The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 539

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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 539

Chapter 539. Establishing a Martial Hall (5)

Mae Jeong felt puzzled by his words.
This was a man who had always looked down on him like a small chicken.
Even when he had something to say, he would relay it through others or send a letter instead.
But he couldn’t help but hesitate at what came next.
“I have something to tell you about your guest who came this time.”
I was already suspicious of the Small Guild Master Eun Seo-ho and conducting an investigation.
Of course, based on the circumstances, he was likely the Small Guild Master Eun Seo-ho.
The Merchant Guild Leader had vouched for him too.
But because of what I had endured so far, I couldn’t fully trust him.
With that, he rose from his seat.
“Please lead the way.”
“Very well.”
Shortly after, they arrived at a secluded place.
“So, what is it you wished to tell me about my guest?”
“Your guest who came this time—he’s the Small Guild Master of the Eun Hae Trading Company, you say?”
“I’m not entirely certain yet.”
“If the Merchant Guild Leader said it was certain, then it’s certain.”
…
“He is truly the Small Guild Master of the Eun Hae Trading Company, so set aside your doubts. You know I traveled to Luoyang with the Merchant Guild Leader during the last Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I saw him then as well. And the two warriors who had caused trouble at the time were with him too. From what I heard, it was at the Small Guild Master Eun Seo-ho’s earnest request that they were not expelled but instead became his guards.”
With him saying this much, there was no way not to believe him.
“By the way, you’re transferring to the Eun Hae Trading Company, I hear?”
“I haven’t made a decision yet, but how did you know that?”
“There are ways to know these things.”
Mae Jeong bit his lip.
“So what is it you’re trying to say?”
Cho Haeng-su answered with a slightly embarrassed cough.
“Ahem, the project you’re currently pushing forward—hand it over to me.”
“Pardon?”
At Cho Haeng-su’s words, Mae Jeong went blank for a moment.
The project he was pushing was changing the method of sugar production to be more efficient.
It was about ninety percent complete and had been receiving praise from the workers.
In other words, he wanted to take credit for the work by simply finishing what was already nearly done.
“I haven’t been receiving my performance bonuses properly, so honestly, it’s embarrassing to face my family.”
I found his intention to eat a meal that required only waiting to be irritating, but there was something that bothered me even more.
“…Don’t you think I would stay with the Yeochang Merchant Guild?”
“Why would you have any lingering attachment to remain here? It’s not as though you’ll be buried your bones here, and in the first place, the Merchant Guild Leader brought you in—so once the Merchant Guild Leader passes, wouldn’t you naturally have no reason to stay?”
Mae Jeong felt deflated at those words.
He had been working hard all this time to integrate himself into the guild, yet it seemed all of that effort had been in vain.
“….”
“And this is a direct request from the Merchant Guild Leader—you’re not the sort to abandon the Merchant Guild Leader’s wishes.”
“….”
Mae Jeong exhaled a sigh and spoke.
“I thought I had been living diligently, working hard for the Yeochang Merchant Guild and its people in my own way, but it seems I still fall short.”
“That’s….”
It was then.
“Fire!”
“The sugarcane fields are burning!”
At the sudden screams and shouts, both men were startled.
When harvesting sugarcane, fires were deliberately set to eliminate snakes and pests.
Even so, the sugarcane itself wouldn’t burn.
But that was only done during harvest.
The sugarcane hadn’t even ripened properly yet.
If it were exposed to fire now, this year’s sugarcane harvest would be ruined.
They stopped their conversation and rushed hastily toward the sugarcane fields.
And they themselves took up sickles and began cutting down the sugarcane that hadn’t yet caught fire alongside the others.
They had to prevent the fire from spreading to the remaining sugarcane by any means necessary.
“Waaaaaah!”
Then children came running from beside the sugarcane fields, crying.
At this, Cho Haeng-su quickly rushed toward them and asked.
“What happened?”
“We’re sorry.”
“We’re sorry. Waaaaaah!”
At his pressing, the children only wept.
“Stop that at once! Tell me what happened!”
“It’s, it’s….”
“We were roasting a bird in the open ground next to here….”
The open ground the children pointed to was beside the sugarcane fields, a place used as a playground for children.
Normally there would be enough distance that a fire there wouldn’t spread to the sugarcane fields, but the weather had been extremely dry recently, and today the wind was blowing particularly strong.
So the sparks flew and caught the sugarcane fields alight.
“You, you, you… you damn brats!”
Cho Haeng-su was about to burst into anger, but Maejung Manager stopped him and asked the children.
“Now that I think about it, don’t you usually come around as five? So why are there only four of you?”
“He… Cho-im went inside to try to put out the fire.”
“What?”
Cho-im was the son of Cho Haeng-su.
If one was caught in the sugarcane fields when fire broke out, survival was nearly impossible.
Knowing this, Cho Haeng-su lost all composure and collapsed where he stood.
Mae Jeong grabbed a nearby water bucket and poured it over his own body.
“What are you doing?”
“I will bring him back.”
“It’s too dangerous!”
At those words, Mae Jeong spoke with unwavering resolve.
“He is Cho Haeng-su’s son! I cannot let a child he struggled so hard to have perish like this.”
“But why must you risk yourself so recklessly?”
“Is this the time to question that? A member of our Merchant Guild is in peril!”

And with that, Mae Jeong brushed aside their restraining hands and bolted into the sugarcane fields.
“Cho-im! Where are you? Cho-im!”
Since it was easy to lose one’s way in the sugarcane fields, markers had been placed throughout to guide travelers.
Mae Jeong followed these markers, navigating the path until he found Cho Haeng-su’s son.
“Cho-im!”
“Uncle!”
Mae Jeong had finally found Cho-im, and the boy’s eyes welled with tears the moment he saw him.
“I’m sorry. I was trying to roast a bird and… *sniffles*…”
“Your father is worried. Let us leave at once.”
They retraced their steps, walking back the way they had come to escape the sugarcane fields, but…
“Damn! This is bad!”
The flames had spread, cutting off their escape route.
They could neither advance forward nor retreat.
The scorching fire crept ever closer, its waves of heat rolling toward them.
The intense heat and smoke made breathing nearly impossible.
‘Now that I think about it, I believe I’ve experienced something like this before.’
Perhaps that was why.
Whenever I saw a particularly large fire, cold sweat would break out in fear.
So whenever the sugarcane fields were burned, I would take sick leave and barricade myself inside my quarters.
I had desperately hidden this weakness, lest it be discovered.
‘And yet here I am, throwing myself into the flames to save Lim-i. What was I thinking?’
I could only laugh bitterly at myself.
Despite their rejection, I had cherished the people of the Merchant Guild.
It was precisely this feeling that had driven me to rush in so recklessly.
‘But in the end, this is how I die.’
Though I could not remember him, I longed to see my father, who waited for me.
However, it seemed I would not be able to achieve it.
‘I wish the Merchant Guild Leader wouldn’t grieve too deeply over this.’
With that thought, I squeezed my eyes shut and held the child tightly, waiting for death to arrive.
Then, suddenly, a cold wind swept through.
Whoosh—!
At that, Maejung Manager opened his eyes and lifted his head.
Someone was standing before him.
“Thank heavens you’re safe. The heavens have blessed us.”
At those words, something different seemed to appear before his eyes for a moment.

“Thank goodness you’re safe! The heavens have blessed us!”

And another voice reaching his ears.
‘Whose voice is that?’
That voice, tinged with moisture as if genuinely relieved.
For some reason, tears streamed from his eyes. And then….
“Ugh!”
His head throbbed as if it would split, and finally, he lost consciousness.

* * *

Seo-woo Warrior supported Maejung Manager.
“He appears to have lost consciousness.”
“I see.”
The child had already fainted. It seemed he couldn’t overcome the terror of the advancing flames.
I realized the fire had started when I discovered Cheon Young-geun in the Sugarcane Fields and secured him.
I accelerated toward the fire to suppress the blaze.
Because I sensed Maejung Manager’s presence from that direction.
If Maejung Manager died, this entire journey to Guangxi Province would be for nothing.
I urgently employed the Ice Martial Sect technique to extinguish the flames while rushing forward, and I was able to save Maejung Manager.
I drew my energy up once more.
Rumble.
The Taiyin Ice-Sea Divine Art is the inner power of extreme yin.
Thanks to this, it possesses formidable suppressive force against fire.
I drew the Eun Moo-geom and swung the blade toward the raging flames.
Whoosh—!
As the misty power of the Eun Moo-geom was added, the flames began to subside rapidly.
Through the escape route I had secured, the Two Warriors followed, carrying Hawk Manager and the child.
Whether they had heard the news or not, not only my party but also the Merchant Guild’s people had come out and were anxiously waiting.
As I emerged, my party rushed toward me.
“Small Guild Master!”
“Please look after these two. I’ll go extinguish the fire.”
“But… it’s dangerous!”
I chuckled softly and swung my blade again, and the flames began to die down in an instant.
“Oh!”
“Ohhh!”
The members of the Yeochang Trading Company were utterly astonished.
I continued to unleash the Ice Martial Sect technique, and in less than a moment, I had suppressed the fire completely.
“Please check if there are any remaining flames.”
“There aren’t any!”
“It’s all out!”
“Thank goodness.”
I turned my head to look at the two people still unconscious.
“You brat! Open your eyes!”
The managers surrounded the child, but they could not bring themselves to approach Maejung Manager.
Yet they kept glancing at Maejung Manager.
Their eyes were filled with guilt and remorse.
“That child is Cho Haeng-su’s son, and the moment they heard he hadn’t come out of the Sugarcane Fields, Hawk Manager rushed in there, or so I’m told.”
With Palgap’s explanation, I understood the situation.
And why they felt such guilt.
Then other managers approached me.
“To extinguish the fire merely by swinging your blade—that’s remarkable!”
“Fortunately, the martial art I’ve learned belongs to the Ice Martial Sect, so it wasn’t difficult to put out the fire.”
“We are truly grateful.”
“How can we ever repay this kindness?”
“I’m glad I could help, but what is the extent of the damage?”
“Fortunately, only a portion was burned.”
“A blessing in disguise, then.”
It was then that I finally understood why the Yeochang Trading Company had wavered in my previous life and why Maejung Manager had been absent.
After the Merchant Guild Leader’s death, Maejung Manager had not left this place—he had perished in this very fire.
Considering the weather at that time and the intensity of the flames, most of the Sugarcane Fields must have been consumed.
The problem was that the culprits were children.
Even if one held their parents accountable, could they possibly compensate for all the damages?
It was impossible.
Thus, the trading company’s finances would inevitably falter….
Since the children involved were all offspring of the trading company’s managers, it would have affected the future conduct of these managers as well.
The combined consequences of all this would have become the future I knew.
Just then, a group of people came running from afar. Seeing the medicine chests on their backs, they appeared to be physicians.
“Over here! Over here!”
Upon arrival, they immediately examined the condition of Maejung Manager and the child.
“He has merely lost consciousness. He will regain his senses as time passes.”

Soon they were transported to the Merchant Guild Headquarters, and the remaining workers attended to the cleanup.
Thanks to their diligent efforts in clearing away the charred sugarcane and other debris, we were able to finish quickly.

Two days had passed since then.
The door to my quarters opened and Palgap entered.
“How is Hawk Manager?”
“Still unconscious, sir.”
The child had regained consciousness, completed his recovery, and returned to his normal routine.
But Hawk Manager remained unconscious.
“The physician says there are no unusual complications, though.”
“I see….”
I couldn’t stay here much longer….
After pondering for a moment, I rose from my seat.
“I should visit Hawk Manager.”
I left my quarters and made my way to the Medical Hall where Hawk Manager lay.
“Greetings to the Seonhyeop Mirang Great Swordmaster!”
Upon seeing me, the workers of the Yeochang Merchant Guild quickly clasped their fists in salute.
“Ah, yes….”
Thanks to my suppression of the fire that had broken out in the sugarcane fields, I was being treated as a hero by the Yeochang Merchant Guild.
The Merchant Guild Leader himself, as well as the Small Guild Master, had grasped my hands and expressed their gratitude repeatedly.
And somehow word had spread—my name had become known, and everyone now called me the Seonhyeop Mirang Great Swordmaster.
Sigh… I cannot escape it even here.
I soon arrived at the Medical Hall.
Cho Haeng-su was pacing anxiously in front of it.
“Oh!”
Upon seeing me, he quickly tried to step aside.
“Have you come to pay your respects to Hawk Manager?”
“Ah… yes.”
“You may enter together.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“I won’t stay long.”
At my words, he hesitated for a moment before nodding, and we entered together.
Hawk Manager lay motionless as if dead.
His complexion was normal, his breathing steady….
As I approached to examine his body, Hawk Manager’s eyes opened.
“Uh, uh….”
At this, Cho Haeng-su called out to him urgently.
“Oh! Hawk Manager! Are you coming to your senses? Do you recognize who I am?”
“Ah… Cho Haeng-su?”
“That’s right! It’s me! Cho Haeng-su!”
“And Lim-i…”
“He’s safe! Thanks to you… he’s alive.”
“Thank goodness.”
“My friend! I was so worried you wouldn’t wake up… *sniffles*.”
In the end, Cho Haeng-su broke down in tears.
“I feel so ashamed before you that I can’t even lift my head!”
“Haha.”
Hawk Manager laughed.
“But who saved us? I remember someone swinging a sword and the fire suddenly went out…”
At those words, Cho Haeng-su spoke.
“The Seonhyeop Mirang Great Swordmaster here saved you and my son. Not only that, but he also extinguished the fire.”
“Ah!”
He turned his gaze toward me.
“I’m truly grateful.”
“Please don’t mention it. I’m just relieved you’ve regained consciousness.”
“You, Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master.”
Tears welled up in Hawk Manager’s eyes, which had been laughing just moments before.
“I wish to see my parents…”
“Could it be…”
“Yes. My memories have returned.”

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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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