Murim Login - Chapter 126

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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 126
Four days prior, Wi Paeng had returned to the Taewon Jin Family after completing all his assignments, and he deeply regretted his swift efficiency.
‘I should have arrived a day later.’
But it was too late. Jin Wi-kyung, having received a messenger hawk from the Hao Gate, was now wild-eyed and raging like a man possessed.
“These cursed horse bandits dare to—!”
“What has happened, sir?”
“Pung Yang, Red Wind Bandits, Hengshan Sword Sect, my younger brothers—danger! Grave danger! We depart at once!”
“I shall summon the escort unit immediately.”
Now that all obstacles had been removed, Jin Wi-kyung’s authority was absolute. Before even a quarter hour had passed, the two of them departed the estate with fifty elite guards, riding without rest.
Two days later, at a Hao Gate branch where they stopped to change horses, they received startling news.
“What? Pung Yang is dead and the Red Wind Bandits are annihilated?”
“Yes, sir! According to our intelligence, the majority of the enemy force—some three hundred strong—were completely wiped out, and Young Master Jin Tae-kyung personally defeated Pung Yang.”
“Ah, ah! Tae-kyung!”
Jin Wi-kyung’s laughter, as though he possessed the entire world, vanished like morning mist at the next words.
“Tell me once more. What became of Moo-kyung?”
“Well, that is… he sustained considerable injuries in his life-or-death duel with Pung Yang. However, there is no danger to his life, and he is recovering swiftly, so there should be no cause for concern.”
It was already too late. Jin Wi-kyung’s ears had registered only ‘considerable injuries.’
In his youth, whenever even a splinter lodged itself beneath his younger brothers’ fingernails, he would raise such a commotion as though the entire finger had been severed.
‘Not merely minor injuries, but considerable ones? This is catastrophic.’
Based on his accumulated experience, Wi Paeng predicted what would unfold in the next moment, and his prediction proved accurate.
“Moo-kyung is on death’s door!”
At Jin Wi-kyung’s roar, the Ha-o Gate Member blinked.
“Y-yes?”
“Pung Yang! How dare you slay my brother!”
From considerable injuries to hovering at death’s threshold, and now to outright death—the Ha-o Gate Member, belatedly regaining his senses, spoke in urgent haste.
“Sir, Lord of the Household. There seems to be a tremendous misunderstanding here…”
“I shall tear every limb from your body and scatter them across the Nine Provinces!”
“…”
“…”
Jin Wi-kyung’s fury did not subside until a full day had passed.
“Moo-kyung and Tae-kyung departed from Hengshan Sword Sect yesterday?”
“Yes. So perhaps you could calm yourself now.”
“Both are unharmed?”
“If they were harmed, would they be traveling by carriage rather than being carried on a stretcher?”
“Then…”
“You should be able to meet them around noon tomorrow.”
At the thought that he could finally rest, Wi Paeng felt a profound sense of relief wash over him.
Who was he, after all? A master of the highest caliber, bearing even the epithet ‘Ghost Sword.’ A skilled warrior who could claim a place of honor anywhere—yet he suffered under this extreme labor because he served his lord poorly.
‘When was the last time I had a drink?’
Today, at last, he could enjoy roasted duck and a cup of warm wine. It was at that very moment a contented smile graced Wi Paeng’s lips.
“Good. Then let’s prepare quickly.”
“Pardon? Prepare what?”
“My younger brothers have successfully completed their mission despite countless hardships. We must hold a welcoming celebration.”
“…But I’ve just returned from wandering the martial world for over two weeks?”
“Hmm? Who? Ah, you?”
Jin Wi-kyung blinked and gazed at Wi Paeng, then laughed heartily.
“Of course you’re included! Did you think I’d forgotten about you?”
This man clearly had forgotten, despite his denial.
Jin Wi-kyung spoke to Wi Paeng, whose face had gone slack with bewilderment.
“Ah, send some of my subordinates to buy cloth from the nearby fabric shops. Get the largest pieces you can find.”
“Cloth? Why on earth would you need that all of a sudden?”
“I have something in mind.”
* * *
“…And that’s how it came to pass.”
I surveyed my surroundings as I listened to Wi Paeng, who had aged a decade in the time we’d been apart.
Sak-ju, which we reached two days after departing from the Hengshan Sword Sect, was crowded with an unexpected throng of people, and at the entrance fluttered an enormous white banner inscribed with black characters.
We celebrate the safe return of Jin Moo-kyung, Jin Tae-kyung, and Hyuk Moo-jin!
– The Taewon Jin Family –
A groan escaped my lips unbidden.
“What the hell is that….”
In all my years, I’d never seen anything like it.
That same banner, spanning over twenty lengths horizontally, was strung between the rooftops of two pavilions facing each other across a broad avenue—it seemed visible even from the Hengshan Sword Sect itself.
‘Look at that unnecessarily grandiose calligraphy.’
Even the most obsessive parent sending their child to a prestigious academy wouldn’t go this far.
Moo-jin, Hyuk Moo-jin, and I all stood with our mouths agape, staring at the banner.
“Why is my name so small?”
Looking more closely, I saw that Hyuk Moo-jin’s name was written in very small characters.
“Are you upset about the small lettering? I’d be delighted.”
“It’s strange. You can barely see it from down here.”
“Would you rather I remove your name and enlarge mine? I’m serious.”
Hyuk Moo-jin pondered for a moment before responding.
“Now that I think about it, this seems fine as is.”
“Then shut your mouth.”
“Yes, sir.”
The conversation could go no further. Jin Wi-kyung came rushing toward us with the brightest smile in the world.
“You rascals!”
Was this a man or a grizzly bear?
The giant, towering over two meters tall, seized me and Moo-jin with hands the size of cauldron lids. His grip was so brutishly powerful that being crushed to pieces wouldn’t have been surprising.
“Thank heavens you’re safe. Truly, I’m so relieved!”
We were safe—until Jin Wi-kyung embraced us with all his might.
Crack.
“Cough!”
“Ah, Moo-kyung!”
…It seems I’m not entirely unscathed at the moment.
The perpetrator embraced the victim, whose body trembled in agony.
“Physician! Physician!”
“Should we call the Physician? He really looks like he’s in pain.”
Wi Paeng answered my question with a weary expression.
“Has it been a day or two already? I summoned him in advance, anticipating this.”
“Ah, excellent.”
It was the first moment Wi Paeng seemed truly impressive to me.
* * *
The three brothers of the Taewon Jin Family, including myself, and Wi Paeng gathered in one place shortly after sunset.
When Jin Moo-kyung appeared in noticeably thicker bandages, Jin Wi-kyung observed his condition carefully.
“Are you alright?”
“Would you be fine if you were in my position? How could you handle an injured person so roughly?”
“I was being gentle, relatively speaking….”
In terms of martial prowess, I couldn’t say, but in pure physical strength, Jin Wi-kyung was the finest in Shanxi.
I quietly slid my chair to the side, and Jin Moo-kyung answered with a haggard face.
“I’m fine.”
“….”
He didn’t look fine at all.
It was fortunate that Jin Moo-kyung was a master of the highest caliber; had he been an ordinary commoner without martial training, he wouldn’t have been able to walk.
“I heard that the Second Young Master had sustained injuries, but I never imagined they would be this severe. And your internal injuries haven’t fully healed yet….”
“Was it truly that Pung Yang who did this?”
To both their questions, Jin Moo-kyung answered calmly.
“He was strong. Stronger than I anticipated.”
Who was Jin Moo-kyung? A promising young prodigy whom the martial world itself watched with keen interest. He had reached the pinnacle of mastery early, built upon brilliant talent and relentless effort—and yet he had been defeated by a mere bandit leader.
“Do you mean to say he is a master of such caliber?”
“Pung Yang, you say? I’ve heard there are quite a few skilled masters among the bandits of the Highland, but….”
Suddenly, both their gazes turned toward me. A silent pressure: stop eating that roasted duck and say something.
I swallowed the food crammed into my mouth and opened my lips.
“It’s true. You’ve heard of the Hang-san Lake Great Hero, haven’t you? Even he has both his limbs broken and now travels in a wheelchair.”
“What is a wheel-chair?”
“Ah, it’s a cart, a cart.”
Jin Wi-kyung tapped the table with his thick fingers.
“If he were a master of that caliber, he would have been known long ago. Could it be that you, Moo-kyung, were careless?”
This time, Jin Moo-kyung shook his head without hesitation.
“I was caught off guard by an unexpected technique, but that cannot serve as an excuse. Even if we fought again, the outcome would be the same.”
“…Was he truly that formidable?”
“He used Protective Body Qi. It was overwhelming.”
Jin Wi-kyung and Wi Paeng’s eyes widened simultaneously.
“Protective Body Qi!”
“Young Master, is that true?”
There was no need for me to answer. Jin Moo-kyung had no reason to tell such an obvious lie. Turning to the two shocked men, Jin Moo-kyung continued.
“He was the strongest opponent I’ve ever faced. Or rather, I should say he became stronger.”
“Became stronger?”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“The moment he swallowed a single crimson pill that looked like blood, he became terrifyingly powerful.”
Finally, the conversation turned to the Latent Force Pill.
I tried my best to act naturally.
‘I can’t let them find out that I have it.’
The Latent Force Pill was a poisoned chalice. It was certainly ominous and suspicious, but there was no denying its tremendous efficacy.
I had already decided to use the Latent Force Pill as a last resort—a lesser evil to fall back on when facing the worst possible moment: death itself.
“It was only a brief moment, but I clearly saw one pill remaining in his jade container when he tried to consume it…”
Jin Moo-kyung trailed off, his gaze fixed on me.
“Did you perhaps find something later among Pung Yang’s belongings?”
“Huh? What?”
“The jade container, perhaps. Or those crimson pills I mentioned.”
I deliberately furrowed my brow.
“I’m not sure. I searched through his things later out of curiosity, but all that came pouring out were wooden fragments. Was that the container debris?”
“Then the pill, the pill itself?”
“No idea. I was barely alive myself at the time—how could I have searched through everything?”
This excuse was quite plausible.
It wasn’t as if only one or two people had died, and given how fierce the battle had been, it was only natural that I hadn’t found everything in my exhausted state.
“I see.”
“The people from the Hengshan Sword Sect might have found it, or it could have dissolved in one of the countless pools of blood scattered across the battlefield.”
“Hmm.”
Jin Moo-kyung regarded me with slightly suspicious eyes, but merely shrugged his shoulders.
‘They won’t find anything even if they search. Fool.’
The Latent Force Pill was safely stored in a corner of my inventory—the finest vault that only I could open and close. Not even the greatest thief in the world could lay a finger on it.
‘Truly convenient.’
As I marveled once more at the system’s convenience, Jin Wi-kyung and Wi Paeng began to speculate about the pill’s origins.
“There’s no doubt it’s a remnant of the Demonic Heretical Way. I recall hearing that similar pills were used extensively during the Great Demonic War.”
“There was once a time when the Demon Cult held sway over the Highland and Northern Shanxi. If Pung Yang discovered this artifact, then everything fits into place.”
I had been listening intently, but I paused.
‘Wait. The Demon Cult?’
The Demon Cult was an indispensable fixture in martial arts novels—a staple ingredient, like a celebrity firefighter in a fantasy world.
Of course, it wasn’t a religious organization dedicated to world peace and helping the poor. It was more like a terrorist organization.
To summarize in one sentence: a fanatical cult with which there was absolutely nothing good about being entangled.
‘What if the Demon Cult created the Crimson Vitality Pill?’
Pung Yang’s eyes, stained crimson like a demon freshly emerged from hell itself. That bizarre efficacy that granted power beyond imagination, even if only temporarily.
‘The picture is starting to come together, albeit roughly.’
Unsettling. Damnably unsettling!
But nothing in this world comes without a price. The side effects would be severe enough to—
“Back then, the Demon Cult’s signature tool was the Explosive Blood Pill, I believe.”
“I’ve only heard rumors of it. They say your entire meridian system ruptures and you die within two hours?”
“The price one pays for seeking power through deception.”
“If the Explosive Blood Pill is that severe, what about whatever that bastard Pung Yang used?”
“Who knows, but the side effects would surely exceed imagination. Not only would your innate vital energy be damaged, but once the time limit expires, your body would suffer catastrophic strain. In essence, you’re burning your own body like kindling for a brief flame.”
I swallowed hard without thinking, my voice escaping unbidden.
“And after that?”
“Since it’s a creation of the Demon Cult, what else would you expect? If demonic energy permeates to the bone marrow… you become a murderous fiend who knows nothing but slaughter.”
“…A murderous fiend? Demonic energy permeating the bone marrow?”
“If such a thing falls into the hands of the wicked, it would be truly catastrophic… Tae-kyung, what’s wrong?”
Jin Wi-kyung gazed at me with concern. I rubbed my forehead and felt beads of sweat forming.
“It’s just… a bit warm.”
Jin Moo-kyung replied curtly.
“What are you talking about? It’s snowing outside.”
“You Yin-type constitutions wouldn’t understand. I’m a Yang-type, so…”
Damn it. I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.
I offered the three of them an awkward smile.
“By the way, there’s something I forgot to mention earlier.”
“…?”
“…?”
“…?”
“That pill. Now that I think about it, I have it with me. Heh, heheheh.”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”

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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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