Murim Login - Chapter 459

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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 459
A flower drenched in water does not lose the inherent beauty it possesses.
Hong Ran was no different. Though hardship had left her gaunt, even that appearance resembled a single hydrangea blossom.
“I bow before my benefactor.”
In that moment, I finally understood what people meant by a voice like rolling jade pearls.
Her face, unmarred by any cosmetics, gleamed with an almost blinding whiteness, and beneath her long, delicate lashes lay eyes as brilliant as the morning star.
“Ah…”
“How can one possess such beauty…”
Gasps of admiration rippled through the gathered crowd.
Those who had been marveling at Hong Ran’s beauty hastily closed their mouths and withdrew when they caught the look in my eyes.
They likely felt shame at their own conduct, displayed while hundreds of lives were being consigned to watery graves.
Then again, one might say Hong Ran’s beauty was so extraordinary that it could make people forget such realities.
‘Had circumstances been different, I would not have been unlike them.’
Composing myself, I opened my mouth to speak.
“I’m relieved you’ve awakened. How do you fare?”
Hong Ran bowed her head slightly as she answered.
“Though I cannot compare to my benefactor, this humble woman has trained in the martial arts. It seems I can move without great difficulty.”
From what I could discern, her martial prowess barely reached the first rank.
While she might not qualify as a fully accomplished master of the first rank, a martial artist who had built her strength through physical discipline and breath control possessed vitality far beyond that of ordinary commoners.
‘A blessing indeed.’
The fact that Hong Ran was a martial artist proved fortunate both for her and for the other survivor who had been rescued alongside her.
I turned to the Military Official still standing watch.
“Where is Ju Won-gong?”
Ju Won-gong—a fortunate collateral member of the imperial family who had taken pleasure boats out on Dongting Lake even amid these troubled times. He was the other survivor.
“If you speak of the young prince, we’ve moved him to a secure location with an impenetrable guard. According to the Physician, he has passed the critical phase, but when—or if—he will regain consciousness remains uncertain.”
This was the same Military Official who had been directing operations when I first arrived at Dongting Lake.
Responsible for the security of Dongting Lake, one of the vital regions of Hubei Province, he continued in his characteristically rigid manner.
“When word of this reached the City Lord, he was seized with great fury. Though the attempt failed, regicide is among the gravest of crimes. He has immediately mobilized all naval forces and troops within the city to hunt down these treacherous villains and execute them without mercy…!”
“Regicide was not their objective.”
“Pardon?”
I fixed my gaze upon the bewildered Military Official and continued.
“Dark Heaven. You may have heard the name.”
“Dark Heaven? You mean that band of brigands causing havoc in the Martial World of late?”
“Brigands?”
The word choice drew an involuntary laugh from me.
Though the name Dark Heaven had begun to circulate among the common people since the Shaolin Blood Massacre, this Military Official before me had no conception of how formidable and terrifying their power truly was.
Gung Ki-bang, standing beside me, opened his mouth with an expression of utter exasperation.
“Military Official, sir. Do you know that this band of brigands slew Hongdao, the Abbot of Shaolin Temple?”
“That is…”
“Dok Wang, the Supreme Elder of the Sichuan Tang Sect, and Gyeong Cheon Shin-ni of the Emei Sect also met untimely deaths. Three legendary masters who shook the Martial World, along with nearly two thousand martial artists—all dead. And you call them brigands?”
“I’ve heard rumors about it, but I’m not entirely certain of the extent… Are you saying Dark Heaven orchestrated this?”
“There are limits to ignorance. Good grief. Even a stray dog passing by would laugh at this.”
“That’s enough.”
I raised my hand to stop Gung Ki-bang. Then I continued speaking to the Military Official, whose face had flushed with embarrassment.
“The point is, their target was never Ju Won-gong.”
“What grounds do you have for thinking that?”
“If Dark Heaven had decided to kill him, Ju Won-gong would already be dead.”
“…!”
“If they wanted him dead, they could have killed him any way they chose. They could have ambushed him in broad daylight without anyone stopping them, yet they waited until he boarded a pleasure barge on Dongting Lake and dealt with him alongside other vessels? And they didn’t even bother to confirm whether their target lived or died?”
To Dark Heaven, Ju Won-gong’s life was like an object wrapped in cloth—something they could put away or retrieve whenever they pleased.
Moreover, there was no compelling reason to target a collateral branch of the imperial family who had already been exiled for his crimes.
If the goal was to sow chaos, the Emperor or Sangshan King Ju Pyo would be far more attractive targets.
I spoke with conviction.
“Their objective was not the assassination of imperial blood. He was merely one fish that happened to get caught in the net they had cast.”
“Then what on earth was their purpose…?”
“We’ll naturally discover that once we capture Hyung Soo.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s already established fact that Dark Heaven is behind everything. I’m referring to Hyung Soo, who directly carried out this deed.”
The Military Official, who had been standing slack-jawed, asked urgently.
“Do you mean to say you already know who Hyung Soo is, Great Hero?”
“I have my suspicions… but the account of someone who saw them directly would be more accurate.”
I turned my head to gaze at Hong Ran.
With Ju Won-gong hovering between life and death, she was the sole witness who held the key to unraveling everything.
“Did you see them?”
It was a brief question, but it was enough. Under the gaze of everyone present, Hong Ran’s crimson lips parted slowly.
“Yes.”
“…!”
“…!”
Shock and turmoil rippled through the room in an instant. In that moment, I clenched my fist tightly.
‘Finally.’
The chain of events stemming from the Hae-sa Bang. The figure—or figures—who had remained invisible until now was beginning to reveal itself.
I could not let this tail slip away. I had to pull it with all my strength, drag the body into the open, and deal with it.
Recalling the countless corpses of those sacrificed thus far, I asked again.
“Tell me exactly what you saw.”
“That is…”
A shallow crease formed on Hong Ran’s otherwise flawless brow.
As if recalling the circumstances of that moment, she paused to steady her breathing before speaking.
“Everything happened in an instant. Just as the atmosphere was reaching its peak, two military vessels nearby sank in rapid succession—that’s how it began.”
I listened intently to Hong Ran’s account.
Though Ju Won-gong was collateral branch, he was still legitimate imperial blood. The two military vessels that accompanied him for protection collapsed under the sudden assault, and the pleasure barge, which had been enjoying itself moments before, descended into chaos.
“But no one could stop it. Even though nothing was visible, the ship tilted with a tremendous roar, and a single streak of Qi from somewhere swept across the vessel. That was the end of it.”
“Qi…!”
“Without doubt. In that single strike, most of the peak masters guarding Young Master Ju and the warriors of the Qing Xia Bang perished.”
The scene of that moment materialized vividly before my eyes.
Qi was the most destructive force of all. Even those who had never witnessed it would recognize the dazzling brilliance of its nature upon encountering it.
Hong Ran was no exception, and it would have been a strike that neither Ju Won-gong’s guard warriors nor the Qing Xia Bang’s fighters could withstand.
Perhaps recalling that horrific memory, Hong Ran’s voice trembled thinly.
“But in the final moment, the guards risked their lives to push Young Master Ju away, and I embraced him and threw myself into the river.”
Hong Ran’s quick judgment saved both herself and Ju Won-gong.
Those whose bodies had frozen in terror were mostly slaughtered not long after, and even those still clinging to life could not endure the bitter cold of the deep night and the injuries sustained from the fall.
And in the dark waters of Dongting Lake, Hong Ran said she witnessed something rapidly receding into the distance.
“A person. Just one person.”
“…!”
The moment the tail reveals itself. I clenched my lips and asked again.
“Are you certain?”
“How could I deceive my benefactor? Though it was but a fleeting moment, I saw it clearly with these two eyes.”
Hong Ran was the only witness, and she was also a martial artist who had reached the first-rate realm. The likelihood of it being true was high if she was this certain.
‘That’s right. It’s him.’
Just as thoughts of someone brushed through my mind, the Military Official, who had been listening to our conversation with a vacant expression, suddenly opened his mouth.
“A-are you all in your right minds? No matter how skilled you martial artists are, this is not land but Dongting Lake. Dongting Lake, as vast and deep as the great sea!”
“Is there anyone here who doesn’t know that?”
Gung Ki-bang muttered like a sigh, and Hyuk Moo-jin clicked his tongue.
“So?”
“So what do you mean ‘so’! I’ve heard plenty about how wondrous the abilities of you martial artists are, but this is far too absurd, is it not?”
The Military Official, thoroughly agitated, shouted while spittle flew from his mouth.
“Even the Water Thieves of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance I’ve encountered before are not of that caliber. Yet how could anyone swim so swiftly across these vast waters and single-handedly sink dozens of vessels including the imperial warships…!”
“It is possible. If it is the person I believe it to be.”
A crystalline voice rang out. Hong Ran slowly parted her lips before everyone’s gaze.
“He breathes like a fish and swims faster than one, and he is a master of Water Arts capable of single-handedly sinking dozens of vessels. I cannot speak to how formidable the Water Thieves you know are, but at least here in Dongting Lake, even if the Sea King himself arrived, he would not be able to match him.”
Hong Ran’s gaze turned toward the azure waters beyond the military camp.
Dongting Lake. A renowned scenic wonder counted among the finest in all the realm, with a history and beauty unmatched. And one old fisherman who had guarded Dongting Lake his entire life.
No. A supreme master of the previous generation and a water arts expert who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Sea King.
I quietly recalled his epithet.
“The Dongjeong Fisherman Elder.”
“…!”
The intelligence from the Haowen Sect was correct. The Dongjeong Fisherman Elder had not left Hubei Province.
Feigning death, he remained here in Dongting Lake—a place as obvious as beneath a lamp—evading everyone’s suspicion and scrutiny.
And at last, I had discovered the tail of Dark Heaven that was the Dongjeong Fisherman Elder.
‘Finally, I’ve come this far. This cursed old man.’
Already far too many sacrifices had been made. Before it was too late, I had to capture the Dongjeong Fisherman Elder and uncover every detail of Dark Heaven’s movements and plans.
It was the only path that could prevent an even greater catastrophe.
Thus, Hong Ran’s words in the next moment shone like a torch illuminating the darkness.
“Does my benefactor perhaps know? The Dongjeong Fisherman Elder has hidden several secret places throughout Dongting Lake where he resides.”
“You speak of this because…?”
“I do not know the exact locations, but I am aware of several places I suspect. Once you have made your preparations, if you tell me, I can guide you there personally.”
“…!”
I clenched my fists tightly. And immediately rose from my seat.
“Let us go there. At once.”

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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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