Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#012

Dong Seong-bang asked.
“Proprietor, what’s the matter?”
“Is this spirit really called Sagiiju?”
“Yes, it is.”
“But I know it by a different name.”
“Ah! I hear Sagiiju is a name derived from ‘four remarkable spirits.’ The actual name of each spirit should be written on the bottom of the bottle.”
Noh Dae-sul nodded at the name ‘Poongnyu-ju’ written beneath one of the bottles.
“That’s right. Heh heh heh! So that means there’s Yeogeum-ju and Hwagok-ju and Pacheon-ju besides Poongnyu-ju.”
“You know of those spirits?”
“Know of them? I could never forget. How could anyone forget such spirits? Where is the Yeogeum-ju? No—bring me all three of the remaining bottles.”
As a flustered Dong Chang-min set three bottles before him, Noh Dae-sul, about to pour the Yeogeum-ju, asked a question.
“But how did you come by these? These aren’t the sort of thing one can simply buy with money.”
“We purchased them from an inn.”
“An… inn… you… bought them?”
“Yes.”
“Those people make and sell this?”
“Those people? Do you know who makes these spirits?”
Noh Dae-sul shook his head hurriedly.
“They’re such unusual folk that I don’t know them well. Anyone who can make spirits like this must be eccentric—there’s no question of it. Sagiiju, though—what an apt name. Making spirits like this is indeed a trick! A masterful trick!”
The Yeogeum-ju went down Noh Dae-sul’s throat smoothly.

***

Geom U-bin, having summoned his disciples, placed five heavy pouches on the table.
“What are these?”
“It’s all the money we’ve earned so far. Put together, it comes to about seventeen hundred silver coins.”
The sum would have made an ordinary person’s mouth fall open, but the Bloodwind Four Lions remained unmoved.
“Seventeen hundred coins—how much is that?”
Do Pyeong-su’s question drew a response from Seo Seok-san.
“Seventeen hundred coins is seventeen hundred coins. Are you an idiot?”
“How many dumplings could we buy with that?”
Having never earned money in his life and having had his every need freely provided wherever he went, he couldn’t fathom those who wagered their lives on coin.
What use is mere money? Martial Arts is supreme—that was their faith.
Yeon Geum-hong spoke with a smile.
“Well, you’ve become rich anyway. Seventeen hundred coins does make you wealthy, doesn’t it?”
Seeing his disciples’ complete lack of financial sense, Geom U-bin let out a thin sigh.
“With this money, you could buy ten respectable houses.”
“Why would we need to buy ten houses? One room to sleep in is all anyone needs.”
“Well, that’s true, but… regardless!”
Geom U-bin placed the smallest pouch in front of himself and set one pouch each before his disciples.
“I take one hundred coins; you each receive four hundred.”
“You’re giving money to us?”
“Of course. It was made from the spirits you disciples created.”
The Bloodwind Four Lions waved their hands dismissively.
“We don’t need money. We have no use for it. You keep it all.”
Heavy purses were nothing but clutter in a room.
“No, I won’t hear it! This is your rightful share! You disciples should also live like ordinary people—go to the market and buy things, eat at restaurants and pay for your meals. From now on, experience the value of money in your own way.”
Learning the value of money after passing ninety—what a thing.
‘Though they say learning has no age limit.’
All four of them heaved weary sighs.
“Let’s eat out today. This one’s on me. Hehe!”
Geom U-bin took the Bloodwind Four Lions to the Cheonha Jeil Gaekjan.
“Well, well! You’ve arrived at just the right moment!”
Seo Poong-sik, wearing an apron, greeted Geom U-bin and his companions warmly.
“So these are your uncle and aunt?”
“Yes.”
“My goodness! You never mentioned your aunt was such a beauty!”
Yeon Geum-hong, who had been standing expressionless, suddenly broke into laughter.
“Ho ho! Beauty, indeed!”
“No, truly. Of all the women I’ve ever seen, you’re the most beautiful. I’d stake my life on it.”
Do Pyeong-su, feeling oddly irritated, spoke up.
“Hey now, don’t go wagering your life so carelessly. You could be dead this very moment.”
“What?”
“Oh, no—never mind. He’s just joking. Sir! We’re starving!”
“Eh? Goodness, forgive me. I’ll bring the food at once.”
It was evening, and the tavern was fairly crowded, but Seo Poong-sik paid special attention to Geom U-bin’s party.
“He says I’m beautiful, and now you’re pouting about it like a child?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. A woman over ninety with a mole the size of a thumb on her backside—”
“How did you know I have a mole on my backside? You peeked while I was bathing! You pervert!”
“What was there to peek at? You pressed it right in my face!”
“When did I ever—”
“When we were four! Swimming in the creek, you suddenly shoved your backside in my face and farted! The stench—I thought my insides would rot! You wretched old woman!”
“What? That happened? How can you remember something from when you were four? For an old man, your memory is sharp.”
“That’s the difference between the aggressor and the victim! Even now it sometimes haunts my dreams—”
“My! Do Pyeong-su, you dream of me? Could it be—”
“Crazy old woman! Nightmares! Nightmares!”
“Both of you, please stop.”
Geom U-bin tried to intervene, and just as the food arrived, the bickering between the two finally ceased. As they ate, more and more guests poured in until not a single table sat empty.
“I apologize. We’re full at the moment—you’ll have to wait a bit.”
“We came early expecting seats. How long would we have to wait?”
“About half an hour or so…”
“Waiting half an hour isn’t the problem—but you won’t run out of Sagiiju while we’re waiting, will you?”
“Fortunately, we still have Sagiiju in stock.”
“Since you’ve shown such courtesy to waiting customers, couldn’t you stretch to two cups instead of adhering strictly to one person, one cup? We’re regulars, after all.”
“I apologize, but if we break the one person, one cup rule, one wealthy patron would likely drink everything himself.”
“True enough. In any case, let us know when a table opens. We’ll wait right out front here. Brrr! The weather’s gotten quite bitter lately.”
Such exchanges between servers and patrons drifted through the tavern with pleasant regularity. The chairs lined up in front of the inn were for waiting customers.
“Business is thriving here.”
Geom U-bin picked up on Seo Seok-san’s remark.
“It’s all thanks to the Sagiiju our masters created.”
“Isn’t the name ‘Sagiiju’ a bit strange though?”
“I think it’s fitting. Compared to other spirits, it’s incomparably delicious—it’s practically a scam! Hehehehe!”
“Well, our spirits are rather fraudulent by those standards. Hee hee… But of all the wines so far, which one has sold the most?”
At Seo Seok-san’s question, the chopsticks of the other three came to an abrupt halt.
Gulp.
The movement of their throats wasn’t swallowing food—it was the physical manifestation of tension.
Their hierarchy was about to be decided.
These four had never been ranked against one another.
Even Hwa-jeok San had left the matter to them with a “Sort out your own hierarchy.”
Yet they hadn’t accepted that abdication passively.
They’d held over a hundred Martial contests trying to establish a ranking, but none had ever demonstrated clear superiority over the others.
In that sense, brewing—a skill they were just as confident in as their Martial Arts—seemed the perfect way to settle the matter. This was their collective assessment.
The sales rankings over the past month would become their hierarchy. Someone would inevitably become second brother to Geom U-bin, while another would have to accept the position of youngest brother. A harsh competition with no way around it.
“They’re equal.”
After Geom U-bin’s answer, silence fell over them, and the raucous chatter of guests rushed in to fill the void.
Do Pyeong-su asked with difficulty.
“But surely there’s at least a half-bottle difference between them, isn’t there?”
“How could there be? All four spirits are selling out—we can’t produce enough.”
Geom U-bin spoke to the disappointed members of the Bloodwind Four Lions.
“Look around you. At the people drinking Sagiiju.”
Because they all possessed superhuman sense of smell, they could distinguish Sagiiju from other spirits even when the wine was in a cup.
In the faces of the patrons sipping their spirits as though consuming the world’s finest medicine, the visage of someone seemed to overlap.
‘Master!’
That expression of perfect satisfaction, of warmth and contentment, where in this moment every sorrow in the world simply melted away.
It was the same expression Hwa-jeok San had worn when drinking their wine, and now the guests sampling their liquor bore it as well.
Seeing that look on the faces of strangers—not on the Master’s face—stirred something unfamiliar in their chests.
Water rising slowly from the depths of the belly to the throat; the Bloodwind Four Lions could not name what moved through them.
They did not recognize it as emotion because it was a feeling they had never once experienced in all their lives.
Tap-tap-tap!
Seo Poong-sik approached their table and struck the teapot with a ladle, drawing out a clear, ringing sound.
“Distinguished guests! Today our humble inn has been graced with very honored visitors! Those of you currently enjoying the Sagiiju—please raise your hands!”
Half the patrons seated in the common room lifted their hands.
“How does it taste?”
“Exquisite!”
“I’d happily die drinking this—I’d ask for nothing more than to keep tasting it until my final breath!”
Seo Poong-sik’s voice carried over the bubbling laughter that erupted.
“The masters who crafted the Sagiiju you’re all enjoying have graced us with their presence today! They are here, right before you!”
The moment Seo Poong-sik pointed toward the Bloodwind Four Lions, the inn erupted into chaos.
“Are those really the ones who make it?”
“Unbelievable! I thought the heavens themselves had brewed this! There were actually people making it!”
Patrons from inside and those waiting outside surged forward, pressing in around the table where the four sat.
Everyone called out something, but the plea heard most often was: “Please make more!”
The Bloodwind Four Lions stood bewildered, unsure how to respond.
People fled when they appeared—this was the first time crowds had gathered to press close.
As the commotion stretched on, Seo Poong-sik ushered the guests back to their seats. Once the murmuring had subsided, Geom U-bin asked quietly.
“How does it feel?”
“Strange, I suppose.”
“Good though, yes?”
“Good enough. Just… excessive.”
“Did you forget I read One Person, One Cup? Anyone can see plainly it’s written across your face.”
Yeon Geum-hong murmured as she traced her own cheek thoughtfully.
“What do you mean, written on my face?”
Seo Seok-san spoke up.
“I’ve seen the backs of countless men in flight, but I’ve never seen so many faces drawn toward us. If I’m being honest… it’s not entirely unwelcome.”
Do Pyeong-su and Jang Man-dok nodded slightly in agreement.
“Perhaps it’s not so bad—that we’re beginning to settle old grievances with wine instead of steel.”
‘At this rate, the whole world would need to drown in drink before all those grudges washed away.’
The four of the Bloodwind had fallen into the same thought.

***

“What did you say?”
Ma-o-ryang felt his throat tighten at Do Pyeong-su’s frigid tone. But this was a matter of his livelihood.
Even if it meant death, he had the spine to speak his piece—without it, he’d never have learned thieving in the first place.
“That work should… should come with payment.”
Still, fear made his voice waver at the end.
“Payment?”
“My epithet is Shintu.”
“And?”
“There are men throughout Zhongyuan willing to hire me to steal. But if you keep demanding free service every time…”
Do Pyeong-su’s sinister voice cut through Ma-o-ryang’s words.
“Who said anything about free?”
“Sir? You mean you’ll pay me?”
“Something worth far more than money.”
Do Pyeong-su leaned close to Ma-o-ryang’s ear and whispered.
“Your life.”
“My… life, sir?”
“Am I not keeping you alive? Why? Should I kill you for coin instead?”
“No, no—never!”
Do Pyeong-su rose, taking up the box containing the Mannyeon Samhwang that Ma-o-ryang had stolen.
“Don’t think about going anywhere. If you get caught, you’ll die without even a final sound.”
No one who valued their breath would dare defy Do Pyeong-su’s threats.
Do Pyeong-su returned with light steps and handed the Mannyeon Samhwang to Jang Man-dok.
As Jang Man-dok took it, his face twisted with anticipation.
Do Pyeong-su looked up in surprise. “What? This time you want me to fetch Cheonnyeon Hasuo? Of course I can kill that bastard Ma-o-ryang while I’m at it… Fine, I’m in.”

This was for Geom U-bin. How could he refuse?
“Let’s see where Cheonnyeon Hasuo grows… It’s quite far away.”
Yeon Geum-hong traced her finger across a section of the Manual of Ten Thousand Remedies.
“Guangdong Province.”
“Guangdong? That place where all the hot-tempered bastards live?”
“Yes. You’ll have to cross through Fukien Province to get there, so it’ll take some time. Looks like you’ll need to move quickly.”
“Damn it. I have to look at that ugly wretch Ma-o-ryang’s face twice a day.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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