The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 488

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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 488

Chapter 488. The Ming Ming Trading Company (5)

Hwang Min’s expression shifted to alarm at Sung Jun-min’s icy tone.
“Why, why are you like that? You’re scaring me.”
She reached out her hand cautiously, but Sung Jun-min swatted it away.
“Tell me the truth! Who are you? Why did you make me do such things?”
At his interrogation, Hwang Min tilted her head in confusion.
“This shouldn’t be happening. Why did my soul-binding technique break?”
Soul-binding technique.
At those words, Sung Jun-min’s face contorted.
Because the soul-binding technique was a sinister art that manipulated a person’s mind.
“You used the soul-binding technique on me?”
At his accusation, Hwang Min let out a sigh.
“There’s no choice. Once the soul-binding technique breaks, it won’t work again….”
Soon she nodded her head with an emotionless face.
“Yes. That’s right. I used the soul-binding technique on you.”
At her words, Sung Jun-min staggered from the shock before his rage erupted.
“How, how could you do such a thing to me?”
“What? I merely fulfilled your desires. You wanted to become the Small Merchant Guild Leader, didn’t you?”
“I, I….”
Clang!
A sharp blade shot out from her sleeve.
“I wanted to use you a bit longer, but it’s unfortunate. I’d like to find out how you broke my soul-binding technique, but there’s no time….”
Hwang Min grinned wickedly, then launched herself at him while wielding the blade from within her sleeve.
Whoosh!
The blade flew straight toward his throat.
Clang!
But the blade was intercepted by someone.
“Who, who…. Gasp!”
Upon seeing his savior, he could only start in shock.
It was none other than his father’s Guard Warrior.
Sung Jun-min turned his head.
His father was glaring at Hwang Min with fury blazing in his eyes.
Though that fury was not directed at him, his entire body trembled uncontrollably.
“How dare you manipulate my son like a puppet! I must uncover who’s behind this—capture her alive!”
“I acknowledge your command.”
Clang! Clang!
Crash!
As the Guard Warrior and Hwang Min continued their exchange, her expression grew increasingly troubled.
And well it should have—the disparity in skill was quite pronounced.
Eventually, the Guard Warrior’s blade found its way to Hwang Min’s throat. Yet she smiled wickedly.
The Guard Warrior then desperately tried to seize her vital point, but….
Thud.
Hwang Min’s body crumpled like discarded cloth, and flames erupted from her form.
He hastily extinguished the fire consuming her body, but her breath had already ceased.
“My apologies. She has already expired.”
“A poisonous wretch!”
The Merchant Guild Leader glared at her before turning his head aside.
“Thank you, Eun Small Merchant Leader.”

* * *

I emerged into the courtyard at the Myungmyung Merchant Guild Master’s words.
The sun was already rising.
The corpse of the maidservant called Hwang Min lay upon the ground, and beside her stood Sung Jun-min in a daze.
I recalled what had transpired moments before.

Deploying my lightness technique to its fullest, I had arrived at the Myungmyung Trading Company and made my way to Sung Jun-min’s quarters.
I had learned of its location thanks to Do Squad Leader’s cooperation.
From him, sleeping in the bridal chamber, I sensed the aura of the Black Path.
Yet something was amiss.
The nature of the Black Path’s aura differed slightly from what I had felt before.
How should I describe it?
It lacked agency, perhaps?
The Black Path aura I had sensed thus far carried individual will within it.
But now, the Black Path aura emanating from Sung Jun-min contained no will whatsoever.
No will… Ah!
I recalled where I had felt this aura before.
The corpse-puppets led by those who had once plotted rebellion using the undead.
Those corpse-puppets were precisely like this.
If so, he was likely being controlled. And the one controlling him would be the maidservant that Young Master Yu Jin had mentioned.
Then the door burst open, and a group of warriors dragged Sung Jun-min away.
I immediately sought out the Merchant Guild Leader. But barging directly into his bridal chamber would cause considerable commotion.
So I approached the Guard Warrior who stood closest to him.
“Pardon me… I have something to report.”
“Who are you? How did you enter here?”
“I am Eun Seo-ho, Sub-leader of the Eunhae Trading Company. I am protecting Young Master Yu Jin.”
“Ah! I see. My apologies for the rudeness.”
Since we had met before, he recognized me immediately.
“But what brings you here?”
“Young Master Yu Jin shared something important with me. Thus, I came here despite the intrusion. It appears the Fourth Young Master is being manipulated by soul-binding sorcery. And his life is in danger right now.”
“What?”
“A maidservant claiming to serve the Fourth Young Master told someone that soul-binding sorcery was used on Young Master Sung Jun-min, and if things went wrong, he would have to be killed.”
Of course, Young Master Yu Jin had never said such a thing to me.
She had only mentioned that her eyes had turned red.
But it seemed I shouldn’t reveal this to outsiders, so I refrained from mentioning it and instead offered an explanation in a different direction.
Still, it was close enough to the truth.
“It seems she lost some memories from the shock of drowning, but she has now recalled them.”
“I see!”
“Where are the Fourth Young Master’s quarters?”
“Ah, the Fourth Young Master is currently in the Prison.”
“Which direction is the Prison?”
In response to my question, he pointed toward a certain direction.
“That way.”
“I will go ahead first. Report this to the Merchant Guild Leader and come to the Prison immediately. The Young Master’s life is in danger.”
I unleashed my lightness technique once more and rushed toward the Prison.
Fortunately, as soon as I arrived, I saw Young Master Sung Jun-min emerging alongside a woman.
From her emanated the scent of blood mingled with the dark aura of the Black Path.
A far more pungent scent of blood than what I had sensed before.
And….
I could feel her aura coiling around Young Master Sung Jun-min.
As I pondered what to do, I recalled the Taiyin Ice-Sea Divine Art that I had mastered.
This should be effective against soul-binding sorcery as well.
After all, when the Shaanxi Scorpion manipulated the Courtesans through Je-ung before, I had easily dispelled it.
I sent the power of the Taiyin Ice-Sea Divine Art toward Young Master Sung Jun-min, and the effect appeared immediately.
He regained his senses and questioned her identity.
The result was, as you can see.

I shook my head in response to the Merchant Guild Leader’s gratitude.
“Not at all. This is thanks to Young Master Yu Jin recovering his memories at the right moment.”
“Still, you rushed here at dawn to bring us news, and you saved my grandson, did you not?”
“I merely did what was necessary.”
“I’m grateful. But… how did you break the soul-binding spell on my son?”
At that question, Sung Jun-min also nodded in agreement.
“Now that I think about it, my mind suddenly became clear, as if I had awakened from a dream.”
“It was thanks to this artifact.”
“An artifact?”
“Yes. I obtained it by chance, and it has the power to dispel sorcery like soul-binding spells.”
With that, I produced a small ornament—one whose core had been deliberately shattered beforehand.
“Unfortunately, it’s single-use, so I can no longer employ it. Haha.”
“So you used such a precious artifact for this matter?”
“To save a life, why would I hesitate?”
My mastery of the Taiyin Ice-Sea Divine Art was a closely guarded secret.
I couldn’t reveal that I had used that power to break the soul-binding spell, so I had fabricated this explanation instead.
“May I examine it for a moment?”
I readily nodded and handed the ornament to the Guard Warrior.
After inspecting it, he nodded thoughtfully.
“It contained the essence of an Ice Martial Sect technique. That power must have dispelled the soul-binding spell.”
Sung Jun-min nodded as well.
“Ah! So that’s why it was so cold earlier. I’ve never experienced such cold in Sichuan, so I was quite startled.”
The Guard Warrior returned the broken ornament to me, and the Merchant Guild Leader spoke with an apologetic expression.
“We’ve caused you to sacrifice something so precious…”
“I couldn’t bear to see Young Master Yu Jin—whom my brother saved—fall into danger. And it seems I’ve grown quite fond of Young Master Yu Jin over time. Haha.”
I scratched my cheek as I spoke, and everyone gazed at me with moved expressions.
“Now I understand why people in the world call you Seon Hyeop Mi-rang.”
That title… it’s truly embarrassing.
Just then, as if he had heard the news, Seong Cheong-min Sub-leader came rushing over. His expression showed shock at the situation unfolding before him.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Yes, Father. What on earth has happened here?”
The Merchant Guild Leader of the Ming Ming Trading Company explained everything that had transpired to him.
“What! So Jun-min has been under the soul-binding spell all this time…?”
As he closed his eyes with a grim expression, Sung Jun-min knelt before him and apologized.
“Brother, I’m truly sorry. I deserve to die. Even though I was under the soul-binding spell, that doesn’t erase what was done. Whatever punishment you impose, I will accept it gladly.”
“No. I failed to trust you. If I had trusted my younger brother, if I had noticed something amiss, this would never have happened.”
He patted Sung Jun-min’s shoulder as he spoke.
“Stand up. The person you should kneel before is not me.”
“What?”
“He saved my life when I was near death, and he also saved my son who was missing. Today, he even saved your life.”
Sung Jun-min knelt before me and bowed deeply.
“No, please—why would you do such a thing?”
“It is only proper respect for one’s benefactor.”
He continued.
“I nearly killed my elder brother and nephew with these very hands. Though I was manipulated, what transpired was real. I am truly grateful that you prevented me from committing such a grave wrong.”
I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
What I did was right, but receiving such overwhelming gratitude felt strangely embarrassing.
“Please, rise. We must contain this matter before it spirals further out of control, mustn’t we?”
“Indeed.”
The Merchant Guild Leader of the Ming Ming Trading Company ordered his warriors to retrieve Hwang Min’s corpse.
As I watched, I suddenly sensed something peculiar.
The intense, blood-tinged aura of the Black Path that had been so palpable while she lived had vanished without a trace.
From my experience, the Black Path’s aura does not dissipate immediately upon death.
Yet I had no time for prolonged contemplation, so I set the matter aside for now.

The Ming Ming Trading Company moved swiftly to contain the situation.
Regarding Sung Jun-min, the Merchant Guild Leader and Small Merchant Guild Leader attempted to treat the matter as if it never occurred, but he refused their proposal.
He insisted on working as a lowly Haeng-su instead. He even threatened to sever his own arm if they would not grant his request.
They had no choice but to acquiesce to his plea.
Thus, Sung Jun-min’s future unfolded in a direction entirely different from his previous life as Merchant Guild Leader.
I cannot foresee how this will affect my own future, but it should prove advantageous for the Eun Hae Trading Company.
In my previous life, when Sung Jun-min became Merchant Guild Leader, the Ming Ming Trading Company openly opposed us.
Because of this, the Eun Hae Trading Company’s growth was repeatedly hindered.
I wished to counter their moves and teach them a lesson, but I could not bring myself to do so because of the kindness my grandfather and father had received from them in the past.
Now I understand that he was being controlled by soul-binding sorcery against his will.
Yet apart from that, he was a man of considerable ability.
This was partly why the Eun Hae Trading Company faced such hardship.
The assassins who infiltrated the Sichuan Branch to kill Young Master Yu Jin were subdued by me, and those who had been embedded within the Ming Ming Trading Company by Sung Jun-min were all arrested.
With matters thus resolved, Young Master Yu Jin could finally return home.

“Congratulations, Young Master Yu Jin.”
Young Master Yu Jin smiled broadly at my greeting.
“It’s all thanks to you, Sub-leader.”
Then he turned to look at Eun Jung-ho.
“Uncle, I’ll definitely come visit Hubei Province next time.”
“Of course. When you do, I’ll introduce you to my son and daughter.”
“Yes.”
With a four-year age difference, they would make fine friends.
“And truly, thank you so much, Uncle. Thanks to you, I was able to return home safely.”
At those words, Eun Jung-ho shook his head.
“What did I do? You should thank that handsome uncle over there instead.”
“I thanked him first, but he said I should thank you, Uncle. He said he only moved because you wanted him to.”
At that response, Eun Jung-ho looked at me.
“You….”
I deliberately turned away and spoke.
“Ah, it seems he’s arrived.”
Indeed, Seong Cheong-min Sub-leader was approaching the separate pavilion where we stood.
Young Master Yu Jin rushed toward him with joy.
“Father!”
“Yes. You’ve worked hard. Let’s go home now.”
“Yes!”
Then he raised his head and looked at me and Eun Jung-ho, speaking.
“I would like to formally invite both of you to our Ming Ming Trading Company.”

Shortly after,
we boarded a carriage and headed toward the Ming Ming Trading Company.
Having never fallen outside the top five rankings among merchant guilds for decades, its scale was considerable.
And its appearance was scarcely different from my previous life to now.

“Yu Jin!”
“Mother!”
Young Master Yu Jin exchanged warm greetings with his family members who had come to welcome him, along with the household staff.
“Thank goodness you’re safe.”
“Grandfather.”
Then a figure approached him and knelt down.
Thud.
“Yu Jin. I was wrong.”
It was Sung Jun-min.
I found it remarkable that he could do such a thing in front of everyone, though it couldn’t have been easy.
“U-Uncle, why are you doing this?”
Young Master Yu Jin was flustered by his actions.
At that moment, Eun Jung-ho approached Young Master Yu Jin and gently placed his hand on his shoulder, speaking softly.
“He’s apologizing to you. What would you like to say?”
“Pardon?”
“You can say whatever you wish.”
“Well…”
Young Master Yu Jin, who had been thinking for a moment, spoke.
“To be honest, I resented you, Uncle. But Seo-ho Uncle told me that you didn’t do it of your own will. That the Evil Woman was controlling you.”
Young Master Yu Jin smiled as he spoke.
“So I forgive you. Because you never truly hated Father or me from the heart.”

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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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