The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 661

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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 661

Chapter 661. The Emperor’s Secret Decree (2)

I prepared myself and set out on the path with the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince. The place we’re heading to is quite treacherous, so there may be safety concerns.”
I laid the groundwork carefully.
This way, even if Ah Jung were to meet with an unexpected accident, I could avoid being reproached with, “Why did you take him to such a dangerous place and allow such a thing to happen?”
“Don’t worry about it. If we’re to appreciate fine scenery, we must be willing to accept such risks.”
The Crown Prince continued naturally.
“That said, there’s no need for everyone to follow us so troublesomely. Let’s move with only those who are truly necessary.”
“As you wish.”
Thus, two Guard Captains assigned to protect the Crown Prince, two Eunuch Officials, my guards, and I proceeded together.
Ah Jung was among those two Eunuch Officials.
We climbed the mountain in this manner.
The place I intended to show the Crown Prince was a cliff.
The view from that cliff was breathtakingly beautiful.
No matter what hidden purpose lay beneath this scenic excursion, the outward appearance of the journey had to seem natural.
Only then could I avoid suspicion.
To reach that view, we had to walk along the mountain path for about an hour.
In doing so, I could naturally draw closer to the man called Ah Jung.
Because of this, I could confirm it with certainty.
What I sensed from him was unmistakably the aura of the Sura Blood Sect.
Since the martial techniques he had learned were those practiced by Eunuch Officials, the aura wasn’t particularly strong.
However, the fact that I could clearly sense this aura meant there was definitely a connection between him and them.
If this man had also mastered the Soul Binding Technique, it could become a serious problem.
Before long, we reached our destination.
“This way.”
Standing at the cliff I had guided him to, the Crown Prince gazed at the sight before him in wonder.
“Oh! What a truly beautiful landscape.”
“I’m glad it pleases you.”
It was indeed such a beautiful place that the Crown Prince marveled at it so.
I had learned of this place in my previous life when I traveled to Beijing, thanks to Pyo Du who accompanied me.
He had told me there was a place nearby with rather fine scenery.
“Such a beautiful landscape! It was worth the effort of climbing the mountain.”
“Indeed. It’s a rare pleasure for the eyes.”
The Crown Prince’s Guard Captains and Eunuch Officials all nodded in agreement, marveling at the scenery.
However, internally, I remained tense.
I had to disguise Ah Jung’s death as an accident and take his life here in the Imperial Palace.
But if I only considered that, there would be no need to be this tense.
Beyond that, I wanted to uncover whether there were other operatives working in the shadows of the Imperial Palace besides Ah Jung.
If I’m going to do this, I might as well do it properly.
I despise unnecessary complications.
Still, if I must do something unavoidable, my principle is to either expend minimal effort or achieve maximum results.
“Oh? That is….”
I pointed to a spot as if I had discovered something, and the Crown Prince asked in response.
“Why do you do that?”
“There is a spirit herb over there. That is surely a rare spirit herb that grows only on treacherous cliffs, and it is said that consuming its fruit aids in longevity and freedom from illness.”
I continued speaking.
“If you permit it, I shall retrieve it and present it to Your Highness.”
And if Ah Jung is as ambitious as I expect, he would not miss this opportunity.
Just as I predicted, his eyes gleamed as he stepped forward.
“There is no need to trouble the Eun Small Merchant Leader further, Your Highness. I shall go and return.”
“Then do so.”
With the Crown Prince’s permission, Ah Jung headed toward the spot I had indicated.
“Where is it located?”
“It is closer to the cliff edge.”
“Here… is it?”
As he bent his body and peered toward the cliff’s edge, I subtly pushed his buttocks out of sight.
“Ugh!”
He thrashed in surprise, but there was no stopping his fall down the cliff.
“Ah! Eunuch Official!”
I quickly reached out and grasped his hand.
Watching my Guard Warriors and the Crown Prince’s Guard Captain rush over, I released the strength from my body.
Slip.
Thus I too fell down the cliff.
“Master!”
I heard my Guard Warriors calling out urgently for me.
I extended my hand toward them, feigning a plea for rescue, and continued falling.
– Whoosh!
When I had fallen far enough that they could no longer see me, Geumryeong caught me on her back, and thanks to her, I fell down the cliff without a single wound.
Suddenly, I recalled the time I fell down a cliff in Sichuan.
Back then too, thanks to Geumryeong, I was able to grasp the tree roots on the cliff and be rescued.
This time, I deliberately fell all the way to the bottom.
I needed time.
Compared to back then, Geumryeong’s strength seems to have improved considerably.
Is it because I’ve been giving her quite a lot of gold coins recently?
Thinking such thoughts, I approached the unconscious Ah Jung.
I deliberately ensured the shock wasn’t enough to kill him.
Just to be safe, I sealed his meridians so he couldn’t move, then retrieved a rope from the Secret Vault and tied him to a nearby tall rock.
This place had as many strange rock formations as it did beautiful scenery, so I had no trouble finding a pillar-shaped boulder to my liking.
Then I infused my palm with cold energy and slapped his cheek.
Crack!
“Gasp!”
He jolted awake as if cold water had been dumped over him.
“Where… where am I?”
“At the base of the cliff.”
“What?”
“Don’t you remember? You fell from up there.”
“…”
Realizing he was bound to the rock, he thrashed about and cried out.
With his bones dislocated, it must have hurt considerably.
“What… what is this?”
“Nothing much. I simply wanted to have a conversation with you, so I brought you here.”
“That’s absurd!”
Understanding the situation, he glared at me.
“So that fruit was a lie!”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“You insolent wretch! How dare you—”
“Sura Blood Sect.”
“…!”
At my words, he paused momentarily, but soon answered calmly.
“What are you suddenly talking about? I’ve never heard that name before.”
“Then why is your eye twitching?”
“…”
“I already know you’re an accomplice of the Sura Blood Sect. The Emperor knows as well.”
“…!”
“And the Crown Prince also knows. That’s why I can brazenly coerce an Eunuch Official like this, wouldn’t you say?”
“That… that can’t be true!”
“I assure you it is.”
“The Crown Prince… I’ve already cast a soul-binding spell on him… Ugh!”
He quickly shut his mouth, but I’d already heard everything I needed to.
Damn it. So it really did happen.
Since my worst fears had already come to pass, my expression grew grave.
“When did you cast the soul-binding spell?”
“…”
No answer came.
I clicked my tongue and touched his meridian point.
I couldn’t leave any evidence like a sword wound, just to be safe.
He too couldn’t overcome the agony of bone-deep pain, and ultimately let out a scream.
With his bones already dislocated, the pain must have been even more excruciating.
“Krraaaaahhh!”
But even as his screams echoed, no one knew we were here.
I had blocked the sound with my energy.
I released the blood meridian lock and pressed him for answers.
“Well then, are you ready to talk now?”
“It… it was recent.”
“Exactly what was the content?”
“….”
“I see. You still haven’t grasped your situation.”
“Krraahhh!”
Since he refused to speak willingly, I inflicted more pain upon him.
Truth be told, I’m not fond of torture.
Deliberately inflicting unbearable suffering on someone to extract a confession is abhorrent to me.
If the one being tortured were my own person, I couldn’t bear the anguish of that knowledge.
But this man deserves such suffering.
Innocent people have been sacrificed because of what he’s done.
Moreover, he used soul-binding magic on the Crown Prince.
This could trigger enormous consequences in the future.
I continued the torture.
“Lies won’t work. Speak truthfully.”
“Ugh! Ugh! Krraahhh!”
One thing I’ve learned through my work with the trading company is detecting when others lie.
It’s not easy, of course, but my success rate is quite high.
So whenever Ah Jung lied, I applied additional punishment, and eventually he revealed the truth.
In fact, I too know how to inflict greater pain, thanks to the suffering I endured while treating my condition of shortened lifespan due to my constitution.
The important thing is never to let the victim build a tolerance to the pain.
Thinking about it this way, I do seem rather villainous.
His mention of using soul-binding magic on the Crown Prince raised several questions for me.
First, it meant he had mastered soul-binding magic himself, so why hadn’t he attempted to use it on me?
Second, despite using soul-binding magic on the Crown Prince, why did he try to eliminate Ah Jung instead of obediently following their orders?
Ah Jung answered.
“I don’t know how to use soul-binding magic myself, so I used a disposable artifact.”
“When was this?”
“It… it was recent.”
“That’s strange. But seeing how the Crown Prince ordered you to eliminate the Eunuch Official suggests the soul-binding magic wasn’t perfect, doesn’t it?”
“No! It was perfect! That’s why the Crown Prince chose me as his attendant eunuch.”
That made sense too.
Then how was the Crown Prince able to break free from the soul-binding technique and instruct me to kill Ah Jung?
As I pondered this, a refreshing breeze swept past.
Refreshing… cold…?
Ah, that’s it!
My energy contains the power of purification.
And sometimes, regardless of my will, I purify my surroundings.
Ha! What?
It was because of me?
The Crown Prince had been briefly caught by the soul-binding technique, but regained his senses due to my energy, and gave me the opportunity to eliminate Ah Jung, who had cast the technique on him.
And the Emperor, who noticed something suspicious in the process of the Crown Prince making Ah Jung his attendant eunuch, issued me that secret directive.
Now I understood the full picture of this affair.
What a cunning Emperor.
Then I should live up to his expectations.
“I have another question.”
“Huff, gasp, please, I beg you, just kill me now.”
He pleaded for death, but I felt not a shred of compassion for him.
“That won’t do. There’s so much I’m curious about.”
.
.
.
A short while later.
I gazed upon Ah Jung’s lifeless body, bound to the rock.
After extracting all the information I desired, I pierced his vital point and ended his life.
Now I should make my way back up.
I do feel somewhat sorry toward the others.
Only Geumryeong knows about this operation.
It’s not that I distrust my Guard Warriors’ acting ability, but there’s inevitably a significant difference between knowing and not knowing.
That’s why I deliberately kept it from them.
There’s a saying: to deceive the enemy, first deceive your own allies.
That’s also why I didn’t bring Seo Hyang along.
I feel sorry toward my Guard Warriors and Palgap, who believe me dead and will worry.
And toward the Crown Prince as well… I have too many people to apologize to.
I should hurry back.
First, I undid the bindings around Ah Jung’s corpse.
Thud.
The lifeless body collapsed to the ground.
I lifted the corpse and kicked off the ground.
Whoosh!
Rising as high as I could into the air, I deliberately released the body.
Crack!
The corpse that fell precisely onto the rock where he had been bound was a ghastly sight.
It wasn’t pleasant to look at, but this degree of damage was necessary to deceive the cause of death.
I approached him, wrapped his corpse in the long robe I was wearing, and hoisted it onto my back.
Ah, what a fate I have.
I’ll make sure to extract proper compensation for this.
Including the cost of the robe.

* * *

The place where the Crown Prince and the Eun Hae Trading Company’s procession had stopped.
The atmosphere there was now shrouded in gloom.
News had arrived that Eun Seo-ho, who had set out to show the Crown Prince a scenic location, had died.
“This… this cannot be!”
Naturally, Eun Seo-ho’s companions who heard this were left in shock.
“Seo-ho… he…”
In particular, Hong Seon-il, Eun Seo-ho’s cousin, felt a grief far deeper than the others.
“My lord…”
“What… what are we to do? Seo-ho… Seo-ho…”
Before such a Hong Seon-il, the Crown Prince suddenly dropped to his knees.
“This is my fault.”
“Your Highness! How could you say such a thing to me…”
“Through my foolish actions, I have lost a great talent. I warned him it was a dangerous place…”
“No, Your Highness. Please, rise.”
“I have no face to show to all of you, so ashamed am I.”
The Crown Prince too was equally grief-stricken.
On that day heading toward Nanking, he had sensed something odd when he first met Eun Seo-ho.
He had selected someone named Ah Jung as his attendant eunuch, yet he had no memory whatsoever of choosing him at that time.
Thus, troubled by this, he had decided to seek Eun Seo-ho’s help.
So he deliberately mentioned the landslide in Sichuan, and Eun Seo-ho gave a slight nod in response.
It was a signal that he would handle it.
But he had never imagined that this Ah Jung would perish together with Eun Seo-ho, so the shock was immense.
“I must apologize to you all as well. Because of me, you have lost your lord.”
“It is no matter, Your Highness.”
At their response, the Crown Prince tilted his head in confusion.
For their eyes held a look of pain, yet they did not surrender hope.
“Our lord is not so weak as that.”
“He will surely return alive.”
“Indeed. Our young master has a tenacious grip on life.”
At those words, the Crown Prince shed tears.
Did he have retainers like these as well?
Thinking of it that way, I found myself envying Eun Seo-ho.
‘I will take responsibility for your people and care for them.’
It was while I was thinking such thoughts.
Jin Yu turned his head toward something.
“My lord….”
At this, everyone else looked at Jin Yu.
Jin Yu closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and spoke.
“I sense my lord’s presence.”

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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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