Chapter 310
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 310
Chapter 310. The Emperor's Errand (1)
I took some time out to walk around the garden.
Of course, I practice martial arts every morning, but when I spend all day looking at documents, my eyes get blurry and my whole body feels stiff.
That's why I take breaks to walk around the garden and relax my body.
“The weather has finally cleared up.”
I nodded at the words of the Yeo-eungam warrior.
Plum blossoms were beginning to bloom, proving that spring had arrived.
Last winter was very cold, but thanks to the Bo-Yoon-Geun that Geum-Ryung brought me, everyone in the Trading Company was able to survive the winter safely.
I put my hand in my sleeve and stroked Geum-ryeong.
- Kui?
What a wonderful creature.
It's about time to head to Beijing.
We must hurry to complete the Beijing branch office so that we can begin operations there this year.
And the beginning of spring also means that the lean season, or the period of food shortages, is not far away.
After we defeated the largest rebel forces in the area by entrusting them with the cultivation of farmland, no threatening groups have appeared.
That is understandable, as winter is not a season for easy travel.
It is difficult even for escorts and merchants who are accustomed to traveling, let alone ordinary commoners.
They are lucky if they don't freeze to death on the road.
However, now that the weather is getting warmer, migrants are free to move around, and the spring famine is likely to create new migrants.
The government is providing relief, but there are limits to what it can do.
That's why we have to hurry to Beijing before then to avoid hardship.
.
.
.
That evening, after finishing my work, I went to my father and told him that I was going to Beijing.
“Are you sure? We keep receiving reports that the people are in a state of unrest...”
“That's why I said we have to go now. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to get there.”
“That's true.”
After thinking for a moment, my father asked,
“So when are you planning to leave?”
“I plan to leave within ten days.”
After receiving my father's permission, I was busy taking care of things when someone unexpected came to see me.
It was Kyung-in-juk, who had recently broken up a group of rebels and brought them to the Trading Company.
“What brings you here? I heard you've been busy lately.”
“No matter how busy I am, how could I be as busy as you, Captain?”
“Hahaha.”
Come to think of it, that was true.
Kyung-in-juk and the young men who came with him were faithfully carrying out their duties.
They were praised by the senior servants for their diligence and skill.
If I worked hard for a few years like this, I would be able to become a junior servant without any opposition.
“I heard you're going to Beijing.”
“Yes, that's right.”
The news that I was going to Beijing spread throughout the entire Trading Company in no time.
That was because I might not be able to return for a while, so everyone who was going with me was busy making preparations.
That must be how Kyung-in-juk heard about it.
“When will you be back?”
“I'm not sure. Probably about half a year.”
“I see.”
Kyung-in-juk nodded and handed me something he was holding in his hand.
“Please take this.”
“What is this?”
“It's what the guys and I saved from our first paychecks.”
I was a little surprised and opened the bag.
Inside were a fire starter and a water bottle.
“Are these a fire starter and a water bottle?”
“When traveling long distances, aren't fire and water among the most important things?”
“That's right.”
A fire starter to keep fire and a water bottle to hold water.
I was touched by their thoughtfulness, hoping that I would not be cold or thirsty wherever I went.
“These will be very useful. Thank you.”
Time passed.
After finishing my breathing exercises, I stood up. My master entered my room at exactly the right moment.
“Good morning.”
“Yes, Master. Good morning.”
When Master saw the guards, Seo Woo bowed lightly and took Myung Jong with him.
At first, Myung Jong and Chang-woon had questioned why I was absent when I was learning martial arts.
However, after seeing the look in Master's eyes, they left without saying a word.
It seemed that my master had intimidated them with his presence. Was his inner arts really that powerful?
“Let's begin.”
“Yes.”
At my master's command, I drew my sword. At that moment, my master rushed toward me.
I quickly raised my sword to block my master's attack.
Clang!
Clang!
We clashed swords dozens of times.
Not long ago, my master told me that he would teach me a new sword technique, but that I needed to prepare for it first.
All he asked me to do was to use everything I had learned so far, including the Twelve Swords Technique and the Snow Blade Technique, to respond to his attacks and counterattack.
“Huff, huff...”
As I was moving frantically, the bell rang.
Ding!
A moment had passed.
“Your movements are more natural than last time. However, the connection between your movements is still unnatural. That is probably because you are calculating your movements.”
“So you mean I shouldn't calculate?”
I tilted my head and asked.
“Didn't you say before that in order to fight efficiently, I should analyze and calculate my enemy's movements when facing them?”
“That's right.”
My master nodded.
“That way, you can avoid wasting your inner arts unnecessarily. However, even if you fight by calculating, when you reach a state of no mind, where all thoughts disappear, you can rise to the next level.”
Those words reminded me of the past.
When I fought a mad warrior to the death to obtain the Silver Sword, I unknowingly reached a state of no mind.
And at that moment, I was able to reach the peak of my abilities.
“To be honest, the higher you reach, the less chance you have of reaching a state of no mind. That's because you have so many things to calculate.”
“That's true.”
As my Master said, I have never fallen into a state of no mind since then.
That was probably because I never found myself in such a situation thanks to my bodyguards.
Then, should I leave the martial world for a year without my bodyguards?
I smiled unconsciously at the thought, which would make my bodyguards faint if they heard it.
But that's impossible.
How many people am I responsible for? How can I abandon them and go on a journey?
Martial arts are just a means of self-defense for me.
The most important thing to me is the Eunhae Trading Company.
“Then you go first, Captain.”
“Yes!”
I raised my sword and rushed toward my Master.
“Ha!”
Kaang!
My master easily blocked my sword, and the sparring began again.
A moment later.
“Ha, ha...”
I lay down in the courtyard, panting. This is really hard.
These days, I would spar for about an hour, receive advice from my master, and then continue sparring.
After a full hour of this, I was so exhausted that I couldn't even stand up.
To be honest, this was harder than any of my previous training.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I barely managed to stand up, clasped my hands together, and bowed to my Master.
“Thank you for your guidance.”
“Are you leaving for Beijing early tomorrow morning?”
“Yes.”
“Take care of yourself.”
“Yes. Please take care of yourself too, Master. By the way, will I learn the new sword technique after I return from Beijing?”
My master thought for a moment before answering my question.
“I wish I could.”
What did he mean?
* * *
Kwak Myeong-hyun left Eun Seo-ho's annex, Moon-gok-dang, and glanced back.
He saw him sitting on the ground, drinking water handed to him by Pal-gap.
The sword technique he learned through the insights of his mentor, which he gained with Eun Seo-ho's help, was a sword technique for the Palace Head of Seolpung Palace.
In order to pass on that sword technique to Eun Seo-ho, there was something that had to be done first.
That was to reach the state of perfection.
It was extremely dangerous for someone who had not reached the state of perfection to learn this sword technique.
Therefore, he was concentrating on raising Eun Seo-ho's skill level.
At that moment, a middle-aged man appeared in front of him.
“Gwak Mo is here to see the Chief Administrator of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
It was Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong.
“It seems you are here to observe the training of the third sub-leader.”
“Yes.”
Go Il-pyeong said with a slight smile.
“I would like to express my personal gratitude to Head Escort Kwak. The martial arts I have learned are extreme, so…”
“Those martial arts are not suitable for the third young master.”
He nodded.
“Speaking of which, I have something I would like to ask you since we happen to meet here.”
“What is it?”
“Is it true that the third young master has reached his peak?”
After thinking about the question for a moment, he nodded.
The fact that he asked that question meant that he was fairly certain, so what was the point in denying it?
Furthermore, the Go Il-pyeong he had seen was a very upright man. That meant he was trustworthy.
“Indeed! That is correct!”
Seeing his expression, Kwak Myeong-hyun's guess was correct.
A sudden ominous thought crossed his mind, and he asked him.
“Are you planning to make the third captain the successor to the Chief Administrator?”
Go Il-pyeong shook his head at the question.
“No, that is not the case. I have already chosen the second captain as my successor.”
That was a relief.
He continued.
“This position must be held by someone who is straightforward. The third sub-leader's abilities are not suitable for the position of Chief Administrator.”
The Chief Administrator quickly added.
“No, I don't mean that the third sub-leader is not straightforward. I mean...”
“I understand what you mean. You mean that he is versatile and quick-witted.”
“Yes, that's exactly what I mean.”
“I agree with you.”
Go Il-pyeong continued.
“Um, Head Escort Kwak, in your opinion, how likely is it that the third young master will rise higher than he is now?”
At that question, Kwak Myeong-hyun smiled wryly and looked down at his hands.
He still felt numb.
The shock from his earlier exchange with Eun Seo-ho was still lingering in his hands.
That meant it wouldn't be long now.
However, he didn't want to say it outright. Feeling playful, he said to Go Il-pyeong,
“That's a secret.”
“...”
“Then I'll be going.”
Kwak Myung-hyun bowed to the slightly flustered Ko Il-pyeong and headed back on his way.
In fact, a master can only become truly outstanding when their inner arts and enlightenment are in perfect balance.
However, based on his experience so far, the higher the level, the more important enlightenment was.
The higher one's level, the faster one's inner arts accumulated. However, one could not accumulate more inner arts than that.
This was because there was a limit to the size of the qi center.
In order to expand the size of the qi center, one had to undergo a process of body reformation.
However, simply having a lot of inner arts or practicing martial arts for a long time did not mean that one could undergo body reformation.
If that were the case, anyone who practiced martial arts for a long time would be able to do it, but that is not the case.
In this world, there are those who practice martial arts their entire lives but remain second-rate, and there are those who reach their peak at a young age.
In other words, only through enlightenment and body reformation can one truly reach a higher level.
Of course, it was possible to become a master in one fell swoop through the use of elixirs.
However, such elixirs were extremely rare, and even if one was lucky enough to obtain one, it required a process of endurance beyond human limits in order to accept its inner arts.
It is a process of forcibly transforming an unprepared body into that of a master.
It was so painful to endure with a clear mind that eight out of ten people could not survive the process and died along the way.
In other words, those who became masters through elixirs were the most determined of the determined. Or they were extremely lucky.
However, it cannot be said that they achieved enlightenment without effort.
There is no greater opportunity for enlightenment than when a person is facing life and death.
In any case, because it is so dangerous, even prestigious families are cautious about using elixirs.
In fact, Eun Seo-ho overcame the pain caused by Cheongbongseolmae and survived a near-death experience to change his constitution, but Kwak Myeong-hyun only knew that he had accumulated inner arts as a result.
In any case, he wanted Eun Seo-ho to undergo a body reformation through enlightenment.
His body was already sufficiently prepared for the next level, so he didn't experience much pain.
Gwak Myeong-hyun wanted his beloved disciple to become a master without such pain.
In any case, Eun Seo-ho was now ready, and once he attained enlightenment, he would become a master of the highest level.
And based on his own experience, the only way to attain enlightenment was to wield his sword over and over again.
However, on the other hand, he also hoped that the moment of enlightenment would not come for Eun Seo-ho.
Although becoming a master through enlightenment is not physically painful, it is accompanied by mental anguish that is just as intense.
He wanted his precious and beloved disciple, Eun Seo-ho, to see only good things and walk only the good path.
“Is this the heart of a master?”