The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 574
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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 574
Chapter 574. The Martial Arts Grand Conference (3)
However, they did not immediately accept the Golden Wound Medicine I offered.
“Why this?”
Eyes filled with suspicion.
Tsk, it seems their years of survival haven’t been particularly smooth.
“It’s simply goodwill.”
“Is there perhaps something you desire from us?”
In situations like this, it’s best to answer directly.
“Do you possess what I desire?”
“….”
“Then please drop that suspicious gaze.”
“Ahem, ahem. My apologies.”
“We are truly sorry.”
I nodded and accepted their apology.
“Today’s martial contest was truly impressive. I could not help but offer praise for the perseverance you displayed until the very end.”
“Th-thank you.”
“That is why I am giving you this Golden Wound Medicine.”
To be honest, there was that reason, but my greater desire was to express gratitude for eliminating Namgung On from the tournament.
Thanks to that, my heart felt wonderfully refreshed.
I also enjoyed seeing the twisted expressions on the faces of the Namgung Family members.
However, I am not giving this medicine solely for that reason.
That man Namgung On, who lost to him just now, was clearly someone with a petty nature.
Therefore, there was a high likelihood he would seek revenge for his loss to Dae-nok Warrior.
With such a skill gap already present, an injured body could lead to serious trouble.
At minimum, they needed to be in a condition to endure or escape.
Wait.
No, no.
A good idea just occurred to me.
“By the way, where are you currently staying?”
“We are staying at Jang’s Inn. It’s one of the shabby inns on the outskirts, so you likely wouldn’t know of it.”
As expected.
That place had no one to stop Namgung On if he sought revenge.
“Since you’ve advanced to the main tournament, you should recover your condition before the next match, and wouldn’t it be better to stay at an inn nearby for easier communication?”
“That may be true, but….”
“I have spare rooms at the inn where I’m staying. Come there.”
The two of them hesitated before speaking.
“If you were a Great Hero, you would surely be staying at a fine inn, but we don’t have the means to afford such a place.”
“I suggested you change inns—surely you don’t think I’d ask you to pay for it yourselves?”
“….”
“If you find it burdensome, simply think of it as a merchant’s patronage of a warrior who has advanced to the main tournament.”
“But didn’t you just say we don’t possess what you’re looking for?”
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I clearly asked, ‘Do you possess what I’m looking for?’—I’m not sure how that became something else. What I meant was that you should prove your own worth.”
In truth, what he said was correct, but words are always open to interpretation, aren’t they?
I quickly deflected, and the two of them cleared their throats awkwardly.
“Ahem, ahem.”
I continued speaking.
“If you don’t recover properly from such serious injuries, you’ll develop chronic ailments. Unless you want to end your life as a martial artist here, you’ll do as I say.”
The two of them reluctantly accepted my proposal.
I took them to the Yeon Pung Inn and provided them with a room.
Since I had rented the entire inn anyway, rooms were plentiful.
I asked the Physician who came with us to examine Dae-nok Warrior’s condition in detail.
Then I decided to have lunch with the man who had supported Dae-nok Warrior—his senior brother, as he called himself.
Soon dumplings and noodles arrived, and we ate heartily.
We then exchanged conversation while sipping tea.
“Where is the Yeon Gyeol Sect located?”
“It’s in Shaanxi Province.”
“Did just the two of you come?”
“Yes. We weren’t in a position to bring more people….”
He laughed awkwardly as he spoke.
Shaanxi wasn’t terribly far, but it would still be a burden for a small sect.
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t heard the Great Hero’s name.”
At my words, he waved his hand dismissively.
“Great Hero? That’s far too grand a title for me. My name is Su-am.”
Then he explained about the Yeon Gyeol Sect.
The Yeon Gyeol Sect was a small sect in Shaanxi Province with roughly twenty members in total, he said.
“In truth, while we call them disciples, strictly speaking they are orphans that our Master took in. Dae-nok and I are the same.”
“Then how do you manage the sect?”
“We have land attached to the sect, so we farm it. But it’s not abundant—we barely scrape by.”
“But why did you suddenly enter the Martial Arts Grand Conference’s friendly matches? You must have known that Dae-nok Warrior’s skills could be dangerous.”
At my words, his expression darkened.
“That’s… there are circumstances. Originally, besides farming, we had a Manor Lord who provided us support, but he notified us that he would cut off that support. He said his situation had become difficult due to drought.”
That would be quite a blow.
He continued speaking.
“So I went to ask him to maintain the support, and he set one condition: to gain a respectable name in the Murim world. He said that way he would have justification to continue supporting us even if it was difficult.”
“So that’s why you entered the Martial Arts Grand Conference’s friendly matches to gain that name.”
“That is correct.”
He continued.
“In our sect, aside from Master and my senior brother, Dae-nok Warrior was the strongest, so he was selected to compete.”
“I’m relieved his efforts were not in vain. Now that he has advanced to the main tournament, he will earn his name as one of the thirty-two rising masters.”
“Heaven’s fortune smiled upon us.”
“There is a saying in the Murim: luck is also a skill.”
And that luck becomes fortune for those who strive and prepare.
“Dae-nok Warrior never gave up until the very end. This victory in the preliminary rounds is the result of that resolve.”
I smiled with satisfaction.
“My congratulations.”
.
.
.
A short while later.
We headed back to the Martial Arts Arena.
I had suggested that Dae-nok Warrior and Su-am Warrior rest at the inn, but they insisted on watching, so we departed together.
“However, with only wooden tokens, it will be difficult for them to find standing room, and besides, the tokens look smaller than a pinky finger.”
At Palgap’s words, I shook my head.
“That’s not the case.”
“Sir?”
“They may not know it, but those who advance to the main tournament actually receive a special privilege.”
That privilege was receiving a silver token that allowed viewing from the premium seating.
Usually, martial artists of sufficient caliber to advance to the main tournament already possess gold or silver tokens, so this privilege sees little use.
Moreover, since one may bring an accompanying person, both warriors could watch together from the premium seating.
I led the two warriors to the Murim Grand Tournament Operations Headquarters and obtained the silver tokens for them.
The two warriors were deeply grateful.
“I had no idea such a privilege existed.”
“Most people don’t. That is why information is so valuable.”
Thus we moved to our seats to watch the afternoon matches.
In the afternoon matches, Jegal Yu-ah, the Small Patriarch, competed and calmly defeated her opponent to advance to the main tournament.
“Waaaaah!”
“The Hundred Schemes Cold Blade! The Hundred Schemes Cold Blade!”
The crowd cheered, calling out her title.
She is quite popular.
Before long, the sun set, and the remaining matches were naturally postponed to the next day.
On the way back to the inn, Dae-nok Warrior and Su-am Warrior spoke to me.
“We’ll stop by Jang’s Inn to collect our belongings and then head to Yeon Pung Inn.”
“Very well.”
After sending them off and turning to leave, Seo Hyang spoke to me.
“I think you should go with them.”
“….”
Her sudden words meant she had glimpsed the future.
I quickly turned around and called out to them.
“Wait a moment!”
“Yes?”
“We’ll go with you.”
“There’s no need for you to trouble yourselves.”
“On the contrary. Once we commit to supporting someone, our trading company’s principle is to do so thoroughly.”
And so we followed the two warriors toward Jang’s Inn.
The journey proved to be quite lengthy.
I asked Seo Hyang, “Are you managing alright?”
“Yes. It’s good training, and I don’t mind. Besides, I anticipated the distance. I came because I knew I’d be needed.”
In other words, she had followed because she understood her presence would be necessary.
That was rather touching.
“We only have about a quarter of an hour left to go.”
As I listened to their words, I sensed something unsettling.
“Stop.”
“…!”
Everyone halted at my command.
“There’s someone ahead. Something feels wrong.”
I spoke to my guards.
“Jin Yu Warrior, Yeo Eung-am Warrior.”
“Yes!”
“Follow them from behind.”
“Understood.”
“And Lee Pil Warrior, please summon the Patrol Guard to come here.”
Those who received my orders vanished from sight.
“Now, let’s proceed.”
“Yes.”
I sent Dae-nok Warrior and Su-am Warrior ahead while we followed at a distance.
Just before they reached the inn, we encountered a group of men.
They looked rather unsavory.
Clearly, these were the sort who did dirty work for others.
But how had the Black Path infiltrated this far?
But how did the Black Swordsman manage to get in here?
“Who is this Dae Nok?”
Dae-nok Warrior answered the question.
“I am Dae Nok. What is this about?”
They let out a sinister laugh at his words.
“I see.”
Without warning, they rushed forward and threw punches at Dae-nok Warrior.
Dae-nok Warrior tried to counterattack, but with so many opponents, he was overwhelmed.
Thud! Thud!
“What is the meaning of this…”
Su-am Warrior protested, but they attacked him as well.
“We have no personal grudge against you. So don’t resist and just lie there and take it. It’ll hurt less that way. Hehehehe.”
“Who are you? Who is doing this!”
The attackers answered Dae-nok Warrior’s protest.
“Isn’t it someone who has a grudge against you?”
“Think about it. Hehe.”
Then they swung their sword sheaths at the two warriors.
From the trajectory of their blades, their intention was clearly to break their arms.
Clang!
Crash!
But their attacks never reached the two warriors.
Jin Yu Warrior and Yeo Eung-am Warrior, who had approached from behind, blocked all their strikes.
Whoosh—! Thud!
They spun around and kicked them to the ground.
The other warriors rushed in immediately, and the Black-Clad Criminals who had been assaulting Dae-nok Warrior and Su-am Warrior were sprawled on the ground in an instant.
“Ugh…”
“Ack…”
“Ouch…”
I looked down at them with cold eyes and spoke.
“Who sent you?”
“W-we can’t say!”
“It’s clear you were paid to do this. So what exactly was the request?”
“W-we can’t say… Gahhhhh!”
Jin Yu Warrior’s blade pierced mercilessly through the man’s hand.
“Wouldn’t it be better not to resist and just talk? If you make your living by the sword and lose the ability to grip one, how will you survive?”
I smirked.
“Your so-called comrades don’t seem likely to feed you.”
At my words, their eyes wavered, and one of them trembled as he spoke.
“I-I’ll tell you! So… we were asked to injure Dae Nok so badly he couldn’t participate in the next martial tournament.”
“Who hired you?”
“I don’t know who it was, but it was a man with a mole under his chin and sharp, piercing eyes. He hired us for ten silver coins…”
“Hmm…”
Well, Namgung On is locked away in the Prison right now, after all.
He must have had his subordinates do this.
“I’m so sorry! Truly, I apologize! I’ll live righteously from now on!”
“Then do so. Now come with us to the Murim Alliance.”
Whistle! Shrill whistle!
The sound of a horn and the approaching auras of warriors.
The squad members of the Murim Alliance’s Patrol Guard that Lee Pil Warrior had summoned.
Leading that squad was Won Eop Group Leader.
He arrived at just the right moment.
“Seonhyeop Mirang Great Swordmaster!”
“It’s good to see you again, Won Chief. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Haha, it’s nothing.”
He looked at those sprawled on the ground and asked.
“Are these the ones?”
“Yes. These are the ones who attacked Dae-nok Warrior, who passed the preliminaries today.”
At this, Dae-nok Warrior spoke.
“Thanks to Seonhyeop Mirang Great Swordmaster, I was able to avoid disaster.”
“As expected of Seonhyeop Mirang Great Swordmaster.”
Won Chief clasped his fist in admiration.
“It’s nothing. Please handle these matters well.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Ah, but is Young Master Namgung Ok still in the Prison?”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“Just before being imprisoned, the Namgung Family said they would confine him to their residence for two days and took him away.”
“…”
Something feels bitter about this.
Won Chief’s expression was equally bitter.
But what could he do about it?
“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
With that, Won Chief bound them together with rope like stringing fish and took them to the Murim Alliance.
I turned my head and asked Dae-nok Warrior and Su-am Warrior.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes. We’re fine.”
“I apologize for not blocking their strikes earlier. It was to be certain.”
“I understand.”
Dae-nok Warrior vented his frustration.
“Who on earth would instigate such a thing?”
“Who else?”
“Pardon?”
“If you think about it carefully, the answer will come to you.”
He fell silent for a moment, biting his lip. He had figured out who was behind this.
Su-am Warrior spoke.
“So that’s why you had us move the inn and accompanied us like this—to prevent something like this from happening.”
“Exactly.”
“Ah, I owe you my deepest gratitude.”
They clasped their fists and bowed respectfully to me.
“Thank you.”
“We are truly grateful.”
“Think nothing of it. I simply saw talent in you and was pleased to help.”
I gestured toward the inn as I spoke.
“Now, gather your belongings and come out.”
“Understood.”
I sent Seo-woo Warrior along with them just to be safe.
I shifted my gaze upward to the sky.
My instincts had been correct.
The Namgung Family Estate would likely overlook this incident where Namgung On had vented his frustrations, without giving it much thought.
But I couldn’t let it end like this.
I would make sure they couldn’t ignore it.
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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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