Chapter 321
The Youngest Son of Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 321
Chapter 321. Things to Do (2)
In my past life, I felt sorry for Kang Yong's tribe because it was so closed off.
This area is where hongram, the main ingredient of yeonji, grows very well.
So I asked them to grow hongram for me, but they refused every time.
There was only one reason. They refused to associate with outsiders.
This was because the son of the tribe chief had disappeared after a stranger came and left.
However, now that their missing son had returned, their exclusivity would probably fade a little.
The tribe chief and I introduced ourselves and exchanged greetings.
“It's getting late, so stay for the night.”
“I will accept your offer.”
It was already dark, so we couldn't go any further.
We also needed to rest.
Even though we were traveling by carriage, the journey itself was physically demanding.
Then the chief glanced at the carriage and asked, “Are there any other children?”
“Yes, there are five children. I have already taken one of them home. This is the second one.”
“Yes. I rescued five children, and I already took one home. Kang Yong is the second one.”
“I see. May I meet them?”
“I will ask the children.”
I was afraid they might be scared.
The children said it was okay, and they followed me to the chief's house.
“This is my father.”
The children greeted him timidly after Kang-yong introduced them.
“Hello.”
“Nice to meet you. I'm glad you're safe.”
As he said that, the chieftain looked closely at the children. From his gaze, it seemed as if he was trying to figure out which tribe they belonged to.
A moment later
the chief gestured for me to step outside.
I followed him outside.
“First, I must thank you again. I am truly grateful that you saved my son and brought him back.”
“I only did what I had to do. Isn't it the duty of adults to protect children, who are the future of our tribe?”
“But those adults kidnapped the children.”
“....
”What I mean is that some adults deserve to die, but those who know right from wrong deserve our gratitude.“
The chief continued.
”Those children are from a tribe I know. I will contact them and ask them to come here.“
”That will be a lot of trouble. Are you sure?"
“Of course. I am also a father who has lost a child, so how can I not understand their feelings?”
He continued.
“Fortunately, all of the tribes of those children are friendly with us, so they will come if we call them. So, we will send someone to them.”
“Thank you.”
In fact, after returning the children, he had something to do in Gansu.
That was why he was in such a hurry, so he was grateful for their help.
The chief immediately called for someone and sent a message to the tribes of the three children.
He suggested that it would be better to send them the next day because it was already dark, but they said they were used to it, so he nodded in agreement.
Then he spent the night at ease.
* * *
The next day.
As soon as morning came, the messenger who had left the previous evening returned.
He came with a couple from another tribe.
As soon as they dismounted, they called out the name of a child.
“Eung-man! Eung-man! Where are you?”
Hearing their voices, a child named Eung-man, who was sleeping in the chief's house, woke up with a start.
“Huh? Is that my mother's voice?”
At that moment, his eyes met those of a young man sitting in front of him.
It was the kind young man who had saved them. The young man smiled and pointed outside.
“What are you doing? Your mother is calling you. You should go see her.”
“Uh... Yes!”
Eung-man nodded and quickly got out of bed and went outside.
“Mother! Father!”
“Oh my! It really is you, Eung-man!”
“Where on earth did you go... Huh...”
The couple couldn't forget what had happened the night before.
One day, their child suddenly disappeared. In fact, it was not uncommon for children to disappear from the tribe.
They assumed it was due to wild animals in the surrounding area and had been deeply saddened by it.
However, the messenger from the neighboring tribe who came last night brought them unbelievable news.
“Is the child named Eung-man from your tribe?”
“Yes, that's him.”
“He is currently in our tribe. The chief has sent word to retrieve him.”
They hurriedly rode here and were reunited with their child.
“What on earth happened? You disappeared suddenly, and we thought you had been attacked by wild animals.”
Eung-man explained everything to his father.
He said that he had lost consciousness after eating dumplings given to him by a passing merchant, and when he woke up, he found himself being dragged away.
He was locked in a prison in a cave, but a handsome man saved them.
Eung-man's parents were shocked by his explanation.
It was a story they could never have imagined.
“Come to think of it, I thought it was strange that so many children had disappeared from the tribe lately.”
Then Eung-man smiled broadly and said, "My brother saved me!
“That guy is the one who saved me! And he's a martial artist called Master Sun and Master Dao.”
* *
Starting with Eung-man's parents, the parents of the other children began to arrive one by one.
The last to arrive were the parents of a boy named Gil-sung.
They said he came from the furthest tribe, so it seemed like he came alone.
“Even if you had arrived tomorrow, it would have been early enough... But then again, I've lost a child myself, so it doesn't really matter.”
“Still, thank you for helping us.”
“Don't mention it. By the way, I don't know how to repay you for your kindness.”
He continued.
“Actually, when I had Gang-yong, my father had a dream.”
I thought it was unusual for a father-in-law to have a dream about his daughter-in-law's pregnancy.
“Someone said that if Kang-yong grows up safely in our tribe, our tribe will prosper greatly. However, if Kang-yong does not grow up in our tribe, our tribe will fall into poverty.”
“...”
“Of course, it was only my dream, but Kang-Yong was the future and hope of our tribe.”
Having already experienced one life, I couldn't take the chief's words lightly.
“That's why I want to repay you.”
“It wasn't me who did it, it was the others...”
“But you were the one who saved my child, weren't you? And I heard you took on the leader of the kidnappers all by yourself.”
Kang-yong must have seen everything.
“So please don't refuse my request.”
I thought about it for a moment, then nodded.
“All right. Then may I ask you for a favor?”
“Please, speak freely.”
“Do you know anything about a plant called Hongram?”
“Of course I do. Isn't that the plant used to make red ink?”
“I have a favor to ask you regarding that.”
I entrusted the cultivation of Hongram to the chief. I would process Hongram and sell it to make money, and the tribe would supply me with Hongram and make money.
It was a win-win situation.
Anyway, I was glad that all five children I rescued were able to meet their parents.
That evening, the chief held a banquet.
It was a particularly joyous occasion for the parents who had found their lost children.
Then, Eung-man's father approached me.
“Master.”
“I am not worthy of being called ‘master’ yet.”
“Not at all. Who else deserves the title of Master more than you? Isn't that right, Master?”
Ugh!
That title has spread all the way here!
It was passed on to the children through the adults, and then to their parents...
I hope my title doesn't spread to the entire northern tribe of Gansu.
I said with an embarrassed look.
“I understand. Please don't call me ‘Seonhae-mi-rang.’ I'm embarrassed.”
He chuckled and nodded.
“Very well. By the way, do you know anything about the other kidnapped children? Actually, two more children have recently disappeared from our tribe.”
The others agreed with him.
“We have too.”
“Two children have disappeared from our tribe.”
As expected...
As I had anticipated, they had kidnapped children from each tribe.
I put down my teacup and said, “Actually, this matter...”
I explained that the officials had already reported the disappearance of the children to His Majesty the Emperor, and that His Majesty had ordered someone to investigate.
I explained that the officials had already reported the disappearance of the children to His Majesty the Emperor, and that His Majesty had sent people to investigate.
Of course, I left out the details.
“His Majesty the Emperor will interrogate them to find the children who were taken away and return them to their homes as much as possible.”
“Ah, thank you for your kindness!”
“This is truly a blessing for the empire!”
“So please wait a little longer. His Majesty is doing his best.”
Your Majesty? Are you watching?
I am a loyal subject who is spreading the word about your benevolence.
So I believe you will not ignore the money I spent.
.
.
.
The day after the banquet ended.
Those who had come to find their children in the tribe prepared to return home.
Then Gil-sung approached me.
“Master.”
“Are you a master too? You brat. Just call me brother.”
I reached out and patted him on the head. A child of only ten years old calling me master.
That's not cute at all.
Of course, he is the oldest of the five children. Did he say he was fourteen?
“Ah, brother!”
“Yes, now you're finally willing to listen to me. Why?”
“I will definitely repay your kindness.”
“Don't think about that. Just focus on growing up strong and healthy first.”
“Ugh! Can't you take me seriously? I'm talking seriously.”
“I know.”
“Huh?”
“I can tell right away if you're serious or joking. I know very well that you're talking seriously.”
“....”
“Yes, I understand your determination. However, what you need right now is not determination, but to consider how you can live a good life.”
Gil-sung tilted his head at my words.
“Yes?”
“To be honest, it will only be helpful to me if you are able to repay me.”
Gil-sung's face became serious.
Did my words sound that serious?
I stroked his head again and said with a smile.
“So, think about that later and stay healthy. Little one.”
“Ugh! Hyung!”
“Hurry up and go.”
I pushed Gil-sang's back, and he walked away, hesitating and looking back at me.
“Hyung!”
“Huh?”
“I'll be waiting for you! I'll definitely become someone who can help you.”
Then he ran toward his father. He said something to the people gathered there.
Huh? What did he say?
As I tried to focus my hearing, Seo Woo-musa said.
“The boy named Gil-sang will become a great man.”
“What?”
“That's how I feel.”
With that, the children returned to their homes, and I parted ways with Dao's tribe.
“See you next time.”
“Be careful on your way home.”
“Yes. Take care, everyone. Take care, Dao.”
“Yes!”
With that, our party left the tribe.
“Young master, where are we going now?”
“Gongdong Mountain.”
“What?”
Pal-gap blinked and asked.
“You don't mean Kongtong Sect's mountain, do you?”
“That's right.”
I continued.
“We're going to hide there for a while. The Kongtong Sect, which was defeated in Gansu, is based there, so it should be safe, right?”
Seo Woo-mushu nodded at my words.
“That makes sense.”
“If they've realized that we tricked them and are following us, they should be close to Gansu by now.”
Of course, it would be meaningless.
Everything has already been taken care of, and Bang No-sa is probably on his way to Beijing with the others, following the Yellow River.
Still, just in case, I'm going to play hide-and-seek to buy some time until they arrive.
And I have something else to do as well.
* * *
At that moment.
The pursuit party, consisting of people from Heukdo, set foot on Gansu.
“Finally, Gansu!”
“Damn it!”
“They must be here, right?”
They gritted their teeth.
They had been pursuing them southward based on information that they had gone to Guangdong, but they had a strange feeling halfway through, so they asked for help again.
The Beggars Sect and the Hao Clan there said that they seemed to have gone to Gansu.
Not only had they wasted money and time, but they had also suffered greatly, so they returned to Kaifeng and questioned the Hao Clan and the Beggars Sect.
“According to the information we had at the time, they were definitely going to Guangdong. Later, we heard that they changed their route and went to Gansu.”
When they reported this to their superiors, they were told to find out what kind of letter Eun Seo-ho had.
So they set off again and came to Gansu.
They clenched their fists.
“This time, we will not fail! We will definitely beat up Eun Seo-ho!”
Soon, they began to search for Eun Seo-ho all over Gansu.
The place they arrived at following his traces and information was... a ruined mountain keep.
However, a group of black-clad men were searching the area.
“Who are you?”
“Who are you?”
“I don't know what you're doing here, but get out of here. We were here first...”
“We can't do that!”
“Well, then we have no choice.”
Swoosh
“Hah! That's what we're talking about!”
Swoosh
They drew their weapons, and the two groups of men in black collided.