Murim Login - Chapter 619

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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 619
Dok Hwa Pavilion….
A name that suited the Southern Wilderness perfectly, where all manner of poisons swarmed about. Though the trap lay in the fact that it resembled a sprawling mansion far more than an inn or establishment.
‘If Cheon Myeon Ho-ri’s directions are accurate, this should be the place.’
As I regarded the wooden structure on the verge of crumbling with suspicious eyes, the atmosphere surrounding the foreigners grew increasingly ominous with each passing moment.
“Damn these Han Chinese dogs!”
“Return to your lands!”
Whoosh! Crack!
Sa Ma-pyo, having dodged the stone hurtling toward the back of his head, muttered like a sigh.
“Commander, we should simply enter. Unless you intend to fight them immediately.”
“That won’t do.”
At least this once, his words were absolutely correct.
I couldn’t afford to make enemies of the entire native population the moment I arrived in the Southern Wilderness.
I cast a glance at the ethnic minority crowd emanating a murderous aura, then opened the door to Dok Hwa Pavilion.
Creeeeak.
The decrepit wooden door released a feeble grinding sound.
Within the pavilion, shrouded in dim firelight and gloomy atmosphere, the previous patrons seated haphazardly among crude tables turned their heads toward us.
“An unfamiliar face… Han Chinese?”
“Hack, spit.”
Hydra, perhaps.
These people wielded phlegm like a passive skill.
The ethnic minority guests, having spat onto the dust-covered floor, rose from their seats with faces flushed crimson with rage.
“How dare Han Chinese dogs set foot here. Have you grown mad with a death wish?”
“The drink has lost its flavor anyway. Let’s leave. There’s nothing good about staying with these bastards.”
Bang!
As the door slammed shut with a loud sound, Ju Hwa-ran opened her mouth with a complicated expression.
“Something has gone terribly wrong. When we came last time, it was certainly nothing like this.”
Song Il-seom nodded in agreement.
“I share your thoughts. While it’s true the ethnic minorities of the Southern Wilderness are cautious by nature, at least Yeongin, which borders most closely with the Central Plains, was different.”
“That’s right. So while it wasn’t common, merchant houses and escort agencies from the Central Plains did pass through here. But why….”
Just as Ju Hwa-ran trailed off, an elderly voice suddenly interjected from somewhere.
“Why, you ask. It’s precisely because of those escort agencies. Han Chinese dogs like yourselves.”
We were not alone in Dok Hwa Pavilion.
The old man who had been sleeping in a drunken stupor until moments before now tapped his hunched back and continued speaking.
“Bad luck has attached itself. Bad luck to you foolish ones who crawled into the Southern Wilderness without knowing better. Bad luck to an old man whose livelihood has been ruined by such fearless Han Chinese dogs.”
Recognizing the old man’s identity, I asked.
“Are you the proprietor of this establishment?”
At the fluent ethnic minority language flowing from between my lips, the old man regarded me with an expression of surprise.
“You speak our tongue. Are you perhaps of Miao Clan descent?”
“No.”
“But you don’t look like a Bai or Hui. Your features are unmistakably Han Chinese… and your command of the language is remarkably fluent. I’d believe you were born and raised here.”
Indeed, the [Universal Language Pack]. Its performance is undeniable.
My fluent pronunciation was impressive enough to make even Ju Hwa-ran’s eyes widen in surprise.
“When did you learn the languages of foreign peoples?”
“Well, that’s…”
Unable to explain the intricacies of such a matter, I answered with feigned innocence, trailing off vaguely.
“I just happened to pick it up along the way, you know.”
Hyuk Moo-jin, seated beside me, muttered something under his breath.
“The squad leader’s only skill was womanizing and gambling…”
“You bastard.”
Smack!
“Ugh!”
The Old Master clicked his tongue at the sight of Hyuk Moo-jin collapsing while clutching his solar plexus.
“This one has a talent for speaking only what deserves to be said.”
“Don’t mind him, he’s always like that… But wait. Do you speak Han Chinese?”
“To some degree. When I was younger, I often served as an interpreter between us and the Han people.”
The Old Master answered casually, pointing at Song Il-seom with a finger that was little more than bone.
“That dark-looking fellow seems like a familiar face. Didn’t he come here about three years ago?”
In truth, Ju Hwa-ran should have been the most conspicuous, but perhaps due to her mask, the Old Master recognized Song Il-seom first.
As Song Il-seom nodded silently, the Old Master slapped his knee.
“I knew it. That place was called Dragon King…”
“It’s the Yongbong Escort Agency. Not Dragon King.”
“Right, Yongbong Escort Agency. Unlike other merchant houses and escort agencies in the Central Plains, those Han Chinese came twice a year, so I remember them clearly.”
For someone with such a clear memory, he certainly got the name wrong.
Suppressing the urge to correct him, I posed the question I’d been wanting to ask since earlier.
“But what did you mean by what you said before?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“You said it happened because of the escort agency. To quote you directly, it was because of Han Chinese bastards like us.”
The Old Master responded with a blank expression.
“Me? When?”
“Pardon? You definitely said…”
“I don’t remember at all.”
I realized something from the Old Master’s demeanor and exhaled slowly, opening my mouth.
“A meal. Can it be prepared right now?”
“Ah, of course. As long as you pay, I’ll make anything you want. Don’t worry.”
At the mention of food, Tae-san, who had been slumped over the table looking half-dead, suddenly sprang up and cried out.
“Tae-san wants five-spice braised pork!”
“There’s one with an energy that’s almost brutish. Then I’ll prepare chicken.”
“Why chicken! Tae-san hates it! Five-spice braised pork!”
I’m not sure why the five-spice braised pork was changed to chicken, but for now, I need to keep the Old Master in good spirits.
I immediately called out the name of the one person who could stop Tae-san from his frenzied ranting.
“Ma-pyo. What are you doing?”
“It’s Sa Ma-pyo.”
“Right, Sa-pyo.”
“…Tae-san. Stop this and sit down.”
While Sa Ma-pyo, glaring at me with displeasure, calmed Tae-san, the Old Master brazenly extended his hand.
“What is it?”
“Payment in advance.”
“Ah.”
“Let’s see. One chicken per person is standard, so five chickens are necessary. And at one silver tael per bird… that comes to ten silver taels total.”
“…Ten silver taels? But if it’s one tael per bird, that’s only five taels?”
“Is that so? Then let’s make it two taels per bird.”
“Pardon?”
The Old Master answered with complete confidence.
“Ah. Two taels per bird, let’s do that.”
“….”
“If you don’t like it, spit and leave. By the way, there’s no other village within a hundred li of here.”
Absolutely shameless merchant tactics. If this man had been born in Yongsan fifty years ago, he’d have become a landlord.
‘I wondered why we didn’t encounter bandits on the way here, but they were at the inn all along.’
It was daylight robbery in terms of price, but now wasn’t the time to pinch pennies.
I withdrew ten silver taels from the thick purse I’d received as activity funds from the Martial Alliance and handed them to the Old Master.
“Here. Ten silver taels.”
“For a Han, you’re quite reasonable.”
Clink, clink, clink.
The Old Master swept up the gleaming silver and chuckled.
“Now then. What about alcohol?”
“Alcohol is fine for me.”
“Drink it.”
“….”
“I said drink.”
I no longer had the energy to protest.
I opened my purse again with a gloomy expression.
* * *
My first meal in the Southern Wilderness was remarkable in its own way.
Chicken so scrawny from malnutrition it was practically skeletal. And what appeared to be leftover fire liquor someone else had abandoned.
It was astonishing that he charged dozens of silver taels for such fare, but not nearly as astonishing as the fact that a considerable portion of it went into the Old Master’s mouth.
“Ahhh. That was delicious.”
“….”
Wait, why did you eat well when it wasn’t us who benefited?
Such a protest rose to the tip of my throat, but I barely managed to suppress it. After all, I’d obtained information in exchange for money and a meal.
“The Cheon-ma Escort Agency?”
“That’s right. If I recall correctly, they said they came from Sichuan. There was one woman and several men—roughly thirty in total.”
The Old Master nodded and continued speaking, his face flushed with drink.
“At first, we didn’t think much of it. Han Chinese have visited Yeongin before, and their numbers weren’t particularly large.”
But that was a miscalculation. The Old Master’s eyes grew bloodshot as he slowly recalled that day’s memories.
“Something no one could have anticipated happened. The nearby villagers held a feast to welcome them, but in a single night, they were all slaughtered.”
“…!”
“Our village was fortunate enough to escape the calamity, but when we investigated later, we found that over two hundred people had died that night alone. Men, women, children, the elderly—not a single soul survived. Needless to say, it was the work of those Han Chinese bastards.”
“Hmph.”
A shocking and tragic tale. Now I could fully understand the hostile glances and atmosphere that had been directed at us.
Two words flashed through my mind simultaneously.
‘Dark Heaven. And the Nantian Demon Empress.’
My concern about the woman included in the Cheon-ma Escort Agency was hardly an overreaction.
I exchanged glances with the Fire Dragon Pavilion members who were listening with grave expressions, then withdrew a piece of paper from my inventory.
“Forgive the interruption, but would you mind taking a look at this?”
“What is it?”
The paper I produced was a drawing.
More precisely, it was a facial sketch of Hong Ran—or rather, the Nantian Demon Empress—created based on the testimonies and memories of several people, including myself.
I showed it on the chance it might help, but the Old Master’s reaction was lukewarm.
“The painter’s skill is remarkable. But who is this woman?”
“Well, no. I was just wondering if you might recognize her.”
“I’ve never seen the woman in this drawing. If she were truly this beautiful, I would surely remember her, no matter how old I’ve become. I’m still a man, after all.”
It wasn’t the response I’d hoped for, but I felt no great disappointment.
Regardless of her nature, the Nantian Demon Empress possessed striking beauty. Just as Ju Hwa-ran had concealed her face through the human skin mask that Song Il-seom had created, there were countless methods available to her.
‘If she is the Nantian Demon Empress, it wouldn’t be strange for her to have mastered a high-level reversal technique.’
I muttered to myself, then posed another question to the Old Master.
“Where are those Central Plains people from the Cheon-ma Escort Agency now?”
My Quest objective was to make contact with Shadow Pavilion operatives, but if those people were still nearby, the situation would change.
As if reading my thoughts, the Old Master countered with a question.
“Why? Are you thinking of pursuing them even now?”
“If it were possible.”
“Well, your intentions are admirable, but it will be difficult. It’s already been more than half a month since it happened.”
“Still, if you know the direction they headed or have any suspicions about their destination, it would be worth attempting.”
Needless to say, I was capable, and everyone from the Fire Dragon Pavilion present was a formidable expert.
Even Hyuk Moo-jin, the weakest among us, was a first-rate master who had survived countless battles and brushes with death.
Yet despite my attitude, the Old Master merely chuckled.
“It’s futile.”
“Sir, it seems you still don’t understand….”
“It’s not I who fails to understand—it’s you. Those Central Plains people are all dead.”
I froze momentarily, then asked for clarification.
“Pardon?”
“Exactly as I said. Among those who suffered violent deaths were plenty of tribal warriors—do you think they’d fall victim with their eyes open? The Central Plains martial artists all perished as well. I discovered their corpses scattered about, poisoned by the most potent toxins and unable to last long before collapse.”
“…!”
“No matter how skilled you and your companions are, there’s no way to pursue someone beyond the grave. And that includes….”
His words trailed off into silence. In the next moment, the Old Master continued as though releasing a long sigh.
“Even the aged Shadow Pavilion agents who’ve grown old in service.”
Gulp. Gulp.
The Old Master drained the potent liquor to the last drop, then flashed me a knowing smile.
“It’s been a while, Jin Tae-kyung of Yeolhwa Shinryong.”

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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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