Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 196

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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 196

Though the scenery along the way was rather awkward.
Without any way to stop them, she had to make the journey to Oseong Jang-won past dogs with their tails held perpetually high, watching their hindquarters and the dangling bits of the animals that jostled with each step.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
Gwon Man-dong let out a gratuitous cough, while Dan Jeong-cheol deliberately fixed his gaze elsewhere.
At the gate, roughly ten people awaited them. The faces were mostly familiar, though most were servants; among those of real importance to Oseong Jang-won were only Go Shin-ji and Se-hwa.
Dan Jeong-cheol descended from his horse and approached Go Shin-ji with a respectful bow.
“I have the honor of meeting the Imperial Princess.”
“You cut a fine figure in your attire.”
“You are kind to say so.”
After exchanging a glance with Se-hwa, Dan Jeong-cheol was about to ask where the Lords were when Se-hwa spoke up quickly.
“I am Se-hwa, Lord of Oseong Jang-won.”
“Pardon?”
“I am the Lord, as I said.”
“But, surely…”
“Let’s begin the gift presentation or whatever it is, quickly.”
Se-hwa hurried her steps toward the courtyard. Though bewildered, Go Shin-ji said nothing—a sign that this arrangement had already been agreed upon.
Red silk spread across the ground with servants stationed on either side. The preparation was respectable enough, though something about the scene felt curiously hollow.
Se-hwa took her place at the end of the silk runner and waited for the Imperial Envoy.
The Imperial Envoy dismounted with a puzzled expression and asked, “You are the Lord?”
“Indeed, I am.”
“I was told there are five Lords… Ah! So there is a young female Lord among them—you must be that young woman!”
Se-hwa only smiled faintly.
“An urgent matter arose, leaving me alone to receive this honor.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk… a source of pride for generations to come, and yet circumstances denied them. A pity.”
Those who should have been the source of generational pride—Geom U-bin and the Bloodwind Four Lions—were in the back garden.
Geom U-bin, Go Seo-bang, O Tong-su, Jeon Mi-ryeo, and Kang Chan-sik were training, while the Bloodwind Four Lions offered occasional words of advice.
“Chan-sik, your elbows are too bent.”
“Straighten your legs more.”
Most of the corrections were directed at Kang Chan-sik, who was balanced upside-down.
His face had turned an alarming crimson, and groans poured from his lips—they had been coming for the past quarter hour.
At this rate, it looked as though blood rather than sound might soon come forth.
“How… how much longer must I endure this?”
The question escaped through gritted teeth, barely audible, but no one answered. The Bloodwind Four Lions himself didn’t know.
It was clear.
Se-hwa was the one who saved Kang Chan-sik from his suffocating ordeal. She appeared in haste and spoke.
“We need the Sect Master Kang!”
Yeon Geum-hong looked up. “That useless wretch is needed for something?”
“Yes! The Imperial Envoy needs to bestow a reward on the person who directly killed Ak Cheon-gil!”
“Your senior already killed him—this fool just laid his spoon on top.”
“But they’re asking me to bring the Sect Master Kang!”
Kang Chan-sik squeezed out his last breath. “I… the Emperor… want to receive… the reward…”
In truth, he wanted to escape from this torture masquerading as cultivation practice.
“Just take any servant and tell the Imperial Envoy his name is Kang Chan-sik. How would he know the difference?”
“There are plenty of Imperial Guard who know the Sect Master Kang’s face.”
“Why must you bother Chan-sik while he’s training? It cannot be helped. Chan-sik, you must make the sacrifice. Go and return quickly.”
Thump!
Like an ancient tree toppling, Kang Chan-sik collapsed to the ground and crawled away from the back garden on all fours.
With Se-hwa’s support, he finally managed to rise, and he repeated his gratitude over and over.
“Sigh! I understand how you feel. Bear it just a little longer. You’ll grow accustomed to it soon.”
“Accustomed means this training never ends, doesn’t it?”
“It can’t possibly end.”

“How long do I have to do this?”
Se-hwa paused in thought before answering.
“That’s entirely up to the Masters.”
“Has anyone ever died during training?”
“We don’t kill anyone.”
It was surprising that there had been no deaths. When they stepped into the courtyard, Se-hwa pointed to a length of silk stretched across the ground.
“Go over there and bow before the Imperial Envoy.”
Kang Chan-sik, staggering forward, hadn’t meant to bow at all—his legs simply gave way and he crashed to the ground in a heap.
Either way, the Imperial Envoy took it as a full prostration, and the result was the same.
When the Imperial Envoy finished reading the Emperor’s lengthy letter, dark blue silk was lowered as a reward. The silk, inferior in quality to what was produced at Oseong Jang-won, was largely worthless.
What the Emperor had truly granted Kang Chan-sik was not the silk, but time to catch his breath.
“Tomorrow, His Imperial Majesty shall receive an audience, and you will depart for Beijing. Kang Chan-sik, you are commanded to have robes sewn from this silk bestowed by His Majesty and wear them!”
“I am most grateful for such generosity… Wait? An audience, you say?”
“Indeed. Your achievement in slaying Ak Cheon-gil, the Emperor’s greatest concern, is considerable. His Majesty shall present his reward in person.”
“No, this useless silk here… I mean, fine silk would be more than sufficient, truly.”
“What insolence is this? Are you refusing the Emperor’s gift?”
Kang Chan-sik opened his mouth to answer “no” firmly, but Dan Jeong-cheol rushed forward urgently.
“I believe what Lord Kang means is that while the silk alone is sufficient, he is humbled by His Majesty’s generous gift beyond measure. Is that not so?”
Kang Chan-sik reluctantly nodded.
“Y-yes, that’s right?”
“Your achievements are not insignificant. There is no need for modesty.”
So Kang Chan-sik’s journey to the Forbidden City was decided. The Imperial Envoy’s party departed, leaving only Dan Jeong-cheol at Oseong Jang-won.
“You’re going to the Forbidden City? What’s this about?”
When word reached them that the Imperial Envoy had left, Hyeolpung Saja emerged from the back garden and overheard Kang Chan-sik’s news.
“Chan-sik’s going to the Forbidden City? Did you receive a contract to assassinate the Emperor?”
Dan Jeong-cheol was alarmed by Seo Seok-san’s jest.
“Please, don’t even joke about such things!”
“What’s so special about that Emperor anyway? He was simply born as the Emperor’s eldest son.”
Yeon Geum-hong turned to Dan Jeong-cheol and asked.
“Why did the Emperor summon Chan-sik to the Forbidden City?”
“It’s possible he means to bestow an official post.”
“An official post?”
Dan Jeong-cheol spoke with a hesitant expression.
“Since you killed Ak Cheon-gil, didn’t you? The military’s greatest master—if you slew him, His Majesty will surely believe your martial arts are extraordinary.”
Kang Chan-sik was shocked, while everyone else burst into laughter.
“He’s going to give me a post because of my martial arts?”
“Not purely because of your martial arts—you have earned merits.”
“Either way, the Emperor is misunderstanding me!”
“Indeed.”
“I won’t go.”
“Then you’ll be taken by force.”
“I don’t want the post—why would they drag me there!”
“Do you think His Majesty will simply overlook defiance of his command?”
Yeon Geum-hong turned away and spoke.
“Chan-sik’s got himself an official post. How fortunate.”
Seo Seok-san and Jang Man-dok followed behind Yeon Geum-hong.
“If the truth about your meager martial arts comes to light, you might lose your head for deceiving the Emperor. What will you do?”
“P-please, Masters! You must find a way!”
“It’s your reward, so you must bear the responsibility. If you’re to have robes made from the Emperor’s silk by tomorrow, you’d better hurry. Training is finished for today.”
Training was over, but he felt no joy.
“Masters!”

***

Eun Yi-seol’s martial arts were not refined enough to overcome the chill of Ice Essence.
Even while holding it in a box, her brow furrowed from the cold radiating from it.
Eun Bi-yeon sat behind Eun Yi-seol, who was in lotus position. She placed her palm against Eun Yi-seol’s back and spoke.
“Practice the Yungi Haenggong technique.”
Eun Yi-seol slowly drew her martial force upward.
“Focus your mind on the essence of the Ice Essence.”
Eun Bi-yeon’s brow furrowed as she examined the flow of Qi through Eun Yi-seol’s meridians. The blockages and twists in her Qi channels were far more severe than what she’d detected through pulse diagnosis.
Because the Ice Essence’s energy couldn’t advance, Eun Yi-seol endured considerable pain.
Yet she displayed an almost unbelievable patience, struggling to continue her Yungi cultivation.
Her body trembled with cold, while sweat poured from her forehead like rain. She must have felt as though she’d fallen into an ice pit and was about to die.
And yet, by refusing to stop her cultivation, one could gauge just how formidable her willpower truly was.
‘Not bad at all.’
Eun Bi-yeon, silently praising Eun Yi-seol, began to assist her cultivation. The Qi channels weren’t completely blocked—there remained the barest thread of passage.
The Ice Essence’s energy couldn’t force its way through that narrow gap and had become stagnant, which was why Eun Yi-seol’s pain was so intense.
Eun Bi-yeon released her own energy, carefully guiding the Ice Essence through the meridians bit by bit. Eun Yi-seol’s expression gradually grew peaceful.
After a full double hour of Yungi cultivation, Eun Yi-seol was utterly exhausted. When Eun Bi-yeon withdrew her hands from her back, she collapsed sideways.
“Today is your first time, so we’ll stop here.”
“Only this much?”
“Yes. The duration will grow longer and the intensity will increase gradually.”
“You might as well kill me instead.”
“You must be prepared to face death. The Sparring deadline is barely a month away.”
When Eun Bi-yeon reminded her of the deadline, determination flashed across Eun Yi-seol’s face.
“I cannot lose to Baek Kang, who seeks to become the Palace Lord with the aid of outside forces rather than her own strength.”
While Eun Yi-seol was steeling her resolve, Do Pyeong-su and Gal Ma-pyeong were preparing concrete action to assist her.
“Master, must we really go this far?”
“Why are you complaining at every turn?”
Gal Ma-pyeong accepted the mask Do Pyeong-su offered him.
“Playing bandits on a mountain where the Northern Ice Palace stands? And have you ever seen a masked bandit?”
“Then call it robbery. Bandit, robber—it’s all the same. Or better yet, shall we call it assault? Since the target is a woman, that would be more fitting, wouldn’t it?”
“You want me to appear with a mask and announce, ‘I am an assaulter’?”
Do Pyeong-su nodded, picturing the scene in his mind.
“That works.”
Gal Ma-pyeong sighed and pulled on the mask.
“I’ll just go with robbery.”
Do Pyeong-su patted Gal Ma-pyeong’s shoulder.
“It’s all for your betrothed. We need to gauge how strong this woman Baek Kang is so we can tailor her training. Just exchange a few moves and flee. Easier than lying in bed eating rice.”
“It’s eating rice cake while lying in bed.”
“Why would you eat rice cake in bed? You’d choke. Here she comes!”
Do Pyeong-su ducked behind a large rock, and Gal Ma-pyeong quickly hid himself as well.
“Do you sense her approach?”
―Shh! Use Telepathic Communication.
It took Gal Ma-pyeong quite some time before he felt someone drawing near.
The fact that Do Pyeong-su had sensed her from such a distance impressed him anew.
The forest wasn’t particularly dense and the mountain path ran in a straight line, so spotting Baek Kang when she appeared in the distance wasn’t difficult.
In her fifties, Baek Kang looked as masculine as any man, if not more so—her face was far fiercer than most men’s, and at six feet tall, she had the kind of appearance that would succeed even in a dark alley.
―You want me to play the role of an assaulter eyeing such a woman?
―An unthinking assaulter who judges women by appearance.
―Apparently, this assaulter’s quite sensible.
As Baek Kang climbed along the path, she suddenly changed direction and began ascending the unmarked mountainside.
―What? Has she noticed us?
―Your breathing grew rough at the thought of assault. Did she hear you because of you?
―I wasn’t even thinking that!
―Either way, let’s follow her.
Baek Kang frequently glanced around, making tailing her rather difficult.
―Looking for a place to relieve herself?
―Isn’t it reasonable to suspect she’s up to something secretive?
―Exactly my point.
After pursuing her for about ten zhang farther, Do Pyeong-su sent a telepathic message.
―Someone else has appeared.
―So she’s not relieving herself.
―Scheming bastard. Stop getting so close!
―If I don’t, we’ll be discovered!
Baek Kang stopped near a rock shaped like a fish, and soon a man emerged.
The man, who appeared to be in his mid-fifties, wore a thick black beard that hung down to his chest.
From the light bow of greeting they exchanged, it was clear they were not intimate acquaintances.
“I’ve heard that Eun Bi-yeon has come to the Northern Ice Palace. Why did you allow her inside the palace?”
“I had no choice—she came with someone claiming to be Eun Yi-seol’s fiancé.”
“Eun Yi-seol has a fiancé?”
“Not a real one. It’s just a pretext for getting into the palace.”
“Sam Gongja was worried because of Eun Bi-yeon.”
Baek Kang let out a derisive snort.
“Hmph! There’s nothing to fret over. An old fool who should have died long ago hardly matters.”
“I hear he returned after practicing the Bamnoh Hwandong. If he’s reached that level, he won’t be easy for you to handle.”
Baek Kang’s face twisted into an unmistakable scowl.
“Are you looking down on me, Ya Wang?”
With the honorific revealed, Do Pyeong-su and Gal Ma-pyeong finally understood the man’s station.

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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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