Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 7

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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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#Chapter 007

“Keep practicing.”
Yeon Geum-hong dashed toward the courtyard.
The four of them stood in a line, their tense expressions fixed on their respective brewery halls.
“The promise still holds, doesn’t it?”
At Seo Seok-san’s question, all three nodded at once.
“Hehehehe! Never thought the day would come when you’d call me senior.”
Yeon Geum-hong picked up on Do Pyeong-su’s remark.
“Don’t be absurd. Practice your titles—call me Master. Get it right by tonight.”
They opened the doors to their respective brewery halls.
A subtle aroma of wine drifted outward in all directions.
The four’s keen sense of smell grasped not only their own brews but also the character of the others’ in a single breath.
Once one reached the Master Brewer Realm, there was no need to taste the wine—the condition could be determined by scent alone.
When they checked their own brews, all four bore faint smiles, but their expressions darkened as they caught the scent of the others’ wines.
“It doesn’t look like we’ll have a winner today.”
Seo Seok-san spoke.
“True. This will take time.”
They had hoped at least one would drop out, but the four-way competition looked set to continue.
“Keep this from him. We don’t want to pressure him.”
Yeon Geum-hong replied to Seo Seok-san’s words.
“Of course. If he catches us scheming and finds out, we’re dead.”
“What scheme are you talking about?”
So focused on the wine, they hadn’t sensed Geom U-bin’s approach.
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
“How’s the wine coming along?”
Do Pyeong-su laughed.
“Hehehehe! Once our wine is ready, every other wine in Hangju will taste like sewage.”
Yeon Geum-hong asked Geom U-bin.
“How’s your grasp of the Hidden Projectile Technique coming?”
“Well enough to hit close to where I aim now.”
“Close? How close exactly?”
Geom U-bin picked a Throwing Needle from his hand.
“Let me show you.”
The target he indicated was a pillar about fifty feet away, perhaps two feet wide.
Geom U-bin’s arm moved.
The motion was slight, but the Throwing Needle flew with considerable force and embedded itself in the wood.
“Oh!”
Among the Hidden Projectile arsenal, the Throwing Needle was among the lightest.
The easiest Hidden Projectile to train with was the Throwing Star—you could embed it with almost any throw, and its weight made it forgiving. The Throwing Needle, by contrast, was difficult to embed until you mastered the technique, and its lightness made distance hard to achieve.
Yet Geom U-bin, having practiced for barely half a Double Hour, had already reached the level where he could throw the Throwing Needle beyond fifty feet and embed it.
But the surprise of the Bloodwind Four Lions was not over.
Ten more Throwing Needles left Geom U-bin’s hand, and the marks where they stuck varied no more than three inches vertically or horizontally.
He wasn’t aiming at the pillar—he was targeting one precise spot on it. When Yeon Geum-hong approached to verify, she couldn’t help but gape.
The depth the Throwing Needles had penetrated was nearly the length of a finger joint.
‘In barely half a Double Hour, he’s achieved this precision and power?’
Yeon Geum-hong regarded Geom U-bin with fresh eyes.
She’d known his Physical Foundation was solid. But it was impossible to judge martial achievement by foundation alone. No matter how excellent one’s foundation, there were limits if the mind couldn’t keep pace.
Yet Geom U-bin possessed both excellent foundation and remarkable acuity—a rare talent indeed.
‘Surely his gift isn’t limited to Hidden Projectile work?’
There were those rare few who displayed genius in one specific area.
“You shouldn’t use Hidden Projectile Technique until you’re truly skilled. Carelessness could cost someone their life.”
Yeon Geum-hong spoke as she extracted the Throwing Needles from the pillar.
“Of course not. But in Murim, failing to kill when you must will bring calamity upon you.”
“I might not become a Murim martial artist. Making and selling wine here with my companions seems rather nice.”
‘That wouldn’t be so bad either.’
The four of them looked at each other’s faces and arrived at the same thought simultaneously.

***

Seo Pung-sik took pride in his reputation as a wine connoisseur.
His tavern sold thirty varieties of wine, and the types he’d drunk over the years easily numbered three hundred.
Having sampled everything from cheap plonk to the finest Mo-dae Wine, he’d believed there was no wine left in the world that could astonish him.
But today that conviction shattered.
“This wine… what’s it called?”
“It’s Yeo-geum Wine.”
“Yeo-geum Wine? Yeo-geum Wine, you say……”
He’d never heard the name before, yet he knew he would carry it to his dying breath.
“Why don’t you try this one as well?”
Geom U-bin poured wine from another gourd bottle into a small cup.
“I’m not sure I need to taste another.”
No wine could delight his palate the way Yeo-geum Wine had. For a moment he felt as though he’d drunk enough for one lifetime—he had no desire to muddy the lingering aftertaste with something mediocre. Such was Seo Pung-sik’s thinking.
But when he caught the scent of the wine Geom U-bin had poured, his mind changed.
Pungryuu Wine, as it was called, offered a wholly different pleasure—like listening to a beauty’s song from a still lake on a moonlit night.
A different sort of emotion flooded through him.
After that, Geom U-bin offered two more cups, and all four varieties of wine led Seo Pung-sik into yet another realm of taste.
For the first time in his life, he understood that happiness could come from drinking wine.
“Is this truly something brewed by human hands?”
He felt like a man fortunate enough to have tasted wine that an immortal had carelessly left behind.
“Will you sell it to me?”
“Sell it to you? I should be the one begging you to let me buy it! Whatever quantity you have, I’ll take it all!”
“I can’t give exclusive distribution to just one place. I want as many people as possible to taste it. And the price is high—you may not be able to afford all of it.”
“Well, with wine like this, you set whatever price you wish. What are you thinking?”
Geom U-bin pointed to a hand-span-length gourd bottle at his waist.
“One bottle like this should go for three silver taels, I’d think.”
“Three silver taels? That’s the price of the finest Mo-dae Wine!”
“Is it? Then if wine of that caliber exists, naturally our brews deserve the same price. Or perhaps it will rise later, once word spreads.”
Though steep by absolute standards, the wine’s fragrance still dancing on his tongue made him think: ‘For wine of this quality, three taels isn’t dear at all.’
“Since we share a karmic bond, I’ll extend credit to you, innkeeper. We can settle accounts once I’ve sold through the stock.”
“You’d do that?”
“That’s the least I owe you.”
“I’m grateful!”
“I’ll bring more tomorrow. Just make sure you don’t drink it all yourself!”
He couldn’t make such a promise.
‘How could I just look at that wine and do nothing?’
Seo Pung-sik stared endlessly at the empty cup before him.

Geom U-bin headed straight into the heart of Hangju.
As a city of pleasures, Hangju overflowed with renowned pavilions; five of the Ten Great Pavilions of Zhongyuan were said to be located there.
Geom U-bin sought out the largest of them.
But none took the wine sales of an eight-year-old child seriously.
“We’re busy—don’t bother us, go away!”
At four pavilions he received the same treatment, and he never even opened his gourd bottles.
‘This isn’t as easy as I thought.’
Geom U-bin had chosen to sell the wine precisely because it was something the Bloodwind Four Lions couldn’t do. Their temperaments were such that rejection would likely lead to violence.
But his age of eight remained an insurmountable obstacle.
Disheartened, Geom U-bin stopped before the Wol-ha Pavilion.
Three three-story pavilions stood in a U-shape with an elegant garden laid out between them—one of Hangju’s three greatest pavilions.
As the sun sank low over the city streets of Hangju, artificial lights flickered to life one by one.
It was the hour when impatient drinkers sought out taverns and diligent courtesans bustled about preparing to receive guests.
Geom U-bin went to the back gate of the Wol-ha Pavilion.
Employees moved about busily preparing for business. Geom U-bin approached someone who appeared to be a steward.
“I’d like to speak with the master.”
A small-eyed man who looked to be just past twenty replied offhandedly.
“What’s this about?”
“I’ve come to sell some fine wine.”
“Wine? You?”
Jeom So-i’s reaction was no different from the four places before. And the words that followed were exactly the same.
“I’m busy. Stop bothering me and get out.”
“I only want to show the Overseer a taste.”
“I don’t have time to waste on strange little children like you.”
“It’ll only take a moment.”
“Seok-san! Get out of here now!”
Jeom So-i shoved Geom U-bin’s shoulder.
But Geom U-bin didn’t budge, and Jeom So-i, unable to overcome the resistance, stumbled backward onto his rear.
“Huh? Did I drink too much yesterday?”
Jeom So-i scrambled to his feet and grabbed Geom U-bin by the collar.
“You should’ve left when I asked nicely!”
Jeom So-i was about to exert his strength when a deep voice cut through the air.
“What’s going on here?”
Jeom So-i flinched in alarm, released Geom U-bin’s collar, and clasped his hands respectfully before him.
“Overseer! You’ve arrived?”
A middle-aged man with a neatly groomed black beard furrowed his brow.
“What are you doing roughing up a child during work hours?”
“It’s not like that, sir. This little one has been insisting on meeting you, and I—”
“Me?”
Overseer Ha Seok-mun’s eyes recognized the child standing before Jeom So-i.
“Ah! You’re that little one who came asking for work a few months back.”
Geom U-bin bowed respectfully.
“It’s been a while since we last met.”
“Your name is Geom U-bin, isn’t it?”
It was rare enough for an eight-year-old to come seeking employment, but the fact that he’d refused the coin Ha Seok-mun offered had made a particular impression on him.
―I came to work, not to beg.
It was a composure rarely seen in a child so young.
“What brings you here today? If it’s about employment, I’m sure I already told you it’s not possible.”
“I’ve come on different business today. Would you prepare four clean wine cups for me?”
“Wine cups? Why?”
“If you’ll prepare them, I’m certain you won’t regret it.”
Curiosity stirred within him.
“Go fetch four clean cups.”
Jeom So-i scurried off and returned with four white cups.
Geom U-bin went to where the staff rested and sat down, arranging four gourd bottles neatly on the table. Ha Seok-mun took the seat across from him.
The first wine Geom U-bin poured was Seo Seok-san’s Pungryuu Wine.
“Do taste it.”
Ha Seok-mun, bringing the cup to his lips, stopped mid-motion.
‘The aroma!’
It was the first time a wine had made his heart quicken with just its scent, before his tongue had even touched it.
Ha Seok-mun brought the wine to his lips and took a delicate sip.
“Ah!”
By trade, he encountered many wines.
And the wines he drank were invariably among the finest in Zhongyuan. Yet the wine Geom U-bin had just offered him was in an entirely different realm.
There was nothing to compare it to.
Even the Yeo-a-hong, which sold for ten silver taels a bottle, paled before this wine.
Geom U-bin poured a different wine into the next cup.
He poured it so sparingly—barely a chick’s tear—that it felt stingy.
“It’s not the same wine.”
“No, sir. The first was Pungryuu Wine, and this one is Hwagok Wine.”
“Give me a moment.”
Ha Seok-mun brought a cup of water and rinsed his mouth.
His heart had never raced like this while tasting wine before.
The second wine, the Hwagok Wine, also transcended his expectations. If the Pungryuu Wine evoked the grace of a woman beside a lake, the Hwagok Wine awakened the spirit of a man.
For the first time, he understood that a single sip could stir such profound feeling.
Each of the four wines Geom U-bin had brought was so distinctive that it enlightened Ha Seok-mun anew four separate times.
“Good heavens! How is it I’m only learning of wines like these now?”
“Which is why the Overseer must still have money left in his purse.”
Ha Seok-mun burst into hearty laughter at Geom U-bin’s jest.
“Exactly! You’re right! The Hangju merchants’ fortunes will be ruined!”
“Fortunately, I haven’t managed to produce that much. Though it would certainly be expensive enough to worry about depleting their coffers.”
At the mention of price, Ha Seok-mun’s eyes narrowed.
“How much are you thinking?”
“How much will you be selling it for?”
“That depends on what price you give me.”
“Hmm… then what’s the most expensive wine this pavilion serves?”
The eight-year-old boy’s skill at pushing and pulling was quite impressive.
“Yeo-a-hong at ten silver taels a bottle.”
“I could charge more than that, couldn’t I?”
“Five silver taels per bottle.”
Even the ten-tael Yeo-a-hong cost less than three taels to procure.
“Just for this month — five taels. Starting next month, it’s ten taels. And next year, fifteen taels.”
“Seok-san, only the Emperor’s own Mo-dae Wine and Chilseong Wine command such prices!”
“The wine I’ve brought is better than what the Emperor drinks, wouldn’t you say?”
Ha Seok-mun couldn’t deny it — it was an undeniable truth.

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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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