Moorim Pochang - Chapter 59

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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 59. Memories Turn to Ash.

Whoooosh…..
The old man soared over the estate wall.
This manor was where the suspicious figures had led him.
Within the compound stood numerous pavilions and halls.
And there, many Gangho masters were honing their martial arts.
They paid him no heed as he passed.
‘What kind of place is this?’
The old man ventured deeper into the estate.
There he found men with tattoos covering their faces, practicing martial arts.
“So this is Hyeol-gyo.”
Joy surged through the old man’s chest.
Unexpectedly, he had found his enemies.
He drew the Large Blade strapped across his back, gripping it firmly in one hand.
The martial artists training there immediately lowered their weapons and retreated.
As they fell back, a burly giant and a petite woman emerged from the depths.
Tattoos covered both their faces as well.
“Welcome, sir.”
Cheol-goe recognized the old man’s Large Blade.
“So this is your nest.”
From the old man’s entire being flowed an overwhelming, indescribable Qi.

*

“After we finish with Hyeol-gyo, what will you do, Jo Bi-ja?”
Ha ha……
Jo Bi-ja laughed.
“Who knows? I’ll probably keep wandering Gangho.”
“Then drop by Ma-gyo when you think of me. I’ll have some pheasant prepared for you.”
At Seo Tae-woo’s words, he nodded.
“Then I’ll bring wine.”
“But you don’t drink.”
“That’s fine. While you drink, I’ll tear into the meat.”

*

They had been quite close friends.
No—perhaps they had been extraordinarily close.
That friend had become a puppet in Hyeol-je’s hands.
And now he faced that friend’s father.
“Perhaps it would be best if you simply returned, sir.”
At Cheol-goe’s words, Yeo-hwa’s eyes flared wide.
“What are you saying, Cheol-goe?”
Enemy or not, this old man was still his friend’s father.
How could they let him leave after luring him here?
Shring…..
She drew her Willow Leaf Blade in Cheol-goe’s stead.
“If you won’t, I will.”
“No. I will.”
Cheol-goe stepped forward and raised his spear.
There was no other way—the kindest thing was to send him off cleanly, without suffering.
Whoooosh……….
As if it had been waiting, the Large Blade carved through the air and descended in a torrent.
‘Farewell, Seo Tae-woo.’
Cheol-goe thrust his spear toward the descending blade.
Crash…! Bang…!!
As the Large Blade and spear collided, the very space shuddered and split apart.
The old man poured every ounce of his strength into the Large Blade.
There was nowhere left to go.
If there was anywhere, it was beyond Samdo-cheon where his son waited.
Though he gave his all, the enemy’s power was far too formidable.
Crash…! Bang…!
Each time the Large Blade and spear met, his entire frame shook and he was driven backward inch by inch.
Khahahaha…!
The old man coughed up blood.
With his son waiting for him, how could death bring sorrow?
A sharp cry tore from his throat.
He fell back and hurled the Large Blade forward.
The blade spun fiercely as it flew toward his enemy.
Whoosh…!
The spinning blade severed the enemy’s neck and wheeled back toward him.
The old man reached out to catch the returning blade.
But in that instant, the spear point came rushing toward his face.
‘Now then. It is time.’
The old man closed his eyes and smiled.
Scrape…!
The spear point cut through the old man’s throat.
Thud…wet slap…!
The old man’s head rolled away, and his body collapsed to the ground.
“Well done, Cheol-goe.”
Yeo-hwa approached with a smile.
But Cheol-goe could not smile in return.
He gathered the corpse.
Yeo-hwa’s brow furrowed.
“What are you doing?”
“I intend to dig his grave myself.”
A snort of contempt.
“Pointless sentiment.”
She sneered, but Cheol-goe walked on in silence.

*

“This is the place, madam.”
Dok-go Yeop entered the Guest Inn with a strikingly beautiful middle-aged woman.
The woman, her silver hair cascading down her shoulders, possessed a beauty so rare it seemed not to exist in this world—seductive and alluring in every regard.
Yet her eyes held a chill so sharp it cut like winter frost.
“Welcome.”
Kang Jo bowed deeply in greeting.
“Have you been well?”
“Yes. Please, be seated.”
The woman studied Kang Jo with those cold, piercing eyes.
As Dok-go Yeop took his seat, he addressed Kang Jo.
“Where is that handsome fellow?”
Before he could finish, Yang Jung came bounding through the door.
“Brother. We’ve finally finished repairing all the halls.”
His face bright with pride, he suddenly froze, eyes widening.
‘Goodness…what a stunning woman.’
But the moment he caught Dok-go Yeop’s icy gaze, he quickly bowed.
“Welcome, Sect Leader.”
The middle-aged woman examined Yang Jung carefully.
“Handsome indeed, just as I’ve heard. Though my son is a touch more striking, I’d say.”
Dok-go Yeop shook his head at her words.
“If I’m being fair, this one has a slight edge, madam.”
The woman’s eyes flashed with a dangerous intensity as she glared at him.
“Do you truly believe that?”
“Ah…no, madam. My son is far more handsome.”
Dok-go Yeop hastily took back his words.
Ahem…
He cleared his throat and fixed Yang Jung with a pointed stare.
“You—go at once to the Murim Alliance and fetch the Alliance Leader. Tell him his wife wishes to come along as well.”
A long sigh.
Yang Jung exhaled first.
‘I’m not some errand boy…’
Yet he couldn’t disobey the Master, fearsome as he was.
“I’ll be brief, then.”
As he hurried out of the Guest Inn, the woman’s gaze turned to Kang Jo.
“They say there’s a secret to rejuvenation in this place?”
Kang Jo stared at her with the look of a man utterly bewildered.
“I beg your pardon, madam?”
The woman’s eyes grew sharper still.
Yet Kang Jo showed no fear whatsoever.
Interesting.
As Kang Jo did not avert his gaze, the woman’s eyes flickered with a strange light.
In all her years, only two men had ever met her eyes so directly.
The first was her husband now; the second was this young man in the Guest Inn.
She held his gaze and parted her lips slowly.
“My husband has grown younger than before. When I inquired into the cause, I learned this place was the reason.”
“I’m afraid I don’t follow you, madam.”
“Playing dumb, are we?”
“Yes.”
At his firm reply, she smiled faintly.
Then her gaze shifted to Dok-go Yeop.
“Remarkable, truly remarkable.”
“I told you so, didn’t I? That man’s got more nerve than sense.”
Laughter rippled.
“I’m curious to see just how much nerve he has. Perhaps I should split his belly and examine his liver.”
At her words, Kang Jo’s jaw fell open in utter astonishment.
‘What kind of woman speaks like that?’
He’d never encountered a woman who could utter such a thing so casually.
Now he understood whom Dok-go Yeop’s daughter resembled—it could only be her mother.
“Offending that man brings no benefit, madam. Restrain yourself.”
“Is that so?”
The woman turned her gaze back to Kang Jo.
“If I’ve offended you, my apologies.”
“Well, offended I was, but this time I shall bear it.”
Laughter bubbled forth.
She smiled, teeth gleaming.
Yet her eyes remained cold, untouched by mirth.
“Truly impressive—worthy of respect, even.”

*

“What brings you here again, Young Master Yang?”
The martial artists greeted Yang Jung, who had arrived in the dead of night, with measured courtesy.
Yang Jung hesitated, then forced out his words.
“A guest at the inn wishes to see the Alliance Leader. But this time…his wife wishes to come as well.”
The martial artists exchanged bewildered glances, utterly taken aback.
What madman would summon not only the Alliance Leader but his wife?
“Who…who exactly is this guest?”
One of them demanded, voice sharp with urgency.
“I cannot say…but I’ve delivered the message. I should return now.”
Yang Jung pivoted and deployed his Body Technique.
“Wait…Young Master Yang…!”
The martial artists called out, but Yang Jung was already dissolving into the darkness.
“This is most extraordinary…”
The martial artists, uncertain what to do, fumbled nervously into speech.
“Still… we ought to report this, shouldn’t we?”
“Of course we should. Something similar happened before.”
That time too, Yang Jung had come and told the Alliance Leader that a guest was looking for him.
And upon hearing the report, the Alliance Leader had naturally left the Murim Alliance.
“Who in heaven is this madman who keeps seeking out the Alliance Leader?”
“I’m… losing my mind over this.”

*

Kang Jo suddenly recalled something and hesitated for a moment.
‘What should I do? I suppose I ought to return it.’
He did not know how they would react if he produced it.
But whatever their reaction, what had to be returned must be returned.
Leaving the kitchen, Kang Jo went to his room, retrieved the Large Blade, and came back.
The moment Dok-go Yeop and the middle-aged woman saw the Large Blade, their eyes trembled visibly.
How could this Large Blade be here?
As if answering that very question, Kang Jo opened his mouth.
“Not long ago, an old man came as a guest carrying a blade similar to this Large Blade. At that time, I should have shown him this blade, but I failed to think of it.”
Dok-go Yeop nodded.
He had guessed who the old man Kang Jo spoke of was.
“As you suspect, that old man was a deceased member of the Ma-gyo. But how do you come to possess that blade?”
“When I first opened the Guest Inn, masked men and a man carrying this blade scaled the wall and attacked. They were not attacking the Guest Inn itself, but it seemed they intended to assault the Murim Alliance. I happened to stand in their way.”
At Kang Jo’s answer, Dok-go Yeop’s and the woman’s eyes deepened further.
“And what did you do?”
“I took all their heads.”
“You… took their heads yourself?”
“Yes. Their eyes turned white and they begged me to end their lives.”
A sigh escaped…
A simultaneous sigh poured from the lips of Dok-go Yeop and the woman.
“Tae-woo has become the White-Eyed Ghost after all.”
The woman called one whose eyes had turned white the White-Eyed Ghost.
Dok-go Yeop fixed his gaze on Kang Jo and asked.
“Did he say anything else?”
“He said he was grateful to me.”
“Yes. I see.”
He reached out and took the blade.
“And what became of him?”
“I built him a separate grave.”
“Thank you.”
Dok-go Yeop stroked the blade with eyes full of sorrow.
Then he leaned it against the table.
His eyes, brimming with regret, suddenly gleamed with intensity.
“You never needed the Secret Techniques of Self-Proclaimed Devil Sword from the start, did you? Is that not so?”
At his question, the woman also examined Kang Jo carefully.
Kang Jo did not hide it.
“That is correct.”
“To what extent?”
At Dok-go Yeop’s question, Kang Jo hesitated in his answer.
What exactly was the level of his martial arts?
His master had called him Number One Under Heaven, but stepping into Gangho, he found there were far too many strong ones.
“I suspect I am not Number One Under Heaven.”
Kuk-huk-huk… Ha-ha-ha…!
Dok-go Yeop burst into laughter.
“Number One Under Heaven… I myself am not Number One Under Heaven.”
In this world, there was only Dae-hyung who was Number One Under Heaven.
It was so before, and it would remain so in the future.
The woman smiled as well.
“Even so, you must be second, no?”

*

“I’ve returned, Master.”
Dok-go Yeop didn’t even spare Yang Jung a glance at his report.
“What’s on the menu today?”
“Pheasant noodles.”
“Then bring that.”
As Kang Jo headed into the kitchen, Yang Jung pouted and followed him in.
“I went all the way to the Murim Alliance on an errand, and…”
“Why are you sulking again?”
Yang Jung whispered in a small voice, watching Dok-go Yeop’s expression carefully.
“Didn’t I go on an errand to the Murim Alliance? Surely I deserve at least a word of praise.”
He thought he was whispering, and he was—but Dok-go Yeop heard every word.
“So you’re displeased?”
Startled, Yang Jung quickly bowed.
“Not at all, Master. How could I ever show displeasure to you?”
At his chameleon-like antics, the woman’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“His face is convincing enough.”
Then Dok-go Yeop let out a soft chuckle.
“He’s no ordinary man, madam. It’s just that his nature is as you see.”
He still remembered how Yang Jung had deployed the Moonlight Sword Technique in a single, seamless flow.

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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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