Moorim Pochang - Chapter 48

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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 48. Brother and Sister of the Demonic Cult.

Hack… cough…
The heavyset man convulsed on the ground, clutching at his throat.
Why had his neck suddenly seized up? Why wouldn’t his body obey?
As he gasped and writhed, Cheol Goe stepped into view.
“I knew you’d show yourself.”
The man looked up at him, his face flushed crimson.
“You’ve grown bold—you, who couldn’t even meet my eyes before.”
“Speak clearly. I was taller than you even back then. Your body may have been a bit more solid, but that’s all.”
There had been a time when this man’s frame was indeed more imposing than Cheol Goe’s.
But after that incident, he had wasted away until his bones nearly showed through, then slowly began to gain weight again—until now he had become a bloated corpse of a thing.
“You let a man who should have died live on, and now he grows insolent.”
“A dead man speaks strange words.”
Cheol Goe settled into a chair and received the man’s words with indifference.
Then a killing intent so vicious it was almost unbearable erupted from the heavyset man’s body.
Crack-crack… crack-crack…
The pillars twisted under that malevolence, and the walls split open.
Yet Cheol Goe’s brow furrowed.
“Stop, Hyeol Je. You’re not alone in this place.”
“The day God abandons you, you’ll die by my hand.”
The man who had been sprawling on the ground forced himself upright.
Cheol Goe made no further move to provoke him.
“There’s a child you need to look after.”
“If he’s not up to the mark, I’ll kill him.”
The man’s words prompted Cheol Goe to wave toward the door.
Click.
The door swung open, and Mo Yong Se stepped inside.
Heh-heh-heh…
The moment the man saw Mo Yong Se, a savage grin spread across his face.
“Not bad. Where’d you find him?”
“He’s the second disciple of Baek Mun Do.”
Heh-heh-heh… kha-ha-ha-ha…!
At Cheol Goe’s answer, the man burst into raucous laughter.
“I know nothing of his other qualities, but your cunning—I do admire that.”
“Can you make him into a master?”
“That depends on him, but I’ll give him the strength.”
Cheol Goe rose, as if his business here was concluded.
Before leaving, he turned back to face the man once more.
“Where did you get injured?”
The man sneered coldly.
“Injured? Me, Hyeol Je? Don’t mock me, Cheol Goe.”
“Never mind then.”
Cheol Goe pivoted on a Body Technique and left the room.
The man no longer watched him go.
“What is it that you want?”
Mo Yong Se answered his question.
“The power to dominate all under heaven.”
The man found his ambition deeply satisfying.
Heh-heh-heh… kha-ha-ha…!
“Excellent. I shall grant you that power. Choose any part of yourself.”

*
Morning had broken bright and clear.
‘The sunlight is dazzling.’
Kang Jo greeted the dawn in high spirits.
The day was so beautiful that it seemed certain only good things would happen.
But the pleasant morning didn’t last.
Yang Jung, who had ridden out to the village, came stumbling back in a panic.
“Brother, something terrible has happened!”
“What could be so terrible?”
“A rumor has spread through the village that I’ve gotten some woman pregnant.”
Kang Jo stared at him hard.
“Is it true?”
Yang Jung, feeling so wronged he could barely contain himself, began to shout.
“Why are you too, brother? I haven’t even held that woman’s hand!”
“Then drop it—why are you screaming and carrying on?”
“Because it’s so unjust, brother. Haven’t I suddenly become a complete scoundrel?”
The situation was easy enough to guess.
No doubt some woman who harbored secret feelings for Yang Jung had spread the false rumor.
“Ignore such gossip.”
“But her parents are coming here to settle it, brother.”
Only then did Kang Jo grasp the gravity of the situation.
“Go back to the village and straighten this out.”
“Couldn’t you come with me, brother?”
“If you can’t handle something like this, how will you survive in this harsh world?”
“I understand, brother.”
Yang Jung unloaded the meat and wine he’d brought back on the horse.
Then he mounted the horse again and headed back to the village.
Sigh.
“Not a day’s peace around here.”
Kang Jo let out a weary breath, gathered his basket, and headed into the forest.
By the time he finished gathering vegetables, noon was approaching.
Back at the Inn, Kang Jo lit a fire in the hearth and began preparing the meat.
“What’s taking this fool so long to get back?”
While Kang Jo waited for Yang Jung, someone was crossing the Stone Bridge.
The one crossing the Stone Bridge was none other than Eon So Ryong.
“What brings you here?”
Kang Jo greeted him and asked.
Eon So Ryong’s aura was cold, and beneath it simmered a palpable killing intent.
“You have tarnished my honor, so I have come to restore it.”
“And how do you intend to restore it?”
Kang Jo’s voice remained calm.
“Kneel before my disciples so all may witness it.”
Ha.
At his demand, Kang Jo laughed.
Was this all he had managed to think of?
If he were in such a position, he would have demanded a rematch.
“Stop your nonsense and be on your way.”
At the change in Kang Jo’s tone, Eon So Ryong’s smile turned bitter and cold.
“You dare show me such contempt? Then you must accept the punishment that follows. Remember that.”
With those words, he turned his body and crossed the Stone Bridge.
Kang Jo silently turned his body as well.
Whatever that man intended to do, he would ensure the proper price was paid.
‘I thought only good things would happen today, but nothing but misfortune keeps arriving.’

*

Yang Jung didn’t return to the Inn until evening had nearly fallen.
When he arrived, he was thoroughly drunk.
“You’ve been drinking?”
Ha.
“Yes, brother. I shared a drink with the woman’s father.”
“Excellent work. Did you drink well with your new father-in-law?”
Having shared drinks with the woman’s father, the matter was as good as settled.
This fool would now have to enter that household as their son-in-law.
“That’s not quite it, brother. Other women came forward as witnesses, so the misunderstanding was cleared up. That’s why the girl’s father apologized and bought me a drink.”
Hmm…..
“Is that so? Nothing else was said?”
“When I was leaving the inn, the girl’s father said something strange. He told me that since the rumor had already spread anyway, I should just accept his offer and become his son-in-law.”
Kang Jo, who had fallen silent in thought for a moment, asked a question.
“Is it possible that the man who nearly became your father-in-law spread the rumor himself?”
“Come on, brother. If you keep suspecting people like that, you’ll never stop.”
He sighed.
“You pathetic fool. Looking at you fills me with such irritation—go to your room and sleep.”
“Yes, brother.”
Yang Jung turned and shuffled into the room.
Yet something felt strangely incomplete.
Kang Jo, tilting his head, asked a question.
“By the way, where’s the horse you rode out on?”
That fool had never liked traveling by Light Skill; ordinarily, if there was nothing special, he would ride a horse.
Today he had ridden out on his Horse, but when he came back, the horse was gone.
“………………..what?”
“You…………….brainless idiot……!”
Whoosh………
The instant Kang Jo burst out shouting, Yang Jung was already running toward the village.
To dote on his horse so much, and then abandon it in the village like that?
That fool deserved a thorough beating in the days to come.

*

Yang Jung did not return until late into the night.
Kang Jo was quietly worried, but he did not want to interfere.
By now, that fool should have been capable of managing his own affairs.
‘Should I just go to bed?’
As he was about to put out the fire in the hearth and leave, dark silhouettes were crossing the Stone Bridge.
Kang Jo stepped outside and studied his visitors first.
A young man and woman were crossing the Stone Bridge and entering through the gate.
Both were so strikingly beautiful that one could scarcely find their equal in the world, yet the young woman’s hair was truly remarkable.
‘Silver hair?’
The woman’s long hair was not black but a silvery-grey shade.
Moreover, the corners of her eyes were drawn upward slightly, giving her an alluring yet somewhat fierce appearance.
The handsome young man’s eyes, too, held a cool, piercing chill.
“Is it possible to have a meal?”
Yet his voice was extraordinarily courteous.
“Please, come in.”
Kang Jo bowed his waist in welcome.
The young couple looked around the inn and then took a seat at one of the tables.
“The only dish I can prepare right now is pork noodles.”
“That will suffice.”
At the man’s reply, Kang Jo lit the fire in the hearth again.
They simply watched him in silence, saying nothing.
Tap..! Tap…!
Yang Jung had returned by the time Kang Jo began beating the dough on the cutting board.
“Brother………the horse has disappeared.”
He was whimpering from the moment he crossed the Stone Bridge.
“Did you search thoroughly?”
“Yes. I asked at the inn……….and the martial artists who were drinking there took my horse away. Even the innkeeper saw it happen with his own eyes, but he was too frightened to stop them. What should I do now, brother?”
As he came in wearing a tearful expression, he spotted the young couple sitting at the table.
Normally, he would have first composed his face and tone.
But the shock of having his horse stolen was so overwhelming that he merely cast a glance at them before resuming his mournful expression.
“I’ve searched every inch of the area. But it’s still gone, brother.”
“What do you expect me to do about a stolen horse? You certainly picked a fierce one to have taken away.”
“Please, brother………..won’t you help me find it?”
Kang Jo was indeed worried about the Horse.
He had grown somewhat fond of that creature over time, despite his irritation with it.
“Go back to the Village and search there. I’ll look around later too.”
“Understood. You must come—you have to come back, please.”
His expression was so earnest that Kang Jo couldn’t help but nod.
“Alright, go on then.”
Yang Jung pivoted his Body Technique and vanished into the darkness.
The Female Guest, who had been quietly observing the scene, let a faint smile cross her lips.
“To find a horse, go to the nearest ranch or Horse Market at first light tomorrow. Horse thieves move quickly—they’ll head there to sell their catch.”
Her tone was rough, yet oddly measured.
But what she said made sense, so Kang Jo bent at the waist respectfully.
“I’ve never seen a man more beautiful than my brother. And I’ve never seen one so beautiful shed tears like that either.”
The handsome man sitting quietly was apparently her brother.
Kang Jo brought out the seasoned vegetables first.
They gazed down at the dish, then picked up their chopsticks.
After taking a bite, they looked up at Kang Jo with surprise in their eyes.
“A delicacy hidden in this place.”
Kang Jo set down two bowls of pork noodles.
The young pair quickly lifted noodles and meat to their mouths with their chopsticks.
Slurp, slurp…
Hehehehe…!
The Female Guest suddenly burst into laughter, while the Male Guest smiled softly.
“Indeed worth a silver coin, sister. The taste is superb.”
“See? That’s why Father keeps slipping away to visit this place.”
“Next time, we should bring the younger ones too.”
“Those children are still too young for that.”
As Kang Jo listened to their exchange, he began to piece together who their father might be.
Only two middle-aged men ever came to this Inn.
One was the Alliance Leader of the Murim Alliance, and the other was the Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult.
So these two were likely the Cult Leader’s children.
‘They’ve inherited their father’s blood faithfully.’
Both were strikingly beautiful, taking after their father’s appearance.
Moreover, the son had inherited even his cold, piercing gaze.
‘How many children does he have anyway?’
They’d mentioned younger siblings, so it wasn’t just the two of them.
That meant the Cult Leader had at least four children.
“Could we have another bowl each?”
At the Male Guest’s request, Kang Jo brought out two more bowls of pork noodles.
The Female Guest studied Kang Jo quietly.
‘What’s so special about this man that Father told us to take note of him?’
His culinary skill was incomparable to any other Inn.
The noodles clung perfectly to the palate, and the meat melted softly on the tongue.
His face was handsome enough to be called beautiful, and his height was impressive.
But that was all.
“Do you know where we come from?”
She spoke to Kang Jo, who was in the kitchen.
Kang Jo replied calmly.
“From the Demonic Cult, were you not?”
A flicker of interest crossed the Female Guest’s eyes.
‘He saw through it already? And he’s not even afraid.’

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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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