The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 645

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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 645

Chapter 645. The Ghost’s True Identity (1)

A short while later.
I entered the barracks with Geum Bong Master.
The one who had attempted his assassination was subdued and locked away in the Prison.
Though other buildings had collapsed, the Prison remained intact.
“Please, sit.”
“Sigh….”
As I offered him a seat, he settled onto a temporary chamber bed in the barracks and exhaled heavily.
“You must be wondering what on earth is happening right now.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Just then, Palgap brought tea, and I personally poured it and handed it to him.
“Please, drink. It will help calm your mind.”
I had infused the tea with the essence of the Taiyin Ice-Sea Divine Art, so his clarity should improve.
“…Now my mind is becoming clearer. So what exactly is the situation?”
“First, Geum Bong Master nearly became the victim of assassination.”
“…!”
His eyes widened in an instant.
It was clear how shocked he was.
“No, who on earth would….”
“Don’t you know better than anyone?”
“….”
He bit his lip and remained silent for a moment before asking.
“Was it the poison pill that the person with the red-leaf tattoo gave me? Was that the problem?”
“A red-leaf tattoo, you say?”
I already knew this from Inbong Dojang’s Father, but I had to pretend I was hearing it for the first time.
“Ah… yes. That’s right.”
He made an awkward expression and continued speaking.
“The Prison Guard told me not to speak of this to anyone else…. But I’ve gone and mentioned it without thinking.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to hear more about that story.”
“I understand. You’ve saved my life twice over—how could I remain silent?”
He nodded with a bitter expression.
“That tattooed person approached me and gave me that poison pill. They said if I had my father consume it and I ate it as well, my father would come to cherish me.”
From Geum Bong Master’s explanation, I began to understand what poison he had been given.
It was a poison pill that circulated secretly among the lower-quality figures of the Merchant Guild a few years before my death in my previous life.
There exists a creature called the Eternal Love Insect—a worm that finds a single companion in its lifetime and remains attached to them forever.
It was made from those insects, and if you consume a love potion made from male Hangae insects, you become biased toward whoever consumed the love potion made from female Hangae insects.
Initially, its nature was unknown, but after some time passed, its identity was revealed and an antidote was discovered.
Specifically, by consuming a love potion made from a different Hangae insect.
If you consumed one made from males, you would need to consume one made from females.
Moreover, it was discovered that the love potion had a fatal weakness.
If the other party dies, the person who consumed the love potion paired with them would stop eating and starve to death.
Given how dangerous it was and how rare Hangae insects are, it wasn’t commonly used, yet it’s being used at this time!
In any case, looking at this, the ones who created the Hangae insect love potion must be the Sura Blood Sect.
I spoke to him.
“As for the identities of those bearing that tattoo, I’m not entirely certain either. However, there is one thing I can confirm: such individuals will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.”
“So they tried to kill me and even bribed another disciple?”
“It wasn’t bribery.”
“What do you mean?”
“After murdering Eom Bong, they flayed his face to create a human skin mask.”
I don’t believe that claim, but since he’s asserting it, I’ll proceed with that assumption.
At this, Geum Bong Master’s expression twisted in anguish.
“Then… Eom Bong…”
“What’s important here is that their goal wasn’t to silence Geum Bong Master. They were trying to use Geum Bong Master to manipulate the Sect Leader and seize the Cheongseong Sect for themselves.”
“…”
“When things didn’t go as planned, they attempted to silence him.”
“Such…”
“Have you spoken to anyone about this?”
At my question, he shook his head.
“No.”
“Who else knows about this?”
“Only the Prison Guard who interrogated me and my father would know.”
“I see.”
Indeed, the Sect Leader’s other son only knew that Geum Bong Master had purchased suspicious medicine at the marketplace street.
At that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
Wait… wait…
If I hadn’t detoxified the Sect Leader, they could have killed the Sect Leader by killing Geum Bong Master, right?
Wow, these are vicious people.
I looked at Geum Bong Master and combined the memories and information I possessed.
The current earthquake had also occurred in my previous life.
If so, it was highly likely that the animosity between the Cheongseong Sect and the Ami Sect had intensified because of Geum Bong Master.
By giving various instructions to the Sect Leader through Geum Bong Master.
When they failed to do so this time, they must have resorted to this to silence Geum Bong Master.
I organized my thoughts and looked at him.
His appearance—tearing at his hair in anguish.
It made sense, given that this situation had arisen from his own foolish choices.
“I simply wanted to receive my father’s love. Was that desire of mine wrong? It was only that….”
“No. That desire was not wrong. It is natural for any child to crave their parents’ affection.”
“….”
I continued speaking calmly.
“Only the method was mistaken, that is all.”
He exhaled a heavy sigh.
“Then what should I have done?”
“I do not know that either. Since each person’s circumstances differ, how could I provide an answer? However, from what I can see, the Sect Leader’s coldness and severity toward his disciples may have been his own way of expressing affection.”
“….”
It was then.
“Master! Are you here? Master!”
The urgent voice of Lee Pil Warrior calling for me.
“What is the matter?”
“We have found Eom Bong.”
“What?”
“As you instructed, we searched the places Eom Bong frequently visited, and we discovered him being held captive.”
The assassin had claimed to have killed Eom Bong, but I did not believe it.
The fact that he had impersonated Eom Bong for such an extended period without being discovered meant he must have been continuously extracting information from him.
Thus, I had requested my guards to conduct a search.
We hurried to that location and witnessed a disciple who bore an identical appearance to the assassin we had captured alive.
So he had crafted the face mask quite skillfully.
“Eom Bong!”
“Oh! Eom Bong! We thought you were dead!”
“Waaah! Eom Bong!”
And his fellow disciples embraced him, weeping profusely.
“I thought I was going to die too.”
And he repeatedly bowed his head to those around him, thanking them for saving his life.
Geum Bong Master watched him and bit his lip.
“Why do you not go to him?”
“How could I face him….”
“Do you feel sorry?”
“Of course I do. He suffered such hardship because of me—if I did not feel sorry, would that make me human?”
He was better than those two grand swordsmen of the Golden Robed Guard who had scratched me before.
“Then express that feeling. No matter how sorry you feel, if you do not speak it, it will not be conveyed.”
“….”
At this, he clenched his fists and approached Eom Bong.
“Eom Bong.”
And he knelt before him.
“I am sorry.”
Everyone seemed taken aback by his action. To be honest, I was surprised as well.
I thought he would just bow his head deeply, but I never expected him to actually kneel.
“What could I possibly say? You suffered that fate because of me.”
“….”
“You can curse me, strike me if you wish. Or… you could even cut off one of my arms. If that conveys my sincerity….”
“Hey.”
Eom Bong approached Geum Bong Master and called out to him.
“Are you alright?”
“…Huh?”
“The bastard who did this to me said he came to kill you.”
“Ah… I’m fine. The Seonhyeop Mirang Great Swordmaster saved me.”
“Thank goodness.”
“I’m sorry. Truly… I’m sorry.”
Tears fell from Geum Bong Master’s eyes like drops of chicken droppings.
Geum Bong Master finally seemed to have broken free from the stubborn pride that had confined him.
“That’s enough. Get up. There’s nothing to forgive or not forgive.”
“Huh?”
“Just don’t do it again going forward. Truth be told, I’ve been avoiding you all this time because of your attitude—your refusal to reflect. The way you thought you had done nothing wrong.”
“….”
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re safe.”
Watching this unfold, I let out a quiet laugh.
Eom Bong… now I could see he was a man of considerable character.
Indeed, even during the Martial Arts Grand Conference, he had stood apart from Geum Bong Master’s group and shown care for Inbong Master.

I turned my body away from that place.
“Ah! Seonhyeop Mirang Great Swordmaster!”
But at that moment, someone called out to me.
When I turned around, it was Inbong Dojang.
“I heard that you saved us from the assassin.”
“That’s true, but the one who actually dealt with that assassin in the end was someone else.”
“What?”
“Someone within this Cheongseong Sect cares deeply for Inbong Dojang.”
“Ah….”
“That person helped us.”
I left those words and turned my body again, heading toward the Sect Leader’s quarters.
.
.
.
Day broke.
We proceeded with the restoration work without worrying further about what had happened the previous night.
The Sect Leader said he would handle that matter himself.
Our original task was to open a path to Poongyeon Pavilion to rescue the disciples there.
And the five disciples who originally handled that mission moved with us as well.
“Eom Bong, will you be alright? Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet….”
At my concern, Eom Bong laughed and spoke.
“I’m fine. My limbs are sound and I can move—how could I sit idle when fellow disciples need help?”
“I understand. Just please don’t overexert yourself. The path ahead is quite dangerous.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The path to Poongyeon Pavilion was very treacherous and narrow, so the work was not easy.
But we did not give up, and after four days, we managed to create a path leading to Poongyeon Pavilion.
“Senior Brother! Senior Brother!”
“Is everyone safe?”
Half-destroyed and collapsed buildings.
At this, Inbong Dojang and the Cheongseong Sect disciples rushed toward the place, shouting in all directions.
“Huh? This voice is?”
A rustling sound was heard as someone poked their head out. And they cried out with joy.
“In-bong!”
“Senior Brothers!”
As we drew near, about a dozen or so people were gathered around a bonfire in the courtyard.
“Is everyone safe?”
“Yes. There are some injured, but everyone is safe.”
“Fortunately, we had plenty of Byeokgok-dan.”
“Senior Brother! Are you alright?”
A disciple whose head appeared to be injured, wrapped with a long strip of cloth, waved his hand.
“There’s nothing to worry about. A little saliva and it’ll heal right up.”
“Senior Brother….”
Watching him, I recalled my past life.
Back then, the atmosphere certainly wasn’t this warm and cordial.
The reconstruction of the Cheongseong Sect grounds took so long that the path leading here opened only recently.
I heard that the Cheongseong Sect had casualties from starvation back then—I suspect it might have been these people.
“I’m relieved everyone is safe.”
“Who….”
They tilted their heads at the sight of me, but one of them recognized me.
“Ah! Are you perhaps the Seonhyeop Mirang Great Swordmaster?”
“That’s what I’m called.”
Inbong Dojang quickly added an explanation.
“Thanks to the Great Swordmaster’s help, we were able to open the path that leads here.”
At his words, the disciples bowed their fists toward me in gratitude.
“We’re truly grateful.”
“We were just falling from the Byeokgok-dan when you helped us. You saved our lives.”
I waved my hand modestly.
“The thanks should go to the Sect Leader who called upon me, and to the Emperor who sent support after foreseeing this natural disaster.”
I continued with a smile.
“Now, I suggest you go down and have some warm rice porridge to nourish your bodies. And receive treatment as well.”

With the disciples of the Poongyeon Pavilion safely rescued, the atmosphere of the Cheongseong Sect came alive.
As I smiled at the cheering crowd, someone called my name from behind and rushed toward me.
“Great Swordmaster!”
I turned to see an unexpected figure.
“What? Jo Ung!”
It was Jo Ung, the youngest son of the Sichuan Tang Family Head, the one who had saved me from kidnapping back then.
Nearly ten years had passed since then, so he must be around seventeen now.
The youthful appearance I remembered was completely gone; now he was a sturdy young man.
“It’s been a long time!”
“Yes, Great Swordmaster. I came along when the Sichuan Tang Family sent support to the Cheongseong Sect.”
“I see.”
“Su-bin Elder Sister also came.”
Where he pointed, Dang Su-bin stood.
“It’s been a long time, Young Lady.”
“Yes, it has. I’ve heard you’ve been quite active in various ways.”
“Haha. Is that so?”
I continued.
“But for two direct family members to come like this, it must be for something quite important, yes?”
“That’s right.”
She nodded her head.
“We’ve come to provide financial assistance to the Cheongseong Sect.”
Financial assistance….
Likely a matter of lending money to the Cheongseong Sect.
Looking at them now, the Cheongseong Sect would certainly need considerable funds to rebuild their sect grounds.
Wait….
If we play this right, our Merchant Guild could profit from this as well?
Especially since I have the Construction Merchant Guild I established.
There was once a place called the Wuxing Construction Company in Beijing that had failed spectacularly after shoddy construction work.
At the time, I gathered skilled craftsmen who had nowhere to go and established the Construction Merchant Guild.
They had experience rebuilding collapsed structures under my commission.
Currently, there are many collapsed buildings throughout this Sichuan region.
That means construction projects will proceed extensively, and experience in rebuilding damaged structures will be quite valuable.
– Geum-ryeong.
– Chirp?
– I need you to run an errand.
I won’t miss an opportunity like this again.
– Chirp!

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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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