Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 146

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

#146

The Bloodwind Four Lions sought out Geom U-bin.
One look at their faces, and Geom U-bin guessed their decision.
“You’ve decided to investigate?”
“Yes. If we let it go, it’ll feel like carrying an iron weight on our chest for the rest of our lives.”
Geom U-bin nodded in understanding.
“Please don’t rush it. Be as careful as you can. I hope you can resolve this without innocent people getting hurt.”
“Of course. Don’t worry. We’re not what we used to be. I’m thinking of leaving the investigation to Dung-fly for now.”
“Yeon Geum-hong is going?”
“Yes. She should be back by tomorrow.”
“Wait a moment.”
Geom U-bin went to his room and returned with a Muk-pae.
“The Lord of the Sect investigated it for us — it seems to be something like an identity tablet that the Miao people carry. It was Master’s personal belonging.”
“Master had this? Could it belong to one of the Miao people that Master supposedly wiped out?”
“I don’t know. It might be helpful, so take it with you.”
Taking the Muk-pae, Yeon Geum-hong went straight to find Baek Dong-pal. Baek Dong-pal was at the harbor, inspecting his boat.
He’d recently acquired the vessel, and he checked it himself once a day without fail.
“Why not just learn to swim faster instead?”
“Yelp!”
Startled by Yeon Geum-hong’s sudden appearance, Baek Dong-pal clutched his chest. “You should have sent word you were coming. Let’s go inside.”
Baek Dong-pal now treated the Bloodwind Four Lions almost like regular clients.
Once inside the office, Yeon Geum-hong placed a banknote worth five hundred thousand taels on the table first.
“This must be quite a difficult commission. Five thousand taels, wait—fifty thousand taels?”
“Look again.”
“Even looking again, it’s fifty thousand, huh? Oh, oh… five hundred thousand taels. Is this really a five-hundred-thousand-tael banknote?”
Unmistakable suspicion flickered across Baek Dong-pal’s face.
“It’s not counterfeit.”
At Yeon Geum-hong’s cold words, Baek Dong-pal immediately nodded.
“Of course not.”
He composed himself and asked, “How much change should I give you? Four hundred fifty thousand taels?”
“That’s the commission fee.”
“Five hundred thousand taels?”
It was the highest commission he’d ever received. Yet Baek Dong-pal’s tension came not merely from the unprecedented sum.
The person who brought this money was Ma Gun-ja.
Having received such an enormous payment, failure to complete the task would leave him without excuse even if he were killed.
This was money dipped in poison. The moment he pocketed those taels, his life would hang by a thread.
“May I ask what the commission is?”
“You need to investigate something from thirty years ago.”
“Thirty years ago? I don’t even remember where I was living back then.”
“If you remember that house, who gives five hundred thousand taels?”
Exactly. This was a matter worth five hundred thousand taels. With that money, he could do anything short of returning from the dead.
“What is it I should be looking into?”
“Follow the trail of Ma Gun-ja.”
“Ma Gun-ja?”
That name alone nearly stopped his heart.
“Yes. Master was at the Myo River thirty years ago. It appears this Muk-pae was obtained then. And twenty-eight years ago, Master was imprisoned by the Baekrim Sect.”
Even Baek Dong-pal, who prided himself as the greatest information broker in Zhongyuan, was hearing this for the first time.
“The Baekrim Sect? You mean the one that was suddenly destroyed seven years ago?”
“That was the price for confining Master.”
“But then—how did someone like Ma Gun-ja end up imprisoned by the Baekrim Sect in the first place?”
A tiger becoming prey to a deer would make more sense than Ma Gun-ja being captured by the Baekrim Sect.
“That’s what you need to find out. Master’s body was not in a normal state when confined by the Baekrim Sect. That’s why Master was captured. Find out why Master’s body was abnormal, and which person or organization made it so.”
Yeon Geum-hong placed the Muk-pae that Geom U-bin had given her on the table.

“That’s the only lead we have.”
Baek Dong-pal gripped the Muk-pae in his hand, his expression taut with concentration.
Ma Gun-ja.
That name alone made him hunger to unravel this case with desperate fervor—entirely independent of the fifty thousand nyang. The broker’s instinct coursed through him, alive and trembling.
But what if he failed to uncover the truth?
“How much time do I have?”
“How long would you need?”
“It’s been thirty years. I can’t guarantee anything with certainty.”
“Three years?”
“Three years? Well, I suppose… that’s not exactly generous, but I can manage it one way or another.”
Yeon Geum-hong rose to her feet as she spoke.
“Then find out for certain. No innocent person should be accused—you must identify the true criminal with absolute precision.”
“Of course. Though you mentioned three years, I’ll mobilize the Mantong Association’s entire intelligence network to uncover the truth as swiftly as possible.”
Baek Dong-pal’s intellectual curiosity had reached its fever pitch.

***

Gong Seong-tak paused as he passed the main gate, then stepped backward.
Someone stood directly in front of the side entrance beside the gate—a face he recognized.
“Bok Seon-nyeo?”
Bok Seon-nyeo stood with her arms crossed before the door, her expression clouded with deliberation.
“What business brings you to Oseong Jang-won?”
Bok Seon-nyeo glanced sideways at Gong Seong-tak and spoke.
“I haven’t gone inside yet, so I haven’t truly arrived.”
“If you haven’t arrived, that’s fortunate. And if you’re thinking of arriving, I’d suggest you abandon that thought.”
Even as Gong Seong-tak spoke, Bok Seon-nyeo’s deliberation did not ease. Gong Seong-tak waited by the side entrance for her contemplation to resolve itself.
“I’ve decided. Tell the Master I’m here.”
“Who are you to make such demands? Some charlatan cult leader?”
“A charlatan cult leader? What are you talking about?”
“Judging by what you’ve been doing in Hangju, you fit the part perfectly.”
“I don’t know what nonsense you’re spouting, but that has nothing to do with me. Well, there’s no need to call him out anyway. I can go in and see him myself.”
But Gong Seong-tak blocked her path, preventing her from entering the Estate.
“Provide proof that you’re not a charlatan cult leader.”
“Do you have proof that I am?”
“My intuition is proof enough.”
Bok Seon-nyeo released a long sigh.
“Since you’re from Oseong Jang-won, I’ll bear with this once. Move.”
“Get through me if you can.”
Bok Seon-nyeo hadn’t even moved when a sudden wave of Martial Force rushed forward. It was merely the emission of raw power, yet it struck like a boulder.
But Gong Seong-tak was not a man to yield so easily.
Channeling the Cheon Gun-chu, his upper body bent back only slightly, and he remained rooted to the spot.
“So you’re no mere hired hand.”
“And you’re no mere charlatan cult leader.”
“I must show respect to Oseong Jang-won, but I won’t grovel.”
As Bok Seon-nyeo raised her Martial Force and Gong Seong-tak answered with his own, the voice of Geom U-bin cut through the tension.
“What’s happening?”
The two had been so far apart—twenty paces—yet their auras were detected by Geom U-bin, who hurried over.
“A charlatan cult leader has come calling.”
“I’m not a charlatan cult leader, I told you.”
“Bok Seon-nyeo?”
Upon seeing Geom U-bin emerge from behind Gong Seong-tak, Bok Seon-nyeo broke into a luminous smile. The smile of a beautiful young woman carried something oddly familiar.
“Master, let her in—she’s a guest.”
Gong Seong-tak turned and spoke, his eyes still fixed on Bok Seon-nyeo with suspicion.
“If she proves to be a charlatan cult leader, I’ll throw her out with these own hands. Remember that.”
Having entered the Estate, Bok Seon-nyeo took a moment to survey Oseong Jang-won anew.
“I felt it before, but this Estate is truly vast and magnificent.”
“You’ve been here previously?”
“I came once when everyone was away, so I didn’t meet anyone.”
“Since you’ve entered the Estate proper, I’ll ask on behalf of its master: who are you, and what brings you to Oseong Jang-won?”
“I’m Eun Bi-yeon, and I’ve come to meet you and the Bloodwind Four Lions.”
“…….”
“…….”
“What did you say?”
“Didn’t Yeon Geum-hong tell you about it?”
Geom U-bin shook his head.
“She said she’d come find us after completing Ban-No-Hwan-Dong.”
Geom U-bin swallowed hard and asked.
“So you’re saying the person standing before me is Eun Bi-yeon, my aunt, the one who completed Ban-No-Hwan-Dong?”
Unable to settle on a proper form of address, Geom U-bin used his false identity of uncle and aunt to call Eun Bi-yeon “aunt.”
“That’s right.”
Geom U-bin called out toward the Estate.
“Yeon! Yeon, come out quickly!”
It wasn’t as if Yeon Geum-hong couldn’t hear him calling like that. Not only Yeon Geum-hong but all of Hyeolpung Saja came rushing out.
“Brother, what’s the matter?”
“Has someone attacked again?”
Geom U-bin pointed at Eun Bi-yeon as Hyeolpung Saja hurried forward.
“Try to guess who this is.”
Seo Seok-san, examining Eun Bi-yeon from head to toe, spoke.
“From her beauty, she looks like a courtesan recently hired by Oseong Pavilion.”
Seo Seok-san had made a guess, while Yeon Geum-hong and Do Pyeong-su asked.
“Who is she?”
“She’s my aunt Eun Bi-yeon, who completed Ban-No-Hwan-Dong.”
In that moment, silence fell.
Ban-No-Hwan-Dong was not a realm one could reach as easily as a Murim martial artist accumulating internal power over ten years.
Ban-No-Hwan-Dong was a realm that could only be achieved when someone whose martial arts had reached their absolute peak touched upon heavenly destiny. This was why, within the last two hundred years, Yeon Geum-hong was the only Murim martial artist known to have achieved it.
And they had believed it wouldn’t appear for perhaps another three hundred years. Yet here was someone else besides Yeon Geum-hong who had achieved it—and someone they knew!
“Is it really you, Bi-yeon?”
Eun Bi-yeon smiled toward Yeon Geum-hong.
“I’m still not used to seeing my old face, to be honest.”
Yeon Geum-hong, who had been studying Eun Bi-yeon carefully, suddenly wore a look of amazement.
“It really is you, Bi-yeon!”
“So it’s really Eun Bi-yeon? That old woman changed this much?”
Do Pyeong-su was astonished, and Seo Seok-san was in despair.
“Damn it! Why does heaven only favor women!”
If Seo Seok-san completed Ban-No-Hwan-Dong, he could regain his full head of hair from his youth!
After the wave of shock passed, Geom U-bin asked.
“But why did you masquerade as Bok Seon-nyeo instead of coming directly to Oseong Jang-won?”
“For two reasons. One was to find a way to blend in with people. I’d lived alone for far too long, and even before that, I wasn’t particularly sociable. But fitting in with people turned out to be harder than I thought.”
“And the other reason?”
“To stay at Oseong Jang-won, I needed to match the status. To fit in with Hangju Oseong, I thought I needed the sort of reputation that someone like Bok Seon-nyeo would have.”
Geom U-bin smiled broadly and said.
“In any case, you’ll always be welcome here as Eun Bi-yeon.”
“There’s one thing I want to make clear before that.”
“What is it?”
“My purpose in coming to Oseong Jang-won.”
Yeon Geum-hong asked with a confused expression.
“Your purpose? You didn’t just come to find us—Oh! You crazy woman!”
At the sudden curse, everyone looked at Yeon Geum-hong with questioning expressions. Regardless, Yeon Geum-hong dragged Eun Bi-yeon into her room.
Once she had pushed Eun Bi-yeon into a chair, Yeon Geum-hong asked with a grave expression.
“You didn’t come here because of Pyeong-su, did you?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Why else would I endure the pain of my entire body seeming to shatter to achieve Ban-No-Hwan-Dong? You’ve achieved it too, so you must know that pain, right?”
“Of course I know it. If you recovered your youth and beauty that way, you should go find another good man. Why come looking for Pyeong-su?”
“My heart hasn’t changed toward Pyeong-su.”
“You two aren’t right for each other!”
“How can you know that when we’ve never even dated?”
“You two have never dated each other, but if you combine the years I’ve watched you both, it adds up to more than a hundred and forty years!”
“Are you asking me to abandon the destined love that came to me, trusting only your judgment?”
“Destiny is nonsense! How did your first destined love end?”
“Are you putting Pyeong-su on the same level as that worthless man?”
“Of course Pyeong-su isn’t that kind of person. But……!”
“No matter what you say, my mind won’t change.”
Yeon Geum-hong turned away from Eun Bi-yeon with a long sigh.
“I never dreamed I’d hear those words from your lips again.”
Eun Bi-yeon’s fierce energy dimmed suddenly. Yeon Geum-hong had given her identical counsel fifty years ago, and Eun Bi-yeon had offered the same reply then.
“Sister, it’s truly different this time. You know Do Pyeong-su yourself. He’s not that kind of man, is he?”
Time had flowed, and people had changed.
Perhaps Yeon Geum-hong’s opposition to Eun Bi-yeon’s affair was nothing more than opposition for its own sake.
“Do you really love Pyeong-su?”
“I do.”
She couldn’t fathom how Eun Bi-yeon could love someone so easily.
It seemed that such a nature was something one simply possessed from birth.
“Don’t hurt him.”

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