Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 239

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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 239

Their journey was to travel downriver, enter the sea, and arrive at an island five hundred li distant from the mainland.
From the receding deck, Do Pyeong-su shouted.
“Senior! Don’t forget to send word once a month!”
If a messenger pigeon arrived even a day late, Hyeolpung Saja would set out to find Geom U-bin and venture into Murim.
“I will!”
Geom U-bin replied while pledging to send carrier pigeons once every twenty days.
After dispatching Hyeolpung Saja to the Uninhabited Island, it felt refreshing—like a painful tooth finally extracted—yet the emptiness it left behind remained.
This was the moment he needed to break free from their overprotection, and there would never be a better time.
As Geom U-bin turned back, Se-hwa asked him a question.
“Master, are you really going out into Murim?”
“Yes. The phrase ‘Murim Emergence’ sounds grandiose, but I suspect I’ll be away for quite some time. Unraveling what happened to my master—that won’t be settled in a day or two.”
“So we’ll be the only ones left at Oseong Jang-won.”
“Are you worried?”
A slight smile tugged at the corner of Hang Ju-sa-ung’s mouth.
“Not at all. It would’ve been even better if you’d stayed at the estate with us.”
“Keep up your martial arts training. Before long, a bloodwind might sweep through Murim.”
Upon returning to the estate, Geom U-bin packed light—just one small bundle, a modest set of belongings.
As he stepped into the courtyard, Hang Ju-sa-ung, Gong Seong-tak, Sang Nam-jae, Gwak Bong, Jeon Mi-ryeo, and Maeng Mang-do were all waiting to see him off.
Woof!
Five dogs were with them too.
“Shall I travel with you?”
When Maeng Mang-do asked, Gong Seong-tak scolded him.
“We’ve just removed the great burden of Hyeolpung Saja, and now you want to saddle him with the lesser burden of the Bloodwind Blade?”
“It’s because Murim is no ordinary dangerous place.”
“Traveling with you would be courting hardship for the Lord.”
“This man, always speaking truth in the most disagreeable way.”
While the two bickered back and forth, Se-hwa stepped forward and handed him a weighty pouch.
“Use the silver coins for travel expenses, and I’ve included banknotes just in case. The Oseong Merchant Association has branches throughout Zhongyuan—feel free to visit them whenever you need. I’ll send word ahead to every branch.”
“Thank you.”
With the bundle on his back and farewells from everyone, it truly felt as though he was embarking on a Murim Emergence.
His chest swelled naturally, and the eight years that had passed flashed before him like scenes from a lantern show.
This wasn’t his first venture into Murim, but previously he’d either gone with Hyeolpung Saja or knew they could come for him at any time.
But this time, he was truly going alone. The burden on his shoulders was incomparably heavier than before.
“Master, don’t worry about the estate. Travel safely and return to us.”
“All of you must stay well while I’m gone.”
He exchanged farewells with each person who had come to see him off, then stepped out through the estate’s main gate—only to have Kang Chan-sik come rushing over, breathless.
“Gasp! Gasp! I haven’t missed you!”
“Provincial Governor Kang, what brings you here?”
Kang Chan-sik withdrew a golden tablet the size of a palm from his robes and handed it over.
“Should you ever encounter friction with the authorities, show them this tablet. It will resolve most matters.”
“What is this?”
“A gift bestowed upon me by His Majesty the Emperor. Since I will never leave Hangju, I have no need for it.”
“But it was given to Provincial Governor Kang by the Emperor himself……”
Kang Chan-sik waved both hands dismissively.
“It is a meager gift to celebrate your Murim Emergence.”
Though he couldn’t quite say whether this was cause for celebration, Geom U-bin gratefully accepted Kang Chan-sik’s kindness.
After bowing once more to everyone, Geom U-bin deliberately walked at a measured pace down the road.
When he turned to look back at a bend in the path, the people were still watching him from the main gate of the estate.

***

Rumble and roar!
The waves grew progressively rougher, and now thunder crackled across the sky—an ominous sign.
Unaccustomed to sea travel, and with the waves so severe, the members of the Oseong Chungin-dae were scattered about the ship, retching miserably.
“The East Sea in this season—the weather’s unpredictable, you understand.”
The Deck Master called out to two Sailors as he passed Seo Seok-san.
“Secure those sails properly and lash down the cargo!”
It was a medium-sized passenger vessel, so there were only four crew members aboard including the Ship Captain.
One of them was the Deck Master, and two were Sailors. You could tell at a glance that the two Sailors had little experience.
The way they secured objects on deck and moved about the rocking ship was only marginally better than the Oseong Chungin-dae members.
The Deck Master approached them and let out a voice heavy with frustration.
“You boasted that you’ve lived your whole lives at sea! You’d better earn the generous pay you received!”
“But… but this kind of weather is unprecedented for us.”
“You, who’ve only embarked twice, saying you’ve never seen anything like it before? What world are you living in?”
“Even you, Deck Master, this is only your…”
“Second voyage?”
At the voice from behind, the Deck Master and both Sailors startled and spun around.
Do Pyeong-su, his weathered face bristling with coarse stubble, loomed over them with intimidating presence.
“Ah, no… that is… this ship is only on its second voyage. But us—we’re through-and-through seasoned men, bone and marrow. Absolutely.”
As the Deck Master spoke, the two Sailors nodded in agreement when suddenly the ship heaved violently.
“Ahhh!”
Not just the Sailors but the Deck Master too cried out in alarm and tumbled across the deck. Seo Seok-san, watching them, clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
“Bone and marrow seasoned? More like bone and marrow liars.”
The waves grew higher, and rain began to fall. The Deck Master and both Sailors collapsed and rolled about the deck before coming to rest at Seo Seok-san’s feet again.
“So the sailors are liars—but the Ship Captain should be competent at least, yes?”
“The… the Captain is…!”
Suddenly a wave struck the ship’s hull with such force it seemed ready to capsize on the spot.
“Aaaahhh!”
Watching the Deck Master and Sailors shrieking and tumbling, Seo Seok-san made his way to the wheelhouse at the stern where the Ship Captain stood.
The Ship Captain, gripping the wheel with its pole and handles, had gone ashen, and sweat poured from every inch of his body.
With each violent heave of the ship, he looked ready to lose his grip on the wheel entirely.
“Ugh!”
He was even retching.
“What kind of captain gets seasick!”
“The waves are too fierce… ugh!”
As the Ship Captain covered his mouth and began to release the wheel, Seo Seok-san spoke in a sinister tone.
“Let go of that, and you’re dead.”
“Gluck—!”
The Ship Captain forced down what had reached his throat and gripped the wheel with both hands. Everyone aboard the ship, the Captain included, was green as a novice.
The lurching vessel swayed so violently it was a miracle it didn’t capsize. Even someone who knew nothing of the sea, like Seo Seok-san, understood the basic fact that you never let waves strike the side of a ship.
Yet the ship they were on seemed deliberately letting waves crash into its hull again and again.
“To be this incompetent is almost an art form.”
Seawater had poured into the hull, and the deck was flooded ankle-deep. The Oseong Chungin-dae members scattered throughout the ship were already exhausted to the point of near-death.
But not everyone aboard was lost to despair. No tempest, however fierce, could touch the Hyeolpung Saja.
Yeon Geum-hong and Jang Man-dok stood on the left side of the deck, while Do Pyeong-su and Eun Bi-yeon stood on the right, their eyes fixed on the sea.
They were using their Internal Power to steady the ship whenever it tilted dangerously, all while drinking Oseong Wine and admiring the violent waters.
“Ahh! Good weather, good wine, and if only my brother were here, it’d be perfect!”
At Do Pyeong-su’s words, Eun Bi-yeon replied.
“Everything’s fine, but this ship won’t make it to land safely.”
Before she’d even finished speaking, the stern railing gave way with a sharp snap and fell into the sea.
“Why are they using an island like this as a training ground, killing us all… ugh!”
One of the Oseong Chungin-dae members shouted before vomiting pale fluid. They’d all retched so much there was nothing left inside them.
“Tsk tsk tsk… Look at those weaklings. The thought of molding such things into supreme masters troubles me deeply.”
Do Pyeong-su’s words were taken up by Seo Seok-san.
“First we have to keep those fools alive for there to be a future. Move the ship and get to the island quickly.”
Woooooosh!
With a sound as though heaven and earth were tearing apart, a wave three times the height of the ship came surging toward them.
It was a wave that couldn’t be held back by Internal Power alone. Despair bloomed across the faces of the Oseong Chungin-dae members watching it approach.
Without divine intervention, there was no one who could save them from that wave.
“This storm is making me work for my supper. Hold this for me.”
Do Pyeong-su handed the wine bottle and cup to Eun Bi-yeon, then brought both his hands together before his chest.
“Hoooah!”
Do Pyeong-su released a long breath and stretched both his hands toward the massive wave bearing down upon them.
Craaaaaash!
It was like tearing through a sheet of paper hung up like a wall. The exact surface area of the waves—precisely the ship’s width—vanished cleanly.
But since the undulation didn’t disappear entirely, the vessel bounced skyward.
The screams filling the ship were the instinct of those one step away from death. Yet when the Oseong Chungin-dae’s ship came down from that flight into the rough sea, it landed as gently as a feather.
The eyes of those Oseong Chungin-dae members watching widened beyond what seemed possible.
‘Is such a thing even possible for human strength?’
Had they heard such a tale secondhand, they’d have slapped their own ears in denial, calling it a lie even a fool wouldn’t believe.
“Go faster!”
At Yeon Geum-hong’s shout, Seo Seok-san and Jang Man-dok made their way to the stern. As they unleashed their propulsive force toward the sea, the ship’s speed exceeded that of a galloping horse.
Like the swiftest speedboat in the world, the vessel cut through the rough waves and crossed the sea.
Through sheets of rain, they glimpsed in the distance what would soon become an inhabited island—now just an uninhabited one. In clear weather it would seem like heaven, but shrouded in the storm, it looked as desolate as the gateway to hell itself.
Whether waves the size of houses struck bow or beam, the ship drove straight toward the island.
Crack! Splinter!
While it was possible to propel the ship forward, the damage inflicted by the rough waves was beyond what even the Hyeolpung Saja could prevent.
“Increase speed! It’ll be smashed to pieces before we reach the shore!”
At Yeon Geum-hong’s command, Seo Seok-san and Jang Man-dok accelerated their movements, pouring out more propulsive force.
The ship seemed to glide across the water’s surface. The island drew near in an instant, yet the vessel showed no sign of slowing.
“C-collision incoming!”
Someone’s cry couldn’t reduce the ship’s speed. The rapidly approaching island sent the entire Oseong Chungin-dae crashing to the deck.
Crash!
The vessel, striking the sandy beach, slid straight onto the island. Though one might say it skidded across the sand, the impact was anything but gentle.
Screams erupted throughout the ship as everyone aboard was pitched forward.
Those who tumbled hit the bow railing or bounced overboard.
Regardless of what befell them, the Hyeolpung Saja descended onto the sandy beach without a backward glance.
“Quite impressive. The scenery’s acceptable too.”
Yeon Geum-hong’s words lifted Seo Seok-san’s shoulders a hand’s width higher.
“Well, whose choice was it? Heh!”
The half-ruined ship rested near the far end of a sandy beach thirty paces wide. Thus, no matter how the sea raged, it could only growl from a distance.
Beyond the sandy beach stretched a forest thick as jungle, shaking in the falling rain with every inch of its being.
“Why are you still sprawled there? Get up and gather round!”
At Do Pyeong-su’s shout, the Oseong Chungin-dae members began assembling one by one. They shivered in the rain, yet no one appeared seriously injured.
The five boys who had learned the Ghost Face Demon Method were in decent shape both during the storm and now upon reaching the island.
Everyone else was nearly in a near-death state, crawling about pathetically.
“Why are you mixed in with them?”
Four sailors, including the ship captain, stood among the Oseong Chungin-dae.
“Then where should we be, sir?”
They alternated their gaze between the raging sea and the shattered vessel.
“Once your business is done, you head back!”
“How, sir?”
“You’re seasoned sailors to the bone—swim back, then!”
They looked ready to weep at any moment, now utterly trapped on the island.
The Hyeolpung Saja led the Oseong Chungin-dae toward the island’s center. The path cutting through the forest resembled venturing deep into mountains.
And then they stepped onto neatly maintained terrain.
Six buildings constructed of logs were arranged in a circle, with the center cleared and leveled to serve as a training ground.
The buildings were large enough to accommodate the forty-five members, including the Hyeolpung Saja, with room to spare.
Though the Oseong Chungin-dae had come to the island after hard trials and expected to camp outdoors, the sight of such excellent facilities brought smiles unbidden to their faces.
“Built rather nicer than necessary. So long as our quarters are fine, that’s enough.”
Do Pyeong-su spoke thus, yet satisfaction showed plainly on his face.
“Everyone assign yourselves rooms and gather at the training ground in half an hour! That large building is our residence—don’t enter it!”
As Seo Seok-san finished speaking, the Oseong Chungin-dae huddled together to discuss and then dispersed among the various buildings.

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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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