Murim Login - Chapter 180

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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 180
First Day of the Year.
Jin Wi-kyung’s reaction upon seeing the sunlight of the new year’s first dawn was brief and straightforward.
“Magnificent.”
At those words, Wol-hwa, who had been tilting her teacup with graceful poise, let out a soft laugh. She had arrived at the Taewon Jin Family Estate the previous night.
Considering the family’s strict directive that no one outside the Main Residence could enter, this was a gesture of respect toward their alliance.
“You’re pleased with it?”
“How could I not be?”
“True enough. When I think of everything that’s happened, it’s remarkable. Two years ago, I never imagined a day like this would come.”
“That remark wounds me.”
Wol-hwa covered her mouth in exaggerated fashion.
“My, shouldn’t those words come from my side instead? We waited long enough.”
“I will keep my promise. Without fail.”
“I hope so. It would be troublesome if you changed your word twice.”
“Let us end this discussion. It grows tiresome.”
“The sentiment is mutual.”
The previous night had been long. After fierce negotiations and concessions, they had finally found common ground that satisfied both parties.
In any case, both sides needed each other’s support to exert influence in the Shanxi Martial World.
Having finally obtained what she desired, Wol-hwa smiled with satisfaction.
“Still, we provided you with valuable information as well, didn’t we?”
Jin Wi-kyung replied with a disgruntled expression.
“Ah, that information? I heard the Datong Branch of the Main Residence played some role in that matter as well.”
“We were the ones who first inquired about the information. And we were equally swift in dispatching the Messenger Hawk.”
“That point, I concede.”
Wol-hwa’s eyes suddenly narrowed.
“But doesn’t it concern you at all?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Cheon Poong-dan.”
The news that the Cheon Poong-dan, which had been roaming near Datong, had been annihilated was certainly good tidings, but it was shocking beyond measure.
A single person slaughtering hundreds of horse bandits, including masters at the peak realm? It was nearly impossible unless one was an absolute supreme master.
Wol-hwa traced her teacup with a slender finger.
“Who could it be?”
“I suppose we shall have to investigate gradually.”
Jin Wi-kyung suppressed an inward laugh. No matter how vast the world or how many reclusive masters dwelled within it, absolute supreme masters were never common.
When he first heard news of the Cheon Poong-dan, only one name had crossed his mind.
Sword Saint Mae Jong-hak.
‘It is likely him, with considerable probability.’
Given their past dealings, he should inform Wol-hwa of this fact. However, the gravity of the matter was far too different to reveal to the head of the Haowen Sect’s central headquarters.
“Do not harbor excessive concern. The Main Residence is also keeping a watchful eye.”
“For something you say that about, you seem far too at ease.”
“That’s hardly likely. Since you’ve annihilated the Cheon Poong-dan, notorious for their viciousness, I merely suspect you’re not a master of the Demonic Heretical Way.”
At his evasive answer, Wol-hwa’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Yet she found it difficult to press further. Had such a supreme master truly been connected to them, the Taewon Jin Family’s rise would have been far smoother.
“Well, in any case. My sincere congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“But one person has been rather quiet since earlier, hasn’t he?”
Jin Wi-kyung, knowing whom Wol-hwa meant, shook his head firmly.
“He’s been a man full of complaints since birth.”
A sharp voice asked back.
“Are you talking about me?”
“Then who else?”
Wi Paeng, leaning diagonally against the office wall, opened his mouth.
“I wholeheartedly agree with your lordship’s words. Truly a magnificent day, this is.”
“What’s gotten into you? Every time you speak like this, you’re usually droning on about propriety and such tedious matters.”
“When something is magnificent, shouldn’t one call it magnificent?”
His subordinate, usually as meticulous as a master, matched his mood for once today. Jin Wi-kyung laughed with satisfaction.
“Indeed. It will be a position of that much importance.”
“Can you hear the distant murmuring? Not only the skilled masters of Shanxi’s Martial World, but even commoners who heard the news have come.”
“Oh, is that truly so?”
“Of course. Moreover, a congratulatory letter has arrived from Cheon Geom Jin-in, the sect master of the Huashan Sect.”
“Excellent!”
“The Three Plum Blossoms should arrive soon as well.”
Though Jin Wi-kyung already knew this, hearing it again lifted his spirits.
The Nine Major Sects and One Alliance, the great pillars of the Martial World, wielded formidable influence—and even with only some of them present, this amounted to the entire Orthodox Martial Arts World vouching for the Taewon Jin Family’s legitimacy.
Of course, one could not deny that the matters concerning the Sword Saint and Chung Poong had exerted considerable influence.
“Is that all? Isn’t the Sangshan King, descended from the imperial bloodline, also coming? This means both the government and the Martial World have recognized the Main Residence as the true hegemon of Shanxi Province.”
“Yes, indeed. Absolutely!”
Watching him grow increasingly delighted, Wi Paeng smiled faintly.
“Do you know what the most magnificent news of all is?”
“You’ve planned this carefully today, haven’t you? What is it? Speak up!”
In the next moment, the smile that had graced Wi Paeng’s lips vanished without a trace.
“With so many Martial World masters and commoners, honored guests from the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance, and even imperial blood attending—both young masters are completely absent.”
“…Ah.”
“The second young master, at least, I can understand. Enlightenment doesn’t come at convenient times, and closed-door cultivation is acceptable. I’m a martial artist myself, after all. But!”
Wi Paeng continued with a menacing gleam in his eyes.
“Sam-gong-ja absolutely cannot be excused. Not only did he leave without a care at such a critical time, but all contact with him has been severed.”
Jin Wi-kyung quietly averted his gaze. Wol-hwa, his only lifeline, merely shrugged as if she knew nothing and continued observing.
“He’ll come.”
“Come? He said he’d be back soon and left last year.”
Jin Wi-kyung, about to object, faltered. Upon reflection, the words were certainly strange, yet not entirely wrong.
Wi Paeng ground his teeth and continued speaking.
“To go off making war machines before such a momentous occasion—I was a fool to trust Sam-gong-ja, even for a moment.”
“Now, now.”
“Am I wrong?”
“Now, now!”
“Why? What is it?”
Just as Jin Wi-kyung flinched at the glimmer in Wi Paeng’s restless eyes, a voice of salvation rang out from beyond the office door.
“Young Master. Everything is prepared.”
“…So it is?”
Wi Paeng, whose lips had been moving as if to say something, exhaled a deep sigh. This was hardly the first or second time such a thing had occurred. He needed to address the immediate matter at hand.
“This time, you must certainly give Sam-gong-ja a stern word.”
“We shall see.”
Jin Wi-kyung smiled faintly and stepped out of the office.
Before the Pavilion stood fifty martial artists radiating a sharp aura, arrayed in perfect formation. Each of them a master of at least the first rank, they gazed upon their lord with unwavering composure.
A giant standing eight feet tall. As the Young Master of the Taewon Jin Family, he had led the clan in the absence of its patriarch these past two years, and at last had set it upon solid ground.
The lips that had been pressed shut opened heavily.
“Let us go.”
Wi Paeng and Wol-hwa. Fifty martial artists followed in his wake. And as they crossed the quiet grounds of the Taewon Jin Family Estate, their numbers swelled.
From fifty to a hundred, from a hundred to two hundred, from two hundred to three hundred….
The Taewon Jin Family had endured the agony of having its limbs severed in the recent war, yet its recovery had been swift, and its growth meteoric.
‘The Main Residence has grown strong.’
The First Division, the Second Party, the Third Squad. Those advancing alongside him were proof of this.
They were the arms and legs, the waist and torso of the Taewon Jin Family, grown ever more robust. Recalling the countless sacrifices and efforts that had been required for this day, Jin Wi-kyung felt his chest tighten with emotion.
“Young Master.”
They had reached the Gate Master’s Office.
The Gate Guards standing watch bowed their heads in disciplined unison. Beyond the meticulously stacked stone walls came the roar of countless voices.
“Wow, this is really something!”
“My lord, your command.”
Wol-hwa smiled brightly, while Wi Paeng’s expression was more solemn than ever.
Taking in the sight of them, Jin Wi-kyung drew a deep breath. In the next moment, a voice heavy with authority flowed forth.
“Open the gates.”
It was the signal for the grand banquet that would continue for the next four days, and the announcement that the Taewon Jin Family had become the hegemon of the Shanxi Martial World.
* * *
Before the gates of the Taewon Jin Family, people pressed in shoulder to shoulder. Martial artists bearing swords, merchants seeking opportunity, and commoners belonging to neither faction.
Despite the daylight, firecrackers celebrating the First Day of the Year burst sporadically into the air.
Boom, pop-pop-bang!
“Waaaaah!”
While hundreds of people laughed and chattered in the festive atmosphere, some wore expressions of despair.
“Damn it.”
“What is the meaning of this?”
“These wretched bastards, just….”
Five middle-aged men—the masters of the five sects known as the Sanseo Five Gates—could not smooth the wrinkles from their furrowed brows.
Among them, Woo Hwang-tae, the lord of the Seongyun Escort Agency, suffered even more acutely, thanks to his worthless son’s misdeeds.
‘He won’t even grant an audience.’
He had already arrived five days prior and requested a meeting countless times.
It was to clean up the mess his son Woo Jin-tae had created.
Yet the carefully composed letters and gifts he had sent never even crossed the threshold of the Taewon Jin Family—they came back empty-handed. His pride was wounded, but ultimately he had to resort to the desperate measure of seeking them out in person.
‘I am Woo, the one managing the Seongyun Escort Agency.’
The Seongyun Escort Agency, passed down through three generations, was known throughout Shanxi Province. They had long flaunted their immense wealth, accumulated through any means necessary.
Yet the Gate Guard’s response was lukewarm.
‘I’m afraid he cannot receive visitors at this time.’
‘What? What nonsense is this? I am the lord of the Seongyun Escort Agency!’
‘Whether you’re a lord or a sect master, I wouldn’t know. I follow my orders.’
‘…!’
Had he ever endured such humiliation in his entire life?
Like Woo Jin-tae, he had lived well under the shadow of his family’s prestige. He had experienced failures and been disrespected by those of higher station, but he could bear that much.
But to be treated this way by a mere Gate Guard!
Every time Woo Hwang-tae thought of it, his head throbbed with rage.
‘Those bastards deserve to die. No matter how powerful they are, how dare they treat a man with such contempt?’
His son, who already had children, had been beaten so savagely that it was unclear whether he was still human or some blue-bruised beast.
Father and son had both been utterly disgraced. He was too ashamed to even complain to the other sect masters.
“Huff, huuuuff.”
The other masters of the Sanseo Five Gates watched carefully as he exhaled with a flushed face.
“Lord Woo, are you alright?”
“If you’re unwell, perhaps we should return tomorrow instead….”
Woo Hwang-tae answered with a sharp voice.
“Would you be fine with it, Lord Song? My son was beaten like a stray dog in the street, and now I’m supposed to apologize on top of it all. And Lord Jang, if I retreat like this, what will the Taewon Jin Family think? Is that what you call negotiating?”
“….”
“….”
The two sect masters who had carelessly spoken flinched, caught in the crossfire, while the other two let out sighs of relief.
Yet their true sentiments were unanimous.
‘Just get rid of this merchant bastard, snap.’
They only tolerated him because they still needed the Seongyun Escort Agency’s support.
They all remembered clearly what their sons had told them.
‘According to the Shanxi Sleeping Dragon, they plan to make the Seongyun Escort Agency an example.’
‘Lord Woo and that man are both formidable… but to think they’d try to swallow them whole without the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance?’
‘Given the Taewon Jin Family’s current power, it might actually be possible.’
‘For now, we watch and wait.’
If the scales tipped even slightly, they would shift their allegiance. The four sect masters were gauging the right moment, and if it meant preserving their own families, they could smile at Woo Hwang-tae as many times as necessary.
“Hehe, Lord Woo. Do compose yourself.”
“That’s right. Whether it’s Lord Woo or us, the grievance is the same, is it not? I understand that feeling well enough.”
“We should head back inside now. We can’t stand here watching forever, can we?”
“Here, I obtained this elixir pill from a skilled physician. No matter how fiery one’s heart burns, it has the effect of calming the spirit. Let us each take one and return.”
“Sigh.”
It was the moment Woo Hwang-tae, exhaling a hot breath, was about to toss the pill into his mouth.
“Tch, there are far too many people crowding about. Crowding and jostling.”
A coarse voice accompanied something that shoved his arm. The pill that tumbled free was promptly trampled beneath someone’s foot.
“…!”
Woo Hwang-tae’s patience ended right there. His eyes blazed with fury as he glared at the culprit.
A man whose head was two sizes larger than anyone else’s. From his bovine eyes to the way he picked at his nose, the stench of a rustic oaf radiated unmistakably.
“You wretch! Have you no shame?”
The large man came to an abrupt halt.
“Huh? You talking to me?”
“Yes, you fool! If you bump into someone, you should apologize at once, shouldn’t you?”
“Ah. There were so many people, I didn’t notice. My apologies.”
The man lowered his head quickly and turned to leave, but Woo Hwang-tae’s rage ignited all the brighter.
The humiliation his son had endured, the days of being scorned even by the Gate Guard—and now this overgrown rustic’s casual dismissal had lit the fuse.
“What a thick-skulled brute I’ve never seen! You there, don’t you dare walk away!”
At that moment, Geo Han’s body stiffened.
“What did you just say?”
“I called you thick-skulled, you worthless cur!”
“That’s the one thing I hate most.”
“If you hate it, what will you do about it?”
Geo Han snorted and opened his mouth.
“May I strike you?”
“You dare—I’ll beat you to death!”
The moment Woo Hwang-tae was about to make his move, a clear voice rang out from behind him.
“That won’t do.”
The owner of the voice was a handsome young man.
Baek Moo-sung of the Hua Mountain Sect’s One Crane lineage, who had restrained the master on the verge of explosion, offered Woo Hwang-tae a gentle smile.

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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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