Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 129

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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 129

Seeing members of the Miao Tribe in Sichuan Province was hardly unusual, so only those encountering them for the first time stole glances—otherwise, it was an ordinary day like any other.
Wang Sam, the restaurant host, had seen enough Miao tribespeople over the years that they held no novelty for him. He hurried over with his usual greeting.
“I’m afraid all the tables are full at the moment. Would you care to wait, or would you prefer to share a table?”
“We’ll share.”
Of all the Miao tribespeople Wang Sam had encountered so far, this one spoke the Central Plains dialect with the most natural ease.
Wang Sam approached two Murim martial artists sitting alone at a table for four and posed his question.
“We have a guest who would like to join you—would that be acceptable?”
In a crowded restaurant, few would refuse table-sharing. The two men in their forties, both bearing the look of seasoned warriors, consented readily enough.
The Miao tribesman seated himself without so much as a word of thanks, then placed the sword hanging at his waist directly upon the table.
Placing one’s weapon on the table at a shared table was far more than merely impolite—it was a gesture of profound disrespect—yet the tribesman paid no mind.
At first glance, the blade itself was remarkable in appearance.
The scabbard was crafted from hongangah, a material said to cost as much as pure gold of equal weight.
Carved into the scabbard in relief were two black dragons battling over a pearl between them.
The hilt, too, was crimson red.
The grip, fashioned from leather to prevent slipping, bore not a trace of wear from human hands, and the pommel was carved with meticulous detail into the shape of a dragon’s head.
At a glance, one could tell this was no ordinary blade.
Jang Ho-bong and Byeon Jae-sik, who had granted him table-sharing, found their eyes drawn inexorably to the strangely wrought sword.
The Miao tribesman then spoke.
“Do you recognize it?”
Jang Ho-bong snapped to attention and answered.
“No, sir. It’s simply so distinctive in appearance.”
He failed to notice that the tribesman had addressed him in a tone of disrespect.
“Wait.”
Byeon Jae-sik stared hard at the blade, speaking almost to himself.
“If the scabbard is made of hongangah, two dark dragons are carved in relief, and the crimson hilt bears a dragon’s head carved upon it, then…”
Though few had ever laid eyes upon that blade, it was nonetheless the most famous sword in all the Murim, and it looked exactly like this.
“The Murong Blade?”
At those words, every movement in the restaurant froze.
As if turned to ice, chopsticks fell still, and all conversation ceased.
“The Murong Blade?”
Someone repeated those words aloud, and the spreading silence encompassed more tables. Soon every patron in the establishment had stopped speaking, and all eyes converged upon the Miao tribesman.
“Surely you don’t mean… the Murong Blade, do you?”
Wang Sam set down the noodles and dumplings he had just brought, posing the question with trembling voice.
Naturally, every eye in the room fixed upon the tribesman, waiting for his answer.
“What if it is the Murong Blade?”
The Miao tribesman grasped the hilt and applied slight pressure. The exposed portion of the blade beneath gleamed a crimson so vivid it seemed ready to weep blood at any moment.
“It’s… it’s Ma Gun-ja’s Murong Blade!”

***

The Bloodwind Four Lions were taking tea at the Pond Pavilion.
The flower tea that Yeon Geum-hong occasionally prepared brought them no small measure of pleasure.
“The estate seems terribly empty these days.”
“They say an empty nest aches once the bird has flown. Now that your fool has left, it feels hollow.”
Behind the words of Yeon Geum-hong and Do Pyeong-su came the voice of Geom U-bin.
“I’m going into town for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”
Seo Seok-san, startled, asked urgently.
“You too, senior?”
“What’s wrong? Ah! Are you feeling lonely without the disciples around?”
“Not lonely, exactly. It’s just a bit inconvenient. But where are you heading?”
“I thought I’d stop by the Oseong Association.”
“What in the world would you want to see those fellows for?”
“They might be anxious about the clash with Haomun, so I thought I’d check in on them.”
Do Pyeong-su shifted his weight restlessly.
“Would you like to go together?”
“I’ll go alone.”
Do Pyeong-su watched Geom U-bin leave the estate and let out a long sigh.
“The disciples go their own way, and now even the senior brother’s out. Don’t you think we’ve turned into a couple of back-room old men? Forget the tea—we should switch to wine.”
Do Pyeong-su brought out the Oseong Wine. Seo Seok-san accepted the cup he poured and spoke.
“We simply have nothing to involve ourselves in. Are we going to chase after Haomun, or worry about the Oseong Association?”
“True enough. But what major trouble ever erupts in the Murim?”
Clang!
As Do Pyeong-su finished speaking, a sharp sound rang out from beyond the building. It wasn’t anything serious, but the Bloodwind Four Lions had rushed over simply out of boredom.
“Ji-u! I told you to be careful!”
Go Shin-ji was scolding Ji-u for breaking a dish.
Ji-u, who had only just begun learning to walk, trembled at the lips as if on the verge of tears.
“Oh, come now. It’s just one bowl.”
“That’s right. It’s not like anyone died.”
“It’s fine, Ji-u. Come here.”
Ji-u broke into a bright smile toward the Bloodwind Four Lions, who were opening their arms to receive him.
Standing in a line, the Bloodwind Four Lions each clapped their hands toward Ji-u.
“Come to grandfather.”
“You should come to grandmother.”
“Sweet little Ji-u. Come here, come.”
Jang Man-dok simply clapped his hands earnestly. He knew that if he tried to speak, he would only drive Ji-u away.
“The child will develop bad habits if we spoil him too much.”
Even as Go Shin-ji said this, she didn’t dislike Ji-u receiving affection from the Bloodwind Four Lions. After all, should any trouble arise, there was no shield more reliable than the Four Lions in this world.
Tottering forward, Ji-u spread both arms wide in front of Do Pyeong-su, who stood at the far left.
Do Pyeong-su, beaming, scooped Ji-u up without hesitation.
“Children are pure creatures with eyes that truly see people, or so they say.”
Watching Do Pyeong-su delight in this, Yeon Geum-hong and Seo Seok-san exchanged knowing glances.
“Ji-u went to Pyeong-su.”
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Nothing good has ever come from being connected to Pyeong-su…….”
“That’s the truth.”
Sharp-eared Do Pyeong-su let out a sharp bark at the two of them.
“You two! Go offer prayers for curses instead of good fortune!”
Startled by the shout, Ji-u burst into tears, and Do Pyeong-su was forced to surrender the child to Go Shin-ji.
“It’s a relief he went back to his mother at least.”

***

Geom U-bin passing through the market found himself besieged with greetings from all sides.
“Thanks to the Oseong Association wiping out the local ruffians, business is truly a pleasure these days!”
“Having the Oseong Merchant Association bring goods on time—I can’t tell you how convenient it is for us.”
“The quality of the silk speaks for itself. It’s famous throughout Hangju now, but soon word will spread across all of Zhongyuan that we stock the finest silk in the land!”
These were not merely words of flattery.
Geom U-bin had only spent money and given orders, yet the people moving on their own had lifted the name of Oseong Jang-won to the heavens.
“Brother!”
The moment word reached So Gi-cheon that Geom U-bin was in town, he came running. When Geom U-bin tossed a copper coin, So Gi-cheon caught it deftly and dropped it into his alms bowl.
“Did something happen at Oseong Jang-won with our Master? Her expression seemed strange.”
“Strange?”
“She sighs like the earth itself is collapsing, laughs to herself, and acts like some senile old man.”
Geom U-bin flicked So Gi-cheon on the head.
“Senile old man? That’s no way to speak of your Master!”
“Well, that’s what it looks like. Besides, she sent an official letter to the main branch of the Sect. She said that any request coming from Oseong Jang-won should be granted, no matter what. Thanks to that, all the disciples of the Sect in Hangju now know about Oseong Jang-won.”
“Is that so?”
Bang-ju was someone known throughout the Murim for keeping his word as firm as stone.
“Yeah, what’s going on?”
“Bang-ju said he would grant me any favor I asked.”
“What? Why?”
As for the wager itself, he couldn’t bring himself to speak of it.
“Ten bottles of Oseong Wine.”
“Ah!”
So Gi-cheon nodded.
“Ten bottles of Oseong Wine, and we could probably get the Sect’s cooperation too. Ha ha!”
It might not be quite that much, but it seemed they could negotiate for someone like Ta Gu-bong.
“But this road leads to the Oseong Association.”
“Yeah. What about it?”
“I’ve heard things have been a bit unsettled lately.”
So Gi-cheon broached the subject cautiously.
“There’s been a clash with Haomun. That’s why the generals went over there.”
Without thinking of So Gi-cheon as a disciple of the Sect’s patriarch, Geom U-bin laid out the facts plainly. So Gi-cheon nodded along.
“I’ve heard the same. In fact, there are people already taking notice of it.”
“I see. Either way, that’s why I wanted to go check—”
“With the Oseong Estate there, there shouldn’t be any major trouble.”
The Oseong Association was located in a district dense with shops and storefronts.
The doors of the Association’s main office were always open, allowing unrestricted coming and going.
The headquarters, spanning some fifty square feet, was furnished with forty desks, three tables, and long benches—quite an impressive administrative office.
Yet in this fifty-square-foot headquarters, only a single person was stationed.
As Geom U-bin and So Gi-cheon entered, the man in his mid-twenties who had been writing something in a notebook glanced up briefly and spoke.
“What brings you here?”
A beggar accompanied by a youth was seldom treated as an important guest anywhere.
So Gi-cheon asked a question instead.
“Where has the Association leader gone?”
“If you have business, you can tell me.”
“Since I don’t recognize your face, you must be newly hired?”
At So Gi-cheon’s words, the man’s brush stopped moving.
While sitting he’d been unremarkable, but when he rose, his height proved to be nearly seven feet tall. His face was appropriately fierce, a man who fit the Triad perfectly.
Because he was so tall, he needed only a few steps to reach them, yet he was there in an instant.
“So you’re So Gi-cheon, I take it. From the Sect—”
“That’s right.”
“Good, I’ve heard much about you. They say you’ve been quite helpful to our Oseong Association. What brings you today?”
The man’s expression alone conveyed a certain warmth.
“Today I didn’t come on my own business—”
So Gi-cheon was about to introduce Geom U-bin when a familiar face appeared in the doorway.
“Oh my! Geom U-bin! Whatever brings you to this humble place?”
It was Wang Do-bong, Kang Chan-sik’s subordinate and the Association’s vice leader.
“Ah, good to see you. It’s been a while. But why is the office so quiet?”
“Ha, nothing serious—a child went missing from Hamak Valley, so a few people rushed out. As you know, there are also some issues at Haenyeong Port, so they went there as well.”
He then continued, grinding his teeth slightly.
“Those bastards even set fire to one of our branch offices—now it’s become impossible to avoid a proper conflict.”
This was the first he’d heard of a fire.
“Were there casualties?”
“A few were injured. Since it happened so suddenly, we couldn’t respond in time. Fortunately, no one was killed.”
“Well, that’s a mercy at least.”
Geom U-bin spoke with a slightly furrowed expression.
“Since the generals from the Estate went over there, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”
“Indeed. We should have handled it ourselves, but I regret having to trouble the great lords with such matters.”
Geom U-bin asked with an easy smile.
“Where is your leader at the moment?”
“He went to the Market just now—”
Wang Do-bong scratched his head with an uncomfortable expression.
“It’s a bit awkward to explain, truth be told.”
“Why is that?”
“Well, there was no real need for him to go personally—we’re short-handed anyway—but he insisted on going himself.”
Geom U-bin waited silently for the rest.
“The thing is, we’ve been keeping watch on someone. A woman named Bok Seon-nyeo, who appeared about half a month ago—”
So Gi-cheon cut in.
“That woman—I know something about her. She tells fortunes and speaks well of people, helps resolve difficult matters too. She’s pretty, and since she solves people’s problems, the Market folk are quite fond of her.”
“But why is your leader keeping surveillance on her?”
Wang Do-bong answered.
“He says something about her troubles him—”
“But even the little beggar children like this woman. Why would he do that? Should I go ask him myself?”
When Geom U-bin looked toward Wang Do-bong, the man answered at once.
“The Association Master should be on Judan Street.”
Judan Street was a newly developed silk quarter in Hangju.
When the silk trade that began at Oseong Jang-won succeeded, shops began clustering around that storefront, and customers flocked in ever greater numbers.
The quality was exceptional, so merchants from every corner of Zhongyuan started arriving, and occasionally foreign traders came seeking it out themselves. In time, more and more establishments opened, and the entire district came to bear the name Judan Street.

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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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