Murim Login - Chapter 136

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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 136
“Ugh.”
“Mmgh.”
The two men’s gazes collided as they groaned. Lying face-down with their backsides fully exposed, the sight of each other stirred both embarrassment and an odd sense of kinship.
“Ahem. Young Master Jeong, how are your wounds?”
“Cough. Well enough, I suppose. And you, Young Master Gal?”
“I feel like I’m dying—ow!”
“Truth be told, I’m in the same boat—ugh!”
Speaking only brought fresh waves of pain. Both men whimpered softly, their eyes glistening with tears.
“Bad luck is one thing, but of all people, it had to be the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon.”
“Indeed. I never imagined I’d suffer such humiliation in my lifetime.”
The atmosphere grew heavy.
In the Central Plains, where prestigious sects flourished like stars, such a thing might be overlooked, but in the borderland of Shanxi Province, both men were heirs of sects whose members could spit and break wind with impunity.
Never once in their lives had they uttered a word of complaint, yet now they lay in bed, battered and groaning.
“When the Hengshan Sword Sect still stood strong, the Sanseo Five Gates would never have faced such treatment.”
“Those were better days.”
Months ago, a coalition of smaller sects led by the Sanseo Five Gates could have made their voices heard, but now they couldn’t even squeak. The balance of power in Shanxi’s martial world had shattered.
With the Hengshan Sword Sect’s collapse, the scales of Shanxi’s martial realm could only tip toward the Taewon Jin Family.
“If Father learns of this, he’ll have my head.”
“Same here. After all his stern warnings, if he finds out what happened… ugh, I don’t even want to think about it.”
To be so thoroughly humiliated before over a hundred people. By the time the First Day of the Year arrived, the story would surely have spread across all of Shanxi.
“I wish I could just run far away.”
“Running won’t help. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to walk tomorrow. And I can’t refuse the City Lord’s summons either…”
“Broken legs or not, we have to go. And he’s no ordinary City Lord—he’s of imperial blood.”
“True enough. At least our faces are intact, thank heavens.”
“Indeed.”
Both men’s eyes naturally drifted to the side.
Woo Jin-tae lay motionless, his face swollen as though stung by a swarm of wasps. If not for the labored breaths he occasionally managed, they would have thought him dead.
“No matter what, how could anyone beat a person so savagely?”
“I never knew the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon could be this cruel.”
“We’re fortunate we kept our heads down, or we’d have ended up like Elder Brother Woo.”
“We came close enough as it is. The man beats women without mercy too, doesn’t he?”
There were two women in their group. Any man might have grown soft-hearted before such young and beautiful ladies, but Jin Tae-kyung’s reaction defied all expectations.
‘How old are you?’
‘W-what?’
‘Your age. How old are you?’
‘I’m… seventeen.’
‘And you?’
‘I’m… eighteen.’
Seventeen and eighteen. The bloom of youth. Ages when marriage proposals were not uncommon.
Everyone was wondering if Jin Tae-kyung perhaps had an interest in women when it happened.
‘Raise your hips higher. You’ll break bones.’
Smack! Smack!
‘Barely dry behind the ears and already drinking!’
Smack! Smack!
‘If you’re going to drink, do it in hiding like a decent person! Don’t pick fights with innocent bystanders!’
Smack! Smack!
‘Your character is underdeveloped! This is exactly why corporal punishment is necessary for the likes of you! Understand me?’
Smack! Smack!
‘Upholding authority! A certain degree of corporal punishment is absolutely essential!’
Smack! Smack! Smack!
The two men trembled violently as they recalled what had just transpired.
One had lost consciousness, while the other had wept openly before the crowd.
Having been thoroughly beaten on the backside by a strange man in front of so many witnesses, their marriage prospects would surely be ruined in no time.
“What in the world does ‘upholding authority’ even mean? Is that from Mencius?”
“I have no idea. And he struck one more time than necessary, didn’t he?”
“The vicious bastard….”
“Still, I envy the others.”
“What? That’s an outrageous thing to say! Don’t you see all the bruises covering your backside?”
“At least the others weren’t beaten by the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon. But me? Some wretched vagrant… Sob!”
“Oh dear.”
“If I’d been beaten by the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon, at least I’d have an excuse. But some filthy wretch who knows where he crawled out from, beating my backside… What, borrowing a beating like it’s money?”
His jaw trembled with humiliation as he recalled the ragged man who had received the sword gauntlet from Jin Tae-kyung and struck with such enthusiasm.
‘Wow, this is fun! Your buttocks have quite good elasticity!’
Smack! Smack! Smack!
‘Does it hurt? How much does it hurt? If you don’t mind, could I hit harder? This is my first time doing something like this, so please forgive me if my strength control is a bit clumsy!’
Smack! Smack! Smack!
He had experienced a moment of humiliation he would never forget, not even in death. He wanted nothing more than to chew that bastard from head to toe and swallow him whole.
“I will never forgive that man!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you deal with him to the best of my ability!”
These were the heirs of the Sanseo Five Gates. Unless it was Jin Tae-kyung of the Taewon Jin Family, they possessed more than enough power to handle a single young vagrant.
“But there’s one thing….”
“Yes?”
“Is that man definitely a vagrant? It’s not that I’m afraid, but considering the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon incident as well, I suddenly feel like we should be thorough. There’s no harm in being cautious….”
“…Should we look into it a bit more?”
“Y-yes, let’s do that.”
These sheltered young nobles, ignorant of the world’s ways, had received their beating and now possessed a healthy sense of caution.
* * *
After the education concluded, we decided to move to a guest room.
Remaining on the first floor any longer would have drawn too much unwanted attention from the other patrons.
Shrugging under people’s attention was only bearable for a moment or two. In a situation like this, if I tried to eat, I wouldn’t even know whether the food was going into my mouth or my nose.
“My name is Seok, and I manage the Honghua Inn. Please feel free to call me Manager Seok.”
The reputation of Shanxi Sleeping Dragon was indeed formidable. The fact that this Manager, who had remained invisible until now, came forward and bowed spoke volumes.
‘This man must be affiliated with the Haowen Sect as well.’
The Honghwa House was the base of operations for Wol-hwa, the Haowen Sect’s provincial commander in Shanxi, and the Honghua Inn was essentially a subordinate organization in name only.
It was quite possible that this man had known of my existence even before I set foot in the Honghua Inn.
‘Not exactly a pleasant feeling.’
Was it paranoid to think that unseen eyes were monitoring my every move?
Yet it wasn’t entirely unpleasant either.
Just a touch of wariness, perhaps. We had certainly maintained a cordial relationship thus far, but no one could predict what the future might hold.
“I’ve prepared a quiet room for you.”
“Ah, excellent.”
There was no reason to refuse such thoughtful service. I was about to follow the Manager when it happened.
“Thank you for everything, my benefactor.”
Turning toward the voice, I saw Chung Poong with an innocent smile playing at his lips.
“What are you saying? Surely you’re not leaving just like this?”
“Yes. It’s getting late, so I should be on my way.”
Leave? Where could he go? We hadn’t even finished our conversation properly because of those unexpected interruptions. I hastily waved my hand.
“Come now, if it’s late, you should stay the night. You said you didn’t have travel funds, didn’t you?”
“It’s fine. I’m used to sleeping under the stars.”
“That won’t do. You need new experiences! Have you ever stayed at an inn before?”
“I stayed at inns a few times before I lost my travel funds. And I’ve already imposed enough on you two as it is.”
Hyuk Moo-jin, standing beside me, muttered something.
“That’s true. With my Ice Palace credentials….”
“You, be quiet. So you’re really leaving?”
“Yes. Fortunately, I still have business in Shanxi Province, so perhaps we’ll meet again if fate allows.”
At this point, there was nothing more to say. How could I detain a master of the highest caliber who insisted on leaving of his own accord, especially on a treacherous night road?
Yet the identity of this peculiar stranger who had suddenly appeared remained an endless source of curiosity.
“If you have nowhere to go, please visit the Taewon Jin Family. Just mention my name and they’ll let you through.”
“Ah, so you’re the young master of the Taewon Jin Family. Shanxi Sleeping Dragon Jin Tae-kyung… I’ll remember my benefactor’s name.”
Despite knowing my identity from the start, he showed no particular reaction. Ah, I see. This was exactly the kind of response I should expect.
Hyuk Moo-jin interjected with a subtle hint.
“The Taewon Jin Family. You don’t know of them?”
“Well, I feel like I’ve heard of them somewhere. It does sound familiar, but I’m not entirely sure.”
Chung Poong, who had been tilting his head in thought, bowed toward us.
“If fate brings us together again, we shall meet. Then I’ll take my leave.”
I offered my farewell with deep reluctance.
“Travel safely. And don’t forget the Taewon Jin Family.”
“Ha, of course not.”
As he turned with a refreshing laugh, the Manager, thinking the conversation had concluded, opened his mouth.
“Then I shall escort you to the Separate Annex.”
“Ah, yes. Moo-jin, let’s go.”
“Oh, so we can actually stay in the famous Honghua Inn’s Separate Annex?”
“We stayed in the Separate Annex at the Fenghuang Inn too. What’s the fuss about?”
“Sir, if the Fenghuang Inn is a rising star, then the Honghua Inn is already an established master of renown. Especially the hot spring—it’s a destination that even high-ranking officials visit at least once.”
“A hot spring?”
“I’ve only heard rumors myself, but they say it’s paradise on earth.”
Manager Seok added in a measured voice.
“My father turned eighty this year, and after visiting once, he nearly departed for paradise itself.”
“…Isn’t that dangerous?”
“That’s precisely how wonderful it is. He’s still in excellent health.”
“Ah, yes. I hope he enjoys a long life.”
A hot spring, then….
I’d been to saunas plenty of times, but never a hot spring. Just thinking about submerging my body in warm water set my heart racing with anticipation.
“Ahem. Shall we go take a look?”
“I shall escort you, sir.”
Just as I was about to follow Manager Seok, a firm grip suddenly seized my shoulder.
“Uh, excuse me. Did you just say hot spring?”
“…You haven’t been yet?”
Watching Chung Poong grin sheepishly, I was certain of it.
I’d bet my last coin this bastard had never experienced a hot spring before.
* * *
In the early dawn, while darkness still clung thick to the estate’s Training Ground, a single figure wielded a sword.
Was he thirty yet? A man with striking, robust features.
Swish, swish, swish!
Thrusting without hesitation, slashing, sweeping. Each move flowed seamlessly into the next like petals dancing on the wind.
When the Seven Plum Sword had reached its eighth form, cutting through the cool dawn air, a Messenger entered through the gate.
“What is the matter? Entry during training is forbidden.”
“My apologies. However, the Sangshan King himself has commanded me to deliver a message….”
“His Majesty?”
“Yes. You are commanded to attend a midday banquet today by royal decree.”
“A banquet, you say… Is that where the rising stars of Murim gather?”
“Indeed.”
The man exhaled deeply. As a Military Commander of the third rank, he was easily counted among the top five officials in Shanxi Province.
‘I cannot refuse a royal command. This is troublesome.’
The position of Military Commander was far from leisurely. It bore the grave responsibility of overseeing the training of soldiers.
Yet this was an order from the Sangshan King, both City Lord and of noble blood. The man had no choice but to nod in acquiescence.
“Tell His Majesty I shall obey his command.”
“Yes, sir!”
Once the Messenger departed, the man took up his sword again.
As the Seven-Plum Sword unfurled once more, it seemed as though the plum blossoms of Huashan—those I had left behind long ago—were blooming anew.

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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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