The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 440

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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 440

Chapter 440. The Unexpected (3)

I was startled, and goosebumps erupted across my entire body.
“What’s wrong, sir?”
Palgap, standing beside me, asked, and I rubbed my arm as I spoke.
“Oh, it’s just that the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master seemed to smile at me just now.”
“What are you saying? He passed away five hundred years ago.”
“Right, right. I must have seen things.”
Then the Myeong-jong Warrior spoke with a worried expression.
“You seem overworked lately. It would be best to rest well once we return to Beijing.”
“I wish I could do that.”
I answered with a bitter smile.
But did I really see things?
I could have sworn the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master smiled at me. When I looked at the remains again, the face was the same as when I first saw it.
Expressionless, simply peaceful.
I definitely… saw it.
Could it be that because I now possess something the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master left behind, he was asking me to take good care of it?
Or could it mean he was pleased with how I’ve changed from my previous life?
It occurred to me that perhaps the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master created this Sword Shrine, but hoped that no one would die because of it.
Since the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s remains were in the center, ownership belonged to both the Murim Alliance and the Orthodox Sect.
“What should we do with these remains?”
At that moment, someone spoke with greedy eyes gleaming.
“Could there perhaps be something in these remains?
In other words, they meant to search through the remains thoroughly.
Greed was rising in my chest.
I glanced at the Gyeongsan Elder and saw an expression suggesting he was inclined to agree with that proposal.
I sighed inwardly.
I don’t know why he smiled at me, but he was someone who smiled at me.
I didn’t want to see his remains desecrated.
Moreover, wasn’t he the one who left ten gold ingots each and a scripture filled with remorse for Shaolin Temple?
That meant his heart was directed toward Shaolin Temple.
Therefore, those remains should be delivered wholly to Shaolin Temple.
I spoke to the Gyeongsan Elder.
“Elder, I believe we should not hastily touch these remains.”
“Why is that?”
“Consider all the traps we’ve discovered so far. Can you be certain that no trap exists here?”
“Hmm….”
“Moreover, there is a passage that troubles me.”
I pointed to the inscription carved into the wall beside us.
[I, Hyejin, shall keep watch over this place]—such was the passage.
“Surely the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s dharma name was Hyejin, was it not?”
“That is what I understand.”
“Then it would mean the Master was keeping watch over something in this place. But what could he have been watching for?”
“Well, surely the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect? He burned with hatred for them during his lifetime.”
“Then he should be facing northwest. Yet the direction he gazes toward is east.”
“East?”
“East would mean… Songshan!”
Songshan Mountain is where Shaolin Temple stands.
“It suggests that even in his final moment of entering nirvana, he could not forget Shaolin.”
“….”
“The teachings of Buddhism emphasize non-attachment, and though he broke the precepts of celibacy, he adhered strictly to all other Buddhist principles. Is it not natural that nothing remains in this Sword Shrine?”
“Indeed….”
“That is true.”
“Then what purpose does this Sword Shrine serve?”
I answered calmly to someone’s question.
“Do you not grasp it from the countless traps within? And how did you first come to know this was the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s Sword Shrine?”
“Well, at the entrance it was inscribed: ‘This is the Sword Shrine of the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master. Let the courageous enter. You shall obtain whatever you desire—gold, silver, treasures, secret manuals, and more…'”
Those gathered here finally grasped the meaning of this place. Especially the followers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect grew deathly pale.
“To lure the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect here and kill even one more of them?”
“….”
Everyone trembled at a hatred that transcended imagination.
“Furthermore, it seems he believed that righteous sect members would not enter the Sword Shrine. That they would not covet gold, silver, treasures, or secret manuals.”
“….”
At my words, the members of the Murim Alliance and the Orthodox Sect either hung their heads in shame or gazed toward distant mountains.
By inscribing such a passage at the entrance, had he not intended to regard even those blinded by greed as evil and slay them?
In any case, all fell into either fear or solemn silence.
Everything had gone according to my design.
“I wish for the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s remains to return to Shaolin, the place he longed for.”
“But has Shaolin Temple not already defrocked the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master?”
Ah! Who pours cold water on such a good atmosphere?
“That is true. However, many still revere the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master. Even Shaolin continues to address him as Master. There is no reason for Shaolin to treat him with disrespect.”
“….”
“Should his remains be carelessly desecrated, and Shaolin Temple later learn of this matter… I cannot say what Shaolin might do.”
All the members of the Orthodox Sect and Murim Alliance fell silent at my words.
I spoke to the Gyeongsan Elder.
“As you are the one responsible for this place, Elder, please make a decision.”
“Hmm….”
Gyeongsan Elder exhaled a groan, his expression troubled.
The sweat trickling down his forehead surely wasn’t from the heat.
“Come to think of it, I believe I once heard that Ilsim Master, who visited Hwagyeong recently, most reveres Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master.”
“…Y-yes?”
Gyeongsan Elder flinched, clearly feeling the pressure.
Of course—I had made sure of that.
Shaolin Temple was never a force to be dismissed lightly.
Why else would there be a saying that when the Abbot of Shaolin claps his hands, even the mosquitoes flying through the air of Yunnan are crushed?
After much deliberation, Gyeongsan Elder reached a decision.
“Hmm… We cannot handle that sacred remains carelessly. We shall transfer that sacred remains to Shaolin Temple.”
Perfect!

The excavation work resumed, and night fell.
I lay before the campfire in front of the barracks.
The excavation work was nearly complete, and I had already found Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s remains.
There was nothing left to do at the Sword Shrine, yet I had not fully completed the Emperor’s command.
After all, the reason I came here in the first place was to receive the Emperor’s orders.
The two Golden Robed Guard Grand Heroes, Kwon Jik and Kwon Eul, barely moved at all.
Were they cautious by nature?
Or were they truly innocent?
The Emperor would not have sent me here without good reason.
Regardless, the stars were truly magnificent here.
Perhaps it was due to the high altitude and dry air.
There was even a saying that stars shone brilliantly in the desert.
In fact, this region was close to the desert.
That’s why water was so scarce that people came and went daily with water barrels loaded on carts.
Ah!
I bolted upright.
Now that I thought about it, the Guizhou Kwon Family was responsible for escorting those who transported water!
That meant they could relay information about this place faster than anyone else to someone beyond Yanzhi Mountain.
That someone could be from the Imperial Palace, or they could be from the Murim Alliance.
In other words, depending on whom they reported to, I could determine whom the two Golden Robed Guard Grand Heroes were truly loyal to.
Let’s see, what time is it now….
By now, they should have just descended to the foot of Yanzhi Mountain.
I rose from my seat and spoke to Palgap.
“I need to take care of something. I’ll be back shortly.”
“Understood, sir.”
I naturally slipped away from the crowd and dashed down toward the base of Yanzhi Mountain.

We hadn’t traveled far when I spotted the laborers pulling the carriage and the guards escorting them.
Among them was Kwon Jik Grand Hero.
Kwon Eul Grand Hero must still be back at the military camp.
That way, he could relay what happened during the night.
I followed them while concealing my presence.
The carriage stopped near a small stream.
It was one of the tributaries flowing into the Yellow River, suitable enough for drinking water.
While the laborers drew water and loaded it onto the carriage, the warriors maintained a vigilant perimeter around them.
Observing this, Kwon Jik Grand Hero issued orders to his men.
“Keep your guard tight. I’m going to step away for a moment.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kwon Jik Grand Hero left the stream and headed toward the densely forested woods.
I followed him while suppressing my presence as much as possible.
As he lingered in the forest, someone approached him.
Who could it be?
To approach so discreetly without drawing the attention of others—their skills were far from ordinary.
Yet I sensed no aura of the Black Path.
I focused my hearing with my inner energy.

“You’ve arrived?”
“Yes, Grand Hero.”
“A corpse was discovered today at Hyeol Gon Seong Seung’s Sword Shrine.”
“I see. Is there nothing else?”
“And it appears the excavation work will be completed soon.”
“Are there any signs of anything emerging?”
“No, there aren’t.”
“Then what shall we report to those above?”
“Tell them they need not concern themselves further. The legendary artifact he seeks does not appear to exist.”
“I shall do so.”

And so he disappeared, while Kwon Jik Grand Hero muttered under his breath.
“Why does he search so desperately for that artifact? Even if he possesses it, that alone won’t grant him the Emperor’s Throne.”
Then he left the dense forest and returned to the streamside.
“….”
Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but wear a grave expression upon hearing those words.
I hadn’t misheard, had I?
He had just mentioned the Emperor’s Throne.
The Emperor’s Throne referred to the seat upon which the Emperor sat during state affairs—in other words, the seat of imperial power itself.
Could it be that the Emperor’s true reason for ordering me to surveil these Geumui Guards had nothing to do with the Murim Alliance?
Now that I thought about it, the Emperor had merely instructed me to watch them without revealing precisely whose faction they served.
There was a reason they hadn’t engaged in suspicious activities all this time—they simply hadn’t needed to.
Phew, I nearly wasted my efforts entirely.
Upon realizing that Kwon Jik Grand Hero served not the Emperor himself, but rather someone who coveted the imperial throne, a natural question arose.
Then who exactly did Kwon Jik Grand Hero serve?
And what was that ‘artifact’ he had just mentioned?
I soon shook my head and cleared my mind of speculation.
Phew, there’s no point in guessing here.
My task was simple.
I needed to discover who the master of the man who had just received information from Kwon Jik Grand Hero was.
As I quietly followed the mysterious man, I watched him release a carrier pigeon toward some destination.
– Geumryeong.
– Coo?
– Do me a favor. Can you follow that carrier pigeon and find out where it’s headed and where it arrives?
– Coo!
At my request, Geumryeong immediately pursued the carrier pigeon.
.
.
.
The following afternoon.
Break time had arrived.
I naturally approached Kwon Jik Grand Hero.
Despite having been exhausted from escorting those transporting water supplies the previous night, he worked diligently on the excavation.
Previously, I had thought little of this, but now it was different.
I understood the reason.
Because of the artifact that might exist in this place.
Though I had learned through Geumryeong where the carrier pigeon had arrived last night, I hadn’t discovered what artifact they were searching for.
Now I recalled that the Emperor had mentioned he sent the Geumui Guards here precisely because there might be an imperial artifact in this location.
Perhaps the Emperor already knew what artifact they were seeking.
Or perhaps they were pursuing a different artifact altogether.
Either way, I had to make an effort to find out.
But how should I approach him?
While I was racking my brain over this dilemma, I spotted a snake crawling nearby.
A brilliant idea struck me.
– Geumryeong! Make that snake go near the Great Hero’s feet!
– Squeak!
At my request, Geumryeong approached the snake. Startled, the creature quickly changed direction.
Perfect!
“Watch out!”
I called out a warning to Kwon Jik Grand Hero and threw myself forward.
“What…?”
Whoosh!
I caught and removed the snake, then struck up a conversation with him.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. A snake appearing so suddenly—how unusual.”
“Indeed. I’ve heard the snakes in this region are highly venomous, so fortunately you weren’t bitten.”
“Thank you for helping me.”
“Think nothing of it.”
I continued naturally from there.
“Still, the fact that nothing has appeared until now truly means there’s nothing here. I did say as much, but… truthfully, I was hoping something might turn up.”
“Hope… I suspect the Great Hero wasn’t alone in that.”
“Quite right. Actually, I was hoping for a weapon—something like that red staff the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master once wielded.”
I probed him subtly.
“Did the Great Hero have any particular hopes?”
“Hopes…”
Whether he had completely dispelled his suspicions of me, or whether he simply wished to share a secret he’d been holding, he chuckled and continued.
“I was hoping there might be some kind of artifact.”
“An artifact… you say?”
“Yes. According to legend, the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master once encountered the Emperor while His Majesty was traveling incognito through the forest, saved his life, and received an artifact as a token of gratitude.”
“Such a legend existed?”
“It’s not widely known. In any case, since this is the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung’s Sword Shrine, I wondered if that artifact might be inside…”
“And what sort of artifact is it?”
“Ah, it’s a cloth wrapper.”
“A cloth wrapper?”
“A red cloth wrapper. According to the tale, if you write your desired destination upon it, it will guide you safely to that place, no matter how far.”
A red cloth wrapper?
Wasn’t the wrapper I found—the one that had been wrapping the books and letters—red?

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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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