Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 179

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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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#179

Dan Jeong-cheol swung his blade toward Geom U-bin’s arm, the one aimed at his chest. Geom U-bin had only two ways to respond.
He could either abandon the attack and retreat, or push forward recklessly to close the distance.
Whichever he chose would reveal his nature. Dan Jeong-cheol would simply adapt accordingly.
As expected, the incoming attack toward his chest withdrew.
‘Safety first, then.’
Having made that assessment, he was about to halt his swing when something suddenly flew toward his head.
Startled by what felt like a rock being hurled from beside him, Dan Jeong-cheol scrambled backward in panic.
Whoosh!
It was Geom U-bin’s foot that whisked past his nose in a razor-thin margin. Even after dodging, Dan Jeong-cheol couldn’t fathom how that kick had ever arrived.
“I held back for you.”
“Ending it in one blow would be dull, after all.”
Se-hwa’s shrill voice cut through the air.
“You should’ve just knocked all his teeth out in one strike!”
‘Held back? That attack just now?’
He’d simply dodged in time—that was no mercy on their part.
‘These bastards are openly mocking me.’
Enraged, Dan Jeong-cheol hurled himself at Geom U-bin, who stood motionless after his last move.
Dan Jeong-cheol unleashed the Bun-cheok Sippal-geom, a forbidden technique of Imperial Palace Martial Arts, in rapid succession. The Bun-cheok Sippal-geom, with its drastic variations, was a sword method whose power grew fiercer with each of its eighteen forms flowing seamlessly into one another.
Within those eighteen forms lay fifty-four hidden moves, so dazzling that the eye could barely follow.
“Better than expected.”
Go Seo-bang’s murmur voiced everyone’s sentiment. Of course, “better than expected” paled in comparison to Geom U-bin.
Geom U-bin barely moved from where he stood. He either sidestepped the flamboyant sword strikes or pushed Dan Jeong-cheol’s hands away when they drew near, preventing contact altogether.
Dan Jeong-cheol had employed every Imperial Palace secret technique he knew—the Bun-cheok Sippal-geom, the Yeon-hwan Chilseon-geom, the Won-hyeong Palgwae-geom—yet Geom U-bin hadn’t retreated a single step.
Had Geom U-bin wielded a weapon, at least there would be some consolation, but instead he fought with the Jeok-su Gong-gwon.
Not fast sword. Not varied sword. Not circular sword. Not centered sword. There was no sword technique that worked against Geom U-bin.
‘What kind of god of defense is he?’
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Geom U-bin suddenly materialized closer. To Dan Jeong-cheol, it seemed less like movement than like expansion.
With a sharp thump, Dan Jeong-cheol stumbled backward and crashed down hard on his backside.
Both his struck chest and his bruised rear ached, but astonishment had robbed him of the pain.
He hadn’t seen what footwork Geom U-bin used, nor how he’d closed in and launched his attack.
It was as if someone else had thrown a stone and struck him down.
“The victor’s decided. No reason to continue, it seems.”
At Ga Yeon-gil’s words, Se-hwa grumbled.
“Ending it with just that? I should’ve stepped in myself.”
Now Dan Jeong-cheol understood why no one had worried even when he’d drawn his blade.
‘An untouchable master? At merely fifteen years old?’
True, dividing martial prowess by absolute age was absurd in itself, and the reason everyone respected Geom U-bin became unmistakably clear.
‘I was a frog in a well.’
He’d been so intoxicated with mastering Imperial Palace Martial Arts secrets and his rapid ascent in skill.
In rushing forward so quickly, he’d failed to look back at what he’d left behind and what surrounded him.
Even if he’d possessed all of that, Geom U-bin would remain an unbeatable opponent. But at the very least, he would have learned more from his defeat than he had now.
Dan Jeong-cheol sprang to his feet and bowed deeply to Geom U-bin.
“I have lost. Thank you for the lesson today.”
Ga Yeon-gil nodded with a pleased expression. He’d heard rumors that Dan Jeong-cheol was quite promising, and watching him now, the rumors seemed far from exaggerated.
“It was a valuable experience for me as well. Imperial Palace Martial Arts truly undergo remarkable transformations. Quite flamboyant.”
Seo Seok-san stepped forward to speak.
“That’s because they often need to be displayed publicly. That’s how they developed. Which is why there are quite a few superfluous moves. For instance…….”
Seo Seok-san extended his hand, and a startled Dan Jeong-cheol quickly offered his sword.
“That move you executed a moment ago—you see this?”
Seo Seok-san unfolded the Won-hyeong Palgwae-geom that Dan Jeong-cheol had used. Dan Jeong-cheol’s jaw dropped.
“Y-you’re an Imperial Palace man!”
“What nonsense is that?”
“That sword technique exists only within Imperial Palace Martial Arts—one cannot learn it without some connection to the Imperial Palace!”
“I merely imitated it.”
“That perfectly? Just from watching once?”
It wasn’t truly perfect, but to Dan Jeong-cheol it appeared flawless.
“This shoddy martial art—I could mimic it just from hearing its description.”
“You’re lying.”
Seo Seok-san, who had been glaring at Yeon Geum-hong, continued speaking.
“If you remove several of the movements from this form, it would look like this.”
Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!
Much of the flourish vanished, yet the speed became incomparably faster.
“Wow!”
Dan Jeong-cheol could only gasp in admiration. He was seeing for the first time that the Won-hyeong Palgwae-geom could move so swiftly.
Seo Seok-san, his expression brimming with satisfaction, was about to glance at Geom U-bin when Yeon Geum-hong stepped forward.
“Speed is fine, but if you want a fast sword, you should study something else—why this form… What’s the name of this swordplay?”
“It’s the Won-hyeong Palgwae-geom!”
The moment he answered, he realized he’d revealed a secret.
“Whoever named it knew what they were doing. Why would you change the Won-hyeong Palgwae-geom, where change and transformation are weapons, into some baseless fast sword?”
“Change and transformation? That’s like saying a shell-game operator’s cup gets more dazzling movements than this.”
“You there.”
“Yes?”
Dan Jeong-cheol had been called “you there” by Yeon Geum-hong, and strangely, he’d grown accustomed to it so quickly that he answered immediately. This woman seemed young herself, yet…
“From the form’s structure, it looks like the qi flows from the Jingxue point toward the Taichong point. Is that right?”
“Yes, but how did you…?”
Yeon Geum-hong didn’t answer his curiosity.
“The reason he can’t deploy it properly is different, but this martial art seems quite decent in its own right.”
Yeon Geum-hong performed the Won-hyeong Palgwae-geom on the spot. Already capable of flight as one of the Hyeolpung Saja, she could pierce the principles of even walking-level martial arts from a single observation.
Of course, all martial arts are layered like dust accumulated over centuries, and what Yeon Geum-hong was displaying now was merely the surface.
Yet it was incomparable to what Dan Jeong-cheol had been doing. The sword’s shadow covered the surrounding area, dust devils swirled upward, and it became difficult to distinguish true moves from false ones.
Yeon Geum-hong’s demonstration lasted only about three breaths, but its resonance lingered long.
Dan Jeong-cheol in particular couldn’t close his gaping mouth. He’d studied the Won-hyeong Palgwae-geom for the past three years, yet he was seeing it manifest this way for the first time today.
“What do you think?”
At Yeon Geum-hong’s question, Seo Seok-san snorted.
“Hmph! It’d be perfect for weeding the garden.”
“Of course, what I displayed just now is still clumsy. No matter how capable I am, I can’t grasp the profound meaning from a single viewing.”
“What? You’re calling that clumsy? The Won-hyeong Palgwae-geom that the young lady just demonstrated was clumsy?”
“You there.”
“Yes?”
“Be quiet.”
“Yes, sir!”
Yeon Geum-hong turned to Geom U-bin.
“What’s your assessment?”
“I think it’s premature to evaluate a martial art after experiencing it only once. But if I must speak, both what Seo said and what Yeon said seem right to me.”
“Speed and transformation and change are sharply divided—how can you both be right?”
At Seo Seok-san’s question, Geom U-bin took the sword and spoke.
“That fast sword form you deployed earlier—remember?”
Geom U-bin stepped back, allowing the two to watch as he performed the same swordplay Seo Seok-san had just displayed. Since he’d only seen it once, it wasn’t perfect, but that degree of difference was something only a first-rate master would notice—to Dan Jeong-cheol’s eye, it looked identical.
‘What sort of people have gathered at Oseong Jang-won?’
Goosebumps erupted across his entire body—he felt ready to bristle like a hedgehog.
“The original form of the Won-hyeong Palgwae-geom is probably this fast sword that Seo performed. The name was likely different, too. But someone must have added change and transformation to it, like this.”
And the next form Geom U-bin demonstrated resembled Yeon Geum-hong’s closely.
Dan Jeong-cheol was so startled his heart nearly gave way.
“It’s a bit different from what I performed?”
“It looks identical to me?”
“You there.”
“Yes?”
“Stay quiet.”
“Yes, sir!”
“The slight difference is because I stayed faithful to the original form. But the path was roughly the same, wasn’t it?”
“That it was.”
Seo Seok-san spoke.
“The fast sword form is quite serviceable on its own—I can’t fathom why such unnecessary embellishment was added.”
“Because for displaying it to someone, a form with change and transformation is more dazzling than a fast sword alone. Given it’s the Imperial Palace, they’d want that. But as skill rises higher, the Won-hyeong Palgwae-geom with those added elements will grow more formidable. Of course, one must grasp the fundamental profound meaning of the fast sword first.”
Dan Jeong-cheol raised his hand abruptly.
“You there.”
“Yes?”
“Is this a schoolhouse? Why are you raising your hand?”
“I was afraid of being scolded if I interrupted without permission.”
“Sharp instincts. What’s your question?”
“Is the Master here the highest expert at Oseong Jang-won?”
Geom U-bin waved his hand.
“Not at all! Compared to my teachers, my martial arts fall far short. I’d need a hundred years more of training to match them.”
“Look at our senior’s modesty. I guarantee you—in ten years, you’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with us.”
“But isn’t the way you address me a bit odd?”
Yeon Geum-hong spoke sharply.
“What does it matter to you, when you’re leaving anyway?”
Dan Jeong-cheol shook his head firmly.
“Leaving? The Imperial Guard does not abandon its duty, not even in death!”
“And what is your duty?”
“To protect Her Highness the Princess.”
“With martial arts like yours?”
Silence hung heavy. Among all the people visible here, no one seemed weaker than Dan Jeong-cheol.
Even that laborer carrying wood on an A-frame appeared to be his superior simply by being within Oseong Jang-won.
“I could at least stand guard at the estate’s perimeter.”
“Guard duty? Better than nothing, I suppose.”
A glimmer of hope crossed Dan Jeong-cheol’s face.
“Really?”
“How many people are passing by fifty zhang away right now?”
“Pardon?”
“How many? You can hear their footsteps, can’t you?”
Footsteps from fifty zhang away. How could anyone possibly sense movement at that distance without shouting? It seemed impossible.
“Two…… people?”
“You’re good at guessing.”
“I got it right!”
“What are their ages?”
“How on earth would I know that!”
“One weighs less than fifty catties—a child. The other uses a walking stick.”
Dan Jeong-cheol regarded him with suspicious eyes.
“You’re testing me rather obviously, aren’t you?”
“One person weighs under fifty catties, so they’re a child. The other is leaning on a cane—can’t you even hear that stick striking the ground?”
Dan Jeong-cheol’s face fell at once.
“How could I hear that? You said they’re fifty zhang away.”
“And you claim you can stand guard with such dull senses? Are you trying to get us all killed?”
Geom U-bin spoke to Ga Yeon-gil.
“Your four companions should return home.”
Though they had a mission to fulfill and should have remained at the estate, they had performed poorly on their most important assignment—protecting Go Shin-ji—and had no grounds to stay.
“Couldn’t we stay if you gave us any menial work at all? We’ll provide for ourselves.”
“There’s nothing good about them staying at Oseong Jang-won. If those who come to kill Go Shin-ji never arrive, it’s a waste of time. If they do come and there’s a fight, your people will be injured—possibly killed. I don’t want deaths at Oseong Jang-won.”
That was Geom U-bin’s primary reason for sending the guards away.
Suddenly, Dan Jeong-cheol dropped to his knees.

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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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