The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 82

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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 82

Chapter 82. The Shaanxi Scorpion (5)

Seven strands of hair I had bound to Je-ung suddenly snapped.
‘What on earth happened?’
This had never occurred before.
Well, it had—once. The first person I ever controlled was my own wife.
One day, she discovered Nok Il’s secret and fled from him.
Enraged, Nok Il chased her down and killed her.
That was when her hair snapped.
As far as I knew, there was no way to break free from Je-ung’s control except through death.
Or if Nok Il, Je-ung’s master, cut the hair bound to it himself.
But there was no way I would do such a thing….
‘Regardless, something feels wrong about this.’
As Nok Il pondered over his Je-ung, a voice called from beyond the door.
“Guild Leader.”
“Come in.”
The Subordinate who entered my chamber spoke.
“The Eunhae Trading Company has not yet departed.”
“How foolish… They must still harbor lingering attachments. They should simply leave quickly instead of wasting their own resources to remain here….”
“Indeed, sir.”
The Subordinate continued.
“Ah, what should we do about that old man?”
“Who?”
“The old man who makes tea.”
This time, given the caliber of my opponent, I had moved boldly.
I had kidnapped and coerced the retired old man who made black tea into producing pu-erh tea instead.
But if his testimony exposed me as a fraud, it would be problematic.
So I could not simply release him.
“What can we do? If he talks, it’s trouble. Kill him.”
“Understood.”
Since it would not soil my own hands, I issued the command without hesitation.
That was when it happened.
“Seize them all!”
“Yes, sir!”
Suddenly, Government Forces burst in and swiftly surrounded the Nokgeum Merchant Group.
Nok Il could not fathom what was happening.
Government forces burst into his chamber and bound both him and his subordinate with rope.
He questioned the soldiers.
“What is the meaning of this? What crime have we committed?”
“Your crime is already exposed. You are the Shaanxi Scorpion!”

* * *

I stood within the County Office.
As the sun descended in crimson streaks, a group of figures knelt in the courtyard.
Among them sat a man named Nok Il.
He was the Shaanxi Scorpion.
In my previous life, he had been middle-aged when he died. But now he was young.
It meant he had lived all these years deceiving countless people.
And manipulating even more courtesans in the process.
“Your Honor! I am innocent!”
“Silence, criminal! These countless witnesses have come to testify to your heinous deeds!”
Standing nearby were those who had come as witnesses.
Courtesans.
To be honest, I was surprised when the courtesans said they would come to the County Office to testify.
I had not anticipated that.
Though they had been manipulated, they could still face punishment if things went wrong.
“I will testify.”
A courtesan named Ju-wol spoke.
“Ten days ago, he asked me to put the Hwang Manager to sleep and make a cast of his face.”
“And did you do so?”
“Yes.”
“Were you compensated?”
“No. But I had no choice. An inexplicable force compelled me.”
“You were under a curse?”
At those words, I stepped forward. What followed was my responsibility to answer.
“Indeed. These courtesans were all under a curse.”
At my words, Nok Il—or rather, the Shaanxi Scorpion—’s pupils trembled.
It was only natural.
I had discovered his sorcery.
“How did you manage to break the curse on the courtesans?”
“In truth, I have been studying martial techniques to dispel sorcery.”
“As I suspected.”
At that moment, warriors from the Eunpung Corps and government forces approached us.
“As you instructed, we have found these.”
What they brought was a human skin mask.
The courtesans revealed where the counterfeit tea was hidden, and I retrieved it.
Nok Il naturally didn’t store it at the Nokgeum Merchant Group.
He hid it in an unexpected, secluded house instead.
According to the courtesans, that place had been a contact point.
Since they believed I was manipulating them, they disclosed it without hesitation.
“Furthermore, we discovered a person who had been imprisoned there.”
An old man followed alongside them.
Upon seeing the haggard old man, Ji Hyeon Dae-in spoke.
“Bring him a chair.”
“Yes.”
Once the old man was seated, Ji Hyeon Dae-in asked.
“Tell me, elder—why were you imprisoned?”
“That is….”
The old man glanced at the bound Nok Il before speaking.
“I was kidnapped. They threatened to kill my grandson unless I made tea using a specific method.”
I thought I knew who this old man was.
Shim Manager, who had examined the counterfeit tea that came into our hands, had said it bore the craftsmanship of the O Family Tea Field.
At Old Man O’s words, Nok Il bristled.
“That’s not true! This old man is senile and speaks nonsense. I’ve never even seen him before!”
“Hah! Be quiet!”
So he intended to keep denying everything like this?
Truthfully, we lacked decisive evidence at this moment. All the evidence presented could easily be overturned by clever words.
But if evidence that couldn’t be overturned emerged now, how would Nok Il—or rather, the Shaanxi Scorpion—respond?
“Merciful and wise Ji Hyeon Dae-in, allow this humble merchant to speak.”
“Go ahead, speak freely.”
“In truth, when Hwang Manager came to conduct business with our Eom Sam-taek Chief Manager at the Eunhae Trading Company, he was served something other than Tieguanyin tea.”
“Something else?”
“Aconite. Eom Manager had prepared a medicinal decoction for his arthritis and served that instead.”
Aconite, which blooms with flowers resembling helmets, was indeed a medicine used for arthritis.
“However, I was concerned because he consumed a large quantity. You see, in excessive amounts, it becomes a deadly poison.”
“A deadly poison?”
“Yes. Initially, symptoms include indigestion, nausea, and acid reflux. But from the second day onward, the skin gradually grows cold, breathing becomes shallow, and the heartbeat slows until….”
I paused deliberately before continuing.
“Death occurs.”
I gazed at the Shaanxi Scorpion with an expression of deep concern.
“That is why I worry. He consumed enough to cause fatal poisoning.”
“….”
At my words, the Shaanxi Scorpion’s eyes wavered.
In truth, indigestion and acid reflux are chronic ailments that plague the people of Shaanxi Province.
Their staple food is wheat flour.
But without knowing that, they would be terrified to hear it was a symptom of deadly poison toxin.
“That’s precisely why I’m searching for the culprit. Even if they are a swindler, we cannot allow them to die because of our mistake, can we?”
“That’s true enough.”
“The antidote would be to drink a decoction of licorice and black beans, or consume candy….”
I continued, looking toward Ji Hyeon Dae-in.
“This fellow claims he is not the culprit, so he would not have consumed the poison either. How fortunate.”
“Then we too are fortunate. Disposing of a corpse is quite the laborious affair, after all.”
Ji Hyeon Dae-in nodded and spoke.
“We shall conclude the interrogation here today. Lock them in the prison!”
“Yes, sir!”

* * *

That night.
I was inside the Nokgeum Merchant Group.
Government forces were guarding the place now, but thanks to my shadowless movement technique, they never detected my entry.
I had come here because there was something I absolutely had to find.
It was the artifact that had controlled the courtesans.
Where exactly could this artifact be?
The tools used for the swindle had been hidden in places that seemed unrelated to him.
But would an artifact used to control people, kept constantly at his side, be hidden in such a place?
No.
It was highly likely he had kept it with him.
And he said it was in his room when he was captured.
I entered Nok Il’s chamber.
And I recalled the circumstances of when Nok Il was arrested by the government forces.
If he had been holding it in his hand then?
No. If a subordinate had been with him, he would have hidden it beforehand.
In a place he could conceal it quickly.
As I surveyed the room, I felt a familiar uneasiness stirring in my chest.
It was the same sensation I had felt when I saw the courtesan Ju-wol at Suok-ru.
Then it must be nearby.
I quickly examined the surroundings and looked beneath the wooden table.
I smirked.
There was a hidden drawer beneath the wooden table. I opened it immediately.
There was a Je-ung inside.
Upon seeing that Je-ung, I felt profound revulsion wash over me.
This was the artifact that had controlled the courtesans.

I took it and headed toward a secluded place.
After surveying my surroundings, I withdrew Je-ung from my bosom.
In my past life, I learned of this Je-ung only after the Shaanxi Scorpion was captured.
The Emperor had ordered it burned, but it vanished without a trace.
When Je-ung reappeared, it was in the hands of the Palace Master of Cheonhui Hwanrak Palace.
She, one of the figures in the Black Path Martial World, manipulated countless men who had shared intimacy with her.
This brought about unspeakable tragedy.
Fathers and sons, brothers turned their weapons upon one another.
I gazed at the Je-ung in my hands and let out a soft laugh. Then I chose to burn it.
Because the more one uses it, the greater the side effects become.
That side effect is none other than the loss of emotion itself.
This is why the Shaanxi Scorpion deceived others without the slightest guilt, and why the Palace Master of Cheonhui Hwanrak Palace could violate men and incite bloodshed without batting an eye.
Humans are human because they possess emotion.
I wished to remain human.
Moreover, I must feel the joy of successful vengeance—what meaning would my life hold if I could not feel it?
If the rage I felt at my death were to vanish, what meaning would this revenge possess?
The second reason I burn this Je-ung is that using it requires physical intimacy.
I am no lustful fool, nor will I discard my sincerity for the sake of using this thing.
That makes no sense whatsoever.
And the third reason.
This Je-ung was crafted by a figure of the Black Path, imbued with deep resentment.
The very form of Je-ung itself carries the meaning of a curse upon the world.
Perhaps it was made after being abandoned by a lover.
That would explain why it possesses the function to control those with whom one shares intimacy.
No matter how I consider it, this thing only brings harm to the world the more it is used.
But because this too is a cursed object, it would not burn by simple flame.
I drew out a hidden blade and lightly cut my left ring finger.
Ugh!
It hurt like hell.
With the flowing blood, I inscribed the character for “解” (Release) upon the Je-ung’s chest.
This was the method the Moshan Sect Taoist had used when disposing of this Je-ung, which I would later seize from the Palace Master of Cheonhui Hwanrak Palace.
I placed it on the ground and poured oil over it.
Then I drew flame with a fire-striking stone and brought it to the Je-ung.
Whoosh!
Drenched in oil, the Je-ung ignited in an instant.
The nauseating aura that had repulsed me vanished, and the nausea that had churned within me soon subsided.
Thus, the Je-ung—that cursed object which had brought tragedy—disappeared.
Ah, my finger throbs.
I should ask Palgap to apply medicine to it.
After that, I intend to visit the Shaanxi Scorpion.
If there’s something entertaining to witness.

* * *

Nok Il was confined in the prison.
Shackles bound his hands and feet, leaving him unable to move freely.
At least he had been separated from his subordinates, which was a small mercy.
If he betrayed them, he could secure his release.
The problem was that the tea he had drunk during the transaction was poisoned.
‘Damn it! Now that I think about it, that tea did taste rather peculiar!’
The tea Nok Il had consumed was brewed directly by the Eunhae Trading Company.
Since it hadn’t been released to the market yet, I had no choice but to trust Eun Seo-ho’s claim that it was poisoned tea.
My body had been growing progressively colder since earlier.
‘Is this what dying feels like….’
That was when it happened.
“Master, are you alright?”
“You…?”
Fortunately, the one who found me was one of my subordinates.
He had escaped capture because he was away from the Nokgeum Merchant Group carrying out my orders.
“How did you get in here?”
“I greased a few palms. More importantly, please consume this at once.”
The subordinate withdrew a small pouch from his robes.
“Candy, sir.”
At those words, my eyes widened.
“You consumed poisoned tea, and this is said to be the antidote. So I brought it.”
“You’re the only one I can rely on!”
“How did you end up drinking poisoned tea?”
To my subordinate’s question, I shook my head vigorously in response.
“I didn’t know it was poisoned! That fellow Eom Sam-taek Chief Manager said it was fine tea, so I thought nothing of it! But where did this candy come from?”
“We had skimmed some from the candy we sold off.”
“Ah! That’s it!”
I hastily opened the pouch and frantically consumed the candy.
“Phew, now I can live…wait!”
Something felt wrong, and as I turned my head, I was seized with shock.
Ji Hyeon and Po Kwae, who had interrogated me earlier, were staring directly at me.

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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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