The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 632

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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 632

Chapter 632. A Will Passed Down (4)

Shortly after, Jin Yu Warrior joined me where I stood.
“What is the matter, sir?”
I gestured toward the unconscious figure at my feet and spoke.
“Well, that is… he fainted.”
“You knocked him unconscious, then.”
“No, that’s not it. I merely made a jest, and he fainted on his own.”
“What did you say to him…?”
“I told him that I had come to drag those who tormented my descendants to the afterlife…”
I grumbled somewhat unnecessarily.
“For someone of Peak Realm cultivation, I never expected his nerve to be so fragile.”
“In this situation, wearing that mask and saying such things—anyone would be terrified. Moreover, since the master’s aura carries yin energy, he could only have thought you were a ghost.”
“…Ah.”
I felt embarrassed. He had good reason to faint.
“What of the one you were assigned to capture?”
“He is here.”
Jin Yu Warrior threw the person he had dragged along onto the ground.
Thud.
An unconscious Black Blade Warrior.
Soon, the other Guard Warriors began joining me one by one.
“It seems you have handled everything.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Beyond sealing their vital points, we had meticulously bound their arms and legs as well.
It was a precaution in case the pressure point seals came loose.
“Then, let us wake them.”
“Yes.”
Lee Pil Warrior produced a small vial from his robes and held it beneath their noses.
“Ugh!”
“Kugh!”
They awoke immediately.
Seeing their reaction, Lee Pil Warrior laughed and spoke.
“This is an awakening incense I created recently—it proves quite effective.”
True to his words, all of them wore expressions of sudden clarity.
“If it were me, I would sooner throw myself into a manure heap than endure that stench.”
Yeo Eung-am Warrior shook his head vigorously as he spoke.
So he had smelled that scent before.
What kind of scent could it possibly be….
No, that’s not what matters right now.
I spoke to them.
“I have a question….”
Before I could even finish speaking, the man who had been unconscious nodded frantically.
“P-please, I’ll tell you everything you want to know! I beg you, won’t you grant me salvation and rebirth in the Pure Land as things stand? I was wrong. Please forgive me! I didn’t want to do this—I was only following orders from above!”
Faced with such an intense reaction, I blinked.
Does he still think I’m the ancestral spirit protecting Chungyeongseong?
This bastard seems terrified of ghosts.
Though martial skill and fear of spirits are certainly different matters.
If he’s willing to misunderstand like this, it works in my favor.
I have no desire to watch someone writhe in agony, weeping and suffering.
The man beside him opened his eyes wide and spoke.
“No! What on earth are you saying? These people….”
Hmm, I’ll need to knock this one out too.
He’s getting in the way.
Thud!
After knocking him unconscious again, I spoke to the man who was pleading and weeping.
“Then let me hear your story, and I’ll decide whether to forgive you or not.”
.
.
.
A short time later.
The man who had pleaded with me now lay as a corpse.
His name was Hwang Gu, and he said he belonged to the Sura Blood Sect.
“Our purpose is to revive the Blood Sect and usher in an age of the Blood Sect.”

But unfortunately, he did not know the location of the Sura Blood Sect’s headquarters.

“Without our knowledge, letters appear on our wooden table. We communicate through them.”
“And how do you send messages back?”
“If we place a letter on the wooden table, it disappears.”

This meant that contacting them from my side to lure them out wouldn’t work.
They would come to retrieve the letter and notice something was wrong with this inn.
It was also impossible to ask Geum-ryeong to track down the Sura Blood Sect using the scent from the letter they had sent.
The scent had been completely erased.

“Based on the frequency of our communications, the contact should arrive here in three days.”
“I see. But how did you come to know about the Geom Chong in Chungyeongseong?”
“Well, I don’t know all the details myself, but I heard they discovered it in a cave within Chungyeongseong. They conducted research based on that discovery, and concluded that since it was located inside Chungyeongseong, the fortress would need to be emptied to excavate it.”
“So you tried to slaughter my descendants for that?”
“I apologize! It was not of my own will! I merely followed orders from above.”
“Then how did it end up in the hands of the Imperial Palace?”
“I don’t know that either. From what I understand, a thief stole it. So they interrogated those suspected of being the thief and their families, but they couldn’t find it. In the end, they killed all of those families….”
Could it be that the Manor Lord of the Luoyang estate I purchased was that thief?

I asked him various other questions, and he answered them readily.

“But tell me, if you’re so afraid of ghosts, weren’t you afraid that the vengeful spirits of those you killed would return as ghosts to haunt you?”
“Ah, that’s because I have a talisman.”
He held up the wooden tablet hanging from his neck and spoke.
“This is a talisman written by the Elder of the Sura Blood Sect. With this, the vengeful spirits of those I killed cannot find me. So I had no concerns about that.”
“But since I’m not a vengeful spirit you killed, the talisman doesn’t work on me?”
“Hehe, that’s right. I’ve told you everything I know, so please grant me rebirth in paradise.”

At those words, I let out a soft laugh.

“Do you realize that’s an insult to someone who’s still alive?”

Perhaps because my tone suddenly changed, or perhaps because he was trying to comprehend what I meant, he blinked his eyes repeatedly.
Then, as understanding dawned on him, he cried out in fury.

“You deceived me! You bastard!”
“I have no reason to hear such words from you. But thanks to you, I’ve heard a most fascinating story.”

I continued speaking with a taunting smile as he trembled.

“It seems that talisman of yours is a fake. Why else would this situation have occurred? Isn’t all of this the result of the accumulated resentment of the vengeful spirits you’ve slain?”

The scent of blood mixed with the aura of the Black Path emanating from Hwang Gu was extraordinarily potent.
It meant he had slaughtered countless lives.
At my gesture, Jin Yu Warrior unhesitatingly severed the necks of Hwang Gu and the man beside him.
I glanced at the cold corpses of the two Black Path Warriors.
The Sura Blood Sect, then.
What a pedestrian name.
I myself lack talent in naming, but they possess even less creativity than I do.
Though I failed to discover the location of the Sura Blood Sect, I still obtained considerable intelligence.
I confirmed their purpose and their true identity.
But they said they would return in three days for contact.
I must act swiftly.
“Then, let us move.”
“Yes.”
We stripped the corpses of the Black Path—no, the Sura Blood Sect Warriors—and discarded them nearby.
This place teems with wild beasts, and they are always ravenous.
It is a somewhat cruel method of disposal, but considering the innocent lives these men had taken, perhaps this would somewhat appease their vengeful spirits.
We then doused their garments with oil and burned them, buried the ashes in the earth, and incinerated the inn before returning.
Before entering my quarters, I bathed and anointed myself with fragrant oils.
I could not risk Seo Hyang being unsettled by the scent of blood clinging to me.
And we had to thoroughly erase all evidence of our involvement.
.
.
.
The moment dawn broke, we moved into action.
The Fortress Lord’s plan was simply to expose the situation.
Since the search of the Geom Chong in Chungyeongseong had never been conducted in secret, it was impossible for us to move it covertly.
Therefore, we decided to openly transfer the treasures discovered there.
Of course, we did not merely publicize it.
We arranged for all the treasures of the Geom Chong to be transported to Beijing by imperial decree, and spread rumors that the Lord of Chungyeongseong, shocked by this, had taken to his bed.
The tale was that the Fortress Lord had fallen ill with rage—his son held hostage and his treasures confiscated.
Consequently, as this spread the Emperor’s notorious reputation, Kwon Jik Grand Hero and the Geumui Guard expressed their concerns.
However, I persuaded them.

“If we don’t do this, Chungyeongseong will face danger again from those seeking the treasure. Would you wish for the hometown of the Imperial Princess’s consort—a place where she will reside in a few years—to become a wasteland?”
“Ahem… well, that’s not quite right.”
“If they believe the treasure is in the Fortress Lord’s possession, they’ll take his family hostage.”
“That’s true. Those bastards won’t show mercy or consideration.”
“Should that happen, it would only tarnish the Emperor’s glory.”
“….”
“Besides, a bad reputation is fleeting. If the Emperor uses this treasure to bestow benevolent governance, that infamy will soon transform into renown. Honestly, can a reputation or two truly obscure the Emperor’s glory?”
“No, I suppose not.”

With my persuasion complete, we loaded the gold and silver we’d discovered onto several carts.
And Kwon Great Master kept his earlier word to me.
“Jang Gal, Song Cheong.”
“Yes, sir!”
“You called for us?”
“Here are the carts for you to pull. Just as you did when you arrived here, pull these all the way to Beijing.”
“…What?”
“Why that expression? Didn’t you say you’d undertake austerities to strengthen your wavering loyalty to the Emperor?”
“….”
“Persevere. Once you complete this task, you’ll become Golden Robed Guards with even stronger devotion.”
Gold and silver are remarkably heavy relative to their volume.
Ordinary people struggle to move even a single piece.
Pulling carts laden with such gold ingots would be sheer torment.
“Young Master. You seem to be in good spirits.”
“Hmm? What are you talking about?”
At Palgap’s words, I tilted my head in confusion, and Palgap pointed to his own eyebrow as he spoke.
“When your left eyebrow rises slightly, it means you’re angry, but when it droops slightly downward instead, it’s the expression you make when you’re in a good mood.”
To think Palgap noticed a habit even I wasn’t aware of—truly, he’s something else.
“But are you satisfied with this?”
“I suppose.”
I spoke while observing the two Great Swordmasters, whose expressions resembled those who’d glimpsed the gates of the afterlife.
“I’ll know for certain once we arrive in Beijing.”
“Young Master. I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“If there’s anything I’ve done wrong or anything that’s displeased you, I’d appreciate it if you’d tell me immediately. I’ll do my utmost to correct it.”
“You’re doing well as it is. So why are you saying such things?”
“It seems I may have done something wrong toward you.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Jang Gal and Song Cheong, who were wrapping bandages around their hands to pull the carts.
No, this is unfair.
I don’t treat my people so harshly.
– Squeak!
That’s right, Geum-ryeong. You understand me well.
– Squawk! Squawk!
So you’re saying you’d be grateful for just one silver coin?
You mentioned earlier that you smelled money from the bottom of the box—you’re not letting that slide, are you?
Fine, I’ll give it to you.
But Geum-ryeong, why are you being so polite?
.
.
.
The Lord of Chungyeong Castle and his family did not see us off.
It was to lend credibility to the rumors we had deliberately spread.
Of course, we had exchanged a private farewell the night before.
Thus, we departed Chungyeong Castle with confidence.
No matter how large our exploration team was—numbering nearly two hundred—there would inevitably be bold individuals eyeing the treasure of Geom Chong.
So I had spread additional rumors beforehand.

[The treasure discovered in Geom Chong at Chungyeong Castle is poisoned. A single touch means death.]
[A soldier who coveted the gold ingots touched them and died.]
[The Green Forest Bandits who targeted the gold ingots were annihilated by the poison.]

And to lend credibility to these rumors, we all wore masks covering our noses.
Furthermore, we acted as though we were keeping as far away from the gold ingots as possible, and I ordered the group to treat this as fact and behave accordingly.
Of course, even with such precautions, there were inevitably those like moths drawn to flame who coveted the gold.
We punished such individuals without mercy.
This was possible because we received cooperation from the Military Commander at every stage of our journey.
The Military Commander is the one responsible for military affairs in each province.
Thanks to receiving cooperation from the Military Commanders of Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, and Hebei provinces as we passed through them, we were able to arrive safely in Beijing.
In truth, I had wished to meet the Guizhou Poju Master on the way back to Beijing, but circumstances did not permit it, so I deferred it to another time.

“You’ve gone through quite an ordeal.”
At Kwon Jik’s words, I expressed my humility.
“You’re too kind. I merely did what was necessary.”
I bowed respectfully and did not forget to add a word of caution.
“Do not let your guard down until the very end. I apologize for speaking so frankly, but the Imperial Palace is not entirely safe simply by virtue of being within its walls, is it?”
“Of course. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you. Then I shall take my leave.”
After exchanging farewells with Yeon Yu-mun and the Imperial Princess, I returned to the Beijing Branch.
Naturally, mountains of documents awaited me.
Sigh….

That night.
Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster came to find me.
“I bow before Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster.”
“Your face is quite battered. This ordeal must have been grueling indeed.
“Haha.”
I laughed silently.
In truth, my face wasn’t damaged from this journey, but rather from the documents I’d been processing just moments before—though there was no need to mention that.
“Prepare yourself to enter the palace at once. His Majesty the Emperor has summoned you.”

I immediately tidied my appearance and followed Jin-yeong Great Swordmaster toward the Emperor’s office.
“Eun Seo-ho of the Eun Hae Trading Company, I present myself before Your Majesty the Emperor.”
As I bowed with the utmost propriety, the Emperor’s voice reached my ears.
“You burden me with infamy—does this please you?”
“….”
“Yet I have not heard the name Seon Hyeop Mi-rang mentioned this time. How thoroughly deliberate, as if by design.”
Ah… I’ve been caught.

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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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