The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 341

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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 341

Chapter 341. Things Gone Awry (4)
After composing himself, Hangsu Gongja posed a question to me.
“Then if I gave you money, you’d leave right now.”
“Ah, that’s not it at all.”
I spoke with a serious expression.
“The Provincial Inspector entrusted me with a task. How could I abandon it and leave? I am a merchant. And a merchant’s greatest asset is his credibility.”
I continued.
“Don’t make me a man without honor.”
“…I apologize.”
He certainly apologizes quickly.
“And though it’s late, I’m grateful.”
“Pardon?”
“For noticing Ja-ryeong’s symptoms and responding swiftly.”
Well, it’s a rather belated thanks, but as a magnanimous person, I should understand.
“I appreciate your acknowledgment.”
Hangsu Gongja, having confirmed that I held no romantic interest in Lady Zaling, ceased asking unnecessary questions.
Even though he knew of her poisoning from the start, I had shown a cold demeanor, so I wondered if I was truly indifferent to her—but I wasn’t.
It merely appeared that way on the surface; he too was a devoted elder brother who cherished Lady Zaling deeply.
He simply expressed his anger in his own manner.
Still, I was relieved he was someone capable of thinking and acting rationally.
.
.
.
After traveling for several days, we finally arrived at Changsha, the provincial capital of Honam Province.
And we immediately headed toward the Hunan Provincial Inspector’s Residence.
When I revealed our identities to the Gate Keeper, he promptly ushered us inside.
“We’ve been expecting you. Please follow me.”
An Attendant greeted us and guided us to our Guest Quarters.
Truly Honam Province.
Unlike Guizhou, which was humid but rarely saw sunlight, Honam Province was bathed in scorching sun.
This is why agriculture thrives here.
Consequently, the Back Garden was filled with blooming flowers of every variety.
“What a beautiful garden. The flowers are especially lovely.”
The Attendant responded to my remark.
“The Provincial Inspector takes great interest in horticulture, so we pay special attention to this area.”
“I see.”
Hangsu Gongja, walking alongside me, opened his mouth with a complicated expression.
“Now that I think about it… Lady Zaling did enjoy this back garden. Though I confess I don’t understand why.”
“Pardon?”
“To be honest, I still don’t understand why people enjoy flowers. They merely display their brilliance for the sake of reproduction, and it doesn’t provide any practical benefit to daily life, does it?”
“….”
A brief silence fell between us.
The Attendant’s expression betrayed his bewilderment as well.
I smiled gently and spoke.
“There’s nothing wrong with appreciating something beautiful, is there? Young Master Hangsu finds Lady Zaling beautiful, do you not?”
“Well, that’s only natural, isn’t it?”
“Yet the Young Lady doesn’t perform beautiful actions merely to appear lovely in your eyes. And yet you cherish Lady Zaling regardless—is that truly wrong?”
“….”
He fell silent for a moment, then nodded as though something had awakened within him.
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
Something familiar stirred within me as I observed Hangsu Gongja’s demeanor.
There was someone like this in my own circle…
Ah!
I immediately recalled Yu So-ak Internal Chief Manager.
He too lacked social grace and consideration for those around him.
Though he had improved considerably since then.
Still, it would be contradictory to expect warmth and consideration from someone inherently cold.
I began to understand why the Guizhou Provincial Governor had sent me.
He spoke of valuing my insight, but it seemed he truly wanted me to fill in these gaps.
His most perceptive son, yet simultaneously his most socially deficient—he needed someone who could nurture that aspect and soften the atmosphere around him.
Ji-yeong Vice-Commander had come as well, but it would be difficult to expect such a role from him.
It would be tiring work, but thinking of the compensation lifted my spirits.
Given that he’d assigned me such duties, the Provincial Governor would surely provide generous compensation.
And seeing how he apologized and expressed gratitude, it seemed less severe than with Yu Chief Manager.
Soon we arrived at the residence.
Since we came from the household of the Third Young Master of Hunan Provincial Commander’s betrothed, we were granted exclusive use of an entire Separate Quarters.
“The Provincial Inspector is currently on duty at the Guizhou Provincial Office.”
While it was customary to stay at the Magistrate’s Residence, the Hunan Provincial Commander apparently commuted from his main estate nearby.
“I shall call upon you again this evening once he returns from his duties.”
“Understood.”
Looking up at the sky, evening was already drawing near.
Well, we wouldn’t have to wait long.
Around the hour of You, dinner was served.
Given that this was the place where someone had attempted to poison Lady Zaling, Ji-yeong Vice-Commander couldn’t eat properly, worried they might attempt the same on us.
But I ate without such concerns.
I had the Taiyin Ice-Sea Divine Art as my safeguard, and the likelihood of poisoning was slim.
If honored guests fell to poison, the responsibility would fall entirely upon the Hunan Provincial Inspector’s Household.
I had felt it before on the boat as well, but Ji-yeong Vice-Commander is a cautious man in all matters.
That said, it’s somewhat surprising that Hangsu Gongja eats without showing any particular concern.
It seems he shares similar thoughts with me.
Anyway, the food is quite spicy.
Still, I’m grateful this place has a sweet heat to it. The cuisine of Sichuan Province is neither sweet nor incredibly stimulating.
It must be because we’re close to the sugar production areas.
In any case, the fact that they’ve served noodles as a meal indicates we are honored guests.
In Honam Province, while rice is abundant, wheat is scarce, so when honored guests arrive, they serve noodles made from wheat.
Moreover, with the recent poor harvests, wheat must be even more precious these days.
After finishing the meal and drinking tea, an attendant came to find us.
“The Provincial Inspector has finished his duties. He said to bring you in half an hour. We will return once you are ready.”
“Understood.”
We each returned to our rooms, adjusted our appearance, and gathered again.
It was quite likely to be a gathering of the Honan Provincial Inspector’s family members.
After about half an hour, the same attendant came to fetch us, and we followed him.
Along the way, there were several spaces that appeared to be guest reception rooms, but the attendant stopped in front of the largest one.
“These are guests from the Guizhou Provincial Governor’s household.”
“Enter.”
The door opened and our party stepped inside.
As expected… my prediction was correct.
Several people who appeared to be the Honan Provincial Inspector and his family were seated.
The one seated at the head of the large table was the Provincial Inspector himself.
Though it was my first time meeting him in this life, I had seen him several times in my previous life, so I recognized him immediately.
And those seated to his left were his family members.
We bowed respectfully and introduced ourselves.
The Provincial Inspector nodded in acknowledgment and invited us to sit.
“Please, be seated.”
“Yes.”
We sat on the right side of the table.
“First, allow me to introduce my family. There are some you may not have met before, are there not?”
Exactly what I hoped for.
And so we were introduced to his family members.
The middle-aged lady beside the Honan Provincial Inspector was his first wife. Next to her was his second wife.
Beside her sat the Elder Son, Elder Daughter, Second Son, Third Son, Fourth Son, and Second Daughter in that order.
Six children in total.
The Guizhou Provincial Governor has six children from one wife…
Truly remarkable in many ways.
“Well, the fact that you’ve come in person suggests this is quite a serious matter.”
“Yes.”
Hangsu Gongja opened his mouth to speak.
“As you say, Provincial Inspector, this matter was too important to convey by letter, so I came to visit you in person.”
He continued.
“My younger sister Ja-ryeong’s condition has improved.”
“Oh! Is that so?”
The Hunan Provincial Inspector’s face brightened.
“I was worried because her illness seemed so severe, but to hear she’s improving! Does this mean a full recovery is possible?”
“Yes, sir. We found an excellent Physician, and thanks to him, complete recovery is not far off. My father sent me to inform you and your family of this good news.”
“I see. That’s a great relief.”
The Hunan Provincial Inspector nodded with a smile on his face.
“Then we should begin preparing for the wedding ceremony.”
“I can only thank you for your patience all this time.”
“Don’t say such things. A betrothal is a promise between two families, and it’s not something to be taken lightly, is it?”
“I’m grateful that you see it that way.”
Hangsu Gongja continued.
“However, since Ja-ryeong’s body hasn’t fully recovered yet, I would appreciate it if you could wait a few more months.”
“Of course. If I’ve waited three years, surely I can wait a few more months?”
I observed Hangsu Gongja with fresh eyes.
He speaks more smoothly than I expected.
I examined the expressions of the family members seated before me.
When news of Lady Ja-ryeong’s improving condition was announced, their faces showed relief and joy.
But something felt odd.
Why was the Fourth Son more delighted than the Third Son, who was the betrothed party?
And my second question was that I sensed the aura of the Black Path emanating from the Fourth Son, who seemed so pleased.
Now that I had reached the pinnacle, the aura of the Black Path felt far less repulsive to me.
And from that aura, I sensed something special that I hadn’t noticed before.
It was a faint, metallic scent of blood mixed within it.
Now that I thought about it, those connected to the Murim Alliance had always carried the aura of the Black Path.
My suspicion was that the Murim Alliance was using the Black Path forces for something.
If that were true, it would mean the Fourth Son was connected to the Murim Alliance…
But it didn’t make sense.
He had wanted Lady Ja-ryeong dead and used poison, so why was he so pleased to hear her condition was improving?
At that moment, the Second Son before me asked me a question.
“When I heard the name Eun Seo-ho earlier, I wasn’t sure, but are you not the Great Hero Seon Hyeop Mi-rang?”
Cough!
I never expected someone here to know that name!
The certainty in his eyes made denial impossible.
So I acquiesced readily.
“Great Hero? That’s too much of an honor. It’s merely an undeserved reputation.”
“Ah! So it is true!”
At this, the Hunan Provincial Inspector’s eyes gleamed as he looked at me.
“I’ve heard tales of Seon Hyeop Mi-rang, the hero renowned from the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament. So you were that person! How extraordinary!”
He continued speaking.
“But what brings you to travel alongside the Third Young Master?”
I answered without hesitation.
“The Guizhou Provincial Governor showed me kindness once, and I couldn’t refuse when he asked me to accompany his son.”
“I see.”
I turned my gaze away slightly.
The Second Son’s eyes gleamed with such admiration that it was almost unbearable to meet his stare.
The Hunan Provincial Commander seemed to notice this, and explained with a smile.
“In fact, my Second Son has connections in the Murim world. He’s a lay disciple of the Hengshan Sect.”
“I see.”
Honestly, when administering Honam Province, there are times when Murim practitioners cause trouble.
While Honam Province’s military strength isn’t weak, it’s more convenient and efficient to seek assistance from Murim sects when problems arise within their world.
It seemed he had sent his Second Son as a lay disciple to the Hengshan Sect precisely to receive such help when needed.
Fortunately, the Second Son doesn’t seem to be learning martial arts reluctantly—he appears to genuinely love the discipline itself.
In contrast, Guizhou rarely experiences trouble from Murim practitioners.
Why, you ask?
Because Murim practitioners only cause trouble when there’s profit to be gained.
Honestly, would anyone risk death and injury without some tangible benefit?
While medicinal herbs are indeed abundant here, that’s all there is. It’s difficult to gain substantial profit from that alone.
The Green Forest Bandits merely fill their bellies by robbing merchant caravans passing through for medicinal herbs, and they harvest rare herbs from the treacherous mountains to sell to merchants in exchange for clothing and weapons—nothing more.
That’s why Guizhou has no famous Murim clans or sects.
The Second Son clasped his fists toward me respectfully.
“If I may be so bold, would you not broaden my horizons?”
“Pardon?”
What is he saying now?
He continued.
“As a martial artist, I wish to broaden my perspective by crossing blades with many skilled individuals, but the warriors I’ve encountered thus far have all been of similar caliber. I fear I’m becoming a frog in a well, ignorant of the vast world beyond.”
“….”
“Please, help me understand the vastness of the great ocean.”
So essentially… he wants to spar with me?
I laughed awkwardly.
“I’m not skilled enough to broaden anyone’s horizons.”
There might be people from the Murim Alliance in this place. Revealing my abilities here would be rather problematic.
Moreover, if he were injured in the process, it would become quite troublesome.
Honestly, I found the whole thing bothersome.
At that moment, the Hunan Provincial Commander spoke.
“Come now, won’t you oblige him?”
“Pardon?”
“The boy has been lingering near Dongjeong Lake, constantly yearning to test himself against stronger opponents….”
Ah, I see what you mean.
Dongjeong Lake is renowned throughout the Central Plains, so many martial artists from outside regions visit it.
If I carelessly provoke a true master there, it would be troublesome.
“I’m counting on you.”
….
When even the Provincial Inspector made such a serious request, I couldn’t refuse.
We rose from our seats and stepped out into the courtyard.
The attendant returned the sword he had been holding to me.
“Then, I’ll be in your care.”
“And I in yours.”
Thus the sparring match began.
Following the ancient customs of the Murim, I agreed to give him a three-count advantage.
Honestly, such courtesies don’t exist in real combat. In actual fighting, the first strike is everything.
The Second Son of Hunan Provincial Commander rushed toward me.
Clang—!
Clang-clang—!
Wait?
This habit of applying greater pressure after the initial blade contact—it was stronger on the follow-through than at first impact.
Yes, this is definitely a habit I know.
Not merely know it—it’s familiar to me, and… I miss it.

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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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