Chapter 274
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 274
Chapter 274. What I Gained (2)
Today is the last day of the preliminary round. As a result of the duels held so far, 45 people have advanced to the final round.
Young Mistress Dang Soo-bin fought today and became one of the 45.
I headed to the inn with my parents.
Wherever we went, people recognized me and turned their attention to me.
To be honest, it was a bit overwhelming, but I endured it because it was good publicity for Eunhae Trading Company.
Then, I heard a voice that caught my attention.
“Did you hear? Baekcheon Trading Company tried to set fire to the building where Eunhae Trading Company stored its goods.”
“Baekcheon Trading Company? Why?”
“I heard that Eunhae Trading Company sold gold powder at the same price as before, causing Baekcheon Trading Company to suffer losses.”
“Losses? What kind of nonsense is that?”
“No! Eunhae Trading Company sells at the same price, so anyone who buys from Baekcheon Trading Company, which sells at ten times the price, is an idiot!”
“Yeah, that's right!”
“It's not like they mixed gold dust in it or anything.”
“To be honest, I'm disappointed in Baekcheon Trading Company this time!”
“Me too. I'm going to buy goods from another trading company instead of Baekcheon Trading Company. I might as well buy goods from Eunhae Trading Company.”
I had a hard time holding back my laughter at their conversation.
Last night, we caught the people who raided the place where our trading company stored our goods and asked them who was behind it.
But they said they didn't know.
They said they received a large sum of money from an unidentified man wearing a black hood and that they did it to get money to return to their hometown.
“Kuh! Kee! Wait a minute! I remember something! The person who asked us to do this had a cross-shaped scar on his neck! And he spoke with a Sichuan accent!”
With that, I knew who the culprit was.
He was one of Captain Namgung Kang's right-hand men.
He was also with Captain Namgung Kang when I died.
In other words, he is also one of the people I want revenge on.
Anyway, I am not the type of person to just take things lying down. So, I asked Chun-il and Geun-sung to do something for me.
That is to spread a rumor.
I told them to spread a rumor that Baekcheon Trading Company was harboring a grudge against Eunhae Trading Company for selling the ingredients for Geumchang-yak at the original price, so they raided the warehouse and tried to burn the ingredients.
This would have two effects.
First, it would damage the reputation of Baekcheon Trading Company.
The other was to make Namgung Gang, the captain of the Trading Company, suspicious of his right-hand man.
In other words, by damaging the reputation of the Baekcheon Trading Company, he would weaken Namgung Gang's position.
If that happened, he would become impatient and his suspicion of his right-hand man would grow, eventually leading him to get rid of him.
This is what is known as murder by proxy. Huhuhu.
Listening to people talk, I could picture the outcome I wanted.
It wasn't my favorite method, but I had no choice.
To be honest, it was Baek Cheon Trading Company that brought this upon themselves.
If they hadn't tried to corner the market on fish bones and lime powder, I wouldn't have resorted to such methods.
That's why I have to go to the Hubei Province headquarters of the Eunhae Trading Company again tonight.
I had to replenish the fish bone powder and lime powder.
In my previous life, Jin-ho had a hard time replenishing fish bone powder and lime powder...
This time, I'm the one who's going to die. Ugh.
.
.
.
It was morning.
I had spent the entire night using my movement arts to go to the main office, so I only got about half an hour of sleep.
It was annoying when I thought about it.
If Baek Cheon Trading Company hadn't messed up, the two warriors and I wouldn't have had to work so hard.
Of course, thanks to that, we made a lot of money and our reputation improved.
Still, I couldn't help feeling annoyed.
When I went downstairs, my parents were already waiting for me, having finished getting ready.
Knowing the situation, their faces were filled with worry for me.
“You must be tired. Why don't you just rest a little?”
“No, it's important to find out who the prodigies are at the dragon and phoenix duel, isn't it?”
“That's true, but...”
“I'm fine, don't worry about me. If it gets too hard, I'll come back.”
When I said that, my parents reluctantly nodded.
The reason I was going to watch the Dragon and Phoenix Duel was not only for the reason I just mentioned, but also because there were some people who would get upset if I didn't cheer for them.
The preliminary rounds of the tournament would take place today and tomorrow.
The Dragon and Phoenix Tournament was now reaching its climax.
When the preliminary rounds were over, only about 27 contestants would remain, and they would become known as the new prodigies.
Although advancing to the preliminary rounds was considered a great achievement in itself, those who advanced to the third round of the preliminary rounds tended to be regarded as true prodigies.
Soon, we arrived at the duel ground.
After waiting for a moment, the emcee stood on the stage.
“The day of the second round of the finals has finally arrived. First, let me introduce the heroes who have advanced to the second round of the finals.”
At the emcee's words, the 44 contestants climbed onto the stage.
Among them were Hyang-ok, Miss Jegal Yu-ah, Miss Tang Soo-bin, and Cho Woong.
“Woo-hoo!”
“Cool!”
The crowd congratulated them with applause and cheers.
“Through the second round of duels that will continue from today until tomorrow, 27 people will advance to the third round. Now, please come down and draw a number card one by one.”
Unusually, the Dragon and Phoenix Duel drew lots not only for the first round of the main competition but also for the second and third rounds.
Those who advanced to the second round of the main competition drew lots as they came down from the stage.
And... I shook my head.
How lucky is that guy, Cho Woong?
Twenty-seven people will be selected through this round, but then the pairings won't work out.
So there will inevitably be some byes.
The numbers you just picked will determine who gets a bye in the third round.
And the number Cho Woong just picked was the bye.
In other words, Cho Woong and his opponent will compete against each other, but regardless of the outcome, both will advance to the third round.
I envy him.
Then Cho Woong's opponent is also lucky.
That's why luck in the draw becomes more important as you advance in the Dragon and Phoenix Duel.
“The matchups have been decided! Now, let's begin the second round of the preliminary tournament.”
.
.
.
Through today's duel, Hyang-ok and Jaegal Clan's Miss Jaegal advanced to the third round of the main competition.
They were both much more skilled than I had expected.
I was especially surprised by Miss Jaegal's skill.
I knew that she was skilled in combat from her previous life, but I had never seen it with my own eyes.
But seeing her fighting skills with my own eyes, I felt that her reputation at that time was not exaggerated.
Is she really Shinki Shikaku?
If she is this good now, how amazing will she be in the future...
I felt glad that I had become friends with Miss Shikaku.
As I was returning to the inn, I suddenly felt a sense of familiarity from someone who had just passed by me.
What is it?
I turned my head and looked at the man who had just passed me. There was something strangely familiar about his gait.
His footsteps were light, as if he were riding the wind...
Huh?
That is a characteristic of someone who has mastered the art of walking without leaving a trace.
And as far as I know, there is only one martial artist who has reached such a level that such characteristics can be seen in their footsteps.
“Father, I have something to do. Please go ahead to the inn and have something to eat.”
After asking my father for his permission, I said to Seo Woo.
“Seo Woo, just follow me.”
“Yes, sir.”
So, Seo Woo and I followed the man.
The man walked through complicated alleys and stopped in a deserted place.
“I didn't think you would find me.”
As I thought, it was my Master.
“Master, I am your disciple.”
“It's been a long time. You've become a hero. And your actions in saving the spectators were also amazing.”
“I'm embarrassed.”
I scratched the back of my neck.
“I was just doing what I had to do for my parents and the people around me.”
I continued.
“And I feel sorry to you, Master. The Alliance Leader asked me about the origin of my martial arts skills, and I ended up telling him about my connection to you.”
“Did you tell him what we discussed last time?”
“Yes, I told him exactly what you said.”
My master smiled at my answer.
“You did well. And to think that my disciple is a hero... I am proud as your master.”
“Actually, I am a hero who receives something in return. So I am not a true hero.”
I told my Master the truth.
I didn't tell him what I had agreed to receive, but that was enough of an explanation.
“The Captain said you are a hero who receives something in return, but in fact, it is heaven that makes heroes. And all people see is that you are a hero.”
My master smiled faintly.
“So, how does it feel to be a hero?”
I answered the same way I had answered my father.
“It's the best.”
My master smiled at my answer.
“By the way, I thought you had disguised yourself perfectly. How did you know?”
As my master said, his appearance was completely different from what I knew.
It wasn't as if he was wearing a mask.
“To be honest, I didn't recognize you until you passed by me. But something felt familiar.”
I continued.
“So I turned around and saw that your gait looked familiar, so I followed you without thinking.”
“Your gait?”
“The light, airy gait of someone who has mastered the art of walking without leaving a trace.”
“Ah…”
My master let out a light exclamation.
“I didn't realize that.”
“But your face looks very different. What did you do?”
In response to my question, Master touched his face and said.
“This is a transformation technique. It is a sorcery that uses inner arts to change one's face.”
It seemed like a sorcery that could be used in many ways.
“However, at my current level, I can only transform a part of my face. To use it properly, I need to reach the level of a master.”
“It's a sorcery with many difficult conditions.”
“That's why it's almost obsolete. But thanks to my close friend, I've learned it well.”
“Your close friend? Are you talking about Principal Yeom Jin-yeon of the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy?”
“No, it's someone else.”
My master must have sensed my desire to learn the art of transformation, so he spoke gently.
“I would like to teach you the art of transformation that I have learned, but it would be rude to do so without getting permission from your friend first.
”I'm sorry for putting you in a difficult position. If that is the case, I won't insist."
“Thank you for understanding.”
Ah!
Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask my Master.
“Master, I have something to ask you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Actually, I had a strange experience at the beginning of the main tournament. I felt an uneasy feeling, as if I had seen something that shouldn't have been there.”
I explained to my Master what I had felt, and his expression grew serious.
My Master closed his eyes for a moment, thought about it, and then spoke.
“Actually, I was unable to watch the preliminaries due to circumstances.”
“I see.”
"To be honest, I don't really understand what you felt, but I vaguely remember my father mentioning something about it before. He said it was something bad.“
I could sense regret in Master's face as he said this.
”Could it be the energy of the Demonic Cult?“
”No.“
Master shook his head.
”It's different from what you feel when you encounter the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.“
”...."
“It is truly unfortunate. I wish there were any books left that mentioned this.”
He said that all the books were burned when the Seolpung Palace was destroyed.
But then a strange thought crossed my mind.
Usually, when a sect is destroyed, it is not the attackers who burn their martial arts manuals, but the sect that was attacked.
This is to prevent their martial arts from falling into the hands of the attackers.
However, books do not burn as easily as one might think, and it is not easy to burn them during an attack.
The fact that all the books were burned is proof that the attackers burned them.
In other words, the attackers had a reason to burn the books.
Was the purpose of those who destroyed Seolpungung the martial arts manuals and other books containing various information?
I don't think so.
It would be too much to completely destroy Seolpungung just to get rid of those books.
Then... was the martial arts of Seolpung Palace itself the goal?
Is that why they killed not only the martial arts books but also everyone who had learned martial arts?
“What are you thinking?”
I quickly shook my head at my Master's question.
“Nothing.”
But that thought did not easily disappear from my mind.