Moorim Pochang - Chapter 86

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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 86. Departure (2).

Yang Jung entered the stable with an armful of horse feed grass.
Neigh………
But the moment he stepped inside, the stallion reared and thrashed about wildly.
“Has this beast gone completely mad now?”
The stallion’s rampage was something he could tolerate.
The creature must be suffering terribly as well.
But striking out at his own master with his front hooves was something else entirely—unforgivable.
“You want to become horsemeat?”
Yang Jung fixed the stallion with a cold stare.
Yet the stallion paid him no mind.
Neigh……….!
Instead, it whinnied all the louder and reared up again.
“Ah…….this is maddening.”
“What’s wrong?”
As Kang Jo stepped into the stable, the stallion’s gaze snapped toward him with a feral gleam.
“You want to die, you beast?”
Kang Jo immediately raised his fist in warning.
The stallion’s spirit flagged—it shuffled backward nervously, though its eyes never wavered from his.
Smack…!
In the end, Kang Jo struck the stallion across the face with an open palm.
Only then did the beast lower its head obediently.
“Brother, there’s no need to hit it quite so hard, is there?”
“You have to break a beast’s spirit when you break it. That way it won’t defy its master. Even mangy strays in town tuck their tails between their legs around an old owner.”
Smack..
Yang Jung had nothing else to say; he merely clicked his tongue against his teeth.
“I don’t know what to do anymore. I’d like to leave this to Won-young, but he hasn’t shown his face in ages…….”
“Go to the village and buy a mare.”
“Can we really do that, brother?”
His dark expression brightened in an instant.
“What other choice is there? Otherwise you’ll have to break its spirit like I did.”
“No, brother. I’ll go at once.”
Yang Jung untied the stallion’s reins from the pillar where it had been tethered.
“Come on, Sakyakcha.”
But Kang Jo was displeased with him.
“You’re always bringing trouble on yourself.”
In a few months, there would be a foal as well—how did he expect to feed all of them?
“I’ll manage the horse feed.”
“Don’t worry, brother. When it really becomes unbearable, I’ll just set them loose in a wide pasture.”
Kang Jo’s temples throbbed the moment he heard those words.
He had already pictured the red stallion breeding in an open meadow.
‘Ah…….I don’t even know what to say anymore.’

*

“Uncle.”
Upon catching sight of the Chief Steward and the family attendants, Eon So-ryong broke into a bright smile and bowed deeply.
At first, the Chief Steward did not recognize him.
But when he heard the voice, he realized that the man whose face was covered in tattoos was Eon So-ryong.
“How is it that you are here?”
Hahaha……….!
Eon So-ryong laughed with unrestrained delight.
He understood his uncle’s bewilderment perfectly.
At first, he had felt no differently than his uncle did now.
But now, even if ordered to leave, he could never abandon this place.
“Uncle will understand soon enough. I have gained the power to seize the heavens themselves.”
“Do you know that the Family Head lost his life on the street?”
Eon So-ryong’s face, which had been bright with laughter, twisted in an instant.
Immersed in martial training in this place, he had yet to hear rumors from the Gangho.
“What do you mean by that, Uncle?”
“The innkeeper—the owner of the Guest Inn—took the Family Head’s life right there on the street, in front of everyone.”
The Chief Steward couldn’t bring himself to say that the innkeeper had beheaded the Family Head.
“Kang Jo? You mean…Kang Jo did this?”
At his nod, Eon So-ryong collapsed to his knees on the floor.
“Father…! Father…!”
And then he began to wail with unconsolable grief.
“Did I not plead with you so desperately not to go…?”
He glared at the Chief Steward through tears that streamed like blood.
The Chief Steward, too ashamed to meet his eyes, bowed his head deeply.
“The Family Head didn’t know—and neither did I—that his martial skill was so extraordinary.”
Eon So-ryong looked up at the sky and cried out.
Nooooooo…!
After that outcry, he clenched his teeth.
“I will take that bastard’s head.”
Yeoh-hwa observed him from a distance.
‘This is perfect for him. Vengeance draws out strength that doesn’t otherwise exist.’

*

It was a rare visitor.
But not a welcome one.
“Welcome.”
As Kang Jo bowed, Dok-go Yeop nodded and stepped inside.
“I heard the Guest Inn burned down, yet here it stands intact.”
‘He didn’t come to gawk at a burned house. Troublesome as always.’
Kang Jo felt a surge of indignation inside, but his face revealed nothing.
“Only the inn and the stable remain.”
“If you’d listened to me early and moved the inn here before the sect, none of this would have happened.”
“If we move once, how can we not move twice or three times? What would you have us do then?”
Cck cck cck.
“I would be most displeased.”
Dok-go Yeop smiled with an icy edge.
Yang Jung, entering the inn, heard his words.
‘Had I cultivated the Ma-gyo martial arts, I’d have had a noose around my neck. Your words were right after all.’
Dok-go Yeop regarded him quietly.
Yang Jung quickly bowed.
“I greet the Sect Leader.”
Yet Dok-go Yeop simply continued to regard him in silence.
‘This is too much.’
Pride rising in him, Yang Jung turned his gaze away and spoke.
“I don’t understand why you keep giving me these errands.”
“Then shall I send your brother instead?”
At Dok-go Yeop’s words, Kang Jo looked at him too.
‘Damn it.’
In the end, Yang Jung bowed and left the inn.
“I’ll be back.”
Whiiii…!
Dok-go Yeop watched Yang Jung’s retreating figure until it faded from sight, then turned his gaze to Kang Jo.
“Was that one originally an assassin?”
“An assassin? He’s merely imitating one.”
Kang Jo glanced after Yang Jung’s departing form and let out a quiet laugh.
The Assassin Secret Manual contained no separate lightness technique, but it did teach a method of deploying lightness arts while suppressing sound to the utmost.
That one was now using lightness arts precisely by that method.
Nay nay nay…!
The whinny of a horse echoed from the darkness.

*

“You slit the neck of the Eon Family Head on the street?”
“Yes.”
Ha ha ha ha……
“Excellent work.”
Dok-go Yeop laughed with clear satisfaction.
Across Gangho, whispers swirled about Eon Ju-gwang’s death.
The most plausible rumor was that a master from Hyeol-gyo had killed him.
Many believed it, given that the Eon Family was a renowned house, though some remained skeptical.
Another story circulated: that a master of Ma-gyo had done it, since the Eon Family Head had earned Ma-gyo’s hatred.
And the rumor that made people shake their heads most was that the Eon Family Head had been killed by the innkeeper.
People dismissed this because a master skilled enough to kill the Eon Family Head would have no reason to run an inn.
“Does the Sect Leader not worry about his children?”
Kang Jo posed the question in a light, drifting tone.
“I’m a father too—why wouldn’t I worry?”
“Yet you still send them to fight against Hyeol-gyo?”
Krr krr krr…
“How could weak children ever lead Ma-gyo? When I give an order, every sect member will lay down their lives. So shouldn’t I do the same for them? I’ll grieve deeply if my sons fall in battle.”
As Kang Jo set down seasoned vegetables and wine, Dok-go Yeop continued, pouring himself a cup.
“But death is death, and my younger brothers will have to take Ma-gyo’s helm in their place. If they’re not fit for the position, someone else will inherit it.”
Dok-go Yeop drained his cup with a bitter smile.
‘The moment he asks a question, he launches into rambling discourse?’
Perhaps this inn’s excellence extended beyond the kitchen.
That’s why, whenever he returned to Ma-gyo, he found himself thinking of this place.
“Among the disciples of the Seong Ma unit, were there any who caught your eye?”
Kang Jo acknowledged the question while preparing food.
“The Sect Leader’s own children stood out first. There was also a skilled one named Bang-cho who seemed capable.”
Dok-go Yeop nodded, refilling his cup.
‘His eye for talent is much like mine, after all.’
“What did you make of Cheon Seok-pil, the one you handed the Self-Radiant Sword to?”
“He doesn’t appear to be a prodigy, but he’ll hold his own well enough.”
Krr krr krr…
“So you didn’t throw away a martial secret.”

*

“I’ve returned.”
When Yang Jung came back, Dok-go Yeop studied him intently.
The man was certainly impressive.
No—by appearance alone, he was the finest to be found anywhere.
“My first child is Eun, my second is Il, and my third is Mi-ho. Would you like to meet Mi-ho?”
Yang Jung started visibly.
‘What brought on such a sudden proposal?’
The unexpected words startled him enough that he hastily retreated to the kitchen.
‘Is he mad? Meeting a woman of Ma-gyo?’
“I decline.”
Hmm…
Dok-go Yeop’s gaze turned glacial.
In truth, Mi-ho, his third child, was slightly more beautiful than Eun, his first.
The only problem was that she was a bit short and had a temperament like a shrew.
“Nor would I give my daughter to a man like you.”
‘A man like me?’
‘What exactly is wrong with me that he’d say such a thing?’
Yang Jung pouted.
Neigh neigh neigh……
As the horse’s whinnying continued, even the normally composed Dok-go Yeop’s brow furrowed slightly.
It hadn’t bothered him at first, but with the sounds persisting, irritation began to creep in.
“Why is that creature making such a racket? Quiet it down.”
“……Yes.”
Yang Jung came out of the kitchen with a dejected expression and made his way toward the stable.
Neigh….!
Neigh…!
As he entered the stable, a stallion and mare were tangled together, neighing frantically.
‘What am I going to do with these two?’
*

Baek Moon-do stepped into the Guest Inn with Cho-yak.
“Welcome.”
“How have you been?”
“Well, thank you.”
When Kang Jo cleared the way, they took their seats across from Dok-go Yeop.
“I was disappointed we couldn’t say goodbye before you left, but I’m grateful we’ve met again like this.”
At Cho-yak’s smile, Dok-go Yeop managed a faint smile of his own.
“No need for formalities between us. As long as we’re all doing well, that’s what matters.”
Kang Jo placed wine cups before Baek Moon-do and Cho-yak.
“What do we have tonight?”
“Chicken noodles, sir.”
“Then bring that. Ah… Cho-yak used to love fish dishes, didn’t she?”
As Baek Moon-do was ordering, he turned to look at her.
She shook her head.
“How can you make something that’s out of season? I’d prefer braised pork belly anyway.”
Kang Jo listened to their exchange as he headed into the kitchen.
Not long after the clamor of the horses’ neighing had subsided, Yang Jung returned.
“What did you do with them?”
“I released them into the forest, sir.”
“And if they run away?”
At Kang Jo’s worry, Yang Jung broke into a proud smile.
Ha, ha….
“How would the one who found his own way here run away, sir?”
“I’m not talking about the stallion. The mare—she’s only been here a few days.”
“Don’t worry, sir. With my Lightness Skill, she won’t be able to escape.”
Kang Jo stared at his overconfident subordinate before speaking.
“Go to the stream and catch some fish.”
“How am I supposed to catch fish in the middle of the night? That’s impossible.”
Yang Jung shook his head quickly.
In truth, he could see clearly through the darkness and could catch fish even at night.
But now that the water had grown cold, he had no desire to wade into the stream.
“That’s exactly why I told you to learn the Water Technique, you bastard.”
“How can I do something I haven’t learned? Sir.”
“Ah… you’re infuriating.”
In the end, Kang Jo set the braised pork belly on the table and headed toward the stream himself.
The guest had not asked for it, but he still wanted to provide what he could.

*

“It feels like only yesterday that Dae-hyung cut off that blood demon’s head, yet so much time has passed.”
“I’m startled every time I open my eyes at dawn.”
Is it true that the older one grows, the more one lives through old memories?
It was a memory he could never forget—painful and deep.
He had been happy with his comrades, and sad to lose them.
Contemplating those memories, Dok-go Yeop spoke in a heavy voice.
“Hyeol-gyo is deeply connected to the Cheon-sa-gyo.”

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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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