Moorim Pochang - Chapter 55

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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 55. Psychological Warfare (2).

Baek Won-yeong, Dok-go Il, and Dok-go Eun alike were overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
What in the world was happening?
No one had noticed the arrow coming.
Yet the young innkeeper not only sensed it—he caught it bare-handed.
That alone would have been cause for shock, but this terrible killing intent—what was this?
They should have leaped to their feet at once, but none of them could move.
The one most startled was not the Ma-gyo siblings, but Baek Won-yeong.
He understood well enough what power that arrow possessed.
Even he could not guarantee with certainty that he could stop such a projectile.
Yet Kang Jo had caught it in his bare hand.
‘I suspected my younger brother was hiding something significant, but to see him like this…’
Baek Won-yeong barely managed to calm his racing heart.
“An enemy? Which enemy do you speak of?”
“It seems the one who damaged the inn before has returned. He appears to have already fled, so there’s no need to concern yourselves.”
At Kang Jo’s words, he recalled the man Yang Jung had mentioned.
The one covered in facial tattoos, as massive as a pig?
‘Why does this master from Hyeol-gyo keep targeting this inn?’
Baek Won-yeong had many questions for Kang Jo.
But since his younger brother seemed reluctant to speak, it was right for him, as the elder, to wait.
He managed a slight smile.
“Your hand—is it all right?”
“It’s nothing serious.”
*

“Elder brother. How do you plan to cook with that hand?”
Yang Jung applied salve to Kang Jo’s hand and wrapped it with cloth.
“It’s fine. My right hand is uninjured.”
Kang Jo held up his right hand.
The truth was, it wasn’t fine at all.
Pulling noodles required both hands, and for the time being, he could use only one.
‘But I can make Dongpo pork.’
“Thanks to you, elder brother… I barely made it out alive.”
Yang Jung’s heart still hadn’t settled.
“What good is a liver as small as yours?”
“It’s not that my liver is small—yours is simply too large.”
“You could dodge an arrow like that too. So don’t be so frightened.”
“I don’t think I could possibly avoid it.”
He had felt the surge of energy.
But the moment he sensed it, the arrow was already before his chest.
No matter how much he dwelled on it, he couldn’t see how it could have been dodged.
Dok-go Il rose to his feet and bowed deeply to Kang Jo and Yang Jung in the kitchen.
“I apologize for my rudeness just now.”
His father had not told him to visit this inn only for its exceptional cooking.
Shamefully, he himself had not even noticed the arrow coming.
The moment he felt the violent energy, the innkeeper was already gripping the arrow.
Though he had not lived many years, such a shock was unprecedented.
“Think nothing of it.”
Kang Jo accepted his bow with composure.
Meanwhile, Dok-go Eun’s eyes gleamed as she gazed at Kang Jo’s face.
“I… brother. What did Kang just do?”
Baek Ha-yeong had not yet grasped the situation properly.
To her knowledge, Kang Jo was merely an innkeeper with exceptional cooking skill and a cook.
Of course, she knew his temperament to be bold and cruel.
Ha…
Baek Won-yeong laughed at her manner.
“You caught the arrow, didn’t you? Come, drink up.”
As he raised his cup, the others lifted theirs as well.
Aah…
After draining her cup, Dok-go Eun studied Baek Won-yeong’s expression.
“You seem quite close to those two, Vice-Leader Baek.”
“They’re my sworn siblings.”
Baek Won-yeong made no secret of the fact that they had become brothers.
There was no need to hide it from others, nor did he wish to.
Mm…
“Is that so?”
Her eyes brightened as she glanced once more at Kang Jo’s figure.
‘Father was right. There’s no man like that even in Ma-gyo.’

*

Yeon Ja-seol’s mood had soured for reasons she couldn’t quite name.
Though she couldn’t say why, the sight of Dok-go Eun stealing glances at Kang Jo rankled her.
“It seems you speak so freely to strangers, Dok-go.”
She hadn’t meant to show her displeasure, but her voice had turned sharp despite herself.
Dok-go Eun gazed at her for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Ho ho ho……………
“My, I’ve been rude. If I’ve offended you, then feel free to speak freely as well, Yeon.”
In fact, she knew not only Baek Won-yeong’s age but also that of Baek Ha-yeong and Yeon Ja-seol.
And Dok-go Eun was roughly a year older than Baek Won-yeong.
“I cannot do so to a guest of the Murim Alliance.”
Yeon Ja-seol did not yield an inch and matched her words with a counter.
At that, Dok-go Eun’s smile turned laden with meaning.
“I think I should test my skills against you rather than Vice-Leader Baek.”
“I would not refuse.”
As Dok-go Eun and Yeon Ja-seol suddenly engaged in sharp psychological warfare, Baek Won-yeong felt a headache coming on.
Were these not the talented personnel of the Murim Alliance and Ma-gyo whom he was meant to nurture?
“It seems you’re not feeling well today.”
He tried to smooth over their quarrel with gentle words.
But Yeon Ja-seol only raised her voice further.
“I feel fine today, brother.”
At that, Dok-go Eun continued coldly.
“Then why don’t we test ourselves against each other right here?”
“Very well. Let’s do that.”
Ugh…
‘I can’t understand why she’s acting like this today.’
Even a man as capable as Baek Won-yeong found himself at a loss in this awkward situation.
Then Kang Jo stepped forward toward the table.
“Take your fight somewhere else.”
Yeon Ja-seol and Dok-go Eun, who had been glaring at each other, both turned to look at Kang Jo at once.
Their lips moved as though they wished to say something.
But in the end they said nothing and merely emptied their cups.
Aah…
“It’s bitter. Really bitter.”

*

The five skilled personnel spoke not a word as they returned to the Murim Alliance.
Baek Won-yeong had tried in every way to lighten the mood, but Dok-go Il and Dok-go Eun maintained cold expressions.
Yet as they drew near their lodgings, cracks began to form in their icy facades.
“When a sword is drawn, blood must be spilled. Come on, you whelps of Jamryong-hoe.”
“Don’t regret this. Ma-gyo’s bluster sure knows how to get under your skin.”
The five skilled personnel rushed toward their lodgings together.
Before the lodging’s training grounds, members of Jamryong-hoe and Seongma-dan stood facing each other with weapons drawn.
“Stop…!”
“Stop…!”
Baek Won-yeong and Dok-go Il shouted simultaneously.
Baek Won-yeong stepped forward to block Jamryong-hoe, while Dok-go Il moved to block Seongma-dan.
Yet the killing intent that filled the Training Grounds showed no sign of dissipating.
“These bastards started the quarrel first! Master Baek.”
The skilled fighters of Jamryong-hoe glared at their counterparts in Seongma-dan, raising their voices.
In response, Seongma-dan’s fighters bristled, their eyes flashing.
“These wretches spat at us first! Leader Dok-go.”
Jamryong-hoe’s outcry met with a sharp retort.
“Are you saying you can’t even spit on the ground…?”
“Then spit on our faces..!”
Seongma-dan refused to back down, their voices rising in kind.
A long sigh escaped.
Another.
Baek Won-yeong and Dok-go Il exhaled in unison.
Then they turned their Body Technique toward each other.
“It seems the two of us shall have to settle this matter.”
“Yes, that appears necessary.”
Both men stepped back simultaneously.
Swish…
Swish…
In near-perfect unison, they drew their blades and began to move.
Clang………! Clang……….!

*

The Alliance Leader and Shin Pung-gae watched from a distance.
“Shouldn’t the Alliance Leader step in now?”
At Shin Pung-gae’s concern, the Alliance Leader smiled.
Ha ha ha………
How remarkably alike it all was.
There had been a time like this before.
The Murim Alliance could not abide Ma-gyo, and Ma-gyo had held the Murim Alliance in contempt.
Because of this, he and Dok-go Il had been forced to cross blades.
No—Dae-hyung had ordered it.
“Fight each other.”
With those words, he and Dok-go Il had clashed with all their strength.
Already well-acquainted through martial contests in the Gangho, they knew each other’s power intimately.
Yet they had brought their full might to bear because, even then, they sensed their opponent would be a lifetime rival.
“Still manageable.”
Sword Energy bloomed from Baek Won-yeong’s blade, and it bloomed likewise from Dok-go Il’s.
Boom boom crash…………! Boom crash………….!
The two waged a fierce battle, yet neither sought the other’s life.
Only then did the Alliance Leader’s heart truly ease.
“Dok-go Il has raised his son exceedingly well.”
He-he-he….
Shin Pung-gae too had noticed that neither man sought the other’s death.
“And isn’t the same true of the Alliance Leader?”

*

The Jeonryun Gucheon Ma-geom.
A Martial Art passed down from master to master among Ma-gyo’s leaders through the generations.
Dok-go Il had cultivated it since childhood, to such a degree that few in Ma-gyo could claim to match him.
Yet Baek Won-yeong’s blade checked him at every turn.
No—with each clash of steel, he felt himself being pushed back.
‘Baek Won-yeong has already opened his Upper Dantian.’
If his opponent had opened the Upper Dantian, this contest favored him.
But he would not accept defeat here, even if it meant death.
His defeat would be Ma-gyo’s defeat.
Crash!…………!
Baek Won-yeong swept his blade downward and leaped back.
“Shall we stop here? I’d like to continue, but I fear the sword may not hold much longer.”
He deliberately raised his sword high so that all the skilled personnel from Jamryong-hoe and Seongma-dan could see it clearly.
The blade appeared unmarred, yet no one raised an objection to his claim.
Dok-go Il saw through his true intention.
‘So you mean to show mercy in this manner? Baek Won-yeong.’
His pride had been wounded deeply.
Yet he was not petty enough to spurn such goodwill.
“So it must be.”
As Dok-go Il lowered his sword, Baek Won-yeong bowed first.
“I should like to cross blades with you again.”
“My sentiments exactly.”
Dok-go Il returned the bow in kind.
Jamryong-hoe fell silent, as did Seongma-dan.
Through this match, they had tacitly come to respect each other to some degree.
Yet events did not unfold as Baek Won-yeong and Dok-go Il had intended.
As the two of them withdrew, Dok-go Eun stepped forward.
“Is it my turn now?”
As if he had been waiting for this moment, Yeon Ja-seol faced her.
“It would seem so.”
At the sight of the two women, Baek Won-yeong and Dok-go Il both narrowed their eyes.
‘This is… maddening.’
‘I’m losing my mind.’
The moment they drew their swords, the skilled personnel from both Jamryong-hoe and Seongma-dan watched with eager eyes.
“Next time, it’s my turn.”
“No, I’m going next.”

*

“Go wash the dishes.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Once you’ve finished, gather some greens from the mountain.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Yang Jung answered, he gazed down at Kang Jo’s injured hand with a gloomy expression.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know much about gathering greens.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll teach you as we go.”
“My duties… seem to have grown enormously, sir.”
Kang Jo lifted his injured hand to show him.
“If this hand hadn’t taken the blow, there would be a hole through your chest right now.”
“That’s true, of course. But it seems like I have far too many tasks. I have to shop in the village, wash dishes, sweep the courtyard, and I’m already handling the chicken feed and horse fodder. On top of all that, I’m also doing repairs on the pavilion……………..”
Yang Jung spoke truly—his workload was indeed heavy.
He was shouldering most of the Guest Inn’s chores.
But most of what Yang Jung did was self-inflicted hardship.
The dishes and courtyard sweeping were tasks he’d been given specifically because he was always slacking off, and there would be no need to gather horse fodder if he hadn’t insisted on riding in the first place.
“Then practice the Martial Art. If you do that, I won’t assign you any other tasks.”
“You know how much I despise practicing the Martial Art. I ran away from home precisely because I couldn’t bear it, and that was only two years ago.”
The more Yang Jung spoke, the more anger flared up inside him.
“Yet you managed to endure it for two years, didn’t you?”
He mumbled his response reluctantly.
“That was only because of Won-yeong and alcohol, I had no choice…”
“Right. You’ve held out for quite a long time, you wretch. Now go wash those dishes.”
Yang Jung had no choice but to grab a bowl and head toward the stream.
But unfamiliar guests were entering across the Stone Bridge.

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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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