Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 35

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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 35

“Ughh!”
With a cry, Jang So-il flew a full ten paces before crashing hard to the ground.
She hadn’t killed him.
He wasn’t dangerous enough to warrant killing, and she hadn’t steeled herself to take a life—not yet.
She’d intended to help if the three porters found themselves in trouble, but they subdued the assassins from the Munyeong Sajan one by one.
Of course, they showed none of Geom U-bin’s restraint.
They had no reason to keep the assassins alive, and these were people for whom killing was simply part of existence.
Three cries rang out in rapid succession, then that violent storm of time came to a halt. The three porters, absorbed in their own fights, looked up in shock when they finally noticed Geom U-bin.
“Did the Master Proprietor take care of them?”
“Still alive.”
Any martial artist knew that capturing an opponent alive was far harder than killing them.
‘Stronger than us?’
The fact that Geom U-bin had thrown the arrogant martial hall master was common knowledge throughout Hangju.
But operating a martial hall and serving with the Munyeong Sajan were qualitatively different things. Especially when lives hung in the balance—even the most seasoned martial artists grew stiff with tension.
Yet Geom U-bin showed not a trace of nerves, which meant her martial prowess far exceeded theirs.
‘There were rumors that Hang Ju-sa-ung was quite skilled, but I never imagined the Master Proprietor was this formidable.’
Geom U-bin approached the bodies left by the three porters and spoke.
“Get these cleaned up quickly, and let’s rest. He won’t wake until morning, so don’t worry about him.”
She even carried herself like a seasoned martial veteran.
The next morning, when the porters and caravan workers woke, they realized they’d spent the night with one foot in the grave.
“That bastard Gwak Bong was in on it with the Munyeong Sajan, targeting the goods! They say there’s not a trustworthy soul in this world!”
“If it was the Munyeong Sajan, they would’ve killed us all! If not for the Master Proprietor, we’d be….”
Those trembling with fear turned their eyes one by one toward Geom U-bin, who was saddling her horse and preparing to depart.
The porters and caravan workers approached Geom U-bin to offer their thanks.
“Thanks to you, Master Proprietor, we’ve kept our lives.”
As they bowed deeply, Geom U-bin waved them off.
“No, it was simply what needed doing. I’m actually sorry I couldn’t warn you sooner. I had to gather solid proof first.”
Because of the disorder, the caravan set out later than usual, but the mood was good. Seong Ju-myeong took Jang So-il captive and went somewhere midway; only Seong Ju-myeong returned.
Geom U-bin presumed he’d killed Jang So-il and didn’t concern herself with it.
She could have turned him over to the magistrate, but the Murim and the government were like river water and well water—they didn’t encroach upon each other’s domain. That’s why martial artists rarely handed anyone over to the authorities, and this time was no exception.
As they drew near the edge of Anhui Province, people dispatched from the Namgung Clan Estate were waiting.
“We’ve already sent carrier pigeons ahead to the Namgung Clan and the Seoyang Caravan Company.”
At Seong Ju-myeong’s words, Geom U-bin looked startled.
“To the Seoyang Caravan Company too?”
“Yes. The Seoyang Caravan Company likely relayed word to the Oseong Jang-won as well. Hang Ju-sa-ung gave strict orders that we inform him immediately if anything happens to the caravan.”
“I… did you mention that I didn’t even get a scratch and came through perfectly unharmed?”
“The letters sent by carrier pigeon are so small that space is limited, so we couldn’t write out the details. We only sent a brief note that the cargo was attacked but that all was well. But why are you sighing?”

***

The excuse was training to master Cheoldugong, but this was clearly the masters punishing the disciples because they were in a foul mood.
After more than two hours of standing on their heads with hands at their sides, groans began leaking from Hang Ju-sa-byeon’s lips.
“But… why do I have to… do this…?”
Beside Hang Ju-sa-byeon, Gwak Bong was in the same position.
“If it’s unbearable, run away.”
The atmosphere made it clear that even the most oblivious person would understand that running meant death.
With a Go board between them, Seo Seok-san and Do Pyeong-su arranged white and black stones neatly.
They were in the middle of a game.
“Lower your arms. Want me to sew your sides shut?”
At Seo Seok-san’s sinister tone, all five straightened their arms stiffly at once.
“Teaching these blockheads while keeping an eye on you takes all the joy out of it. How are you holding up?”
“This caravan business means sleeping under the stars all the time. Even if you’re doing well, it’s hardship. Sigh.”
“You’re sighing as if you didn’t just sneakily shift that stone leftward for better sliding advantage. Playing tricks?”
“Coincidence, pure coincidence.”
“A sparrow-shaped kite is just a sparrow kite. Don’t you know your wrist gets cut if you’re caught cheating?”
“You’ll cut my wrist? Go ahead and try.”
‘With Master absent, the atmosphere in the Estate is really…….’
Into the precarious air, Yeon Geum-hong’s voice burst forth.
“Children!”
“How old are we to be called children……!”
The spirit of quarrel itself had descended, offended by so simple a word. Behind Yeon Geum-hong, who’d come running like light, was Jang Man-dok as well.
Slap!
Yeon Geum-hong placed a piece of paper no larger than her palm onto the weiqi board as she spoke.
“A letter just arrived from the Seoyang Caravan Company!”
“The Seoyang Caravan Company? That means it’s about my brother, doesn’t it? What does it say?”
Do Pyeong-su asked, and Seo Seok-san read the letter. Then the three of them stamped the ground and bolted.
“Hey! Where are you going? What does it say!”
Do Pyeong-su’s final voice echoed from far away. And in that place, only five remained.
“When are we supposed to stop doing this?”
“Well…… I don’t know.”

***

Growwwl!
Before a tiger the size of a house, the herb gatherer Go Sang-do had finally lost his footing. Standing three paces away, he could see no way to escape as the beast crept slowly toward him.
The moment he turned to run, the tiger would stamp the ground and catch him by the throat before he’d taken two steps.
‘I haven’t even gotten married yet……!’
The tiger lunged.
Go Sang-do couldn’t muster courage enough to stare death in the face.
All he could do was squeeze his eyes shut.
Crash!
The tiger let out a strange, hideous cry, and a violent wind swept past. The wind was so fierce that Go Sang-do was knocked rolling across the ground.
His shoulders ached, but the pain he should have felt from the tiger’s bite never came.
He gathered every shred of courage and carefully opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the tiger right in front of him.
“Aaah!”
He quickly rolled away, and the tiger sprawled on the ground made no move to follow.
Swallowing hard, he confirmed it: the tiger was dead.
Unmistakably dead. The cause was internal rupture from a broken spine.
“What on earth happened?”
The mystery would never be solved, but Go Sang-do, who’d come to gather herbs, could descend into the village with a tiger pelt instead, walking with proud steps.
On that straight line connecting Zhejiang Province to Anhui Province, five creatures met mysterious deaths—a tiger and wild boar alike—and a woman praying for a son at a shrine nearly had her life crushed when the ceiling suddenly collapsed.
The Bloodwind Four Lions had left such tumultuous traces in their wake before finally arriving at the Namgung Clan Estate.
“Heave!”
They scaled the wall.
In four hundred years of Namgung Clan history, this was the first time such a breach had been permitted.
The moment the Bloodwind Four Lions cleared the wall, they spotted Geom U-bin standing in the Martial Training Ground. Standing upon white marble, she seemed as though she had been waiting for them.
“Are you injured anywhere……!”
“I’m fine. Uncle, Aunt.”
Only after Geom U-bin spoke and winked with one eye did understanding dawn. Their frantic dash had been for nothing—she looked perfectly unharmed.
“There’s a front gate, so why climb the wall?”
“Ah! The gate, we couldn’t quite see it. Over there……! Ha ha ha!”
Do Pyeong-su laughed awkwardly and climbed back out over the wall, and the other three followed suit.
“Well, we’ve come this far, so there’s no need to leave…….”
Seo Seok-san’s voice came from outside the gate.
“Hang Ju-sa-byeon requests an audience with the Namgung Clan Estate!”
There were five or six martial artists from the Namgung Clan in the Martial Training Ground, but the sudden turn of events left them all bewildered.
“They are my aunts and uncles.”
“Ah, I see…… Yes, indeed. Quite spirited, aren’t they!”
Thanks to her accomplishments during the Caravan Journey, Geom U-bin was being treated as an honored guest at the Namgung Clan Estate.
When the security guards at the gate opened it, the Bloodwind Four Lions came in at a leisurely pace, hands clasped formally, as though they were visiting for the first time.
Yeon Geum-hong came trotting over to Geom U-bin, who was barely suppressing a smile.
“Oh my, our U-bin! You must have had such a hard time on the Caravan Journey! Your face is half the size it was!”
“Sleeping Under Stars must have been tough—you didn’t catch cold? Are you hurt anywhere? Did anyone give you a hard time?”
“It’s only been four days since I left home.”
“Is that all it’s been? Feels like three years since I’ve seen you.”
Do Pyeong-su asked in a very small voice.
“Senior, we hope you’re not upset that we dropped by so suddenly. We heard the caravan came under attack, and we got so worried that we…….”
Geom U-bin grinned and suddenly embraced Do Pyeong-su.
“I’m so glad to see you. It’s been three years since I’ve been away from my disciples.”
The Hyeolpung Saja broke into beaming smiles and embraced Geom U-bin one after another. Four days after their emotional reunion, Namgung Hye-yeon and her uncle, Namgung Seong-won, approached them.
“Hahaha! I’ve never seen such closeness between an uncle and nephew as this.”
Geom U-bin made the introductions.
“This is Namgung Seong-won, the Third Brother of the family patriarch, a great swordsman. And this one…….”
Before Geom U-bin could finish, Seo Seok-san stepped forward abruptly.
“So this is Hye-yeon. I’ve heard plenty about her from our U-bin. She’s every bit as lovely as the stories say.”
Just as Geom U-bin had changed, Namgung Hye-yeon too had gradually transformed from girl into young woman.
“U-bin talked about me?”
“Of course. Goes on and on about gaining such a beautiful and kindhearted friend. I never knew U-bin was such a chatterbox.”
Geom U-bin tugged at Seo Seok-san’s collar to stop him, but Seo Seok-san showed no sign of letting up.
While Seo Seok-san and Namgung Hye-yeon continued their banter, Namgung Seong-won asked a question.
“I take it U-bin came here out of worry after hearing that the caravan was attacked?”
“Yes, we were so concerned that…….”
Geom U-bin cut off Do Pyeong-su’s hurried reply.
“No. We had arranged to meet at the Namgung Clan Estate. We were planning a family journey, but it seemed difficult to meet on the road, so we agreed to join up at the estate instead. I apologize for not giving notice beforehand.”
“Not at all. The Namgung Clan Estate’s doors are always open to guests. But if it’s a journey, you’re traveling remarkably light.”
The Hyeolpung Saja arrived empty-handed.
“These are people who dislike unnecessary fuss. Haha!”
Though the visit was sudden, the Namgung Clan Estate had rooms prepared for guests.
Do Pyeong-su, with tea brought by a servant placed before him, asked a question.
“Senior, why did you lie to the young Namgung?”
“The young Namgung? You mean Hye-yeon?”
“No, Hye-yeon’s uncle.”
Though Namgung Seong-won was forty years old, he seemed like a child to the Hyeolpung Saja.
“You came straight here after receiving the carrier pigeon message, didn’t you?”
“I simply rode at full speed.”
“How long did it take?”
“About half a day?”
“How many martial artists in Murim could make it from Oseong Jang-won in Hangju to the Namgung Clan Estate in half a day?”
Only then did Do Pyeong-su understand what Geom U-bin was saying.
“We almost gave away our martial arts abilities!”
Seo Seok-san said.
“This much won’t make him realize we’re the Hyeolpung Saja.”
“Of course not, but we should be careful about everything.”
Though the Hyeolpung Saja had never practiced caution before, this time they agreed with Geom U-bin’s words.
“So we’re on a family journey, then?”
Do Pyeong-su asked, grinning, and the other three looked at Geom U-bin with bright, eager eyes.
While Geom U-bin faced their bright, expectant gazes, Namgung Seong-won was with Clan Patriarch Namgung Cheol-un.
“So U-bin’s aunt and uncles are not ordinary martial artists?”
“None of the outer-gate warriors guarding the perimeter of the Namgung Clan Estate saw the arrival of the visitors from Hangju.”

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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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