The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 428

—————
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 428

Chapter 428. A Risk Factor (4)

Crash!
Moyong Seong-geol hurled his fist against the wall.
Drip, drip.
Blood streamed from his hand, but he seemed oblivious to it as he drove his fist toward the wall again.
Boom!
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it all! How dare you insult me like that?”
As he prepared to strike the wall once more in his fury, an Attendant cautiously called out to him.
“Pardon me, Young Master.”
“What is it?”
“That wall is stone, sir… You’re bleeding.”
“Ahhhhh!”
Only then did Moyong Seong-geol feel the pain, and he cried out while clutching his fist.
“Fetch the Physician at once! The Physician!”
“Before that, you should change your clothes. If the Physician sees you like this….”
“Yi Ik…! What are you doing! Draw the bath water immediately!”
“Yes, yes! Right away!”
And as Moyong Seong-geol submerged himself in the bathwater the Attendant had prepared, he bit his lip.

Several years ago, certain individuals had approached him in secret.
They had proposed making him the House Master of the Moyong Family.
So he had engaged in dealings with them, but the results thus far had been disappointing.

“Show me concrete proof. I need to witness your capabilities before I can be confident that I, the youngest, can become House Master, and only then can we continue our arrangement.”

At his declaration, they deliberated before responding.

“First, we shall remove Mo Yong Tae-gyeol from his position as Small Patriarch.”
“By what means?”
“The sword Akyeong, bestowed upon the Small Patriarch as a mark of trust. What if he were to lose it?”

He accepted the proposal, and they succeeded in stealing Ah-gyeong.
When Mo Yong Tae-gyeol realized Ah-gyeong had vanished, he grew restless, and I found his distress quite entertaining to observe.
Then, at an official gathering of the family’s senior members, I revealed this fact.
However, the situation unfolded in an unexpected direction.

“I cannot fathom why Moyong Seong-geol harbors such a misunderstanding, but Ah-gyeong is naturally being kept safe. Is it not a precious blade bestowed by Grandfather?”

And the sword brought from the quarters was unmistakably Ah-gyeong.
It was impossible.
They had clearly stated they spirited away Ah-gyeong and handed it over to the Guimae Antique Shop.
When I protested this to them, they became even more flustered.

“That… that was merely because the matter did not proceed smoothly. There will be no mistakes next time.”
“Should you fail even once more, I shall place no trust in you.”
“Understood. I hear there is a person named Eun Seo-ho among those visiting the Moyong Family this time. Please ascertain his precise martial prowess.”

Upon receiving that request, I orchestrated this affair.
My father is a Peak Martial Artist.
Believing he could discern the abilities of Eun Seo-ho, who is known to be at the Peak realm, I incited Mo Yong Jun-gyeol.
As I anticipated, the irritated Eun Seo-ho subdued Mo Yong Jun-gyeol in an instant.
It was only natural that my father would step forward personally to cross blades.
I had been diligently encouraging the Small Patriarch, my father, to become curious about Eun Seo-ho’s swordsmanship.
My father is one who acts before he speaks.
Since Eun Seo-ho had not properly demonstrated his sword technique, it was only natural for my father to request a martial duel to verify it directly.
But…
Crack!
Because of the Small Patriarch Mo Yong Tae-gyeol, my entire plan had crumbled.
‘What on earth happened? It is as though a different person emerged overnight.’
Until then, he had been a transparent person whose every thought was revealed in his expression and words.
That is why it was easy to discern his true intentions.
But today, it was difficult to read anything from his expression and speech.
Moreover, he even cleverly turned my own attacks to his advantage, creating a situation favorable to himself.
It felt as though a crack had formed in my grand ambition to drive him out and become the Small Patriarch.
And when I, without realizing it, collapsed to the ground and soiled myself during the martial duel with Eun Seo-ho today…
My grand ambition shattered completely.
The expressions of disappointment on my father’s and mother’s faces still had not faded from my mind.
Moreover, when I thought of the rumors that would spread among the household members…
I sharpened the blade of vengeance against those who had humiliated me.
As he finished bathing and changed into fresh clothes, an attendant spoke.
“Young Master, I have just heard that last night the Small Patriarch and Seon Hyeop Mi-rang, the Great Hero, met at Imil Garden.”
“From Imil Garden?”
“Yes. There must have been some sort of transaction between them, wouldn’t you say? In other words, I believe Seon Hyeop Mi-rang’s humiliation of you today was intentional.”
“I see. So that’s how it was.”
He ground his teeth and pondered deeply before a clever scheme came to mind.

* * *

The banquet ended quite late into the evening.
The House Master of the Moyong Family was moving to the inner quarters with the family members who had attended the banquet.
However, the Second Wife, Mo Yong Jun-gyeol, and Mo Yong Seong-geol were not with them.
Mo Yong Seong-geol had not returned, and the Second Wife and Mo Yong Jun-gyeol had risen first, saying they would comfort him.
As everyone walked quietly, the House Master opened his mouth.
“Yeon-gyeol.”
“Yes, Father.”
“What do you think of Seon Hyeop Mi-rang?”
“Pardon?”
Mo Yong Yeon-gyeol asked back with surprised eyes.
“I’m not sure what Father is asking of me.”
“I’m asking if she would make a suitable husband for you.”
At that question, her face flushed crimson in an instant, and she hung her head low.
At her reaction, the House Master laughed heartily.
“So you don’t dislike the idea!”
The House Master continued with a pleased expression.
“He certainly proved capable. The way he punished those who sought to trouble him while showing mercy to others—that was truly the mark of a genuine hero of the martial world.”
As a peak martial artist, he could not have failed to hear his two sons whispering to each other.
‘Tsk, tsk. They wouldn’t have attempted such a thing if they understood the senses of a peak warrior.’
Thus, he suppressed the two sons who had conspired together with mere pressure alone, and made Mo Yong Seong-geol appear particularly pathetic.
But it was different when facing his eldest son and eldest daughter.
He had faced them with genuine intent.
Moreover, he had even recommended a suitable weapon for his eldest daughter.
“We can become the backing in the martial world that Seon Hyeop Mi-rang lacks, so it would not be a bad proposal for him either.”
At those words, Mo Yong Tae-gyeol carefully expressed his view.
“Of course that is true, but I still believe we should ask for his own will before proceeding.”
“That goes without saying. So what do you think?”
“I also think it is not a bad matter.”
“Then, tomorrow, you should ask about his intentions. Since you met at Imil Garden, it won’t be awkward to ask about this.”
The House Master already knew about the meeting between his eldest son and Eun Seo-ho.
Mo Yong Tae-gyeol was not flustered that the House Master knew this fact, and simply nodded willingly.
“Understood.”
The House Master looked at Mo Yong Tae-gyeol and smiled contentedly to himself.
Unlike before, he looked like a small young snake that had wandered into the wrong place.
So I felt somewhat reassured.
Though I had made him the Small Patriarch because he was the Elder Son and possessed the greatest talent in martial arts, I had been endlessly anxious about him.
The Murim is a snake pit teeming with vipers.
What survives in such a snake pit is another snake.
But the Elder Son I saw was like a frog that had wandered into a snake pit by mistake.
So I had been worrying about this until now—but today at the banquet, he showed me something remarkable.
The way he gently restrained himself from following Fourth’s lead and instead drew Fourth along with him.
‘He has grown! How admirable!’
And I was even more grateful knowing that Eun Seo-ho was involved in the Elder Son’s growth.
In fact, I already knew that Fourth was forming connections with suspicious groups.
I was simply following Fourth’s lead to discover what they were after.
Moyong Jin.
He too was a viper, after all.

* * *

The next day.
I performed my morning breathing exercises and quietly cultivated in my chamber.
After breakfast, I had tea with Bok Yun Sub-leader.
He looked at me and let out a sigh of admiration.
“I was quite shocked last evening.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you saved me at the gathering, I realized you were remarkable, but during yesterday’s martial contest with the Four Young Dragons of the Moyong Family, I was utterly astounded.”
I scratched the back of my neck.
“You don’t need to praise me so highly.”
“If I face difficulties with the Murim in the future, I should seek help from the Eun Small Merchant Leader.”
“I’m quite expensive, you know.”
“But you’re worth the price, aren’t you? Besides, you’re my old friend—couldn’t you give me a discount?”
“The closer you are to someone, the more precise your accounts should be, don’t you think? Ha ha ha.”
We exchanged such light-hearted banter with substance and returned to our tea.
Bok Yun Sub-leader’s expression grew serious.
“I’ve heard that the Eun Small Merchant Leader has reached the Peak realm. Wouldn’t that earn you quite favorable treatment even in the Murim? So why do you remain with the merchant guild?”
It was a question worth asking for someone of Bok Sub-leader’s caliber.
But my answer was quite simple.
“It’s because I am a merchant.”
“Pardon?”
“I love money. As you know, if a White Path martial artist openly pursues wealth, they face ridicule.”
“Mm, that’s true.”
So rather than engage in business directly within the Murim Alliance, I created the Baekcheon Trading Company to earn money.
Yet pretending to be noble… tsk.
They love money themselves, yet they curse merchants for being greedy. It’s infuriating.
“And the place where I can fully demonstrate my abilities is also the Merchant Guild.”
He nodded at my words.
He must have heard plenty about my accomplishments.
“There are various reasons, but the most important one is, as I mentioned earlier…”
I smiled and pointed to myself with my thumb.
“Because I am a merchant. Isn’t it natural for a merchant to be in a merchant guild?”
Bok Yun Sub-leader burst into laughter at my words.
“Hahaha! That’s right. A wise answer to a foolish question!”
We exchanged various conversations with each other.
Didn’t someone once say it?
The fastest way to reach your destination is to travel with someone whose heart aligns with yours.
Of course, in terms of actual time, that’s not necessarily true, but subjectively, time passes in a flash.
I’m experiencing something similar right now.
Perhaps because Bok Yun Sub-leader is an old friend whose heart aligns with mine, lunchtime arrived in what felt like an instant.
Over lunch, we discussed the schedule ahead.
“Then, we’ll depart tomorrow morning.”
“Understood. I’ll leave the Gwangjun Trading Company the very next day. I apologize for the tight schedule.”
“Of course. You’ve already spent considerable time because of me.”

After lunch.
While I was strolling around the area, someone came looking for me.
“I am a Guard Warrior serving Small Patriarch Mo Yong Tae-gyeol. The Small Patriarch is looking for you.”
“You mean me?”
“Yes.”
But for some reason, he looked slightly anxious. Why?
Moreover, it was strange that a Guard Warrior came instead of the attendant who had come before.
I immediately understood what was happening.
The one seeking me out was not Small Patriarch Mo Yong Tae-gyeol.
Moyong Seong-geol was seeking revenge for the humiliation I gave him at yesterday’s banquet!
I’d been waiting to see when he’d make his move, but it’s faster than I expected.
I didn’t think he’d come out the very next day.
I know it’s a trap, so I shouldn’t go, but there were many eyes watching me.
Is he deliberately choosing a time when many people are watching, knowing that refusing a Small Patriarch’s invitation would be troublesome?
“Understood.”
I rose from my seat and followed him.
The place he led me to was Imil Garden, which I had visited before.
“From here on, only invited guests may enter.”
I turned back and spoke to the Guard Warriors.
“Please wait a moment.”
“Understood.”
I followed the Guard Warrior who had guided me and entered Imil Garden.
Step, step.
After walking a short distance, he suddenly spoke to me in a flustered voice.
“Ah! I just remembered—the Small Patriarch asked me to bring something. Please go ahead.”
“Pardon?”
“I heard you’ve been here before. Just follow the path where the fallen leaves have been cleared.”
The entrance to this place was clearly marked.
Only the passage lacked fallen leaves.
“Understood.”
I nodded obediently, and the Warrior hurried away.
I tilted my head in confusion and followed the path without fallen leaves.
What method could he possibly be using to trick me?
Pondering this, I arrived at the Inner Chamber, but no one was there.
Well, he told me to wait, so sitting should be fine.
As I sat and thought about it, I realized something was amiss. The path I had walked was slightly different from before.
The straight path I had taken previously was now curved.
Could it be…?
The words of the Attendant who had guided me before came to mind.

“Formation arrays are installed throughout, causing one to wander the maze eternally.”

My entire body erupted in goosebumps.
What? So they deliberately disguised a non-path as a path to make me fall into the formation array?
Now I understood why no one was here. There was no reason for anyone to wait when I would be trapped in the formation array and unable to arrive.
Moyong Seong-geol—he was far more contemptible than I thought.
I made a decision.
Since it had come to this, I would send him off properly.
But… something’s odd.
The fact that I arrived here safely means the formation array never activated.
Was there even a formation array?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————