The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 541

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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 541

Chapter 541. The Tal-myeong Guest (1)

An inn in Beijing.
On the first floor of the bustling dining hall, a man wearing a bamboo hat sat eating his meal.
He found himself listening to the conversation of those dining and talking beside him.
“Have you heard that story?”
“What story?”
“They say Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master of the Eun Hae Trading Company, found the runaway son of Old Man Mae?”
“Ah, yes! That’s what I heard.”
“The son had lost his memory and couldn’t return home. It’s impressive how he managed to find him and bring him back.”
“More than that, what a beautiful heart he possesses! Most people would have simply driven him out by force.”
“Truly, he deserves to be called Seon Hyeop Mi-rang!”
“Indeed! There’s a reason he’s called Seon Hyeop Mi-rang!”
At their words, the lips of the man in the bamboo hat curved into a smile.
A beautiful man who practices righteous chivalry.
What a magnificent title this was!
‘My next target shall be Seon Hyeop Mi-rang.’
With that thought, he called for the Shop Attendant.
“The bill, please!”
“Yes, sir!”
After settling his account, he moved to the upper floor where his guest room was located. It was then that hair hidden beneath his bamboo hat fell loose.
Someone who saw the blue-tinted ends spoke up.
“That hair… Could it be the Tal-myeong Guest?”
“The Tal-myeong Guest?”
“Why has the Tal-myeong Guest come to this place?”
Those who recognized his presence could not help but murmur.
He was a Peak Martial Artist, and his distinctive hair color made him unmistakable.
He was famous for his exceptional skill despite his age, but he was known for another reason entirely.
As his title “Tal-myeong Guest” revealed, he possessed the peculiar hobby of stealing the titles of others.
He had already stolen more than thirty titles to date.
And this time, he had chosen Eun Seo-ho’s title of Seon Hyeop Mi-rang as his next target.
Returning to his guest room, he wrote dozens of proclamations and posted them throughout the city that night.

* * *

As usual, I woke at dawn, performed my breathing exercises, and completed my training.
“Phew, that’s refreshing.”
Training always left my body feeling invigorated.
There were many reasons for it, but perhaps I continued my training without fail precisely because of this refreshing sensation.
Just as I finished training and was about to wash up, Palgap came rushing over.
“Young Master! Young Masteeeeer! This is terrible!”
“What’s wrong?”
What could possibly have Palgap rushing over in such a panic?
“This, this! They say this was posted in front of our Beijing Branch!”
I took the paper Palgap handed me and unfolded it.
In that instant, I was taken aback.

[I, Tal-myeong Guest, hereby declare a contest for the title of Seon Hyeop Mi-rang. I shall come to you on the fifth day of this month. Should you flee from this contest, I will spread word throughout the Realm that you are a coward. Do not run—wait for me and accept this challenge. Seon Hyeop Mi-rang.]

Hah….
I let out a hollow laugh.
“So what you’re saying is, someone covets the title of Seon Hyeop Mi-rang and wants to steal it from me?”
“It appears so.”
“Sigh. Some people really have nothing better to do.”
Now that I think about it, Seo Hyang mentioned a few days ago that something interesting would happen.
Is this that very thing?
I handed the paper back to Palgap and spoke.
“Why bother with such a contest? Honestly, the title of Seon Hyeop Mi-rang is a burden to me. I only acted according to my own interests, yet being called Seon Hyeop Mi-rang is genuinely embarrassing.”
I let out a sigh.
“But the League Master has made my title official….”
At this, Palgap and the guards nodded in agreement.
“Indeed, our lord was always embarrassed whenever he heard the title Seon Hyeop Mi-rang.”
“And with that title, you can’t act freely either. Yet someone wants to take it from you… It seems they enjoy bringing trouble upon themselves.”
Of course, the reputation of Seon Hyeop Mi-rang brought me considerable benefits.
While it was burdensome to possess, it was too valuable a name to simply hand over to someone else.
But there was a problem.
I needed to depart soon to recruit an Instructor for the Martial Hall we were establishing.
The first place I would visit was the Jegal Family Estate.
While the primary purpose of the Martial Hall was to train martial arts, this required a fairly comprehensive plan.
Someone well-versed in both the literary and martial arts was necessary to devise such a plan.
Currently, those best suited for this in the Murim were those from the Jegal Family.
They were a clan that produced military strategists for the Murim Alliance generation after generation, and as members of the Eight Great Clans, their martial prowess was considerable.
The problem was that I had planned to depart on the fifth day of this month.
In any case, this Tal-myeong Guest… has terrible timing.
If you’re going to post such a proclamation, you should do it earlier.

* * *

The promised five days had arrived.
During this time, Tal-myeong Guest had been investigating Eun Seo-ho. After all, knowing both yourself and your enemy meant victory in a hundred battles.
Through the words of common folk, I learned that Eun Seo-ho’s martial prowess was quite formidable.
He was the successor to the Heavenly Stream Ice Sword, the ultimate technique of Geuk Cheon Sword Gwak Hoon, who had become a hero in the battle against the Blood Sect over two hundred years ago.
Moreover, he had reached the peak of mastery.
“Hmm… but when it comes to practical combat experience, I am no mere novice.”
Above all, I possessed tremendous confidence in my own martial abilities.
The reputation I had earned through countless decisive battles proved this.
With my resolve thus steeled, I made my way toward the Eunhae Merchant Guild Beijing Branch.
“What brings you here?”
The Gate Keepers’ manner was courteous, yet their presence was unmistakably formidable.
So I responded with proper courtesy.
“I am Tal-myeong Guest! I have come as proclaimed in the notice—to compete for the title of Immortal Chivalry Beauty!”
At my bold declaration, a sudden surge of killing intent emanated from the Gate Keepers.
“Hah…”
But that killing intent vanished in an instant.
“Please wait a moment.”
They rang a bell to summon someone and had word sent inside.
Shortly after, someone emerged and asked me a question.
“Are you the Tal-myeong Guest?”
“I am.”
“Please follow me.”

He was led to a separate pavilion.
In the courtyard there stood a man.
The moment Tal-myeong Guest laid eyes on his face, he couldn’t help but marvel.
Even as a man himself, he had to admit the fellow was remarkably handsome.
“Young Master, I have brought Tal-myeong Guest, the Great Hero.”
“You’ve done well.”
The handsome man who spoke thus smiled as he replied.
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“I am Woo Gyeok, Tal-myeong Guest.”
“I have seen your proclamation. You wish to claim the name Immortal Chivalry Beauty from me.”
“Indeed.”
Tal-myeong Guest drew the sword at his waist.
The blade sang as it left the scabbard.
Yet Eun Seo-ho regarded him with a puzzled expression and asked.
“Why are you drawing your sword?”
“Well….”
“You came to claim the name Immortal Chivalry Beauty from me, did you not? Yet I fail to understand why you would draw your blade for such a purpose.”
“Is it not obvious? To claim a title, one must settle the matter through martial combat!”
“Ah.”
At this, Eun Seo-ho released a long, heavy sigh.
“I believe you are laboring under a misunderstanding. How do you suppose I came to bear the title Immortal Chivalry Beauty?”
“Why, surely the League Master bestowed it upon you for saving countless lives at the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament, did he not?”
“Of course. But in truth, I was called by that name long before that. Are you aware of the plague that swept through Uichang in Hubei some six years ago?”
“Hmm, I do not know the details, but I am generally aware of it.”
“At that time, the Eunhae Trading Company undertook extensive relief efforts, and I went there personally. Fortunately, the plague subsided quickly, and most of the afflicted were healed. It was out of gratitude for those efforts that people began to call me Immortal Chivalry Beauty.”
Eun Seo-ho continued.
“In other words, the title Immortal Chivalry Beauty was not earned through martial prowess. Yet if we were to contest it through martial combat, would that not be improper?”
“….”
At those words, Tal-myeong Guest finally realized he had been laboring under a grave misunderstanding.
All those from whom he had claimed titles before were martial artists, and naturally their titles were related to martial prowess.
Thus he had assumed the same would be true this time.
“Therefore, should we not settle this through benevolent deeds, befitting the name Immortal Chivalry Beauty?”
“You speak truly.”
“Then let us discuss the terms of our contest.”
After deliberation, they agreed that each would perform acts of benevolence, and whoever aided the most people would be declared the victor.
Palgap spoke to Eun Seo-ho.
“But even if that fellow wins the contest and claims the title Immortal Chivalry Beauty, would he not feel embarrassed calling himself by that name when his face is hardly that of a beauty?”
“Shh! Keep quiet. You’ll hurt his feelings with talk like that.”
Yet Tal-myeong Guest had already heard those words.
The contest had not even begun, and somehow he already felt as though he had lost.

* * *

I observed Tal-myeong Guest carefully.
He seemed deeply wounded by what Palgap had just said.
“Are you… all right?”
“Ah, I’m fine.”
“Take heart. If the name Seon Hyeop Mi-rang feels burdensome, you can simply go by Seon Hyeop instead.”
At my words, Tal-myeong Guest gazed up at the sky and released a long sigh.
Palgap grumbled while looking at me.
“Young Master is even worse.”
“What did I do?”
I had merely spoken the truth as it was.
I cleared my throat awkwardly.
“Ahem, the truth is we have matters to attend to and must depart today. So, what if we traveled together? That way, we could have a fair contest, wouldn’t we? And along the journey, opportunities for chivalrous deeds would surely arise.”
.
.
.
A short while later.
After finishing my preparations to depart, I headed toward Cha-jang.
This time, I decided to leave Seo Hyang at the Beijing Branch.
Though she had Ju Gang Ma, an outsider like Tal-myeong Guest would be accompanying us on this journey.
In truth, the greatest reason was that Eun Jung-ho needed someone to assist with his duties.
He was already helping me, so it would be too much to take away his assistant as well.
“Travel safely.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Eun Jung-ho saw me off.
“Don’t cause any trouble.”
“When have I ever caused trouble?”
“Put your hand on your heart and say that.”
“….”
With nothing to say, I turned my head and gazed toward the distant mountains.
“At this rate, you won’t return for quite some time.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“Don’t worry.”
I had already informed the Emperor and Crown Prince of this matter beforehand. Thus, I had already received permission for Eun Jung-ho to handle matters related to the Chakpung Engine in my stead.
“And remember—protect that name, Seon Hyeop Mi-rang.”
“Hm?”
“I personally like it.”
At my brother’s words, I chuckled softly, turned my body, and set out toward the Jegal Family Estate.
Before leaving Beijing, the Tal-myeong Guest who had been waiting at the city gate joined our party.
I invited him to travel with us to settle our match quickly.
With so many pressing matters already demanding my attention, I needed to dispose of this troublesome business swiftly.
If things went as expected, my duel with him wouldn’t take long.

Dusk had fallen.
It was time to head to an inn.
I spoke to the Tal-myeong Guest.
“Since I suggested you travel with us, I’ll cover your inn expenses.”
He shook his head at my offer.
“There’s no need. I have plenty of money. I’ll handle my own lodging expenses, so don’t concern yourself.”
“Understood. We’ll be staying at this inn tonight.”
At my words, he looked up at the inn and nodded.
“Very well.”
As we stopped before the inn, the Shop Attendant rushed out to greet us.
“Welcome! Leave the horses with me and come inside.”
“Thank you.”
We entered, secured guest rooms, and retired to our respective chambers.
I was about to collapse onto the bed when Palgap stopped me and directed me toward the bathhouse.
“I’ve already washed! Can I lie down now?”
“Yes, sir. Please rest comfortably.”
I lay down on the bed.
Ah, this is wonderful!
I used to stay in places like this often, but traveling by Ju Gang Ma meant I rarely needed such accommodations.
However, today I was moving at my former pace, which is why I found myself here for the night.
As I lay in bed, I recalled what I had heard about the Tal-myeong Guest in my previous life.
His martial techniques were quite peculiar.
They were the techniques of a single-lineage sect—an illusory sword technique that projected powerful phantom images onto opponents.
While ordinary illusions lack substance, the phantoms created by his techniques possessed a tangible presence, which was their defining characteristic.
This was why his specialty was the art of phantom clones.
Since his clones emanated killing intent and vital force, one couldn’t easily distinguish the false from the real.
Through this technique, he had stripped many warriors of their names.
Yet despite his fame, he met an end befitting his path.
Three years from now, he would lose a martial duel fought to claim a name and lose his life in the process.
With his death, his martial techniques would also fade into obscurity.
I couldn’t say why he began stealing names, but he was living a life where death could come at any moment.
Whether it was youthful vigor or arrogance, if he had thought of his master, he would never have lived such a way.

A moment later.
My companions and I descended to the dining hall.
The dining hall was warm and lively, with people enjoying their meals in high spirits.
“Hahahaha!”
“This is truly delicious!”
“It tastes even better because it’s free.”
Free? What did he mean by that?
Just then, the Shop Attendant spoke to me.
“Please, honored guests, sit down and place your orders. That gentleman has graciously offered to pay for everyone’s dinner this evening.”
The Tal-myeong Guest sat in the direction the Shop Attendant indicated, his expression brimming with self-satisfaction.
I approached him and asked.
“You provided free meals for all these people?”
“Indeed.”
He spoke with an air of supreme confidence.
“Unfortunately, this time I got ahead of you. Look at them—are they not singing my praises? Hahahaha!”
The Tal-myeong Guest laughed heartily and boldly.
I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t find words.
Was this fool actually an idiot?

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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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