The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 317

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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 317

Chapter 317. In Lanzhou (4)

At the Stronghold Master’s command, they each seized their weapons and rushed toward the location Chung Gwan had indicated.
But upon arrival, all their eyes could discern were still-warm charcoal embers and the picked-clean bones of a deer.
“What? Where did they all go?”
“Wasn’t this supposed to be where they were?”
Then someone cried out.
“Footprints lead in this direction!”
“So they fled that way?”
“Could they have learned of our approach beforehand?”
“From whom?”
“That deceitful bastard Chung Gwan.”
“No! That man lacks the cunning to sow discord in two places simultaneously. He’s far too timid for such treachery.”
After a moment’s reflection, the Stronghold Master spoke.
“From the traces, there are scarcely ten men. Just as Chung Gwan said. And no matter how swiftly they flee, these mountains are treacherous enough that they couldn’t have gone far. We’ll catch them and beat the truth out of them—then we’ll know who the traitor is.”
He made his decision.
“Follow the footprints.”
“Yes, sir.”

* * *

I approached the Mountain Stronghold.
I confirmed that roughly two hundred men had departed from the stronghold.
Raising my energy perception to examine the interior of the stronghold, the remaining forces appeared to number around two hundred as well.
Chung Gwan must have been cautious, so he likely brought as much of his full strength as possible.
Ah, how fortunate.
Currently, only my group and I had arrived at this Mountain Stronghold.
Since the Elder and Seok Baek So-i were non-combatants, their guards had to remain with them for protection.
So our eight had to rescue four people.
Based on the physiques and habits of the five people Bang Nosa mentioned were at the Safe House, one of them must be Chung Gwan.
Therefore, the ones we truly needed to rescue numbered four.
“What is your plan?”
“We’ll aim to enter as discreetly as possible and exit the same way.”
Myeong-jong Warrior asked in response to my words.
“You mean we should avoid confrontation at all costs?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“Of course, I’d like nothing more than to slaughter them all, and I certainly have the ability to do so. But if that endangers the lives of the Golden Robed Guard Warriors, it won’t do. Don’t forget—our primary objective is the rescue of the Golden Robed Guard Warriors.”
“Understood.”
“I will keep it in mind.”
I issued additional instructions.
“Should we become separated, pair up as follows: myself with Palgap, Yeo Eung-am Warrior with Lee Pil Warrior, Seo-woo Warrior with Myeong-jong Warrior, and Jin Yu Warrior with Chang-un Warrior. After the rescue, proceed to the location I mentioned earlier.”
“Understood.”
“And while our objective is to rescue the Golden Robed Guard Warriors, the most important thing is your lives. I truly feel sorry for dragging you into this simply because you’re my guards.”
“Think nothing of it.”
“Thank you for saying so. Then take care of yourselves. Let’s move.”
At my signal, we entered the Mountain Stronghold.
Jin Yu Warrior took the lead, while Seo-woo Warrior covered the rear.
Jin Yu Warrior could move with stealth thanks to his Assassin experience, and he excelled at sensing the presence of others.
Moving like the wind, he snapped the neck of the Black Robed Person ahead of us.
He positioned the body carefully against the wall so that anyone glancing at it would think he was simply leaning there.
Thus we slipped into the interior of the Mountain Stronghold in an instant.
I concentrated my energy perception to locate those trained in Imperial Palace Martial Arts.
Imperial Palace Martial Arts possessed a distinctive energy signature, and since I had learned it as well, I could easily sense that aura.
“Found them.”
I led my group down into the underground of the stronghold. Descending the stone stairs that led downward, a spacious underground chamber revealed itself.
No, it wasn’t truly underground.
The stronghold had been constructed at the entrance of a cave system connected beneath the earth.
The fortunate part was that the cave wasn’t particularly vast.
And its complex structure made it perfect for a hunt.
It was a prison.
I saw gaunt children staring into empty space with eyes resigned to their fate.
These must be the kidnapped children.
I was sorry, but I couldn’t save them now. It would be too difficult to escape safely with them in tow.
We deliberately turned our heads away and quickened our pace. Soon we arrived at the location where the Geumui Guard warriors were being held.

Crack! Crack!
“Ugh!”
The sound of whips and groans echoed through the chamber.
“It’s useless, anyway, you won’t hear a single word from my lips… not a word!”
“What a stubborn bastard! So this is what a Geumui Guard really is?”
Though his voice was hoarse, the intonation was familiar. It was Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster.
“Let’s see how long you can hold out!”
Screech!
“Argh!”
I couldn’t allow the torture to continue. We crept toward them cautiously.
Four men hung from the wall.
Honestly, it was difficult to tell whether they were human or something that merely resembled humans.
To reduce people to such a state!
Rage surged within me, but I forced myself to remain calm, surveying the surroundings carefully, counting the enemies present, and gauging their cultivation levels.
Once I determined that a direct assault would be sufficient to rescue Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster, I immediately sent a telepathic message.
– Now!
At my signal, we moved in unison, and in an instant, blades pierced the bodies of everyone in that chamber.
Thud!
Thud!
With nothing more than simple, efficient movements, we claimed their lives and lowered their bodies silently.
“Great Swordmaster Jin-yeong, are you alright?”
“Y-you are!”
“Shh! Keep quiet.”
At my words, he nodded. Seo-woo Warrior cut through the iron chains binding the Geumui Guard warriors to the wall with his blade.
Perhaps because his sword technique had become more natural than before, the chains severed quite easily.
The others were startled upon witnessing this, but Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster, knowing Seo-woo Warrior’s cultivation level, remained composed.
We applied the medicinal salve we had prepared in advance to their wounds and wrapped them in cloth.
This was to prevent the wounds from worsening and to prevent blood from dripping and leaving traces.
And as we had discussed earlier, we paired up in twos, each pair escorting one Geumui Guard warrior.
We moved with extreme caution this time as well.
There was no point in stirring up a hornet’s nest unnecessarily.
However, when unavoidable, we had no choice but to cut down the enemies we encountered.
We exited the cave and surveyed the surroundings.
Fortunately, those who had gone out to capture us had not yet returned.
We left traces strategically positioned as if we had hidden beneath the cliff, creating a false trail.
Those who return later will have quite the time searching beneath the cliff.
Thus, we escaped the Mountain Stronghold and headed toward the location we had arranged in advance.
It was a house I had purchased for this operation.
Finding a secluded house in the mountain foothills on short notice was no simple task, but with a generous premium, it proved easier than expected.
Since this too was an expense for official duties, I trust the Emperor will overlook it.
“We succeeded!”
As we entered the house, Bang Nosa, who had been waiting, welcomed us warmly.
“Yes, we succeeded.”
“Quite the capable fellow, aren’t you!”
“Me?”
I could not forget the gleam in Bang Nosa’s eyes when he looked at me before.
Just as my instincts had sounded an alarm when the Emperor’s eyes had shone with that same light.
“Surely I could not have rescued the Great Heroes through my own merit alone? It was entirely thanks to my guards.”
I quickly redirected all credit to my guards.
“More importantly, we must get the Great Heroes to bed at once.”
At that moment, Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster looked at Bang Nosa, his eyes widening as he struggled to offer a greeting.
“You… you wouldn’t be Minister Bang, would you? This is Jin-yeong of the Geumui Guard, paying respects to Minister Bang.”
A Minister was the head of one of the Six Ministries and held the rank of Senior First Rank Official.
I had not realized he held such a lofty position.
Bang Nosa clicked his tongue and waved his hand dismissively.
“I am merely a retired old man, so spare the formalities. Now, tend to your wounds. Tsk tsk.”
We laid the four Great Heroes on the prepared beds and wiped their bodies with damp cloths.
Without servants or handmaidens present, we had no choice but to do it ourselves. Through this, I came to understand something.
That they were fortunate to be alive at all.
They had been tortured most brutally.
Of course, being martial masters, they could survive wounds that would have killed ordinary men.
Yet the Great Heroes who endured this torture were truly remarkable. That they did not take their own lives meant there was something they absolutely had to convey to whoever came to rescue them.
Something they absolutely had to convey.
“It will hurt, but you must bear it.”
Palgap and I attended to Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster, wiping his body with damp cloths.
Then we applied the prepared wound salve and wrapped the injuries with long strips of bandages.
Since his entire body was covered in wounds, we had no choice but to bind him completely.

* * *

As the treatment concluded, Jin Young relaxed.
The reality of their rescue finally sank in.
He turned his head quietly toward Bang Hyo-myung.
Bang Hyo-myung had served as Minister of War before submitting his resignation to the Emperor seven years ago and retiring to the countryside.
So why was such a man here in this place with Eun Seo-ho?
“But Minister Bang, how do you come to be here? I knew you were living nearby in Lanzhou, but….”
“Ah, that?”
Bang Hyo-myung pointed toward Eun Seo-ho as he answered.
“That rascal brought me a letter. When I read it, His Imperial Majesty asked me to rescue you all.”
“What?”
“His Imperial Majesty requested this?”
The Gold Robe Guard Warriors were utterly astonished by his words.
“As you all know, His Imperial Majesty never abandons his own people.”
The Emperor he had served possessed a remarkable eye for talent and wielded it with masterful precision.
Because he was so skilled at extracting the full potential from his people, even though body and spirit grew weary, one could not help but follow such an Emperor.
Once he deemed someone his own, he trusted them completely and gave them his full support.
And he never abandoned them.
Yet thinking he would die working in the Imperial Palace, he had retired to the countryside…
‘Damn it! How can I refuse an imperial command!’
Sudden anger surged within him.
But he could not display such unseemly emotion before them.
“So compose yourselves. You must stand before His Imperial Majesty and offer your gratitude, must you not?”
“Hic!”
“Your Imperial Majesty!”
“Hic….”
Their eyes reddened as they swallowed back tears.
In truth, the Gold Robe Guard Warriors had endured those brutal hours through their loyalty to His Imperial Majesty.
And pride played its part as well.
As the hands and feet of His Imperial Majesty, they could not succumb to suffering.
Though the pain was so severe they wished for death, they did not take their own lives.
They had to convey what they knew by any means possible.
But that was all.
They had not placed complete faith in the Emperor.
In truth, loyalty and trust occupied different realms.
Yet the fact that the Emperor had sent a letter even to a man who had retired from service to rescue them moved them deeply.
In this moment, they pledged to devote their bodies, hearts, and very souls to serving the Emperor.
Meanwhile, Bang Hyo-myung gazed at Eun Seo-ho, savoring the moment.
He was a talent among talents.
‘Is this how the Emperor felt when he recognized talent?’
With just a bit more instruction, the boy would become truly useful.
‘Should I teach him more and embed that bastard in the Imperial Palace in my stead?’
It was a thought that would have terrified Eun Seo-ho had he heard it.

* * *

A sudden chill ran through me, and I rubbed my arms.
“Is something wrong, sir?”
I shook my head at Palgap’s question.
“Nothing. Just got cold all of a sudden.”
“Cold, young master? That’s strange.”
Even I had to admit it made no sense.
I tilted my head, observing the gaze the Geumui Guard warriors cast upon Bang Nosa.
Eyes brimming with respect.
Of course, given his position as Minister, the Geumui Guard warriors would recognize him, but surely not enough to regard him with such reverence?
Regardless.
“There is one thing I wish to ask.”
“What is it?”
“I may not know the martial prowess of others, but the Jingyeong Great Swordmaster’s skills have reached the first rank. And when employing Imperial Palace martial arts, you achieve peak power, albeit temporarily.”
“That is true.”
“Then how did you fall so easily?”
At my question, the Jingyeong Great Swordmaster ground his teeth.
“Chung Gwan! That bastard is to blame!”
The Jingyeong Great Swordmaster explained that discovering Chung Gwan’s corruption and confronting him about it had been the catalyst for this entire affair.
He recounted how Chung Gwan had poisoned the Geumui Guards, leaving him defenseless against the subsequent onslaught of the Sanchai Black Blade Assassins.
“As I suspected! That wretch was the problem.”
“Did you perhaps encounter this Chung Gwan?”
“I did.”
At Bang Nosa’s words, the Jingyeong Great Swordmaster attempted to rise, but pain seized him, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke.
“Then… how… if he learns of this place, it will be catastrophic…”
“You need not worry.”
I smiled wickedly.
“He knows nothing of this place.”
“He knows nothing?”
“Yes. Fortunately, Bang Nosa sensed something amiss the moment he saw him, allowing us to take measures.”
I explained how I had outwitted Chung Gwan and the Sanchai Black Blade Assassins.
“Hah…”
“Such a bold stratagem!”
“By now, the Sanchai must be in chaos… and Chung Gwan likely struggles just to protect himself, does he not?”

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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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