Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 234

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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 234

“A new fight? With whom?”
“Who else? Do Pyeong-su, of course.”
“Me? Why?”
“You stopped by the Estate the other day and left without even looking at my face.”
“I was busy, that’s all—”
“Busy? What does it take to glance at someone’s face? Don’t hide behind excuses.”
His excuses crumbled, and cold sweat beaded on his brow. Eun Bi-yeon looked past Do Pyeong-su and bowed her head.
“Lord Geom is here?”
“The Estate isn’t looking well.”
“I’m sorry. There was a misunderstanding with the Bloodwind Four Lions, and—”
“It seems you and Do have matters to settle. Why don’t you resolve that first, then we can talk?”
“Wait, Lord, don’t do that—see to your business first. I’ll have a look around the Estate!”
Do Pyeong-su hurried inside before Geom U-bin could even respond.
Eun Bi-yeon made to follow, but Geom U-bin called her back.
“Eun.”
“Yes?”
“Talk with me first.”
Eun Bi-yeon, burdened by her own guilt, followed Geom U-bin with a respectful demeanor.

***

Maeng Mang-do, who had taken hold of a log to use as a pillar, looked at Gong Seong-tak across from him. By chance, Gong Seong-tak held the same log in his hands.
“I grabbed it first.”
“I grabbed it first.”
“Whoever grabbed it first, I grabbed it first, so why don’t you find another one?”
“I have no reason to yield.”
“There’s such a thing as respect for age and hierarchy.”
“Age isn’t rank, and I’m only out here building because you’ve interrupted my blacksmith work. So you should yield.”
“A young hothead you are.”
“You’re just old. I’ve lived long enough to have my own years.”
“Are you disrespecting me for being elderly?”
“It wasn’t me who brought up age—it was you.”
“Do you know who I am and still dare speak this way?”
“You’re called the Bloodwind Four Lions, I heard.”
“Then you know better than to act like this.”
“You’re putting on airs over a strange name?”
“Bloodwind Four Lions isn’t a name—it’s an epithet!”
Gong Seong-tak paused, then spoke.
“Seems you’ve done quite a few wicked things.”
“I was falsely accused!”
“I’ve never met a criminal who confesses willingly.”
No matter how talkative Maeng Mang-do might be, he couldn’t spill out the whole story here.
“Anyway, let go before someone gets hurt. I’m in a hurry to earn my keep. Next time I’ll yield.”
“I grabbed it first.”
“I did.”
“I did.”
“Then I’ll have to force you to let go.”
Maeng Mang-do channeled his Martial Force through the log toward Gong Seong-tak. Given that Gong Seong-tak carried logs with ease, he clearly had some martial training.
So he sent only a pushing force. He had no intention of injuring anyone again in the current situation.
But the force he sent met resistance midway, and instead of being blocked, it was pushed back against Maeng Mang-do’s own Martial Force.
‘Ho! Now that’s interesting!’
Maeng Mang-do drew up more Martial Force, and Gong Seong-tak’s power rose to meet it. Though the log was sturdy, it couldn’t withstand the combined force of both men.
Crack! The timber split down the middle, sending splinters flying in all directions.
“There goes the peace again.”
Maeng Mang-do fixed Gong Seong-tak with a hard, penetrating stare.
“I don’t back away from fights that come to me.”
As both men drew their Qi Power upward, the very force of their auras caused the stacked logs to collapse and scatter with a deafening clatter.
“Not again! Another fight! Everyone, get clear!”
The seasoned workers of Oseong Jang-won shouted to the carpenters who were raising the building.
As men scattered, dropping their tools and running for cover, the two fighters raised their Qi Power to its peak.
Speaking face-to-face, they hadn’t sensed it—but now that their martial presence blazed forth, each recognized the other’s formidable skill.
They adopted their fighting stances and were about to rush at each other when Do Pyeong-su’s ice-cold voice cut through the air.
“Want to die?”
The killing intent laced through his words made both men shudder, and their auras drained away like water through a sieve.
“Whoever breaks any more of this estate dies by my hand.”
No one had ever seen or heard of anyone whom the Bloodwind Saja had promised to kill actually surviving, so they both nodded frantically.
“Maeng family.”
Maeng Mang-do had never heard himself called by that name before, but he answered quickly.
“Yes, sir!”
“How does someone arrive and immediately cause such a massive disaster? And touch my betrothed, no less?”
“I, I didn’t know she was your betrothed, senior……”
It was Gal Ma-pyeong who had rescued the Bloodsword Asura.
“Master, Lord Hang has requested that you bring the Bloodsword Asura to him.”
“And Eun Bi-yeon?”
“She spoke briefly with Lord Hang and then left.”
At the news that Eun Bi-yeon had departed, a smile played at the corners of Do Pyeong-su’s mouth. Immediate danger averted, at least for now.
“Come along. I need to introduce you to my brother.”
Maeng Mang-do had yet to meet Geom U-bin. What sort of man was this Lord Geom, whose authority even the Bloodwind Saja could not defy?
He’d asked several people about him, and all he’d gotten was that he was the kindest person in the world and a true knight-errant.
Yet Maeng Mang-do still couldn’t believe it. Though he himself had lived in the Murim as a figure of terror under the epithet “Bloodsword Asura,” compared to the Bloodwind Saja he was nothing but a mote of dust.
He had been a terror manufactured by the Murim Alliance, but the Bloodwind Saja was the real thing.
The elder brother of terror itself could never truly be a knight-errant.
‘It’s all a lie! They’re deceiving everyone! It has to be!’
Since he’d never seen what Geom U-bin looked like, he might have passed him on the road two or three times without knowing.
‘Could it be that fierce-looking old man I saw yesterday? Or maybe that goat-bearded old fellow who’s always smiling?’
Maeng Mang-do let his imagination run wild as he followed Do Pyeong-su.
“Hello. I’m Geom U-bin, Lord of Oseong Jang-won.”
Maeng Mang-do blinked at the bowing figure before him, then glanced at Do Pyeong-su and the silently standing Jang Man-dok.
‘Is he making fun of me?’
The boy couldn’t be more than seventeen, perhaps nineteen at most. And this child was supposed to be the elder of the Bloodwind Saja?
As Maeng Mang-do stood frozen in confusion, Do Pyeong-su’s hand began to rise.
“Do, disciple—what are you doing?”
“The elder has given his greeting, yet this fool stands rigid. He deserves a blow to the back of the head—hard enough to pop his eyes out.”
“He didn’t know any better.”
“A crime committed in ignorance is still a crime.”
Do Pyeong-su was speaking with perfect formal respect.
“This little brat really……” Whack!
At the word “brat,” Do Pyeong-su’s raised hand came down hard against the back of Maeng Mang-do’s skull. The impact was fierce, though mercifully his eyes didn’t pop out—only tears sprang from them.
Naturally, using the word “brat” for Geom U-bin didn’t end with a single blow to the head.
As Maeng Mang-do bent forward from the impact, Jang Man-dok’s foot found his rear end.
Maeng Mang-do flew forward, tumbling across the ground until he crashed into a wall and finally stopped.
“Disciples, that’s enough. Stop now.”
“He called you ‘brat’—at minimum, we should break one of his legs.”
Maeng Mang-do scrambled to his feet and cried out.
“I really… no, I… I……”
Unable to find a proper title, Maeng Mang-do stumbled for words until Geom U-bin kindly instructed him.
“You may call me ‘Lord Geom.'”
“Lord Geom is the elder of those Bloodwind Saja masters?”
“Of course. He is the greatest elder brother we have—the finest person in all the world.”
Sincere! That much was unmistakable from the faces of Do Pyeong-su and Jang Man-dok.
“This is incredible!”
“Should you ever dare call our elder ‘brat’ or show him disrespect, we’ll turn you into dog food. Remember that.”
As Maeng Mang-do swallowed hard, Do Pyeong-su continued.
“Though a weakling like you probably wouldn’t dare try such a thing anyway.”
“A weak physique? Me?”
“You got pummeled by Eun Bi-yeon the moment you arrived.”
“It was an even match!”
“Really? Want to go at it again with Eun Bi-yeon right here on this mountain? This time, no holding back.”
If he agreed, a duel would certainly take place.
“Well, I suppose I did give a little ground.”
Geom U-bin asked the quick-to-backpedal Maeng Mang-do.
“Are you planning to stay here?”
“The leader of the Sect told me to come, so I did, but…….”
Maeng Mang-do glanced at Do Pyeong-su and Jang Man-dok, then sighed quietly to himself.
He couldn’t picture what it would be like to live at Oseong Jang-won.
“Is there anything you’re good at?”
It took him a long while to think through Geom U-bin’s question. And when the answer finally came…….
“Killing people?”
“You insolent fool!”
Fortunately, Do Pyeong-su only raised his hand, not swung it.
“Why? Even if I kill well, I couldn’t match you seniors!”
“Don’t go boasting about what you can’t do better than us!”
“You’re right. So…… there’s nothing I’m particularly good at?”
Geom U-bin spoke in a troubled voice.
“Everyone at Oseong Jang-won has to work. Hmm…… Ah! You can raise dogs!”
“What? Those five dogs the size of a calf?”
“Yes.”
“The ones that vault over walls and carry tigers in their mouths?”
“They only look rough. They’re kind creatures.”
“Setting aside how fierce they are — you want me to raise dogs?”
“Someone used to care for them, but he went to Beijing recently.”
“Who went to Beijing?”
“The Imperial Guard. He was promoted not long ago to Senior Rank Imperial Guard Commander.”
Maeng Mang-do’s expression froze. A Senior Rank Imperial Guard Commander — the title of Senior Rank alone marked a high official, and if it came with the Imperial Guard, his power reached to the heavens themselves.
Yet such a man had raised dogs at Oseong Jang-won?
“He had trouble with them at first, but later they grew close. If you adapt well enough, you’ll bond with them too.”
Maeng Mang-do questioned Do Pyeong-su’s words.
“So the Imperial Guard really did raise dogs?”
“Why would I lie to you about that?”
“To get me to raise dogs?”
“You mean you’ll only raise dogs if the Imperial Guard raised them? What does the Imperial Guard matter?”
To the Bloodwind Four Lions, even the emperor would be nothing but small fry.
Thinking that way, it seemed less surprising that the Imperial Guard had kept dogs. What was truly surprising was that Geom U-bin had such a disciple.
“For what it’s worth, you have no choice in this. Either you raise them or you leave. We rescued you from the Murim Alliance, so we expect some service.”
“I’ll just raise them!”
“Then I’ll have to repeat what I told your predecessor.”
“What did you tell him?”
“If you die, will the dogs die?”
“Why would the dogs die if I die?”
“Exactly. So if the dogs die, will you die?”
Chills ran down his spine in an instant.
“Will I…… die?”
“Of course. Guard them as dearly as your own life.”
Geom U-bin took up Do Pyeong-su’s words.
“And from now on, absolutely no destroying buildings. Wreck more than one and you’re out.”
“Why two?”
“One might collapse even if you just toss and turn in your sleep poorly.”
As Geom U-bin spoke, he glanced at Do Pyeong-su, and Do Pyeong-su, feeling that gaze, looked off toward the distant sky.
“My sleeping form gets rather violent…….”

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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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