The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 48

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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 48

Chapter 48. The First Purse (2)

“Gasp! What… what is this?”
Father exclaimed in surprise.
“The distribution rights to Anxi Iron Goddess tea?”
I nodded at Father’s words.
“Yes, Father. It is exactly as you see.”
“Hmm…”
“That’s why I hesitated about accepting it. But they insisted so many times that I had no choice but to take it.”
“…”
Father sighed and spoke.
“It seems they would be quite disappointed if I refused. There’s no helping it. Let’s accept it.”
“Understood.”
“Is there anything else you wish to discuss?”
“No, Father.”
“Then go and rest. You must be exhausted.”
“Understood.”
Upon leaving Father’s office, I immediately headed to the Jaegyeong Pavilion.
Yu Chief Manager would surely be there.
As I entered the Jaegyeong Pavilion, the staff greeted me warmly.
“Welcome, Young Master.”
“Yes. I’ve returned safely.”
“You’ve arrived today?”
“Just now. I came straight here after visiting Father. Yu Chief Manager is inside, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“He’s working frantically at the moment. There’s a mountain of accumulated work from his absence.”
Oh no!
I hadn’t thought of that.
I quickly stepped backward.
But at that moment, Yu Chief Manager’s office door burst open, and he rushed toward me.
Then he grasped my wrist.
“Young Master, you’ve arrived.”
“Ha, haha. Yu Chief Manager…”
“Come inside. There’s much work to be done.”
“But there’s only one hour left until quitting time?”
“One hour is more than enough time to process the documents.”
“….”
In the end, I found myself being led by Yu Chief Manager into the office.
I should have come later.
.
.
.
An hour later.
I glanced at the stack of documents piled beside me.
The paperwork I’d processed in that single hour exceeded a span of my hand.
There’s something oddly satisfying about this… Wait, I can’t afford to become a workaholic already.
Just then, the drum announcing the end of the workday sounded.
I rose from my seat.
“Chief Manager, it’s time to leave.”
At my words, Yu Chief Manager spoke with a voice full of reluctance.
“Yes, you may go.”
He then set down the brush he’d been holding and asked me a question.
“Did the matter you attended to resolve itself well?”
“Yes.”
“I myself arrived safely thanks to Changin Escort Agency’s excellent service. But seeing how late you’ve returned, it seems the situation was more serious than expected.”
I nodded at his words.
“Yes. The truth is….”
I recounted the entire affair to him from beginning to end.
Yu Chief Manager deserved to know. He had been at the center of that incident, after all.
“Sigh… I see. The Grand Patriarch must be suffering greatly.”
“Still, with the hidden forces operating within the family swept away, he likely feels a greater burden lifted from his heart.”
As I spoke of this and that, I withdrew a letter from my breast.
“Please accept this.”
“Pardon?”
“A letter from the Grand Patriarch.”
Upon seeing the letter sealed securely, Yu Chief Manager’s eyes trembled.
“For me…?”
“Yes.”
Yu Chief Manager accepted the letter, broke the seal, and read it right there.
I did not read the letter.
No matter how securely sealed, there are ways to open it without leaving a trace.
But this was a letter meant to foster goodwill between the Grand Patriarch and Yu Chief Manager. I had no desire to peek at it in secret.
Yu Chief Manager looked up at me as he finished reading.
“Why do you ask?”
“It says here that you made a request of the Grand Patriarch. That he continue to maintain our correspondence going forward….”
“Ah….”
I felt somewhat embarrassed and scratched my cheek as I replied.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Thank you.”
At that understated greeting, I let out a soft chuckle.
“So please take good care of your health. After all, you should live longer than the Grand Patriarch, shouldn’t you?”
“I shall do so.”
“Then I shall take my leave for the day.”
“Very well.”
I turned and left the office. Glancing back slightly, I saw that Yu Chief Manager continued reading the letter.
He looked utterly content.
Now I should return to my quarters, greet my grandfather, mother, and two elder brothers, and rest.
Ah…
Come to think of it, they should be arriving at Chongyang County around tomorrow, so I’ll need to prepare to receive them.
When will I ever get to rest?
A sigh escaped me unbidden.
I made a resolve.
Once I’ve completed my revenge against the Baekcheon Trading Company—no, the Murim Alliance—and the Eunhae Trading Company becomes the greatest merchant guild under heaven, then I’ll truly get to rest.

* * *

The Murim Alliance.
As a coalition of the hundred paths of the martial world, its scale was considerable.
And the representative and leader of this hundred-path coalition was the League Master.
The League Master’s office.
What was peculiar was that mirrors were affixed to all four walls.
But aside from that, it was an unremarkable office.
The League Master was receiving a report from his subordinate.
“The casualties suffered by the Jegal Family are reported to be virtually nonexistent.”
“Nonexistent?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“That cannot be! If that blood formation activates, at least half would perish.”
The Soul-Sealing Barrier Formation.
That formation was also called the blood formation.
Once activated, a blood calamity erupts where all kill and are killed, creating a thousand corpses and a sea of blood.
“Based on our investigation, it appears the Grand Patriarch and House Master of that place destroyed the formation faster than anticipated.”
“Indeed, since the formation was created by those of the Jegal Family, if it were the Grand Patriarch and House Master there…”
“Installing the blood formation there was a mistake. We should have devised another method.”
“At that time, Jegal Kyung said he would activate the blood formation after the Grand Patriarch and House Master were dead, so we approved it. But why was it activated before that?”
The subordinate answered the League Master’s question.
“Given that the last report was of the Grand Patriarch and House Master detecting the poisoning attempt, it seems they likely activated it out of anxiety that their identity would be exposed if they remained there any longer.”
“I can tell without looking. He was worried that if he fled as planned, he wouldn’t be able to claim credit for his actions.”
“I share that assessment. But did Jegal Kyung truly not know that activating that blood formation would kill him?”
“He didn’t know. He was absolutely convinced it was a formation technique we had provided, not one created by the Jegal Family. And we never told him that activating it would result in death by internal energy backlash.”
So the plan was to deploy someone expendable—not Jegal Kyung himself—to activate the formation technique.
“Tsk, tsk. He was useless to the Alliance anyway. It’s fortunate he died quickly. We nearly wasted resources on him.”
“Indeed.”
“But even with the Grand Patriarch and House Master still alive, there should be some damage….”
“That’s what puzzles me as well. Doesn’t the blood formation affect even those with the deepest internal cultivation?”
“Exactly. The only way to neutralize that blood formation is through that family’s internal energy technique.”
“That family has already been exterminated.”
“Right. We killed every last member of that family—down to the dogs and chickens.”
As he spoke, the League Master recalled that family.
They had been a clan renowned for their exceptionally pure and luminous internal cultivation.
But they had become an obstacle to his plans.
So he had them destroyed while framing it as the work of the Demonic Cult.
“The Jegal Family is a prestigious clan. So the Grand Patriarch and House Master would surely have some countermeasure against such things.”
The subordinate asked carefully.
“What should we do about the Jegal Family?”
“Leave them alone.”
“Sir?”
“Now that this blood formation has been exposed, we need to be more cautious ourselves. That fool bungled the operation.”
He displayed his anger, and the subordinate bowed his head even lower.
“But there’s no evidence that we were involved, and if that old man has received this warning, he won’t act recklessly. He values his family too much to rashly draw his blade against us.”
The League Master continued.
“Besides, we don’t have the capacity to keep focusing on that matter. There are many other operations currently underway.”
“Understood.”
As the subordinate acknowledged, the League Master nodded and asked.
“Were there any unusual circumstances regarding that incident?”
“Nothing particularly noteworthy. However, it’s said that the Grand Patriarch had a guest visiting at the time.”
“A guest?”
“Yes. To be safe, we investigated them. They are Yu So-ak and Eun Seo-ho. Yu So-ak is forty-five years old this year and serves as the Internal Chief Manager of the Eunhae Trading Company. Eun Seo-ho is fifteen years old this year and is the third son of the Eunhae Trading Company’s Merchant Guild Leader.”
“The Eunhae Trading Company? What kind of place is that?”
“A trading company operating primarily in Hubei Province, dealing mainly in grain, tea, and medicinal herbs. In the merchant rankings announced this winter solstice, they ranked ninety-eighth.”
“Not worth paying attention to.”
“I agree.”
“Once you’ve finished your report, you may leave.”
“Yes.”
The subordinate left the office, and the League Master picked up the documents on the wooden table.
Suddenly, the name Eunhae Trading Company flickered through his mind.
‘I have a memory of hearing about them before… Ah!’
I had once invested considerable effort in establishing a secret branch in the southern reaches of Hubei Province.
However, that venture had failed when Luzu, the manager of that establishment, bungled the operation.
I had received a report that the establishment ultimately fell into the hands of the Eunhae Trading Company.
Both that incident and this current matter bore the name Eunhae Trading Company.
He let out a low chuckle.
‘What an amusing coincidence.’
In that instant, his eyes blazed crimson.
‘Tch!’
Catching sight of this reflection in the mirrors positioned throughout his office, he quickly shielded his eyes.

* * *

Chongyang County, Hubei Province.
A group had just arrived at that location.
If there was a common thread among the seven of them—a balanced mix of men and women—it was that most were middle-aged.
Twelve Warriors in identical garb surrounded them.
They were escorts from the Changin Escort Agency, hired to protect this group and guide them to this place.
Upon reaching the County Office north of Chongyang County, Pyo Du spoke.
“As requested, we have arrived at the County Office of Chongyang County.”
At his words, the leader of the group—a man—replied.
“You have my gratitude.”
“You are too kind.”
“Here is the remaining half of the escort fee.”
He withdrew a coin purse from his robes and extended it.
The escort fee was typically paid half before departure and the remaining half upon completion of the escort, unless circumstances were exceptional.
“Please count it.”
“Very well.”
Pyo Du counted the coins before him and soon nodded in approval.
“Precisely accurate, as always.”
“Precision is the merchant’s virtue. Though I wonder if I can still claim that title now.”
At his words, Pyo Du spoke.
“You once led the Nok Jade Merchant Guild, so you could begin anew anywhere.”
“I could scrape by, certainly. But the passion of those bygone days has already been extinguished….”
A year prior, a calamity had befallen them like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
The Merchant Guild Leader of the Nok Jade Merchant Guild, whom they had served with unwavering devotion, had passed away.
Before his death, the Merchant Guild Leader had summoned them and left his final words: to aid his son, he implored them.
After the Merchant Guild Leader’s passing, his son became the new Merchant Guild Leader.
“Though we are insufficient, we humbly ask for your continued support. Which brings me to say….”
He had pursued various endeavors with great enthusiasm.
Up to that point, all had gone well.
However, the problem was that the ventures he was pushing forward were utterly nonsensical.
Anyone could see they were destined to fail.
I had tried to defer to the New Merchant Lord’s judgment whenever possible, but the late Merchant Lord’s final words echoed in my mind, and I opposed the endeavor.

“You will suffer tremendous losses.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Are you truly certain you wish to proceed?”
“I am the Merchant Lord! Me! When Father was alive, you all bowed and scraped, ‘Yes, yes, of course!’ So why do you constantly oppose everything I say?”

In the end, the New Merchant Lord’s will prevailed, and matters proceeded as he dictated.
But the outcome was as predictable as fire burning.
Massive losses ensued.
Yet the New Merchant Lord still refused to acknowledge his failure.

“This is entirely because you all grew negligent in your duties! Were you not diligent when Father was alive? Do you mock me now that I, a mere youth, have become Merchant Lord?”

They felt deeply wronged.
The Nok Jade Merchant Guild was something they had devoted their entire lives to building.
Negligent in their duties? Never.
They swore by heaven and earth that such a thing had never occurred.
They had never disrespected the New Merchant Lord either.
Yet because the New Merchant Lord continued to believe himself slighted, their frustration knew no bounds.
The conflicts persisted, and the rift between them deepened with each passing day.

And one month ago.
The New Merchant Lord summoned them all.
Then he announced their dismissal.
“All of you, leave the guild at once.”
“Pardon?”
“Upon reflection, I believe that for the guild to be renewed, its people must be renewed as well. How can tea taste good when fresh water is poured into a cup with old dregs?”
They had anticipated it.
But it stung far more than expected.
‘Should I have left the guild when the Merchant Lord passed away?’
The late Merchant Lord’s final words had bound them to their posts, yet in the end, they were cast out regardless.

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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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