The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 675

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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 675

Chapter 675. Hwangbo Family (5)

It seemed I wasn’t the only one thinking this way, as Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero posed a question to him.
“Uk, is something troubling you? Your expression seems rather gloomy.”
“Ah, yes. Truth be told, a problem has arisen at the Main House.”
Hwangbo Uk the Young Master continued with difficulty.
“The supplier who had been delivering whetstones to the Main House can no longer make deliveries, and it’s caused quite an uproar.”
“What? They can no longer deliver whetstones? What in the world does that mean?”
Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero reacted sharply.
One might think it trivial to make such a fuss over mere whetstones, but this was a martial family.
For a martial family, whetstones were indispensable tools.
Of course, the primary martial art cultivated by the Hwangbo Family was bare-handed combat, but they did not neglect their weapons.
Moreover, when one devoted themselves to the Military Ministry, the importance of weapons would inevitably increase.
And because of their exceptional innate strength, weapon blades deteriorated rapidly, which meant the Hwangbo Family consumed far more whetstones than other great families.
Hwangbo Uk the Young Master spoke to Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero with an awkward expression.
“That is… I think it would be best if you heard the details from Grandfather.”

Shortly after.
We were guided to the Guest Reception Room.
Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero sat silently in his chair, while I enjoyed tea and pastries beside him.
Seeing me thus, Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero let out a soft chuckle.
“You certainly have a good appetite.”
“When offered hospitality, wouldn’t it be disappointing not to partake?”
“Well, that’s true enough. Does it suit your palate?”
“It’s quite delicious. Now I understand why the meals were always so fine at every inn where the Great Hero chose to stay.”
“The people of the Main House do have refined tastes.”
I took a sip of tea and asked.
“By the way, what is your relationship with Hwangbo Uk the Young Master whom we just met?”
“Ah, he’s my nephew. And his father is the current Small Patriarch, who is also my elder brother.”
So Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero was the son of the House Master.
A direct descendant of the Hwangbo Family.
“Then what of Hwangbo Hui?”
“He is my uncle.”
So that was how the relationships were arranged.
At that moment, I sensed someone approaching. Soon the door opened, and a robust elderly man entered.
From him emanated an aura so overwhelming that my entire body suddenly bristled with goosebumps.
I quickly rose from my seat and pulled out a scroll from my robe.
“I have brought the Emperor’s sacred edict.”
At my words, he immediately dropped to his knees.
Thud!
“Hwangbo Clan Head Hwangbo Se! I receive the Emperor’s sacred edict!”
So this was indeed the House Master of the Hwangbo Family.
When delivering the Emperor’s sacred edict, the edict itself takes absolute precedence.
That’s why I omitted my introduction and spoke directly of the edict.
Still, having the Hwangbo Family’s House Master kneel before me felt rather awkward.
He was showing respect to the Emperor’s edict, not to me, but it remained uncomfortable nonetheless.
Yet I showed no sign of this discomfort and extended the scroll, which he accepted with reverence.
After reading the scroll containing the edict, he carefully rolled it and placed it in his robe.
From the care in his movements, I could discern the Hwangbo Family Head’s loyalty to the throne.
Most would not go to such lengths.
He rose from his seat, and I cupped my fist in salute as I introduced myself.
“It is my first time meeting you. I am So-sang, Small Guild Master of the Eun Hae Trading Company, Eun Seo-ho.”
“I am Hwangbo Se, House Master of the Hwangbo Family. Please, be seated.”
“Yes.”
He glanced at Hwangbo Seon-yu, the Great Hero beside me, and spoke sternly.
“What are you doing? Sit down. You’re being disruptive.”
“Yes, Father.”
Hwangbo Seon-yu swiftly moved to his seat.
From what I had observed until now, I thought him to be a free-spirited person unbound by convention, but I was mistaken.
Indeed, I had heard that the Hwangbo Family’s traditions were strict and unyielding.
Seeing this, those words seemed to ring true.
“So, is it true that the Emperor takes great interest in the martial hall your trading company is establishing through investment?”
At the House Master’s question directed at me, I quickly gathered my thoughts and responded.
“Yes, that is correct. The purpose of the martial hall we are establishing is to supply talented individuals to the Imperial Court.”
“You mean those skilled in martial arts?”
“Yes, that is so. In truth, this endeavor also serves to place individuals loyal to the Emperor within each faction.”
At my words, he nodded in understanding.
“I see. Very well. Then should I select the instructor to be taken from the main house?”
“That would be ideal, but if possible….”
I withdrew a piece of paper from my robe and offered it to him.
“I would prefer someone who best meets these conditions.”
It was a proposal that Chief Manager Jegal Cheon-du had submitted to me.
He examined the paper I offered and nodded thoughtfully.
“Skill at the pinnacle or beyond, knowledge of all the Hwangbo Family’s martial techniques to some degree, primary specialty in unarmed combat. The other conditions are not difficult, but the requirement to know all the main house’s martial arts gives me some pause.”
After a moment of consideration, he changed the subject.
“I must ask about this. What martial arts will those entering the martial hall learn? Even if martial families send instructors, they would never reveal their secret techniques.”
You’re right, House Master.
It’s also a point that Jegal Cheon-du, the Chief Manager, raised.
From the very beginning when I planned the construction of the Martial Hall, I had given this considerable thought.
The martial arts to be taught at the Martial Hall are based on the Heavenly Stream Technique.
Those are the martial arts I’m known throughout the world to have mastered.
I explained to the House Master point by point.
“The condition I set—that an instructor must know all the martial arts of the family—exists precisely so that I can answer the students’ questions.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“Yes, it is. That aspect carries more significance than one might think. If an instructor of the Hwangbo Family cannot explain the Hwangbo Family’s martial arts, how disappointed would the students become?”
I continued.
“A teacher, in my view, is someone who walks one step ahead of their disciples, showing them the path they themselves have traveled so they need not suffer through trial and error. This requires far greater knowledge, does it not?”
“You make a fair point there.”
“And as for the martial arts that those entering the Martial Hall will learn….”
I smiled knowingly.
“You’ll discover that in time.”
There was no need to reveal it now.
“Please don’t worry excessively. We will never request the secret techniques of other martial families.”
“I see. Looking at that expression, you’ve prepared something quite extraordinary.”
He nodded.
“Very well. I’ll grant your request as you’ve asked.”
By the way, if what Hwangbo Seon-yu, the Great Hero, said earlier was true, then the House Master is the Ghost Face Broker’s older brother.
If that’s the case, there’s a high probability he knows when the Ghost Face Broker’s real birthday is.
I was pondering when would be a good time to ask.
That’s when Hwangbo Seon-yu, the Great Hero, spoke.
“Father! I’ve heard the news. The delivery of whetstones has suddenly stopped! What on earth is happening?”
“Sigh, that’s how it turned out. In any case, it’s become quite troublesome.”
He looked at me with a troubled expression and continued.
“The fact that you mention this even with a guest present means you consider him trustworthy.”
“Yes. Someone whose life I could entrust with confidence.”
So that’s why he mentioned this matter to Hwangbo Uk, the Young Master, in front of me, an outsider.
Being trusted to such a degree was gratifying, though it carried a certain weight of responsibility as well.
“Is that so?”
The House Master studied me once more.
“Well, eventually everyone will learn of it anyway….”
A few days ago, a merchant who had been supplying whetstones to the Trading Company suddenly appeared and apologized, saying he could no longer deliver whetstones.
“When I inquired into the details, it turned out that one Trading Company has monopolized the whetstone production area. That’s why he cannot obtain them to deliver.”
“Which Trading Company is it?”
“The Baekcheon Trading Company.”
….
Then something doesn’t add up.
No matter how large the Baekcheon Trading Company might be, they had no reason to antagonize a major client like the Hwangbo Family.
So there must be a reason they hadn’t mentioned something.
I carefully asked the Hwangbo Clan Head.
“Forgive my intrusion, but is there perhaps some matter between the Baekcheon Trading Company and the Hwangbo Family that I’m unaware of?”
“There is.”
As I suspected.
“Who does the Merchant Guild Leader of the Baekcheon Trading Company belong to?”
“He’s not from the Namgung Family…”
Ah! How could I have missed this?
“That’s right. As you know, relations between the Main House and the Namgung Family are quite poor.”
Ordinarily, such a situation wouldn’t arise from that alone, but the other party is the Namgung Family, after all.
In any case, the Baekcheon Trading Company had monopolized the whetstone production areas…
Their business acumen is indeed impressive.
The largest production area for the most suitable whetstone materials is Shanxi Province.
In the world of martial artists, victory can be determined by the sharpness of one’s blade.
So one cannot simply use any whetstone.
I recalled my previous life.
In fact, in my previous life, the Namgung Family had also monopolized the whetstone production areas.
In this life, I have sufficient ability to prevent it, yet I chose not to stop it for a reason.
But to resort to such petty tactics merely because relations are poor?
At that moment, Hwangbo Seon-yu the Great Hero spoke.
“Father. Could it be because of that incident?”
Hmm?
As I looked toward Hwangbo Seon-yu, he continued.
“The incident that occurred at the last Martial Arts Grand Conference.”
The Martial Arts Grand Conference?
What happened back then?
“Ahem, let’s discuss that another time.”
“Ah, my apologies.”
His sensitive reaction only piqued my curiosity further, but this wasn’t the moment to press further.
It seems to be quite a delicate matter.
Then I’ll set that aside and focus on resolving this issue first.
“Clan Head. I have something to tell you.”
“Go ahead.”
“I can arrange for you to receive quality whetstones again.”
“You can?”
“Yes.”
“So you have connections with the Baekcheon Trading Company?”
“Ah, it’s nothing like that. And why are we discussing the Baekcheon Trading Company here?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“I never said I would receive supplies through the Baekcheon Trading Company, did I?”
“Hmm?”
Seeing how actively interested the Hwangbo Clan Head was becoming, it seemed my words had captured his attention.
“Then how do you intend to obtain whetstones?”
“That’s a trade secret.”
I smiled broadly and continued.
“If we supply high-quality whetstones at reasonable prices, would you grant me just one favor?”
“A favor from you? What might that be?”
“I’ll explain later. But rest assured—it’s nothing unreasonable for the Hwangbo Family.”
.
.
.
I was shown to the Guest Reception Hall.
I bathed and rested in the quarters there.
The House Master said it would take time to select the talent I wanted, but it was still better to move quickly.

That night.
I left my quarters.
Then a familiar person approached me.
“Where are you going out, sir?”
“Ah, Young Master Hwangbo Uk.”
He was the fourth son of the Small Patriarch, whom I had met earlier with the Great Hero Hwangbo Seon-yu.
“Father instructed me to assist the Small Guild Master.”
“I appreciate that.”
Since the Great Hero Hwangbo Seon-yu was middle-aged, his elder brother the Small Patriarch was also quite advanced in years.
The reason he had not yet become House Master was because the current House Master still held firm.
The Hwangbo Family had long been blessed with descendants of robust and sturdy frames, and many lived long lives.
Because of this, the time to become House Master came later than in other families.
The current House Master probably became House Master after passing sixty.
“I’m not sure where you’re going, but I will accompany you.”
“I appreciate the offer, but it’s not necessary.”
“No, sir. If I don’t follow Father’s orders, I’ll be punished.”
“It’s truly not necessary. I can’t very well use a Young Master of the Hwangbo Family as a porter, can I?”
“Since I’ve been tasked with assisting the Small Guild Master, you may use me however you see fit.”
“Then… very well.”
I called for Palgap.
“Palgap.”
“Yes, Young Master. You called?”
“Yes, since Young Master Hwangbo Uk has offered to help, it seems you won’t need to follow along.”
“Understood, sir.”
I spoke to Hwangbo Uk.
“Then I’d appreciate your guidance to the marketplace here.”
“Understood.”
I followed him toward Jinan’s marketplace, recalling Seo Hyang’s words.
Then, smiling faintly, I said:
“Young Master, before we arrive at the marketplace, could you perhaps procure a hand-drawn cart of some kind?”

Shortly after.
I swept through Jinan’s marketplace like a tempest, purchasing goods at every turn.
“Oh! This is quite exquisite.”
“You have a discerning eye. This is the famous tea ware crafted by the Yong Gun Craftsman.”
“But it’s a forgery.”
“Th-that is….”
“The authentic piece bears a seal mark right here.”
“….”
“So don’t attempt to deceive me so carelessly. Show me something genuinely excellent.”
“Understood.”
Thus I purchased fine tea ware from that shop and loaded it onto the cart.
And Hwangbo Uk was pulling that cart.
His expression remained bewildered.
He clearly hadn’t expected me to actually use him as a porter.
I don’t speak idle words.
“Now then, let us proceed to that place.”
“Yes?”
“What are you doing? Come along and pull the cart.”
“…Yes.”
With an expression of half-resigned acceptance, he pulled the cart and followed behind me.
I glanced at him briefly.
The reason I was using him as a porter.
It was to make him separate from me of his own accord.
Because what I was about to do required absolute secrecy.

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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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