Murim Login - Chapter 543

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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 543
Boom. Boom.
As footsteps that shook the very earth echoed down the street, pedestrians parted left and right to make way.
Sa Ma-pyo, known as the Black Dragon, understood that their wary glances stemmed not from Tae-san’s presence beside him, but from something far more ominous.
‘It seems rumors about us have spread quite extensively.’
In truth, it would have been strange if they hadn’t.
A beggar leaning against the stone wall of an adjacent alley dozed fitfully, a yellowed knot protruding from his waist, while a street merchant swatting at flies bore faint calluses etched into his palms.
‘The Beggar Clan. The Haowen Sect.’
This was merely what was visible at a glance.
Wherever one ventured in Hanan, countless eyes kept watch, and Sa Ma-pyo was certain that word of his movements today would reach various figures before half a day had passed.
‘Not that I intended to hide.’
Concealment only bred greater suspicion. Sa Ma-pyo harbored no intention of sabotaging his plans through excessive caution.
– There, my lord.
Tae-san’s cautious voice transmission pierced his ear. Without betraying any reaction, Sa Ma-pyo pointed toward a thin noodle shop tucked away in a corner.
“I find myself craving thin noodles today. Care to join me for a bowl?”
“Huh?”
“Your belly is full, I see. Never mind then.”
“No! Tae-san likes thin noodles!”
“Then it’s settled. Good proprietor, prepare twenty bowls of thin noodles for us.”
The middle-aged proprietress regarded him with disbelief.
“…Did you say how many bowls?”
Sa Ma-pyo’s choice of the thin noodle shop was simple in its reasoning.
Few customers frequented it, likely due to its poor location, allowing him to exchange voice transmissions away from prying eyes.
The proprietor’s apparent disconnection from the martial world—a common civilian—was equally advantageous.
“Twenty bowls, as I said. As you can see, I have a ravenous beast in tow.”
“Ah, yes, of course!”
For her, it was unexpected fortune. As the proprietress’s eyes widened and her hands moved with urgency, Sa Ma-pyo’s lips curved slightly.
– You seemed to have something on your mind.
The small chair groaned under the weight it bore. Tae-san, perched precariously, responded.
– My lord. Tae-san… anxious.
– About what?
– Tae-san… did not obey the Sect Leader’s command. Tae-san worried about my lord.
A faint smile crossed Sa Ma-pyo’s lips.
– I suspected as much. So it was because of That Person after all.
– Disobedience brings misfortune. The Sect Leader grows angry. My lord in danger.
– Yes, he is more than capable of such things.
Sa Ma-pyo gazed down at the chopsticks arranged neatly upon the table.
His father, the Black Night King Sama Gong, came to mind—a man devoid of paternal affection.
Likely, his father regarded his children as he did these chopsticks.
‘Drop them on the ground and replace them. Dislike them and cast them aside.’
Seven brothers and nine sisters were abandoned in the same manner. Sa Ma-pyo was the final and most exquisitely crafted chopstick chosen by the Master of the Black Dragon Demon Gate.
‘Even that could change at any moment.’
Though the old man had long since passed eighty, his appetite and carnal desires remained vigorous.
With more than ten concubines beyond the traditional three wives and four concubines, blood relations stretched both above and below him in abundance.
But.
– Do not worry.
– Hmm?
Sa Ma-pyo swallowed a mouthful of the lukewarm water the proprietor had offered.
– Though he is heartless, it is precisely for that reason he cannot easily discard me.
The Dark Night King, Sama Gong, was undoubtedly a ruthless man. Thus he could regard reality with cold clarity, casting aside even parental affection.
That there existed no successor capable of replacing Sa Ma-pyo—who possessed martial talent surpassing his younger self and possessed keen judgment—flowed from the same logic.
And….
– There will be no censure. The path has merely changed, yet this too points toward what Father desires.
– My lord. Tae-san does not understand. Tae-san’s head is slow.
Toward Tae-san, who merely tilted his head in confusion at words he could not comprehend, Sa Ma-pyo offered a faint smile.
– There is no need to understand. Simply remain at my side. Do you grasp this?
– Tae-san. Tae-san listens to my lord. Tae-san is good.
Just as Tae-san nodded vigorously, the proprietor began setting bowls brimming with thin noodles upon the table.
“It is hot, so slowly….”
“Wow! Tae-san! I am grateful for this meal!”
“Oh my goodness!”
The startled proprietor watched as Tae-san lifted an entire bowl of steaming thin noodles and swallowed it whole.
Sa Ma-pyo’s face, which had been smiling softly at the sight, suddenly turned rigid and cold.
“Mm.”
Tae-san, who had been frantically wielding his chopsticks, lifted his head.
“My lord. What troubles you?”
“….”
“My lord?”
Sa Ma-pyo, who had been silently staring at something in response to Tae-san’s question, murmured softly.
“No. Nothing. It seems I merely saw something amiss.”
Yet Sa Ma-pyo knew the truth. The figure that had passed before his eyes was no mistake.
And he understood what it meant.
“…I should have simply obeyed obediently.”
“Hm? My lord. What did you say?”
Sa Ma-pyo exhaled a sigh instead of answering. By now, the final bowl rested in Tae-san’s hands.
“Shameless creature. Finish it.”
“Yes! Tae-san! I would offer my life for my lord!”
* * *
“Here you are.”
A voice clearer and more refined than a crystal piano. Two bamboo slips rested in the hand suddenly extended toward me.
‘What in the world is happening?’
Scarcely an hour had passed since the two uninvited guests from the Black Dragon Demon Gate departed and Jeok Cheon-gang went to the outhouse.
Yet another unexpected visitor had arrived—one whose timing transcended mere coincidence and ventured into the realm of bewilderment.
I stood there blinking silently before managing to dredge up my voice.
“What… is this?”
“An application.”
Ju Hwa-ran answered as though the question were obvious, then added:
“Two of them—mine and Song Il-seom’s, the escort here.”
Song Il-seom, standing behind her, muttered softly.
“I never agreed to this.”
“But I hired you. An escort naturally follows their employer.”
“This situation wasn’t in the contract. You’re in breach. If I join the Martial Alliance, the hazard pay will——”
“I’ll double it.”
“Well, that changes things.”
With the fortune she’d extracted from the Zhongnan Sect, Ju Hwa-ran displayed a refreshingly unrestrained generosity—a display that left me feeling as though I’d stepped into a sweltering greenhouse.
Of course, watching this unfold left me thoroughly unsettled.
“Then… truly?”
“Yes. Truly.”
Ju Hwa-ran nodded without hesitation at my question, her crystalline eyes fixed upon me.
“I want to join the Yiryong Gate.”
“…!”
I’d suspected as much, but hearing it directly from Ju Hwa-ran’s lips made my mouth go dry. After a moment’s contemplation, I spoke.
“I have no intention of accepting you simply because of past connections.”
“If that were your intention from the start, you wouldn’t have bothered with applications, would you?”
Ju Hwa-ran answered with a slight smile, and I felt an involuntary sigh escape me.
“It will be dangerous. Extremely so.”
“I already know. The Yiryong Gate—directly under the Alliance Leader’s Office, unlike other gates, commanding neither units nor brigades. It’s likely a special operations force in nature.”
She was correct.
Mae Jong-hak had envisioned operating Chung Poong and myself—considerable assets within the Martial Alliance—as a small-scale special operations unit, a proposal that had earned nods of approval from most of the leadership.
“Miss Ju, knowing that, why would you——”
“Jin Dae-hyeop.”
Before I could finish, Ju Hwa-ran cut in abruptly.
“Did you say the same thing to the other applicants?”
“Pardon?”
“That it’s dangerous. Why apply if you know the risks?”
Her voice continued, soft but pointed.
“It’s strange. You posted a notice because you needed people, yet you’re trying to discourage them like this.”
“That’s because——”
Watching my hesitation, Ju Hwa-ran let out a quiet laugh.
“You have nothing to say, do you?”
He had a point. I scratched the back of my head and reluctantly nodded.
“To be honest, yes. You’re right.”
“I came to this place as a martial artist, nothing more. I hope Jin Dae-hyeop will see me for what I truly am.”
“For what you truly are….”
“I may fall short in Jin Dae-hyeop’s eyes, but I too am a swordmaster who has reached the pinnacle of mastery.”
“Since we’re being honest, I’ll speak plainly—you do fall short. Song Il-seom, now that’s a different story.”
Poke.
Hyuk Moo-jin, who had been watching the situation in silence, gave me a subtle jab in the ribs.
But that was merely his excessive concern. As proof, Ju Hwa-ran’s gaze remained unwavering despite my blunt words.
“Even compared to the other applicants?”
“I can’t say for certain, but I suspect so.”
“What about experience?”
“Experience?”
“I began escorting missions with my father when I was twelve years old. In terms of experience and knowledge of the world’s geography, I believe I’m not inferior to any seasoned escort master.”
She was right. Ju Hwa-ran had once been the heir to the renowned Yongbong Escort Agency.
For the past several years, she had personally led the agency in place of her father, who had fallen victim to the Demon Cult’s poison.
‘The experience she gained through that… is certainly not something to dismiss.’
An escort agency is a group that wanders throughout the realm. They know the roads and information of every corner of the world, willing to employ any means necessary to complete their contracts on time.
Moreover, Ju Hwa-ran’s grandfather, the Escort King, had once successfully completed a ten-thousand-li journey while evading the countless eyes of the Demon Cult during the great conflict of the past.
“Jin Dae-hyeop.”
Her voice carried unmistakable resolve.
“I have no intention of being a burden. But I ask that you think coldly about this. Setting aside all past connections, consider whether Song and I are truly unnecessary to the Two Dragon Pavilion.”
“…!”
“I am fully prepared. Even if you reject me, I will accept it.”
I closed my eyes tightly.
Ju Hwa-ran was right. This was a matter that demanded cold reason.
The person waiting for my answer was not the woman I had walked with in the garden one night, where flowers had just begun to bloom.
‘Eun Bi-hwa, Ju Hwa-ran.’
A martial artist of considerable skill, recognized as one of the Ten Dragons and Phoenixes, and the young lord of the Yongbong Escort Agency.
Moreover, she possessed the various abilities necessary for the future missions of the Two Dragon Pavilion, which was essentially an independent force.
‘Then why?’
Why did I not want to acknowledge this fact? Why did I feel compelled to dissuade her at any cost?
“Um, Leader.”
At the sound of a voice piercing my ear, I opened my closed eyes. Hyuk Moo-jin, who had been gauging the situation, stammered on.
“There’s, uh, one thing you seem to have forgotten.”
“What?”
“All the other applicants have fled. I suspect tomorrow and the day after will be the same.”
“I know that, you fool. Il-yang Old Master was carried out half-paralyzed. So what?”
“Well, that’s just it. That’s all I wanted to say.”
Hyuk Moo-jin flinched and quietly turned his head away.
However, the meaning behind his words came through loud and clear.
“Sigh.”
I exhaled deeply, fixing my gaze directly on Ju Hwa-ran.
“Before I answer, there’s something Miss Ju should understand.”
I hesitated over how to broach the subject, but Ju Hwa-ran smiled knowingly at me.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Pardon?”
“I saw you on the way here. It’s strange not to notice someone with that kind of build. From the whispers I heard from people, I gathered roughly where you were coming from.”
Ju Hwa-ran continued in a composed voice.
“But what problem does that pose?”
“…!”
“I think I’ve given you enough time to think. Can I hear your answer now?”
I gazed at Ju Hwa-ran intently. My tangled thoughts suddenly felt organized and clear.
Or perhaps the organization wasn’t quite complete yet.
But at least for now, I knew what answer I needed to give.
“Yes. I agree.”
A radiant smile bloomed across Ju Hwa-ran’s face.

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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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