Chapter 163
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 163
Chapter 163. Master's Request (2)
I arrived at the general store and told the old man about my situation and that I needed to go to the North Sea.
“I see. Make sure you come back alive.”
The old man spoke bluntly, but I could feel his concern.
“Yes.”
“Is that all you came here for?”
“Um... Is there anything I should be careful about on my way there?”
The old man thought for a moment and then smiled.
“The most difficult journey is the journey to the north and the journey to the sea. But what more can I advise you?”
Come to think of it, he was right.
“Then please give my regards to your master.”
“I understand. Have a safe trip.”
.
.
.
The next morning.
I told my Master, who had come to teach me martial arts, that I would accept his request.
Then my Master bowed his head to me with clasped hands.
I was taken aback and quickly helped my Master to his feet.
“Master, why are you doing this?”
“It is out of gratitude.”
“As your disciple, can I not accept a single request from you?”
“I see. To express my gratitude any further would be an insult to my disciple. I understand.”
My master smiled faintly and nodded.
“Then I will express my gratitude in my own way.”
But Master.
Why are your eyes burning so brightly?
“Before you leave, I will teach you the tenth technique, Seolbong, so that you can master it completely.”
"....
My master's gratitude toward me was misplaced.
But you said you were hurt...
.
.
.
After completing my preparations, I headed for the North Sea on the fifteenth day of June.
* *
Kwak Myeong-hyun watched from afar as Eun Seo-ho set off for the North Sea.
“Ilseol.”
Someone appeared at his call and bowed.
I could guess his skill just by how quickly he appeared.
“Did you call me, Palace Head?”
Kwak Myeong-hyun smiled bitterly at the title.
When his father, the Palace Head of Seolpung Palace, passed away, he, the second son, succeeded him.
With a sense of responsibility, he was making every effort to find traces of Seolpung Palace and rebuild it.
However, he had recently realized what his true mission was.
“I will give you my orders. As I said before, please protect my disciple.”
“Yes, sir. But I have one question.”
“What is it?”
“Are you really planning to pass on the position of Palace Head of Seolpung Palace to your disciple?”
“It is too early to talk about that.”
He nodded at Kwak Myeong-hyun's firm answer.
“I will obey your orders. Are you feeling well?”
“Yes. Thanks to the Palm print, I am much better.”
“You must take care of yourself, Palace Head.”
“I will keep that in mind. But I had no choice but to take action. They had discovered our existence, and if we hadn't eliminated them, even if it meant going too far, we would have suffered great losses.”
“....”
“We hid the body well, so it will be safe for a while. The Myeong will think he went into hiding. So don't worry.”
“I understand. Still, please take care of yourself.”
“I will.”
With a whoosh, the man disappeared, and Kwak Myeong-hyun let out a sigh.
Then he frowned and pressed his side.
This was because the wound he had received was still sore.
However, thanks to the Palm print who had arrived just in time, it was healing quickly.
He thought of the man he had cut down.
He was one of those who had attacked Seolpunggung, and he happened to learn that the survivors of Seolpunggung were working to rebuild it.
Naturally, Kwak Myung-hyun couldn't let him live, so he approached him under the guise of being a head escort.
However, with Kwak Myung-hyun's skills, he couldn't be sure that he could defeat him.
However, he gained insight from the secret book containing Seolpung Palace's investigation findings that Eun Seo-ho had recently brought him.
This allowed him to overcome his weakness and win the fight.
However, he suffered serious injuries in the fight, which prevented him from searching for the clues that his master had told him about.
After much deliberation, he came to believe that it was the will of heaven.
So he decided to send Eun Seo-ho.
In fact, it could be seen as a kind of test for Eun Seo-ho.
If Eun Seo-ho really had the qualities of a Palace Head, he would return with whatever clues he could find.
Then, the other survivors would see that and follow his decision.
Kwak Myeong-hyun smiled wryly.
“I wonder what he will bring back.”
His amazing disciple had always returned with more than he could have imagined, so he was sure it would be the same this time.
Still, if his disciple had to bear this heavy fate, he wished it could have been later.
* * *
We were traveling on horseback.
There were two main routes from Hubei to the North Sea.
One was to take a slight detour and pass through Beijing, and the other was to go straight through the desert.
I chose the former.
I had always chosen the fastest and most efficient route, but that was because I knew it was safe.
However, crossing the desert was a very dangerous and uncertain journey.
My Master said that we only had to arrive before winter, so there was no need to rush.
As we headed north, we had to pass through the territory of the Wudang Sect.
The reason I was going this way was to take a boat to Shandong, but there was another reason.
As we continued on our way, we passed through the territory of the Wudang Sect.
In order to enter the Wudang Sect, you have to leave your weapons at the gate, but if you are just passing through, you can put your weapons in your luggage or carry them upside down as a sign of respect.
Of course, this does not apply to Wudang Sect masters.
“We will disarm ourselves.”
I shook my head at Seo Woo's words.
“No, you don't have to. You can go ahead.”
“What?”
I replied to his question.
“My companions and I have been given permission to enter the Wudang Sect's territory.”
When I received the special permit last time, I was the only one who met with the Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect, so the others didn't know about it.
My companions nodded in agreement with my bold words and entered the Wudang Sect's territory without disarming, where they encountered Wudang Sect disciples who were on patrol.
“You there, you insulted the Wudang Sect...”
I showed them my permit without saying a word.
I had a special permit, so my companions were not required to draw their swords.
When the Wudang Sect disciples saw the pass in my hand, they quickly changed their stance.
“We are grateful for the Wudang Sect's kindness.”
I greeted them with a clasped hands greeting.
“Nice to meet you. I am Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Are you the legendary Eun Seo-ho, Young Master?”
“It's just a nickname, but that's what people call me.”
The disciples of the Moo-Dang bowed their heads repeatedly.
“I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. I heard that you helped our sect greatly not long ago.”
“If you ever need our help, please don't hesitate to ask.”
I smiled gently and said.
“I was just passing through on business. Please forgive my rudeness for not being able to meet with the Sect Leader as I am in a hurry.”
“I understand.”
“Have a good day.”
With that, we were able to pass through the Wudang Sect's territory without any trouble.
As we were crossing Wudang Mountain, we saw a pavilion.
It was where Jinmudaeje was enshrined.
There were pavilions enshrining Jinmudaeje everywhere in Mudae Mountain.
“Let's stop there for a moment.”
“Yes.”
We stopped in front of the pavilion of Jinmudaeje.
One of the reasons I was passing through Mudae was to stop here.
When we entered, we saw a painting of a stern but dignified figure.
I bowed respectfully as I looked at him.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to save my nephews and set things right.”
“...”
“But I'm not going to bow. After all, I received this reward because I did what I was supposed to do. I don't think it's necessary to bow.”
For some reason, the painting of Jinmu Daeje seemed to be smiling.
It must have been my imagination.
“By the way, was there anyone among those I saved who was under Jinmu Daeje's care? I just wondered.”
It must have been my imagination that the painting of Jinmu Daeje seemed to tremble slightly.
“Well, I'll be going now.”
I bowed with clasped hands and turned to leave.
Then I glanced back and said,
“Well, I'm always open to a deal.”
I went outside and said to my companions with a smile.
“Shall we go back?”
* *
The Yeochun Inn.
It was bustling with activity from early in the morning.
This was because there was a lot to do, such as preparing meals and cleaning the rooms, from early in the morning.
“Joo-sung! Serve the guests.”
“Joo-sung! The bill!”
“Joo-sung!”
“Joo-sung!”
“Joo-sung!”
“Aah! Really!”
Sect Leader Moon shouted after holding back his anger.
“I know I'm good at my job, but this is too much!”
His mother, who was in the kitchen, smiled and said,
“That's because they rely on you.”
The young couple nodded in agreement.
“Yes.”
“I see.”
“How did you run this inn by yourself when I wasn't here?”
In response to Moon Joo-sung's question, Padu-pa-pa smiled and said.
“It wasn't that hard. There weren't many guests.”
“....”
The Yeochun Inn was built by Padu-pa-pa to protect her husband, Yoo Yoo-geum, and make a living.
Padu-pa looked about thirty years old thanks to his skill in making liquor and Yoo-Yoo-Gam-Je's killing intent, which had reached the level of a monk.
Since they couldn't call them grandmother and grandfather, they called them sister and brother.
It wasn't because Padu-pa asked them to call them that while stroking his axe.
Anyway, Moon Joo-sung returned home after parting ways with Eun Seo-ho and left with a small amount of money.
On his way, he encountered the Green Forest Bandits and was about to be robbed, but thanks to Padu Pa and Yoo Yoo-geum, who had been asked by Eun Seo-ho, he was able to save his life.
Then he got a job here.
It must have been around that time.
Suddenly, the Green Forest Bandits were wiped out, and this place became safe, so the number of guests increased.
There were a total of fourteen rooms at the Yeonchun Inn.
Even those fourteen rooms were not enough, so they had to ask the guests to share rooms.
Even that was not enough, so quite a few people slept on the floor of the first floor of the inn.
That was the case.
The reason why Sect Leader's mother, Padu Papa, and Yoo Yoo-geum kept calling Sect Leader was because there were so many guests.
“So, I think we need to expand the inn.”
Sect Leader scratched his head at Yoo Yoo-geum's words.
“Is expansion the only solution, Hyung-nim?”
He had money he brought from home, and Eun Seo-ho gave him money for the five-colored ice crystals, so the cost was not a problem.
So they built a five-story tower.
That was six months ago.
When the inn was expanded, the number of guests increased even more, and even though they hired ten waiters, they were still busy.
Before they knew it, spring passed and summer arrived.
Still, thanks to the fan, they were able to enjoy a relatively cool summer.
Mun Joo-sung woke up early in the morning and directed the waiters as he cleaned the inn.
At that moment, Yoo Yoo-geum came down from upstairs and said, “You're already cleaning?
You're so diligent.”
“Yes. I don't know about anything else, but I have to do the cleaning myself. Cleaning is very important.”
As he said that, Sect Leader Moon held a mop in his hand.
“You're right.”
Yoo Yoo-geum glanced at the window and continued.
“We should pay more attention to cleaning today.”
“What?”
“For some reason, I have a feeling that we will have a welcome guest today.”
* *
I stood in front of the five-story pavilion and was lost in thought.
Is this really the Yeochun Inn?
The signboard was clearly the same as I had seen before. However, the exterior of the inn was completely different from before.
I wasn't the only one who was confused. Pal-gap, Yeo-eung-am, and the swordsman Lee Pil, who had been here with me before, were just as confused.
“It's changed so much!”
“It's amazing.”
To be honest, I had heard from other officials that Yeochun Inn had been expanded and was now larger.
But I didn't expect it to be this big.
“Let's go inside.”
The other reason I came through Moo-Dang Mountain was to stop by here.
I calmed down and went inside, where the waiter greeted us kindly.
“Welcome.”
“Do you have any rooms available?”
“Of course. There are six of you, so would three rooms be enough? Or would four be better?”
I answered her question.
“We'll take three rooms, and we'll be having dinner as well.”
“I see.”
At that moment, I caught sight of a familiar young man carrying a large basket of laundry down the stairs from the upper floor.
“Oh!”
I sent him a telepathic message with my eyes wide open.
“We agreed to pretend we don't know each other, right?”
“...”
“I'm glad you seem to be doing well.”