Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 134

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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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#Episode 134

“Bandits all of a sudden?”
“There’s a peculiar bandit at Unhyeon Pass. Haven’t you heard about it from Administrator Go?”
“Ah! The one who doesn’t collect tolls from travelers under fifteen years old? What was his name again……?”
Se-hwa’s sharp mind worked quickly.
“Yang Dae-gong.”
“That’s right. But what about him?”
“Since we can’t keep guarding Haenyeong Port forever, what if we entrusted that duty to Yang Dae-gong? Administrator Go seemed quite fond of that bandit.”
“Can you trust a bandit with such a task? If someone like Baek Ryeon-gwang or Dok Jeong-ssang-goe showed up, he’d struggle to manage.”
“Baek Ryeon-gwang himself said there aren’t many masters they could hire even with money. If we have enough bandits, can’t they hold out until we arrive to help?”
“It’s not a bad method, but would he agree willingly?”
“Let’s go and see. Worst case, we lose nothing.”
Oseong Jang-won alone was already straining to protect Hangju, so infusing new blood into the operation didn’t seem like a poor idea.
Hang Ju-sa-byeon arrived at Unhyeon Pass half a double-hour later.
Only after several carriages and travelers had passed through, when the road lay empty again, did Hang Ju-sa-byeon cross the pass.
The industrious bandit did not disappoint.
“Every road has its master, so traveler, if you’d just halt for a moment…….”
“Yang Dae-gong?”
At Go Seo-bang’s call, Yang Dae-gong, mid-speech, went rigid.
For a bandit, a visitor who seemed to know him was never welcome company.
“You seem to know me. Who are you?”
“Have you heard of the Oseong Jang-won in Hangju?”
“Unless I were deaf, how could anyone in Zhejiang Province not have heard the name Oseong Jang-won?”
“The lord of the estate said he met you recently.”
Yang Dae-gong recalled the small child who had told him to come to the Oseong Jang-won if he grew tired of banditry.
“Surely you don’t mean that little child……?”
“That little child it is. One of the Hangju Five Immortals, and also the lord of Oseong Jang-won.”
“I see.”
Yang Dae-gong nodded readily, for the martial prowess Geom U-bin had displayed at their first meeting was far from ordinary.
“Then who are you?”
“We’re the administrators running Oseong Jang-won.”
“I still can’t fathom what brought you to seek me out.”
Go Seo-bang spoke up.
“Aren’t you tired of banditry?”
“Tired? Every day brings a new traveler and a new way to meet them—what’s there to tire of? Besides, I do this to put food on the table. It’s my trade, so whether I’m bored with it or not, I make do.”
“Fair enough, but consider this.”
Go Seo-bang unleashed a palm force toward the tree beside him, and a trunk thick as two hand-spans snapped clean in half.
Yang Dae-gong was startled for a moment by the display of martial prowess, but he soon regained his composure.
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s a fair point about the profession—you never know when death might come.”
“A few words and a blade bring in decent coin. I accept the risk. And your kind of master isn’t exactly common, is it? Hunters and herb gatherers face the same dangers—everyone takes on some level of peril. Meeting a skilled fighter doesn’t mean certain death.”
His steady nerve was impressive.
“Ever thought of a change of profession?”
“What would someone like me be good for?”
“Have you heard that Haenyeong Port has been bustling lately?”
“I’ve heard it’s been prospering since the Oseong Jang-won took interest.”
“You stay in the mountains yet keep well-informed.”
Yang Dae-gong chuckled.
“About matters in these parts, I’d know better and faster than you. After all, I’ve tried everything except piracy, so I’ve got friends all over.”
“Have you tried water banditry?”
“That was my former trade.”
“Then you’d know the port well enough—perfect for the job. Why not stop banditry here and work under the Oseong Jang-won? It’ll be better than robbing people on the road.”
Yang Dae-gong was quiet for a moment, then spoke.
“So you’re offering me command of Haenyeong Port security.”
Gal Ma-pyeong marveled.
“Oh! This one’s sharp, too.”
“If I’d gotten an education, I’d have made something of myself. Either way, I’ll have to politely decline that offer.”
“Why? The pay’s better than banditry and far less risky.”
“The pay might be better, but it’s not less risky. Haven’t you been at odds with Hao-mun lately?”
“That’s exactly why we came looking for you. Are you afraid of Hao-mun?”
“There are plenty of men who don’t think ahead, so why wouldn’t I be? But what’s truly frightening isn’t Hao-mun itself—it’s the Geumryong Pirate Guild they’ve allied with.”
“The Geumryong Pirate Guild?”
“You don’t know the Geumryong Pirate Guild?”
Hang Ju-sa-byeon and his companions exchanged glances, blinking. When it became clear none of them knew, Yang Dae-gong spoke.
“They’re river pirates based north of Haenyeong Port. They operate across both sea and river, and for pirates, they have quite a few masters in their ranks—especially their guild leader, who’s a first-rate expert.”
Yang Dae-gong glanced at the tree Go Seo-bang had snapped, then continued.
“That man could break a tree twice as thick as that one.”
The moment he finished speaking, Go Seo-bang released his Palm Force and snapped a much thicker tree clean in two.
Yang Dae-gong waved away the dust the falling tree had stirred up.
“Alright, alright! I’ll stop with that kind of talk!”
Se-hwa asked.
“So the Geumryong Pirate Guild has joined hands with Hao-mun?”
“Yes. According to what I’ve heard, they’ve even established a base in Haenyeong Port.”
Hang Ju-sa-byeon and his men looked at each other’s faces.
They’d come to draw Yang Dae-gong in, and information about Hao-mun had fallen right into their laps.
“Do you also know where Hao-mun’s base is?”
“I told you my information is fast and accurate. By accurate, I also mean I possess that level of detail.”
Gal Ma-pyeong grinned widely.
“A truly coveted friend. So if we clean up the Hao-mun and Geumryong forces in Haenyeong Port, would you accept our offer?”
Yang Dae-gong scratched his head, gathering his thoughts.
“If income goes up and risk goes down, there’s no reason to refuse.”
“Change careers while we’re at it. From what I can see, your hobby seems to be job-hopping. How many men do you have?”
Yang Dae-gong glanced back at the bandits standing awkwardly behind him and spoke.
“About twenty, including these fellows, but with wives and children, the dependents number a fair bit more.”
“That’s rather short. I’d say we need at least fifty.”
“Even if Haenyeong Port is growing, surely we don’t need that many?”
“We’ll be consolidating Haenyeong Port soon, so we’ll need personnel to manage it as well.”
“Aren’t you overconfident? Though of course…….”
Yang Dae-gong glanced at the fallen tree again before continuing.
“You do seem quite strong.”
“Don’t worry. As long as you point us to the location, it’ll be dealt with within two days. Can you gather the personnel?”
“That much is easy to assemble. Didn’t I tell you I’ve earned decent goodwill in these parts?”
“Don’t just drag in any bandits. Even so, they need some conscience.”
“Ha! A bandit with conscience! That’s a funny thing to say, but truth be told, I think I’ve found the right place. There are quite a few bandits around here confused about their own identity, so I’ll persuade them and bring them along.”
Right up until coming here, I’d expected it would be difficult persuading Yang Dae-gong.
“You’re agreeing rather easily.”
So I felt a touch of suspicion.
“It’s not because of you lot.”
“Then?”
“I’ve taken a liking to the little master of Oseong Jang-won.”
Hang Ju-sa-byeon and his men broke into quiet laughter. Who could dislike Geom U-bin?
“Just tell us where Hao-mun and the Geumryong Guild are.”

***

Bae Cheong-uk, second disciple of the Hao-mun master, was a man of great ambition.
Great ambition isn’t inherently bad, but when it far exceeds one’s capacity, it becomes a problem.
And that’s precisely the state he was in now.
When he first moved against Haenyeong Port, he never imagined things would unfold like this.
He’d thought that with just Baek Ryeon-gwang and Dok Jeong-ssang-goe, Oseong Jang-won would be easily taken care of. The reason Bae Cheong-uk had chosen to strike at Haenyeong Port rather than directly assault Oseong Jang-won—his true objective—was to prepare for the one-in-a-million contingency.
He’d selected Haenyeong Port as his battleground on the strategy of fighting on terrain favorable to himself rather than the enemy, yet he’d met an absurd defeat at the hands of four administrators working for Oseong Jang-won, not even the Hangju Five Immortals.
Had his response not been swift, Bae Cheong-uk himself would have fallen into their grasp.
The situation has become tangled, but not beyond unraveling.
He always kept second and third plans in reserve.
Bae Cheong-uk placed a half-million-tael banknote on the table and slid it across. It was nearly all the money he could muster.
Bang Tae-mang, master of the Geumryong Pirate Guild, showed no change in expression upon seeing the five hundred thousand taels of silver.
Though to be fair, his entire face was obscured by growths like warts, so his expression would have been unreadable anyway.
“Five hundred thousand taels seems a fair price for attacking a single estate.”
“Fair depends on which estate. You’ve clearly misjudged the Oseong Jang-won.”
“I admit it. I should have investigated more thoroughly instead of rushing ahead so carelessly. That’s precisely why I’ve come to you now—to ensure I don’t repeat such mistakes.”
“Still, the fact that you brought five hundred thousand taels shows you understand the real value of what you’re asking for.”
“I’ve known for some time that the Geumryong Pirate Guild is a crouching dragon.”
Banditry is merely camouflage—a veil drawn over your true nature.
Bang Tae-mang and thirty of his subordinates required both time and money to master the Ghost Face Demon Art.
Once mastered, the technique spawned wart-like growths across the entire body, making legitimate work impossible. So highway robbery—with faces concealed—had been the perfect way to generate funds.
Perfecting the Ghost Face Demon Art demanded vast quantities of medicinal substances, and in that light, the five hundred thousand taels Bae Cheong-uk had just offered was a tempting prize indeed.
“I hear that Baek Ryeon-gwang and Dok Jeong-ssang-goe were defeated by mere administrators of the Oseong Jang-won. Not even by the Hangju Five Immortals themselves.”
“I overestimated their abilities. I didn’t realize they were so lacking.”
“Of course, even if a hundred of them came, the Geumryong Pirate Guild would make short work of them. But we’re not yet ready to show ourselves to the world.”
In three years—five at most—he could refine the Ghost Face Demon Art to the Tenth Stage. His thirty subordinates would reach at least the Seventh Stage.
Then they would become a force to shake not merely a single province, but all of Zhongyuan. So for now, restraint was necessary.
“I understand the Geumryong Pirate Guild’s position perfectly. But currently, the Oseong Jang-won is truly ownerless land—without the Hangju Five Immortals or any of the four administrators.”
“The Hangju Five Immortals are gone?”
“They abandoned the estate long ago because of what happened in Sichuan. There’s nothing there now but laborers—hardly a concern for the Geumryong Pirate Guild.”
“If it’s such an easy target, why don’t you handle it yourself? Why offer us such a fortune?”
“I wish I could, but as you know, I lost all my men at Haenyeong Port. And frankly, wouldn’t the Geumryong Pirate Guild find it far more convenient to operate in Murim if you worked through the Hao-mun? With our backing, you could grow into a force the Murim Alliance couldn’t ignore.”
“That’s true enough. Is that why you’ve been seeking me out regularly for the past year?”
“A man ought to leave some mark in Murim history, wouldn’t you say?”
“Amusing. Still, even if the Hangju Five Immortals aren’t at the Oseong Jang-won now, the danger remains the same. We’d only be buying time. If they discover we were responsible, do you think they’ll sit idle?”
“How would they ever connect you to the Geumryong Pirate Guild? I’ll shoulder all suspicion myself.”
“Really?”
“The Hao-mun needs the Geumryong Pirate Guild as an ally if we’re to grow. Why would I invite danger upon you?”
“You alone taking the risk? I find that hard to believe.”
“Is there anyone in this world who could find the Hao-mun once we’ve gone underground?”
“You have a point.”
“We’ll reduce the Oseong Jang-won to ashes, strike with overwhelming force, and withdraw without hesitation. It’ll be a fight they cannot possibly win. And once the Geumryong Pirate Guild’s power is perfected, what threat could the Hangju Five Immortals possibly pose?”
Bae Cheong-uk tapped his fingers against the banknote lying on the table.
“This money will accelerate the Geumryong Pirate Guild’s plans by at least a year.”
He could kill Bae Cheong-uk on the spot and simply take the banknote. But Bae Cheong-uk’s proposal had its appeal.
The Geumryong Pirate Guild’s martial might combined with the Hao-mun’s organizational power—it would be a nearly perfect alliance.
‘If worse comes to worst, I can always devour the Hao-mun later.’
Bang Tae-mang, having settled his thoughts, posed a question.
“When would be the best time to attack the Oseong Jang-won?”
“The sooner the better.”
“Then we’ll do it tonight.”

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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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