Murim Login - Chapter 452

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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 452
Unlike when I first entered, the journey out proved far less arduous than anticipated.
While the currents of Tianling Waterfall primarily swept outward, the seasoned Water Thieves from within the Water Dragon Stronghold deserved equal credit for their masterful display of skill and experience.
“Hard to port!”
“Starboard—hold your oars until the signal drops!”
“More, more, more… now!”
“Heave!”
Whoooosh! Splash!
“The ship—the ship is tilting!”
“Jin, hold fast!”
“Someone help us!”
“…Damn these fools.”
Come to think of it, perhaps it was more difficult than I’d initially believed.
Yet nothing truly catastrophic occurred. Even without the formidable support of Jeok Cheon-gang and Moon-kyung, Chung Poong and I could navigate through most crises with relative ease.
‘The first time is always the hardest. The second time? Child’s play.’
The Water Thieves were not alone in growing accustomed to Tianling Waterfall’s savage currents. Having prepared myself well in advance, I unleashed a powerful dual palm strike with full force.
Boom!
The Fast Ship, which had been listing precariously, found its center of gravity once more. Now it was time to accelerate and escape this infernal maelstrom.
For such a moment, I called out to the man I had positioned at the stern.
“So-hyup, now!”
“Kiyah-hoo!”
“No, you madman! Stop hanging around like that!”
“Oh, my apologies, benefactor. I couldn’t help myself…”
“Just do it!”
“Yes!”
Boom-boom-boom!
Chung Poong was far removed from what one might call a normal person, yet his martial prowess was beyond question.
As dozens of palm shadows infused with tremendous force tore through the air and lashed the water’s surface, the Fast Ship, propelled by the resulting surge, leaped over Tianling Waterfall’s currents and landed safely beyond.
Crash! Whoooosh!
A towering spray of water engulfed the ship’s hull. Gung Ki-bang and Hyuk Moo-jin, drenched from head to toe in river water, muttered in unison.
“Damn it. Last time we were submerged, now we’re soaked. This is ridiculous.”
“I swear here and now—once this business is finished, I’m never setting foot on the Yangtze again. Every single day feels like beggary.”
“…Are you picking a fight with me right now?”
“No, but honestly, it does feel like beggary.”
“That’s true. My mood is foul, and you’re speaking truth. The truth is there, but my mood remains foul.”
“Ah, my mood is genuinely wretched.”
“…Enough. I understand.”
Those two never missed an opportunity to bicker like that.
Leaving behind the squabbling of the two sweet-and-sour dishes—one dipped, one not—the Fast Ship safely passed through Tianling Waterfall and surged swiftly across the Yangtze.
Then, approximately three hours later, when the Fast Ship that had departed at dawn reached the ferry dock of Zhao Yang, the sun had already climbed toward noon.
“The Yangtze River’s waters don’t reach Yongzhong Mountain where the Je-gal Family Estate is located, so from here on, we’ll need to travel by land.”
At the words of the Water Dragon Stronghold’s deputy leader who had come in place of Moo-song, I nodded.
Hubei Province was a place where water and land transportation had developed greatly, but that didn’t mean all tributaries of the Yangtze were connected. Ships couldn’t sail where there was no water.
‘These guys aren’t Vikings or anything.’
Instead, the wide and flat Official Road was well-maintained, so we could arrive quickly by carriage or using lightness techniques.
Zhao Yang and Yongzhong Mountain were relatively close to each other, so it wouldn’t take too long.
The Je-gal Family Estate’s retainers who had come to accompany us on Je-gal Poong’s orders weren’t idle either.
“I’ll immediately send word to Bun-ta in Zhao Yang to prepare carriages. With relay stations set up throughout the Official Road, we can reach the Main Residence quickly by changing horses.”
“Oh, right.”
The Je-gal Family Estate was a renowned major faction that divided Hubei Province alongside the Wudang Sect.
The Taewon Jin Family also established branch offices and outposts throughout Shanxi Province to solidify their control over their territories, and these people would have done no less, if not more.
It was like how large brands open chain stores, you could say.
‘Then we should arrive within half a day at the latest.’
It was the moment I stepped off the boat, roughly calculating the travel time in my head.
Tap, tap, tap.
A group appeared with orderly footsteps, surrounding the Ferry Dock.
I furrowed my brow, staring at these uninvited guests.
‘What is this now.’
About thirty martial artists.
They all wore high-quality cyan steel longswords at their waists and blue silk martial robes with a lustrous sheen, and at their appearance, Hyuk Moo-jin’s eyes widened.
“That is….”
“Why, do you know them?”
“No. I was just startled by those silk robes.”
“What?”
“That’s Shu Brocade from Sichuan, and it’s the finest silk under heaven. My father’s dream was to fill an entire storage warehouse with Shu Brocade. It’s that expensive and precious… yet they made martial robes from it. Whoever their employer is, they must have deep pockets.”
“….”
This bastard is critiquing silk quality when I asked him to identify them.
As I stared with an exasperated look, Gung Ki-bang interjected with a tsk-tsk sound.
“I can’t tell if this guy is a martial artist or a silk merchant. Don’t bother asking that Hyuk fool—ask this elder instead.”
“I don’t know about elders, but I can make cripples, so speak quickly before my fist flies.”
“…They’re martial artists of the Qing Xia Bang. Now please, relax your grip a bit.”
“Qing Xia Bang? What do those bastards do.”
Gung Ki-bang answered while looking at my fist, which remained tightly clenched.
“They’re not an official sect, but they wield considerable influence throughout Hubei Province.”
“For that, they all look pretty pathetic.”
I glanced at the martial artists lined up in the distance.
They wore martial robes made from expensive Shu Brocade and carried quality swords, but that was all.
Most of them were third-rate sword-wielders who didn’t even reach the first rank, and whether due to neglecting martial training in favor of appearance, they all had excellent physiques and handsome features.
‘They even have makeup on their faces.’
At this level, they weren’t martial artists but idols.
It was almost suspicious whether the K-pop craze that started in Korea had somehow transcended the world and even influenced the Murim.
Qing Xia Bang’s martial artists unit. Perhaps they came to perform at this event under some such name.
“Their group name—or rather, organization name—is Qing Xia Bang, right? These kids are doing well in Hubei Province?”
“I heard they’re decent at breaking wind.”
“Once they get into actual combat, they’ll probably wet themselves….”
Could it be that in Hubei Province, sect rankings are determined by popularity votes?
Just as I was pondering this seriously, a retainer of the Je-gal Family Estate opened his mouth.
“Qing Xia Bang is a kind of social club.”
“A social club?”
“Yes. It’s a place formed by the children of influential figures with varying degrees of power from all over Hubei Province. They’re always running around in groups causing all sorts of trouble, but since they have strong backing, things always end up being swept under the rug.”
“Ah, so it’s a gathering of the silver-spoon elite.”
“I beg your pardon….”
“It’s nothing. Well then, we should just continue on our way.”
So they were just empty carts making a lot of noise with flashy decorations.
The kind of pathetic rabble found everywhere. Having lost interest in Qing Xia Bang, I took the lead and moved forward.
“Which way should we go to reach Zhao Yang Bun-ta?”
“From this location, it won’t even take a quarter of an hour. First, head toward that main road over there….”
The Je-gal Family Estate retainer’s words trailed off.
From the main road he had just pointed to, a procession more lavish than anything I had ever seen was approaching.
“The heroes of Qing Xia Bang are making their grand entrance!”
As the Ferret-bearded Middle-aged Man cried out in a thin voice, musicians walking on both sides of the procession played their instruments, and beautiful women scattered flower petals into the air.
The main road was instantly engulfed in a festival atmosphere.
Common folk passing by watched the procession with expressions mixing discontent and anticipation.
At the end of their countless gazes sat ten men and women atop a four-person sedan chair adorned with dragons and phoenixes.
Draped in the leisure and laughter that only the wealthy could possess, they looked down upon the shabbily dressed commoners and threw something from their hands.
Whoooosh!
Not hidden projectiles…but money. Gleaming silver coins worth a hundred copper cash each.
Only then did I understand why anticipation had been written across the commoners’ faces.
“Waaaaaah!”
“Silver coins! Silver coins!”
“Jang Pal, you shameless bastard, how dare you try to snatch someone else’s silver! Take your hand off this instant!”
“Shut up. My hand got there first, didn’t you see?”
“You dog-like…!”
Over the endlessly falling flower petals and silver coins, the cheers and curses of the crowd drowned everything out.
A woman biting a silver coin to test its authenticity from this unexpected windfall, men claiming ownership and raising their voices before breaking into fights.
And the young men and women sitting in the sedan chair, laughing as they watched the spectacle unfold.
“This is absolutely ridiculous.”
A sight that made my head shake in disbelief.
Those silver-spoon elites scattering money and enjoying people’s reactions like watching a circus seemed contemptible, while the commoners scrambling over a single coin seemed both bitter and pitiful.
But in the end, it had nothing to do with me.
“Stop worrying about that and let’s go quickly….”
I trailed off, blinking in confusion. What is this?
They’re gone.
The men who had been standing beside me just moments ago had vanished without a trace, leaving only the Je-gal Family Estate servants awkwardly holding their ground.
“Wait, where the hell did all these bastards go?”
The hesitant servant raised his hand and pointed in one direction.
“Over there, sir.”
“…?”
I turned my head and found myself speechless.
Whoosh, swish swish whoosh!
“No! Stop!”
“That’s my silver coin!”
A single figure weaving between people with ghostly grace, snatching silver coins from thin air. No—a beggar.
‘The Ten-Thousand-Mile Chasing Wind Body Technique?’
This madman was actually using the Beggar Clan’s secret technique here.
And he was faster and more nimble than anything I’d ever seen before. He’d been whining about only mastering five levels, yet the movements he displayed now were at least seven levels or higher.
‘That bastard is single-handedly destroying the Beggar Clan’s reputation.’
Even for a beggar, could one be so devoted to their calling?
But our Taewon Jin Family’s dark horse was proving to be no less formidable.
“Hah!”
Swish! Tap tap tap!
Hyuk Moo-jin launched himself from the ground and swung his blade. The silver coins caught in the powerful, flowing arc of his strike soared into the air before cascading down onto his sword like a waterfall.
Hyuk Moo-jin’s face brightened as he confirmed the coins.
“Wow! Ten silver coins!”
“….”
That bastard definitely had ten reserved for him.
I swallowed the curses rising in my throat and searched for the last person.
‘Chung Poong, where the hell is that bastard?’
Unlike Gung Ki-bang, who was sweeping up silver coins with all his might, and Hyuk Moo-jin, Chung Poong was nowhere to be seen.
But knowing the habits of that creature called Chung Poong, I soon found him.
“I’ll take some sweet rice cakes and ten of those. Oh, and some savory pancakes too. Not the ones you just grabbed—those bigger ones over there with more filling. Wow, thank you so much! By the way, where’s the dumpling shop?”
Snap.
Something in my mind snapped, and I let out a cry with my eyes rolled back white.
“You damn bastards!”

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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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