Murim Login - Chapter 551

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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 551
On the night when six young men and women secretly slipped out of Hanan, two figures clinked their cups together in a pavilion bathed in moonlight.
Clink.
With a crystalline sound, the cups broke apart. Fire King Jeok Cheon-gang tossed the liquor down his throat in one gulp, then let out a low murmur.
“The wine tastes off tonight.”
Mae Jong-hak, sitting across from him, smiled faintly.
“It seems Daughter’s Red doesn’t suit your palate, sir.”
“I’m not sure. My throat’s been scratchy since earlier, and my tongue tastes bitter. Could there be poison in this wine?
No one else could make such a remark, not even in jest.
Only Jeok Cheon-gang could say such a thing, and only because his conversation partner was Mae Jong-hak could they laugh it off.
“Me, poisoning the Great Swordmaster Jeok? That’s hardly likely. Though I suppose I’ll have to try it sometime.”
“Choose wisely. Now that I’ve gained confidence in enduring even the most formless of poisons.”
“Oh? Then I’ll investigate it with the full resources of the Martial Alliance.”
Jeok Cheon-gang replied gruffly.
“How frightening. Anyone listening would think you were serious.”
“Ah, was that a joke? I couldn’t tell.”
“…?”
Surely not?
Watching Mae Jong-hak nod as if he’d only just realized it, Jeok Cheon-gang felt a chill run down his spine.
‘I’ve never seen such a mad old fool.’
His appearance had grown young, but in the parts that mattered, he was no different now than forty years ago.
Really, there was no need to look far—just watching Chung Poong was proof enough.
‘Plant beans, harvest beans, as they say. Master and disciple alike….’
In that moment, the hand filling Jeok Cheon-gang’s cup trembled slightly.
‘Disciple.’
Splash. In the wine that spilled over, the bitter face of a certain middle-aged man was reflected.
Jeok Cheon-gang, staring intently at his own unfamiliar yet familiar reflection, suddenly opened his mouth.
“Nothing will go wrong. It won’t, will it?”
Mae Jong-hak refilled his own cup and asked in return.
“Are you worried?”
“Worried? Once a man passes his twenties, he should walk his own path. It wouldn’t be strange for him to establish his own household at this age.”
Though he spoke loudly, Jeok Cheon-gang’s taste remained bitter. The face of someone who must be heading south by now kept crossing his mind.
And Mae Jong-hak did not miss the emotion that flickered across his face.
“He won’t have gotten far.”
At those casually offered words, Jeok Cheon-gang replied with a bitter tone.
“…We’ve already said our farewells. What good would it do to meet again? My feet would only grow heavier.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
“So, the answer?”
“Hmm? What are you asking?”
“This fellow became Alliance Leader and lost his hearing. That… the question you asked earlier, remember?”
Jeok Cheon-gang, who had been fidgeting with his wine cup, continued cautiously.
“Nothing will happen. Right?”
Mae Jong-hak, who had been pondering something for a moment, answered.
“It could happen, or it might not.”
“…Are you calling that an answer right now?”
“Well, it’s a proper answer. I just said it with my own mouth, after all.”
“Damn it. This is driving me insane. Anyone could give an answer like that, couldn’t they?”
“Ah, you have a point there.”
“Then find an appropriate answer befitting the Alliance Leader! An appropriate answer!”
At Jeok Cheon-gang’s sudden outburst, Mae Jong-hak smiled faintly.
“He will handle it well. Just as he always has.”
“Do you mean that sincerely?”
“Of course. If I had no faith, why would I entrust such a grave responsibility to the Fire Dragon Pavilion?”
Jeok Cheon-gang’s voice grew noticeably calmer as he spoke.
“Have you also prepared contingencies for worst-case scenarios?”
“The Shadow Pavilion’s eyes and ears are scattered across the realm. The Southern Wilderness is no exception.”
“…!”
“Sending the Fire Dragon Pavilion to the Southern Wilderness is the fastest and most certain method. We lack the time to mobilize an entire army immediately.”
The current scale of the Martial Alliance was no smaller than it had been during the Great Righteous War of the past. In fact, one could argue it had grown even larger.
Though Shaolin Temple and the Sichuan Sect, among others, had suffered considerable losses, not a single city within the Nine Provinces—the domain of the Orthodox Sects—had fallen.
The problem lay in the time and resources required to assemble troops and dispatch them to the Southern Wilderness.
And the Fire Dragon Pavilion, led by Jin Tae-kyung, was one of the few cards the Martial Alliance could confidently play.
“Hmm.”
Yet no matter what he heard, Jeok Cheon-gang’s anxiety did not dissipate.
To him, who stared silently at his wine cup, Mae Jong-hak murmured in an ant-sized voice.
“There is one most certain form of support, though.”
“Huh? What did you just say?”
“Nothing much. Just talking to myself.”
“How dare you try to deceive me! I clearly heard you say something with these very ears!”
“Calm yourself and finish your drink. Then I’ll think about it.”
Jeok Cheon-gang, who had been staring intently at Mae Jong-hak, grumbled.
“Why do you keep trying to make me drink this tasteless wine?”
“Jeok Dae-hyup.”
“What is it?”
Mae Jong-hak gazed at Jeok Cheon-gang, who responded curtly, with a profound gleam in his eyes.
“You’ve already drunk five bowls of that tasteless wine.”
“….”
“This one you’re drinking now is the sixth.”
“….”
“Let us drink for now.”
Jeok Cheon-gang closed his mouth quietly and tilted his cup.
The liquor slid down his throat with a fragrant aroma, tasting far less bitter than his words had suggested. Moonlight fell softly upon his face as it tilted back with the cup.
‘Somewhere down there, I wonder where he is.’
A heartless bastard. Still, show me your face once before you go.
The murmur that echoed in my heart soon scattered away with a breeze from somewhere.
* * *
Clop. Clop.
The old horse’s footsteps were slow, and the straw that wrapped my entire body was cold and prickly.
Outside the carriage, the voices of hawking merchants and people were gradually fading away.
‘Did I escape?’
The moment that thought crossed my mind, someone’s whisper burrowed into my ear.
“Squad Leader. I need to take a dump.”
“….”
This madman Hyuk Moo-jin has gone insane even here.
Right now I had to minimize movement, making violent suppression impossible. I lowered my voice and hissed at him.
“You crazy bastard. Didn’t I tell you to go beforehand?”
“I’m nervous. That’s why.”
“Then hold it in, you son of a bitch.”
“Why are you cursing? I can’t even speak.”
“Do I look like I can help cursing right now? If you go here, what about the smell?”
Even just farting under a blanket makes me curse, and I absolutely refuse to let such a disaster happen while we’re buried together in this straw.
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about it. Wouldn’t the smell make it easier to pass through the checkpoint without inspection?”
“Just die. Please die.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve held it as long as I can, but I don’t think I can anymore. I think this is it for me.”
“Hey, Moo-jin. Wait. Just wait a moment.”
“I’ll accept my punishment gladly later.”
No! You bastard!
Just as I, seized by panic, was about to jump up regardless of cover,
“We’ve passed through the center streets of Luoyang. It’s a deserted mountain road now, so it’s fine to come out for a moment.”
“Gasp!”
“Phew!”
Whoosh!
Hyuk Moo-jin burst through the straw and bolted toward the grass. I, having snatched my life back from the brink of the abyss, bowed repeatedly to my savior.
“Thank you. I’ll live righteously. I’m truly grateful.”
“The checkpoint took a while, so it seems Hyuk So-hyup was in quite a hurry. It’s fortunate we made it in time.”
A familiar voice. Yet the face of the woman smiling faintly was unfamiliar.
Beneath the moonlight pouring through the tall branches, the freckles covering both cheeks and the rough, dull skin stood out strikingly.
‘No matter how many times I see it, it’s still strange.’
Only the facial features and minor details had changed, yet that alone transformed the entire impression so drastically.
The woman, Ju Hwa-ran, noticing my gaze, touched her own face.
“Ah, I’ve changed quite a bit, haven’t I?”
“Yes. Though your eyes remain the same.”
Laughter flickered across those beautiful blue-green eyes.
“That’s not something a mask can conceal. If it weren’t for Song, I would have struggled to procure even this quality of disguise on such short notice.”
Song Il-seom, seated at the coachman’s bench, added matter-of-factly.
“It’s nothing special. Just a miscellaneous craft I picked up to survive.”
“For a miscellaneous craft, it’s quite impressive.”
“It’s probably empty flattery anyway, but I’ll accept the compliment for now.”
That bastard really is stubborn. And I was being sincere too.
The completely transformed face of Ju Hwa-ran was Song Il-seom’s handiwork.
I’d known he’d lived through hardship from the bottom up, but I hadn’t realized he’d mastered mask-making as well.
‘This fellow is more useful than I thought.’
The various skills he’d acquired during his life as a Bandit would undoubtedly prove invaluable on the road ahead.
As I inwardly marveled at Song Il-seom, a sudden thought made my eyes widen.
“Wait. Then why don’t I have one?”
If I had a mask, there’d be no reason to haul around this ticking time bomb beside me like luggage.
Song Il-seom clicked his tongue at my indignant protest.
“Each person’s facial features are different. It takes days just to get the mold right for a mask. How could I make yours in such a tight timeframe? An ill-fitting mask would only draw unwanted attention. If you’re so upset about it, you should have learned the Art of Disguise.”
Hyuk Moo-jin emerged from the grass with a refreshed expression, having finished his business.
“Then what about the young lady? You said it takes days.”
“The young lady’s mask is….”
Song Il-seom’s words trailed off as his brow suddenly furrowed.
“Pointless talk. Shut it and bury yourself back in the straw. Don’t reek of shit in front of me.”
“He’s the one shitting and he’s complaining….”
Song Il-seom glared at Hyuk Moo-jin, who grumbled as he crawled back into the straw, then turned to me with a question.
“Will a blade work?”
“No.”
I answered firmly, then turned to Ju Hwa-ran.
“By now, the others should have escaped as well, right?”
Ju Hwa-ran, who knew exactly who I was referring to, gave a small nod.
“Likely. They headed for the West Gate, where inspections are weakest, so they’ve probably already left Luoyang ahead of us.”
I was concerned about Tae-san’s considerable bulk, but Ju Hwa-ran’s arrangements were sound, and with the Alliance Master Hall and Shadow Pavilion behind us, there was no need for worry.
Rustle.
Hyuk Moo-jin poked his head out from between the straw and asked.
“So we’re heading straight to Daebyeol Mountain from here?”
“Of course. We’ll change horses once along the way, but there shouldn’t be any problems until then.”
Ju Hwa-ran continued without hesitation.
“If we travel without stopping, it’ll take two hours. If we assume thorough inspections, it could take up to three hours. After meeting the other two at Daebyeol Mountain….”
“We leave Hanan immediately. Is that correct?”
Ju Hwa-ran smiled faintly and nodded.
“That’s exactly what the Alliance Leader said.”
“…Alliance Leader?”
“What’s wrong? Isn’t that the proper title?”
Technically, it was the correct form of address, yet it felt awkward—like wearing clothes that didn’t quite fit my frame.
I smacked my lips and nodded.
“Well, setting that aside. So there shouldn’t be any problems reaching Daebyeol Mountain?”
“Of course not. You could sleep deeply and wake up without any issues.”
Since Hanan was the stronghold of the Martial Alliance, it was no exaggeration to say the possibility of enemy attack was virtually nonexistent.
Yet I let out a soft laugh, my expression neither affirming nor denying—ambiguous and strange.
“Why are you doing that?”
“It’s nothing. Really.”
How could I explain this? After a brief moment of thought, I continued.
“It’s just… thinking about having a dream after so long makes me feel odd.”
“A dream?”
“Yes. I dream sometimes. So deeply that no one could wake me even if they tried to carry me away.”
At my cryptic answer, Ju Hwa-ran’s expression grew puzzled, while Song Il-seom furrowed his brow as if hearing nonsense.
Leaving their reactions behind, I buried myself deep within the straw piled in the cart’s cargo bed.
‘Two hours at most to Daebyeol Mountain. There’s plenty of time.’
Now was the time to finally indulge in a dream I’d postponed for far too long.
‘Logout.’
Ding.
With the clear chime of a bell, my consciousness began to sink slowly away.

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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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