Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 189

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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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#189

“What? You’re telling me he chased after someone who was tailing him alone?”
Seo Seok-san’s sharp outburst made So Gi-cheon stammer in alarm.
“No, no—it wasn’t him. It was Geom U-bin. The Lord’s nephew.”
“Same difference!”
“I’m sorry? What do you mean—?”
Seo Seok-san rushed outside, shouting.
“Yeon Geum-hong! Jang Man-dok!”
His summons came with such urgency that both Yeon Geum-hong and Jang Man-dok came running at once.
“What’s happened?”
“He’s gone after Ak Cheon-gil’s gang on his own!”
Seo Seok-san relayed what he’d just learned from So Gi-cheon.
“Damn it!”
Jang Man-dok let out a frustrated curse and moved to dash off, but Yeon Geum-hong grabbed his sleeve.
“We can’t just go blindly charging in! Someone has to stay here and keep watch.”
No matter how worried they were about Geom U-bin, they couldn’t abandon this place—not with Go Shin-ji still here.
“You’re staying.”
Seo Seok-san, singled out by Yeon Geum-hong, sprang to his feet in protest.
“Why me?”
“If I told Man-dok to stay, Oseong Jang-won might collapse entirely.”
Right now Jang Man-dok was a volcano on the verge of eruption. Besides, he’d been the one left behind at Oseong Jang-won most often before, simply because no one could reason with him.
Jang Man-dok’s eyes blazed with defiant determination, making it clear this time would be different.
“So why shouldn’t you stay instead of me?”
“We’re wasting time on trifles? Come on, Man-dok—let’s go!”
As always, the one who moved first had already decided. Seo Seok-san called out after the two vanishing figures.
“If a single hair on his head is harmed, I’ll have you both executed!”
Frustrated at being left behind, Seo Seok-san fumed, and So Gi-cheon tried once more to set the record straight.
“I think you misunderstood me, sir. The one who went after Ak Cheon-gil isn’t them—it was Geom U-bin. The Lord’s nephew….”
“Same difference, I’m telling you!”

***

With no way to know where Geom U-bin had gone, Yeon Geum-hong and Jang Man-dok had no choice but to begin their search from So Gi-cheon’s lean-to.
Fortunately, the charcoal marks were drawn at conspicuous spots along the fork in the path.
The initial direction was westward, but it veered north and then twisted chaotically eastward.
The tailed was worried about being followed, yet Geom U-bin had stayed on his trail through every shift in direction.
Having studied the Concealment Technique under Sang Nam-jae, Geom U-bin would leave no trace himself.
Still, the urgency driving both their feet carried them swiftly toward the foot of the mountain.
“The bastards are holed up in the mountains.”
Yeon Geum-hong muttered as she followed the marks deeper into the forest.
“This one’s zigzagging even in the mountains.”
The two shifted direction, following the marks eastward rather than north.

***

Perched on a branch, Geom U-bin’s ears sharpened. The presence of the one ahead came through clearly.
‘How far are you taking me?’
They’d been climbing into the mountains for quite some time now, yet whoever led the way showed no signs of stopping.
Already they’d crossed two ridges, and a bit further lay Baekdan Valley—the same ravine where Kang Chan-sik had been separated from his men back in Hebei Province, which flowed onward through Deokchung and Haenyeong before spilling toward the sea.
Dropping to the ground, Geom U-bin marked a tree with charcoal, then launched himself forward again. The charcoal stub, once middle-finger length, was now shorter than his thumb.
‘Something’s off.’
Geom U-bin’s suspicion was warranted—unless they meant to flee Hangju entirely, there was no reason to venture this deep into the mountains.
Hiding places were never in short supply in the hills, and certainly not far enough in to require such a journey.
‘Let’s see where this leads.’
Geom U-bin slowed his Lightness Technique as the dense forest thinned and rocky terrain began to show ahead.
With utmost concentration, he could track a target for fifty paces—more than enough distance to pick up the trail again without losing them.
What concerned Geom U-bin was whether he was walking into a trap.
Geom U-bin closed his eyes and followed the aura of the figure ahead. The distance between them had grown to roughly forty paces.
He was thinking whether to press forward again when the man ahead suddenly stopped walking.
Coo-coo! Coo-coo!
A bird’s cry echoed from somewhere. During the shadowing, he’d heard birds now and then—common enough in the mountains—so he’d paid it no mind.
But now, a bird’s call at this moment could not be dismissed so casually.
‘I’ve been discovered.’
He knew it by instinct, and that knowledge became confirmed reality in the next instant.
“I’ve rarely met someone so skilled at tailing. Especially at your age.”
The voice came first, and then a man stepped from the forest. The bearded figure, judged by appearance, bore the same face as Ak Cheon-gil.
Even so, he asked to be certain.
“Ak Cheon-gil?”
“So you must be Geom U-bin, the young master of Oseong Jang-won.”
Geom U-bin spoke.
“Since we both know each other’s identities, there’s little need for pleasantries.”
Ak Cheon-gil let out a low chuckle.
“An amusing fellow. I see you carry a sword, so you’ve clearly learned some martial arts—but what could you possibly accomplish with yours?”
“You’ll see that for yourself soon enough.”
“I’ve been curious about something. Why is Go Shin-ji at Oseong Jang-won and not the Imperial Palace?”
“Because Oseong Jang-won is more to her liking.”
“You’re saying she stays in a place where she might be killed just for comfort?”
“No one can kill the lady as long as Oseong Jang-won refuses to allow it.”
“You don’t know me well.”
“I’ve heard you’re the finest master the Military Forces has produced.”
“That reputation didn’t come by chance. First, I’ll capture you, and then I’ll learn every secret about Oseong Jang-won.”
“How do you plan to capture me?”
Ak Cheon-gil chuckled again.
“Haven’t I already?”
“Do you truly believe you have me?”
“Are you counting on reinforcements?”
When Geom U-bin said nothing, Ak Cheon-gil continued.
“Those coming to help you have been sent very far away. Aren’t you already captured?”
Geom U-bin looked around at Ak Cheon-gil and his six subordinates surrounding him.
“Which one of you killed Director Wang?”
Nam Yang-bang stepped forward.
“I did.”
Geom U-bin’s movement was swift. Only Ak Cheon-gil saw clearly the motion of drawing and swinging the blade in one fluid arc.
“Watch out—!”
Before Ak Cheon-gil’s cry even finished, blood erupted from Nam Yang-bang’s throat. Had he not seen the strike at the last moment and twisted to evade, his head would have been severed cleanly.
It wasn’t that Nam Yang-bang was fast or Geom U-bin was slow. Nam Yang-bang’s head remained on his shoulders solely because of Geom U-bin’s hesitation.
Having killed once before didn’t make it easy. Taking a life was still not second nature to Geom U-bin, and in that final instant, he faltered without even realizing it.
That hesitation prevented Nam Yang-bang’s head from separating from his body, but the outcome was no different.
“Yang-bang!”
Ak Cheon-gil and two of his men rushed toward Nam Yang-bang, while the remaining three moved to encircle Geom U-bin and cut off his escape.
But Geom U-bin had never intended to flee. If he ran now, who knew when another chance to face Ak Cheon-gil would come again?
So it had to end here, in this meeting. Even if Ak Cheon-gil was called the finest master of the Military Forces, Geom U-bin was confident he could win.
“Ugh… ack…”
Nam Yang-bang gasped for air, his mouth working as if to speak, before his body went limp.
No one could survive with their throat half-severed. The man behind Geom U-bin was about to attack when Ak Cheon-gil’s voice cut through.
“All of you stand fast.”
Ak Cheon-gil wiped Nam Yang-bang’s blood from his hands onto his trousers and rose to his feet.
“Underestimating a fifteen-year-old was my mistake. You should have hidden such skill and used it when making your escape.”
“I have no intention of running.”
Ak Cheon-gil drew his sword.
“There is only one thing that can teach a child the folly of arrogance, and that is death.”
Facing Geom U-bin, Ak Cheon-gil spoke to his subordinates.
“Stay back, all of you. The boy who killed Yang-bang is mine alone.”
The five remaining subordinates fell back, blocking only the path of escape to keep Geom U-bin from fleeing.
Geom U-bin raised his blade before him and fixed his gaze on Ak Cheon-gil. He reproached himself only for that one moment—his hesitation when he’d struck Nam Yang-bang down.
He shouldn’t have hesitated at the end. It was fortunate he could kill with a surprise attack now, but if this had been a fight for his life, that hesitation would have been the death of him, not his opponent.
“Let’s see what sort of Martial Arts this little one possesses.”
Geom U-bin was just as curious about the top master of the Military Forces’ Gongfu. Without any preamble, both of them hurled themselves toward each other.

***

Ga Yang-do stopped and marked the boulder. He had come quite far, but he needed to go another half hour to be certain of losing them.
Just as Ga Yang-do was about to propel himself forward, he started back in alarm. When he’d stopped moments before, there had been no one, and now someone stood abruptly before him, not even a zhang away.
A moment later, he recognized the man as Jang Man-dok, one of the four Lords of Oseong Jang-won.
“H-how…?”
“That’s what I’d like to ask you. What are you doing here?”
A voice from behind startled him into turning, and he saw Yeon Geum-hong.
Ga Yang-do quickly drew his sword. The fact that he hadn’t sensed their approach was proof their Martial Arts were no weaker than his own.
“Where is he?”
“He?”
“Geom U-bin.”
“Beat me, and maybe I’ll tell you.”
The moment those words left his mouth, a sharp sting pierced his solar plexus, and all strength drained from his body.
His dropped sword clattered against a stone with a harsh ring.
“Now then, you can speak.”
Ga Yang-do answered Yeon Geum-hong’s sinister voice with laughter.
“You think I’ll tell you that?”
Yeon Geum-hong’s hand clamped down on Ga Yang-do’s shoulder.
“Do you know what Fen Gen Zhao Gu is? Whatever secrets you’re hiding, I’ll extract them down to the color of your diapers when you were three.”
“Gagh!”
Blood trickled from Ga Yang-do’s mouth.
“Damn!”
Yeon Geum-hong hastily suppressed the pressure point and opened her mouth, but it was already too late. The blood flowing up through his mouth carried black streaks—a sign he had swallowed poison.
“A vicious bastard! So he was carrying a poison pill. Jang Man-dok!”
Jang Man-dok, who had been examining Ga Yang-do, shook his head.
They were soldiers who had given up their lives the moment they crossed from Sae-oe into Zhongyuan, so there was nothing strange about them taking their own lives.
“Where did we pick up the wrong trail?”
At Yeon Geum-hong’s question, Jang Man-dok only stared in the direction they had come. Yeon Geum-hong gathered her Martial Force and unleashed a Lion’s Roar toward the north.
“Geom U-bin!”
Her voice resonated across the entire mountain with ringing clarity. Birds and insects nearby fell in clusters, and the blast was powerful enough to knock even deer unconscious.
Yeon Geum-hong sent such a Lion’s Roar in each of the four cardinal directions. But no answer came from Geom U-bin.
Either he was too far away to hear, or he was in no position to respond.
“Let’s retrace our steps for now.”
They hurried back the way they had come. Neither entertained the thought that something had gone wrong with Geom U-bin.
Though the Bloodwind Four Lions were exceptionally strong, if one excluded them, there were scarcely twenty Murim Martial Artists in all who could match Geom U-bin.
But their opponent was the top master of the Military Forces. Since they didn’t know how strong the Military Forces’ Gongfu truly was, that uncertainty was all that gnawed at them.

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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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