The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 95

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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 95

Chapter 95. Jin-ho Disappears (3)

I recalled my past life.
Back then, a strange phenomenon had appeared in the forests of Yunnan—the Muchul Musan, the Fogless Mountain.
It meant a mountain shrouded in mist with no way out.
Those who entered never returned, vanishing without a trace.
I had considered various possibilities for why Elder Brother Jin-ho had disappeared, and Muchul Musan was indeed one of them.
But I had deliberately excluded it from my theories.
Muchul Musan wouldn’t become known to the world for another three years.
Yet my thinking was flawed.
It had existed from this time onward.
Muchul Musan had created one taboo in Yunnan.
Never walk into the mist, and if fog descends, remain motionless in that place.
It was no ordinary fog—it could be Muchul Musan itself, and waiting quietly for the mist to dissipate was far safer than wandering about trying to escape.
When the number of missing exceeded a thousand, the Imperial Palace finally took action.
A massive search party was assembled and sent to Yunnan, and during the investigation, Muchul Musan vanished.
I was twenty-five years old at the time.
The one who led the Imperial Palace and the search party received great acclaim for it.
After Muchul Musan disappeared, corpses were discovered in that place—bodies of those who had perished wandering through the mist.
Among the countless dead were those who had fallen to each other’s blades.
That meant there was nothing within that could threaten Elder Brother Jin-ho and his companions.
As long as one was careful of people.
If Elder Brother Jin-ho truly entered Muchul Musan and disappeared, it would almost be fortunate.
Because I know the way out of that place.
There was one person who had emerged alive from Muchul Musan.
When asked how he had managed to escape, he answered thus:

“The threads of the sack I carried became caught on a tree branch and unraveled. I was able to follow those threads and find my way out.”

For him, the threads of his sack catching on a branch and coming undone had been a stroke of fortune.

In any case, it was late, so we decided to begin our search early the next morning.

* * *

Within the thick mist where I couldn’t see even a step ahead.
Not only were there no sounds of wild beasts that should have echoed through a normal forest, but even the calls of mountain birds were absent, making everything feel eerily unnatural.
Crunch, crunch,
The only sound I could hear was the footsteps of my companions.
How long had we been walking like this?
Eun Jin-ho spotted a cart ahead of us and sighed.
“Ah….”
It was a cart our group had abandoned.

A month ago.
When Eun Jin-ho’s party was traveling along the mountain path, a thick mist suddenly began to roll in.
Since mist was a common occurrence in this region, we didn’t think much of it and continued on our way.
By the time I realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
We should have reached our destination—the tea plantation—in just three more days, yet all I saw was an endless forest path stretching before us.
“Um, Young Master.”
Haeng-su, who was traveling with us, spoke up.
“We only have about ten days’ worth of provisions left.”
When conducting merchant operations, one never knows what might happen. That’s why we had loaded provisions as generously as possible.
And I carried dried meat and other preserved foods in my possession.
Even excluding the personal rations each individual carried, having only ten days’ worth of supplies remaining meant our situation was far from favorable.
Eun Jin-ho discussed the matter with Pyo Du and Haeng-su before making a decision.
We would abandon the carts.
First, we needed to escape the forest quickly.
Yet even after wandering the forest for nearly a month, we still hadn’t managed to leave it.
When I encountered the cart for the eighth time, I finally shut my eyes tightly.
I heard my companions whispering behind me.
“Are we really going to die here like this? I don’t want to! I don’t!”
“This fool’s starting again.”
“Like those people we saw on the way here, we’ll also dry up and wither….”
“Hey! Shut up! Why would we die?”
“By now, the Pyoguk and the Trading Company must have sent search parties to rescue us.”
“So hold onto hope.”
“But….”
Then someone continued speaking.
“I wish they wouldn’t come.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If they enter this forest and end up like us, I’d feel so sorry I couldn’t close my eyes even in death.”
“….”
At those words, I smiled bitterly.
I felt the same way.
Dying of starvation in such a place was something I alone could bear.
But if those who came to rescue me were to wander the forest as I have….
If my family were among that rescue party….
“What should we do?”
When Haeng-su asked Pyo Du, he laughed hollowly.
“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure myself.”
Pyo Du sank down where he stood.
The horses they had brought with them had already been consumed as provisions, their flesh disappearing into empty bellies.
With their remaining supplies rationed so carefully that they ate only once a day, there was no strength left to draw upon.
When Pyo Du, who had been leading them, showed signs of surrendering to despair, the others too seemed to give up, sinking down onto the ground.
In truth, merely surviving this long was itself a miracle—a testament to how tightly bound the people of the Eunhae Trading Company were.
Yet they were still human, and every human has their limits.
I observed my companions.
Seeing them exhausted and drained from walking despite their hunger stirred pity in my heart.
Grrrrowl.
At the sound from my own stomach, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hahaha.”
My laughter drew everyone’s attention to me, and I spoke to their watching eyes.
“In a situation like this, all the sword training in the world is useless. Rice, it seems, is truly supreme.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Without meaning to, I had redirected their focus toward me.
“I’ve made a decision. If I leave this place alive, I will never waste food again.”
At my words, the others burst into laughter once more.
I turned to Haeng-su and said:
“For now, I think it best we rest here. Let’s build a fire to keep our body heat from dropping.”
“Understood.”
Soon they moved about with purpose.
With trees abundant all around, there was no shortage of firewood.
Even though the mist had dampened the wood, starting a fire with wet timber was no difficult task for seasoned members of the Escort Master’s company and the Porter Guild.
As I stared into the flames, I heard a sniffling sound from somewhere.
Likely someone lamenting their current plight—though I understood that feeling all too well.
The mist reminded me of winter nights long past.
Perhaps that was why.
Without thinking, I began to speak.
“I once heard a story from my Grandfather. It was about a warrior who set out on a journey. That warrior had….”
The others listened intently to my tale, and they came to realize something.
While listening to a story, hunger seemed to fade away.
When my story ended, another spoke up.
“Now I shall share a tale that I know.”
Story followed story, and so we endured through another night.

* * *

After spending the night at Eulrim Inn, I descended to the first floor. Truth be told, worry over Jin-ho kept sleep at bay, but I forced myself to rest nonetheless.
My condition needed to be sound, lest I become a burden in searching for him.
For breakfast, I ate dumplings and duck soup.
Admittedly, it was somewhat generous for a morning meal, but I needed to eat my fill.
Yunnan was no place to wander on nothing but a bowl of rice porridge.
After finishing the meal, Mak Chung Pyo-du unfurled a map across the front of the dining hall.
It was a map used by the Pyoguk.
“The fact that no cart has been found in the vicinity means they took the cart deeper inside. Therefore, we shall focus our search on paths suitable for pulling a cart.”
Mak Chung Pyo-du continued his explanation.
“Three days’ journey from here lies the tea plantation. And there are no inns along that route—only spaces where we can make camp. Since there are no traces of camping there, we can consider this area to be our search range.”
I nodded as I listened to his explanation.
There was good reason the director of Changin Escort Agency had sent Mak Chung Pyo-du to lead the search.
Mak Chung Pyo-du grasped the essentials and issued his directives with precision.
“I will divide the rescue party into three teams.”
One team led by Mak Chung Pyo-du, one led by Jung Chung, and one led by me.
My team consisted of seven members: Palgap, two Guard Warriors, Seo-woo Warrior, and two warriors brought by Jung Chung.
“As I mentioned yesterday, those who are missing may be hungry, and we ourselves risk becoming lost in the mist. Therefore, pack provisions generously. And should you enter the mist, quickly tie the rope I have distributed to nearby trees.”
Thus we confirmed the safety measures for the rescue party.
“We shall now begin our search. I must emphasize once more: we came to rescue others, so take care that we do not end up needing rescue ourselves.”
“Understood!”

Soon we began our search.
I did not inform them about the Blood Resonance Bracelet I wore on my wrist.
As the saying goes, the sight of treasure stirs greed in the heart.
Especially since a mystical artifact possessed inherent value, there was always the risk of unwanted attention.
Palgap didn’t even know this was a mystical artifact. He simply believed it was a bracelet I’d purchased from the Marketplace Street.
I glanced down and lifted my sleeve to observe the bracelet.
The bracelet that had appeared crimson within the Merchant Guild Headquarters now gleamed with a brilliant silver hue.
Two other teams departed first, and we followed in their wake.
“Let us depart as well.”
“Yes.”
Thus began our earnest search to locate Jin-ho and his companions.
“Eunhae Trading Company!”
“…”
“Changin Escort Agency!”
“…”
We called out loudly as we traversed ridges, crossed valleys, and combed through the entire forest.
Yet the only response that returned was the echo of our own voices.
Shrill! Shrill!
The whistle signaled a rest period.
I settled onto a boulder and drank from my water flask.
Ah, now I can finally breathe.
At that moment, Seo-woo Warrior tilted his head curiously.
“Something seems rather odd, doesn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Normally, this place is teeming with insects of all kinds. Yet I see none of them.”
“…Is that so?”
“It is certainly strange.”
At his words, I felt a pang of guilt within.
Just as it had been when I traveled to Sichuan before, this was undoubtedly caused by me.
Then Lee Pil Warrior spoke.
“That is likely because I have been circulating my inner energy as we move about.”
“Ah, that does make sense.”
Insects are sensitive creatures to spiritual energy, so when one circulates inner energy, they naturally keep their distance.
“Then you must be growing weary easily.”
“We cannot allow our lord to be bitten by insects.”
Lee Pil Warrior looked at me with a slightly meaningful smile.
It was clear.
Having traveled to Sichuan with me before, he had discerned that this was caused by me.
And noticing that my response would be difficult, he had stepped in on my behalf.
I was grateful.
I was deeply moved by his words of concern for me.
Whiiiiiip!
After resting for roughly an hour, the search resumed.
It was when we had been wandering the mountain for half a day.
I glanced down at my wrist.
“…!”
The bracelet had turned crimson. That meant Jin-ho was within ten leagues of here.
Hope kindled within me.
Watching the bracelet, I subtly guided our direction until we discovered where the dense mist lingered.
The entrance to Muchul Musan.
“This must be it. Send the signal.”
“Yes.”
At my command, one of the Eunpung Corps warriors fired a signal flare into the sky.
Jin-ho was in there.
They say the blood resonance bracelet doesn’t respond to the dead, so he was still alive.
I ordered Palgap to tie the rope we’d been given to a nearby tree.
As Palgap secured the rope and began unspooling it, he spoke.
“Are we going in like this?”
“I think it’s better if I go in alone.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Naturally, they all protested vehemently, and no amount of persuasion would budge them.
So we decided that a Yeoeung-am warrior and one of the Eunpung Corps warriors would remain here to wait for the others, while the rest of us would enter the mist together.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
We entered Muchul Musan.
Elder Brother, wait just a little longer.
I’m coming for you.
.
.
.
The mist inside was just as I’d heard—so thick that we couldn’t see even a hand’s breadth ahead, enveloping everything in all directions.
After walking for about an hour, we discovered a group of people.
Jin-ho and his companions.
Finding Jin-ho and his party in the mist proved easier than I’d expected.
“Elder Brother! Jin-ho!”
Jin-ho, who had been sitting blankly before a campfire, saw me and let out a soft laugh.
“Now I’m even seeing phantoms.”
Jin-ho rose from his seat and approached me.
“Still, it’s good to see you before I die.”
At those words, tears threatened to burst forth uncontrollably.
So I shouted even more spitefully.
“Ugh! Seriously! What are you talking about! Are you an idiot, Elder Brother? Can’t you tell the difference between reality and illusion?”
Then I kicked his shin with all my strength.

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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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