Chapter 260
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 260
Chapter 260. Is it Luoyang again? (4)
Returning to the inn, I hung a dark blue cloth over the window.
The next morning.
A letter arrived. It was a letter telling me to come to the alley between Yumi Restaurant and Chae Restaurant before lunch.
I got ready and headed there.
As I waited there for a moment, an old woman approached me.
Huh...
I couldn't help but admire her.
If I hadn't felt the energy of spring, I would have thought she was a real old woman.
She spoke to me.
“Something quite interesting happened at the banquet this time.”
“Yes, but I found it unpleasant. The person he touched was a close friend of mine.”
Not only Pal-gap, but also the bodyguards were surprised by our conversation.
Seo-woo, in particular, shook his head.
After all, one would need to be this skilled at disguising oneself to learn about the affairs of the imperial palace and report them to his father.
Chun-il sighed at my words.
“He has always been greedy, so I expected that he would cause a big problem someday...”
“But... both you and that guy yesterday are very skilled at disguising yourselves.”
Chun-il nodded.
“It can't be any other way. We studied under the same master.”
As soon as he heard that, I understood.
No wonder they were so good at disguising themselves.
“Then what about your master?”
“He was caught stealing a treasure from the Han family and was killed. I managed to escape, but I was cut by a sword and the wound never healed.”
“...”
I cleared my throat.
“Um, how many disciples did you have?”
“Only the guy with tenacity and me. Strictly speaking, I am his senior brother.”
“I see. But is that guy's name Tenacity?”
“Yes. My master named him that because he has tenacity.”
Could it be?
I was incredulous, but Chun-il frowned and added, “But something seems strange.”
“But something doesn't seem right.”
“...?”
“That guy is greedy, but he's skilled enough to steal all the silver plates without going that far. Why would he take such a risk?”
Huh?
“Before I got involved, he and I took turns stealing the silver plates.”
Now that he thought about it, it was indeed strange.
His disguises were so good that he was on par with Chun-il.
If that was the case, he could have easily stolen them by disguising himself as a waiter or something, but why did he go to such lengths as kidnapping one of the participants of the Baekdae Trading Company meeting?
I thought about it for a moment, but soon came up with an answer.
The silver plates weren't his real target.
There must have been another purpose, but the question was how to find out what it was.
“Is it possible to investigate his accomplices in this matter?”
“Of course.”
I took the gold coin out of my pocket and handed it to him. Chun-il's eyes widened when he saw the coin glistening in the sunlight.
“What is this?”
“Isn't this a personal request? This is my fee for your services.”
Chun-il took the gold coin, put it in his pocket, and bowed deeply.
“I will be loyal to you.”
“Oh, and...”
“Yes, please.”
“What is the weakness of that man with the tenacity? I think I need to threaten him a little.”
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That day
After lunch, I headed to the inn where Captain Bok-Yoon was staying.
We could have met for lunch, but we hadn't made plans in advance.
Some people might say that since we are close friends, it would be fine to just drop by and have lunch together, but I believe that even close friends should observe certain manners.
So, before lunch, I sent a message to Pal-gap and asked him to ask for permission to visit.
“Come in!”
Captain Bok-yoon welcomed me warmly.
“Did you enjoy your lunch?”
“Yes, I had some dumplings.”
“Dumplings are always delicious. Come in and have some tea.”
The inn where Captain Bok-Yoon was staying was also quite nice. In addition to the Gwang-Joon Trading Company, other trading companies were also staying there.
Even though Luoyang was a large city, there weren't many inns that were good enough for the Baekdae Trading Company to stay at.
So, after greeting the captain, he entered Captain Bok-Yoon's room.
“Is the tea to your liking?”
“It's very good tea. It tastes nice.”
“I'm glad you like it. But... it seems like you didn't come here just to have fun.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Aren't you busy right now? As usual, you are responsible for the medicinal herbs for the Dragon and Phoenix Duel.”
That's right.
Our Eunhae Trading Company is expanding into various fields, but it is originally famous for its medicinal herbs.
And because the duel results in numerous injuries, there is a high demand for medicinal herbs.
Of course, those participating in the Dragon and Phoenix Duel bring basic medicines with them.
However, there are times when they need more than that, or when the medicines they brought with them have expired.
Therefore, from our trading company's perspective, this is a busy time of year.
“To be honest, that is true. However, I wanted to see my friend even more.”
“I appreciate your words. So, what is it you want?”
“I want to meet the man who impersonated the Captain yesterday. I may have revealed his identity, but I think it would be better if the Captain, who suffered more than I did, went to meet him.”
He nodded at my words.
“To be honest, I also wanted to see his face. Then we should send a letter to that place.”
“I already sent it. And I got permission.”
“...You are quick.”
We headed for the branch office of the Sebin Trading Company.
There was a branch office of the Sebin Trading Company in Luoyang, and they were staying there.
“Welcome.”
We were greeted by Young Master In, whom we had met at the meeting.
“My grandfather and father are busy, so I had no choice but to come here.”
“No, thank you for welcoming us.”
“Would you like some tea?”
“Thank you, but I would like to meet that man from yesterday first.”
“I understand. Please follow me.”
We followed Mister Gongzi to the prison. In fact, it is not right to imprison someone privately, but there are ways to get around that.
For example, you can use the excuse of lending the prison.
On the way to the prison, Mister Gongzi gave us a brief explanation.
“We are interrogating him as best we can, but he is quite determined and insists that he acted alone.”
“I see. He is quite a tough guy.”
Soon we arrived at the prison, and I could see the man I had grabbed by the collar and thrown to the ground.
Seeing the wounds all over his body hanging from the wall, I realized that he had been interrogated quite harshly.
When we approached, he opened his eyes.
“We found out his name. He said his name is Geun-sung.”
It was the same name I heard yesterday.
I heard that and looked him in the eyes.
I thought he would be filled with hatred toward me for revealing his identity and beating him up like this.
However, his eyes were filled with relief.
That meant that the silver plate was not his main objective.
I said to Mister Gong.
“I would like to talk to him alone for a moment.”
“That's...”
He looked troubled, but I made up an excuse.
“We need to discuss a sensitive business matter. I hope you understand.”
“...”
After thinking for a moment, he nodded.
“All right. But if you find out anything, be sure to let me know.”
“Of course.”
When Mister In and Captain Bok-Yoon left, I approached Gyeon-Goo and said, "I heard that you were after the silver plate.
“I heard that you did that to get the silver coins. But my personal informant told me that you would have gotten all the silver coins even without resorting to such desperate measures.”
He bit his lip.
“So what is your real purpose?”
“....”
He kept his mouth shut, but I had information from Chun-il.
“I heard you have a younger sister.”
“...!”
His eyes widened.
Chun-il told Geun-sung, who was an orphan, that he had a younger sister.
He also told him that he became a thief to support his sister.
“Seeing that you won't open your mouth even after suffering so much, is your sister being held hostage?”
“Huh!”
“So who is it? Who would do this, even taking your family hostage?”
“I can't tell you. If I do, he'll kill my sister...”
“I'll protect your sister.”
The reason Chun-il told me about Gun-sung's sister is because he knows I will help her.
No matter what he says, he cares about his junior brother.
“He hired a master swordsman named Ghost Hand.”
Ghost Hand?
If I remember correctly, he is a martial artist from Heukdo who uses a sword.
He is called Ghost Hand because his hands are so cruel that they are said to be like those of a ghost.
And he is greedy for money.
That's why he was famous for accepting any dirty job as long as it paid well.
That made his purpose even more questionable. Why would he hire a master swordsman like Ghost Sword for a job like this?
“Is it because he's a master swordsman at the peak of his powers?
”That's right."
I chuckled and picked up a metal spike lying nearby and handed it to Seo Musha.
“Cut this.”
It was an iron stake as thick as my forearm.
Normally, striking it with a sword would only damage the blade. But if he could use sword qi, it would be a different story.
“I understand.”
Seo Woo-musa took the stake and threw it at the wall.
Thud!
He swung his sword toward the stake stuck in the wall.
Swoosh!
Thud
Seeing the iron stake cut in half in an instant like tofu, I was so shocked that my jaw dropped.
“With this, you should be able to defeat the Defensive Sword, right?”
He suppressed his shock and looked at him with earnest eyes.
“Please keep your promise to protect my sister's family.”
“Of course.”
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That night.
I went to the place Geun-sung told me, accompanied by Seo Woo and Jin-yu.
Since this was a secret mission, only the two warriors accompanied me as we traveled in the middle of the night.
The house where Gyeong-soo's sister lived.
He said that his sister had left home and was living a normal life.
As we approached the house, keeping our movements quiet, I sensed someone watching us.
How disgusting.
I knew immediately that he was a Gui Sword.
By the way, a Defensive Sword in Luoyang...
Is he not afraid of the Martial Alliance, or is he confident in his martial arts skills?
Come to think of it, even the Martial Alliance wouldn't bother with someone like him.
As long as he doesn't cause any trouble, they can pretend they don't know him.
Let's go.
Seo Woo and Jin Yu nodded in response to my telepathy. Seo Woo approached him.
“Who are you?”
Seo Woo responded to the question with a swing of his sword.
His Defensive Sword technique was at its peak.
I don't know why someone with such skill would do something so despicable, but it's none of my business.
Still, I wanted to make sure his skills weren't just rumors, so I dodged Seo Woo's attack.
“Damn it!”
Soon, Jin-yu joined in and attacked me from both sides.
I wasn't just standing there either.
There were others here besides the Evil Path swordsmen, watching over this place.
They were people with the aura of the Black Path.
That meant they would show no mercy. If they had accumulated so much black energy, it meant they had committed many cruel acts in the past.
I drew my silver sword and rushed toward them.
“Ugh! Who... Guh!”
However, their cries were cut short. My sword had slit their throats.
That was when it happened.
Someone took advantage of the opening and tried to escape.
Not on my watch.
I combined the fourth and ninth techniques of the Jinseolshik Sword Technique, Seolpung and Seolgwang, and unleashed them from my hands.
It was a sword technique that added extreme speed to the already fast sword.
The Eunmu Sword shot out at a speed that was invisible to the eye and pierced his head.
Puk!
I approached him and retrieved the silver sword. While I was eliminating the other guards, the fight between Guisu and the two bodyguards was also coming to an end.
Puuu!
The sword of Jin-yu stabbed Guisu in the heart from behind, and the sword of Seo-woo, who flew up like a butterfly, cut his neck, ending the fight.
Thud.
I glanced at the body of the Defensive Sword with cold eyes and said.
“Good work.”
With that, the safety of my sister was secured.
Now all that was left was to arrest the guy who ordered such a thing through Gyeon-gyeong.
First, I had to report it to the authorities.
I could just say that I found their bodies while walking down the street.
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A few days later.
Pal-gap told me some news.
“I heard that Yeong-saeng's place was destroyed.”
It wasn't a top-tier trading company, but it was one of the largest trading companies in Hebei Province, and I knew its name.
“Not only the government troops, but also the warriors of the Martial Alliance have stormed in. It seems to be related to a black sword called the Defensive Sword.”
I already knew this from Geun-sung's confession.
“So why did you do such a thing...?”
At that moment, I sensed a group of people entering the inn.
Soon, I heard my father's voice.
“Seo-ho! The Captain of the Seobin Trading Company is here.”
As soon as the door opened, the Captain of the Seobin Trading Company approached me and grabbed both of my hands.
I expected you to come, but you came sooner than I thought.