Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 155

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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 155

The ones So Gi-cheon was introducing were three men and a woman. All appearing to be in their late teens to mid-twenties, they carried no visible weapons, yet their very presence marked them unmistakably as Murim martial artists.
“The one in the Daoist robe is from the Mudang Faction. That woman with the slightly raised eyes—the one with the fierce look—appears to be Mo Yong Seol-yeong, the daughter of the Moyong clan. And that one, built like an angry boar, looks to be Bok Cheol-bang, a disciple of the Huashan Faction. The last one, though—I can’t place him.”
“You’ve never even met them. How do you know?”
“I’m a named disciple of the Bang-ju, after all. Portrait records of Murim’s notable figures arrive in Hangju once a month. So unless someone’s particularly unremarkable, I can recognize them. As for why they’re displaying such open hostility—that, I confess, is beyond me.”
As Jeom So-i brought tea, the Mudang Faction disciple approached Geom U-bin’s table.
“Are you perhaps the Master of the Oseong Jang-won, Geom U-bin?”
“I am.”
The tone of the question carried unmistakable displeasure.
“I am Seo Do-myeong of the Mudang Faction.”
When Geom U-bin gave a perfunctory nod, Seo Do-myeong’s face contorted with fury.
“You don’t know me?”
“Have we met before?”
Seo Do-myeong’s voice exploded.
“Such rudeness I’ve never witnessed! That you should not know the face of the man whose betrothal you destroyed!”
Geom U-bin’s expression shifted from confusion to dawning comprehension, and he let out a soft gasp of recognition.
“Ah—you must be the Mudang Faction disciple who was once engaged to the Jegal lady.”
“Then why did you break our betrothal when you didn’t even know me?”
Seo Do-myeong’s tone had turned crude and insulting.
“Perhaps the Jegal lady you know differs from the one I do—but she never wished to marry. And I can hardly bear sole responsibility for the dissolution of the engagement, can I? After all, it was the Mudang Faction itself who accepted those absurd conditions and conducted the search of the Oseong Jang-won.”
“If it weren’t for you, such impossible terms would never have been set in the first place! That’s sophistry!”
So Gi-cheon, unable to stand it any longer, stepped forward.
“You should blame your own shortcomings for failing to win a woman’s heart, not vent your frustration on others.”
“What—what did you say? Who do you think you are, flapping your mouth like that?”
“Me? A beggar.”
“Your clothes confirm it. Get lost.”
Geom U-bin spoke up.
“The Mudang Faction is, if I understand correctly, one of the Nine Great Factions and counted among the Orthodox righteous sects. Yet a disciple of such a renowned sect conducts himself without courtesy.”
“It’s you who lack courtesy, having destroyed another’s matrimonial prospects!”
“Now I understand why the Jegal lady refused the marriage.”
So Gi-cheon’s voice was low, but it reached Seo Do-myeong’s ears clearly enough.
“What—you dare mock me with that loose tongue of yours? I can see you’re a disciple of some shabby sect, but do you truly believe you can speak to me this way and walk free?”
“The Mudang Faction may fancy itself superior to ours, but we of the Sect regard the Mudang Faction as beneath our notice!”
“What—you mongrel whelp!”
Had not a man So Gi-cheon had not yet noticed rushed over to intervene, Seo Do-myeong might well have drawn his hand.
“Seo brother, it would be unwise to quarrel here, I think.”
A neat-featured man in his mid-twenties addressed Geom U-bin with measured courtesy.
“I apologize that Seo brother has lost his composure. I am Byeon Jae-yong of the Cheongseong Faction.”
So Gi-cheon’s expression lit with recognition.
“Ah—you’re the disciple the Cheongseong Faction Master took in late, are you not?”
“You appear not much older than myself, yet as one who works so closely with the Sect leadership, you possess remarkable knowledge.”
It was an indirect request for an introduction.
“I am So Gi-cheon, a named disciple of the Sect Master.”
Since unnamed disciples were so numerous, So Gi-cheon emphasized the distinction of being a named one.
“Ah, I see! I was not aware you held such a rank. It’s because half of our Sect’s senior disciples seem to be the Master’s own disciples. Haha!”
Byeon Jae-yong, having delivered his unfunny jest, flashed an ingratiating smile.
As this exchange continued, the ordered dishes began arriving.
“We should begin eating.”
As the succession of dishes came streaming out, Byeon Jae-yong whistled in amazement.
“You’re both voracious eaters, I see. And all premium fare at that!”
“We wanted to sample a variety. There’s quite a lot—would you care to join us?”
“No, thank you. Our food is arriving as well.”
What Byeon Jae-yong’s group had ordered was meager in both quantity and price compared to what Geom U-bin had requested.
Once they had returned to their seats, So Gi-cheon whispered.
“I’d like nothing more than to humble these Orthodox Faction upstarts who strut about like they own the world.”
“There’s no good in stirring up needless trouble, but I doubt those merchants will let it pass so easily.”
“How can you tell?”
“That man Byeon Jae-yong. His mouth smiles, but his eyes don’t. He’s the scheming type who loves to plot.”
The three men and one woman continued glancing furtively at them as they spoke.
Geom U-bin and So Gi-cheon ate until they were stuffed. The taste matched what you’d expect from a fine establishment, and the meal proved thoroughly enjoyable.
The three men and woman watching them didn’t feel particularly pleased. Geom U-bin and So Gi-cheon were rising talents sought after even by the orthodox righteous sects, yet they had been slighted by a mere tavern keeper and a trivial disciple from some lesser sect.
Byeon Jae-yong spoke to Seo Do-myeong, who was glaring at Geom U-bin with fierce eyes.
“Restrain yourselves for now. There will be an opportunity to teach them a lesson.”
“And just how do you propose to do that?”
“Aren’t they heading to the Jegal family patriarch’s 60th birthday celebration, just as we are? In such a setting, trouble is bound to arise one way or another.”
Seo Do-myeong was frustrated at not being able to strike back immediately, but a young master of an orthodox righteous sect couldn’t simply resort to violence without restraint.
“These rootless men running amok is no good for Murim itself.”
Byeon Jae-yong readily agreed with Seo Do-myeong’s words.
“Of course not. For the sake of maintaining discipline in Murim, we mustn’t let such types run free.”
Bok Cheol-bang spoke up.
“From what I’ve heard, the martial arts of the Hangju faction are quite formidable.”
“Formidable or not, it’s just local influence in Hangju. I dislike both this So Gi-cheon and that sect disciple.”
As the sect continued to refuse admission to the Murim Alliance, the member factions’ resentment toward it was growing.
“Let’s use the sect disciple to capture So Gi-cheon.”
Seo Do-myeong asked at Byeon Jae-yong’s suggestion.
“Do you have a workable plan?”

***

Geom U-bin greeted her warmly, but Namgung Hye-yeon returned only an awkward smile and a slight nod before retreating as if to flee.
“Why would she do that?”
It didn’t seem to be mere awkwardness from their long separation. Namgung Hye-yeon appeared uncomfortable, and the other person made no effort to hide open hostility on his face.
“It’s been a while.”
“Who…?”
“It’s me! Me! Dong Chang-min, heir to the Dong family!”
“Ah!”
It had been far too long, and Dong Chang-min’s face seemed to change slightly each time they met, so Geom U-bin hadn’t recognized him at first.
“It has indeed been some time.”
“This time, you won’t escape as easily as you did before.”
According to what he’d heard, Dong Chang-min had waited outside for nearly half a day, so his anger was well-founded.
“I wasn’t really trying to escape…”
“If you didn’t escape, then let’s settle this right here and now!”
Quite a number of guests had come for the patriarch’s 60th birthday celebration, and more continued to arrive even as they spoke.
“Here?”
Geom U-bin had assumed Dong Chang-min would at least have the sense to choose a proper time and place for a sparring match.
“Name the time and place.”
“I’m not sure we need to have a sparring match at all.”
“Coward! The moment you get a chance, you’ll run again…!”
“So Gi-cheon, welcome.”
The person approaching Geom U-bin with a warm expression was Jegal Pyeong-su, the young family head of the Jegal clan.
Since Jegal Pyeong-su had resolved a crisis for the Jegal family and shared a karmic bond with Jegal Jong-ryeo when she was at Oseong Jang-won, his manner was courteous.
“Father has been waiting to see you since hearing of your arrival.”
“The patriarch himself?”
“Yes. Please come inside.”
Dong Chang-min was the one caught off guard.
“Wait, just a moment please.”
“Ah, so young master Dong is here as well. How fortunate to be in Hangju together—you two must be quite close.”
“Well… not so much close as…”
“Father is eager to meet So Gi-cheon. Would you mind waiting a moment longer?”
It was impossible for Dong Chang-min to refuse when Jegal Pyeong-su asked him to wait.
“How long should I wait?”
“I cannot set a fixed time, but the matter should be concluded within two hours.”
“Very well.”
Dong Chang-min told Geom U-bin they would meet again in two hours, and Geom U-bin, saying nothing in reply, followed Jegal Pyeong-su inside.
“What business does the patriarch have with me?”
“You must have some idea what this is about?”
Jegal Jong-ryeo’s voice reached Geom U-bin, who hadn’t the faintest notion.
“U-bin! You’re here!”
Jegal Jong-ryeo came bounding over and wrapped her arms around Geom U-bin in a tight embrace. Even though they were in the inner courtyard where no outsiders could see, such an exuberant greeting felt overwhelming.
“I’m glad to see you too.”
“Sister, don’t put U-bin in such an awkward position.”
When Jegal Hoon, who had arrived with Jegal Jong-ryeo, chided her, she stuck her tongue out at him.
“He’s going to be my husband — why shouldn’t I embrace him?”
Jegal Jong-ryeo still hadn’t let go of that dream.
“If anyone heard you, they’d think it was real.”
“It is real for me, and it’s real for you too. We’re among family now — you don’t need to put on airs. You like me, don’t you?”
It wasn’t that he disliked her, exactly, but it wasn’t romantic attraction either. Jegal Jong-ryeo was his friend’s sister, and in some ways, she was his friend as well.
But in a situation like this, it seemed better to be clear about it.
“I do care for you, but not as a woman.”
Jegal Jong-ryeo’s eyes went wide with shock, her body going rigid. Geom U-bin hadn’t expected the words to land with such force, and he found himself equally caught off guard.
“Why are you saying this now? Have you met someone else? You were the one who proposed to me in the first place!”
“I did? When?”
“When the Murim Alliance came to search Oseong Jang-won! You set the condition that if they didn’t find the person they were looking for, I would break my engagement with the Mudang Faction disciple!”
“That’s true.”
“Breaking my engagement — wasn’t that a proposal to me?”
He hadn’t expected that incident to be twisted in such a way. Geom U-bin was wise enough to know that clarity served best in such moments.
“That wasn’t what I meant back then. The Murim Alliance had offended me, and that condition was the only leverage I had. Besides, it seemed you didn’t care for that Mudang Faction disciple either, so I wagered on it. My heart had nothing to do with it.”
“Nothing at all? Nothing?”
He wanted to comfort Jegal Jong-ryeo, whose face had gone pale from the shock, but delaying difficult truths only made them grow larger in the end.
“Yes. Jegal Jong-ryeo, you are my friend’s sister and also my friend. But you are not a woman to me in that way. And……”
Before he could finish, Jegal Jong-ryeo turned and disappeared in a flutter.
“I think it would be better to meet your father another time.”
Jegal Pyeong-su said the same and strode away briskly. A wheelchair rolled toward Geom U-bin, who stood frozen in bewilderment.
“I thought something was off about this. You marrying our sister didn’t sit right.”
“Did I make some mistake?”
“No mistake — Sister believed what she wanted to believe, and Father believed what she told him. That reckless nature of hers never changes, no matter how many years go by.”
Geom U-bin scratched his head.
“I’m partly responsible for sending the wrong signal. If the patriarch of the Jegal clan thought the same way, this is quite the mess.”
“Don’t worry too much — I’ll explain things to Father. Let’s get out of the house.”
Geom U-bin, now suddenly an unwelcome guest who had disappointed his host, felt uncomfortable remaining at the Jegal residence.
As Geom U-bin reached for the handles of the wheelchair, Jegal Hoon asked him a question.
“Have you heard the rumors about that Miao tribesman who appeared with Ma Gun-ja’s Murong Blade?”
“Hm? Yes, I have. It caused quite a stir.”
“I’ve looked into it thoroughly myself, but I couldn’t find out why he vanished so suddenly. He might have been killed by Hyeolpung Saja, who appeared in that area around the same time.”
“Hyeolpung Saja?”

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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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