had a rule allowing competitors to refuse a bye.
It was a rule born from the Murim Alliance’s emphasis on honor and integrity.
Through Tang Soo-bin’s declaration, others received the fortune of byes instead. And she also completely blocked any possibility of gossip.
The situation where the Sichuan Tang Family’s disciples had consecutively received bye opportunities was certainly suspicious enough to warrant accusations of manipulation.
Whether she refused the bye simply to compete fairly or to eliminate the possibility of rumors, I could not say for certain.
However, judging from the slight hesitation she showed when drawing the bye token, the latter seemed more likely.
Tang Soo-bin was intelligent, after all.

“We will now begin the main tournament’s fourth round! The first match is….”
The first pairing was Jegal Yu-ah against So Hyup of the Jin Zhu-eon Clan.
The Jin Zhu-eon Clan was renowned for their fist techniques.
Simultaneously, they possessed deep expertise in corpse hardening arts, applying the technique to their bodies to harden their fists, legs, and other limbs.
The hardened body resulting from this was nearly as solid as steel, making even a grazing blow dangerous.
Jegal Yu-ah’s opponent was one who had maintained a winning streak through such methods.
And Jegal Yu-ah excelled in hand-to-hand combat.
I found myself curious about who would emerge victorious.
At that moment, as Jegal Yu-ah ascended the martial arena, she looked directly toward where I stood, then broke into a confident smile.
Her expression radiated absolute certainty. I wondered what strategy lay behind that look of supreme confidence.
Boom!
With the resonant sound of the drum, the match commenced.
Each time Jegal Yu-ah’s blade clashed with So Hyup’s fists, the metallic ring of cold weapons colliding echoed through the arena, and sparks flew.
Clang—!
Crash—!
His fists truly were as hard as steel. How could such sounds even be produced?
So Hyup’s attacks were undeniably fierce, yet Jegal Yu-ah’s gaze remained unwavering and serene throughout.
An expression that revealed nothing of her thoughts.
Whether this inscrutability triggered his anxiety, So Hyup’s movements grew increasingly desperate.
Which meant his openings multiplied.
Jegal Yu-ah’s blade cut through the air, targeting So Hyup’s vital point.
“Gasp!”
Unable to defend in time, So Hyup’s shoulder was torn open, blood spraying forth.
Yet he did not yield, charging forward again, but Jegal Yu-ah proved far colder than I had anticipated.
Whip—!
Spinning through the air, she struck his shoulder with her leg, dislocating it. While the skin could be hardened, the joints could not.
No matter how rigid the skin became, hardening the joints would rob him of freedom of movement.
Jegal Yu-ah had targeted precisely this weakness.
Seeing this, the referee declared the outcome.
“Jegal Yu-ah wins!”
“Roaaaaaaar!”
The crowd erupted in cheers.
“The Hundred Stratagems Cold Blade! The Hundred Stratagems Cold Blade!”
A cold blade wielding a hundred strategies.
This was Jegal Yu-ah’s newly earned epithet.
A life utterly transformed from my previous existence, when I served as the Guard Warrior of the Yu-kang Merchant Guild Master, the Jade Maiden Without Smile.
Yes, the honor she now enjoyed was precisely what Jegal Yu-ah should have rightfully claimed from the beginning.
I watched her wave to the crowd, acknowledging their acclaim, and smiled with genuine warmth.
.
.
.
Today, in the fourth round of the main tournament, Dang Su-bin unfortunately was eliminated.
Had Dang Su-bin not forfeited her byes, she would have advanced to the fifth round.
But that was the limit of Dang Su-bin’s abilities.
More precisely, it was the limit of Dang Su-bin with her poison and secret techniques sealed away.
Had she been able to use poison and those techniques, she could have climbed higher and more smoothly than she did.
Now only eight finalists remained.
Eight in total—two who advanced through byes and six who won through actual combat.
And finally, tomorrow, the ultimate champion would be decided.
In my previous life, the Noble Heir from the Hebei Peng Clan had won.
Watching the Noble Heir from the Hebei Peng Clan fight earlier, I could see his skills were quite exceptional.
I noticed that the Noble Heir from the Hebei Peng Clan was not the type of young heir from other sects who fought while being protected.
He was someone who had undergone considerable real combat experience.
To reach that level, one would need to wander the Kangho for at least five years or more, and I found myself curious about what circumstances had led him to live such a life.
In any case, would the Noble Heir from the Hebei Peng Clan win the championship again this time?
Since there are some differences from my previous life, I cannot be certain.

That evening.
I headed toward the Eun Hae Trading Company Temporary Shop.
It was no longer crowded with long lines, but customers still came and went steadily.
“Small Guild Master! You’ve arrived?”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I heard from Yun Haengsu, the shop manager, about the operational situation.
“So the inventory of fish bone powder and lime powder is still remaining?”
“Yes. This amount is sufficient.”
“Do we not need to replenish further?”
“No. If we stock more and still have leftovers, it would be difficult to transport back. As you know, fish bone powder and lime powder harden when exposed to moisture, don’t they?”
“That’s right.”
That’s why it was genuinely exhausting to bring them here.
Anyway, I couldn’t understand why the Baekcheon Trading Company chose to corner the market on fish bone powder and lime powder specifically.
The reason trading companies didn’t monopolize fish bone powder and lime powder was because storage and transportation were troublesome.
So they had to supply and sell only the quantities needed at any given time.
For the same reason, warriors also didn’t purchase large quantities.
Thinking such thoughts, I looked up at the sky.
Rumble.
The sky had seemed ominous for a while now. It looks like rain might be coming?
The Baekcheon Trading Company had accumulated quite a large amount of fish bone powder and lime powder from the surrounding area. They wouldn’t have been able to bring it all indoors.
Ah, what should I do? Baekcheon Trading Company.
But why does it smell so savory?
I spoke to Yun Haengsu.
“Only about two days remain. I ask for your continued support until the very end.”
“How could there be any question?”
In two days, I would withdraw the Temporary Trading Shop.
The Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament would end tomorrow, but the day after that, a festival celebrating the heroes born from the tournament would take place.
And on that festival day, the goal of every merchant guild was to sell every last item they had brought.
The transportation costs for returning with unsold inventory were far from negligible.
I had turned my steps toward the Inn when I suddenly stopped.
Wait….
Wasn’t rain one of the causes of this autumn’s poor harvest?
After a prolonged drought, a sudden downpour had caused all the rice paddies to collapse.
I turned around and headed back toward the Temporary Trading Shop.
“Yun Haengsu.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Don’t you think rain is coming?”
“I’ve already prepared plenty of waterproof tarps, expecting a heavy downpour.”
“I don’t think tarps alone will be sufficient.”
“There’s no need to worry. Autumn typically doesn’t bring that much rain.”
“I’m aware of that, but….”
I spoke with a hardened expression.
“I’m giving you an order. Pack everything securely right now and move it all indoors.”
“What? If we withdraw now, we’ll suffer losses….”
It was still evening, and he meant we would lose the opportunity to sell goods until late into the night.
But it didn’t matter. Who would venture outside when a torrential downpour was falling?
“I take full responsibility. Please follow my instructions.”
When I spoke firmly, Yun Haengsu bowed his head.
“Understood.”
And I also spoke to those around the Temporary Trading Shop.
“Tonight, it will rain very heavily. So it would be wise to move your goods indoors now.”
I instructed Lee Pil Warrior to inform my Father of this, and also to alert the Yeonjun Trading Company, the Hongnang Trading Company, and other merchant guilds friendly to our Eunhae Trading Company.
I stood beside the Eunhae Trading Company Temporary Shop and watched as they packed and moved the goods inside.
In the meantime, the reactions of the other merchant guild managers who heard my words were roughly split.
Some ignored my warning, while others immediately sent messengers to their respective guild leaders.
And shortly after, when those who returned reported back, the reactions were again split.
Among those who heeded my warning and packed their goods was the Paligyak Pharmacy, which stood directly across from the Eunhae Trading Company Temporary Shop.
When Yang Jin-soo nodded at me, I nodded back in return.
There were several reasons for warning the surrounding merchant guilds about the heavy rain today.
First, to avoid being cursed by the neighboring guilds. If they learned I knew rain was coming but didn’t warn them, that would be troublesome.
Second, because of the Paligyak Pharmacy.
That place was my hidden purse. I couldn’t allow such a place to suffer losses.
Third, to increase the credibility of my words.
Those who packed their goods according to my advice avoided losses, and they’ll be deeply grateful to me, trusting my words implicitly from now on.
Those who ignored my counsel and failed to pack will suffer considerable losses this time.
And they’ll think to themselves: ‘If only I’d listened to Eun Seo-ho’s advice, I wouldn’t be in this mess. From now on, I must heed what Eun Seo-ho says.’

* * *

Namgung Kang’s mood had been thoroughly sour of late.
His carefully laid plans were unraveling.
He’d intended to corner the market on fish bone powder and lime, selling them at ten times their normal price.
Since competitors needed these materials to treat wounds sustained at the martial tournament and survive, they should have sold like wildfire—but they hadn’t.
“These bastards are nothing but highway robbers!”
“I know, right…”
“Not a shred of merchant ethics among them!”
He’d done nothing but curse.
The Eunhae Trading Company had somehow procured fish bone powder and lime and was selling them at standard prices.
If he could just eliminate the Eunhae Trading Company’s inventory, that would solve everything!
He’d tried sending people to purchase their stock, but the queue was far too long to manage.
His next scheme was to burn down the warehouse where their goods were stored.
Of course, he didn’t act directly—the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament had flooded the city with warriors.
So he’d tasked one of his trusted subordinates with arranging the job.
At first the man had balked, but when Namgung Kang waved a substantial sum of money before him, he’d accepted the commission.
But then… it failed.
And somehow, rumors began circulating through Luoyang that ‘the Baekcheon Trading Company had tried to burn down the Eunhae Trading Company’s warehouse.’
‘Du Seok must have made a careless mistake, or else he blabbed to someone else about this whole affair!’
Du Seok, one of Namgung Kang’s trusted subordinates, vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
But suspicion, once it takes root, doesn’t fade away easily.
Patter-patter.
Just then, raindrops began falling from the sky—and they were quite heavy ones at that.
The warehouse attendants panicked.
They’d expected only a light drizzle, but instead the heavens opened up in torrential downpour.
Autumn typically brought sparse rainfall, and this unexpected deluge shattered all their assumptions.
Water accumulated so rapidly that it rose to ankle height with nowhere to drain.
They scrambled frantically to move items covered only with waterproof cloth into the buildings.
“Damn it all! This rain should have stopped by now!”
“You there! Get those things inside, quickly! Fish bone powder and lime are ruined if they get wet!”
“If that inventory is damaged, you’re all dead!”
Namgung Kang’s insides roiled with fury.
Then one of the attendants spoke up.
“Please, calm yourself. When you think about it, the Eunhae Trading Company likely didn’t anticipate this rain either, so they’re probably suffering losses just the same.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“However, we possess a considerable quantity, so we managed to salvage more than half. But their bone meal and lime powder will likely be rendered useless by this rain.”
At those words, Namgung Kang’s eyes gleamed as he suppressed his anger. This was an opportunity to recoup their losses.
“Heaven favors us! Bone meal and lime powder—we could sell them at fifteen times the price and still find buyers, couldn’t we?”

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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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