Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 38

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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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#038

When Yeon Geum-hong suggested a slight detour, Geom U-bin nodded readily enough. But as the path grew steep and treacherous—barely passable even for a squirrel—he couldn’t help but ask.
“Why are we heading into these mountains?”
“If we’re lucky, you might taste the finest tea in the world today.”
Even with the terrain jagged and unforgiving, it posed little obstacle to one of the Bloodwind Four Lions; and if he thought of it as travel rather than toil, the mountain vistas weren’t unwelcome.
“Lucky? You mean you’re not certain she’s even here?”
Seo Seok-san’s question drew a nod from Yeon Geum-hong.
“The last time I saw her was fifteen years ago.”
He’d expected the three of them to reproach her for leading them down an uncertain path, yet none of them did.
Geom U-bin found himself increasingly curious about who “she” was.
When he asked, the answer came back: “You might find out if we meet her.”
There was no trail, only knife-edged rocks and sheer cliffs. They climbed through that treacherous terrain for over an hour.
When they finally crested the rise, Geom U-bin let out a gasp of wonder.
A basin valley opened before them.
A waterfall tumbled into a pool, and all around it bloomed flowering trees of every variety.
A cottage stood in the center.
If immortals dwelt anywhere, surely it would be in a place like this.
“I’ve only heard tales of it—never seen it myself until now.”
“You’ve never met this teacher before?”
Do Pyeong-su spoke up.
“Only Geum-hong has a karmic bond with her. The rest of us have only ever heard legends.”
“Really…… I’m dying to know what the story is.”
Geom U-bin caught sight of Jang Man-dok and started.
“What? The Northern Ice Palace?”
Jang Man-dok, flustered, turned his face away to hide his expression.
“How is it your face gives you away so easily?”
Yeon Geum-hong, chiding him gently, turned to Geom U-bin.
“We disciples keep no secrets from our senior, but about her—I’d like to ask permission before sharing that story.”
“Wow! I’m amazed there’s someone your disciples are so protective of!”
“Still, the one we care for most is our senior. You know that, don’t you?”
“Of course. I’d like to meet her right away.”
They entered the basin valley and made their way toward the cottage.
The small cottage, perhaps twenty paces across, was kept neat and tidy—clearly not abandoned.
Just as Yeon Geum-hong was about to announce their arrival at the door, a voice came from behind them.
“If you’ve come to settle some old grievance, you’d best turn back now.”
Geom U-bin spun around, startled.
He’d sensed no warning—no shifting of air, no tremor of footsteps. The woman’s martial skill was plainly formidable.
She stood barely three paces away.
Wrinkles lined her face and silver threaded her hair, marking her years, yet somehow she didn’t appear old at all.
Yeon Geum-hong broke into a radiant smile.
“You’re still living here after all.”
“There’s only one face in this world I’d greet with joy, and that’s not you. So who……?”
“Isn’t it though?”
The woman’s face filled with dawning astonishment.
“Could it be…… Geum-hong…… sister?”
“I’ve changed quite a bit, haven’t I?”
“Good heavens! What happened? The Half-Age Return Technique? Is it really…?”
“Well, it turned out that way, one thing and another.”
The woman pulled Yeon Geum-hong into a fierce embrace. Yeon Geum-hong patted her back gently.
“I’m sorry I haven’t visited more often.”
“This place isn’t exactly convenient to reach. Still, sixteen years is a long time.”
“Fifteen years.”
“It feels like sixteen. But no matter—these people with you are they your enemies, come to settle old scores?”
“No. They’re my martial siblings now.”
“Oh! So the ill-tempered Ma Gun-ja finally accepted disciples? Though…….”
The refined gaze of the aging woman settled on Geom U-bin.
“What’s with that one—looks like a courtesan’s pretty boy. Your disciple?”
An inexplicable hostility emanated from her words, and a chill crept down his spine unbidden.
The three men bristled at being called a courtesan’s boy, but Yeon Geum-hong moved swiftly to intercede.
“He’s our senior brother.”
The woman blinked and asked again.
“What did you say?”
“Senior brother.”
“You’re joking.”
“This hardly seems a matter for jest.”
“No! Even if that old fool Ma Gun-ja has lost his wits, there are limits! Making a mere child his senior brother?”
When she went on to mention Hwa Jeok-san after Geom U-bin, Do Pyeong-su erupted.
“I was willing to let it slide for Geum-hong’s sake, but you’re digging graves for the dead, old woman!”
The woman did not yield.
“By the look of you, you must be some shadowless ghost-art user. Well then, for once I’ll kill something other than fish!”
“They say Northern Ice Palace women have cold blood. Good—let’s find out if it’s true today!”
The Bloodwind Four Lions could not coordinate their assault, so two withdrew, leaving Yeon Geum-hong bewildered and helpless.
No matter how dear her junior brother was to her, the woman had dismissed Hwa Jeok-san and Geom U-bin as a senile fool and a courtesan’s plaything—far beyond what was acceptable.
As the woman drew up her martial force, white frost spread outward from where her feet touched the ground.
“Both of you, that’s enough!”
It was Geom U-bin who stepped between them.
“I cannot let those who insult my master and senior brother go unpunished.”
“Hmph! What makes that stubborn old man so grand?”
Grandmother, please refrain from insulting my late master.”
The woman’s expression stiffened slightly.
“Late? Dead? Ma Gun-ja—dead? That man whom I thought would outlive every martial artist in the Murim?”
Yeon Geum-hong sighed deeply before speaking.
“Yes. It was only when Master passed that he finally accepted us as his disciples.”
She recounted the story of her connection with Geom U-bin, and the frost that had spread around the woman faded away.
Geom U-bin managed to calm the still-indignant Do Pyeong-su and brought his temper under control.
“Even the greatest warrior under heaven must die…….”
A murmur escaped the woman’s lips, as though she absorbed the impermanence of life with her entire being.
“Sigh. Still, he was the only one who had the true spirit of a martial artist.”
Despite her talk of senility, her words revealed how she truly regarded Hwa Jeok-san.
Muttering to herself—’To grow old and have to serve such a young senior brother. What a fate for a sister’—the woman headed toward the cottage.
They all filed after her, and as she opened the cottage door, she said:
“Wait outside. No man shall set foot in my cottage.”
Once Yeon Geum-hong and the woman had gone inside, Seo Seok-san clicked his tongue.
“Forty years of hermitage, and her temperament hasn’t changed a bit.”
“Pardon? She’s lived here for forty years? Alone?”
“Can you imagine spending forty years alone in a place like this? No matter how beautiful the surroundings, I’d go mad.”
“It seems to be because of a man, doesn’t it? She seems to despise men greatly.”
“That’s true. Eun Bi-yeon is pitiful, really. She was the daughter-heir of the Northern Ice Palace with nothing left to want in this world, but one wrong man changed everything. Had Eun Bi-yeon become Palace Master as intended, the Northern Ice Palace’s standing would be incomparably higher than it is now.”
“Is her martial arts skill that high?”
“You saw her about to spar with Pyeong-su, didn’t you?”
Do Pyeong-su spoke curtly.
“I’d have won.”
“Of course you would, though it wouldn’t have been easy.”
Seo Seok-san’s remark drew no objection from Do Pyeong-su. His curiosity about this recluse master with martial arts approaching the Bloodwind Four Lions had only deepened.
As they found a wide rock beside the pool and sat down, Yeon Geum-hong and Eun Bi-yeon emerged, carrying a teapot and cups in their hands.
Seo Seok-san spoke.
“At last I can taste the tea Geum-hong has talked about so much—the most delicious in the world.”
Do Pyeong-su, whose first impression of Eun Bi-yeon had been poor, blurted out:
“Tea is tea, no matter how you dress it up.”
Eun Bi-yeon set the tray on the rock.
“Phew! Serving my tea to men, of all things.”
“What, worried you’ll poison it?”
At Do Pyeong-su’s curt retort, Eun Bi-yeon flicked her fingers.
“Ah! Now that’s a thought!”
“Stop wasting breath and sit down.”
The tea was Flower Tea.
It appeared to be made from flowers picked nearby. Eun Bi-yeon sat apart, unwilling to share knee space with the men.
“No matter how deep the grudge, forty years have passed. Forget it now.”
“If I’d forgotten, I would have left this place long ago instead of staying here all this time.”
Eun Bi-yeon poured water into Yeon Geum-hong’s cup across from her, while the other four men had to serve themselves.
Fortunately, Seo Seok-san possessed deep knowledge of tea preparation as well.
He warmed the cup and steeped it once to rinse away dust clinging to the leaves, and already the fragrance rose up.
‘Hmm?’
Seo Seok-san, who had tasted hundreds of celebrated teas, could discern eighty percent of a tea’s character from its aroma alone.
As he brought the cup to his lips, his heart began to race for the first time in ages. And the taste that touched his tongue surpassed all expectation.
“Ah!”
The exclamation escaped Seo Seok-san unaware, and he took another sip.
‘The first taste and the second are entirely different. The first impression is crisp, the second smooth and sweet—this is the ultimate Flower Tea!’
Yeon Geum-hong’s claim that this was the finest tea in the world was no exaggeration whatsoever.
“Oh! This is delicious!”
Even Do Pyeong-su, who perceived no difference between a hundred silver coins and a single copper cash, cried out in appreciation.
While they sipped their tea, they paid Eun Bi-yeon no attention.
As the men drank, Yeon Geum-hong produced a bottle of spirits.
“I thought I’d shed all earthly desires, yet I find I cannot forget your Golden Liquor.”
Yeon Geum-hong poured the Golden Liquor into a cup and asked.
“Has your tolerance for spirits improved?”
“I suppose we’ll find out today.”
When the liquor touched her lips, Eun Bi-yeon winced, but a broad smile soon spread across her face.
“This is the taste!”
And a quarter hour passed.
As the hot water nearly depleted and Seo Seok-san reached for the kettle, his eyes met Eun Bi-yeon’s.
“That man is the Cheoneum-gwi?”
She posed the question to Yeon Geum-hong, but her gaze remained fixed on Seo Seok-san.
“Yes.”
“The one who stole a thousand women’s hearts and drew tears from ten thousand women’s eyes… that man?”
“The rumors are somewhat exaggerated.”
“It’s not exaggeration—it’s sheer fabrication. Has my standard for men changed while I was in hermitage?”
Eun Bi-yeon pointed mockingly at Seo Seok-san, who was beginning to take offense.
“Even if it changed, surely not to someone who looks like that?”
“Looks like that?”
“Besides, look at that hair. A rock outcropping would have more growth. Hehehehe!”
Crack!
The cup in Seo Seok-san’s hand shattered to powder, and he was about to stand when Yeon Geum-hong made a gesture.
—She’s drunk. Let it pass.
As Yeon Geum-hong’s lips silently soothed him, Seo Seok-san settled back onto the stone.
“The tea’s too good to spoil it with a fight.”
“Little one.”
Geom U-bin, startled, quickly answered.
“Yes!”
Eun Bi-yeon tapped the spot beside her.
“Come sit here.”
Geom U-bin quietly shifted over. Eun Bi-yeon studied the boy intently.
“You’re really thirteen? You look seventeen. Sigh! If only I’d never met that man, I’d be living happily with a grandson like you.”
Her litany of regret began.
“I was insane too. That pretty face—like some courtesan’s brother—completely bewitched me, and I poured out everything, even gave away the Northern Ice Palace’s Martial Arts. All beautiful men should die.”
As Eun Bi-yeon’s chill rose, Yeon Geum-hong filled her cup with spirits and soothed her.
“Calm yourself.”
“Yes. It’s all ancient history. Forty years have passed, and his face is a blur now. Though those wrinkles around his eyes when he smiled… they were beautiful.”
Though she claimed the memory had faded, Eun Bi-yeon remembered even the fine hair on his ears.
“If not for you, I would never have learned that bastard was the Guijian Sect’s Rumor Broker, and I’d have given away all the Northern Ice Palace’s Martial Arts. Yes! Even if he’s from the Guijian Sect, that’s fine! The Heterodox Way isn’t all evil! Wasn’t your master Ma Gun-ja more impressive than any Orthodox Faction member? Wasn’t he? Why did a married man with a child do such a thing! Why!”
His approach was calculated—all aimed at seizing the Northern Ice Palace’s Martial Arts—and it was Yeon Geum-hong who had uncovered the conspiracy and revealed it to Eun Bi-yeon.
It was not mere betrayal but deception from the man she loved most.
Eun Bi-yeon’s rage was justified.
It was the Guijian Sect’s misfortune that the person who unleashed justified fury was Eun Bi-yeon.
The Northern Ice Palace’s Martial Arts were worth coveting by the Guijian Sect, but with only half of those arts siphoned away, they could not master the complete and perfect techniques of the Northern Ice Palace.
The Guijian Sect, which had commanded considerable renown throughout Gangxi Province, could not withstand Eun Bi-yeon’s fury for even a single night.
Consumed by rage, Eun Bi-yeon spared neither the martial artists nor the women who knew nothing of Martial Arts. Yet thanks to a fragile thread of reason that her nature still grasped, the children were able to escape with their lives.
“Come seek your revenge! Please! I will obliterate the Guijian Sect down to its very roots!”
So she had declared—yet Eun Bi-yeon, having annihilated the Guijian Sect, withdrew to this place where no one could find her and took to hermitage.
She had been thirty years old then, and it was a tale from forty years past.

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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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