Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 204

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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 204

“What are you talking about?”
“Because you deceived Oseong Jang-won.”
“What did Oseong Jang-won do?”
“Because my brother didn’t witness Geom U-bin’s martial prowess.”
“The exaggerations of Murim…….”
“Did you forget that I was there?”
“Your skill level is still insufficient to judge another’s martial arts.”
“That may be true. But the late-stage experts who were present that day—those whose reputation was no less than yours—were swept away by Geom U-bin like autumn leaves in wind. It was so one-sided it couldn’t even be called a fight. I’d stake my life on it: even if they’d all rushed him together, they wouldn’t have defeated Geom U-bin.”
Though Mo Yong Seol-yeong’s martial skill was dismissed, her words could not be—not when her cautious nature was known to all who saw it.
“Is this ‘Geom U-bin’ really that formidable?”
“I’d wager he surpasses you.”
“A fifteen-year-old?”
“Everyone is fooled and amazed at that age. What matters is that Geom U-bin is the ‘Young Master of Oseong Jang-won.’ There are figures called ‘Deathly Situations’ in Oseong Jang-won. I suspect they might be Geom U-bin’s masters. Naturally, they’d be far stronger than Geom U-bin himself.”
“As long as Father has completed his closed-door cultivation, there’s nothing to fear from them.”
“But…….”
“Don’t bring this up again. Instead, find me some capable late-stage experts.”
The greatest utility of a righteous sect maiden’s worth lay in forming ties with influential families—and nowhere beyond that.
“Young Sect Master. Someone named ‘Geom U-bin’ from Oseong Jang-won requests an audience with the Sect Master. What should we do?”
Mo Yong Seol-yeong jolted to her feet in shock.
“Geom U-bin? He’s come to Simyang?”
His arrival here meant the rumor circulating through Simyang was true.
Geom U-bin—who had pushed someone to such extremes merely over a wager—would not let this matter rest.
“There’s no need to inform Father.”
As Mo Yong Gang-seok, who had spoken, walked away, Mo Yong Seol-yeong turned to the disciple who had brought the report.
“Go at once and bring Father here.”
“Yes? But…….”
“If you won’t obey my command, those legs of yours will be useless.”
“I’ll fetch the Sect Master at once!”
The disciple rushed off, and Mo Yong Seol-yeong herself ran toward the Main Gate. There, over fifty disciples and Mo Yong Gang-seok were already assembled.
Yet despite the great number arrayed before him, Geom U-bin’s expression brimmed with ease. That face of his would not change even if a blade entered his throat.
“You came all this way to talk nonsense?”
Mo Yong Gang-seok’s rough voice carried far. Mo Yong Seol-yeong hurried to his side.
“It’s been a while.”
Geom U-bin acknowledged Mo Yong Seol-yeong with only a glance before addressing Mo Yong Gang-seok.
“You’re denying the two hundred thousand silver taels our estate sent. Then one of us—your clan or ours—must be lying…….”
“Of course you’re the ones being unreasonable! Is two hundred thousand taels some trifling sum?”
“If you can’t keep your promise because four hundred thousand taels troubles you, you should have at least returned the two hundred thousand intact. I’ll give you one final chance. Distribute the two hundred thousand taels Oseong Jang-won provided, along with the four hundred thousand you promised, to the victims of the damage. Then this matter will be forgotten.”
Mo Yong Gang-seok was about to respond when Mo Yong Seol-yeong cut in swiftly.
“It seems we made an error on our end. Since the family head is coming, perhaps it would be better if you both settled this through conversation.”
“Seol-yeong, did you summon your father?”
“You’ll come to appreciate this later.”
Then Mo Yong Cheong-gwang emerged from within.
Had he known of Geom U-bin’s arrival, he would have rushed out regardless of whether Mo Yong Seol-yeong sent for him.
According to the Chuyeong Order’s intelligence, Oseong Jang-won possessed strength that defied full measure but must never be underestimated.
Mo Yong Cheong-gwang passed between the divided ranks and stopped three paces before Geom U-bin.
“What brings the Young Master of Oseong Jang-won to travel such a distance?”
“I heard you recently completed your closed-door cultivation. I hope the endeavor was fruitful.”
“Thanks to fortune, I’ve achieved decent results.”
“That’s welcome news, but I fear the news I bring is less so. You’re aware of the fires that swept through Simyang?”
“It grieves me deeply. Whether arson or accident, we’ve been searching for the culprit, but the matter remains murky.”
How could it be found when the perpetrator was at the Northern Ice Palace?
“As it happens, people from our estate were staying here when the fires broke out.”
Geom U-bin recounted to Mo Yong Cheong-gwang the details of what had occurred then. When the matter of money was mentioned, he cast a look of displeasure at Mo Yong Gang-seok—a look that betrayed his knowledge of the truth.
“So if the Mo Yong Clan fails to keep its promise, you’ll find yourselves in quite a predicament.”
Geom U-bin spoke with deliberate provocation.
“A difficult situation?”
Mo Yong Cheong-gwang’s eyes narrowed.
“If the Moyong Clan took two hundred thousand taels from Oseong Jang-won, used only thirty thousand for relief funds, and pocketed the remaining one hundred seventy thousand, wouldn’t people throughout Zhongyuan point fingers no matter how plausible your excuse?”
“Which would people trust more—the words of our Moyong Clan, blood-sworn allies of the Murim Alliance, or those of Oseong Jang-won?”
“Fortunately, there’s the Gae Bang at Oseong Jang-won. You’re aware we have connections with them, aren’t you?”
He recalled what he’d heard about the Gae Bang’s leader from the Chuyeong Order disciples who’d visited Oseong Jang-won.
“Once the Gae Bang vouches for us and we trace the banknotes brought from Beijing, the truth will come to light. Yes, the Murim Alliance calls us blood-sworn allies, but it wasn’t our martial prowess or influence they valued—they simply drew the Moyong Clan into their ranks because we sit near the borderlands and could expand their reach……”
“Silence! You spit in my face in my own garden?”
“If I’ve offended you, I apologize. My tongue simply has a habit of speaking only the truth.”
Since his expression showed not the slightest remorse, Mo Yong Cheong-gwang’s anger burned hotter.
Yet Geom U-bin’s provocation did not end there.
“A small sect on the borderlands may need funds to maintain its status as blood-sworn allies of the Murim Alliance, but surely you wouldn’t resort to robbing the poor, would you?”
A low, rumbling aura swept outward.
The pressure Mo Yong Cheong-gwang released made the hair on their heads stand on end and billowed their clothes though not a breath of wind stirred.
“So that’s what they’re saying—that I’ve no shame at all!”
Geom U-bin had thought Mo Yong Cheong-gwang’s martial prowess would fall short of Ak Cheon-gil’s, but the aura he released now shattered that estimate.
―Elder brother, I sense demonic energy from Mo Yong Cheong-gwang.
Geom U-bin started at Seo Seok-san’s telepathic message.
―Impossible. He’s a man of the Orthodox Faction.
―I’m certain of it.
The tangled threads of this affair kept casting the shadow of the Demonic Cult, and now that shadow appeared to fall across Mo Yong Cheong-gwang as well.
“The clan lord’s aura is most impressive. But what truly astonishes me is why demonic energy clings to it. Did you perhaps study the Demonic Arts during your closed-door cultivation?”
The moment Geom U-bin finished speaking, Mo Yong Cheong-gwang’s aura vanished so abruptly it startled him.
‘He detected a subtle energy woven through my aura? Is that the extent of his martial skill?’
“What nonsense are you spouting!”
“Am I mistaken? It certainly seemed like demonic energy……, but then again, the clan lord of the righteous Moyong Clan would never—I must have been mistaken.”
Geom U-bin decided to withdraw at this point.
Pushing Mo Yong Cheong-gwang further into anger risked a confrontation here and now.
“Oseong Jang-won has no wish to become enemies with the Moyong Clan. I hope this matter resolves peacefully.”
Mo Yong Cheong-gwang likewise could not afford to act against Geom U-bin here. No matter how much this was his own yard, words always spread when there were eyes watching.
“I will investigate this carefully, and if your words prove true, I shall take appropriate measures.”
“Then I shall trust your judgment and take my leave.”
As Geom U-bin bowed and turned to go, Seo Seok-san moved to follow.
―Keep watch on the one suspected to be Sam Gongja.
―Isn’t Yeon Geum-hong already doing that?
―It’s our only lead regarding Master’s disappearance. We must be certain.
Seo Seok-san had no choice but to obey Geom U-bin’s words.
Once Geom U-bin had departed, Seo Seok-san tailed Mo Yong Cheong-gwang as he headed deeper into the clan estate.
Mo Yong Cheong-gwang made his way to an annex deep within the Back Garden, where someone of unclear identity was staying.
Seo Seok-san descended onto the roof beside Yeon Geum-hong.
“Why are you here instead of guarding the elder brother?”
“The elder brother ordered me to watch here. Anyway, the clan lord tracked down the suspicious character just as the elder brother predicted.”
They pressed their ears close, listening intently to the conversation between Mo Yong Cheong-gwang and his mysterious guest.
“Sam Gongja, may I enter?”
The moment Geom U-bin’s name left Mo Yong Cheong-gwang’s lips, the suspicious man’s identity was revealed. Both eavesdroppers clenched their fists in silent admiration—’As expected of the elder brother!’
“Please, come in.”
The sound of Mo Yong Cheong-gwang crossing the room and settling into a chair reached their ears.
“It sounds rather lively outside. Has something happened?”
“A fellow from Oseong Jang-won calling himself ‘Lesser Lord’ has come.”
“You mean Oseong Jang-won in Hangju?”
“So even Sam Gongja knows of it.”
“The name carries some renown.”
“Nothing of consequence. Once the affairs at Sae-oe and Northern Ice Palace are concluded, I will ensure the Moyong Clan establishes itself in Hebei Province as promised—do not forget that.”
For the Moyong Clan, extending beyond the borderlands and taking root in Zhongyuan was a long-held aspiration.
“Of course. The growth of Moyong’s influence serves our greater cause well, so there is every reason to aid you. But caution is required—the fact that the Moyong Clan stands with us must not be revealed to the outside world under any circumstance.”
“Understood.”
As Mo Yong Cheong-gwang acknowledged, the image of Geom U-bin naturally surfaced in his mind.
Geom U-bin, who had discerned demonic energy within his aura, would surely report this fact to someone.
Words were terrifying things—small as millet seeds at first, then growing like snowballs before one could stop them.
‘I must nip this threat in the bud.’
With a tail already placed on Geom U-bin, tracking him down and killing him would be simple enough. The only complication was that no one could know—it had to be done by his own hand.
“I believe it’s time I took my leave from here.”
Mo Yong Cheong-gwang asked as Samgongja rose to his feet.
“Where will you be going?”
“I’ll stop by Sae-oe first to finish my business there, then head to the Northern Ice Palace. If you find the time, do come visit the Northern Ice Palace as well. It should prove quite the spectacle.”
“Of course.”
Once Mo Yong Cheong-gwang had left the room, Samgongja packed his things with minimal fuss and made his way to the back garden, where he released a carrier pigeon. But the moment it left the Mo Yong estate, the bird was caught in the hands of Yeon Geum-hong, who unfurled her Lightness Technique with effortless grace.
She’d expected something of importance, but the message contained only reports of events that had taken place in Sae-oe and the Northern Ice Palace.
The fact that Samgongja was sending carrier pigeons at all suggested he was no top-ranking official in their hierarchy.
“If we follow that pigeon, couldn’t we catch someone higher up?” Seo Seok-san asked.
Yeon Geum-hong nodded in agreement, yet she couldn’t bring herself to release the bird so easily.
“You need to tail Samgongja. That would leave your senior here alone.”
Seo Seok-san shared her concern, but Geom U-bin was no longer the child who needed protecting.
“You defeated the First Master of the Military Bureau yourself. There’s no one here strong enough to threaten your senior.”
“That’s true. When did we start borrowing trouble like this, I wonder? I’ll follow the pigeon. Whatever you do, don’t lose Samgongja.”
“Don’t lose the pigeon, either.”
Yeon Geum-hong launched herself skyward after the carrier pigeon, unfolding her Lightness Technique, while Seo Seok-san tailed Samgongja as he departed the Mo Yong estate.
Since he already knew the destination and purpose, there was no need to follow for long. If Samgongja truly headed to Sae-oe, he planned to intercept him midway and save time.
While Yeon Geum-hong and Seo Seok-san pursued the pigeon and Samgongja, Mo Yong Cheong-gwang was following Geom U-bin.
Geom U-bin was hardly the type to miss a tail placed on him.
Since there was no one else within the Mo Yong estate who could have set such a tail, he deliberately made for a sparsely populated hillside, curious about the intent behind it.
This wasn’t mere shadowing—there had to be business to discuss, and naturally, he needed to hear what it was.
As he walked the narrow path up the modest hill, he sensed another presence besides his pursuer. The fact that Geom U-bin didn’t notice until the figure had drawn within fifty paces spoke volumes about his mastery of Martial Arts.
And the person who appeared before him was somewhat unexpected.
“Ga-ju of Mo Yong?”

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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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