Murim Login - Chapter 331

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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 331
Seon Hwa-a (船火兒). A child who lights the fire on a boat.
It was a term that meant a boatman. At the same time, it was also an alias that referred to a specific person.
“Stronghold Master.”
At his subordinate’s call, the man sitting cross-legged in the center of the cabin opened his eyes.
His pupils gleamed with crystalline brilliance. True to his nature as a seasoned boatman, his skin bore a bronzed hue, and his body was corded with muscle. The prominent temples bulging at his sides marked him as a master who had reached the pinnacle of cultivation.
“What is it?”
A thick, low voice flowed from between his parched lips. His subordinate answered with utmost deference.
“There is a vessel fifty zhang away.”
“A vessel? Are they brothers of our alliance?”
“No, sir.”
Then there could be only one answer.
On the Yangtze River, which swept majestically across the realm, there existed only those who took and those who were taken from.
“How many?”
“Approximately fifty. They do not appear to be merchant traders.”
“I see.”
“What shall we do?”
“Handle it quietly. No commotion.”
With those words, the man closed his eyes once more.
Unless it were a warship sent by the imperial court, the matter was far too trivial for him to intervene personally.
As always, his subordinates would execute his orders without fail.
‘To disturb my meditation over such a trifling matter.’
The man dispelled his irritation and sank back into contemplation.
It had been roughly a decade since I reached the pinnacle. Yet now I found myself blocked by an invisible wall.
I had consumed plundered elixirs and even experimented with opium, said to reveal visions never before experienced, but all proved futile.
‘At this rate, it will be difficult.’
Water Dragon Stronghold ranked among the top ten major strongholds within the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance.
Thanks to its location in Sichuan, where vast resources flowed, it was renowned as a prime territory even within the alliance.
Yet the man, who had only recently entered his forties, harbored far greater ambitions.
‘Alliance Master.’
To become the master of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance. To become the king of the Yangtze itself—that was his goal.
Those ignorant of the situation might scoff at such audacity, but the man possessed both the ability and the backing to achieve it.
A decade ago, he had become master of Water Dragon Stronghold at the tender age of just over thirty—proof of his capability.
“Huuuuh….”
The man drew a long breath. As I absorbed and circulated the natural qi permeating the atmosphere, my heightened senses received information from my surroundings.
The damp scent of water. The movement of the fast-sailing vessel gradually slowing its pace. And even the cries and laughter of my subordinates.
– Krahaha! What luck meeting us! Who is the ship’s master?
– I, I am, sir.
– You dared sail without permission from us heroes? Are you prepared for the consequences?
– I, I am deeply ashamed for not recognizing you esteemed heroes of the Yangtze. Please accept this humble offering as a token of my sincerity….
Thud, crash, bang!
With the impact came the sound of someone crashing to the deck. Sharp screams erupted in succession, and the man’s brow furrowed.
‘I told them not to make a commotion.’
No martial artist enjoyed having their training interrupted. No matter how rough and uncouth these brutes were, they should have understood simple instructions.
The man with eyes wide open was about to rise from his seat when it happened.
Boom! Crack! Boom! Crash crash crash!
With those tremendous sounds, everything fell silent.
‘It seems it’s finally over.’
The man, his irritation subsiding, closed his eyes again. Or rather, tried to.
If not for the question that suddenly crossed his mind, he would have succeeded.
‘But… why is it so quiet?’
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Soft yet resonant footsteps drew closer toward the cabin.
Soon, someone stopped outside the door and spoke in a voice tinged with a yawn.
“What are you doing? Come out.”
“…!”
A strange voice he’d never heard before.
Alarm bells rang through the man’s mind.
‘An enemy!’
Everything unfolded in an instant.
The man’s body shot upward with lightning speed, his form launching toward the door.
A single fist, brimming with power mighty enough to shatter even a massive merchant vessel, burst through the thick wooden door and hurtled toward the enemy beyond.
And in the next moment.
Boom!
A deafening sound and shockwave rocked the merchant ship.
The man stared with wide eyes at his opponent.
More precisely, at the palm that had blocked his fist.
A growl rumbled between his clenched teeth.
“Who are you?”
“Me?”
The young man smiled faintly and answered.
“The owner of this ship.”
Flames erupted from the eyes of the man, Moo-song, the Fire Child of the Ship.
“You impudent whelp… I’ll show you the heavens.”
* * *
I kicked at the middle-aged man’s legs as he lay sprawled across the deck.
“How long are you going to stare at the sky? Get up, quickly.”
Focus returned to his unfocused eyes. The middle-aged man, groaning, raised his upper body and stared at me with a dazed expression.
“H-how did you break the Ship-Shattering Fist so easily…”
“Wait, the Ship-Shattering Fist?”
Right, now I remember.
I’d definitely seen that martial technique somewhere before, but my memory was hazy, and I’d been curious about it.
Intrigued, I looked the middle-aged man up and down.
“What’s your relationship with Chul Soo?”
“Ch-Chul Soo? Who are you talking about?”
“You know, that guy. Chul Soo, Chul Soo…”
Gung Ki-bang, who had quietly slipped into the conversation, continued.
“Chul Soo Shin-ryong.”
“Right. Chul Soo Shin-ryong. When we met at the Seonglae Tournament, that bastard was going on about Wave Fist or something.”
If I recalled correctly, it must have been in the first preliminary round.
He’d spouted some nonsense about considering it an honor to witness the Wave Fist, so I’d smashed the cliff to pieces with my Extinguishing Flame Divine Fist.
‘I heard he forfeited right after that and left immediately.’
In the Murim, it had only been about a month, but because I’d experienced so many incidents, it felt like a distant past.
In any case, the middle-aged man before me had learned the same martial technique as Chul Soo Shin-ryong, and possessed skill a level above his—a master at his peak.
The man, whose eyes had been blinking like a goldfish, stammered out a question in a trembling voice.
“D-did you know my youngest brother?”
“Youngest brother?”
“The Chul Soo Shin-ryong you mentioned is the youngest of us three brothers. He’s the third. I’m the second.”
Huh? I’d heard about this before too.
People had endlessly gossiped about Chul Soo Shin-ryong’s master.
“Then could it be…?”
The middle-aged man nodded.
“That’s right. My master is the one called the Sea King.”
“Jang Bogo!”
“…?”
“No, it’s nothing. Just talking to myself.”
“But why did you suddenly switch to formal speech…?”
“Well, of course I should use formal speech. You’re a senior of the martial world and a hero of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance. Please, speak comfortably, senior.”
In truth, whether it was the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance or the Green Forest Alliance, they were all criminal organizations full of social misfits in my eyes.
But…
‘If he’s the Sea King’s disciple, that’s a different story.’
If the Sea King heard that I’d beaten his disciple senseless trying to steal the Kuaijo, he wouldn’t be pleased.
At least with Cheon Ryeok-bu of the Green Forest Alliance, I had a clear justification, so they couldn’t say anything, but in this case, I needed to smooth things over carefully.
I helped the bewildered middle-aged man to his feet and brushed the dust from his clothes.
“Look at your clothes getting all dirty. What should we do? You’ll need to get them dry-cleaned.”
“W-why are you suddenly doing this?”
“I told you to speak comfortably. I did have some unfortunate misunderstandings earlier, but if I’d known you were with the great Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance, I would have resolved it peacefully through conversation. You understand, right?”
“…Is that really true?”
“Of course. Do I look like some lowlife who would lie to a senior?”
The middle-aged man’s gaze, which had been fixed on me, shifted slightly upward.
Looking up, I could see a flag towering above the passenger ship, with characters written so large they were visible from a hundred meters away.
Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance.
“….”
“….”
I parted my lips heavily.
“I’m illiterate, so I can’t read characters.”
“….”
Yeah, I knew that wouldn’t work.
I clenched my fists and looked at the middle-aged man.
“Let’s just let this slide peacefully.”
“…Very well.”
* * *
Whoooosh.
The passenger ship cut powerfully through the water. Chung Poong, who had been sitting at the bow catching the wind, came running over excitedly and started chattering away.
“Benefactor! It’s incredibly refreshing!”
“Of course it is—it’s still early spring.”
“There are so many fish!”
“Of course there are—it’s a river.”
“The people on the other ship are getting hit an awful lot!”
“Of course they’re getting hit a lot—wait, what?”
What did I just hear?
Chung Poong answered with a bright smile as I doubted my ears.
“Every time the captain swings that big oar, flesh tears and blood sprays everywhere!”
“….”
The middle-aged man, Moo-song, was apparently lining up his subordinates and beating them with a paddle.
It made sense—he’d just suffered humiliation after carelessly touching a passenger ship.
“Pretend you didn’t see anything. You saw nothing.”
“Could I ask if I could go hit them just once?”
“No. Please don’t.”
Ignoring the gazes of the surrounding sailors who looked at me as if questioning whether this was even human, I spoke to Gung Ki-bang.
“You should have warned me beforehand if you knew.”
“I’m not a fortune teller. How am I supposed to know who’s on every single water vessel?”
Gung Ki-bang answered with an exasperated expression and muttered.
“Anyone who charges in after seeing the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance flag is insane—what’s the point now?”
“Hey, I can hear you.”
“I meant for you to hear it. Even when I tell you things, you don’t listen—what do you expect from me!”
“Ha, this bastard’s grown quite bold. What do you think about this unfortunate situation, Moo-jin?”
Hyuk Moo-jin answered.
“Bleeegh!”
“…You get seasick easily. Rest.”
So this so-called supreme master is still in that state.
Chung Poong watched Hyuk Moo-jin’s back as he gripped the railing, retching repeatedly, and pouted his lips.
“I wish I could get seasick too. I’ve never experienced it before.”
“….”
You’re fortunate. There’s so much you still wish to experience.
Being on the boat, I found myself acutely aware of the Bermuda Triangle’s power today.
‘At this rate, we’ll be drifting on the Yangtze River.’
As I was thinking such thoughts, Moo-song, a man of imposing stature, descended onto the deck with a graceful movement that belied his massive frame.
He threw the blood-stained oar to his subordinate and approached me with a question.
“Is there anything uncomfortable?”
“Ah, no. Everything is comfortable, Senior.”
Moo-song’s gaze swept past Hyuk Moo-jin, who was still retching.
“That friend doesn’t look very comfortable though.”
“It’s fine. I’m comfortable, so that’s what matters.”
“….”
“Is something the matter?”
“Ah, no. Anyway, you’re heading to Chengdu?”
“Yes. How long will it take?”
“Our current position is Guang’an, which you could call the gateway to Sichuan… At this pace, four days. If we catch the wind well, two days should suffice.”
That speed was comparable to, or perhaps slightly faster than, employing a light body technique.
An ordinary vessel would have taken far longer, but this swift ship, the pride of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance, made it possible.
I bowed sincerely with clasped fists.
“Thank you.”
“What are you saying? It’s nothing difficult.”
Moo-song’s cooperative attitude stemmed from learning the true identities of our group.
Myself, a disciple of Fire King Red Sky River, Hu Gae of the Beggar Clan, and Chung Poong, who inherited the legacy of Sword Saint Mae Jong-hak. As for the last one from the Great Tae Won Jin Family… ah, let’s skip that.
“In any case, Chengdu is just around the corner, so rest easy while you wait. The waters of Sichuan are firmly under my control.”
“Impressive, Senior.”
“Without my command, no one dares commit any mischief on the Yangtze River. Hahahaha!”
It was at that very moment he burst into hearty laughter.
– Kyaaaaaaah!
– Kill them all and take everything!
At the distant, faint screams, I muttered.
“Seems like someone’s quite good at mischief….”
Moo-song’s face flushed crimson as he shouted.
“Who dares cause trouble on the Yangtze River!”

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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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