Chapter 263
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 263
Chapter 263. The Dragon and Phoenix Gather (3)
Hae-cheong-sinni's words made her mother tilt her head. Then Hae-cheong-sinni smiled and said,
“Are you perhaps the daughter of Yeong-seon's family?”
“How did you know?”
“About twenty years ago, when I went to Gansu with my Master, I visited a private house in Yeongseon.”
“Ah…”
Her mother smiled warmly.
“I remember now. You were with Master Su-jeong.”
“Yes, that's right.”
“What a small world. I never thought I would see you again.”
“Me neither.”
Haecheongshinni smiled kindly.
“I am glad to see you again after so many years.”
“By the way, you are my nephew's master! Fate is truly mysterious.”
Then my father gently spoke up.
“Let's save the conversation for later and eat first. Your disciples are waiting.”
“Oh, I see.”
“That's a good idea.”
We all sat down, and the food began to arrive. My mother had specially ordered Sichuan dishes.
I watched my mother talking with Hae Cheong-shin and fell deep in thought.
Yeongseon Minka.
That was my mother's parents' house.
However, I had hardly ever been there. I remembered going there once or twice when I was young.
After I turned fifteen, I was too busy and it was too far away, so I couldn't go.
Later, I regretted it.
I wish I had visited my maternal grandparents at least once more before they passed away.
I must not have such regrets this time.
However, the disciples of the Emei Sect did not eat as well as I had expected. Only Hyang-ok ate almost everything on her plate.
Why?
Martial artists are physically active, so they eat a lot regardless of age or gender.
Didn't they like the food?
Then Hyang-ok sighed and said to me.
“Seo-ho.”
“Yes, sister.”
“If you're done eating, go upstairs.”
“What?”
“Because of you, my junior sisters are sitting here with this delicious food in front of them.”
I didn't understand what she meant, so I could only tilt my head in confusion.
At that moment, Pal-gap interrupted excitedly.
“Come on! Young master! How can any woman eat so greedily when a handsome man like you is watching her?
”Is that what you meant?“
”In my opinion, even men can't eat that much."
“...Why are you bringing men into this?”
“That's what I'm saying. So stop distracting us and let's go upstairs.”
With that, I was led by Pal-gap to my room, glancing back behind me.
Only then did I feel awkward when I saw the Emei Sect disciples devouring their food.
But Pal-gap, why are you so excited?
* *
After finishing their meal, Hae-cheong took his disciples to the inn where they were staying.
He had already planned to buy his disciples some delicious food to thank them for coming all the way here before the preliminary competition.
After all, they needed to eat well to have enough energy.
But unexpectedly, he was treated like this.
He heard that his disciples had gone to register for the duel and were insulted by a group of thugs.
He regretted sending only his disciples to deliver the letter from the Sect Leader.
Even if the letter was delivered later, he should have gone with his disciples. He should have taught those bastards a lesson.
If she had been there, would those bastards have dared to talk trash?
She had an older sister.
Her sister raised her with great care after their parents passed away early.
Her sister was her whole world.
However, she was seduced by a lecherous man, and she almost fell victim to him as well.
It was her Master who killed the pervert and saved her.
She wanted to avenge her sister.
Of course, her Master avenged her sister, but she couldn't forget how her sister died.
More than that, she felt that she couldn't live without making that decision.
Her sister always told her that.
If you live steadfastly, a happy moment will come someday.
So promise me that you will live steadfastly.
She chose the path of revenge to keep her promise to her sister.
Her master was a disciple of the Emei Sect.
She clung to her master and eventually became a disciple of the Emei Sect.
Fortunately, she had talent.
With her talent and determination, her martial arts skills improved remarkably, and she finally became a disciple of Jin San.
Then came her first dragon and phoenix duel.
There, she made a name for herself by mercilessly defeating the son of a martial artist who had verbally abused her.
The number of lecherous men she had killed became her reputation.
“By the way... Hyang-ok's cousin...”
She gave Eun Hyang-ok, who had become a disciple of Jin San, the Buddhist name Hyang-ok.
Not only did the name Hyang-ok suit her perfectly, but it was also one of the conditions for Eun Hyang-ok to become a disciple of Jin San.
And yesterday, when she saw Eun Seo-ho, who was her cousin, she was surprised, although she didn't show it.
It was clear that he had mastered martial arts, but she couldn't gauge his level of skill.
In other words, he was beyond the peak of his art.
To be beyond the peak at that age was something that could only be explained by a miraculous encounter.
“But he seems to be hiding his level...”
Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent money to help his disciples.
“He could have defeated them with his momentum alone.”
Hyang-ok hinted at this, but he didn't seem to know.
So she didn't pretend to know either.
And today
Haecheong was able to meet someone from his distant past.
It was the private residence of the Yeongseon family in Gansu Province, which he had visited with his master.
The second daughter of that family, famous for their sword skills, was as talented as the prodigies of most sects.
At his master's arrangement, Haecheong had a duel with her and was completely defeated.
He thought he would meet her again someday in the martial arts world, but unexpectedly, she had become the wife of a merchant.
Seeing the love and trust in the eyes of her and her husband, it did not seem like a marriage of convenience.
“She must have loved him so much that she gave up her reputation in the martial arts world to become the wife of a merchant.”
Suddenly, Hae-cheong felt envious of her.
And Eunseo-ho seemed to have inherited her mother's talent.
“But even so, it's impossible for her to be at her peak at that age...”
For some reason, he had a feeling that something interesting would happen at this Dragon and Phoenix Duel.
* *
Time passed quickly, and registration for the duel closed.
And today, the preliminary round of the Dragon and Phoenix Duel was finally about to begin. That meant business was about to get serious.
In front of us, letters written in a single stroke on a piece of cloth fluttered in the wind.
[Palin Yakbang's ambitious product! An effective remedy for nervous stomach, indigestion, headaches, and more, Anshinwan (安心丸)]
[Various over-the-counter medicines available]
Palin Pharmacy has also participated in the Dragon and Phoenix Duel to take advantage of the special opportunity.
And taking my advice, they made medicine for various symptoms caused by nervousness.
This is because I had been to the Dragon and Phoenix Duel many times in my previous life and realized that there were many people who were nervous and sick.
So, even then, I made medicine for such symptoms and earned a considerable amount of money.
This time, unlike in my previous life, I was running a pharmacy at Palin Pharmacy instead of Eunhae Trading Company, so I gave him advice on that.
Of course, the more they sell, the more I get, so it's a win-win situation.
Seeing people flock to the Palin Pharmacy tent, it seemed that my advice had been spot on.
My eyes met those of Yang Jin-soo, the manager of the Palin Pharmacy. He nodded with a satisfied look on his face.
I smiled and nodded back.
That doesn't mean that there were no customers at our Eunhae Trading Company tent.
Medicinal herbs and tea were selling steadily.
According to Yoon, many of them were regular customers of Eunhaesang Trading Company.
They were grateful people who trusted our company and bought goods from us every time.
“The preliminary round will be held today, so the sales of medicinal herbs will increase significantly.”
“That's right.”
“It's almost time for the preliminary round to start. Aren't you going?”
“I was just about to leave.”
It is important for us merchants to watch the dragon and phoenix duel.
Depending on who wins, we will have to take different actions.
It is also important to choose a sponsor in advance.
Of course, we don't need to pay extra to watch the preliminaries, as we can see everything in the finals.
Besides, I already knew the results, so I was planning to use that time to practice or catch up on some work.
But...
“Your mother wants to watch the preliminary round. So go with her.”
“What? What about you?”
“I have something to discuss with the other captains, so I can't go.”
The other captains were still in Luoyang. They were there to watch the main tournament in person.
I had no reason to refuse my father, so I agreed without hesitation.
To be honest, I wanted to watch with my mother.
.
.
.
A short time later.
I headed to the preliminary round with my mother, Pal-gap, and three bodyguards.
Suddenly, I wished that Jin-yu and the other martial artists were there too.
We headed to the meeting place, Yumi Restaurant, and joined Bok-Yoon's mother, who was waiting in front of the restaurant, and headed to the duel venue.
The duel venue was set up in an open space in front of the Martial Alliance.
“Please show your tickets.”
We presented our tickets.
The Dragon and Phoenix Duel was not free to watch, and there were even different grades of seats.
The best place to see the duel was in the front row.
Behind that was the second row.
And the third row, where the duelists looked about the size of my forearm, was the standing room.
Still, you could sit down to watch from the Byeong-seok seats.
However, the Jeong-seok seats behind them required standing, and the duelists looked about the size of your finger.
Naturally, the price of the tickets varied according to rank, and ours were Eul-seok tickets.
That was the best rank you could buy with money.
Gap-seok tickets were not sold on the market but distributed to famous families and prestigious clans.
The Eul-seok tickets were made of silver.
I heard that the Gap-seok tickets were made of gold...
Anyway, we presented our tickets and entered. Then we sat in the seats corresponding to the numbers engraved on our tickets.
“Thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to watch.”
Pal-gap and the three warriors also had to buy tickets to watch the preliminaries, so this was our way of expressing our gratitude.
I smiled at Seo-woo's words and said, “This is all an investment.”
“What?”
“If you see and feel something, you will become stronger. In other words, it's for my safety, so you don't have to thank me too much.”
In response to my words, Yeo-eung-am said,
“We will definitely repay your Liege's kindness.”
It was just a joke...
I smiled awkwardly and turned my head toward the duel stage.
The duel stage was made of beech wood.
Beech wood, which grows in high mountain areas, is known for being hard and very tough.
Therefore, it is often used for high-quality duel stages.
Normally, stone would be used to make a duel stage, but stone is never used.
This is because if the stone breaks and flies off during a duel, not only the audience but also the duelists could be seriously injured.
In addition, it was difficult to repair the stage once it was broken.
For this reason, a certain martial arts school once made a duel stage out of iron, but it was dismantled after only three years.
It was more difficult to maintain than expected, and even a slight fall during a duel could result in serious injury.
In addition, when weapons collided with the floor of the duel stage, the person wielding the weapon would sometimes be injured.
Therefore, the best material for duel stages in the martial arts world was wood, and the best type of wood was wall-striking wood.
Dong, dong, dong!
The drumbeat sounded, and the preliminary round began.
“The preliminary round of the 36th Dragon and Phoenix Duel is now beginning!”
“I am looking forward to seeing which new masters will excite you this time.”
“Actually, this is only my second time hosting the Dragon and Phoenix Duel. Hahaha.”
“Then, the first contestant is...!”
The emcee conducted the preliminary round with great enthusiasm.
Well, that's how you get the audience excited.
He looked light on his feet, but he was a master at the peak of his powers.
It's been a long time since I've seen him.
He is a master of the Mount Hua Sect and a sword master who wields a plum blossom sword.
His Plum Blossom Sword Technique was said to be very serious, unlike his light appearance...
Wait a minute... What did he just say?
This is his second time hosting?
Damn it!
I barely suppressed the curse words that were about to come out of my mouth.