Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 56

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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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#056

Geom U-bin spoke in an even tone.
“Wouldn’t it be better to find a more suitable disciple?”
“Take on the wrong disciple and you’ll suffer for twenty years. I can’t do that. You’re the finest prospect I could find. Well then, I’ll see you again later.”
Gong Seong-tak disappeared before Geom U-bin could say another word.
“Why do I keep attracting people like that……?”
When Geom U-bin returned to the estate and finished two hours of training, Se-hwa came back. She was dirty from the construction work, but her expression was brighter than ever.
Four dogs and Gwak Bong rushed toward Se-hwa as she entered through the main gate.
“Miss Se-hwa. You’ve worked hard again today.”
“It’s nothing, really.”
Her expression had been lukewarm at the sight of Gwak Bong, but it blossomed the moment she saw Geom U-bin.
“Lord Geom! You’ve just finished training, haven’t you?”
“Yeah. I was waiting because I had something to tell you.”
“To me? What is it?”
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“It seems Se-hwa will need a bodyguard.”
“What? What do you mean? You saw me at the Oseong Pavilion today, didn’t you?”
In Se-hwa’s mind, the Hangho Pavilion had already become the Oseong Pavilion.
“Your martial arts are excellent. But there could be situations that are difficult to handle alone.”
“Who would create such a situation?”
“The Jowhang Sega.”
“You mean the owner of the Wol-ha Giroo?”
“When I told them today that we wouldn’t be supplying Saegiuju anymore, their response wasn’t pleasant. They’ll know you’ve taken over the Hangho Pavilion, so they’ll know the Saegiuju will go to you instead. Then you’ll be like a thorn in their eye.”
“Don’t worry. I can certainly protect myself.”
“Prevention is better than cure. I was thinking perhaps having Gwak here serve as your bodyguard?”
Gwak Bong’s face lit up.
“I’m remarkably good at protecting someone!”
Se-hwa asked.
“Don’t I have a choice?”
“Of course the choice is yours.”
“Then…….”
Se-hwa’s gaze moved away from Gwak Bong and dropped lower.
There, four dogs still sat with their tails wagging.
“I’ll go with Kkot-nim-i.”
Bark!
Kkot-nim-i barked happily, and Gwak Bong was left looking like a lonely widow surrounded by the other dogs.
“Me, I’m worse than a dog?”
“It seems easier to go around with Kkot-nim-i.”
“Se-hwa, you certainly joke.”
“Lord Geom, it’s not a joke.”
“Is that so? But still…….”
The back-and-forth continued for quite a while, and eventually Se-hwa, unable to resist Geom U-bin’s insistence, accepted Gwak Bong as her bodyguard.
Se-hwa spoke coldly to Gwak Bong.
“Just carry my things and keep up.”

***

Though he had never been drunk, this was what the morning after a hangover must feel like.
―The Hundred Convergences Point is where the vital essence of heaven and earth gather, and the Wellspring is where the yin of all things is absorbed…….
Upon waking, Gong Seong-tak’s telepathic transmission, which had tormented him through the night, rang vividly in his ears.
Gong Seong-tak’s telepathic transmission to impart the Jincheon Raekhak had no day or night, and it reached Geom U-bin even while he slept.
Since he continued to hear the transmission while sleeping, there was no hope of proper rest.
On the first day he thought it would end soon. But by the third day, it seemed it might never end.
‘I need to come up with some kind of solution.’
No matter how angry, he had to exclude the possibility of telling the Bloodwind Four Lions. If Geom U-bin mentioned his sleepless nights, the Bloodwind Four Lions would seek out Gong Seong-tak and put him to permanent sleep.
Geom U-bin left the estate and made his way toward the river.
A single tent stood on the soft grass along the riverbank—the place where Gong Seong-tak had been staying these days.
“Uncle!”
At the sound of Geom U-bin’s voice, Gong Seong-tak rushed out with a delighted expression.
“Ah! Our U-bin has come!”
“Our”? What’s with the “our”?
“Uncle, what’s all this about—?”
“Wait! Before you speak, look at this!”
Gong Seong-tak suddenly began demonstrating the opening form of the Jincheon Raekhak.
“Seungnyong Gak, first position! Waryong Seungcheon!”
Gong Seong-tak kicked wildly at the empty air.
“The position of the sole is what matters in Seungnyong Gak! Watch closely at where the sole plants with each movement!”
Geom U-bin merely sighed and watched in silence.
After demonstrating three times in succession, Gong Seong-tak turned to Geom U-bin with hopeful eyes.
“Well? Isn’t it impressive?”
When Geom U-bin only stared without responding, Gong Seong-tak’s smile slowly faded.
“Why… are you like this?”
“Why are you in such a rush?”
“What? A rush about what?”
“Passing down your Martial Arts. Is there something more important than raising a disciple?”
Gong Seong-tak sank down with a heavy sigh.
“I truly despise Martial Arts. For twenty years I’ve gritted my teeth and trained myself to avenge my parents’ deaths, yet I’ve never enjoyed it once. Now that I’ve avenged them, all I need to do is pass on my school’s lineage, and then my duty is complete. And I… I’m going to become a blacksmith.”
“A blacksmith?”
“Yes. Before I became a Murim martial artist, I was the finest blacksmith in my county. Swords, blades—it doesn’t matter. Hoes, pickaxes—anything. There’s nothing that makes me happier than striking metal and creating something.”
The sorrowful look in Gong Seong-tak’s eyes stirred an unwilling compassion.
But one cannot help everyone in the world, and Gong Seong-tak was no exception. More than anything, if she granted his request out of pity, there was a real danger that both of them would come to regret it later.
Just as Geom U-bin was about to speak, a worker from the estate came rushing over, breathless.
“Master! A terrible thing has happened! Se-hwa’s pavilion has caught fire!”
“Oseong Pavilion?”
Geom U-bin hurried down from the mountain, and at that very moment, Hyeolpung Saja was also leaping over the estate’s wall.
It seemed everyone had heard the news.
They rushed into town. Thanks to their Lightness Technique, they reached the burning building in less than half an hour.
“Se-hwa!”
When Yeon Geum-hong called out, Se-hwa came running, her clothes and hair singed by the flames.
“Master!”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. While I was working this morning and eating some refreshments, the fire suddenly broke out.”
“Are there injured?”
As Geom U-bin asked, Gwak Bong burst from the flames.
In Gwak Bong’s arms, cradled as she leaped from the second story, was a man. Fortunately, both were only slightly scorched with no apparent serious injuries.
“Are there still people inside?”
“Yes, a few more remain!”
Geom U-bin, Hyeolpung Saja, Gwak Bong, and Se-hwa simultaneously rushed into the building.
The fire in the structure, which was largely built of wood, burned fiercely, and the smoke made each breath painful.
“Cough! Cough!”
Se-hwa struggled a little with the smoke, but the five of them scattered in different directions as if unbothered. Soon, one by one, they emerged from the burning pavilion carrying people to safety.
Se-hwa rescued a worker and made it out, when one of the men who had just escaped let out a cry.
“Mal Seok-i! Mal Seok-i is still on the third floor! His leg is bad—he couldn’t have escaped!”
Just as Geom U-bin was about to dash back in, Do Pyeong-su grabbed his arm.
“It’s too late.”
The pavilion was already burning as fiercely as a pyre bearing a departed monk to the heavens.
“But—”
Before Geom U-bin could finish, someone leaped from within those flames. Tearing through the curtain of fire and smoke came Gong Seong-tak, carrying Mal Seok-i.
The fact that his sleeves were ablaze suggested just how dire the situation had been.
The moment Gong Seong-tak touched ground, there came a thunderous crack, and the roof collapsed.
“Everyone, get clear!”
As the pavilion crumbled completely, it spewed balls of flame in all directions. Fire spread to the neighboring buildings, but since they were already prepared, the damage was not severe.
“At least no one suffered serious injuries…”
Geom U-bin muttered this and looked back.
What troubled him most was Se-hwa. The loss of money was one thing, but all those preparations she’d poured her heart and soul into over this time had turned to ash in an instant.
“You all right?”
Geom U-bin asked Se-hwa, who stood with a vacant stare. She snapped back to herself and forced a smile.
“Yes, of course.”
“Something still feels off about this whole thing.”
Gong Seong-tak, dusting ash from his clothes, hadn’t sustained any injuries either.
“A fire broke out in broad daylight with people around, and you’re telling me you couldn’t extinguish it and the whole thing just went up in flames?”
“The fire spread so fast there was nothing we could do. And the wood burned quickly too.”
“Wood looks like it should burn easily, but it’s actually the opposite. The great timber beams don’t catch fire readily at all. But if the fire spread in an instant like that, shouldn’t we consider that the ignition point wasn’t just one location?”
Geom U-bin pressed the question.
“Are you saying someone set the fire deliberately?”
“I can’t say for certain, but it does seem strange to call it an accident, doesn’t it?”
Gwak Bong came running back after circling among the onlookers for some time.
“Master! Several witnesses saw flames shoot up simultaneously on all three levels. If this were just an accident… that doesn’t make sense, does it?”
The Bloodwind Four Lions, approaching them, heard the conversation and their expression hardened.
“So you’re saying someone may have committed arson?”
The moment doubt took hold, Se-hwa’s brows furrowed downward sharply.
“It’s certainly a situation that warrants suspicion. And there are people with reason enough to do this.”
Yeon Geum-hong asked a question.
“Who do you suspect?”
It seemed Se-hwa might name someone and they’d all rush out to arrest them on the spot.
“Your teacher. We need to gather evidence first.”
“Evidence has a way of coming out once you beat it out of them.”
“I don’t want to solve it that way. We could hurt an innocent person. Let’s think it through first.”
After handling the aftermath, they returned to Oseong Jang-won.
Se-hwa’s shoulders sagged so deeply she looked ready to sink into the ground.
The inn wasn’t opened for her own profit but as an expression of her desire to help those she worked with—so her disappointment ran all the deeper.
Geom U-bin gathered the Bloodwind Four Lions in one place.
“We can’t let what happened to Se-hwa pass like this. Oseong Pavilion is Se-hwa’s hope, but it’s also necessary for us at Oseong Jang-won. We need it to sell Saegiuju.”
Of course, they could have sent everything to Wuhan and demand would be sufficient, but their pride wouldn’t accept failure to sell Saegiuju in Hangju.
“Senior, this is what we need, isn’t it?”
Seo Seok-san placed a box containing silver coins and drafts on the table first. Then Jang Man-dok, Do Pyeong-su, and Yeon Geum-hong handed their money to Geom U-bin as well.
“If the pavilion had simply failed as a business, that would be one thing. But if someone set that fire, they’ve struck at Oseong Jang-won itself. We can’t retreat now.”
Following Seo Seok-san’s words, Do Pyeong-su opened his mouth.
“Honestly, I’d love nothing more than to drag in everyone who looks suspicious and beat the truth out of them all. But given what you’ve said, we’ll catch the culprit methodically.”
“Do you have a way to catch them?”
“Of course. Just trust us. Hehehehe…….”
Though something felt uneasy about it, she didn’t ask further.
“Then I’ll give this money to Se-hwa and be back.”
Se-hwa sat in her room in a daze, still in her soiled clothes. Her younger siblings, buoyed by the hope of being able to work again rather than the money she’d lost, struck her as even more heartbreaking.
Before her lay a heap of silver coins and drafts piled high.
“Master… what is this?”
“Money to rebuild Oseong Pavilion.”
“I can’t accept this. Even a flea has its pride—how can I take this money?”
“So you’re just going to stay fallen and cry?”
Geom U-bin’s words continued toward her bowed head.
“You stumbled once, that’s all. A master reaches down and lifts up a fallen disciple—it’s only natural. Think of it as the bond between teacher and student, as family.”
“But this is everything you and Master have saved.”
“Then don’t waste it. Succeed and pay me back tenfold. That’s all there is to it.”
In the end, Se-hwa’s tears fell in streams.
Born as a servant’s daughter and subjected to nothing but mistreatment, she had never once felt the warmth of family.
True, the Bloodwind Four Lions were not warm masters. They pushed her hard often and frequently wore on her nerves, sometimes causing her sorrow.
Yet somehow, Geom U-bin and the Bloodwind Four Lions had become far closer to her than the family she had lost.
Once, when someone asked, “Do you have family?” she answered without hesitation: “No.” But now, faced with the same question, her answer would come slow, and perhaps—no, certainly—she would answer, “Yes.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much, Master and everyone. I’ll definitely succeed. Definitely!”

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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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