The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 569

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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 569

Chapter 569. A Grand Opportunity (4)

At my words, the Noodle Shop Owner’s face brightened as he nodded eagerly.
“Of course. I shall listen intently.”
Seeing him retrieve brush, ink, and paper from beneath the table, this was clearly more than mere courtesy.
With such enthusiasm, even offering counsel becomes a pleasure.
“First, purchase your ingredients in abundance and lay them in stock.”
“Pardon?”
“At this rate, your business will flourish greatly, so you must prepare accordingly.”
“Thank you for the kind words.”
“It is no mere blessing. I have traveled throughout the Empire on merchant expeditions, and your noodles rank among the finest ten I have ever tasted—you may take pride in your craft.”
His face brightened at my words.
“However, when a business achieves prosperity through delicious food, there will always be those who resent it.”
“Forgive me, but what do you mean by that…?”
I continued my explanation for his benefit.
“Such tendencies become especially pronounced at grand events like this. And among the vicious methods such people employ, one is to obstruct your supply of ingredients.”
“Ah, so that is why you advise me to purchase materials in advance.”
“Precisely.”
I nodded.
“And there will also be those who deliberately cry out loudly that foreign objects have appeared in the food.”
At my words, he asked with a worried expression.
“How should I respond in such cases?”
“Having conducted business for so long, surely you have encountered many such troublemakers?”
“That is true. Even when I ran my shop in my hometown, such customers appeared frequently.”
“What did you do then?”
“Since I could not discern whether it was my mistake or their scheming, I had no choice but to apologize.”
“Correct. So apologize quickly. The important thing is not to prolong the situation.”
He sighed deeply.
“If it truly is my fault, apologizing is obviously the right course. But apologizing even to those who do it deliberately… it fills me with self-reproach. I wonder if this is what I opened a shop for, and why people would behave so.”
“I understand. Running a business naturally leads to such thoughts. Though it may offer little comfort, I have found that when people gain unfair advantage, they inevitably suffer equivalent loss in some form.”
I smiled.
“But your concern is valid. If such incidents accumulate and rumors spread as though they were genuine, might they not ruin your business?”
“Indeed.”
Rumors are always fearsome.
Even without direct experience, hearing such rumors causes people to instinctively avoid the place.
“Ask such people to write down their names.”
“…What?”
“Those who deliberately act that way are easy to spot, aren’t they? Tell them you have no funds at present, but you’ll compensate them handsomely later. Ask them to write down their names and where they’re staying. And mention that you’ll be accompanied by the Patrol Guard to protect the money—ask for their understanding on this matter.”
“So you’re saying to raise the stakes even higher.”
“Yes. By mentioning the Patrol Guard, it serves as a warning to those without conscience.”
“But what if they actually write down their real names?”
“Simply give me that list. Since I’m the one who proposed this method, I’ll handle the follow-up as well.”
I continued.
“And deposit the money at the Money Exchange House immediately after you finish your business.”
“What? You mean deposit it at the Money Exchange House every day?”
“Precisely. And request the Patrol Guard to accompany you on the way to the Money Exchange House.”
“…Can we really call upon the Patrol Guard for such matters?”
“That’s precisely what you’re paying the stall fee for—their assistance and protection. Since you’ve paid good money, you should use it without hesitation.”
“That’s true enough.”
“With so many people gathering in one place, thieves will be far more numerous than usual. And should you happen to lose money, don’t exhaust yourself trying to recover it. Life is more precious than money.”
“Understood.”
“Focus on the money you’ll earn going forward, not what you’ve lost. Can you promise me this?”
“I promise.”
I felt I’d covered all the important advice.
Just then, a customer arrived, and the Shop Manager moved to greet them.
I smiled and glanced around the room.
Everyone else seemed finished; only I remained.
I quickly picked up my chopsticks to finish my noodles when the Shop Owner’s Daughter approached.
“Is there anything else you need?”
At this, Sakang Branch Master raised his hand.
“Ah, would you like another bowl of noodles?”
He nodded, then hesitated as if wanting to say something more.
“That….”
“Ah, you want extra beef?”
Nod, nod.
Then, as he drew a circle with his hand, she said:
“You want the meat cut into larger pieces, not small ones?”
Nod, nod.
I was genuinely impressed.
That’s practically mind-reading, isn’t it?
“How on earth did you know?”
At my question, she smiled brightly and replied.
“Intuition.”
“What?”
“I just guessed based on intuition.”
Given that Sakang Branch Master was so taciturn, deducing what he wanted to say was no simple task.
Yet she discerned my intention without much effort, grasping it quite simply.
This level of perceptiveness was far from ordinary.
She looked at us and asked.
“Would any of you care for additional noodles?”
At this, everyone, myself included, raised their hands.
The noodles had been delicious enough that we all wanted another bowl.
Besides, having worked since early morning, we were all growing hungry again.
.
.
.
The Martial Arts Grand Conference was divided into two phases: preliminary discussions in the early days and martial competitions in the latter.
We were currently in the preliminary phase.
Several more days remained before the martial competitions would commence.
Father had mentioned something during breakfast.
“It should be about time for Eun Jin-ho to arrive in Luoyang.”
Apparently, Eun Jin-ho had also planned to depart from Hubei with Father and make his way to Luoyang.
Since the Martial Arts Grand Conference’s competitions would feature martial artists of supreme rank and beyond, it served as invaluable training for those in the martial world.
There was no way Eun Jin-ho would miss such an opportunity.
However, his merchant caravan schedule had fallen behind schedule, so Father had instructed him to complete the expedition and proceed directly to Luoyang afterward.
“He’s currently in the Shaanxi region, isn’t he?”
“More precisely, near Huashan Mountain.”
“Considering when he was supposed to depart, he should arrive around today.”
“Yes, it would be good if you went to meet him.”
So that was the purpose of bringing up Eun Jin-ho’s arrival.
I had no reason to refuse, and it was something I had been hoping for anyway, so I readily agreed.
“Yes, understood.”
Go Il-pyeong, the External Chief Manager who had been eating breakfast beside me, spoke up at my response.
“I would have liked to welcome Eun Jin-ho personally, but I have made prior arrangements to meet with certain individuals today.”
Go Il-pyeong served as both the Chief Manager of our Eun Hae Trading Company and a martial artist known by the name Il-geom Jin-cheon.
He would have many connections to reconnect with at the Martial Arts Grand Conference.
The relationships he cultivated here would later prove beneficial to Eun Jin-ho as well.
Networks, whether in the merchant world or the martial world, were fundamentally similar.
The most reliable and secure method was introduction through acquaintances, and one expanded one’s network through such means.
Of course, introductions through acquaintances did not always yield favorable results, but the probability of a positive outcome remained quite high.
After all, when someone staked their own name and reputation on an introduction, they did so with a sense of responsibility.
After finishing breakfast and making light preparations, I set out toward Luoyang West Gate with my Guard Warriors.
Along the way lay the Commercial District.
Hmm?
I found myself compelled to stop in my tracks.
“What is the matter, sir?”
In response to Palgap’s question, I pointed to the side with my finger.
A noodle shop with a flag bearing the name Haechun Myeon.
This was the place where I had offered advice before.
What stopped my footsteps was the sight of Sakang Branch Master sitting there, eating noodles.
He must have taken quite a liking to the noodles.
To have come all the way here from morning just to eat noodles.
At that moment, the Haechun Myeon Shop Owner’s Daughter approached, and I engaged in conversation with her.
If one could call it a conversation when one party dominated most of the exchange.
Well, conversations take many forms, and as long as we understood each other’s intent, it was a conversation nonetheless.
We moved on again, and the Yeo Eung-am Warrior spoke.
“I’m getting a sense of something here.”
“A sense? Of what?”
“About Sakang Branch Master. What could be the reason he’s eating noodles alone at that shop this morning?”
“Because the noodles are delicious?”
At my answer, Palgap let out a soft chuckle.
“I know you’re joking.”
“True enough, but still. That’s too hasty a judgment.”
We don’t know yet.

We soon arrived at the Luoyang West Gate.
After exiting the gate and waiting outside for quite some time, there was no sign of Elder Brother Jin-ho.
The sun was already high in the sky—why hadn’t he arrived yet?
My anxiety grew by the moment.
Had something happened?
“My lord. Shall we go search for Young Master Jin-ho?”
Seo-woo Warrior, noticing my unease, spoke thus. I nodded.
“Yes, we should. Sitting idle and waiting doesn’t suit my temperament.”
I tapped my sleeve lightly.
“Geum-ryeong.”
“Chirp!”
Geum-ryeong poked his head out.
“Find Elder Brother Jin-ho for me.”
“Chirp!”
Geum-ryeong nodded in acknowledgment and immediately darted forward.
After a while, Geum-ryeong returned.
Judging by how long Geum-ryeong was gone… the distance was greater than expected.
This clearly meant something had happened.
“Lead the way.”
My companions and I mounted our horses, and Geum-ryeong perched on the head of the Zhu River horse I rode.
“Chirp! Chirp!”
We need to ride faster?
I nodded and took hold of Ju Gang Ma’s reins.
“Understood. But how fast do we need to go?”
“Neigh!”
So you’re saying I should just grip the reins tightly and let you handle the speed?
“I will increase our pace!”
“Yes!”
Soon, Ju Gang Ma began to accelerate.
But isn’t this going too fast?
Fortunately, before long, Ju Gang Ma gradually began to slow down.
That must mean Elder Brother Jin-ho is nearby.
I extended my energy and searched for Elder Brother Jin-ho’s presence.
But I felt the energy of quite a few people around us, and the faint sound of weapons clashing reached my ears.
“It’s killing intent!”
“It seems a battle is taking place. Let’s hurry.”
I urged Ju Gang Ma forward, and the others followed behind me.
We soon came upon a group of people engaged in combat.
Those wearing Eun Pung-dae uniforms and those in various other garments.
And those who appeared to be from the Pyo Bureau.
Elder Brother Jin-ho was among them.
“I don’t know the details, but let’s help Elder Brother Jin-ho first.”
“Understood.”
We plunged into the melee and moved closer to Elder Brother Jin-ho.
“Brother! What’s happening?”
“You came? Explanations later!”
“What should we do?”
Elder Brother Jin-ho swung his spear as he spoke.
“Just deal with everyone except the Eun Pung-dae and the Pyo Bureau!”
“Can we kill them?”
“Yes. They deserve to die!”
The fact that Elder Brother Jin-ho spoke with such fury meant the enemies had committed crimes worthy of it.
My martial prowess and that of my Guard Warriors was overwhelmingly superior to our opponents, so we resolved the situation in an instant.
“Phew, thank you.”
“Of course, you should be grateful.”
Then Elder Brother Jin-ho called out toward the rear.
“You can rest assured now.”
After those words, moments later, the carriage door opened and a woman poked her head out.
“Is it truly over?”
“Yes.”
I looked at Elder Brother Jin-ho, and Elder Brother Jin-ho spoke to me.
“I witnessed them being ambushed on the road to Luoyang. I decided to help them, and was heading back toward Huashan when we met.”
At this, the man with his shoulder wrapped in bandages cupped his fist in salute and introduced himself.
“I am Ki Chil-du, Escort Master of the Yongwoong Express House.”
“I am Eun Seo-ho, Third Sub-unit Leader of the Eun Hae Trading Company.”
Upon hearing my introduction, my Elder Brother Jin-ho puffed out his chest with pride.
“He is my younger brother. He even bears the title of Immortal Chivalry Beauty.”
But why was Elder Brother looking so proud?
Ki Chil-du was visibly startled upon hearing my introduction.
“You are that Immortal Chivalry Beauty?”
“I am embarrassed to say so, but that is indeed what I am called. It appears you were escorting those young ladies in the carriage—is that correct?”
“Yes, that is so. Our Yongwoong Express House accepted a contract to escort those young ladies to Huashan.”
“Ah, so they are young ladies staying in Luoyang.”
“That is correct.”
When many martial artists gather in Luoyang, it inevitably means scoundrels gather as well.
Thus, when major martial arts events occur, young ladies often entrust themselves temporarily to the Huashan Sect.
While disciples of Huashan Sect provide protection, sometimes they cannot accompany all of them.
In such cases, they hire express houses separately to escort them to Huashan.
Even my Master accepted such contracts during the Yongbong Martial Arts Tournament.
“However, there were those who targeted these young ladies.”
Why they would target them was obvious enough.
“They intended to sell them as courtesans, or so I heard. After learning of their circumstances, the Great Hero of the Eun Hae Trading Company graciously offered to accompany them to Huashan, and I, having lost my escort warriors, had no choice but to accept his offer despite my shame.”
“I see.”
“And during a second attack, the Immortal Chivalry Beauty Great Swordmaster came to our aid.”
I glanced at Elder Brother Jin-ho.
There was much I wished to say, but for now, ensuring these young ladies reached Huashan safely was the priority.
“I shall accompany you as well.”
Thus we set out toward Huashan.
“What is your exact destination? Must we actually climb all the way to Huashan?”
It was Myeong-jong Warrior who answered my question.
“No. It would be impossible for the carriage to reach Huashan, and equally impossible for those young ladies to climb it.”
“Indeed, that makes sense.”
Huashan was certainly no mere neighborhood hill.
“So we have secured several inns in the village below Huashan, where they will stay. The disciples of Huashan Sect protect those inns.”
“I see how it works.”
As we drew closer to our destination, Myeong-jong Warrior’s expression grew increasingly complicated.
It made sense.
Huashan was a place where he had spent nearly his entire life.
Yet now, due to unfortunate circumstances, he barely escaped expulsion.
Soon we arrived at an inn below Huashan.
It was then.
“You! You bastard!”
Someone rushed toward us from a distance….
Wh, what?
Thud!

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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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