Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 188

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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 188

Ak Cheon-gil was leaning against a tree and eating dried meat when Ga Yang-do, who had been scouting, returned.
“Did you find any trace of them?”
“Yes. Both Ga Yeon-gil and Go Shin-ji are attending a funeral ceremony.”
“A funeral ceremony? For whom?”
“For the man we killed in the back alley, sir.”
Wrinkles formed at the corners of Ak Cheon-gil’s eyes.
“That thug who died taking a shit?”
“Yes. It’s being held quite grandly. I heard the funeral procession is said to circle through the Hangju streets once.”
“Was that man so important?”
“He was a Deputy Chief of the Heuksahoe, and I heard he was favored by Oseong Jang-won.”
Again, a connection to Oseong Jang-won. Ever since arriving in Hangju, whenever he stumbled upon something, the name “Oseong Jang-won” invariably surfaced.
Nam Yang-bang spoke up.
“If Go Shin-ji is attending the funeral, wouldn’t it be wise to strike at that location?”
Ak Cheon-gil turned to Ga Yang-do.
“What’s the security situation around the coffin?”
“There were officials visible at the funeral, but their numbers barely exceed ten.”
“Merely ten? And both Go Shin-ji and Ga Yeon-gil are attending?”
“Yes. I found that odd myself, so I kept watch for quite a while, but I saw nothing beyond that.”
“That’s something strange indeed.”
“Perhaps they’re letting their guard down?”
Ak Cheon-gil flicked a small stone, striking Nam Yang-bang across the forehead.
“Oof!”
“Let their guard down? We have a corpse on our hands. It must be a trap.”
Ga Yang-do spoke.
“But it didn’t seem like a trap.”
“If you make a trap look like a trap, is it still a trap? Let’s watch for a while longer.”
Caution was necessary. It wasn’t death he feared. But death in Hangju—death anywhere except at the Imperial Palace where the Emperor dwelt—was unacceptable.
“We’ll camp on this mountain for several days.”
Ak Cheon-gil lay down with his arm as a pillow. Between the barren branches swaying in the wind, a piercing blue sky was visible.
‘Why is Go Shin-ji at Oseong Jang-won, and what trap had they prepared today?’
And a more fundamental question came to mind.
‘What kind of place is Oseong Jang-won?’
The information he’d gathered in a short span of time was limited. A merchant organization with four Lords of considerable martial prowess and one Deputy Lord.
That was the intelligence he’d obtained about Oseong Jang-won so far. But surely there was more.
There must be something. Otherwise, knowing of his threat, Go Shin-ji would not be staying at Oseong Jang-won instead of the Imperial Palace.
To kill Go Shin-ji at Oseong Jang-won, he first needed to understand what kind of place it was.
Ak Cheon-gil summoned his subordinates.
“From now on, we need to learn about Oseong Jang-won. Yang-do, you keep watch on the Estate. Hong-jong and Seok-du, go into the City streets and dig deep into what kind of place Oseong Jang-won is. The rest of you, surveil the people of Oseong Jang-won.”
To know one’s enemy was to formulate a winning strategy. The reason he’d never lost in one hundred fifty-six battles was because he was thorough.
“What if we kidnapped that Deputy Lord and interrogated him?”
At Nam Yang-bang’s words, Ak Cheon-gil nodded.
“That’s one option we can consider. For now, let’s focus on surveillance.”

***

“They didn’t take the bait. Madam Go, you’ve had a taxing day.”
“No, it was only right that I attend. This is all because of me—he died on my account. Whenever you need bait, just say the word.”
Seo Seok-san watched Go Shin-ji enter the building with the room and spoke.
“Remarkable resolve, as expected. But could it be these men have given up? They didn’t attack even though we openly placed Ji-u’s mother as bait.”
Geom U-bin assessed the likelihood of Ak Cheon-gil attacking at over ninety percent. A man who must seek vengeance while fleeing would inevitably grow impatient.
Yet Ak Cheon-gil had restrained himself even with Go Shin-ji directly before his eyes. That he hadn’t abandoned Hangju despite his movements being exposed spoke volumes.
And he surely knew of the funeral. Yet he refrained from attacking, which revealed Ak Cheon-gil’s caution.
‘Martial prowess paired with prudence. This won’t be an easy opponent.’
“You lot! Give me back my shoe!”
Bang! Bang!
Five dogs came bounding over in a tangled mass, with Dan Jeong-cheol chasing after them.
Looking closer, Oseong-i had a shoe clamped in her mouth—the reason Dan Jeong-cheol was limping in pursuit.
The dogs caught sight of Geom U-bin and charged toward him eagerly, then circled around him.
Though they bumped their heads against him seeking to be petted, they showed none of the unruly behavior of ordinary dogs.
“Seok-san, you need to get the shoe back from the Vice Commander!”
Whimper!
Oseong-i turned around, spat the shoe out in front of Dan Jeong-cheol, and trotted back.
“Vice Commander Dan, you must be having quite the time of it.”
“What? No, no. It was just playing around. Just a bit of fun. Ha ha ha!”
Embarrassed at having his shoe stolen by a dog, Dan Jeong-cheol laughed it off as best he could.
“Vice Commander Dan.”
“Yes?”
“There’s something like grass stuck at the corner of your mouth… Did you happen to eat some medicinal herbs?”
“What? Medicinal herbs?”
Dan Jeong-cheol, startled, fumbled at his cheek with his hand as if slapping himself.
“Absolutely not. That’s what the dogs eat—there’s no way I would. No, I haven’t touched the dog food!”
Bark! Bark! Bark! Bark!
The five dogs barked at Geom U-bin as if tattling on him. The meaning was easy enough to guess.
For someone cultivating martial arts, resisting the temptation of medicinal herbs meant for the dogs would be difficult indeed.
“It won’t do anyone here any good to nibble on what the dogs eat anyway. The real medicinal properties are all in our regular meals.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“All the soups and vegetable dishes we eat contain medicinal efficacy. What we feed the dogs is only leftover scraps from cooking or herbs with minimal potency.”
“But I didn’t notice the taste of ginseng or other medicinal herbs…”
“The cook’s skill is extraordinary. By now, you should be feeling the effects in your body—I’m surprised you’re not noticing.”
“I thought it was because I ate the dogs’ food… Ah! No, no, that’s not it! I have been feeling much better lately! Ha ha ha!”
The dogs barked again, exposing Dan Jeong-cheol’s misdeeds like loyal witnesses.
Dan Jeong-cheol, feeling caught on multiple counts, snapped at the dogs.
“Stop bothering the Lord and come here! It’s time for your bath!”
“That’s right. Don’t tire out Vice Commander Dan. Be well-behaved.”
Whimper…
Reluctantly, the dogs left Geom U-bin’s side and went to Dan Jeong-cheol, bumping against his torso as they walked.
An ordinary person would have been knocked flying by that impact alone.
Dan Jeong-cheol’s voice drifted back from beyond the building.
“All right! I won’t eat it again! Satisfied?”
Seo Seok-san, who had been watching quietly, finally burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha! Even an Imperial Guard Vice Commander is powerless before spirit medicine.”
“Vice Commander Dan has his pride—please don’t mention this to anyone else.”
“I’ll just tell Geum-hong a little bit.”
If he told Yeon Geum-hong, she would say not to tell anyone, then mention it to Go Shin-ji, who would call it a secret while telling Sang Nam-jae about it.
‘Secrets are hard to keep,’ Geom U-bin thought.
Geom U-bin spoke to Dan Jeong-cheol with a touch of sympathy.
“I need to go see Gi-cheon for a while.”
“The little beggar from the Sect?”
“Yes. We can’t keep setting traps forever. I’ll need to borrow the Sect’s strength.”
There was no faction in Murim more effective than the Sect for finding people.
“I’ll go with you.”
“No. It’s the lady they’re after, not me.”
“Then at least carry a weapon. You never know what might happen.”
“All right.”
Geom U-bin retrieved the sword made by Gong Seong-tak from his room and headed into the city streets.
Using his Lightness Technique lightly, Geom U-bin noticed someone trailing him before a quarter hour had passed.
A river flowed to the left and mountains rose to the right; the one tailing him was watching from those mountains.
‘It must be Ak Cheon-gil and his gang.’
Though it was likely not Ak Cheon-gil himself—his espionage skills fell short of military standards.
Since he sensed only one person, it wasn’t a significant threat. Geom U-bin decided to keep watch for now.
The tailing continued all the way to the hut where So Gi-cheon was staying.
“What? Master, what brings you here?”
“I came because I need a favor from you.”
“It’s about Ak Cheon-gil, isn’t it?”
“Could the Sect help us?”
“I’ve already spoken with the Branch Leader and got his approval.”
Though So Gi-cheon was a disciple of Noh Dae-sul, he couldn’t afford to ignore the Branch Leader who oversaw Hangju.
“Every beggar in Hangju will be mobilized to find whoever killed Wang Deputy Chief. Sigh! That man was always generous with alms to us….”
When Geom U-bin’s head suddenly turned, So Gi-cheon started in alarm.
“What is it?”
“Someone’s been shadowing me. They’re falling back now.”
“You’ve been tailed? By whom?”
“Ak Cheon-gil’s gang, I’d wager.”
Geom U-bin’s deliberation was brief.
“You have a charcoal marker?”
So Gi-cheon rummaged through the corner of the hut and handed over a black charcoal stick the length of a middle finger.
“What are you planning to do?”
“Head to Oseong Jang-won and tell the elders I’m pursuing Ak Cheon-gil’s gang. I’ll mark the path with this charcoal as I go, so there’s no fear of losing the trail.”
“Got it!”
So Gi-cheon set off toward Oseong Jang-won while Geom U-bin pursued the one who’d been tailing him.
Though he lost the trail for a moment, he launched himself swiftly in the direction the figure had vanished, and soon picked up their presence again.
The weight of their feet striking earth, the sound of fabric rustling—these told him he was indeed following someone who’d been tailing them.
And there was no one else in this city who’d scale walls and rooftops using the Lightness Technique.
Each time a fork appeared in the path, Geom U-bin marked an X on a wall or gate post.
The stalker’s constant changes of direction likely meant they were worried about being followed themselves.
Once the trail led beyond the city, it angled toward the mountains.
‘They’re camping out? So that’s why we couldn’t find them.’
Geom U-bin tightened the cord of the sword slung across his back, drawing it snug against his body. In the mountains, even the smallest noise could reach an enemy’s ears, so he had to be especially cautious.
He also remembered to leave marks on trees and rocks at intervals.
‘I might actually find Ak Cheon-gil without much trouble.’

***

Ga Yang-do was heading back to where Ak Cheon-gil waited—it was time to report.
He’d gathered information about Oseong Jang-won while disguised as a visiting merchant, but he couldn’t yet draw any firm conclusions.
They seemed at once to be a simple merchant group known for their charitable works, and yet they possessed martial prowess that was truly extraordinary for a Murim clan.
‘The analysis can wait for the Commander.’
Lost in such thoughts as he entered the mountain path, Ga Yang-do came to an abrupt halt.
He’d spotted an X marked on a rock in charcoal. One mark he might have dismissed.
But three marks appeared in succession, spaced ten to twenty paces apart along his route—and they pointed directly toward where Ak Cheon-gil was camped.
‘One of us is being tailed!’
The marks were a trail left by the pursuer to guide reinforcements. He immediately pressed his lips into a circle and produced a bird call.
“Caw-caw! Caw! Caw!”
Their bird calls were so perfectly matched that no actual bird could tell them apart. The legend of a female’s cry that drew flocks of males was well-known among them.
Having sounded the warning of pursuit, Ga Yang-do withdrew a charcoal marker from his pouch and changed direction.
He didn’t know who was following him, but the urgent matter now was to lure their reinforcements away in a different direction.
Ga Yang-do marked an X nearby, then moved east instead of north toward where Ak Cheon-gil waited.

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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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