The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 449

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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 449

Chapter 449. The Ascension (2)

Winter wind….
According to what my Master told me, that was another way of referring to Seolpung Palace.
Did the Abbot Master mention it to me because he knew I was from Seolpung Palace?
Yet the question still lingered in my mind.
He had only spoken those few words.
At first, I thought I might have misheard, but with my transcendent hearing, there was no way I could have been mistaken.
What could the Abbot Master’s true intention have been in saying such a thing to me?
It seemed as though there was a hint of longing in that transmission….
Could it be that the Abbot Master was also being cautious?
Seolpung Palace had been destroyed by unknown assailants.
Though since the lineage still continued, calling it a complete destruction might not be entirely accurate.
In any case, since the identity of the perpetrators remained unknown, my Master and the other survivors of Seolpung Palace remained vigilant to this day.
Perhaps those who held favorable feelings toward Seolpung Palace were doing the same.
So perhaps he had merely hinted at it subtly.
His intention was likely to invite me to ask him if I had any questions about Seolpung Palace.
But what if it were a trap?
Yet to call it a trap… the Abbot Master’s aura was far too pure and clear.
Just like my Master’s.
Since we would likely meet again soon, I could probe the matter then.
“Young Master.”
At that moment, Palgap entered.
“Jin Yu Warrior and Myeong-jong Warrior have just gone out to take their turn at the watch.”
“I see.”
It was taking quite a while.
That must mean there was much to organize.
In truth, Yeo Eung-am Warrior already possessed the experience and skill to reach the pinnacle.
Yet he still had not crossed that final threshold.
I truly hoped this time would bring good results.
Then Palgap, upon seeing Geumryeong rolling about on the table with a gold coin, clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, this little beast! He really goes crazy for real money!”
And with that, he deftly snatched the gold coin from Geumryeong’s grasp.
“Chirp… chirp?”
Robbed of his gold coin, Geumryeong immediately charged at Palgap with a headbutt.
“Oof!”
My body trembled, perhaps because the impact had struck an particularly vulnerable spot.
“Ugh…”
“Tsk tsk, I told you not to touch Geumryeong-i’s money carelessly.”
“Squeak!”
Having reclaimed the gold coins, Geumryeong-i waddled over to me and rolled around once more.
“Why do you have to tease Geumryeong-i when he’s just sitting quietly…”
As I pondered this, I pulled a single gold coin from my pocket and held it out to Palgap.
“Here, this is your share.”
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Isn’t it because you wanted to play with gold coins too?”
“I-I’m not on the same level as Geumryeong-i!”
Even as he said this, Palgap broke into a broad grin.
Ah, he likes it.
In truth, a gold coin holds tremendous value, but I don’t begrudge giving one to Palgap.
“Well, since you’re offering it, I’ll accept gratefully.”
Are you really a bear?
For a moment, I recalled a bear performing tricks with gold coins… but I decided to preserve Palgap’s dignity.

Two days passed after that.
I headed toward where Yeo Eung-am Warrior was stationed to relieve him.
Most of the monks who had entered a state of enlightenment alongside Yeo Eung-am Warrior had regained consciousness.
They had all gained enlightenment—the martial monks had reached even greater heights, and the eyes of those studying Buddhist scriptures had grown even more profound.
Was this the fourth day now?
He remained in that same posture, eyes closed and perfectly still.
In my case, my breakthrough came during battles at the peak and beyond the peak.
It seemed that in my case, while my inner energy was already sufficient, I had lacked practical experience and enlightenment, so my realm advanced in such circumstances.
That’s why I could gain enlightenment through my life-and-death duel with Gwang In when I obtained Eun Moo-geom, and through my life-and-death duel with the Young Sect Leader of Heavenly Demon Divine Sect in the Northern Sea.
Thinking about it now, I nearly died by a hair’s breadth.
In any case, it seemed Yeo Eung-am Warrior’s realm hadn’t advanced because his enlightenment was incomplete.
That’s why he still hasn’t regained consciousness, busy organizing his enlightenment.
Then it happened.
Whoooosh.
Suddenly, the aura emanating from Yeo Eung-am Warrior’s body grew turbulent.
I had heard enough to recognize the situation.
“This is…? Could it be that his enlightenment is coming to an end?”
Jin Yu Warrior nodded at my question.
“That’s right. This moment is most critical. Myeong-jong Warrior, go call the other warriors!”
“Yes!”
“I’ll help as well.”
“My lord, please ensure that this energy causes no harm to those around us.”
“Of course.”
Even now, there were those in this vicinity who had not yet awakened from their meditative trance.
Yeo Eung-am Warrior’s unsettled aura could prove harmful to them.
I immediately extended my aura outward. However, my current level known to the outside world is the Peak Realm.
So I limited it to that degree when extending my aura.
I could not rule out the possibility that the Murim Alliance had eyes and ears even within Shaolin Temple.
In the meantime, Seo-woo Warrior and the other guards came rushing over.
They too spread their auras widely or took positions as Dharma Protectors.
How much time had passed like this?
Gradually, the rough aura subsided, and Yeo Eung-am Warrior exhaled deeply.
And when he opened his eyes, his gaze was brilliant, but soon that brilliance faded.
“Uh…”
He wore a bewildered expression.
No wonder—we were all gazing at him.
I smiled warmly and clasped my fists in salute.
“You have reached the Peak Realm. Congratulations.”
He merely blinked his eyes blankly at my words, and Seo-woo Warrior spoke to him.
“First, complete your cultivation of qi through breathing exercises to fully stabilize your aura.”
.
.
.
A moment later.
After completing his breathing exercises, he opened his eyes, and soon could not hide his astonishment.
“I… I have finally reached the Peak Realm!”
“Congratulations.”
Following my words, the other warriors also offered him their congratulations.
Lee Pil Warrior, Myeong-jong Warrior, and Chang-un Warrior, still at the First-Rate level, wore envious expressions, yet they did not spare their words of congratulation.
I spoke to them.
“You three will also reach the Peak Realm someday. I look forward to that time.”
At my words, they laughed with modest embarrassment.
In truth, they must also sense it—that Yeo Eung-am Warrior’s time had come, and he seized that opportunity without hesitation to reach the Peak Realm.
And that their own time has not yet arrived.
I continued.
“Still, I hope you will not become too impatient. All of you are precious guards to me.”
Now then, do I have three Peak Realm warriors among my guards? How reassuring.
I turned my head to look upon the physical form of Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master, who still remained in that place.
What exactly was that physical form that merely seeing it caused one to fall into a meditative trance?
Looking at it, I feel some inexplicable, subtle sensation.
I asked Yeo Eung-am Warrior.
“Yeo Warrior, you fell into a meditative trance the moment you saw the Master’s physical form. Could you explain what it was like at that time?”
He nodded at my question.
“Before that, didn’t you position the Abbot Master’s body to face east?”
“Yes, we did.”
“After that, the moment I saw the Abbot Master’s face, I felt as though he were striking the back of my head.”
“What?”
“A shout, ah! Yes, along with a shout.”
“What sort of shout?”
“You foolish wretch! What are you hesitating for? That sort of….”
“What?”
“And… abandon such foolish thoughts… It was truly terrifying.”
I lifted my head to examine the Abbot Master’s body.
“Yet he appears to be smiling so kindly?”
At my words, the other Guard Warriors exchanged puzzled glances.
“The Abbot Master is smiling kindly, you say?”
“Yes.”
“To me, his gaze appears pitying.”
“I see only an expressionless face….”
“To my eyes, his expression conveys approval….”
Thus I came to understand.
The Abbot Master’s body appeared differently to each person who beheld it, depending on their perspective.
But what exactly was the nature of the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s body that….
No such phenomenon had occurred at Yanzhi Mountain’s Geom Chong.
It seemed that such phenomena only manifested once the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s body entered Shaolin Temple.
Indeed, the world contains many things beyond ordinary human comprehension.
Consider only that I myself died and returned to the past.
I wondered—did whoever prevented the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s body from being returned whole to Shaolin Temple anticipate this?
Is that why they obstructed us so persistently?
Now that I think of it, the Black Robed Person I bound upside down to that tree had confessed—someone had commissioned him to spread false rumors about the body.
A figure radiating dangerous intent… who could it be?
I have no clear sense of it, yet the Murim Alliance seems most suspect.
From experience, I know they are neither clean nor virtuous.
The current Murim Alliance appears less interested in unifying and advancing the Orthodox Martial Arts World than in fragmenting and weakening it.
Of course, on the surface they still seem devoted to the Alliance’s original purpose….
Moreover, they place considerable emphasis on fairness and justice.
Yet in reality, they are far more cowardly and petty themselves.

* * *

The Murim Alliance.
Even today, countless individuals moved busily about their stations.
As the heart of the Orthodox Martial Arts World, the Murim Alliance received reports of incidents and accidents from across the nation without fail.
Consequently, the topics of their conversations were remarkably diverse.
Yet on this day alone, everyone without exception spoke of the miraculous phenomenon that had occurred at Shaolin Temple.
“Have you heard? About the sacred body of the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master that Shaolin brought back?”
“Of course I have! They say countless monks at Shaolin attained enlightenment upon witnessing that sacred body?”
“Sigh… how enviable.”
“I wonder if my cultivation level would advance if I could see that sacred body too?”
“Tsk tsk, don’t be foolish. That’s Shaolin’s treasure—they wouldn’t show it to outsiders so carelessly.”
“Ah, you’re right about that.”
While everyone shared similar sentiments regarding Shaolin’s fortune,
the Murim Alliance Leader’s mood was far from pleasant.
“So in the end, that matter failed?”
At the Alliance Leader’s words, a man prostrated before him and bowed his head.
“My sincerest apologies. I have failed in my duties…”
“What of those who were hired for this task?”
“Their mouths have been sealed. They’ll only be able to speak again in the afterlife.”
“Tsk. Very well. Dispose of the remains by any means necessary!”
“Yes! I shall handle it without fail.”
The Alliance Leader’s subordinate departed, and he settled into his seat at the wooden table.
Sweat continued to bead upon his brow—ever since he had witnessed the sacred body of the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master with his own eyes.
‘Cursed Buddhist monk!’
Upon receiving word that the sacred body of the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master had been brought to the Murim Alliance, he had personally gone out to verify it.
And the moment he beheld that sacred body, he understood.
It stood as an obstacle to his grand design.
For within the sacred body of the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master dwelled his will from life—
the will to annihilate evil itself.

* * *

Four days had passed since Yeo Eung-am Warrior reached the pinnacle.
While I could depart now, I received word asking me to wait just a few more days.
Hmm…
It seems the matter of my compensation has been weighing on their minds.
The Shaolin Temple Grounds remain somewhat unsettled as well.
I heard that Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s remains would be enshrined in a pavilion facing eastward, constructed within the temple.
Normally, cremation would be performed through a funeral rite…
Could there have been a will regarding this matter among the books I delivered?
And the precept violation against Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master has been lifted. From now on, he is a disciple of Shaolin, not a monk who broke his vows.
That is well done.
I ascended toward the upper reaches of the Guest Hall, where Shaolin’s disciples trained.
My Guard Warriors possessed considerable skill.
Though three of them still remained at the first-rate level, by Shaolin’s standards, first-rate was hardly a low realm.
Thus, I accepted a request from Shaolin’s warrior monks to engage in friendly sparring.
It was to gain experience, and my Guard Warriors had no objection to it.
It was merely friendly sparring, of course with the permission of Gye Yul Won Jang Master.
I had approved it as well.
When I arrived at the Training Ground, Seo-woo Warrior and another warrior monk were in the midst of their match.
Shaolin’s martial arts are characterized by their boldness and vigor.
Yet they are not merely bold.
The hallmark of Shaolin martial arts is their ability to shift and adapt fluidly to suit the opponent.
However, the primary purpose of such arts is defense and restraint.
This is because killing someone privately would constitute a violation of the precept against taking life.
Thus, my Guard Warriors attempted to engage with their blades sheathed, but the monks refused.
They said it would not serve as true combat training.
Indeed, the cold weapons wielded by martial artists in the Murim naturally possess sharp edges, and Shaolin’s monks must contend with such opponents.
As I observed my Guard Warriors sparring, I sensed something through my energy perception.
Hmm?
This aura… it is the aura of the Black Path?
Yet not to the degree of one who has committed themselves to the Black Path—merely someone who had encountered a Black Path member.
Since reaching the pinnacle, I had become capable of sensing even such subtle auras.
Ordinarily, I would have paid it no mind.
It is not uncommon to pass by those bearing the Black Path’s mark while moving through the Marketplace.
But this is Shaolin Temple.
One bearing the Black Path’s aura should not be permitted entry here.
I shifted my position as if casually moving, and identified the one bearing that aura.
He was a Buddhist Monk I had encountered several times while moving about.
Until yesterday, he bore no trace of the Black Path’s aura, yet today it clung to him.
If that is so, there is only one answer.
He had secretly met with someone from the Black Path.
What could their intention be?

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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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