The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 314

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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 314

Chapter 314. In Lanzhou (1)

The boat we boarded traveled upstream along the Yellow River.
With moderate water levels and favorable westerly winds, our speed was remarkably swift.
“Huashan Mountain is practically within arm’s reach now.”
“Indeed.”
Jin Yu Warrior nodded at my words, then glanced behind us and spoke.
“Myeong-jong Warrior seems to be deeply moved by something.”
I nodded in agreement at his observation.
Myeong-jong Warrior had been standing motionless, gazing at Huashan Mountain as it grew larger before us.
His eyes appeared complex and turbulent.
They seemed to hold both longing and regret.
I approached him.
“Are you well?”
“Ah, yes. My lord. I apologize for my unseemly behavior.”
He quickly composed himself and bowed his head.
“There is an old saying that even a fox, when death approaches, turns its head toward the burrow where it once lived. How could Myeong-jong Warrior not yearn for Huashan Mountain, the source of your martial prowess and a place filled with countless memories?”
“…I am grateful for your words.”
I gazed toward Huashan Mountain.
That place, which appeared pink from the profusion of blossoming plum flowers, must surely be where the Huashan Sect resided.
“I have heard that the plum blossoms of the Huashan Sect are remarkably beautiful.”
“Yes, that is true.”
Myeong-jong Warrior nodded.
“When the plum blossoms bloom, the entire surroundings fill with their subtle fragrance. It is truly a magnificent sight.”
“I see.”
“Thus, my senior brothers and fellow disciples would train among the plum blossoms, practicing to catch the falling petals with our swords. However, it was truly a difficult training regimen.”
“I imagine so.”
“In truth, at the last Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, I became overly absorbed without realizing it. If I could advance to the finals, I would gain the qualifications to become a Plum Blossom Sword Master…”
Plum Blossom Sword Master.
While it literally meant a swordmaster capable of making plum blossoms bloom with their blade, it also signified the elite of the Huashan Sect itself.
“In the end, I was unworthy of such qualifications.”
“Do not blame yourself so harshly. It was simply a matter of misfortune.”
“…”
“And you were not expelled from the sect, were you? Someday, you will surely return to Huashan.”
I encouraged him with a pat on the shoulder and turned my gaze toward Huashan Mountain.
In my previous life, the Huashan Sect still enjoyed considerable renown, yet I had often gained the impression that they wielded little actual influence.
The Huashan Sect’s blade should inspire fear in the ruffians of the Martial Arts World, yet here we are.
Thus the boat proceeded peacefully for several days, cutting steadily upstream against the current.
Not long after we passed Huashan, the Ship Captain called out to the crew.
“We’re heading up now!”
“Yes, sir!”
The crew members moved about, offering advice to the passengers aboard.
“From here on, the boat may rock quite heavily. It would be wise to secure yourselves by tying your bodies to the pillars.”
Someone objected to this.
“That sounds terribly inconvenient. Must we really go to such lengths?”
“Well, if you’re thrown overboard, you’ll become fish food. The rope shelves connecting the pillars exist precisely to prevent that.”
Indeed, this boat bound for Gansu Province Lanzhou possessed several distinctive features compared to other vessels.
One was the wooden fence-like railings added to the boat’s sides.
And there were numerous rope shelves running through the middle of the boat.
Though this made passage inconvenient, everything served a purpose.
From roughly the middle of Shanxi Province onward, traveling upriver becomes treacherous.
It would be ideal if a continuous waterway connected Shanxi to Lanzhou, but the terrain there lacks sufficiently large currents for boat travel.
The river only extended northward from Shanxi.
So we had to go north, then west, then descend again.
This meant navigating through rapids between mountain passes by boat.
Still, this route is far preferable to crossing the river directly. Attempting those rapids at this season truly demands risking one’s life.
I quickly secured myself with a rope attached to one of the shelves and spoke to my companions.
“It’s best to follow the crew’s instructions.”
Yeo Eung-am Warrior nodded at my words.
“You’re right, my lord. It’s certainly fast, but equally perilous.”
I asked in response.
“It seems you’ve traveled this river to Gansu before, Yeo Warrior.”
Yeo Eung-am Warrior nodded.
“Yes. I’ve been there once on company business.”
“I see.”
In fact, the Eunhae Trading Company operates a branch in Gansu Province. Though small, it held considerable importance.
Yanzhi Mountain in Gansu Province was the primary source of rouge that women used to tint their lips.
That’s how my father met my mother when he traveled to Gansu Province for this purpose.
Since the task the Emperor entrusted me with is dangerous, I doubt I’ll have the chance to visit the Gansu branch or my maternal family.
“The rapids will grow increasingly fierce from here!”
With the Ship Captain’s cry, the boat began pitching violently up and down.
It rocked so severely I wondered if this was what riding on the back of a dragon soaring through the heavens felt like, yet miraculously the boat never capsized and continued moving forward properly.
The problem was that we’d need to endure this for two to four days.
With the boat rocking so violently, meals with broth were out of the question—we had to make do with dried provisions and jerky.
“Is that why you purchased so much jerky, my lord?”
At Lee Pil Warrior’s question, I nodded.
“I heard a story about it from my Elder Brother before.”
“Now that you mention it, I remember—the people from the Pyo Bureau who went with us back then had prepared dried meat in abundance.”
At least our group had learned martial arts, so we managed reasonably well, but the ordinary people were nearly losing consciousness.
If we hadn’t bound our bodies tightly with rope, they would have already been rolling across the deck from side to side, and likely would have been thrown overboard.
That was when it happened.
“Gasp!”
A child that a father had been cradling in his arms suddenly slipped from his grasp.
The violent shaking had caused him to lose his grip for just a moment.
To make matters worse, the rope binding the child also came loose.
The child had been secured with rope as well, though whether it had simply loosened or whether the father had tied it loosely out of concern for the child’s comfort was unclear.
Losing his balance, the child tumbled across the deck, passed through the gap in the railing, and vanished into the water.
It happened in an instant.
“Oh no! Seung-yeok!”
The child’s father and mother rushed toward the bow to save him.
But the sailors stopped them at the rail.
The sailors had no choice.
The living must survive, and if an ordinary person threw themselves into these rapids to save the child, they couldn’t save him anyway.
They would only die as well.
And I was already moving.
I untied the rope binding me, cast off my cumbersome outer robe, and plunged into the rapids.
Splash!
Even I didn’t know why I had moved.
Perhaps it was because my eyes had met the child’s before he fell into the water.
The rapids here were dangerous even for martial artists.
But I had learned water techniques from my Master—the Ice Sea Water Severing Technique.
I was confident I could move freely even in the most treacherous rapids.
Moreover, with the Ice Sea Transformation Heart Method, I could sense everything in the water even with my eyes closed.
So I possessed the ability to save a child who had fallen into the water.
But if I simply watched the child die, how would that differ from the Baekcheon Trading Company or the Murim Alliance that killed me in my previous life?
I expanded my perception as far as I could.
“…!”
I swam immediately toward where I sensed something.
Thanks to the Ice Sea Water Severing Technique, I could move safely through the current as if in a lake.
The water itself opened a path for me.
Splash!
I burst upward through the water’s surface, cradling the child.
We were quite far from the boat, but I felt no concern.
“Hah….”
I took a deep breath and ran across the water’s surface.
It was an application of the Shadowless Step Technique, derived from the Ice Sea Water Severing Technique.
I quickly caught up with the boat and gently climbed aboard.
“Seung-yeok!”
As I returned with the child I had rescued, the child’s parents rushed toward him.
However, I raised my hand to stop them.
“Please wait a moment.”
I laid the child down and began pressing the vital points on his chest. He needed to breathe properly.
Only after taking these measures did—
“Cough!”
“Hack, hack!”
The child expelled water and coughed harshly.
I patted his back and spoke to his parents.
“He’ll be fine now.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“How can we ever repay such kindness!”
The child’s parents bowed repeatedly to me, expressing their gratitude.
I waved my hand to calm them.
“The current is still strong. Please secure his body firmly with rope so he doesn’t fall in again.”
“Yes! Yes!”
“Understood.”
I sighed as I watched the parents bind the child’s body securely with rope.
“I’m just relieved everything turned out well.”
Palgap handed me a towel, and I wiped my face as I replied.
“Yeah. Really fortunate.”
“What I meant was that I’m relieved you’re safe, Young Master.”
“Ah…”
I scratched the back of my neck sheepishly. He had a point—I was in the wrong.
“We were all very worried.”
At Seo-woo Warrior’s words, I apologized sincerely.
“I’m sorry.”
“We waited because we knew you would be safe, but we would have appreciated at least a word from you.”
“I’ll do better going forward.”
“I’m not finished yet.”
“…”
Palgap’s nagging continued for hours, and I nearly bled from my ears.

About four days later.
The rapids that had been so violent were revealed to be a lie, as the river became remarkably calm.
Only then were we able to untie the ropes binding us and move freely about the boat.
And Seung-yeok’s parents thanked me once more.
“Thank you so much for saving our son.”
“I’ve heard the stories. They say you’re called Seon Hyeop Mi-rang. You truly live up to that illustrious name.”
As I grew embarrassed by that title, Seung-yeok bowed to me.
“Thank you for saving me. Pretty older brother.”
“*cough*”
Yes, pretty… older brother.
I suppose I should accept that gracefully?
In any case, having prevented one family’s tragedy made learning the Ice Sea Water Severing Technique worthwhile.
“By the way, when you arrive in Lanzhou, do you have a place to stay?”
“Since it’s just a brief stop, I was planning to stay at an inn.”
“I see. If it’s not too presumptuous, would you consider staying at our home?”
At the child’s father’s words, I found myself in an awkward position. Pursuers were currently chasing me.
I couldn’t drag these innocent people into such a situation.
“I appreciate the offer, but we have some circumstances that require us to move about frantically as soon as we arrive in Lanzhou.”
“I understand.”
“However, if the opportunity arises later, I will make sure to visit you.”
“Then, please do visit our home without fail. Our house is….”
I quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, did you say his name is Seung-yeok?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“How old is Seung-yeok?”
“He’s five years old.”
“Is that so! Despite experiencing something so traumatic, he’s quite spirited!”
“Yes! My grandfather told him that. He always said that if you live with courage, the world will help you.”
“That’s right. Yes, that’s how you should live.”
As we continued our conversation, the Ship Captain approached me.
“I’ve heard the stories. You’re Seo Woo, the hero of the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, known as Seon Hyeop Mi-rang.”
“It’s merely an undeserved reputation.”
“Not at all. This time I witnessed with my own eyes why Seon Hyeop Mi-rang is called by that name. That no accident occurred on my boat is entirely thanks to Seon Hyeop Mi-rang Seo Woo.”
The Ship Captain continued.
“Therefore, I wish to express my gratitude in a small way by returning your passage fees.”
I quickly waved my hands.
“I don’t think that’s right. That we arrived safely is entirely due to the Captain’s and crew’s hard work. The passage fee is the compensation for that—how could you not accept it!”
“But….”
“If you insist, then please help me once if we become connected by fate later.”
“Will that truly suffice?”
“I knew you would ask me for a favor later.”
“It matters not. If it is Seon Hyeop Mi-rang and So Hyup, you would not make an unreasonable request.”

Thus the boat glided upstream against the current, and before long, we arrived in Lanzhou.
“Then, take care on your journey.”
“Yes, thank you for everything.”
We led the horses off the boat.
Since horses are considerably sensitive animals, I had worried about their condition as the boat rose and fell through the rapids, but fortunately they seemed fine.
Still, they appeared agitated by the unfamiliar environment, so it seemed best to let them rest for a while.
Thus we spent the night at a nearby inn, and the next morning we departed early.
According to the imperial letter the Emperor had given me, Bang Hyo-myung the Elder Master resided at a place half a day’s journey from Lanzhou.
We headed toward the Bang Estate where Bang Hyo-myung the Elder Master was.
It was an estate of considerable size and grandeur.
“Where have you come from?”
At the Gate Keeper’s words, I was about to reveal my identity. But then.
“Wait! Are you not my benefactor?”
“…?”
From behind the Gate Keeper, the father of the child Seung-yeok whom I had saved came rushing forward.

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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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