The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 74

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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 Eunhae Trading Company – Chapter 74

Chapter 74. The Old Man Beneath the Moon (1)

As the banquet reached its peak, I welcomed guests who had arrived from the Jegal Family Estate.
Remarkably, the Jegal Family’s Grand Elder and his granddaughter, Jegal Yu-ah, had come in person.
“Thank you for coming.”
“Congratulations.”
“I never expected you to visit in person.”
“Of course I had to come myself. You saved my life and my family—I owe you an immense debt.”
“That’s right.”
When I saw Jegal Yu-ah again, all traces of her former naïveté had vanished.
She was unmistakably a well-bred daughter of a prestigious family.
“Please, enjoy yourselves.”
The moment the Grand Elder and Jegal Yu-ah stepped inside, all eyes turned toward them.
It was hardly surprising—the Jegal Family’s power and renown in Hubei Province rivaled even the Emperor’s.
But why did Jegal Yu-ah keep glancing at me like that?
Not just her, but the other young ladies kept stealing glances at me before blushing and looking away.
That’s when Eun Jung-ho approached.
“You must be exhausted.”
“Well, it comes with the territory.”
I glanced around before speaking to him.
“By the way, did you give the gift you bought in Beijing to Jin So-mi?”
He harbored feelings for Jin So-mi, the eldest daughter of Jin’s Martial Hall.
After I discovered his secret, Jung-ho had purchased a gift for her during his trip to Beijing.
It was a delicate red hairpin carved from ivory.
Though small, the craftsmanship was exquisite and truly beautiful. It was exactly the kind of discerning choice Jung-ho would make.
At my question, Jung-ho’s face flushed.
“Ah, not yet….”
“But Jin So-mi is here today, isn’t she? And you still haven’t given it to her?”
“That’s….”
Heavens! This brother of mine!
“Brother, what if someone else wins her heart first? Do you want to spend the rest of your life drowning in regret, drinking yourself senseless and tormenting me with your self-reproach?”
“W-what if….”
What-ifs kill people, yet here he was, doing exactly that.
“If you’re going to marry anyway, shouldn’t you marry someone you actually care for? Wouldn’t that make you happy?”
“…Y-yes, I suppose that’s true.”
“Then go give her the gift and confess your feelings already.”
“Is that so? Haha.”
Eun Jung-ho scratched his head and headed toward the pavilion.
With his hand in his robe, it was clear he had brought a gift for Jin So-mi.
Then I spotted a familiar figure in the distance.
My Master.
I hurried over to him.
“Welcome.”
My Master had instructed me not to reveal our master-disciple relationship if possible.
So I simply bowed my head lightly.
“I said I’d arrive early, but something came up and I’m a bit late.”
“Not at all. Thank you for coming.”
I pointed toward the lower banquet hall.
“Your wife and children are seated in the fifth row, third section.”
“Thank you for letting me know.”
“Then please enjoy yourself.”
My Master headed toward where his family was seated.
But then a faint scent reached my nose.
Hm? That’s the smell of blood?
I looked at my Master, but I couldn’t stop him.
I couldn’t very well go after him and say “Master, you smell of blood.”
But what on earth could be causing that scent?
From his expression, nothing seemed amiss.
I wondered briefly, but had to greet other guests, so I let it pass for now.
While exchanging pleasantries, the Jegal Family’s Grand Elder came looking for me.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Indeed, thanks to you. But where is Yu A?”
Yu A referred to the Yu Chief Manager, with whom the Grand Elder had sworn brotherhood last time.
“The Internal Chief Manager is currently in the lower banquet hall.”
“Why not here?”
“He said he preferred it there. And he’s also looking after a child at the moment.”
“Ah, I see. Then I should go there myself.”
What?
You’re going there personally?
Then the people there would be terribly uncomfortable.
It seemed better to prepare a separate table for him in my separate pavilion instead.
So I quickly followed after him.
We soon arrived where the Yu Chief Manager was. My Master was already seated there, sharing a meal with him.
“Brother! So you were here?”
“Ah! Grand Elder!”
The Yu Chief Manager rose immediately upon seeing the Grand Elder and bowed respectfully. The Grand Elder shook his head with a displeased expression.
“Oh come now! Have you forgotten that we swore brotherhood?”
“Not at all! How could I possibly forget?”
“Then call me by it. Say ‘Elder Brother.'”
“Yes, Elder Brother.”
“Excellent! Hahahaha!”
Yu Chief Manager turned to Seok Il-song and spoke.
“This man is my elder brother. Pay your respects.”
“I am Seok Il-song, currently studying under the Internal Chief Manager.”
“Indeed, indeed—you appear quite sharp-witted.”
The Grand Patriarch’s gaze shifted to the Master standing before Yu Chief Manager, and he tilted his head curiously.
“And who might you be?”
“I am Gwak Myung-hyun, serving as Pyo Du at the Changin Escort Agency. It is an honor to meet the Grand Patriarch of the Jegal Family.”
The Master cupped his fists and bowed respectfully.
Following his lead, Gwak Hyung-jin and Gwak Jun-ha also cupped their fists in greeting.
“Pyo Du, you say?”
“Yes, sir.”
Something about the atmosphere felt off. I quickly stepped to the side and added quietly.
“He is my sword master.”
“I see. Now I understand why the Small Merchant Guild Leader’s accomplishments are so remarkable for his age.”
The Master shook his head and replied.
“It is because the Small Merchant Guild Leader possesses exceptional talent. I have done nothing.”
“Spare me such modesty. My eyes cannot be deceived.”
“….”
As the atmosphere grew serious, I interjected with a gentle smile.
“Let us not linger here. I would like to invite you all to my separate pavilion. I have recently been granted a new one, and I would be delighted to show it off.”
At my words, the Grand Patriarch’s expression grew slightly embarrassed.
“Ah, it seems we have made things uncomfortable for those here.”
I simply smiled warmly.
An affirmation.
“Please, allow me to guide you.”
I asked Palgap to escort Yu Chief Manager and the Grand Patriarch to my separate pavilion.
I had intended to arrange separate accommodations for the Master, as he seemed uncomfortable in their presence.
But then Yu Chief Manager spoke.
“Let Gwak Pyo Du come along as well. There is something I wish to discuss with him.”
The Grand Patriarch nodded readily.
“Very well, let us do so.”
And so the Master’s family also made their way to my separate pavilion.
What could Yu Chief Manager possibly wish to discuss with the Master?
As I followed Palgap toward my separate pavilion, I noticed Gwak Hyung-jin and Seok Il-song walking side by side.
Being of similar age, they seemed to have grown quite close already.
That was when it happened.
“Small Merchant Guild Leader Seo-ho! Something terrible has occurred!”
The one who came rushing over in panic was Jung-ho’s Attendant.
“What is the matter?”
“An incident has broken out at the Pavilion.”
“What?”
Just as I finished settling this matter, now trouble erupts at the Pavilion.
Hurrying toward the Pavilion, I found Eun Jung-ho fuming with anger, and standing opposite him was a young man drenched from head to toe.
Upon seeing that youth, I let out an inward sigh.
‘Ah, that reckless fool….’
A man I remembered vividly from my previous life.
His name was Wi Seung-jeo.
He was the son of the Master who operated Wi’s Martial Hall. And there had never been such a worthless ruffian.
He spent his days drinking and causing disturbances in merchant establishments.
Not in the difficult-to-manage South Street, but in the East Street shops frequented by common folk.
From this, one could discern that he was a cowardly wretch—weak before the strong and brutal toward the weak.
The Master who operated Wi’s Martial Hall was a tiger.
While the father was a tiger, the son was a cur.
Though the saying goes that a tiger does not beget a dog, Wi Seung-jeo and his father were living proof that this adage is not always true.
There were many accomplished disciples, and the Master’s reputation was considerable, so Wi Seung-jeo’s misdeeds had caused no serious problems until now.
But the Master of Wi’s Martial Hall fell ill.
Watching his utterly troublesome son, he drowned his frustrations in drink until he developed a chronic ailment.
Eventually the Master died, and his position was inherited by Wi Seung-jeo, the sole heir—and that was when calamities began.
He proposed marriage to Jin So-mi, a young lady he had set his heart upon.
Of course, Jin So-mi could never favor Wi Seung-jeo. Thus her parents rejected the marriage proposal.
Rejected, Wi Seung-jeo harbored resentment and began to act from that point forward.
He pressured Jin’s Martial Hall financially and unleashed third-rate rogue martial artists he was acquainted with to torment the Jin family.
In the end, Jin’s Martial Hall was forced to close.
They did so because they did not wish for neighboring shops to suffer damage from Wi Seung-jeo’s harassment of the martial hall.
And they fled in the dead of night without repaying the debt they had borrowed from the Eunhae Trading Company.
They reappeared five years later.
What they had done to earn money was work as wandering mercenaries.
Because the mother and daughter possessed both skill and virtue, they came to lead a band.
Now that they had grown strong enough to withstand Wi Seung-jeo’s persecution, they returned.
And the Jin Family Mother and Daughter repaid their debt to the Eunhae Trading Company.
To lead a band as a wandering mercenary, and she a woman at that!
There could be no greater hardship than what she endured.
Until then, Jin So-mi had not married, and Eun Jung-ho likewise remained unmarried.
Eun Jung-ho’s heart ached deeply for the tribulations Jin So-mi had suffered all those years.
In any case, whenever Eun Jung-ho drank before his marriage to Jin So-mi, he would lament and speak of her alongside the death of Jeon Woo-jin.
I reproached myself for being unable to help her in any way other than lending money, fearing she might feel burdened.
I should have stepped forward and declared, “She’s my woman, so don’t lay a finger on her!” like that.
In truth, the sum I had lent to Jin’s Martial Hall was no small amount.
Even that alone showed how much effort Eun Jung-ho had made.
He had lent far more money than what Jin’s Martial Hall had offered as collateral, using his authority as a Small Merchant Guild Leader.
Listening to his drunken rambling was truly exhausting.

“What’s the matter?”
“Ah! Small Merchant Guild Leader Seo-ho!”
One of those restraining Eun Jung-ho answered my question.
It was Han Baek-geon, a young master of the Hongnang Trading Company.
“Well, you see… I’m not entirely sure myself. All we saw was that Young Master Eun Jung-ho threw Wi Seung-jeo into the pond. And we’re currently stopping him from throwing punches.”
I sighed and stepped in.
“Elder Brother, what exactly happened?”
“I apologize to you. But I couldn’t bear it. That bastard was harassing Jin So-mi!”
“What?”
I looked at Wi Seung-jeo.
Under my gaze, Wi Seung-jeo still spoke with his shameless tone.
“Harassment? That’s too much. I merely asked Jin So-mi about the choreography of the Spring Dance.”
I could tell Wi Seung-jeo was lying.
There was no way Jin So-mi would have that expression if she had merely been asked about her father’s well-being.
“What a blatant lie!”
“Then what exactly did I say?”
“That is…”
Eun Jung-ho couldn’t answer. I understood why he couldn’t respond.
He couldn’t bring himself to speak those words aloud.
If he uttered them, it would only wound Jin So-mi further.
The same was true for Jin So-mi herself.
“In this way, we cannot determine whose words are truthful.”
Wi Seung-jeo responded to my words.
“Then the solution is simple. Let’s settle it with a duel. That’s the simplest way for our side.”
It unfolded exactly as I had anticipated.
Despite being a reckless fool, Wi Seung-jeo possessed considerable skill with the sword.
That’s why he stepped forward with such confidence.
Eun Jung-ho responded to his proposal.
“Very well. Let’s do it that way!”
There was a grim determination in Eun Jung-ho’s voice.
Oh no, Elder Brother…
No, wait.
He’s going to get beaten down by that bastard.
No matter how much martial arts I learn from the External Chief Manager, there’s a difference between learning self-defense techniques and pursuing the discipline systematically.
I’m the exception, of course.
And since I knew the level of Eun Jung-ho and Wi Seung-jeo, the outcome was already predictable.
In any case, the stage was set in an instant.
Wi Seung-jeo stood in the center with a cocky expression, watching Eun Jung-ho.
Stopping the match was a problem, and not stopping it was also a problem.
Then I noticed Jin So-mi watching the scene with an anxious expression.
Ah!
A brilliant idea came to me.
I approached her and spoke in a low voice.
“You’re worried about my elder brother, aren’t you?”
“That’s… I’m sorry for being so incompetent and causing trouble.”
“Please don’t say such things. The fault lies with that small merchant guild leader above, not with you or my elder brother.”
“I’m grateful for your words.”
“Actually, my elder brother is quite fond of you, Jin So-mi.”
“What?”
“That’s why he went to Beijing and bought a hairpin to give to you. He’s been too shy to present it yet.”
“Oh…”
Jin So-mi’s face flushed red.
“As you can imagine, if the match starts like this, my elder brother will take quite a beating.”
“That’s true.”
“But here’s the thing—it was you who was insulted. Isn’t that right?”
“…”
“Then I think it’s better to wash away that insult yourself. Not by borrowing another’s hand, but directly. Don’t you agree, Jin So-mi?”

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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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