Chapter 111
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 111
Chapter 111. The Righteousness of the Sichuan Tang Clan (1)
It was already November, and winter was gradually approaching.
When I returned to my office after receiving my father's permission to go to Sichuan, an unexpected guest arrived.
It was Seo Woo, the husband of Lady Hong Geum-so.
“It's been a long time. What brings you here?”
Seo Woo Mu knelt before me in response to my question.
“Why are you doing that? Get up!”
“Please accept me into the royal guard.”
“What?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
“Didn't you return to the Daejeong Agency?”
After returning from Yunnan with me, Seo Woo-musa returned to the Daejeong Agency and left on an escort mission.
Therefore, he was unable to accompany me to Uichang and attend my brother Jin-ho's ceremony to announce his promotion to Captain.
“That was because I had an unfulfilled contract. I have fulfilled that contract and officially ended my contractual relationship with the Daejeong Escort Agency.”
Seo Woo continued.
“And I heard that you took a warrior named Jin Yu who came with you from Uichang as your escort. I would also like to become your escort.”
I tried to help him up.
“Please stand up. Let's talk slowly.”
“I will not stand up until you allow me to join the escort team.”
“...”
Hearing his words, I sat down in front of Seo Woo.
He looked surprised at me.
“Why are you looking at me like that? We need to look each other in the eye when we talk. That's why I'm sitting here.”
“The floor is hard.”
“I have no choice since you won't sit on a chair.”
“...”
Seo Woo sighed and said in response to my words.
“I'll sit on a chair. Now, please sit down, Your Highness.”
You should have said so earlier.
I got up from my seat and sat in front of Da-tak, and Seo Woo-mu also got up from his seat and sat in front of me.
“Is the reason you want to be my bodyguard to repay me for my kindness?”
He answered my direct question.
“Yes, that's right.”
“Then you don't have to. You already repaid your debt by going with me to Yunnan to save my second brother. You were a great help.”
“Don't make me feel like a shameless person by saying that you have repaid your debt.”
He continued.
“The king didn't just give me my life. He saved my life and my soul. If I had died, I would have been unable to rest in peace because I would have felt so sorry for my wife.”
I was just repaying the kindness of Mrs. Hong Geum-so, who helped me, and Seo Woo, the warrior who saved my life.
However, it seemed that my actions had left a deep impression on Seo Woo.
“I want to use the life and soul that His Majesty has given me to serve him. Please accept me as your bodyguard.”
“...”
I looked at Seo Woo and thought hard.
He was clearly a talented man.
He earned the title “Baekjeokgeom” for his outstanding martial arts skills.
In addition, he was the head escort in charge of the Yunnan area.
I was able to see Seo Woo's true value when Jin-ho went missing.
When rumors began to spread that Seo Woo had ended his contract with Daejeong Escort Agency, several escort agencies offered him huge contract fees to sign with them.
Even the Changin Escort Agency, where my master belongs, is drooling over him.
He is willing to give up such benefits to become a member of my personal bodyguard.
“If it's because of my salary, I'll work for free. Just let me stay by your side and protect you.”
“You'll work for free? That's out of the question!”
How can you let such a talented person work for free?
Only those with a black heart would do such a thing.
“The reason I'm hesitating is because I think there may be others who want you, Seo Woo.”
“Oh, that...”
Seo Woo smiled awkwardly.
“As you said, the head of the Changin Escort Agency came to see me last night and offered a large contract fee.”
As expected, you are quick to recruit talented people.
You already visited him.
“But I refused. He understood my decision to become your bodyguard.”
I was more puzzled by the fact that the head of the Changin Escort Agency accepted his refusal than by the fact that Seo Woo had refused the offer.
“He accepted it?”
“Yes. He said that there was no point in trying to force him to stay when his heart was already set on something else.”
“...”
Seo Woo seemed to have already made up his mind. Even Changin Pyo-guk accepted it and withdrew.
“I understand.”
“Yes?”
“I am truly grateful that someone like Seo Woo will join my escort team.”
Seo Woo stood up with a bright smile and gave a clasped hands greeting.
“Thank you for accepting my request.”
“I look forward to working with you.”
In order to accept someone into my guard unit, I first needed my father's permission.
I immediately asked my father for permission, and as I expected, he readily agreed, unlike when he had refused to let Jin-yu join.
However, I still had to undergo training at Eunpungdae for half a month.
Since I would be going to Sichuan after my birthday, Seo Woo could go with me.
.
.
.
Half a month passed.
My birthday came and went, and I turned eighteen.
I felt just like any other day. It was my second time turning eighteen.
Rather than being a year older, it was more important to remember what had happened during this period.
That would help the Eunhae Trading Company grow.
The Baekcheon Trading Company, currently sponsored by the Martial Alliance, was above them.
It was the third largest trading company in the country.
That meant that the Baekcheon Trading Company could be seen anywhere, but those who ran it were not easily seen.
Suddenly, he remembered what happened when he went to Sichuan before.
At that time, the imperial court was preparing a salt distribution law, and through the connection he made when he saved Jin Woo-rim, the captain of the trading company, Eunhae Trading Company became a salt retailer in Hubei Province.
However, Baekcheon Trading Company did not become a salt retailer because Jin Woo-rim intentionally excluded them.
Perhaps it was because Jin saw through the true nature of the Baekcheon Trading Company.
No wonder Jin is a thorn in their side.
That thought suddenly crossed my mind.
I wondered if the Martial Alliance or the Baekcheon Trading Company had incited the Dong Trading Company to kill Jin.
When the emperor personally interrogated him, he didn't say anything like that.
He wouldn't have encouraged them in such an obvious way.
The Baekcheon Trading Company is currently recognized as a rock-solid trading company.
It's a trading company that steadfastly follows the path of the upper class, no matter what happens.
But that impression was deliberately created.
Behind the scenes, they used all kinds of tricks and even resorted to force.
Now that our Eunhae Trading Company is slowly beginning to threaten their position, they will start to take action.
Therefore, in order to defend ourselves, we must make as many allies as possible within the Eunhae Trading Company.
Some may say that the allies we have made so far are enough, but that is not the case.
We still need more.
.
.
.
Two days after my birthday.
My party and I headed for Sichuan.
The official reason for my trip to Sichuan was to inspect the writing brushes sold there.
And while I was in Sichuan, I had somewhere else to visit.
My uncle's branch office in Sichuan.
The trade delegation going to Sichuan decided to travel with me.
Traveling together would reduce expenses, so it made sense to travel together.
When I went to Sichuan before, I traveled separately to catch the rat.
But this time, there was no need to do that, so I decided to take a detour.
It would have been easier to take a boat up the Yangtze River, but that would only get us as far as Chongqing.
From there, it would be dangerous because of the rapids.
And even if we got off the boat in Chongqing and tried to go by land, it would be difficult.
The road to Sichuan was very rough, and it was difficult even for carts to pass.
Therefore, it was easier on the body and mind to take a detour.
The route was decided.
We would go to Yichang, pass through Shaanxi at the foot of Mount Wudang, and enter Sichuan.
My party consisted of Pal-gap, four bodyguards, and Ye-chang's aide, for a total of six people.
When I told them we were going to Sichuan, Yeo Chang's second-in-command prepared for the trip without saying a word, showing that he had become accustomed to my travels.
.
.
.
“You brat! Today, I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget!”
“Koo! Koo!”
“What! You coward, kicking me from behind?”
“Guk!”
Today, Pal-gap was being brutally beaten by Geum-ryeong.
Hmm, is this a battle for rank?
But why are humans fighting spiritual beasts for rank...?
It had been more than five days since they left Eunhae Trading Company, but their battle for rank was still not over.
In fact, the reason why this fight started was because Geum-ryeong always picked on Pal-gap.
One day, Pal-gap was talking strangely in his sleep, so I told Geum-ryeong to wake him up, and I guess he found it funny.
Looking at it this way... Is it my fault?
No. It's probably because he finds Pal-gap's violent reactions funny.
Hmm.
But the more Geum-ryung and Pal-gap bicker, the faster Pal-gap's movements seem to get.
“We'll be entering the entrance of Wudang Mountain soon.”
I nodded at Seo-woo's words.
“That's right.”
When I heard Wudang Mountain, I naturally thought of the Wudang Sect.
The martial arts of the Wudang Sect is to overcome strength with gentleness.
They mainly use swords.
Therefore, they are also called the Sword Sect.
However, although swords are the most famous, their other martial arts are also incredible.
In particular, the new technique called Vertical Cloud Ladder, which looks like walking on clouds, was so powerful that it was ranked among the top martial arts in the martial arts world.
I remembered that the Wudang Sect had declared itself closed-off.
It was before I died, when I was thirty-five years old.
And no matter what happened in Murim, they never left the gates.
What happened to the Wudang Sect that caused them to close themselves off?
I didn't know the reason at the time, and even now, I still don't know.
That was still far in the future.
It seemed to be because of the Martial Alliance, but at this point, I suddenly became curious about the intentions of the Martial Alliance, or rather, the Martial Alliance Leader.
Why was he recruiting or eliminating the sects and clans of Murim as his supporters?
At that moment, my senses picked up something.
It felt like someone was approaching.
Noticing the movement, Jin-yu and Seo-woo approached me with their swords in hand.
Then Hong-im, the head escort from the Changin Escort Agency, raised his hand.
Seeing this, everyone moved in unison. The warriors raised their weapons, and the guards moved closer to the escort.
Soon, a group of people appeared.
“Greetings! Ha ha ha!”
He laughed cheerfully and was clearly a member of the Green Forest Bandits.
“I am Black Head Sickle, a subordinate of Boss Cha of the Green Forest Bandits. Boss Cha told me to come and greet you, as this is our first meeting.”
We were now just a little further away from the Wudang Sect's territory.
That meant it was a place where the Green Forest Bandits couldn't operate.
I thought the Green Forest Bandits would come soon, and they really did.
But there was a name that caught my ear.
Heukdu-gyeom?
Come to think of it, in my previous life, when I was just 18, there was a guy who used to beat up people trying to cross Mudo Mountain.
It was a losing battle for both sides, so the escort agency and the mountain keepers would usually pay each other a toll and settle things amicably.
Knowing this, Heukdu-gyeom used the Green Forest Bandits' name to extort tolls.
As a result, many escort agencies and trading companies suffered losses.
There were even bloody fights with those sent by the real Nanbal-gwang-geom, Boss.
He should have stopped while he was ahead.
He had too many loose ends.
Nanbal-gwang-geom couldn't just let Heukdu-gyeom and his men get away with stealing the tolls they were supposed to collect.
In the end, Nanbukang set a trap, and Heukdu-gyeom fell into it.
His end was miserable.
According to what I heard, Heukdu-gyeom and his subordinates had their limbs cut off and were sold as slaves to a mine...
Knowing that future, I could have just let myself be fooled.
However, considering the damage that other escort agencies and trading companies would suffer if they were caught by Nanbalgwanggeom, it seemed like a good idea to cut off the problem before it grew any bigger.
“Oh, is that so? I was wondering when you would arrive.”
“I'm very shy, so I was late.”
“Here is the toll.”
Hong-im Head Escort took his wallet out of his pocket and handed it over.
Swish.
But I snatched it away.
“...?”
Hong-im and Heuk-du-gyeom looked at me with puzzled expressions.
I shook my head and said,
“It's not time to give it to you yet.”
“What?”
“I forgot to tell you. Actually, our Trading Company has something to discuss with Boss Cha, the Sword Master.”
Hong Im looked completely unaware.
Of course, he wouldn't know.
What I said just now was just a cover story.
I said to Heukdu-gyeom.
“So, please take me to Boss Cha.”