Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 21

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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 021

“We need to deal with the Hangju Sason.”
At Baek Chang-seong’s words—the owner of Hanghokgirul—the other three men spoke in unison.
“Who doesn’t know that? The question is how to deal with them.”
“Turns out their martial arts are incredibly strong! That’s why they earned the epithet ‘Hangju Sason’ in the first place!”
“We’re frustrated because there’s no way forward! No way!”
Ha Chang-u, Byeok Do-gae, and Sang Baek-chung all ran respectable taverns in Hangju, much like Baek Chang-seong.
Or rather, they’d “run” them—past tense was more accurate now.
Ever since Wolha Girul began receiving shipments of Sagi-ju, business had been declining steadily, and now their revenue had dropped to less than half its former peak.
The only patrons who came now were those who couldn’t tell good liquor from bad, or desperate customers who had no choice when Wolha Girul ran out of stock.
If things continued like this for another six months, they’d have to close their doors.
That desperate situation had brought these four men, who normally bickered like rivals, to sit at the same table.
“Even when the sky falls, there’s always a hole to crawl through. As it happens, I found a promising investor a month ago.”
The other three had heard rumors about Baek Chang-seong’s venture.
“That courtesan?”
At Ha Chang-u’s curt question, Baek Chang-seong’s expression hardened.
“Not just any courtesan. The renowned beauty they used to call ‘Gangsu’s Finest.’ That’s who she is.”
“A beauty is still a courtesan. And from what I hear, she put in thirty percent of the share—apparently for a pittance.”
Baek Chang-seong’s face had begun to flush, but now he simply sighed deeply.
“Would I have given up my share at that price if I’d had a choice? And be honest with me—if you sold your taverns now, do you think you’d get what I did?”
The silence that followed answered the question: the taverns were worth even less than they’d been three months ago.
“All of this is because of that cursed Hangju Sason.”
Everything came back to the Hangju Sason. Byeok Do-gae posed the next question.
“But why would that courtesan get involved?”
“Se-hwa came by this afternoon and said she had a solution. She’s sunk considerable money into acquiring her stake, and with business refusing to improve, she must be beside herself. She said that with her abilities, she could turn this tavern around faster than anyone expected—but we’ve been completely outmatched by the Sagi-ju.”
“Don’t drag this out. What exactly is this solution of hers?”
“You should hear it directly. Come in!”
The door opened and a woman entered.
Even though Hanghokgirul’s fortunes had declined, it was still one of the Hangju Top Five Taverns. A thirty-percent stake in such an establishment represented a considerable sum of money. They’d naturally assumed Se-hwa was an aging courtesan, perhaps in her fifties or sixties.
The woman who entered appeared to be no more than twenty-four or twenty-five.
These men were experts in reading people.
Even the finest cosmetics couldn’t conceal the delicate lines around the eyes from their sharp gaze—yet Se-hwa’s were genuine, and she was beautiful besides.
“I am Se-hwa.”
Her voice was pleasant as well.
There was an empty chair at the round table, but Se-hwa asked permission before sitting, and only after receiving it did she take her seat.
What struck them was not the obsequiousness expected of a courtesan, but a quiet, measured courtesy.
‘They called her Gangsu’s Finest—and she lives up to it.’
The thought was common to all three men.
“Go ahead and present your plan to these gentlemen.”
Se-hwa nodded and began speaking softly.
“A humble woman can hardly propose anything of great merit, but I wondered—what if we simply followed the natural order of things?”
“The natural order?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
At her unremarkable answer, Baek Chang-seong frowned and pressed further.
“In this situation, doesn’t the natural order mean making a superior liquor to the Sagi-ju?”
“That wouldn’t be the natural order—it would be impossible. I myself have sampled many spirits, but the Sagi-ju is so exceptional I wonder if it’s truly something humans can create. The epithet ‘Sason’ that’s attached to them hardly seems an exaggeration. The taste was that remarkable.”
“Then what do you mean by this natural order?”
“What I speak of is something more fundamental than that.”
All four men’s eyes fixed on Se-hwa.
“The world is ultimately governed by those with power, isn’t it? If the Sason’s power is considerable, then one need only bring forth a greater power to oppose it.”
The notion of crushing force with force was something anyone could conceive.
But few would think to call it the natural order. She was indeed a woman with a peculiar way of seeing the world.
“We’ve considered that ourselves, but we haven’t been able to find anyone suitable…”
“I believe I know of such a person.”
“Are you certain of them?”
“Have you perhaps heard of the Gangsu Samak?”
The shoulders of those listening trembled of their own accord.
“They didn’t merely block the road against bandits trying to rob them—they pursued those bandits all the way to their mountain stronghold and slaughtered ninety-eight of them to the last man.”
“And that’s not all. A carriage splashed water on someone’s clothes without apologizing, so they wiped out the entire Taeseong Clan—the carriage owner’s family. Mind you, the Taeseong Clan was quite a prestigious sect in Gangsu.”
“So what about the Gangsu Samak?”
Se-hwa laughed. The room seemed to brighten as if lit by candles, though none were burning.
“I mean to hire them.”
“What? The Gangsu Samak? Is such a thing even possible? I’ve heard they’re not the sort to be moved by money.”
“While it’s impossible to brew a liquor surpassing Sagi-ju, hiring the Gangsu Samak is quite possible. I possess that particular skill. However…….”
That final “however” set the four of them ablaze with curiosity.
“However what?”
“The problem, in the end, is money.”
Even hiring a porter to carry food requires coin; hiring the Gangsu Samak would surely not come free.
“How much?”
“Surely no less than five hundred Silver Coins each, would you not agree?”
“F-five hundred Coins apiece?”
“Per person.”
Three of them meant fifteen hundred Coins altogether.
Two years ago, that would have been a princely sum; now it was a fortune that made hearts race.
Sang Baek-chung asked carefully.
“Couldn’t we hire just one of them?”
One member of the Gangsu Samak seemed more than sufficient to handle someone of Hangju Sason’s caliber.
“They never move alone. Never.”
“Even so—fifteen hundred Coins is far too much. Surely we can negotiate?”
“They are not mackerel sold at the market. Think it over and decide.”
Se-hwa rose and crossed the room.
Her departure felt like watching opportunity itself slip away.
“Wait!”
Sang Baek-chung, who had first halted Se-hwa, now addressed the other three.
“If we sit idle, ruin is only a matter of time. Wouldn’t solving this now for fifteen hundred Coins prevent fifty thousand—no, far more—from bleeding away later?”
They could not abandon their future merely to pinch pennies in the present.
“Very well. Let us engage the Gangsu Samak. But there is one thing we absolutely must uphold.”
Ha Chang-u’s voice, when he spoke, was unyielding.
“They must not be killed.”
Se-hwa spoke.
“Accidents can happen in the course of work…….”
“We must prevent such accidents! Consider—did the epithet ‘Hangju Sason’ arise from nothing? It came not merely from the taste of their liquor, but from deeds of extraordinary benevolence. If those men were to be found murdered, what then? What would follow?”
The magistrate’s office would be in uproar, and a third of Hangju’s population would become obsessed with catching the culprits.
The three men nodded in agreement.
“They cannot be killed.”
“Agreed. We’ll simply drive them out—as if they were relocating elsewhere.”
The four having reached their conclusion, they looked to Se-hwa. She smiled faintly, as if to say there was no problem.
“I shall convey your intentions clearly.”

***

Geom U-bin had grown a full hand’s span in the two years since then, and lean muscle now corded his bare torso in distinct relief.
Having already sparred with three partners despite the cold weather, beads of sweat dotted Geom U-bin’s skin.
The last opponent standing across from Geom U-bin, poised in stance, was Jang Man-dok. Yeon Geum-hong watched with evident pleasure.
“Brother, you’re becoming quite the man now.”
“Why do I hear something unseemly in your tone…….”
Crack!
A handprint bloomed across Seo Seok-san’s back from Yeon Geum-hong’s strike. Seo Seok-san turned away, silently admitting his error.
Do Pyeong-su spoke.
“If he grows so quickly, the day he leaves us will come all the sooner…….”
Yeon Geum-hong, having left her mark upon Seo Seok-san’s back, now gently patted Do Pyeong-su’s shoulder.
“We cannot cradle him forever. Someday he must make his debut in the Murim.”
Even as Yeon Geum-hong spoke these words, the thought of Geom U-bin leaving her embrace made her throat tighten with unshed tears.
The brief standoff ended, and Geom U-bin moved first.
The speed at which he closed the distance to Jang Man-dok was striking.
“Oh! The Sipbo Baek-yeong has already reached the realm of the Four Lions!”
“And the Chwihwa Nakssu! The fist shadows completely overwhelmed Man-dok!”
Of course, Geom U-bin had not yet reached a level that would truly trouble Jang Man-dok.
Even if Geom U-bin deployed every ounce of skill he possessed, he couldn’t touch so much as the hem of Jang Man-dok’s robe.
That said, it didn’t mean Geom U-bin was unskilled.
In the current Murim, there were scarcely two men who could trouble Jang Man-dok through Gwon-beop, and no more than ten Murim martial artists who could even graze the edge of his garment.
‘How about I take the offense?’
Jang Man-dok’s fist drove through Geom U-bin’s fist shadow.
The attack, infused with martial force of the utmost caliber, was so powerful that the Pagong Seong rang out audibly.
“Ah! That brute Man-dok! If he injures my brother this way, what then…!”
Seo Seok-san’s cry of alarm proved baseless. Geom U-bin, with astonishing speed, pivoted from offense to defense, blocking Jang Man-dok’s fist and launching a counterattack.
“Oh! The Cheonra Jissu as well!”
The Cheonra Jissu, specialized more in defense than offense, had been trained for only three months, yet it was already flowing with surprising fluidity.
“Isn’t my brother being rather aggressive?”
“It’s not true combat. I trust Man-dok.”
Seo Seok-san and Do Pyeong-su’s expectations were mistaken.
Geom U-bin was executing the principle that offense is the best defense with ruthless consistency.
‘Considerable strength indeed!’
The force Geom U-bin displayed far exceeded Jang Man-dok’s expectations.
Jang Man-dok reflected that the Cheol Hyeol Gong they’d been cultivating, combined with the various tonics and the Chugung-gwahyeol treatments they performed daily, were proving far from useless.
After more than fifty exchanges, Jang Man-dok began to probe for openings in Geom U-bin’s attacks.
Jang Man-dok was strong enough to simply ignore the weaknesses of any Gwon-beop style, but Geom U-bin had not yet reached such a height.
Startled, Geom U-bin deployed the Cheonra Jissu in an attempt to mount a defense.
But Geom U-bin’s Cheonra Jissu was still imperfect for blocking Jang Man-dok’s assault.
Thud!
Jang Man-dok’s fist pierced through the Cheonra Jissu defense and buried itself in Geom U-bin’s chest. Geom U-bin flew backward several lengths and crashed roughly to the ground.
“Brother!”
The three spectators cried out in alarm and rushed toward Geom U-bin.
“Ugh!”
Fortunately, Geom U-bin rose on his elbows with a groan.
His face, usually impassive no matter the pain, was twisted in obvious agony.
“Are you all right?”
At Yeon Geum-hong’s inquiry, Geom U-bin waved his hand.
“I’m fine.”
As Geom U-bin mastered his pain with a deep breath, the three rushed toward Jang Man-dok.
“You dared strike my brother with your fist! Have you lost your mind!”
“I’ll tear out that useless tongue of yours!”
“Man-dok, you’re digging your own grave!”
More flustered than the three of them, Jang Man-dok could only gape, unable to utter a word.
Though in truth, he was never one for words anyway.
Just as the three were about to descend upon Jang Man-dok, Geom U-bin’s voice cut through the air.
“Stop!”
Standing with his hand pressed to his chest, Geom U-bin’s expression was resolute.
“Jang has done nothing wrong.”
“But that brute struck you with his fist—”
“I’m grateful for it.”
“Grateful? He struck you mindlessly and you’re grateful?”
Geom U-bin gently rubbed his chest and posed a question in return.
“What do you think I lack most right now?”
Seo Seok-san spoke up.
“Youth vigor?”
As Yeon Geum-hong and Do Pyeong-su glared at him, Seo Seok-san muttered.
“You’re not at an age that’s fully ripe yet.”
“Sigh…”
Geom U-bin exhaled heavily.
“Danger. Particularly the mortal threats that arise in real combat. Because my teachers are mercifully so skilled, I have never experienced the peril of fighting with my life on the line.”
“But my brother mustn’t be in danger.”
“Anyone who puts my brother in danger should be put to death. Like this brute!”
“No, that’s not what I meant—”
Geom U-bin addressed his disciples, who had misunderstood his words.
“I wish the other instructors had pushed me harder.”
Hyeolpung Saja raised both hands at once.
“That won’t do. Even now, Hang Ju-sa-ung walks a tightrope along the edge of his limits.”
Yeon Geum-hong spoke to Geom U-bin with a grave expression.
“He’s in the midst of expanding his vessel. On the surface it appears solid, but a single misstep could cause it to crumble entirely. Do you know what Juhwa Ipma is? Death comes most often—and if it doesn’t kill you, you spend the rest of your life fed porridge by someone else. Is that truly what you wish for him?”
Geom U-bin answered with an unmoved expression.
“No. What’s needed is something beyond that. And besides, such a thing will never happen.”
“You mustn’t speak with such certainty!”
“I know my condition well. And the most skilled instructors in the world stand at my side—why should I worry? More than that, please step back now. I must spar with Jang Man-dok again.”
“What? You mean to continue?”
In the end, they had no choice but to concede to Geom U-bin.
Their dream of nurturing the finest martial artist of the age would not be easily realized.

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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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