Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 41

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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 041

Jang Man-dok spun around in alarm, but the three of them quickly blocked his path.
“S-sir, you must have seen wrong. That’s right, isn’t it, Pyeong-su?”
At Seo Seok-san’s question, Do Pyeong-su made a face that seemed to ask ‘Why are you dragging me into this?’ before managing only an awkward smile.
He simply could not bring himself to lie to Geom U-bin.
“Go on, then. And try not to cause any trouble.”
“Yes!”
The Hyeolpung Saja answered vigorously and scrambled out through the window, one after the other.
“Seems they were bored out of their minds in Hangju.”
The Hyeolpung Saja, who once strode across Zhongyuan as if it were their private domain, had spent years confined to Hangju and even earned an ill-fitting epithet as a result—the “Hangju Saja.” Now that they were finally venturing out, it was as if a gambler had just set foot in a gambling den.
They had endured that dreary life in Hangju for Geom U-bin’s sake, but the moment they stepped outside, excitement flooded through them like nothing else mattered.
‘I pray the karmic good they have accumulated will outweigh their karmic debts, my disciples.’
Seeing that they had not returned by the time Geom U-bin fell asleep, they must have been conducting quite a thorough investigation.
Sleep in an unfamiliar place rarely lasts long.
Waking before dawn, Geom U-bin gave up any hope of returning to sleep and left the inn.
As the sky began to brighten, Geom U-bin trudged along the path without any particular destination in mind.
Simply following familiar routes had brought him near the Jegal Clan compound, but he could not venture all the way there, so he turned onto a mountain trail instead.
Yangyang County was not a grand city, but it possessed a picturesque charm, with neat and tidy surroundings. The mountain path was gentle and well-maintained, comfortable to walk as if treading on level ground.
After climbing for a while, a bamboo grove appeared on both sides of the path. Even the slightest breeze sent the grove into a rustling symphony that was pleasant to hear.
Halfway through the bamboo grove, a rattling sound echoed from ahead.
By now the dawn had broken enough that encountering someone would not have been unusual.
Yet the ‘someone’ who appeared was far from ordinary.
The youth seemed about Geom U-bin’s age, but he sat in a wheeled chair. The rattling sound came from the wheels rolling beneath it.
The boy carefully guided the wooden wheels down the path, moving cautiously so they would not spin too rapidly, and Geom U-bin stepped aside to let him pass.
With remarkably slender legs and pale skin, the youth nodded in greeting to Geom U-bin before continuing on.
Geom U-bin had thought it an unremarkable encounter, but the passing youth called out his name.
“Geom U-bin?”
Geom U-bin stopped and turned, whereupon the youth broke into a bright smile.
“You are Geom U-bin, aren’t you?”
“How do you know me?”
“I’ll have to give that embellishing fool a proper thrashing. He made you sound far less handsome than you actually are!”
The youth spun his wheels to draw closer to Geom U-bin, a task that required considerable effort despite the gentle slope.
Geom U-bin waited until the boy had drawn near.
“Whew! I’ve been looking for an opportunity to meet you, and now we’ve run into each other by chance—it seems fate truly binds us.”
Geom U-bin scratched his head.
“Well, I’d need to know who you are first before I can decide whether this is a fortunate connection or a calamitous one.”
A shadow crossed the youth’s face.
“You don’t know who I am even after seeing me like this? Did you visit the Jegal Clan without bothering to learn anything about them?”
“I came to deliver liquor and paid enough for expensive Sagi Liquor. That seems to be all the information I needed.”
“The way you say it makes my research on you feel excessive. I suppose it’s only right that I tell you who I am. I’m Jegal Hoon, the youngest of the Jegal Clan and director of the Homildang. Nice to meet you. Ah—the Homildang is the information bureau of the Jegal Clan.”
“You’re the director?”
“Yes. The heavens poured all the strength that should have gone to my legs into my mind instead, so I’m quite sharp.”
In the Murim world, being crippled is a punishment worse than death. Such afflictions drive men to despair, to seclusion, to vanish as though they never existed at all.
Yet Jegal Hoon spoke of his fatal weakness as though it were a mere jest, and he wielded his intellect with full force.
He was a youth one could not help but come to like—but Geom U-bin knew well that those who open their hearts too easily are just as easily wounded.
“But how do you know about me? I’m hardly important enough for the Jegal Clan to concern itself with.”
If that were the case, it would be a problem.
“It’s my own personal curiosity, nothing to do with the clan. The Liquor Sage. For someone so young to earn an epithet on his own is no simple matter. No matter how remarkable the Sagi Liquor is, opening distribution channels at eight years old and building a great success is already impressive—but to also gain renown and good faith? That’s not something an ordinary person could achieve. And naturally, having beaten down a martial arts instructor at such a young age means your martial arts must be considerable as well.”
Jegal Hoon knew quite a lot about Geom U-bin.
“I appreciate the compliments, but I’m still unhappy that you’ve investigated me behind my back.”
Jegal Hoon’s expression shifted to one of alarm at Geom U-bin’s words.
“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you. At first, I only heard about you from my sister Namgung Hye-yeon and looked into you lightly, but the more I learned, the more fascinating you became—before I knew it, I’d dug quite deep. But this shouldn’t cause you any harm, so please don’t worry.”
“Namgung Hye-yeon spoke about me?”
“Yes. It was the first time I’d ever heard my sister talk about a man at such length. If my second brother had heard it, he would have been jealous.”
“Still, that’s hardly a conversation worth the envy of a Jegal Clan young master.”
“Hello there.”
Tap-tap!
Jegal Hoon rapped his knuckles against the armrest of his chair.
“I’m not riding this thing for fun, you know.”
In Jegal Hoon’s eyes as he gazed at his own thin legs, something primal flickered—a pain that went beyond the physical.
“If I’d been born into an ordinary farming family instead of the Jegal Clan, what would have become of me? I’d have been a burden, consuming food without contributing anything. With a weak body, I might have died long ago. Without the Jegal Clan, there is no me. But you—you’ve accomplished it all on your own. No family backing, no parents to lean on. You’re only a year older than me, and yet you’ve made something of yourself from nothing. I envy you, and I respect you. You’re my ideal. Ah—though I’m the one who said it last, it still feels awkward to admit. Ha-ha!”
What Jegal Hoon said held truth, but it was also a fantasy born from a boy whose mobility was severely limited, who had become overly absorbed in someone his own age—Geom U-bin.
“I’m not someone that remarkable.”
“That judgment isn’t made by the person themselves, but by those who observe them. In any case, since we’ve met and talked like this, you’ve given me reason to be glad you came.”
“Gave me reason to come? You did?”
“Who do you think ordered the Sagi Liquor?”
That much had puzzled him, certainly.
In Yangyang County, only the owner of the largest pleasure house knew of Sagi Liquor.
“If someone like me is acceptable to you, what do you say we become friends?”
Jegal Hoon’s cheeks flushed slightly as he spoke those words.
Geom U-bin, who could read Jang Man-dok’s expression, found this meeting strange and somewhat unsettling, but one thing was clear—Jegal Hoon bore no malice.
“Would it be all right for the lord of the Jegal Clan to be friends with someone who merely runs a brewery?”
“Don’t talk like that! You’re not just someone running a brewery! Of course, what you’re doing now is already admirable, but you’ll become someone even greater in the future! Didn’t I tell you? Everything my legs lack has gone into my head instead. That includes the ability to read people. Believe in my eyes—the ones people call genius. You’ll become someone great enough to be my glory.”
What Jegal Hoon meant by “great” remained unclear, but to turn away from eyes so bright with hope and expectation would be beneath any decent person.
Geom U-bin stepped behind Jegal Hoon’s chair and spoke.
“Don’t blame this fellow for being clumsy with the wheeled chair. I’m no genius like you are.”
Jegal Hoon threw both his hands up, expressing his joy at having become friends with Geom U-bin.
As they descended the mountain, the two spoke of far more than expected.
Like most people called geniuses, Jegal Hoon’s reading was prodigious, and Geom U-bin loved books as well.
With topics overflowing, they never ran out of things to discuss all the way down the mountain.
“Want to have breakfast at the estate?”
“No, your aunt will be waiting for me.”
“What about your uncles? They left the Namgung Clan with us, didn’t they?”
“Ah… they had business and went on to Hangju first.”
He couldn’t very well say they were infiltrating the Jegal estate and gathering intelligence.
“You’ll come again, won’t you?”
Geom U-bin had no particular business at the Jegal estate.
Once the Geumbun Festival ended, his only remaining errand was to collect payment for the liquor.
‘Now that I think about it, isn’t it funny that my teachers used the excuse of reconnaissance to make sure I wasn’t in danger?’
Suppressing an inward smile, Geom U-bin promised they would meet again. And that promise was kept sooner than expected.
“The lord of the Mandok Faction?”
After completing their night reconnaissance, the Bloodwind Four Lions returned at breakfast time. As they ate chewy dumplings that had clearly been made the night before, Geom U-bin happened to catch the expression on Jang Man-dok’s face, and that’s what it conveyed.
Of course, Geom U-bin knew nothing of who the Mandok Faction’s lord was, so Seo Seok-san offered an explanation.
“Twelve years ago, six months before Jegal Ju-guk stepped down from his position as faction lord, the Mandok Faction was wiped out. The incident began when members of the Mandok Faction poisoned and killed six people from the Jegal Clan. Though it originated from a misunderstanding, Jegal Ju-guk wasn’t the merciful type. No matter how fierce the Mandok Faction’s reputation was in Hunan Province, they were no match for the Jegal Clan.”
Geom U-bin nodded.
“So the faction was destroyed, but the lord and a few survivors managed to escape—it wasn’t a complete annihilation.”
Seo Seok-san glanced at Jang Man-dok and muttered, “I suppose my talking has only worn my mouth out for nothing.”
“So the Mandok Faction’s lord has reappeared, bearing a grudge? Then, unlike other people, he has no intention of meeting Jegal Ju-guk directly to settle old scores?”
Do Pyeong-su spoke.
“Which is why we should steer clear of the Jegal estate until the Geumbun Festival is over. There’s nothing to gain from standing around near poison-mongers—it’s only exhausting.”
At Jang Man-dok’s glare, the other three spoke in unison.
“Right—there’s nothing good about being near poison-mongers.”
Geom U-bin, who had been thinking about something, spoke up.
“Could you look into the Mandok Faction’s lord in detail for me?”
“So you’re ignoring our advice then?”
“I knew this would happen from the moment you became friends with Jegal Hoon.”
As always, one of the Bloodwind Four Lions was keeping watch over Geom U-bin.
“I can’t just pretend not to see if an innocent person is about to get hurt.”
“Among the people of Murim, the only truly innocent are the dead. You’re collecting friends for no good reason.”
“Still, he seems like a decent enough fellow. Not quite your equal in rank, but he’s a good person—might be handy to have around from time to time.”
At Seo Seok-san’s words, Yeon Geum-hong clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
“So you make friends just to use them? Friendships need to be cultivated properly. Otherwise, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
With that, the Bloodwind Four Lions exchanged long sighs among themselves.
There was no refusing Geom U-bin’s request. No matter how carefully the Mandok Faction’s lord moved, he could not escape the watchful eyes of the Bloodwind Four Lions.
By afternoon, Yeon Geum-hong had returned.
“It seems they’re planning to poison the Murim martial artists attending the Geumbun Festival.”
Mandok Faction Master Ma Chung-san met secretly with three people, it was said.
“Jeon U-wang, who trades salt with the Jegal Family; Hwang Tae-jeong, who supplied a large amount of tea this time; and Gong Man-deok, who sold liquor other than Sagi Liquor. These three seem to be helping Ma Chung-san. Jang Man-dok and Do Pyeong-su might uncover more, but for now, it looks like these three are the ones assisting him.”
Seo Seok-san appeared to be watching Geom U-bin from somewhere.
“The day after tomorrow is when the Geumbun Festival takes place, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“If Ma Chung-san is planning to poison the Murim martial artists attending, the timing will depend on what type of poison he uses. For slow-acting poison, where symptoms appear late, the poison might already be mixed in. But if it’s fast-acting poison that takes effect immediately upon consumption, he’ll administer it on the day of the Geumbun Festival itself.”
Geom U-bin rose after thinking the matter through carefully.
“I need to go to the Jegal Family.”
“Do you know which of the two poisons it is?”
“It’s more likely to be slow-acting poison. If he’d intended to use fast-acting poison, it would’ve been mixed among the people working in the kitchens, not among those delivering goods. The poison is probably already in the delivered items.”
“You’re planning to go there without any basis for doing so?”
Geom U-bin broke into a sly grin.
“I have a newly made friend, remember?”
Fortunately, meeting Jegal Hoon proved easy.
The moment Geom U-bin revealed the business and his identity, the waist of the guard at the Main Gate bent with respect.
“The Lord of the Clan left orders that should you ever call, we are to attend you at once.”
Indeed, a liquor delivery and an invitation from the Jegal young master warranted different treatment.
As the Geumbun Festival drew near, the Jegal Clan bustled with activity greater than a market day.
“Huh? Geom U-bin?”

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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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