Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 75

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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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#075

Gwak Bong recalled the scene from several days ago when Geom U-bin had summoned her.
“Gwak, will you help Kang Chan-sik?”
“I’m sorry—what do you mean?”
“The Johwang Family won’t let the Oseong Pavilion go so easily. That means a conflict between Oseong Jang-won and the Johwang Family could break out.”
“Well, with the Bloodwind Four Lions, what threat is the Johwang Family? We could just go and flatten the place.”
“We can’t solve everything that way.”
“That’s true, of course.”
“Simply waiting and defending against the Johwang Family’s attacks isn’t a good strategy. We need to prepare as well.”
“What kind of preparation?”
“If the Johwang Family holds such power by ruling Hangju’s daylight, why couldn’t we counter them by ruling Hangju’s night?”
Gwak Bong leaned against the foul-smelling back alley wall.
The only reason she was crouched in this place tonight was Geom U-bin’s words.
“When is this Toad character supposed to show up?”
Kang Chan-sik, who had been watching beyond the alley corner, answered Gwak Bong’s question.
“Within a quarter hour, I’d say.”
Kang Chan-sik, who had once trembled before the Bloodwind Four Lions and fled to the mountains to become a bandit, had eventually returned to Hangju.
But it was not to his old position.
The Hong Moon Hoe he had once run had crumbled in his absence, and someone else had claimed that territory.
Hangju’s underworld now resembled the Age of Warring States.
Gambling house operators, loan sharks, black market dealers—all manner of criminal enterprises ran rampant through the city.
The Ja-ryong Mun, the black path faction that had once managed Hangju’s underworld and collected tribute, merely watched the situation unfold.
From their perspective, the more criminal organizations that paid them, the better; and since the Ja-ryong Mun controlled territories beyond Hangju alone, they saw no need to intervene.
“Are you truly certain you can manage this alone?”
Though Geom U-bin had sent her, according to the plan, Gwak Bong would have to face every criminal organization in Hangju by herself.
That was a difficult task, no matter how skilled a first-class expert one was.
Yet Gwak Bong’s face showed no worry—only the tedium of waiting for the Toad to appear.
“I should have brought a few of the younger boys along, shouldn’t I?”
Though Gwak Bong was only fifteen, Kang Chan-sik’s manner toward her was respectful.
“No need. Small fry like that would just get in the way.”
Just as Kang Chan-sik had predicted, less than a quarter hour passed before the Toad appeared down the alley.
The man, scarred so badly that he had earned the nickname Toad, pushed open the door to the illegal gambling house and slipped inside.
The moment the Toad vanished, Gwak Bong turned the corner.
“We have eight gambling houses to hit tonight, so let’s move fast. Keep watch outside, and if officials show up, give me a signal. Just ignore if their thugs come mobbing over.”
“What if they come in large numbers?”
It was common wisdom that one fist cannot withstand ten. But Gwak Bong paid no mind to such truisms.
“Tonight, there’ll be plenty more sleeping soundly than they were before.”
“You mean to…… kill them all?”
“If I killed them for something like this, she’d scold me.”
Gwak Bong occasionally mentioned “her,” though Kang Chan-sik still had no idea who this person was.
Whenever he asked ‘Who is she?’, he was told only that he didn’t need to know yet.
Gwak Bong walked into the gambling house with the casual air of a gambler. Soon the sound of something shattering echoed out.
Kang Chan-sik suppressed the urge to peek inside and focused on his task of keeping watch.
Before long, a dozen or more figures came rushing from the other end of the alley—thugs from the Goryeon Hoe, each wielding a cudgel or blade.
‘The numbers are too many. Shouldn’t I warn her?’
But then he shook his head.
Though Gwak Bong was a lone warrior, she had been sent by Geom U-bin. Would those ghostlike masters not have foreseen this?
Kang Chan-sik turned his gaze back outside the alley, focusing only on watching for any sign of officials.
The rushing thugs disappeared into the gambling house.
And yet only a quarter hour or so had passed.
Screech!
The poorly oiled door swung open with a sharp cry as Gwak Bong stepped out.
She looked as though she had simply enjoyed a night of gambling and left.
Not a scratch on her, not a drop of blood on her clothes. Even her breathing was even as Gwak Bong, emerging from where Kang Chan-sik had been hiding, spoke to him.
“Let’s move on to the next one. And hold onto this for me.”
The heavy pouch in Gwak Bong’s hand was stuffed with money and betting slips.
“How much is it?”
“No idea. Just swept up whatever was there.”
A single day’s take from the gambling house would easily amount to a thousand silver coins.
“There’s another gambling house on Guizhu Road. We should hit that one next.”
After the first gambling house raid, I was certain that Gwak Bong needed no one’s help.
“Once we finish raiding the gambling houses today, I’ll call back some of my old subordinates—trusted ones. We need to organize the Triad from scratch.”
“I understand. So you’ll become the Guild Master, then?”
“Huh?”
Gwak Bong blinked and spoke.
“You’re the Guild Master.”
“Me?”
“Didn’t you hear? I’m not interested in that sort of thing. I’m just here for this. Once we’ve sorted out the Hangju Triad, I’m leaving.”
Kang Chan-sik, who had worn a confused expression, soon nodded. Since Gwak Bong belonged to Hang Ju-sa-ung, if she became the Triad’s Guild Master, it would damage Hang Ju-sa-ung’s reputation.
So it was clear she intended to keep Kang Chan-sik as the public face while pulling the strings from behind.
That wasn’t a bad arrangement.
After all, when he’d been the Guild Master of the Hong Moon Hoe, he’d paid nearly ninety percent of his income to the Ja-ryong Mun as tribute.
Unless Hang Ju-sa-ung was an insufferable hypocrite, this would be better than before.
When a gambling house is raided, word spreads quickly.
But that night, news of Gwak Bong and Kang Chan-sik’s raids spread far faster than mere rumor.
Only after that night had passed did word of the gambling house attacks reach people—by which time all eight gambling houses in Hangju had already been thoroughly destroyed.
Beginning with the gambling houses was deliberate: they needed to raise capital for the Triad’s takeover.
Even if Gwak Bong alone could have seized control of the Triad, managing it would require many hands.
Money was the finest tool for moving street thugs who’d labored in darkness, and no place generated such funds more reliably than a gambling house.
Kang Chan-sik pointed at the map of Hangju spread across the table.
“I think we should first consolidate this eastern district—from Bukhye Road to Jeoso Road. It’s the best territory in Hangju, and there are plenty of capable men there.”
“If ‘capable’ only means brute strength, we’ll have a problem. I’d rather you select men who aren’t too bad—in terms of character, I mean.”
Hoping that Triad members would be good was about as realistic as searching for a white crow.
“I’m sorry—what does ‘not too bad’ actually mean?”
“Going forward, we won’t run illegal gambling houses or engage in human trafficking. Of course, as a Triad, we’ll collect protection money and do loan-sharking. But we won’t slide back into being a group people point fingers at.”
“You want to become a good Triad?”
“The most righteous Triad in Zhongyuan. That’s the goal.”
Gwak Bong ended with a sly grin.
‘A good Triad? Since when does that make any sense?’

***

“Are you a guest of Oseong Jang-won?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my, why didn’t you say so sooner!”
The restaurant owner, who had embodied rudeness itself, immediately bowed. He walked outside with them and gave detailed directions.
“Go straight down that main road and you’ll come to a crossroads. Turn right past the fabric shop there, and you’ll leave the town center……”
Worried that Sang Nam-jae might lose his way, the owner even sketched a rough map on the ground.
As Sang Nam-jae took the bridle, Go Shin-ji, mounted on the horse, spoke.
“Oseong Jang-won seems to have quite the reputation in Hangju.”
Her belly was swollen enough that it wouldn’t have been strange if she’d given birth that very night.
“Fortunately, that seems to be the case.”
It hadn’t been an easy decision.
But Sang Nam-jae had to make up his mind, and Go Shin-ji followed his choice in silent steadfastness.
Thanks to the restaurant owner’s clear directions, Oseong Jang-won was easy to find. Situated not far from the river, the estate was enormous in scale.
It seemed ten times larger than what they’d vaguely imagined in their minds.
“Do you think they’ll listen to our request?”
“First, we need to confirm whether they’re actually there.”
With trembling heart, Sang Nam-jae knocked on the estate’s gate.
The man who opened the door without asking who it was proved to be Go Seo-bang.
“How may I help you?”
Despite looking like a laborer, he was courteous in a way that didn’t quite fit someone at such a grand estate.
Naturally, Sang Nam-jae’s manner softened as well.
“We’ve come to see Oseong Seon.”
“I see.”
Go Seo-bang studied the two visitors’ appearances with a practiced eye.
Having lived by the sword in Murim for over thirty years, Go Seo-bang recognized at a glance that Sang Nam-jae possessed martial training.
His stance, his hands, the smallest movements, his very bearing—these alone were enough to tell.
The woman on horseback was indeed pregnant, far along.
No matter how dangerous Murim might be, a woman at full term posed no threat.
“If you’d state your business, I’ll relay it to the lord.”
“A few months ago, a husband and wife were rescued in the mountains. You should remember us.”
So the Bloodwind Four Lions had done a good deed after all.
‘Must be thanks to Master Go.’
With that thought, Go Seo-bang told them to wait a moment and stepped inside.
The first of the Bloodwind Four Lions he encountered was Yeon Geum-hong.
Lately, the peace had been so welcome, though it grated on her nerves just a little—such was Yeon Geum-hong’s disposition.
“Master Yeon! We have visitors outside!”
In the tedium of daily life, wasn’t any caller a welcome one—save perhaps a peddler?
“Who?”
“A couple who were rescued in the mountains a few months ago by Master Go and the others, they say. A woman who’s far along with child is with them.”
The assassins of the Seobaksalmun came to mind at once.
‘How did they find this place? Ah!’
Geom U-bin had left behind a bottle of Saegiuju, mentioning that they’d made it themselves.
Anyone asking around in Wuhan would have learned without much difficulty that Saegiuju came from Oseong Jang-won.
“Understood. I’ll go have a look. And you—Seok-san was looking for you. What trouble did you stir up?”
“I didn’t stir up anything. I’m not a child anymore. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
The moment Yeon Geum-hong emerged, relief flooded the faces of Sang Nam-jae and Go Shin-ji—unmistakable, unguarded relief.
They’d been afraid they’d gone to the wrong place, but here she was. Both of them bowed deeply the instant they saw her.
“Our benefactor. How have you fared all this time?”
To look at her alone, she seemed younger than Go Shin-ji, yet their courtesy carried not a trace of presumption.
Yeon Geum-hong, watching the pair, let out a slow breath.
“You’ve made your decision then.”
“We have.”
Yeon Geum-hong could guess roughly how things would unfold. If she took these two in, Oseong Jang-won would become responsible not just for them, but for two others as well.
‘This is going to be troublesome, isn’t it?’
“Younger sister, I hear we have guests?”
At the sound of Geom U-bin’s voice, Yeon Geum-hong could only gesture the pair inside.
“Come in.”
Geom U-bin, drenched in sweat, broke into a broad smile at the sight of them.
“Long time no see, you two! Wow, auntie’s belly really has gotten big!”
Where Yeon Geum-hong felt annoyed, Geom U-bin seemed genuinely delighted.
She asked how they’d been, whether the journey had been difficult, this and that, putting both visitors at ease with her chatter.
Hearing that guests had arrived, Jang Man-dok, Seo Seok-san, and Do Pyeong-su appeared one by one.
The expressions on all three faces as they took in Sang Nam-jae and Go Shin-ji mirrored Yeon Geum-hong’s own.
The Bloodwind Four Lions escorted the pair to the guest hall, then Geom U-bin led them back outside.
“Hang Ju-sa-ung, do you intend to let them stay here?”
“They’ve come seeking us. Of course we’ll have them stay.”
“Ordinarily guests are welcome, but these two are rather special.”
“How so?”
“When I returned, I told you who that man was, didn’t I?”
Seo Seok-san’s words drew a nod from Geom U-bin.
“He was an assassin for the Seobaksalmun. You’re worried because he was an assassin in the past?”
“If he were an assassin now, I wouldn’t worry. But he was one, and the Seobaksalmun will still be hunting him.”
“Our masters aren’t afraid of the Seobaksalmun. What’s there to worry about?”
The four fell silent, wrestling with the question. It was Seo Seok-san who spoke.
“Sang Nam-jae will leave his wife with us and go to the Seobaksalmun.”
“Why?”
“There are only two ways to end the Seobaksalmun’s pursuit: the two of them die, or he kills the sect master. Sang Nam-jae will entrust his wife to our safety and go to end this.”
“Is there no other way to settle his grievance?”

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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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