Murim Login - Chapter 179

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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 179
It really is the First Day of the Year.
Wi Paeng had given me stern warnings before I left the Taewon Jin Family Estate, yet here I was, having completely forgotten about it just two days later.
Hyuk Moo-jin let out a hollow breath and spoke.
“What, what do we do?”
“What do you mean ‘what do we do’? Even if we’d known, we wouldn’t have made it in time anyway.”
And this wasn’t just anyone—it was the Fire King himself. Considering yesterday’s atmosphere, if I’d said I had family matters to attend to, he would have sent me off cheerfully.
Of course, not home, but down the road to the afterlife.
“Master Wi will kill me.”
I patted the shoulder of Hyuk Moo-jin, whose complexion had turned ashen.
“Don’t worry. He can’t kill me.”
“Oh, me neither!”
“….”
This is the sorrow of those without backing.
But I had no intention of dragging my feet.
The Taewon Jin Family was about to stand tall as the ruler of Shanxi Province—how could the youngest member of that household be late?
“Pack your things. We leave immediately.”
There was nothing to pack besides a single travel bag anyway.
We finished our preparations in a flash and headed downstairs. The inn, decorated entirely in red for the First Day of the Year, was bustling with people despite the early morning hour.
And among them, two people stood out distinctly.
“Oh, just waking up now?”
“Tsk, tsk. Young people sleep far too much these days.”
“Indeed. Back in my youth, there were days I couldn’t sleep even for a single hour.”
“An hour? Listen here, in my time….”
The two old men raised their hands in acknowledgment before immediately passing a wine cup back and forth between themselves.
Their flushed faces and the wine jug beside them were clear evidence they’d been drinking heavily since early afternoon.
Hyuk Moo-jin, who had followed me down, whispered softly.
“What kind of pairing is that?”
“I have no idea.”
One was a massive old man with a frame larger than most able-bodied warriors, while the other had such a slight build that a strong breath would blow him away.
The Fire King aside.
‘Jang Tae-bo—when did that man arrive?’
Had he come because of the commission?
In any case, the two old masters, each a pillar in their respective fields, seemed to have grown quite close at some point.
“The atmosphere feels tense. Can’t we just slip out quietly?”
“Slip out? Have you forgotten getting knocked unconscious by a duck bone yesterday?”
“That was a duck bone? Damn, no wonder my skull was ringing.”
“If you sneak out now, your skull will be shattered.”
“That’s a bit much.”
“So, want to run?”
Hyuk Moo-jin exhaled with a gloomy expression.
“Sigh… bad luck has attached itself to me since the first day of the new year.”
I couldn’t agree more. No one in their right mind would want to encounter the Fire King, Jeok Cheon-gang, on the morning of the first day of the year.
“Grandfathers, do you have any dumplings?”
“There’s plenty of meat too. Eat up.”
“Yay!”
…Everyone except that guy.
Hyuk Moo-jin and I moved forward with the heavy hearts of cattle being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
Chung Poong, who was stuffing food into his mouth at the speed of light, grinned brightly and pushed his plates forward.
“Yum! More please! This is delicious!”
“…You just enjoy your meal.”
“This is amazing!”
And this fellow is supposed to be a peak master. I cannot help but lament this unfair reality.
As I was worrying about the future of the Murim, Jang Tae-bo spoke to me.
“So, what do you intend to do now?”
“We plan to return to the Main Residence first. There are some matters to attend to.”
“Ah, I see. Is there a gathering at the Taewon Jin Family?”
Currently, every move of the Taewon Jin Family within Shanxi Province is a hot topic.
The Taewon Jin Family, which had been treated as an aging tiger, had finally reclaimed the throne of the Shanxi Murim after all these years, and the interest and expectations were extraordinary.
Even Jang Tae-bo, who lived a quiet life in a small village like Jang Family Village, knew about it.
“Whenever people gather these days, that’s all they talk about. Even commoners with no connection to the Murim flock there just to catch a glimpse of it.”
“Surely it won’t be that extreme.”
“A grand feast always attracts all manner of riffraff. Even though Shanxi Province is considered a remote region, it’s still the seat of a provincial hegemon. Though I am not a martial artist myself, I have seen and heard enough in my years to have some expectations. And also…”
Jang Tae-bo added in a low voice.
“Don’t worry about the commission.”
Commission. Hearing that word, something suddenly came to mind.
At the time, I hadn’t had the chance to ask about it.
“By the way, is there anything else you might need?”
“What do you mean?”
“There must be various things.”
Even at a neighborhood tailor shop, they charge for repairs. Jang Tae-bo is a craftsman renowned throughout the world. Though perhaps not at his peak performance, I don’t believe his skills have completely evaporated over ten years.
Then surely there should be appropriate compensation…
Jang Tae-bo, understanding my meaning, stroked his white beard.
“You want to pay me a reward? What’s this about?”
“To be honest, I cannot provide as much as you might expect.”
“Then give me ten thousand silver taels.”
Ten thousand silver taels equals one hundred gold coins. It was certainly an enormous sum, but considering his reputation, it felt like a special discount.
I nodded readily. It wasn’t my money anyway.
“I’ll prepare it and send it to your residence.”
“Ten thousand silver taels? I’ll have to uproot the entire foundation of the Taewon Jin Family.”
“…Ten thousand silver taels?”
“Of course. Do I look that cheap to you?”
“That’s a million taels altogether.”
“Not ‘altogether’—merely a million taels. To obtain the greatest divine weapon under heaven, what’s a mere pittance of wealth?”
“….”
It’s obviously a pittance.
A million taels—how much would that be in modern currency? Hundreds of billions? Or trillions?
Jang Tae-bo, seeing my expression, let out a soft chuckle and opened his mouth.
“I don’t need it.”
“Forgive me, but would it be possible to strike a deal for just ten thousand taels, sir…?”
“I don’t need it. What would I do with that money? I wouldn’t spend it all even if I lived forever. Just having this opportunity come to me in my lifetime is enough.”
Is this what true craftsmanship looks like?
Truly magnificent Tae-bo. All the blacksmiths under heaven should learn from him and become like Tae-bo.
Just as I was trembling with emotion, Hyuk Moo-jin interjected with an admiring expression.
“Then couldn’t you just take ten thousand taels and give that to me?”
That bastard could write an autobiography. The title would be [100 Ways to Get Your Head Smashed In].
I struck the back of his head and bowed respectfully to Jang Tae-bo.
“Then I humbly ask for your assistance.”
“It’s I who should ask. I can’t promise how long it will take, but something magnificent enough to shake the world will surely emerge. So please, by that time, cultivate the strength and qualifications befitting such a weapon.”
“I will do my best.”
“Good, then it’s settled. I’ll have faith in you.”
Jang Tae-bo, who had been nodding, paused.
“Ah. And there’s one more thing I must ask.”
“…?”
“Rebuild my house. It burned down completely—I don’t even have a place to sleep.”
The house he’d built after retirement. That precious space where he’d spent his comfortable twilight years had vanished in a single night.
At Jang Tae-bo’s melancholic voice, my gaze drifted sideways. Jeok Cheon-gang, who had been quietly breaking his wine cup during our conversation, opened his eyes wide.
“What are you looking at?”
The emotional and serious Jeok Cheon-gang from last night was nowhere to be found. I quickly averted my gaze.
“…It’s nothing at all.”
“If you have something to say, say it. I’m not such a narrow-minded person.”
“Really, I can say it?”
“Go ahead.”
The moment he finished speaking, the space beneath the table grew scorching hot.
It couldn’t be that the Innkeeper, being a modern person, had brought an electric heater….
‘Damn it, Flame Divine Technique.’
I answered with tears in my eyes.
“I was just thinking that you look ten years younger today.”
Jeok Cheon-gang furrowed his brow.
“What did you say, ten years?”
Damn it, now that I think about it, a hundred minus ten is still ninety.
I quickly changed my words.
“Twenty years….”
“Twenty years?”
“Thirty years….”
In barely three seconds, Jeok Cheon-gang—who had just regained thirty years of youth—nodded contentedly.
“I thought you were just a blockhead, but it seems you can manage a decent thought now and then.”
“….”
Hyuk Moo-jin looked like he had something to say, but he kept his mouth firmly shut.
Apparently, he had no desire to leave behind a masterpiece titled “100 Ways to Get Beaten to Death.”
Instead, the way he kept poking my ribs made it clear he desperately wanted to leave this place immediately.
‘Of course, I feel the same way.’
To do that, there’s one thing I need to settle first.
I opened my mouth with the utmost politeness.
“There are several items that I’ve been holding in trust.”
Jeok Cheon-gang, who had been tilting his cup with a flushed face, let out a soft laugh.
“Were you planning to return them?”
“Of course I should return them.”
“That’s right. If you didn’t, you’d face a terrible fate.”
“….”
This old man reads people like a ghost reads minds.
I forced a smile and placed the items I’d prepared beforehand on the table: the secret manual of the Flame Divine Technique I’d obtained from Jo Pil, and the Nameless Sword forged from ten-thousand-year cold iron.
“As Jeok the Great Martial Master surely already knows, the Yeolhwa Divine Pill….”
“You consumed it.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“But….”
Wrinkled fingers tapped the table. Jeok Cheon-gang’s dry voice continued.
“Where is the Precious Jade?”
“Pardon?”
“The Precious Jade. The Precious Jade.”
Precious Jade—treasure, jewel, something like that?
Jeok Cheon-gang wasn’t the type to obsess over ordinary gemstones, so it was clearly something of great importance.
But as someone who had no knowledge of this Precious Jade’s existence, I could only feel bewildered.
“Everything I received is right here.”
“Received? You didn’t gather it yourself?”
“No. Due to circumstances, I was handed these items right after I awakened.”
“Do you suspect any of them?”
It was Gong Ya-cheong and So-cheon who delivered Jo Pil’s belongings to me. And neither of them were the type to secretly pocket something.
The same went for the Scout Unit members who were present. For some reason, my trust in them hasn’t wavered.
“It couldn’t be. No, absolutely not.”
Jeok Cheon-gang, who had been staring at me intently after my confident answer, finally spoke.
“It’s one of two things. Either someone deceived you, or that child lost it.”
“….”
“How troublesome. Truly vexing.”
Jeok Cheon-gang’s return to the world was partly to find his disciple, but it was also to recover the treasures of the Yeolhwa Sect that had been leaked out.
The precious jewel he spoke of seemed to be one of them.
It was a treasure that even the Fire King had to find despite the inconvenience it caused.
‘Damn it. I’ve never even laid eyes on it.’
It was then that a sense of crisis began creeping up on me, more than curiosity about what that jewel was.
“There’s no helping it. For now, you’ll keep it safe.”
His casually thrown words brought my thoughts to a complete halt.
So right now….
“You’re telling me to keep these things safe?”
“That’s right.”
“Both of them?”
“Three. Did you forget about what’s in your belly? Anything that originates from the Main Sect will be reclaimed. By any means necessary.”
“…!”
“I’m joking.”
“Phew.”
“Tsk tsk. Your courage has already shrunk to the size of a bean, and you’re still so young.”
Whether it’s the size of a bean or a cannonball, it doesn’t matter.
I want nothing more to do with this terrifying old man.
I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.
“I’m sorry, but I must decli—”
“If you decline, I’ll take them back immediately. All three.”
“….”
“This time, I’m serious.”
The area beneath the table grows hot again. Needless to say, it’s the Flame Divine Form.
‘No, damn it.’
I was supposed to return them to the original owner, but even that’s not up to me.
Overwhelmed by sorrow and injustice, I asked.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“Would you have an old man like me clumsily carry such things around? I don’t have the strength for it.”
“What if someone steals them from me?”
“Then you die at this old man’s hands.”
“I could learn to master them!”
“Then you’ll just die more painfully.”
What kind of ridiculous situation is this….
The Fire King rose from his seat, leaving me in stunned silence. Chung Poong, who had been hastily sweeping food into his mouth, lifted his head.
“Haha-beohi, gahi-geho?”
“…You’re worse than my grandfather ever was. Eat slowly.”
After exchanging a nod with Jang Tae-bo, he delivered a meaningful parting remark and turned to leave.
“We’ll meet again soon.”
I’d rather not. Not ever again, if I had my way.

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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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