Moorim Pochang - Chapter 82

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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 82. The Eon Family’s Wrath (2).

The Family Head and the family members stepped into the Stone Bridge.
At that moment, a young proprietor emerged and bowed in greeting.
“Welcome.”
Eon Ju-gwang’s hand moved toward the sword at his waist, then stopped.
The urge to cut the young man down the moment he bowed had seized him.
“Is this the Guest Inn known for fine cooking?”
“Yes, sir. Today we have Chicken Meat Noodles available. One bowl is one silver coin.”
Eon Ju-gwang and the family members’ expressions shifted.
The prices at this Guest Inn were abominably steep.
Even after traveling the world, there would be no other place that charged a silver coin for a single bowl of noodles.
Well, there were establishments that stripped people of all their silver coins.
But those places didn’t merely take coin—they took lives as well.
‘Thieves, the lot of them.’
Concealing his true thoughts, Eon Ju-gwang stepped inside the Guest Inn.
“There are twenty-three of us, so bring twenty-three bowls.”
“One moment, please. Sam-ryong—!”
Taking the order, Kang Jo raised his voice toward the residence.
But Yang Jung did not appear.
“This wretch…”
Kang Jo quickly lit a fire in the hearth, then rushed into the residence.
No matter how much one trained in Concealment Martial Art, shouldn’t one stop when guests arrived?
“The guests are here. Stop and come out.”
Even at Kang Jo’s warning, the residence remained silent.
Finally, Kang Jo picked up a stone from the ground.
Whoosh—
In a flash, he spun his body and hurled the stone. Yang Jung leaped up from the stable roof.
“Ow. Throwing stones—how could you? Surely there’s another way? But how did you find me?”
“How many times must I say it? You’re still far from mastering it.”
*

“Why not simply cut him down now, Family Head?”
Even without the old elder’s words, Eon Ju-gwang had been wrestling with the question.
It seemed he could kill the man easily enough at this moment.
His eyes drifted toward the forest’s edge.
Countless carts moved along the great road.
They looked like merchant caravans or porters bound for the Murim Alliance.
‘If I make even the slightest mistake, they’ll notice.’
He abandoned the notion.
“It would be best to wait until nightfall.”
The old elder nodded, turning his gaze back toward the great road.
When they had finished deliberating, Kang Jo and Yang Jung appeared.
Yang Jung quickly surveyed the guests seated at the tables.
Among the twenty or so guests, there was not a single woman.
“Welcome.”
With a respectful bow, he disappeared straight into the kitchen.

*

A low breath—
Eon Ju-gwang and the family members gazed down at the noodles and meat caught on their chopsticks.
‘The flavor is truly exceptional. It would be a shame to kill him.’
He had dined at many Guest Inns across Gangho, but none like this.
The Eon Family too had excellent cooks.
Culinary skill was something the family took great pride in.
Yet this Chicken Meat Noodles seemed beyond their reach to replicate.
‘A silver coin buys quality, then.’
Eon Ju-gwang moved his chopsticks swiftly.
Slurp…….slurp………
“Bring another bowl.”
As he ordered, the old elders placed their orders as well.
“One more bowl each for us here.”
At that, Eon Ju-gwang amended his order.
“Make that twenty-three bowls altogether.”
If not for the dispute with Sam-ryong, he would have wanted to take this place back to the family.
But now this delicious chicken meat noodles would be his last taste of them.
“Please wait a moment.”
Thwack….! Thwack…..!
Kang Jo worked the dough quickly, drawing out noodles.
All twenty-three guests had eyes that gleamed with ill intent.
But they were customers buying the food, weren’t they?
Yang Jung, too sharp-eyed to miss it, caught the subtle aura of killing intent emanating from the guests.
‘Their clothes look expensive, but their eyes—they’re all thieves.’
Unsettled by the feeling, he pressed close to Kang Jo and whispered.
“Elder brother. Something feels wrong about this.”
“I know.”
Kang Jo said nothing more than that.
At this, Yang Jung seemed reassured and grinned.
‘Elder brother will handle it.’

*
The twenty-three guests each ate two bowls of chicken meat noodles and departed from the inn.
Seeing the lingering regret on their faces as they left, the meal must have been exceedingly satisfying.
Yet Kang Jo caught the chill in their eyes as they went.
‘Who are they? They don’t seem to be assassins…’
Had the guests conversed more freely, he might have guessed their identity, however roughly.
They had spoken among themselves, but said nothing that would hint at who they were.
This deliberate silence made it clear they had come with some purpose.
But whether their purpose was the inn itself remained unclear.
“Looks like I’ll be losing sleep for a few nights.”
“They don’t look like assassins to me, elder brother.”
“Can’t hurt to be careful.”
Yang Jung grasped his meaning at once.
“Then I’ll hide myself with concealment tonight so you can search me out.”
Sigh………
Once this one latched onto something, he could barely look away.
It was a virtue, certainly—and infuriating in equal measure.
Kang Jo exhaled a long breath and fixed him with a stare.
“Just get some sleep tonight.”
“But you said you’d be losing sleep?”
“I meant don’t sleep so deeply, you fool.”
Yang Jung puffed out his lips.
“I know, but the moment I lie down, I’m out like a light. What am I supposed to do?”
“Then I’ll keep watch while you stay hidden.”
Ha ha……..
“If elder brother isn’t going to search for me, why hide at all? It’s not like I’m causing trouble on my own.”
Kang Jo no longer wanted to engage with him.
Speaking with this one long enough made his head start to spin.
He entered the kitchen to trim vegetables when Yang Jung spoke up again.
“But elder brother, Won-yeong hasn’t visited even once lately. He must be awfully busy.”
“That makes sense—many skilled personnel died last time.”
“I wanted to ask him about the horses again, but I’m not sure how.”

*

“No matter how ornate or numerous your martial forms, one who has drilled the same move ten thousand times will be harder to overcome. Just as a third-rate wielding a legendary blade can barely match an expert with a common sword. Your family’s martial arts are legendary blades in themselves, and you are no third-rate. So hone and refine yourselves without ceasing.”
It was something Dae-hyung had told her long ago.
Cho Yak could still hear his voice ringing clear in her ears.
No matter how much one refined their martial arts, there would always be a gap between practitioners.
But Dae-hyung had told her that if the martial arts she cultivated seemed trivial, she should dig even deeper.
“I will remember it well.”
The skilled personnel bowed in unison.
Now, roughly half the time remained until the day she had promised with the skilled personnel.
“You. You. You……………..step forward.”
Cho Yak called out a dozen of the skilled personnel.
As they stepped forward, she surveyed the remaining skilled personnel.
“About twenty leagues east of the Murim Alliance, there’s a large tree. Run back and forth to it using your Lightness Skill until you collapse from exhaustion. The way to survive on the battlefield is strong martial arts and swift feet.”
Whoosh…
Whoosh…
The moment Cho Yak finished speaking, the skilled personnel dashed out of the Murim Alliance as one.
As they slipped out of the training grounds using their Lightness Skill, she turned to regard the remaining skilled personnel.
“When martial forms change, Body Movement Technique and Footwork change as well. But it’s hard to abandon the martial arts you’ve cultivated up to now. So I’ll supplement your Body Movement Technique and Footwork individually. If you demonstrate them perfectly in fifteen days, I’ll acknowledge you.”
The skilled personnel she had called forth were the weakest from Jamryong-hoe and Seong Ma-dan.
“Thank you, Lady Cho.”
“Now you—show me your martial forms from beginning to end.”

*

Soft snoring drifted through the darkness.
Yang Jung was breathing lightly in his sleep.
Kang Jo, half-waking, closed his eyes again.
But then his eyes snapped open and he bolted upright.
“Wake up.”
Yang Jung, who had been snoring softly, rose as well.
Neigh…
In that moment, the cry of a horse echoed from the Stable.
Grabbing his sword, Kang Jo rushed out the door in haste.
Yang Jung seized his sword and followed close behind.
“Damn it…!”
A curse tore from Yang Jung’s lips.
Flames were already rising from deep within the residence.
“It doesn’t seem like just one or two—be careful.”
“Yes.”
At Kang Jo’s words, Yang Jung melted into the darkness.
He wanted to hide in the shadows and get a first look at the enemies.
The moment Kang Jo moved toward the residence, blades came screaming from all directions.
Whoosh…
But Kang Jo’s Body Technique was already slipping past the onslaught of steel.
Thud.
As his body moved, two heads soared into the air.
‘Not assassins—masters.’
The enemies made no effort to conceal their presence.
Moreover, among the descending blades were some glowing with Sword Energy.
Crash…!
Kang Jo swung his sword to strike back the Sword Energy, then raked across another enemy’s chest.
A terrible cry tore free.
The anguished scream shook the darkness along with the roaring flames.
Crash, crash…!
Where the Dark-Colored Sword passed, a neck rose into the air alongside a broken blade.
Thud…splatter…splatter…
The head rolled across the ground while the headless body collapsed limply, spilling blood.

*

The young proprietor of the Guest Inn was no ordinary master.
A terrible scream pierced the night.
Aaargh……..!
Wherever the flames reached, the family members fell helplessly.
Krrgh……..
And from the darkness, a blade came flying—its movements were stealthy, like those of an assassin.
Crack-crack-bang…………!
When blade met blade, Eon Ju-gwang, unable to withstand the impact, was driven back several paces.
Gack…
In that moment, the grizzled elder’s head flew into the air.
‘Just as Xiao-long said—this was someone we should never have made into an enemy.’
Regret flooded through him like a tide.
“Retreat…………!”
At last, he gave the order to fall back.
Screeeeeech……..
Crunch…..crunch……..slash……….
The moment he gave the retreat command, the Dark-Colored Sword flew through the air, severing the necks of the family members.
‘The Dark Sword Technique……..’
Eon Ju-gwang could not hide his shock at the scene unfolding before his eyes.
He quickly shifted his Body Movement.
The instant he shifted his Body Movement, a blade came flying from the darkness.
‘An assassin.’
Crack….!
Eon Ju-gwang swung his blade, then used his Body Movement to vault over the wall.
The moment he cleared the wall, Yang Jung emerged from the darkness.
Sigh…
‘I thought I was dead.’
Just as he’d said, his Concealment Martial Art still had much room for improvement.
“What are you doing? Chase him—quickly…!”
At Kang Jo’s cry, Yang Jung also unleashed his Body Movement.
‘Those bastards. They’re all finished.’
The hall now burning had been used as a guest quarters.
He’d labored so hard to repair that hall, yet these wretches had set it ablaze.
It wasn’t only the guest quarters burning.
The remaining halls were also engulfed in flames.

*

Dong…! Dong…! Dong….!
The loud clanging of a bell shattered the deep night.
The skilled personnel of Jamryong-hoe and Seong Ma-dan, who had been on the verge of sleep, rushed out hastily, seizing their weapons.
“The forest is burning……!”
At the warriors’ cry, Baek Won-yeong unleashed his Body Movement first.
Followed by the other skilled personnel, who shifted into motion.
Whoooosh………
Through the wide-open fortress gates, Jamryong-hoe and Seong Ma-dan poured out, with Cho Yak and Shin Pung-gae close behind.
“Alliance Leader, protect the Murim Alliance……!”
Shin Pung-gae raised his voice as he rushed from the fortress.
They moved toward the Guest Inn along the main road.
Whoooosh……..
Baek Won-yeong, who arrived first, searched for Kang Jo and Yang Jung.
“Younger brother………………! Where are you…………..?”
But no answer came from anywhere.
As he entered the residence, the entire courtyard was a sea of flames, and corpses lay scattered everywhere.
Neigh-neigh-neigh……..!
The horses in the stable cried out in panic.
Baek Won-yeong quickly led the horses out of the stable.
Shin Pung-gae, who arrived moments later, examined the severed heads scattered across the ground.
Among them were some whose faces he recognized.
A face with wide-open eyes and long white hair disheveled in death—it was the elder of the Eon Family.
“So this is it……..The Eon Family has finally done it. Foolish wretches…!”
Shin Pung-gae looked up at the night sky and wailed.

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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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