Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 73

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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 73

“Did I hear that correctly just now?”
Geom U-bin blinked, turning his gaze toward Seo Seok-san.
Seo Seok-san, caught off guard as well, was pretending not to have heard.
―Geum-hong, have I really lost my touch, or is he just being clever?
―I’m doubting myself now too. Have I grown so old that I can’t keep up with how young people court each other these days?
Seo Seok-san and Yeon Geum-hong exchanged a mental transmission.
“You do realize she’s only thirteen, don’t you?”
“Yeah, and I’m eighteen. That’s just the right age for marriage.”
Geom U-bin suddenly recalled Jegal Hoon’s carrier pigeon. He’d wondered why it carried the Myeonghwa Tang Formula, but now it seemed the answer had been Jegal Jong-ryeo all along.
“Phew! After traveling so far, I’m exhausted. Do you have a room for me? It’s fine if it’s next to yours. It’d be a bit awkward to share the same space just yet.”
“…….”
Geom U-bin made up his mind then and there—he would give her a room as far from his own as possible.
“It’s right here.”
Geom U-bin hastily brushed past the room he’d prepared and instead showed her to the most distant chamber available. As a result, it was a sparse room with only a bed, a table, and a small bookshelf.
But Jegal Jong-ryeo didn’t mind in the slightest.
“It’s nice. Make sure to wake me up when it’s time to eat, yeah? If I don’t get up, just stuff it in my mouth. Never skipping a meal—that’s my absolute rule.”
She must have been truly exhausted, for Jegal Jong-ryeo slept for two days straight.
When roused for meals, she’d mumble something sleepily, asking for the food to be brought to her, and by the time it was set down, she’d already finished every last grain and left only an empty bowl outside the door.
O Da-rae, attending to her, thought she’d never served such an easy mistress before.
As she stepped out carrying the empty bowl, Geom U-bin, passing by, asked her a question.
“How is Miss Jegal getting along? She’s not finding it difficult here, is she?”
“She’s been sleeping the whole time, so I haven’t even heard her voice yet.”
“And her meals?”
O Da-rae held up the empty bowl to show him.
“She’s eating every single one.”
“Well, at least she doesn’t seem ill. That’s something.”
Geom U-bin turned away and let out a sigh.
He’d accepted her, reluctantly, but she was proving to be more troublesome than he’d anticipated. Because of her presence, everyone at the Estate had to weigh their words and actions carefully.
“I really need to figure out a way to send her back…….”
The thought crossed his mind that the Myeonghwa Tang Formula probably wasn’t worth quite as much as he’d assumed.

***

Jegal Jong-ryeo lived quietly, nearly unnoticed.
She had little choice, given how few hours of the day she spent awake.
She would eat breakfast, tour the Estate once, chat briefly with Geom U-bin before sleeping; wake for lunch, eat, exchange idle talk with the Bloodwind Four Lions before napping again; eat dinner and sink into bed again in less than one double hour.
After four days of this routine, some of the Estate’s workers hadn’t even realized a guest had arrived.
After lunch, O Da-rae brought fruit and tea to Jegal Jong-ryeo’s room as an afternoon treat.
“Miss, here’s your refreshment.”
Receiving no answer, she cautiously opened the door and heard the soft sound of snoring.
Only half a double hour had passed since she’d eaten—was she already asleep? O Da-rae began to wonder if the girl had some kind of sleeping sickness.
As O Da-rae set the tray on the table, Jegal Jong-ryeo stirred awake.
“Huh? You brought something to eat?”
“Yes. I’ve prepared some tea and lychees for you.”
With a yawn, Jegal Jong-ryeo rubbed her eyes and tumbled out of bed, collapsing into the chair with a thud.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
O Da-rae found Jegal Jong-ryeo quite remarkable.
She did nothing but sleep all day, had barely any chores, yet ate every meal in full—and remarkably, she carried not a scrap of excess weight.
What’s more, despite being the daughter of a martial arts family, her manners were impeccably proper.
“Is there anything making your stay uncomfortable?”
“Uncomfortable? What could be uncomfortable about this? I’ve been thinking I might just live here forever, it’s so nice.”
Had Geom U-bin heard those words, he would have been horrified—but Jegal Jong-ryeo spoke them without the slightest hesitation. In truth, O Da-rae herself was beginning to think that if all her masters were this easy-going, she’d happily serve them for life.
As Jegal Jong-ryeo peeled the red skin from a lychee, O Da-rae ventured to speak gently.
“Miss, you have a bit of sleep in your eye.”
“Eye gunk?”
From Jegal Jong-ryeo’s eyes as she rubbed them, there fell—if one exaggerated just slightly—a speck no larger than the lychee she was eating.
“Wow! Look at that! There’s more?”
“Yes. Inside the left eye, and on the edge too, a little….”
Only then did O Da-rae realize her mistake and added hastily.
“Shall I warm some bathwater for you?”
Jegal Jong-ryeo waved her hand dismissively.
“It’s fine. I’m not going anywhere anyway.”
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
Left alone, Jegal Jong-ryeo turned her gaze toward the window.
The garden, filled with warm sunlight, seemed the most peaceful place in the world.
It was perfect weather for a walk.
After finishing both her tea and lychees, Jegal Jong-ryeo pushed the empty plate aside and rose to her feet.
“Yawn. I’m drowsy.”
And with that, she burrowed into her bedding.

***

Do Pyeong-su took a sip of tea, then asked Yeon Geum-hong, “Why did that girl Jegal Jong-ryeo really come here? Her excuse about having nowhere else to go is far too suspicious. Could her target truly be your senior brother?”
When she first arrived, he’d been certain she was after Hang Ju-sa-ung, but watching how she lived here, it seemed she might have simply come to freeload and sleep.
“I’ll look into it.”
The three men looked puzzled at Yeon Geum-hong’s words.
“How?”
“I’ll drag her in, torture her, and ask.”
The three men nodded.
“Right, that’s a good method.”
Yeon Geum-hong sighed.
“A good method? How do you three manage to think so little? What’s wrong with you?”
As Yeon Geum-hong left, Do Pyeong-su muttered after her, “She’s the one who said she’d do it. Why is she angry?”
Yeon Geum-hong ignored their protests and headed to Jegal Jong-ryeo’s room. Seeing her, O Da-rae started in surprise and greeted her, but Yeon Geum-hong asked, “Where’s Jong-ryeo?”
“She’s probably sleeping, I’d imagine?”
“Again?”
It was convenient that she didn’t have to worry about anything else, but….
“Understood.”
After sending O Da-rae away, Yeon Geum-hong knocked on the door. From inside came Jegal Jong-ryeo’s drowsy voice.
“Unless the sky is falling, I’d rather just sleep.”
Yeon Geum-hong opened the door and poked only her head inside.
“I was going to show you something interesting.”
“Aunt.”
At Yeon Geum-hong’s arrival, Jegal Jong-ryeo forced herself up. She moved like a patient who had been suffering from a grave illness for years.
“What kind of spectacle?”
“Follow me and you’ll see.”
Yeon Geum-hong led Jegal Jong-ryeo to the roof overlooking the Blacksmith Workshop.
“You can only see this magnificent sight at this hour.”
Where her gaze came to rest stood Gong Seong-tak, shirtless, tempering steel.
“Wow! Look at those muscles! Our Jegal Family has many people trained in external martial arts, but I’ve never seen muscles so massive yet so defined!”
“Isn’t it? Like a bear that’s had all its fur stripped off.”
“Oseong Jang-won is paradise, truly paradise.”
“This place?”
“No one bothers you here. Roll around in bed all day and no one nags you. No guests come, so there’s no need to wash yourself. Wake up and you can see sights like this. How could anything be more perfect?”
Yeon Geum-hong drew a portable tea canister from her sleeve and poured tea into the lid, which served as a cup.
“And there’s the world’s most delicious tea to go with it.”
It was the tea Eun Bi-yeon had pressed upon her at their parting.
Since Jegal Jong-ryeo, having spent time in the Jegal Family, naturally drank tea often, when she tasted this one, her eyes widened in wonder.
“What kind of tea is this? My goodness! How can tea possibly taste like this?”
“Didn’t I tell you? The world’s most delicious tea.”
As Gong Seong-tak switched to a massive hammer for tempering, his muscles seemed as though they might burst through his skin at any moment.

Jegal Jong-ryeo, who had been watching her intently, spoke up.
“I can just keep living here, can’t I?”
“You’re already acting like you plan to.”
“Come on, I have some shame. How can I keep living in idleness without labor? There has to be a proper reason for it.”
“A proper excuse?”
“Well…….”
Jegal Jong-ryeo pondered for a moment before answering.
“Originally, I was going to ask Geom U-bin to marry me. But after living here a while, I think it would be better if I married into his family instead.”
Her expression gave no hint of whether she was serious or joking.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course. I mean, you have such a beautiful aunt living here. How are you so beautiful? You barely wear any makeup. Are you just naturally young-looking? Can I call you sister?”
“Sister? People will talk. Haha!”
“Oh, right! Since I’m up anyway, I should go to the market.”
“The market? Why?”
“We came all the way to Hangju—I should at least see the town.”
Jegal Jong-ryeo lifted her arm and sniffed herself.
“I don’t smell bad, do I?”
“No.”
“Then I can just go as is. I’m too lazy to wash. Hehe!”
“Are you just going to the market to look around?”
“I thought I’d buy a few books while I’m at it.”
“Books? Why?”
“Geom U-bin likes books. He might become my husband someday, so I should show my good side while I can. I’ll clean this up.”
Since Gong Seong-tak’s tempering had just finished, Jegal Jong-ryeo descended from the roof without hesitation.
Even though she hadn’t washed, the clothes O Da-rae had laundered for her were spotless.
After a long yawn, she stepped out of the room to find Se-hwa waiting.
Jegal Jong-ryeo, eyeing Se-hwa for a moment, clapped her hands together.
“Ah! You’re my aunt’s disciple, aren’t you? Your name is…….”
“I’m Se-hwa. I’ll show you around town.”
“Really? Perfect. I was secretly worried I might get lost. Hehe!”
“You’re going out like that?”
Jegal Jong-ryeo hastily ran her fingers through her hair, then wrapped a cloth wrapping around her head, covering her hair and the area below her eyes.
“This hides the mess, doesn’t it?”
Se-hwa wanted to say her hair looked like a bird’s nest, but since she wasn’t in a position to nag her about washing, she simply nodded in agreement.
In town, the first place Jegal Jong-ryeo visited was the Bookstore.
‘She really is different—a daughter of the Jegal Family. Even though she ran away, she keeps books close.’
After wandering through the musty-smelling bookstore for half a double hour, Jegal Jong-ryeo selected as many as twenty books.
“Why are you buying so many books?”
“Novels. Especially this author’s works are fantastic. The way she writes scenes of love is really excellent.”
Because she was making a bulk purchase, the owner happily arranged for delivery.
Leaving the bookstore, Jegal Jong-ryeo entered the Confectionery Shop across the street.
She selected various colorful pastries from the boxes, gathering an armful.
A satisfied expression spread across Jegal Jong-ryeo’s face, as if she owned the whole world.
“For the next half-month, I won’t be bored even staying in bed. Hehe!”
That remark meant she had no intention of returning to the Jegal Family for the next two weeks…….
‘It looks like she’s planning to settle in the Estate for good.’
Even if it was hard to see her face all day, if there was a secret to hide, exhaustion was inevitable.
“Can you find your way back to the Estate alone? I need to go check on the construction site.”
Jegal Jong-ryeo, who had been nibbling on pastries, quickly linked her arm through Se-hwa’s.
“Sister, can I look around the construction site too?”
“It’s not finished yet, so there’s not much to see.”
“We’re not going to drink anyway, so what does it matter?”
Se-hwa reluctantly took Jegal Jong-ryeo with her to the construction site.
“Hey! Whether the supervisor is here or not, if an official orders the work stopped, it stops! What’s with all these excuses?”
As Se-hwa entered, one of the workers was stammering before three officials.
“I’m the one in charge—what’s the matter?”
The official looked Se-hwa up and down.
“A woman?”
“Does the work have to be stopped because the supervisor is a woman?”
“That’s not it. The documentation is incorrect, so work is suspended while we sort it out.”
“What documents?”
“Nothing worth knowing.”
Se-hwa spoke through gritted teeth, barely containing her fury.
“There’s no work stoppage without an official order from above.”
“You dare defy the magistrate’s command?”
In truth, construction officials could find a hundred pretexts to obstruct a project if they wished—that was their nature. So major works always required greasing palms at the magistrate’s office, and Se-hwa had already spent ten silver coins slipping bribes here and there.
Though Oseong Jang-won’s reputation had helped, the fact that the magistrate’s office had posed no obstacles so far was largely thanks to Se-hwa’s careful payments. Which meant that if officials were suddenly making trouble now, someone else had likely interfered from another quarter—that’s what Se-hwa suspected.

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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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