Moorim Pochang - Chapter 32

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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 32. One Whom Time Has Stopped.

“You’re really going through with this?”
Yeohwa stepped back with irritation, sheathing her weapon.
“I’ll be the one to kill Baek Mun-do.”
“Your pride, as always……..”
At Cheol-goe’s words, she reluctantly put away her Leaf Blade.
Baek Mun-do stared at Yeohwa and her Leaf Blade with trembling eyes.
How could he ever forget that blade?
“You’re…………not So-hye, are you?”
Hahahaha……..!
She threw back her head and laughed at his question.
“Still, you remember me.”
Once, she had yearned for Baek Mun-do.
But his gaze had always turned toward another woman.
She had tried to seduce him with wine, yet he never wavered.
“How is it that you…………?”
“If you’d just accepted me, none of this would’ve happened. Cheol-goe says he won’t let you go, so I’m taking your children instead.”
Wheeeee………..
Yeohwa left without looking back.
“How can it be? So-hye is alive?”
Baek Mun-do turned to Cheol-goe with dazed eyes and asked.
The man lifted the spear and spoke.
“Time has stopped for us.”

*

Crunch…
Baek Won-young, having severed his enemy’s neck, fell to one knee.
Rasp…! Gasp…!
He coughed blood as he struggled for breath.
Cough…!
His body was already covered in countless wounds, and his martial robes were stained crimson with blood—his own and his enemies’.
Had he fought one opponent alone, he would not have sustained such injuries.
But because he had to protect the Later Stage Martial Artists, his body was now battered and broken.
‘So this is how I die. At least let Ha-young and the others escape safely.’
“Master Baek…! You must get up!”
Ak-hwan rushed to support him, pulling him to his feet.
“Thank you…….Ak-hwan.”
Baek Won-young lifted his head and surveyed his surroundings.
Despite all his efforts, many of the Later Stage Martial Artists had fallen as corpses, and those who survived were scattered and disorganized.
“I must gather the Sleeping Dragon Association……….”
“Master Baek, you must tend to your wounds first.”
Ak-hwan tried to support him and pull him away from the battlefield.
“Let me go. I will fight until my dying breath.”
When Baek Won-young wrenched his arm free, Ak-hwan grew desperate.
If this continued, he would surely die.
Yet he could not flee into the Martial Alliance either.
Flames were rising from within the Martial Alliance—the enemy had clearly breached it.
He pulled Baek Won-young’s body close and searched for an area clear of enemies.
But enemies surrounded them on all sides.
Roooaarrr…….! Roooaarrr…….!
Wild-eyed figures shrieked and rushed them.
In that same instant, Baek Won-young tore free from Ak-hwan’s grip and lunged forward.
Crunch….Crunch….
Thud…..
Two heads flew up into the empty air, and the headless bodies collapsed to the ground.
Thud.
Baek Won-young, who had severed his enemies’ necks, fell to the ground without strength.
“Baek—!”
Ak-hwan rushed forward and caught him in his arms.
“Baek, are you all right?”
“Ak…!”
Two Later Stage Martial Artists from the Sleeping Dragon Association came running toward them.
“Baek is gravely wounded! We must move him to safety at once!”
Ak-hwan shouted urgently.
“There is no safety here, Ak.”
“We must reach shelter first.”
The Later Stage Martial Artists helped Ak-hwan move their bodies toward the forest where the Inn stood.
As they traveled along the main road, they spotted firelight bleeding through the forest ahead.
But in the center of the Stone Bridge that connected to the forest, a vague figure stood waiting.
“It seems the enemy has already taken that position as well.”
At the Later Stage Martial Artist’s words, Ak-hwan rushed forward first.

*

“Help us…!”
Yang Jeong, who had been tense, heard the cry.
Though he’d thought them enemies, the figure that emerged was a man named Ak-hwan, who had visited the Inn not long ago.
Relieved, he lowered his voice.
“Welcome, Ak.”
Ak-hwan crossed the Stone Bridge with the Later Stage Martial Artists supporting Baek Won-young.
“Brother…!”
Baek Ha-young, recognizing Baek Won-young, cried out in shock and rushed toward him.
“You’re safe… Thank the heavens.”
Baek Won-young recognized her face as well.
“Please lay him here at once.”
At Ja-seol’s urgent voice, the Later Stage Martial Artists laid him on the wooden table.
“I’m fine… sister. I can still… wield my sword.”
Baek Won-young tried to rise despite his exhaustion.
“Please, just rest, brother…!”
Baek Ha-young raised her voice sharply and urgently unfastened his robe.
His body was covered with wounds both deep and shallow.
When Ja-seol brought cloth, Baek Ha-young wiped away the flowing blood.
Kang Jo, watching quietly, stepped into the kitchen.
He opened the wine cask and took out some He Shou Wu.
Thwack.
He sliced the He Shou Wu thickly and left the kitchen.
“Chew and swallow this. It will strengthen you.”
“What is it?”
Baek Ha-young looked at Kang Jo with suspicious eyes.
But Baek Won-young did not doubt for a moment.
“Thank you… Kang.”
Kang Jo placed the thickly sliced He Shou Wu into his mouth.
‘It’s liquor.’
The moment something entered his mouth, he felt a rich, fragrant warmth.
‘In a time like this, the strength of spirits will help.’
As Baek Won-young had that thought, Yang Jeong’s voice rang out.
“More enemies are coming!”
At that voice, the Later Stage Martial Artists’ faces filled with fear.
But Kang Jo’s voice was utterly calm.
“Handle it yourself.”

*

“The Later Stage Martial Artists have vanished into that forest.”
Yeohwa’s brow furrowed as she listened to her subordinate’s report.
Why in the world that place?
That cursed Inn was nestled in that forest, and its proprietor was no easy mark.
“What were you doing while those men slipped away?”
Her subordinates felt wronged.
They hadn’t simply stood idle.
They’d been engaged with other Martial Alliance fighters and couldn’t pursue them.
“Let’s go.”
As she raised her voice, tattooed figures and those with eyes rolled back white surged forward in her wake.
‘Cheol-goe will lose his mind when he finds out about this later….’
Not only Cheol-goe, but Yeohwa herself found attacking the Inn distasteful.
It was because the proprietor’s culinary skill was far too exceptional.
‘Still, if Baek Mun-do’s son is there, I suppose I have no choice but to strike.’
As the Inn drew near, a figure came into view—standing firm at the center of the Stone Bridge.
‘Is that him?’
As the distance closed, his face became visible.
‘How can there be a man so handsome?’
Though she had seen many handsome men in her time, never had she encountered one quite so striking as this.
She came to a halt and gazed at the handsome young man standing resolute at the bridge’s center.
Behind the beautiful youth, light spilled outward, and beyond it the forms of young Later Stage Martial Artists could be glimpsed.
Heh heh…
Yeohwa couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.
“You’re not even some warlord of the Jang Pan Faction—what do you think you’re doing standing there like that?”
Long ago, there was a tale of a general named Jang Fei who held his ground alone at the center of a bridge and repelled an army of a hundred thousand.
She decided to speak first, having no desire to kill such a handsome man.
Yang Jeong felt cold sweat trickling down his back.
That tattooed woman was surely a Master.
Undoubtedly a tremendously powerful one at that.
‘Standing here was a mistake.’
Regret, as always, came too late.
Behind him stood beautiful young women watching his every move—he couldn’t afford to show weakness.
“I will… hold back the enemy.”
But then Baek Won-young, who had been lying at the table, rose to his feet.
In that instant, Yeohwa’s eyes flashed with killing intent.
‘It’s all over. Because of Baek Won-young, it’s all over.’
The moment Yang Jeong met that gaze, the world came crashing down.
“Cross the bridge.”
As Yeohwa issued the command coldly, a figure with eyes rolled back charged forward.
Shriek—!
Slice…
The head of the man who had screamed and rushed forward tumbled away.
The tense Later Stage Martial Artists stared at Yang Jeong’s back with shocked expressions.
“Young Master Yang…”
Baek Ha-young in particular had lost all composure.
Yet Yang Jeong, having just severed a neck, looked as though he might weep at any moment.
Fortunately, only a weak opponent had charged him.
If that woman or any of those tattooed men were to come at him now, he would be finished.
Heh heh…
“So you really are a warlord of the Jang Pan Faction? I underestimated you.”
At a gesture from her, a tattooed man hurled his blade forward.
Crash—!
Yet even the man who had thrown the blade was sent reeling backward, deflected by Yang Jeong’s sword.
Yang Jeong, who had parried the blade, staggered in his stance.
The Later Stage Martial Artists gasped—even Yeohwa was taken aback.
Baek Won-young, who had risen from the table, also looked up at Yang Jeong’s back in astonishment.
But Kang Jo’s expression darkened.
‘Fool.’
Deciding matters couldn’t continue this way, he began moving toward the Stone Bridge.
Sam-ryong was not so weak as all that.
He possessed the strength to withstand his blade to a respectable degree, and against such an opponent, he would more than suffice.
It was a martial contest without Inner Energy, yet his swordwork transcended the ordinary.
The moment Kang Jo appeared, Yeohwa tensed.
“Stand down.”
She raised her hand, blocking her subordinate.
“Ah… brother…”
Yang Jeong exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.
‘You’re all dead men now.’

*

Kang Jo faced Yeohwa directly.
“It seems the Alliance Master’s son is inside. Hand him over, and I’ll withdraw without trouble.”
Yeohwa spoke first.
“This is my Inn and my land. Should you enter as a guest, I would receive you with courtesy.”
At his response, her eyes flickered with an icy blue gleam.
“And if I refuse?”
A thick Killing Intent radiated from her entire being.
That intent swept beyond Kang Jo and Yang Jeong, reaching into the Inn itself.
The Later Stage Martial Artists trembled from head to foot.
But Kang Jo remained unmoved.
“My brother’s blade here has a rather sharp edge.”
“Ah… brother. Please, no more jesting.”
Yang Jeong whispered softly.
But Kang Jo dismissed what he said.
“And should my brother be harmed, I will exhaust all my strength to strike you dead.”
Yang Jeong was overwhelmed.
“I… I have no one but you, brother.”
Good grief.
“Fool.”
The Later Stage Martial Artists didn’t understand, but Yeohwa knew the weight of that threat all too well.
Yeom Ra-do was a Master that even she acknowledged.
Though he was slightly below her current level, the gap was not great.
Yet that Yeom Ra-do had died by this man’s hand.
On a whim, she’d sent only those subordinates with exceptional martial skill, and they too had all fallen.
“So you wish to die by my hand, then?”
Yet she did not want to withdraw like this.
With a metallic whisper, she drew the Leaf Blade from her waist, and the blade caught the moonlight, blazing with brilliance.
Kang Jo flicked the pommel of his sword lightly with his thumb.
But Yeohwa could not unleash the Leaf Blade.
Countless figures came rushing through the darkness.
“What is this?” she asked coldly.
The one at the fore bowed deeply.
“Cheol-goe says he has obtained all he came for, and orders a retreat.”
“What do you mean? I’ve obtained nothing yet!”
As Yeohwa burst out in fury, the man bowed lower still.
“Cheol-goe said he came for half, and he has taken his half.”
“Damn it…!”
She glared at Kang Jo, her face dark with rage.
“Your luck is extraordinary.”
Sheathing the Leaf Blade, she moved with a cold wind at her back, vanishing into the darkness.
“Let’s go.”
The moment Kang Jo turned to follow, Baek Ha-young burst out from within.
Yang Jeong still stood at the center of the Stone Bridge, watching the retreating enemies with narrowed eyes.
“I had no idea you were such a Master, Yang. Truly impressive.”
Ha, ha, ha…
At her praise, Yang Jeong laughed brightly.
“It is nothing much.”

*

Cheol-goe withdrew his spear and stepped back.
“That was enjoyable, Mun-do.”
Baek Mun-do’s eyes flashed with anger as he stared at him.
“What do you mean, enjoyable? Are you so blind that you cannot see those lives scattered so carelessly?”
“Death merely came a little sooner. Nothing more.”
“Where is that righteous, magnanimous Cheol-goe from before?”
“Forget who I was then. I am not Cheol-goe anymore—I am Cheol-goe.”
Whiiiiiiiii……….
As he spoke, his form scattered into the void.
‘What happened to you all this time? Cheol-goe.’
Baek Mun-do watched his silhouette fade into the distance, saying nothing.

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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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