Murim Login - Chapter 335

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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 335
Just as in the real world, Sichuan in this realm boasted vast expanses of territory.
Shanxi, Hanan, and Shaanxi Province combined could barely compare to Sichuan’s area—it was almost too obvious to mention.
‘Truly a continental scale.’
With such boundless space, it was hardly surprising that three tigers coexisted within a single province.
‘The Emei Sect and Qingcheng Sect, both belonging to the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance. And….’
Finally, the Sichuan Tang Sect. Or the Tang Family.
One of the three tigers crouching in Sichuan, and positioned closest to Chengdu, making it the perfect first destination.
‘If I can secure cooperation from all three sects and add the Beggar Clan to the mix, this endeavor will become far smoother.’
As I entertained such thoughts, Gung Ki-bang, following a step behind, pointed ahead.
“We’re almost there. The Sichuan Tang Sect.”
He was right. Before my eyes stretched a vast basin, and above it rose towering stone cliffs.
Though the distance prevented precise measurement, they appeared to exceed ten meters in height by a considerable margin.
“What is this, some kind of fortress they’ve built?”
“They learned from history.”
“History?”
“During the last great conflict, they suffered terribly. When the Demon Cult occupied Sichuan, many of their bloodline perished, and the Tang Family Tower, their main stronghold, burned to the ground.”
“Their headquarters got completely destroyed.”
“Not entirely. As they retreated, they unleashed every conceivable deadly poison, and the Demon Cult forces who charged in recklessly were decimated. Do you know what the Sichuan Tang Family’s family motto is?”
“Huh, you remember the Northern Region?”
“…What nonsense is that?”
“You know nothing. Gung Snow.”
Gung Ki-bang, regarding me with a look as if I were mad, opened his mouth.
“Repay kindness twofold. Repay grudges a thousandfold.”
“Damn, that’s cold.”
“Cold indeed. Those Demonic Heretical Way bastards who sided with the Demon Cult during the occupation died in agony, their bodies ravaged by the seven poisons.”
“Poison death?”
Poison assassination, direct assassination, sending pursuit squads for extermination—they died in every conceivable manner. A few might have survived by fortune, but survival would have been a living hell.”
That much was understandable.
Even now, I couldn’t help but wonder if that figure approaching from ahead was an assassin sent by the Tang Sect, or if poison had been slipped into my tea. Trapped in a psychological prison of such dread, one would spend a lifetime suffering from nervous exhaustion.
Trembling in a corner with a sword in one hand and a silver spoon in the other.
“When it comes to poison and hidden weapons, the Sichuan Tang Sect stands supreme in the realm. They are reclusive and relentless—none can match them. Did you happen to see anyone from the Sichuan Tang Sect during the Seongnae Tournament?”
Thinking back, I didn’t recall seeing a single representative.
Even sects like the Namgung Clan, whose sect leaders didn’t participate in the Seongnae Tournament, sent important figures—yet I never heard that anyone from the Sichuan Tang Sect attended.
“Doesn’t seem like it?”
“Right?”
“Yeah, truly no one.”
“That’s the Sichuan Tang Sect.”
Completely their own way. No compromise.
An ominous feeling washed over me. As I listened to this account, an unsettling premonition began to take root.
‘Am I going to be flatly rejected just like this?’
I’d even brought a letter from Sword Saint Mae Jong-hak to secure their cooperation, yet this unease refused to dissipate.
Suppressing such thoughts, I was channeling my movement technique when Gung Ki-bang suddenly spoke.
“It would be better to walk from here on.”
“Why bother?”
“If we approach too quickly, the Sichuan Tang Sect won’t take it well.”
“They might actually like it.”
Gung Ki-bang pointed to a massive boulder ahead of us.
Written on the boulder in blood-red characters was this message:
[Those who approach without permission shall pay the blood debt.]
“Let’s walk. I’ve been wanting to walk since earlier anyway.”
….
“Sometimes you need to observe your surroundings like this, gaze up at the sky. That’s what living is really about.”
Moo-jin, Gung Ki-bang, and I ceased our movement technique, but one person did not. A figure shot forward directly toward us on a sharp gust of wind.
Whoooosh!
“Waaaaah! Hello there!”
“Chung Poong, you madman!”
“I’m Chung Poong!”
Waving his hands vigorously as he shot forward, a boy of similar build clung to his back.
Chung Poong spoke to Moon-kyung, who was swaying pitifully left and right.
“Doctor, say hello!”
“Ah, hello!”
Please, no….
Don’t make him do anything strange, and don’t follow along if he does.
I stretched out my leg to grab the back of his neck, but the Sichuan Tang Sect’s response came faster.
Screeeech! Boom!
From atop the stone wall, a massive spear as tall as an adult man was hurled down with tremendous force. The shaft of the spear, which embedded itself precisely in front of Chung Poong’s feet, trembled violently.
And in the next moment.
“Who are these people!”
Click, click, click!
Accompanied by a shout infused with formidable inner energy, dozens of crossbows appeared atop the stone wall.
Among the countless arrowheads glinting in the sunlight, a middle-aged guard with wide eyes shouted at us again.
“Outsiders! Identify yourselves!”
Chung Poong answered.
“Hello! I’m Chung Poong!”
“I-I am called Moon-kyung, sir. P-please, if you would show mercy and lower your weapons, this humble one shall be eternally grateful, dying and dying again a hundred times over…ugh!”
Enough, you trolls….
With both hands, I hastily covered Moon-kyung and Chung Poong’s mouths, then bowed repeatedly toward the stone wall.
“My apologies, my apologies. The children lack discipline. I am Jin Tae-kyung of the Taewon Jin Family.”
“Jin Tae-kyung of the Taewon Jin Family?”
The middle-aged guard’s pupils dilated slightly as he pondered something.
“The Shanxi Sleeping Dragon Jin Tae-kyung, disciple of Fire King Red Sky River?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I gestured toward Gung Ki-bang, who had arrived a beat late, and continued.
“And this is Gung Ki-bang, the Hu Gae of the Beggar Clan—not the Five Immortals and One Sage villain.”
“A disciple of Fire King Red Sky River and the Hu Gae of the Beggar Clan.”
His tone and expression remained skeptical, yet the wariness in the middle-aged guard’s eyes had noticeably softened.
As he flicked his fingers, the crossbows trained on us lowered toward the ground.
“What brings you to the Main Residence?”
“I wish to meet the Family Head.”
“The Family Head?”
“Yes, it is a matter of importance.”
The middle-aged guard frowned at my answer, but this was not something to discuss in the streets.
The Sword Saint Mae Jong-hak was no fool, and there was a reason he had written and personally delivered a handwritten letter rather than using a messenger.
“The Family Head is currently occupied with pressing matters. The Main Residence is not receiving any outsiders at present, so I suggest you depart and try again another time.”
“If you would simply convey the message—”
“Impossible. The one who issued such orders to me is none other than the Family Head himself. And if the matter were truly so urgent, wouldn’t advance notice have been sent?”
What? Why is he being so obstinate? This wasn’t part of my calculations.
Gung Ki-bang seemed to share my sentiment, whispering in an ant-sized voice.
“Something feels off. Even if the Sichuan Tang Sect is reclusive, it shouldn’t be like this…”
I agreed. The immediate threat of crossbows and that initial stern demeanor were the kind you’d see in wartime.
‘Quite the hospitality we’re receiving.’
But I couldn’t simply complain when I’d come seeking cooperation. Without revealing all my cards, I’d need to show at least half of them to meet the Family Head.
‘There’s no choice.’
After a brief hesitation, I met the middle-aged guard’s gaze directly and spoke.
“I carry a letter from the Sword Saint Mae Jong-hak.”
“…!”
“Please allow me to meet the Family Head.”
The effect was immediate. The Sword Saint Mae Jong-hak was an idol among martial artists and a towering figure who might become the leader of the new Martial Alliance.
He was incomparable to upstarts like us who had only recently made a name for ourselves over the past year.
“…Hmm. Wait here for a moment.”
The middle-aged guard, who had uttered a low sound and vanished into the stone wall, returned after a brief interval.
And his first words were all but predetermined.
“The Family Head has granted permission.”
The moment the middle-aged guard finished speaking.
Grrrrrk.
A massive iron gate groaned and slowly opened its maw.
* * *
Not long after passing through the iron gate, I realized my earlier suspicion had been correct.
‘Something has happened. I’m certain of it.’
People who appeared to be blood relatives of the Sichuan Tang Sect. Their rigid movements, tense gazes, and the very atmosphere itself were proof of this.
The sense of alienation only grew stronger as we left the Outer Hall and entered the Inner Hall.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Craftsmen ceaselessly hammering at something, martial artists in martial robes moving about in pairs, and boxes laden with weapons and hidden projectiles being carried by various hands.
At the sight of this, Gung Ki-bang and I exchanged silent transmissions with each other.
– Hey, am I the only one getting a bad feeling about this?
– Tell me about it. No matter how I look at it, they seem to be preparing for battle.
– Could they have discovered a demon cultist? One of those who set fires to the Sichuan Tang Sect during the Righteous Martial Tournament?
– I’m not sure either. For now, it’s best we keep our mouths shut and play dumb.
I was already thinking the same thing. If I’d intended to say anything, I would have done so long ago.
But the real problem was that this transmission had only reached my ears.
“Wow! I’ve never seen anything like this before! Are you preparing for war?”
“…!”
“…!”
For a moment, I thought the world had frozen.
The craftsmen and martial artists of the Sichuan Tang Sect around us had stopped all movement and were silently staring at us.
Hundreds of gazes pierced through my entire body like hidden projectiles.
‘What sin did I commit in my past life to become entangled with a fool like Chung Poong?’
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Was this the Room of Spirit and Time itself?
By the time my mouth had become as dry as the sand near the Sphinx’s paws, the middle-aged guard who had been guiding us spoke to the people.
“What are you doing? Get back to your work.”
Only then did the frozen world begin to move again.
The middle-aged guard, who had glanced at the people returning to their tasks, tossed a remark toward us.
“You all seem to have tight lips. I like that.”
On the surface, it sounded like praise.
But why did it sound like a warning to keep our mouths shut if we wanted to live long?
‘Why? Because it’s the damn truth, that’s why.’
Perhaps it was because of their association with poison and hidden projectiles.
Though clearly inferior in martial skill to me, the people of the Tang Family, including the middle-aged guard, emanated a distinctly dangerous aura.
“Hold your breath. That’s poisonous mist. The smell alone is quite foul.”
“…Yes, understood.”
So that dangerous aura was from that smell.
I glared at the blue-haired fool who continued looking around with a bright expression, then followed the middle-aged guard.
How much further did we walk?
In that time, we passed through five doors, and before the sixth door, we finally came to a halt.
“Weapons cannot be brought into the Family Head Hall.”
Following the middle-aged guard’s words, we had to surrender all our weapons and then submit to a search by the martial artists guarding the Family Head Hall.
‘They’re incredibly thorough.’
Then, as the escort warrior was patting down my body to search for any hidden projectiles I might have, he suddenly gasped in alarm.
“There’s a hidden projectile here!”
“It’s not a hidden weapon—it’s an object.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s mine. You know, that… thing.”
“…!”
This humiliating situation was unbearable.
I would sooner draw a poison-laced hidden weapon in the Family Head Hall than retrieve that object. At least that way, death would come swiftly and mercifully.
The Middle-aged Guard’s eyes widened as he examined the actual item, his reluctant permission granted.
“Impressive, you are.”
“…Could you please just let us pass without saying anything more?”
“Very well. Though it is quite impressive.”
“Please, I’m begging you.”
The guard caught the genuine desperation beneath my plea and was about to signal our passage when his brow suddenly furrowed.
“Nearly forgot. You there—you’re excluded.”
Ah, right. That one was still here.
The “you” the Middle-aged Guard referred to was Moon-kyung.
“I hear you’re a physician who came to obtain medicinal formulas from the Main Residence?”
Moon-kyung, dragged here against his will, answered in a trembling voice.
“Y-yes.”
“Normally that would be impossible… but you’ve been fortunate to meet good companions. I’ll assign someone to escort you. Go and conduct your business.”
“Th-thank you so much.”
As the man bowed deeply and disappeared with one of the guards, the Middle-aged Guard gestured us forward.
“Come inside.”
Twenty steps carved from blue stone.
And at their end, a single gate.
“Uncle, we’ve arrived.”
An aged voice answered the Middle-aged Guard’s words.
“Enter.”

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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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