Murim Login - Chapter 351

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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 351
Waiting breeds impatience, and time crawls like a wounded beast.
Had I been one of the countless twenty-somethings existing in twenty-first century South Korea, I might have descended into half-madness by now.
Ten days trapped in this dim Underground Prison without a smartphone or WiFi would have shattered any ordinary mind.
But I possessed something those ordinary young people did not.
Martial arts.
Ding.
–
[Qi Circulation Meditation]
has been completed successfully!
–
[Internal Force]
increases slightly!
“Exhale.”
I breathed slowly and deeply, gathering the qi within my body.
Chung Poong, who had been snoring away beside me as my protector during the meditation, groggily opened his eyes.
“Oh, are you finished?”
“Exhale.”
“Master?”
“Exhale.”
“Master, are you hurt somewhere?”
“….”
Why does this fool keep breaking my concentration?
Knowing he would continue pestering me if I didn’t respond, I reluctantly answered.
“Don’t talk to me.”
“Why?”
“Qi dissipation.”
There’s a reason bodybuilders constantly sing about muscle loss.
Meditation doesn’t simply end when the breathing exercise concludes—one must gather the qi, savor the lingering sensations, and sink into contemplation.
“Oh, my apologies.”
“You of all people should know this. Why are you acting like this?”
Chung Poong scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“I didn’t know such a thing existed….”
“What? Then how have you been doing it all this time?”
“I just get up and go play whenever I finish.”
“From the very beginning?”
“Yes.”
“…Didn’t Geom-seong Maejong-hak teach you this?”
“Grandfather said that dust gathered is still just dust. He said it’s more important to do what you want during that time. He said such experiences become the seeds of enlightenment later.”
A YOLO cultivation method, then.
Hearing such stories, it became abundantly clear that Geom-seong Maejong-hak was indeed a peculiar figure among eccentrics.
Wait, hold on.
‘That bastard has higher martial power than me.’
My current martial power reserves slightly exceeded a hundred years of cultivation.
At this level, I was not only far superior to my peers, but had reached the standard where even the great sects of the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance would need to actively push me forward to introduce me properly.
This was only possible because he had overcome life-threatening crises in the Martial World and obtained various fortuitous encounters, including the Yeolhwa Divine Elixir.
So how could his martial power be higher than mine?
“Chung Poong, you’ve been taking Hua Mountain Sect’s elixirs!”
Chung Poong’s official sponsors were none other than the Sword Saint and the Hua Mountain Sect. If he had received their assistance, it wouldn’t have been impossible.
But Chung Poong’s answer to my reasonable suspicion was simple.
“No, sir. My grandfather dislikes people coming to find him.”
“Ah, that’s right. Then how did you accumulate that much martial power?”
Chung Poong, who had been pondering, opened his mouth.
“It was just… accumulating on its own.”
….
“Oh, and I received the Marrow Cleansing Technique quite often when I was young. Hehe.”
What do you mean, speaking of the Marrow Cleansing Technique as if it were just washing your face?
I stared blankly at Chung Poong’s awkward smile and thought to myself.
‘This guy really was born to be the protagonist.’
Innate genius combined with fortunate encounters. Everything came naturally and effortlessly to him.
The phrase “it works when you do it” seemed to have been created specifically for Chung Poong.
“This filthy world.”
“Benefactor, what is it?”
“Nothing. It’s just one of those things.”
“I see.”
My already frustrated chest now felt as if a hundred sweet potatoes had been piled upon it.
I had been considering asking Chung Poong for advice about the so-called ‘wall’ that Murim practitioners speak of….
‘There’s no point asking this guy.’
It was right as I exhaled a small sigh.
Screeeech.
“…Huh?”
“…Benefactor?”
A heavy grinding sound pierced my ears. My heart sank and began to flutter as I watched Chung Poong’s eyes widen, his gaze fixed over my shoulder.
Surely not. Surely not.
‘It’s only been ten days.’
As I slowly turned my head, my vision filled with an iron gate slowly opening at the far end of the corridor.
Toward the two figures who finally revealed themselves, I asked with a trembling voice.
“How… did it go?”
There was no answer. But that was enough.
Divine Physician and Moon-kyung—the two exhausted masters looked at me and smiled broadly.
It was a smile so bright it could illuminate the pitch-black Underground Prison.
* * *
“The treatment has concluded successfully. There were difficult moments along the way, but we managed to overcome them safely, and we were able to complete the treatment faster than anticipated….”
The Divine Physician’s voice that followed seemed to come from a distant place, faint and muffled. Only that first phrase—that the treatment had ended successfully—continued to echo in my ears.
Yes, the treatment was successful. I had heard the words I most wanted to hear, and that was enough.
‘Old Master Noya.’
Without realizing it, my grip on Red Sky River’s hand tightened.
Though he still lay with his eyes closed, not yet at the stage of regaining consciousness, I could feel it distinctly.
‘The vital essence has returned.’
That was not all. Over the course of ten days, Red Sky River’s appearance had undergone considerable transformation. The age spots had vanished, the wrinkled skin had become taut and smooth, and the body that had grown increasingly withered now bore flesh once more.
Compared to before, he looked at least ten years younger—perhaps even twenty.
“Could it be…?”
I let my question trail off as I gazed at the Divine Physician.
Noticing the inquiry in my eyes, the Divine Physician smiled faintly.
“Unfortunately, it is not a complete rebirth of bone and marrow. However, the medicinal materials used in the treatment process and the essence of the thousand-year snow ginseng proved to be of great benefit to the great hero.”
“Ah, I see.”
Both disappointment and joy washed over me simultaneously.
It would have been wonderful if he had seized this opportunity to advance to an even higher realm, but it seemed I had momentarily harbored expectations that were too grand.
“You seem disappointed.”
“Oh, no, not at all.”
I quickly waved my hand in alarm. These were two people who had successfully completed a grueling treatment without complaint. It would have been rude to show such an expression.
“I was merely….”
“Hehe. I meant no reproach. How could I not understand the heart of Young Master Jin, who thinks so deeply of his master? Is that not so?”
“Indeed. Your words are absolutely correct, Master.”
Moon-kyung, who had answered respectfully, continued speaking toward me.
“The great hero should regain consciousness within three days at the latest. Since the treatment has only just concluded, his vital essence needs time to settle properly, so there is no need to worry excessively.”
“Three days at the latest.”
“Yes. Of course, even after awakening, he should refrain from expending his strength excessively for some time. Since the great hero is a renowned figure even in the Martial World, he should recover quickly.”
“That should be the case. He is always brimming with vitality. So then, does this mean now that….”
“Yes.”
Moon-kyung nodded with a smile.
“The yin and yang have achieved balance, and no trace of the formless poison remains. The treatment is complete.”
“…Phew.”
I exhaled the breath I had been holding. Along with a sense of all my strength draining away, a sensation of weightlessness washed over me.
How long had I waited for this answer?
As I collapsed weakly to the ground, the Divine Physician opened his mouth with a mischievous expression.
“It seems this quack old man was not very trustworthy to you, Young Master Jin.”
“Oh, no, it is not that I distrusted Old Master Dong. It is just, well, you know how these things are. Do you know what So-hyup means?”
“I have no idea!”
“…Never mind. It was my mistake to ask you.”
Divine Physician’s laughter grew even louder.
He gazed at us with the contented expression of someone watching his grandchildren play, then patted my shoulder.
“Everything will be fine now. Should any unforeseen circumstances arise, this old man will remain to handle them, so put aside any lingering worries.”
“Pardon?”
Seeing my expression, Divine Physician hastily waved his hand.
“There’s no need for that look. I’m simply staying to watch over my treated patient as they regain consciousness.”
“Phew, you startled me. You should have explained it that way from the beginning.”
I thought there was something else he hadn’t mentioned.
Moon-kyung, who had been smirking at his master’s momentary confusion, opened his mouth.
“Forgive the interruption, but I believe I must take my leave now.”
Startled by the sudden announcement, I asked back.
“What? Already?”
“Yes. By now, Myo Ryung Temple should have regained consciousness, so I thought I would go check on her.”
“Still, you must be exhausted. Rest a while longer.”
“No, truly. I haven’t done much anyway. If I still have energy, shouldn’t the younger one be the one to move? Isn’t that right, Master?”
“You rascal!”
“Haha.”
Though concern stirred in my heart, it seemed their conversation had already concluded.
Watching Moon-kyung sling his pack over his shoulder, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.
“Moon-kyung.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you. Sincerely.”
A smile bloomed at the corners of Moon-kyung’s lips as he looked at me.
“That’s the finest greeting a physician could receive.”
* * *
“Master, Shanxi Sleeping Dragon requests an audience.”
Shhhh.
At the sound of a voice from beyond the door, the pure white serpent’s body slipped back into his robes.
Dang Sa-dok, whose rare moments of peace during the day had been disturbed, furrowed his brow.
“You mean that brat Jin Tae-kyung?”
“Yes.”
“For what reason?”
“He says the treatment is complete. And….”
The guard’s voice continued, tinged with bewilderment.
“He wishes to use the borrowed item for a few more days.”
“A borrowed item, you say.”
“Yes. He was quite clear about it. Furthermore, he requested to remain in the Underground Prison for a few more days as well.”
An indirect way of referring to the Poison Antidote Pill. Dang Sa-dok chuckled softly and murmured.
“What an audacious creature….”
“Sir?”
“That remark was not directed at you, so pay it no mind. Tell Jin Tae-kyung that I grant him permission, and continue your surveillance.”
“Understood.”
Dang Sa-dok tapped the table as he sensed the footsteps fading away.
He was neither a benevolent hero who offered aid without expectation of return, nor a righteous wanderer who could not abide injustice.
Though he had lent the family’s sacred artifact through his transaction with Jin Tae-kyung, it was equally natural for Dang Sa-dok to maintain his vigilance without pause.
‘The patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Sect trusts no one.’
An hour earlier, even a young physician apprentice attempting to leave the family compound had been subjected to thorough inspection and interrogation.
He had been permitted to depart only because his status was guaranteed; had he been a disciple of any minor sect, he would not have taken a single step beyond the gates.
‘Still, the news that the Fire King’s treatment is complete is most welcome. Truly, one must call him the Divine Physician.’
He had learned from his late father that Fire King Red Sky River was an extraordinarily obstinate old man.
His pride ran so deep that any debt of gratitude or grudge he incurred would be repaid, no matter what transpired.
‘That wretch… your thread of fate grows thin indeed.’
A verdant gleam flickered across Dang Sa-dok’s eyes.
The one-armed killer who had slain his father and Gyeong Cheon Shin-ni—Hyung Soo—was unmistakable. While not uncommon in the Martial World, such a distinctive mark was hardly ordinary either.
A cripple stood out wherever he went.
‘Flee. Flee wherever you wish. Until your final breath, the Sichuan Martial World will hunt you down.’
Grind.
It was the very moment Dang Sa-dok ground his teeth in silence.
“Uncle!”
An urgent cry accompanied the Pavilion’s doors bursting open. Simultaneously, Dang Sa-dok’s face contorted.
Not because of the Gate Master who had arrived unannounced, but because of the warrior standing beside him.
The tattered green martial robe, stained with blood, bore the characters of the Tang Family embroidered in silk thread.
“You are…”
There was no doubt. It was the Green Shadow Squad.
The Green Shadow Squad that should never have appeared here, in such a state.
Toward Dang Sa-dok, whose frame had gone rigid as stone, the warrior of the Green Shadow Squad cried out in a voice choking with blood:
“They’re coming! They’re coming for us!”

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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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