The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 46
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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 46
Chapter 46. The Mist Clears (3)
Perhaps the Grand Patriarch and the House Master might have drawn their blades against each other.
It was no formation that could be resisted merely through possessing profound inner strength.
Every time he saw the Grand Patriarch and the House Master, his insides twisted with resentment.
‘If my father had been the House Master, the position of Young Master would have been mine!’
There were those who extended their hands to him in his bitterness, and grasping those hands, he made his resolve.
He would annihilate this petty family and seize the Realm in his grasp.
The Hundun Anmo formation before him was the beginning of that ambition.
He spread both hands and channeled his inner strength to activate the formation.
Uuuuuoooong—!
A harsh sound erupted as a mad wind swept through the surroundings.
And in that instant.
Rumble! Crack-boom!
Thunder and lightning crashed down from the sky above the Jegal Family Estate.
And from all directions, a mist so dark it could only be called darkness began to surge forward.
He let out a sinister laugh.
* * *
Jegal Yul couldn’t fathom what was happening.
He was in the midst of apprehending those who had sided with Jegal Dong-woo.
But then,
A dark mist began to envelop the Jegal Family Estate, accompanied by thunderous lightning.
And the martial artists of the estate began turning their weapons upon one another in combat.
“Damn it!”
He immediately recognized that this was no natural phenomenon.
Before becoming the House Master of the Jegal Family, his primary focus had been the study of formation arrays.
Naturally, he excelled in other disciplines as well, but formation arrays were where his greatest talent truly shone.
That’s why he could discern that all of this was the work of a formation array.
‘Uncle prepared something like this?’
But from what he knew, Jegal Dong-woo was utterly incompetent when it came to formation arrays.
They simply kept quiet about it for the sake of his reputation.
The real problem was that this situation was growing increasingly dangerous.
If it continued, deaths would begin to mount.
Moreover, the formation array’s influence was gradually affecting him as well.
What allowed him to endure now was the sword passed down through generations to the House Master.
The Demon-Slaying Sword, one of the divine weapons, maintained clarity of mind by its very nature.
Yet as the Demon-Slaying Sword trembled, he could feel the blade straining under the pressure.
‘I must dismantle this formation array quickly! If I’m not careful, I could lose control and slaughter the estate’s people!’
He subdued those rushing at him without inflicting serious injury, advancing toward the source of the formation array.
Subduing an opponent without leaving a mark was far more difficult than cutting them down.
At last, he reached the source of the formation array.
After all, he was the House Master of the Jegal Family.
The position of House Master was not something one could gamble away.
“This place is….”
He couldn’t help but be astonished.
It was none other than Jegal Kyung’s Quarters.
At that moment, his father, the Grand Patriarch, arrived at the location, dragging the bound Jegal Dong-woo.
“Father!”
He cried out, quickly retreating backward.
His father could be under the formation array’s influence and might attack him.
To his concern, the Grand Patriarch spoke.
“Ah, I’m fine.”
“Really? You’re truly unaffected, sir?”
“Fortunately, I know a way to maintain my senses.”
“Thank heavens. But this formation array—could it possibly be the Soul-Confusion Barrier Array?”
“It is.”
In truth, the Soul-Confusion Barrier Array had been abandoned the moment it was created.
It was a formation array that violated the heavenly order by forcing martial brothers or family members to kill one another.
Yet it remained a mystery why it still existed and why it had been installed within the Jegal Family Estate.
“Regardless, we must dismantle the formation array with haste!”
But the situation was far from favorable.
The Estate’s warriors were rushing toward them with weapons drawn.
“Father! I shall hold them back. Please, dismantle the formation array at once.”
A chaotic melee erupted immediately.
House Master Jegal Yul desperately held off the warriors, while the Grand Patriarch subdued those who obstructed him and pressed toward the source of the formation array.
Yet, as the saying goes, numbers cannot be overcome—they grew increasingly exhausted.
It was then.
“Everyone, regain your senses!”
A tremendous voice reverberated from somewhere.
The Lion’s Roar, infused with profound inner energy.
At that sound, the Estate’s warriors faltered, then looked around in bewilderment.
“What? Why… why am I here?”
The Estate’s people were beginning to regain their clarity.
The Lion’s Roar continued several more times, and soon the source of that voice appeared alongside Jegal Yu-ah.
It was Eun Seo-ho.
* * *
I recalled what I had overlooked.
It concerned the formation array itself.
Half of the Jegal Family’s people had died due to a formation array that had been tested in secret, or so I had been told.
And I knew somewhat more about that incident.
A young child who had survived the calamity at the Jegal Family Estate had testified at the time.
That they had mistaken one another for enemies and wielded their weapons.
Yet that testimony had faded from people’s memories.
But I possessed a keen memory, so I had not forgotten those words, and I anticipated that this formation array would be employed in this incident.
The problem was how to break it.
Ordinarily, the fastest way to dismantle a formation array is to destroy the core that serves as its source.
In other words, one must pierce through to the very center…
Could I accomplish that with my martial prowess?
Though I stood on the threshold of transcendence, I was still merely first-rate in skill.
But there was no time to hesitate.
Perhaps a solution would present itself once I arrived.
As I hastily mounted my horse, my Master approached and offered a word.
“That formation won’t harm you, Young Master.”
“Pardon?”
“Simply use the Lion’s Roar technique to call out.”
“…?”
“You’ll understand once you try it.”
By the time we arrived at the Jegal Family Estate at full gallop, it was immediately clear that something had gone terribly wrong.
The Jegal Family Estate, shrouded in dark mist, was absolute chaos.
People clashing with one another, screaming….
The clang of various cold weapons echoed from all directions.
“This, this is terrible!”
The Great Family Head’s Attendant and the Guard Warriors were bewildered by the unexpected situation.
But even passing through seemed impossible.
In that moment, I recalled my Master’s advice.
I tensed my abdomen and shouted using the Lion’s Roar technique.
“Come to your senses!”
I was fortunate to have recently learned the Lion’s Roar.
Now I understood why my Master had offered such counsel.
The warriors who heard my Lion’s Roar began to regain their clarity.
One of the functions of the Taiyin Ice-Sea Divine Art—the ability to clear the mind—was not limited to oneself alone.
That inner energy carried the function within it.
Yet my Master had distinctly said “that formation.”
That meant my Master knew about this formation, didn’t it?
Or did it mean my Master already knew this formation would be deployed?
My mind suddenly grew complicated, but I quickly pushed the thoughts aside.
After all, I didn’t need to fight through that melee anymore.
One shout wouldn’t suffice, so I cried out multiple times, and as a result, my inner energy drained completely in one rush, leaving me somewhat exhausted.
I felt as though I might collapse from the strain.
My hands and feet trembled violently.
This feeling of depleted inner energy wasn’t new, but I never grew accustomed to it.
Moreover, the nauseating sensation emanating from all around only twisted my insides further.
I surveyed my surroundings.
Fortunately, there weren’t many casualties.
Just then, Jegal Yu-ah came running from that direction.
“Young Master Eun!”
“Ah, you’re unharmed.”
“What on earth is….”
“Shouldn’t we hurry to the Grand Patriarch and the House Master?”
“They’re likely over there.”
My companions and I followed her, and we soon arrived at Jegal Kyung’s Quarters.
Fortunately, the Grand Patriarch and the House Master appeared unharmed.
“Are you both alright?”
At my words, they looked at me with expressions of surprise.
“How did you come to be here?”
“I’ll explain that later.”
That was when it happened.
Creeeeak.
A door opened, and Jegal Kyung emerged from within.
The true mastermind who orchestrated the annihilation of the Jegal Family had arrived.
He smiled as he looked at us standing before him.
“My, you’ve figured it out faster than I expected.”
Yet through his trembling hands, the quivering of his pupils, and the sweat trickling down his face, I could discern the truth.
He seemed utterly flustered right now.
Well, it was understandable enough.
The people were not falling under the influence of the formation array.
He was merely feigning composure with a smile to conceal his bewilderment.
“What is the meaning of this?”
The Grand Patriarch demanded an answer, and he obliged.
“Those above ordered me to erase this place.”
“Under whose command did you commit such an atrocity!”
“Did I not warn you in the letter? That there would be consequences if you continued to refuse the proposal.”
At those words, the faces of the Grand Patriarch and the House Master darkened.
A letter?
I recalled the letter I had seen in the Grand Patriarch’s quarters.
Was he referring to the letter bearing the Murim Alliance’s seal?
The Grand Patriarch cried out.
“How dare you don such a human guise and commit such villainy!”
“Many members of the Alliance are already complicit in this matter.”
Though I didn’t know all the details, I could discern the identity of the culprit.
It was the Murim Alliance that orchestrated this affair.
There was no other organization worthy of being called an “Alliance.”
“Then, what did you receive in exchange for erasing this Family? The Family itself?”
“Certainly not. Would I commit such deeds merely to obtain this trivial Family?”
“Then what is it?”
“What indeed? Care to take a guess?”
Watching that exchange, I sensed that Jegal Kyung was after something specific.
This felt almost like….
He was stalling for time.
Was he waiting for someone to come to his rescue?
But why would the Grand Patriarch be stalling as well?
Could it be that you’re planning to eliminate anyone who comes to help the Marketplace escape?
The conversation between the Grand Patriarch and Jegal Kyung continued.
“Then it was you who supplied the poison to Jegal Dong-woo?”
“Yes. It was difficult to obtain, and yet he wasted it like that… Tsk tsk.”
At those words, the bound Jegal Dong-woo cried out.
“Then were you the one who approached me and told me to kill my brother and drive my nephew mad?”
“Yes.”
“How, how could you! How could you!”
“Is there truly a difference between you, who dreamed of seizing the House Master’s position, and me?”
“Had I known you were the Murim Alliance’s filthy dog, I would never have joined hands with you!”
Ah, so he also despised the Murim Alliance.
That must be why the Jegal Family disappeared even after he took control of the house.
“So then, what exactly did you agree to receive in return for going this far? You still haven’t answered.”
“Try to guess.”
….
“You look like you don’t know?”
Just as he was buying time with that feigned composure,
“What I agreed to receive…!”
He suddenly coughed up blood.
“Cough… What is this….”
“You thought someone would come to rescue you, didn’t you?”
Looking at those eyes, it seemed the mark had been struck true.
The Grand Patriarch clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk, the current Murim Alliance is already a group that has abandoned righteousness! There’s no way they would deliberately come to save you.”
He cried out with a contorted face.
“No, no! That can’t be!”
“Since there are still many sects and families the Alliance hasn’t brought under their control, they cannot reveal their involvement. Therefore, to leave no evidence, they will inevitably sever all loose ends….”
That was right.
The Alliance had cast aside Jegal Kyung like a worn-out tool.
And the Grand Patriarch knew that no one would come to rescue him.
“How could you bear the name Jegal and yet fail to see through their true nature? You are the family’s shame!”
At the Grand Patriarch’s words, Jegal Kyung let out a bitter laugh.
“You say that while looking at your own granddaughter? The true shame of this family is Yu A.”
“Yu A is a shame? Hehehehe! Is that so? Yu A?”
The Grand Patriarch had already known that Jegal Yu-ah was acting.
That was why he had looked at her with such pitying eyes.
“Really? Is that so?”
Jegal Yu-ah stepped forward.
“If I’m hearing such words, it seems I’ve been quite good at acting.”
At that appearance, so completely different from usual, Jegal Kyung was shocked.
“Acting? It was all an act?”
Regardless of his shock, the Grand Patriarch continued.
“Just as you deliberately prolonged time hoping for their rescue, I too intentionally delayed—for I believed that making you realize hope was merely despair would be your greatest punishment.”
A terrifying man indeed.
Then again, one who had led an entire family could hardly lack such ruthlessness.
“Ugh….”
Jegal Kyung clutched at his throat in agony, and the Grand Patriarch, watching with a bitter smile, spoke again.
“The formation was abolished for another reason—it devours the caster’s innate qi to activate. Did you trigger it without knowing this?”
In that instant, the Grand Patriarch drew his blade and hurled it toward him.
Shhiiiiing—!
The sword shot forth like an arrow, piercing past Jegal Kyung and shattering the wall behind him before flying onward.
The blade embedded itself directly in the center of the formation drawn in blood-crimson lines.
Crackle! Crackle!
Boom—!
The formation erupted in sparks and shattered.
Only then did my chest feel light, and the revulsion that had tormented me vanished.
The dark mist that had shrouded the Jegal Family Estate dissipated.
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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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