The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 454

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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 454

Chapter 454. The Time of Reckoning (1)

“Father, have we truly been left with nothing?”
Hae-chul bit his lip, unable to answer his son’s question.
“You must have some emergency funds hidden away somewhere, right? If you do, hand them over. I promised the boys I’d take them to the Pleasure House today. Don’t you think it would embarrass you to see your own son lose face?”
At his son’s absurd insistence, Hae-chul roared at him.
“Quiet! Emergency funds? There are no such things!”
“You really don’t have any?”
“If you have emergency funds, you hand them over!”
“Where would I have anything like that?”
Like father, like son—the boy squandered money just as recklessly as his father did.
Being an only child, he had been spoiled and indulged, but as the saying goes, children are mirrors of their parents.
“What about Ji-sang? Why don’t you ask him for some money?”
At those words, Hae-chul quickly covered his mouth.
“Shh! Don’t you dare tell anyone you know Ji-sang!”
“Why not?”
“Just do as I say!”
“Ugh, this is so annoying!”
“You think I’m not annoyed?”
“Why are you raising your voice at our son?”
Soon his wife joined in, pressing him further.
“Is this how you should be acting right now? You told us to trust only you! So what is all this?”
“Why does everyone keep coming at me like this!”
With that cry, he stormed out of the estate.
His family still didn’t grasp the situation and kept extending their hands to him, demanding more. His anger rose to the very top of his head.
But soon he realized his predicament.
He wanted nothing more than to squander money lavishly and shake off this filthy feeling, but he had no money to his name.
“Damn it! Damn it! Argh!”
After venting his rage like this for some time, his mind finally began to settle a little.
But the question of how to survive now remained unresolved.
“Ah? Aren’t you Manor Lord Hae?”
At that moment, a stranger approached him.
“Who… are you?”
“How disappointing. We’ve shared a drink together several times, haven’t we?”
“My apologies.”
In truth, he had drunk with so many people that he couldn’t possibly remember them all. When you spend your nights drinking recklessly at taverns, you end up sharing drinks with countless strangers.
Recently, due to the alcohol prohibition edict, I haven’t been able to drink.
“Well, it’s no trouble at all.”
The man laughed carelessly while fanning himself with his fan.
I felt as though I’d seen him somewhere before, yet I couldn’t for the life of me remember where we’d met.
“But tell me, have you lived in this village?”
“No, sir. I’m staying in Beijing. I came here because I had business at Shaolin Temple.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“But is something troubling you, sir?”
Hae-chul’s mind raced quickly.
Judging by his clothes, he appeared to be the son of a well-to-do household, and from his demeanor, it seemed we’d shared drinks together multiple times.
‘A perfect opportunity!’
He smiled softly and spoke.
“How fortunate that we’ve met like this. Actually, about those drinks we’ve shared together—it turns out each of us was supposed to pay for our own. Yet I ended up paying for your drinks as well. So I was thinking, shouldn’t you repay me for those drinks now?”
Of course, this approach risked damaging both their reputations and creating mutual enmity.
But he desperately needed money right now.
“What? What are you saying, sir? All the drinks we’ve had so far were paid for by me.”
“…What?”
An entirely unexpected response.
“Every time I met you, you’d left your purse behind, so I said I would treat you. If you add up all those drinks, it should come to about twenty silver taels.”
“Did I really do that?”
“And I still have the promissory note you wrote, swearing you’d repay me for those drinks someday….”
“…!”
“If you wish, I could send someone to Beijing to retrieve it.”
What I’d hoped would be soft prey turned out to be solid steel.
I could almost hear the sound of my teeth crumbling.
“Well, no need for all that trouble. I must have been mistaken. Ahem.”
“Well, since we’ve met like this, it must be fate—shall we share a cup of tea?”

* * *

I took Hae-chul to a nearby Tea House.
This bastard was clearly scheming how to squeeze money out of me.
It was painfully obvious he was calculating every angle to extract funds from my coffers.
He’d likely done the same to Song Merchant House when his sister became a concubine, and again when she died.
Go ahead and try all you want.
You won’t get a single coin.
Why had I covered my face with a veil and brought Hae-chul to this Tea House?
To dispose of him from this village.
As soon as I scratched that particular itch, he began spilling the details of his predicament.
“Good heavens! So all the land and property have been seized?”
“That’s how it stands. I need thirty thousand taels to lift the seizure.”
“A difficult situation indeed.”
“And I don’t even have money to eat right now. It’s a real crisis.”
I pretended to ponder for a moment before offering a suggestion.
“Don’t you have your wife’s family?”
“Huh? My wife’s family?”
“Yes. Honestly, someone of the Manor Lord’s standing must have provided considerable support to his bride’s family, no? Perhaps you could rely on them for the time being.”
His eyes gleamed at my words.
“That’s right! That’s it! How much money have I given them over the years!”
Just as I’d anticipated, his face brightened immediately.
According to Palgap’s investigation, Hae-chul’s wife’s family was in the Kaifeng direction. It wasn’t terribly far, but there was enough distance from Shaolin that he couldn’t easily return.
Especially not if he arrived penniless.
“Well then, I should be taking my leave.”
“Thank you. Safe travels.”
With that, I departed.
Farewell. Let us not meet again. And do not come seeking out Ji-sang Monk.

A few days later, Palgap, who had gone down to the village, brought me some interesting news.
“Young Master! Young Master!”
“What is it?”
“Hae-chul has gone to his bride’s family home, they say.”
“Is that so? Good.”
Thus I had resolved the matter of Hae-chul as well.
Truth be told, I would have preferred to eliminate him entirely, but I refrained.
It would be far more humiliating for him this way.
A son-in-law who once lived in arrogant excess now arrives at his bride’s family home utterly ruined.
What family would welcome such a man?
Moreover, even Hae Chul’s Wife shows him contempt—how could her family possibly respect him?
He would be treated as a burden, subjected to nothing but scorn and mistreatment.
Just as Ji-sang Monk had once been.
And considering how he had made himself odious to her family all this time, it was simply reaping what he had sown.
“And the rumor we spread this time is propagating quite naturally, sir.”
“Ah… is that so?”
I had recently circulated a new rumor.
That Hae Cheol had spat upon the sacred body of Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master while it was being transported to Shaolin Temple, and had consequently been utterly destroyed.
Half of all rumors, after all, have no basis in reality.
But when rumors accumulate and compound, even a tiger that never existed can be conjured into being.
The rumor was already taking effect—letters from those seeking to pay respects were pouring in, or so I heard.
Yes, it was far better for security to expose everything to the public this way.
.
.
.
A few days later, a Young Novice Monk serving the Abbot Master came to find me.
At last, he was summoning me.
I followed the Young Novice Monk toward the Abbot’s Chamber.
“Amitabha Buddha, forgive me for calling you so late.”
“Not at all.”
“So, did you enjoy yourself?”
Ah… truly, the Abbot Master knows everything.
I took a sip of tea, feigning ignorance.
“Slurp.”
“I am grateful.”
“Cough, pardon?”
Honestly… I had expected him to rebuke me for going too far…
A faint smile played at the corners of the Abbot Master’s lips.
“Ji-sang is a good disciple. But the weight of his karma was so heavy that it pained me merely to witness it.”
“Then why did you not intervene, Master?”
To be honest, if the Abbot Master were to intervene, this matter could be resolved with ease.
But he chose not to.
“Everything has its proper time. And the fact that you’ve come now means that time has arrived.”
The Abbot Master sipped his tea and continued in a measured tone.
“And even if I had intervened, the matter would not have been fundamentally resolved.”
“….”
The Abbot Master was right about that.
“And thanks to you, Hyejin Master’s body was also preserved safely. Ji-sang Monk told me so himself—that it was thanks to you.”
“Could it be that Ji-sang Monk confessed everything to you?”
He nodded at my question.
To be honest, that was a matter too burdensome and difficult to speak of truthfully.
Yet Ji-sang Monk laid bare the circumstances.
He must possess far deeper cultivation than I had realized.
“That’s precisely why I’m grateful to you. Because of your help to Ji-sang, he was able to refrain from committing such an act.”
“…I simply found that situation disagreeable myself.”
“Is that so?”
“But may I ask why you call the Blood Gorge Fortress Master by his dharma name rather than his secular name?”
Only the Abbot Master referred to him as Hyejin Master instead of Blood Gorge Fortress Master.
“Isn’t that natural? He is a disciple of Shaolin. Is it strange to address a Shaolin disciple by their dharma name?”
In other words, the Abbot Master was respecting his identity as a Shaolin disciple.
“That was a foolish question.”
“Not at all. One may well be curious.”
So from now on, I should also call him Hyejin Master….
Hmm, but to me he’s simply a senior of the Martial Arts World, so I should continue calling him Blood Gorge Fortress Master.
“Anyway, the reason I called you here is because of the reward I mentioned before.”
Excellent! It was reward time!
The Abbot Master retrieved a box that had been placed beside him and handed it to me.
“Take it.”
I accepted it and opened it. Inside were six pills.
“Just to be clear, these are neither Great Restoration Pills nor Lesser Restoration Pills.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t even dream of such things.”
Those were treasures of Shaolin Temple, after all.
“But these are pills worthy of being called spiritual medicine. They will provide considerable aid in cultivating inner strength. However, there is one condition.”
“What is that?”
“They don’t pair well with inner strength of a cold nature.”
“I see.”
I understood why the Abbot Master was giving me these.
He was bestowing them upon me with my future in mind.
“But what is the name of these pills?”
“Vajra Essence Pills.”
“Cough!”
I choked involuntarily at that name.
Vajra Perfect Harmony Pellet—that’s just one rank below the Summoning Pellet.
No matter how great my accomplishments, giving me six of these is far too generous.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. But aren’t you overextending yourself, Abbot Master?”
“Nonsense. Thanks to you, countless disciples have been saved, and Shaolin’s honor has been preserved. What’s a little effort compared to that?”
Though his words make me feel worthy of accepting this reward…
I made a decision.
When I give these pellets to the Guard Warriors, I will absolutely never reveal what they truly are.
If someone chokes on one, it would be such a waste.
I steadied myself and spoke to the Abbot Master.
“Forgive my presumption, but may I ask one favor?”
“What is it?”
I retrieved the box I had brought and opened it, presenting it to him.
“Nine-Leaf Ginseng.”
Surprise flickered in the Abbot Master’s eyes as he beheld it.
But why does he keep looking at my face instead of the ginseng?
“I never expected you would show this to me.”
Ah, so the Abbot Master knew I had obtained it. He simply thought I would consume it myself.
Well, Abbot Master.
I do not consume what is not mine.
I smiled and continued.
“This belongs to Ji-sang Monk. It is merely the materialized form of wealth accumulated through his mother’s sacrifice.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Therefore, I wish to give this to Ji-sang Monk. And I would ask that you assist him with his inner cultivation after he consumes it, Abbot Master.”
“Is that your request?”
“It is.”
“What if I refuse?”
Without hesitation, I extended the Vajra Perfect Harmony Pellets I had received from the Abbot Master back to him.
“In exchange for accepting these, I make this request.”
The Abbot Master let out a dry cough at my answer.
“You have a talent for putting people in awkward positions. I was merely testing you.”
“Were you? I couldn’t tell—you spoke with such sincerity.”
But it is certain that he was testing me just now.
He was gauging whether my heart was genuine.
“Very well. I shall grant your request.”
“Thank you.”
“However, there is another who will assist with Ji-sang Monk’s inner cultivation.”
“Pardon?”
I found myself asking the question before I could stop myself, but in that instant, I grasped the identity of this person.
At Shaolin Temple, there exists another master of Hwagyeong besides the Abbot Master.
Though he has voluntarily entered Chamhoe Cave for the present.
“There is one more thing I am curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Hyeol Gon Seong Seung Master, or rather Hyejin Master—what do you intend to do with his remains?”
“I plan to leave them as they are. Through this, we shall discover the truth—who among us are Shaolin’s enemies.”
The Abbot Master’s gaze grew cold as he spoke these words.
“Your answer suffices. I am grateful for your response to my humble question. Then I shall take my leave now. It seems I have imposed upon you enough.”
“It has been a pleasure. Return safely.”

I withdrew from the Abbot Master’s chamber.
Now it was time to prepare for my journey to Beijing.
I wondered if Hae-chul and his family had arrived at the bride’s family home by now, and whether they were faring well.

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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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