The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 324

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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 324

Chapter 324. Settling Accounts Cleanly (2)

They drew their blades and rushed toward us without hesitation.
“We’ll tear you to shreds and feed you to the wild beasts! Arrrgh!”
There were roughly ten of them.
When they first ambushed us, I thought there had been twice as many.
Perhaps because we hadn’t revealed our true strength during that initial clash, they still seemed unaware of what we were truly capable of.
So they charged forward, mistakenly believing their superior numbers gave them the advantage with their current level of skill.
Though I suppose my Guard Warriors and I are the unusual ones.
It’s not easy to gather so many who’ve reached the first rank or peak at such a young age.
They say you must measure length and shortness to know the difference, but there are cases where you can tell without measuring.
Like now.
Thud—!
“Oof!”
Crack!
“Gah!”
Those who had attacked us collapsed in an instant.
I approached leisurely the one who appeared to be their leader.
“I won’t say anything. Just kill me!”
“From what I heard earlier, you seemed to know who your superiors are. Are you really not planning to speak?”
“That’s right.”
Hmm, so that’s how it is… How should I handle this?
As I pondered briefly, I smiled wickedly.
Why was I even troubled by this? If he refuses to speak to me, I simply need to make him speak in front of someone else.

“Bind that one securely.”
“How do you intend to dispose of him?”
“I’m thinking of presenting him as a gift to the Emperor. He’ll be pleased, won’t he?”
At my words, the man’s face drained of all color, and he quickly bit down on his tongue in an attempt at self-destruction.
Thwack—!
“Ugh!”
That won’t do.
I struck the back of his head to stop the attempt, then pressed his vital pressure points to render him immobile.
“What about the others?”
“We’ll take them with us. After all, isn’t it only natural courtesy to bring back a small gift when returning from a journey? They’re perfect gifts for the Emperor.”
Two had died in the battle, leaving eight remaining.
Since there were eight of us as well, binding and transporting them would be no great difficulty.
“Then shall we finish our dinner?”
I’d only taken one bite of the roasted venison before the fighting started.
The Black Dot Gang members were tied up and suspended from a tree to prevent any foolish attempts at escape.
We gathered around the campfire again and resumed eating the venison.
“Palgap, do you happen to have any pepper?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Let’s sprinkle some on this.”
Pepper was rather expensive, but nothing masked gamey flavors quite like it.
Since we were eating anyway, we might as well enjoy it properly.
“Gulp!”
I heard the sound of someone swallowing hard from behind us, but we simply ignored it and finished our meal.

The next morning.
We arrived at the Ferry Terminal in Lanzhou. While searching for a boat, I spotted a familiar face.
“My goodness! Aren’t you Seon Hyeop Mi-rang, the Great Hero?”
It was the Ship Captain and Sailors from the boat we had taken when we previously came to Lanzhou.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
“But who are those behind you?”
“Ah… they are Black Blade Warriors. I’m escorting them.”
He nodded as if he understood the situation.
“Then you’ll need a safe and swift boat.”
“Indeed. That’s why I’m searching for a boat heading to Kaifeng.”
He smiled brightly and spoke.
“What fortune to repay a debt. Why not use our boat? We can depart for Kaifeng immediately.”
“But with only us, we won’t fill the capacity. Won’t that be a loss for you?”
“Isn’t repaying a debt about accepting some loss? So please, don’t refuse.”
I was grateful for his words. I’d need to add a bit extra to the fare when we arrived.
“Then I’ll gladly accept your kindness.”
Since we had come directly to the Ferry Terminal, we weren’t prepared to board immediately.
We needed to prepare provisions and various supplies, but the bound prisoners were a concern.
I had sealed their meridians and bound them tightly, so there shouldn’t be any problems, but one could never be too careful.
Then I suddenly remembered something I had received not long ago.

“This thing?”
“Yes. If you have any left, please give me some. I think I’ll have a use for it.”
“Well, since you’ve worked hard this time, I’ll give you some. Here.”
“Thank you.”

I’ll use the sleeping poison I obtained from Bang Nosa this time—feed it to those merchants.
According to Bang Nosa’s explanation, even half a grain of rice-sized amount would put someone to sleep for at least ten hours straight.
That’s why it’s called a sleeping poison, not a sleeping draught.
And because its effects are so potent, the side effects when consumed in larger quantities are quite severe.
Not only would they sleep without waking for days, but even after waking, they’d feel as though still trapped in a dream with a foggy mind. Naturally, after days of doing nothing but sleeping, malnutrition would set in, muscle loss in the limbs would occur, and movement would become difficult.
But well, as long as I travel comfortably, that’s what matters, isn’t it?
Whatever side effects they suffer is their own doing.
.
.
.
Just as Bang Nosa said, they couldn’t resist the sleeping poison and fell asleep instantly.
I poked them with a needle just to be sure they weren’t feigning sleep, and since there was no reaction whatsoever, I confirmed they were truly asleep.
Still, to be safe, I had Jin Yu Warrior and Chang-un Warrior guard them while I took the rest of the group to purchase what we needed.
“This time, since we won’t be going upstream, it should be much faster. However, the boat will rock considerably more, so please be careful.”
“Understood.”
And so the boat began to move.

* * *

He was having a nightmare.
An extraordinarily handsome ghost was tormenting him in this dream.
“Here’s bitter hardship duck soup, bitter hardship stir-fried noodles, bitter hardship dumplings, and bitter hardship wine. Please enjoy.”
“No! I don’t want any more bitter hardship!”
“Please eat. If you don’t, your bitter hardship will become wasted hardship.”
“Kyaaaah!”
He screamed and jolted awake.
But he could only blink his eyes repeatedly.
He’d woken in shock from hearing something terribly dreadful—yet that handsome ghost was right before his eyes.
“G-ghost, kyaaaah!”
“Look here. Isn’t it time you came to your senses?”
“Kyaaaah! G-ghost!”
Crack!
His cheek stung, and only then did his mind return to clarity.
“Now you’ve calmed down. Is this a side effect too?”
The young man who had been muttering something incomprehensible—Eun Seo-ho—spoke.
“We’ve arrived. It’s Beijing.”
At Eun Seo-ho’s words, he wore a dazed expression.
Beijing? What’s that? It sounds like a word I should know…
“Gasp!”
He remembered drinking the tea Eun Seo-ho had given him.
And… I seemed to have dozed off because I was tired, but this is Beijing?
He couldn’t believe it.
“You must have been exhausted. You slept so soundly the entire way here.”
A smile that seemed to mock him.
In truth, when he heard they would be traveling by boat, he had rejoiced inwardly.
Water manipulation was his hidden specialty, unknown to the others.
So he had watched for an opportunity to escape, but by then it was already too late.
“Take him away.”
“Yes!”
The Imperial Guards had gagged him again and were dragging him along like a sack of grain.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
If only he had simply told Eun Seo-ho what his superiors wanted to know, perhaps they would have granted him a merciful death.

* * *

I observed the prisoners being dragged away by the Imperial Guards.
By the way, that sleeping powder Bang Nosa gave me works incredibly well. I should ask him to procure some more for me.
That’s when Palgap spoke.
“But why did that merchant scream that you were a ghost when he saw you?”
“He probably hadn’t fully woken up yet. Anyway, I’m going to the Imperial Palace, so go to my quarters first.”
“Understood.”
With those words, I followed the Eunuch Official into the Imperial Palace. In that moment, I felt something unsettling.
I couldn’t explain it, but the sensation felt wrong.
Could there be something about them that I didn’t know?
“Wait!”
I hurried toward where the Black Path members I had brought were being taken.
“Huh?”
But there was no trace of them anywhere.
Where? Where did they go?
The Eunuch Official rushed after me, breathless.
“I know the path to the Prison, but where could they have gone?”
“N-now that you mention it, that is strange.”
At my words, the Eunuch Official also looked bewildered, glancing around.
He too seemed completely unaware of the situation.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on sensing their auras. Fortunately, I knew their presence.
That repulsive aura of the Black Path.
Where? Where did they go?
“…!”
I opened my eyes and spoke.
“That way!”
I pointed toward a location and ran.
Seeing the Eunuch Official following me closely, I could guess his affiliation.
Dongchang.
The place I was heading toward was a secluded corner within the Imperial Palace itself.
And there, I witnessed the Golden Army wielding their blades against the Black Robed Persons I had turned over to them.
What in the world were they doing?
I needed to stop them immediately, but there was a problem.
The Imperial Palace was a place where weapons could not be brought inside, so I had no means to stop them.
Ah!
In that instant, I thought of a method—I pulled a silver coin from my pocket, infused it with my inner energy, and threw it at them.
Screeeee—!
Clang!
The sword and silver coin collided with a deafening sound.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
At my appearance, they faltered and murmured in confusion.
“Damn it.”
After a brief moment of hesitation, they rushed at me all at once.
They had noticed I was unarmed and were attempting to kill me without mercy.
As if I would allow that!
Whoosh—!
Thud—!
I evaded their attacks and subdued them using Imperial Palace martial arts.
Without a weapon, the only martial art I could employ was Imperial Palace martial arts.
Of course, I also possessed the techniques my Master had taught me, and the Extreme Yin Soul Ice Technique.
However, I was reluctant to display those techniques before others, and they were far too dangerous to use within the Imperial Palace.
They were simply too tyrannical in nature.
Since my current objective was to subdue them or buy time, I would face them using only Imperial Palace martial arts.
Thud—!
Crash—!
This is strange. There were definitely about eight Golden Army soldiers at first, so where did the other four go?
In any case, I was able to subdue all four of my opponents.
It took some time since I couldn’t use weapons and had to rely on my still-developing Imperial Palace martial arts to subdue them.
These men were undoubtedly part of the same group as those I had captured. They were trying to kill them to silence their testimony.
I began to understand why the Emperor had summoned Bang Nosa to the Imperial Palace.
A faction opposed to the Emperor’s will had grown so powerful that such incidents were occurring even within the Palace itself.
To eliminate them, specialized talent was required.
Bang Nosa was the perfect person for this task.
Of course, I had suspected this to some degree since I left the Palace carrying the letter last time.
But who exactly were these forces?
At that moment, the Eunuch Official who had guided me earlier came running with the Golden Robed Guards.
I wondered where he’d gone in the meantime, but it turned out he’d brought reinforcements.
“Young Master Eun Seo-ho! Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”
“What on earth has happened here?”
I explained the entire situation from beginning to end.
“…And so, I’ve subdued them.”
“How could such a thing occur within the Imperial Palace! I’m truly sorry.”
The Eunuch Official and Gold Robe Guard Warriors apologized to me, then bound those I had subdued.
They prepared to drag everyone away.
At that moment, the Bandit Leader among the Black Robed People I’d brought began shaking his head violently, then tried to write characters on the ground with his foot.
It seemed he had something to say?
I requested that his gag be removed, and the Gold Robe Guard Warrior briefly took it off.
Was he angered by his superiors’ actions to kill him rather than save him?
Or had he overheard something he shouldn’t have?
He shouted roughly, as if spitting out the words.
“I will tell you everything.”
“What?”
“About this matter, I will tell you absolutely everything!”
It seemed the superiors of this Black Robed group had made quite a grave mistake this time.

After concluding that matter, I soon after had an audience with the Emperor.
“So-sang Eun Seo-ho. I have completed the Emperor’s command and returned.”
Now then, shall I exercise my tongue a bit skillfully?
As I was thinking such pleasant thoughts, the Emperor let out a derisive laugh and asked.
“So how much are you planning to extort from me?”
“Pardon? What do you mean so suddenly?”
“Do I not know you? Surely you’re thinking of extracting something from me.”
Ah, I’ve been caught.
If I said in this situation, “What such an audacious thing to say? I have no such intention,” the Emperor would surely say, “Is that so? Very well,” and wipe his mouth clean.
That won’t do!
I’ve spent so much money on this matter.
I decided to proceed boldly.
“Indeed, you are a wise Emperor. How is it you understand So-sang’s heart so well? Tears blur my vision.”
And while thinking sad thoughts, I let tears fall.
“Stop your nonsense.”
He noticed I’d forced out the tears too. Haha.
Though he speaks that way, his expression isn’t displeased. Looking closely, he seems to feel gratitude toward me as well.
“So how much are you planning to request?”
“I’ve brought a list.”
I quickly pulled out another piece of paper from my sleeve and presented it.
This is the expense list I had prepared before coming to the Imperial Palace.
“Hmph, your preparations are quite thorough.”
The Emperor, who received this through the Eunuch Official, examined it carefully.
Then, narrowing his eyes, he fixed his gaze upon me.
I needed to choose my words carefully here.
“Your Benevolent Majesty, each of these expenditures has its proper justification.”

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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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