Chapter 258
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 258
Chapter 258. Luoyang Again (2)
Cold sweat poured down my back.
“How... did you know?”
“Chun-il's abilities are better than I thought.”
“...”
So Chun-il was the culprit!
But he knew about that too?
I did select him, but he really is amazing.
“Of course, I don't know all the details. But you could have at least mentioned that something like that happened.”
“Of course, I wanted to. But it's a matter concerning the imperial palace. I was cautious because it could have been misunderstood.”
After thinking for a moment, my father nodded.
“That's true.”
“That's why I wanted to tell you about it quietly.”
“I see. But do you know how worried your mother and I were when we heard that you were involved in those things?”
“I am truly sorry.”
What could I say?
I just had to bow my head low.
Fortunately, my parents understood that I couldn't write about those things in my letters.
Even if I sent a letter through the royal messenger, it would have been inappropriate to include those things in the letter.
When I saw my parents and entered my room, Pal-gap came over, looking surprised.
“Why do you suddenly look so pale?”
“I got scolded by my father.”
“...?”
I explained everything, and Pal-gap nodded.
“It's only natural that you got scolded.”
“....”
I looked hurt, but Pal-gap was firm.
“More than that, the problem is that you are putting yourself in danger that others would not dare to face.”
“I feel wronged. That wasn't my intention.”
“....”
But there was something strange in Pal-gap's eyes as he looked at me.
“Why?”
“Nothing.”
The sun set, and we headed for the streets of Luoyang.
It was difficult for Jin Yu to move openly, so we stayed at an inn.
So now there are five of us: Pal-gap, three bodyguards, and myself.
To be honest, I wanted to rest, but I decided to go out and explore Luoyang despite the inconvenience.
It had been almost a year since I last visited Luoyang.
As a merchant, it is essential to see what changes have taken place in Luoyang.
Luoyang is... just the same.
Suddenly, I remembered the first time I came to Luoyang in this life.
This is where the Martial Alliance, who killed me, is based.
That fact alone made me reluctant to come here. But not anymore.
Last time, I got the items that the Martial Alliance wanted, and I also gained a talented person named Heo Yun.
I guess those things helped me.
Now I feel fine about it.
Still, I can't help but feel something welling up inside me whenever I see the Martial Alliance's building.
As I was walking down the street at night, I caught the eye of a person standing in the courtyard of an inn.
“...!”
Master?
I quickly ran to my master and clasped my hands together.
“How have you been?”
“Ah, it's you, Captain.”
“Yes, I came here for a meeting of the Trading Company.”
“I see.”
My master pointed inside the inn with a calm expression.
“Come in and have some tea.”
“Yes.”
I did not refuse my Master's invitation.
Come to think of it, this inn was where the escort agency stayed whenever they came to Luoyang.
I thought I heard that it was a place beyond the reach of the Martial Alliance...
My Master led me to his room and poured tea into a cup himself.
“I will enjoy it.”
“Yes.”
When I took a sip of tea, I heard my Master's telepathy.
- Yang Eun-jik is dead.
“...”
- According to what I heard, Yang Eun-jik was eliminated by his superiors...
There are disciples of Seolpunggung around me.
They must have been watching my every move. You must know that.
- Actually, I did it.
- It was a dangerous move.
- I know. But I had no choice when I thought of how many people would die because of it.
“...”
- Furthermore, I was already deeply involved in the matter, and if I made a mistake, my identity and that of my Master could have been revealed. Therefore, I had no choice but to take action. I apologize for causing you concern.
My Master took a sip of tea and sent me a telepathic message.
- Still... you did well. In fact, that guy deserved to die.
Eh... Are you praising me?
- Actually, it was my job to kill him.
Huh?
But my master did not explain further.
- I want to express my gratitude.
Come to think of it, when I mentioned Yang Eun-jik, my master's reaction was unusual.
I thought there must be something complicated going on.
But I guess you didn't kill him earlier because you were worried about attracting attention and revealing your identity.
“I guess we're all here in Luoyang for the upcoming Dragon and Phoenix Duel.”
“Yes, that's right.”
He just asks about things that don't need to be kept secret. After all, it would be a little suspicious to keep talking through telepathy.
“So, I think I'll stay here until the Dragon and Phoenix Duel is over.”
“I see.”
Master nodded.
“I'm leaving tomorrow. I have a request.”
“A request?”
“It's a request for protection.”
My master continued.
“When the Dragon and Phoenix Duel begins here, many people will gather.”
“I'm sure they will.”
“Of course, there will be many who are focused on martial arts and walking the right path, but there will also be those who are not. Do you think those bad people will leave young women alone?”
“Ah...”
“That's why we have them stay with relatives during the Dragon and Phoenix Duel, but if they don't have any relatives, they stay with the Mount Hua Sect.”
Come to think of it, the Mount Hua Sect also played that role.
Of course, the largest sect closest to Luoyang is the Shaolin Temple. However, the Shaolin Temple is a place where women are not allowed.
That is why the Mount Hua Sect volunteered to play that role.
Although it is affiliated with Taoism, it is close to the secular world and accepts female disciples.
As far as I know, it is a tradition as long-standing as the Dragon and Phoenix Duel itself for the Mount Hua Sect to take in young women during the Duel.
This has brought the Mount Hua Sect several unexpected benefits.
One of them is reputation.
“Usually, the warriors of the Martial Alliance and the Mount Hua Sect provide escort, but due to circumstances, there are some who cannot go with them.”
“You have received a request from them.”
“That's right.”
Then you will leave here tomorrow with the women and head to the Mount Hua Sect.
“Then I will see you in Hubei.”
“No, that won't be possible.”
“...?”
“Personally, I find the Dragon and Phoenix Duel to be quite an interesting event, so I plan to attend.”
“However, please understand that we may not be able to exchange greetings when we meet again.”
“...?”
With that, I finished my conversation and left the inn, seeing my Master off.
Then, I walked through the streets of Luoyang with my companions once again.
What a bunch of jerks...
Thinking of them, I suddenly felt a chill down my spine.
To be honest, our merchants didn't like them very much either.
They were easy targets, and they would make a big deal out of nothing and knock over stalls.
That was the least of our worries.
It was not uncommon for them to use weapons and cause injury.
If someone stepped in to stop them, the situation would only get worse.
They were full of pride and wanted to show off their weapons by getting involved in fights.
So, when A and B fought and A lost, C would take A's place and fight B.
If B lost, C would come out and fight B in his place.
There were various reasons for this.
“I am a follower of that warrior! I will avenge him!”
“Shouldn't someone from the same unorthodox sect understand his feelings?”
“As it turns out, I ate at the same restaurant as that warrior. This is fate...”
“I'm wearing the same color clothes as that person, so isn't it heaven's will that I avenge him?”
These personal feuds were difficult to break.
Any reason would do.
However, there were those who broke these chains.
They were a patrol team made up of martial artists from the Martial Alliance, and they were so fierce that everyone ran away when they appeared.
They were a great source of security for us merchants.
Thinking about this, I smiled.
Regardless of their dirty deeds, they were very attentive to such details.
Well...
Even the Martial Alliance cannot survive if they neglect such things.
How much protection money do they collect from the merchants? If they don't even do that much, they're nothing but bandits!
.
.
.
A few days later.
I dressed up nicely.
Today was the day of the Baekdaesang Trading Company meeting. So I dressed more elegantly than usual.
My bodyguards and I also dressed elegantly and headed to the meeting place.
The meeting place was the same as last time.
Hongranru.
It was the largest tavern in Luoyang, and it had always been the meeting place whenever we had a meeting in Luoyang.
This time was no exception.
When we arrived at Honglanru and entered, we saw a familiar face.
“Welcome.”
It was Boo-Yoon, the captain of the Gwangjoon Trading Company.
“When did you arrive?”
“We just arrived in Luoyang today.”
We exchanged greetings with smiles.
“You must have had a long journey.”
“I'm glad the meeting place isn't down there.”
If the meeting place had been in Hubei or Jiangnan, we would have had to come all the way from Liaoning...
Just thinking about it is terrifying.
At that moment, the head of the Guangjun Trading Company approached and greeted my father together with Captain Bok-yoon, and my father accepted their greetings.
However, it was not yet time to have a long conversation with Captain Bok-yoon.
“Seo-ho, let's greet the others first.”
“Yes.”
It was very important to exchange greetings with the captains of the other top 100 trading companies and their successors.
In the upper class, ability was important, but many things were accomplished through connections.
For example, when starting a large business, the first thing you look for is someone you can trust.
And most of the people here are captains of the 100 Trading Companies or their successors.
This means that they are all capable and trustworthy, so the connections made here are very valuable.
Of course, there are also invisible power struggles.
With my father's introduction, I greeted the captains of the other trading companies.
I had met many of them before, so I could have pretended to know them, but since I was with my father, it was polite for him to introduce me.
So, I waited quietly for my father to introduce me, and I greeted everyone.
And then...
“Oh! We meet again.”
“It's nice to see you again, Captain Namgung.”
Namgung Kang, the captain of the Baekcheon Trading Company, was also present at this meeting.
To be honest, I didn't really want to see him.
But now, my heart didn't pound or sweat cold sweat like it used to.
This was because I had gained confidence from stealing Heo Un, a talented person under his command, and taking the equipment that should have gone to them.
“Yes, have a good time.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I raised my head and looked at his back.
You can look forward to it.
I'll kick you in the back and slam you into the ground!
After greeting all the captains, I was finally able to talk to people my age.
“Nice to see you again.”
“Yes.”
“...”
There was the taciturn Sa-gang, who was still silent, my close friend Bok-yoon, Han-baek-geon of Hong-nang Trading Company, and others.
Before I knew it, I had formed bonds with many people my age in this life.
“By the way, you said you would enjoy protecting the silver plate again this time.”
“Yes, that's right.”
“Come to think of it, I heard that Captain Eun protected the silver badge at the last meeting.”
I nodded at Captain Hanbaek-geon's words.
“That's right.”
“The secret...”
“I also want to know the secret.”
I said with a smile.
“It's not really a secret.”
Then, after glancing around, I said in a low voice.
“Just be suspicious of everything around you. For example...”
I reached out, grabbed Captain Bok-Yoon by the collar, and threw him to the floor.
Bang!
“What are you doing?”
Captain Han Baek-Geon shouted in surprise.
But I shook my hand as if to dismiss him.
“Because a fake can pretend to be real like this.”
“Fake?”
To be honest, I didn't like being the center of attention, but I couldn't stand him imitating my friend.
I knew right away that he was a fake.
His energy was different.
The fact that Captain Bok-Yoon, who was real just a moment ago, had been replaced by a fake meant that the real Captain Bok-Yoon was being held somewhere.
That made me angry.
“How dare you call me a fake! What kind of nonsense are you talking about? And on top of that, you did this... I will lodge a formal protest!”
“Shh!”
I put my finger to my lips and said.
“Be quiet. If you want to return safely.”