The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 725

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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 725

Chapter 725. Hyerim Sect (2)

I stated my purpose to her.
“This is my lady. And I need a maidservant to assist my lady closely. That’s why I’ve come to ask this of you, Young Lady.”
She understood my meaning and asked immediately.
“Are you asking me to become a maidservant to the Small Guild Master’s lady?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I wondered what her reaction would be.
Would she be angry? Or perhaps…
She thought for a moment before asking.
“Why me?”
“There are several reasons, but the most important is that you possess both refinement and learning, Young Lady.”
“I see. Thank you for thinking so highly of me.”
“If you accept this proposal, the Hyerim Sect’s debts will be settled by our Eun Hae Trading Company. I cannot allow my lady’s maidservant’s family to struggle under the burden of debt. It would be undesirable in many ways.”
“….”
“I will not force you. But understand this one thing: whatever decision you make, there is no perfect answer. There is only the lesser evil to avoid.”
Upon hearing my words, Lim Seok-hwa spoke.
“Thank you for the advice. But this isn’t a decision I can make alone, so may I discuss it with my family first before deciding?”
“Please do so.”
I nodded, but left her with a final request.
“However, I hope you’ll decide by tomorrow at the latest. If Jeok Du-bang comes in two days and causes trouble, those who might have escaped unharmed will be injured.”
“I understand.”
Then Seo Hyang tugged at my sleeve. She had something to say.
After hearing what she wanted, I sighed inwardly and retrieved something from my pocket.
“Please take this.”
“What is this?”
“If you ever need my help, use this. Simply blow the whistle with all your strength.”
“Yes.”
“Wear it around your neck. It’s made of jade and quite expensive, so you’ll have to compensate me if you lose it.”
At my words, she immediately hung it around her neck.
Now I felt somewhat reassured.
I received a handled basket from Palgap and handed it to her.
“These are dumplings. I had them for lunch today and they were quite delicious. Please enjoy them.”
“Thank you.”
“And next time, I will visit the Hyerim Sect formally.”
We parted from her and descended the mountain.
I gave her the flute because of Seo Hyang’s advice.
I’ll need to do something about the Red Bean House.
No matter how notorious a loan shark is, what good is it without credibility?

* * *

Lim Seok-hwa returned home after finishing the laundry.
“You’re back?”
“Yes, Father.”
Her father, Hye Rim Moon Master, emerged from the cave beside the house, coughing.
That cave was known to be where the Secret Vault lay.
After spending so much time conducting research there, his deteriorating health was inevitable.
“You must be hungry. Let me bring you something to eat.”
“Is there anything worth eating?”
He asked this because Hye Rim Moon Master understood the sect’s circumstances well.
“Yes. Earlier, Eun Seo-ho from the Eunhae Trading Company visited me and gave me dumplings before leaving.”
“Hmm? Eun Seo-ho?”
At Lim Seok-hwa’s words, Hye Rim Moon Master’s eyes widened.
“Yes. He came to make me a proposal. Eun Seo-ho will be getting married soon, after all.”
At this, he nodded.
The Hyerim Sect had received an invitation as well.
“He asked if I could become a maidservant to his wife.”
“What? A maidservant?”
“In exchange, he said he would resolve all the sect’s debts.”
“….”
At this, Hye Rim Moon Master sat on the bench and spoke.
“It’s a matter of choosing between the worst and the lesser evil.”
“….”
“What do you wish to do?”
At his question, Lim Seok-hwa asked back.
“The lesser evil is better than the worst, isn’t it? Besides, you’re not even angry about it.”
“What do you mean?”
“You could have been outraged that a mere merchant dares to make a daughter of the Hyerim Sect into a maidservant.”
“Sigh….”
Hye Rim Moon Master exhaled a long sigh.
“Perhaps five years ago, I would have been outraged as you say. But as time passes, I feel it more and more—this Hyerim Sect has no future.”
He continued with a dark expression.
“So you must secure a good position and ensure your own survival.”
“Father….”
“Eun Seo-ho is known as the Immortal Chivalry Beauty, and his wife is rumored to be compassionate. So it would be a rather acceptable choice.”
“I feel the same way.”
“But… it doesn’t sit right with me, selling you off like this to pay our debts.”
They had no choice but to accept the proposal.
The fire was already at their feet.
“Please don’t think of it that way. This could actually be an opportunity. The Eunhae Trading Company is second to none in Hubei Province. If I can work as a maidservant there, shouldn’t I be grateful?”
Rustle.
At that moment, I heard a sound from the direction of the door as if someone had arrived, so I turned around.
But there was no one there.
.
.
.
“Huff, huff, huff!”
A man was running frantically.
He was the manager of the Red Bean House.
He had come to check if the Hyerim Sect was preparing to pay their debts when he overheard something unexpected.
It was that the Hye Rim Moon Master’s daughter had agreed to become a maidservant at the Eunhae Trading Company.
And he also heard that the Eunhae Trading Company had agreed to settle all their debts.
This was extremely important information.
Soon he arrived at the Red Bean House where he belonged.
“Huff, huff! Elder Brother! Elder Brother!”
“What is it?”
“Disaster, Elder Brother!”
The Red Head Gang Leader responded to his cry with indifference.
“What now? It better not be a real disaster, or your head will roll.”
“It’s… about the Hyerim Sect.”
“That place? The one we were planning to settle with the day after tomorrow?”
“They’ve found a way to pay their debts.”
“What? What kind of nonsense is that? Like the moon rabbit smashing the laurel tree with a mallet?”
“Their daughter has agreed to become a maidservant at the Eunhae Trading Company, and in return, the Eunhae Trading Company has agreed to settle all their debts.”
“What?”
At those words, the Red Head Gang Leader shot up from his seat.
“Damn it!”
In Chongyang County—no, in all of Hubei Province—the Eunhae Trading Company was the one place you had to be most careful with.
And if they stepped in to settle the debt, the Red Bean House couldn’t pile interest upon interest; they could only collect the principal and a modest amount of interest.
But there was an even bigger problem.
He had already received payment for the land from someone who wanted to purchase it, and he had spent it all.
From the aura emanating from the man who had purchased that land, the Red Head Gang Leader instinctively understood.
He must not cross that man’s will.
But if he broke the contract with him and couldn’t even return the money…
Gulp.
Red Head Gang Leader swallowed hard as his imagination spiraled further.
After wrestling with his thoughts, he finally reached a decision.
“Huff, gather the men.”
“Sir?”
“We settle this tonight.”
“But didn’t we agree to give them until the day after tomorrow?”
“If we touch that place, the Eunhae Trading Company kills us. If we abandon it, the man who bought that land kills us. So there’s only one way—seize the land deed and flee this place as fast as we can.”
.
.
.
That evening.
Lim Seok-hwa, the daughter of the Hyerim Sect Master, informed her elder brother of Eun Seo-ho’s proposal when he returned home.
“So I’ve decided to accept his offer.”
“That’s wonderful!”
Her elder brother, Im Seok-je, was delighted.
“I’ve heard that Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Trading Company is renowned for his keen eye for people. He must see your worth and intends to take you as a maidservant.”
“Father seems troubled, thinking I’m becoming a maidservant because of our debts.”
“Father isn’t entirely wrong. But Eun Seo-ho is a merchant, and merchants don’t make deals that harm them. It means he values you more than our sect’s debts.”
“I suppose so.”
As they spoke thus.
Crash!
A thunderous sound erupted from outside.
Upon rushing out, they found a group of men smashing through the main gate and pouring into the courtyard.
The Red Head Gang Leader and his managers.
“What is the meaning of this!”
The Hyerim Sect Master roared in fury.
“How dare you cause such a disturbance!”
“Disturbance? We’re collecting on our own land.”
“What?”
“I intended to wait two more days, but circumstances have changed. I need the debt settled today.”
“We clearly promised to repay in two days!”
“I told you—circumstances have changed.”
“That makes no sense whatsoever—”
The Red Head Gang Leader shoved the protesting Sect Master aside.
“You really don’t listen, do you! Damn it! Hand over the land deed!”
“This violates our agreement!”
The Hyerim Sect Master’s rage boiled over as he drew his blade, and the Red Head Gang Leader sneered in response.
“I hear the swordplay of Hyerim Sect can’t even catch a fly. You sure about this? I’m considerably larger than a fly.”
With that mockery, he unsheathed his own sword.
Simultaneously, the gang managers drew their blades.
Lim Seok-hwa sensed it instinctively.
If anyone here drew their blade, her father and elder brother would face certain defeat.
They were outnumbered and outmatched in skill.
Her father’s cultivation was merely first-rate.
For a sect master, it was a meager level, but it was the best he could achieve.
Meanwhile, the Red Head Gang boasted over five first-rate warriors.
This was precisely why the Red Head Gang had been able to operate in the shadows of Chongyang County until now.
At that moment, the Red Head Gang Leader caught sight of Lim Seok-hwa and licked his lips with his tongue before issuing an order.
“Hey! Keep watch so that woman doesn’t escape. She’s got a pretty face—she’ll fetch a good price.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Hye Rim Moon Master clenched his teeth.
His eyes burned with the fierce determination of a father willing to die to protect his daughter.
Lim Seok-hwa’s fingers brushed against the area around her neck.
Now she understood why Eun Seo-ho had given her the whistle and insisted she keep it around her neck.
‘Just how far ahead did he see?’
Regardless, there was only one thing she needed to do now.
Blow the whistle.
Shrieeee! Shrieeee! Shrieeee!
She blew with all her might, and the gang leader sensed something amiss, crying out.
“You! Snatch that whistle from her! Now!”
But Lim Seok-hwa, struggling to keep it from being taken, hurled it onto the roof instead.
That was when it happened.
Whoosh!
A figure appeared from nowhere, snatching the whistle from the air.
Tap.
He descended to the ground with elegant grace.
“I’ve retrieved the whistle safely.”
Cracks began to form across the Red Head Gang Leader’s handsome face.

* * *

I glanced around the area.
One, two, goodness, quite a crowd had gathered.
I had learned in advance from Seo Hyang that they would come this evening.
That’s why I had given Lim Seok-hwa a whistle.
And when evening came, I waited here nearby with the Guard Warriors, prepared for their arrival.
I spoke to them.
“From what I understand, today was certainly not the day scheduled for settling debts. I suspect you may have confused the date.”
“S-something came up, and we had no choice!”
“Even so, isn’t money lending still a business? And what becomes of a merchant without credibility?”
“We have our circumstances too!”
The Red Head Gang Leader vehemently protested.
The aura emanating from him was faint, but it was unmistakably that of the Sura Blood Sect.
Not to boast, but it would be no exaggeration to say that no one in Hubei Province dares to provoke the Eunhae Trading Company.
Yet they would still attempt such a thing….
Now that I think about it, I had recently heard that the Red Head Gang Leader had been thrown out of a pleasure house after squandering money and assaulting a courtesan.
Where could that money have come from?
“So there is someone who desires this land of the Hyerim Sect.”
“….”
“You received the land price in advance—surely you haven’t already spent all that money?”
The Red Head Gang Leader flinched noticeably.
I had struck a nerve.
Recalling my previous life, I remember a new building had been constructed here.
But even the Eunhae Trading Company had been unable to identify its owner.
The Sura Blood Sect is involved in this matter as well.
My mood darkened considerably.
Of all places, here in Chongyang County where the Eunhae Trading Company is established, the Sura Blood Sect had made their move again, following the Yeonhwa Pavilion incident.
I spoke to him with a warning in my tone.
“I will repay the Hyerim Sect’s debt in their stead. So withdraw from this place.”
“Do you even know how much that debt is?”
“The Hyerim Sect borrowed five hundred silver taels from you, and with interest, it comes to twelve hundred taels. Is that not correct?”
“…!”
At my words, he startled and quickly scanned his subordinates.
The amount I stated was so precise that he suspected one of his men had sold the information.
“Do not needlessly suspect your men. Do you think there is anything in Chongyang County that the Eunhae Trading Company does not know?”
“Damn it!”
Then the voice of the Hye Rim Moon Master came from behind.
“Five hundred silver taels doubled in less than a year! This is absurd.”
“This is their method.”
I turned my head back toward the Red Blade Bandit Leader.
“In any case, I will repay that debt, so I ask that you withdraw.”
They know full well that I’ve made considerable concessions by agreeing to repay the debt using their own accounting methods.
That’s precisely why they’re so conflicted.
“What will you do?”
“Ugh, damn it….”
In the end, the Red Head Gang Leader bit his lip and sheathed his sword.
“Very well, let’s do it that way.”
“A wise decision, sir.”
I turned around and set down the money pouch that Jin Yu Warrior had been holding.
Thud!
The sound alone spoke volumes about the weight of the silver.
“Count it if you wish. It’s exactly twelve hundred silver taels.”
At my words, the Gang Leader approached cautiously and lifted the pouch.
But twelve hundred silver taels weighed over sixty catties.
There was no way it could be lifted so easily.
I’d reinforced the pouch triple-ply to prevent it from tearing.
He opened the pouch and counted the silver.
“Confirmed—twelve hundred silver taels.”
Then, grunting with effort, he shouldered the pouch of silver himself. Clearly, he didn’t trust his own men.
And so the Red Blade Bandits departed from this place.
I’ll need to visit them again soon.
Now that I’ve sensed the presence of the Sura Blood Sect, there’s a deeper conversation we need to have.

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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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