The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 433

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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 Eun Hae Trading Company Chapter 433

Chapter 433. Maternal Grandfather’s House (2)

In my past life, the Murim Alliance somehow managed to seize the initiative in this crisis.
However, they merely took control—they did not enter the arsenal alone.
Thus, while they could be the first to enter, the casualties were proportionally severe.
Despite the arsenal being constructed by monks, it was equipped with vicious mechanical traps.
But there was nothing left inside.
Well, there was something.
What appeared to be the corpse of the Blood Kun Saint Sage, sitting in lotus position and having entered nirvana.
Those who were furious tore through the place like searching for lice, but could they find what wasn’t there?
In any case, it must have been maddening for the Murim Alliance.
They suffered the greatest losses yet gained nothing, and still had to pay the promised compensation.
Now that I think about it, there is one silver lining to going to Gansu Province.
I get to witness the Murim Alliance’s frustration firsthand.
“Eek! Young Master! Why are you suddenly laughing like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“That was quite a sinister laugh just now. It seemed like you were savoring someone else’s misfortune…”
How did he notice?
This fellow truly cannot be deceived.
“Hmm, well, such things happen. Don’t worry. You’re not the target.”
“Phew! That’s a relief.”
“After all, you’re my attendant.”
Seo-woo Warrior spoke with a smile.
“In any case, it’s a dangerous place, but you’ll handle it as safely as possible, correct? I understand.”
Yeo Eung-am Warrior continued.
“Well, our lord is not one to deliberately throw himself into danger.”
“But isn’t it a problem that you frequently get caught up in danger?”
Everyone nodded at Lee Pil Warrior’s words.
That… is indeed a problem.
I would never have gone to Gansu Province if the Emperor hadn’t commanded it.
Then suddenly, I felt a presence.
Rustle.
While I didn’t sense the aura of the Black Path, meeting someone on a road like this was still unnerving.
Those righteous sects leading the White Path Martial World don’t take lives arbitrarily, but they look down on merchants even more than the Black Path does.
Soon, those who revealed themselves were…
Huh?
Buddhist monks?
“Amitabha Buddha, forgive us for the intrusion, but might we borrow some fire?”
The way they held their palms together with one arm, the robes they wore—these were monks from Shaolin Temple.
We rose from our seats, and I greeted them with a respectful fist salute as our representative.
“We are honored to meet the esteemed masters of Shaolin. I am Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master of the Eunhae Trading Company. Surely this midnight encounter is fate itself. Please, take whatever fire you need.”
The monks’ faces brightened, and their apparent leader expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you so much.”
They soon settled beside us and kindled a fire using the embers we provided.
Even in summer, the forest grows cold once darkness falls.
The Shaolin monks numbered ten in total.
Their leader appeared to be in his fifties, his cultivation at the peak realm.
The rest were a mixture of first-rate and second-rate warriors.
Which meant they were all martial monks.
Then someone’s stomach made a sound.
Growl.
One monk’s face flushed at the noise, and another beside him lowered his head and spoke.
“I… I apologize.”
“Hmm…”
“It is no matter.”
“Such things cannot be helped. Think nothing of it.”
From the situation, it appeared they had not yet eaten dinner.
Ordinary warriors like us could catch fish or game to sustain ourselves, but they could not.
They would need to forage for forest provisions, but gathering at this late hour would be difficult.
I rose and approached them.
“If you have no provisions with you, would you perhaps accept some flatbread?”
“Flatbread… you say?”
“Yes. We have more than enough supplies. Palgap!”
At my call, Palgap quickly rose and retrieved flatbread from the bundle beside him, distributing it to each monk.
“It is merely flour dough baked simply, so it lacks flavor, but when warmed over fire it becomes quite palatable and nourishing.”
To preserve it for long journeys, we had removed as much moisture as possible, making it quite hard even for flatbread.
Still, in these times of poor harvest, such provisions were precious.
Yet hesitant to accept food from strangers, they wavered.
So I retrieved flatbread from the bundle and demonstrated by roasting it over the fire myself.
“Roasted like this…”
Crack, crunch, crunch.
“And eaten this way.”
Seeing me eat it myself, their expressions brightened.
“We are truly grateful for sharing such precious provisions with us.”
“How could I ignore the hardship of those around me?”
Though they lacked provisions, they possessed tea, and they boiled water in a pot to brew it.
And so I began to lightly toast the flatbread I had given him over the fire and eat it.
Crunch, crunch,
Sip.
Crunch, crunch,
Sip.
Listening to the sounds of him eating the flatbread and drinking tea, I smiled inwardly.
He must have been quite hungry.
One of the most appreciated people in the world is someone who gives you food when your belly aches.
Shaolin Temple is among the most prestigious institutions.
So if I owed them a debt, they would not pretend ignorance later.
It was not as though we lacked provisions.
To be precise, we had prepared food as usual, but the Zhu Jiang Horse had shortened our travel time, leaving us with surplus provisions.
“Where are you headed, benefactor?”
Perhaps because I had shared food over the fire, the monks completely lowered their guard and asked us.
“We are heading to Gansu Province.”
“Gansu Province, you say? If I may be so bold, might I ask why you are going there?”
“I have maternal relatives in Lanzhou. It has been a long time since I visited, and I found the opportunity to do so.”
“I see.”
“And where are you headed, Great Monk?”
“We are heading to Yanzhi Mountain in Gansu Province.”
“Our destinations are quite similar. But why do I not see any provisions bundles?”
And there was one more strange thing.
If they had departed from Shaolin, they could have taken a boat directly from Luoyang to Lanzhou.
So why were they here at this midpoint?
“In truth, there are circumstances.”
He scratched the back of his neck and continued.
“While traveling by boat, I accidentally dropped a provisions bundle into the river.”
“Oh no!”
“So I disembarked to replenish our food, but unfortunately… I left behind the bundle containing most of our travel funds.”
It was truly a case of misfortunes compounding upon each other.
“I am deeply sorry. Truly, I apologize.”
The monk knelt and pressed his forehead to the ground in contrition.
So this was the person responsible for that enormous blunder.
Now I understood why they had not eaten dinner until this hour.
And why he had devoured that hard flatbread so ravenously.
“So that is the situation.”
I wore an expression of sympathy while inwardly smiling with delight.
What unexpected fortune was this?
Monks from Shaolin Temple in dire straits!
Not all disciples of Shaolin remain at the temple their entire lives.
Many of the disciples have descended the mountain and taken up various occupations.
Some have opened small martial halls, others work as guards for various patrons, and still others have pursued careers entirely unrelated to the martial world.
In other words, it means I have connections throughout the entire Empire.
Moreover, when Shaolin Temple says, “Please look after them well,” there is no one who would dare refuse.
So if I place these people in my debt, it will certainly prove beneficial to both myself and the Eun Hae Trading Company’s endeavors.
“It appears you intend to visit a secular martial sect in this vicinity to request their assistance. Is that correct?”
“That is indeed my intention.”
“They would certainly be willing to provide aid, but given the current circumstances, their own situation is far from favorable.”
It is now late July.
This is the season when granaries should overflow with wheat, yet the continued poor harvests have left the wheat crop equally disappointing.
“And if you were to seek their assistance, would it not damage Shaolin’s dignity?”
“You speak truly. However, I can find no other viable method.”
“That is precisely why I ask, Elder Senior Brother—might I offer you travel funds?”
“Travel funds, you say?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“Have you perhaps heard of the Eun Hae Trading Company?”
“Even Shaolin makes excellent use of your paper currency.”
So he knows of us.
“Our company is well-supplied with funds, so we can lend you a considerable sum.”
The monk fell into contemplation.
I could easily guess what troubled him.
As a merchant, he feared what price I might demand later.
“Please do not worry excessively. Simply return to Shaolin afterward and send someone to repay the debt.”
“What interest rate do you intend to charge?”
“No interest is necessary.”
At my words, his expression grew even more suspicious. This told me he was no simple man to deal with.
That must be why he was entrusted with the important task of leading disciples to Gansu Province.
At that moment, one of the monks asked carefully.
“Pardon me… but are you perhaps the hero of the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, the Great Hero Seon Hyeop Mi-rang?”
Palgap, standing beside me, answered.
“Indeed! Our young master is that Great Hero Seon Hyeop Mi-rang!”
“Ah! Of course! Your appearance bears a striking resemblance to the portrait I saw in a book, which is why I ventured to ask.”
Yes, that was it.
The book titled [The Thirty-Sixth Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament: Rising Heroes].
That book contains my portrait as well.
Damn.
The monk’s expression brightened, and he nodded repeatedly.
“Indeed! Now I understand that the name Great Hero Seon Hyeop Mi-rang is far from undeserved.”
Thank you for misunderstanding entirely on your own.
It’s unsightly, but I truly benefit greatly from this Jeong Myeong’s virtue.
“Very well. I shall accept Seon Hyeop Mi-rang’s proposal.”
Thus I lent them travel expenses and handed over the remaining dried provisions we had.
In the process, we exchanged names, and the monk’s dharma name was Jeong Myeong.
“By the way, may I ask what business brings you to Gansu Province?”
Jeongmyeong Monk, who had been thinking for a moment at my question, nodded.
“Well, it’s no secret, so I shall tell you.”
The sword formation on Yanzhi Mountain is already no secret.
What is secret is the Emperor’s order to monitor the Geumui Guard dispatched to Yanzhi Mountain.
“In fact, the sword formation of the Blood Staff Star Monk has been discovered on Yanzhi Mountain in Gansu Province.”
“What?”
“The sword formation of the Blood Staff Star Monk, you say?”
Everyone wore expressions of shock at those words.
Well, it seems our group truly excels at deception.
“Would it be possible to hear more details about that matter?”
Jeongmyeong Monk expressed concern at my question.
“Benefactor, surely you’re not thinking of going there? That place is extremely dangerous right now.”
“Ah, I have no intention of going there. I am a sentient being who cherishes my own life thoroughly. I simply need to know this information so I can warn my family and take precautions myself.”
“If that is the case… I shall tell you.”
His explanation differed little from what I already knew.
“The Blood Staff Star Monk has already broken his vows at our Shaolin Temple, but if there is anything belonging to Shaolin, we cannot allow it to fall into other hands.”
“Indeed. That is a fair point.”
While I was agreeing with him, a question arose in my mind.
“But wasn’t he a man who broke his vows in his final years, stained with blood? Yet why do you still call him a master?”
Jeongmyeong Monk answered my question.
“Though he was officially defrocked, at Shaolin we all still call him a master. It is a mark of respect for dedicating his entire life to vanquishing the Heavenly Demon.”
Something feels odd.
No matter how stained with blood, he is still a figure respected enough to be called a master at Shaolin.
They defrocked such a person?
And in his final years when his cultivation had reached its peak?
Not for being stained by demonic influence, nor by evil, but merely for being stained with blood?
A man who spent his entire life soaked in blood through battles with Heavenly Demon Divine Sect disciples, yet only now at the end?
As this strange inconsistency arose, another peculiarity emerged.
The mechanism of the sword formation was far too cruel and merciless to be the technique of a Buddhist disciple.
Countless lives were lost and many were crippled because of it.
Then something flashed through my mind. It was what the Blood Staff Star Monk said when creating the sword formation.
He said he created the sword formation with the resolve to continue fighting the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect even after his death, with his very soul.
What if that vow was not merely words, but actually executed in reality?
If Heavenly Demon Divine Sect members entered within it, most of the casualties would have been theirs.
The Blood Staff Star Monk had himself defrocked in preparation for this contingency. This way, Shaolin Temple would lose its claim to the sword formation. In other words, it was an arrangement for the protection of Shaolin’s disciples.
But that foolish Murim Alliance, blinded by greed, ruined the Blood Kun Saint Sage’s final plan.
At that time, even as a single sect, Shaolin suffered the greatest losses, so it was indeed thoroughly ruined.
“Why is that, sir?”
Without realizing it, I must have worn a serious expression, for Jeongmyeong Monk tilted his head in confusion.
“Ah, my apologies. I suddenly felt an ominous presence from that sword formation.”
“You speak of the Blood Kun Saint Sage’s sword formation?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you speak of it in such a manner, benefactor?”
A slightly sharp response.
Though I had never seen his face, if that was his intention, I felt I should help him achieve it.
And if they avoided danger and saved their lives because of me, then the seed money I had lent them would return to me many times over.
“What I say is merely speculation, so you may disregard it if you wish.”
Of course, though I called it speculation, I was personally certain.
Combining the memories of my previous life with the information I now possessed, there could be no other conclusion.
I began my explanation.
“In my opinion, you see….”
But as Jeongmyeong Monk listened to my explanation, he suddenly knelt before me.
“Amitabha Buddha….”
Ah, no. Why are you doing this all of a sudden?

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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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