The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 4

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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 4

Chapter 4. Fifteen Again (4)

Palgap nodded in response to my question.
“Yes. I can see it.”
“Do you see that transparent thing hanging from the third branch below it?”
Fortunately, Palgap’s eyesight was sharp enough that he quickly recognized the object’s existence.
“Huh? You mean that transparent thing? What is it?”
“I’ll explain later—just go pick it for me!”
Palgap, bewildered and without understanding, rushed over and plucked the fruit.
“Here it is.”
I took it from him and spoke.
“This must remain absolutely secret.”
“Yes? But what exactly is this that requires such secrecy?”
“An elixir of immortality.”
At my words, Palgap’s eyes widened in shock as he repeated after me.
“What?”
I placed my index finger to my lips, and he nodded in understanding.
If there was anyone I could trust, it was Palgap.

In the future, when Palgap had grown old, I gave him a house, land, and money, telling him to spend his remaining years in comfort.
Yet Palgap served me faithfully until the very end.
When the Baekcheon Trading Company launched their assault, he died protecting me.
How could I ever forget the sight of him, even as life drained from his body, urging me to flee and assuring me he would be fine?
If I were to doubt Palgap after witnessing his death and returning to this moment, I would be the greatest fool and scoundrel in all the Realm.
Silently, I spoke to him in my heart.
‘So this time, don’t die for me.’

Soon the Guard Warrior returned.
“There was nothing. It seems it was just a wild beast hiding in the mountains.”
“That’s a relief. Let’s head back then.”
“Will you be able to walk?”
“I rested for a bit, and I feel better now.”
.
.
.
We managed to return to the Merchant Guild Headquarters without delay.
After washing off the snow from the mountain, I headed to the Dining Hall to eat breakfast.
A space in the corner of the Dining Hall created separately for our family.
It looked exactly as I remembered it.
A crimson circular dining table.
And six chairs arranged around it.
Seats for my grandfather, my parents, my two brothers, and myself.
The number of chairs had increased and decreased over time.
I arrived at the Dining Hall a bit early on purpose.
I wanted to touch this table and each of these chairs with my own hands, the ones where my family had sat.
I reached out my hand.
My fingertips trembled.
Touch.
Soon the chairs met my hand.
The future I had experienced and the nightmare I had dreamed last night continued to speak to me now.
Grow stronger to protect this happiness.
I would do exactly that.
As I made this resolve, I heard footsteps.
“You’re here early.”
I turned around and froze in place.
It was Second Brother.
Second Brother alive and standing before me. The fact moved me deeply.
“Huh? Why do you have that look on your face, like you’ve seen a ghost?”
“I…”
At Second Brother Eun Jin-ho’s words, I realized what expression I had been wearing.
“Are you still feeling unwell?”
At that voice, I turned my head. It was Elder Brother Eun Jung-ho.
I swallowed hard before the concerned gazes of both brothers and steadied myself before speaking.
“No, I took a walk up the Back Mountain early this morning and I’m just tired from it.”
“A walk?”
“It must have been cold with all that snow?”
“They say climbing the mountain at dawn makes you healthier.”
“Ah….”
“So that’s how it was.”
Just then, my father, mother, and grandfather entered the Dining Hall.
My grandfather’s name was Eun Ji-bong.
Despite his white hair, his eyes still gleamed with vitality.
My father, Eun Gil-sang.
And my mother, who loved orchids and was called Lady Nanhwa.
“Everyone, be seated.”
At my grandfather’s words, we each took our seats, and the servants began arranging food on the table.
‘Mung bean porridge today.’
This was my first family meal since returning.
Seeing it, a sudden memory surfaced—my final memory.
‘They said they had prepared a celebratory feast for me….’
But I never made it there.
And I could only imagine what had become of my family.
Crunch.
My fist clenched without my realizing it.
‘Never, never again will I lose them in this lifetime.’
.
.
.
After breakfast, I returned to my room and sat before the table.
Now I had to begin consuming the spiritual elixir in earnest.
From what I remembered, after consuming the spiritual elixir, I needed to practice the cultivation technique for at least three hours.
Only then could I digest the elixir’s essence.
Of course, complete absorption would require several more days, but with five days of leave, there was no problem.
As long as nothing unexpected occurred while I consumed the elixir and regulated my energy through cultivation.
That was why I needed someone to stand guard.
If someone were to disturb me during cultivation, my vital channels would reverse, and I would fall into demonic possession.
In the future, the family’s Guard Warriors, acting under my father’s orders, had stood watch for me.
But now, I could not expect that.
I would need to explain everything to my father, but where would I even begin?
In the end, there was only one person I could ask to stand guard.
I called for Palgap.
“Palgap!”
At my call, Palgap opened the door and entered.
“Yes, Young Master. You called for me?”
“I’m going to lock the door now and won’t be leaving this room.”
At my words, the quick-witted Palgap grasped my intention.
“Could it be that you’re about to consume what you obtained this morning?”
“That’s right.”
“Are you certain, young master? I confess, I have my doubts.”
I answered Palgap’s worried words with firm resolve.
“Yes. If I’m to survive, I must consume it without fail.”
“….”
Despite my resolute tone, Palgap did not avert his gaze.
He would not let the matter rest without an explanation.
I retrieved the story I had prepared.
“The truth is, an Immortal Sage appeared to me in a dream.”
“What? An Immortal Sage?”
“Yes, and he commanded me to consume it and practice the meditation technique. He said my frequent ailments are omens of an early death.”
I continued.
“So he revealed to me both the location of the elixir that would save my life and the meditation technique I must perform after consuming it.”
“Is that truly so?”
“Think about it. How else could I have found it so easily?”
“Now that you mention it, that does make sense.”
Only then did Palgap nod his head.
Even to Palgap, whose loyalty ran deep, I could not reveal that I had returned from the future.
Not only did I not yet understand the reason myself, but I had no way of knowing what effect such knowledge might have upon him.
Besides, it would be difficult for him to believe.
Palgap asked.
“Then why did you not inform the Trading Company Master?”
“The Immortal Sage who appeared in my dream was most emphatic—keep it secret at all costs. If word leaks out, a great bloodbath will ensue.”
“A, a bloodbath?”
At the mention of bloodbath, Palgap tensed and swallowed hard.
“Such a remarkable elixir would draw the attention of brigands and cutthroats.”
“Ah….”
“If Father and the family learned of it, the secret would surely spread.”
Palgap nodded in agreement.
He likely understood the brigands I mentioned to be those of the dark path, but in truth, my reference encompassed both dark and light path figures.
It was something that had actually occurred in the future I experienced.
And while my warning of bloodshed was partly a pretext, it was also the genuine reason.
If the existence of the Jade Plum Fruit became known, and if it became known that I had consumed it, the Eunhae Trading Company would bear the full brunt of that bloodbath.
“Is that why you were so cautious?”
“Yes.”
“But why did you tell me….”
I smiled faintly and answered.
“Because you are the person I trust most after my family.”
At my words, Palgap’s eyes grew moist with emotion.
“Ahem! Young master, you had it all planned out. An Immortal Sage, no less! It must be the karmic merit accumulated by the late Lady Nanhwa.”
Now that I think about it, my late Grandmother used to help many poor and struggling people.
“In any case, before I open this door and leave, absolutely no one is to enter, and you must not let anyone inside.”
“Understood, sir. I won’t let even a single ant pass through.”
Palgap left with a determined expression, and I locked the door just to be safe.
Then I sat down in the middle of the room in a cross-legged position.
“Sigh—”
I exhaled deeply and closed my eyes.
Then, drawing upon my memories, I calmly began to circulate the heart method.
The Ten Thousand Qi Grand Net Heart Method.
It was the heart method that Black Flute Physician had taught me in the future I had experienced.
True to its name as a net that confined all vital energy, this method possessed the function of ensuring that all qi entering my body was absorbed without loss, remaining entirely within me.
Moreover, it did not conflict with other heart methods.
This was because it applied only to specific types of qi that entered the body.
‘My memory is intact.’
After stopping my qi circulation, I retrieved the Crystalline Frost Plum Fruit that I had hidden in the secret space beneath the bed.
It still radiated a brilliant, transparent blue light.
“Sigh—”
I took another deep breath and placed it in my mouth.
‘What?’
I was startled.
If what I had just placed in my mouth were not the Crystalline Frost Plum Fruit, I would have sworn I had put ice in my mouth.
It was that cold.
And the moment it entered my mouth, it dissolved away.
A subtle plum fragrance lingered within my mouth.
I straightened my posture and closed my eyes.
Then I began the heart method again.
“….”
Gradually, I began to sense the energy of the spirit medicine.
A chill that transcended mere coldness—a piercing, numbing sensation.
‘This is strange.’
It was different from when I had consumed spirit medicine and circulated the heart method before.
Back then, it had been bearable.
But now it was not.
‘Something is wrong. Is it this cold?’
The numbing energy began to constrict around my heart.
The chill burrowed into every joint of my bones, and my entire body began to tremble.
The pain intensified gradually, but I observed the situation calmly.
Just as I had always become composed whenever panic or anger threatened to overtake me.
‘The heart method is not flawed. Then….’
The only thing that could be problematic was the Crystalline Frost Plum Fruit.
The only difference between then and now is the elixir I consumed.
The elixir I had taken in the future was called the Cold Spirit Ten Herbs.
It resembled grass in appearance, but possessed an overall white hue.
‘Now that I think about it… the Cold Spirit Ten Herbs granted ten years of inner energy, didn’t it?’
And Black Flute Physician had said that would be sufficient.
A single Jade Frost Plum Blossom Seed could grant sixty years of inner energy.
‘Damn it. I consumed such a precious elixir, and it’s become a curse.’
It was utterly absurd.
I had obtained a greater fortune, yet it had become my undoing.
A portion of the spiritual essence had been safely absorbed into my body, but the majority remained unabsorbed, wandering chaotically within me.
Moreover, because of the Myriad Qi Grand Luo Heart Method, the remaining energy could not escape my body.
Cold sweat drenched my back.
At this rate, death was certain.
‘I cannot die like this… I cannot die like this.’
I had to strike a decisive blow against the Baekcheon Trading Company and the Murim Alliance, who had trampled upon myself, my family, and the Eunhae Trading Company.
Furthermore, if I died now, how devastated would my family be, and how grief-stricken would Palgap become?
I didn’t need to contemplate that to know the answer.
I calmed my emotions and organized my thoughts with clarity.
‘Gathering the remaining essence of the Jade Frost Plum Blossom Seed in my dantian is the best method…’
Martial artists accumulate inner energy in their dantian through cultivation methods.
However, the Myriad Qi Grand Luo Heart Method is not a cultivation method, so it does not follow the Microcosmic Orbit.
The purpose of the Myriad Qi Grand Luo Heart Method is not to accumulate the elixir’s essence in the dantian, but to have the body itself absorb that essence.
The original plan was to strengthen my body through the elixir first, then slowly accumulate inner energy.
Building inner energy with a sickly body could have caused problems.
And at that time, not a single trace of the Cold Spirit Ten Herbs’ essence remained unused—it was all consumed, so there were no issues.
But now, that was not the case.
I recalled a single cultivation method I knew.
‘Since it’s come to this, I have no choice. Let me try.’
Normally, I shouldn’t do this, but I had no other option.
Especially not with a body still incomplete and lacking a foundation of inner energy.
This body’s meridians were not yet properly opened, and it remained frail.
It was like a massive river forcing its way through a gap sealed by boulders.
What would happen to my body in the process was obvious.
Yet this was my only remaining option.
Come what may, I had to attempt it.
The moment I resolved myself, something unexpected occurred.
‘What?’
A tremendous force began to stir.
A force I hadn’t even known existed within me.
The instant that force moved, I instinctively grasped what it was.
‘Is this… Hyun Ryong?’
I had thought the Black Flute Physician was speaking metaphorically, but what I felt now was the genuine Hyun Ryong.
Hyun Ryong devoured every trace of the Cyan Ice Snow Plum’s essence that I had swallowed.
Yet the movements that followed were strange.

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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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