The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 280

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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 280

Chapter 280. To Hebei Province (1)

It was time to depart for Beijing at last.
This time, I had to travel to Hebei Province with Peng Kang-un So-hyup, so I could not afford further delays.
Thus, I made my way to the Training Ground during the lunch hour.
I needed to explain the situation to Myeong-jong Warrior and Chang-un Warrior.
Currently, those two warriors were undergoing intensive training at the Eunpung Corps.
“Ah, it feels refreshing to visit after such a long time.”
At Lee Pil Warrior’s words, I asked him a question.
“Now that I think about it, you’ve been at the Eunpung Corps for quite a while, haven’t you?”
“Not terribly long. I’ve served here for about five years or so.”
“Isn’t that enough to be considered a veteran?”
“Not quite a veteran, but a reasonable tenure. To be called a true veteran, one would need to be at the level of Yeo Warrior, who has served for fifteen years.”
At those words, Jin Yu Warrior’s expression showed slight surprise.
“It’s remarkable for a warrior to serve in one place for more than fifteen years—that’s quite extraordinary.”
This was due to the nature of the warrior’s profession.
Fundamentally, living by the sword means risking one’s life or injury at any moment.
Because of this, retirement tends to come early.
“Perhaps Yeo Warrior simply possesses extraordinarily good fortune?”
I smiled and accepted his remark.
“I wish Yeo Warrior could have joined us today as well.”
Seo-woo Warrior and Yeo Eung-am Warrior had the day off today, so both were out on personal business.
“Being here again brings back memories of my own training days.”
Jin Yu Warrior had also undergone a month of training at the Eunpung Corps before becoming my guard.
“Was the training bearable?”
“To be honest, I was worried at first, but everyone treated me well and the training wasn’t particularly difficult. Compared to that training from my childhood… I wondered if it was really acceptable to train so comfortably.”
At Jin Yu Warrior’s words, we all wore bitter expressions.
Not only I, but Palgap and the other guards knew of Jin Yu Warrior’s past.
Indeed, no matter how harsh the Eunpung Corps’ training might be, it could never compare to the assassin training that walked the line between life and death.
I quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, how is Palgap’s training progressing these days?”
“If we consider the training stages to total ten levels, I have completed the fourth stage.”
“You’ve already completed nearly half! That’s impressive!”
“I believe so as well.”
Palgap spoke with a calm expression in response to our conversation.
“It is thanks to Jin Yu Warrior’s excellent guidance.”
“Palgap.”
“Yes?”
“Either wear a calm expression or just look pleased—pick one. Your cheeks are puffed up to the heavens, but with that serene face, you actually look quite ugly.”
“Ugh! Young Master! That’s too much!”
“What did I do?”
“Handsome people simply can’t understand those with ordinary features. Plain people need to dress up and groom themselves to look presentable, but handsome people look good even while picking their nose… Sigh.”
At Palgap’s complaint, I let out a quiet laugh.
“I was just saying to pick one—either keep a calm expression or a satisfied one.”
“….”

Soon we entered the Training Ground, and one of the Training Instructors who spotted us came rushing over.
“Young Master, you’ve arrived?”
“Thank you for the welcome.”
“Well, the members are currently having lunch right now….”
“I came knowing that.”
The Eunhae Trading Company provided lunch to its employees at affordable prices.
As for Myeong-jong Warrior and Chang-un Warrior, I had arranged for their meal expenses to be billed to me.
“May I visit the dining hall for a moment?”
“Of course. This way….”
“Thank you, but I know where the dining hall is. I just intend to take a quick look, so please don’t inform the others.”
Understanding my intention, the Instructor bowed his head.
“Understood.”
One way to know whether someone has integrated well into a group is to observe how they eat.
Whether they converse and dine comfortably with others or eat in lonely isolation—you can gauge their standing fairly well.
Honestly, since Myeong-jong Warrior and Chang-un Warrior had both been in major sects, they shouldn’t struggle with group life.
Still, the atmosphere between a prestigious sect with its rigid structure and the Eun Pung-dae here at the Eunhae Trading Company was somewhat different.
The atmosphere here was more free-spirited.
And since rumors had already spread throughout the Eunhae Trading Company that the two warriors had caused a disturbance at the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, I worried that others might ostracize them.
So I came to check whether they were adapting well.
Soon we arrived at the Warriors’ Exclusive Dining Hall.
After all, it would be burdensome for ordinary employees to sit and dine alongside armed warriors.
“Oh, those two warriors over there….”
“Shh!”
Since I had noticed it too, I quickly hushed them.
Something about the atmosphere… felt off.

* * *

The members of the Eunpung Corps, unlike other employees, accept recruitment applications once every three months.
This is because many leave the organization, whether by choice or circumstance.
However, since the treatment in the Eunpung Corps is quite generous, resignations unrelated to injury or death were rare.
If a warrior working for the Eunpung Corps dies, the organization employs one family member to support their livelihood.
Furthermore, if a warrior becomes unable to wield weapons due to injury, they are given the opportunity to transfer to a different position or the organization employs one of their family members.
Compared to other places that merely toss a small condolence payment and move on when a warrior dies or is injured, this is truly compassionate treatment.
Because of this, whenever the Eunpung Corps posts a recruitment notice, numerous warriors submit applications.
The selection criteria consist of three aspects.
Martial skill, written examination, and character.
For martial skill, third-rate or above passes.
After all, the standard expected of ordinary warriors is merely to exceed third-rate level.
As for the written examination, there have been two rounds so far—in the first round, applicants must read a sentence randomly chosen by the examiner to pass, and in the second round, they read and solve simple arithmetic problems.
More people failed at the written examination than expected.
This was because there were surprisingly many illiterate warriors among them, and as a result, those with some literacy near the Eunhae Trading Company Headquarters were making decent money through private tutoring.
After passing the written examination, they receive training as temporary members.
This training period lasts three months, during which character is assessed.
Of course, any problematic warriors are dismissed during this time.
Only after successfully completing the three-month training do they become official members, and after one month of practical training, they are assigned to their respective units.
From Eun Seo-ho’s perspective, Seo-woo Warrior and Jin Yu Warrior appeared to need no basic training, so they completed only practical training, but Myeong-jong Warrior and Chang-un Warrior were made to start with basic training alongside the temporary members.
Though they were severely whipped, they avoided expulsion.
Moreover, when the sect leaders of each faction delivered wound-healing medicine to Eun Seo-ho, they conveyed the message that their sects had not abandoned them.
They did not want to waste this newly granted opportunity.
Thus, they approached each training session with utmost seriousness.
However, they took pride in their first-rate skill level.
So when they lost to a second-rate warrior during training, they were quite shocked.
The training instructor explained the reason to them.

“It’s because you lacked practical combat experience.”
“Practical combat? We have——”
“Have you ever fought the Green Forest Bandits with your lives on the line?”
“We have conducted bandit suppression operations several times.”
“But you always had a guardian with you. Even if things became dangerous during the fight, you believed someone would rescue you.”
“…!”

It was the truth.
Whether it was the Huashan Sect or the Jongnam Sect, whenever disciples were mobilized to suppress bandits, masters always accompanied them.

“That’s not real combat. True real combat means a fight with no way out. A fight where a single misstep means death.”
“….”
“In truth, the reason the Third Sub-unit Leader had you train alongside the Temporary Members was to give you extensive real combat experience.”

The Training Instructor smiled as he spoke.

“You’ll be working with the Third Sub-unit Leader going forward, and he moves freely across the entire Empire. So imagine how many dangers you’ll face alongside him. That’s why you must study and train diligently here. If you all die young, there will be no shortage of people who mourn you.”

After that, Myeong-jong Warrior and Chang-un Warrior abandoned even their arrogance about their martial arts.
And they had no choice but to discard their pride in being from the renowned Huashan Sect and Jongnam Sect.
They had once been direct disciples, but now they were merely outer disciples.
Returning to their beginner’s mind and training with genuine sincerity, they gradually began to gain comrades.
However,
there were those who disliked them. So they constantly picked fights.
Even now, while eating lunch, it was the same.
“Ugh, why do we have to look at those bastards? They ruin the appetite.”
“Right. They nearly killed our Merchant Guild Leader and his wife, yet they have the nerve to show their faces.”
Until now, they had only gone this far with their provocations.
But because the two warriors had continuously endured and ignored them, today they went a bit further.
And they had confirmed that there were no Training Instructors around during meal time, which gave them reason to act this way.
In truth, though the instructors were out of sight, they were watching everything.
“I can’t fathom what the Small Guild Master was thinking, saving the likes of you.”
“Must’ve had a hero complex.”
“By not expelling you, your sect’s reputation must have hit rock bottom.”
Since remarks about Eun Seo-ho and their sect were their reverse scales, they could no longer remain silent.
“Please stop.”
“Do not insult the Third Sub-unit Leader and our sect.”
At their response, those men openly sneered and mocked them.
“Wow, scary when you get angry. Hehehehe!”
“Want more? Why? Afraid we’ll beat you down?”
Their comrades, unable to bear it, tried to stop them.
“P-please stop.”
“Aren’t we all comrades?”
“Comrades? Only you lot would call criminals your comrades.”
Their gang grew increasingly lawless.
They had been those who forcefully built their faction from the start of training, while the two warriors’ comrades were rather passive types.
So their gang paid them no mind.
“If you continue to insult the Third Sub-unit Leader, our sect, and our comrades, we will not remain idle.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
One of the sneering gang members picked up a noodle bowl.
“Then show me what you can do.”
And he hurled the bowl.
Everyone in the dining hall was startled. But not because the troublemaker had thrown a noodle bowl.
Crack—!
The person struck by the noodle bowl was someone they had never anticipated.
“….”
“….”
It was the very man who had thrown the bowl.
Silence fell over the dining hall, and it was broken by the refined voice of a young nobleman.
“I wasn’t expecting you all to get along, but attacking a fellow member seems rather excessive, don’t you think?”
He was none other than Eun Seo-ho—the Small Guild Master of the Eunhae Trading Company, Lord of Hyun Pung Country, and hero of the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament.
Beside him stood his guards, Jin Yu Warrior and Lee Pil Warrior, their blades drawn.
Faced with such a sharp and overwhelming presence, everyone there trembled, their faces drained of all color.
And they recalled what had just transpired.
When the noodle bowl thrown by the troublemaker had hurtled through the air with force, Jin Yu Warrior suddenly appeared before them and swept his scabbard to deflect it back.
Because it happened so instantaneously, the man who threw the bowl had no time to react and took the full impact.
Yet he could not even think to wipe the blood streaming from his forehead.
As he recalled what he had been spouting just moments before, his mind went completely blank with terror.
“Gasp!”
They quickly prostrated themselves before him.
“We’re terribly sorry!”
“Please forgive us!”

* * *

I looked at those prostrate before me.
In my previous life, they had belonged to the Eun Pung-dae and caused all manner of problems.
What infuriated me most was that they had sold our Merchant Guild’s secrets to rival trading companies.
When they threw that bowl at Myeong-jong Warrior, I actually considered taking the hit myself.
But doing so would have created far greater complications.
Jin Yu Warrior and Lee Pil Warrior, who had followed me here, might have faced punishment, and the Instructors watching from the roof above would very likely have been summoned before the External Chief Manager.
That’s why I had Jin Yu Warrior deflect the bowl instead.
Their conduct toward the Two Warriors alone was grounds for immediate dismissal anyway.
Yet with such deplorable character, they must have caused trouble even during their time as Temporary Members in training—so how had they ever become full members?
Though such questions lingered, I set them aside for now and spoke to Myeong-jong Warrior and Chang-un Warrior.
“I’m glad to see you’re both doing well.”
“We greet our Lord.”
“Y-yes, what brings you here, sir?”
“I have something to discuss with you. Have you finished your meal?”
“Ah! Yes!”
“We’ve just finished.”
“Then, let’s go.”
Without so much as glancing at those prostrate before me, I merely cast my gaze upward toward the ceiling and sent a silent transmission.
– Handle it as you see fit. I’ll be watching.

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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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