The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 281

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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 281

Chapter 281. To Hebei Province (2)

I brought the two warriors to my separate pavilion. Palgap set down tea before us in the guest reception room.
“You’ve been enduring such mockery all this time?”
At my words, the two warriors bowed their heads.
“We apologize. Our inadequacy caused you to hear such words, Small Guild Master.”
“It is our fault for being insufficient.”
“Do not speak that way. It is their failure for being incompetent. And from what I saw earlier, you have quite a few capable colleagues.”
“Ah… yes.”
“That is correct.”
“Continue to maintain good relations with them. They will be colleagues who can provide you strength.”
“We shall do so.”
I observed the two warriors. Their eyes burned with unwavering resolve.
The pride they once carried from their prestigious orthodox sect background, the arrogance about being first-rate warriors—all of it had vanished by the time we arrived at the Eunhae Trading Company Headquarters with me.
Watching them grow in such a positive direction filled me with quiet satisfaction.
It seemed they would be able to serve alongside me for a long time.
“And if by any chance, those ruffians appear again, do not hold back.”
“Pardon?”
“But if you do not hold back…”
“Ah, I see…”
I could tell they understood what I meant.
“It is fine. You will not be dismissed. Your allegiance belongs not to the Eunpung Corps, but to my personal guard unit. Since I, your lord, will not dismiss you, what could anyone else say?”
I chuckled softly.
“Instead, if it happens in public, it would be troublesome, so simply call them to a quiet, secluded place and handle it discreetly. Haha.”
“Hahaha.”
Seeing them laugh awkwardly, they seemed to think my words were a joke.
Well, it wasn’t a joke, though…
In any case, I should move on to the main matter now.
“The reason I called you both is because I must travel to Beijing.”
“When will you return?”
“It should not take long. So simply continue your training while I am away.”
“Understood.”
“Should anything arise during my absence, you may inform the servants and maidservants of this pavilion, or speak to my elder brothers. You may also visit the External Chief Manager. He will either send word to me or handle the matter himself.”
“We shall keep that in mind.”
“I look forward to witnessing your growth.”

After finishing my instructions to Myeong-jong Warrior and Chang-un Warrior and sending them off, I made my way to the External Chief Manager.
There was something that troubled me about the group who had insulted Myeong-jong Warrior and Chang-un Warrior in the dining hall earlier.
“Welcome.”
“I’ve come because there’s something I need to discuss with you.”
The External Chief Manager offered me a seat.
“Please, sit comfortably.”
I took my seat and began to speak.
“I’ve been informed that I’m returning to Beijing again.”
“Yes, I’ve heard. You’ll be traveling with Peng So-hyup, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. So I wanted to ask—please look after Myeong-jong Warrior and Chang-un Warrior well.”
“Have no concerns. I’ll ensure they become excellent guard warriors.”
“Thank you. The real reason I’ve come to see you separately is because something unfortunate occurred today.”
“Something unfortunate?”
I explained in detail what had happened in the dining hall. It might seem like I was tattling, but my intention was to alert the External Chief Manager to the problem.
“What? Such a thing happened?”
As expected, the External Chief Manager seemed genuinely shocked, as if he knew nothing of it.
By now, he should have been aware of it.
This meant there was a flaw in the reporting system to the External Chief Manager.
“External Chief Manager, you truly didn’t know about this?”
“…”
“It seems you need to examine the training instructors more carefully. If left unchecked, this could shake the very foundation of our trading company.”
“Had you not informed me, I would have made a grave mistake. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
The External Chief Manager expressed his gratitude with a stern expression.
Though he dislikes paperwork and is devoted to martial arts, Father wouldn’t have appointed him as External Chief Manager without good reason.
With just this much awareness, he’ll handle things well on his own.
.
.
.
Today was the day of our departure for Beijing.
Packing our belongings didn’t take long.
However, since I was traveling with Peng So-hyup, I needed to make additional preparations for him.
Late in the eleventh month.
Winter was slowly approaching.
Peng So-hyup said he would travel on horseback. Since my guest was traveling on horseback, I couldn’t very well travel by carriage.
So I decided to travel on horseback as well.
And we would load various supplies onto a carriage to transport them.
“Then, I’ll be on my way.”
“Take care of yourself.”
“Yes.”
At my farewell, Peng So-hyup also bowed respectfully to my Father.
“Thank you for your generous hospitality. Please take care of yourselves.”
“Safe travels.”
We set out toward the Hebei Peng Family Residence.
The Hebei Peng Family was a clan established in Beijing, situated a day’s journey from the Imperial Palace, and many of their members had devoted themselves to military service.
However, the current Emperor favored the Hwangbo Family, so the Peng clan had fallen somewhat out of favor in recent times.
The Miscellaneous Goods Shop owner was also from the Hwangbo Family, come to think of it.
Clop, clop.
Only the rhythmic sound of hoofbeats echoed around us.
There was no need to hurry, so we didn’t gallop the horses.
I observed Peng So-hyup.
The way he rode in silence with his mouth closed—I suspected that was his true nature.
The middle-aged attendant accompanying him moved as though such behavior was perfectly natural.
And Peng So-hyup remained vigilant even while traveling, constantly surveying his surroundings. His attendant did the same.
I sensed he must have endured considerable hardship.
Still, the attendant’s cultivation was first-rate…
There was clearly some story behind him.
Could this attendant be the one who had previously sketched the appearance of my missing Uncle?
I wasn’t particularly fond of idle chatter myself, but if we continued like this, I felt I would burst from frustration.
“Peng So-hyup.”
“Yes.”
“You ride with considerable skill. Who taught you?”
“Ah, our family has someone who specializes in teaching horsemanship. I learned from him.”
“Indeed, you are from a prestigious family. To have someone who teaches horsemanship professionally.”
“Now that I think of it, the Small Guild Master also rides quite well.”
“Ah, I…”
Now that he mentioned it, when had I learned to ride?
I laughed and deflected the question.
“I learned when I was young.”
Palgap nodded and added an explanation.
“The External Chief Manager once said you had a natural talent for horsemanship.”
Ah. Now I remembered.
When I turned thirteen, the External Chief Manager had taught me how to ride.
But that was on a small pony, wasn’t it?
Hmm…
In my previous life, it was only after my illness fully healed that I formally learned horsemanship.
Which meant that in this life, I had never formally learned to ride.
“Perhaps because you ride small ponies well, you handle larger horses quite naturally.”
Peng So-hyup affirmed Palgap’s words.
“That’s true. Whether it’s a pony or a large horse, the fundamentals are the same.”
Fortunately, it seemed we had gotten past that awkward moment.
As we traveled while conversing about this and that, darkness fell over the land.
“It appears we shall stay at the March Inn as originally planned.”
I nodded at Seo-woo Warrior’s words.
“Very well.”
“Yes.”
The March Inn was positioned such that departing from the Main Headquarters in the morning would have us arriving precisely at evening, making it a favored establishment of our Eunhae Trading Company.
I understood the inn had been named after March, the month in which it began its operations.
“How shall I arrange the rooms? Would Peng So-hyup and your attendant prefer separate chambers, or shall you share one?”
Peng So-hyup answered my question.
“We shall share one room.”
Seo-woo Warrior and Palgap requested rooms and meals from the Inn Owner, and we each retired to our chambers.
After washing and descending, Peng So-hyup and his party were already on the first floor.
“You’ve come down quickly.”
“I am naturally swift when it comes to washing.”
“I see.”
We each ordered our meals, and shortly the Shop Attendant brought them to us.
“Please enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you.”
As I reached for my utensils, I noticed something peculiar.
It was the manner in which Peng So-hyup examined his food, much like Lee Pil Warrior did.
Lee Pil Warrior possessed such a habit due to experiences from his youth, but….
Now that I thought of it, weren’t those chopsticks he held silver ones, not those provided by the inn?
Noticing my gaze, he flinched. Then, scratching the back of his neck, he spoke.
“My apologies. I cannot digest my food unless I examine it in this manner….”
“It seems you have endured considerable hardship wandering through Kangho.”
“Ah….”
He offered a bitter smile.
“It has been quite eventful indeed.”
At his words, the attendant beside him sighed.
“What’s the use in speaking? If bound into books, it would exceed a hundred volumes.”
Peng So-hyup chuckled.
“There are many experiences where I narrowly escaped death. The first that comes to mind is when I encountered the Blood-Sucking Old Demon.”
“I heard the Blood-Sucking Old Demon died several years ago.”
“Though it was not made public, it was actually our young master who slew the Blood-Sucking Old Demon.”
The Blood-Sucking Old Demon was, true to his name, an old man who drank blood, lusting after youth and coveting the blood of young women.
In my recollection, in this life as in my previous one, his corpse had been discovered.
But Peng So-hyup was the swordsman who slew him?
“Is that truly so?”
Lee Pil Warrior asked, and Peng So-hyup nodded.
“At that time….”
His explanation sounded like a tale spun by a master storyteller.
In summary, he had gone searching for my Uncle, suspecting it might be him, but discovered it was not, and killed the creature to escape.
Truthfully, the creature’s martial prowess was not extraordinary, but its ghostlike speed made it an exhaustingly difficult opponent.
So he disguised himself as a woman to deceive it, and happened to have taffy in his provisions as emergency rations—he wrapped it around its neck so its teeth stuck fast, then tore both its arms off with his bare hands.
Truly, he possessed the formidable strength befitting Peng Family blood.
More than that, his resourcefulness was remarkable.
“But why did you not reveal this to the world?”
“That is… because I did not wish to expose my whereabouts at that time.”
In my memory of my past life, someone else had received heroic acclaim for slaying the Blood-Sucking Old Demon.
I was fortunate to hear the truth from him now.
After finishing our meal, we each retired to our chambers and went to sleep.
.
.
.
I awoke with an unpleasant sensation.
How could anyone sleep with such killing intent radiating through the air?
Muttering complaints inwardly, I rose from my bed.
I sensed the presence of Seo-woo Warrior and Jin Yu Warrior in the adjacent chambers.
Indeed, with such murderous aura emanating, those two warriors would not fail to notice.
I sent them a telepathic message.
– Who do they seem to be targeting?
Their responses came immediately.
– Peng So-hyup.
– Peng So-hyup.
My suspicion was correct.
I sent another telepathic message to the two warriors.
– Let us engage.
At that moment, the sound of a door opening echoed, and I too stepped out into the corridor.
“…!”
Two Masked Intruders startled upon seeing us, but immediately rushed toward us as if to silence us.
Thud—!
Crack—!
But we were far beyond their reach. In an instant, we subdued them and rendered them unconscious.
We then removed the poison capsules from their mouths intended for self-termination and dragged them into my chamber.
In the meantime, Palgap had awakened and prepared rope.
Palgap never disappoints.
We bound them, and Seo-woo Warrior slapped their cheeks to wake them.
Smack—!
“Gasp!”
Screech—!
“Gasp!”
They blinked rapidly, their tongues darting about in panic.
“Looking for this, perhaps?”
Their eyes fell upon the poison vial on the table that I pointed to, and despair flooded their gaze.
“You truly have no fear. Attempting to take my life here in Hubei Province.”
They exchanged glances before crying out at me.
“However you learned this fact, it is true!”
“Now that you’ve seen us, your life is forfeit!”
Listen here, gentlemen.
I can see right through all your deflections.
It seems you’re trying to hide that your real target is Peng So-hyup….
But do they even know who I am?
If they did, they wouldn’t have dared to threaten my life so boldly, would they?
A rather amusing thought suddenly occurred to me.
“Is that so? Hehehehe. What a fascinating choice you’ve made. Turning the Emperor’s own man into your enemy, no less.”
Their pupils trembled violently.
They never expected those words—the Emperor’s man—to come from my lips.
“In case you’re unaware, attacking an Imperial Inspector is considered treason against the Emperor himself. And conveniently, there’s a Great Hero of the Geumui Guard nearby whom I know quite well.”
“Ah! We, we—”
“We’ll tell you everything!”
I smiled and brought my index finger to my lips.
“Shh! That’s enough.”
“….”
“The detailed confession should come after the Great Hero of the Geumui Guard has thoroughly worked you over with one hundred and thirty varieties of torture. Where’s the fun if you confess now?”
Drained of courage by my words, they trembled and pleaded.
“P-please, let us confess.”
“We’ll tell you everything! Please, just let us die painlessly!”
“Now I’m curious. What is the truth?”
“We… we came to take the life of Peng Kang-un So-hyup.”
“Who hired you?”
“That is….”
One of them answered with eyes squeezed shut.
“The Hebei Peng Family Patriarch.”

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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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