The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 85

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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 85

Chapter 85. The Spirit Fruit of New Beginnings (1)

There was an imperial decree stating that anyone who duplicated and sold the work-wind mechanism would face capital punishment.
However, humans are creatures who invariably commit foolish acts when profit dangles before them, so I had devised a countermeasure in advance.
I smiled wickedly.
“You pass.”
Palgap spoke in response to my words.
“Then the inspection is complete, is it not?”
“No.”
“What else is there?”
I rose from my seat as I answered Palgap’s question.
“I need to examine the ledgers.”
The proper conclusion of any inspection is always a review of the account books.

A short while later.
I arrived at the Wuyi Merchant Guild.
As I strode toward the main gate, the Gate Keeper asked respectfully.
“Where do you hail from?”
“I am Eun Seo-ho, the Hyun Pung Bureau Chief of the Eunhae Trading Company. I wish to meet with the Merchant Guild Leader.”
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.
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“Arriving without notice! How surprising.”
The Merchant Guild Leader of the Wuyi Merchant Guild approached me at nearly a run.
“It has been some time since we last met.”
Not truly that long—we had seen each other at a gathering three months prior.
“I apologize for this unannounced visit, but since my purpose is to conduct an inspection regarding the sale of work-wind mechanisms, it was unavoidable.”
I spoke directly to the point.
“I wish to examine your ledgers.”
Selling work-wind mechanisms was a cumbersome affair for salt retailers.
Yet they did not shy away from selling them.
Because it was profitable for them.
Even when sold at surprisingly low prices, there remained substantial margins, and since there was only one place in each province selling work-wind mechanisms, they moved in extraordinary volumes and generated correspondingly immense profits.
Supply still could not keep pace with demand.
I followed the Merchant Guild Leader into a building.
I followed the Merchant Guild Leader into a building.
“I apologize for making such a request the moment we meet.”
“Not at all. This is your responsibility—how could I fault you for it? But you must be exhausted from your travels. Are you certain you’re well?”
“I’m fine.”
Truth be told, I am rather tired.
The journey from Hubei Province to Shaanxi Province was comfortable enough, but I endured considerable hardship because of the Shaanxi Scorpion.
And two full days of riding horses is no trivial matter.
But since I’ve come this far, I must be thorough, so I cannot rest—I must examine the ledgers.
Inside the building, countless people sat recording information.
“There are quite a lot of ledgers….”
I gazed at the bookshelves occupying an entire wall.
Half of those shelves were filled with something.
“Those are all ledgers.”
“I, I see.”
So my deputy and I would have to review all of them.
“We’ll have your evening meal brought here.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Despite the staggering volume of ledgers before us, Yeochang’s Deputy and I maintained expressions of perfect composure.
“We’ll finish before this evening.”
This is child’s play.
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.
.
That afternoon, at the end of the You hour—around 7 PM.
Thud.
I closed the final ledger.
The inspection was finally complete.
“At last… it’s done.”
Thump.
Yeochang’s Deputy buried his head against the back cover of a ledger.
I gestured to Palgap, who grasped Yeochang’s Deputy by the shoulders and lifted him up.
“You cannot do this here, sir.”
“Ugh….”
“You must eat dinner and return to your quarters to rest.”
At that moment, someone entered the building where we were—the structure built to sell the wind-catching devices.
He was the son of the Wuyi Merchant Guild Leader and was gaining experience as Haeng-su.
His name was Woo Se-kyung.
At twenty-three this year, he was one year older than Eun Jung-ho.
“I came upon hearing you had arrived.”
“Ah! It’s been a long time since we’ve met.”
I warmly returned his greeting.
I had seen him at the last meeting anyway.
“What will you do about dinner?”
At that question, I rose from my seat and spoke.
“I’ve just finished reviewing the ledgers, so let’s dine together.”
“Already?”
I handed the scroll to him, his expression one of surprise.
“Here are the areas for improvement.”
Woo Se-kyung unrolled the scroll he had received.
I could see his eyes moving as he read through the contents.
“….”
His eyes grew wider and wider.
“This is genuine.”
“I don’t lie about such matters.”
“I will report this to Father.”
And he continued.
“Then first, let me guide you to your quarters.”

The guest quarters provided by the Wuyi Merchant Guild were better than I expected.
It appeared they had given us the largest of several rooms prepared for guests.
The room on the left, when facing forward, belonged to the Guard Warrior.
The room on the right was for Palgap and Yeochang’s Deputy, and next to that was the room for Bae Cheol and the Go Ju-sang Warrior.
I sat on the bed and let out a sigh.
I was truly exhausted.
Still, I needed to eat dinner and sleep.
There was nothing worse than being tired and hungry at the same time.
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After dinner, I pulled out a map from my robes.
It was a map of Shaanxi Province.
The place I needed to go to obtain the Restoration Flower was the forest.
More precisely, Zhongnan Mountain.
My plan was as follows.
First, I would stay at a nearby inn.
There happened to be a trustworthy inn in that area.
I intended to leave my companions there and move alone.
Obtaining the Restoration Flower was something I had to do by myself. The debt of gratitude I owed was a personal matter.
I didn’t want to force others to participate in this endeavor and suffer for it.
Moreover, the Restoration Flower was a spiritual medicine.
If it became known that I possessed a spiritual medicine, and that one existed on Zhongnan Mountain, a blood catastrophe would unfold.
Just as I had experienced in my own life.
To prevent that, I needed as few people as possible to know the truth.
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.
Two days later.
We departed from the Wuyi Merchant Guild.
Apart from minor issues, there were no significant problems.
Honestly, matters like the ledgers being difficult to read were hardly worth mentioning.
Because of this, the Wuyi Merchant Guild saw us off with smiles, and we left with smiles as well.
And several days after that.
We arrived at the inn I had been aiming for.
Yeochun Inn.
The owner of this inn, which bore the name Yeochun meaning “like spring,” was a young and beautiful woman, but she was far from an ordinary person.
Her true identity was Pa-du Pa-pa.
An old woman who maintained her beauty through a special elixir while expending tremendous inner energy.
In other words, she was a master of extraordinary skill.
This was precisely why this inn was safe.
“Welcome.”
“We’d like to stay for a day or two.”
“Of course.”
She greeted us with kindness.
“How many rooms shall I prepare for you?”
“Four should suffice.”
One for me, one for Palgap and Yeochang’s Deputy, and two for the warriors.
The reason I needed my own room was because I had to slip away for a while.
But….
Surely Palgap wouldn’t notice this time either.
.
.
.
That was what I had thought mere hours ago.
Palgap caught me trying to slip away.
I thought surely not, but he really did notice.
How on earth did he figure it out?
More importantly, how was I going to convince him?
“Young Master, this is becoming problematic if you keep doing this.”
“I’m sorry.”
I decided to tell him the truth.
“You know that Lady Hong Geum-so’s Husband is bedridden, don’t you?”
“I understand.”
“You know how much I’ve benefited from Lady Hong Geum-so’s talents, don’t you?”
“But what does that have to do with Young Master trying to sneak out?”
“Be quiet and listen.”
“Yes, I understand.”
I continued.
“So I want to repay Lady Hong Geum-so. What do you think would bring her the greatest joy right now?”
“Her husband… waking up?”
“Exactly.”
“But Young Master, the physician said he should be able to get back on his feet in a few months.”
“Will that truly be enough?”
“Sir?”
“What was Lady Hong’s husband doing before?”
“He was an Escort Master at the Pyoguk.”
“A man who was so active—how much would he suffer if he could no longer practice martial arts?”
“Shouldn’t he be grateful simply to have survived?”
“If people were satisfied with their lives, why would merchants like us exist?”
“Well, that’s… true.”
Palgap wore an embarrassed expression, and I pressed on.
“So I’m going to find an elixir that will let her husband practice martial arts again.”
“But Young Master, how do you know where to find such an elixir?”
“I know.”
I smiled slightly.
The moment I heard that Ilsim Master from Shaolin Temple had arrived in Hwagyeong, that’s precisely why I came to Shaanxi Province.
It’s around this time that the Restoration Herb will be discovered on Zhongnan Mountain.
The one who discovered it was a successor of a merchant house who had been wandering lost.
He found the Restoration Herb and brought it with him.
After that, it fell into the wrong hands.
A certain figure from the Blood Sect consumed it.
Masters of the White Dao barely subdued him, severing his meridians and sealing his dantian to confine him.
They didn’t kill him because there must have been a reason not to—at least not yet.
Or perhaps they couldn’t kill him easily.
The problem was that this Blood Sect member’s disciple stole the Restoration Herb and fed it to his master.
The blood spilled by that man, returned to his body from ten years prior, seeking vengeance—how much was it?
Not just the Eunhae Trading Company, but the entire merchant world of the Central Plains froze.
Later, that merchant house’s successor spoke of those events and regretted bringing out the Restoration Herb, but what was done was done.
And thanks to that, I now know where to find the Restoration Herb this time.
But I cannot tell Palgap the truth.
I trust Palgap, but if I told him the facts, he would surely force me into bed and call for a physician.
“Do you remember the secret storage we discovered from the Shaanxi Scorpion this time?”
“Of course. A tremendous amount of treasure emerged from it.”
“I found it there. It was some kind of book with the location marked inside.”
“That book—please show it to me.”
“It’s gone. Once I finished reading it, it vanished like smoke.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It was a book about the Elixir of Life.”
“…Is that so?”
Palgap scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“So I’ll just slip away for a bit. You don’t need to worry.”
“Then let me come with you….”
“Then the Guard Warriors will find out. The fewer people who know, the better.”
“You don’t trust them? They are Guard Warriors who exist to protect you, young master.”
“I trust them. Why wouldn’t I? But I don’t want them falling into danger because of me. I don’t want to burden them either.”
“….”
“So I’ll go alone.”
“….”
That was when it happened.
Click, bang—!
The door to my guest room swung open, and unexpected visitors entered.
The Guard Warriors Yeo Eung-am and Lee Pil.
“We cannot allow that.”
“That’s right.”
“What?”
“We appreciate your concern for us, but we are still your Guard Warriors, young master.”
“A Guard Warrior’s duty is to protect their lord with their very life.”
Did they hear everything?
When I glanced at Palgap, he awkwardly turned his head away.
“Palgap?”
“I, I know nothing of this matter.”
“Sigh….”
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.
.
In the end, contrary to my plan, the party heading to find Boksiryeong-gwa became three people.
Yeo Eung-am Warrior and Lee Pil Warrior joined my group, while Palgap and Yeochang’s Deputy remained at the inn with two other Eunpung Corps warriors.
Zhongnan Mountain was too treacherous for those without martial training to venture into.

* * *

Jongnam Mountain Foothills.
There stood a young man in tattered clothes.
Looking closer, the garments were worn not from poverty, but from the ordeal of tumbling down cliffs and enduring hardship.
He wore robes made of fine silk, after all.
The young man wiped the sweat streaming down his face.
He had come to this place because there was something he needed to find.
He had to find it….
Then, a chill ran down his spine. He slowly turned around.
“…!”
A massive beast was staring directly at him.
It was a tiger.
“This, this can’t be!”
He drew the sword at his waist.
But his hands trembled uncontrollably—he had only trained for self-defense, with no real combat experience.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the tiger lunged at him.
That was his last memory.

“Are you awake?”
He opened his eyes. An extraordinarily handsome man came into view.
Without thinking, he murmured.
“Immortal Sage?”

* * *

I entered Zhongnan Mountain with two Guard Warriors.
It would be no exaggeration to say that Zhongnan Mountain was composed almost entirely of rock.
So it made sense that the Jongnam Sect’s martial techniques were fashioned after the weight of these stones and their solemn, unyielding nature.
We scaled the mountain using divine movement techniques.
And while we rested briefly, I sensed the presence of someone nearby.
“Master, there is someone here.”
“Let us investigate.”
I needed to identify whoever dwelt in this remote mountain depths before we could prepare ourselves.
But we were not the only ones with business regarding this person.
A massive tiger had him in its sights.
At a glance, he was clearly no martial artist—just an ordinary young man.
I made my decision.
“Save him.”
“Understood.”
The young man lost consciousness and collapsed, while the tiger opened its jaws wide.
We drew our blades toward the beast.
“Ah! We need to sell the hide, so let us be gentle about this.”
“Understood.”

A short time later.
As we moved to prepare lunch after disposing of the tiger, the young man we had rescued opened his eyes.
“Are you conscious now?”
But then,
“Immortal Sage?”
The young man, upon opening his eyes and seeing me, spoke nonsense.
“Would a slap across the face restore his senses?”
At my question, the Yeo Eung-am Warrior answered.
“It is quite possible.”
Then the young man quickly cried out.
“I am in my right mind, I assure you!”

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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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