Moorim Pochang - Chapter 76

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 76. Blood Calamity (3).

Scrape…
Eon So-ryong, having severed his enemy’s neck, shifted his body technique toward Yeo Hwa.
Yeon Ja-seol, Dok-go Eun, and Baek Ha-yeong were locked in fierce combat against Yeo Hwa.
There could be no better opportunity than this.
If he could save Yeon Ja-seol here, he might win her favor.
Even if it wasn’t Yeon Ja-seol, it mattered little.
With Dok-go Eun and Baek Ha-yeong both present, his renown was certain to rise.
The skilled fighters of Jamryong-hoe and Seong Ma-dan hardly registered in his eyes.
The moment Yeon Ja-seol faltered and was driven back, he hurled his blade toward Yeo Hwa.
Crash…!
The instant blade met blade, a shock far more violent than expected tore through his entire body.
A grunt escaped him.
At the same moment, Dok-go Eun’s sword raked across Yeo Hwa’s chest.
Slash…
As her chest split open, her form scattered into empty air.
“And who might you be?”
Yeo Hwa’s voice came from the void, and in the next breath her blade was already slicing toward Yeon Ja-seol’s waist.
At the same instant, Dok-go Eun’s sword drove into Yeo Hwa’s back.
Crash…! Bang…!
“I… I am Eon So-ryong of Eon!”
The moment Eon So-ryong shouted with audacious pride, Yeo Hwa’s Leaf Blade Technique came slashing at his neck.
A startled gasp.
Panic-stricken, Eon So-ryong raised his blade in desperation.
In that instant, the leaf blade veering toward his throat abruptly changed course.
Slash…
The blade passed through, cutting his leg instead.
Eon So-ryong’s thigh split open, and blood fountained forth.
“Damn it…”

*

Crash…!
The moment Baek Ha-yeong staggered backward under the impact, her shoulder split open and blood sprayed.
Had Yeon Ja-seol not come to her aid just then, her neck, not her shoulder, would have been severed.
“Fall back…!”
The instant she heard Dok-go Il’s cry, she scanned her surroundings swiftly.
On all sides, an advancing tide of enemies left no gap through which to escape.
Baek Ha-yeong’s vision swam.
Even if they broke through the encirclement, could they retreat safely to the Murim Alliance?
The Murim Alliance was not so very far from here.
But with matters pressing so urgently, that short distance loomed impossibly vast.
Crash…!
Baek Ha-yeong swung hard against the leaf blade and was driven back once more.
There was no other choice now.
“Fall back to the Guest Inn!”
She shouted, raising her voice.
The Guest Inn, while still seeming far away, lay nearer than the Murim Alliance.
And there was Yang Jung waiting for them.
Yang Jung would surely be able to hold back the enemy.

*

When Yang Jung opened the pot, hot steam and the aroma of rice drifted into his nostrils.
Mmm…
“Smells good.”
He ladled rice into a large bowl and brought it to the table along with seasoned vegetables.
Kang Jo set a dish of braised pork belly on the table and took his seat.
As soon as the meal was laid out, Yang Jung picked up his chopsticks and popped a piece of braised pork into his mouth.
Chew, chew…
The pork belly was always delicious, no matter when you ate it.
“Brother. Don’t you think our Guest Inn would look much better—and taste better too—if we used porcelain dishes instead of earthenware or wooden ones?”
“No. Too expensive.”
Kang Jo answered while popping a mouthful of seasoned vegetables in.
“How expensive can it really be? Brother, we’ve got plenty of silver. Let’s replace all the dishes this time.”
“Has the silver rotted? There’s nothing wrong with what we have.”
Truth be told, Kang Jo wanted to replace the dishes too.
Pretty dishes would make the food inside them look tastier as well.
But porcelain broke easily.
Wooden dishes cracked and broke as well, though not nearly as often as ceramic or porcelain.
“Don’t just say no—at least think it over slowly, won’t you?”
As Yang Jung kept pressing the matter, Kang Jo clenched his teeth.
This fellow had taken an interest in something silly again.
“I don’t want to lose my temper before breakfast. Drop it.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Yang Jung continued eating with a sullen expression.
But it lasted only a moment.
“Brother. Even just the soy sauce dish…”
Kang Jo finally set down his wooden chopsticks.
“This won’t do. Let me go clear my head a little…”
Yang Jung, about to bolt, froze at the sight of Kang Jo’s face hardening in an instant and gasped in alarm.
‘I absolutely can’t get caught today.’
But Kang Jo wasn’t looking at him.
Whoosh…
His sword flew up from where it had been left in the kitchen and landed in his hand. Yang Jung’s gaze followed to wherever Kang Jo was looking.
“Brother, something’s wrong?”
Kang Jo ignored his question and stepped beyond the fence wall.
Yang Jung quickly grabbed his sword and hurried after him.

*

In the distance, the grass in the Grassfield was swaying wildly.
Whoosh… whoosh…
A moment later, dozens of figures surged up from the swaying grass.
“They look like skilled personnel from Jamryong-hoe and Seong Ma-dan, Brother.”
Yang Jung watched them bearing down with eyes wide open.
As he said, those moving through the air in the lead were indeed skilled personnel from Jamryong-hoe and Seong Ma-dan.
And behind them, countless more figures were surging forward.
Crash! Crash!
From behind Jamryong-hoe and Seong Ma-dan came the violent sound of clashing martial energy.
Baek Won-yeong, Dok-go Il, Dok-go Eun, and Yeon Ja-seol were moving through the air behind the skilled personnel, blocking the enemy’s pursuit.
“Help us!”
Even as they fled, the skilled personnel cried out at the top of their voices.
Yang Jung then studied Kang Jo’s face.
“You’re not going to help them, Brother?”
“I’m merely the owner of a Guest Inn—not a warrior of the Murim Alliance or Ma-gyo.”
“Brother, you’re too heartless. Look, the Murim Alliance is over there!”
Yang Jung raised his voice and pointed toward the Murim Alliance.
At that, the faces of the skilled personnel leading the charge twisted.
They crossed the Grassfield, ran over the main road, and came straight toward the Guest Inn.
Kang Jo did not block them.
All the skilled personnel passed through, and last came Baek Won-yeong, moving through the air.
At the same moment, the Leaf Blade Technique flew at his back, and Kang Jo’s form blurred.
Crash!
Having deflected the Leaf Blade Technique, Kang Jo descended back to his original position.
“Stop…!”
Yeo Hwa, who had launched the Leaf Blade Technique from the front, halted her steps.
The blade returned to her hand.
The pursuing enemies also ceased their Body Technique in unison.
But Moyong Se could not.
What was this Guest Inn doing, releasing prey that was already caught?
Whoosh…
His body surged forward with the sword, shooting straight into the Guest Inn.
Crash!
As Kang Jo swung his blade, the figure hurtling in was deflected and sent flying back out.
Only then did he regard Kang Jo with startled eyes.
But Kang Jo paid him no attention.
“This is my Guest Inn. If you enter as a guest, I shall welcome you with courtesy. But if you come seeking blood, I too must do all in my power to stop you.”
Yeo Hwa’s eyes narrowed with irritation.
Why, of all places, did an inn have to be situated here?
And why did such an annoyingly capable man have to be its master?
“Alone, you won’t be able to stop me and all my subordinates, will you?”
“If you’re so confident, try it.”
Yeo Hwa hesitated.
Had Gwang Ak not fallen to this man, she would not have wavered.
But Gwang Ak had lost his life to him.
His stupidity was worth mocking, but his martial prowess—never.
Moyong Se found Yeo Hwa exasperating.
The Guest Inn’s master was stronger than expected, but they outnumbered him considerably.
If they pressed forward, it seemed possible to claim Baek Won-yeong’s head.
Beyond that, he also desired the head of this excessively handsome man.
“You don’t know him, so you speak so carelessly. If you possessed the skill to face him, I wouldn’t hesitate either.”
At her words, Moyong Se’s pride stung.
Now he did not fall far short even against Baek Won-yeong, who was called the Skilled Personnel Supreme Under Heaven.
That man had grown incomparably stronger, but he had grown far stronger still.
If he continued to refine his martial arts at this pace, he would soon surpass Baek Won-yeong.
Yeo Hwa smiled and turned her gaze to him.
“We’ve failed now. Let’s withdraw.”
Moyong Se, who had been glaring fiercely at Kang Jo, exhaled a long breath before answering.
Sigh…
“I shall follow your word this time.”
As he turned his body to leave, Yeo Hwa surveyed her personnel.
‘It wasn’t a complete loss, at least.’

*

The moment the enemies withdrew, all the personnel who had been tensed collapsed to the ground.
Their bodies were stained red with the enemy’s blood and their own.
Huff… huff…
Though the personnel lay on the floor gasping, Baek Won-yeong and Dok-go Il had no time to catch their breath.
Dok-go Il, despite his chest wound appearing grave, tended to the Seong Ma-dan personnel.
“We must tend to the wounds first.”
“Treat the wounded.”
As the personnel forced themselves to their feet, Baek Won-yeong and Dok-go Il examined each face in turn.
Those absent here had either fallen at the Murim Alliance or been unable to break through the enemy’s encirclement.
“Thank you, Yang Jung.”
The moment the enemies withdrew, Baek Ha-yeong expressed her gratitude to Yang Jung.
“What have I done to warrant such words? Lady Baek.”
Yang Jung’s gentle countenance shifted.
He too had sustained no small wound.
“We should tend to your wounds at once.”
He rushed to the room and returned with clean cloth and Healing Medicine.
Kang Jo kindled a fire in the hearth and boiled water.
“Sam-ryong. Go to the Murim Alliance.”
“Understood.”
Yang Jung deployed his Body Technique without a word of complaint.
“How many remain?” Baek Won-yeong asked.
Dok-go Il hung his head at the question.
“Thirty-one survivors, sir.”
“Jamryong-hoe has thirty-four left.”
In a single battle, thirty-five skilled personnel from Jamryong-hoe and Seong Ma-dan had lost their lives.
Though they had killed far more enemies, the death of comrades was always a wound to the heart.
What struck Baek Won-yeong hardest, however, was Moyong Se’s betrayal.
‘How am I to explain this to Father?’

*

Gasp… gasp…
Eon So-ryong wandered through the forest, breathing heavily.
He knew where the Murim Alliance was, but he could not move toward it.
One misstep would give him away to his pursuers.
“Damn dogs…”
Eon So-ryong resented Jamryong-hoe even more than the enemy.
Yes, his leg was injured and he could not move properly, but shouldn’t they have stayed to care for him?
Instead, Jamryong-hoe had abandoned him and fled.
Sigh…
He lay down in the shade and exhaled slowly.
He would hide here for now, and once time had passed, return to the Murim Alliance.
Sleep came upon him the moment he lay down.
‘Once I reach the Alliance, I’ll contact the family and demand they hold Jamryong-hoe accountable.’
With that thought, he drifted into sleep.
Through the tree branches, a blurred silhouette came into view.
It was looking down at him calmly.
Eon So-ryong jolted awake and tried to spring to his feet urgently.
But a blade was already at his throat.
“Your neck will be severed.”
Eon So-ryong looked up at the dark-tattooed man with pure terror in his eyes.
“Moyong… Moyong Se…”
Cruel laughter rang out.
Moyong Se’s laugh was utterly sinister.
“The great Eon So-ryong has become a wretched cur.”
“Spare me… please, Moyong Se. We had such close ties, didn’t we?”
Eon So-ryong clung to their past friendship.
Moyong Se laughed again.
Hahaha…
“That’s why I haven’t ended your life yet.”
At those words, Eon So-ryong grasped a faint glimmer of hope.
“Please… let me go. Then I swear I will never raise a blade against you again.”
But Moyong Se had no intention of releasing him.
“Don’t you want to know why I’ve become as strong as Baek Won-yeong in so short a time?”
Eon So-ryong had no desire to give any other answer.
“I do wish to know. Tell me at once.”
“I have gained both the power of Immortality and Supreme Power Under Heaven. Soon I will surpass Baek Won-yeong and rise above the Alliance Leader himself.”
He found it difficult to believe Moyong Se’s words.
Yet the fact that he had confronted Baek Won-yeong as an equal in battle was undeniable.
“The power of Immortality and… Supreme Power Under Heaven, you say?”
“Yes. You find it hard to believe? But once you experience it yourself, you’ll understand that power.”
“Could you not simply… let me go?”
Cruel laughter echoed through the forest.
“You’ve always harbored feelings for Yeon Ja-seol, haven’t you? With the power of Immortality and Supreme Power Under Heaven, embrace her confidently. No—embrace every beauty under heaven.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————