The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 561

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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 561

Chapter 561. The Golden Buddha Statue (3)

A moment later, Geumryeong returned.
– Well done!
– Chirp!
– You did exactly as I instructed, right?
– Chirp chirp! Chirp!
Since you followed my orders perfectly, stop worrying and prepare to hand over the gold coins, yes?
– Yes, that’s right.
I chuckled softly and sent a telepathic message to Lee Pil Warrior.
– We can return to the inn now.
On our way back, we used a different secret path than before.
Since these weren’t permanent secret passages like the official ones, each path had different accessible times, and we needed to use a different route now.
We slipped quietly out of the Murim Alliance through the secret path and arrived at the inn.
Seo-woo Warrior, who had been keeping watch from the roof, spotted us and quickly lowered a rope.
We climbed up the rope and entered through the guest room window.
Someone lay on the bed, but I felt no alarm.
It was merely my phantom form created through the Phantom Body technique.
Without dispersing the phantom, I went directly into the secret vault.
The golden Buddha statue rested on the vault floor.
I smiled as I felt the aura emanating from it.
It was a genuine golden Buddha statue artifact.
In other words, Geumryeong had succeeded.
If the statue had been even slightly larger, it would have been impossible.
Geumryeong truly proved invaluable.
Reflecting on it again, meeting Geumryeong in this lifetime was the greatest fortune I could have asked for.

* * *

Dawn broke.
I descended to the first floor to take breakfast.
“Did you have a good night?”
“Yes. It was a very good night.”
Quite a satisfying one, indeed.
I acknowledged the Shop Attendant’s greeting and took a seat at the dining table.
“I heard you prefer rice porridge for breakfast. Shall I prepare some for you?”
“Yes, please.”
Soon the Shop Attendant brought porridge proportioned for our party, and we satisfied our appetites lightly.
“We plan to depart this morning.”
“Understood.”
I wondered when the League Master would notice the golden Buddha statue had vanished.
Just then, a group of men entered the inn where I was staying.
Judging by the emblems at their waists, they were warriors of the Murim Alliance.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
They surveyed the interior, spotted me, and approached.
“Are you Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master?”
“I am, but…”
“We have some questions for you. Come with us to the Alliance.”
“May I ask what this is about?”
“You’ll find out when we get there.”
Tch… how irritating.
I knew why they were taking me, but their imperious attitude—treating me as a subordinate and issuing demands—grated on me.
They must know I am Seon Hyeop Mi-rang, yet they act this way because I am a merchant.
The method for dealing with such people is simple.
I cupped my fist and spoke.
“If I can be of assistance, then I shall be.”
As I said this, I deliberately let the document I had received yesterday—the League Master’s notarized letter—slip from my grasp.
“Oh my! Such a precious thing!”
As I hastened to catch the document, he stepped on it with his foot and spoke.
“Let me examine it first.”
“That’s fine, but… are you certain about this?”
“What could possibly be uncertain?”
“That document was written by the League Master himself and given to me yesterday. In other words, you have just stepped on the League Master’s personal handwriting with your foot.”
In that instant, the man’s face drained of all color.
Then one of the Alliance Warriors behind him spoke.
“A mere merchant possessing the League Master’s personal document? It must be a lie.”
“If you doubt it, verify it yourselves.”
They picked up the document bearing the footprint and unfolded it.
Their faces immediately turned ashen.
Of course.
The document I presented to them was a genuine notarized document written and sealed by the League Master himself.
I let out a sigh.
“To think the League Master’s authority has fallen so far! This is truly lamentable!”
He swallowed hard and asked.
“But why do you possess this document?”
Now he was finally using formal speech.
“I received orders from the League Master to journey to Mount Tai and returned with this as compensation. So would you kindly return the document to me now? Though it bears footprints from being stepped on, it remains a precious document.”
“Ah, I-I apologize.”
He quickly returned the document to me.
“So what problem arose that made you attempt to bring me to the Murim Alliance?”
“That is…”
He glanced around before speaking to me in a low voice.
“In truth, there has been a theft at the Alliance.”
“A theft?”
“Yes. An artifact kept in the League Master’s sleeping quarters has vanished, and the entire Alliance is in upheaval. Since the artifact only arrived yesterday, we are conducting a comprehensive investigation of all who entered yesterday.”
That artifact is currently in my secret vault.
But I wore an expression of regret.
“How shocking! That such a thing would occur within the Murim Alliance.”
“That is precisely why we are in this turmoil.”
He exhaled a deeply troubled sigh.
I nodded readily as if in understanding.
“Given the circumstances, I shall cooperate. However, I must return to Beijing urgently, so I cannot spare much time.”
“Thank you. It should not take long.”
I followed him toward the Murim Alliance.
The atmosphere of the Murim Alliance was exceedingly turbulent.
I entered a space where an investigator sat.
The man who brought me spoke to him.
“This is Eun Seo-ho, the Great Hero of Immortal Chivalry Beauty. He entered the Alliance yesterday under orders from the League Master.”
“I see. I shall examine the rest.”
The man who brought me cupped his fist and left the room, and the investigator spoke to me.
“Please sit.”
I sat before him, and the investigator asked.
“You say you entered the Alliance yesterday under the League Master’s orders. What was the purpose?”
“I cannot disclose that.”
The investigator’s brow furrowed.
“Why not?”
“It would be improper to carelessly reveal a mission entrusted by the League Master. If you obtain the League Master’s permission, I shall tell you.”

* * *

Inside the Alliance Leader’s Hall of the Murim Alliance.
The Alliance Leader was in a decidedly foul mood.
The golden Buddha statue he had kept stored in his sleeping quarters had vanished without a trace.
His sleeping quarters were a heavily guarded place where unauthorized entry was impossible.
Moreover, he had placed it inside a vault with multiple layers of mechanical locks, so stealing it would have required supernatural ability.
This morning, when he entered to check on the golden Buddha statue’s condition and discovered its disappearance, I cannot describe how shocked he was.
In its place lay a single stone and a letter.
He attempted to identify the culprit by reading the aura from the stone, but since it had been exposed to so many people’s energies, that proved impossible as well.
Leaving the stone behind was clearly meant as mockery toward him.
This only deepened his displeasure.
The letter pinned beneath the stone was a warning note, announcing the next theft.

In one month, I will come to claim the Namgung Family’s treasure, the Yunseul.

Thus, he dispatched the Alliance Military Force to the Namgung Family Estate.
He also summoned the Tiger Correction Squad and ordered them to find the culprit immediately. Now a comprehensive investigation was underway.
Since the theft had occurred early this morning, there was a high probability the culprit had not yet left Luoyang.
“My lord Alliance Leader.”
“What is it?”
“Inspector Gong wishes to see you now.”
“Let him in.”
The door opened and Inspector Gong entered.
“What brings you here?”
“We are currently investigating this matter. First, we have been summoning and questioning those who entered and exited the Alliance yesterday, and among them is the Great Hero Eun Seo-ho of the Immortal Chivalry Beauty, which is why I came to report.”
Yesterday, Eun Seo-ho had entered the Murim Alliance to deliver the golden Buddha statue to him, so naturally there would be an entry record.
“So I was attempting to investigate his reason for entering the Alliance, but he says he will only speak if you, the Alliance Leader, grant him permission.”
At his words, the Alliance Leader smiled with satisfaction.
He had thought of him merely as a merchant with exceptional ability and great ambition, but this revealed he was a man of deep integrity.
“There is no need to investigate that man.”
“Sir?”
“He is the one who brought the stolen artifact.”
“Ah, I see.”
“He completed this mission together with the Yuk Jo Won Commander of the Yong-a Division.”
“But should we not still verify? Since he knows of the artifact’s existence.”
“That point has merit. Then investigate only his whereabouts last night. Would that not suffice?”
“Understood.”

* * *

I was waiting in the Investigation Room, being served refreshments.
These pastries are quite delicious, aren’t they?
Though the tea brewing skill leaves something to be desired.
As I finished the pastries, the Investigator returned.
“Ah, have you returned from seeing the Alliance Leader?”
“Yes. So, do you know where the golden Buddha statue was being kept?”
“Could it be that the stolen item is that golden Buddha statue?”
“Please answer only the questions I ask.”
“Wasn’t it in the Alliance Leader’s Sleeping Quarters?”
“How do you know that?”
He asked sharply, and I answered casually.
“The person who brought me here mentioned it. An artifact that was being kept in the Alliance Leader’s Sleeping Quarters has gone missing, causing the entire Alliance to be thrown into chaos. Since the artifact only arrived at the Alliance yesterday, they’re conducting a massive investigation into everyone who had access yesterday.”
At my words, he pressed his forehead with his fingers, lost in thought.
“Then… would you tell me about your whereabouts yesterday?”
“It’s simple. I left the Murim Alliance yesterday and went straight to the Inn. I unpacked my belongings at the Inn, had dinner, and then went directly to my guest room to sleep.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes. I slept so soundly that I only woke up this morning.”
“Do you have anyone who can verify this?”
“I have my Attendant and Guard Warriors. And you can also check with the Shop Attendants at the Inn. They saw me have dinner yesterday evening and enter my guest room, and I came out of my room this morning for breakfast.”
“I understand. Please wait a moment.”
“Then, could you bring me another plate of pastries? No matter how I think about it, I’m so frustrated that I need to cool my temper by eating pastries.”
“What’s making you so upset?”
“Doesn’t it look like something should upset me? I went through all that trouble and traveled all the way to Mount Tai while busy, only to have it stolen!”
“…Let me bring you another plate of pastries.”

After a moment, the Investigator returned and spoke.
“You’ve worked hard. You may leave now.”
I rose from my seat and replied to him.
“Thank you. And please, do catch that Thief.”
“Understood.”
I cupped my fist in salute as I left, a faint smile playing at my lips.
I’m sorry, but that Thief won’t be caught.
The golden Buddha statue will never see the light of day again, so they’ll never apprehend him.
I had deliberately instructed Geumryeong to leave a single stone and a forged warning letter in the Alliance Leader’s treasury.
It was to make him appear as a professional thief.
And in the forged warning letter, I deliberately wrote that he would steal Yunseul, a treasure of the Namgung Family Estate.
I had honed my calligraphy enough that the handwriting wouldn’t be a concern.
Yunseul was a treasure and weapon kept by the Namgung Family Estate—a guqin that produced an extraordinarily beautiful sound.
I knew of it because in my previous life, someone from the Namgung Family had boasted about it, and I remembered hearing of it.
They were likely tightening their guard thoroughly by now, but a month from now, they would discover the truth.
That it had all been for nothing.
Because of this, the people of the Namgung Family Estate and the Murim Alliance would face some trouble, but the Martial Arts Grand Conference was only a few months away now.
There would be no time to worry about the golden Buddha statue thief anymore.

I returned to the Inn.
“Young Master!”
“Welcome back, Young Master!”
“Master!”
“I’m fine, so don’t worry. Did the Investigator come to the Inn earlier?”
“Yes. He came and asked all sorts of questions. He even called several Shop Attendants and interrogated them.”
He seemed to be quite thorough and meticulous.
All the effort I put into arranging my tracks had paid off.
“You’ve all worked hard. Let us depart with haste.”
“Yes.”
We gathered our belongings and mounted our horses.
“Neigh!”
Yes, I know you’re restless.
Ju Gang Ma seemed quite impatient. Since traveling by Ju Gang Ma was faster anyway, I decided to ride Ju Gang Ma all the way to Beijing.

Thanks to the hard ride on the Zhu River, I arrived in Beijing within a few days.
The speed was welcome, but the exhaustion was brutal.
“Small Guild Master!”
“Third Sub-unit Leader, you’ve returned?”
“Yes. I’ve returned safely. There were no issues at the branch, correct?”
“Everything has been peaceful.”
“That’s a relief.”
I headed straight to Eun Jung-ho’s office. I needed to report my return to him.
When I reached Eun Jung-ho’s office, the Guard Warrior who saw me welcomed me inside.
“You’ve arrived?”
“Yes.”
“He’s inside. Please, go in.”
I flinched at the sight of Eun Jung-ho within.
My brother sat there with dark circles under his eyes, muttering to himself as he reviewed documents.
“Eun Seo-ho, you bastard, really, I won’t let this slide. Eun Seo-ho, you son of a—”
Faced with that terrifying aura, I found myself instinctively backing away.
Brother, why are you so frightening?
.
.
.
It was only much later that I could rise from before the wooden table.
Eun Jung-ho had handed me his work before retiring, so I had to continue with it myself.
Right, it was my responsibility anyway, so I should handle it.
After hastily finishing the urgent matters, night had fallen.
“Gwak Vice-Manager.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s take a brief walk.”
I left the office with Seo Hyang and strolled through the back garden.
“Fortunately, it’s not so hot at night.”
July was already nearly over.
“Since I’ve learned the Heavenly Stream technique, the heat doesn’t bother me much.”
“That’s fortunate.”
I drew out something wrapped in red paper from my sleeve.
“Please, take this.”
“What is it?”
“I remembered it while I was in Shandong and bought one for you.”
“May I unwrap it?”
“Of course.”
She unwrapped it, and her expression shifted to one of pleasant surprise.
“It’s rouge?”
“Yes. I only intended to purchase the rouge container, but it felt incomplete, so I bought this as well. Do you like the color?”
“I do. Very much.”
“I’m glad.”
For some reason, I felt bashful and gazed up at the sky.
Ah, I forgot to give Geumryeong the gold coins.

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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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