The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 318

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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 318

Chapter 318. In Lanzhou (5)

At that very moment.
Just as Eun Seo-ho had said, the Mountain Stronghold was in complete chaos.
Not only had the four Gold Robe Guard Warriors who were being held and tortured for information vanished without a trace, but they had only just discovered that dozens more had been slain.
“H-how on earth did this happen?!”
The Stronghold Master trembled with rage, his entire body quaking.
They had gone to capture the men that Chung Gwan had identified, but when they followed the trail, all they found was a single deer bone planted in the ground.
An unmistakable mockery.
Furious, they had returned, only to discover something far more infuriating.
Yes.
They had been completely deceived from beginning to end.
The Stronghold Master recalled how this had all begun.
There was no need to look far.
“Chung Gwan—bring that bastard here at once!”
“Yes, sir!”
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Chung Gwan had nothing left to fear.
The Geumui Guard who knew of his corruption had been captured, and those who came searching for them would have been captured as well.
He had even kindly advised them to prepare thoroughly, so they would have brought their full strength with them.
There was no possibility that the Mountain Stronghold’s men could have let them slip away.
All that remained was the finishing touches.
Still, he would need to report this matter to his superiors—but he had no intention of doing so immediately. If he reported too quickly, he might draw suspicion upon himself.
He was on his way to his quarters after meeting with the one who sought his information.
It was then that someone called out to him from behind.
“Chung Gwan?”
Turning to look, he recognized their faces.
“Gentlemen from the Mountain Stronghold. Is there something you need from me?”
“The Stronghold Master wishes to see you.”
“Now, you mean?”
“Yes. The Stronghold Master wishes to express his gratitude to you and has some questions to ask.”
Chung Gwan harbored no suspicion and readily nodded in agreement.
“Very well. Let us go.”
“We shall escort you.”
And so they headed toward the Mountain Stronghold, where Chung Gwan entered and was about to offer his respects to the Stronghold Master when….
Crash—!
Before he could even finish, the Stronghold Master’s attack sent him flying into the wall.
“Ugh! Stronghold Master! What is the meaning of this?”
“Meaning? You bastard from the Dongchang! You think it’s fun to screw us over? You son of a—!”
“W-what do you mean? Why would I deceive you?”
“You said those men down there would be roasting meat, but when I went to check, all I found were deer bones?”
“What?”
“I followed the trail out of curiosity, and at the end of it were more deer bones?”
“….”
“And when I came back, the Geumui Guards had vanished and my men were lying dead?”
“So tell me—who should I be taking this out on?”
Chung Gwan’s face drained of all color.
This meant that those sent from the Imperial Palace had seen through his dark intentions from the very beginning.
In other words, he too had been deceived.
“I-I’m innocent! I never wanted the Geumui Guards to be rescued!”
At that, the Stronghold Master snorted and spoke.
“Now that I think about it, something was off. A member of the Dongchang selling out the Geumui Guards? Speak plainly. You used us!”
Shing.
As the Stronghold Master drew his blade, Chung Gwan cried out urgently.
“I-I am Dongchang! A direct subordinate of the Emperor himself! Laying hands on me constitutes treason!”
“That’s rich. You bastard. Listen—we stopped caring about such things the moment we touched the Geumui Guards.”
The men around the Stronghold Master nodded in agreement.
“That’s true.”
“If we’d been afraid of that, we never would’ve laid hands on those Geumui Guards in the first place.”
“Either way, we’re dead men.”
Chung Gwan shuffled backward, his body trembling with killing intent all around him, but soon found himself backed against the wall.
In that instant, his body moved with a sudden blur.
The Dongchang’s martial arts were characterized by their secrecy and swiftness.
Thud—!
But the Stronghold Master’s martial prowess was superior, and Chung Gwan found himself seized and hurled to the ground.
In an instant, with his vital points controlled, the Stronghold Master issued his command.
“Take him to the Underground Basement!”
“Yes, sir!”
And so Chung Gwan’s attempt to escape failed, and he found himself hanging from the same wall where the Geumui Guard Warriors had been suspended.

* * *

I examined the wounds of the Gold Righteousness Guard Warriors.
Thanks to the expensive and high-quality medicine, their recovery was faster than expected, but the injuries were still severe.
Some wounds were deep enough to expose bone.
“Ugh….”
“Are you alright…? That was a rather foolish question of me. Of course you’re not alright.”
“Still, I’m grateful that we’re alive.”
Everyone nodded at Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster’s words.
“The problem is that we failed to complete the Emperor’s command.”
“Kugh! As the Great Swordmaster said, that’s what troubles us.”
At that, Bang Nosa clicked his tongue.
“That’s excessive loyalty. You should just focus on recovering.”
I spoke gently in response.
“These individuals have their own thoughts and circumstances. So please don’t reproach them too harshly.”
Then I turned my head to look at the Gold Righteousness Guard Warriors and spoke.
“Still, the information you gathered while enduring that pain will become a crucial clue in resolving this matter later. That alone means you’ve done your duty sufficiently.”
They showed moved expressions at my words, while Bang Nosa simply laughed.
I was startled to learn that the Gold Righteousness Guard Warriors had gathered information even while being tortured.
They said it was merely part of the training that any Geumui Guard receives, but training and reality are different things.
And the mental fortitude to actually carry out their training!
Truly, the Geumui Guard are the Geumui Guard.
Then Bang Nosa asked me.
“So, you’re just going to leave that bastard Chung Gwan alone?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“Honestly, I’d like to just let him die as he is. But we still need to keep him alive and bring him to the Imperial Palace.”
I continued.
“Could he have committed all those corruptions alone? I’m certain someone turned a blind eye to his crimes. So we need to rescue him and bring him before the Emperor to make him confess everything.”
“That’s true.”
One of the Gold Righteousness Guard Warriors spoke.
“The torture techniques at the Imperial Palace are more advanced.”
There was a chill in that voice.
“Of course, if a limb or two disappears during the rescue, there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“That’s also true.”
“But this time, it won’t be an easy task.”
I laughed at Bang Nosa’s words.
“You’re being modest. If you devise a strategy for us, it won’t be difficult.”
“You little rascal, you’re gilding my face. Hehehehe.”
Still, he didn’t seem to dislike the praise.
Then Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster asked.
“You’re not requesting reinforcements?”
“Ah, well about that…”
When I glanced at Bang Nosa, he explained in my stead.
“The Emperor had this fellow deliver a letter, but apparently there were people pursuing him.”
“What?”
“Then…?”
“Someone must have leaked the Emperor’s orders from somewhere. If we request reinforcements in such a situation, what do you think will happen?”
“The situation would become far more serious.”
“Exactly. That’s why we must resolve this matter amongst ourselves.”
“…We didn’t realize the gravity of the situation and seem to have imposed a tremendous burden on you. I sincerely apologize.”
“Never mind. I’ll step away to grill some meat and think this through. You all should rest and recover.”
“Yes.”
After Bang Nosa left, the Gold Righteousness Guard warriors discussed the matter amongst themselves.
“If Minister Bang takes action, we should be able to resolve this successfully.”
“Still, to think someone would target a letter sent from the Imperial Palace to Minister Bang!”
“Who could these people possibly be?”
“I have a few suspicions, but…”
At that moment, I quietly asked Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster.
“Excuse me, Great Swordmaster. Who exactly is Bang Nosa?”
“Hmm? Why do you ask?”
“Well, while traveling with Bang Nosa, I had the sense that he’s no ordinary person.”
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster let out a low whistle, then asked with a serious expression.
“…You truly don’t know who Minister Bang is?”
“No.”
“Then, have you heard of the renowned judge known as the Meat-Loving Duke?”
“Of course I have.”
When I was very young, there was a renowned judge called the Meat-Loving Duke who was active in those days.
He earned the title because he loved meat so dearly, and through his meticulous dedication and brilliant stratagems, he cleared the names of the wrongfully accused—a feat numbering in the thousands.
It was also proof of how many innocent people suffered injustice.
In any case, criminals could not raise their heads before the Meat-Loving Duke, and the common people revered him.
However, the Meat-Loving Duke possessed exceptional political acumen, and he attributed all such praise to the Emperor’s merit.
“The Late Emperor appointed him as an official of the Ministry of Justice, and he eventually rose to become Minister of Justice.”
“Then Bang Nosa is that Meat-Loving Duke?”
“Indeed.”
There was a reason I hadn’t known Bang Nosa was the Meat-Loving Duke.
He had concealed his identity with meticulous thoroughness.
That too was part of his political strategy.
“Seven years ago, he submitted his resignation to the Emperor and retired to the countryside.”
“I see.”
“But to summon such a man again suggests the Imperial Palace must have a matter requiring his assistance.”
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster ground his teeth.
“If only my body were whole, I could go at once and be of greater service to the Emperor.”
He spoke with profound frustration.
And with good reason—everyone’s injuries were so severe that there was no certainty whether they could ever resume their duties as Geumui Guards.
It was then that Palgap approached.
“It’s time to change the bandages, sir.”
“Ah, is it?”
Palgap unwrapped the bandages from Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster’s leg. The wounds were still horrifyingly gruesome.
I wished I could heal these injuries.
It wasn’t merely a thought born from simple compassion.
Of course I felt that too, but if there were more talented people around the Emperor, I wouldn’t be dragged into becoming a work slave, would I?
Were there any precious healing elixirs nearby?
There was the Divine Spirit Blessing Chamber that Geumryeong had smuggled away before, but I wasn’t sure if sharing it would be effective.
Just then, Geumryeong poked his head out from inside my sleeve and his eyes gleamed as he spotted the medicine in Palgap’s hands.
This creature—how does he always recognize expensive things so uncannily?
– Squeak!
– No! That’s not for eating.
I was grateful I could use telepathy. Otherwise, Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster would surely have found it strange.
– Squeak… squeak…
– This little rascal…
I quickly retrieved a silver coin and placed it in Geumryeong’s mouth to pacify him, then discreetly tucked him back into my sleeve—
Oh no!
Of all places, Geumryeong’s saliva dripped onto Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster’s wound. As I hurriedly tried to wipe it away, I noticed something extraordinary.
The wound where Geumryeong’s saliva had touched was rapidly closing.
Could it be that Geumryeong’s saliva…?
I gently rubbed a scratch mark on my sleeve that was stained with Geumryeong’s saliva.
“…!”
The scratch vanished.
My heart raced with excitement.
Everyone! Geumryeong is an absolutely remarkable creature!
Why hadn’t I known before that Geumryeong’s saliva possessed such properties?
Or perhaps this was a recently acquired ability.
Had I been feeding him that much money?
In any case, I decided to ask Master about this later and immediately left the room.
I found a bowl and headed to my quarters.
Then I took out Geumryeong and placed him before the bowl.
“Geumryeong, you want to eat this, don’t you?”
Geumryeong’s eyes gleamed as he spotted the gold coin in my other hand, and he began drooling profusely.
Not a silver coin, but an actual gold coin.
Drip, drip,
The saliva was collecting perfectly in the bowl, just as I’d planned.
Now even Geumryeong’s saliva seemed endearing to me. Ah, was I becoming too materialistic?
In any case, once a decent amount of Geumryeong’s saliva had collected in the bowl, I gave him a gold coin.
My heart had grown soft, after all….
Geumryeong devoured the gold coin with gusto.
My goodness, eating well, aren’t you, my Geumryeong.
After finishing the gold coin, Geumryeong seemed to notice my gaze, flinched, and trembled slightly.
Hey… don’t go getting your feelings hurt like that.
.
.
.
The next morning.
I took the bowl containing Geumryeong’s saliva and returned to where the Gold Righteousness Guard warriors were stationed.
“Palgap, apply this to the Great Heroes’ wounds.”
“What is it?”
At Jin Young’s question, I scratched the back of my neck and spoke.
“Truth be told, last night I set out blessed water and performed prayers all night, wondering how to help the Great Heroes recover more quickly. Then in a dream, a divine being appeared and instructed me to apply the blessed water I had prepared to their wounds.”
“How extraordinary.”
“Indeed. It may be merely a dream, but there’s no harm in trying, is there?”
I wasn’t certain my explanation would convince them, but the world did contain improbable occurrences.
Still, I couldn’t very well tell them it was Geumryeong’s saliva, could I?
No matter what they say about saliva having healing properties, preconceptions are a frightening thing.

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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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