Chapter 64
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 64
Chapter 64. To Beijing (2)
The next morning.
I met my Master for the first time in a long time.
“Have you been well?”
My Master nodded in response to my greeting.
“Nothing much, but I hear you've been quite active. There are many rumors.”
“I only did my best, I'm embarrassed.”
After exchanging a few words, we began our sword training in earnest.
“Let's see the results of your training.”
“Yes.”
I performed the first technique of the Ten Forms of the Sword, “Kang Seol,” in front of my Master.
As my master's expression grew serious, I lowered my sword and asked, “Are you all right, Master?”
“Yes, I'm fine.”
“Why? Is there something wrong with my sword technique?”
“No, that's not it.”
After hesitating for a moment, my master asked me, “Are you sure you haven't learned the Jinseok-sip-sik sword technique before?”
“Really... Have you never learned the Jinseolshik sword technique before?”
“No.”
“Then how... How could you put the true meaning of the technique, which can only be understood after mastering the Jinseolshik sword technique, into Gangseol? It doesn't make sense...”
Those words made me flinch.
But I couldn't tell him that I had traveled back in time.
I'm sorry, Master.
“I don't know either.”
“I see. Anyway, let's move on to the next technique.”
“Yes.”
“Pal-gap So-i, bring me what I told you.”
It was finally time to learn the second of the Jinseolshik Sword Technique.
Actually, I had learned it before.
The second move of the Jinsulshik Sword Technique.
Jiseol (積雪).
The goal is to attack repeatedly until the opponent is defeated, like snow piling up and eventually breaking a tree.
Jiseol is mainly used when facing an opponent who is stronger than you.
Therefore, the most important thing is to distribute your strength.
You have to attack your opponent multiple times, and if you tire yourself out before your opponent falls, your movements will be meaningless.
Therefore, when practicing “Tsuetsu,” I first trained myself to swing my sword without stopping.
At first, I practiced for a few minutes, and later, I practiced for about an hour.
This is because you have to be able to do this in order to master Tsuetsu.
As a result, I suffered from muscle pain in my arms for a while...
Kung!
“Here you are.”
At that moment, Pal-gak brought a large log and placed it in front of me.
Pal-gak, no.
Take that back.
But the words didn't come out of my mouth.
“Then I will swing my sword until you tell me to stop.”
Will my arms hold out?
Ha, I don't know.
* *
Kwak Myeong-hyun headed for the Changin Escort Agency.
Every morning, he would stop by Eun Seo-ho's quarters to teach him sword fighting, and then go to the Changin Escort Agency.
However, if he or Eun Seo-ho had work to do, Eun Seo-ho would have to practice sword fighting on his own.
In fact, practicing swordsmanship alone is dangerous.
Therefore, he ordered his two sons never to practice swordsmanship when he was not around.
The reason he instructed Eun Seo-ho to practice swordsmanship privately was because he had people he could trust around him.
There was Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong, as well as other warriors who had mastered martial arts.
“And... he has exceptional insight.”
It is so true that when he teaches him one thing, he understands ten.
Even if it is the most basic technique in the Jinseolshik Sword Technique, only someone who has mastered the sword technique can understand its true meaning.
To be honest, Eun Seo-ho is currently in a slightly abnormal state.
His inner arts are on par with those of the best masters.
However, he has only mastered the second of the twelve techniques.
“Honestly, with that level of inner arts, even with only two techniques, he could defeat most enemies.”
However, he has no intention of speeding up his teaching.
No, he must not speed up.
The Jinseol 12 Sword Technique is a family sword technique.
And according to the rules passed down from generation to generation in his family, when learning the Jinseolshik, one must follow the right path.
If one went against this, there would be a price to pay, and Kwak Myeong-hyun knew what that price was.
Gaining great power requires endurance, and the fate of those who ignored this was...
horrible.
Fortunately, Eun Seo-ho did not pressure him to progress quickly in his sword training.
He just silently carried out the tasks assigned to him.
“But are you really unaware of the Twelve Sword Techniques?”
The sword technique he taught Eun Seo-ho today, “Red Snow,” required continuous attacks to defeat a strong enemy.
To do that, it was important to strike and retreat.
If you stay in one place and attack, you will inevitably be exposed to your enemy's attacks.
Therefore, footwork is very important.
In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the footwork of Moo-hyun was designed for this purpose.
This is because the chances of a successful attack are higher if your opponent is unaware of your movements.
When first learning Jiseol, most people are not very good at using footwork.
It is normal to struggle a lot because you are not yet familiar with the footwork.
Therefore, Jiseol is the most difficult of the twelve techniques to master.
However, Eun Seo-ho was different.
“It doesn't make sense, but the young master... used footwork. And he did it naturally.”
As far as he knew, Eun Seo-ho had never practiced sword fighting before learning from him, except for a little from Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong.
He thought back to Eun Seo-ho's physique.
“Could it be true what my father said?”
* * *
The carriage swayed rhythmically as it moved forward.
Eun Gil-sang, Eun Jeong-ho, and Eun Seo-ho were riding in the carriage.
In fact, Eun Jeong-ho wanted to stay with the Trading Company.
However, the former captain of the Trading Company, Eun Ji-bong, forced him to go.
“You're going to miss such a great opportunity? Hurry up and go with them! I was in charge of this Trading Company. Are you ignoring me because I'm old?”
“No, Grandfather.”
“Then what are you doing here instead of going to Beijing right away?”
“I haven't packed yet...”
“I told you to pack.”
“...”
And so, Eun Jeong-ho ended up accompanying them.
Today is the third day since they left for Beijing.
Eun Jeong-ho was looking through some documents.
Eun Seo-ho was asleep.
Eun Gil-sang quietly gazed at his sleeping son's handsome face.
“He's growing up and starting to look more and more like me.”
He recalled the conversation he had with Eun Seo-ho before he left for Sichuan a month ago.
“I heard that there is an epidemic in the Gansu region.”
“That's worrisome.”
“Fortunately, salt is said to be very effective.”
“...Salt must be expensive.”
“I suppose so.”
“Are you planning to buy salt in advance and sell it at a higher price when the price rises?”
Eun-seo-ho's eyes looked a little strange as he asked this question.
It was because he felt as if his thoughts had been read.
“No. We won't do that.”
To be honest, doing so would bring him a huge profit. But he didn't want to do that.
Salt is a daily necessity for people.
To be honest, you can live without candy, but you can't live without salt.
In such a situation, buying salt at a premium and selling it at a higher price means disregarding the lives of the common people.
Since the time of his distant ancestors who founded Eunhaesangdan, there has been a tradition passed down from generation to generation.
That is to value people.
Those “people” were the employees of the trading company, the Palm print artisans who belonged to the company, and the common people who bought their products.
Having heard and learned this tradition, Eun Gil-sang did not think it was right to make a profit from the price of salt.
It would clearly cause great harm to the people.
He slowly and clearly stated his intention.
“That would harm the people and go against the traditions of the Eunhae Trading Company. Furthermore, I personally do not agree with it.”
His intuition was warning him for the same reason.
It was dangerous.
Eun Seo-ho smiled at his answer.
“I am relieved to hear your answer, Father.”
Eun Gil-sang chuckled at his smile. He knew he had expected that answer.
“Are you testing your father?”
“Testing? How could I test you? I was just curious about your intentions.”
“Then why were you curious about my intentions?”
“It looks like sweet honey, but in fact, it contains poison.”
“Poison?”
“The price of salt will go up.”
“As you say, the price of salt will go up, and it will probably become extremely expensive.”
“Salt is a daily necessity essential for life. Will the imperial court just stand by and watch?”
“Ah!”
“That is what I think. The imperial court will definitely take action.”
It was just as Eun Seo-ho had expected.
The imperial court took action, and the result was the Salt Distribution Law.
Amidst the rise and fall of numerous trading companies, Eunhae Trading Company gained an unexpected profit.
When the Salt Distribution Law was enacted, he was calm because he had already anticipated it through his conversation with Eun Seo-ho.
However, he could not remain calm upon hearing the news that Eunhae Trading Company had been selected as the salt retailer for Hubei Province.
Salt retailer for Hubei Province.
The significance of this was greater than he had thought.
“At the very least, everyone in Hubei Province will be watching Eunhae Trading Company.”
In other words, many people would be nervous about Eunhae Trading Company's actions.
“That's unexpected. I didn't think Yoo So-ak thought so highly of Seo Ho.”
When Eun Seo-ho was granted the title of Captain, Yoo So-ak unexpectedly opposed it.
When asked why, Yoo So-ak replied,
“If that causes unnecessary attention to be focused on you, it will be very tiring for you.”
Yoo So-ak's words were filled with concern.
“But Seo-ho is already the center of attention, so that's a pointless worry.”
“You're right.”
In the end, it was unanimously decided to grant Seo-ho the title of Captain.
“Even I can see that he is truly talented.”
At that moment, Eun Seo-ho, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes.
“...!”
Startled, Eun Gil-sang asked, “What's wrong? You were sleeping so well.”
“It's just...”
* * *
I was dozing off in the carriage on my way to Beijing.
Normally, carriages would transmit the impact of the road directly to the passengers.
But the carriage I was riding in was different.
Thanks to the soft cushions that covered the floor, I couldn't even feel my butt, and I didn't feel any impact at all.
As my body became comfortable, I began to feel sleepy.
I was looking through the documents I needed to review before arriving in Beijing when I began to feel tired.
It must have been due to the fatigue from the journey from Hubei to Sichuan.
Or perhaps it was because I had just started learning sword techniques.
That was the most likely explanation.
In the end, I couldn't fight off my fatigue and fell asleep.
While I was sleeping soundly, something caught my attention.
Are those black swords?
Then, I felt something sharp poking me.
It's killing intent.
Someone is targeting us from ahead.
I immediately opened my eyes.
Seeing me, my father asked,
“What's wrong? You were sleeping so well.”
“It's just...”
As I was trying to find the right words, the carriage window opened.
I saw the face of Yoon Chung-jin, the Vice Captain of the Silver Wind Corps.
He was the second most skilled warrior in the Silver Wind Corps after Go Il-pyeong, the Chief Administrator.
In fact, Go Il-pyeong had wanted to accompany us.
However, he had many duties as Chief Administrator and could not neglect his preparations for the main headquarters.
Fortunately, the Royal Guards and the Imperial Army were sent from the Imperial Palace.
This was because there had been a previous attack on the Trading Company's Captain, Jin Woo-rim.
Therefore, Yoon Chung-jin, the Vice Captain, decided to go, believing that our safety was somewhat guaranteed.
He also seemed to sense something and said, “It seems like we won't be able to pass through quietly.”
“I don't think we'll be able to pass through quietly.”
“An attack?”
“Yes. Please wait in the safety of the carriage. It shouldn't take long.”
A moment later.
The sound of cold weapons clashing fiercely could be heard. I wasn't worried.
From what I could sense, our side would take care of it quickly.
But they were waving flags, saying they were guarding the royal family. How could they be attacking us?
That meant they had a reason to target us specifically.
The most likely reason was the salt monopoly.
Suddenly, something seemed strange.
How could they possibly attack us with such a small force?
With the Royal Guards and the Royal Guards' warriors?
“Ah!”
This is a diversionary tactic.
What they really want is to take our lives.
That was when it happened.
Whoosh!
Something came flying through the carriage window.
Damn it! It's a fire arrow!