Moorim Pochang - Chapter 64

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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 64. The Air Shifts.

Kang Jo forced himself up from the bed.
The wounds weren’t fatal, so he had to open the Guest Inn.
As he stepped outside, despite the late hour, a thick, muggy wind pressed against him—the lingering summer heat had no mercy even in darkness.
‘Ah… I forgot to gather hay for the horse.’
Kang Jo found the scythe Yang Jung had been using and headed into the dark forest.
“If only that bastard were here.”
An absence always made itself known.
When he carried an armful of grass into the stable, the mare fixed him with a deeply disapproving stare.
Sigh.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Kang Jo set the hay before the horse and left the stable.
Dawn was nearly upon him.
Kang Jo sat in meditation, facing the direction where the sun would rise.
Long exhale.
His breathing, once ragged and labored, soon quieted.
How much time had passed before the sun climbed the eastern sky and Kang Jo opened his eyes.
“Another good day.”

*

The confrontation between Jamryong-hoe and Seongma-dan froze in an instant.
Seongma-dan made no further provocation against Jamryong-hoe, nor did Jamryong-hoe press them.
Watching the martial arts of Kang Jo and the tattooed man, their own techniques seemed pitiful in comparison.
They had even forgotten sleep.
Rather, since Baek Won-yeong and Dok-go Il refused to sleep, neither could the rest.
Unable to bear it any longer, the Alliance Leader sought out the training ground.
Such overexertion would ruin their bodies.
“I will not forbid you from cultivating your martial arts. But ensure that you sleep deeply for at least two hours each day.”
Jamryong-hoe bowed, and Dok-go Il and Dok-go Eun of Seongma-dan lowered their heads as well.
When Dok-go Il and Dok-go Eun bowed, the skilled personnel of Seongma-dan had to follow suit.
The Alliance Leader shifted his Body Technique and left the Murim Alliance.
‘Will that man actually listen to me?’
The Alliance Leader’s chest was full of hope and worry.
He wanted to entrust Kang Jo with the work that Dae-hyung had once done.
If that came to pass, he could protect the Murim Alliance while Jamryong-hoe and Seongma-dan ventured into the wider Gangho.
But judging by Kang Jo’s nature, getting his consent would not be easy.
‘Perhaps a hundred thousand yang… no, at least five hundred thousand yang. If even that won’t do, I may have to offer him my martial arts themselves.’
“Are you going to the Guest Inn?”
Shin Pung-gae followed, asking the question.
“Indeed. Come along.”
“Will that man welcome me? He’ll surely turn me away at the door.”
Even as he said this, he walked in step with the Alliance Leader.
Heh heh.
“I’ll cover the meal expenses.”
As the Guest Inn drew near and the Stone Bridge came into view, the Alliance Leader stopped.
“Why not go in?”
“Today… it doesn’t seem right.”
The Alliance Leader turned back toward the Murim Alliance, shifting his Body Technique.
At that, Shin Pung-gae felt anger flare up within him.
“Are you jesting now? Alliance Leader.”
Heh heh.
“My apologies, Deputy Chief. His wounds are severe—the Guest Inn likely remains closed today.”
His own urgency had made him think only of himself.
To ask them to lead Jamryong-hoe and Seongma-dan was to ask them to stake their very lives.
Even an Alliance Leader would hesitate to demand that an innkeeper surrender his life.
Shin Pung-gae did not soften his anger even at the Alliance Leader’s apology.
“This old man has eaten a meal at that place only once in all these years. So let us go in without further delay. Since we’ve come this far, we ought to verify the truth, don’t you think?”
At his insistence, the Alliance Leader had no choice but to enter the Stone Bridge.
The moment they stepped through the door, Kang Jo came out to greet them.
“Welcome.”

*

Even as he bowed, Kang Jo’s eyes swept over Shin Pung-gae with unmistakable disapproval.
A low groan escaped him.
At this, Shin Pung-gae let out a sound of pain and turned his head away.
“I’ll cover the cost of the meal myself, so let me have a look just once.”
At Baek Moon-do’s plea, Kang Jo reluctantly stepped aside.
“Please… sit down.”
“I… I’m grateful.”
Shin Pung-gae made his way to the table, his words faltering as he spoke.
“How is your body?”
Baek Moon-do examined Kang Jo first.
Despite wounds that were anything but shallow, the man had opened his inn regardless—a stubborn soul indeed.
“I’m fine.”
Kang Jo answered flatly.
But truth be told, he was not fine.
Every movement sent aches shooting through his body.
“Don’t push yourself. Rest more.”
“I’m well enough. Please, sit down.”
“Very well. Bring us what you have.”
Baek Moon-do nodded and took his seat across from Shin Pung-gae.
Shin Pung-gae, already seated, turned his head to survey the inn.
“Your brother seems to be away.”
Kang Jo did not wish to answer.
Yet for Baek Won-yeong’s sake, he had to.
“He’s in the forest cutting grass for the horses.”
“I see.”
“What is your master’s name?”
Baek Moon-do, who had been quietly observing Kang Jo, opened his mouth to ask.
“I don’t know.”
“How is it you don’t even know your master’s name?”
As Baek Moon-do pressed the question, Kang Jo fell silent.
How could he know what had never been told to him?
But Baek Moon-do took the silence as unwillingness to speak.
‘A difficult one indeed.’
“Then what Sword Method have you learned?”
To his question, Kang Jo could offer nothing but the same answer.
“I don’t know.”
At first, he had learned dozens of Techniques.
But once a certain Technique reached completion, his master began teaching him something entirely different.
The Sword Method that Baek Won-yeong had perfected was the first set of dozens of Techniques he’d learned.
His master had said something like this.
“The Techniques I taught you second were not strictly necessary to learn, but I forced them in because I sensed my time was running short.”
Kang Jo did not yet fully understand his master’s meaning.
Yet he sensed what his master desired.
He swallowed hard.
Baek Moon-do silently collected his thoughts.
In all the Gangho, the most formidable opponent was Dok-go Yeop.
But this one was no easy matter either.
And with Martial Arts as profound as his, one could not simply crush him through brute force—making him all the harder to contend with.

*

Kang Jo set down two bowls of Pork Noodles in front of them.
“Enjoy your meal.”
The moment the noodles arrived, Shin Pung-gae grabbed his chopsticks and began devouring them with desperate speed.
Slurp……..slurp…….
He emptied his bowl in moments and pushed it forward.
“Bring me another. No, two more.”
Kang Jo said nothing, slipped into the kitchen, and returned with two fresh bowls.
Baek Moon-do finished two bowls; Shin Pung-gae cleared four.
“I could do with some wine.”
Once his belly was reasonably full, Shin Pung-gae’s thoughts turned to drink.
“Bring wine and Dongpo Pork as a side.”
At Baek Moon-do’s order, Kang Jo again slipped wordlessly into the kitchen and returned with wine.
Then he set about preparing the Dongpo Pork.
Baek Moon-do poured wine into his cup and turned to Kang Jo with a question.
“What did you do as a child?”
Since Kang Jo was reluctant to answer, he wanted to draw the story out piece by piece.
“I was a servant at a school.”
“You could read? Then where was your family from?”
“There is no family now.”
Both Shin Pung-gae and Baek Moon-do had already guessed something of Kang Jo’s past.
But guesswork and truth were not the same thing.
“What happened to them?”
“A small school in the countryside is easy prey for bandits, isn’t it?”
A heavy sigh.
“I see.”
Baek Moon-do could not bring himself to ask more.
If he continued, he might hear something he’d rather not.
‘This is truly difficult. Difficult indeed.’
As he wrestled with his frustration, Shin Pung-gae opened his mouth again.
“So you wandered the streets taking work, and that’s when you met the Gaebang men?”
He was desperate.
Perhaps this time he could finally open Kang Jo’s heart.
“That’s so.”
Kang Jo gave a brief reply.
“And what happened after?”
“The Gaebang men caught me and sold me to bandits.”
A deep breath.
Another.
Both Baek Moon-do and Shin Pung-gae could only sigh.
So the child Gaebang had found was Kang Jo after all.
Shin Pung-gae spoke with great difficulty.
“This old man beheaded every last one of those bastards.”
Kang Jo nodded.
They deserved to die—of course they did.
But that knowledge could not erase what had happened.
“There were more than a dozen other children besides me. The bandits were monsters, not men. I endured to the end, but those children could not. Their screams and cries never stopped.”
As Kang Jo spoke, killing intent rose slowly from his entire body.
“You call Gaebang righteous? Don’t make me laugh. If Gaebang is righteous, then righteousness in the Gangho has already died.”
If his master had not appeared when he did, he too would have broken.
The bandits were all dead—but what of the lives the children had left to live?
Shin Pung-gae had no answer.
‘Damn it. I thought I was removing a thorn, but I’ve only driven another one in.’
Baek Moon-do could not speak.
‘I should have come alone.’

*

“He is fallen.”
At his subordinate’s report, Hyeol-je turned his head and opened his ears.
“What? Say that again.”
The terrified men collapsed face-down on the ground, tears streaming down their faces.
“He…he has fallen in battle.”
“Gwang-ak…is he truly dead?”
“Yes…I witnessed it with my own eyes.”
Hyeol-je extended his hand slowly toward the prostrate men.
Should he kill them? Or spare them?
It would have been a waste to dispose of them—their skills were serviceable.
If he bestowed upon them the gift of Celestial Grace, they would prove quite useful indeed.
“And that one…what became of him?”
“We saw him fall, but…we could not confirm his fate. Murim Alliance warriors had swarmed that location.”
Hyeol-je gave no thought whatsoever to the Murim Alliance’s warriors.
The grotesque contortion of his face began to ease, smoothing into something almost serene.
“So that one fell as well?”
“Yes. Though he did not appear to be dead.”
Kee-kee-kee…
“That will suffice.”
Fear and dread evaporated in an instant.
That one bore no connection whatsoever to Dae-hyung.
Had he been tied to Dae-hyung, he would never have fallen to Gwang-ak.
‘This opportunity cannot be missed.’

*

“I’m here, brother!”
Yang Jung raised his voice even before crossing the Stone Bridge.
“You made good time.”
Kang Jo greeted him with a smile.
Yang Jung dismounted at the Stone Bridge and removed a large bundle from his horse’s back.
“What’s that?”
“Mother packed rice cakes, meat, and fruit. I also bought five or six chickens from a village along the way.”
“Is that so? Next time you visit home, give her my thanks on my behalf.”
“I will, brother.”
Yang Jung carried the bundle inside.
The horse, however, was glaring at him with ferocious intensity.
“What’s gotten into that beast?”
Yang Jung offered an awkward smile.
“Well, you see, brother, I was so eager to return that I only slept one night at home.”
Hm…
“Still, you managed to bring it along somehow.”
Ha-ha…
Yang Jung’s face flushed as he turned away.
Kang Jo regarded him with narrowed eyes.
“Don’t tell me you used mating season as bait again?”
“I had…no other choice, brother.”
“What are you going to do about this in the future, you fool?”
Yang Jung replied with unruffled ease.
“Something will work out. But brother, I heard strange rumors in the village.”
“What rumors?”
“There was apparently an enormous battle in the meadow near here a few days ago. The opponent was covered in tattoos, and it’s said a young master of the Murim Alliance cut off his head.”
Kang Jo nodded.
“Yes, that did happen.”
“Who was it, brother?”
“An expert from Hyeol-gyo, no doubt.”
“No, I mean the young master from the Murim Alliance who beheaded that tattooed man.”
Kang Jo stared directly at Yang Jung’s face.
It was knowledge he would learn soon enough anyway; there seemed no reason to conceal it.
“It was me.”
Yang Jung started in surprise.
“When did you become a young master of the Murim Alliance?”
“Why would I be a master of the Murim Alliance?”
“That’s what the rumors say.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just take the horse to the stable.”
Yang Jung pouted reluctantly and left the kitchen.
“Brother… you haven’t let her go hungry, have you?”
Kang Jo felt heat rise through his chest.
The memory came back to him—dragging his wounded body out to cut grass for the mare.
“You bastard……………”
Heh heh…………
“I’m joking, brother.”
Once Yang Jung had disappeared, Kang Jo retrieved the alcohol jug.
Still ten days or so before the month was up.

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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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