Chapter 144
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 144
Chapter 144. Cleaning Up the Front Yard (4)
As the meeting slowly came to an end, the host, Captain In-gang-soo, stepped up onto the stage.
“I hope everyone had a good time. With that, this year's meeting is now adjourned.”
He then raised his fan and struck the drum next to him.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
At the same time, a sound of disappointment was heard from somewhere. I think I know what that sound was.
It must have been the sigh of the thief who failed to steal the silver plate.
Mixed in with that was the sigh of Dae-do Chun-il, because my battle with him had ended in victory.
.
.
.
On the way back to the inn.
My father quietly asked me.
“By the way, you seemed interested in a dancer earlier. Is that your type?”
My mother also turned her attention to us.
I had expected him to ask me about her, but I didn't expect him to ask so directly.
I smiled and shook my head.
“Father, I like women, not men.”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you mean?”
They both looked confused.
Since I needed my father's permission to hire Dao Chunil as a security advisor, I explained the whole story to him.
“So you're saying that dancer is famous as a Dao?”
“Yes, Father.”
“And you challenged him to a fight and won.”
“Yes.”
At my answer, my father's gaze turned to the silver badge hanging from my waist.
“You participated in the meeting for the first time, so how did you manage to keep the silver badge?”
It was because I had studied extremely hard in my previous life.
At the first meeting I attended, I lost the silver badge in an instant, which made me determined to win.
So, I studied really hard and attended the next meeting, but I lost my silver plate again.
However, from the next meeting onwards, I didn't lose my silver plate.
I studied hard, but in my opinion, the biggest reason was that Dao Chun-il didn't come.
No, he couldn't come.
When I attended the meeting for the third time, he had already been executed by Senior Brother.
In other words, I had never defeated Chun-il in my previous life.
Could I have defeated him the third time?
No, it would have been difficult.
Now that I had reached the peak of my Tae-eum Byeong-hae-shin-gong, I could see it clearly.
Chun-il was not just a Taoist.
He was a god.
It was paradoxical that someone with god-level talent had an aversion to stealing but couldn't escape from it.
That was why I couldn't leave things as they were.
Of course, I couldn't tell my parents about this, so I made up a vague excuse.
“I just saw how he did it.”
“Really?”
Fortunately, they both let it slide.
I glanced at my father and mother's waists, but I couldn't see their silver plates.
Could Dao Chun-il have stolen them?
But he had been targeting my silver plate throughout the meeting because of our duel.
Then someone else must have stolen my parents' silver plates.
There was nothing I could do this time, but next year would be different.
I planned to give them some “advice.”
The reason I didn't tell them how to keep their silver plates safe during the meeting was because it was my first time attending.
It would have seemed strange to give advice on this and that during my first meeting.
With that, the carriage we were riding in headed for the inn.
* *
At that moment.
Chun-il returned to his hideout and sat down heavily on his bed.
He was furious.
He had no idea how Eun Seo-ho recognized him in disguise, but this battle was a complete defeat.
Furthermore, every time he hit him, he pretended it was an accident, but Chun-il could see that it was clearly intentional.
He was under the table, and when he tried to steal it by kicking it and passing by, he was hit on the back of the head with a hand...
When he disguised himself as a waiter and tried to steal the silver plate, he was tripped and fell...
He was more angry at being kicked, hit, and knocked down than at not being able to steal Eun Seo-ho's silver plate today.
“Ugh.”
He sighed.
No matter what he said, the fact that he had lost was an unchangeable reality.
He looked at the note Eun Seo-ho left behind.
[Come to the private room of Daejinru at the beginning of the hour of the pig (21:00-23:00) tomorrow night without revealing your identity.
* * *
The next morning.
I finished my usual breathing exercises and went down to the first floor.
My father was already sitting at the dining table.
“I'm late.”
"It's okay. I just got here myself.“
Soon after, my mother came downstairs, and we enjoyed the chicken porridge that was served for breakfast.
After we finished eating, my father spoke to me while we were drinking tea.
”You're meeting that man tonight, aren't you?“
”Yes.“
”He may not show up.“
”That would be better. It would mean he's not trustworthy, and we could get rid of him."
“That's true.”
My father was positive about hiring Dao Chun-il as a security advisor.
“As you said, snakes know the ways of snakes, so hiring him isn't a bad idea. However, bad habits are not easy to change.”
“You are right, Father. That's why I have a plan.”
“Yes, I'm sure you've prepared well. I trust you.”
My father's words of trust weighed heavily on my heart.
I bowed my head in gratitude.
“I won't disappoint you.”
They both smiled happily and nodded.
“I have one more thing to say.”
“What is it?”
“I know you're returning to the capital early tomorrow morning, but I would like to leave a few days later.”
“You mean you want to stay here a little longer?”
“Yes.”
There was something I hadn't yet accomplished.
The greatest treasure I had found in Luoyang, the very reason I had come here, would be gone in two days.
In order to pick it up, I had to stay in Luoyang for a few more days.
After thinking for a moment, my father readily gave his permission.
“Yes, do as you wish.”
“Thank you, Father.”
.
.
.
I came out to the inn in Luoyang.
The reason I came out to the inn was because Pal-gap wanted me to.
“I came to a place I wanted to visit at least once in my dreams, but now I'm stuck in an inn, and I feel depressed.”
Seeing Pal-gap looking like a bear with his ears drooping, I felt a pang of conscience.
That's why I came out like this.
Well, sometimes you need a change of scenery.
Behind me, three bodyguards were closely guarding me.
Seo Woo, the warrior, was particularly tense and on high alert.
“Seo Woo, you don't need to be so tense.”
“No, this is Luoyang, where martial artists from all over the Central Plains gather. For the safety of our Liege, we must remain vigilant at all times.”
If Jin-yu had come with us, Seo-woo's burden would have been lighter, but he was currently staying at the inn.
He was an assassin secretly trained by the Martial Alliance Leader, and Luoyang was where he lived.
He said that if someone recognized him, it would cause trouble, so he decided to stay at the inn for the duration of the meeting.
I respected his opinion.
However, we cannot keep avoiding them like this. We must come up with a plan.
Since he had lived in Luoyang for a long time, he gave us useful information instead of going with us.
For example, he told us that the spicy chicken noodles at the Mijiban Restaurant are very delicious.
The Mijiban Restaurant later became so famous that you had to wait in line to eat there.
It wasn't that popular yet, so I planned to eat there for lunch later.
Then I planned to go to the bookstore district.
There was a bookstore district in Luoyang, and I remembered that it had a slightly different atmosphere from the bookstore district in Beijing.
Before that, I had to give Pal-gap a little pep talk.
A short time later, we arrived at a luxurious pavilion.
“Hey! Where is this place?”
Pal-gap blinked his eyes as he looked at the five-story Huanghuo Tea House.
“Huanghuo Tea House. They said you have to come here if you want to say you've enjoyed yourself in Luoyang.”
It is called Huanghuo because the lake in front of it turns golden in the evening.
It was also one of the most luxurious teahouses in Luoyang.
It would be better to come back in the evening, but my parents were leaving early tomorrow morning, so I had to have dinner with them.
At that moment, a waiter approached us.
“Welcome. How many people are there?”
“Five.”
“Which floor would you like?”
I smiled and replied to his question.
“The fifth floor, please.”
The waiter glanced at us, bowed his head, and said,
“I will show you to your table.”
We went up to the fifth floor of Huangho Daru.
The higher we went, the louder and noisier it became.
When we arrived at the fifth floor, I smiled at the quiet and peaceful scenery.
This place is just as I remember it.
We sat down at a suitable table, and the waiter brought us the order form.
“Five for Byeokra Chun, please.”
“I'm sorry, sir. This is a cash-only restaurant.”
Hearing that, I took the money out of my wallet and handed it to him.
“Thank you. We'll have it ready shortly.”
The waiter left, and Pal-gap leaned toward me and said in a low voice.
“I think I made the right choice in becoming your servant. I get to drink expensive tea in a place like this.”
At Hwangho-daru, the price of tea varies depending on the floor.
The higher the floor, the more expensive the tea, which was a kind of seat fee.
The price was so high that it would have shocked most people, but Pal-gap accepted it without hesitation.
I responded to his boldness with a joke of my own.
“So, continue to serve me well.”
“Of course, sir.”
When the bodyguards sitting around me nodded in unison, I felt a little embarrassed.
A moment later,
the five pots of Byeokra Chun I ordered were brought out with some snacks.
This green tea, produced in Gangso, is made from young buds.
It is difficult to make, but it tastes very good and has a wonderful aroma.
The subtle fruity aroma suggested that it was made from high-quality tea leaves.
This is made in Dongjeong Mountain.
Among Byeokrachun teas, those made in Dongjeong Mountain are considered the best and are therefore expensive.
That is why there are unscrupulous people who sell fake Byeokrachun at high prices, but this is genuine Dongjeong Byeokrachun.
It was worth paying so much money for this tea.
I glanced at Pal-gap.
I smiled as I watched him sip his tea and eat sweets.
I brought Pal-gap here because it reminded me of my past life.
“I hear that the Yellow River in Luoyang is very beautiful. Can we go there?”
“Can we go to the Yellow River this time?”
I sang about how much I wanted to go to the Yellow River, but that wish was not fulfilled for a long time.
Every time I tried to go to the Yellow River, something strange happened.
At that time, Pal-gap said,
“If I had seen it when I was a little younger, I would have been more impressed. But I am still very grateful that you brought me here.”
How could I forget Pal-gap's expression when he said that?
That is why I brought him to this place, where he could see the Yellow River, which he wanted to see so much in his past life.
I wanted to go to a tavern, but neither my attendant nor my bodyguards could drink alcohol.
Pal-gap served me faithfully in my previous life.
I regret that this was all I could do for him, but I was glad that I could at least do this much.
After enjoying the view of the Yellow River from the pier, we headed back to the streets of Luoyang.
“Where are we going now?”
“To the bookstore district.”
It was still too early for lunch.
“Do you know where it is?”
I nodded in response to Pal-gap's question.
“Jinyu told me, so I have a rough idea.”
As we searched for the way, racking our brains, we soon arrived at the bookstore district.
[You can do it too. “Learn martial arts in 100 days.”]
[Required reading for martial artists. “How to survive in the martial arts world.”]
[The latest edition of “People and Forces of the Martial Arts World” is now available.
I smiled as I looked at the book advertisements posted in front of the bookstore.
Unlike Beijing, where there were mostly books about the past and poetry collections, this place seemed to have many books about martial arts and the martial arts world.
As I looked around the bookstore, I saw a small bookstore in the corner and immediately wanted to go inside.
It was a strange attraction I had never felt before.
I entered the small bookstore.
Seeing that it was full of books with fingerprints on them, I could tell at a glance that it was a place that sold used books.
The old man who appeared to be the owner continued doing his work even after we entered the bookstore.
As soon as I entered the bookstore, I couldn't see any other books, and my eyes were drawn to that book.
As if spellbound, I walked over and picked up the book.
The cover was missing, and a temporary cover had been made, but even the title was not written on it.
I opened the book.
[The Beginning of the Dark Moon...]
But the content seemed familiar.