Moorim Pochang - Chapter 18

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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 18. Yeohwa.

This couldn’t be happening…
The world simply didn’t work this way.
Putting everything else aside, he’d been certain his Light Martial Art surpassed his brother’s.
But that certainty was his delusion alone.
Less than half a time unit after fleeing with all his strength, his collar had been grabbed.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Feet and fists rained down on him mercilessly from all sides.
Yet his heart ached far more than his body ever could.
“I let him go because I couldn’t be bothered, and this bastard actually thought he could escape…”
Yang Jeong heard nothing of Gang Jo’s words.
Only the phrase “couldn’t be bothered” pierced his ears like a blade.
Wahhhhh! Waaahhhhh!
He began to weep with terrible abandon.
The only things he surpassed his brother in were his face and his Light Martial Art.
Now the only thing left was his face.
When Yang Jeong burst into tears, Gang Jo was taken aback.
‘What? Why is he doing this?’
Normally, no matter how badly he beat the man, he’d laugh it off without complaint.
“Where… does it hurt?”
Yang Jeong, still wracked with sobs, lifted his tear-streaked face.
“It’s not that, brother. I’ve become so pathetic that I can’t help but weep.”
“What’s so pathetic about you?”
Wahhhhh! Waaahhhhh!
“The only thing I’m good at is… my face, isn’t it?”
At those words, Gang Jo’s eyes—which had been resting quietly upon him—turned fierce.
“You ungrateful bastard. If you’re pitiful, then every person in this world should just die. You need more beating.”
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Gang Jo trampled his entire body.
As the pain intensified, Yang Jeong clutched at Gang Jo’s trouser leg.
“Oh, brother! Your brother is dying! Please stop hitting me! Brother…!”

*

“Eat more.”
Gang Jo pushed a bowl of Dong Po Pork toward Yang Jeong.
“Thank you, brother.”
Yang Jeong’s shoulders sagged as he ate.
“You’re fast enough. So don’t beat yourself down like this.”
“…Yes.”
His voice held no strength at all.
Concerned by this, Gang Jo wished to do something more for his younger brother.
“If there’s anything you want to eat, tell me. I’ll get you anything.”
Then Yang Jeong lifted his face, which was mottled with bruises the color of dried blood.
He’d been beaten so savagely that his face was barely recognizable, and his hair stuck up like straw.
On top of that, having been dragged along like a dog, his clothes were torn and tattered—little better than rags.
“I’d like to… drink some alcohol.”
“Alcohol? All right. I’ll bring some.”
“That’s not it, brother. I’d like to drink Spirit Herb and Stone Oil Liquor.”
Gang Jo’s eyes, which had been regarding him with a touch of sympathy, suddenly hardened.
“You bastard…”
As Gang Jo’s gaze turned cold, Yang Jeong began to shed tears anew.
Sniffle… sniffle…
A long sigh escaped Gang Jo’s lips.
He rose and went into the kitchen, retrieving a hidden liquor jar from where it had been stored.
He poured two cups of liquor from the cask.
As Gang Jo set the cup before him, Yang Jeong reached out hesitantly and lifted it.
“Thank you, brother.”
“Drink that and gather your strength again.”
“Yes.”
A faint smile lingered at the corners of Yang Jeong’s mouth as he drained the cup.
The truth was, that bitter despair had lasted only a moment.
When he thought about it, his brother had spent thirteen years training in martial arts under their master, while he had merely spent two.
‘There’s no way I could surpass thirteen years in just two.’
No—the fact that he’d reached a level comparable to his brother in just two years was something to be proud of.
‘Let me not dwell on it. Someday I’ll surpass him.’
As the liquor warmed his belly, strength seemed to flow back into his exhausted limbs.
But for now, he needed to feign serious injury.
“Brother, I’m not feeling well. I think I should rest in my room.”
Gang Jo readily consented.
“It’ll be dark soon anyway. Rest today, and we’ll start building the stable tomorrow.”
“It won’t be just today—I think I’ll need several more days to recover………..”
“You trying to get yourself killed?”
“N-no, brother. I’ll work hard starting tomorrow.”
After finishing his meal, Yang Jeong shuffled toward his room with exaggerated limping.
Just then, Sin Pungae was crossing the Stone Bridge.
Gang Jo sprang to his feet and moved to block his path.
“Why have you come again?”
Yang Jeong, quick to sense the situation, startled and hurried into his room.
Sin Pungae recognized the figure entering the room.
But his appearance was so disheveled and his face so badly swollen and bruised that he couldn’t quite place him.
“I’ve come to beg a bowl of rice.”
“Didn’t I tell you there’s no rice for beggars?”
Sin Pungae glanced at the empty dishes on the table.
‘He’s cleaned everything away.’
Not a single grain of rice or morsel of meat remained—there was nothing left for him to ask for even as scraps.
“This old man won’t leave until you give him food. Mark my words.”
As Sin Pungae persisted, Gang Jo laughed coldly.
“Spend the night here or sleep as you wish. But I have no intention of giving you charity.”

*

Gang Jo carried the empty dishes to the riverside.
When he returned after finishing the washing, Sin Pungae was sitting on a log bench.
Gang Jo entered the kitchen without so much as glancing at him.
‘Stubborn old fool.’
Sin Pungae felt frustration rising, uncertain what to do.
But outwardly, he betrayed not the slightest hint of it.
“Do you know where the most benevolent place in the martial world is? The members of the Gae Bang may own nothing, but their hearts are those of righteous warriors.”
He spoke, appealing to compassion.
But Gang Jo answered coldly.
“Hearts of righteous warriors, you say? From where I stand, the members of the Gae Bang are no different from thieves and brigands.”
Sin Pungae’s fury ignited.
How dare anyone speak ill of the Gae Bang?
The Gae Bang never yielded to injustice—they pursued only righteousness.
Now this was no longer a matter of getting food.
“You wretch…! Who do you think you are to disparage the Gae Bang…?”
His voice, ringing and fierce, shook the shabby inn.
Yet Gang Jo remained composed.
“When I was young, I too lost my home and wandered. To fill my hungry belly, I worked odd jobs at inns and ran errands for merchants. In return for my labor, I received scraps of bread or rice. But then beggars would swarm like locusts and snatch even those morsels from a child’s hands. Surely this is precisely the righteousness the Gae Bang is known for—is it not?”
His words were a cry of searing anger.
Sin Pungae’s eyes trembled violently, caught off guard.
Of course, there must be wicked ones among the Gae Bang’s members, but such corruption exists everywhere.
“Were those truly…members of the Gae Bang?”
A sound like a groan escaped his lips—a voice suppressed and barely audible.
“What difference does it make if he’s begging for the Gae Bang or not? The fact remains—he’s a beggar.”
Mgh……..
‘I won’t be getting a meal here, that much is clear.’
Even a beggar’s face, thick as it was, couldn’t withstand such words and continue asking for alms.
“That matter… I’m sorry for how it turned out.”
Sin Pungae turned from where he stood and crossed the Stone Bridge.
Creak…!
The moment he disappeared, Yang Jeong burst through the door.
“He’s gone? Brother?”
“Yes, he’s gone.”
Gang Jo, who had been peering anxiously through the forest, eased closer to Yang Jeong’s side.
“But Brother… did you lose your home when you were young and wander after that? How did it come to pass?”
Yang Jeong knew very little about Gang Jo, whom he regarded as his older brother.
All he knew was that his martial arts were extraordinarily refined and that he cooked exceptionally well.
Oh… there was something else he’d learned—his calligraphy was masterful and his painting quite skilled.
In the old days, when he was suffering under his master, Gang Jo had painted an Ink Wash Painting.
The Ink Wash Painting of mountains and trees was excellent, but the calligraphy inscribed on one side was truly masterful.
At the time, Yang Jeong had wanted it so badly that he asked for it, but Gang Jo burned it in the fire.
Gang Jo answered dismissively.
“What good would knowing that do you?”
“Because I’m your younger brother—naturally I should know at least something of your past.”
“It’s all long gone. Don’t worry about it.”
“Still, please tell me, Brother.”
“It’s tedious.”

*

After finishing his preparations, Gang Jo stopped as he turned toward his room.
A desolate wind was blowing in from somewhere deep within the forest.
Whiiish……..
As Gang Jo extended his hand, the Ink Sword resting in one corner of the kitchen flew to his grasp.
The moment the blade touched his hand, a dark figure emerged from within the dwelling.
The dark figure walked forward with casual ease, as if strolling through its own front garden.
In the darkness, Gang Jo made out the figure’s face and felt a jolt of surprise.
The figure was a woman of modest height, her hair long and her face covered entirely with black characters.
The black tattoos crisscrossing her face made her age nearly impossible to guess.
At her waist hung a Jade Leaf Sword.
“What brings you here?”
Gang Jo asked in a measured voice.
The woman smiled, baring her white teeth.
“Could I have a meal?”
But that smile sent a chill crawling down his spine.
“A bowl of noodles is one silver coin.”
The woman walked calmly to the table and sat down.
Once seated, she produced five silver coins and laid them on the table.
“Bring me some liquor too.”
“One moment, please.”
Gang Jo rekindled the fire in the cold hearth and began drawing noodles.
Tap…..! Tap…….!
At the sound of the woman’s voice, Yang Jeong emerged from his room.
“A late guest has arrived?”
He peered toward the kitchen before studying the woman carefully.
Gasp…
The moment Yang Jeong saw the woman’s tattoo-covered face, a sharp breath escaped his lips.
How could that possibly be a woman’s face?
She looked less like a person and more like a ghost from a nightmare.
“I… I’m feeling unwell. I’ll retire to my room to rest first, Brother.”
Terrified, Yang Jeong hurried back into his room.
Gang Jo didn’t spare a glance at his departure.
“Pork Noodles.”
When the Pork Noodles and liquor were set on the table, the woman picked up her chopsticks.
She parted her lips, darkened by tattoos, and brought the noodles to her mouth.
Slurp.
After tasting them, the woman’s eyes widened slightly as she studied Gang Jo’s face.
“So you were truly a cook. And a skilled one at that.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
Gang Jo replied in the polite tone he used with any guest.
“I thought you were a secret disciple the Sect Leader had hidden away.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
She laughed.
The woman’s smile revealed her white teeth.
Then she immediately brought another mouthful of noodles to her lips.
“You killed my subordinates, after all. And on top of that, the Yama Blade met its end by your hand. Ah… but since he’s already dead, I suppose he wasn’t truly killed.”
Only then did Gang Jo begin to understand who this woman was.
She was likely one of the Blood Sect members that the Sect Leader and that handsome man had spoken of.
But he couldn’t make sense of the claim that the Yama Blade was already dead.
“So you’ve come for revenge?”
Instead of answering, the woman filled her cup and drank deeply.
She exhaled.
“Your cooking is exquisite, but this liquor is appalling. Who taught you your martial arts?”
“My grandfather.”
She laughed again.
“The Martial World truly is full of eccentric masters.”
Her laughter subsided, and she held Gang Jo’s gaze.
“Will you keep interfering in what I do?”
“I had no intention to interfere. They simply scaled my wall first and tried to kill me.”
“I see. Then don’t interfere in my business going forward.”
“That depends on how you conduct yourself.”
The woman’s smile turned cold. She picked up her chopsticks again and brought the remaining noodles to her mouth.
Slurp.
“It really is delicious. It would be such a waste to kill someone who cooks this well.”
The woman set down her bowl and rose to her feet.
“There’s plenty of liquor left. I’ll take just one silver coin.”
“Come back another time and finish the liquor. My name is Yeohwa. Remember it well. I might come for your head someday.”

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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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