Moorim Pochang - Chapter 79

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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 79. Cho Yak.

“Cho Yak is coming out. What do you make of it?”
Baek Moon-do started in surprise.
Cho Yak had been one of the Hundred Heroes, but the moment the Hyeol-gyo affair ended, she vanished from Gangho without a trace.
She was a figure they’d wanted to find but couldn’t.
“Cho Yak was with Ma-gyo?”
Originally, as a woman of the Cho household, she’d been closer to the Murim Alliance than to Ma-gyo.
So he’d never even imagined she might be there.
“Yes. She asked to be considered dead, but it seems she’s had a change of heart this time.”
A sorrowful light flickered in Baek Moon-do’s eyes.
Among the Hundred Heroes, there was an expert named Han Seo.
She and Han Seo loved each other so deeply that they’d planned to hold their wedding the day they defeated Hyeol-gyo.
But in that final battle, Han Seo died in her stead.
That was why Cho Yak had turned her back on Gangho.
“She still can’t let Han Seo go. She’ll be seeking revenge.”
“I think so too.”
“Will it be safe to entrust the children to Cho Yak?”
Baek Moon-do worried that her thirst for vengeance might cloud her judgment and put the talented ones in danger.
“She was more levelheaded than anyone. There’s no reason to think she’d do such a thing.”
Cho Yak’s martial skill was formidable, but it was that very coldness of mind that had allowed her to survive to the end.
“Then that’s a relief.”
Baek Moon-do cast his gaze toward Kang Jo in the kitchen.
Then Dok-go Yeop shook his head.
“Drawing that one in won’t be easy. I sounded him out before you arrived, but he wouldn’t budge.”
“True enough. We can’t ask a man with no stake in this to wager his life.”
“Right. So I said no more about it.”
With a rumbling sound, Dok-go Yeop drained his cup.
Then he rose and approached Kang Jo.
From his sash, he withdrew a hefty nugget of gold and set it down.
It landed with a soft thud.
“For the drinks. The children stayed here while we were gone—settle up with this.”
“There should be change coming back. Shall I return it in silver?”
“No need. Just deduct it from what we owe for next time.”
“Very well. I’ll do that.”
Kang Jo accepted the gold without protest.
Dok-go Yeop asked in a low voice.
“What became of the Blue Blade?”
“I returned it to its owner.”
A soft sound escaped Dok-go Yeop’s lips.
“Owner? Who do you mean?”
“I returned it to Young Lady Dok-go.”
The moment he heard that answer, a sharp gleam flashed in Dok-go Yeop’s eyes.
But the next words from Kang Jo made it vanish at once.
“Don’t think of using the dagger as an excuse for trouble.”
A low chuckle rumbled from Dok-go Yeop’s chest.
“Do I seem such a stranger to you? In any case, I’m grateful—you protected our children.”
“I merely kept the inn.”
Dok-go Yeop nodded and turned to leave.
“I’ll go on ahead.”
The skilled ones from Seongma-dan, who’d been drinking, quickly pressed themselves flat to the floor.
“The Ma-gyo Invincible…! Ten thousand blessings upon you…!”
A sharp clicking sound came from Baek Moon-do’s tongue.
Watching the scene, Baek Moon-do shook his head in disbelief.
“What in the world are they doing….”
In any case, once Dok-go Yeop had departed, Baek Moon-do also rose to his feet.
“For the drinks.”
He held out the bank note.
But Kang Jo did not accept it.
“The Sect Master has already paid the bill.”
“I know, but keep it anyway. We never know when we might need another favor.”
Leaving the bank note behind, he stepped out of the Guest Inn.
The members of Jamryong-hoe, who had been eating, rose to their feet as one.
“Safe travels to you.”
Baek Moon-do nodded and crossed the Stone Bridge.
‘Something feels a bit lacking, though.’
He did not envy Ma-gyo, not exactly.
Yet compared to Seongma-dan, Jamryong-hoe seemed to lack strength.
‘What about the Murim Alliance’s Invincible? No—he’d certainly mock me for copying Ma-gyo.’

*

Neigh……
Kang Jo jolted awake from his sleep.
“The beast’s already forgotten how my fists feel.”
Rising from the bed and throwing on his clothes, Yang Jung also stirred awake.
“What troubles you, elder brother?”
“You didn’t hear that sound?”
Neigh………
Hearing the horse’s cry, Yang Jung grabbed Kang Jo’s sleeve.
“Please, elder brother—the beast is just suffering. Let me handle this.”
“Do you know what they call it in the Murim Alliance? Sakyeokcha. That’s what.”
“Whether Sakyeokcha or Saekma-wang, I’ll soothe it somehow.”
Yang Jung rose and dressed himself.
The two men headed toward the stable.
The skilled personnel had also awakened at the horse’s cries and stood outside.
Ha, ha, ha……
Yang Jung calmed them with bright, ringing laughter.
“I’ll settle it—please, return to your rest.”
Entering the stable, he stroked the stallion’s mane.
“Shut it before I beat you to death, will you?”
The moment Kang Jo raised his fist from behind, the stallion, which had been seething with rage, flinched and lowered its head submissively.
“There, elder brother.”
Yang Jung left the stable with a pleased expression.
“The young hero Yang seems skilled with horses as well.”
Baek Ha-yeong approached him, her eyes bright with admiration.
At that, a smile played across Yang Jung’s face.
“This is nothing at all, young lady.”
Kang Jo turned away, his mouth beginning to form words.
‘Glib bastard.’

*

After breakfast, the skilled personnel and physicians departed the Guest Inn.
Throughout their stay, the staff had moved about busily tending to the guests in the rooms, and now that they had gone, it felt as though there was nothing left to do.
A long sigh……
Yang Jung collapsed into a seat with a heavy exhale.
“Elder brother, that was terribly exhausting.”
All his bright, graceful bearing vanished in an instant, replaced by his true fussy self.
“Now that the skilled personnel are gone, wash the bedding from the guest rooms.”
Kang Jo was no less worn out.
Attending to thirty guests was no small labor.
Moreover, since they were patients, meals had to be brought to them for several days.
‘Now I understand why the famous Guest Inns employ so many servants.’
From now on, he resolved to accept guests in the rooms only when absolutely necessary.
“I need to rest for several days, elder brother. I’ve smiled so much my face is starting to cramp.”
Yang Jung rubbed his cheeks furiously with both hands.
“Don’t go making this harder than it needs to be.”
“But I must suffer for it, so that I may welcome a woman worthy of my affection as my wife, brother.”
“We’ll see soon enough just what sort of treasure you’ve won yourself.”
Kang Jo set down the wicker basket he’d been carrying and turned back from the kitchen doorway.
A middle-aged woman had just entered the Stone Bridge, a large blade held easily in one hand.
“Welcome.”
Kang Jo hastened to greet the guest.
The woman was of modest height, yet she carried the Mi-cheom Blade as if it were nothing—a weapon taller than herself.
The long hilt made her appear almost like a peddler hawking wares from door to door.
“I’d like to eat.”
“Of course. Please, sit.”
The woman entered the Guest Inn and leaned the Mi-cheom Blade against the table before taking her seat.
“When did Yeop come through here, and when did he leave?”
This “Yeop” almost certainly referred to the Sect Master of Ma-gyo.
“He departed two days ago.”
“It seems our paths crossed just out of reach.”
Disappointment flickered across her face.
“Would chicken noodles suit you?”
“Yeop told me the cooking here is excellent no matter what’s ordered. So anything will do.”
“Please wait a moment.”
Thwack! Thwack!
Kang Jo began pulling noodles, working the dough against the cutting board with practiced strokes.
The woman glanced around the Guest Inn, then her eyes settled on Yang Jung.
“What a handsome young man you are.”
Yang Jung straightened with a clear, ringing voice.
“My name is Yang Jung.”
The woman smiled faintly.
“Do you perhaps have a woman you’re fond of?”
For a stranger to ask such a thing on first meeting caught him off guard.
Though Yang Jung felt a flutter of discomfort, his voice remained bright and steady as he answered.
“Not yet.”
“Then might I introduce you to a virtuous young lady? She happens to be with the Murim Alliance.”
Yang Jung’s interest kindled visibly as he received her offer.
“Please, do tell me.”
“There’s a very well-behaved girl named Dok-go Eun.”
Hahahaha…
The moment the woman finished speaking, Yang Jung’s laughter came out strained and forced.
No matter how beautiful Dok-go Eun was, he would never take her as a wife.
He’d wake in the night half-convinced a blade was coming for him.
“I’m grateful for the suggestion, but I would prefer to take an ordinary woman as my bride.”
“It seems you’ve met her already.”
“Yes… she visits the Guest Inn from time to time.”
“I see.”
As the woman turned her gaze away, Yang Jung quickly excused himself and retreated into the kitchen.
“Go fix the roof tiles or something.”
“Right away.”
At Kang Jo’s command, he slipped out of the kitchen and vanished into the house.

*

“This really is delicious.”
Kang Jo smiled at the woman’s praise.
“Thank you.”
“Though I must confess, I’ve always had a fondness for fish dishes. Might you prepare something with fish next time?”
She had never cared much for fish before.
But the great love of her life had cherished it, and so she had come to love it too.
Especially fish noodles and fish dumplings—these were her favorites now, more so than grilled or stewed preparations.
“If you let me know beforehand, I’ll prepare it for you.”
“Then I’ll give you word a day in advance. Grilled and stewed are fine, but I’d prefer fish noodles or dumplings.”
With that, the woman resumed her meal.
Kang Jo’s mind was far from at ease.
He’d made soup and stew before, but had never once prepared meat-and-vegetable noodles or fish dumplings.
When the woman finished eating, she placed a silver ingot on the table.
“That was delicious. I’ll come back another time.”
“Of course. Until next time.”
The moment she left the Guest Inn, Kang Jo called out to Yang Jung.
“Sam-ryong…!”
He raised his voice, but Yang Jung didn’t appear.
Sigh.
‘This fool’s at it again.’
Kang Jo stepped inside the residence.
‘He’s gotten better, I’ll grant him that. But he’s still nowhere near ready.’
A whisper of wind brushed past.
Kang Jo’s body technique vanished from sight.
Yang Jung, hiding beneath the eaves of the pavilion, broke into a triumphant smile.
‘Finally got him.’
If he remained perfectly still and silent, there was no way he’d be found.
But Kang Jo was already sitting on the roof above the eaves.
He bent forward and lowered his face, and Yang Jung, hidden beneath, gasped in shock.
Gasp.
“How did you find me, sir?”
“You still have a long way to go. Keep your presence even more subdued. And right now, head into the village and bring back meat-and-vegetable noodles and fish dumplings.”
Yang Jung, still hanging from the eaves, asked, “Why meat-and-vegetable noodles and fish dumplings?”

“So I can taste them. You try them too.”
“Compared to your cooking, they’re hardly worth eating. If you want fish, I can catch some fresh from the stream myself.”
“Stop arguing and go. Don’t forget to take a large bowl with you.”
Yang Jung was reluctant to pull himself out from beneath the eaves.
“I don’t like meat-and-vegetable noodles or fish dumplings, sir.”
Finally, Kang Jo rose to his feet.
Bang!
He stamped hard on the roof, and the roof tiles shattered along with the support beam beneath the eaves.
Crack!
Yang Jung, hanging from the eaves, fell straight to the ground.
But before his back hit the earth, he twisted his body and landed lightly on his feet.
The moment he touched down, he was about to deploy his light Qinggong.
Snap!
But Kang Jo had already seized him by the collar.
“Go. Now.”
“Yes… sir.”

*

“It’s been far too long.”
Baek Moon-do greeted Cho Yak with a warm expression.
“You’ve been well? You don’t seem to have changed much from before.”
She returned his greeting with a bright smile.
Laugh.
“You say that, but there are a few wrinkles on my face…”
“What wrinkles? I’m the one who’s fallen apart with age.”
After trading pleasantries for a moment, they sat across from each other at a table.
“I’ve heard the details from Yeop.”
When Baek Moon-do spoke first, she nodded.
“Leave the Jamryong-hoe and the Seongma-dan to me.”
“Of course they’re yours. But how have you been?”
He said nothing whatsoever about Han Seo.
“I spent the time doing nothing in particular at the Ma-gyo. Yeop went to great trouble looking after me.”
“Trouble? If you’d come to the Murim Alliance, we’d have treated you far better.”
“Then I’d have to keep seeing familiar faces.”
Even without being one of the Hundred Heroes, there were quite a few in Gangho who knew her.
That was precisely why he had chosen to hide himself away in the Ma-gyo.
Baek Moon-do could only manage a bitter smile.
Had Han Seo lived, she and Cho Yak would likely have become the greatest married pair in all the Gangho.
Their friends had called them a pair of mandarin ducks—such was the tenderness between those two.
Han Seo and Cho Yak’s love was unlike any other.
Yet the pair of mandarin ducks had lost its mate.
“Rest easy for a few days. After that, I’ll introduce you to Jamryong-hoe and Seongma-dan.”
“No. I want to meet them right away.”

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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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