Moorim Pochang - Chapter 31

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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 31. A Night of Madness.

“Have you forgotten your oath to your master?”
Gang Jo had sworn to his master that he would never be the first to draw his blade.
“If you’re that worried, then go yourself.”
“But what if those bastards burn down the Inn as retaliation? I’ll stay and guard it.”
“I’ll protect it. Now go.”
“Only if you come with me. Otherwise, I’m staying.”
“Damn it… you’re a coward, aren’t you?”
Yang Jeong was no weakling, truth be told.
But he’d only ever used his strength against bandits and common thugs.
As Gang Jo crossed the Stone Bridge, Yang Jeong trailed after him like a duckling.
“Why are you coming back with me?”
“Watching won’t change anything. Best not to see what we can’t prevent.”
“But if those men swallow the Murim Alliance whole, they’ll come for the Inn next.”
“I know, damn it. That’s precisely why I’m going mad. Don’t say such things…”
Yang Jeong whispered as he followed behind.
“Your master isn’t even here anymore. What good is an oath to a ghost? Just go. Pretend you didn’t see anything.”
“Let’s just finish our meal.”
“But sir…”

*

Slash.
Baek Won Young slashed across an enemy’s throat and roared.
“Back to back! Stand back to back and face them!”
But his cry fell on deaf ears among his disciples.
Overwhelmed by enemies willing to die for their cause, they couldn’t even muster their true martial skill.
Only Yeon Ja Seol was holding her own against them.
Ak Hwan swung his spear with fury, piercing through enemy necks.
Yet even he seemed rattled, unable to unleash his full power.
“Brother!”
The desperate voice of Baek Ha Young rang out from somewhere distant.
“Don’t panic—hold steady! Block them calmly!”
Baek Won Young thrust off and deployed his Body Technique toward the sound of her voice.
Screech… screech…
But enemies with eyes rolled back white pressed in from all sides, making it nearly impossible to move.
Slash… slash…
As he severed their throats and wove his Body Technique between them, a fierce black aura crashed down upon him.
Crash!
Baek Mun Do threw his full strength against that aura.
The moment he swatted the violent force aside, he was driven back six paces.
Breath… breath…
“So you are Baek Won Young.”
The woman blocking his path—her face covered in tattoos—smiled with eerie brightness.
Yet there was something so grotesque in that smile that his skin crawled.
Baek Mun Do recognized at once that his opponent was a master beyond his reach.
But worse than that was the knowledge that he was failing to protect his sister, who was calling out for him desperately.
“I’ll go, brother!”
Yeon Ja Seol deployed her Body Technique and cried out.
The woman paid her no mind.
All the disciples would die before the night was through—that much was certain.
She swung the Willow Leaf Blade at Baek Won Young with deceptive lightness.
Yet beneath that lightness lay a terrible, irresistible force.
Crash!
Baek Won Young was driven back again.
The woman glided forward in a blur of motion, her blade sweeping toward his waist.
Or rather, attempting to.
“How bothersome.”
She batted away the spear point that came driving in from the shoulder.
Crash!
Left alone, it would have done nothing but tear his clothes.
But her pride would not permit even that.
Ak Hwan could not withstand the impact and tumbled across the ground.
Crash!
Baek Won Young, too, staggered beneath the force of her blade.
The woman smiled coldly and drew her sword across his neck.
Crash and clash!
But once again, other weapons caught her blade midway.
“Master!”
Baek Won Young’s face brightened.
The veteran masters supporting both Shin Pung Gae and the Murim Alliance had revealed themselves.
“Leave this woman to us. You go and command the disciples.”
“Thank you.”
As Baek Won Young rushed toward the disciples, the woman let out a dry laugh.
“At least you haven’t wasted your years. Though you’ll be dead soon enough.”

*

A sharp cry rang out.
The scrape of steel.
Yeon Ja Seol, her enemy’s throat freshly severed, pressed her back against Baek Ha Young’s.
Blood ran down Baek Ha Young’s arms and sides, staining her from numerous wounds.
From head to foot, Yeon Ja Seol too was drenched in blood, having carved her way through the enemy lines.
“Sister, don’t worry.”
“My lady…”
Tears streamed down Baek Ha Young’s cheeks.
Scattered across the ground as corpses were martial artists of the Murim Alliance who, just a moment ago, had exchanged greetings with her.
Now those same people lay motionless, cold and lifeless, cast about without dignity.
“What of my brother?”
As she wiped her tears, her worry turned first to Baek Won Young.
Steel rang out. A throat was cut.
Yeon Ja Seol shouted as she slashed through another enemy.
“Focus on yourself now, sister!”
She assessed the situation swiftly.
Where they stood now was quite far from the Murim Alliance.
There was no guarantee they could return safely to where Baek Won Young was with Baek Ha Young.
“Sister, run for the Inn. Don’t hesitate.”
Only one path remained.
The rear had fewer enemies—they could break through there.
“Why the Inn?”
“Trust me and run.”
Yeon Ja Seol reversed her momentum and began carving a path forward.
Clash and clang! Metal shrieking against metal!
A clean cut.
In the instant their blades met, Baek Ha Young slashed through the enemy’s torso.
Whatever fear gripped her, she was Baek Mun Do’s daughter and his student.

*

Yang Jeong sat by the riverbank, washing dishes.
“What a sorry state I’m in.”
While a death struggle raged elsewhere, here he sat by the water, doing nothing but scrubbing pots.
‘I shouldn’t have eaten that He Shou Wu.’
Because of the herb, strength surged through his limbs, and courage—courage he didn’t know he possessed—blazed within him.
A winning fight was always the most exhilarating kind.
So he absolutely refused to get involved in fights he seemed destined to lose.
But if his brother were beside him, he felt he could squeeze out courage from nowhere.
“I’ve done all I can. It’s not my fault they won’t believe me.”
Muttering alone, he sprang to his feet.
He’d noticed someone rushing toward him at great speed.
‘An enemy?’
Yang Jeong grabbed the sword he’d set beside him.
As they drew closer, he could make out the faces of those running through the darkness.
“B-Baek… Miss Baek!”
Startled, he quickly crossed the Stone Bridge.
“Yang Jeong…”
Baek Ha Young’s face flushed even in this chaos.
She and Yeon Ja Seol were both covered in blood.
“Please, come inside at once.”
Yang Jeong ushered them in with a grave voice before Yeon Ja Seol could even ask.
Gang Jo, who’d been sitting at the table, rose to his feet.
“I’d like to rest here for a while.”
At Yeon Ja Seol’s words, Gang Jo nodded.
“Your wounds look serious. Go into a room and receive treatment.”
“Yes, thank you. Do you have any Gold Sore Medicine?”
“It’s in the room.”
Yang Jeong hurried them to a chamber.
As he opened the door and stepped inside, the room was stacked full of weapons.
Despite her exhaustion and injuries, Baek Ha Young gasped in astonishment.
What on earth were all these weapons doing here?
But Yeon Ja Seol didn’t seem surprised, as if she’d already guessed.
“Here you are, Miss Baek.”
Yang Jeong retrieved the Gold Sore Medicine and clean cloth from his pack and handed them to Baek Ha Young.
“Thank you, Yang Jeong.”
“I’d like to help with the treatment…”
“No. I can manage it myself.”
Yeon Ja Seol flatly refused his offer.
Awkward now, Yang Jeong had no choice but to leave the room.
“Then… I’ll step outside.”

*

Yang Jeong walked toward the Stone Bridge.
Gripping his sword in one hand, he planted himself in the center of the bridge like a general defending a fortress.
Gang Jo watched him with a bewildered stare.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t you see, brother? I must protect the young ladies, mustn’t I?”
Good grief.
“This idiot.”
Gang Jo heaved a deep sigh.
The man had to be out of his mind to pull something like this.
As Gang Jo stood gazing blankly at Yang Jeong’s figure, Yeon Ja Seol and Baek Ha Young emerged from the room.
Upon leaving, Baek Ha Young spotted Yang Jeong standing firm in the center of the bridge.
‘Could Yang Jeong really be…?’
She was overwhelmed with emotion.
Here was a man whose martial skill was inferior to hers, yet willing to stake his life to protect her.
Could such men truly exist in this world?
“Yang Jeong…!”
Baek Ha Young called out, raising her voice.
Yang Jeong turned around and flashed her a radiant smile.
“Have no fear. I will defend this place with my life.”
Gang Jo felt his face burn and couldn’t bear to watch the scene any longer.
Ugh.
‘So that’s what he was after. The fool wastes his sharp mind on pointless things.’
He wanted nothing more than to disappear into a mouse hole, yet he found himself curious to see where this would lead.
“I’ll hold back the enemies too.”
Baek Ha Young stepped forward with a resolute expression.
“No, Miss Baek. Your wounds are grave. Please, leave this to me.”
Yang Jeong shook his head with an unchanging smile.
‘They play well, they truly play well.’
Gang Jo shook his head, watching their absurd display.
Yet unlike them, Yeon Ja Seol was watching Gang Jo.
“Thank you, Gang Jo.”
“Don’t mention it. Please visit anytime you wish.”
Gang Jo received her words in the tone one uses with a guest.
But then she spoke words he hadn’t expected.
“Could you… help the Murim Alliance?”
“What…?”
As Gang Jo began to voice his confusion, Yang Jeong cried out.
“Brother! The enemies are coming!”
Urgency hung upon his face as he raised his voice.
“How convenient. It’s time the greatest cooperative of the realm showed his true skill.”
When Gang Jo showed no sign of lending aid, Yang Jeong’s eyes wavered.

*

Scritch…
The old master’s head rolled from his neck.

Blood fountained from the severed neck as the body crumpled without resistance.
Having severed his neck, Yeo Hwa moved her body technique and unleashed the Dragon Head Stance.
Crash…!
Though she had already cut down four old masters, there was no trace of fatigue in her.
Even Shin Pung Gae, veteran of countless battles, felt fear kindle in his chest.
Hehehehe……
“That look on your face — seems you’ll soon be crawling into the earth.”
As Yeo Hwa laughed, the tattoos covering her face writhed grotesquely.
Shin Pung Gae found something strange about that voice, as if he’d heard it before.
‘Was this someone I knew?’
The memory hovered at the edge of his mind but would not fully form.
He grasped the Dragon Head Stance more firmly, his expression grave.
Even if death claimed him here, he meant to take that demon as his companion to the next world.
“Lord…!”
Yet it seemed his time had not come, for middle-aged masters from the Murim Alliance descended upon them.
Without hesitation, they unleashed their blades toward Yeo Hwa.
Crash, crash, bang…!
Hissss……
Yeo Hwa parried the weapons and shifted her body technique.
“Tiresome things.”
The middle-aged masters of the Murim Alliance did not frighten her.
But slaying all of them would require time.
“Die!”
At her cry, those whose eyes had rolled back white surged forward.
Yeo Hwa slipped backward and swiftly surveyed the situation.
Though she had slain many masters of the Murim Alliance, still their warriors numbered in abundance.
Yeo Hwa moved her search toward Baek Won Young.
‘I wish to see Mun Do wail.’
Yet his figure was not easily found.
Crash, crash, bang…! Crash, bang…!
As she surveyed the surroundings, her gaze caught Joba Ja and the Lord locked in fierce combat, their body techniques multiplying into dozens of images before collapsing back into one.
Hehehehe……..

*

Spear and sword crossed as Joba Ja and Baek Mun Do’s body techniques multiplied into dozens of forms before merging into one.
“Why have you become a servant of the Blood Cult?”
“The one you fought wasn’t the Blood Cult. It was I—it was all of us—who gave that name to them.”
“Joba Ja! Spare us your sophistry!”
Baek Mun Do’s face darkened with fury.
How many lives had vanished in vain at the hands of the Blood Cult’s followers?
Among the dead were not only the defenseless common folk but children—countless children.
Hehehehe……
A shrill, wicked laugh cut through the air, and Joba Ja’s eyes blazed with madness.
“Don’t interfere, Yeo Hwa.”
“Why not? Iron Grip. If the two of us join forces, we can take Mun Do’s head without much trouble.”
As she spoke, Yeo Hwa launched herself forward with a Body Technique aimed at Baek Mun Do.
Crash—!
But the blade of Joba Ja’s spear cut across her path, blocking her advance.

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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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