The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 452

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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 452

Chapter 452. The Ascension (5)

The next day, Ji-sang Monk headed immediately toward Chamhoe Cave.
I hadn’t expected him to enter so quickly—he was far more decisive in action than I’d anticipated.
At dawn, he met with the Discipline Hall Director Master and entered Chamhoe Cave without carrying a single possession.
In truth, Chamhoe Cave has many levels.
Some sections confine those guilty of grave crimes, others serve as punishment for monks who’ve broken their precepts, and still others exist for those who wish to meditate in repentance of their own volition.
Yet all sections of Chamhoe Cave share one thing in common.
Once you enter, whether the duration is set by others or by yourself, you cannot leave until that time expires.
And it is a place where no news from the outside world reaches.
Of course, outsiders can never enter such a place.
When I heard that Ji-sang Monk had entered Chamhoe Cave, I smiled with satisfaction.
Now, shall I begin?
My decision to help Ji-sang Monk wasn’t merely because I pitied him or because the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master appeared in my dreams.
It was because I suspected the Murim Alliance orchestrated this sinister plot.
For reasons I couldn’t discern, it was certain that someone within the Murim Alliance intended to desecrate the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s ascension.
If that were the case, I would have to crush that plan.
By exacting these small revenges, I could eventually achieve the true vengeance I sought.
Yes, I would need to move swiftly.

* * *

When the promised day arrived, Hae-chul headed toward Shaolin Temple.
“Ugh! They accept donations just fine, so why is the road to Shaolin Temple in such terrible condition!”
The Guard expressed concern at his complaints from inside the carriage.
“Please be careful with your words. This is Shaolin’s territory. If any disrespectful remarks about Shaolin leak out, it will cause trouble.”
At that, Hae-chul let out a scoff.
“One of those monks is my nephew.”
….
His sister had been widowed and returned to her family home with one son.
Not long after, she caught the eye of Song Jang-ju from a nearby village.
Naturally, this was something Hae-chul welcomed with open arms.
But it was impossible to bring her son with her when entering Song Jang-ju’s household as a concubine.
In the end, she had no choice but to leave her son in her family home.
However, to Hae-chul’s family, that boy was nothing but a bothersome burden.
So they sent him to Shaolin Temple.
And they lied to his sister, saying that a Shaolin warrior monk had taken the child after seeing his talent.
His sister fell ill not long after becoming Song Jang-ju’s concubine, and passed away ten years ago.
‘Tsk! If she’d lived just a bit longer, I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble now!’
Hae-chul had suddenly become wealthy and spent money like a nouveau riche.
But as the famine dragged on, his fortunes began to decline steadily.
Normally, one would reduce spending, but he did not.
‘Can’t I just earn more money?’
So he ventured into business, failed spectacularly, and found himself thirty thousand silver taels in debt.
If his sister had still been alive, he could have sought help from Song Jang-ju, but she was already dead.
When she died, he had squeezed out a large sum under the guise of condolences, so their relationship was already strained.
If he went to him saying “just thirty thousand silver taels,” he would certainly be thrown out on the spot.
As he seriously contemplated selling his land, someone made him an enticing proposal.

“You say you have a nephew at Shaolin Temple?”

Everyone in the village knew that his maternal nephew was a Buddhist Monk at Shaolin Temple.
He had boasted about it to the villagers often enough.
When his sister first brought him home, he was a burden, but after becoming a Buddhist Monk, he became a nephew to be proud of.
“I see.”
“I heard you were in urgent need of money. We can repay that debt for you.”
“…What’s your angle?”
“Does it matter? What matters is that we can provide the money. You just need to do us one favor.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Do you know that the sacred remains of the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master have arrived at Shaolin Temple?”
“Yes, I’ve heard of it.”
“They say a spiritual elixir is contained within those remains. Please bring that elixir to us.”

In the end, he accepted the proposal and tasked his nephew, Ji-sang Monk, with the job.
A fool who still didn’t know his mother had passed away.
An idiot who still believed he lived in poverty.
Soon the Mountain Gate came into view.
He changed clothes inside the carriage—garments utterly different from what he wore now, clothes he ordinarily wouldn’t even glance at, let alone consider wearing.
But he needed to wear such clothes to win his nephew’s sympathy.
He descended from the carriage and headed toward the Mountain Gate.
“What brings you here?”
“I’ve come to meet Ji-sang Monk. Please tell him his Maternal Uncle has arrived.”
One of the Buddhist Monks guarding the Mountain Gate went inside and returned, shaking his head.
“I’m sorry, but he cannot see you today.”
“What?”
“Ji-sang Monk is currently in Chamhoe Cave.”
At those words, he was momentarily flustered.
Today was the day they had promised to meet.
He had been certain the monk would keep his word, given that his mother’s safety depended on it.
But Chamhoe Cave….
‘Could he have been caught tampering with the Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s remains?’
It wasn’t impossible.
If so, there was only one thing he should do now.
“I understand. Then I’ll be on my way….”
Leave this place quickly. If he wasn’t careful, he could be implicated as an accomplice.
But soon his vision darkened.
The opportunity to repay a debt of thirty thousand nyang had vanished.
As he trudged down the mountain in despair, a Fan-Bearing Man approached him.
“Are you perhaps Hae-chul?”
“Who…are you?”
“Someone commissioned by Ji-sang Monk. I have something to deliver to his Maternal Uncle. So, are you Hae-chul?”
At those words, Hae-chul’s eyes seemed to light up.
He appeared to understand what object was being requested.
“That’s right. I am Hae-chul, the maternal uncle of Ji-sang Monk!”
The man handed over a pouch.
“Here it is, sir. The spiritual elixir we found within the body of Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master.”
“Then this is it?”
“Yes. While he was striving to obtain this, he was dragged away to Chamhoe Cave, and so….”
“Oh no!”
“He said he wouldn’t be able to deliver it himself, so he asked me to pass it on in his stead.”
“But… who are you, that you would do such an errand?”
“Ji-sang Monk once saved my life, and I merely wish to repay that debt of gratitude.”

* * *

I watched as Ji-sang Monk’s maternal uncle disappeared into the distance, boarding a carriage.
Was his name Hae-chul?
Snap!
I folded my fan closed.
The fan I held was a Memory-Concealing Fan. Using it, the other party would not remember my appearance.
Quite useful in situations like this.
Hae-chul held the pouch I had given him with a delighted expression, but who knows?
Whether that expression would last remained to be seen.
What I had placed in the pouch was not the spiritual elixir that had been within Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s body.
How could I give something that never existed in the first place?
Then what had I put in it?
As I chuckled to myself, Palgap approached and spoke.
“Young Master, do you think that fellow knows it’s horse dung?”
“No way. That merchant is absolutely convinced it’s a spiritual elixir.”
“He was carrying it so carefully in his bosom.”
“Exactly.”
“But what happens if he actually eats that horse dung thinking it’s a real spiritual elixir?”
“What happens? He becomes someone who ate horse dung, that’s what.”
“I’m worried an innocent bystander might eat it instead.”
“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”
.
.
.
I was lying in wait on the roof of that house, tracking the man called Hae-chul.
Now that the elixir was in hand, I would summon the Black Robed Person who had made the request.
The deadline for repaying thirty thousand nyang was fast approaching—I had no time to waste.
As I expected, that night a man in jade-colored robes visited Hae-chul’s house—the same man who had come before.
Sensing the thick aura of the Black Path emanating from him, I smiled bitterly and moved toward the roof of the Guest Reception Room.

“Here, the elixir as promised. My nephew found it inside the body of Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master,” the man said.
“Ho? So it really existed!”
“What does that mean?”
“No! Nothing at all. So what became of Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s body?”
“Since it was found near the head, it’s likely damaged.”
“I see.”
That was exactly what I had told him earlier.
I had deliberately said the elixir was found near the head.
The Black Robed Person tucked the elixir into his robe and spoke.
“Thank you for your efforts.”
“About the payment…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll visit again within two days. At that time, you’ll be able to hear the news you desire.”
Then he rose from his seat and left the Guest Reception Room.
Now came the crucial part.
I quickly began to tail him.
I had followed him before, but I hadn’t obtained the results I wanted.
But this time was different.
I had obtained an elixir I never expected to find, and I had perfectly executed my superior’s instructions.
So now he would surely go report to his true superior.

As I anticipated, he headed toward Luoyang.
Wow… right under the nose of the Murim Alliance, and yet he has such audacity?
He must have considerable backing.
This time too, I infiltrated the house secretly.

“So, you disfigured the face? Well done.”
“Is it finished then?”
“Yes. We did what they wanted, so it’s done. Poor Shaolin Temple. Tsk tsk, they should have kept better watch over their disciples.”
“But will you really give that Manor Lord thirty thousand taels?”
“Are you insane? Give him nothing. We just take the money and run. So you get ready to flee as well.”
“Understood. But why are they so desperate to dispose of Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master’s remains?”
“How would I know what those bastards are thinking? We just do what we’re told and pocket the money.”

As expected, that’s how it would be.
There’s no way they’d pay off that thirty thousand nyang debt in their stead.
Still, these people seem considerably stronger than anyone I’ve encountered before.
And from their conversation, it was clear they knew something more—something significant.
I sent a telepathic signal to the Guard Warriors around me.
– Let’s move!
The Guard Warriors immediately drew masks from their robes and donned them.
They were the smiling face masks we’d used before when we stripped Ma Jang-ju, who had been oppressing Han Jae-ik.
As we burst in, they were startled and thrown into disarray.
“Ugh!”
“Gasp!”
“Argh!”
Strong as they were, they were no match for me and my Guard Warriors.
We subdued them in an instant.
“Who… who are you?”
“Why should I tell you that?”
“You’ve made a grave mistake!”
“Are you worried about us? You seem kinder than you look.”
“What… what nonsense!”
I let out a soft chuckle.
“So where did the order come from to desecrate the remains of Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master?”
“I… I don’t know!”
At those words, I gestured to Jin Yu Warrior with my eyes.
Jin Yu Warrior immediately applied the Bone-Breaking Joint Technique to him.
The technique destroyed the opponent’s joints, but the intense pain made it effective for interrogation.
And there was no blood.
That was important.
“Aaaahhh!”
“You really don’t know?”
“I really can’t remember!”
He writhed in agony, cursing.
“When I try to recall, I can’t remember who it was—it’s strange!”
Seo-woo Warrior sent me a quiet telepathic message.
– He appears to be telling the truth.
Could they have used a memory-suppressing technique? Though… they wouldn’t be so careless as to assign the task that way.
All the others showed the same reaction.
Sigh, I thought I’d finally grasped a proper lead, but…
– What shall we do?
To that question, I answered with a bitter smile.
– Handle it quietly.
We can’t afford to be careless with our work either.
If there was a possibility these men would meet with someone higher up, I would have used them as bait, but that didn’t seem likely.
Based on what they said about “bouncing”—
In other words, it was a one-time commission.
So I struck their heavenly spirit points and ended their lives right there.
Since I had to return to Shaolin Temple, I needed to avoid leaving blood behind as much as possible.
When I disposed of the corpse, I recovered a pouch that had been in the breast of the man in the jade-colored robe.
Of course, I erased any lingering energy that might have remained in the pouch, and since it was made from cloth used to sew Shaolin Temple robes, there was no way to deduce that I was the culprit—but I still didn’t want to leave it behind.
The moment I picked up the pouch to incinerate it with Samadhi True Fire, I felt something off.
Hmm?
The weight… it seemed lighter somehow?
I opened the pouch and realized what had happened.
Damn… this bastard.
“What’s wrong, sir?”
At Myeong-jong Warrior’s question, I let out a slight laugh.
“He skimmed some off. Half of it, no less.”
When I handed this to Hae-chul, I told him that consuming it would increase one’s martial power by one level, and that even ordinary people would develop martial power from it…
“Perhaps he was thinking of selling it to raise money.”
At Myeong-jong Warrior’s words, I shook my head.
“Normally, that would be the case. But he couldn’t do that.”
“Then?”
“He would consume it himself.”

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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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