The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group – Chapter 331

I slipped past the madman’s attack and, in the same motion, swung my sword at him.

Swish–!

Huh? He dodged that?

On top of that, he didn’t just avoid my sword; he shot straight past me toward Escort Guard Jin Yu.

Escort Guard Jin Yu raised a sword and blocked the shard of porcelain the madman swung.

Clack–!

Even though his strike had been blocked, the madman didn’t hesitate at all and immediately rushed at another Escort Guard.

“Ugh!”

Escort Guard Lee Pil barely managed to block his attack.

Like that, a seven–on–one fight broke out between the madman and the seven of us, me included.

In a fight like this, the one going solo is supposed to tire out first. That’s just common sense.

But the madman didn’t seem tired at all. His speed didn’t slow, and his strength didn’t drop.

Is that even possible?

The ones who were actually getting exhausted were us.

“Ghh!”

In the end, Escort Guard Myeong Jong failed to properly block an attack, let out a groan, and stumbled back.

The shard of porcelain in the madman’s hand had slashed a long line across Escort Guard Myeong Jong’s arm.

Thankfully, the thick fur coat being worn kept the wound from going too deep.

But of all places, it was the right arm. If it gets worse from pushing too hard, that’ll be a serious problem.

“Escort Guard Myeong Jong! Fall back!”

“But!”

He protested, tightening his grip on the sword again. The one who snapped at him was Escort Guard Seo Wu.

“We’re not just any warriors. We’re Escort Guards! Don’t forget we’re Escort Guards who have to think about what comes after this!”

“Kh… Understood.”

In the end, Escort Guard Myeong Jong retreated, and we continued trading blows with the madman.

He fought like he was moving purely on instinct, yet he precisely found and struck at our weak points.

He doesn’t seem sane at all, so how is he pulling off attacks like this?

And the longer the fight dragged on, the more skilled he became at fighting.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

Eventually, one by one, people started failing to block his attacks. They pulled out of the fight and stepped back to have their wounds treated.

After about four hours of that, the only ones still standing and trading blows with the madman without serious injuries were me, Escort Guard Seo Wu, and Escort Guard Jin Yu.

“Huff, huff.”

I was breathing heavily and rough.

If not for my master’s brutal stamina training, I would’ve been flat on my back long ago.

I glared at the madman and reset my grip on my sword.

His breathing had only just started to get a little rough.

I recalled the testimonies of those who’d been attacked by him before.

They’d said he left once everyone collapsed and was completely unable to fight.

Which basically meant that if you weren’t worth his time, he just walked away.

Could that be related to what he said earlier, about wanting us to kill him?

If he decides no one can kill him, does he just leave?

Looking at the murderous intent swirling in those crazed eyes right now, I could tell this fight had already passed the point of no return.

If we get badly injured, he might lose interest and back off.

But that would still be a loss for us.

We need to get Snow back to Guizhou soon, and recovering from serious injuries will take days at least.

I bit down on my lip.

That biting–cold sensation in my flesh was still vivid.

Damn it.

Fine, let’s see which of us wins.

“Haaap!”

We clashed again.

In the madman’s hand was a broken shard of porcelain.

We were lucky.

If he was holding a real weapon instead of a piece of porcelain…

I don’t even want to imagine it.

Boom–!

Kwagagang!

My sword and his shard smashed into each other with an explosive crash.

We were both pouring Qi into our attacks.

Which meant the madman was also a martial artist capable of using internal Qi.

What kind of story does someone like that have, that he’s rampaging around the North Sea in nothing but a torn, thin shirt?

“Haaat!”

Thud!

“Urgh!”

Slice–!

At this rate, this is never going to end.

I decided to switch strategies.

“This won’t do. Escort Guard Seo Wu, fall back, count to a hundred, then rejoin.”

“Huff, got it.”

Escort Guard Seo Wu pulled back, took a short rest, counted to a hundred, then reentered the fight.

Then Escort Guard Jin Yu fell back and rested, and after that, Jin Yu rejoined while I stepped out to rest.

By rotating like that and grabbing short breaks, the fight became a little more manageable.

But that only lasted for a while.

Little by little, the madman’s movements started getting faster. He should be slowing down, but he was speeding up instead.

This is insane.

“Kh!”

Just then, the shard of porcelain in the madman’s hand slashed across Escort Guard Jin Yu’s side.

“Escort Guard Jin Yu!”

“I–I’m fine!”

Escort Guard Jin Yu insisted he was fine and refused to pull back, but there was no way he could hold out properly while already injured.

In the end, he nearly got hit again.

Clang–!

But Escort Guard Seo Wu intercepted that strike.

“Fall back.”

“…Understood.”

Escort Guard Jin Yu swallowed down his frustration and stepped back. He’d realized he were only getting in the way now.

Once that attack was blocked, the madman started focusing relentlessly on Escort Guard Seo Wu.

His attacks grew even faster and more precise.

At first, he’d seemed to be around our level, but as we fought, I gradually realized the truth.

He was a whole level above us.

A pang of regret hit me.

Should I have just left this guy alone?

But it was already too late.

And this was still the best decision I could make as the Deputy Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group.

Now wasn’t the time to regret anything. I needed to figure out how to actually win this fight against the madman.

“Ugh!”

At that moment, Escort Guard Seo Wu staggered slightly, as if strength had left his legs. Well, we’d already been fighting for over eight hours.

The only reason we’d managed to last this long was because we’d reached the Peak realm.

But to protect me, Escort Guard Seo Wu had moved a bit more, pushed a bit harder, and burned through his stamina faster than I did.

And the madman didn’t miss that opening. He struck at Escort Guard Seo Wu’s left shoulder.

“Over here!”

Clang–!

I threw myself in and blocked the attack.

He made a face that clearly said, Not bad.

That expression made something inside me flare up before I realized it.

“Yeah? Let’s see you try then, you crazy bastard.”

I spat the words out and thrust my sword straight at his neck.

Clang–!

He blocked the blade, but I spun with the rebound and whipped my leg around to kick him in the head.

Thud!

It landed clean.

Normally, that would’ve sent someone rolling across the ground, but he only staggered a bit.

What a ridiculously sturdy bastard.

Before I knew it, the fight had become a one–on–one match between me and the madman.

We hadn’t beaten him even with seven against one, so realistically, I had no chance of winning like this.

But there was no backing down now.

If I retreated here, we’d suffer too much loss.

I honestly felt grateful this was the North Sea. If we were anywhere else, there’s no way I could circulate my Qi this naturally.

Thanks to the North Sea’s frigid cold, my Qi was plentiful.

That meant this fight would be decided by focus, will, and sheer grit.

“I’ll take this all the way to the end.”

Who knows how many hours we fought like that.

The sun rose and morning came, but our battle still didn’t end.

In the end, though, I was the one whose stamina ran out first.

“Ugh!”

The madman’s attack knocked my sword out of my hand.

I’d been clenching my fingers as hard as I could, but after fighting nonstop through the night, my grip strength had finally given out.

If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve tied the sword to my hand…

The madman started walking toward me.

I heard my Escort Guards shouting from behind.

“Young Master! Fall back!”

“We’ll fight instead!”

I gave them a quick sidelong glance.

They’d wrapped their wounds, but that didn’t mean they’d actually recovered.

“It’s fine.”

Just then, the madman’s gaze turned toward them.

Seeing them still standing with weapons in hand, he seemed to decide he’d better finish them off too.

No way I’m letting that happen.

At that moment, the Patriarch’s words from the North Sea Ice Palace flashed through my mind.

“A palace lord must be ready to see oceans of blood if it means protecting disciples. Even without a weapon, you should tear down the enemy with your bare hands.”

Only now did I truly understand those words.

So this is how it feels.

Of course, they’re Escort Guards whose purpose is to protect me. But before that, they’re my people.

Extreme Yin Soul Ice Combat.

I recalled the final move I’d learned.

I live, all live; heaven and earth bear witness to our victory.

That was how it would be.

I took a deep breath, glared at the madman, and spoke.

“It’s not over yet, you bastard.”

Even after seeing the killing intent in my eyes, the madman smiled.

“I’m bare–handed, and you’re planning to fight with a weapon? That’s pretty cowardly, isn’t it?”

Maybe because of what I said, he casually tossed aside the shard of porcelain in his hand.

Clack–!

We charged at each other at the same time.

Whoosh! Thud! Thud! Tadadak–!

Hands met hands, forearms smashed into forearms. Our legs churned nonstop.

Our hands and feet became our weapons as we traded ferocious, desperate blows in a life–or–death struggle.

At some point, I slowly started to forget.

The Guizhou Commissioner of Land Affairs’ request, the Escort Guards standing behind me, even the fact that this was the North Sea.

Nothing came to mind. All I could see was the madman in front of my eyes.

No, at some point, I even forgot that I was fighting a madman right now.

What… what am I doing?

More than that, who am I?

I desperately struggled to recall, driven by a gut instinct that something terrible would happen if I failed to remember.

Just then, a massive force stirred inside me.

This is… Geumryeong?

At the same time, I remembered the very first Elixir I’d taken.

The Icy Blue Snow Plum Fruit.

I nearly died after taking that.

But why did I take it again?

Oh, right. I took it to change my constitution. I had to fix my constitution to achieve my goal…

My goal?

In that instant, everything came rushing back.

My goal to make the Eunhae Merchant Group the greatest merchant group under heaven, the way I’d died miserably in my previous life at the hands of the Baekcheon Merchant Group’s Merchant Lord.

And the vow I’d made to take revenge.

At that moment, someone whispered.

“Do you really think that’s even possible?”

“What are you working so hard for, anyway?”

“Honestly, it’s not like you haven’t wanted to run away a thousand times.”

“If you give up, everything gets easier.”

Wow…

I don’t know whose voice that is, but they’re terrible at persuasion.

If you tried to be a merchant with sales talk like that, you’d go bankrupt in a week.

I let out a faint snort.

Whoever you are, would you shut up?

This is the new life I got thanks to the Patriarch’s sacrifice. There’s no way I’m dying like that again.

Give up? If it were you, could you really give up?

I have to live. No matter what.

I’ll live, take revenge on the Baekcheon Merchant Group and the Murim Alliance, and make the Eunhae Merchant Group the greatest merchant group under heaven.

---

The sword had been knocked out of Eun Seo-ho’s hand in the fight against the madman.

But Eun Seo-ho didn’t give up.

With no blade, hands and feet became weapons.

In that brutal exchange, clothes tore, and fresh wounds opened across both of their bodies as blood splattered through the air.

“Are we really supposed to just stand here and watch?”

At Escort Guard Chang Un’s question, Escort Guard Seo Wu bit down on his lip and shook his head.

“It’s already too late.”

“Huh?”

“Look at Young Master’s eyes.”

At Escort Guard Seo Wu’s words, they all looked at Eun Seo-ho’s eyes and realized there was no focus in them.

“No way…”

“Right now, Young Master is in a state of no–self. If we force our way in now, stepping in will be hard enough. Missing the moment of enlightenment is the best–case scenario. Worst case, Young Master could fall into Qi deviation.”

“Then what are we supposed to do?”

The one who answered that was Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am.

“We’ve got no choice but to watch. And trust Young Master.”

At those words, they clenched their teeth and continued to watch the fight between the madman and Eun Seo-ho.

The battle dragged on.

They’d already stayed up all night, and before they knew it, the sky was growing dark again.

And then, the sun rose once more.

At that moment, they witnessed a shocking sight.

A silver radiance burst out from Eun Seo-ho’s body.

“Ugh!”

“This light…?”

The glare was so intense they reflexively raised their hands to shield their eyes.

When they lowered their hands, what they saw were Eun Seo-ho and the madman standing face–to–face.

---

My mind was clear.

I didn’t think my head had ever felt this clear before.

And my ability to sense Qi had become incredibly sharp.

The power overflowing through my whole body felt completely new.

It felt like I could do anything.

Pushing that feeling aside, I focused on the man in front of me.

The crazed, unfocused red eyes were gone. In their place were clear, sharp eyes staring straight at me.

“Where is this…?”

“The North Sea.”

“Damn. Figures.”

He looked at me and scratched his head.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean for any of that to happen.”

Judging from the way he spoke, this definitely wasn’t some ordinary guy.

More than that, his whole atmosphere had completely changed from when he’d been a madman. Just what is this guy’s deal?

“Thanks to you, I managed to escape my inner demon. I owe you a debt.”

He escaped his inner demon?

So all those insane actions happened because he’d been swallowed by his inner demon?

I couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was saying.

Then it happened.

“…!”

I shuddered.

Another wave of killing cold washed over me. It was far stronger than what I’d felt from the madman.

“I’ve finally found you.”

I shook off that feeling and turned around.

At the edge of my vision stood a middle–aged man. But in the blink of an eye, his figure appeared right in front of me.

The moment he saw the newcomer, the madman immediately dropped to his knees.

“I greet my master!”

The middle–aged man gave him a brief glance, then looked at me.

“My foolish disciple has caused you trouble.”

Disciple?

–TL Notes–
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