Murim Login - Chapter 161

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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 161
“You seem to have trouble grasping words.”
At Ren Dou’s calm remark, Temur felt a chill run down his spine. Beneath that measured tone lurked a killing intent as sharp as a hidden blade.
‘Human Butcher, they call him… what kind of murderous aura is this…’
Yet he could not retreat now.
The tribesmen he’d brought for this occasion, along with the Han Chinese bandits, were watching his every move.
‘Damn it.’
His honor as tribal leader clashed with the last thread of his reason.
Should he draw his sword or hold back? The dilemma that gripped Temur was broken by laughter that suddenly rang out.
“Hahaha! Truly, you are heroes worthy of the realm. A small man like me wouldn’t dare intrude for fear!”
Temur turned to face the source of the laughter.
“Who are you?”
“Me, you ask?”
A middle-aged man with graying hair laughed warmly.
Had it not been for the eye patch covering one eye, he would have appeared as gentle and kind-hearted as a benevolent merchant.
“I have two names—one I abandoned when I left my homeland, and another my friends from the steppes gave me. Which would you like to know?”
Temur need not have answered. Ren Dou spoke his identity aloud instead.
“Heuk-sa, spare us the idle chatter.”
“Ah, how careless of me to reveal it so soon! We were just getting to the interesting part.”
“There is nothing interesting about this.”
“That’s precisely why people call you a butcher. Tsk, tsk.”
Temur and Chinggis’s eyes widened as they recognized the identity of the middle-aged man who clicked his tongue so dramatically.
“Heuk-sa? The Black Sand?”
“You’re the one?”
The middle-aged man with the eye patch, Heuk-sa, nodded readily.
“That’s right, I’m Heuk-sa.”
“…!”
“…!”
The Black Sand. Composed solely of Han Chinese, they were among the most formidable forces even in the harsh steppes.
Though numbering only a hundred, each was a master of horsemanship and possessed exceptional martial prowess.
Yet the leader of this very Black Sand was such a frivolous man.
Chinggis clicked his tongue.
‘So that’s why the ferocious Ren Dou showed no particular reaction to being called a butcher.’
Only Heuk-sa could have managed such a thing. Anyone else would have had their tongue torn out and throat cut by Ren Dou long ago.
But then…
“What brings you to this place?”
Temur, having suppressed his shock, cast a suspicious glance that echoed Chinggis’s question.
“I was about to ask you the same.”
Heuk-sa smiled faintly at the overt wariness.
“Did you perhaps receive a letter?”
Temur and Chinggis both flinched simultaneously.
“A letter?”
“How did you know about that?”
“Because I’m the one who sent it.”
“That’s impossible. The letter clearly bore the seal of the Cheon Poong-dan Master.”
While Temur stood bewildered, Chinggis, having grasped the situation, regarded Heuk-sa with narrowed eyes.
“What is your relationship with the Cheon Poong-dan Master? Where is he now?”
“So you’re Chinggis. I’ve heard that for a young chieftain, you possess remarkable composure and keen perception.”
“That’s not the answer I’m looking for.”
“Your gaze is sharp indeed. How could anyone speak freely under such scrutiny? Still, since you’ve come this far, there’s no secret worth keeping. I’ll tell you.”
Heuk-sa, his audacity undiminished, continued.
“The Cheon Poong-dan Master operates under my command, drawing attention near Datong as we speak.”
Command.
The implication was unmistakable.
‘I’ve been thoroughly deceived all this time.’
The Cheon Poong-dan Master served under Heuk-sa. The Cheon Poong-dan, numbering nearly five hundred strong, was nothing more than a subordinate organization of Black Sand.
Temur and Chinggis exchanged glances in silence.
‘Black Sand alone is formidable enough, but with the Cheon Poong-dan added to the mix…?’
‘It would be more than sufficient to reshape the balance of power across the Steppes.’
A deep smile played across Heuk-sa’s lips as he observed them.
“You seem to have much on your mind.”
“I confess, this is rather shocking.”
“What exactly are your intentions?”
“Intentions? I simply propose a mutually beneficial arrangement. If you read the letter, you should understand.”
Temur and Chinggis recalled the contents of the letter they had received a fortnight prior.
Bound to an arrowhead, the message had contained but a single line.
If you wish to become Khan, come.
Khan! The ruler of the Steppes, a great king commanding countless warriors.
The very thought set their blood ablaze. For two young, ambitious chieftains dreaming of their clans’ revival, the word burned even brighter.
“The Steppes are fractured and divided today. It’s hard to believe, considering the glorious empire your ancestors once established.”
Heuk-sa stroked his beard as he spoke.
“Help me, and I shall help you in turn. Weapons, horses, wealth—even subordinates, should you need them. Unite the fragmented Steppes. Bring your enemies to their knees and secure their absolute loyalty. I assure you, within ten years you could become Khan of the Great Steppes.”
“Words come easily.”
Unlike Temur, whose tone carried a hint of mockery, Chinggis remained composed.
“Why us specifically?”
“Because you are young, capable, and ambitious. Your lineage as descendants of Khan blood lends you legitimacy as well. In any case, my proposal is simple.”
Heuk-sa pushed dried dung into the dying flames. The sudden surge of fire flickered in his eyes.
“Will you not join me in seizing a city?”
* * *
“A city? You mean Shanxi?”
“Then where would you suggest?”
The two tribal leaders finally grasped his true intentions. He was scheming to exploit the void left by the collapse of the Hangsan Inspection Bureau.
The problem was that despite his grandiose talk of khans and reinforcements, his proposal held little appeal for them.
“Your expressions seem rather unfavorable.”
Chinggis answered with visible displeasure.
“If you’re thinking of plundering the Northern Region, now that it’s become unclaimed territory, wouldn’t that be rather simple?”
“Why not?”
“Because the Taewon Jin Family is moving swiftly. I hear they’re establishing branches throughout the Northern Region while the government is also taking action.”
Even they had their limits.
Raiding merchant caravans made them bandits, but plundering civilians by breaching fortified cities made them rebels.
If tens of thousands of suppression troops were dispatched to quell a rebellion, there would be no way to resist.
“I have no desire to be driven from my homeland. And I certainly don’t want to die a dog’s death like Pung Yang.”
Temur nodded at Chinggis’s words. Despite his aggressive nature, he had to acknowledge reality.
“That bastard Pung Yang didn’t even touch the government. He died at the hands of the Taewon Jin Family’s youngsters.”
“Pung Yang commanded four hundred men. Fewer than one in ten returned alive.”
Then Ren Dou, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke up.
“Pung Yang was a deserter from the steppes. The men under him were nothing but hastily assembled rabble.”
“Have you seen Pung Yang?”
“A couple of times. He was nothing special. I’ll say this with certainty—among everyone gathered here, there’s no one weaker than him. Of course, that includes that fool over there.”
“You bastard!”
“Lower your voice before I slit your throat.”
“This Han dog’s mouth is all he’s got. Think you can back it up?”
“Of course. Right now if you wish.”
Shing.
It was the moment when blades began to emerge from both their sheaths.
“Now, now. Let’s keep things reasonable, shall we?”
No one could afford to disrespect Heuk-sa, whether by age or by power.
After a tense battle of wills, the two men simultaneously sheathed their weapons, and Heuk-sa spoke to Chinggis with an amused smile.
“Don’t worry about the government. This will remain a matter between the Taewon Jin Family and us.”
“What do you mean?”
“If we strike like lightning before anyone can react, wouldn’t that solve it?”
“Do you think that’s possible? Shanxi Province is already as good as in the Taewon Jin Family’s hands. Even if we breach Datong, by then the Taewon Jin Family’s main force and numerous smaller sects will be waiting.”
“What if we strike before they gather? And we target only the heads.”
“…What?”
“In four days, on the First Day of the Year, the leaders of every sect in Shanxi Province will converge at the Taewon Jin Family Estate. We don’t go through Datong—we enter via Ha-gok instead. Then we charge straight toward Taewon.”
“…!”
“If we minimize our forces and secure hardy steppe horses, we can cover five hundred li in a day. In two to four days at most, we can strike our enemies.”
To cut across half of Shanxi Province and strike at the enemy’s head.
It was such an audacious and reckless plan that Chinggis’s voice trembled.
“Wait. What if they catch wind of this and prepare their defenses?”
“Defense measures? What exactly do you mean by that?”
“As I said, the Taewon Jin Family’s branch offices are being established throughout the Northern Region one after another. If we engage in combat with each one as we advance, our mobility will suffer. If we ignore them and push forward, they’ll learn of our approach before we even arrive.”
“Don’t worry about that. We only need to obliterate one branch—the Ha-gok outpost.”
“Then what about the other branches?”
“By that time, they’ll be locked in a bloody struggle in Datong.”
“Datong… Ah. Surely you don’t mean…!”
“The Cheon Poong-dan Master will do his part splendidly. I’ve instructed him to rampage without restraint on that day.”
The Cheon Poong-dan were known throughout the Northern Plateau as formidable warriors.
Their numbers and individual prowess were no less—and likely greater—than what the Red Wind Gang had possessed.
“Within half a day, every Taewon Jin Family branch in the Northern Region will be emptied. With such an urgent crisis, who would have time to look back?”
Heuk-sa’s words rang true. The branches would scrape together every martial artist they could muster and send them to Datong to hold back the Cheon Poong-dan, and in that chaos, the true main force would sweep through Ha-gok and advance southward.
Trampling everything in their path beneath thundering hooves.
“Moreover, the Taewon Jin Family is currently concentrating all their efforts on stabilizing the Northern Region. From what I’ve learned, the Main Residence has barely a hundred martial artists.”
Heuk-sa’s voice continued.
“This gathering brings together every martial sect in Shanxi Province. No matter how great the Taewon Jin Family is, they cannot feed and shelter them all. Even combining all the martial artists remaining at the Main Residence, they’d be lucky to muster two hundred.”
Chinggis’s throat went dry. The combined forces under those gathered here alone numbered well over three hundred.
No, if they scraped together every last soldier, they could double that figure.
‘The masters among us won’t lose in direct combat either.’
Heuk-sa. Ren Dou. Temur and Chinggis.
The four assembled here were all exceptional peak-level masters.
According to Ren Dou, who had once met the deceased Pung Yang in person, none of them fell short of Pung Yang in martial prowess.
‘Yet the Jin Cheon Sword and the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon of the Taewon Jin Family barely managed to defeat Pung Yang through combined effort.’
This was already confirmed fact.
Because Pung Yang had even defeated No Gang-ho of Hangshan Lake, rumors had spread throughout the land that the horse bandits of the Northern Plateau were stronger than most first-rate martial artists.
‘This might actually…’
Heuk-sa watched the quietly contemplative Chinggis with an amused gleam in his eyes.
“What do you think?”
Temur, who had been listening with bated breath, cried out.
“Damn it. How can you present such an incredible plan and then ask? I’m in, unconditionally!”
“I agree as well.”
Once Chinggis finally reached his decision and consented, Ren Dou interjected with a sinister smile.
“I don’t need anything else. The Ghost Sword, Wi Paeng—leave him as my share.”
“Of course. I give you my word.”
Heuk-sa, his face radiant with smiles, looked around at the three men and spoke.
With this proposal accepted, he had effectively become the implicit leader of their assembly.
“Everything we gain from this venture will be divided equally four ways. If anyone breaks this oath, I will hunt them to the ends of the earth and take their head. Any objections?”
“None.”
“Nor I.”
“Honor the promises written in the letter.”
“Naturally.”
Heuk-sa answered readily, pouring mare’s milk wine to the brim of an empty bowl and passing it around.
“Well then, now that we’ve sworn our resolve, let us drink deeply this evening!”
“Huzzah!”
“Drink! Bring more wine!”
Jubilant cheers erupted throughout the inn.
It was then, as everyone tilted their cups in an atmosphere as fervent and heated as the mare’s milk wine itself.
Creak.
Amid the cacophony of revelry, the inn’s door swung open and a figure emerged.

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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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