Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 122

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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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#Chapter 122

Seo Seok-san was wielding his brush.
Each time a character filled the blank space of the notebook, his heart seemed to swell with purpose.
He was writing each character with deliberate care when he heard a sound from the hallway.
‘Hm?’
What caught his attention was not the presence of a person.
Scratch-scratch! Scratch-scratch!
It was the sound of claws scraping against the door.
‘A dog?’
Seo Seok-san set down his brush and opened the door.
The creature sitting there with its tongue lolled out was not a servant—it was Jang Man-dok’s dog, Boram-i.
“What are you doing here?”
In that instant, there came a bang, and the wall collapsed.
‘Oh no!’
Spinning around quickly, Seo Seok-san’s eyes fell on Do Pyeong-su coming through the broken wall and seizing a book.
“Hey! You lunatics! You demolished the wall just to steal a book!”
As Seo Seok-san rushed after them, Jang Man-dok and Yeon Geum-hong blocked his path. In that moment, Do Pyeong-su hastily opened the book he’d stolen.
Then he spoke with a puzzled expression.
“I can’t make out what this says.”
In his haste, Do Pyeong-su’s decision to break through the wall and grab the book had been a mistake.
When Seo Seok-san dove to snatch it back, Jang Man-dok attacked, and in the confusion Do Pyeong-su tossed the book to Yeon Geum-hong.
Knowing only that it contained the martial manual Seo Seok-san had created, she quickly skimmed through it.
“Wait—this is a martial manual, isn’t it? And it’s your techniques, Seok-san.”
Since the secret was already out, Seo Seok-san no longer bothered trying to reclaim the book.
“Fine. Hand it over.”
Yeon Geum-hong tilted her head in confusion and returned the book.
“Why are you making a secret martial manual of your own techniques?”
“It’s nothing to concern yourself with.”
With only that remark, Seo Seok-san walked back through the gaping hole in the wall. Then came a furious cry.
“You lunatics! What are we supposed to do about this wall!”
By the time his voice echoed “…about this wall!”, no one remained in that spot.
She’d been certain he was plotting something underhanded—but making a secret manual of his own martial arts was unexpected.
“Why would Seok-san do something like that?”
If Yeon Geum-hong didn’t know, there was no way Do Pyeong-su or Jang Man-dok would.
“Does he want to leave something behind for the world?”
As Yeon Geum-hong murmured this, Geom U-bin’s voice cut through.
“What’s happened?”
“Why aren’t you asleep, senior?”
“How could anyone sleep through this racket?”
All three of them scratched their heads at once.
“My apologies.”
“Should we just go back inside, or will you tell us what this is about?”
Without hesitation, Yeon Geum-hong told him about Seo Seok-san’s secret manual.
“What could he possibly be thinking?”
“He must want to leave something for Go Seo-bang.”
“For Go Seo-bang?”
“Perhaps he felt something when we spoke of the Saeoe Five Kings.”
At Geom U-bin’s words, Do Pyeong-su tilted his head.
“You’re saying Seok-san thinks of his disciple that way?”
“Why not? Don’t you think of Gal Ma-pyeong the same way?”
“Well… I suppose so.”
Though he had trouble expressing it, Geom U-bin and the Bloodwind Four Lions aside, his disciples were among those he held most dear.
And among his disciples, his first disciple held a place apart.
Thinking of it this way, Do Pyeong-su found himself beginning to understand Seo Seok-san’s heart.
“But why hide it? It’s not as if anyone would object to a master giving his martial manual to his own disciple.”
“It might be a bit awkward to bring it up…….”
Geom U-bin continued after glancing at Do Pyeong-su.
“You might have been thinking of Do as your disciple, after all.”
“Me? What could possibly be wrong with me? Oh!”
Even Do Pyeong-su, dull as he was, had seized upon his greatest weakness. Even if he wanted to leave a martial manual for Gal Ma-pyeong, the man was illiterate—there was nothing he could do about it.
“Surely Seo Seok-san wouldn’t have such thoughtfulness in him.”
“We’ve all changed a great deal, haven’t we? Yeon as well, and Do, and our brother Jang here too, and myself. I think Seo has changed just the same.”
Since joining with Geom U-bin, the Hyeolpung Saja had undeniably transformed in many ways.
Among those changes, the most profound was that they had begun to think of others beyond themselves.
There was nothing surprising about compassion for others mingling with such a transformation.
“It feels as though the old Hyeolpung Saja is fading away piece by piece.”
Geom U-bin asked in response to Yeon Geum-hong’s remark.
“Does that bother you?”
“No. It just feels strange. It’s as if we’re no longer the Hyeolpung Saja.”
Geom U-bin linked her arm through Yeon Geum-hong’s.
“We’re Hangju Oseong now. I like it better.”
Do Pyeong-su draped an arm across Geom U-bin’s shoulders, and Jang Man-dok embraced them both from above.
“We much prefer being Hangju Oseong. Sister.”
At that moment, Seo Seok-san’s voice rang out in a shout.
“You destroyed my wall and now you’re all having a wonderful time with Sister! What treachery! What villainy!”
Seo Seok-san tumbled down directly in front of Geom U-bin and seized her in an embrace.
“I prefer being Hangju Oseong too! To hell with the Hyeolpung Saja!”

***

Do Pyeong-su stared at a half-finished page in the notebook, then finally closed it.
He had tried writing martial techniques using only the characters he knew, but he could not fill a single space with even one word.
“Damn it! I’m becoming a master who can’t even leave his disciple a martial manual.”
Somehow Seo Seok-san’s situation had unsettled his heart.
By now, the three of them were likely working diligently on the manuals.
In a month or so, three of the four in Hangju would receive those manuals and leap with joy, while Gal Ma-pyeong alone would trudge down the path of despair.
Troubled, Do Pyeong-su left Oseong Jang-won.
Walking aimlessly, he soon found himself in the heart of Hangju town.
Though the Hyeolpung Saja rarely ventured far from Oseong Jang-won, they had become well-known enough that people recognized them.
“Master Hoyeom! How are you?”
“It’s been so long since we’ve seen you! Master Hoyeom!”
Receiving greetings from passersby, Do Pyeong-su came to a halt in front of the Clam Noodle Restaurant.
‘That fool Ma-pyeong seems to like the clam noodles they sell here.’
He never imagined the day would come when he knew his disciple’s tastes in food. Do Pyeong-su bought a generous portion and left the shop.
Knowing the noodles would taste poor once cold, he employed his Lightness Technique and arrived at Oseong Jang-won in a moment.
The clam noodles still steamed with heat. As he entered the courtyard, he spotted Gal Ma-pyeong.
“Oh? Master, where have you been?”
“Just stepped out for a bit. Take this.”
“This is…… wait? These are the clam noodles I like! Where did you get them? Surely not for me…….”
“Found them on the way.”
“What? But they’re still steaming hot. Who would throw these away?”
“If you knew who threw them away, would you go find the owner?”
“Ah, of course not.”
Embarrassed, Do Pyeong-su spoke curtly and hastily left the courtyard.
‘I’m truly a poor master.’
Days passed at Oseong Jang-won, and as time accumulated, Do Pyeong-su’s heart grew heavier.
The Hyeolpung Saja gathered at the Lakeside Pavilion with the Oseong Wine before them for the first time in a while.
“Your disciples’ martial arts seem to be improving remarkably fast these days.”
“Even the most blockheaded eventually reach a moment of enlightenment.”
Jang Man-dok nodded in satisfaction. Seo Seok-san asked Do Pyeong-su, who silently drained his cup.
“You’ve seemed out of sorts for the past few days. What’s troubling you?”
“Nothing’s troubling me. That’s what troubles me.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Do Pyeong-su, about to say something, answered instead by pouring more wine into his mouth.
“At the next martial competition, I bet our Se-hwa takes first place.”
“What are you saying! Seo-bang’s martial arts have improved so dramatically these days. My next disciple will be the best.”
Jang Man-dok’s expression said, ‘Wake up. I’ll smash all your teeth in,’ but Do Pyeong-su didn’t relay that message.
Everyone expected their disciples’ martial arts to leap forward after passing down their own manuals, but Do Pyeong-su couldn’t do the same.
“Damn it! You lot are something! How nice to leave martial manuals to your disciples?”
Seo Seok-san spoke with a bewildered expression.
“What are you talking about? When did we decide not to use them?”
“What? You’re not using them?”
“Right. Just pass on the techniques directly. What’s the point of keeping my secret martial arts? It only invites disaster. They say a person commits no sin, but possessing treasure is a sin itself. Look at how much the descendants of the Saeoe Five Kings suffer just from that secret manual alone. Imagine what would happen if word got out about our martial secrets. All manner of villains would swarm down on us like locusts.”
“You too, Geum-hong?”
“Me? Why would I create something like that? Too much trouble.”
Jang Man-dok’s expression said, ‘I never even thought about making one,’ just the same.
“Is that why you’ve been in such a foul mood?”
“No, I mean… if you stopped, you should have just said so!”
“Why would I report every little thing to you! You shouldn’t have been sneaking looks at my books in the first place!”
After arguing loudly for some time, they found themselves clinking wine cups without quite noticing when it happened.
“The weather’s turned quite cold.”
“Winter’s almost here.”
“We’ll be another year older.”
“You too. That makes you fifteen already?”
“You’ve all grown up. It won’t be long before you make your Murim debut.”
The four of them exchanged glances and sighed.

***

The greatest festival in Zhongyuan is the Yuan Dan.
Two weeks before, fireworks light up the sky, and those living far from home rush back to their native places.
Oseong Jang-won bustled with preparations to celebrate the Yuan Dan as well.
Ever since Geom U-bin and the Bloodwind Four Lions began to be called the Hangju Oseong, Oseong Jang-won was always crowded with guests when the Yuan Dan arrived.
The number grew each year, and with business expanding so dramatically this year, there was no doubt even more visitors would come.
True to the Oseong Jang-won’s reputation, gifts from all directions had begun arriving days before the Yuan Dan, piling high in the courtyard.
Not only from martial families with ties like the Namgung Family and the Jegal Family, but gifts arrived even from places whose names were unfamiliar.
One might have thought the Yuan Dan arrived along with the gifts, but guests came streaming in from morning onward.
It seemed half of Hangju was visiting Oseong Jang-won.
Despite hiring twenty additional workers for the occasion, they still struggled to keep up with the workload.
Yet amidst all the chaos, Geom U-bin, the Bloodwind Four Lions, Hang Ju-sa-ung, Gwak Bong, Gong Seong-tak, the Sang Nam-jae couple, and Jeon Mi-ryeo enjoyed a quiet meal together.
“You don’t know when your birthday is?”
Sang Nam-jae answered Geom U-bin’s question.
“I was an orphan, so I have no way of knowing when it is.”
Sang Nam-jae wasn’t the only one who didn’t know his birthday. The rest of the Bloodwind Four Lions, except for Yeon Geum-hong, didn’t know theirs either, and had never paid it much attention until now.
A birthday was merely another day, no different from any other day of the year.
And Geom U-bin didn’t know his own birthday either.
“Then let’s all make today our birthday.”
Everyone stared at Geom U-bin with wide eyes.
“There’s nothing wrong with sharing the same birthday! And if the Yuan Dan is your birthday, you’ll never forget it. Ha! The birthday feast practically arranges itself. Three birds with one stone!”
Yeon Geum-hong spoke up.
“That’s nice. I’ll make mine the Yuan Dan too.”
“But you know when your birthday is, don’t you?”
“When is my birthday?”
Asked the question, Seo Seok-san’s expression turned flustered.
“I don’t know either.”
“We’ve lived together for ninety years, and you don’t even know my birthday. What use is a birthday no one knows? I’ll just make mine the Yuan Dan as well.”
And so Yeon Geum-hong’s birthday was also set to the Yuan Dan.
“So I’m fifteen now.”
Geom U-bin spoke with emphasis, and the Bloodwind Four Lions asked in unison.
“So?”
There was something oddly pressuring about the question. Feeling the four pairs of bright, intent eyes upon him, Geom U-bin opened his mouth with determination.
“At fifteen, one is practically an adult.”
“Come now! You need to be eighteen!”
Yeon Geum-hong spoke dramatically, and Do Pyeong-su shouted even louder.
“Twenty! You’re not a real adult until you’re twenty!”
“What are you talking about! You need to be at least thirty.”
“That’s right! You’re not really grown up until thirty! Even Jang Man-dok agrees, doesn’t he?”
The four of them were making a ruckus when Geom U-bin laughed and spoke up.
“Still, you’re getting closer to adulthood.”
“Hah! You’re not there yet, not by a long shot. You’ve got a ways to go before you can call yourself truly grown.”
“Is that… so?”
Go Seo-bang asked.
“What’s so great about becoming an adult anyway? The way I see it, you already carry yourself like one—more so than some of the masters, even. Oof!”
Do Pyeong-su cut him off with a sharp jab to the ribs and opened his mouth to speak.

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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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