Chapter 654
Chapter 654
Chapter 654. Finishing Up (7)
I first returned to Qingcheng Sect.
Because I had to go pick up Miss Seohyang, the members of the Eunhae Trading Company, and the people of the Changin Escort Agency who were there.
“Young Master!” (Seohyang)
The first person to welcome me when I arrived at Qingcheng Sect was Miss Seohyang.
“Vice Captain Gwak. You knew I would come.” (Eun Seho)
“Yes.” (Seohyang)
She nodded.
“Are you feeling a little better? I was very worried.” (Seohyang)
“I am fine.” (Eun Seho)
I tapped my chest and said.
“Thanks to you, I am safe.” (Eun Seho)
“That’s a relief. Truly.” (Seohyang)
Miss Seohyang let out a sigh of relief, her eyes reddening.
Well, how anxious must she have been after seeing that scene!
Thinking that, I felt sorry.
“I’m sorry.” (Eun Seho)
“No. It is not something you need to apologize for. You were put in danger while doing what you had to do.” (Seohyang)
She shook her head and continued.
“I do not know how fortunate I am that I was able to help.” (Seohyang)
I held her in my arms and patted her back.
“But Palgap, what is with that expression?” (Eun Seho)
“To think you would show such a tender side, Young Master! Keu! Madam would have been moved if she had seen it.” (Palgap)
“Ahem.” (Eun Seho)
.
.
.
In the meantime, the heroic tale that I had caught the Blood-Eyed Sword Ghost spread through Qingcheng Sect in an instant.
“Ohhh! So that person is the Seonhyeop Mirang!” (Disciple)
“He really is handsome.” (Disciple)
“They say he caught that Blood-Eyed Sword Ghost.” (Disciple)
“They say he even stood at the vanguard. Keu! A hero really is a hero!” (Disciple)
Everywhere I went, people looked at me with admiring eyes, so it felt a little burdensome.
And my alias was still Seonhyeop Mirang.
Hoo, it really will not change.
“But where is His Highness King Seongbo?” (Eun Seho)
“Two days after you left, Young Master, Lord Provincial Administration Commissioner summoned him, so he went.” (Palgap)
“It seems something has come up.” (Eun Seho)
It was probably a discussion about establishing the princely residence.
Qingcheng Sect had now been settled to some extent.
Support from the Tang Clan was continuing to arrive, and our Eunhae Trading Company’s builders would soon arrive as well.
The remaining work was theirs.
And if I stayed here any longer, it felt as though my hands and feet would curl up and disappear.
I paid my respects to the Sect Leader of Qingcheng Sect and immediately headed for Chengdu.
.
.
.
“Our Seho has come!” (Uncle)
When I arrived at the Sichuan branch, Uncle welcomed me warmly.
“I heard the news. They say you saved Hyang-ok. How am I to repay this grace……” (Uncle)
“Grace? Not at all.” (Eun Seho)
I waved my hand.
“Are we strangers? Noona Hyang-ok and I also share the same grandfather, so how could I not step forward? Rather, I cannot tell you how relieved I am that I was able to save Noona Hyang-ok.” (Eun Seho)
I gave a clasped-hands greeting and said.
“I apologize for acting too coldly before.” (Eun Seho)
“No, not at all.” (Uncle)
Uncle patted my shoulder and said.
“Rather, because you spoke so coldly to me, I was able to come to my senses as well. Thank you.” (Uncle)
I scratched my head.
“Noona Hyang-ok went straight to Emei Sect. She said she would stop by home soon.” (Eun Seho)
“I see. Come inside quickly.” (Uncle)
I headed to my quarters, and with Palgap’s help, I washed with warm water for the first time in a while and lay down on the bed.
Thud.
“Ah…… This is nice.” (Eun Seho)
Come to think of it, I remembered the hot spring I had discovered this time.
To be precise, it was a hot spring Geumryeong had discovered.
I would look into work-related matters later…… For now, I needed to check the secret storehouse first.
I raised myself up, opened the secret storehouse, and went inside.
Inside, the things I had steadily collected until now were neatly arranged.
I had organized them before with Miss Seohyang’s help.
On the floor was one unsorted sack.
It was something I had found and put away while searching the safe house where the Blood-Eyed Sword Ghost had been.
When I opened the sack, it was filled with gold and silver coins, along with gold, silver, and jewels.
Probably some of this had been stolen from nearby homes by taking advantage of this earthquake. And the rest would be the tolls he had collected until now.
I took out an appropriate amount equal to the expected damages to the homes this time and put it in another sack.
Because that had to be returned.
Then I divided the remaining wealth in half.
“Geumryeong. Come out.” (Eun Seho)
“Kkui?” (Geumryeong)
Geumryeong poked its head out from inside my sleeve and, seeing the gold and silver spread on the floor, its eyes sparkled.
“Kku! Kkuiiit!” (Geumryeong)
“Here, this is your share.” (Eun Seho)
I pointed at half of the money and said.
“Kku? Kkuit?” (Geumryeong)
“Are you asking if it’s really yours? Of course, it really is. I do not joke around when it comes to money.” (Eun Seho)
“Kkuiiit!” (Geumryeong)
No sooner had Geumryeong heard my answer than it leapt into the pile of gold and silver and flapped around, swimming inside it.
Clink, clink.
The sound of coins striking each other was heard.
You little rascal, you must really like it.
Geumryeong deserved a reward this large.
There was the fact that it had told me about a good hot spring this time, but more than anything, if it had not told me about the Hyunro Diagram, I might not have been able to rescue Noona Hyang-ok.
One might worry that if I gave it a large sum of money, over fifty taels of gold, all at once, it would develop bad habits, but Geumryeong was not that sort of creature.
Even though it had eaten an enormous number of gold and silver coins until now, it still thoroughly collected every last silver coin it was owed.
That meant it properly understood the value of that money.
“Ah! But Geumryeong.” (Eun Seho)
“Kkui?” (Geumryeong)
“You’re not thinking of eating all of this at once, are you?” (Eun Seho)
“Kkui? Kku?” (Geumryeong)
Hm? You’re asking who I take for a pig?
You are a pig……
Oh, right! You are not just a pig, but a Hanhosu, are you? I almost forgot.
.
.
.
That night.
After resting well and even eating dinner, I headed to Uncle’s office.
“Come in. Did you eat dinner well?” (Uncle)
“Yes. It was Hubei-style, so I enjoyed it very much.” (Eun Seho)
“Hahaha. Then it was worth bringing a cook from Hubei. Sit down.” (Uncle)
When I sat at the tea table, Uncle brewed tea himself and poured it for me.
“The tea is truly delicious.” (Eun Seho)
“It should be. I was also strictly taught by Father.” (Uncle)
Well, Grandfather was serious about tea.
I drank a sip of tea and opened my mouth.
“I heard that you gave a name to the hot spring I discovered this time.” (Eun Seho)
“Yes. For convenience, people have been calling it the Eunhae Trading Company Hot Spring, but I thought it would be better for it to have a proper name.” (Uncle)
“You are right.” (Eun Seho)
I had asked Father for his opinion on this, but Father said that since it was in Sichuan, Uncle should decide on his own.
“I named it Manancheon.” (Uncle)
“A hot spring that fills one with comfort…… It is a good name. By the way, how is the response?” (Eun Seho)
“What need is there to say it? It is very heated.” (Uncle)
“That is good!” (Eun Seho)
Uncle added an explanation with a satisfied smile.
“So I also purchased the land near the hot spring. I am thinking of building an inn there.” (Uncle)
“An inn?” (Eun Seho)
At my question, Uncle nodded.
“Since the hot spring’s effects are what they are, it has become so famous that there are people who come from far away and wish to enjoy the hot spring for several days.” (Uncle)
His words were not wrong, but…….
After thinking for a moment, I gave an opposing opinion.
“Uncle, I think a little differently. Please do not build an inn, and put a little more effort into the hot spring facilities.” (Eun Seho)
“Putting effort into the hot spring facilities is only natural, but if so, what do you intend to do about lodging?” (Uncle)
“Have them stay at the nearby inns that already exist.” (Eun Seho)
I calmly explained why I thought so.
“Manancheon began with the goodwill of the people of Sichuan. But if you build an inn and make it high-class, that will all come to nothing. Just like the other existing hot springs.” (Eun Seho)
“That is true.” (Uncle)
Uncle nodded.
After all, inns built around hot springs were quite expensive compared to other inns.
Since they made them high-class for greater profit, ordinary people also found them very difficult to access.
“I hope Manancheon becomes a place everyone can use.” (Eun Seho)
“What you say is right, but if that happens, the high-ranking people will not come. Then there will be problems with operating the hot spring as well.” (Uncle)
“That is why I said you should put effort into the hot spring facilities. For them, create several private hot springs they can use alone.” (Eun Seho)
“That is a good idea too. But that alone will not solve everything.” (Uncle)
“I know. You mean the distance between Manancheon and the nearby inns is far, do you not?” (Eun Seho)
“Yes. How do you intend to solve that?” (Uncle)
“You should operate a loop carriage connecting the nearby inns and the hot spring.” (Eun Seho)
“A loop carriage?” (Uncle)
“Yes.” (Eun Seho)
I nodded.
“If you operate a carriage that goes around Inn A, Inn B, Inn C, Inn D, and then to the hot spring, users will be able to use the hot spring without inconvenience.” (Eun Seho)
“That is a good idea. Then there would be little inconvenience caused by the distance.” (Uncle)
“That is right. Doing so will also reduce the burden of lodging costs at the nearby inns for the guests.” (Eun Seho)
“It would. And…… if things go well, the inns might even step forward and say they will support the cost of operating the loop carriage.” (Uncle)
As expected of Uncle.
In truth, there was no need for the loop carriage to Manancheon to stop at every inn.
It only had to stop at a few places.
If that happened, which inns the loop carriage stopped at would become important, so the inns would want it to stop at their own place even if they had to support the operating costs.
“From our standpoint too, this would be less burdensome than building an inn. After all, building and operating an inn near the hot spring would cost a lot and require many things to pay attention to, but the existing inns would take care of that for us.” (Uncle)
“That is right.” (Eun Seho)
“Truly, your commercial talent is amazing, Seho. To think you would come up with such an ingenious idea!” (Uncle)
Uncle asked me indirectly.
“But why is it that you have no interest in the position of Trading Company Head? I heard that you and Jin-ho withdrew from the competition for Trading Company Head.” (Uncle)
Regret and puzzlement appeared on Uncle’s face.
I could feel that he wanted me to become Trading Company Head, but I would receive only that feeling with gratitude.
“That is correct. The next Trading Company Head is Jeong-ho Hyung. Jin-ho Hyung and I decided to assist that Jeong-ho Hyung.” (Eun Seho)
“Yes, I did hear that, but I feel regret because you have so much commercial talent.” (Uncle)
“Uncle, I do not think one can become a good Trading Company Head simply because one has outstanding commercial talent.” (Eun Seho)
I continued speaking with a smile.
“The Trading Company Head must be able to present future hope to everyone. And no matter what hardships come, he must be able to lead everyone firmly without wavering. He must also treat all people fairly, and if necessary, be able to step forward and sacrifice himself.” (Eun Seho)
“That is Jeong-ho, then.” (Uncle)
“That is right.” (Eun Seho)
“But it is not as if you lack such ability either, is it?” (Uncle)
I smiled awkwardly and scratched behind my ear.
“To tell you the truth, I somewhat detest sitting around acting dignified……” (Eun Seho)
“Hahahaha!” (Uncle)
At my words, Uncle laughed loudly.
“Yes! Well, that is true. If you become the Trading Company Head, sitting around acting dignified becomes your daily life!” (Uncle)
“I like traveling around the entire empire like this. Perhaps I was born with wanderlust. Hahaha.” (Eun Seho)
“Yes, I understand your thoughts well.” (Uncle)
Uncle nodded.
“I am grateful that you settled things early like this.” (Uncle)
After all, in any organization, if the successor struggle intensifies, it becomes extremely exhausting.
Not only does the organization become chaotic, its power may also weaken.
There is no way competitors would simply watch that opening.
So he must mean that he was thankful we had made it possible to pass things neatly to the next generation.
The reason he brought up the successor matter to me again this time was probably because he himself wanted to confirm it once more.
“Ah, Uncle. The builders will soon arrive in Chengdu.” (Eun Seho)
“The builders you spoke of?” (Uncle)
“Yes.” (Eun Seho)
I spoke to Uncle about it.
“Please oversee the construction of the Qingcheng Sect buildings.” (Eun Seho)
“Understood. This will be busy for a while.” (Uncle)
“And once Qingcheng Sect finishes the reconstruction, they will request a review of the phrase to be carved into the marker stone, so please take care of that as well.” (Eun Seho)
“Do not worry.” (Uncle)
“And when His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness King Seongbo return to Beijing this time, I am also thinking of going to Beijing with them.” (Eun Seho)
“Yes. You have worked hard. Thanks to you, the name of our Eunhae Trading Company has spread quite widely in Sichuan this time.” (Uncle)
.
.
.
The next day.
At dawn, I headed to Manancheon.
It was to inspect Manancheon before going to Beijing.
Since it was a little earlier than dawn, the surroundings were still dark.
But I had a night pearl.
Thanks to that, I could head comfortably to the hot spring.
Pong, pong, pong, pong.
The closer I drew to the hot spring, the more I heard the sound of water springing up, and saw steam rising in wisps.
“Since we came all this way, shall we soak ourselves for a while before going?” (Eun Seho)
At my suggestion, the guards did not refuse.
Thus, we took off our outer clothes and entered the hot spring.
“Hoo, this is nice.” (Eun Seho)
“It truly is nice. And to think it even restores inner arts! It is no different from a spiritual medicine spring.” (Guard)
“Indeed.” (Guard)
At that moment, Warrior Seo-woo continued speaking.
“I realized it again last time. Though I have reached the peak realm in my own way, I cannot protect you, Liege, if I settle there as I am.” (Warrior Seo-woo)
Ah…… He meant when we met the One-Snake Sword.
Well, at that time, we really had almost died.
At those words, everyone nodded.
“So that you are never in danger again, Liege…… I will work harder.” (Warrior Seo-woo)
I also said.
“I intend to work hard too. I realized that I need a higher realm in order to achieve my goal.” (Eun Seho)
Because I had nearly died without taking revenge or making the Eunhae Trading Company the greatest trading company under heaven.
It was then.
“Kkui!” (Geumryeong)
Geumryeong, who had been flapping around and swimming in the hot spring, flapped its tail and shot off somewhere like an arrow.
And a short while later.
When Geumryeong appeared again, something was held in its mouth.
“Huh? This is?” (Eun Seho)
I accepted it and spoke with surprised eyes.
“Isn’t this gangnyeong grass?” (Eun Seho)
“Kkui!” (Geumryeong)
Hm? It’s a gift? You’re giving it to me to thank me for giving you so much money this time?
This gangnyeong grass was a spiritual herb with the effect of increasing one’s lifespan if boiled and drunk even once.
In truth, I had been worried about Grandfather and Elder Ghost Mask, so this was good.
By the way, this little Geumryeong…… is quite the master, isn’t it?