The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 650

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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 650

Chapter 650. Wrapping Up (3)

A cave.
Inside it were dozens of people.
Their condition was beyond any charitable description.
“What are we supposed to do now?”
“They’re guarding the entrance, so we can’t even get out….”
“At this rate, we’ll starve to death in this cave.”
At the words of the Ami Sect Disciples, the other warriors also wore gloomy expressions.
And they all turned their gaze toward someone.
The Commander who had led them—the one responsible for the nearby Baek Ho Office.
Normally he would have stood with his hands behind his back, ordering subordinates around, but this time both Seongbo Wang, who had his residence in Sichuan, and the Crown Prince had come.
So he couldn’t shirk his duties onto his subordinates as usual and had to lead the expedition himself.
But as the saying goes, when the commander is incompetent, the subordinates suffer—and because of Baek Ho’s greed, they had fallen into the Green Forest Bandits’ trap and ended up in this predicament.
“What? Me? Did I know this was a trap?”
Like a man who breaks wind and then gets angry, Baek Ho erupted in rage and shouted.
His Deputy Officer sighed quietly and spoke.
“We’ve already told you several times that it was a trap.”
“Who did?”
“The Ami Sect Disciples, sir.”
“….”
“The Cheongseong Sect Disciples and the Sichuan Tang Family members also offered their advice multiple times. But you insisted on pushing forward, and now we’re here.”
“Are you daring to lecture me right now?”
He was about to berate his Deputy Officer when a clear, melodious voice stopped him.
“What’s the point in assigning blame in a situation like this?”
The one who spoke thus and approached was none other than Sister Hyang-ok.
“What matters now is what we do going forward.”
At this, Baek Ho spoke.
“Well said! You’re right—the future is what matters.”
“But people regret because they are human. If I’d known it would come to this, I should have just broken both your legs to keep you out of the battle.”
“…What?”
“From the first moment I saw you, you looked so stupid and incompetent that I had a bad feeling about it.”
Contrary to her clear, melodious voice, the cold words that fell from her lips pierced his chest like daggers.
“Will you continue playing commander even after driving your subordinates to their deaths?”
“Hmph, that’s my duty!”
“You love duty, don’t you? Yet you’ve been dumping your work on your subordinates and taking credit for it all this time.”
“….”
I had nothing to say. It was the truth, after all.
Sister Hyang-ok’s words grew even sharper.
“If you had any sense at all, you’d understand what I’m trying to say. Or is that brain of yours as useless as everything below it? If your head worked half as well as your stubbornness, I wouldn’t be wasting my breath like this.”
“….”
“You inherited the position of Baek Ho through bloodline alone, so you should at least listen to the counsel of wiser men. But no—you lack the ability yet cling to your pride, and now look at the mess you’ve created! Shameless. Absolutely shameless! You’re the type who’d drink poison if it suited your stubbornness!”
“W-what….”
Sister Hyang-ok’s eyes turned glacial as she posed her question.
“Do you intend to continue commanding?”
“Th-that is….”
“Speak your mind.”
Then, with a smooth motion, she drew her blade and gripped it in her hand.
“Why are you drawing your sword?”
“If you insist on retaining command, I’ll break both your legs.”
“Eek!”
At her words, Baek Ho’s face drained of all color.
“Don’t worry—I’m not so heartless. I’ll at least give you the choice of which leg: left or right.”
“H-how dare a martial artist speak thus to Baek Ho, who commands the military by imperial decree! This is treason!”
Watching him tremble with wounded pride while still blustering, Sister Hyang-ok spoke in an even tone.
“Treason or not, you’ve driven these people to their deaths. What right have you to boast? Do you truly believe the Crown Prince will praise this? Do you?”
“….”
“I suspect the Emperor will be merciful if he merely removes you from office rather than demand your head.”
Sister Hyang-ok continued.
“My cousin once told me that the Emperor despises incompetent officials above all else.”
“….”
“You don’t like this situation? Then stop barking like a frightened dog and come at me. I won’t hold back either. I’ll beat you senseless—just short of taking your life.”
“Ugh….”
The soldiers seemed to be experiencing some strange illusion.
As if an invisible hand were striking Baek Ho’s head repeatedly.
There was no other explanation for why he looked so utterly defeated.
And in that moment, they understood: though Sister Hyang-ok was now called the Swift Wind Swordmaster, her previous name had been the Snow Sword Female Swordmaster.
‘T-terrifying. That venom….’
‘So that’s why she was called the Snow Sword Female Swordmaster.’
Sister Hyang-ok asked in a leisurely voice.
“So then, what will you do?”
At that moment, the Deputy Officer quietly approached and whispered something to him, and Baek Ho’s face became even paler.
“…I’ll hand over all command authority to you.”
“A wise decision. If you later claim you never said such a thing, then I’ll really—”
“Eek! N-no! That will never happen!”
Having stripped Baek Ho of his command through sheer verbal assault, Sister Hyang-ok calmly began issuing orders to the soldiers.
I couldn’t fathom why the Green Forest Bandits who had driven them into this place hadn’t taken further action, but one thing was certain—their lives hung by a thread.
Yet the reason Sister Hyang-ok refused to surrender was that her cousin, Eun Seo-ho, was nearby.
‘That fellow always finds a way out, even if the heavens collapse.’
So she had to do what she could in this place.
“First, let’s have the wounded rest in the inner chamber and provide them with the best care possible.”
“Yes.”
“How much food do we have remaining?”
“About two days’ worth.”
“We’ll ration it as carefully as we can.”
“Yes.”
“And let’s search to see if there’s anything edible in here.”
“Yes!”
Soon, one of the Sichuan Tang Sect members cried out.
“Sister Hyang-ok! The moss in this place is edible moss!”
At those words, she felt relief wash over her.
“Thank goodness!”
One of the soldiers then asked with a puzzled expression.
“Wait, moss is actually edible?”
The one who answered was a Cheongseong Sect disciple.
The Cheongseong Sect disciples capable of fighting had gone out to suppress the Green Forest Bandits.
“Yes. Moss is one of the ingredients in the Byeokgok-dan we consume during our training.”
“Though the taste is absolutely dreadful, I must say.”
“Then the Great Heroes of the Sichuan Tang Sect, please tend to the wounded.”
“Understood.”
“The rest of you soldiers, gather the moss, and Cheongseong Sect members, keep watch at the entrance for any movement from the Green Forest Bandits.”
“We shall do so.”
That’s when Baek Ho interjected.
“Why are you assigning that task to the Cheongseong Sect instead of the soldiers? Are you deliberately giving us menial work?”
“The Cheongseong Sect’s divine technique, Seryupyo, allows you to scout enemies swiftly and return. But didn’t you entrust command to me?”
“W-well, that’s true.”
“I’m relieved. I was about to remind you if you’d forgotten. If you contradict me one more time, I’ll tie your tongue and bind you to that pillar.”
“Eek!”
Baek Ho recoiled in terror.
With the sharp-minded Sister Hyang-ok as commander instead of the foolish Baek Ho, they moved with remarkable efficiency.
The Cheongseong Sect martial artists took turns watching the entrance, but the Green Forest Bandits merely maintained their vigil outside the cave without sending anyone inside.
When they were first trapped here, they had beheaded the three Green Forest Bandits who had entered and thrown the bodies outside, and no one had entered since.
They were likely waiting for them to collapse from exhaustion.

Two days had passed in this manner.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The sound of something hammering against the wall echoed from one side.
The soldier guarding that location immediately reported to Sister Hyang-ok, who made her way there.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The sound continued without pause.
Sister Hyang-ok cautiously approached with her sword drawn and tapped against the wall.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“….”
The hammering ceased, and a voice called out from beyond the wall.
“How old is the oldest fish in the Eun Stone Pond?”
A familiar voice.
Eun Seo-ho’s voice.
And she understood the intent behind the question immediately.
The Eun Stone Pond was a small pond within the Inner Compound of the Eun Hae Trading Company Headquarters.
It was called the Eun Stone Pond because when sunlight struck it, the stones surrounding the pond gleamed silver—knowledge only those permitted to enter the Inner Compound would possess, and even then, not all of them.
“How would I know that? My Great-grandfather was the one who created that pond.”
His voice came through in response.
“It is you, Sister. Please step back for a moment. And no matter what happens, do not be alarmed.”
Sister Hyang-ok quickly retreated backward.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The sound of hammering against the wall resumed.
Crash.
The wall separating them crumbled, and dust billowed forth in thick clouds.
As the dust slowly settled, the figure of a strikingly handsome young man emerged.
“Sister Hyang-ok. I have arrived.”

* * *

I waved my hand toward Sister Hyang-ok, visible beyond the open passage.
“Seo-ho!”
Watching her, I recalled the path we’d taken to reach this place.
I’d followed the direction Hyun Ro-do indicated, but strangely, a wall blocked our way midway through.
Yet Hyun Ro-do would never lead us astray.
That meant this wall was also part of the path.
It was then that the Yeo Eung-am Warrior, who’d been tapping the wall, spoke.
“Master, this wall seems rather unusual.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let me see…”
The Yeo Eung-am Warrior drew a short blade and scraped the wall, then spoke.
“This isn’t granite—it’s limestone.”
Now that I thought about it, limestone was one of Sichuan’s specialties.
Which meant limestone was abundant here.
And limestone dissolves readily in water.
This wall had likely become quite thin from dissolving in water over time.
Tap, tap!
When I struck the wall with the flat of the blade, it crumbled weakly.
Only then did I understand why Hyun Ro-do had shown us this path. Who would ever think to enter through here?
After breaking through the wall, I finally faced Sister Hyang-ok.
“Are you safe, Sister?”
“Yes. Everyone is unharmed for now.”
“Then let’s escape through this passage.”
I’d already confirmed through Hyun Ro-do that escaping through this passage would be safe.
But something odd caught my eye.
Someone was bound to a stone pillar at the base of the cave floor.
Moreover, a gag was stuffed in his mouth—upon closer inspection, his tongue was bound with the gag.
“Judging by his uniform, he seems to be some sort of officer. Why is he in such a state?”
“He’s Baek Ho.”
“What?”
“And it’s because of the Merchant that we’re trapped like this.”
“I’ve heard about that, but why is he like this?”
“I warned him repeatedly, but he forgot his position and caused trouble, so I did this.”
“Ah… I see.”
As I approached, he struggled and gave me a pleading look to release him.
“Sister, your heart is too soft.”
“What?”
“This man nearly got everyone here killed. Do you know what the Green Forest Bandits demanded in exchange for your lives? Thirty thousand sacks of grain, one hundred slaves, and autonomy.”
“What?”
“Even if this man returns alive, he’ll likely face severe punishment regardless.”
At this, Baek Ho’s eyes widened in shock.
I drove my fist toward his abdomen.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
He lost consciousness immediately.
I glanced at him, then surveyed the entrance.
“Conveniently, there are plenty of stones near the entrance.”
“Right. I prepared them in case they tried to force their way in with numbers—to block or intercept them.”
“Well done. We needed this anyway.”
“So we can leave now?”
“No. Wait a moment longer.”
After waiting roughly a quarter hour, sounds came from outside.
“Waaaaaah!”
Blare! Blare!
Boom boom boom boom!
Thunderous war cries, horn blasts, and the sound of drums.
This commotion was something I’d requested from the Inspector—to divert the Green Forest Bandits’ attention elsewhere.
I’d asked them to draw their focus by advancing as if attacking them.
“Let’s go now.”
I pressed Baek Ho’s vital point to immobilize him, then slung him over my shoulder.
This man was infuriating, but I needed to bring him back alive.
Someone needed to be held accountable for this affair, and someone needed to bear the brunt of that fury.
He wasn’t an innocent scapegoat—this disaster stemmed from his own mistakes, so he deserved to shoulder that anger.
Using the passage I’d created, we all began slipping outside.
That’s when it happened.
“What—what is this! You bastards! What are you doing now!”
Looking back, the Green Forest Bandits were entering deeper into the cave.
Since we’d disguised our movements as government forces advancing, they were coming in to eliminate those inside the cave.
Fortunately, the stones we’d stacked ahead slowed their approach.
Slash! Slash!
I sent a silent transmission to my Guard Warriors and moved immediately.
They couldn’t be allowed to escape alive.
Scrape!
Whoosh!
Our weapons flailed about in a frenzy, cutting down the Green Forest Bandits.
Among them, the one who stood out most was Min Warrior.
His skill in making only the necessary movements while severing his enemies’ necks was breathtaking.
Truly, he was a warrior specialized in real combat.
Thus we annihilated all the Green Forest Bandits who’d entered the cave, buying ourselves time.
“Hurry.”
“Yes.”
Everyone filed out of the cave in orderly fashion.
After clearing away the debris from the tunnel we’d carved, we covered the passage with pre-prepared gray cloth and nailed it shut.
This should suffice as a temporary deception.
I led everyone along the path Hyun Ro-do had shown us, and we safely descended the mountain.
“Eun Small Merchant Leader!”
The Crown Prince rushed toward me upon seeing my arrival.
“Are you unharmed?”
“Yes. We are safe. Please send the signal to the Inspector now.”
“Very well.”
As the Crown Prince commanded the Signal Operator, the Signal Operator fired a whistle arrow into the sky.
Wheeeeet!
A whistle signaling retreat.
But this did not mean we were sparing the Blood-Eye Sword Demons and the Green Forest Bandits.
We simply needed to safely extract the hostages first before we could eliminate them with certainty.

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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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