Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 125

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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 125

The three who had thrust Noh Dae-sul into the abyss of despair gathered in Jang Man-dok’s room.
“What? You think you know what kind of wine Go Seo-bang drinks?”
Do Pyeong-su read the restless expression flickering across Jang Man-dok’s face.
“Bile Wine? So potent it corrodes the insides, you say? Ah, I see.”
Yeon Geum-hong spoke up.
“Seo Seok-san fed Seo-bang Bear Bile Wine? Bear bile?”
The memory of Hyeol-ung—the beast Seo Seok-san had hunted—flashed through her mind. The Inner Core had gone to Geom U-bin, but the whereabouts of the bile had remained uncertain.
“That bastard must have spirited away the bile and brewed it into wine. But is the Bear Bile Wine really that effective? Looking at Seo-bang’s martial arts lately, it seems the bear bile has been far more potent than the Inner Core you used, hasn’t it? Hmm? You’re saying it’s only a temporary effect? The potency drains all at once and fades quickly? Well, that’s fortunate, at least.”
“Fortunate is hardly the word. The fact remains, that wretch will be lording it over us for the next three months.”
They had learned the type of wine and understood its effects, yet the outcome would not change.
Seo Seok-san would continue using the Bear Bile Wine to strengthen Go Seo-bang.
Yeon Geum-hong asked.
“How much of that Bear Bile Wine do you think remains?”
Do Pyeong-su already had a sense of it without needing to ask Jang Man-dok directly.
“Hyeol-ung was an unusually special beast, so if a normal bear would yield roughly a third of what we’d need, I’d wager he brewed at least three bottles from it.”
“He’s been drinking it for ten days now, hasn’t he?”
“Likely closer to twelve days by now.”
“Then it can’t have much left, can it?”
“Still enough to last until the sparring match in two days.”
“But if he keeps drinking at this rate, it’ll run dry in five days.”
“We can’t say for certain without knowing how much he’s actually consumed.”
The three turned their minds to finding a way to prevent Seo Seok-san from winning the sparring match—to think as strategically as he did.
“What if we slip laxative medicine to Se-hwa, O Tong-su, and Gal Ma-pyeong? Have them running so hard they couldn’t even think of sparring.”
Do Pyeong-su fixed his gaze on Yeon Geum-hong, who had just spoken.
“Would you really go that far with your disciples? Just for a sparring match?”
“Tsk! And who’s been tearing their hair out obsessing over that ‘mere’ sparring match?”
Just then, Gal Ma-pyeong knocked on the door.
“May I come in?”
As Gal Ma-pyeong took a seat, his face had grown noticeably gaunt over these past few days. The Bloodwind Four Lions had been on edge because of this affair, and so the mood around Gangseо Samak had soured as well.
“I’ve come to speak about the sparring match.”
Do Pyeong-su ventured a question.
“Did you find a way to beat Seo-bang?”
“No, I’d like to conduct this sparring match fairly and squarely.”
“Fairness went out the window the moment Seo Seok-san fed him the Bear Bile Wine.”
“That’s why I thought we might employ a certain… expedient measure.”
“An expedient?”
“Yes.”
Gal Ma-pyeong lowered his voice to answer.
“The first person to fight Seo-bang gives his all and exhausts his strength, while the other two finish their matches quickly. Since the Bear Bile Wine is only lending him temporary power, with this approach we should be able to match him well enough, shouldn’t we?”
“Hoh! That’s not a bad plan at all.”
At Do Pyeong-su’s words, both Yeon Geum-hong and Jang Man-dok nodded in agreement.
“What do you think? It’s been a while since those youngsters came up with something decent.”
Yeon Geum-hong asked.
“Good. You’re confident you can win?”
“Yes!”
Gal Ma-pyeong answered with apparent confidence, though truthfully it wasn’t entirely genuine.
If they let things slide and something worse erupted, it would be disastrous for Oseong Jang-won. The Bloodwind Four Lions had a tendency, once rivalry kindled, to charge ahead like reckless eight-year-olds without thinking. So Hang Ju-sa-byeon, being somewhat more level-headed, had decided to step up and resolve the crisis.
When Gal Ma-pyeong returned, O Tong-su asked.
“How did it go?”
“Fortunately, they accepted my proposal.”
Se-hwa, who sat beside him, let out a sigh of relief—as did Go Seo-bang.
Though Go Seo-bang might seem to stand opposed to the other three, his heart was equally unsettled.
He too harbored no real desire to win this sparring match.
No—he wanted to win a hundred times over through sheer skill, but this wasn’t his doing. The strength came from the Bear Bile Wine. And winning this way, he couldn’t predict where the ensuing chaos might lead.
“You have to play it convincingly. If the plan falls through, you’ll be waddling around for a month straight. Understand?”
“It could drag on for three months. Master might even hang me upside down.”
Go Seo-bang shuddered at the thought. In truth, he was the most desperate of the four.
“When you’re up against me, you don’t need to act at all.”
O Tong-su asked.
“You’re that confident?”
“I’ve seen how you all train. Except for the Master and the Senior, I think I can beat anyone.”
“Oh! The sparring sounds promising.”
“Come at me anytime. I’ll control the intensity.”

***

Geom U-bin stretched as he left his room and immediately sensed that the atmosphere of the estate had shifted.
“What’s this tension?”
The feeling was like a bowstring pulled taut—sharp enough to make his skin prickle.
“The disciples are up to something again. Definitely something.”
It had only been days since he’d warned them not to cause trouble, yet this smelled like trouble on a grand scale was brewing.
On his way to the Back Garden, Geom U-bin crossed paths with Go Seo-bang, who appeared unusually cheerful.
“Go Seo-bang, what’s happening today?”
“The day finally comes, sir.”
“The day what comes?”
“The sparring, sir.”
“That sparring the disciples are doing?”
“Yes, sir.”
In the previous two matches, no one had established clear superiority.
Since the disciples under Hang Ju-sa-byeon’s lineage grew in martial power at similar rates, most had settled at roughly the same level, and there seemed little chance that would change.
“You do it once every three months—what’s so special about today?”
“In the past, we couldn’t decide a winner. But today, I will finish first.”
“Confident, aren’t we.”
Se-hwa, passing by, threw out the remark casually.
“You won’t know the result until you see it play out.”
“Why are you like this? You know what’s coming.”
“Tigers have been gored to death by a deer’s antlers.”
Gal Ma-pyeong, following behind, backed Se-hwa up.
“Hunts fail far more often than they succeed.”
The atmosphere among the Bloodwind Four Lions and the Hang Ju-sa-byeon disciples alike was unusual. Yet this was their third sparring match.
‘What could possibly go wrong with a sparring session?’
Geom U-bin made his way toward the Training Ground with that thought.
Go Seo-bang, troubled by Se-hwa and Gal Ma-pyeong’s behavior, called the three of them over once more to issue a warning.
“We stick to the plan, right? Obviously we follow through!”
“Really?”
“Yeah. All you have to do is give it everything when you’re fighting me, right?”
Go Seo-bang nodded, but an uneasy feeling remained.
“You’re not jealous just because I’m going to win?”
“You’re that certain?”
Gal Ma-pyeong asked.
“Of course. Didn’t you see how hard I’ve been training? There’s a real difference in our levels!”
“That’s exactly your problem—too much confidence! It’s fine that you’ve grown stronger from the Bear Bile Wine, but I’m not about to let you strut around like an arrogant fool.”
“It’s not arrogance. It’s the truth.”
“Either way, time’s running short!”
“Are you jealous?”
All three bristled at Go Seo-bang’s words.
“That’s exactly why everyone’s upset—because you’re acting like this, you fool!”
“Who are you calling a fool?”
“Even if you did suddenly get stronger, you think you can easily beat three opponents at once?”
“Come at me! I’ll show you what ‘impossible’ really means!”
The Bloodwind Four Lions watched from a distance as the Hang Ju-sa-byeon disciples’ argument heated up, faces flushed.
Seo Seok-san spoke with a satisfied smile.
“It’s good they’re burning with fighting spirit before the match.”
“Now we need to decide the order of bouts.”
“One against three?”
“Of course.”
A ladder-drawing game had been sketched out. The first match was decided: Se-hwa and O Tong-su; Go Seo-bang and Gal Ma-pyeong.
“Shall we begin?”
At Yeon Geum-hong’s words, Seo Seok-san felt something amiss.
‘These aren’t the sort to simply agree to a sparring match.’
He’d suspected some scheme was afoot, yet with the sparring proceeding without incident, an uneasy prickle settled in his chest.
Once Seo Seok-san arrived at the Martial Competition Arena in the Back Garden, he called to Go Seo-bang.
“You’re not feeling strange or anything, are you?”
“No. I feel better than ever.”
“You won’t need a glass of Bear Bile Wine?”
“We should save it. We’ll need it for the next match, won’t we?”
“You’re thinking ahead, are you?”
“I’ll teach you that there’s no such thing as ‘impossible’ for me.”
“Heh heh heh…… Now that’s a fine thing to say.”
While the two men spoke, the other six were putting their heads together as well.
“So, Se-hwa and Tong-su first—what’s the plan?”
Se-hwa spoke up.
“Wouldn’t it be better if O Tong-su fought instead of me?”
Se-hwa admitted that even with her internal power sealed, O Tong-su was stronger than she was—if they truly fought.
“Then Se-hwa will just go through the motions and concede the match…….”
All eyes turned to Gal Ma-pyeong.
“You understand your role is the most important, don’t you?”
“Of course! I’ll drain Seo-bang of every bit of strength!”
Given the nature of sparring, a match couldn’t end in an instant—stamina was as crucial as martial skill in determining victory.
“Good. Let’s flatten Seok-san’s nose for him!”
“And Seo-bang’s too!”
At last they gathered in the Martial Competition Arena. Go Seo-bang and Gal Ma-pyeong stood on the left, facing Se-hwa and O Tong-su on the right.
The Bloodwind Four Lions stood with their backs to the wall, watching Hang Ju-sa-byeon side by side.
Do Pyeong-su spoke to Hang Ju-sa-byeon.
“Forget fair play—do your absolute best. Begin!”
The sparring commenced.
Go Seo-bang and Gal Ma-pyeong began circling and probing, while Se-hwa and O Tong-su engaged the moment Do Pyeong-su gave the signal.
Since they’d already made their arrangement and had no one’s expectations to worry about, the match ended swiftly.
At the punch O Tong-su threw, Se-hwa barely grazed his shoulder with her own and flew back with a sharp cry of “Ah!”, crashing roughly to the ground.
“I concede.”
At Se-hwa’s surrender, Do Pyeong-su thought to himself.
‘Oh! That acting was quite good.’
Then Seo Seok-san suddenly bellowed.
“That’s pathetic acting!”
“What are you talking about? They fought well and she lost fairly.”
At Yeon Geum-hong’s words, Seo Seok-san finally grasped their scheme.
“You’re planning to use the Wheel Strategy? Will that even work?”
Go Seo-bang’s current skill level made something like the Wheel Strategy seem unlikely to succeed.
“Seo-bang! End it in one breath!”
Spurred by Seo Seok-san’s cry, Go Seo-bang attacked first. The raw force of his punches and kicks struck with a violence unbefitting a friendly match.
Gal Ma-pyeong, who had already planned his moves, made no attempt to meet him head-on.
Though he struck back occasionally, his focus remained firmly on defense, making this not the sort of bout that would end quickly.
“Coward! Show some spine and fight back!”
Following Seo Seok-san’s shout, Yeon Geum-hong raised her voice as well.
“Ma-pyeong! Show him what real cunning looks like!”
“That’s not cunning—that’s cowardice!”
“I don’t want to hear that from a quack doctor!”
“It’s not medicine, it’s alcohol!”
“That’s the same thing!”
Seo Seok-san and Yeon Geum-hong flushed with heat, ready to launch themselves at each other at any moment.
Between the two of them, Jang Man-dok squeezed through.
“Aren’t we supposed to be watching the disciples’ match? If you want to fight, do it after. Oh! Our Man-dok is so mature, isn’t he? Hmm? Well, actually……”
Seo Seok-san and Yeon Geum-hong asked in unison.
“What actually?”
“We’ve grown old enough that we should know better by now.”
“Tch!”
Even as they bickered back and forth, Go Seo-bang and Gal Ma-pyeong’s sparring continued.
Go Seo-bang was certainly pressing his advantage, but Gal Ma-pyeong was not losing ground badly enough to admit defeat.
“Ho, so Ma-pyeong’s martial arts have improved considerably.”
Seo Seok-san was genuinely impressed.
He had believed Go Seo-bang could win easily if he put his mind to it, yet Gal Ma-pyeong was holding his ground with stubborn determination.
As another round elapsed, Gal Ma-pyeong began breathing through his mouth.
He was clearly quite exhausted, but he showed no sign of surrendering, as though his life hung in the balance.
Go Seo-bang paused his assault and spoke to Gal Ma-pyeong.
“This is merely a sparring match. Concede your defeat now.”
“It would be easier to kill me.”
Go Seo-bang’s fists clenched tightly.
“Since our Master is here, I won’t kill you. Don’t hold it against me.”
Go Seo-bang’s body surged forward at a speed incomparably faster than before.
Judging by the momentum, if Gal Ma-pyeong dodged, he would surely fall within three more moves.
The Bloodwind Four Lions watching knew it, and Gal Ma-pyeong fighting felt it too. Instead of evading, he met the charge with both palms extended.
The palm strike was the most effective way to minimize the destructive power of a fist. Go Seo-bang’s fist and Gal Ma-pyeong’s palms collided.

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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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