Murim Login - Chapter 187

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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 187
Hundreds of martial artists emanated a frost-sharp momentum. And following the path they created, a single figure walked forward.
Step, step.
Common folk who had come to witness the spectacle, nameless martial artists clad in worn robes, and finally, the powerful figures who moved Shanxi Province itself.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed upon one person.
Jin Wi-kyung.
‘It’s like a scene from a film.’
Jin Wi-kyung, dressed in martial robes embroidered with a silver flying dragon, advanced without hesitation. His confident bearing and the natural dignity that radiated from him overwhelmed all who witnessed it.
The silence Jin Wi-kyung had brought was shattered by his voice.
“It has been three hundred years since the Main Residence took root in Taewon.”
His proclamation, infused with profound martial power, resonated far and wide.
“The beginning was humble indeed.”
It was a time of chaos, he said. Natural disasters followed one after another, and the empire that seemed eternal lost its strength. Countless warlords raised their banners across the realm and crowned themselves kings, and war erupted.
Blood soaked the parched earth instead of water, and the crops that should have been harvested were trampled beneath the hooves of horses.
At the end of that long period of warfare, a wandering man halted his steps in the ruins of the old dynasty’s capital.
That was the beginning of the Taewon Jin Family.
“Our ancestor, Jin Moo-ryang, accepted orphans and cared for widows and the elderly. Though we raised the banner of martial arts, we never forgot the essence of humanity.”
A small seed sprouted quickly. Those who gathered beneath the Taewon Jin Family’s banner became branches and stems, forming roots that were both strong and deep.
The family that began humbly grew into a mighty tree that encompassed all of Shanxi Province.
“Yet even the Main Residence could not escape the cycles of rise and fall.”
Everything changed gradually with the passage of time. Through great and small trials, the mighty tree began to wither.
Misguided decisions by leadership, invasions from without, betrayals by allies, natural calamities beyond human power to prevent—
Before long, many branches had snapped and abundant leaves had fallen.
“But!”
A thunderous cry erupted in that instant. The voice that followed burned like molten lava.
“We survived.”
Though branches snapped and leaves fell, the roots remained intact.
“Shaken though we were, we were not uprooted.”
If roots remain, the tree grows again. As though nothing had happened, it will flourish with vitality and burst forth with verdant leaves.
Just as we do now.
“As the Young Master of the Taewon Jin Family, I swear this oath.”
Boom!
Hundreds of weapons struck the ground. From the martial artists of the Taewon Jin Family, who knelt on one knee in unison, an invisible heat rose forth.
“We! The Taewon Jin Family!”
This was an oath to the countless members of the Taewon Jin Family, to all gathered here, and to enemies who had not yet bared their fangs.
“Three hundred years ago and three hundred years hence, we shall remain in this place unchanged!”
Boom! Boom!
“I ask all of you!”
Two eyes blazing with flame swept across the assembly. Jin Wi-kyung, having taken in the faces of those mingled with excitement and anticipation, fear and guilt, cried out.
“Are you prepared to lay new foundations alongside the Main Residence!”
A tremendous roar erupted from the martial artists of the Taewon Jin Family.
“Loyalty!”
Boom, boom boom boom boom boom!
At that very moment, a clear voice rang out from somewhere.
“May we also walk the path that the Taewon Jin Family seeks to tread?”
The voice did not come from where I sat in the place of honor, nor from the distinguished guests’ section below.
As the vast crowd surrounding the Grand Training Ground parted to create a passage, the owner of that voice revealed herself.
‘That person is….’
She wore comfortable martial robes instead of flowing ceremonial garments, her mature visage belying her youth as she offered a respectful bow toward Jin Wi-kyung.
“Eun So-wol of the Hengshan Sword Sect, summoned by the Young Master, has just arrived.”
The middle-aged man standing like an iron tower beside her announced his identity in a gravelly voice.
“First Elder Chul Moo-baek pays respects to the Young Master of the Taewon Jin Family.”
The martial artists of the Hengshan Sword Sect standing behind the two then cried out.
“We pay respects to the Young Master!”
Murmurs of shock and commotion rippled through the crowd.
The appearance of the Hengshan Sword Sect, standing on the brink of annihilation.
The new sect leader’s identity was the sole daughter of the deceased Blood Wolf Sword, and the man who took the position of First Elder at her side was Hangshan Lake’s Chul Moo-baek.
Yet amid this astonishing turn of events, Jin Wi-kyung’s expression remained perfectly composed.
It had to be—he was the very one who had sent me that invitation for the First Day of the Year.
“This is my first time meeting the young lady in person. Did you receive the letter of introduction I sent previously?”
“Yes. And beyond that….”
Eun So-wol, who answered with composure, lifted her gaze and fixed it upon me.
“I have also received a debt of gratitude that I can scarcely repay.”
The weight of her stare made my face flush with warmth.
The fact that Jin Moo-kyung and I had rescued the Hengshan Sword Sect was known to nearly everyone in Shanxi Province—a natural reaction indeed.
She offered me a faint smile before turning her gaze back to Jin Wi-kyung.
“I wish to hear your answer to the question I posed earlier.”
Eun So-wol drew in a deep breath. Her eyelids trembled slightly.
“Can we also stand together with the Taewon Jin Family?”
Jin Wi-kyung’s response that followed contained not a shred of hesitation.
“Of course.”
“…!”
“Now I ask you: are you prepared to walk alongside the Main Residence?”
Thump.
Eun So-wol knelt on one knee in answer. Chul Moo-baek and his subordinates were no exception.
“The second sect leader of the Hengshan Sword Sect, Eun So-wol, swears an oath before heaven and earth.”
The Hengshan Sword Sect, once the supreme power of Shanxi’s martial world. Its rightful successor, the new sect leader, knelt before Jin Wi-kyung.
No—she knelt before the Taewon Jin Family.
“The Main Sect shall devote unwavering loyalty to the Taewon Jin Family.”
“Loyalty!”
Though their numbers were few, their voices rang out with tremendous force. Jin Wi-kyung grasped Eun So-wol by the shoulder and lifted her up.
His manner of speech had shifted naturally without anyone noticing.
“I accept you.”
On the First Day of the Year, this was the moment the Taewon Jin Family formally accepted the Hengshan Sword Sect as their vassal.
* * *
“Roooaaarrr!”
“Taewon Jin Family! Taewon Jin Family!”
Cheers upon cheers.
Nearly a thousand strong, the crowd chanted the name of the Taewon Jin Family with fervent enthusiasm.
‘They earned it.’
Following a speech that set the blood of all who heard it ablaze, came the Hengshan Sword Sect’s oath of loyalty.
‘What a finale.’
Though the actual banquet hadn’t even begun, everyone present must have understood.
The Taewon Jin Family was the supreme power of Shanxi Province—wielding both formidable strength and boundless compassion.
Even Chul-woo, seated beside me, was no exception.
“…Huh.”
The fellow who had seemed nothing but simple-minded and prideful now wore an expression of genuine admiration.
‘The boy understands something after all.’
It’s childish, but I can’t help feeling a swell of pride in my chest. I am, after all, a member of the Taewon Jin Family, and my contributions to making this moment possible were far from negligible.
“Hmm, hmm. Seems like you were quite moved?”
“It was truly magnificent. My heart was racing the entire time.”
Chul-woo continued in an excited voice.
“How could anything be so beautiful!”
“Not to boast, but for the Taewon Jin Family to be thriving in Shanxi Province to this degree… what do you call it?”
What exactly did I just hear?
After a moment of hesitation, I asked in a somewhat bitter tone.
“You’re not talking about our Elder Brother, are you?”
“What?”
“You know, like when you admire a man’s muscles. When you want to do bench presses with that person and remove each other’s underarmor. That sort of thing…”
“What nonsense is that?”
Chul-woo’s brow furrowed. Judging by his expression, that wasn’t it.
“Well, thank goodness then. I thought you might be gay.”
“Gay? What’s that?”
“Well, if I had to use an analogy, it’s like when two Diglett meet and become a Dugtrio.”
“I don’t understand at all. Explain it simply.”
I recalled the simplest word possible.
“Same-sex attraction.”
“You little bastard…!”
Chul-woo was about to throw a punch when he froze. His senior brother, Baek Moo-sung, was sitting right beside him.
The Huashan First Technique buff is absolutely broken.
I chuckled softly and asked.
“So what exactly is beautiful about her?”
“The woman! That woman from the Hengshan Sword Sect!”
“Ah, Eun So-wol?”
Strictly speaking, she held the title of sect leader, but the term “young lady” still felt more natural to use.
At my casual familiarity, Chul-woo’s eyes suddenly gleamed.
“Ah, you know her?”
“We have some history together.”
“What kind of history?”
The kind that started with sexual harassment accusations and ended with a proposal, you could say.
“It’s tedious. There’s too much to explain—the whole thing’s been quite turbulent. But tell me, do you perhaps….”
I trailed off vaguely and looked at Chul-woo.
“Are you interested in this young lady?”
“Interested?!”
Watching Chul-woo jump back, I felt slightly relieved.
“Right? I thought you were actually interested when you kept saying your heart was racing and all that….”
“It’s not interest! This is love.”
…
“Three children would be appropriate. Two boys and one girl.”
“…Y-yes. Go ahead and continue.”
“I’ll also raise a yellow dog. I’ve heard that raising children with a dog from an early age is good for their emotional development. We’ll have a happy family.”
I was about to curse him as an idiot when I suddenly paused.
‘I feel like I’ve seen this scene somewhere before.’
Where had I seen it? Something felt oddly familiar, like a nagging itch.
Why did I suddenly think of Song-i and that old man Kkwak-jeong from reality?
‘That’s strange.’
I set aside my confusion and opened my mouth.
“Are you done?”
“Not yet.”
“Then consider it done and listen to what I have to say. It’s important.”
At my serious tone, Chul-woo faltered.
“Important?”
“Yes. How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Do you know how old this young lady is?”
“I don’t.”
“She’s seventeen. Well, the year’s turned, so eighteen now.”
“So?”
“So what do you mean ‘so,’ you shameless fool! Setting aside the seven-year age gap, she’s still in school, has evening study sessions! She hasn’t even decided between liberal arts and sciences yet! What about her grades and college entrance exam?!”
At my outburst, Chul-woo’s expression turned bewildered.
“What are you talking about? This is the perfect age to marry.”
“Ah, sorry. I got too excited.”
As the older brother of a younger sister still in her prime, I couldn’t help but empathize. I kept forgetting that this was the Murim, after all.
“Anyway, think it over carefully. Don’t be swayed by fleeting emotions.”
“No.”
Chul-woo’s face, which had answered so firmly, softened into a dreamy expression.
“The moment I first saw her, I felt it. My heart, which had been still for a lifetime, began to beat.”
“…So it’s been dead for twenty-five years?”
“Dead? Yes, you’re right. Before I met her, I was no different from a corpse.”
“Why don’t you actually die? Please, just die.”
“I can’t. Now I’m a man who can neither die nor live without her permission.”
“…Wow, that’s ridiculous.”
Baek Moo-sung and Eun-hyang, who had been listening to our conversation, shook their heads in disbelief.
“Here we go again.”
“Brother, didn’t you say something similar last year to one of the pretty disciples among the Three Disciples?”
So he’s a repeat offender?
‘This isn’t some serial confession spree.’
Just as Chul-woo was about to flare up at Eun-hyang’s revelation of his dark history.
“Young Master Jin.”
A pleasant voice reached my ears. When I turned my head, I saw a figure ascending the stairs—no, not a figure, but a girl.
‘Eun So-wol.’
It was her.

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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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