Moorim Pochang - Chapter 87

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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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Episode 87. Departure (3).

“…Is that truly the case?”
Baek Moon-do and Cho Yak’s faces darkened.
Even the Alliance had yet to locate Hyeol-gyo’s main base.
Yet Ma-gyo had discovered the connection between Hyeol-gyo and Cheonsa-gyo first.
Dok Go-yeop nodded and spoke.
“I grew suspicious, so I sent my men to infiltrate Cheonsa-gyo in secret. Five of them went in, but only two came back alive. Those who returned said they saw men there with their faces covered in tattoos.”
“I thought finding Hyeol-gyo’s main base would end this affair. It’s far more complicated than I’d imagined.”
Baek Moon-do drained his cup in one gulp, as if the weight pressed even on his chest.
Cheonsa-gyo had sprouted everywhere like mushrooms after rain, making it impossible to eradicate entirely.
Moreover, some regions even had official backing.
“If we could just find out where their main base is, we could strike at the head.”
Cho Yak refilled the empty cup and spoke.
“I haven’t managed to learn that yet. I sent men separately to investigate, and the Cheonsa-gyo temples scattered throughout the Gangho Martial World number over twenty. Even now, somewhere, they might be establishing another temple.”
At Dok Go-yeop’s words, Baek Moon-do felt the world spinning before his eyes.
Over twenty locations?
When they’d crushed Hyeol-gyo in the past, it had taken striking twenty-some places before they could take Hyeol-je’s head.
“Then we must begin with the nearest one.”
“That’s what we should do. There seem to be several Cheonsa-gyo temples in Hubuk as well.”
Now he understood why Hyeol-gyo’s masters had been able to move under the Alliance’s radar.
With temples scattered across the land, evading the Alliance’s eyes would have been simple enough.
“The temple where Cheol-goe and Yeoh-hwa stay is likely their main base.”
“I share that suspicion. But the question is how to find those two.”
As Kang Jo brought fish to the kitchen, Yang Jung whispered from within.
“Brother. Hyeol-gyo and Cheonsa-gyo are allies.”
“What does Cheonsa-gyo do?”
At Kang Jo’s question, Yang Jung pressed his hand to his chest in frustration.
“Brother, you don’t even know of Cheonsa-gyo? They treat the sick and care for the starving, which is why they’re rapidly expanding their power now. Even the official government receives help from Cheonsa-gyo.”
“Is that so? They do good work, then.”
“Would those devils pity the sick and starving for no reason? There’s a sinister purpose behind it.”
“I know that already, you fool.”
Groups like the White Lotus Sect and similar organizations had started the same way—treating the sick and caring for the destitute.
But they had done so in order to become warlords.
Once they had built their power, they ruled as regional tyrants, taking and killing as they pleased.
“Wait—are you making spicy fish stew instead of fish noodles, Brother?”
“Fish noodles take too long. We need to eat now.”
Kang Jo worked at the stove while listening to the voices from the dining table.

*

“The man who tattooed Cheol-goe and Yeoh-hwa’s faces is likely their Cult Leader.”
“The old Hyeol-je used witchcraft to dominate his followers, but this new leader seems even worse.”
Back then there were only men with eyes rolled back white.
Many of them possessed overwhelming martial skill, and a hundred of the heroes died regrettably.
But now there were men with rolled-back eyes and also those bearing tattoos.
Dok Go-yeop, who had been speaking, turned his gaze to Kang Jo.
“Do you know the identity of the man who destroyed the Guest Inn?”
Kang Jo answered while moving his hands.
“He said his name was Hyeol-je.”
At that answer, Dok Go-yeop, Baek Moon-do, and Cho Yak startled.
Hyeol-je’s neck had been severed by Dae-hyung’s blade.
“He truly said his name was Hyeol-je?”
“Yes. Cheol-goe came to find me and told me the man was Hyeol-je.”
Baek Moon-do pressed forward urgently.
“What did he look like?”
“He was a fat pig covered entirely in tattoos on his face.”
A deep breath escaped him……
“Then he’s not the Hyeol-je of old.”
Kang Jo’s reply brought Baek Moon-do no small measure of relief.
The Hyeol-je of old had been a truly fearsome man.
“That’s right. Hyeol-je is….dead, after all.”
A flash of killing intent flickered across Cho Yak’s eyes.
The man who killed the one she loved had not been Hyeol-je.
Yet he had been the beginning of it all.
Kang Jo set a generous pot of spicy fish soup down on the table.
“Braised sea cucumber noodles take considerable time, so I’ve made spicy fish soup instead.”
Cho Yak gazed down at the soup, her lips curving into a faint smile.
That person had loved sea cucumber noodles and fish dumplings most of all, though he had never disliked spicy soup either.
“Thank you.”
*

“Stop coming around now.”
Baek Moon-do and Cho Yak rose first.
“This Guest Inn doesn’t belong to you.”
Dok Go-yeop pushed to his feet as well, a sneer on his face.
“Go on. Leave.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
He set down ten silver coins and left the Guest Inn with Baek Moon-do and Cho Yak.
Once they were gone, Dok Go-yeop approached Kang Jo.
From his robes he drew a thin bundle wrapped in cloth and set it down.
“For the drinks.”
With those words, he hurried from the Inn.
Yang Jung, who had been watching the street, quickly unwrapped the bundle.
Amazing………
“Look at this, brother! These bank notes—there must be fifty of them!”
At his startled cry, Kang Jo, who had been clearing bowls, quickly snatched up the stack.
Just as Yang Jung had said—fifty bank notes worth twenty thousand silver coins each.
One million silver coins: a staggering sum, enough to live lavishly for generations.
Yet rather than joy, a surge of anger welled up inside him.
“Damn it……..”
A bitter curse escaped Kang Jo’s lips.
“What’s wrong, brother?”
Yang Jung blinked, his eyes fixed on Kang Jo’s face.
One million silver coins—an enormous fortune.
With that much, one could rebuild not just the Guest Inn but every pavilion of this estate countless times over.
“Who gives away a million silver coins for nothing? He must want something in return.”
“Something in return? What could the Cult Leader possibly want enough to give away a million silver coins?”
Kang Jo’s gaze drifted toward the corner of the kitchen.
Yang Jung’s eyes followed his.
In the corner of the kitchen floor, buried partially in place, lay an old earthenware jar of liquor.
At that moment, understanding twisted across Yang Jung’s face.
“Surely…he wasn’t after that liquor, brother?”
“What else would it be, you fool?”
At Kang Jo’s words, Yang Jung’s anger ignited.
“No, brother! We can’t trade that liquor for a million silver coins—absolutely not! I’ll return these bank notes at once.”
He hastily rewrapped the notes in the cloth.
“The Cult Leader is already ten miles away by now. Chasing after him would be pointless.”
Any ordinary master of Gangho could have caught him even now.
But their opponent was the Cult Leader of Ma-gyo.
“Then you mean to trade that liquor for a million silver coins, brother?”
“Who said anything about trading? We simply forget the whole thing and move on.”
Worry crept across Yang Jung’s face, replacing the anger that had filled it moments before.
“The Cult Leader…won’t simply let this rest, will he?”
“When the time comes, I’ll return it to him. That will be the end of it.”

*

Baek Moon-do and Cho Yak stopped in their tracks, turning their gaze toward the grassy field.
They had heard the sound of a horse neighing from the far side of the meadow.
Neigh… neigh…
Neigh…
“A horse’s cry in the dead of night? Has a horse lost its way?”
The two of them peered through the darkness, studying the grassland.
In the distance, they could make out two horses tangled together.
Baek Moon-do recognized the stallion at once.
Heh…
‘That one still has plenty of vigor,’ he thought.
Thanks to that stallion, several of the Murim Alliance’s mares had been able to conceive.
Having inherited the bloodline of a renowned horse, the foals that would be born were likely to become renowned horses themselves.
“How shameless…”
But Cho Yak’s face flushed red, her brow furrowing in disapproval.
She averted her gaze and hurried back toward the Murim Alliance.
Baek Moon-do, regardless of her reaction, stood in place for some time, watching the spectacle unfold.
‘The stable hands will have their hands full for a while, but I’ll need to purchase more mares from the ranch,’ he mused.
Horses were being traded at high prices, and renowned horses commanded even steeper prices.
‘That Guest Inn is certainly a blessing,’ he reflected.
It wasn’t just the brothers from the inn who brought good fortune.
Even the horse they kept was bestowing luck upon the Murim Alliance.
Satisfied with his thoughts, Baek Moon-do slowly made his way back toward the Murim Alliance.
‘If only that one’s nature were a little less cruel…’

*

A yawn escaped his lips.
The Murim Alliance warrior gazed up at the sky as he yawned.
The brothers from the inn who had disturbed the dawn were no longer anywhere to be seen.
With their absence, his mind too grew peaceful.
‘I’m exhausted. I’ll grab breakfast and get some sleep.’
Savoring the quiet of the early morning, he cast his gaze toward the grassy field.
Whenever a cool breeze swept through, the dry grass swayed this way and that.
Mesmerized by the sight of the meadow, he suddenly widened his eyes.
Dark shapes were approaching rapidly in his direction.
Hidden by the tall grass, he could not discern their exact nature, yet these shapes were moving straight toward the Murim Alliance.
The brothers from the inn, who had disturbed the dawn, had never approached so close to the Murim Alliance.
But these shapes were different.
“Enemies! An enemy attack!”
He raised his voice toward the inside of the Murim Alliance.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Immediately, the bell rang out across the compound, and the Murim Alliance began to awaken.
Another warrior atop the wall, scanning the grassland, opened his mouth.
“They don’t look like men… they look like horses…”
Indeed, as he said, the black shapes approaching swiftly toward the Murim Alliance appeared to be horses rather than men.
The horse running ahead seemed to be fleeing for its life, while the horse chasing behind pursued the panicked animal with frenzy.
Creak…
As the gate swung wide open, members of Jamryong-hoe and Seongma-dan rushed out.
But they came to a halt before they could go far.
They had spotted two horses crossing through the grassland.
The pursuing horse finally caught up with the one fleeing.
And it placed its front hooves upon the back of the fleeing horse.
Neigh…
The skilled personnel who had been staring blankly at the scene cried out in shock.
“Oh my…”
“I’ve seen it all now.”
The women quickly turned their heads away and hurried back inside the Murim Alliance.
Hehehehe… hahahaha!
But Baek Won-yeong could no longer suppress the laughter he had been holding back.
The skilled personnel burst into laughter.
Ha ha ha…..
“I can’t say I know who owns that mad horse.”
Baek Won-yeong, whose laughter had subsided, offered an answer to that question.
“Yang Jung, the innkeeper.”
At that, the faces of the skilled personnel who had been laughing twisted.
“The master’s character runs so deep that even the horse he rides is outrageously shameless.”
“Causing bad luck right from early morning….”
“Since the master stays quiet, now the horse rears up.”

*

After finishing their meal, Jamryong-hoe and Seongma-dan gathered at the Martial Training Grounds.
Just as they were about to begin their martial training, Cho Yak stepped forward.
“We’ll strike Hyeol-gyo in two days. Prepare well. We depart tomorrow evening.”
At her words, all the skilled personnel stopped moving.
“Have you found Hyeol-gyo’s main headquarters?”
To Baek Won-yeong’s question, Cho Yak shook her head.
“Whether it’s the main base or not, we’ll know once we get there. In any case, I want everyone to write their final letters by this evening.”
“Understood, Lady Cho.”
Baek Won-yeong, Dok Go-il, and Dok Go-eun showed no particular change in expression.
But the other skilled personnel could not manage the same.
Cho Yak, observing them, opened her mouth.
“If you fear death, you may stay with the Murim Alliance. I won’t drag anyone along by force.”
Only then did they bow their heads.
“No, ma’am.”
“There will be no such thing.”

*

A scholar of renown once said this:
“What people fear is not death itself, but the journey toward it.”
Moyong Jak found himself in agreement with those words.
A hero’s lineage.
He had accomplished nothing by his own hand, yet the people of Gangho praised him and lifted him up for the sake of that legacy.
He had felt proud.
In his youth, the praise of Gangho’s people had filled him with such satisfaction that he took great pride in it.
But as the years passed, he came to understand that he had built nothing with his own hands.
Had he been younger, he would have wandered Gangho freely.
Yet as age crept in, he had settled into that position.
Young men had time to make up for their mistakes, but the old had no opportunity to do so.
Krrr……..
Moyong Jak felt a force he could not contain and let out a laugh.

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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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