Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 19

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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 19

“Where are you going?”
The three figures, about to slip through the doorway, froze like icicles hanging beneath the eaves.
Hang Ju-sa-ung’s voice, ordinarily so pleasant to hear, now fell down his spine like ice water.
“Ha ha! I couldn’t sleep, so I thought we might go night fishing.”
“Yes, that’s right. Night fishing is truly the best, after all.”
“Without fishing rods?”
“Ah, what need do we have for fishing rods? You know that as well as anyone.”
But the banter from Yeon Geum-hong and Seo Seok-san fell flat.
“You’re going to the Dong Ssi Do Sect, aren’t you?”
“Ah, no! Why would we go there?”
“What is the Dong Ssi Do Sect?”
“Are you trying to lie to me right now?”
When Geom U-bin’s reflexive words made him set his face stern, all three flinched and promptly lowered their heads.
But this affair was not for their own amusement.
Because the cause was just, the three of them lifted their heads again with renewed resolve.
“We cannot simply leave the Dong Ssi Do Sect as it is.”
Seo Seok-san spoke, and Yeon Geum-hong’s voice followed close behind.
“That sect leader—he is not someone we can overlook like this. Trust our eyes; we have seen countless people in our time.”
Geom U-bin exhaled a weary breath.
“My disciples trust their own eyes, but not mine, it seems.”
“What? You think we don’t trust you?”
“This trouble arose because of me. So I must be the one to resolve it.”
“But you are not yet prepared, Master.”
Do Pyeong-su jabbed Seo Seok-san gently in the ribs with his elbow for suggesting that Geom U-bin was weak.
“Ah, no—I didn’t mean you’re weak, Master…”
“No, I understand. I’m still weak. I don’t know about the sect leader, but that bodyguard who came with him—I’m not at a level to handle him.”
The Bloodwind Four Lions’ concern was not with the sect leader either.
At Geom U-bin’s current level, he could certainly subdue a sect leader. But that was as far as it went—and the Dong Ssi Do Sect likely had at least twenty disciples whose martial prowess exceeded that of their leader.
“I may be weak, but this too is a burden I must bear. And I won’t remain weak forever.”
“But no matter how gifted you are, Master, you cannot grow strong overnight.”
Seo Seok-san spoke not from any desire to test his hand in combat, but from genuine concern for Geom U-bin.
“I’ll grow stronger as quickly as I can. Not one of them from the Dong Ssi Do Sect will lay a hand on me.”
Yeon Geum-hong pressed him with a thread-thin hope.
“But wouldn’t it be faster and safer for us to handle it?”
“And then my disciples would accumulate yet another karmic debt.”
The single word ‘debt’ was a scar that would never fade.
Even at the moment of death, their master Hwa Jeok San had been sorry for the karmic burden the Bloodwind Four Lions carried because of him. And the Bloodwind Four Lions now worried that the karma they had accumulated would bring harm to Geom U-bin.
Seo Seok-san spoke.
“It’s nothing. Adding one grain of sand to a mountain of sand is hardly worth counting.”
“But you should be demolishing that mountain, not piling it higher.”
“However…”
“I can resolve this with my own hands. Not today, but eventually I will grow that strong. You all know it.”
They did, of course.
Geom U-bin was too large a vessel to be measured by something as small as the Dong Ssi Do Sect.
“Trust me. Wait just a little longer.”
When Geom U-bin spoke with such conviction, even the Bloodwind Four Lions could not press further.
“Understood. If you say so, Master, then I will entrust the Dong Ssi Do Sect to you.”
At Do Pyeong-su’s words, Yeon Geum-hong and Seo Seok-san nodded their assent.

***

―Heh heh! This scabbard decoration belt that Master gave me—isn’t it splendid?
Do Pyeong-su had rubbed salt in the wound; Geom U-bin had gone long without testing his hand in combat, and much had accumulated in his chest.
Of course, Geom U-bin’s obvious favoritism toward Do Pyeong-su was understandable.
She hoped the Bloodwind Four Lions would become better people. Knowing that didn’t make her sullen heart return to its proper place.
So she left home without a plan and came into the streets of Hangju.
She thought that seeing the sights and eating something delicious might lighten her mood a little.
“Just because I caught one wanted criminal, does my senior brother really have to be like that?”
Her steps halted as she grumbled to herself.
She’d stopped in front of the notice board at the Government Office.
“One silver coin?”
Compared to the bounty Do Pyeong-su had received, it was a pittance.
But the man was a serial killer who’d already murdered three people, so in terms of wickedness, he was hardly a small matter.
After reading the notice for a long time, Yeon Geum-hong let out a soft laugh.
“I can’t possibly follow after someone like Pyeong-su.”

***

This was absolutely something one should never grow accustomed to, should never become comfortable with. Yet when it happened a second time, the shock was invariably less than the first.
Jolted awake and leaning his back against the wall rather than the bed, Kang Chan-sik glanced toward the mattress.
Wol-hyang-i’s bare shoulder was faintly visible.
‘She must have the Water Acupoint Strike embedded in her.’
Clang! Thwack!
A piece of Kang Chan-sik’s newly acquired sword flew through the air and lodged beside his ear.
‘She wouldn’t wake even if I threw her in the river.’
This was the second time this had happened, but the person who’d come for him this time was a woman.
Had he encountered her on the street, he would have stared for a long time, his neck turning until it nearly twisted—she was that beautiful.
“You’re Kang Chan-sik, the leader of the Hongmun Association, right?”
“W-well, yes, that’s me…”
The woman flicked her finger, and another blade came flying, lodging beside his right ear. The order was exactly the same as before. But this time it was closer, and it drew a thin line of blood.
Her technique might be slightly less refined than the first visitor’s.
If that were the case—
“You know about the serial killer who’s been causing chaos in Chang-an these days, don’t you?”
The woman’s middle finger bent, ready to flick another blade.
Kang Chan-sik glanced down between his legs and went pale.
“W-wait! Please!”
An ear was different.
An ear—even if it got nicked and bled a little, he could accept that. But his… thing… .
Clang! Thwack!
“Ahhh!”
The blade that flew past his legs would have been a real disaster if his anatomy had been just a bit longer.
For the first time in his life, Kang Chan-sik felt grateful for his modest dimensions.
“Do you know where this bastard is?”
“I-I’m not a government official. I’m from the underworld.”
“Even so, the one who knows a criminal best is another criminal. Two hours. If you don’t catch the murderer within that time, then you’re the murderer. Don’t even think about the Government Office trying to weasel out of this. A prison cell beats hell, after all. Don’t just bring me the criminal—bring the evidence too. I’ll see you in front of the Government Office. Two hours.”
The word choice was slightly different from the first one, but the content was identical.
What was identical wasn’t just the words.
Whoosh!
She swung her sword at the empty air, and the blade shattered into fragments that scattered around Kang Chan-sik.
The woman vanished. Toward the door through which she’d exited, Kang Chan-sik shouted with all the strength in his voice.
“Damn it! You’re the same one from before!”

***

They were sitting in a tree with dense foliage.
The Sakiju Brewery was a good two hundred paces away from where they were positioned.
“Master. Isn’t this too far away? The people look smaller than ants from here. Can you even hear what’s being said down there?”
“What makes you think the leader of the Sect is some kind of immortal?”
“Then shouldn’t we go closer…?”
“Any closer than this, and we run into danger.”
Noh Dae-sul tipped his wine bottle and frowned.
“Damn it! Drinking this cheap brew after Sakiju is like comparing sewage to fine wine. My taste has gotten too refined. Sigh—for the next three months, all spirits will taste like piss.”
So Gi-cheon tilted his head in confusion.
“What danger are you talking about?”
“Those four ghosts fooling around with Geom U-bin in the courtyard.”
“Ghosts, sir?”
“Ghosts too old to die, that’s what they are.”
“But people call them immortals, don’t they?”
“Don’t be fooled by their appearance.”
“Who are they, sir?”
He couldn’t reveal their identities to So Gi-cheon while still ignorant of what the Bloodwind Four Lions were scheming here. Besides, the person So Gi-cheon needed to watch wasn’t the Bloodwind Four Lions at all.
“Don’t concern yourself with them.”
So Gi-cheon, who had risen from thirty-first unnamed disciple to thirty-fifth named disciple, was not yet equipped to handle such people.
“The one you need to watch is Geom U-bin.”
“Watch him, sir?”
“Haven’t you already made his acquaintance?”
That was precisely why he’d insisted So Gi-cheon beg a single silver coin from Geom U-bin.
“He doesn’t seem like a bad sort, though…….”
“Perhaps not now—but remember: Close Contact Corrupts. Eventually, he’ll be stained by the mire. You need to ascertain who Geom U-bin truly is, his exact relationship with those four people, and if possible, what level of martial skill he possesses. What is the essential virtue of a beggar?”
“A thick skin and the sociability to befriend even the messenger of death, Master. Ha-ha!”
“Good. Put that to full use—win his confidence. If not for pressing business, I’d linger here longer, watching those four ghosts and drinking sakiju……no, I mean watching those four ghosts. What a pity.”
Spittle pooled in his mouth, worked its way past his lips, and caught in his unkempt beard.
“I won’t be back for another year, so practice the martial arts I’ve taught you diligently in the meantime.”
“Rest assured, Master. I’ll learn everything about Geom U-bin down to the color of his underclothes.”

***

―Pyeong-su, your senior brother doesn’t seem to favor you much. Compared to the belt he gave you, this silk robe he gifted me must be worth ten times as much. Hehehehe!
―A gift’s value lies in the heart behind it, not its price!
Jang Man-dok left the house, leaving Do Pyeong-su and Yeon Geum-hong to their bickering. If it had been Do Pyeong-su alone, he might have let it pass—but Yeon Geum-hong receiving a gift from their senior brother too.
‘What’s so hard about catching a wanted criminal anyway.’
In Hangju, the city of pleasure, criminals were plentiful, and wanted criminals were just as abundant. Jang Man-dok swept his eyes across the notices and seized one advertising a one-silver-coin bounty for a serial rapist.
He had no talent for catching criminals like a skilled government official might. Nor did he need to be as inefficient as one.
If he could discover who controlled the criminal underworld in this district and where they sheltered, catching the criminal was as good as done.
Crush that man, and whether he captured the real culprit or fabricated one, the result was the same.
Kang Chan-sik of the Hongmun Association.
Learning his current whereabouts proved simple enough.
An underworld boss, if he’s not hiding, always leaves traces of where he dwells.
Though past noon, Kang Chan-sik lay sprawled in sleep, a courtesan tucked against his side.
Jang Man-dok tossed him carelessly to the floor.
Kang Chan-sik tumbled awake, his back against the wall, bruises dark and fresh around both eyes from some recent beating.
Jang Man-dok surveyed the room and seized a sword hanging on the wall.
Nothing intimidates quite like a blade.
Most men, when they see the metal they trust most shattered, admit their weakness. Especially if you can flick it to pieces with your fingers—no need for further display of force.
“If I strike her Water Acupoint and drop her in the water, she won’t wake up, will she?”
Kang Chan-sik’s composure was unsettling.
As if he’d been through such situations before. Jang Man-dok nodded, and Kang Chan-sik spoke again.
“You’ve come to catch a wanted criminal?”
‘How could he know that?’
Hating speech as he did, Jang Man-dok carried written words in his pocket for exactly such moments. But he didn’t need to show them to Kang Chan-sik.
“Which one?”
Jang Man-dok produced the torn notice.
“A serial rapist. Two hours to catch him?”
He’d been prepared to give three hours, but this man seemed more capable than he looked.
“Two hours, then we meet before the Government Office. Don’t worry—if I can’t catch the real criminal, I’ll fabricate one. With evidence, naturally.”
Jang Man-dok felt his spine turn to ice.
‘What is this man? Has he mastered the Mind Reading Technique or something?’
“And…….”
‘And?’
“Starting today, I’m retiring from the underworld, so don’t ever come back here again, you bastards!”

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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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