Chapter 249
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 249
Chapter 249. Rebellion (1)
I was taken aback by my master's reaction.
“Why are you acting like that, Master?”
“Did you just say Yang Eun-jik?”
“...Yes.”
I nodded.
“Ha... Why did you meet him? No, where did you meet him? More importantly, why are you asking me about him?”
“....”
My Master, who was usually taciturn, seemed a little unfamiliar now.
Why was he acting like this?
“Calm down, Master.”
“Do I look calm to you? That man is a Jame of the Martial Alliance.”
“Jame...?”
Jame (潛魚).
It refers to fish hidden deep in the water, but in the martial arts world... No, if you belong to the Martial Alliance, it has a different meaning.
It refers to those who secretly plot in secret places.
No one knows what their purpose is.
They are just following orders from their superiors.
How do I know this?
I met a Jame in my previous life.
At the time, I wasn't his target, but I sensed something suspicious and investigated him.
I learned that there were people called Jame in the Martial Alliance.
That's why I stopped investigating.
I had a gut feeling that it would be dangerous to dig any deeper.
Anyway, I need to calm Master down a little.
“So you're saying that Yang Eun-jik is the Jame of the Martial Alliance?”
“...!”
At my question, Master flinched and let out a sigh.
“I'm sorry. I got too excited and made a fool of myself. How could the Palace Head of Seolpung Palace get so excited...”
“It's okay. I understand.”
“By the way... do you know anything about the sleeper agents?”
My master's eyes seemed to pierce through me.
I calmly shook my head.
It would definitely be strange if I said I knew about it now.
“No, I don't.”
“Now that you've said that, I'll have to explain it to you, or you'll rush into danger.”
I already know about it, so I won't do that this time...
As expected, Master knows me too well.
“Jama refers to those who belong to the Martial Alliance and secretly carry out operations for the Martial Alliance.”
“Then are they dangerous people?”
“Before that, I would like to ask you something. How do you know about them?”
I quickly made up an excuse.
I couldn't say that I knew about them from my previous life.
And this time, I had a good excuse with the Royal Guards.
“Actually, when I went to Luoyang last time, I happened to meet a man named Yang Eun-jik. And I learned about this while helping the Royal Guards this time. The Royal Guards were watching him because they said he was connected to a subversive force.”
“Did you say a subversive force?”
The subversive force referred to by the Imperial Palace means a group of rebels.
That is why Master is so alarmed.
“A member of the Martial Alliance is involved in a rebellion... This does not seem like a normal matter.”
I nodded at Master's words.
Master hesitated, then asked me.
“But... you don't seem surprised that the Martial Alliance would do such a thing.”
That's because I already know how dirty the Martial Alliance is.
However, I couldn't say that, so I needed a suitable excuse.
It was a little difficult to talk about the Jegal Clan and the Sichuan Tang Clan...
Then, a name suddenly came to mind.
“I heard the story from Jin Yu, the warrior.”
“...I see. Then you know very well how ugly they are inside, despite their outward appearance of fairness.”
“Yes, I know to some extent.”
“Then this will be a quick conversation. Jin Yu knows all about Jame.”
Ah!
Come to think of it, Jin Yu was an assassin for the Martial Alliance. He was also a secret agent.
Then he must know a lot about Jam-eo and Yang Eun-jik.
“Thank you for your advice.”
“See you next time.”
“Yes. Take care.”
Master left the temporary residence.
But...
I didn't tell him I was here, so how did he know?
As I thought about it, I chuckled to myself.
It must have been those people watching me who told him.
After receiving arrangements from the investigator at the Northern Sea Ice Palace, my skills became even stronger.
Thanks to that, I learned things I didn't know before when I returned to the headquarters.
It was the presence of those who were always watching me.
I detected a total of three presences.
At first, I wondered what they were, but as I watched them, I felt a familiar energy.
It was the energy of the Tae-Eum-Bing-Hae-Shin-Gong.
In other words, they were members of Seolpunggung. Then why were they watching me?
The reason was obvious. My Master must have ordered them to protect me.
I could tell from their energy that they were not there to watch me, but to protect me.
If they were watching me, their energy would not feel so calm.
And Master, who knows my talent, would not do something that would be easily discovered.
My dishonest Master...
Are you that worried about me?
In any case, it seemed that I didn't need to worry about them.
I entered the room I used as my private office and thought about it.
Did the Martial Alliance attempt a rebellion in my previous life?
As I searched my memory, I couldn't remember anything related to the Martial Alliance, but there had been some attempts at rebellion.
That must be why the Royal Guards and my classmates are here.
After thinking for a moment, I shook my head.
Even if the Martial Alliance was plotting a rebellion, they would never reveal it to the outside world, not even to their own disciples.
I said to Pal-gap.
“Please tell Jin-yu Musha that I want to see him.”
“Yes, sir.”
A moment later, Jin-yu Musha entered the room.
“You called for me?”
“Yes, please sit down.”
“No, I'll stand.”
“If you prefer, go ahead. However, I think this will be a long conversation, and my throat is a little sore.”
Only then did Jin-yu nod and sit down.
“Do you know anything about the Martial Alliance's hidden members?”
At my question, Jin-yu sighed and nodded.
“Of course I do.”
“Is there a man named Yang Eun-jik among them?”
“Yes, he is one of the hidden members.”
Just as Master said.
And if Jin Yu knew about him, things would be easier.
“Actually, I saw him at the wedding banquet in Beijing. I was wondering whether I should report it to you.”
He bowed his head to me.
“I apologize for not reporting this to you in advance.”
“It's okay. I understand that it was difficult to judge. I'm not someone who can't understand that. So, I will give you a formal order. If anything like this happens in the future, please tell me immediately.”
“Yes, sir. But... how did you know about that?”
“He is being watched by the Royal Guards. I heard his name from them, so I asked my Master.”
“I see.”
He nodded and continued.
“It hasn't been long since Yang Eun-jik became a sleeper agent. As far as I know, it's been about five years. However, he has successfully completed some important missions. But we don't know anything about those missions...”
“That's understandable.”
“But I know about the cases I was involved in and other things. So I know his sword technique, his level of skill, his weaknesses...”
He knew more than I expected.
“And he will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.”
.
.
.
A few days later.
Master Jin came to see me.
“Young Master, I have come to see you.”
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Hahaha.”
But his expression was not very cheerful.
Had something happened?
“Actually, I came to see you because I need your help.”
“What kind of help?”
“It seems that a man named Yang Eun-jik has noticed that we are after him.”
“What?”
“We lost track of him. It seems we made a mistake.”
“....”
Oh no! You lost him?
I even told you that I was a martial artist!
I sighed, but quickly calmed myself down.
Even if it wasn't me, the Master who made that mistake would have been severely punished.
“That's why we can't find him now. He's definitely the key to this case, and we need to find him to get rid of those who are plotting against us...”
“So you want me to find him?”
“Yes.”
“But even the Royal Guards couldn't find him. How can a mere merchant like me find him?”
“I'm sorry. I think there's been a misunderstanding. What I want you to do is guess where he might be hiding.”
“You want me to narrow down the search area.”
“Exactly. We don't have unlimited manpower.”
But I still don't understand.
Yang Eun-jik is a martial artist, so wouldn't the Royal Guards, who have their feet in the murim, know his whereabouts better?
I looked at Master Jin with my confusion.
Seeing the black circles under his eyes, I could guess what was going on.
He had already tried everything he could.
There was nothing more they could do, so he came here half in despair and half in hope.
To be honest, I have no idea why the Martial Alliance is doing this.
Are they seeking Fist power?
But the Martial Alliance knows too well the power of the Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Palace has not only military power and financial resources to rule this empire, but also more martial arts masters than the Martial Alliance.
The Martial Alliance must know that this attempt will fail.
Then why are they doing this?
Are they hoping for chaos?
Whether the rebellion succeeds or fails, chaos is inevitable. If a rebellion breaks out, countless people will die and blood will be shed.
It's not like they're Blood Cultists who crave blood...
The Blood Cult was wiped out by the Martial Alliance long ago. The Extreme Heaven Sword, which used the Heavenly Sword Technique I learned, was at the forefront of that battle.
After that, the leaders of the Blood Cult continued to appear.
However, compared to that time, their power was weak, and it was safe to say that they had virtually disappeared.
Come to think of it, I remember the Blood Cult Leader who was sealed away by the Wudang Sect...
Chin.
My thoughts were interrupted when the Master brought the bundle of documents he had brought with him and placed it in front of me.
“Here are the documents.”
“Isn't this confidential information?”
“Yes, it is. But aren't you an inspector? You have the right to see this information.”
“...”
“Please do.”
“I'll do my best.”
I picked up the documents and began to read them intently. It seemed that he had no intention of leaving unless I said something.
Besides, I didn't like what the Martial Alliance was doing.
This was my chance to use the Imperial Sword to stab the Martial Alliance.
Still, I was glad.
I had been wondering how to tell Jin-yu about Yang Eun-jik, but now I had this information.
It was too dangerous to tell Master Jin-yeong exactly what I had heard.
They are friendly toward me now, but who knows how long that will last?
At first, I had no choice but to accept Jin-yu Musha at the request of Sect Leader Dao Jin of the Hyeongmun Sect.
But now he is one of my people.
I must protect my people, mustn't I?
And Yang Eun-jik is a dangerous man.
From what Jin-yu knows, he has already killed many innocent people.
It would be best for him to disappear at this point in his life.
If he survives, who knows what he will do next... Just thinking about it makes my head hurt.
“Hmm...”
After looking through the documents, I put them down and said, “Dao-hyung, do you know anything about the underground tunnel?”
“Master Jin, did you find out about the underground tunnel?”
“Tunnel?”
“Yes. Here, it says that there was dirt on the clothes of a man named Yang Eun-jik.”
“Yes, I saw that. But that's just dirt from walking around, isn't it? It rained recently.”
“If you look closely, the dirt was on the ends of his sleeves. Martial artists always keep their arms raised, not hanging down.”
I continued.
“Isn't that true of the Royal Guards as well?”
Master Jin, who had been moving his arms back and forth, looked surprised at my words.
“Oh! That's right! I didn't realize that because I do it unconsciously.”
“Anyway, in that situation, the fact that there was dirt only on the ends of both sleeves means that there was dirt on both sides.”
I continued.
“Think about it. Where would there be a narrow dirt road that would cause dirt to stick to the ends of both sleeves?”
“An underground tunnel!”
“That's what I think.”
This was my idea. Should I say that I got this idea from my experience of looking for the real Mister Tang when I visited the Sichuan Tang Clan before?
Now I had to tell him what Jin-yu Musha had told me.
I looked through the documents and told him what Jin-yu Musha had said, mixing in my own thoughts.
“Huh...”
Master Jin-yeong's eyes sparkled.
“Thank you so much! I'm glad I came to see you!”
“Hahaha, I'm glad I could be of help.”
Seeing his bright expression, I suddenly had a bad feeling.
He's not going to force me to go to the imperial palace because I did a good job, is he?
Hahaha, no way.
Really... He wouldn't, would he?