The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 282

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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 282

Chapter 282. To Hebei Province (3)

I found myself pausing involuntarily at those words.
The Small Patriarch of the Hebei Peng Clan—that would be Peng Kang-un So-hyup’s uncle.
“He said that his nephew must not return alive.”
In other words, if Peng So-hyup returned to the Peng Family, it would place the Small Patriarch in a difficult position.
“That is all we know.”
“We truly know nothing beyond that.”
Despite their pleas, I shook my head firmly.
“That hardly compensates me for having my sleep disturbed. Perhaps I should simply summon the Great Hero of the Geumui Guard instead.”
“We truly know nothing more!”
“No, what I’m curious about are the assassinations you two have carried out until now.”
“…!”
“Why don’t you confess to all the people you’ve killed so far?”
Assassins commissioned to kill Peng So-hyup would hardly be on their first contract.
And their assassinations were information, and information was money.
Since they’d disturbed my precious sleep, I would extract every last detail from them!
And so they confessed truthfully to all the assassinations they had committed.
“There is nothing more.”
“There truly is nothing else.”
Looking into their eyes, it seemed they truly had nothing left to reveal.
“Very well.”
At my subtle gesture, Jin Yu Warrior and Seo-woo Warrior brought their sword hilts down upon the assassins’ vital points.
Thud—!
Crack—!
They expired in an instant.
The two warriors exited through the window to dispose of the bodies.
“Phew….”
Palgap shook his head and spoke.
“I’m truly grateful you haven’t walked down a dark path, Young Master! Had you gone that way, you would have become a villain of legendary proportions, one who would flay the skin off his victims!”
“You’re talking nonsense. It was just an act. I needed to do that much to draw the truth from them.”
“Was it truly just an act?”
“Yes.”
I nodded and reached to stroke Geumryeong hidden in my sleeve….
Wait, Geumryeong, why are you trembling and avoiding my touch?
If even you do that, I’ll truly be hurt.
“Sigh, just get me some tea.”
“Of course, sir.”
I sipped the tea Palgap had prepared and organized my thoughts based on the information I’d gathered.
So Peng So-hyup’s wandering through the Kangho wasn’t solely to find his uncle?
Why on earth would the Small Patriarch want to kill his own nephew?
Well, to avoid drawing the current House Master’s suspicion, he’d have no choice but to employ assassins and proceed discreetly.
Wait.
Could it be that Peng So-hyup came directly to the Eunhae Trading Company after the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament ended, rather than returning to his family, to escape the Small Patriarch’s grasp?
Through this Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, it became known that both Seo-woo Warrior and I had reached the pinnacle of our cultivation.
And I had come from Beijing, not Hubei Province, to Luoyang. With a little investigation, anyone could discover that I would need to return to Beijing.
Naturally, I wouldn’t let a guest leave alone, so he would travel with me to Beijing.
Then… had Peng So-hyup used me for his own safety?
But I soon understood his reasoning.
Just from observing how he’d conducted himself on the journey here, I could tell how much he’d been suffering.
So after winning the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, he probably wanted to make the return journey as comfortable as possible.
But normally, wouldn’t a family send warriors for protection?
For a prestigious clan like the Hebei Peng Family, winning the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament would elevate the family’s reputation, so they certainly should have…
Ah, that would be unwelcome from Peng So-hyup’s perspective.
How could he trust the family’s warriors when the Small Patriarch was the one he needed to be wary of?
By now, Peng So-hyup should be arriving soon, shouldn’t he?
I’d already had Yeo Eung-am Warrior and Lee Pil Warrior wake up and stand guard outside my room.
As the saying goes, speak of the devil—soon I heard Peng So-hyup’s voice.
“Small Guild Master, may I come in for a moment?”
“Please, come in.”
The door opened and Peng So-hyup entered.
And then,
Thud.
He dropped to his knees before me.
I honestly hadn’t expected him to kneel so immediately, so I was taken aback.
“Why are you doing this? Please, stand up.”
“I cannot. I have wronged you, Small Guild Master. How could I face you without shame?”
I couldn’t tell if he was being cunning or simply sincere.
“I see. Then…”
At my words, his expression shifted to one of surprise.
Well, he’d insisted on it himself, so I had no desire to force him to stand…
I did think it would have been better if he’d explained the situation and asked for help from the start.
I felt some resentment at being used.
I settled into my chair and looked down at him.
“So, what brings you here?”
“As you already know, my life is currently in danger.”
“Your uncle, the Small Patriarch, is trying to take your life, isn’t he?”
“…!”
He flinched at my words.
“H-how did you know?”
“How did I know? Simple—I applied a little pressure and he spilled everything. He even said your nephew mustn’t return alive to the Peng Family.”
“….”
He bit his lip at my words.
“Come now, be honest with me. Why is the Small Patriarch of the Peng Family trying to kill his own nephew?”
“That’s because….”
He exhaled heavily.
“My grandfather, the House Master, made me a promise. He said that if I won the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, he would give me the position of Small Patriarch.”
“What?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
“The current Small Patriarch is….”
“Yes, my eldest uncle holds the position of Small Patriarch. However, my grandfather believes that for the prosperity of the main house, the next generation’s House Master must be someone with superior martial prowess. Most of the family’s senior members agree with this view.”
“So if Peng So-hyup returns to the Peng Family, the current Small Patriarch would lose his position?”
“That’s correct.”
The reason was utterly simple and clear.
With stakes like that, it made perfect sense the Small Patriarch would want Peng So-hyup dead.
“Is that why you left the family and wandered the Kangho?”
“In truth, yes. Once I began to show martial talent and my grandfather made his intentions public…I felt I would die if I remained in the family. Before that, there were only one or two assassination attempts a year…but after I won the tournament, they became far more overt.”
“Then your search for your second uncle…?”
“Finding my uncle was the greatest reason I left to wander the Kangho. It gave me justification to leave the family.”
I studied him for a moment, considering.
In my previous life, he never became House Master—he died.
That’s why I had spoken to him about the price he would pay if his uncle was found but he failed to become House Master.
He never returned safely to the Peng Family; the Small Patriarch took his life.
But what if I ensured he returned safely and became House Master? Wouldn’t he then become my ally?
From what I’d observed of Peng So-hyup, he was not someone who forgot a debt of gratitude.
With that thought, I extended my hand to him.
“From now on, don’t deceive me. I’ve already accepted Peng So-hyup’s secret commission, haven’t I? Of course, I understand his caution runs deep. I know there are reasons for it. But if you won’t even trust me, who has pledged to keep faith, I would be quite hurt.”
“I’m truly sorry. From now on…I will trust the Small Guild Master.”
“Now, stand up.”
I helped him to his feet naturally and had him sit comfortably across from me.
“Then, shall we make a new deal?”
“A new deal, you say?”
“If I safely deliver Peng So-hyup to the Peng Family, what will he do for me?”
“….”
“And if I help Peng So-hyup become House Master, what can he offer me in return?”
.
.
.
Dawn broke.
The nocturnal visitor’s intrusion seemed like nothing more than a dream—not a trace remained to suggest otherwise.
All the care taken to prevent bloodstains from marking the chamber had proven worthwhile.
We resumed our journey toward Beijing.
To travel from Hubei to Beijing, we had to pass through Henan, and within Henan lay Luoyang, where the Murim Alliance held dominion.
In other words, there would be many who recognized us.
“I would prefer we take a detour.”
“You mean to travel through secluded mountain paths where few people venture?”
At my question, he nodded.
“Yes, precisely.”
“Why?”
“Because the more people present, the more threats we must remain vigilant against.”
“Of course that’s true. But there’s something we must consider first. Peng So-hyup, what do you think assassins are most concerned about?”
“That would be…”
When Peng So-hyup hesitated, Jin Yu Warrior answered instead.
“Witnesses. Without them, they can continue their work undetected. And without others nearby, they can swiftly claim their target’s life and escape without interference. That’s why assassins favor secluded places above all else.”
These were the words of Jin Yu Warrior, a former assassin himself.
“If you wish to escape an assassin’s grasp, crowded places are far superior. Even assassins cannot act recklessly there.”
“But… how can we know who the assassin is?”
I answered that question.
“That’s precisely why we must pass through Henan.”
“Pardon?”
“More specifically, Luoyang. There’s a method, so you needn’t worry.”
Thus we pressed onward toward Luoyang, and during our journey, the nocturnal visitor appeared twice more.
At this rate, the true Small Patriarch of the Peng Family was genuinely committed to killing his nephew.
Of course, we were hardly the sort to fall easily to such attempts.
All of them were eliminated by our hands.
.
.
.
Night had fallen.
By tomorrow, we would enter Luoyang. I issued instructions to Yeo Eung-am Warrior.
“There is a task I need you to undertake.”
“Speak.”
“Spread word throughout Luoyang. Tomorrow, the champion of the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, the Swift Blade Hero Peng Kang-un So-hyup, and the hero of the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, Seon Hyeop Mi-rang… ahem, cough! Seon Hyeop Mi-rang, Eun Seo-ho Small Guild Master, and his escort Baek Jeop Geom-ung Seo-woo Warrior will arrive.”
“Understood.”
“Go at once.”
I rose from my seat as I spoke.
“I’m afraid I need to attend to a late-night visitor.”
How many times is this now?
Damn bastards!
Since Peng So-hyup was nearby and posed a danger, I instructed him to remain quietly in his room, then moved to deal with the assassins alongside the other warriors.

Dawn broke.
We ate breakfast and immediately set out for Luoyang, arriving at its outskirts by evening.
The Yeo Eung-am Warrior who had been waiting there joined us.
“I have carried out your orders, my lord.”
“You have my gratitude.”
The moment we entered Luoyang, crowds began gathering around us.
“Is that really Seon Hyeop Mi-rang So-hyup?”
“He’s as handsome as his reputation suggests.”
“He’s far too beautiful….”
“He’ll have the young ladies weeping.”
My face burned at their conversation, but I endured it silently and pressed forward on horseback.
The crowd’s attention was not directed at me alone.
Peng So-hyup, the champion of the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, also drew their intense gaze.
“It’s the Swift Blade Hero So-hyup!”
“He’s remarkably striking as well!”
“Is he the one who will revitalize the Peng Family?”
Now that the crowd had gathered sufficiently… shall we begin?
“Hup—!”
I launched myself forward with explosive speed, soaring gracefully through the air.
Thunk!
As I landed, a hidden blade was clasped in my hand—more precisely, caught between my index and middle fingers along its edge.
Seo-woo Warrior immediately dashed off with a thunderous sound.
But he soon returned and bowed before me, speaking.
“My apologies. I let them escape.”
The crowd blinked in bewilderment, unable to comprehend what had just transpired.
I cupped my fist toward them and spoke.
“Forgive the disturbance. In truth, there was just an assassination attempt on Peng So-hyup.”
“What? An assassin?”
“They targeted the Swift Blade Hero So-hyup?”
The crowd began murmuring among themselves.
Ah, of course it was all theater.
I suppressed my urge to laugh and explained calmly.
“In fact, this is not the first assassination attempt against Peng So-hyup. During our journey here, we were attacked four times. I suspect it stems from jealousy over his victory at the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament.”
“How outrageous!”
“Such villainous conduct deserves universal condemnation!”
“As it happens, with so many distinguished guests gathered here, I wish to make my position clear to all of you.”
I swept my gaze across the assembly as I spoke.
“Peng So-hyup honored me by attending my birthday celebration in person and offering his congratulations. He is also a valued guest of the Eunhae Trading Company. That anyone would dare attempt to harm such a person is something I cannot forgive.”
The hall fell silent, every ear attuned to my words.
I declared boldly to them all.
“Should I discover anyone attempting an assassination against Peng So-hyup, I urge you to inform me immediately. I hereby offer a reward of three thousand silver taels for such information.”

* * *

Word of Eun Seo-ho’s three-thousand-tael bounty on anyone plotting against Peng Kang-un spread like wildfire.
In a certain assassin’s den located in Henan.
The assassins who had accepted a contract from the Small Patriarch of the Hebei Peng Clan suddenly found themselves in perfect agreement.
‘Should we betray this bastard and improve our fortunes?’
‘If we expose this wretch, we’ll pocket the reward.’
‘Three thousand silver taels—how many tile-roofed houses could that buy? If we inform on these dogs, all that money becomes ours, doesn’t it?’
In that instant, their eyes met, and each recognized the same thought mirrored in the others.
Clang!
Steel clashed against steel.

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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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