The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 674

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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 674

Chapter 674. The Hwangbo Clan (4)

We followed Geumryeong toward where the Jin Yu Warrior was stationed.
– My lord. You’ve arrived?
– What is the current situation?
– That physician is fleeing.
– Just as I suspected.
I explained to him about the Tobun Root Herb.
– I see.
The Jin Yu Warrior also seemed unaware of the Tobun Root Herb.
– So when the merchant said there was someone who purchased it a second time, and that it was time to depart, he quickly packed his belongings. That confirms it.
The evidence is conclusive.
I sent a telepathic message to the Seo-woo Warrior and the Yeo Eung-am Warrior.
– Bring that physician to me.
– Yes!
– We obey your command.

* * *

Hwang Jeon walked along the mountain path with a cheerful gait.
The weight of silver he felt in his bundle filled him with joy.
“Hehehehe! How much is all this worth!”
He was well aware that the Tobun Root Herb, the main ingredient in the medicine he sold, was a poison.
In fact, Hwang Jeon was a charlatan who made his living selling stories to people.
One day, while passing through the mountains, he wandered to escape the rain and accidentally discovered a cave.
Inside, he found ancient bones and a worn record that appeared to have been written by the deceased.
Curious, he read it and discovered it was a record about cosmetics made from the Tobun Root Herb.
The record contained the laments of the skeleton’s former life.
Through it, he learned the person’s story.
They had made and sold cosmetics from the Tobun Root Herb, but when problems arose from its toxicity, they fled and hid here.
Yet it seemed they had continued their research without letting go of their attachment to it.
As Hwang Jeon read the record, one passage caught his attention.

[I have discovered that the Tobun Root Herb is effective against boils. However, its toxicity is so severe that side effects occur, making it impossible to use as medicine. What a pity.]

The moment I saw that, a brilliant idea struck me.
In truth, boils were a chronic affliction that tormented people regardless of station.
If I sold this not as a cosmetic but as a boil remedy, I could earn a considerable sum.
In that cave, based on those records, I crafted a salve.
The records indicated that using a very small amount could produce measurable results, and side effects wouldn’t manifest quickly, so I filled containers no larger than a thumb with the ointment.
However, since those south of the Yangtze River knew of the Tobuneun-geun herb, I couldn’t sell the medicine there, so I traveled north of the Yangtze River.
And as expected, the salve I created sold remarkably well.
At half a silver tael per container—an expensive price—people began purchasing it once I invoked the Emperor’s name.
Having been a peddler from the start, I knew well how to capture people’s attention.
Once someone actually used it and the effects proved genuine, it flew off the shelves.
And after several days, I left that village.
If people began using two containers at once, side effects would emerge, and before the enraged masses could find me, I would depart the village.
Though I had to keep moving from village to village, the Empire was vast enough that I could accumulate substantial wealth.
With that money, I even hired Guard Warriors.
“Where do you intend to go next?”
“I’m thinking of heading to the neighboring village. There will surely be people suffering from boils there as well.”
Because Hwang Jeon had left villages ahead of time, even the Guard Warrior remained unaware that the medicine he created had side effects.
Just then, the Guard Warrior suddenly stopped in his tracks and placed his hand on his sword hilt.
“What is it?”
“There’s a Merchant ahead who appears to have business with us.”
True to his words, a man stood blocking their path ahead.
“Who are you?”
At Hwang Jeon’s question, the man grinned wickedly.
“My lord summons you. Come with me for a moment.”
“I have no business with him. Tell your lord to come himself.”
In that instant.
Whoosh!
The moment I thought the man’s form had vanished, a sharp pain pierced my abdomen.
“Ugh!”
Simultaneously, I collapsed, my face slamming into the ground.
The Guard Warrior tensed immediately.
Though it was merely a single move, he realized his opponent was a master far superior to himself.
‘Damn! Today must be the day of my death!’
Then a voice came from beside him.
“Listen here.”
He flinched at this.
He hadn’t sensed the presence approaching from the side at all.
“Leave the Merchant and be on your way.”
“That’s impossible! I’ve accepted a commission, and——”
“This wretch isn’t worth dying for, so just go.”
“What are you saying? How many people have been cured of boils with Hwang’s medicine until now!”
“Do you know of toebuneun-geunchcho?”
“….”
In that moment, the Guard Warrior’s face went rigid.
“You know of it.”
“Of course I do. It’s a rather notorious poison herb in my hometown.”
“That salve was made from toebuneun-geunchcho.”
“Is that the truth?”
“A warrior from the Sichuan Tang Family verified it.”
“…!”
Hwang Jeon’s Guard Warrior was struck by a revelation he had never anticipated.
His hands trembled violently as he approached Hwang Jeon, who lay sprawled on the ground, and began kicking him.
Thud! Thud thud!
Even after multiple kicks, his fury remained unquenched.
How could he have been protecting such a man, regardless of the contract he’d accepted!
He knew well from the elders in his hometown that many had died because of that poison herb.
At that moment, a man who had appeared beside him stopped his kicks and searched through Hwang Jeon’s belongings.
He then handed the pouch containing silver coins to Hwang Jeon’s Guard Warrior.
“Use this to refund those who purchased the salve. Keep the rest as compensation.”
“….”
“Then, we’ll take our leave.”
They disappeared with Hwang Jeon, and the Guard Warrior turned back toward the village he had come from.
.
.
.
“Uhhh….”
Hwang Jeon’s eyes opened, and he realized he was in a deep forest.
A campfire burned some distance away.
“Master! You’ve come to!”
At those words, two figures approached from where they sat by the fire—a handsome young man and a middle-aged man whose very appearance inspired an unsettling dread.
“Welcome back.”
“What is the meaning of this? Release me at once! Do you know who I am!”
“Who are you?”
“I was the Imperial Physician to His Majesty the Emperor! The Emperor still remembers me! If you lay a hand on me, the Geumui Guard will come and slaughter you!”
At those words, the middle-aged man let out a cold chuckle.
“Is that so? Let’s see what happens when I lay a hand on you.”
Then the middle-aged man struck Hwang Jeon across the cheek.
Crack—!
“Nothing happened at all.”
“It’s not too late. Release me this instant!”
Slap! Slap!
From the successive blows to his face, Hwang Jeon’s vision swam in dizzying circles.
The middle-aged man withdrew something from his robes and displayed it before him.
“Do you know what this is?”
“….”
“What, you don’t recognize it? If you worked in the Imperial Palace, you should be trembling just at the sight of this.”
“What… is it?”
“This is an identity tablet of the Geumui Guard.”
At that chilling smile, Hwang Jeon realized he was finished.
“The Emperor himself ordered your capture, you bastard.”

* * *

I observed the false Physician bound to the tree.
At first he seemed unconscious, but after receiving several slaps from Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero and learning his true identity was that of a Geumui Guard, his face drained of all color.
It seemed he was finally regaining his senses.
“What is your name?”
“H-Hwang Jeon, sir.”
“The poison you created—its ingredient was Toksun Root Grass.”
“Th-that? I’ve never heard of such a poison before.”
“How did you know it was a poison? I never said it was one.”
“….”
He bit his lip.
At this, Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero spoke.
“He still doesn’t seem to grasp his situation.”
He then turned toward the campfire and returned with something in hand.
In his grip was a metal skewer glowing red-hot from the flames.
I wondered why he’d brought it, but the reason soon became clear.
As he brought the skewer close to Hwang Jeon’s body, the man shrieked in terror.
“Gasp! I-I’m sorry! I’ll tell you everything!”
“I’ll give you one more chance. If you hesitate in answering, you’ll learn just how hot this skewer can be.”
“Yes, yes!”
Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero’s interrogation began.
Thus his personal details and history were questioned, and I meticulously recorded his confessions on paper.
“Where is all the money you’ve accumulated?”
“I-I don’t have any.”
“By your own testimony alone, you’ve earned at least a thousand silver taels. Yet you claim to have no money?”
“I truly don’t, sir. I’ve already squandered it all at the Pleasure House!”
“Which Pleasure House?”
“At the Jinjeon Giru in Guangdong Province—I lost it all gambling there.”
At those words, I pressed him with a cold edge to my voice.
“So you’ve also engaged in illegal gambling. By imperial decree, gambling is permitted only at official gambling houses.”
“That was wrong of me. But I truly have no money left. That’s why I worked harder at selling the medicine as well.”
“When was that?”
He answered my question.
“Three months ago.”
“Are you certain?”
“I am certain.”
“That’s strange, isn’t it?”
I smiled thinly.
“I went to Guangdong Province last October, and the Jinjeon Giru had already collapsed by then.”
“….”
“That was three years ago.”
Who does he think he’s fooling now?
At my words, Hwang Jeon’s eyes trembled violently, and Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero retrieved the iron skewer he had left heating in the fire.
“I warned you… and now you lie?”
Sizzzzle!
“Ahhhhhhh!”
Hwang Jeon’s screams echoed through the mountains.
Why would he lie when I’d already made that clear….
Hwang Jeon’s body was branded in multiple places by the heated skewer. It was somewhat brutal to witness, but I felt no pity.
According to his own testimony, he had sold over two thousand bottles of the medicine.
Those who had purchased two or more bottles were surely suffering without understanding why, even now.
“Gasp, gasp, gasp.”
Watching him writhe in agony, Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero spoke coldly.
“Then, shall we start from the beginning again?”
Thanks to this, I gained a thorough understanding of how the Geumui Guard conducts interrogations.
They repeated their questions while mixing in previous ones, and whenever an answer differed from before, they inflicted pain before asking again.
It was indeed as ruthless as I’d heard.
Tap.
Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero organized the interrogation notes I had written and spoke.
“You’ve worked hard. Our task ends here.”
“Then, what about him?”
I pointed to Hwang Jeon bound to the tree, and Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero replied as if it were of no consequence.
“The County official in this area is a capable man. We can hand him over to him.”
“Understood.”
“By the way, working with you is quite convenient. Now I understand why the Emperor favors you so.”
He continued.
“The Emperor favors those who do their work well.”
“Haha. You flatter me too much.”
I cupped my fist and sighed inwardly.
I’d gone through considerable trouble handling this matter, so I was absolutely going to extract a reward from the Emperor.
– Kwui?
What? You’re asking what was so difficult about it?
When Geumryeong actually posed the question, I found myself at a loss for words.
The truth was, I hadn’t exerted myself that much.
Tsk! Geumryeong, let’s just move past that.
Honestly, what matters isn’t whether I suffered or not, but whether I actually accomplished the task.
If I did the work, then naturally I deserve compensation for it.
Wait… hold on.
Now that I think about it, I’d been so absorbed that I hadn’t noticed—I’d only been thinking to myself, yet Geumryeong responded to my thoughts.
Which means Geumryeong reacted to what I was thinking.
In other words, that means Geumryeong can hear my thoughts?
– Kwui? Kku?
You’re only realizing this now?
Is it because of all the money I’ve been feeding you?
– Kwui! Kku!
You didn’t eat that much?
No, Geumryeong. You ate an enormous amount.
– Kku…
.
.
.
The next day.
We made our way to the County Office of the prefecture where Hwang Jeon had been staying until just recently, and handed him over to the County Magistrate there.
We also provided a copy of the interrogation records we’d compiled on Hwang Jeon.
“I’ll present the original to the Emperor myself later, so make sure you handle this properly.”
“Of course! How could there be any doubt?”
The County Magistrate bowed so deeply his nose nearly touched the ground, and with that, we departed for Jinan.
“We should arrive at the Hwangbo Clan by this evening.”
“I see. To be honest, since this is my first time visiting the Hwangbo Clan, I’m a bit nervous.”
“Haha. Is that so? Then is Jinan also your first time?”
“No, I’ve been to Jinan before for the Top Hundred Merchant Guilds gathering. At that time, the Greatest Under Heaven Trading Company was the Baek Yeom Merchant Guild.”
“I see. The Baek Yeom Merchant Guild certainly deserves the title of Greatest Under Heaven.”
As we traveled while exchanging such pleasantries, we arrived in Jinan.
We headed toward the Hwangbo Clan, which stood at the heart of Jinan.
True to its reputation, the Hwangbo Clan was resplendent and magnificent.
And at its entrance hung a plaque inscribed in gold characters on a crimson background.
[Hwangbo Clan]
“That plaque was bestowed by the Emperor two generations before the current one.”
“Indeed, I see.”
We entered the estate as the Gate Keeper welcomed us warmly.
“Uncle, it’s good to see you.”
“Yes, you’ve been well, I trust.”
Hwangbo Seon-yu, the Great Hero, received my greeting and introduced me.
“Allow me to introduce you. This is my nephew. And this is Eun Seo-ho, the Small Guild Master known as Immortal Chivalry Beauty.”
We exchanged greetings with one another.
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Eun Seo-ho, Small Guild Master of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“I am Hwangbo Uk of the Hwangbo Clan.”
Yet for some reason, his expression seemed troubled.
What could be the matter?

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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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