Chapter 65
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 65
Chapter 65. To Beijing (3)
A thunderbolt.
When it explodes, the iron pieces inside also explode, causing serious injury to people.
Such a weapon, which causes great pain and is lucky if it kills instantly, had now entered the carriage.
I had already anticipated an attack on the carriage.
I just didn't expect it to be a sky-shattering thunderbolt.
“Damn it!”
Before it hit the floor of the carriage, I grabbed it and threw it out the window.
My target was the masked man who threw the sky-shattering thunderbolt and was trying to escape.
Fortunately, none of our warriors were there.
At the same time, I grabbed my father and Jeong-ho by the neck and pulled them down.
“Get down!”
Puuuung!
At that moment, a loud noise shook the area.
At the same time, fragments flew in all directions.
Pababak!
I heard the sound of fragments hitting the carriage.
Some of them even entered the carriage.
“....”
It was too horrible to imagine what would have happened if they had exploded inside the carriage, and curses escaped from our mouths.
“What the hell is this....”
The carriage door flew open, and Vice Captain Yoon Chung-jin asked with a pale face.
“Are you all right?”
“We're fine.”
Jeong Ho continued.
“Thanks to Seo Ho's quick thinking, we are safe. Something came through the window into the carriage, and he grabbed it and threw it away.”
“I'm glad you're safe.”
The situation was soon under control.
In the meantime, I began to analyze what had just happened.
No matter how I thought about it, it didn't seem like the work of someone who wanted to steal the salt distribution rights.
Even if we didn't arrive in Beijing on time, the salt distributor had already been decided.
There was no point in taking such a risk.
Even if we weren't there, the Trading Company's main force, including Jin-ho, would remain.
In other words, it was a personal grudge against us.
Could it be the Martial Alliance?
As I thought about it, I quickly shook my head and dismissed the idea.
The Martial Alliance has no reason to target us right now.
If they wanted to train us and use us, that would be one thing, but there's no reason for them to antagonize the imperial court.
Attacking the Imperial Guards is tantamount to treason against the emperor.
Unless, of course, they are already at odds with the Imperial Palace.
Ah...
Suddenly, I thought of those who could be considered the masterminds behind this.
Those who attacked Jinwoo Lim, the captain of the Trading Company. The Dong Trading Company.
I sought out the Royal Guards who would know the news from Beijing best.
“Master, I have something to ask you.”
“Go ahead.”
The Royal Guards' reaction was a bit different from when I first arrived.
It was as if I had been facing a solid, cold rock, but now I could feel warmth coming from it.
“I will tell you everything I know.”
“I want to know about the Dong Trading Company.”
“Ah... May I ask why you are asking?”
Seeing his puzzled expression, I explained what had happened in Sichuan.
Only then did he relax his expression and nod his head.
“So it was you who saved Captain Jin! Thank you once again.”
“I feel a little embarrassed.”
“If Captain Eun hadn't saved Captain Jin back then, we Royal Guards would have suffered greatly.”
Hearing this, I understood why the Royal Guard in front of me had reacted differently.
Well, it worked out well for me.
“You can consider the Dong Trading Company gone. All those who were involved in the incident were executed.”
“I see.”
“However, somehow they managed to escape and a few of them were not caught.”
“You mean there are some who got away?”
“Yes. The second son of the Dong Trading Company.”
* *
In a forest in Henan Province.
Inside a cave there, a man was venting his anger.
“Damn it! We failed!”
“We successfully distracted the guards and put the firecrackers in the carriage.”
“Then what? Why did you fail?”
“Someone inside threw them out of the carriage before they exploded. So...”
“What kind of nonsense is that!”
He exploded in anger again.
His name was Dong Woo-yeok.
He was the second son of the Dong Trading Company.
He had been away on business, but on his way back, he heard the news about the trading company.
By order of the emperor, the trading company had been abolished.
Not only his family, but also several executives of the trading company had been arrested and taken to the imperial palace.
Seeing his father and brother beheaded in the market near the imperial palace, he was filled with rage.
He couldn't understand why they had to be treated so cruelly.
Dong Woo-yeok decided to take revenge.
He found a place to live in Henan Province with the people from the trading company who had escaped with him.
Then he began to investigate his father's death.
In the process, he learned that
His father had attacked Jinwoo Rim, but failed due to the interference of the Eunhae Trading Company.
The emperor learned of this and, enraged, ordered the destruction of the Dong Trading Company.
It was punishment for their crimes.
However, Dong Woo-yeok did not accept this.
“That kind of thing can happen in business. Why make such a big deal out of it?”
There was also one fact that he was ignoring.
Attacking a regular trading company captain and attacking a trading company captain who was carrying out the emperor's orders were two very different things.
Consumed by revenge, Dong Woo-yeok did not think about such things and only thought about how to get revenge.
He wanted to find a way to get revenge on the emperor and Jin Woo-rim.
Then one day, he learned that salt merchants were going to Beijing.
As soon as he heard the news, he made up his mind.
He would attack the Eunhae Trading Company.
He had heard that Jin Woo-rim had received a favor from the Eunhae Trading Company and was very interested in it.
The emperor was also grateful to the Eunhae Trading Company for saving Jin Woo-rim.
What if the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company and his party were attacked and killed on their way to Beijing?
“Then they would understand my feelings, at least a little.”
To do this, he had to attack the Eunhae Trading Company, but Dong-woo was very happy with this situation.
This was because he had a grudge against the Eunhae Trading Company.
“This is all your fault. If you hadn't saved the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company, everything would have been settled neatly. You are responsible for this mess!”
He used the company's funds to purchase a bomb.
He wanted to kill them as painfully and cruelly as possible.
However, his plan failed.
“Excuse me, young master.”
Hangsu raised his head and looked at Dongwoo.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Well...”
Hangsu hesitated, then continued.
“Do you really have to take revenge like this?”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“There is still some money left. I want you to use it to start a new business. Your late father would not want you to ruin your life like this...”
POW!
Dong-woo swung his fist at the servant.
The servant fell backward, and Dong-woo said coldly.
“Don't get out of line.”
“...”
“I'll decide what to do with my life. Don't meddle in my affairs.”
“...I'm sorry.”
The servant bowed his head and sighed inwardly.
'If I stay here, I won't die a peaceful death.
.
.
.
The servant left the cave.
Coming out of the dark cave, the sunlight and fresh air outside felt even more intense.
He avoided the guards protecting the cave and escaped to a place a short distance away.
He took a deep breath.
He felt like he couldn't hold it in any longer.
Then someone approached him.
It was one of Haengsu's subordinates.
“Hangsu, what will happen to us now?”
“...I don't know.”
“We touched the procession with the Golden Army's flag. Isn't that a serious crime punishable by death?”
That was true.
The procession with the Golden Army's flag meant that they were people who had received orders from the emperor.
To interfere with them was a crime against the emperor.
It was customary for the entire family to be executed.
“But we didn't know. We really didn't know. If we had known... If we had known...”
The guard patted him on the shoulder as he sobbed.
Seeing this, the guard felt troubled.
* * *
I am currently in a tree.
I came here following the footsteps of the evil spirit who is after us.
It wasn't difficult to track down the evil spirit.
This is because I have special powers that I gained from Tae-eum Byeonghae Gong.
With such a strong killing intent, finding him was a piece of cake.
I told Sophie that I was going to see her for a moment, and then I entered the forest with Pal-gap.
Then I told Pal-gap that I would return to the cave, and came here.
The Mu-Hoon Bo-Beop technique that my Master taught me leaves no traces and hides one's presence.
Moreover, it was very fast.
Thanks to that, I was able to get here in less than a moment.
Then I saw something unexpected.
It was a conversation between someone who appeared to be a leader and his subordinate.
I also heard their conversation in the cave earlier.
The situation could be summed up in one word.
It's a mess.
I came here because I was angry.
I got a second chance at life. But I almost threw that chance away.
On top of that, my father and brother almost died right in front of my eyes.
So you can imagine how angry I was!
But even if I don't get my hands dirty, they're going to die a horrible death anyway.
I only came here to see what kind of men they were.
But when I saw them, my anger disappeared, and I felt sorry for them.
Their only crime was following the orders of the second son, who had fled.
They didn't know that it was a procession accompanied by the Royal Guards and the Royal Army.
Even if you hired the Black Swords to do the job, it is still a crime.
Even if that is the case, what crime did their families commit?
In my past life, no one from the Dong Trading Company's family ever ran away.
But this time, my second son ran away.
That happened because I was able to find the murderer faster than last time.
And the result was this attack.
I will continue to change the future, and as a result, countless causes and effects will change.
But I didn't want to spill blood that didn't have to be spilled.
In their previous lives, they wouldn't have been involved in something like this.
I was angry that they used the sky-piercing thunder, but that couldn't have been their idea.
I made up my mind.
I would give them a chance to live.
I climbed down from the tree. I picked up a stone nearby and threw it lightly at them.
Thud.
They were startled and looked around warily, then approached cautiously.
“What is it?”
“It's just a rock.”
“...A rock?”
I threw the rock again.
After throwing the rock about three times, they cautiously approached me.
They looked curious to see who was throwing the rock.
At that moment, I revealed myself in front of them.
“Huh!”
“Shh!”
In an instant, I struck their acupoints.
They were unable to speak or move.
“Let me introduce myself first. My name is Eun Seo-ho. I am the captain... no, the sub-captain of the Eunhae Trading Company.”
“...!”
Their eyes widened.
“That's right. I was with the procession you attacked.”
“...!”
“Then why am I here? It's to give you a chance.”
“...?”
“To be honest, I feel sorry for you. You're just people who had the misfortune of meeting the wrong captain. But now you're about to lose your heads, so I know you feel wronged.”
I chuckled.
Their eyes revealed their true feelings.
“Soldiers will be here soon. I went to the military headquarters to request reinforcements.”
“...!”
That was true.
The Royal Guards, who were the emperor's men, had gone there themselves, so the military headquarters would not be able to refuse the request.
“I estimate that we have about an hour left. It is up to you to decide whether you want to stay here and die protecting Dong's second son, or take the money and run.”
“...”
“But you won't be able to escape the imperial guards, will you? Just hide for about half a month.”
This is their Karmic Retribution, so they have to bear it.
“When you arrive in Beijing, I will stop the pursuit.”
If I ask Captain Jin Woo-rim, he will find a way.
“Why am I doing this?”
They nodded in response to my question.
“Because I feel sorry for you.”
I continued.
“I have given you a chance. So make your decision before it's too late.”
“...”
“But my second brother must not be among those who escape. I will immediately deprive him of any chance to flee.”
At the same time, I released the acupoints of the two men.
Then, smiling faintly at them, I ran to where Pal-gap was waiting.
I gave them a chance.
The choice is theirs.