Murim Login - Chapter 308

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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 308
“Go to Sichuan. If it’s the Divine Physician, there must surely be a way.”
The Luoyang Eccentric Physician was among the top ten physicians in all the land.
Speaking with such conviction, he told me to seek out the Divine Physician, claiming his medical arts were the finest under heaven.
‘I see a possibility.’
If I found the Divine Physician, I could restore Jeok Cheon-gang to health.
Gazing at Jeok Cheon-gang, who lay motionless like someone in deep slumber, I bowed deeply to the Luoyang Eccentric Physician.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
The Divine Physician was shrouded in such mystery that no one knew his true identity.
Without the token the Luoyang Eccentric Physician had given me, I would have felt as though I’d fallen into an endless sea.
“Hmph, just words?”
“Would you like me to buy you a souvenir?”
The Luoyang Eccentric Physician chuckled at my playful remark.
“You cheeky brat. Instead of spouting nonsense, get your travel pack ready this instant.”
“Right, of course.”
From Hanan to Sichuan was easily thousands of miles. Even employing the Lightness Skill, it would take nearly a month to traverse.
‘And there’s no guarantee I’ll find the Divine Physician quickly either.’
I gazed at the Quest window still open before me and muttered inwardly.
Quest
[Find the Divine Physician in Sichuan]
You have obtained the only trace left behind by the Divine Physician.
The Divine Physician is the finest physician under heaven. Currently, he is the only hope capable of awakening Jeok Cheon-gang.
You must search every corner of the vast lands of Sichuan to find him!
Rank
: Transcendent
Restriction
: Those who possess [Trace of the Divine Physician]
Objective
: Find the Divine Physician and receive treatment (Incomplete)
Reward
: ???
Failure
: Death of Jeok Cheon-gang
Look at this Quest rank.
Finding one person, and the rank is Transcendent.
Fortunately, through the trace he left long ago, I was able to determine Sichuan as his location, but the land is so vast that even that much is dreadfully difficult.
‘Wasn’t modern Sichuan Province about twice the size of the Korean peninsula?’
The Martial World and the modern era were completely separate worlds. Yet from my experience so far, the size of the land and people’s ways of living were similar.
The thought of searching for someone whose name and face I didn’t know in such a vast Sichuan felt overwhelming.
‘Damn it, finding Driver Kim in Seoul would be easier than this.’
But what choice do I have? This isn’t a matter of selection. I must find the Divine Physician by any means necessary—Jeok Cheon-gang’s life depends on it.
Six months remain.
If I continue the acupuncture treatments consistently, I might buy another month or two, but that would exhaust the time Jeok Cheon-gang has been granted.
‘I will find him within the deadline, no matter what.’
To accomplish this, I needed to compress the necessary timeframe. My mind raced as I opened my mouth.
“May I ask a favor of you?”
A request that might consume vast resources and capital.
Yet Geom-seong Maejong-hak offered a solution without hesitation.
“I’ll write letters to the Tang Sect, Emei Sect, and Qingcheng Sect in Sichuan.”
“Thank you.”
The Sichuan Tang Sect, one of the Five Great Families. With the cooperation of the Emei and Qingcheng Sects—each pillars of the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance—the task would become far more manageable.
But my request didn’t end there.
“While you’re helping, could you add a few more things?”
“Hmm, the bloodshed at Shaolin has cast a dark shadow. Everyone suspects Dark Heaven and the Demon Cult’s movements, so the sects may not be able to offer much assistance. For martial artists registered with a sect, loyalty to their school comes first.”
“I don’t need that much help.”
“If Huashan can assist, tell me anything.”
“Just send me a few people. That’s all I need.”
“Do you have specific individuals in mind?”
“Yes.”
I nodded and spoke the names of several people.
* * *
Shortly after, Maejong-hak and the Luoyang Eccentric Physician left the pavilion, walking slowly as they conversed.
“Will you be alright? I understand meeting the Divine Physician has been your lifelong wish.”
“A lifelong wish, you say…”
At Maejong-hak’s words, the Luoyang Eccentric Physician’s eyes grew distant as he recalled old memories.
“Indeed. I abandoned my official position and took up the needle because of him.”
The Luoyang Eccentric Physician had once been a promising scholar.
His grandfather was the head of the Guozijian, the highest educational institution, and had been the Previous Emperor’s tutor during his time as crown prince.
With scholarly blood running through his veins, his father and two elder brothers had both entered court service and earned renown.
Had a plague not struck the year the Luoyang Eccentric Physician passed the highest civil service examination, he likely would have followed the same path.
“Countless people perished. According to my duties, I classified the dead, the living, and those who should have died.”
In those early days, freshly appointed to court, the Luoyang Eccentric Physician had believed without doubt.
That the Emperor, in his majesty, would issue decrees to distribute relief grain and send imperial physicians to contain the plague. That all the civil and military officials would do their utmost to save the suffering people.
“It was a delusion. While the people died of plague, the Emperor commissioned a new palace for his newly favored concubine, and those with power divided among themselves what should have gone to the people.”
“What did you do?”
“I rewrote falsehood as truth. Through my brush, one hundred thousand stone of grain and treasures and medicines were recorded as distributed to the sick, and the imperial physicians who attended the nobility became dedicated physicians fighting to contain the plague.”
“That must have been agonizing.”
“It was torment. When I returned home after leaving court, imperial physicians sent by the Emperor were there. They had been dispatched for my grandfather, who had caught a mild cold.”
That was when I first understood: in this world, even human lives are assigned a price.
The Luoyang Eccentric Physician’s hands, gripping the bundle containing his needles, had turned white.
“It was then that I heard news of the Divine Physician. A physician who risked death to treat patients at the very source of the plague. A single person who quelled the epidemic alone and saved thousands of lives.”
He immediately entered the palace, destroyed all the records he had written, and left the court. He had to sever ties with his family, but it mattered not.
Instead of a brush, he took up needles, and instead of the Four Books and Three Classics, he devoted himself to medical texts.
“I was cursed as a charlatan many times. There were patients I saved from death’s door, and many I could not cure and had to let go.”
As a physician, he witnessed countless cycles of birth, aging, illness, and death.
And after twenty years had passed, the once-promising young official began to be called by the name Luoyang Eccentric Physician.
“None of it would have been possible without the Divine Physician. Had it not been for him, I would have become a puppet of a rotting court.”
At the Luoyang Eccentric Physician’s words, Mae Jong-hak smiled faintly.
“The Divine Physician has birthed another divine physician.”
“You flatter me too much. I am content to be an eccentric physician. There is only one Divine Physician in all the world.”
The eyes of the Luoyang Eccentric Physician, known for his peculiar nature, sparkled like those of a boy.
At the sight, Mae Jong-hak could not help but let out a soft laugh.
“Perhaps you should reclaim the Divine Physician’s token even now?”
“Heaven cannot be reached, which is why it is heaven. Had I wished to find That Person, I would have departed for Sichuan ten years ago when I received the token. My place is here. And….”
The Luoyang Eccentric Physician added with a bitter smile.
“How could a charlatan who cannot even cure a single patient at this age dare to face the Divine Physician? This is enough.”
“I am grateful. If Jeok Cheon-gang recovers while the masses are in turmoil, the entire Martial World will owe you a great debt.”
“Ah, why do you say such things? It does not suit you.”
The Luoyang Eccentric Physician waved his hand dismissively, then a mischievous expression suddenly crossed his face.
“Are you perhaps practicing beforehand?”
“Practicing?”
“The gravitas of a Martial Alliance Lord, haha.”
“Ah, that?”
Mae Jong-hak scratched the back of his head with a reluctant expression.
“I have no idea who keeps spreading such rumors. I have already refused several times….”
“For now, you are the most suitable candidate, Master Mae.”
“Do not say such things. Everyone is simply making hasty decisions out of anxiety.”
The blood massacre at Shaolin Temple was a warning bell of danger.
The emergence of Dark Heaven, a hidden force in the shadows.
As an enemy previously unknown to the world revealed itself, the leadership of the Orthodox Martial Arts World cautiously began to broach one subject.
It was the reconstitution of the Martial Alliance.
“There is another who would be more suited to that position. At least not this old man.”
“Is that what you believe?”
The Luoyang Eccentric Physician reached out and pointed to the sky.
Still early dawn. In the sky that had just begun to break, the moon and stars still lingered.
“The Sun God has hidden his face, and the Ten Kings have grown old. From what these eyes have seen, Master Mae possesses both formidable martial prowess and a righteous heart. You are the most suitable person to lead the Martial Alliance, the symbol of the Orthodox Sects.”
“You stubborn man. I have told you repeatedly that it cannot be me. How can you make me the Martial Alliance Lord when there are so many others?”
“Then who do you think would be suitable?”
“Hmm….”
Mae Jong-hak, who had been pondering for a moment, opened his mouth.
“That’s right. We have Byuk Ryuk Do-wang Wi Paeng nearby as a senior.”
“His temperament is too unsuitable to lead the Martial Alliance.”
“Huh? What’s wrong with Senior Wi Paeng? I think he’s spirited and manly.”
“The Martial Alliance would likely be ruined just as spiritedly and manly.”
“Then Senior Zhuge Konghou would be perfect. He once served as the Martial Alliance’s Grand Military Strategist, and with his supreme sword techniques and exceptional formation mastery, he rose to become one of the Ten Kings….”
“He passed away.”
“What? When?”
“Over ten years ago.”
“Ah….”
After being away for so long, I couldn’t even properly remember who was alive and who was dead.
Mae Jong-hak, who had been sighing heavily, asked.
“Do you happen to know what became of the other two of the Three Stars?”
“The Bow Star has been missing for about twenty years, and the other one… honestly, we should exclude him from consideration.”
“Huh? Why is that?”
The Luoyang Eccentric Physician looked at Mae Jong-hak with an incredulous expression.
“Who in their right mind would nominate the Killing Star as the leader of the Martial Alliance?”
“What’s wrong with that fellow? His martial prowess is beyond question, and his thorough nature makes him perfect for the position.”
“That’s precisely the problem—his martial prowess and thorough nature are being used for assassination. The greatest assassin in the world as the Martial Alliance leader? How could that possibly work?”
“Is that so? Now that you mention it, that does make sense.”
The Luoyang Eccentric Physician watched Mae Jong-hak scratch the back of his head and thought to himself.
‘Is the Orthodox Martial Arts World truly all right like this?’
Meanwhile, Jin Tae-kyung’s preparations for departure were proceeding with swift efficiency.
* * *
The first to rush over upon hearing of my departure was Jin Wi-kyung.
“Youngest brother.”
I answered while stuffing necessary items into my travel pack.
“Yes?”
“Your elder brother just heard some unbelievable news.”
“Believe it. It’s true.”
“Where are you going?”
“Sichuan.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“Six months. Perhaps a month or two longer.”
“Absolutely not!”
Jin Wi-kyung cried out as if wailing.
“Where are you going in such a dangerous time as this!”
“Sichuan.”
“I know! That’s exactly why I won’t let you go!”
“I’m going.”
Jin Wi-kyung declared with a resolute expression I had never seen from him before.
“I forbid it.”
“Oh. Then I’ll forbid your forbidding.”
“With Father absent, you cannot defy my orders as the acting family head and clan leader!”
“What happens if I do?”
“I’ll have no choice but to punish you according to family law.”
“Then strike me from the family register.”
“How could you say such a thing!”
Looking at his expression alone, one would think the world was ending in ten minutes.
I rose from my seat, leaving Jin Wi-kyung in shock behind me.
On my back, Jeok Cheon-gang remained unconscious, secured to the carrier frame with silk bindings.
‘It might be too late to bring the Divine Physician back here.’
So this was the method I’d chosen.
Going to Sichuan together with Jeok Cheon-gang.
“Hup.”
At this pace, I could employ the Lightness Technique without issue.
I exhaled deeply, watching Jin Wi-kyung’s sorrowful gaze.
“Don’t worry too much. Nothing like what you’re imagining will happen.”
“At least take the Jinryong Squad with you.”
No matter how elite the Jinryong Squad was for the Taewon Jin Clan, right now they were nothing but dead weight slowing me down.
I tossed a fully packed travel bag toward one of them and spoke.
“That’s why the Jinryong Squad commander is coming along.”
Hyuk Moo-jin, catching the bag, thumped his chest confidently.
“Leave it to me, Young Master!”
“….”
“…Young Master?”
“Ah, no. Please take good care of my youngest.”
It was then that Jin Wi-kyung, with an utterly unconvinced expression, patted Hyuk Moo-jin’s shoulder.
“Benefactor! When are we leaving? Huh? Benefactor?”
“…We’re leaving now, so please, just close your mouth.”
Was bringing him along the right choice?
Doubt suddenly washed over me, but Chung Poong was perfect for this mission requiring a small, elite force.
‘His skills are certainly reliable.’
If anything went wrong on this journey, Chung Poong would be worth ten thousand soldiers.
“Sichuan! The Divine Physician! This is so exciting!”
“….”
It’s not too late yet. Maybe I should just leave him behind.
I left the Pavilion amid tremendous internal conflict.
At the entrance, the final member of this Sichuan expedition awaited.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
At my words, he opened his mouth with a shadowed expression.
“Requesting me was not a wise choice.”
“No. You have to come with us.”
“I have only mastered the Ten Thousand Li Chasing Wind Body Technique up to…”
“…the Fifth Stage.”
“H-how did you know that!”
“…Have you mastered anything beyond the Fifth Stage?”
The Fifth Stage and Han Eum the villain.
No, Hu Gae and Gung Ki-bang from the Beggar Clan were the final members.
Hyuk Moo-jin, Chung Poong, Gung Ki-bang. Looking at this lineup assembled together, it was no joke.
I spoke with a sigh.
“Come on, let’s go. You bastards are like the Bermuda Triangle.”

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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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