The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 450

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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 450

Chapter 450. Ascension (3)

That afternoon.
I asked Jong-o, a Buddhist monk from the Guest Hall whom I had grown close to, about that particular monk.
“Ah, you’re asking about Ji-sang Monk.”
“So his dharma name is Ji-sang. May I ask what kind of person he is?”
“He’s my direct junior. He’s responsible for managing Jangyeonggak, and he’s a quiet disciple who quietly goes about his duties. Not only disciples of similar rank but also our superiors view him favorably… However, why do you ask about Ji-sang Monk?”
“I see.”
“So both disciples of similar standing and those above us regard him well. But why are you asking about Ji-sang Monk?”
To his question, I casually offered the excuse I had prepared.
“Oh, it’s nothing serious. I was just curious. Everyone else watches the martial tournaments with great interest, but he seemed to have little interest. From his robes, he appears to be a martial monk, though.”
“Ah, don’t think it strange. Ji-sang Monk has talent in martial arts, but whether his heart is weak or for some other reason, he dislikes using martial prowess to trouble others. He’s truly a virtuous monk.”
“I see.”
I recalled the look in Ji-sang Monk’s eyes from earlier and furrowed my brow slightly.
That gaze was unmistakably… guilt and frustration.
There must be something more to his circumstances.
After all, exploiting someone’s weaknesses is the specialty of the Black Path.

That night.
I dreamed for the first time in a long while.

* * *

Dawn.
Ji-sang headed toward Jangyeonggak, recalling the memories of when he first came to this place.
He had been brought to Shaolin Temple by his maternal uncle’s hand at merely seven years old.

“From now on, this is where you will live. Whether in death or in life, you shall remain at Shaolin Temple.”
“Uncle, I’m sorry. Please don’t leave me here. I’ll eat only a little. Please send me to where Mother is.”
“You ungrateful wretch! Does it offend your eyes that your mother has remarried into a wealthy family and lives happily?”
“No, that’s not it…”
“If you truly think of your mother, never dream of leaving this place! That is the greatest filial piety you can offer! Do you understand?”
“…”
“You must answer.”
“Yes.”

Thus, Ji-sang Monk began his life at Shaolin Temple alongside thousands of fellow disciples.
Shaolin Temple was a place that turned away no one who came and held back no one who wished to leave.
Because of this, when accepting disciples, an enormous number of people would enter as novices.
However, roughly two-thirds of them could not endure the brutal training and harsh living conditions of the first year and fell away.
Shaolin Temple itself drove the children mercilessly during that first year to test their resolve.
In truth, Ji-sang Monk dreamed every day of leaving Shaolin, just like the other children.
But if he left this place, he had nowhere else to go.
Moreover, he loved his mother.
So, repeating his Maternal Uncle’s words that his perseverance here was filial piety toward his mother, he endured stubbornly, again and again.
Fortunately, he possessed talent in martial arts, and so when he came of age, he was able to choose the option of remaining at Shaolin as a martial monk.
And he came to understand that to remain at Shaolin Temple as long as possible, he must avoid drawing the attention of others as much as he could.
So he lived as if he both existed and did not exist.
And yesterday, he had met with his Maternal Uncle.
When he formally became a martial monk of Shaolin, his Maternal Uncle somehow learned of it and reached out to him.
And he had been contacting him about once a year since then.
His Maternal Uncle, whom he met yesterday, spoke to him.

“Do you still wish to see your mother?”
“I severed my ties to the secular world long ago. I only wish for my mother’s happiness in this life and her rebirth in paradise.”
“Why would they call it the bonds of heaven if they were meaningless?”
…
“In truth, your mother wishes to see you. Now that you have grown so tall and strong, showing her your fine appearance would ease her worries—surely that too is filial piety.”
At those words, Ji-sang Monk bit his lip.
His mother, whom he had not seen since he was seven years old. How could he not wish to see her?
The nights he spent weeping with longing for his mother were beyond counting.
“But there is a problem.”
“…What is it?”
“Your mother’s new husband, the Manor Lord, has fallen gravely ill and is at death’s door. They have tried nearly every treatment to cure his sickness, but nothing has helped.”
…
“So the only method remaining is to use a spiritual elixir. I heard that the mortal remains of the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master recently arrived at Shaolin Temple, did they not?”
“That is correct.”
“I have heard that a spiritual elixir dwells within the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s body. Bring it to me.”
“Pardon?”
Ji-sang Monk was startled.
“That cannot be done! How could I lay hands upon the Master’s mortal remains?”
“Do not worry. After finding the spiritual elixir, set fire to destroy the evidence. Then who would know what you had done?”
…
To the hesitant Ji-sang Monk, his Maternal Uncle spoke.
“If the Manor Lord dies, your mother will become a widow again. She entered not as a primary wife but as a concubine—what will become of her then?”
…
“But if you bring me that elixir, your mother will earn the Manor Lord’s favor.”

Ji-sang Monk recalled that conversation and washed his face with both hands, though there was no water.
The deadline his Maternal Uncle had set was the day after tomorrow.
In other words, there was no time to hesitate.
As he headed toward the Jangyeonggak, he paused before passing the Daeung Hall.
“Wait… should I go in?”
By chance, no one was inside.
It was remarkably rare for this place to be empty. Upon entering, I collapsed onto the floor.
“Sigh…”
A deep breath escaped me.
“I believe I have done little wrong in my life thus far. Even if I have erred, I don’t think it warrants such torment as this.”
“…”
“So surely you can help me just this once? My mother’s husband’s illness… if it would only heal by tomorrow… then… my Maternal Uncle’s request would be as though it never was.”
“…”
Naturally, no answer came from the Buddha. As always, he merely gazed upon me in silence.

* * *

The Daeung Hall.
This place, which could be called the heart of Shaolin Temple, houses the Buddha statue.
And I am now hidden behind that statue.
Why am I here, you ask?
Sigh…
It’s all because of a dream I had last night.
While keeping watch over that Ji-sang Monk, suspicious of him, I fell asleep without realizing it and dreamed.
In that dream, the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master appeared.
He gazed upon Ji-sang Monk with a sorrowful expression, and that place was none other than this Daeung Hall.
And looking at me, he pointed his finger toward the east. The morning sun was shining from that direction.
At that moment, I awoke from the dream, and soon grasped the meaning of that gesture.
In other words, go to the Daeung Hall when the morning sun rises.
So I moved immediately, and quickly hid here upon seeing Ji-sang Monk approach.
Thanks to this, I learned unexpected information.
Heal my mother’s husband’s illness by tomorrow. Then my Maternal Uncle’s request will be as though it never was.
Though brief, much can be inferred from these words.
First, his mother remarried.
Otherwise, he would have said father, not mother’s husband.
Second, the one who gave him this task is his Maternal Uncle, and the deadline his Maternal Uncle gave him is the day after tomorrow.
So he asked for it to be healed by tomorrow. By tomorrow, news would have time to reach him in that interval.
Third, Ji-sang Monk’s Maternal Uncle lives somewhere near Shaolin Temple.
That’s another piece of information I can infer from his words about needing to recover by tomorrow.
It means news can reach here in just one day.
I couldn’t shake the expression on the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s face from last night’s dream.
A sorrowful expression.
His appearance in my dream must mean he’s asking me to help Ji-sang Monk.
First, I need to check Ji-sang Monk’s monastic records. I can’t help anyone without information.
The records are kept in the Jangyeonggak.
Of course, they were under strict security, but slipping in and out wasn’t particularly difficult for me.
Besides, my energy has a characteristic that others find hard to detect.
After memorizing the information written in Ji-sang Monk’s records, I left the Jangyeonggak and returned to my quarters.
“Palgap.”
“Yes, sir?”
“I need to go out for a bit.”
“What? So suddenly?”
“Tell them I have urgent business to attend to.”
At my words, Palgap nodded in understanding.
“Understood, sir. I’ll make sure that’s what people know.”
He’s quick on the uptake.
With that, I left with Seo-woo Warrior.
Ji-sang Monk doesn’t seem likely to do anything until tomorrow, but one can never be too careful.
So I asked Jin Yu Warrior to keep watch over Ji-sang Monk before descending from Shaolin Temple.

There were quite a few villages near Songshan Mountain where Shaolin Temple stood. This made sense, as the most dangerous things in the mountains were tigers and the Green Forest Bandits.
The safest place was where Shaolin’s masters, who could handle such threats, were within reach.
I headed toward the village listed in Ji-sang Monk’s monastic records.
It was Dae-ri County, south of Songshan.
I brought only Seo-woo Warrior because, aside from Jin Yu Warrior, his lightness kung fu was the fastest.
I decided to first investigate Ji-sang Monk’s maternal uncle.
Finding him wasn’t difficult.

“Even twenty years ago, it was nothing special of a household.”
“The property they had was barely enough to fill a palm—just one small field.”
“Then the husband died, and his younger sister returned to her family home, and that’s when his fortune turned.”
“She became the concubine of Song Jang-ju, the wealthiest man in the neighboring village. That younger sister was incredibly beautiful.”
“Actually, she didn’t want to become Song Jang-ju’s concubine in the first place.”
“Of course not! What mother would want to be separated from her own son?”
“Anyway, that Song Jang-ju bought land for her family, and now that man struts about playing the manor lord.”
“Meanwhile, the nephew they practically abandoned at Shaolin became a monk.”

From his testimony alone, I could discern the truth.
His sister becoming a concubine to Song Jang-ju, his nephew becoming a disciple of Shaolin Temple—all of it had been his doing.
I made my way toward the estate where my Maternal Uncle lived.
“….”
Upon seeing that estate, I found myself at a loss for words.
It was far more magnificent and expansive than I had imagined.
No, if he lived this well, there would be no need to send his nephew to Shaolin Temple at all.
Moreover, making his nephew a disciple of Shaolin Temple meant severing his family line.
If he needed the prestige of Shaolin, shouldn’t he have sent one of his own children instead?
As I quietly swallowed my frustration, a figure entered the estate.
The aura emanating from him was unmistakably unpleasant—the unmistakable presence of the Black Path.
I followed him and stealthily infiltrated the estate.

He headed toward the Guest Reception Room.
I erased my presence and made my way to the roof.
Through a gap beneath the roof, I observed their figures.
Inside sat a man who appeared to be Ji-sang Monk’s Maternal Uncle, facing the visitor I had just seen.
The visitor wore a contemptible smile, and he appeared to be a first-rate martial artist.
“So, how do you expect the matter to proceed?”
At the sound of his voice, I focused my attention intently.
“You need not worry. I have given the wretch his orders, and he will never dare defy me.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“I have exploited his weaknesses thoroughly. He will most certainly burn the sacred body of the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master.”
As I suspected….
The plan to eliminate the sacred body of the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master was still in motion.
Ji-sang Monk’s Maternal Uncle rubbed his palms together as he spoke.
“So, you truly intend to keep your promise?”
“Of course. Once this matter succeeds, I shall repay your thirty thousand nyang debt as promised.”

A sigh escaped me.
So Ji-sang Monk’s Maternal Uncle had incurred a debt to someone, and in his desperation to repay it, he had become entangled in something he should never have touched.
And by associating with the Black Path in such a manner, their malevolent aura had clung to him, and that same darkness had transferred to Ji-sang Monk as well.
The rest of the conversation held little of interest, so I quietly took my leave from the house.
“Shall we go?”
“While we have gained some results, it seems something troubles you, sir.”
At those words, I touched my face and asked.
“I don’t believe I’m poor at controlling my expressions, yet how did you discern this?”
“I simply observed and understood.”
I laughed awkwardly.
“In truth, yes. I have uncovered the full picture of this matter. If we succeed in eliminating the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s physical form, we will receive thirty thousand nyang in exchange to pay off the debt. However…”
I stroked my chin thoughtfully.
“His younger sister has become a concubine of Song Jang-ju, the wealthiest man in the neighboring village. Song Jang-ju possesses more than sufficient wealth to produce thirty thousand nyang. Would it not be far easier to simply request the funds from his younger sister?”
“Indeed it would.”
“I must investigate further regarding Ji-sang Monk’s younger sister who became Song Jang-ju’s concubine.”

Soon we made our way to Song Jang-ju’s Estate in the nearby village. And there I was able to confirm what I had suspected.
“Song Jang-ju is ill? What nonsense is that? He’s perfectly vigorous. I saw him just this morning.”
Indeed, Song Jang-ju’s illness was nothing but a fabrication.
I inquired about Ji-sang Monk’s mother.
“Ah, you mean that beautiful concubine? The daughter of Hae from Dae-ri County next door.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“But why are you searching for her now?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“She passed away ten years ago from a chronic illness. She longed so desperately to see her son, whom she had left with her family…”

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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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