The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 422
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
The Youngest Son of the Eun Hae Trading Company Chapter 422
Chapter 422. An Old Friend’s Wedding (1)
Shortly after, as dawn began to break, Bok Deok Haengsu and his party arrived alongside Palgap.
“You’ve arrived?”
“What in the world… What is the meaning of this?”
It made sense for him to be bewildered—the horses they had lost were gathered here, and the Black Dot Gang members were bound and forced to kneel beside them.
“These are the ones who orchestrated this incident.”
“What?”
“They deliberately falsified the tracks to prevent pursuit of the escaped horses.”
“You mean….”
Bok Deok Haengsu quickly grasped my meaning.
“Are you saying they deliberately let the horses escape?”
As I nodded, he erupted in fury and questioned me.
“What was their purpose? What possible reason could they have for such an act!”
“They claim they were hired to do it.”
I had already completed the interrogation before Bok Deok Haengsu arrived.
Thus, the Peak Martial Artist who led them was groaning from the sword wounds I had inflicted.
“Hired… By whom?”
“They say it was the Sambu Merchant Group.”
“That place… Surely they went bankrupt?”
I resolved that question as well.
“They certainly did go bankrupt, but since this merchant group was established by former Black Path members, they proved remarkably tenacious. It seems they scraped together whatever money they could to hire this job.”
“Damn them!”
“Those filthy wretches!”
“We were relieved not to see their despicable deeds anymore! And they pull something like this…!”
Naturally, Bok Deok Haengsu and his party were enraged.
“At least we’ve recovered the horses, so that’s fortunate. Let’s transport these men immediately.”
“Understood.”
“And it would be wise to send a messenger ahead to inform them of this matter.”
Bok Deok Haengsu nodded and dispatched someone.
In the meantime, we prepared to transport the Black Dot Gang members.
Then Bok Deok Haengsu tilted his head in confusion.
“But what about those horses in the back?”
“Ah, those horses are….”
“Gasp!”
Bok Deok Haengsu was so startled he nearly fell backward before I could even finish my answer.
He seemed to recognize its identity.
“You recognize it, then.”
“Of course I do! After all these years tending horses here in Liaoning, how could I fail to recognize a Zhujiang horse?”
He clasped his hands together as he spoke.
“Among the horse handlers of Liaoning, there’s a saying that if you see a Zhujiang horse, your wishes come true. And to see them like this… ten of them, no less…”
Zhujiang horses possessed such keen senses that they would flee like arrows the moment they detected a person’s presence.
Because even catching sight of them was so difficult, legends like that naturally arose.
“But why are these Zhujiang horses here?”
“Thanks to these Zhujiang horses, those men couldn’t take the horses with them. The Zhujiang horses interfered with them.”
“You’ve received a great favor from the Zhujiang horses.”
He bowed deeply before the Zhujiang horses, and seeing this, they raised their heads proudly.
Whinnying!
Then came a small sound.
“Kwei?”
At that sound, the Zhujiang horses quickly lowered their heads. Watching this, I laughed inwardly and spoke.
“And the Zhujiang horses have agreed to follow me.”
“Really?”
“In any case, let’s go.”
“Ah. Yes.”
Thus we safely found forty horses and headed toward Gwangjun Trading Company.
Since we had to escort the Black Path members, our pace was necessarily slower than on the way here.
And we had to manage forty horses as well.
Leading horses without riding them is ordinarily not an easy task.
But this time it was different.
“Huh… the horses are moving this docilely?”
“It’s remarkable.”
That was possible thanks to the ten Zhujiang horses.
Since horses are herd animals, they readily obey the one who serves as their leader.
And we had the Zhujiang horses following me.
Especially with the lead Zhujiang horse maintaining perfect order, the other horses didn’t dare to bolt or act recklessly.
Thanks to this, though our pace was somewhat slower, we were able to return quite comfortably.
When we returned to the Gwangjun Trading Company’s horse ranch, Bok Yun Sub-leader was already waiting outside, having apparently received advance notice.
And just behind him, Seo-woo Warrior was providing excellent escort.
I quickly dismounted and approached Bok Yun Sub-leader.
“Why are you here when you should be preparing for the wedding?”
He shook his head, his eyes gleaming as he spoke.
“I heard the horses had been recovered—how could I not come out? And you even caught the culprit. I’m truly, truly grateful.”
“Isn’t it my duty as your friend? Of course I helped with what I could.”
“Regardless, I’m deeply grateful.”
Bok Yun Sub-leader continued expressing his thanks.
He tilted his head as he looked at the horses behind me.
“Hmm? Those horses are…?”
His reaction was not much different from Bok Deok Haengsu’s.
“Gasp! Are those Zhu Jiang Horses?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Good heavens! To see Zhu Jiang Horses with my own eyes! It seems my wish is finally coming true.”
I smiled and asked at his words.
“What wish is that, Bok Sub-leader?”
“For our trading company to rank among the top fifty merchants in the Realm.”
“That wish will come true.”
I said so and led one of the ten horses forward.
“Do you like this horse?”
Startled by my words, he blinked his eyes repeatedly.
I extended the horse’s reins and spoke.
“This is my wedding gift to you.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Truth be told, I did bring tea as a wedding gift, but… since tea is being overused at the moment, it didn’t seem like an appropriate gift. It seems heaven heard my concerns.”
At my words, Bok Yun Sub-leader seemed quite shocked and stammered.
“I, truly, that is to say…”
“Yes, this is my gift.”
Giving peaches to someone who raises peaches is rather dull, but if those peaches are celestial peaches, that’s another matter entirely.
The Zhu Jiang Horse is nothing less than a celestial peach to Bok Sub-leader.
“This Zhu Jiang Horse has also agreed. You need only feed it well and let it rest comfortably.”
“Ah, I understand. I will do so.”
His eyes glistened with tears once more.
“I’ve recovered my lost horses and received such a precious gift—truly, this is the finest day.”
“You’re not actually crying, are you? If you cry before the wedding, you’ll end up with swollen eyes during the ceremony, and I cannot allow that as your friend.”
“Ha ha ha. I understand.”
We left the horses at the ranch and returned to the Gwangjun Trading Company Headquarters, where we sought out the Merchant Guild Leader.
As he listened to our complete report, the Merchant Guild Leader’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
“If they haven’t come to their senses yet, then we shall help them do so.”
And with that, he issued an order to summon the guests.
We emerged from the office, and Bok Yun Sub-leader swallowed hard.
“What troubles you?”
“I’ve never seen Father look so terrifying.”
“Ah….”
The Sambu Merchant Group was in serious trouble now.
Well, it’s not my concern.
They’ve brought this upon themselves.
With such thoughts, I returned to my quarters only to find a servant bound and restrained.
“What is the meaning of this?”
In response to my question, the Jin Yu Warrior explained the situation.
“This man was transmitting information about the Inner Quarters to the outside.”
So he was a rat, then.
I approached him and asked.
“Tell me—to whom did you relay this information?”
“That, that is….”
“To the Sambu Merchant Group?”
At my question, the servant’s eyes widened. A direct hit.
I spoke to Palgap.
“Go to the Sub-leader at once and tell him we’ve caught a rat here.”
It was wise that I’d sent the two warriors to the Gwangjun Trading Company beforehand.
.
.
.
The next morning.
Palgap informed me that the Gwangjun Trading Company’s martial forces had moved covertly throughout the previous night.
I hope they’ve rooted out the problem completely this time.
After several days had passed, the wedding day of Bok Yun Sub-leader finally arrived.
“You’ll wear this.”
The maidservant assigned to me brought ceremonial robes, and they were the same crimson color as the groom’s.
The groom and bride wear crimson robes.
Therefore, guests never attended the banquet in crimson clothing.
Yet here I was, given such resplendent crimson garments!
Wasn’t this as good as announcing to everyone that I was the groom’s sworn brother?
“How do you like it? Isn’t it magnificent? By wearing this, all the guests will know that the Eun Small Merchant Leader is the sworn brother of our Sub-leader.”
Ah….
So it truly was meant to announce it to everyone.
“But do we really need to announce it to everyone like that?”
“I’m not sure what you mean, sir….”
“I was thinking that if someone named Jin-u from the Bok family seeks revenge and harms even Yun-i out of fear, it would become difficult to look after Jin-u’s family. So I thought it might be better to keep the identity hidden.”
The maidservant answered my question.
“Ah, I see how you might think that way. However, Jin-u has no obligation to seek revenge, so you needn’t worry about that aspect.”
“I see.”
“And Jin-u’s purpose is not primarily about revenge. This ceremonial robe is meant to elevate Jin-u’s status.”
It means treating him like a benefactor to our family.
It also conveys that we should not treat Jin-u with neglect.
“Furthermore, it is to clearly establish to the bride and her family what Jin-u represents.”
I nodded in understanding.
There’s a reason for everything.
“Then, I shall help you put on the ceremonial robe.”
With the help of the maidservant and Palgap, I donned the ceremonial robe.
“Mm?”
“What? Why are you making such strange sounds?”
At my question, Palgap nodded with a pleased expression.
“Indeed, Young Master looks magnificent.”
“I do look rather splendid, don’t I.”
I left my quarters and headed toward the carriage station.
It was time to go fetch the bride.
“Let us depart now.”
“Yes, sir.”
I rode alongside the groom on horseback. Behind us, an ornate carriage followed.
Normally the groom should ride in the carriage, but Bok Yun Sub-leader suffers quite severely from carriage sickness.
It didn’t take long to reach the bride’s residence.
Perhaps an hour or two?
Having ridden thus, we arrived at the bride’s house.
“Oh my! They’ve arrived! They’re here!”
“How tall and handsome!”
“My goodness!”
Hearing the murmurs of the people, we dismounted from our horses.
And we entered, welcomed warmly by the household members.
Then a plaque caught my eye.
[Yuseong Sect.]
Seeing it, my heart stirred with peculiar emotion.
For I knew of this Yuseong Sect, and I also knew of the woman who would become Bok Yun Sub-leader’s wife.
Yuseong Sect is a place that takes the Yuseong Sword—conceived from the meteors of heaven—as its foundation.
Since this place is situated where the stars are exceptionally visible, it was perhaps natural that martial techniques inspired by the stars would be developed here.
The Yuseong Sword is a martial technique of extreme swiftness and ferocity, more formidable than one might expect.
At the upcoming Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, people would have focused their attention on the Yuseong Sect’s sword technique.
All because of the Yuseong Sect Leader’s Eldest Daughter, who would become a bride that very day.
But that incident was merely the prelude to a tragedy that would befall her and the Yuseong Sect.
From that point on, she began to make a name for herself, and eventually married a member of the Moyong Clan, arranged by the Murim Alliance Leader.
Yet within merely five years, she took her own life.
Two years after that, the Yuseong Sect was destroyed for the crime of conspiring with the Black Path to enslave villagers from nearby settlements and sell them.
And the most absurd thing happened afterward.
A sword technique remarkably similar to the Yuseong Sect’s began to be transmitted to the Moyong Clan, who had married the Eldest Daughter.
But such tragedy will not occur now.
The Yuseong Sect Leader’s Eldest Daughter, who would have brought fame to the sect, is instead marrying Bok Yun Sub-leader, whom I saved, and will not participate in the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament.
And the Small Patriarch of the Moyong Clan has not changed either.
These are the futures I have altered.
I did the right thing, didn’t I?
We first approached my father-in-law and mother-in-law.
“Father-in-law and Mother-in-law, I, Bok Yun, offer my respects.”
Bok Yun Sub-leader bowed respectfully before the elders.
“Welcome, welcome.”
“Our daughter—please treat her well going forward….”
“Have no concerns. I stake my name and fortune upon it, and I shall certainly do so.”
The father-in-law looked slightly taken aback by those words.
“Hmm.”
I quickly offered an explanation.
“To a merchant, money is like martial prowess to a warrior.”
“Ah, I see.”
The Yuseong Sect Leader set aside his confusion and looked at me.
“So you are my son-in-law’s sworn brother. But… your face seems familiar somehow?”
“This is our first meeting. I am Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master of the Eun Hae Trading Company.”
“Eun Seo-ho, you say… Oh! You are Seon Hyeop Mi-rang!”
He… knows of me?
“I witnessed your exploits firsthand at the last Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament.”
He had even seen me in person!
“I am honored.”
As my title was mentioned, the way people looked at me changed.
And no wonder—most of those gathered here were martial artists.
To warriors, heroes are objects of admiration.
“That you are my son-in-law’s sworn brother is most reassuring indeed. Then allow me to introduce the members of our family.”
The Yuseong Sect Leader rose from his seat and introduced each person one by one.
“This is my mother.”
I exchanged greetings with my grandmother-in-law, and he introduced the man beside her.
“This is my second brother.”
We exchanged greetings with him.
“By the way, it seems my Second Brother’s wife and child haven’t arrived yet.”
“They should be here soon, Elder Brother. Gyeong-i ate dinner late today.”
“Ah, I see. Please forgive the delay.”
“Well, isn’t that just how children are? I understand completely.”
“Thank you.”
The Sect Master glanced around as he spoke.
“Hmm? Yu Seok, where has this fellow gone off to?”
Just then, I heard the sound of someone running toward us.
“I’m so sorry! Forgive my tardiness!”
I blinked at the sight of the young man rushing over.
His face seemed familiar somehow…
Ah!
It was the young man from the inn I’d visited when I first entered Liaoning—the one who’d mistaken me for a kidnapper.
And it seemed he recognized me too, for he froze in place.
What kind of coincidence is this?
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————