The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 390

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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 390

Chapter 390. Seolpung Palace Was Not Destroyed (2)

I chuckled softly and offered my praise.
“You did well.”
“Kwui?”
“Did you really do well? Yes. You did really well.”
“Kwui. Kwu!”
“Don’t just say it with words—give me silver coins? You’re asking how hard it was?”
“Kwui!”
Ah, so that’s it. Just like Geum-ryeong.
After giving Geum-ryeong a silver coin, he shook his head and wrote numbers on the ground.
Ah, there were many White Blood Pressure Beasts, so he wants three coins?
Yes, I should give them.
I handed the silver coins to Geum-ryeong and looked up at Bing Haerin, Young Palace Master.
“Han Ho-su’s growth is faster than I expected.”
Her embarrassment was plainly visible.
She’s not very skilled at managing her expressions, it seems.
“Indeed. Still, it’s fortunate. If it hadn’t been for that, the damage would have been much worse.”
Fortunately, no one had died.
“Since much blood has been spilled here, it would be better to move a bit and treat the wounded there.”
“I think the same.”
Thus, after moving for about half an hour, we found a suitable location and began treating the wounded in earnest.
In the meantime, I had something I needed to do.
It was to pursue the mysterious Black Robed Person who had been watching us earlier.
“I have something to attend to, so I’ll be stepping away for a moment.”
“Here in the Northern Sea?”
Jin-ho tilted his head in confusion.
Though he’s rather simple-minded, Jin-ho’s instincts are quite sharp.
“What is it? Tell me the truth.”
Seeing him interrogate me as if he’d caught the scent of something suspicious.
“It’s just martial arts training.”
I continued.
“My martial arts are Ice Martial Sect techniques, and their power changes depending on terrain like this Northern Sea. So I’m going to check how different they are.”
I continued.
“I wasn’t able to confirm that earlier, which made things difficult.”
At my words, Bing Haerin, Young Palace Master, nodded in agreement.
“I see. That’s certainly possible.”
With her support, even Jin-ho reluctantly nodded in agreement.
“Well then, have a safe trip.”
“Sure.”
With that, I distanced myself from the group and summoned Geum-ryeong.
“Geum-ryeong. Come out.”
“Squeak!”
At my call, Geum-ryeong emerged from inside my sleeve.
“Did you enjoy the silver I gave you earlier?”
“Squeak!”
“You enjoyed it? Then, you want more silver, don’t you?”
At my words, Geum-ryeong’s eyes sparkled with delight.
“You remember that scent I told you to keep in mind earlier, right? Guide me to where that person is.”

* * *

He had no name.
He had already been processed as a dead man in the world.
For convenience, his superiors simply called him Chu-eo. It was because he resembled a loach.
However, it wasn’t merely because he resembled a loach that he earned this name. His skill at vanishing like a loach after completing any task assigned to him was exceptional.
This was why his superiors had disguised him as a dead man and brought him into their service, promising him vast wealth and martial prowess.
To date, he had undertaken roughly dozens of assignments.
And he had never failed once.
Because of this flawless record, he had been entrusted with a critical mission this time.
Specifically, to create food shortages for the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

“Of course, completely destroying the Northern Sea Ice Palace is difficult. But what if we point the finger at the culprit to the Palace Master of the Ice Palace, who has lost precious disciples because of this?”

In other words, he intended to use the Northern Sea Ice Palace for his own purposes.
He couldn’t completely destroy the Northern Sea Ice Palace, but he planned to create food difficulties and cultivate resentment within them.

“Surely the Palace Master of the Ice Palace will break their silence and emerge. Then it’s only a matter of time before this Murim becomes a sea of blood.”

I don’t know the reason, but it was certain that my superiors wanted chaos in the Martial Arts World.
What they hoped to gain through that chaos, I couldn’t say….
‘I don’t need to know that much.’
I simply had to complete the assigned task and receive my compensation.
I first approached Cho Seok.
And under the guise of teaching him how to take revenge, I incited him.
As expected, Cho Seok immediately hired mercenaries and headed to Liaoning.
To slip away like a loach from the assigned task, it was essential to set up another puppet.
That way, I could pin all the blame on him and slip away cleanly.
Through the fake spirit elixir I provided, Cho Seok created a severe food shortage in the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
Things seemed to be progressing well.
But… a problem arose.
I tried to pass the real spirit elixirs to the Ghost Market auction to erase all evidence….

“What? You’re saying fakes were passed to the Ghost Market auction?”
“Yes. The Ghost Market side is apparently furious about it.”
….

When I heard the news through my contact at the Ghost Market, I realized it.
Things had gone wrong—badly wrong.
If Cho Seok talked about me, it would be catastrophic. Then slipping away like a loach would be impossible.
No matter how much reward in money and martial skill awaited me, my personal safety came first.
I left Liaoning without hesitation, and learned that there was a merchant company moving to help the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
If the provisions they carried reached the Northern Sea Ice Palace, this entire operation would be a complete failure.
Time was short, so I proceeded with the next operation without even time to report to my superiors.
A method I had prepared as a backup in case the first approach failed.
Mobilizing the White Blood Pressure Beasts.
They are ferocious and savage spirit creatures that roam in packs, making them difficult to deal with.
Moreover, with their voracious appetites, they would devour all the provisions.
‘It’s a shame about those provisions, but it can’t be helped.’
I secretly stole one cub from the White Blood Pressure Beast pack and scattered its blood to lure the merchant company into encountering them.
The White Blood Pressure Beasts never retreat before their young’s peril, and become even more savage and ferocious.
Thus the merchant company and the White Blood Pressure Beast pack met, and battle erupted.
I was watching that battle with amusement when… somehow the fighting kept moving closer to where I was.
Eventually, I had no choice but to leave that place.
“I need to see the results….”
It was then, muttering with a troubled expression.
“So it’s you.”
“…!”
At the sudden voice from beside me, I turned my head and flinched in surprise.
Someone wearing a smiling mask was watching me. The mask looked so terrifying that I nearly lost control of my bladder.
“W-who are you? If you’re human, back off! And if you’re a ghost, back off too!”
“Are you startled because you’ve done something wrong? Or are you startled by my appearance?”
“….”
I instinctively drew my sword and swung it toward him.
Whoosh!
But the Smiling Mask Wearer easily dodged my attack and countered.
“Ugh!”
Moreover, the power behind that counterattack was far stronger than I expected.
‘His martial skill surpasses mine! This is going to be more trouble than it’s worth!’
If that was the case, there was only one option.
The thirty-six stratagems—retreat is the best strategy.
‘The thirty-six stratagems say to flee and live to fight another day!’
Bang!
Chu-eo immediately detonated a smoke bomb.
A smoke bomb of his own design, capable of completely obscuring vision within three paces in all directions.
But he didn’t know.
That there wasn’t just one Smiling Mask Wearer, and that they had no difficulty capturing him even with their vision obscured.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
He took a blow to the back of his head and lost consciousness immediately.

* * *

I drew upon my energy and dispersed the smoke that shrouded the area.
Then I approached Seo-woo Warrior, who had subdued the opponent.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Not at all. I was simply doing what needed to be done.”
Of course, I wouldn’t send Jin-ho alone. That’s why I asked Seo-woo Warrior and Jin Yu Warrior to come along before Jin-ho could say anything.
Two people would be more than enough to help.
And thanks to that, I was able to quickly identify the mastermind behind this incident.
“Bind him.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
At my command, the Two Warriors bound him securely. They also removed the poison pellet from his mouth and confiscated every weapon on his body.
Then they dug a hole and buried him up to his neck.
There was enough snow accumulated that they could easily bury his body.
And then,
Crack—!
I slapped his cheek to bring him back to consciousness.
“Gasp!”
“Are you coming to your senses now?”
He seemed to grasp the situation and spewed curses.
“Damn it all….”
“So, where is your superior?”
“I don’t know what you want to hear from me, but I won’t say a single word!”
“Then don’t.”
“What?”
“Honestly, I’m curious about who ordered this… but even your superior probably has a superior above them.”
“….”
His expression confirmed my words.
And I had no intention of pressing further.
If I become a nuisance, they’ll eventually appear before me.
I captured this man because I was concerned that his interference would hinder my journey ahead.
“My question about where your superior was just now was merely to set the mood. Brrr, it’s cold.”
I spoke with a casual tone.
Though truthfully, I wasn’t cold at all.
“Then farewell.”
“What, what? Where are you going?”
“We have our own path to follow.”
“Me, what about me? What am I supposed to do?”
His voice trailed off desperately.
“You said you didn’t want to tell me anything, so I have no reason to dig you out. I was going to extract you if you said anything. Don’t worry. This mountain pass isn’t a route that Spirit Creatures frequent. You won’t have your hair torn out by them.”
I continued speaking.
“Of course, no one travels through here either.”
“So you’re saying I should starve to death or freeze to death!”
“But you’ve learned martial arts, haven’t you? So wouldn’t starvation come first?”
“Ah. This won’t do….”
“Why not?”
I let out a soft chuckle.
“Are you upset because you’re experiencing what you intended to do to the Northern Sea Ice Palace?”
“…!”
His eyes filled with bewilderment at my words.
I pretended not to notice and waved my hand.
“Anyway, that’s how it is. Well then, we’ll be going.”
Just as we were truly about to leave, he cried out desperately.
“S-save me! I’ll t-talk! I’ll answer anything you ask! Please, save me! I’m not meant to die like this!”
There was no need for bloody torture.
Intelligent people understood their situation well enough.
“Well then, who is your superior?”
“Th-that is….”
“If you won’t speak, then don’t waste our time.”
And without hesitation, I turned to leave again.
“Aaahhh! I-I’ll talk! They wear masks when they meet me, so I don’t know who they are! But I’ve definitely seen them before! They have… they have a red leaf-shaped tattoo on the inside of their arms!”
A red leaf-shaped tattoo….
These were people who had orchestrated schemes against the Northern Sea Ice Palace itself. They could certainly be called people of considerable standing.
We had obtained a clue about them.
“And?”
“They seem to intend for the Northern Sea Ice Palace to throw the Martial Arts World into chaos through this incident. I don’t know what they hope to gain from it, but….”
“And?”
“I-I don’t know anything else….”
“Is that so? Then we’ll be taking our leave.”
“Ah, no! I’m sorry! Ah, there is something I know!”
After picking him up and putting him down several times like this, he spilled everything, even the most trivial details.
It seemed he had told us everything he knew.
“Good. Then dig him out.”
At my words, Seo-woo Warrior and Jin Yu Warrior dug him out with their shovels.
Thud!
“Aaahhh!”
“Ah, my apologies.”
There was an unfortunate incident where they struck his body with the shovel, but he finally emerged from the snow.
“Ugh, u-uuuh….”
He trembled from the cold. The inside of the snow might have actually been warmer than outside.
Snow blocks the wind, after all, making it warmer beneath.
However, after being buried, my body had grown stiff, and I couldn’t move well.
“Then let’s go.”
“Uh… where are we going?”
“To the Northern Sea Ice Palace, of course.”
“Hey, that’s not what we agreed on! You said you’d let me go!”
“When did I say that? I said I’d pull you out of the snow, not let you go. Now, let’s move. The Ice Palace disciples are waiting.”
At my words, his face went pale, and he suddenly bolted.
As if that would work.
Thud!
He didn’t even make it a few seconds before being hurled backward.
But it wasn’t us who knocked him down.
“So, who the hell is this bastard?”
Ah…
It was Jin-ho.
“How did you get here?”
“How? Just by looking at your face, I can tell you’re scheming something.”
“Haha.”
“So who the hell is this bastard?”
“The one who starved the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
“What?”
At my words, Jin-ho’s expression turned vicious.
“Say that again. Who did you say this son of a bitch is?”
The harsh language he was using made it clear he hadn’t misheard.
But since I was a good younger brother, I explained it again slowly.
“He’s the one who starved the Northern Sea Ice Palace disciples, your mother-in-law, and your grandmother-in-law. I caught him and got his confession.”
Crack!
Before I could even finish speaking, Jin-ho threw a punch at him.
Crack!
Thud!
Before he even arrived at the Northern Sea Ice Palace, he was being beaten senseless by the enraged Jin-ho.
“Hey, Elder Brother! You can’t kill him, remember?”
“Don’t worry. Ah, now I understand why you told me to use my head and distribute my strength when fighting. You meant I should torment this bastard slowly and thoroughly.”
Uh… no, that’s not what I meant at all.

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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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