Moorim Pochang - Chapter 112

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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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Episode 112. The Hero.

The members of the Gaebang had learned the Medical Arts as well.
To travel across the whole of Gangho, they had to tend to their own bodies.
So there were those among them who had studied the Medical Arts deeply, and they kept medical texts on hand.
But their skill fell far short of the Old Physician from the Murim Alliance.
“What did you put in the decoction?”
The Old Physician’s temper flared as Fang Zhu pressed the matter relentlessly.
It was like saving a drowning man only to have him demand your purse as well.
“Earthworm, sir. Will that suffice?”
At the Old Physician’s answer, Fang Zhu’s eyes gleamed.
“Much obliged.”
Earthworm—wasn’t that just a worm?
True, worms were eaten as tonics and occasionally used as medicinal ingredients.
But to heal internal injuries with it?
‘Will I have to go hunting worms from now on?’
If only his internal injuries had healed, he wouldn’t have been keen on eating worms.
But it wasn’t just the internal injuries—his body felt as though it had grown five years younger.
‘I should take a look at that successor of mine and see how he’s doing.’

*

Shin Pung-gae arrived at the forest’s edge and moved to cross the Stone Bridge.
But Kang Jo appeared from nowhere, blocking his path.
“What brings you here?”
“May I step inside for a moment?”
“If you’ve come to see Sam-ryong, you’re welcome to enter.”
As Kang Jo granted permission, color bloomed across Shin Pung-gae’s face.
‘At last—he’s beginning to open his heart.’
He stepped inside and surveyed the Guest Inn.
He saw no sign of Yang Jung anywhere, yet he was certain he was here.
“May I look deeper inside?”
Kang Jo nodded at the question.
“Go ahead.”
Shin Pung-gae moved toward the back of the Guest Inn, scanning as he went.
Once he disappeared into the depths, Kang Jo walked toward the Stone Bridge.
Beneath the Stone Bridge, ice lay thick with snow, and beneath that ice, Sam-ryong lay hidden.
After waiting a moment, Sam-ryong’s head emerged from a hole in the ice.
“Fang Zhu has arrived.”
“Understood.”
He slipped back beneath the ice.
Kang Jo returned to the kitchen and fished out the dried vegetables that had been soaking in water.
He blanched them briefly in boiling water.
As Kang Jo was preparing the seasoned vegetables, Shin Pung-gae appeared again.
“You’re certain he’s in the Guest Inn?”
“He was here a moment ago.”
Shin Pung-gae tilted his head and vanished into the back once more.
By the time Kang Jo finished seasoning the vegetables and began simmering broth from chicken bones, Shin Pung-gae emerged again.
His face flushed slightly from using Lightness Skill to dart about.
He exhaled lightly.
Shin Pung-gae drew a breath and opened his mouth to ask.
“That one hasn’t returned yet?”
“Haven’t seen him.”
He sighed.
“Where on earth has he gone?”
As his sigh escaped, Kang Jo spoke up.
“He may have gone to the village to see the girls.”
“That’s right.”
A sharp whistle cut through the air—
Shin Pung-gae vanished in a gust of wind.
Even after he’d gone, Kang Jo continued his cooking without missing a beat.
Thwack—! Thwack—!
As he worked the dough on the board, stretching noodles and boiling them, Yang Jung appeared, drenched in cold water.
“I’ll go change into dry clothes.”

*

Shin Pung-gae wandered the village until he found the Guest Inn, said to have the finest cook in the area.
“Welcome.”
The innkeeper bowed deeply in greeting.
“A bowl of noodles, if you please.”
“Of course. Please, have a seat.”
Shin Pung-gae sat down to wait, and soon a bowl of pork noodles arrived.
Slurrrp—
He shoved the noodles into his mouth, splashing broth everywhere.
‘Compared to that man’s cooking, these noodles hardly deserve the name.’
There had been a time when he’d savored this bowl at the Guest Inn.
But now he ate only because he was hungry—taste had nothing to do with it.
“That was delicious,” he said as he left.
Outside, he stopped a beggar wandering the street.
“Have you seen a man named Yang Jung?”
“Don’t you notice how the village women have scattered in all directions, sir?”
Fang Zhu realized then that he’d been foolish.
Whenever that man showed his face, women would swarm just to catch a glimpse.
It had gotten so bad that the unmarried men of the village complained constantly.
But Fang Zhu paid their grievances no mind.
Bees and butterflies naturally gathered around fragrant flowers, and it was only natural that women desired what was beautiful and radiant.
“Where the devil has he gone?”
Shin Pung-gae launched himself from the Guest Inn with a Body Technique.
A sharp whistle—
Using even his Lightness Skill, he caught sight of a pale figure flickering in the distance among the trees.
“So he’s over there.”
He changed direction and moved into the forest with the same technique.
He entered the forest, but Yang Jung was nowhere to be found.
As he scanned the area, he caught the faintest trace of movement.
“So that’s where you are?”
A sharp whistle—
Shin Pung-gae swiftly redirected himself toward the source of the presence.
But when he arrived, Yang Jung had vanished again.
“This bastard—”
Anger began to boil up inside him.

*

Shin Pung-gae had spent nearly two hours searching through the forest.
Yet Yang Jung slipped away every time he drew close.
“How dare you mock the Leader of Gaebang—”
Crack—! Crack—!
Enraged, Shin Pung-gae tore into the spot where Yang Jung had been hiding with a Dragon Head Powerful Palm.
After venting his fury on the trees, he leaped over a fence and returned to the Guest Inn.
But there was Yang Jung, casually tending the horses in the stable.
“You—!”
Shin Pung-gae charged forward as if he meant to beat the man to death.
Yet Yang Jung remained utterly shameless.
“What’s the matter, Leader?”
In the past, he would have fled. But not now.
“Are you mocking me right now—?”
Shin Pung-gae blazed with anger, but Yang Jung showed no fear whatsoever.
“I was merely practicing my Movement Technique in the forest.”
Ugh…
At Yang Jung’s composed reply, Shin Pung-gae’s entire frame trembled.
He exhaled slowly.
“I’ve seen your face now. That’s enough.”
Having barely contained his fury, he turned his body and left the Guest Inn.
It was time to let go, and yet his appetite only swelled with each passing moment.
‘There’s no one else fit to lead the Gaebang.’
A Lightness Skill worthy of contention across all Gangho, a Movement Technique that even deceived his own eyes, and beyond that—the courage and martial prowess to stand alone against the entire front gate of the Murim Alliance.
There was nothing wanting in him.
And above all else, the most striking thing was his face.

*

“Yi Eok, step forward.”
At the sound of his name, the middle-aged warrior walked up to the platform.
“Yi Eok has labored tirelessly for the Murim Alliance, and during this incursion has slain countless intruders within our walls.”
The Chief Administrator, after praising his merit, handed a Secret Manual of Martial Arts to the Alliance Leader.
The Alliance Leader received it and passed it to Yi Eok.
Yi Eok bowed deeply and accepted the manual.
As he descended from the platform, the Chief Administrator called forward another warrior.
“Yang Jung, step forward.”
Yang Jung, dressed in a pristine white robe, walked up onto the platform.
He was receiving the Murim Alliance’s second commendation despite not being a member of their order.
The established warriors accepted this without question.
But the newly arrived warriors from Ma-gyo found the honor somewhat strange.
‘So that’s the one.’
‘The rumors were right—his face is striking. Who would have thought to see a man more handsome than Dok-go?’
They too had heard tales of Yang Jung through the Ma-gyo contingent.
Between the village and the Murim Alliance stood a Guest Inn, they’d been told, whose cuisine was unmatched in all the realm.
But they’d also heard the prices were steep, not a place to enter carelessly.
Moreover, the inn’s proprietor was said to be a master of formidable skill, earning even the deep respect of Ma-gyo’s hearts.
The Guest Inn also had a server—a girl whose face was irritatingly handsome, with considerable martial prowess besides.
“Yang Jung held the front gate of the Murim Alliance alone. Without him, our alliance would have suffered grievous losses. Yang Jung may be called a hero of Gangho and the Murim.”
As the Chief Administrator praised his merit, Yang Jung felt sudden dread.
‘I never meant to become a hero.’
The wider his name spread, the more enemies would seek him out, and Hyeol-gyo would not simply stand idle.
‘I must not take the stage again.’
He bowed, accepting the Blue Silk Martial Robe from the Alliance Leader.
“I shall place it upon you with my own hands.”
At the Alliance Leader’s words, Yang Jung unfastened his sword and removed his outer robe.
As he shed the robe, the Alliance Leader draped the Blue Silk Martial Robe across his shoulders.
The robe shimmered with a deep blue hue, and across the back was embroidered a single dragon in gold thread.
When the most handsome man beneath heaven donned the robe embroidered in gold, his bearing became utterly transcendent.
Ah…
The men could not suppress their admiration, and the women lost themselves entirely.
Baek Ha-yeong wore an expression of pride, as though he were her own bridegroom.
Yet Yang Jung’s face had turned dark.
‘How am I supposed to wear this anywhere…’

*

The moment Kang Jo saw Yang Jung entering the Guest Inn, his face twisted in displeasure.
The Blue Silk Martial Robe looked far too ornate.
“What’s with that outfit?”
“I received it as a commendation,” Yang Jung replied in a subdued voice, turning slowly to show it off.
“There’s another dragon now. Are you no longer Three Dragons but Four Dragons?”
“Please don’t tease me, brother. I was meaning to take it off anyway.”

If he walked out into Gangho wearing this robe, blades would rain down on him from every direction.
The Blue Silk Martial Robe wasn’t meant to be worn out—it belonged enshrined at home.
“It won’t be long before spring now. I’d like to go back home for a brief visit.”
“Go quickly and return soon. Don’t leave empty-handed.”
“Yes. I’ll take a sword or so—about a dozen or so.”
“Do that.”
Yang Jung entered his room, stripped off the robe, and changed back into his everyday clothes.
Then he selected swords from the corner of the room.
‘I took quite a few swords home before, and now I have even more.’
He gathered an armful of blades and found scabbards to sheathe them in.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Go and come back quickly.”
After exchanging farewells, Yang Jung headed toward the stable.
Tap…tap…..tap….
When he clapped his hands twice in front of the stable, Saek Ya-cha’s eyes fluttered open.
Nodding, Yang Jung placed a saddle on the horse’s back and secured it.
“Let’s go quickly.”

*

Five carts came to a halt before the forest.
A middle-aged man descended from one of the carts and approached Stone Bridge.
Just as he was about to enter Stone Bridge, Kang Jo emerged to greet him.
“Welcome.”
Kang Jo assumed he was a customer.
“I’ve brought Wuliangye.”
But he was no customer—he had come on the Sect Master’s errand.
The man bowed respectfully and offered a gentle smile.
“His direct orders startled us. We had no Wuliangye in stock, so we had to search every tavern and inn in the region, which delayed us considerably. Our apologies.”
What was there to apologize for?
“Think nothing of it. Please set the liquor over there.”
Kang Jo pointed to one corner of the inn.
There was no way to bring fifty jars of wine into the kitchen.
“As you command.”
The man bowed respectfully and returned to the carts.
As they hauled the carts toward the inn, Kang Jo hurried to prepare noodles.
Clack…! Clack…..!
He couldn’t send these men away without offering them a meal after they’d hauled liquor all this way.
Once they’d unloaded all the jars, they straightened up together.
“Now that we’ve delivered the wine, we should head back.”
“Please, sit and rest awhile.”
The men hesitated before taking seats at the table.
Kang Jo set steaming bowls of pork and noodles before them.
“Please, eat.”
“Thank you.”
They gazed at the noodles before picking up their chopsticks.
They’d heard the rumors about this inn.
The food wasn’t very good, they’d been told, and the prices were shocking.
But contrary to the rumors, the aroma was magnificent.
The men lifted meat and noodles to their mouths.
Slurp…….
As they chewed, their eyes widened and they exchanged glances with one another.
Then they began moving their chopsticks without pause.
Slurp……..slurp………
Before they could empty their bowls, Kang Jo set another serving of pork and noodles before each man.
“Please, eat your fill.”

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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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