Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 60

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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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#060

“What did you just say?”
At Yeon Geum-hong’s question, O Tong-su repeated what he’d said before, not varying a single syllable.
The gazes Yeon Geum-hong and Seo Seok-san fixed on Do Pyeong-su were sharp as blades.
“Why did you buy fifty jars?”
Seo Seok-san’s voice was bleaker than winter wind across a barren plain.
“I, well, just…”
“Nobody just buys fifty jars! Tell us the truth!”
Convinced he couldn’t back down, Do Pyeong-su bellowed back at them.
“Whether I buy fifty jars or five hundred—what business is it of yours!”
“What do you mean, none of our business!”
“What exactly is it to us? That’s what Man-dok is asking you!”
Do Pyeong-su had bought fifty jars.
Only Jang Man-dok didn’t understand why the three of them were shouting over this one fact.
“You’re trying to sell fifty more jars of Hwaok Wine! That’s how you’ll become our senior! Isn’t it?”
At Yeon Geum-hong’s words, Seo Seok-san joined in the fury.
“How could you even think of selling fifty more jars?”
Only then did Jang Man-dok’s face light up with understanding—and he turned to Do Pyeong-su with a glare.
“You lot started this! Hey, Go Seo-bang!”
Sensing the dangerous turn the atmosphere had taken, Gang Seo Samak tried to slip away, but froze in alarm.
“Yes?”
“What’s in the room next to yours?”
“Oh, the right side, or the left side?”
“Want to die?”
“A, a brewery, sir.”
Do Pyeong-su pointed his finger at Seo Seok-san.
“You built the brewery first and came up with this vicious scheme!”
Now the accusatory glances swung toward Seo Seok-san.
“I don’t care what anyone else says, but not you, Geum-hong—you can’t blame me! You had Se-hwa build the brewery in the next room first!”
“I only made something for myself to drink!”
“You secretly made something just for yourself? These two fools might not see through it, but do you think I would?”
At Seo Seok-san’s words, Do Pyeong-su exploded.
“Who are you calling a fool!”
“Geum-hong and I only finished the brewery! But you got caught just buying jars! You fool!”
“Why did you lump me in with the fools? Man-dok’s asking you!”
“Three of you are already making more Saegiuju, and you didn’t even know—that makes you a fool!”
In the end, Jang Man-dok moved first.
With no more words to trade, his hands were faster.
Bang!
Two palm forces collided, the table shattered, and splinters flew in all directions.
“You got chili powder all over the ornament Master bought me, you bastards!”
Yeon Geum-hong joined in, and Do Pyeong-su wasn’t about to stay still.
Four palm forces crashed together—walls split open and the roof caved in.
Hang Ju-sa-byeon screamed and bolted outside.
No matter how much their martial arts had improved, getting caught in that fight would leave not even bones to sweep up.
Four figures launched skyward, their palm forces colliding in a dizzy chaos.
These weren’t ordinary Murim martial artists—they were the Bloodwind Four Lions, turned against each other.
Though not a fight for their lives, the anger they felt toward one another made every strike brutally fierce.
A single kick from any of them sent roofing flying; their palm forces shattered pillars by the handful.
One building collapsed, and as the fight shifted ground, another structure crumbled in its wake.
“Now that’s a proper brawl.”
Geom U-bin appeared from nowhere and watched the Bloodwind Four Lions’ clash with calm detachment.
“Sir, shouldn’t we stop them?”
Debris flew so far that it reached them despite being thirty paces away—the Bloodwind Four Lions’ battle was ferocious beyond measure.
If Gang Seo Samak had been caught in it, he’d already be a bloody pulp, and at this rate, someone might actually die.
Yet Geom U-bin’s expression remained utterly composed.
“Mm. The Fengyun Shuanglong that Master Yeon deploys is truly exquisite. Do Pyeong-su’s Bihu Mengqiang is no less impressive, either. Junior disciples, observe well. You’ll come to understand things that cultivation alone cannot teach.”
But watching the third building crumble before their eyes left them no room for leisurely study of technique.
“Remarkable! Gongfu that rivals the Zhentian Leijiao!”
Gong Seong-tak, who had drawn near without warning, watched in admiration.
“Three of them among that group—their palm strikes aren’t even heterodox gongfu.”
“Yet they’re unleashing palm strikes of that caliber? Who in the world are these people?”
There was no need to tell him, so none of them revealed the identity of the Hyeolpung Saja to Gong Seong-tak.
“If they keep fighting for another half hour, we’ll have to rebuild all of Oseong Jang-won from scratch.”
The Hyeolpung Saja’s battle was steadily migrating toward a fourth building. Studying technique was all well and good, but they had to prevent further destruction to the Estate.
Geom U-bin launched himself onto the roof of the building the Hyeolpung Saja were approaching.
“Junior disciples! Get back!”
With that shout, Geom U-bin hurled himself into the midst of the Hyeolpung Saja’s combat.
“Danger——!”
To Hang Ju-sa-byeon and Gong Seong-tak, it looked like sheer madness.
If the Hyeolpung Saja didn’t cease their mutual assault, Geom U-bin would have to withstand four attacks simultaneously.
Yet the movements of the Hyeolpung Saja stopped as if by command.
He marveled at how swiftly they could retract a strike already in flight.
Once the billowing dust had settled, Geom U-bin spoke.
“Come inside now. Ah, the building where we were staying has been destroyed.”
“Yes, it has. We apologize.”
“We have plenty of vacant rooms, so it’s no great trouble.”
Geom U-bin entered the building she had kept empty, and the Hyeolpung Saja followed.
“This is all because you fools couldn’t help yourselves.”
“If you hadn’t started this pointless business from the beginning, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”
“And who was dancing to that tune with you?”
“So you were planning to brew even more jars of Hwaok Wine than you already have?”
“Grrrr!”
“Jang Man-dok says everyone needs to be quiet.”
The moment Geom U-bin sat, the four of them shuffled awkwardly into their places.
“I have no intention of passing judgment on you junior disciples. But I would like to know why you fought.”
“That was…”
The moment they began to speak, shame washed over them.
When you thought about it, it was truly nothing—yet because of it, they had agonized for days, second-guessed themselves, and ultimately brought down three buildings.
Since Geom U-bin demanded an explanation and they could not refuse, the Hyeolpung Saja took turns relating the matter.
After hearing it all, Geom U-bin sighed deeply.
“Is establishing seniority ranking among junior disciples really so important?”
Do Pyeong-su answered at once.
“Of course! Even in the world of beasts, there is a clear hierarchy, is there not?”
“So you’re trying to mimic beasts?”
‘Even for an analogy, that’s…’
Seo Seok-san, shooting Do Pyeong-su a look, spoke up.
“When we study gongfu under a single master, naturally we divide into senior and junior disciples. We all happened to become the master’s disciples on the same day and hour, leaving no ranking established. We thought it only right to determine one now.”
“But deciding it by Saegiuju sales volume is far too trivial, isn’t it? What would our departed master think if she knew?”
No matter how renowned Saegiuju was, it was merely wine. When they’d placed the wager, they’d thought it fitting; but hearing Geom U-bin’s words, a sense of childishness struck them unbidden.
“We are sorry.”
“There’s nothing for you to apologize to me for. I’m simply envious of you junior disciples.”
“Envious? Of us?”
“You have the finest friends in the world.”
The Hyeolpung Saja exchanged bewildered glances.
“Who are these finest friends in the world?”
From all their mouths came the same words at once: “These three?”
“Of course. You’ve spent your entire lives together, studied as fellow disciples under one master, fought without restraint, and become the people you can rely on most in this world. If that isn’t what makes a fine friend, what is?”
In truth, they had never once thought of one another as fine friends. They’d simply grown up together from childhood, and so remained bound to each other like brothers—unavoidably, unremarkably.
But hearing Geom U-bin’s words, they found themselves thinking, ‘Hm… perhaps that’s so?’
“I think it’s far better to have a good friend beside you than to stand above anyone at all.”
Geom U-bin’s words struck the Hyeolpung Saja like an arrow through the heart.
Seo Seok-san spoke.
“Let’s agree that the wager about determining rank through wine never happened. Honestly, it’s rather ridiculous, isn’t it?”
“Right. It was only a jest—we never truly believed in it. Hahahaha!”
“Right. I was just having a bit of fun with you all, not actually trying to become a junior disciple.”
Hyeolpung Saja found fighting easy, and reconciliation even easier. That was always how lifelong friends worked.
“Fine. Let’s settle this matter here then.”
“What other problem is there?”
Geom U-bin peered through the window at the collapsed buildings.
“Three buildings have been destroyed.”
“We can rebuild them.”
Geom U-bin looked toward Do Pyeong-su, who had spoken.
“Do, do you have money?”
Do Pyeong-su, who couldn’t even afford a jar and had been buying on credit, was unlikely to have coin to spare.
“What about you, Yeon? Jang? Seo?”
All their heads shook in unison.
They had given their entire fortunes to Se-hwa to build the Oseong Pavilion.
Geom U-bin had barely enough left to raise a single pillar.
“But Wuhan keeps selling the Saegiuju, doesn’t it?”
“That has to cover our food and wages for the workers.”
With so many mouths to feed, the outflow was considerable.
“I’ll have to look at that eyesore for months.”
At Geom U-bin’s weary words, Do Pyeong-su spoke up loudly.
“Since we caused this, we’ll take responsibility for it!”
“Really?”
“Don’t worry! We’ll resolve it cleanly very soon!”
“Then I trust you disciples.”
Geom U-bin left the room, and three pairs of eyes turned toward Do Pyeong-su, who had made such grand promises.
“How are you planning to find the money?”
“We’re Hyeolpung Saja. We’ll manage somehow.”
“That’s what I’m asking—how?”
“Well…… how should we?”
Yeon Geum-hong’s voice rose sharply.
“How can you make such promises without a plan? Do you think three buildings cost a copper or two?”
“How much would it cost?”
“…… A lot?”
Though Yeon Geum-hong was the cleverest of the four, her sense of money was hardly sharp.
“In any case, it won’t be resolved like when Pyeong-su caught that fugitive and earned ten silver taels.”
“Would a hundred taels be enough?”
Seo Seok-san, who had been thinking at Do Pyeong-su’s question, spoke up.
“It doesn’t make sense that we’d build three buildings by selling five or so bottles of Saegiuju.”
No matter how hopeless their financial sense was, they could at least grasp that much.
“Why not ask Se-hwa? She’s holding all our money anyway.”
Yeon Geum-hong chided Do Pyeong-su.
“You want to take back the money we gave her? Are you going to do it?”
“Ugh, I have my pride. How could I?”
“Then who will?”
Do Pyeong-su’s shoulders sagged as he looked at the three of them.
“There’s no one. So how do we get the money?”
“You were the one shouting your mouth off, so you’re responsible!”
“Hey! I didn’t smash the house by myself! If you think about it, this whole thing started because of you, Geum-hong!”
“Oh, here comes the grudge! Want to go another round?”
If Seo Seok-san hadn’t stepped in, two more buildings would have vanished.
“Wait! That fixer, Baek Dong-pal!”
His real name was Baek Dong-pal, though it was easier to use the nickname anyway.
“Right! We can ask him if he knows of any work worth money!”
With Seo Seok-san’s suggestion and Yeon Geum-hong’s agreement, Hyeolpung Saja’s path was set.
First, they needed to know how much money was actually needed.
So they quietly asked one of the workers and heard a figure of about ten thousand taels.
“That’s less than what I had on me before.”
“How many years did it take to save that much?”
“Save? I just hid it away. Is Baek Dong-pal in Jiangsu Province?”

***

Information was a merchant’s stock in trade, but for Baek Dong-pal, it went beyond the basics—it was the alpha and omega of his business.
“Association chief. A five-hundred tael commission from Shaanxi Province.”
Baek Dong-pal, whose head was twice as large as most men’s and whose frame was built wide and generous, opened his eyes—which lay buried in flesh—to narrow slits.
“Something worth real money for a change. What’s the nature of it?”
“A person-finding job.”
“File it under first-rate, category two. I can smell pigeon shit all the way over here. What’s the cleaning crew doing?”
Just then, an unfamiliar voice came from behind.
“If you’re a fly on dung, you ought to be happy about the smell.”

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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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