Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 40

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

#040

“No, that’s not quite it…”
“I could have let it pass if he’d been disrespectful only to me. But he dared show disrespect to our aunt standing here—I simply couldn’t tolerate that. This aunt of ours is someone even my father holds in high regard. For a mere warehouse keeper to dare speak of women in such a manner! Do you think this trifling matter merits overlooking just because a few of his teeth are missing?”
Jegal Pyeong’s gaze turned toward Yeon Geum-hong.
‘Someone the head of the Namgung Clan fears?’
The Namgung Clan, which positioned itself as the leader of the Five Great Families, bore a pride to match. Namgung Cheol-un in particular was as formidable in arrogance as he was in skill, and he had a tendency to subtly look down even on sect leaders of the Nine Major Sects.
To learn that such a man would hesitate before someone was nothing short of fascinating.
“Who is this person, if I may ask?”
After speaking, Jegal Pyeong’s face shifted to one of chagrin.
Asking directly about someone one failed to recognize was considered rude to any master of the Murim.
“I apologize.”
Namgung Hye-yeon had raised such a commotion, and somehow Jegal Pyeong, the young master of the Jegal Family, had ended up offering an apology—there was no point in pressing the matter further.
“If a clan’s discipline has fallen to this level, the Jegal Family won’t last much longer.”
A smile bloomed on Yeon Geum-hong’s face as she glanced at Geom U-bin.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes, aunt.”
Geom U-bin, placing particular emphasis on the honorific, took Yeon Geum-hong’s hand.
“You handled that well.”
At his murmur, Yeon Geum-hong let out a quiet laugh.
“What else could I do? We can’t annihilate the Jegal Family over something so petty. Still, though…”
Yeon Geum-hong glanced back at Namgung Hye-yeon, who was explaining the whole affair to Jegal Pyeong.
“That girl has quite a sharp mind, doesn’t she?”
Had Namgung Hye-yeon allowed her anger to flare without restraint, Yeon Geum-hong certainly would have stepped in, and the matter would not have ended so smoothly.
“The Namgung Clan is somewhat lacking compared to what I’d expect from you, but…”
“She’s only thirteen.”
“At that age, Seo Seok-san went through three girls like they were nothing.”
“Isn’t it rather unreasonable to equalize Seo and his disciples?”
As they emerged from the rear courtyard and crossed the main yard, a bell tolled—announcing the lunch hour.
Geom U-bin asked.
“Shall we eat here? I’m getting hungry.”
“The food will be sparse.”
After all, they were not formal guests but had merely come to deliver liquor. Naturally, only the plain fare given to the workers would be available.
“It’s food we eat countless times in our lives anyway. Might as well fill our bellies with whatever’s at hand.”
“If you’re amenable, uncle.”
Not only the workers of the Jegal Family, but couriers from the Express Delivery Service and assistant couriers ate here as well. The yard, where mats were laid for dining, was crowded and bustling with people.
Couriers from the Seoyang Express Service, with whom they had connections, hurried over.
“We heard the two of you had arrived.”
One after another, they bowed respectfully to Geom U-bin and Yeon Geum-hong.
“But what brings you here?”
“We’ve come for a meal ourselves.”
“What? The head of the Seoyang Express and the Lady Byeong-hwa? Surely you mustn’t eat such rough fare!”
“You’re right, it wouldn’t be fitting. I’ll have a word with them about it.”
The couriers waved their hands in protest.
While Geom U-bin and Yeon Geum-hong were insisting it was fine, a man approached from behind and spoke.
“They speak truly. Such a place is unworthy of a fair maiden like yourself.”
The newcomer was a man in his mid-twenties wearing a clean, slate-gray martial robe.
The robe marked him as a martial artist, and his fair skin and refined features brought to mind a scholar from a noble house.
“I apologize for the late introduction. I am Jang Myeong-gi, a disciple of the Mudang Faction.”
Yeon Geum-hong spoke through telepathic communication.
―There’s something of Seo Seok-san’s scent about him, somehow.
―He’s certainly taken an interest in Geom.
―Haha! This one’s beauty is truly something!
“There’s a separate space prepared for distinguished guests. Wouldn’t you prefer to dine there?”
“Shall we?”
Yeon Geum-hong’s only intention was to provide Geom U-bin with better food; nothing more.
As he turned to leave the courtyard, he spotted a familiar face among those seated on mats receiving their meal.
Of course, other faces were more familiar, but this one’s appearance was equally recognizable.
“Junior disciples,” Yeon Geum-hong murmured.
At that moment, the three disciples’ eyes met theirs as well. Yeon Geum-hong whispered in passing.
“The underlings should be eating things like that here.”
“Where are you going?” asked Seo Seok-san.
Yeon Geum-hong gestured with her eyes toward Jang Myeong-gi, who walked ahead.
“We’ve been invited. Thanks to my good looks.”
“Disciples, I’m sorry,” Geom U-bin offered his apology.
But it did nothing to lift their expressions.
“Blast! Only three meager cold dishes! This is too much!” one of them grumbled.
Geom U-bin and Yeon Geum-hong left the disciples’ complaints behind and followed Jang Myeong-gi.
The difference between the “underlings” and the “elite” was stark. Twenty tables arranged in the spacious Main Hall groaned under the weight of delicacies piled high enough to bend their legs.
Jang Myeong-gi pointed to an empty table.
“If you’d go over there……”
“Yes, go ahead there. We’ll take that one,” said Yeon Geum-hong, gesturing.
Jang Myeong-gi indicated a rather large table, but Yeon Geum-hong instead seated herself at a corner spot on the opposite side.
It was a place where only two chairs had been set.
Once Yeon Geum-hong and Geom U-bin sat down, Jang Myeong-gi stood awkwardly for a moment, unable to grasp the situation.
Yeon Geum-hong spoke.
“Thank you for showing us to our seats. We’ll enjoy our meal and be on our way.”
“Ah… yes.”
“Then I’ll see you later. Though I doubt the opportunity will arise.”
Jang Myeong-gi hesitated before finally moving to join his peers.
“The stench of fish blood is so thick it’s making my stomach churn.”
“Master, isn’t that a bit cruel?” asked Geom U-bin.
“How so? Cruelty is when you gut a dozen of them at once and hang their entrails out to dry. This is practically a kindness,” Yeon Geum-hong replied with a slight smile.
“You’re turning the Mudang Faction’s junior disciples into fools?”
As Geom U-bin sighed and spoke, Yeon Geum-hong pointed to the table where Jang Myeong-gi and four other junior disciples sat.
“Imagine I were sitting there instead.”
Geom U-bin could only nod in agreement.
He found himself thinking that some families might well face the misfortune of losing their line.
Yeon Geum-hong, glancing around the hall, spoke.
“I don’t see any important figures here.”
“How would you know that?” asked Geom U-bin.
“If I don’t know them, they’re not important.”
“Ah!”
Geom U-bin, not inclined to overthink it, conceded once again.
“Reconnaissance is the three fools’ job. We should finish eating and take a look around town.”
Yeon Geum-hong clearly intended to reap the full benefits of her position. Geom U-bin, having no particular business at the Jegal Family residence, followed her lead.
As they headed into town, Geom U-bin brought ten bottles of Sagi Liquor with him.
It was to fully accomplish the purpose of his visit.
But Yangyang County proved to be different from what Geom U-bin had anticipated. He’d thought the Jegal Family’s presence would make it a fairly substantial place, but there was only one decent tavern, few liquor houses at that, and nothing approaching even the mid-tier establishments of Hangju.
“Hmm, Sagi Liquor? What’s that?” asked the tavern keeper.
All three liquor houses he approached gave the same response.
They’d probably taste it and agree to buy, but once they heard the price, they’d balk.
At least the tavern’s manager had heard rumors of Sagi Liquor.
“Fifteen taels, and I’ll take a shipment.”
Geom U-bin replied that anything below thirty taels would be difficult. Even accounting for the transportation cost to get here, cutting the price below Hangju’s was simply not feasible.
The manager’s face twisted in disbelief.
“This isn’t Hangju, where rich men grow on trees. At that price, I’d struggle to sell even one bottle a month. If you won’t do fifteen taels, you can leave.”
Geom U-bin had no choice but to withdraw like a falling leaf brushed by the manager’s hand.
“Should we tear out that manager’s tongue?” asked Yeon Geum-hong.
“He’ll probably want to do it himself later. Let’s give him the chance,” she replied.
In the end, they failed to secure a single business deal in Yangyang County.
“We’ll have to stop by Wuhan on the way back. We should probably break into the larger cities first,” said Geom U-bin.
After wandering about for sightseeing, the two returned to the inn as evening fell. The three who arrived about half a double-hour later were taking revenge on their meager lunch by ordering enormous quantities of food.
“I sent you to gather intelligence and you came back looking like pigs. Were there any enemies of the Jegal Lord?” Do Pyeong-su asked, his mouth full of duck.
Do Pyeong-su spoke with the duck meat stuffed in his mouth.
“There were plenty of them. The Ilhae Sect’s sect master came, and I spotted the Bungsan Kwon Clan’s house master too. I counted about six that I recognized. Man-dok, you saw eight?”
“I’ve turned up the most—ten men. Though truthfully, among them only two could be called genuine blood-enemies of Jegal. And from what I could tell, those feuds are already settled. They didn’t just talk it through, so they must have fought it out.”
Do Pyeong-su took up Seo Seok-san’s thread.
“In just the past month, Jegal’s gotten into at least ten different fights.”
Geom U-bin asked the question.
“And yet he’s walked away whole? The Jegal lord’s martial arts must be formidable indeed.”
“You can’t attempt the Golden Separation Technique without confidence in your skills. From what I glimpsed earlier, his face was pretty well ruined. And one leg looked like it was giving him trouble.”
“The damage isn’t just physical, I’d wager. Some grievances he bought off with coin, others with treasures. I’d say the Jegal family’s coffers took as much a beating as his face.”
Seo Seok-san’s remark drew a chuckle from Do Pyeong-su.
“He’s probably regretting that Golden Separation Technique nonsense something fierce by now.”
Retirement isn’t something one can afford to look forward to peacefully in Murim.
“Speaking of which—Geum-hong, didn’t you tangle with the Jegal family?”
Do Pyeong-su’s question hung in the air.
“What are you talking about?”
“Word is the Jegal warehouse keeper got dismissed, and they chased you completely out of Yangyang County where you’d been living for three generations?”
“And you broke one of his legs in the process?”
“Rumor has it that was payback for laying hands on Bing Hwa, one of our Bloodwind Four Lions.”
“Hmph! So that’s how it went? By those terms, he got off easy. For calling me a girl, no less.”
Seo Seok-san nodded vigorously.
“Exactly. In any other situation, his skull would’ve caved in right there. But then—for the Jegal family, wouldn’t that have been a mercy? After his skull crushed in, then…….”
Do Pyeong-su finished the thought without hesitation.
“Jegal’s Golden Separation Technique would’ve become the Jegal family’s Sect Annihilation Technique.”
“I heard it was Namgung Hye-yeon who prevented the Jegal family’s destruction. Strange business—the one who offered the kindness and the one who received it, neither knows the truth of what actually saved them.”
“What exactly are you saying?”
Yeon Geum-hong’s barbed question drew a measured reply from Seo Seok-san.
“Last time you were set on brawling with Namgung Cheol-un, and now it’s the Jegal family. Are you planning to turn this journey with Hang into a Corpse Mountain Blood Sea? Please, just try not to cause trouble.”
Yeon Geum-hong had grown used to lecturing those three in exactly these terms, hearing it turned back on herself now made her blood boil. Seo Seok-san drove the nail deeper.
“A scrap of meat that feeds her, and here comes the old dame padding along behind like a puppy…….”
A chopstick flew.
Seo Seok-san dodged barely in time, three hairs torn from his scalp, and his rage erupted into a shout that rattled the foundations.
If Geom U-bin hadn’t stepped in quick, that restaurant would have lost half its tables and chairs and watched one pillar come down.
Yet the two who’d looked ready to stake their lives on the fight had dissolved all grievance by the time they got back to the inn.
“No lingering hard feelings?” Geom U-bin asked.
Seo Seok-san and Yeon Geum-hong both waved the suggestion away.
“Nothing like that. We’re not children…….”
“Children don’t demolish half a restaurant over petty bickering. As for the travel funds…….”
Geom U-bin pulled out the purse and checked it; his expression darkened.
“I’d prepared quite generously, but somehow we’re running thin. That boat passage a few days back drained a fair bit.”
“I’m sorry, eldest brother.”
“Next time you need to fight, do it in the wilderness. I’ve no desire to smash property and flee.”
“Understood.”
The chastened Bloodwind Four Lions changed into Night Travel Clothes the moment they returned to the inn.
“Where are you going?”
“To gather more intelligence on the Jegal family. There might be dangers we haven’t accounted for yet.”
“Is that really necessary? I don’t see how anything would put us in genuine peril.”
A combination of the Bloodwind Four Lions and Geom U-bin tilted the odds heavily against any schemer.
“Better safe than sorry.”
As Do Pyeong-su answered, an odd expression crossed his face—something expectant.
“You’re not hoping for trouble to break out, are you?”
“What? No, of course not!”
The Bloodwind Four Lions waved their hands emphatically to underscore the denial, but Geom U-bin had a trump card.
“It’s written all over Jang’s face.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————