Chapter 142
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 142
Chapter 142. Cleaning the Front Yard (2)
I said to the waiter.
“Please show me that hairpin and the gold belt next to it.”
At my request, the waiter took out the two items and showed them to me.
“Here you are.”
I smiled happily as I looked at the jade hairpin and gold belt.
In my past life, they were used to harm innocent people at the hands of the Black Dao, but not anymore.
“Please wrap them up.”
“Let me get the bill first.”
I paid for the two accessories, and the waiter put each one in a silk bag.
With that, I had accomplished my purpose for coming to the market in Luoyang today.
“Good day.”
I left the accessory shop with Captain Sa-gang and looked back for a moment.
The shop I had just left was run by the Baekcheon Trading Company.
In other words, the Baekcheon Trading Company had let these two items slip through their fingers without even realizing they were in their possession.
In my previous life, they went to the Black Dao warrior.
This time, they were mine.
I felt twice as satisfied.
.
.
.
That evening, I went to see my mother.
“What's the matter?”
“I went to the market today and found something that I thought would suit you, so I bought it.”
My mother smiled brightly at my words.
“Did my son buy me a gift?”
“I'm not sure if you'll like it.”
My mother opened the bag I handed her and smiled even more brightly.
“This is a belt!”
“Do you like it?”
My mother nodded happily.
“I love it!”
“I'm glad.”
I continued.
“Would you pull the decoration on the belt to the side?”
At my words, my mother tilted her head and pulled the decoration on the belt.
Clank.
Hearing the sound, my mother tilted her head and asked.
“Is this a sword?”
“Yes.”
At my answer, my mother pulled part of the belt, revealing a long sword.
“Oh my!”
My mother was even happier than before.
She always says that she is now the wife of a merchant, but I think she is more suited to being a warrior.
My mother's family is from one of the martial arts clans in Hubei Province, where they use swords.
My mother was a skilled swordswoman, but she gave up swords to devote herself to her role as a housewife, which I found very sad.
Why didn't I think of giving my mother a sword in my previous life?
Seeing my mother so happy like a little girl when she saw the swords I gave her, I felt a little bitter.
The sword I gave my mother was made by a blacksmith called Tenzo, a legendary swordsmith from long ago. If you want to cut something, the sword itself will track down the target and cut it.
With this sword, she would be able to easily deal with anything that might happen.
Leaving my mother's room, I lay down on my bed.
“Ugh!”
But I soon got up.
I remembered that I had skipped my training for the day.
* *
It was my third day in Luoyang.
I dressed more elaborately than usual. This was because there was a meeting of the Baekdae Trading Company that evening.
When I went downstairs, Captain Sa-gang was standing there.
“You're down early.”
“Yes.”
Captain Sa-gang was also dressed quite elaborately today.
After waiting for a moment, Captain Sa-guk and his wife, as well as my parents, came down.
I chuckled to myself.
The hairpin in Captain Sa-guk's wife's hair was one that I had picked out for her.
Come to think of it, my mother was also wearing the belt I had given her.
“Let's go.”
“Yes.”
.
.
.
The venue for this hundred-company meeting is Honglan Tower in Luoyang.
It is a five-story tower, and all floors have been rented for today.
As its name suggests, it is painted entirely red.
It was decorated with red silk flowers everywhere, giving it a strange atmosphere.
I had been here about five or six times in my past life.
Two of those times were for the Hundred Great Trading Companies meeting.
The Hundred Great Trading Companies meeting was held at a different location each time, and when it was held in Luoyang, it was held here because it was the largest venue.
Other than that, I came here for business.
As we got out of the carriage, waiters rushed over to greet us.
“Welcome.”
“Please attach this silver token to your waist.”
I looked at the silver token I received from the waiter, and saw the words “Baekdae Trading Company Meeting” engraved on it.
It had been a long time since I had touched a silver token.
It was customary to wear these silver tags yourself, without the help of servants or maids.
We put the silver tags on our waists and entered the building.
“Welcome!”
“Nice to see you!”
The captains who had arrived earlier greeted us warmly.
One of them said to my father, “Captain, you're here too?”
“I see you have a young gentleman with you today. Is he your son?”
“Yes, he is my youngest son.”
At my father's words, I bowed with clasped hands.
“My name is Eun Seo-ho.”
“Ah! You must be the young gentleman who became the youngest captain in the history of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“It is thanks to your kindness that I, an unworthy man, have been given such an honor.”
“Don't say that. The captains of the Eunhae Trading Company are formidable people!”
As I exchanged greetings with the captains, I calmly observed them.
I wanted to recall my memories of my previous life and think about my future relationships.
Hmm, that captain lost his connection with the imperial court and ruined his trading company overnight.
That captain's son squandered the entire company.
It was interesting and useful to observe the captains and compare them to my past life.
Then it happened.
I felt a chill run down my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
I slowly turned my head.
“...!”
The man with a goatee was approaching me.
It was Noh Gung-gang, the head of the Baekcheon Trading Company.
The closer he got, the faster my heart beat.
At the same time, I could hear the words he said when he killed me.
"Your Eunhae Trading Company has grown too big and become a nuisance. I don't like your useless righteousness. You are raising the standards of goodness, and that is problematic. That is why you are a thorn in my side.“
”Yes, that is the reaction I wanted. It would have been boring if you hadn't reacted at all. But do you know why?“
”The real reason I am destroying the Eunhae Trading Company is because of you.“
”Go in peace."
And in that moment, I could feel the cold blade of Captain Namgung Kang's sword pressing against my neck.
Following the advice of the old man at the general store, I attended the meeting with confidence, but it was still difficult to face him directly.
Without realizing it, I broke out in a cold sweat and my hands grew cold.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The sound of my heart beating echoed throughout my body.
That was when it happened.
“Are you okay?”
My mother must have noticed that I didn't look well, because she came over and held my hand.
“Ah...”
As I felt the warmth of my mother's hand, my heartbeat gradually began to slow down.
Then I noticed my mother's belt.
At that moment, I remembered what I had stolen from the Martial Alliance.
A huge amount of night pearls.
One of the master craftsman's masterpieces, a pair of swords.
And a hairpin for my sister-in-law.
When I remembered that, I suddenly felt relieved and could breathe freely.
As the old man at the general store had said, I began to look forward to seeing his expression when he found out that I had taken those things, much later.
Of course, I had no intention of telling him the truth.
Before I knew it, my father greeted Baek Cheon-sang, who had approached us.
“Long time no see.”
My father exchanged greetings with him and introduced me.
“Say hello. This is Captain Namgung Kang of the Baekcheon Trading Company.”
“I am Eunseoho, the junior captain.”
“You look just like the son of a captain. You are very handsome. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
I bowed politely in response to his words, and my father laughed and said, “This child looks a lot like me when I was young. Ha ha ha!”
My father and he exchanged small talk, but then someone called out to him.
“It seems something has come up. Have a good time. I hope Mister Dao has a good time as well.”
My father and he exchanged small talk, but then someone called out to him.
Then he headed toward the person who had called him.
My father watched his back for a moment and asked me,
“You looked pale just a moment ago, but you seem fine now.”
“Ah, I felt a little dizzy when I thought I was meeting the captains of the 100 Trading Companies, but when I remembered that we are also one of the 100 Trading Companies, I felt better.”
“I see.”
My father patted me on the shoulder and said,
“It seems you have realized that this is a place where an invisible war is being waged. But here, it is important to remain confident.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
At that moment, someone appeared on the stage set up in the banquet hall.
It was an old man with a white beard.
He was the host of this meeting and the captain of the world's best trading company, the Seobin Trading Company.
It was safe to say that there was hardly anyone living in the Central Plains who had not heard of the Seobin Trading Company.
The Se-bin Trading Company mainly dealt in paper, brushes, and inkstones, which were considered the four treasures of the study, and it also distributed the largest amount of alcohol.
In addition, it was the trading company that supplied paper to the imperial court.
Dong-dong-dong!
With the sound of drums, the room fell silent, and everyone's attention turned to Captain In-gang-soo.
“First of all, I would like to thank everyone for gathering here today.”
He continued.
“It seems that some people have not arrived yet, but it looks like almost everyone is here, so let's begin the meeting of the 100 Trading Companies.”
He smiled.
“And please check the silver plates on your waists carefully. I heard that many people came here for the silver plates again this time.”
“...”
Everyone looked nervous, and Captain In-gang-soo took a fan out of his pocket.
“Now, let us begin the meeting of the Trading Company.”
As soon as he made the announcement, he struck the drum with his fan.
Dong, dong, dong!
The meeting had begun.
* *
Chun-il is a thief.
There was no particular reason why he became a thief.
It was just to survive.
His parents died while martial artists were fighting each other.
However, when the fight ended, no one paid any attention to Chun-il, and he was left behind.
Chun-il ended up wandering the streets and joined a gang of beggars.
However, those days were not very happy either.
Every day, if he failed to pay his share, he was severely beaten by the leader, which was unbearable for a child.
Then, he suddenly had an idea.
“There's no law that says I have to beg to fill my quota, right? I can just fill it somehow, right?”
With that in mind, he sneaked into an empty house and stole some money.
That day, not only did he avoid being beaten by the leader, he was even praised.
He stole once, then twice, and gradually became more daring.
Then, while stealing from a house, he met a man.
He thought it was all over, as he had been caught stealing.
However, the man smiled and asked Chun-il what he liked about him.
“Why don't you become a real thief instead of a petty thief?”
It was his encounter with his master.
Perhaps he had a talent for stealing, as he mastered all of his master's techniques.
Eventually, his master declared, “You are better than me.”
Having reached the level of a master, there was nothing he couldn't steal.
However, stealing was a crime, so he always felt guilty deep down.
Then one day, something happened that shocked him.
People were gathered around a house, talking excitedly.
Inside, a young couple was crying sadly.
He remembered the face of the man. He was the man he had stolen money from.
Then he heard people talking.
“I wanted to take my child to the physician, but I couldn't go.”
“He lost his money because he was pickpocketed.”
“Is that pickpocket a human being? How could he steal money that could save a child's life!”
“Exactly! That bastard should be torn to pieces!”
Hearing those words, Chun-il felt nauseous.
“What have I done?”
After vomiting up everything he had eaten that day, he decided to quit stealing, but old habits die hard, and he ended up stealing again.
Tormented by stealing, which had become second nature to him, he thought to himself.
Then, I'll steal from people who won't mind losing a few silver coins.
That was the beginning of Chun-il's career as a thief who targeted only the rich.
There was no way he would miss the meeting of the Trading Company.
Moreover, they had told him to steal the silver plates.
He had never failed to steal his target silver plates.
At a banquet, twenty silver plates were the minimum.
However, Chun-il did not know that
There was someone at Hongranru, where he had infiltrated to steal the silver plates, who knew his true identity.
He felt a chill run down his spine when he saw the gaze of a young man dressed in colorful clothes.