Chapter 269
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 269
Chapter 269. Prodigy (2)
It was the second day of the Dragon and Phoenix Duel.
The incident occurred during the first match.
The problem was that the opponents were disciples of the Zhongnan Sect and the Mount Hua Sect, two sects known for their rivalry.
From the start, they put their pride on the line and launched their best attacks.
The swords of the two martial artists clashed, sending sword qi flying.
In fact, formations had been set up so that the attacks on the duel stage would not affect the audience.
However...
There was a blind spot in those formations.
The resonance caused by the collision of two qi of the same level, with no difference between them, slightly distorted the formation.
No one knew about this blind spot because it had never happened before.
As a result, the formation did not work properly, and the sword qi generated by the collision of the two warriors flew toward the audience.
“Huh!”
“Ugh!”
Realizing what was happening, the spectators froze.
It was so sudden that they couldn't even scream.
Of course, it wasn't the sword qi of a master, so the masters present were more than capable of blocking it.
However, it was so sudden that even they couldn't react in time.
Some closed their eyes tightly, anticipating the carnage that would unfold before them.
That was when
a young man leaped into the air.
A blue light flowed from the sword of the young man in red, and blue sword qi spread out like a stream of water... or a whip.
It was a sword thread.
The blue swordsman blocked each and every sword qi that flew toward the audience.
His movements were literally beautiful.
And there was another warrior moving with him.
The martial artist in white clothes moved swiftly and smoothly through the air like a butterfly, blocking the sword qi that the young man in red clothes had not been able to handle.
The audience was amazed by their truly graceful movements.
Tak!
Ta-at!
When they blocked all the sword qi aimed at the audience and returned to their places, no one was left on the duel stage.
Even the two warriors who had been fighting fiercely on the duel stage were looking at the two people who had prevented a disaster.
“....
Silence fell over the duel stage.
* *
I sheathed my sword.
Seo Woo also sheathed his sword, following my lead.
I could feel everyone's eyes on us. But right now, I had something more important to do.
”Father, Mother. Are you all right?“
”Huh? Yes, we are....
My father nodded repeatedly in surprise, and my mother patted him on the back and said.
“We're fine.”
“I'm so glad.”
I also asked Captain Kwang-joon and his wife, who were sitting next to my father.
“Are you both okay?”
They nodded in response to my question.
Then, an old man sitting on the armor looked at me and said,
“Could it be... the Heavenly Sword? Are you a descendant of the Extreme Heavenly Sword?”
The spectators began to murmur at his words. The name Extreme Heavenly Sword was that famous.
However, they had little interest in how the descendants were living, whether the lineage had continued, or whether it had been cut off.
“Captain Eun! How can you use the Heavenly Sword?”
The Captain looked at me with a surprised expression. And the head of the Jaegal Clan had a strange look on his face.
In the end, the remaining main tournament was postponed.
It was difficult to continue the duel in a situation where there could have been numerous casualties.
And I was at the Martial Alliance with Seo Woo. To be precise, I was in the reception room of the Martial Alliance.
This was because the Alliance Leader had summoned me personally.
Currently, only Seo Woo and I were in the reception room. The Alliance Leader and the others were probably discussing what to do about this situation.
“Now I can finally thank you. Thank you for your help earlier.”
Seo Woo smiled awkwardly at my words.
“I am my liege's bodyguard. It is my duty to protect him with my sword.”
“I appreciate your words.”
“However...”
Seo Woo cautiously asked me.
“How did you know what was going to happen earlier? I know your liege is skilled, but it seemed as if you had prepared for it...”
You saw correctly.
I knew what was going to happen during the dragon and phoenix duel, so I didn't let my guard down for a moment.
Thanks to that, I was able to stop it in time.
However, I couldn't tell Seo Woo just that. Besides, the Alliance Leader would surely ask me the same thing.
But I had already prepared an excuse, so I explained without hesitation.
“It is thanks to the martial arts I have learned. It allows me to keenly sense the qi around me. That is why I was able to predict that his sword qi would break through the formation.”
“Huh! You knew about the formation?”
At that moment, the door opened and the Martial Alliance Leader entered. The discussion must be over.
Seo Woo and I quickly clasped our hands together and bowed our heads.
“Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Trading Company is here to see the Martial Alliance Leader.”
“I am Seo Woo, the bodyguard of Eun Seo-ho, the leader of the Eunhae Trading Company. I am here to see the Martial Alliance Leader.”
“Raise your heads.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
We raised our heads and looked at the Alliance Leader.
“Take a seat. I'm sorry I'm late.”
“No, it's not late at all.”
“First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for preventing a major incident from occurring today. If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have happened... It was truly terrifying.”
“It was my duty. My parents were there too. I am grateful that I learned martial arts, as it saved their lives.”
“Even if you had your reasons, I cannot express how grateful I am to you.”
The Alliance Leader continued.
“But how did you learn the techniques of the Extreme Heaven Sword? As far as I know, the lineage of the Extreme Heaven Sword has been cut off...”
“No, that's not true.”
I pretended to think for a moment before opening my mouth.
“My master would not like me to reveal this publicly, but I have no choice. The truth is, my master is a descendant of the Great Master of the Extreme Heaven Sword. Although it is known that the lineage has been cut off, my master told me that he had actually settled everything and gone into hiding.”
Of course, this was a lie that I had agreed on with my master beforehand.
“Is that so? Why did he make such a choice?”
“At the time, it was the decision of the descendants who felt they were not worthy of the name of the Great Master of the Extreme Heaven Sword. And because my master's family was so rare, it had been passed down to a single heir for generations.”
“I see. Then why did you teach him the Heavenly Sword Technique if you are a descendant of the Great Master of the Extreme Heaven Sword?”
“Well... My master runs an escort agency. And they have been a long-time business partner of our trading company.”
“The descendant of Gokcheon-geom is an escort agency...”
Was it because of the bitterness of not being able to proceed with the escort agency business that he had ambitiously prepared for?
His expression was slightly unpleasant.
It was a business that was doomed to fail anyway, yet you are so greedy.
However, his expression only lasted a moment, and the Alliance Leader smiled kindly again.
“So that's how you became connected?”
“That's part of it, but that alone wouldn't be enough for him to take in a stranger. I saved my master's son's life once. I found him badly injured while out walking and managed to save him.”
“I see! What a connection!”
“Yes, so my master said he wanted to repay you, and I asked him to teach me martial arts.”
A good lie is made up of 80% truth and 20% fiction.
If Pagap had been there, he would have said, “You're writing a novel.”
“So that's why you were practicing the Thousand River Ice Sword!”
“Yes.”
“By the way, how old are you?”
“I'll be 21 in a few months.”
“At that age, you're already at your peak! You're very talented!”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
“No, I mean it. I don't know how lucky we are to have people like you in the martial arts world.”
From his words, I could tell what they had decided.
They had decided to make Seo Woo and me heroes.
We almost caused a major accident. In fact, many people died and were injured in our previous lives.
Fortunately, there were no casualties this time, but the audience may look unfavorably upon the Martial Alliance.
If we're not careful, we could end up with a lot of refunds.
Of all places, the accident almost happened in the most expensive section. If refunds were issued in a place like that, it would be a huge headache for the Martial Alliance.
I heard that in my previous life, a lot of money was spent to clean up the mess.
That's why I had a hard time financially for a while.
In any case, the Dragon and Phoenix Duel must go on to prevent such a thing from happening again.
The best way to do this is to put a young hero at the forefront.
What's more, the sword technique I learned with the help of the Northern Sea Ice Palace Lord is the sword technique of Master Gwak Hoon, who became a hero in the battle against the Blood Cult 200 years ago.
“The descendant of the Extreme Heaven Sword appears to save the people.”
Even I think it's an interesting story.
“That's why the Martial Alliance wants to repay him.”
Repay...
“Is there anything you want?”
There are many things I want.
On a small scale, I want the Eunhaesang Trading Company to settle in Luoyang, and on a larger scale... I want the head of the Nangung Trading Company.
Suddenly, I found the current situation amusing.
In my previous life, I lost my life at the hands of the Martial Alliance and Namgung Gang, the head of the Trading Company...
And now I am a hero of the Martial Alliance!
I glanced at my palms. Just coming to Luoyang made me so nervous that my palms were damp with sweat.
But now, even though I was in the reception room of the Martial Alliance, I wasn't nervous at all.
Just...
I was only thinking about how to take advantage of this opportunity.
I was stronger in battle than I thought.
Anyway, it would be unwise to say what I wanted right now.
I was the one holding the sword.
“What do you mean, repay me? Why would you say such a sad thing?”
I smiled and continued.
“I am satisfied that my parents and countless others were saved because of me.”
I said with clasped hands.
“I am just a merchant. And because of me, all eyes are on the Eunhae Trading Company, so I think it's time to close my temporary shop and return to Hubei.”
The Alliance Leader licked his lips and grabbed me.
“I understand how you feel, but can't you stay in Luoyang a little longer? Even if it's just as a bodyguard...”
At those words, Seo Mu-sa replied firmly.
“I am my liege's bodyguard. It is my duty to protect him.”
I'm not sure if he answered that way because he was quick-witted or because he was being honest, but...
Thanks to him, the Alliance Leader seemed even more troubled.
“Hmm, then how about this? You said you are a merchant. Let's make a deal.”
“...”
“If you stay in Luoyang until the Dragon and Phoenix Duel is over, I will give you the first right of refusal in future deals with the Martial Alliance.”
I looked troubled at his words.
“Isn't the Baekcheon Trading Company already part of the Martial Alliance? How can you say it's the highest priority? Even if it's the highest priority, isn't it still after the Baekcheon Trading Company?”
“That's why I said the right of first refusal. You will have the right to trade before the Baekcheon Trading Company.”
This is... an unexpected windfall.
He must want to quietly cover up this incident and end the duel without incident.
The right of first refusal in transactions with the Martial Alliance... Of course, it's a big deal.
But I still need to be careful.
“With all due respect, shouldn't you consider your relationship with the Baekcheon Trading Company? And the Baekcheon Trading Company is a source of income for the Martial Alliance. That would be like cutting off our own flesh. So I can't accept your offer.”
“Heh heh! Are you thinking of our Martial Alliance?”
“Without the Martial Alliance, the rogues of Murim would be able to act recklessly, wouldn't they? And because of that, merchants like us are able to travel freely throughout the land, so how could we not think of the Martial Alliance?”
“I am truly grateful for your consideration.”
Wow... I'm so shameless.
How much money have we merchants lost because the Martial Alliance couldn't control the thugs?
Besides, do you know that the Martial Alliance is part of those thugs?
The Martial Alliance is also responsible for my death in my previous life.
The Martial Alliance's army attacked me and my companions.
And yet, seeing how I can say such things without even blinking, I guess I have quite a talent for acting.
After thinking for a moment, the Alliance Leader said,
“In that case, I will give you the three highest priority rights in your dealings with the Martial Alliance. That should be enough to ease your concerns.”
“Can you put that in writing?”
“Of course.”
This is something I can handle.
By the way, I wish you would offer me something that would allow me to quietly reap the benefits, rather than something like this.
“And...”
Huh?
I couldn't believe what the Alliance Leader said next.
Wow... He seems to be in a much more desperate situation than I thought.