The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 582

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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 582

Chapter 582. Under-the-Table Dealings (3)

At my words, Ji Gyeong-hwa blinked and spoke.
“What do you mean? The one who left first… Wait!”
Realizing what I meant, he asked me.
“You know where they are?”
I don’t actually know where they are right now. My Guard Warriors are trailing them.
Instead of answering that question, I advised him to return.
“For now, they may have eyes watching, so please return to your residence. Then I’ll come find you, and we can draw up the contract at that time.”
After sending him off, I immediately asked Geumryeong to follow Jin Yu Warrior.
“But my lord.”
Myeong-jong Warrior asked me.
“Is it alright to just let him go like that?”
“It’s fine. All the things that were blinding and deafening their eyes have already been stripped away, so they won’t be swayed by their words anymore. And didn’t I agree to settle their debts?”
I smiled.
“Now I am their lifeline.”

Soon I arrived at the place where Jin Yu Warrior was.
“You’ve arrived?”
“Yes. Where is he?”
At my question, Jin Yu Warrior pointed ahead.
“He went into that cave.”
Looking at where Jin Yu Warrior pointed, I tilted my head.
“A cave?”
“If you look over there…”
I didn’t notice it at first glance, but it’s really there. The entrance is hidden so cleverly that I missed it.
“What will you do?”
There was no reason to hesitate here.
“Let’s go in.”
Just in case, I left Myeong-jong Warrior and Lee Pil Warrior outside.
We entered quietly, making as little noise as possible.
Inside, there were no bats or any animals at all.
This meant there was something inside that would frighten them away.
How far had we walked into the cave?
I raised my hand.
At my signal, my Guard Warriors stopped in their tracks.
I sent a voice transmission to everyone.
– I sense a presence ahead. Suppress your auras even further.
We advanced cautiously, and I felt the light growing brighter ahead.
I peered forward while keeping my body pressed against the wall as much as possible.
A campfire blazed in the center of the cavern, and several figures were visible around it.
And their conversation reached my ears.

“The Ji Clan failed. What should we do?”
“What do you mean? We tell them we’re giving them another chance.”
“But didn’t you say earlier that you wouldn’t give them another chance?”
“That was just to put pressure on them. Now it’s troublesome to find other collaborators, and it requires too much effort.”
“That’s true.”
“By now, the boy must be anxious and desperate. So they’ll eagerly accept our offer of another chance, no matter how dangerous the conditions are.”
“But they’ve already been eliminated from the friendly martial contest. What could they possibly do?”
“Don’t worry about that. There are plenty of ways to use them. In the worst case, we could poison a tea served to another contestant and have them compete as a replacement.

From that conversation, I could tell they wouldn’t stop until they achieved their goals.
In other words, if I had been satisfied with saving Elder Brother Jin-ho by having him wear a protective vest and let it go at that, I wouldn’t have been able to prevent the accidents that would follow.
Cold sweat ran down my spine just thinking about it.
I know I can’t prevent every accident in the world. But if possible, I want to prevent at least the accidents happening right before my eyes.
Because those who would be caught up in the problems they cause are the precious people around me.
I assessed their auras.
There were five of them in total, and three had reached the peak realm, but we had more than enough strength to subdue them.
Still, mixed within the repulsive aura I sensed from them was the scent of blood.
That meant they were remnants of the Blood Sect.
Having encountered Blood Sect members several times now, I began to doubt whether the Blood Sect was truly annihilated.
But subduing them was the priority.
Only then could I learn their true identities and purposes.
I issued orders to the Guard Warriors, and they moved in perfect unison.
Whoosh!
Pshhh.
First, I extinguished the fire.
“W-who is it?”
“Light the fire! Light it!”
When vision suddenly darkens, people panic, and their crisis response ability deteriorates.
They fell into chaos as expected.
We rushed toward our respective targets.
Clang!
Clang! Clang!
Scrape—!
Whoosh!
They hastily raised their weapons to resist us, but they couldn’t last long.
The difference in martial strength between them and us was simply too vast.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
We subdued them all in an instant.
I retrieved a Night Luminous Pearl, and the surroundings brightened immediately.
“I know that you threatened the Ji Clan to spill blood upon the Martial Arts Arena.”
“Hah! Blood? What blood are you talking about? Isn’t there already plenty of blood spilled on the arena?”
The Yeo Eung-am Warrior’s fist struck the face of that shameless man with tremendous force.
Thud!
A warning to stop spouting nonsense.
I spoke coldly.
“Surely you understand that the blood I speak of is not that blood? And I’ve already heard your entire conversation, so do you still intend to deny it?”
“….”
“So then, why did you attempt to kill someone upon the Martial Arts Arena?”
“….”
Still, stubborn silence.
Well, I had expected as much.
When questioning such men, the occasions when they answer honestly are few and far between.
I nodded, and the Yeo Eung-am Warrior drew his blade, piercing the man’s thigh and twisting it.
Squelch!
“Aaaahhhhh!”
The screaming man gasped for breath and spoke.
“Huff, huff, you think I’ll talk just because of this?”
“That’s exactly what will happen….”
I chuckled softly and surveyed the surroundings.
From the traces, it seemed they had stayed here for quite some time….
From my long experience, those who have spent years in the Black Path do not trust one another.
It cannot be otherwise, for they gather for their own purposes and interests, making betrayal for necessity a common occurrence in such places.
He had likely prepared an escape route for himself, but where could it be?
As I surveyed the surroundings briefly, I soon smiled knowingly.
There it is.
I approached that spot and inserted my hand into the rock crevice above.
Soon, a letter emerged in my grasp.
The eyes of the five Black-Clad Criminals wavered at the sight of it.
I unfolded it and read.

[A fatal accident must occur upon the Martial Arts Arena during the friendly martial contest. Through this, we shall provoke debate regarding the continuation of the friendly martial contest.]

I folded the letter again and asked.

“You intend to abolish the friendly martial contests.”
“Hehehehe.”
One of them responded to my words.
“Just because many die on the martial arena, do you think the friendly contests will disappear? Think about it.”
Hmm, that was a short answer.
But it doesn’t matter.
I pondered deeply.
They’re inciting debate over whether to continue the friendly martial contests?
For what purpose, exactly?
In my previous life, when Ji Gyeong-hwa killed Jo-un Warrior, the Ji Clan and Jongnam Sect became enemies.
From the Jongnam Sect’s perspective, it was an infuriating matter, but according to precedent, accidents occurring during martial contests incurred no punishment, so Ji Gyeong-hwa faced no consequences.
However, I heard that the incident damaged relations between the sects and the great families.
As I thought through to that point, the purpose of this scheme became clear.
“Ah….”
I understand now. The purpose of all this.
To make the Empire’s sects and great families turn against one another.
If fierce disputes erupt over such matters, they will harbor resentment, and their pride will be wounded.
Eventually, they’ll become enemies with each other.
When I think about it, this is a serious problem.
If cracks form in their relationships, they won’t easily unite even when something happens.
Even if they somehow manage to join forces, discord will persist throughout the process, and they won’t be able to exert their true strength.
If I consider all the events thus far within this framework, their objective converges into one.
By weakening the power of various sects and great families and deteriorating their relationships, when a major crisis befalls the Martial Arts World in the future, they won’t be able to respond properly.
That means the Blood Sect is plotting something ominous, doesn’t it?
I furrowed my brow and glared at them.
“It seems you’re trying to prevent the forces of the Martial Arts World from uniting. What do you intend to do with that?”
“We cannot say.”
“I know you are members of the Blood Sect.”
“…!”
“Where is the Blood Sect’s headquarters?”
They quickly composed themselves and answered calmly.
“We don’t know either.”
At those words, Yeo Eung-am Warrior pressed his blade against another’s thigh.
“Aaaaaaah! I don’t know. Hahahaha! How would I know! Ugh! I’ve never even been there.”
Never been there?
At this, the Black Swordsman beside him spoke.
“We didn’t seek out the Blood Sect ourselves—they came to us. And when the true age of the Blood Sect arrives in the future, we’ll learn where the headquarters is, and when we go there, we’ll receive our rewards accordingly.”
“Then, who sent this letter?”
“I don’t know that either.”
“Hmm, I see.”
I shook my head slowly and let out a sigh.
There’s practically nothing I know for certain.
Well, those who orchestrated this wouldn’t reveal detailed circumstances to a mere foot soldier.
So should I be satisfied with what I’ve uncovered so far?
I surveyed the cavern once more, then sent a secret message to Geumryeong.
Since my sleeves had been gradually growing damp from earlier, it seemed there was something valuable or a considerable sum of money hidden in this place.
– Geumryeong.
– Squeak!
– There’s a lot of money here, isn’t there?
– Squeak!
– Do you know where it is?
– Squeak, squeak!
Geumryeong poked just the tip of its tail out from my sleeve and pointed in one direction with it.
I moved slowly toward that direction and arrived at a wall.
Then Geumryeong withdrew its tail.
This must be the spot. If that’s the case…
Thud, thud.
I kicked the wall with my foot.
Unlike an ordinary stone wall, the sound suggested a hollow space within.
At my action, the faces of the five Black Swordsmen who had been subtly mocking me with their unwavering confidence turned ashen.
Geumryeong truly is remarkable.
I drew a dagger from my sleeve and began chiseling away at the rock myself.
Crack! Crack!
Thanks to the sword energy coating the dagger, the stone crumbled easily.
And moments later.
Clang!
Whoooosh.
Wow!
Money cascading down through the hole in the rock.
How much is all of this?
A sum of this magnitude must be the money the Ji Clan lost through fraud and gambling.
They must have thoroughly stripped the gambling house before hiding it.
This should amount to roughly five million silver taels, wouldn’t it?
Exactly the amount I anticipated.
I had told Ji Gyeong-hwa that I would settle the family’s debts, but I never mentioned whose money I would use to do so.
That was because there was still a significant possibility the money remained here in Luoyang.
Those who orchestrated this scheme would never have entrusted the money to a money exchange house.
A sum of this magnitude would inevitably be discovered in the process of depositing it, and its origins would come under suspicion.
Based on these reasons, I anticipated that they would still be holding onto that money.
Excellent! Absolutely excellent!
With this money, I can earn their gratitude while securing the Ji Clan’s cooperation.
I sent a silent transmission to Seo-woo Warrior, and he brought his celestial blade down upon the restrained Black Path members.
Five of them fell instantly.
The reason I showed them no mercy was simple.
Revealing our identities was out of the question, and I saw no reason to keep them alive.
Such a strong blood aura meant they had killed quite a number of people.
“Geum-ryeong! Gather every last coin!”
“Squeak!”
.
.
.
A moment later.
We emerged from the cave and regrouped with the two warriors waiting outside.
“Did anyone approach this area while we were inside?”
“No one.”
“Good. Shall we depart then?”
Before leaving, we burned the bodies of those Black Path members, and once outside, we collapsed the cave.
To erase all traces of our presence.
.
.
.
A moment later.
We swiftly returned to the Yeon Pung Inn.
“We’re back.”
“Ah, you’ve returned?”
Seeing the bright expressions on my parents’ and the External Chief Manager’s faces, it seemed Sister Hyang-ok had successfully persuaded Jin-ho.
Indeed, after hearing such biting words, there was no way to maintain stubbornness.
“Where is Sister Hyang-ok?”
“She just left.”
“And Jin-ho?”
“He’s in his guest room.”
“I’ll go see him for a moment.”
“Go ahead.”
I headed toward Jin-ho’s guest room.
“Jin-ho, are you alright?”
I opened the door to his room but found myself instinctively stepping backward.
Jin-ho, sprawled across the bed, lifted his head, but his eyes were completely vacant.
When Jin-ho saw me, his spirit returned, and soon tears of sorrow welled up in his eyes.
What on earth could have happened….
“It had to be….”
“Hm?”
“Did it really have to be done that way? There were other ways to persuade him, so why… why… Sister Hyang-ok… ugh!”
And with tears streaming down his face, he continued.
“I, to hear such words from Sister Hyang-ok, ugh!”
I approached Jin-ho and patted his shoulder to comfort him.
“Brother, you’re crying over this?”
“You wouldn’t understand unless you’ve been scolded by Sister Hyang-ok yourself.”
“Then why did you do something worthy of being scolded for?”
“….”
“If you’d just conceded from the start, none of this would have happened. Right?”
“….”

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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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