Chapter 388
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 388
Chapter 388. The Ear-Cutting Festival (7)
I smiled as I looked at the elixirs in front of me.
This was why I had generously raised the price and won the bid at the auction during the Ear-Cutting Festival.
I could earn more than that anyway.
And I didn't have to pay for it.
At that moment, I sensed Jin-yu's presence.
“My lord, it is Jin-yu.”
“Come in.”
The door opened and Jin-yu entered.
“He was taken away by the people of Gui-maengsi.”
“I see.”
Now it was time for the Northern Sea Ice Palace to take action.
“Oh, and I heard that the wanderers started running away after hearing rumors that he was taken away by the people of Gui Maengsi.”
I expected that.
Wanderers are not the type to care about loyalty to their employer when they see money.
So, I kidnapped the people who were escorting him earlier and told them the situation, and they ran away without looking back.
“Very good.”
Now that the troublemakers are gone, we can get this done quickly.
“Then there's one more thing I need you to do.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tell the Young Master to capture a man named Lim Cheong-mil and get a statement from him. Once we know that no one is threatening his life, we'll be done.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And as soon as you secure his statement, go to the place where a man named Cho was taken and secure him.”
“Yes.”
Although she used the Ear Burying City to send him to hell, she had no intention of handing him over to them.
He was the one who harmed the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
Therefore, it was only natural that the Northern Sea Ice Palace should deal with him.
***
Upon hearing Eunseoho's words, Binghaerin smiled.
Even she did not like the idea of handing over the man who had done such a thing to the Northern Sea Ice Palace to the owner of the ear-burying shop.
Therefore, it was only right to demand his custody.
She ordered her disciples.
“Go and arrest Lim Cheong-mil immediately.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Shouting, the disciples left the inn and soon returned with Lim Cheong-mil.
As soon as Lim Cheong-mil saw Bing Hae-rin, he trembled and bowed his head before her.
“Your Highness... Lim Cheong-mil greets the young master of Binggeuk.”
“So you know who I am. But you still played such a prank...”
She said with a cold expression.
“Did you really think we wouldn't know that your disciples were replacing the elixirs entrusted to them with fake ones while pretending to appraise them?”
This was the method Eun Seo-ho had told her.
When she revealed this fact, he became thoughtful and bowed his head.
“I am truly sorry. I have committed a capital offense.”
Seeing this, Bing Hae-rin recalled what Eun Seo-ho had told her.
“As the saying goes, interrogation is most effective when you mix the whip and the carrot appropriately.”
Now it was time to put away the whip and offer the carrot.
“But this palace knows that you did not act on your own. You have been doing business with this palace for a long time, haven't you?”
Bing Haerin continued gently.
“Raise your head and look at me.”
At her words, Im Cheong-mil cautiously raised his head.
“I noticed that there were an unusually large number of warriors at your Trading Company earlier. Were you threatened?”
“That's...”
“Tell me. That way, we can take extenuating circumstances into consideration, right?”
“...”
“The people who were occupying your house fled all at once, didn't they? You can tell us everything now without fear of harm.”
He nodded and said, “About two months ago, he invaded our Trading Company with a group of men who were incredibly skilled.
In an instant, he overpowered the Trading Company's warriors and threatened me, saying that if I didn't obey him, he would kill me and my family and defile my wife and daughter.”
He continued, his voice trembling.
“To be honest, I don't feel sorry for myself. But my father died early, and my mother struggled to raise me on her own. I couldn't let her die in such a miserable way. And what did my wife and children do to deserve this?”
“So you did as they told you.”
Lim Cheong-mil nodded.
Bing Hae-rin pointed to the wound on his neck and said,
“This wound was caused by that man. It's a wound that couldn't have been inflicted by turning a sword on oneself.”
“That's correct.”
He wiped away his tears and said.
“I beg you. Although you say you were threatened, it is clear that you deceived the Northern Sea Ice Palace. Therefore, please punish only me for this incident. And please do not touch my family or my trading company. They are innocent.”
Lim Cheong-mil bowed his head again.
Bing Hae-rin looked at him with complicated eyes and remembered what Eun Seo-ho had said.
“To be honest, I cannot say that the Northern Sea Ice Palace is not at fault in this matter.”
“You mean we are at fault?”
“Yes. Why was Captain Lim Cheong-mil targeted? It was because the Northern Sea Ice Palace had an exclusive trade agreement with that place.”
“That's…”
“To be honest, even I would target Captain Lim Cheong-mil.”
“…”
“If the Ice Palace had traded with multiple places, would he have been the target of threats?”
That was true. So...
“We'll think about your punishment later. First, we need to find out who was behind this. Who is it? Who is this son of a bitch?”
“He lives next to our trading company and his name is Cho Seok.”
***
One of the buildings belonging to the owner of the ear-cutting shop in Yingning.
There, a brutal interrogation was underway.
“Where did you hide the real elixir? Huh?”
“I gave it to the man wearing the goblin mask... Aaah!”
“Because of you, the reputation of our ear-cutting shop has been ruined!”
“I'm really innocent... I'm innocent!”
Cho-seok felt like he was going crazy.
He should have been used to the excruciating pain by now, but instead, it grew more and more intense.
When he lost consciousness from the torture, they would pour water on him to wake him up.
He wanted to beg them to just kill him.
That was when it happened.
“There's a problem.”
“A problem?”
“Yes. Someone from the Northern Sea Ice Palace has suddenly arrived and is demanding the arrest of the author.”
“What do you mean?”
The auctioneer frowned and said.
“Bring him inside first.”
“Yes! Where should I take him?”
Then Cho-seok shouted.
“I have met the young master of the Northern Sea Ice Palace. I clearly bought some elixirs from him earlier!”
The auctioneer said,
“Bring him here.”
“Yes, sir.”
A moment later, Bing Hae-rin arrived.
When Cho Seok saw her, he cried out desperately,
“Please save me! Didn't I buy some elixirs from the Palace Head earlier?”
He hated the Northern Sea Ice Palace, but now it was his only lifeline.
However, he didn't know
that the Northern Sea Ice Palace would never let anyone who had harmed them go unpunished.
“Is what he said true?”
Bing Hae-rin nodded and replied.
“Yes, it's true. He bought the elixirs from me for 50,000 silver coins. But that's all I know. I don't know what he did with them.”
She continued.
“He may have tried to cheat others, just like he did to us at the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
“...!”
At those words, Cho-seok felt his heart sink.
If that was true, it meant that his involvement in this matter had been exposed.
“He threatened us, saying that if we didn't replace the real elixirs we had entrusted to him for sale with fake ones, he would kill our master.”
“I see!”
The auctioneer nodded.
“So he's a repeat offender.”
“Therefore, we, the Northern Sea Ice Palace, demand that you hand over those who have harmed our palace.”
“...”
The auctioneer let out a deep sigh.
The Northern Sea Ice Palace.
It was a place of respect and fear for those who lived in Liaoning, near the North Sea.
The owner of the ear-cutting shop was also feared, but the Northern Sea Ice Palace was on a different level.
If the Northern Sea Ice Palace broke its silence and advanced into Liaoning, it could easily crush the owner of the Ear Market.
Furthermore, the owner of the Ear Market, Blood Sea King, had repeatedly said that if they wanted to live long lives, they must never offend the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
The Northern Sea Ice Palace's authority was absolute here.
That was how absolute the Northern Sea Ice Palace's reputation was in this place.
However, even they couldn't just give it up.
They had dared to steal the item and tarnished the names of Gui Mai City and Blood Sea King.
“So let's settle this peacefully.”
As soon as he said that, a cold aura emanated from Bing Haerin.
After much deliberation, he offered a compromise.
“Then, for the sake of peace, please spare this boy's life.”
“Fine.”
As Bing Hae-rin agreed, the auctioneer drew his sword and cut off Cho-seok's arm.
Slashing!
It happened in an instant.
“Aaah!”
Cho-seok screamed in pain.
However, Bing Hae-rin pressed his acupoints with a cold expression and said to his disciples.
“Don't forget to gag him.”
“Yes!”
***
When I returned to the Trading Company, Pal-gap was busy packing his belongings.
“What are you doing?”
“I'm packing my things.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Yes. Lieutenant Kwak said he would be leaving early tomorrow morning.”
Lieutenant Kwak?
Then everything has been taken care of.
At that moment, Jin-yu approached me and relayed a message.
“He said he would be leaving first.”
“Understood.”
In order to bring this matter to a perfect conclusion, we decided to depart as soon as the Northern Sea Ice Palace secured Cho's custody.
“And a blue ribbon has been hung on the third floor of the Yeongryeong Inn.”
That means they are calling for me.
A moment later.
I headed for the Yeongryeong Inn and entered the room where the ribbon was hanging.
Black curtains were hung so that we couldn't see each other's faces.
However, judging from his aura, I knew it was the auctioneer.
When I entered the room, he stood up and bowed his head.
“I'm sorry. In the end, I couldn't get the real items.”
“I see. Actually, I tried to get them myself, but it wasn't easy.”
“I see.”
I said this to gain his trust.
“I guess I have no choice but to give up.”
“I am truly sorry.”
“It's okay.”
My calm attitude made him wonder, and he said in a puzzled voice.
“You are calmer than I expected.”
“Do I seem calm? Hahaha. I'd like to throw a tantrum, but I'm holding back. If I cause a scene here, my life will be in danger! Damn it!”
“...You're wise.”
“Well, anyway, I understand.”
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“Can you keep this a secret?”
“Are you afraid it will tarnish your reputation?”
“Something like that.”
That is what I hope.
I also used the ear-burning technique, so keeping this a secret will save me a lot of trouble.
However.
“Just like that?”
Sluk.
He pushed something across the long table toward me.
“What's this?”
“This is a dark blood dagger. It is a precious item that hides your killing intent, even when you wield it.”
“This will do. I accept your offer.”
“Please visit us again. We will not disappoint you.”
“I will.”
I put the dagger in my sleeve and left the place.
There was someone hiding in the ceiling of the room I had just entered.
There was no way I could have missed him.
He must have wanted to see my face. But he didn't get to see it.
Why?
Because I have a fan that hides my face.
And so, my business here was finished.
By the way, I wonder what punishment Palace Head Bing Hae-rin gave to Captain Im Cheong-mil.
She is a cold and indifferent person, but she is not that harsh.
So I'm sure she gave him an appropriate punishment.
.
.
.
The next morning.
We set off for the Northern Sea Ice Palace again.
“Why did it take you so long?”
Jin-ho scolded me, but I just smiled. This was a secret from Jin-ho.
If he found out, he would surely ask why I had done such a thing without him.
“I just helped out at the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
“Really? Come to think of it, the warriors said that disciples from the Northern Sea Ice Palace had arrived. Hey, where is the Palace Head?”
“She left with her disciples last night. They should be joining us soon.”
“Huh?”
Hearing my words, Head Escort Ha seemed to realize something and nodded.
Soon, we could see the disciples of the Northern Sea Ice Palace in the distance.
We joined them.
I approached Palace Head Bing Hae-rin and asked her quietly.
“Why did you do that?”
“Cho Seok had a grudge against us. In the past, his father had raped a disciple of our palace, and when our palace found out, we punished him. This time, he took our family hostage to threaten our disciples.”
“Father and son are the same.”
“The problem is... he claims that someone helped him... They helped him make a plan and provided him with fake medicine. But when we contacted them when the problem arose, they said they didn't know anything about it.”
I bit my lip.
His statement must be true. There's no way someone like him could have made such a detailed plan.
The dark energy I felt back then... That person must have been behind this...
Damn, he ran away when things went wrong.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Seol Seo-yoon is coming to pick you up.”
“What?”
Seol Seo-yoon... Huh? Isn't that Jin-ho's mother-in-law?
I need to tell Jin-ho hyung right away...
I looked at the distant cloud of dust and laughed bitterly.
Oh, I'm late.
I'm sorry, Jin-ho hyung.