Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 164

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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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#164

Before a quarter hour had passed, a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard appeared.
“I’m the one who raised the flag.”
Go Shin-ji drew the Bronze Token from her sleeve and showed it to him. The middle-aged man examined it and spoke.
“Will you return at this same time tomorrow?”
She had not dared hope for an immediate meeting.
“Understood.”
As she turned to leave, the man spoke again.
“Or I could visit wherever you’re staying.”
“Better not. It’s a wonderful place for me to live, truly, but best you don’t come there. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Go Shin-ji forced a composed expression, but her heart thundered wildly in her chest.
‘Is it really over? Or could this be a trap to catch me?’
Consumed by such doubts, the carriage did not go straight to Oseong Jang-won. Instead, she circled the city for some time, only returning to the Estate once she had confirmed no one was following.
That day crawled past with a slowness she had rarely known.
When the appointed hour came the next day, she made her way to the Seomun Inn.
The bearded middle-aged man greeted her again.
“I forgot to introduce myself yesterday. My name is Ga Yeon-gil.”
Ga Yeon-gil led Go Shin-ji up to the second floor. A creak sounded at the third board.
“I think about fixing it every day, and every day I forget.”
The second floor held an inn’s common room. Beyond the railing lay the dining area, and to the left were the guest chambers—the typical layout of a small inn.
Ga Yeon-gil tapped lightly on a door marked with the number 212. A measured voice came from within.
“Come in.”
As she opened the door, the first thing she saw was a bed and a window hidden behind a screen.
Climbing the threshold, she caught sight of a man on her right. Around thirty years old, with an unusually pale complexion and large eyes, his thin lips made him look as though he could pass for a woman.
“I’ve brought her.”
The man rose from his chair and addressed Go Shin-ji.
“May I see the Phoenix Token?”
Go Shin-ji produced the Bronze Token and handed it to him. On the back of the token bearing the name “Phoenix Token,” a mark—engraved like a seal—stood in raised relief.
“Ahhh!”
The sound that escaped his lips was unmistakably one of relief.
“I am Hwang Chung-mang, attached to the Imperial Guard.”
“Is it truly over?”
To her question, Hwang Chung-mang replied with formal courtesy.
“It is, madam.”
“May I see your Identity Token?”
Hwang Chung-mang withdrew the Imperial Guard’s Identity Token from his belt and showed it to Go Shin-ji.
“If you’re genuine, there should be one more thing you can show me?”
Hwang Chung-mang, his lips curled in a slight smile, drew from his breast a square of gold no larger than his palm.
On the back of the gold token, where two dragons battled for the precious orb, were engraved the four characters: “Hwang In-ji Yeon.”
Go Shin-ji sank into a chair. Her legs had gone weak; she could no longer stand.
“It’s finished. Truly… it’s finished.”
“Your efforts have been considerable.”
“More than considerable—I nearly died about ten times over.”
Speaking as though to herself, Go Shin-ji turned the golden Twin Dragon Token over in her hands.
As a flood of conflicting emotions washed over her, Hwang Chung-mang spoke.
“You may return home now.”
“No. I already have a home.”
“A home? But surely, while you were being hunted…”
Hwang Chung-mang let the thought hang unfinished—the unspoken question of how a proper home could have come about in such circumstances.
“Life is full of surprises. What once seemed like death, or what felt like a fate worse than death, can suddenly transform into the deepest comfort. That’s what happened to me. Wherever I might go in this world, I doubt I’ll find anywhere more peaceful or safe than where I live now.”
Go Shin-ji set the wooden box she had brought onto the table.
“At last, the thing that nearly killed me leaves my hands.”
Hwang Chung-mang carefully opened the box lid. Inside lay a necklace bedecked with jewels.
Go Shin-ji touched her index finger to the largest gem at its center.
“What’s needed is inside here. Take it.”
“Will you truly not come with me? A considerable reward will be bestowed.”
“I have everything I need already. And…”
Go Shin-ji closed her hand around the Twin Dragon Token.
“If I need anything, this will see to it.”
Hwang Chung-mang nodded.
“There is little that the Twin Dragon Token cannot resolve.”
“I know a few people for whom the Twin Dragon Token holds no sway, but I’ll grant your point.”
Hwang Chung-mang spoke as Go Shin-ji rose to her feet.
“Just in case, tell me where you’re staying.”
“I’ll find you if the need arises. In Beijing.”

***

She had hoped to discover something at the burned house, but it was reduced to nothing but ash — cleanly and completely incinerated.
“This reeks of a seasoned hand’s work.”
Yeon Geum-hong nodded at Seo Seok-san’s words.
“We need to check the Hao Mun branch. We have to know what the dead were after.”
Just as Geom U-bin would have known, the Bloodwind Four Lions naturally also had the Hao Mun branch mapped out.
Do Pyeong-su suddenly turned to look back as they walked.
“What is it?”
Do Pyeong-su scanned the surroundings, his eyes darting about.
“Bi-yeon isn’t here, is she?”
Eun Bi-yeon, who had followed them even to the Mantong Society, had turned back when Do Pyeong-su told her to return to Oseong Jang-won.
Suspicious of how readily she obeyed, Do Pyeong-su kept checking the area whenever the chance arose to confirm whether Eun Bi-yeon was present.
Yeon Geum-hong asked.
“Do you dislike Bi-yeon?”
“You look frightened.”
At Seo Seok-san’s words, Do Pyeong-su burst out.
“Who said I’m frightened?”
“You’re clearly frightened. What else would you call it?”
“It’s not fear, it’s… annoying. Yes, she’s annoying.”
“So you’re saying she’s just a nuisance to you? Then tell Bi-yeon that…”
“Wait!”
Do Pyeong-su stopped Yeon Geum-hong’s words and scanned the surroundings more carefully. He had no idea what would happen if Eun Bi-yeon overheard this conversation.
“See? You’re frightened.”
“Whether you’re frightened or finding her annoying, be honest with Bi-yeon. The longer you wait, the harder it’ll be to back out.”
Do Pyeong-su scratched his head.
“No, it’s not just those two feelings…”
Seo Seok-san asked in a suggestive tone.
“Are there feelings of affection too?”
As Do Pyeong-su’s thought lingered on the question, Yeon Geum-hong spoke.
“There are, aren’t there? Come now, Pyeong-su — where else would you find a woman with looks like Bi-yeon’s?”
“A woman is more than just her face. She needs a good heart.”
“She cares for you terribly. What else could you possibly need besides that?”
“Sometimes that terrible care becomes terribly difficult to bear.”
“Are you going to marry her?”
At Yeon Geum-hong’s question, Do Pyeong-su leapt up.
“Marriage? Absolutely not! I have no such intention!”
Seo Seok-san stared in sudden surprise to Do Pyeong-su’s left.
“Oh? Bi-yeon, when did you get here?”
“No! I mean, she’s not here…!”
Do Pyeong-su spun his head left in alarm, only to see two dogs.
“Pffft—!”
Laughter that began with Seo Seok-san spread to the other two.
“He’ll be henpecked for sure. Hehehehe!”
“You enjoy teasing me that much?”
“Most in the world!”
“You lot…!”
As they playfully fled and chased one another, they arrived at the Iron Goods Shop, the Hao Mun branch.
Bang O-byeong’s expression hardened the moment the Bloodwind Four Lions stepped in. The quick intuition of a Hao Mun master immediately told him these were not people who should ever visit an iron goods shop.
Watching Do Pyeong-su’s nostrils flare with agitation, an inexplicable dread crept over him.
“This is the Hao Mun Branch, isn’t it?”
He should deny it. The Hao Mun Branch was precisely the kind of place where those in the know kept silent, and those ignorant remained blissfully so.
“Yes, sir. You’re correct.”
But he lacked the nerve to refuse. Seo Seok-san had already seized the sickle hanging on the wall and spoke.
“Do we need to have this conversation while holding a sickle?”
“Ah, no, sir. There’s a proper place for such discussions. If I may ask—where have you gentlemen come from?”
“Oseong Jang-won.”
“Damn it.”
A curse that should have remained buried in his chest tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop it.
“Damn it?”
“Ah, no—it’s just Hao Mun slang. We use it when preparing something to eat. Have you eaten yet, sirs?”
“Where is this proper place?”
Bang O-byeong led the Bloodwind Four Lions toward the Underground Chamber as he spoke.
“Someone from Oseong Jang-won came by yesterday, but today four of you arrive. Could you be the famous Hang Ju-sa-seon, perhaps…?”
“Never mind that. Someone came yesterday, you say?”
“Yes. A very young person. I was wondering if they might be one of the Oseong Jang-won elite……”
“You have a terrible habit of leaving your questions unfinished.”
“I’m… I’m a bit nervous. My apologies.”
There were only four chairs in the Underground Chamber, so the Bloodwind Four Lions sat while Bang O-byeong, the proprietor, stood.
“What did the person who came yesterday ask about?”
“They inquired about the Dasung Merchant Association.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes. They stayed only briefly.”
Bang O-byeong hoped Hang Ju-sa-seon would do the same.
“Don’t you offer tea to your guests?”
It seemed they intended to stay longer. He’d already served his finest tea, only to be reproached for its quality.
“Do you know Pyo Il-sang and Jeon Tae-bok?”
The sudden question caught him searching his memory when Do Pyeong-su’s chilling voice reached him.
“If you say you don’t know, you die.”
“Ah, yes. I do know them.”
“Why are those men dead?”
Bang O-byeong’s eyes dropped. It was the most pitiful expression he could muster, and tears seemed ready to spill.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know why they died?”
“No, sir. I don’t know who those two men are.”
“But you just said you knew them.”
“You said I’d die if I said I didn’t know them. How can I say I don’t know?”
Yeon Geum-hong rebuked Do Pyeong-su for his threat.
“Don’t scatter your killing intent at random.”
She smiled warmly toward Bang O-byeong.
“But according to our information, those two were involved in something with Hao Mun. Our intelligence is never wrong, you see. So tell me—are we lying, or are you?”
“I’m not lying! I swear! Perhaps another member of Hao Mun was involved in their dealings! If you’ll wait just a moment, I can verify it for you!”
“Just a moment? How long is that?”
“About two hours……”
“One quarter hour. For every quarter hour you’re late, one of your fingers disappears.”
There was no room for negotiation. Bang O-byeong bolted from the Underground Chamber.
“Is he just going to run off like that?”
“We’ll see soon enough.”
Fortunately, Bang O-byeong avoided losing his fingers. The man he returned with was a fellow in his mid-twenties with unusually large ears.
The moment he entered, the man bowed deeply before the Bloodwind Four Lions.
“My name is Gwak Il-nam.”
Whatever Bang O-byeong had told him, Gwak Il-nam was visibly trembling.
Seo Seok-san spoke.
“You know the two who burned to death, don’t you?”
“Pyo Il-sang and Jeon Tae-bok. Yes, I do.”
“Good—at least he brought the right man. Who killed them?”
“I don’t know the culprit, but there is a suspicious party.”
“Who?”
“The Huashan Faction.”
The Bloodwind Four Lions wore a bewildered expression at the unexpected name.
“Huashan Faction? Why would you suspect them?”
“Pyo Il-sang and Jeon Tae-bok were trying to infiltrate Huashan Faction before they died, one way or another. I supply provisions to Huashan Faction, and they wanted to stay there for a few days working as common laborers.”
“So they died trying to infiltrate Huashan Faction?”
“Of course, I can’t say for certain that Huashan Faction is the culprit. They might have been too drunk to escape when the fire broke out. And since Pyo Il-sang and Jeon Tae-bok were working on something, they could have died for other reasons entirely.”
Whoever had killed them, the very fact of investigating Huashan Faction struck him as strange.
“You said the owner of the Mubbaek left Myogang with a Murim expert. What if that Mubbaek owner is connected to Huashan Faction? That’s what Jang Man-dok was asking, right?”
Jang Man-dok’s reasoning was plausible enough.
“Things are unfolding in a peculiar way. The Huashan Faction that my brother came to get paid from and the Mubbaek owner being connected—”
Yeon Geum-hong picked up where Seo Seok-san trailed off.
“Nothing’s certain yet, so let’s not jump to conclusions. First, we need to find my brother.”

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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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