The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 34

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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 34

Chapter 34. The Small Merchant Guild Leader’s Public Announcement (5)

Under normal circumstances, my Father would have handled everything without a single misstep.
But on the very day my eldest brother became the Small Merchant Guild Leader, an unprecedented crisis—nearly being assassinated by an Assassin—had caused him to show a moment of vulnerability.
I needed to calm the crowd quickly and restore the festive atmosphere.
That was when I spotted the Musician holding the drum.
I rushed toward him, stammering and confused as he was, and spoke.
“Please, climb onto the platform and beat the drum at once!”
“What?”
“Hurry!”
At my words, he quickly climbed onto the platform and struck the drum.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The sudden sound of the drum drew everyone’s attention to the platform.
I turned to my Father and said.
“This is your moment to step forward, Father.”
“Ah! Of course!”
Only then did my Father regain his composure and, together with Eun Jung-ho, climbed onto the platform.
“As you all know, an unfortunate incident occurred just moments ago. My eldest son and the new Small Merchant Guild Leader nearly fell to an Assassin’s blade.”
“….”
“By Heaven’s grace, my eldest son remains unharmed. Though we do not yet know who orchestrated this attack, I and the Eunhae Trading Company will not overlook it.”
“….”
“However, those uninvolved in this matter need not worry. The Eunhae Trading Company will continue to treat you with integrity, as we always have.”
My brother added his own words from beside him.
“I too shall do the same.”
“The mood has been dampened. Let us resume the banquet. We shall provide more wine and food—please, enjoy yourselves.”
My Father called out to the Musicians.
“Strike up the music!”
“Yes!”
With their response, music filled the Banquet Hall once more, and the Dancers began to perform.
The guests spoke of what had just transpired while raising their cups to drink.
The atmosphere grew warm and convivial once again.
After all, no one had died.
What a relief.
In my previous life, the atmosphere could never recover from such an incident, and the banquet would have ended early.
The Small Merchant Guild Leader’s Public Announcement had left Eun Jung-ho with many unpleasant memories in that other life.
My Father descended from the platform and approached me, taking my hand.
“Thank you. I was able to regain my composure because of you.”
“Father, I’m sure you would have recovered your composure quickly even without my help.”
“No. What just happened was truly bewildering for me. I would not have regained my composure so easily.”
Father’s hands still trembled as he spoke.
.
.
.
Evening had arrived.
The banquet continued through the night.
The Central Plains were vast, and it was rare for anyone to arrive at precisely the scheduled time.
For this reason, most banquets did not conclude in a day or two but continued for at least several days.
Typically, the first day of an official event was the most grand, with subsequent days scaled down in size.
This could be why the assassin had targeted the first day.
The first day was the most hectic with the most people, making it easier to hide among the crowds.

I was exhausted.
I yawned and headed toward my quarters.
Along the way, I spotted Eun Jung-ho emerging from the Medical Pavilion and called out to him warmly.
“Oh? Brother.”
“Ah, it’s you, Seo-ho.”
I glanced toward the Medical Pavilion and spoke.
“You were checking on Jeon Woo-jin Warrior? Is he alright?”
“Fortunately, the physicians acted quickly.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Yes, it is. If Woo Jin Warrior had died, I would have suffered greatly.”
Brother exhaled deeply, his expression hardening.
“The assassin called the Faceless Guest who targeted me—according to the Guest Quarters Maidservant, he was a guest waiting for me in the Orchid Room.”
“Is that so?”
“But Woo Jin Warrior said his instincts felt off, and since I had made a promise with you, I didn’t go.”
From brother’s words, I understood why he hadn’t acted as he had in his previous life.
But he didn’t go to the Guest Reception Room simply because of a promise with me?
It was slightly puzzling, given that brother valued propriety more highly, why he would make such a decision.
“If something like that had happened in the Guest Reception Room, it would have been truly catastrophic.”
“Exactly. It’s a blessing in disguise.”
“But….”
Brother looked at me and asked.
“Did you perhaps know that the assassin would target me?”
I flinched inwardly but showed no outward sign, laughing it off with a smile.
“Ha ha ha, what are you talking about? How would I know that?”
“You said it yourself. That you felt uneasy. And that bracelet you gave me, Bi Eun-si, and your proposal about the physicians’ deployment. When I consider all of it together, something doesn’t add up.”
As expected…
Though he appeared gentle, Eun Jung-ho was as sharp as they came.
And when he raised questions about something, he possessed the tenacity to dig relentlessly until he found satisfactory answers.
Which meant that if I couldn’t provide him with a proper explanation now, things would certainly become exhausting.
But I couldn’t exactly tell him that I had died and returned to life at fifteen years old.
“And you told Father to strengthen security?”
“Well, the thing is…”
I continued with a smile.
“My Master mentioned it. He said something felt off.”
“I know that much. Go Chief Manager heard about it and strengthened security accordingly. But that explanation still feels incomplete.”
“…And ever since I recovered from my illness, my intuition has been strangely sharp. Besides, the Bi Eun-si I gave you as a gift was truly obtained by chance.”
“Really?”
“Actually, I obtained that Bi Eun-si from a place that old man ran.”
Since I had learned that the old man who captured the criminal operated a miscellaneous goods shop on West Street, and his true identity was the formidable Ghost Face Broker, my brother didn’t press further.
“So he helped you.”
“Presumably.”
My brother’s expression showed understanding.
Thank goodness.

Returning to my quarters, I sat before the table and fell into thought.
Unlike my previous life, this time Jeon Woo-jin Warrior didn’t die, and I was able to capture the criminal alive.
That meant I could also discover who was behind the plot against Eun Jung-ho.
But sending assassins like that…
Their methods resembled the Black Path perfectly.
Could they possibly be Baekcheon Trading Company?
Since I had died at the hands of Baekcheon Trading Company and Murim Alliance warriors in my previous life, suspecting them was hardly unreasonable.
Come to think of it, my Master had mentioned that the killing intent he sensed resembled that of the Black Path.
Then I heard Palgap’s voice.
“Young Master! Young Master! I’m coming in!”
Before I could grant permission, the door opened and Palgap rushed in.
In truth, servants and guards could enter their master’s chambers without permission.
Waiting for the master’s approval in urgent situations could mean missing the critical moment.
Though that wasn’t the important part…
Looking at Palgap’s expression, something significant had occurred.
“What is it?”
“I’ve found out!”
“You’ve found out…”
There was only one thing Palgap would announce with such an expression.
“Don’t tell me you’ve discovered who was behind the plot against Eun Jung-ho?”
“Yes! That’s exactly it!”
Palgap nodded.
“That old man interrogated him so skillfully that the Faceless Guest’s hideout came pouring out, along with the location of the client list. So the Eunpung Corps retrieved the client list, and that’s where they found it.”
Palgap paused to catch his breath before continuing.
“The name of O Dae-deuk, the leader of the Black Wine Gang.”
I recalled my Master’s words.
So the real culprit was from the Black Path?
.
.
.
The moment we uncovered that O Dae-deuk, leader of the Black Wine Gang, had commissioned the assassination of Eun Jung-ho, the Eunhae Trading Company moved swiftly.
The old man from the miscellaneous goods shop, the Ghost Face Broker, mobilized all his connections, and ultimately succeeded in exposing the Black Wine Gang’s crimes.
What was revealed was beyond the pale.
Not only were they counterfeiting currency under the guise of a merchant guild, but they were also trafficking in human lives.
All crimes deserving of execution.
Soon the Imperial Inspectorate moved into action.
Admittedly, crimes of this magnitude warranted their involvement, but they moved faster than expected.
It must have been the result of the old man mobilizing his connections.

“With the Government Forces on the move, the Black Wine Gang is like a rat trapped in a jar.”
I nodded at Palgap’s words.
In truth, the Black Wine Gang had been picking fights with our Eunhae Trading Company constantly.
But they made a mistake by touching a major sect, and ended up being annihilated.
As memories of the losses we suffered from their interference came to mind, I felt a certain satisfaction.
Besides, considering all those who had been harmed by them, their disappearance now was for the best.
But wait….
Something Palgap had said caught my attention.
“Palgap, what did you just say?”
“Yes? I said that with the Government Forces on the move, the Black Wine Gang is like a rat trapped in a jar.”
“Right… rat! Palgap, what comes to mind when you think of a rat?”
“A rat… a hole?”
“…!”
I shot to my feet.
“A rat hole!”
Information surfaced in my mind—the Black Wine Gang had disappeared then, but the leader alone had survived, taking refuge in a mountain stronghold.
They had cast an impenetrable net, yet how had the leader escaped from there?
There had to be a rat hole.
I hastily unrolled a map of Chongyang County and located the Black Wine Gang’s headquarters.
“Where is it…?”
My eyes swept rapidly across the map, and soon I pointed to a location with my finger.
I had found where the rat hole was.
“Here it is.”
The problem is time.
The best course would be to send the Government Forces there immediately, but we lack the time for that.
In other words, I must go myself.
The problem is Palgap.
He’ll surely raise a fuss if I tell him I’m going to apprehend the Bandit Leader….
It’s time to use the mirror I obtained from the Miscellaneous Goods Shop this time.
.
.
.
I told Palgap I was retiring for the night and sent him out.
Then I retrieved the mirror.
The mirror’s name was the Phantom Reflection Mirror.
It possessed the ability to project one’s illusory form to any location of one’s choosing.
In time, it would fall into the hands of a legendary serial killer, used to fabricate false testimony of his innocence.
Though numerous pieces of evidence pointed to him as the culprit, he was repeatedly released because witnesses testified to seeing him at different locations when the murders occurred.
But as this pattern repeated, someone noticed something peculiar.
Not a single person who claimed to have seen him had actually spoken with him.
One Po-du, finding this suspicious, pursued the case relentlessly until finally apprehending the true culprit.
But now that it’s in my possession, there’s no concern it will be used for such vile purposes.
I rubbed the mirror precisely thirty-three times, then placed it upon the bed.
My form then appeared upon the bed.
Hmm, not bad looking.
Especially lately, with my dedication to training, my body had grown lean and taut, making me appear even more presentable.
Ah, this is no time for such thoughts.
I shook my head to dispel the distraction, draped the blanket over my illusory form, and climbed out through the window.
Now I only needed to scale the Trading Company’s wall.
That was when it happened.
“Young Master.”
“Gasp!”
I nearly stumbled backward without thinking.
“Where were you intending to go at this hour?”
Standing before me was Palgap.
Where on earth had he come from?
I hadn’t sensed his presence at all.
“Ah, well, you see….”
Palgap had a tendency toward overprotectiveness, but he was still someone who would sacrifice his life for me.
Creating secrets from such a man stirred a sense of guilt within me.
Palgap was perceptive and quick-witted.
I couldn’t keep this hidden from him forever.
Perhaps it would be better to lay everything bare right now.
“I’m going after the Black Blade Bandit Leader.”
“Pardon? The Black Blade Bandit Leader? Surely the External Chief Manager, who departed with the Government Forces, will handle that matter. So you should….”
“There’s a secret passage.”
I continued.
“A secret passage exists. And right now, only I know of its location.”
“Then you must inform someone at once….”
“By the time I reveal it, he’ll have already fled Chongyang County. That’s why I must go myself right now.”
“Then at least allow me to request a Guard Warrior for you.”
“Then it’ll be too late!”
I spoke with absolute resolve.
“Even if you try to stop me, I’m going. He tried to kill my brother. Could you live under the same sky as such a man?”
“….”
“And I’ve been training diligently in martial arts all this time. My Master even acknowledged my progress.”
Palgap exhaled a long sigh.
“You’ve always been stubborn like this since long ago—no one could ever stop you. Very well. But I’m coming with you.”
“With you?”
“Yes. That way, I can ensure the world knows who wronged you and seek vengeance myself.”
“….”
Palgap is the sort who would pursue vengeance even if it took fifty years.
Because of that, his words carried weight I couldn’t dismiss lightly.
Well, there’s no helping it.
Palgap is someone who brooks no compromise when it comes to my safety.
“Fine then. Come quickly. If you dawdle, I’m leaving without you.”

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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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