The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 45

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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 Eunhae Trading Company – Chapter 45

Chapter 45. The Fog Lifts (2)

Jegal Yu-ah responded to my words.
“So you mean the culprit will target the tea container I brought with me.”
“However, that person could simultaneously endanger you. Therefore, I wish to assign my guards to protect you.”
“Ah, there’s no need for that. The moment we discover someone attempting to steal the poisoned tea container, it will establish credibility on its own. Besides, I have an excellent ally who will protect my safety.”

I let out a quiet laugh.
Indeed, the House Master was precisely the person she described.
The Grand Patriarch approached the kneeling man and removed his gag.
“I know your name. Wang Kyung. Am I correct?”
“….”
“You should answer. That’s what good children do.”
The sheer oppressive force emanating from the Grand Patriarch seemed capable of killing a person on its own.
Wang Kyung barely managed to answer, caught in an extreme terror that threatened to steal his breath.
“Y-yes, that’s correct.”
“Then may I ask what you were doing here?”
“That is….”
“You were switching out the poisoned tea container, weren’t you?”
“Ugh!”
He gestured toward the tea container in the bundle beside him.
“Heo Cheong.”
“Yes, you called for me?”
“I would like you to examine that tea container.”
At those words, Heo Cheong immediately moved. After pouring out the tea inside the container and conducting his inspection, he reported.
“Among the tea containers on this table, poison has been detected in these three containers.”
At his words, Wang Kyung squeezed his eyes shut.
“You are not someone capable of acting alone. You must have been ordered by someone! Who?”
Faced with the relentless interrogation, Wang Kyung spoke.
“It was all my doing. Hyun Ri Sir… Gasp!”
In that moment, Wang Kyung realized his mistake and clamped his mouth shut, but everyone had already heard his words.
I too felt a bitter laugh rising within me.
The fact that he unconsciously called out “Hyun Ri Sir” instead of the Grand Patriarch meant it had become a habit.
That meant someone had ordered him to address the Grand Patriarch that way.
That someone was very likely the person who orchestrated this entire affair.
Someone who does not acknowledge the Grand Patriarch.
The implications were significant.
Now that I thought about it, in my previous life, both the Grand Patriarch and the House Master had been eliminated.
And among the House Master’s children, none survived except Jegal Yu-ah.
The direct line had been wiped out.
The meaning was clear….
The culprit had to be from a collateral branch.
What the Jegal Family coveted most was the Jegal Family Estate itself, and to seize it, the direct line had to be eliminated.
So which of the collateral branches had done such a thing?
At that moment, the Grand Patriarch sighed and spoke to the House Master.
“Yul.”
“Yes, Father.”
“There is a place you must go now, leading the family’s warriors. I ask that you handle the arrangements here.”
“Understood.”
.
.
.
That evening.
Through Palgap, I learned the full details of what had transpired.
His natural affability had already allowed him to build rapport with the Estate’s attendants and maidservants.
“So, this entire affair was orchestrated by the Grand Patriarch’s brother?”
“Yes, that is what they say. The Grand Patriarch’s brother, Jegal Dong-woo, had been preparing poison and building his own faction in preparation to seize control of the family.”
“I see.”
Thus, the threat to the Jegal Family Estate had been resolved.
Yet why did I feel so unsettled?
At that moment, the Great Family Head’s Attendant came to find me.
“I have come to deliver the Grand Patriarch’s message.”
“Ah, yes.”
“As you are aware, the family has encountered some difficulties and can no longer entertain guests. Therefore, he has instructed that you be escorted home. Please understand.”
“I understand completely. Please do not concern yourself.”
The Grand Patriarch’s words appeared to be an order to dismiss guests, but they were spoken for our sake. Soon, a storm of blood would sweep through the Estate.
So I would do as he wished.
“Understood. We shall prepare at once.”
“Please make haste.”
.
.
.
Shortly after, we departed from the Jegal Family Estate.
It was unusual to send guests away in the evening, but the urgency with which we were told to leave suggested the situation was dire indeed.
Remarkably, those escorting us were the Great Family Head’s Attendant and those who guarded the Grand Patriarch himself.
It showed how much the Grand Patriarch was concerned for our safety.
After running for about two hours, we arrived at the Inn.
It was a fairly renowned establishment, and the Great Family Head’s Attendant secured us a private room.
There was no need for such courtesy….
Yet refusing his kindness would be disrespectful to the Great Family Head, so I accepted it graciously.
We all unpacked our belongings in our rooms and descended to the dining hall on the first floor.
As we settled into our seats and ordered food, waiting for it to arrive, I noticed a group of people dining on the opposite side.
Their attire seemed oddly familiar.
“Those clothes are….”
It was then that Yu Chief Manager observed them and spoke.
“They appear to be escort agents from the Changin Escort Agency.”
Seeing them filled me with an unexpected sense of familiarity.
Then, I discovered an unexpected face.
What?
What is Master doing here?

A moment later,
I managed to find an opportunity to speak with Master.
“Master, did your escort mission go well?”
Master answered my question.
“The escort mission to Zhejiang Province was completed successfully, and I am currently en route after accepting another assignment.”
Yet I saw no cargo at the inn that could be called a typical escort item.
Moreover, since Master had separated from his group to speak with me, the object couldn’t be a material good.
Then… he must be carrying something on his person.
But suddenly, a question arose in my mind.
Of course, the authority of a head escort agent is not insignificant, but accepting assignments is the prerogative of the agency director.
Naturally, a head escort agent cannot undertake escort missions independently.
Then there is only one answer.
Master holds the position of head escort agent, yet possesses standing within the agency equal to that of the director, or has been delegated such authority by the director.
Whatever the case, Master would surely handle it with excellence.
As I conversed with Master, whom I hadn’t seen in some time, my thoughts wandering thus, I suddenly felt a wave of nausea.
It resembled the revulsion I had felt before Je An-won earlier.
Master, noticing my pallid complexion, inquired.
“Are you perhaps unwell?”
“I seem to be rather fatigued. This sudden nausea….”
In that instant, Master’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“Why, why are you reacting so? Master? Why are you surprised?”
“How could I not be surprised? It has not even been a year since you began studying martial arts under me, yet you have already entered the Demonic Perception Stage.”
“The Demonic Perception Stage?”
“Yes. That revulsion is proof that you have entered the Demonic Perception Stage.”
Master explained to me calmly.
“The martial technique’s inner method you are currently learning from me, the Yin-Yang Glacier Divine Art, is an exceptionally pure and righteous method for gathering inner energy.”
I already knew this, but I listened as though hearing it for the first time.
“Therefore, it possesses the ability to prevent one from falling into demonic delusion and to resist the clouding of judgment.”
I had benefited greatly from this in my previous life.
In important contract negotiations, I had occasionally witnessed unsavory practices—the use of drugs or incense to cloud judgment in order to gain greater profit.
But I had never felt such revulsion before.
“When one reaches a certain level of mastery, they begin to show a rejection response to impure external influences.”
“Is this rejection response the revulsion I felt?”
“Indeed.”
“Then, experiencing this rejection response means my level of cultivation is at what stage?”
“It means you have currently reached the level of a first-rate warrior.”
Yet in my previous life, despite being a first-rate warrior, I had never experienced such a thing.
My Master, noticing my unspoken doubt, smiled faintly and added,
“To be precise, it means you stand on the threshold of the supreme realm.”
“What? I am approaching the supreme realm?”
I was startled by those words.
The supreme realm?
I had not considered that. My current inner energy should be at the level of a first-rate warrior, should it not?
“Then must I continue living with this revulsion?”
“No, that is not the case.”
My Master spoke with a smile.
“Once you enter the supreme realm, it will fade. The revulsion may linger, but it will no longer cause discomfort.”
“I see.”
At that moment, I realized I had overlooked a crucial question.
“Then, what exactly is this revulsion I am feeling directed toward?”
“The answer is simpler than you might think. Why do you suppose this sensation of revulsion is called by the name ‘Demonic Sense Rejection’?”
“Could it be…”
I continued,
“Revulsion toward sinister energy?”
“Precisely. Demonic Sense Rejection is revulsion toward sinister energy—that is, the energy of the Black Path or the Demonic Path.”
“So that is why you were able to warn me that you sensed the killing intent of the Black Path before my eldest brother’s coming-of-age ceremony.”
“Indeed.”
My Master nodded and continued,
“However, I would prefer that you not speak of this to others.”
“Others?”
“To anyone but me. The reason is…”
I let out a soft laugh.
“I think I understand the reason without you explaining it. For the sake of my own longevity, I should certainly keep this secret.”
While those who openly proclaimed themselves disciples of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect were one thing, most members of the Black Path typically concealed their true identity.
And those who hid their identity rarely harbored good intentions.
What should one be most wary of when dealing with such people?
It is the discovery of their true identities.
Therefore, eliminating those who might interfere with their plans is as natural to them as breathing.
“You are most perceptive.”
“In any case, the revulsion I feel now means that someone from the Black Path or Demonic Path has entered this inn, correct?”
“That is correct. To be precise, it is someone from the Black Path.”
“Then what would the presence of someone from the Demonic Path feel like?”
“You will understand once you experience it directly.”
My Master rose from his seat after saying this.
“My, I have been away far too long. I shall take my leave now.”
“Ah, I have kept you here far too long.”
I returned to the Dining Hall.
“Has your conversation concluded?”
“Yes.”
“You must be tired. Shall we retire for the night?”
“Perhaps we should.”
At that moment, a guest who had only recently arrived finished his meal, sighed, and departed from the inn.
The revulsion that had been tormenting me gradually weakened.
Ah, now I can breathe again.
In that instant, I realized something I had overlooked.
The revulsion I felt in Jae-an-won was when I encountered Jegal Kyung.
And when he left that place, the revulsion disappeared.
That means the source of the revulsion was none other than Jegal Kyung himself.
My Master had clearly said….

“A peculiar aura—that is, revulsion toward the aura of the Black Path or Demonic Path.”

Then why did I feel revulsion from Jegal Kyung?
Jegal Kyung is a member of the Jegal Family Estate, a righteous martial arts clan?
Ah… No!
I now understood why I felt uneasy when I heard that Jegal Dong-woo, the Grand Patriarch’s brother, had orchestrated this affair.
If Jegal Dong-woo had seized control of the Jegal Family Estate after the House Master’s death, I would have known his name.
But I knew nothing of this name whatsoever.
That could mean only one thing.
The one who destroyed the Jegal Family Estate is someone else entirely.
I spoke urgently to the Great Family Head’s Attendant.
“We must return to the Jegal Family Estate immediately.”
“What? For what reason?”
“The Jegal Family Estate is in danger.”

* * *

The Jegal Family Estate was in turmoil.
“Arrest the conspirators!”
“Ugh!”
“Damn it!”
Warriors acting under the orders of the Grand Patriarch and House Master were rooting out and eliminating those who had sided with Jegal Dong-woo.

Among them, one man moved as if taking a leisurely stroll toward some destination.
“Ah, it’s failed. Failed indeed.”
He clicked his tongue with regret.
“It’s unfortunate, but I must end this here. I cannot afford to have it discovered that I was the one supplying the poison if this drags on any longer.”
If his superiors who had given him orders were exposed, it would be most troublesome.
Soon he entered his chamber.
He then violently tore away the paper he had affixed to one wall of his room.
What was revealed was a formation diagram drawn in dark crimson.
The formation before him now was one that would activate the formation arrays connected throughout the Jegal Family Estate.
This formation’s name was the Clouded Vision Veil Array.
Literally, it was a formation that obscured the eyes, preventing one from distinguishing friend from foe.
Originally, he had planned to activate this formation only after the Grand Patriarch and House Master of the Jegal Family Estate had perished.
But now that Jegal Dong-woo’s conspiracy had been exposed, his position would certainly be replaced by another.
This would not do.
He needed to accomplish something so that his superiors would acknowledge him.
Though the Grand Patriarch and House Master still lived, he had faith in the power of the Clouded Vision Veil Array.
‘Hehehehe, could they even break this formation while slaughtering their own family members in that chaos?’

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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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