Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 184

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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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#Chapter 184

“Liaoning Province has been famous for jade since ancient times, and there are many skilled artisans who work it.”
“You know quite a bit.”
At Eun Bi-yeon’s compliment, Gal Ma-pyeong broke into a grin.
“It’s thanks to traveling through Zhongyuan so much when I was younger.”
The jade crafts shop overflowed with brilliantly colored jade, as if someone had collected every jade in the world.
The moment they entered the spacious workshop, a shopkeeper attached himself to them and recommended one thing after another, but no one paid him any mind.
They eventually reached the spot where an artisan was carving jade. A rectangular piece roughly four chi on each side had already taken its final form and was in the finishing stages.
“Oh! That’s impressive.”
Do Pyeong-su let out a rare expression of admiration. A dragon, a tiger, a tortoise, and a phoenix seemed to be protecting a single building from all four sides.
“If we had the name plate of that pavilion carved with ‘Oseong Jang-won,’ wouldn’t that work?”
Gal Ma-pyeong spoke and turned to Eun Bi-yeon with a question.
“What do you think, madam?”
“Well, it’s not bad.”
Gal Ma-pyeong approached the artisan, who appeared to be in his sixties.
“Are you selling this piece you’re making?”
“Do you think I’d carve this as a hobby? But this is top-grade jade, and it’s quite large. With six months of my labor, the price is steep.”
“How much, then?”
The artisan looked Gal Ma-pyeong up and down, then held up two fingers.
“I need two hundred silver coins. If you’re thinking of haggling, don’t even bring it up.”
“When can you have it finished?”
“When do you need it?”
“We’re leaving early tomorrow morning. Can you have it ready by then?”
“I can manage it by then.”
Gal Ma-pyeong withdrew one hundred silver coins from his purse.
“This is a deposit. And please carve ‘Oseong Jang-won’ on the name plate of the building.”
“Oseong Jang-won?”
“It’s in Hangju. You probably won’t have heard of it.”
No matter how famous it had become, Liaoning Province was too remote for such rumors to spread.
“I thought I’d need to display it for a year to sell it, but indeed, everything finds its rightful owner.”
The artisan drew up a contract and handed it to Gal Ma-pyeong. After tucking the contract into his breast, Gal Ma-pyeong spoke to Do Pyeong-su.
“With that gift, even the ga-ju will be pleased.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“There are many pretty jade ornaments here. Why don’t you select a few, madam? No matter how icy it is, gifts are always better in abundance, aren’t they?”
Only after speaking did he wonder, ‘Will we have enough silver?’
If Do Pyeong-su and Eun Bi-yeon got into another few incidents like the one at the restaurant earlier, they might not have enough for travel expenses on the way back.
‘From now on, I’ll need to keep a careful watch so nothing else happens.’
At Gal Ma-pyeong’s suggestion, Eun Bi-yeon casually selected a few jade ornaments. While shopping, she subtly asked Do Pyeong-su’s opinion, and he reciprocated her remarks, which softened the atmosphere considerably.
‘Coming to buy gifts was definitely the right call.’
Gal Ma-pyeong left the jade shop with a contented heart. Though Liaoning Province was the frontier, the capital city of Shenyang was quite large, and there was plenty of traffic through its streets.
The primary reason people glanced at Do Pyeong-su’s group was because of Eun Bi-yeon.
Even in Hangju, which was famous for its beautiful women, she would draw eyes the moment she stepped onto the street; here on the frontier in Shenyang, her beauty commanded even more attention.
“Look at that. You’ll never see another beauty like her in your whole life—take a good look while you can.”
“Is she from out of town? We don’t see young ladies like that in Shenyang.”
“Who’s the man next to her? Is he her father?”
The people whispered in low voices, but there was no way Do Pyeong-su’s sharp ears would miss it.
“What’s with these fools gossiping about someone else’s woman? I’m just going to go over there and—!”
Gal Ma-pyeong quickly stepped in.
“They’re envious, aren’t they? You need to make it perfectly clear that the two of you are sweethearts.”
“How?”
Gal Ma-pyeong heaved a subtle sigh, then took hold of Do Pyeong-su’s wrist and Eun Bi-yeon’s wrist, linking them together.
The two started at the touch, but soon awkwardly grasped each other’s hands.
“We’re staying in Shenyang for the rest of the day anyway, so why don’t you two go have some fun over there this evening?”
Gal Ma-pyeong pointed to a seven-story pavilion that stood prominently in the middle of the city streets.
The pavilion was so vast and tall that you wouldn’t even see its equal in Hangju.
“It was built six hundred years ago—the Wanghun Pavilion. Some king erected it to honor his deceased queen, or so the story goes. Here in Liaoning Province, it’s as famous as jade itself. They say if you climb to the very top, you can see all of Shenyang spread before you. It should be perfect for the two of you to enjoy together in privacy.”
Gal Ma-pyeong finished speaking, then caught himself with a sharp intake of breath.
‘Should I really let them go alone?’
They held hands now and spoke tenderly to each other, but the space between them felt as precarious as spring weather—liable to shift without warning.
‘What’s the worst that could happen? At most, a pavilion wall or two might crack.’
Gal Ma-pyeong’s gaze drifted toward the distant structure.
‘It just has to survive the night intact.’

***

The Qingshi Jade Crafts Shop was the most renowned jade workshop not merely in Shenyang, but throughout all of Liaoning Province.
Its scale was impressive, and the master craftsmen who worked its jade commanded respect even in Zhongyuan—their skill was counted among the finest in the realm.
So whenever someone sought to commission a jade gift, the Qingshi Jade Crafts Shop was invariably the first place that came to mind.
Mo Yong Seong-baek, the Second Agent of the Moyong Clan, arrived at the workshop as the sun dipped toward the horizon.
In two days, Mo Yong Cheong-gwang, the patriarch of the Moyong Clan, would emerge from three years of sealed cultivation training.
Mo Yong Cheong-gwang’s body ran perpetually warm, and he favored keeping jade—cool by nature—always near him; no gift could be more fitting.
The shop assistants were preparing to leave for the day, but Seo Cheong-seok, the master craftsman and proprietor, remained absorbed in his work.
The moment Mo Yong Seong-baek glimpsed that piece, an involuntary gasp escaped him.
In all his years, he had seen hundreds—thousands—of jade carvings, yet none had stirred his heart quite like the sculpture taking shape beneath Seo Cheong-seok’s hands now.
“Magnificent.”
Seo Cheong-seok turned, startled, and hastily rose to bow.
“Second Agent—you’ve graced us with your presence?”
Seo Cheong-seok was well past sixty; Mo Yong Seong-baek had only just crossed five and twenty. Yet it was Seo Cheong-seok who bent low.
“I’ll take that one.”
“Pardon?”
“My father emerges from sealed cultivation the day after tomorrow. I’d like that piece—the one you’re working on—as his gift.”
Seo Cheong-seok turned to regard the carving, his expression troubled.
“I’m afraid it’s already been commissioned.”
“It doesn’t appear to be finished yet.”
“It will be by tonight.”
“Excellent. Deliver it to the Moyong estate once it’s done. Submit your invoice to the clan steward for payment.”
Despite Seo Cheong-seok’s objection, Mo Yong Seong-baek brooked no refusal. In Liaoning Province alone, the Moyong Clan wielded the power of emperors, and their sons had been raised with an imperial consciousness.
In this region, the notion that anyone might defy them was not even entertained.
And the people of Liaoning accepted this as the natural order of things.
As Seo Cheong-seok watched Mo Yong Seong-baek depart, he released a long, weary breath.
“One cannot oppose the Moyong Clan. There’s no help for it.”
He would have to forfeit the advance he’d already received and pay a breach penalty on top—the sum he’d need to charge the Moyong Clan would be substantial.
‘Might as well overcharge them while I’m at it.’

***

“Word is the Wanghun Pavilion is undergoing renovations at the moment, and entry is forbidden. Still, for the two of you, slipping in undetected should pose no difficulty. With access restricted and no one about, it might even be more intimate than usual, eh? Heh heh heh…… I’ll be waiting at the inn. Do enjoy yourselves.”
With that, Gal Ma-pyeong watched Do Pyeong-su and Eun Bi-yeon head toward the pavilion.
Eun Bi-yeon took Do Pyeong-su’s hand first.
“I’m sorry for treating you coldly all this time.”
With Eun Bi-yeon taking the initiative, Do Pyeong-su couldn’t very well respond with something dismissive.
If he did, an ice storm would descend upon them on the spot—and truth be told, Do Pyeong-su felt the weight of it as well.
“Hmph. Even if I’m clumsy about it, you should understand. This is my first time doing something like this with a woman.”
“With a woman? You mean holding hands?”
“I’ve held hands plenty of times!”
“How many times exactly?”
Do Pyeong-su paused to think, then answered, “Ten times?”
“So in a hundred years of life, you’ve held a woman’s hand roughly once a decade?”
“In all my life, there are only three things I’ve done more than ten times: martial training, eating, and… well, that’s about it.”
Eun Bi-yeon felt a surge of tenderness for him, mingled with a touch of pity.
“From now on, let’s hold hands as often as we eat.”
Under her breath, she added, “And do other things just as often.”
‘Other things? What other things?’ ‘You know perfectly well.’ ‘Know what?’ ‘You’re shameless, that’s what.’ Smack! Splash! ‘Oh! I’m sorry!’
And so they bickered their way toward the Wanghun Pavilion. As Do Pyeong-su had mentioned, wooden fencing encircled the pavilion, with “No Entry” signs posted at regular intervals.
“Ugh, it’s freezing! Once night falls, even a man’s—well, everything gets numb from the cold.”
“Should we build a fire?”
“Are you out of your mind? What if it actually catches?”
“We’ll be careful.”
The voices drifted from inside the wooden palisade. For Eun Bi-yeon, who hailed from the Northern Sea, the winter of Liaoning Province held no terror—and Do Pyeong-su had transcended such mortal concerns long ago.
Do Pyeong-su pointed toward Wanghun Pavilion and whispered.
“Should we go up?”
“Let’s stay on this floor.”
“We could just skip straight to the seventh.”
“It’s supposed to be famous. We should at least see what it looks like inside.”
“Fine, then.”
Do Pyeong-su conceded with surprising generosity. Six guards were posted, but none of them saw the two figures slip silently into the floor.
Aside from the faint light filtering through a window, the darkness was complete—yet both possessed vision untroubled by shadow.
The scent of aged timber washed over them. Celestial figures were carved in relief along the walls, and a few paintings of beauties adorned them as well.
The tables and chairs scattered about were likely additions from a later period.
“This place would burn like kindling.”
Such was Do Pyeong-su’s first impression of Wanghun Pavilion.
Eun Bi-yeon, her hand clasped in his, climbed the stairs.
Because both moved with exceptional lightness, even the creaking staircase made barely a whisper—as if a grain of millet had fallen.
Eun Bi-yeon had insisted on this floor for a reason: so that she might ascend the stairs hand in hand with her beloved like this.
When else would she experience such romance—climbing an ancient, empty hall in the dead of night, fingers intertwined with her lover?
The ceiling was so high that each floor required three sharp turns to complete the ascent.
At the landing of the fourth floor, Eun Bi-yeon gestured toward a window.
“The city of Shenyang spreads out before us.”
Because Wanghun Pavilion stood at the city’s heart, golden lamplight filled the surroundings. Do Pyeong-su, however, felt little awe.
With a single leap, he could reach far greater heights and survey vastly greater distances.
“When we return to Hangju, I’ll show you something far more beautiful than this.”
Do Pyeong-su spoke plainly, and Eun Bi-yeon received it as a tender promise.
“Thank you.”
“There’s no need to thank me for that.”
As they reached the final step of the sixth floor, having passed the fifth, both stopped as though by agreement.
Someone was on the seventh floor above.
“Who’s up there?”
“Hell if I know. Should we kill them and be done with it?”
“You’ll answer to him if you do.”
“Then we’ll just strike their pressure points and throw them outside.”
“Won’t they die from that?”
“What do you think? This world is drowning in the weak.”
Then came a hushed voice from the seventh floor.
“All preparations are complete. The Lord will make his move soon.”
“Then all that remains is to give strength to Baekgang. When the moment ripens, you know how to proceed?”
“Of course.”
“This is a matter our father labored over for years. There can be no failure.”
With that, the presence of the two men vanished. From the way they exited through the window at that height, they were far from weaklings.
“We nearly pressed their pressure points and threw them out ourselves.”
Their only observation about the suspicious conversation was that. It seemed like some sort of scheme, but they weren’t the sort to poke their noses into matters that didn’t concern them.
The two climbed to the seventh floor and settled at a table by the window.
It was a pleasant night—a cold winter wind blew crisp and refreshing.
Eun Bi-yeon produced the Oseong Wine she had brought beforehand and two cups.
“A night like this feels incomplete without a drink.”
As she removed the stopper, a fragrant aroma spread in all directions.
“Fine wine deserves fine fare. Wait here.”
Do Pyeong-su leaped out the window and soon returned with two pigeons in hand.
He struck their heads swiftly, then used his nails to split their bellies and remove the innards.
Drawing heat into his palm, the pigeons burst into flame.
Do Pyeong-su carefully controlled the fire to char only the feathers, and when he brushed the ash away, perfectly roasted birds remained.
“With you around, I’ll never need servants, will I? Hehe!”
“Well then, shall we eat?”
They poured wine for each other and savored the perfectly roasted pigeon, neither aware
that the flames from burning feathers had not extinguished but instead drifted down beneath Wanghun Pavilion, where they came to rest upon the wood shavings below.

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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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