Murim Login - Chapter 129

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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 129
Ding.
– A quest has been generated.
Quest
[The City Lord’s Invitation]
Those who possess great renown inevitably attract attention.
The City Lord of Shanxi Province, having heard rumors of the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon, invites you to a luncheon tomorrow with the rear-guard commanders.
Rank
: Third-Class
Restriction
: Jin Tae-kyung
Objective
: Attend the luncheon hosted by the City Lord (Incomplete)
Reward
: Varies depending on the City Lord’s reaction.
Failure
: The City Lord becomes quite melancholic.
Will you accept this quest?
Y / N
※ If you refuse the quest, the City Lord may take offense.
‘The City Lord wants me?’
Certainly unexpected, but not particularly surprising. Someone’s fame is often exploited by politicians, after all.
Of course, in a world where media has virtually no reach, personal curiosity would likely play a larger role.
But then again…
‘What’s this about him taking offense if I refuse?’
Taking offense? The mere image of a portly gentleman with five layers of chin folds pouting sent shivers down my spine.
“Tae-kyung?”
I scratched my chin, pretending not to notice the County Magistrate’s puzzled expression.
‘Hmm. What a nuisance.’
A mere third-class quest at best. The experience and renown I’d gain would be minimal, and the reward would only come if I catered to the City Lord’s whims.
Wouldn’t it be better to spend that time training in martial arts instead?
‘I’m not someone who comes running just because the City Lord calls.’
Fresh from a battle where I nearly lost my life, the last thing I wanted was to have lunch tomorrow with some City Lord I’d never met.
If I refused the quest, he’d just be offended. So be it. Let him be as offended as he likes.
Just as I was about to decline as politely as possible—
Snatch.
“I’ll go! Absolutely!”
Hyuk Moo-jin suddenly stepped forward and grabbed the invitation, causing the County Magistrate to furrow his brow.
“I believe the invitation was not extended to you?”
His voice had turned cold, a stark contrast to moments before. Yet Hyuk Moo-jin paid it no mind, flashing a carefree grin.
“Of course, sir. It’s just that our young master holds the City Lord in such high regard that he was overwhelmed with emotion and couldn’t find the words.”
The County Magistrate studied me with narrowed eyes.
“Is that so?”
Of course it wasn’t.
Just as I was about to answer, Hyuk Moo-jin turned away from the County Magistrate and mouthed something at me.
‘Just agree to it?’
His expression was unusually desperate, unlike his normal demeanor.
I made a quick decision.
“Naturally, sir. Who among the people of Shanxi doesn’t revere the City Lord?”
“Heh heh, truly worthy of a great nation’s people. The City Lord would be most pleased to hear such words.”
Only then did the County Magistrate’s face brighten, and he turned with a satisfied smile.
“Then I shall take it as your acceptance and be on my way. Please convey my regards to the Taewon Jin Family’s young master and Jin Cheon Sword.”
“Of course, sir.”
Ding.
–
[City Lord’s Invitation]
Quest accepted!
The system notification chimed. Now there was no backing out.
As the County Magistrate and his soldiers disappeared into the distance, I stepped hard on Hyuk Moo-jin’s foot and whispered.
“You have something to explain, don’t you?”
“I’ll explain once we get away from here.”
There were still too many eyes watching us. We mounted our horses again amid the cheers of the crowd.
As we ventured deeper into the village and reached our destination, little Jeom So-i burst out like a bullet and bowed.
“Welcome to—oh my.”
She was startled once by the imposing presence of fifty mounted guards, and startled again upon seeing me and Hyuk Moo-jin.
It was Jeom So-i from the Fenghuang Inn, whom I’d seen a few days prior.
“The Separate Annex costs fifty silver coins per night, correct?”
“Y-yes, that’s right?”
“How dare you point at a guest as honored as heaven itself?”
Hyuk Moo-jin rebuked Jeom So-i in a stern voice and tossed a heavy purse.
The girl glanced at us nervously, then caught sight of the silver coins filling the purse and gasped.
“Gasp. T-this much?”
“From now on, the Fenghuang Inn is under the management of the Taewon Jin Family.”
“…Are you some kind of enforcer?”
Anyone watching would think we were organized criminals.
* * *
The three zombie-like men descended from the carriage and immediately began slurping soup the moment food arrived.
After four straight days without rest and constant heavy drinking, they deserved it. In fact, had I not learned martial arts, I might have died from alcohol poisoning on the very first day.
“Ahhhh, now I feel alive again.”
The moment Jin Wi-kyung finished his hangover cure and leaned back in his chair, Wi Paeng’s nagging began.
“My lord, please maintain your dignity. Your dignity.”
“What does it matter? There’s no one else here anyway.”
“Still, if you keep showing yourself like this, what will your subordinates think?”
“It’s fine. I haven’t vomited, after all.”
Jin Wi-kyung silenced Wi Paeng with just those words, then turned to me with a question.
“So the County Magistrate came by?”
“Yes, sir. The City Lord has invited me to lunch tomorrow.”
“The City Lord?”
“I’m not sure why, but he seemed interested in me. I was planning to decline, but some thoughtless fool accepted on the spot.”
“Is that so? Who on earth did it?”
Hyuk Moo-jin, who had been quietly observing from the corner of the table, answered in a voice barely above a whisper.
“It was me, Young Master.”
“Ah, so you’re that friend—our youngest’s right hand, the one who was at the Gate Master’s Office not long ago. Your name was Hyuk Moo-jin, wasn’t it?”
If I compared this to modern times, the Taewon Jin Family was a conglomerate, and Jin Wi-kyung was the eldest son of the chairman and its de facto operator.
Hyuk, the assistant manager who had endured nothing but mistreatment under a perpetually ill-tempered superior, answered with a voice trembling with emotion.
“Ah, thank you for remembering me, sir.”
“Rather, I should thank you. Our youngest still has rough edges, so please continue to help him as you did today.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
“Ha ha, your spirit is admirable.”
Jin Wi-kyung, laughing pleasantly, turned his head toward me.
“Accepting the City Lord’s invitation was the right call, without question.”
“Is that so? From what I’ve experienced so far, he doesn’t seem to have much connection to Murim.”
“For a long time now, the government and Murim have maintained a non-aggression pact. Are you aware of this?”
“Yes, to some extent.”
I learned about Murim from novels. The settings frequently used in martial arts fiction were not so different here in Murim itself.
“They acknowledge each other’s domains, but there is nothing to gain by offending the government’s sensibilities. Murim is merely a part of the realm, not the realm itself.”
Jin Wi-kyung pointed to the bowl in front of him. I could see broth filling it halfway and a large chunk of meat.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I nodded.
The bowl was the realm; Murim was the piece of meat contained within it.
“We are people of Murim, but it is the Emperor who rules the realm. The authority of the Son of Heaven is absolute among the common people. The City Lord, who rules each province by the Emperor’s command, possesses considerable power and authority.”
“More than the Taewon Jin Family?”
“In terms of authority alone, yes. But we simply recognize and respect each other’s influence. Murim sects handle security that the government cannot resolve, and we dispatch martial masters to the imperial army. In return, the government provides corresponding assistance, and we help one another.”
So the relationship between government and Murim was like that between a crocodile and a crocodile bird.
After thinking for a moment, I voiced a question that had been nagging at me.
“But why do they remain idle when bandits cause chaos and large-scale battles break out between sects? I could understand staying out of it during the last war since it was a matter between Murim practitioners, but the bandits are different, aren’t they?”
Lee Cheon-baek had committed atrocities like annihilating the Sak-ju Branch and killing children, but the victims were ultimately members of the Taewon Jin Family.
Strictly speaking, they were casualties of grievances between Murim sects.
But bandits—they kill and burn indiscriminately without such considerations, don’t they?
‘From the bandits’ perspective, common folk are easy prey.’
Horse bandits are those who are weak against the strong and tyrannical toward the weak.
In any case, the crucial point is that we encountered dozens of bandits on the road to the Hengshan Sword Sect, yet we never caught sight of a single government soldier.
“That is….”
As Jin Wi-kyung trailed off, Jin Moo-jin, who had been quietly consuming his meal, suddenly blurted out his thoughts.
“It’s because the City Lord is incompetent. Or perhaps in this case, the Emperor is the incompetent one?”
The moment the words left his mouth, Hyuk Moo-jin convulsed in panic, while Jin Wi-kyung and Wi Paeng both stiffened their expressions.
“Now, now, Moo-jin.”
“There’s no one here to eavesdrop anyway. And I haven’t said anything untrue.”
“Young Master, our Jin Family has yet to join the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance, nor are we among the Five Great Families. We must refrain from remarks that could invite trouble.”
I turned to Jin Moo-jin, who reluctantly nodded in acknowledgment, and asked him a question.
“What do you mean the City Lord is incompetent?”
“Do you not understand the word incompetent?”
“Should I just report you to the magistrate’s office for cursing the Emperor?”
“Treason carries a sentence of three familial exterminations at minimum. Congratulations, younger brother.”
This bastard Jin Moo-jin’s wit had grown rather sharp.
“Do you know who the current City Lord is?”
“Kim Chun-baek?”
“…Just say you don’t know if you don’t.”
The fellow, who had been regarding me with the disdain one reserves for insects, opened his mouth again.
“The current Provincial Governor of Shanxi bears the surname Ju.”
“And?”
“And? That means he’s imperial blood. Imperial blood!”
“Ah, is that so?”
It appeared the Ju clan had been the imperial dynasty. In an instant, I had been branded an ignorant fool who didn’t even know the Emperor’s surname.
But then again, this wasn’t the first or second time such a thing had happened, so I felt little shame about it now.
“I understand, so continue.”
Jin Moo-jin released a deep sigh and resumed his explanation.
“The current City Lord is the Emperor’s youngest brother, holding the imperial rank of Prince. As a direct member of the imperial household, his status far exceeds that of ordinary governors. He is a person to whom one must yield and accept his invitations, if only to preserve face.”
“Ah, I see.”
Indeed, his status is entirely different. Not merely a City Lord, but the Emperor’s own brother—a true prince.
Born as the son of the Son of Heaven and become the brother of the Son of Heaven—one might say he was born with not merely a silver spoon, but a vibranium spoon.
Beyond even North Korea’s nuclear-powered golden spoon in the modern world.
“But if this fellow is a prince, why is he so incompetent? If he wrote a single letter to his brother, surely support would flow abundantly from above. Are the two not on good terms?”
“Who knows? I don’t know the exact details of that household, but it doesn’t seem as though their affection runs particularly deep. There are rumors that the current Emperor assassinated the Crown Prince—his elder brother—to seize the throne.”
“Such hunger for power.”
“Murder occurs over a single dumpling; what more over the imperial throne?”
Jin Wi-kyung and Wi Paeng’s jaws dropped open, and Hyuk Moo-jin convulsed once more in panic.
“Your Honor, I heard nothing. Truly, I know nothing. In fact, my ears have been deaf since long ago….”
I turned to Jin Moo-jin, who was striking the back of the muttering madman Hyuk Moo-jin’s head, and posed another question.
“Is it that he and the Emperor are on poor terms, so he receives no support? Or is he simply lost to wine and women?”
“Alcohol? Women?”
He chuckled again.
“He’s only ten years old. Far too young to indulge in such pleasures.”
“What, ten? A ten-year-old is a City Lord?”
“He’s of direct imperial descent. His bloodline could elevate him far beyond a mere City Lord.”
The System Message I’d seen earlier suddenly came to mind.
※ If you refuse the Quest, the City Lord may become upset.
I’d thought a grown man acting so petulantly was absurd, but now that I knew he was merely a child, everything made sense.
Wasn’t he at an age where he’d sulk over falling leaves?
“The most amusing part is that he first took office as City Lord five years ago.”
“…Five years old? That’s insane.”
What could a five-year-old possibly understand? I could now grasp why Shanxi Province’s security had become such a disaster. I also understood why Moo-jin had said the Emperor was even more incompetent than the City Lord himself.
This wasn’t some neighborhood shop—placing a child in such a critical position of authority and responsibility was a recipe for catastrophe.
“But how do you know all this?”
I asked out of curiosity, since Moo-jin, who was obsessed with martial arts, seemed surprisingly well-informed about political matters.
“I’ve met him in person. You could say I was summoned.”
“Really?”
“Three years ago.”
True enough—if I was a rising superstar in recent times, Moo-jin was already an established master at his peak. It was only natural he’d been invited before me.
“What was he like?”
Moo-jin regarded me with an enigmatic gaze.
Then, with an expression that blended amusement and frustration—one that looked ominous just to witness—he spoke.
“Like a dog.”

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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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