Murim Login - Chapter 321

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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 321
“What… what did you just say?”
Hwang Bo-eom’s voice trembled as though it might shatter at any moment.
The snow-white beard that had made him resemble an immortal sage bristled outward, and the pair of eyes fixed upon me had turned glacial and rigid.
I answered with a gentle smile.
“Did I not just tell you? I came to see what sort of nonsense you were attempting. Quite. Deliberately.”
In that instant, cyan sparks erupted from Hwang Bo-eom’s eyes.
“Kha—!”
A colossal wave of qi energy radiated outward from Hwang Bo-eom, with Noh Ho-sung at his side amplifying the force.
The aura emanating from a supreme master of the highest caliber caused the table—no, the very ground itself—to undulate like a vessel caught in a tempest.
Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch!
The interior of the tea house descended into chaos. Dozens of tea vessels shattered with a deafening cacophony, and hot water sprayed in all directions.
With a sharp gasp, the proprietor who had been cowering in the corner collapsed to the ground.
In that fleeting moment, I raised my sleeve to shield Ju Hwa-ran’s face from the scalding spray, then clicked my tongue disapprovingly.
“For someone of your years and station, it is unseemly to cause such a disturbance in another’s establishment. There are innocent people present.”
“You dare—”
The aura radiating from Hwang Bo-eom intensified further.
It was the aura of none other than the First Sword of Zhongnan Sect. Even the swordsmen of the Taeul Sword Squad, who had been arrayed protectively around him, recoiled as though burned, their faces contorted in shock, while the members of Yongbong Escort Agency, including Ju Hwa-ran, had turned deathly pale.
“Ugh!”
“Gasp!”
No matter how exceptional a late-stage master might be, the gulf between them and Hwang Bo-eom was as vast as heaven and earth.
Baek Moo-sung, hailed as the rising talent of Huashan Sect, and Gung Ki-bang, the successor of the Beggar Clan who commanded one hundred thousand techniques, were scarcely different from Ju Hwa-ran in this regard.
Among all those present in this room, only three appeared unaffected.
One of them was naturally myself.
“Benefactor. When are we leaving with the Sect Leader?”
Of the remaining two, one was Chung Poong, who cared for nothing but the Sect Leader, whether it was the Tae-eul Mujeong Sword or anything else.
And the last was—
“Hmm.”
A swordmaster with fierce, piercing eyes: Song Il-seom.
As he exhaled a low grunt beneath the pressure of Hwang Bo-eom’s aura, his eyes met mine, and his brow furrowed before he turned his gaze away.
‘I dislike you too, you bastard.’
From the moment I first laid eyes upon him until now, Song Il-seom had consistently reeked of something foul.
Whether my suspicions were mere fancy or grounded in truth would not take long to reveal itself.
“Perhaps it is the lack of ventilation, but the air feels rather stifling.”
I spoke with perfect composure and summoned my inner force. A century’s worth of accumulated power, coiled within my dantian, unfurled like an invisible curtain between the tables.
Only then did Ju Hwa-ran, released from the suffocating pressure, exhale the breath she had been holding.
“Miss Ju, are you unharmed?”
“Yes, yes.”
Ju Hwa-ran, still breathing heavily, gripped my sleeve tightly.
“Thank you, So-hyup Jin. But this—”
“Enough.”
Her voice was cut short by Hwang Bo-eom’s interjection.
The man who had transformed from an immortal sage into a malevolent demon now glared at me with murderous intent.
“Your arrogance pierces the heavens, boy.”
“I’m naturally quite good at piercing things. I use a spear, after all.”
“Do you understand what you are doing right now?”
“Of course.”
I leaned back loosely against the rigid chair and continued.
“I’m rescuing innocent people who fell into a trap dug by someone. Though I happened upon them by chance, naturally.”
“A trap, you say. That someone surely refers to the Main Sect.”
“Well, you’re free to interpret that part however you wish.”
The fury that had clouded Hwang Bo-eom’s eyes subsided. What emerged at the corner of his mouth was unmistakably a sneer.
“It seems you don’t understand that every word carries responsibility.”
“Judging by the fact that I’m here, I seem to understand it quite well myself.”
“Listen here, boy. You’ve just insulted the Main Sect with baseless drivel you cannot prove. Do you wish to make the great Zhongnan Sect your enemy?”
“It’s laughable that fellow Orthodox sects are drawing lines between allies and enemies. Are you perhaps from the Demon Cult?”
“You insolent wretch!”
“I already know about the situation with the Yongbong Escort Agency. That’s why I’m here.”
I picked up the snow ginseng rolling across the table and continued speaking.
What I held in my hand was undoubtedly a superior spiritual medicine. Yet the name revealed through item appraisal remained unchanged.
‘Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng.’
I already knew that what the Zhongnan Sect had commissioned the Yongbong Escort Agency to transport was Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng—a legendary spiritual medicine that granted a decade’s worth of cultivation in a single dose, something martial artists would stake their lives to obtain.
Its value was said to be whatever price one could demand.
‘According to the information Gung Ki-bang brought me, the Yongbong Escort Agency staked everything on this delivery.’
Unless Ju Hwa-ran was a fool, she would never have abandoned such a crucial shipment in a cart and pretended ignorance.
So why was this inferior Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng here instead of the Thousand-Year variety?
‘It’s obvious.’
Either the Zhongnan Sect or Hwang Bo-eom personally had orchestrated this.
Moreover, the Zhongnan Sect had been deeply involved in the Yongbong Escort Agency’s collapse over the past two years.
Bun-ta, the Xi’an branch leader of the Beggar Clan—whose intelligence network rivaled even the Haowen Sect—had already grasped most of the circumstances.
‘This is the final blow.’
The Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng was the killing stroke meant to topple the cornered Yongbong Escort Agency.
They had dangled an irresistible bait and dug an inescapable trap beneath it. The result now unfolded before my eyes.
But…
“From what I’ve seen in life, that’s how the world works. Even when everything appears finished, something unexpected suddenly springs forth and scatters it all to pieces.”
Hwang Bo-eom regarded me with contempt as I muttered softly.
“A milk-smelling brat who hasn’t even lost his baby teeth, yet your tongue wags so freely. Does it not show that a provincial rustic from Shanxi has become the Fire King’s disciple?”
“You needn’t worry since I’m still young. Rather, it seems Great Hero Hwang should be concerned about your own aging.”
“How shall I tear that cunning mouth of yours?”
“I’m not sure if my mouth is cunning, but I do know about the Zhongnan Sect’s trait—that you cannot speak a single word before true masters. Wasn’t it about a year ago? Your senior brother gave you a preliminary lesson before departing.”
The image remained crystal clear in my mind—the Angry Sword Immortal wielding the name of Zhongnan Sect to pressure the Taewon Jin Family.
Even the sight of him being driven away without a single coherent word when Fire King Red Sky River appeared.
I kept my mouth shut and gazed at Hyuk So-pyung, who sat beside Hwang Bo-eom, before continuing.
“I even reviewed it the day before.”
Hwang Bo-eom was a sharp-eyed old man.
Realizing what had happened, he clicked his tongue and muttered.
“…Insects crawling all over the Main Sect, it seems.”
“But surely pests are better than venomous insects, are they not? From my perspective, getting drunk and causing a disturbance is far more respectable than destroying an entire escort agency’s reputation.”
“Venomous insects to me? Hehehehe, hehehehe!”
Contrary to my expectations, I felt no agitation from Hwang Bo-eom now.
He was already looking down on everyone, including me. Like a kite circling above, ready to snatch its prey.
“Do you understand what it means to make the Great Zhongnan Sect and me your enemies?”
His wrinkled hand pressed against the table. The spilled tea water slowly rose, transforming into the shape of an arrow that aimed precisely at the space between my brows.
“If I so wish, today would be your memorial day.”
That’s just your opinion.
Thinking such thoughts inwardly, I opened my mouth.
“I’m not sure. From my perspective and from the perspective of the Great Sect Leader, it doesn’t seem like a particularly good choice for either side.”
“That is precisely why you remain alive. I shall personally punish you for today’s actions later. If you wish to avoid a dog’s death, withdraw now. This is a matter between the Main Sect and the Yongbong Escort Agency.”
Just as I was about to respond, a hand tugged at my sleeve.
Simultaneously, a trembling woman’s voice pierced my ears, carried on inner force.
– Jin So-hyup….
Two days ago, Ju Hwa-ran’s eyes, which had sparkled with pristine clarity, now swirled with turbulent emotions.
Fear and anger at the current situation. And relief mixed with worry at my appearance.
I could fully understand what she was thinking, what she wanted to say.
– I’m grateful for your consideration… but he’s right. This is a matter between the Yongbong Escort Agency and Zhongnan Sect. If you become further involved, Jin So-hyup will be drawn into danger as well.
As I gazed into Ju Hwa-ran’s eyes, a memory from a year ago suddenly surfaced.
If Fire King Red Sky River hadn’t appeared that day when the Angry Sword Immortal spoke of sealing the Taewon Jin Family for such absurd reasons, what would have happened?
‘Orthodox Sects? That’s utter bullshit.’
The righteousness conceived by the powerful differs from that of the weak.
I wouldn’t say all who belong to the Orthodox Martial Arts World are evil. But neither do I believe all are good.
There must be those with wicked hearts even in Shaolin Temple, and I believe there are righteous people even in the Demon Cult, called the den of vicious fiends.
Orthodox, Righteous, Demonic. Good and evil coexist in all of them.
‘It’s not about the sect, but about the individual.’
In the end, what matters is the person. And that old man before my eyes, viewed through such a lens, is one of the world’s greatest bastards.
I took a deep breath and opened my mouth toward Ju Hwa-ran. Not through transmission, but with my voice.
“Miss Ju.”
“J-Jin So-hyup?”
“You’re right, Miss. This is a matter between Zhongnan Sect and the Yongbong Escort Agency, and if I meddle in it, I’ll only suffer losses from overstepping. No matter how great the Taewon Jin Family is, we fall far short before the name of Zhongnan Sect.”
For a moment, Ju Hwa-ran’s eyelids trembled as surprise washed over her.
The deep resignation emanating from her.
But my words were far from finished.
“Truth be told, I had such thoughts on the way here. Whether this was right, whether I should simply pretend not to see and pass by.”
“So-hyup Jin. That’s enough. You don’t need to continue.”
“No.”
I shook my head and pressed on.
“At first, I thought it was only because the image of Miss Ju kept surfacing in my mind. But then….”
As I shifted my gaze, Hwang Bo-eom came into view, laughing as though amused.
An elder of the Zhongnan Sect, one of the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance, and the one who possessed the greatest martial prowess among them.
Though his martial skill was superior and his temperament more meticulous, Hwang Bo-eom was fundamentally the same breed of human as the Angry Sword Immortal.
I fixed my gaze upon this second Angry Sword Immortal and parted my lips.
“It felt like shit.”
“…!”
“…!”
I didn’t need to see it to feel it. The turbulent aura rippling through the air.
I continued as though exhaling a sigh.
“The character for ‘righteous’ means correct. So it’s called the Orthodox Sects, but this isn’t orthodox at all. If that’s the case, why not just use the character for ‘chocolate pie’ instead of the character for ‘righteous’?”
In all my years, I had never once considered myself a virtuous person.
I became a hunter for money, and in the Martial World, I had even entertained the thought of abandoning someone to survive.
I was a murky gray. Nothing more, nothing less.
But now, a strange thought occurred to me.
“Perhaps I was actually quite white after all. Judging by how far I’m willing to go.”
“You dare…!”
“Grand Master Hwang Bo.”
I smiled faintly at Hwang Bo-eom, who was about to unleash a tirade.
“Didn’t I say it before? That even when everything seems finished, something unexpected can suddenly pop up and scatter it all to pieces.”
I slowly extended my hand and tapped the empty air. Others might not see it, but I could. Hwang Bo-eom’s dominoes were crumbling.
“I’m not even your grandson, so why would I have spent this long talking with an eighty-year-old grandfather?”
In that instant, Hwang Bo-eom’s vacant expression twisted into a grimace.
He had sensed it too. The approaching auras of several people drawing rapidly toward the tea house.
“What scheme are you plotting?”
“The scheme was yours, and I….”
I turned my head and finished my sentence.
“Made a plan.”
That was the moment. The tea house door burst open and roughly a dozen people poured in.
First came five beggars laden with bamboo slips like a mountain—Bun-ta, the Xi’an division master of the Beggar Clan, and his subordinates.
And leading the other group was a woman I knew well.
“Congratulations on your promotion. It’s been a while.”
“Oh my, our young master. Congratulations after a year? You’re quite swift.”
Wol-hwa, the Shaanxi branch director of the Haowen Sect, raised her pretty eyebrows with a wink.

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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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