Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 241

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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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#241

The banknote from the Central Plain Bank, famous for its excellent credit, was unmistakably genuine. The figure of one million written upon it was real as well. Right now, one million silver taels hung in the balance before them.
Ha Sang-du’s hand reached toward the banknote without thinking, but Geom U-bin quickly withdrew it.
“I’ve proven my credentials. Now let me meet with Jeon Hwang-gil.”
He wanted nothing more than to rush forward and snatch the banknote away, but violence had to be a last resort. Having grasped this early, Ha Sang-du was able to become the master of the Heuksahoe today.
“Why do you seek Jeon Hwang-gil? Anything he can procure, I can procure just as readily.”
Geom U-bin slipped the banknote away as he spoke.
“The negotiations would proceed far more smoothly with him present. Of course, your own share of the proceeds would be quite substantial.”
“Jeon Hwang-gil has already departed, so I, who remain, am your best option.”
From the look of Ha Sang-du, it seemed he genuinely didn’t know where Jeon Hwang-gil had gone.
“It appears you yourself don’t know where he is, do you?”
At Geom U-bin’s question, Ha Sang-du scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“He vanished so suddenly, after all…… And besides, finding someone who disappeared seven years ago would be asking for the impossible, wouldn’t it? If he hasn’t visited in seven years, you can hardly call yourselves close. In the end, what matters is the thing itself, not the man, doesn’t it?”
It was what he’d already expected, but disappointment was unavoidable.
‘I can’t reach Jeon Hwang-gil right now. What am I to do?’
Then a thought occurred to him.
“You make a fair point. Actually, seven years ago I heard him speak of a certain object—a golden Buddha statue as large as a forearm. Do you happen to know of it?”
“A golden Buddha statue as large as a forearm?”
“Indeed. At the time, I thought nothing of it, but now I find myself in sudden need of that statue. Could you procure it for me?”
A truly exceptional object is easier to find than an ordinary person.
“A golden Buddha statue as large as a forearm…… Is there such a thing in this world?”
Disappointment crossed Geom U-bin’s face.
“As I thought, you don’t know. It seems my journey here was wasted.”
Geom U-bin turned to leave, but the men blocked his path.
“You don’t just leave like that. There’s no such thing as a wasted trip in the Heuksahoe.”
Ha Sang-du had let something slip. A man carrying a million taels couldn’t simply be sent away with courtesy.
“The only way to avoid a wasted trip is to find that golden Buddha statue I mentioned. Can you do that?”
“If time allows, nothing is impossible.”
“I’ll give you two days. If you bring it within that time, I’ll add a hundred thousand taels to the million for the statue as a reward for your trouble.”
Even at that, they showed no sign of letting him pass.
“If you’ve made a contract, you must put down a deposit.”
“A deposit!”
Geom U-bin drew five coins from his pocket. With just a slight flick of his wrist, as if playing marbles, the five coins shot past Ha Sang-du faster than an arrow leaving the bow, burying themselves in the wall behind him.
All six of them, Ha Sang-du included, froze.
‘A—a Murim martial artist!’
Geom U-bin smiled wickedly.
“Two days. I suggest you not disappoint me.”
As he stepped forward, the thugs scrambled out of his way. As Geom U-bin left the Blacksmith Shop, he chuckled quietly to himself.
He was amused at how much his own threats were beginning to resemble those of Hyeolpung Saja.
‘Will they even be able to find that golden Buddha statue?’
He held no great hope, but for now he had no choice but to use them.
‘If they can’t find it, I’ll have to go to the Hao Mun.’
If he revealed his true identity as the lord of Oseong Jang-won, using the Hao Mun would be simple enough, but since he was in disguise, he couldn’t use the name ‘Geom U-bin’.
Mulling over these thoughts, he entered the inn and spotted two monks climbing the stairs to this floor.
‘Shaolin Temple?’
From the black robe draped diagonally across the shoulder and tied at the waist, he could identify them as warrior monks of the Shaolin Temple.
All the knowledge Hyeolpung Saja had shared with him about the Murim whenever time allowed had honed Geom U-bin’s eye in just this way.
As it happened, his own room was also on this floor, so he followed them upstairs. The two Shaolin monks happened to stay in the room right next to his.
He had heard that Shaolin warrior monks rarely left the temple unless something exceptional occurred. Which meant their presence here signified that something exceptional had happened.
‘Could it be related to me?’
To be safe, Geom U-bin heightened his hearing. The voices of the monks conversing in the adjacent room penetrated his ears.
―From everything we’ve investigated so far, it appears that the blood incident in Doyeon County, caused by Hyeol-geom O-gyeon, would result in an acquittal, would it not?
―It’s too early to say for certain. Let’s investigate further.
―That may be true, but if the blood incident in Doyeon County wasn’t the doing of Hyeol-geom O-gyeon, then there’s a possibility that he’s been falsely accused in other matters as well. Who would frame Hyeol-geom O-gyeon, and why?
―That’s precisely what we need to uncover.
Geom U-bin stopped listening at that point. The Shaolin Temple’s Abbot, Sam Gong Taesa, was conducting an investigation into the Blood Incident involving Hyeol-geom O-gyeon, as promised.
From what the Shaolin monks were discussing, it seemed clear that Hyeol-geom O-gyeon’s false accusation would soon be cleared.
But this matter was not confined to Hyeol-geom O-gyeon alone. By analyzing the scenes where the Murim Alliance had tried to capture Hyeol-geom O-gyeon, it seemed highly likely that the Alliance was involved in the Blood Incidents that had occurred throughout the Murim.
If the Murim Alliance was implicated in the Blood Incidents and Shaolin Temple exposed it, the Alliance would inevitably splinter.
‘The Hyeol-geom O-gyeon case could even strip away the masks of the hypocrites within the Orthodox Faction.’
If all went well, this affair might expose the hidden forces at work far sooner. In that sense, Shaolin Temple’s investigation was important to Geom U-bin as well.
Of course, Geom U-bin had no intention of interfering—only of lending silent support. If anyone could handle the matter with fairness and impartiality, it was Shaolin Temple.
Having retired to bed early, Geom U-bin stirred from a light sleep. Through the pitch-dark window, he sensed that considerable time had passed.
He had woken because of an unusual presence. The sound of someone treading on the roof was faint, but it could not escape Geom U-bin’s perception.
His first thought was of the Heuksahoe, but the lightness skill displayed in crossing the roof was too refined for them.
The presence crossing the roof halted. It was not far from Geom U-bin, but the target was not him.
The presence stopped on the roof of the adjacent room where the Shaolin monks were lodging.
Geom U-bin moved to the window. From the presence above the roof, it seemed the intruder was peering at the Shaolin monk through the window.
He wanted to lean out and confirm what he saw, but there was no need to court such danger.
After roughly a quarter hour of watching the Shaolin monk, the figure departed from the inn roof, and Geom U-bin slipped out through the window.
A figure in black descended onto the roof of the opposite building and entered his field of view. Geom U-bin’s hesitation was brief.
Hyeol-geom O-gyeon had become family of Oseong Jang-won, and this affair was connected to him. Moreover, if Shaolin Temple conducted a thorough investigation, they might draw out the forces lurking in shadow far more quickly.
So there was no reason for Geom U-bin not to tail the figure in black. The cautious intruder frequently glanced back to watch for pursuit, but each time, Geom U-bin concealed himself faster.
The figure in black entered another inn. Geom U-bin descended onto the inn’s roof as the figure had done.
He was far more discreet—so much so that only someone of Hyeolpung Saja’s caliber could have sensed his presence.
“They are still lodged at the inn.”
“Once their investigation is complete, they will likely depart tomorrow.”
Seven breaths emanated from within the room. Geom U-bin hooked his feet over the eaves and hung inverted, peering through the window into the chamber.
As he had sensed, seven figures sat in a circle around a round table.
But one of them was familiar.
‘I’ve seen that face before.’
Not a mere resemblance—he had definitely seen this person before. And Geom U-bin suddenly recalled the place.
‘The Hwasan Faction!’
Yes, that was where he had seen him. When Geom U-bin had visited the Hwasan Faction, he had distinctly heard a disciple address him as “Elder Seo.”
As if to confirm Geom U-bin’s memory, one of them spoke.
“Elder Seo, should we not proceed? If they escape this place and rejoin the other monks, disposing of them will become far more difficult.”
“I am aware. Once those monks report what they have learned to the Abbot, the truth of Hyeol-geom O-gyeon’s false accusation will be revealed. We must act before that happens. Their next destination is Wa-ho County, is it not?”
“Yes.”
“Is there a suitable location?”
“The fastest route to Wa-ho County passes over Dong Seung Mountain. Those two monks will likely take that path.”
“An uninhabited mountain—that is not unfavorable. Tomorrow, when we strike down those two, we must not employ the Hwasan Faction’s martial arts. We cannot leave any trace of the Faction, even on a corpse.”
“They will not even leave corpses behind. They will simply vanish.”
“Yet there is always the possibility of the unexpected. And besides, are not the other martial arts you have cultivated more potent than the Hwasan Faction’s techniques? We must make it swift.”
Geom U-bin quietly rose to the roof.
‘I had my suspicions, but now it is certain—the Hwasan Faction has made a pact with the hidden forces.’
For Geom U-bin, this was a situation he could not simply overlook. Far more than clearing Hyeol-geom O-gyeon’s name was at stake here.
If he eliminated them now, he could ensure the safety of the Shaolin monks.
Yet Geom U-bin did not act immediately. It would serve him far better if the Shaolin monks learned they were in danger—better for what was to come.
Returning to the inn, Geom U-bin kept vigil throughout the night, watching over the monks. The industrious Shaolin monks departed from the inn as soon as dawn broke.
Since he knew they were heading toward Dong Seung Mountain, there was no need to follow closely. And they needed some distance—enough for the Hwasan Faction to make their move.
Seo Won and Ban Won, utterly unaware of the threat drawing near, trudged forward steadily.
Seo Won had entered Shaolin Temple at age four and had not set foot beyond its walls until he turned twenty-five.
Only three years ago, when he joined the 108 Arhats, did he first step into the wider Murim.
That single experience—lasting merely three months—was all he knew of the Murim. At least Seo Won had that much; Ban Won was making his first journey into the Murim with this very expedition.
That such inexperienced monks had uncovered the truth of the Hyeol-geom O-gyeon case could only be called fortune.
“We must inform the Abbot at once of what we have discovered.”
“But who did this to Hyeol-geom O-gyeon, and why did they fabricate such a false accusation?”
“Shaolin will continue the investigation. The truth will come to light.”
Dong Seung Mountain was not only treacherous in terrain but narrow in path, drawing few travelers.
Most people with business in Wa-ho County preferred the broader roads where carriages could pass, even if the route took longer, rather than the cramped mountain trail.
So for a long while, only Seo Won and Ban Won trod the path, scarce two feet wide.
Their solitary journey ended near the summit of Dong Seung Mountain. Three figures appeared so silently that the two monks never sensed their approach.
The three figures blocking the path said nothing, merely fixing their gazes upon the two monks.
“Who are you to block the path of humble monks?” Seo Won asked.
As Seo Won finished speaking, three more figures materialized behind them, cutting off their retreat.
The intent of the six men who appeared before and behind them was unmistakable. Still, he asked.
“Do you know who we are?”
A man who appeared to be around thirty spoke.
“Two of Shaolin Temple’s 108 Arhats.”
The fact that they knew exactly who these men were only deepened the unease that gripped Seo Won and Ban Won.
“What is your reason for blocking our path?”
“You’ve learned something you shouldn’t have.”
“It’s about the Hyeol-geom O-gyeon, then. Let me ask again—who are you?”
“Ask King Yama that.”
As he finished speaking, all six drew their blades in unison. The situation was turning in a direction that couldn’t be resolved without fighting.
Ban Won, quicker than Seo Won, gripped his spear in both hands and thrust it forward, readying himself for battle.
“Be careful.”

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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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