Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 156

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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 156

“Yes. People who held grievances against Hyeolpung Saja had gathered at an inn nearby. And then Hyeolpung Saja appeared before them.”
“So?”
“He threatened them, saying he’d give them a chance to settle their debts. They’d come together hoping the Murim Alliance might help them take their vengeance, but when Hyeolpung Saja appeared so suddenly, they were thrown into confusion.”
“Was there a fight?”
Geom U-bin, who had gone with him, didn’t know what had happened inside the inn.
“There was barely a fight to speak of. His threat froze them all in place—they couldn’t even think of taking their vengeance anymore. In the end, everyone gathered there decided to let go of their old grudges. With Hyeolpung Saja as their opponent, there was nothing they could do. And the Murim Alliance can’t stake its destiny on fighting him over an enemy who isn’t irreconcilable to them, can it? The matter of the man with the Murong Blade remains a mystery, but at least we’ve confirmed that Hyeolpung Saja is alive. All sorts of rumors had been spreading—that he’d achieved Immortality Ascension, or that he’d gone into seclusion.”
In reality, he’d been making alcohol in Hangju. The fact that Hyeolpung Saja hadn’t killed anyone in that situation was welcome news to Geom U-bin.
After leaving the Jegal Family Estate, the two of them walked for a long while, talking about this and that.
Both had read far more books than most people their age, and when a common topic arose, their conversation never ceased.
So even walking alone together, they found no time to grow bored. After walking for quite a distance, they arrived at a part of the city far enough from the estate.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve come into the city.”
Jegal Hoon’s physical condition made it impossible for him to go out alone, and he felt awkward asking someone to take him. Besides, he didn’t particularly care for crowded places.
But that day, with Geom U-bin beside him, he found the attention from passersby bearable.
“Shall we have some tea? I’ve brought some excellent tea.”
Eun Bi-yeon’s Hwach’a had quietly become an essential item to pack whenever they traveled.
When Geom U-bin entered the tea house room, he lifted the wheeled chair on which Jegal Hoon sat and carried it up to the upper floor.
“Come to think of it, didn’t you say you’d come with a disciple of the Sect Master?”
“He came with us, but he said he had something to attend to.”
A server came to take their order once they’d settled by the window.
Geom U-bin pulled out the Hwach’a from his sleeve and spoke.
“I guarantee you—today you’ll drink the most delicious tea in the world.”
“When you make such a bold claim, how can I not be curious?”
Geom U-bin took the tea that the server had brought and brewed the Hwach’a instead, placing it before Jegal Hoon.
Jegal Hoon’s reaction as he sipped the Hwach’a with eager eyes was no different from anyone else’s.
His eyes widened in a perfect circle, and soon a smile played across his lips.
“Wow! It really is just as you said! This is actually tea?”
“It’s tea that will soon be produced at Oseong Jang-won and sold by the Oseong Merchant Association. I sent some to Beijing a few days ago—it might even end up in the Forbidden City.”
“If it becomes a tribute to the Emperor, it’ll be nearly impossible to taste. Do you think the Jegal Family might be able to purchase some as well?”
“That’s what having a good friend means, isn’t it? I’ll put in some effort.”
Behind Geom U-bin’s boastful words, both men broke into laughter.
By the time the pot of tea had emptied, Geom U-bin noticed a procession passing by.
The people carrying bundles and bags on their backs had the most wretched appearance imaginable.
“Who are those people?”
“Flood victims. There was heavy rain some time ago, and their homes and fields were swept away. People who’d lost their means of livelihood scattered in all directions, and those are some of them.”
“Doesn’t the government help them?”
“They provide a few meals and shelter from the rain, that’s all. And even that doesn’t last long.”
‘If this were Hangju, Oseong Jang-won would have stepped in.’
Geom U-bin’s desire to help burned fiercely, but this wasn’t his place to intervene.
No matter how much money Oseong Jang-won had, it couldn’t possibly help every person in hardship across Zhongyuan. The saying that poverty is beyond even the sovereign’s reach hadn’t come about for nothing.
“Even the Jegal Family donated a thousand silver coins this time, but that amount barely scratched the surface.”
While they were speaking, footsteps sounded from the stairwell, and five people climbed up.
Four of them were three men and a woman who’d had a brief altercation on the way there, and one additional person had joined them.
The man, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties, wore ornate clothing draped with expensive ornaments—at a glance, one could see he was a wealthy merchant’s son.
When they spotted Geom U-bin, they hesitated, but then smiled, owing to the presence of Jegal Hoon.
“We didn’t expect to find the Master of Horimildang here.”
Byeon Jae-yong approached with a broad grin. Jegal Hoon raised his hand in a light salute and spoke.
“I heard news of your arrival, but meeting you here is most welcome.”
Jegal Hoon bowed respectfully to the remaining three as well.
Then he turned his gaze to the unfamiliar man.
“I’m afraid my knowledge is limited, and I don’t know who this gentleman is. Would one of you be kind enough to enlighten me?”
This time, Byeon Jae-yong stepped forward again.
“The second young master of the Daseong Merchant Association, the wealthiest merchant house in Shaanxi Province—Gam Il-cheon.”
Jegal Hoon nodded deeply.
“So you are the son of Gam O-heung, the Master of the Daseong Merchant Association. I apologize for not knowing you sooner. I heard you arrived yesterday.”
“Don’t mention it. Shaanxi and Hubei are neighbors, and yet we meet only now. My friend Bok Cheol-bang here mentioned he was attending the sixtieth birthday celebration of the Jegal Family patriarch, so I thought I’d come along.”
Bok Cheol-bang, a disciple of the Huashan Faction’s sect master, nodded as if seeing the matter anew.
“Meeting again like this must be fate. Shall we join your table?”
Geom U-bin made the suggestion first.
“U-bin, have you met these people before?”
“On the way here, at a restaurant.”
Though the encounter had been far from pleasant, there was no need to show such feelings here.
“Then shall we?”
Byeon Jae-yong, never one to lack for nerve, claimed an empty seat without bothering to ask anyone else’s opinion.
The remaining four had no choice but to settle into the vacant chairs.
“What were you two discussing?” Byeon Jae-yong asked.
At his question, Jegal Hoon’s gaze turned toward the window. Outside, the procession of flood victims continued without pause.
“Pitiful people, aren’t they?” Jegal Hoon said.
“And foolish ones too,” Gam Il-cheon replied coldly.
His blunt assessment drew everyone’s attention.
“If they’d worked hard and saved their money, they wouldn’t be in such a state now.”
Jegal Hoon spoke up.
“But there are circumstances beyond anyone’s control, no matter how hard one labors.”
“Then one must labor even harder.”
“Do you claim to have lived as diligently as they have, Master Gam?”
Jegal Hoon’s reply to this was not particularly gracious—he knew well that some things lay beyond human effort.
“We were all fortunate enough to be born into good families. But can any of us truly claim we wouldn’t be in that procession if we’d been born as one of them?”
“I have confidence that I would have succeeded regardless of how poor my family was. I possess that ability. And if you think about it, luck itself is a form of skill.”
Bok Cheol-bang spoke with certainty.
“As for Il-cheon’s fortune, I personally vouch for it. Ha ha ha!”
Geom U-bin, who had been listening quietly, asked a question.
“If your luck is that reliable, shall we test it now?”
“What do you mean?”
After a moment’s deliberation, Geom U-bin signaled a server to bring a dice cup and a single die.
“We simply guess whether the dice will show high or low. Since it’s determined purely by chance, it seems a fitting tool to test one’s fortune.”
“Testing my fortune on something so trivial seems to undervalue luck itself.”
“What if we placed a small wager on it?”
Jegal Hoon supported Geom U-bin’s idea.
“Ah, that’s true. With money on the line, one can truly test one’s fortune.”
Gam Il-cheon smiled thinly.
“Placing money isn’t difficult, but we’d need an opponent. Is there anyone at this table with enough money to match?”
Geom U-bin stepped forward readily.
“I have some money available.”
“To truly test my fortune, you’d need more than ‘some.'”
“Though too much would be inconvenient…”
“Ha ha ha! You shouldn’t raise the matter of money so carelessly!”
“Still, since we’ve already brought the die, why not place at least a small wager?”
Gam Il-cheon spoke as though bestowing a favor.
“Since you wish it so, let us enjoy a modest game. How much shall we wager?”
Gam Il-cheon reached toward his pocket, intending to withdraw silver coins.
“Let us begin modestly, befitting my means.”
Bok Cheol-bang asked a question.
“By ‘begin,’ you mean just one round?”
“One round is too little to test fortune properly. We should play at least five rounds. For instance, wager one silver coin on the first, two on the second, four on the third, and so on through five rounds. Even if someone loses four rounds, if they win the fifth, they gain one coin.”
“Then the final round would require sixteen coins in stakes?”
“If we bet one coin each time, yes…”
Geom U-bin glanced at Gam Il-cheon before continuing.
“But Master Gam has his standing to consider. How could he stake merely one silver coin?”
Gam Il-cheon nodded vigorously.
“Indeed. After five rounds, we’d have only sixteen coins at most, which is far too trifling to test my fortune properly.”
“I have funds available, and testing your fortune is worthwhile, so why don’t we begin modestly with fifty thousand coins on the first round?”
The moment “fifty thousand coins” left Geom U-bin’s lips, everyone froze. Even Gam Il-cheon, in the act of withdrawing his coin purse, went completely still.
“U-bin, did you just say fifty thousand coins?”
Jegal Hoon’s question drew a nod from Geom U-bin.
“Yes. Is that too little? If we want to avoid imposing on Master Gam, should we start at a hundred thousand? That much doesn’t burden me particularly.”
“If we bet one hundred thousand taels, then the final wager would be one million six hundred thousand taels, wouldn’t it? And if we lose all five rounds, the total sum would be three million one hundred thousand taels.”
“Quite right. As the second son of Shaanxi Province’s wealthiest family, that’s pocket change for you, surely? Isn’t that so?”
Gam Il-cheon, stiff with tension, forced a laugh.
“Ha ha! Well, yes, that’s true for me. But the question is whether Geom can actually cover such an amount.”
“We’re not quite on the scale of the Daseong Merchant Association, but the Oseong Jang-won has considerable funds. We can manage that much.”
“Anyone can claim they’ll cover ten million taels in words, but how is one supposed to believe such a thing?”
“I see your point. Then how about we each appoint a guarantor? If one side cannot produce the money, the guarantor becomes responsible for it. I’ll have Hoon here as my guarantor. What do you say? Does that work?”
Jegal Hoon, who believed Geom U-bin without the slightest doubt in whatever he did or said, nodded immediately.
“The Jegal Family will stand as guarantee for U-bin.”
Now the ball was in Gam Il-cheon’s court. His gaze naturally turned toward Bok Cheol-bang, a disciple of the Huashan Faction.
Three million one hundred thousand taels—a sum none of them had ever even laid eyes upon.
Geom U-bin spoke to Jegal Hoon.
“Don’t worry too much. Surely we won’t lose all five rounds?”
Unless his luck was catastrophically terrible, the odds of that were slim. It was precisely because of those slim odds that Bok Cheol-bang, who ordinarily took free drinks and pocket money from his patron, nodded eagerly.
“I will serve as guarantor for Il-cheon.”
Geom U-bin asked.
“You mean to guarantee it as an individual, Bok? Does Bok have access to such funds personally?”
There was no way Bok Cheol-bang possessed such a fortune. That was why Jegal Hoon had invoked the Jegal Family’s name instead.
“No—the Huashan Faction will stand as guarantor.”
“As a disciple of the Huashan Faction’s Sect Master, your word is surely no empty promise. Then shall we begin?”
One way or another, it had come to this—a wager in which someone would have to lose at least one hundred thousand taels.
Even for Gam Il-cheon, one hundred thousand taels was serious money. Tension hardened his face visibly.

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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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