Murim Login - Chapter 456

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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 456
“Dongting Lake, out of nowhere? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Jegal Gyun’s bewilderment was fleeting. Though he occasionally displayed eccentric behavior, he possessed the keen intellect befitting his bloodline as a member of the Je-gal Family Estate.
The epithet Shin Ki Myo-ryong was not bestowed upon him merely for his expertise in mechanical contraptions.
“Are you perhaps searching for the Dongjeong Fisherman Elder?”
Jegal Gyun, who had arrived at the Je-gal Family Estate mere hours ago and heard the full account of events from me, already knew that the Dongjeong Fisherman Elder had been identified as one of the Hyung Soo.
“That’s right.”
“Given the sudden nature of this inquiry, the information must come from the Beggar Clan and the Haowen Sect.”
“More precisely, the Haowen Sect. They’ve been watching him for the past three years.”
“Watching, you mean surveillance. The Main Residence has also noticed something transpired between the Dongjeong Fisherman Elder and the Haowen Sect Master.”
“Regardless, this works in our favor. Read it.”
As Jegal Gyun accepted the bamboo slip from me, his eyes moved with rapid precision.
Having absorbed every word in mere moments, he rubbed his temples and murmured.
“The Dongjeong Fisherman Elder is still in Hubei Province?”
“According to the Haowen Sect’s intelligence, yes.”
“This is insufficient. Based on what’s written here, the Haowen Sect hasn’t pinpointed his exact movements—they’ve merely failed to detect his departure from Hubei Province.”
“I’m aware of that. But what if the information is accurate?”
“If that were the case….”
The Dongjeong Fisherman Elder, presumed dead by everyone, was actually alive somewhere in Hubei Province?
This could only mean one thing.
“If the Dongjeong Fisherman Elder truly is a minion of Dark Heaven and one of the Hyung Soo who annihilated the Dongjeong Pavilion, then it’s entirely plausible. In fact, it makes his status as one of the Hyung Soo all the more certain.”
Jegal Gyun nodded gravely.
“Indeed. Had he not been connected to Dark Heaven, he would have already exposed the tragedy of the Dongjeong Pavilion to the world and sought aid from the Main Residence and the Wudang Sect.”
Following the Hae-sa Bang, three water strongholds of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance, including the Dongjeong Pavilion, had been completely annihilated.
Had we not arrived when we did, and had it not been for Sun Hwa-ah Moo Song and the Fast Ship under his command, knowledge of the Dongjeong Pavilion’s devastation would have been delayed considerably longer.
“Yet a question remains. This is not something that can be concealed indefinitely. It would eventually come to light, merely a matter of time. Had Dark Heaven truly intended to cover this up, they would have handled it far more discreetly, without drawing public attention. They could have blamed the Hae-sa Bang incident on the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance.”
His words were sound. The reason the Je-gal Family Estate and the Wudang Sect could not cross the Tianling Waterfall was precisely because they lacked sufficiently sturdy vessels and skilled sailors.
Even without Moo-song and the Water Dragon Stronghold sailors under his command, they could have eventually recruited personnel from other regions.
Jegal Gyun, who had been staring intently at the bamboo slip, lifted his gaze to meet mine.
“Then what could be the reason for going to such lengths?”
I tilted the cup before me and moistened my throat.
“In ordinary circumstances, it would be to buy time.”
“Precisely. Dark Heaven would have needed time to escape. Yet the fact that the Dongjeong Fisherman Elder remains in Hubei Province is peculiar.”
“Yes, peculiar. Inconsistent enough that the pieces don’t fit together.”
As I answered candidly, Jegal Gyun’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“You’re entertaining a different theory.”
“I said it before. In ordinary circumstances, I said.”
“Then….”
“Dark Heaven doesn’t operate within the bounds of ordinary logic. You experienced that firsthand in Hanan, so you should understand.”
“…!”
“First, they throw a pebble to draw attention, then prepare the boulder. The Hae-sa Bang and three Water Strongholds won’t be enough. There’s clearly something bigger they’re after.”
The power and audacity wielded by Dark Heaven transcend all reason.
Two supreme masters of the previous generation, already among the Ten Kings, had fallen, and thousands of lives had been spilled like blood.
And these two blood massacres orchestrated by Dark Heaven bore one unmistakable objective.
“Divine artifacts….”
At Jegal Gyun’s murmur, I nodded quietly.
Dark Heaven had stolen the Jade Buddha Lamp, a divine artifact of Shaolin Temple, from Hanan, and attempted to seize the Poison Antidote Pill while attacking Sichuan.
Fortunately, the Sichuan operation had failed, but their objective was unmistakable.
‘Divine artifacts, or the annihilation of the great sects known as the Nine Major Sects and One Alliance and the Five Great Families.’
It was difficult to believe that such forces would perpetrate this carnage merely to eliminate the Hae-sa Bang and three Water Strongholds, which were subsistence-level organizations.
If anything, they might have been targeting the headquarters of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance, where the Sea King resided.
Jegal Gyun opened his mouth, his face rigid.
“Then there is ample reason for the Dongjeong Fisherman Elder and his subordinates to remain in Hubei Province.”
“It’s merely speculation for now, but we must assume they drew attention elsewhere to prepare for something far greater. The delay was merely a veil to make us believe they had already escaped Hubei Province.”
“Like the saying ‘darkness beneath the lamp’… Could they have already vanished through that bizarre formation technique called the Moving Truth Formation?”
“Rather say that Chung Poong passed by a dumpling shop.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, everything becomes clear.”
I stared through empty space as I spoke.
“The incidents at the Hae-sa Bang and Dongjeong Channel are pebbles. Next comes the boulder.”
Hubei Province, like a pond, was vast. Even if a pebble fell, its ripples would fade quickly and sink.
But if a boulder fell, water would spray, and the fish within the pond would not escape unscathed.
I had to prevent the boulder from falling before the pond turned crimson with blood.
“To prepare for any contingency, I shall inform the government officials and the Wudang Sect of this matter and strengthen defenses both internally and externally.”
“Be cautious of the government troops. You’ve heard what happened in Sichuan, haven’t you?”
The forces of Dark Heaven, led by the Western Heavenly Demon Lord, had disguised themselves as government soldiers and swept through the Tang Sect, Emei Sect, and Qingcheng Sect.
Since this was already known, Jegal Gyun, the young master of the Je-gal Family Estate, could not possibly be unaware of it.
“We are already vigilant. Though I doubt they would employ the same method twice.”
“Inform the Dongjeong Channel as well. A fast ship from the Water Dragon Stronghold should be waiting at the Zhao Yang Ferry Dock, so you can entrust letters to the household members.”
Using carrier pigeons would be faster and more convenient, but there was a risk of interception along the way, and the Je-gal Family Estate did not possess carrier pigeons trained to traverse the Dongjeong Channel.
‘The other two Water Strongholds that had maintained contact with the Dongjeong Channel were already annihilated.’
As the horrific vision of the Shi Shan Blood Sea flashed before my eyes, my fists clenched involuntarily.
From Shanxi to Hanan, then Sichuan, and finally the monster wave in Sichuan Province in the modern world. I had already witnessed far too many deaths crossing between two worlds.
Creak.
As I rose from my seat, Jegal Gyun asked.
“Are you leaving immediately?”
“The sooner the better. Even if I don’t know where they are now, I must go to Dongting Lake first and search for traces.”
“It won’t be easy. The Dongjeong Fisherman Elder spent his entire life in the vicinity of Dongting Lake, so he likely knows several secret places unknown to the world.”
I clenched my fists and spoke.
“Hey, are you Dark Heaven?”
“Pardon?”
“Is it Dark Heaven?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Then stop spouting nonsense and just cheer me on, you bastard.”
Jegal Gyun glanced at my fist and quickly responded.
“Yes, sir. I’ll mobilize all the information resources of the Main Residence and cooperate with the Beggar Clan and Haowen Sect to search every region outside Dongting Lake thoroughly.”
“Do well. I’m leaving.”
As I turned to go, I realized I’d forgotten one important question and paused.
“Wait. Does the Je-gal Family Estate have any divine artifacts?”
“Of course. There’s the four-wheeled carriage that our ancestor Je-gal Moo-hu rode during his lifetime, the Twenty-Four Treatises on Military Strategy that compiled his martial insights, and the White Feather Fan as well.”
“…Well, that’s quite a collection.”
I wasn’t sure how remarkable a wheelchair, books, and a fan could be as divine artifacts, but I needed to verify them just in case.
I spoke to Jegal Gyun.
“Let me see them for a moment. I need to check something.”
“They existed, but they don’t anymore.”
“…?”
“The Twenty-Four Treatises on Military Strategy was lost during the wars, the White Feather Fan crumbled from age, and the four-wheeled carriage was destroyed about two hundred years ago when one of our past family heads rode it. I can’t remember his name.”
“…”
What the hell.
Was this some grand scheme to destroy them before Dark Heaven could seize them?
Looking at these divine artifacts, it seemed they held no real significance beyond being items left by Je-gal Moo-hu, but it was still absurd nonetheless.
“The four-wheeled carriage still remains in a destroyed state though. Would you like me to show you that at least?”
“No, never mind.”
I answered firmly and left the Pavilion. Outside, the night sky had darkened again, and three people who had completed all their preparations awaited me.
Or was it four people?
“That bastard’s still breathing well, right?”
“Yes, benefactor.”
Just as I had done in Sichuan in the past, Chung Poong nodded while carrying a carrying frame on his back. Upon the frame sat Sam-gwe, bound in iron chains with all his meridians suppressed.
“He’s quite weakened, but if we periodically reinvigorate his vital energy with our inner strength, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“That’s sufficient.”
The reason for taking Sam-gwe along was simple—I wanted to check if there were any codes or marks that only those belonging to Dark Heaven would recognize.
That was the only value in keeping him alive.
“Let’s go, to Dongting Lake.”
We burst out from the Je-gal Family Estate and crossed the straight Official Road like a comet.
The wind that swept across my entire body seemed to carry the scent of blood.
* * *
Whoooosh!
We sprinted without sparing our strength.
Compared to me, Chung Poong, and Gung Ki-bang, Hyuk Moo-jin, whose inner strength and movement techniques were inferior, continued to fall behind, but it wasn’t a major problem.
“Get on my back.”
Hyuk Moo-jin, drenched in sweat across his entire body, shook his head with difficulty.
“Gasp, huff. No, I can run further!”
“You’re exhausted. Let me carry you.”
“Huff, truly I’m fine. I’m the vice-commander of the Jinryong Squad of the Great Tae Won Jin Family! I cannot bring shame upon the Main Residence and the commander….”
“And yet this same bastard was scrambling around picking up silver coins?”
“….”
“Either let me carry you or I’ll leave you behind. Choose.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
Though Hyuk Moo-jin possessed a considerable frame, I was blessed with extraordinary strength stats. Carrying a single person while running posed little burden to me.
‘I feel like a prized war horse.’
As I ran with this peculiar sensation, the sky that had been dimly lit when we departed the Je-gal Family Estate had surrendered completely to darkness, and the travelers who once frequented the Official Road had vanished from sight.
After more than two hours had elapsed in this manner, Gung Ki-bang, who had been channeling his full power through his movement technique, finally spoke.
His words, laden with the stench of blood and sweat, pierced through the night air.
“Wuhan.”
Wuhan was the capital of Hubei Province and a city that lay mere steps from Dongting Lake.
Yet due to the recent string of ominous incidents, the streets that should have bustled with the vitality of Bulya City lay eerily silent, not even a rat daring to venture forth.
‘From the perspective of ordinary citizens, it’s only natural. No one wishes to risk their life wandering the streets at night.’
Lost in such thoughts as I cut through the labyrinthine streets of Wuhan, it happened.
“Dongting Lake! A ship has sunk in Dongting Lake!”
“…!”
A scream erupted from somewhere in the distance, shattering the deep and suffocating silence of the night.

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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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