The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 710

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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 710

Chapter 710. The Shandong Ak Clan (2)

I admit I was startled when they mentioned a Hwa Kyung Master among their ranks.
Though Seo-woo Warrior and I have reached the pinnacle of transcendence, we would be outmatched against a Hwa Kyung Master.
A master of that realm exists on an entirely different plane of power.
Yet I sensed no oppressive aura or fear emanating from my opponent.
Every time I have faced a true Hwa Kyung Master before, that sensation was unmistakable.
The reason was simple.
This man had only reached the pinnacle of transcendence—not even approaching the Hwa Kyung realm.
For a Green Forest Bandit, the pinnacle of transcendence is certainly formidable, but considering the martial prowess of our group….
Yet seeing how these bandits trust and follow him as a Hwa Kyung Master, there must be some reason for it.
I decided to feign fear.
“Oh no! The Hwa Kyung realm?! This place is our grave, it seems.”
Then I transmitted my voice to the rest of my companions.
– Play along for now. And this merchant appears to be merely at the pinnacle of transcendence. Jin Yu Warrior, if you notice anything strange about him while observing, dispose of him.
At this, Seo-woo Warrior bit his lip and spoke.
“My lord. We shall at least preserve your life.”
“You must return alive, my lord.”
The Green Forest Bandits laughed mockingly at us.
“How touching. How utterly touching.”
“No need for that. You’ll all die here today anyway.”
Then the man claiming to be a Hwa Kyung Master spoke.
“Are the farewells finished? Then… die!”
The moment he swung his sword toward us, the blade slipped from his hand and flew through the air.
This was the Qi-Controlled Sword Technique, usable only by those who had ascended to the Hwa Kyung realm.
“Wow!”
“That is the legendary Qi-Controlled Sword Technique!”
The Green Forest Bandits marveled at the sight.
Meanwhile, I sensed something amiss and furrowed my brow.
The Qi-Controlled Sword Technique involves manipulating the blade through one’s vital energy.
This means invisible threads of qi must connect the swordsman and his blade.
But I detected no such connection whatsoever.
Then it happened.
Thud.
The sword flying through the air suddenly plummeted to the ground.
“…!”
The Green Forest Bandits stared at the man called Elder Brother with startled eyes, and though he appeared flustered, he quickly composed himself and spoke.
“I’m in a generous mood today, so I’ll show you mercy. Hand over everything you have and be on your way—I won’t take your lives.”
Bluster.
I’ve seen enough bluffing fools to recognize one instantly.
“Now move, or you won’t be able to….”
His words could not continue.
Thud.
A man was hurled between the Green Forest Bandits and us.
“Ugh….”
The one who had thrown him so violently was Jin Yu Warrior, and the man was groaning from considerable pain.
“Upon observing the surroundings, I discovered this man was manipulating that sword with invisible threads.”
“So this man was the secret behind the Invisible Thread Sword Technique.”
At this, the man called Elder Brother cried out in fury.
“Silence! How dare you slander my Invisible Thread Sword Technique with such baseless accusations!”
He charged at me in his rage, but—
Thwack!
Hack!
His abdomen struck my scabbard, and he collapsed, gasping and choking.
“I understand your skills have reached their peak. I was merely curious what confidence allowed you to masquerade as someone from Hwagyeong, so I performed a little act.”
I swept the hair from my forehead with my hand as I spoke.
“Now then, let’s deal with them.”
“Yes!”
Disposing of those Green Forest Bandits took mere moments.
After breaking their wrist bones, I bound their limbs and left them dangling from a tree.
Since there was even a master-level warrior among them, I took measures to prevent them from using their inner energy.
Palgap spoke to them.
“You arrived before the dumplings even warmed up, and this is what you got. If you’d come before we finished eating the warm dumplings and they’d gone cold or gotten covered in dirt, you’d have faced something far worse.”
That’s not true.
Well, perhaps not? Maybe Palgap has a point.
I asked them a question.
“So, which Mountain Stronghold do you belong to?”
“That, that is….”
“Were you perhaps cast out from your stronghold?”
At my words, they flinched.
The Green Forest Bandits belong to strongholds under the rule of the Green King and primarily conduct their business by collecting passage tolls.
Occasionally they plunder valuables, but they generally avoid harming people.
Stealing something too precious or killing someone could bring retribution, so they maintain reasonable boundaries in their operations.
After all, they could be suppressed at any moment.
In any case, what can those cast out from their stronghold for various reasons possibly do?
Having learned only theft, they gather in small groups and resume their banditry anew.
It is banditry without any sense of restraint.
And since they’ve encroached upon another Green Forest Bandit’s territory, they must be fleeing from the Mountain Stronghold that controls this region.
“I thought something was odd, and it seems my suspicion was correct.”
I asked again.
“So, how many people have you killed in the past few days?”
“….”
“Would you like me to show you how hot that campfire is?”
At my words, they exchanged glances, and soon one of the Green Forest Bandits answered.
“E-eight people, sir.”
“Tell me by date, if you would.”
“W-well, two people a few days ago, then one person, and four people yesterday, two people who appeared to be father and son, and three people today.”
I paused to think, then spoke to the Guard Warriors.
“Burn one leg each of these merchants.”
“Aaaahhh! Why would you do this to us?”
“You told me exactly what I wanted to hear!”
“According to what you said, that’s twelve people. You said you killed eight?”
“….”
“Since you lied, you must feel the price of that lie in your body, or you will continue to lie, will you not?”
The Yeo Eung-am Warrior approached them with a burning log.
“Gaaahhh!”
“Ughhhh!”
Why do they never speak honestly when I ask nicely?
And they tell such stupid lies that are caught immediately….
Perhaps they wanted to test how resolute they were, but no matter what kind of people they are, inflicting pain on someone is never a pleasant thing.
But I must do this because I cannot accomplish anything without truthful words from them.
“Now, let us begin our conversation anew. Where is your headquarters?”
“That is….”
“We have plenty of firewood. So I would appreciate it if you would speak before both your legs are burned. After that, you understand, yes?”
At this, their pupils trembled violently.
“T-there is a cave to the east from here!”
“Yeo Eung-am Warrior.”
“Yes!”
“Go and verify it.”
The Yeo Eung-am Warrior moved instantly upon receiving the order.
“Yes! I accept your command.”
I turned my head and asked them again.
“So, what you just said is not a lie, correct? If it is a lie, well… you know what the price of that would be.”
“….”
Shortly after, the Yeo Eung-am Warrior returned.
“I have discovered a cave that appears to be their headquarters.”
“Then Seo-woo Warrior and Yeo Eung-am Warrior will come with me, and the rest of you keep watch over those bastards.”
“Understood.”
“Ah, if they try anything foolish, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to remind them how hot burning firewood can be.”
Palgap spoke then.
“Haven’t you already broken their wrist bones?”
“Still, one can never be too careful.”
“That is true enough.”
I set out toward their headquarters with Yeo Eung-am Warrior and Seo-woo Warrior.
Looking up at the sky, I could see the eastern horizon beginning to brighten.
Sigh, I’m starving.
Still, I can endure a little longer.
Just as Yeo Eung-am Warrior had confirmed, there was indeed a cave to the east.
A rather suitable hideout, this cave.
Upon entering, I found a considerable number of items piled in the corners.
Among them were objects that appeared to have been recently taken.
Clothing and various personal effects.
Among these were items that seemed to belong to a woman and a child, which told me that women and children were among the victims.
These damnable bastards.
Sigh, let me calm myself.
I spoke to Geum-ryeong.
“Geum-ryeong, can you find the owner of these things?”
Since they hadn’t been dead long and the distance wasn’t far, Geum-ryeong should be able to track them easily enough.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, Geum-ryeong sniffed at the items without complaint.
“Kwui!”
Then Geum-ryeong signaled for us to follow, and we did.
After traveling about a li or so.
Geum-ryeong pointed ahead with a front paw.
“Kwui!”
As we approached, insects were buzzing about.
I released my aura, and the insects scattered in panic, fleeing in haste.
Tsk, they really buried them carelessly.
Well, these fellows must have been fleeing from the Green Forest Bandits in this region.
Having committed their crimes and needing to leave hastily, they likely lacked the time to burn the bodies, so they buried them roughly and departed.
As Yeo Eung-am Warrior and Seo-woo Warrior dug with their shovels, several corpses were unearthed.
Remarkably, wild beasts hadn’t disturbed them.
The reason for searching the bodies of the dead was to find their identification tablets.
Only then could we determine the victims’ identities and inform their families.
There is nothing more agonizing than having someone disappear without a trace.
Our Merchant Guild had experienced such things before, so I understood that pain to some degree.
Thus, with just a little effort, we could forge new bonds of connection.
If I find the remains of those missing from the Eunhae Trading Company and capture the one responsible for their deaths to exact vengeance, how grateful they would be.
Then, without much persuasion, they would purchase our goods or utilize our services.
It is through accumulating such deeds, one by one, that we build the Greatest Under Heaven Trading Company.
We began searching through the corpses for identification tablets.
Then I sensed it—a faint aura within my perception.
Could it be?
“Wait a moment.”
I halted the Two Warriors briefly.
“Why do you stop, sir?”
“Someone is still alive.”
“Is that truly so?”
I immediately located the one among the corpses who appeared to still draw breath.
He was a young man.
A blade had pierced his chest, but he had avoided the vital organs and thus had not died instantly.
“Though faint, he still breathes.”
I quickly retrieved the vial containing Geum-ryeong’s venom and applied it to his wound.
Then I opened his mouth and fed him Geum-ryeong’s venom.
Driven by survival instinct, he swallowed it.
Geum-ryeong’s venom is a panacea for such external injuries.
Because of this, his pulse was gradually returning.
“We must find this man’s identification tablet.”
“Understood.”
At my words, the Two Warriors searched the surroundings and found the tablet.
“Here, we have found the identification tablet.”
“Judging by his age, this birth year on the tablet must certainly be his.”
I had anticipated there would be one, and fortunately there was.
Even those vile murderers who make a habit of slaughter fear vengeful spirits, so they bury the identification tablet alongside the body.
There is a superstition that if the victim’s tablet is burned or taken, the vengeful spirit will cling to you.
So identification tablets are usually simply buried in the ground, and fortunately, it seems they buried it together.
“What shall we do with this man?”
“Let us first move him to where we were sheltering. Then we will collect the remains.”
“Yes.”
We carefully brought him to our camp.
As we arrived with the survivor, the Green Forest Bandits flinched upon seeing him.
I shot them a sharp look, then spoke to Myeong-jong Warrior and Chang-un Warrior.
“You two must go immediately to the Mountain Stronghold in this region and tell them I have requested their cooperation. When you mention my name, they will agree to assist.”
“Understood.”
At my words, the Green Forest Bandits began to struggle.
Though gagged and unable to speak, I could somehow discern what they meant.
They were pleading—if we involved the Mountain Stronghold that controlled this territory, they would be executed, so please spare them.
I spoke coldly and sharply.
“Silence. You have no right to make such requests.”

After a time period had passed.
I saw a group of people approaching my location.
They were the Green Forest Bandits of the Mountain Stronghold that controlled this territory.
The reason I sought cooperation from the Green Forest Bandits rather than the County Office was that this place lay quite far from the County Office.
It was far more efficient to obtain the cooperation of the Green Forest Bandits instead.
This place was close to the Capital City of Beijing, and nearby were both the Shandong Ak Clan and the Jin Zhu-eon Clan.
The fact that they operated as Green Forest Bandits in such a place meant they were those who did not cross the line.
Therefore, knowing my identity, they would not attack me.
Should they attack regardless, I would deal with them the same way as these others.
I approached them.
Seeing that the man in the center possessed an extraordinary aura, he must be the Stronghold Master.
“The small merchant Eun Seo-ho pays respects to the tiger of the forest.”
“I am the Stronghold Master of this Mountain Stronghold. Simply call me Gwang-bu.”
It meant the mad axe.
“So you are the Seonhyeop Mirang Great Swordmaster. I heard you captured those who were conducting business in this area without our knowledge.”
I pointed to those hanging from the tree and spoke.
“Yes. Those are the ones.”
“So what should we help you with? We would have to slaughter them anyway.”
“No. I will be taking them to the County Office.”
“To the County Office?”
“So that they confess their crimes with their own mouths, should they not?”
Saying so, I threw a pouch of money I had prepared beforehand.
“This should be sufficient compensation.”
Gwang-bu, the Stronghold Master, took the pouch I offered, opened it, and spoke with a grin.
“Well, whether you steam them or roast them, do as you please.”
“Thank you.”
“Then why did you call us?”
“These men killed travelers who had to detour due to a landslide and stole their belongings. If the authorities learn of this, whose doing do you think they will believe it to be?”
“What?”
“These bastards!”
“Of course they would think it was us!”
We nearly took the blame for these scoundrels! These damned fools!”
I smiled and asked.
“Since we have captured these men for you, you should be grateful, should you not?”
“That is true.”
So do your work.

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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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