The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 468

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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 468

Chapter 468. Why Has It Come to This? (4)

“Ahhhhh!”
“Ughhhh!”
“S-stop them!”
Suddenly, the shouts of soldiers and panicked cries erupted from outside.
Crash!
“W-what’s happening?”
Gong Ho threw open the door and shouted, but no one answered.
The warriors who understood the situation had already fled.
Just as he was about to rush outside, someone entered.
A strikingly handsome face illuminated by moonlight.
“Y-you! Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master! What in the world is happening?”
“The Golden Army sent by Emperor has entered Chungyeongseong.”
“W-what did you say?”
He gasped in shock, then his expression shifted to one of relief.
“So you’ve come to take me away! Everyone else has fled, but you alone thought of me….”
“Ah, that’s not it.”
“What?”
“I’m the one who let those Golden Army soldiers in.”
Now that I looked at him, despite the urgency of the situation, my face remained composed and unhurried.
“And I’ve come ahead like this to make sure you don’t escape—you who orchestrated this entire affair.”
“W-what are you saying?”
“So why don’t you surrender one of your legs?”

* * *

At my words, Gong Ho stared at me with an expression of utter disbelief, then his face contorted violently.
“From the very beginning… you approached me with this intention?”
“Of course, wasn’t it obvious?”
“Damn it all!”
He spat out a curse and kicked at the ground.
He’d been pretending to talk while attempting to flee.
Not a chance.
I swiftly deployed my lightness technique and caught the back of his neck, slamming him to the floor.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
He clutched his waist and groaned as he spoke to me.
“Even those at the peak realm couldn’t catch up to my lightness technique… what are you?”
So that’s how he managed to escape in the future Seo Hyang saw.
His lightness technique was genuinely formidable.
He simply couldn’t flee because I was his opponent.
Had I not stolen those enchanted shoes beforehand, I would certainly have lost him even with my own lightness technique.
I exhaled a silent breath of relief and approached Gong Ho.
“I’m quite confident in my lightness technique as well. And I knew you would attempt to escape.”
There was no need to reveal that I’d reached the transcendent realm.
“Blast it! Those shoes! If my Thousand-League Step hadn’t burned in the fire, I wouldn’t have been caught by the ankle here!”
Gong Ho, unwilling to surrender, drew his blade and rushed at me.
“Die, you bastard!”
Thud!
But I wasn’t alone here. And my guards possessed considerable skill.
In an instant, Seo-woo Warrior’s foot struck his chest, and Jin Yu Warrior unleashed a palm strike toward his back.
“Cough! Cough!”
He rolled across the floor, his insides shattered, and pleaded to me with a pitiful expression.
“P-please, spare me! I have a wife and children. Without me, they’ll starve to death!”
A lie.
A wife and children? What nonsense.
Would the Murim Alliance, mad as they are, assign the Submerged Fish role to a man with a family?
For the sake of maintaining secrecy, they would have chosen only unmarried men.
And those eyes are not the eyes of a family man.
“When did I ever say I’d kill you?”
“Huh?”
“I only said I’d break one of your legs.”
“You plan to hand me over to the Emperor! That’s the same as killing me!”
“It’s different. First of all, I’m not the one killing you.”
“What sophistry is this! You ××ing ××!”
He hurled curses at me.
I swept my hair back and let out a sigh.
“Sigh, it seems you still haven’t grasped the reality of your situation. And I’m offended. I only intended to break one leg, but I ended up shattering all four limbs.”
“I obey your command!”
“No, wait! I made a mistake….”
Crack!
Crunch!
“Aaaahhhhh!”
I have a rather unpleasant temperament, you see.
.
.
.
A moment later.
Gong Ho, with all his limbs shattered, was being dragged along by my Guard Warrior.
I had decided to gather all those I’d subdued in one place.
Soon we arrived at the front of the residence.
Several pillars were planted there, and bound to each pillar were prisoners.
Jin Dae-chul and Baek Seon, along with several Traitors apprehended by the Imperial Guards and Golden Robed Guards.
The other Black Path Martial Artists were bound and gathered in one location.
“Ah! You’ve arrived?”
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster and the other Golden Robed Guards greeted me.
“Yes. You’ve all worked hard.”
“You’re the one who’s had it rough, my friend.”
He glanced behind me, and his expression hardened.
“Is that the Merchant?”
“Yes. This is Gong Ho, the one who taught them that cunning scheme.”
“Bind him securely to a pillar.”
“Yes.”
Following my orders, my Guard Warriors bound Gong Ho firmly to a pillar.
Only then did Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster notice Gong Ho’s condition and ask.
“But… he’s in quite a state, isn’t he?”
“Ah… I originally intended to break only one leg, but somehow it ended up like this.”
At my words, Palgap shook his head beside me in disapproval.
What? That?
What does that mean?

The five thousand Golden Army soldiers were formidable indeed.
They had sealed off Chungyeongseong without a single gap.
The martial artists and traitors that Gong Ho had brought were unable to breach that encirclement.
Some of them tried to hide in civilian homes, but the common people would never shelter them.
Half a day after the Geumui Guard and Golden Army entered the fortress, the situation was resolved.
I clicked my tongue as I looked at those bound to the pillars.
Just hours ago, they must have been dreaming of a bright and glorious future.
But reality was that they were criminals who had deceived the Emperor and plotted treason.
In my previous life, I had even pinned those crimes on the Fortress Lord of this place.
I felt a sense of satisfaction that I could prevent his unjust death and ensure the guilty faced their due punishment.
At that moment, I turned my head at the sound of someone approaching from beside me.
Kwon Jik Grand Hero was leading a group of people.
Behind him, Yeon Yu-mun was supporting a middle-aged man.
Though one of his arms had been severed and his complexion was haggard, I could quickly discern his identity.
The Fortress Lord of Chungyeongseong.
Kwon Jik Grand Hero spoke to Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster.
“This is the Fortress Lord of Chungyeongseong and his family.”
“Ah, I see!”
He cupped his fist toward the Fortress Lord of Chungyeongseong and bowed his head.
“I am Jin-yeong of the Geumui Guard. Are you feeling well? The Emperor is quite concerned about you.”
“This old body hardly deserves such attention… I am overwhelmed by the Emperor’s grace.”
“This is an imperial edict from the Emperor.”
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster handed him a scroll ornately decorated with gold leaf.
The Fortress Lord received the edict with trembling hands, and Yeon Yu-mun helped unfold it beside him.
Seeing tears stream down the Fortress Lord’s eyes as he read the edict, it seemed to contain a sincere apology.
“I am overwhelmed and humbled by the Emperor’s grace!”
Yeon Yu-mun approached the Fortress Lord and whispered something to him.
Then the Fortress Lord turned his head and looked at me.
Huh?
Why is he looking at me?
The Fortress Lord approached me and grasped my hand with his remaining arm.
“Are you Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master?”
“Ah, yes. That is correct, but…”
“I heard your contributions to this matter were significant. I am truly grateful.”
“I did very little.”
“You are too modest. I have already heard the details from Grand Hero Kwon and my son. Without you, I would have…”
Tears welled up in his eyes once more.
Knowing his fate in my previous life, my feelings were quite complicated.
So without thinking, I offered him words of blessing.
“I hope you will live long and enjoy a peaceful life.”
“Thank you.”
After exchanging those words with me, he spoke to Kwon Jik Grand Hero.
“I have a request.”
“Please speak.”
“These merchants… would it suffice if I struck each of them just once?”
The Fortress Lord’s eyes burned with an intense, smoldering fire.
Years of plundering and humiliating the people were not enough—he had violated his daughter, driving her to take her own life.
I would want to beat them too.
But their punishment falls under the Emperor’s jurisdiction.
Precisely because I cannot punish them privately, he makes this request.
I spoke to Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster.
“Great Swordmaster, have they confessed to their crimes?”
At my words, Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster smiled knowingly.
“Not yet.”
“Then a certain amount of violence during interrogation cannot be considered punishment, can it?”
“Quite right.”
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster seemed to grasp my intention.
“Would you fetch an appropriate club for me?”
“At once!”
Palgap soon brought a club covered entirely with small thorns.
“You’ve chosen well.”
It was made from a thorn tree that grew only here in Yunnan.
The Empire frequently used this wood when punishing criminals, and its sap had the effect of promoting wound healing, preventing scars from festering.
I placed it in the Fortress Lord’s hands and spoke.
“Will they confess their crimes from just one strike? It seems they’ll need about thirty blows before they open their mouths.”
“….”
“We exerted ourselves considerably in capturing them. It’s embarrassing, but it seems we must ask for your assistance, my lord.”
“Then I must help.”
The Fortress Lord gripped the club, and the Traitors’ eyes trembled with fear at the sight.
I gently cautioned the Fortress Lord.
“Should your emotions become too inflamed, I will take the club from you. So please, strike with care, one blow at a time.”
“Understood.”
“Ah! And please avoid vital points. Dying here would be mercy for them. There is no need to show such mercy, is there?”
“Of course not.”
Thwack—!
“Ugh!”
Quite satisfying, the way he strikes.
This should help ease the Fortress Lord’s resentment somewhat.
Honestly, being beaten directly by him seems a hundred times more cathartic than receiving punishment from the Emperor.

The next day.
Traitors hung upside down in succession from the mobile prison carriage.
The Emperor had ordered them transported to Beijing in this inverted state.
Thus, a specially prepared carriage had been readied once more.
Though the road to Beijing was long and treacherous, and they would surely suffer greatly, I felt little sympathy for them.
They deserved such treatment.
Four thousand Imperial Guards and Geumui Guards assembled around the carriage, preparing for departure.
The remaining forces would stay behind to stabilize security and aid in reconstruction.
Though assistance was part of it, they also seemed to be staying to investigate other regions.
“Then we shall take our leave.”
“Travel safely.”
“I will return to escort you once you have recovered.”
Yesterday, the Fortress Lord had thoroughly beaten the Imperial Envoy and his entourage who had been exploiting him all this time.
Beating requires stamina, yet somehow he found the strength to continue until not a single spot on their bodies remained unpierced by thorns before finally dropping his cudgel.
His face bore an expression of profound satisfaction.
“Depart!”
At Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster’s cry, we began our journey.
Having settled matters at Shaolin Temple and practically been kidnapped to Yunnan, we were finally heading back.
Now at last, truly, I could return to the Beijing Branch!
Something stirred within me, and tears welled in my eyes.

The road from Yunnan to Beijing was nearly equivalent to traversing the entire Empire.
The journey was quite considerable.
With thousands of troops moving while pulling the carriage, our pace was extraordinarily slow.
Truthfully, my companions and I could reach Beijing swiftly on Ju Gang Ma if we wished.
But we had reason not to, maintaining this pace instead.
There might be those attempting to rescue or assassinate Gong Ho.
If Gong Ho were interrogated, the Murim Alliance’s position would become quite precarious.
If we could narrow the Alliance’s influence or diminish its reputation through this, such hardship was worth enduring.
I glanced at the carriage.
The Traitors confined within had attempted escape, seizing opportunities.
When the carriage swayed and their bodies pressed together, they would loosen their bonds; they would attempt escape during meals or when attending to necessities.
I had personally caught them multiple times.
One cannot hide one’s origins, and it was truly troublesome.
However, Gong Ho and Jin Dae-chul showed no such behavior, which seemed remarkable.
“Those two are quite docile.”
To Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster’s remark, I answered calmly.
“Ah, as you well know, Great Swordmaster, when I captured Gong Ho, I had no choice but to break all his limbs, did I not? Thus, movement itself would be difficult for him. And Jin Dae-chul—his tendons were severed as well, were they not?”
“Hmm? Is that so?”
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“You’re right. That much won’t threaten their lives.”
They were from the same Geumui Guard background, yet they seemed unaware of just how ruthless the Geumui Guard could be.
Taking inspiration from my words, they crushed the toes and fingers of those men.
After that, their escape attempts ceased, and the journey became peaceful.
Thus, by the end of October, we finally arrived in Beijing.
.
.
.
Upon arriving in Beijing, I went directly before the Emperor.
But not the Great Hall where the officials gathered—rather, the Emperor’s Office.
The Geumui Guard and Dongchang could not have their identities revealed.
“You’ve worked hard.”
The Emperor commended the efforts of the Geumui Guard and bestowed rewards upon them.
Then he turned his gaze toward me. Now it was my turn.
“Well then, Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You’ve accomplished far more than I expected. Your abilities are truly remarkable.”
I expressed humility at his words.
“It was only because Your Majesty placed his trust in me that I could demonstrate my abilities.”
“Your abilities are excellent, so I had no choice but to trust you. You’ve made a tremendous contribution this time. You even saved my son’s life.”
“All of this is due to Your Majesty’s grace and benevolence.”
“There’s no need to flatter me. As I said before, tell me what you desire.”
Excellent!
As I had resolved before, I should ask him to let me be.
But the Emperor’s next words left me speechless.
“I will grant you anything—so long as it’s not about devoting yourself solely to the Trading Company or leaving me.”
“….”
Wait, Your Majesty?
Why… why are my eyes suddenly blurred with tears?

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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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