Chapter 435
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 435
Chapter 435. My Maternal Grandparents' House (4)
He was taken aback by my question.
“What? What do you mean?”
“Didn't you just say that the author was from the Martial Alliance?”
“That...”
He looked very uncomfortable.
But my intuition told me
that this was something I had to know.
“I just want to avoid upsetting my uncle. So please, I beg you.”
He thought for a moment and then said,
“Well, you're not the type to go blabbing about what I tell you, are you? I'll tell him.”
Seeing my uncle and the man from the Martial Alliance enter the reception room, we moved to a less crowded place.
“You know about the Dragon and Phoenix Duel, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
I became a hero at that Dragon and Phoenix Duel.
“Several decades ago, Young Master also participated in the Dragon and Phoenix Duel. That was Young Master's first and last participation.”
Come to think of it, my mother had told me about my great-uncle before.
“My Orabeoni passed the preliminary round and was ranked among the 108 best fighters. However, he never participated in the Duel again after that.”
Being among the 108 meant that my maternal uncle was quite skilled at the time.
It was no easy feat to be among the 108, who were the children of the most skilled martial artists from all over the empire.
Come to think of it, my maternal uncle's skill level was at its peak.
He was on par with the elders of a renowned sect.
The servant continued.
“And when you returned from the Dragon and Phoenix Duel, you were very disappointed. One of the reasons was the man you saw earlier.”
He glanced at me and said.
“Do you know him? His name is Maeseung.”
I nodded.
“Oh! So you know about Maeseung too. That makes it easier to explain.”
He continued with a bitter expression.
“He is the son of the Yeom clan and his name is Yeom Gyeong-seong. At that time, he and Young Master Maeseung were selected for the preliminary round, and because of that, he had a big fight with Young Master Maeseung.”
“No way...”
“Yes. Your guess is correct. At that time, the Martial Alliance sided with Young Master Yeom, and Young Master had to apologize to him.”
I understood what my mother had said.
“The Dragon and Phoenix Duel is, as the name suggests, a duel for the dragon and phoenix. So don't even think about participating in the Dragon and Phoenix Duel...”
“Just live quietly, and when you find someone you love, if he is a man without any major flaws, I will convince your father... so that you can get married and have a happy family... At that time, I honestly didn't understand what my brother was saying. I just thought he was jealous of me. To be honest, I was much more talented than my brother. But...”
“Now I understand. Orabeoni said that because he was truly worried about me.”
It seems that the dirty tradition of maesung has been around longer than I thought.
I sighed.
“I understand why my uncle looks so unhappy.”
The fact that the Martial Alliance sided with Yeom Gu-sung means that they didn't think there was anything wrong with Maesung.
The Yeom Clan is an influential clan and has close ties with the Martial Alliance.
That's why the Martial Alliance sided with them.
It's rotten. It's rotten.
But I already knew that the Martial Alliance was rotten.
.
.
.
While I was resting in my room, Pal-gap entered.
“Young master! Young master!”
“What is it? What's going on?”
“It's serious!”
“...?”
“Someone from the Martial Alliance has come asking for help!”
I frowned and stood up.
“They asked for help from a warrior?”
“Yes, sir.”
Huh, just as I thought.
If that weren't the case, there's no way someone from the Martial Alliance would have come here in person.
“And they also asked for supplies.”
Those thieves.
We didn't do anything for them, and now they want so much.
“So what are my maternal grandfather and uncle going to do?”
“It seems they will agree. How can we refuse a request from the Martial Alliance?”
“I guess you're right.”
I was lost in thought.
The reason I came to Gansu Province was to keep an eye on the Royal Guards dispatched here.
I need a reason to go to Yeonji Mountain without arousing suspicion from others.
The Royal Guards are called the emperor's swords, so it's not a position that can be obtained through gambling.
Therefore, if I go there under a trivial pretext, it will look suspicious.
That would make it impossible for me to carry out the emperor's orders.
To be honest, the Martial Alliance's request for support is annoying.
However, this is an opportunity to go to Yeonji Mountain without anyone suspecting me.
And knowing that those who joined the Sword Master have suffered greatly, I am worried about my maternal family.
Now that I'm here, I'll do my best to prevent any damage.
By the way, did my maternal family send support in my previous life?
I don't remember exactly, but I don't think they sent warriors...
Could it be the aftermath of me sending the Shaolin monks back?
After thinking about it for a moment, he smiled.
Well, that could be.
But does it matter?
I can deal with the aftermath of the future I changed.
The next morning.
As my grandfather had told my father that he wanted to eat breakfast with the family every morning, my maternal grandparents had breakfast with the whole family every morning.
After we finished eating and were drinking tea, I asked my grandfather.
“Grandfather, what did the people from the Martial Alliance want yesterday?”
“Huh?”
“Did they ask for people or supplies?”
My grandfather and great-uncle looked at me with slightly surprised expressions.
“Why do you think that?”
“As you said, a sword was found in Yeonji Mountain not long ago. It would be difficult for the Martial Alliance headquarters to send a large number of people and supplies here, so they would ask for help from the nearby martial arts sects.”
“....”
After a moment of silence, my great-uncle nodded.
“You're right. I requested twenty warriors and food supplies from the Martial Alliance.”
“I knew it.”
“It's annoying to ask for something back as if it were something we left behind, but I don't think we can handle the backlash if we refuse.”
The smile on my uncle's lips as he said this seemed somewhat bitter.
“Anyway, I'm thinking of sending Min-yu and the warriors who are currently in isolated training.”
“...!”
Come to think of it, my mother had a younger brother, but I had never seen him very often.
I saw him a few times when I was young.
As far as I remember, he died of qi deviation during isolated training a few years later.
He was that obsessed with martial arts.
I shook my head and said,
“There's no need to ask someone who went into isolated training because of this to stop.”
“What do you mean?”
“I'll go.”
My grandfather shook his head with a worried look on his face.
“No, you can't. That place is very dangerous. If something bad happens to you there, I won't be able to face your father and mother.”
“You don't have to worry about that. I am capable of protecting myself.”
“What?”
“Have you forgotten who I am? I am the son of the former head of the Min family, who was once known as the Beautiful Sword.”
“But that place is full of warriors who are better than the best.”
“I know.”
They are so worried about me... Ah!
They don't know much about me.
Considering what happened to my maternal uncle, it's possible that they've been avoiding anything related to the Martial Alliance ever since.
Besides, Lanzhou is far away from the Martial Alliance.
“Do you know someone named Sun Xie Mi Lang?”
I never thought I would say those words.
As expected, they both shook their heads or looked puzzled.
“Then find out about this person named Seonhaengmiran. Then you'll understand why I said I would go there with confidence.”
After finishing my story, I returned to my quarters.
I was spending my time reading when my uncle came looking for me in a hurry.
“Is that really true?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You said you were Sun-hyeom-mi-rang.”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“It's embarrassing, but I received that name a few years ago.”
My uncle frowned and said cautiously.
“Could it be that you were talking about what I said earlier...”
He was referring to the disparaging remarks he had made about the Martial Alliance earlier that morning.
Since the Martial Alliance had made me a hero, he seemed to think that I was close to them.
“Oh, you mean that? To be honest, I agree with you.”
“Huh?”
“We're members of the same martial arts organization, so it's no big deal, but do you know how much the merchants dislike them?”
“Huh?”
He seems confused as I suddenly express my dissatisfaction with the Martial Alliance.
However, this is the best way to ease my uncle's anxiety.
“To be honest, I was given the title of Sun Hyeok-mi, but that title has existed for a long time. And I was given the title of hero because the Martial Alliance wanted to cover up their mistake.”
“Hmm...”
“And I didn't step forward at that time to show off my martial arts skills, but to save my parents. No child would stand by and watch their parents in danger. How could I just stand there when I had the ability to help?”
“That's true.”
I calmly continued to persuade him.
“I didn't earn this title on my own, but it will still be helpful in this situation. I will be able to make my voice heard even when I go to Yeonji Mountain.”
My great-uncle nodded in agreement.
“You are certainly right.”
In any organization, those who are weak cannot make their voices heard, and that leads to losses.
That must have been what my great-uncle was worried about.
“I'll tell my father.”
The next morning.
After breakfast, while drinking tea, my great-uncle said to me.
“Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“I'm sorry. I can't help you, but I'm causing you trouble…”
It seems that it has been decided that I will go.
I smiled and shook my head.
“Grandpa, why do you think that? I am so happy to be able to help you.”
“When you say that, I...”
My grandfather shed tears, and I was taken aback and quickly handed him a handkerchief.
“Grandpa, you should be happy that your grandson is talented enough to help you with your work.”
“Yes, yes. That's right.”
It seemed that his feelings of inadequacy and guilt toward me had exploded, causing him to shed tears.
I glanced around. Perhaps because they knew that I was the famous Sun Hyuk-mi, my maternal family looked at me with admiration.
As expected of a family of martial artists.
They value martial arts more than money.
“I will not disgrace the reputation of the Yeongseonmin family.”
“How well could you do? I'm not worried.”
After drinking tea, I was introduced to the warriors who would accompany me.
There were twenty of them.
They were members of the Gwangpungdan, one of the military forces of the Yeongseon Min family.
If this many people were injured in a small military force, it would take a long time to recover.
I must make sure they return without suffering any casualties.
“Nice to meet you. I am Eun Seo-ho, the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company and the grandson of the Clan Head.”
“It is an honor to meet Master Xian and Master Dao.”
They were also very impressed, probably because they had heard about me.
I felt embarrassed and glanced at my uncle.
“Ahem.”
Judging from his reaction, it was my uncle who spread the rumor.
“I will be leading you, but I have many shortcomings. So please bear with me.”
After exchanging greetings, we began discussing the support request.
It was to decide on the basic policy of our group.
“I also think that if we have the opportunity, we should enter the sword vault and retrieve the treasure there.”
I nodded in agreement with the warrior's suggestion.
“I think that's right.”
When I agreed with his suggestion, his face lit up. However, my agreement was only the beginning of my rebuttal.
“But I have no intention of deliberately putting myself in danger.”
“Why do you think it's dangerous? It's the sword of Sir Hyukgon Seongseung. Since it's the sword of someone who knew Buddhism, there shouldn't be any particular danger.”
Yes, that was the general opinion.
That was why we had been careless and suffered greater damage when we entered at that time.
I mentioned the reason I had thought of beforehand.
“Although it is a sword rack, it is an old structure. There is a risk of collapse, so we must be careful.”
I continued.
“No matter how skilled I am in martial arts, I cannot protect all of you. Probably more than half of you here will lose your lives.”
“...
I said forcefully.
”You're going to sacrifice your lives for something you don't even know? Is there a reason for that? Your lives are more important to me than any treasure."
The warriors looked moved by my words.
Persuasion complete.