The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 94

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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 94

Chapter 94. Eun Jin-ho, Vanished (2)

There was a bracelet on my wrist.
“It’s because of this. This bracelet is called a Blood Response Ring, and with it, I can find Jin-ho Elder Brother.”
I continued speaking.
“Do you remember the old master who captured the assassin that intruded during Eun Jung-ho Elder Brother’s appointment ceremony as the sub-house master?”
“Of course.”
“He lent this to me. Of course, please keep this secret from others.”
“I understand. But how can that bracelet help you find Jin-ho?”
“This bracelet reacts to the blood relatives of the person wearing it. When there are blood relatives within ten zhang, this bracelet will….”
I showed the bracelet directly to Father as I spoke.
“Turn red.”
“It’s quite red.”
“That’s because you’re in front of me, Father. But its true color is silver.”
I recalled the moment I received this from the General Store Elder.

As I was digging into the ground, the old man’s rebuke made me realize what I needed to do.
My task was not to dwell on regrets.
What has happened has happened.
Going forward, I will change the future, and there are mountains of things that will change because of it.
I wasn’t soft-hearted enough to merely watch those things crush me and steal my breath.
I don’t overestimate my abilities, but I have the capacity to resolve them.
Besides, I have the weapon of knowing the future.
So, I just need to solve it myself.

The next day, after organizing my thoughts, I sought out the General Store Elder.
Upon seeing me, the old man chuckled softly.
“Ah, now those eyes have regained their proper gleam.”
“I apologize for the trouble I caused yesterday.”
“Trouble? Nonsense—thanks to you, I earned the price of a dumpling.”
The old man rose from his seat and retrieved a bracelet from a wall cabinet, extending it toward me.
“I’ll lend you this.”
“What is this?”
“It’s called a Blood Resonance Bracelet. It turns crimson if there’s blood kinship within ten *zhang*.”
“Thank you.”
I fastened the bracelet around my wrist. The old man, observing this, spoke again.
“However, there’s a slight problem with it.”
“A problem, you say?”
“Once you put it on, no matter what you do, it won’t come off for a month.”
“….”
.
.
.
Returning to reality, I informed Father of this detail.
“It seems this won’t come off for a month.”
“Hmm….”
“But honestly, thinking it through, I believe I’m the only one in our family who can go search for Eun Jung-ho.”
At my words, Father exhaled deeply.
“I see. I’m sorry to burden you with such a task.”
“What do you mean by that?”
I questioned in return.
“Eun Jung-ho is my elder brother. It’s only natural that a younger brother searches for his older brother. Please don’t apologize for this, Father.”
“Very well. I grant you permission to join the search party. But Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Father.”
“You must convince your mother yourself.”
“….”
.
.
.
The search party was scheduled to depart three days hence.
The greatest obstacle I faced was obtaining Mother’s permission.
Naturally, she refused at first.
Even when I showed her the Blood Resonance Bracelet, she remained unmoved. It was then that Lady Hong Geum-so offered me counsel.

“It’s only natural that Lady Hong would refuse. With one son already missing, what mother would consent to another son walking into danger?”
“….”
“If you must go, assure her that you’ll return safely. That’s what matters most to her right now.”

Lady Hong Geum-so’s counsel opened my eyes to my own foolishness.
Mother was worried about my safety, yet I had only emphasized the possibility of finding my brother….
That evening, I demonstrated my martial skills before Mother.
It was the first time since my return from my previous life that I had shown Mother my martial prowess.
Mother had been the daughter of a martial family.
Because of that, she recognized the depth of my abilities.
Only then did Mother consent to my joining the search party.
Having overcome the greatest obstacle, I focused on managing Hyun Pung Country’s affairs.
I needed to ensure everything would run smoothly during my absence.
And the evening before our departure.
An unexpected visitor came to see me—Seo-woo Warrior, Lady Hong Geum-so’s husband.
“How is your health?”
“Thanks to your care, I’ve completely recovered my full strength. I’m truly grateful.”
“I’m relieved to hear it.”
To my eyes, he appeared remarkably healthy.
The Bok Si-ryeong Sect truly is formidable.
That’s why in the future I experienced, a master from the Blood Sect could wreak havoc across the entire martial arts world the moment he consumed the Bok Si-ryeong Sect’s medicine.
“But what brings you here?”
“I’ve come to make a request of you, Country Master.”
“A request?”
“I heard you’re going to search for Young Master Jin-ho. I wish to accompany you.”
“What are you saying? Surely you’re aware of what Yunnan is like….”
“I wish to repay the debt of gratitude.”
“That’s impossible. If something were to happen to you, I’d have no face to show Lady Hong.”
“This is also Lady Hong’s wish.”
“What? Lady Hong’s wish?”
“She said that even if a man cannot accomplish great deeds, the least he can do is repay his debts of gratitude—that it is the way of humanity. I share that sentiment.”
Seo-woo clasped his fists and bowed his head.
“I humbly ask you—please give me the chance to repay this debt.”
I regarded him carefully.
Now that I thought about it, Seo-woo Warrior was a first-rate martial artist who had served as the head of a Pyo Bureau.
He would be invaluable to this endeavor. And.
“Warrior Seo.”
“Yes.”
“Do you intend to return to the Pyo Bureau?”
“I had planned to, but now I wish to remain by Lady Hong’s side.”
“You’ve made a wise decision.”
The man who had provided the reason for Seo-woo’s position was a master renowned for his Paekhyeol Technique.
Though he bore the appearance of having suffered a double defeat, the reputation of Seo-woo Warrior, who had severed the neck of that Black Path ruffian, was quite considerable.
He possessed the skill to match such a reputation, and the experience he’d gained working as a Pyo Du had been substantial as well.
Wait, now that I think about it, the place where Seo-woo Warrior had severed that Black Path warrior who wielded the Paekhyeol Technique was….
“Ah, I forgot to mention. In fact, I was the Pyo Du who exclusively oversaw Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan.”
It was Yunnan.
I spoke to Seo-woo.
“You’re accepted.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, I misspoke. Come with me to Yunnan.”
“Thank you for hearing my request.”
.
.
.
The day the search party departed had arrived.
I took up the luggage that Palgap had prepared.
This time it was not a merchant expedition but a search. That meant this was not the kind of leisurely journey one took by carriage.
I would need to travel on horseback, and depending on circumstances, I might need to continue the search carrying only a single bundle on my back.
“Young Master, are you all prepared?”
“Let’s go.”
My party consisted of Palgap, two Guard Warriors, and Seo-woo Warrior, who had joined us later.
Together with them, I headed toward Cha-jang.
There we were scheduled to rendezvous with personnel from our trading company and proceed to the Changin Escort Agency.
Upon arriving at Cha-jang, Jung Chung and his contingent, the commander of Eunpung Guard Unit Three, were already there.
The search party that the Eunhae Trading Company would dispatch consisted of Jung Chung and ten warriors.
According to Father, Jung Chung had volunteered for the search party.
Even in my previous life, the bond between Eun Jin-ho and Jung Chung had been special.
Currently, Eun Jin-ho was twenty years old, while Jung Chung was thirty.
Yet a friendship that transcended their age difference existed between them.
“Has the Young Master arrived?”
“Yes. I’m counting on you.”
“The honor is mine.”
No lengthy words were necessary between us.
Then Father and Eun Jung-ho approached to bid me a safe journey.
And we set out toward the Changin Escort Agency.
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.
.
It took approximately one hour to reach the Changin Escort Agency.
When we arrived at the Changin Escort Agency, the head of the bureau came out to greet us.
“You must have had a difficult journey.”
“Not at all.”
Jung Chung stepped forward.
“I am Jung Chung, the representative of the Eunhae Trading Company for this search party. And this is Eun Seo-ho, the third son of the Merchant Guild Leader and the Lord of Hyun Pung Country.”
“I am Mak Chung, the head of the Changin Escort Agency.”
As we exchanged greetings, Mak Chung was startled upon seeing Seo Woo.
“Could you be the White Butterfly Sword Seo Woo, the great master who once served as head of the Daejeong Pyo Station?”
“There was a time when I was called by such an exaggerated name.”
“I heard that you had recovered.”
“Yes. Through fortunate circumstance, I miraculously recovered. Wishing to repay that debt of gratitude, I have come to participate in this search party.”
“It is reassuring to have the White Butterfly Sword join us.”
“You honor me too much.”
It seemed that Seo-woo Warrior was far more renowned among the escort agency heads than I had realized.
Judging by how Mak Chung reacted, and how the head of the Changin Escort Agency—a man with an insatiable appetite for talent—was practically drooling at the prospect.
I wondered if Master had also been recruited by this bureau chief.
Master had apparently left on a journey. Therefore, he did not know that I was departing for Yunnan.
What would he have said if he had known I was going to Yunnan?
I didn’t think he would have stopped me.
After reorganizing our formation, we set out toward Yunnan.
.
.
.
While we could have traveled to Yunnan on horseback, taking a boat was faster and more convenient.
We traveled along the great tributary of the Yangtze River, passed through Zhongqing, crossed the tail end of Sichuan, and arrived near Diancan Mountain in Yunnan before disembarking.
After leaving the boat and reaching the Eulrim Inn, we decided to begin our search from there.
In truth, Yunnan was a place of bewildering contrasts.
While it was fundamentally warm, it was not always so.
The southern regions were low-lying with dense forests, while the north consisted of hills and mountainous terrain.
The mountains were so high that some peaks were capped with eternal snow.
In essence, it was a place where all four seasons coexisted.
The search would certainly not be easy. Yet I would not stop searching for Eun Jin-ho.

We boarded the boat and began traveling upriver along the Yangtze River.
During the journey, I learned from Seo-woo Warrior about various precautions to take in Yunnan.
“One of the things you absolutely must not do in Yunnan is eat mushrooms.”
“Mushrooms?”
“Yes. Due to Yunnan’s climate, mushrooms are abundant, but poisonous mushrooms are particularly prevalent. That’s why the Miao Poison Sect primarily extracts poison from poisonous mushrooms for their use.”
“In other words, it means death.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I also heard other precautions, such as not entering water carelessly.
In truth, these were things I already knew.
However, I pretended ignorance and listened to Seo-woo’s explanations because they were things my companions did not know.
Moreover, in this life, I had never been to Yunnan before, so I couldn’t reveal knowledge about that information.
Though I had certainly visited it in my previous life.

After traveling upriver for approximately two weeks, we finally arrived in Yunnan.
We disembarked and rode horses for three days.
At last, we arrived at the Eulrim Inn.
This was said to be the last place where traces of Eun Jin-ho were discovered, and the feeling was strange.
“Welcome.”
Three men emerged from the inn to greet us.
They were employees of the Eunhae Trading Company stationed here, responsible for pu-erh tea operations.
“You must have endured much hardship, Elder.”
“Young Master Seo-ho, or rather, is it Lord Seo-ho who has also come?”
“Yes.”
“I understand you must be deeply concerned with Young Master Jin-ho’s disappearance.”
“My parents are more worried than I am. I came here personally not only because of my elder brother, but because all the missing members of the Eunhae Trading Company are family to me.”
I continued speaking.
“Since family has gone missing, it’s only natural that I come myself.”
Eun Jin-ho is my blood relative. So it was inevitable that I worried more about him than others.
That said, it wasn’t that I didn’t worry about the other Eunhae Trading Company employees.
They were all precious people I had spent time with at the Eunhae Trading Company.
At my words, they spoke with moved expressions.
“We are deeply grateful for such words.”
“There’s no need to be moved by something so obvious.”
They responded to my words.
“Please come inside. We will share the information we have gathered.”

A short while later.
We settled ourselves on the first floor of the inn.
Since there were no other lodgers besides us, we had essentially rented out the entire establishment.
Of the three employees dispatched from the Eunhae Trading Company to station themselves here, two returned, leaving only one behind.
His name was Sung Jun-baek.
“In fact, there are said to be more people who have gone missing in this place.”
“More people?”
“Yes. And I found those who remember the last moments of these missing persons—they all consistently spoke of walking into thick, billowing fog.”
Fog? Could it be… that?

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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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