Moorim Pochang - Chapter 62

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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 62. The Martial Art Finally Revealed (1)

“Wait a moment.”
Kang Jo stepped into the kitchen and retrieved a secret manual that had been gathering dust in a corner.
It was the Ja-cheon Jeok-ma Geum, the Ma-gyo’s legendary technique.
“I’ll hand this over to you for fifty silver taels.”
The moment the man took the secret manual, Yang Jung sprang to his feet.
“Brother! That’s the Leader’s…………!”
Kang Jo’s eyes turned cold, and Yang Jung swallowed his words in panic.
The man himself was equally startled.
“You mean the Leader has been visiting this place?”
In that instant, his drunkenness evaporated entirely.
Kang Jo kept his composure.
“He stops by now and then.”
‘Now and then’ was putting it mildly.
Dok-go Yeop moved through this house like it was his own front yard.
“The Ja-cheon Jeok-ma Geum?”
After checking the cover, the man could not help but gasp.
As a Demon Cultist himself, he knew full well what kind of martial art the Ja-cheon Jeok-ma Geum was.
It was one of the most exceptional techniques, granted only to those who had performed great deeds.
“I’m holding it temporarily in lieu of payment for your drink. The Leader said I could practice this technique myself, but I have no interest in it, so you should take it with you.”
No interest in the Ja-cheon Jeok-ma Geum?
If the masters of Gangho heard such words, they would surely curse aloud.
“Are you truly saying I may take it?”
Even his tone of voice had changed with the question.
“When you meet the Leader later, return it to him. But you can decipher the manual, can’t you?”
Ha-ha-ha-ha…
At Kang Jo’s question, the man burst into laughter.
A chance of a thousand ages had come his way—what did it matter if he could decipher the manual?
He would spend the night if necessary decoding the secret manual and practicing the technique.
“No problem at all.”
“Then go on your way.”
The man drew out his pouch and bowed deeply with reverence.
“I shall never forget this kindness in all my life.”
“Keep it secret from everyone else. You could face envy and jealousy otherwise.”
“No one knows better than I do. I’ve felt enough envy and jealousy myself all this time.”
The man’s face flushed. He bowed deeply once more and vanished into the darkness.

*

The moment he disappeared, Yang Jung sidled up beside Kang Jo.
“Brother, doesn’t it pain you to part with that martial manual?”
“Why? Are you envious?”
“Of course I am. It seemed like a finer sword technique than the Wol-ha Geom-beop.”
He deeply regretted that Kang Jo had given away the secret manual.
“Then how about this—I’ll decipher the Ja-cheon Jeok-ma Geum for you right now, and you can practice it yourself?”
“You’ve already finished decoding that technique, brother?”
“I just worked through it leisurely, and before I knew it, I was done.”
Yang Jung’s face lit up.
“Then please decipher it for me. I’ll take it home with me.”
“You’re not going to practice it yourself?”
“I already have the technique my master taught me, don’t I?”
Ha-ha-ha…!
Kang Jo laughed heartily for the first time in a long while.
It was cunning, true, but it was also sound reasoning.
No matter how exceptional the Ja-cheon Jeok-ma Geum was, it could not compare to the technique his master had passed down to him.
“You don’t just learn another person’s martial arts carelessly. It can come back to haunt you later.”
That was precisely why he had returned the martial arts manual to the Ma-gyo demon cultists.
“I understand, brother. Still, a word spoken by someone of the Ma-gyo Cult Leader’s stature should be kept, shouldn’t it?”
“If you wish it, I’ll write you a release. But don’t blame me afterwards.”
Ha, ha, ha………
“Don’t worry yourself, brother. Besides, Father’s birthday is coming soon, so I must return home. I’d like to take the manual and the sword from my room when I go.”
“Be careful on your way there and back. It seems Shin Pung-gae of the Gae-bang hasn’t given up yet.”
Yang Jung shared that concern.
He didn’t know where the Hyeol-gyo’s agents might be watching from either.
“I’ll deliver the manual and sword and return at once, brother.”
“If danger comes, abandon your horse and flee using your Light Skill.”
“Yes.”

*

The next morning, after finishing his meal, Yang Jung fastened his own sword at his waist and selected another blade from his room.
Among them, the Sword of Black Heaven’s Curtain Lord seemed to catch his eye.
“Brother, couldn’t I take this sword with me?”
“I have a use for that one. Take it another time.”
“It looks like a remarkable blade…”
He touched the sword several times before setting it down.
When Yang Jung entered the stable with sword in hand, the stallion glared at him with an angry expression.
“Let’s go home.”
He untied the reins he had secured and tried to lead the horse out of the stable.
Snort………
But the stallion only stamped stubbornly and refused to budge.
Clap….clap….!
Finally Yang Jung clapped his hands together in front of the horse’s eyes.
“Once we get home, we can do this.”
But remarkably, the stallion seemed to understand his gesture.
It moved legs that had been motionless and left the stable.
Kang Jo, watching from a distance, could only be astonished.
Wow……..
“Never seen a crazy horse like this one. Both master and beast have lost their minds.”
“I’ll be going, brother.”
Yang Jung mounted and called out his farewell.
“Go quickly and come back quickly.”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
Neigh..
The moment he heeled the horse’s belly, the stallion broke into a mad gallop.
Thud-thud-thud….
Kang Jo watched Yang Jung’s receding figure disappear into the distance, then turned toward the Guest Inn.
‘Hopefully nothing goes wrong.’
*

A vast procession of horses and carriages headed toward the Murim Alliance.
Each cart was laden with wine and grain, and more than a dozen covered wagons trundled along as well.
“We’re almost there now, so let’s move faster.”
The Merchant Leader called out in good spirits, urging the caravan onward.
This trade run would net them easily three or four hundred silver taels.
The covered wagons in particular carried exceptionally rare silks from Sichuan.
As the Murim Alliance drew near, the escort warriors began to relax their vigilance.
They were no longer worried about bandits and thieves.
A martial artist riding alongside the wagons cast a glance behind him.
Four or five Gangho masters were crossing the grassland in their direction.
‘Are they guests of the Murim Alliance?’
He tilted his head and looked more carefully.
If they were Alliance guests, they would use the main road, but these men were crossing the grassland instead.
As they drew closer, the leading man’s face became visible.
“The target isn’t those horses. It’s the Guest Inn ahead.”
A young martial artist blocked the gaunt man’s path, while the tattooed figure shook his head.
“Hot……. I want to drink blood.”
“Once we return, I’ll have it prepared at once…..”
Before the young man could finish speaking, the tattooed figure thrust both hands forward.
Whishhh..
The two swords strapped to his back slid free and fell into his grasp.
The moment the Escort Warrior saw this, his chest sank.
“Flee……………….!”
This man was no guest of the Murim Alliance.
More than that, he had never seen a sword drawn from a man’s back and pulled into his hands like that before in his life.
There was no way to stop him.
Thud…..
The moment the martial artist raised his voice, his head rolled from his neck to the ground.
Crack…!
At the same time, the horse he had been riding was split in two.
Screeeech……………..!
Arrgghhh……….!
Crack…….! Thud……..! Boom-boom-crash……………..!
In an instant, bodies and horses were torn in half, and the carts shattered and scattered.
“Run for your lives……….!”
The Merchant Leader of the caravan raised his voice and galloped his horse toward the Murim Alliance.
Crack…!
But his body and the horse he rode were split in two and collapsed.
*

Ahhhh………
Kang Jo looked up at the clear sky and let out a long breath.
‘A fine day, this.’
The weather was beautiful, yet his heart felt strangely empty.
‘Sam-ryong should hurry back.’
Without Sam-ryong, something felt missing, and his tasks seemed to have multiplied.
Not that he actually had to feed the chickens and prepare fodder for the mare.
Kang Jo opened the chicken coop and stepped into the Guest Inn.
The moment he opened the coop door, the chickens inside scattered out in all directions.
Cluck……! Cluck……..!
Kang Jo, who had been preparing dough, stopped and left the kitchen.
The clear sky had suddenly taken on a murky cast.
Boom-boom-crash………….!
The moment he stepped out of the kitchen, a thunderous crash echoed with the sound of something shattering.
Whishhh…
Kang Jo reached toward the kitchen while moving his Body Technique beyond the wall.
The instant a sword from the kitchen flew into his hand, he saw a man’s head rise into the air and a horse’s body split open.
Screeeech………..!
Arrgghhh……..!
As the screams of the people pierced the heavens, a figure appeared in the void.
The tattooed man crossed his twin swords.
Shriiiieeeek………
In that moment, a tremendous wave of dark Qi crashed toward the Guest Inn.
Kang Jo drew his sword and slashed at the Qi tearing through space.
Boom-boom……………..!
As the impact sent a shudder through his entire body, a sword came flying through the torn space.
Boom-boom……!
The moment he struck down the incoming sword, another blade swept toward his waist.
‘This…’
Where in the world did such a master appear from?
‘Best Under Heaven, they said…’
There was no time to resent his master.
Whoosh…
Kang Jo’s body dispersed as it split, and the gaunt man rotated his Body Technique.
At the same time, Kang Jo’s sword cut across his waist.
Shwiiiiiii……..
Yet swords continued to fall from the sky.
Crash…………! Bang…….! Crash-crash-bang………………!

*

The Murim Alliance began to move with sudden urgency.
“The merchant caravan is under attack……..!”
The moment martial artists watching from atop the wall rushed to report, the commander struck the gong.
Clang-clang-clang…………….!
At the sound of the bell, the Murim Alliance’s martial artists came rushing out.
“Jamryong-hoe and Seongma-dan, advance…….!”
The commander’s voice rang out across the grounds.
Close behind, the Alliance Master and Shin Pung-gae appeared.
The city gates swung wide, and Jamryong-hoe and Seongma-dan unleashed their Body Techniques.
Whoooooosh…………
Nearly a hundred skilled personnel burst outward in unison.
“This could be an enemy stratagem, Alliance Master. Perhaps it’s best you remain within the Murim Alliance.”
At Shin Pung-gae’s words, the Alliance Master set his Body Technique in motion.
“Even so, I cannot send only Jamryong-hoe and Seongma-dan.”
The moment he began moving, Shin Pung-gae had no choice but to follow.
The instant they stepped beyond the Murim Alliance’s walls, they saw merchants and escort warriors fleeing in panic.
“A man covered in facial tattoos… he cut down the merchants and escort warriors alike, even their horses, in a single instant.”
“Get inside quickly…!”
After ushering the surviving merchants and escort warriors to safety, the Alliance Master set his Body Technique in motion once more.
Whoooosh………
Each time his feet struck the earth, he appeared twenty paces ahead.
Crash-crash-bang…………..! Crash-bang………….!
As the distance closed, fragments of broken energy and its shockwaves made his very face sting.
The skilled personnel of Jamryong-hoe and Seongma-dan stood at a distance, watching the torrent of energy tear through space.
Pssssshhh………
As space itself fractured, grass blades from the meadow shot skyward in one violent surge.
Within that erupting tangle of grass, a gaunt man crossed a pair of swords.
At the same moment, a young man opposite him was splitting space itself in two.
Crash-crash-bang………….! Crash-bang………….!
As energy collided with energy, the shattered force scattered in all directions.
Screeeech……
As the energy dispersed, a blade tore through the air.
The moment Kang Jo struck it away, another sword came plummeting from above.
Crash-bang………….!
The man caught the rebounding blade and appeared at Kang Jo’s side.
Shwaaack…..
Kang Jo’s Body Technique split in half and scattered as the man materialized behind him.
Screeeech…….
Before the blade could cleave through the man’s body, another sword erupted from the ground below.
Crash-crash-bang…………….!
The Alliance Master and Shin Pung-gae watched, eyes wide, as the spectacle unfolded before them.

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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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