Murim Login - Chapter 625

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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 625
All people possess what is known as momentum—a presence, an aura.
Some carry a momentum so faint and diffuse it barely registers, while others radiate a presence so formidable and turbulent that merely standing before them is enough to overwhelm.
Beast King Miao Wang Ya-ryul Cheok belonged to the latter category.
A soft rustle.
As Ya-ryul Cheok slowly rose to his feet, it was as though a mountain itself had begun to move.
Despite being well past eighty years old, his entire frame was wrapped in muscle as solid as armor, each step he took was unhesitating, and his salt-and-pepper beard flowed like a lion’s mane.
Thud, thud.
Now everyone could see him approaching, his bare feet trampling upon the vine-covered stone steps.
Ya-ryul Mok and his escort immediately dismounted and knelt on one knee—a ritual of respect reserved solely for the master of the Southern Beast Palace.
“We pay our respects to the Palace Master.”
Beast King Miao Wang fixed Ya-ryul Mok with an unwavering gaze.
“You’ve run off without a word again, I see.”
“A fire broke out in the northeastern pastures. I happened to be nearby, so….”
“Did you extinguish it?”
“Yes.”
“And Hyung Soo?”
Though the question was directed at Ya-ryul Mok, Beast King Miao Wang’s gaze was fixed upon me.
I stepped forward, meeting his fierce tiger-like eyes directly with my own steady gaze.
“Calling it a calamity might be overstating it—there were simply some mistakes made.”
“Han people, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen any. Are you the one responsible for the fire?”
Before I could even respond, his voice continued with a growling undertone.
“Think carefully before you answer. The laws of the Southern Wilderness show no mercy.”
After a moment’s thought, I asked.
“What exactly is the punishment in such cases?”
“It depends on the extent of the damage, but in severe cases, one becomes food for the beasts. Or cast into a pit filled with poison.”
“And in milder cases?”
“Hanged by vines.”
“That’s considered mild?”
“Of course. At least the corpse remains intact.”
“I see.”
I nodded and smoothly stepped aside, introducing someone.
“Tada. Actually, the one responsible isn’t me—it’s this person here.”
An ordinary person would have panicked, but Nam Ho, a Shadow Pavilion operative with fifty years of experience, was clearly made of different stuff. He opened his mouth with composure.
“Are you out of your damn mind?”
“No, you can’t say it’s wrong, can you?”
“You son of a bitch….”
Just as Nam Ho was about to launch into a proper tirade, Beast King Miao Wang let out a rough sound.
“So you’re abandoning your companion to save yourself.”
“No. There seems to be a misunderstanding—I never said anything about abandoning him.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“I was simply clarifying the facts. Honestly, we haven’t known each other long, but he seems like a good man. Besides, there’s the reputation of the Martial Alliance to consider.”
I had deliberately invoked the Martial Alliance, which should have been enough to back away, but the Beast King Miao Wang’s eyes, once ignited, showed no sign of cooling.
“Since you’ve entered the Southern Wilderness, you must abide by its rules. If someone must bear responsibility for this, who will it be?”
“Well, if that’s how it must be…”
I scratched the back of my head and continued.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to stop it somehow.”
And in that moment.
Whoosh!
The air around us vanished. A single punch, fired before even the sharp, heavy sound of splitting air could register—a strike imbued with force like a siege hammer. I crossed both arms to meet it.
Boom!
A thunderous roar split the heavens, and the shockwave from the collision swept across all directions.
Pushed back a full zhang by the tremendous force, I exhaled slowly.
“Is this sufficient?”
The Beast King Miao Wang asked, his eyes gleaming like frost.
“What do you mean?”
“A greeting.”
“What?”
“Before coming to the Southern Wilderness, I heard something from someone. They said the Beast King Miao Wang appears rough and reckless on the surface, but he’s actually affectionate and loves to joke around. So I was told to humor him and get along well.”
“…!”
“…!”
The reaction of the Fire Dragon Pavilion members, their mouths agape, was almost endearing.
Ya-ryul Mok, the pavilion lord, and his guards looked at me with eyes wide in astonishment, then moved with lightning speed to grasp their weapons.
But before they could act, the Beast King Miao Wang, whose lips had been twitching at my words, burst into hearty laughter.
“Kahahaha! The Old Master Jeok still hasn’t changed.”
I rubbed my tingling forearms and replied.
“Well, he’s certainly vigorous for his age.”
“I heard rumors that he’d taken a disciple, but I never expected to meet you so soon.”
The Beast King Miao Wang, regarding me with fresh eyes, smiled and continued.
“Welcome. I am called Ya-ryul Cheok.”
Unlike anyone else, my opponent was an acquaintance of Jeok Cheon-gang before being the master of the Southern Beast Palace.
I clasped my fist respectfully toward the Beast King Miao Wang Ya-ryul Cheok.
“The nineteenth successor of the Yeolhwa Sect, Jin Tae-kyung, pays respects to the Beast King Miao Wang Ya-ryul Cheok.”
“Good. Ahahaha!”
The Beast King Miao Wang, bursting into rough yet refreshing laughter, continued in a voice full of goodwill.
“We have much to discuss. Come along.”
The people around me watched his receding figure with bewildered expressions as he walked away with vigorous strides, their gazes turning toward me.
Their eyes seemed to ask what had just happened. I shrugged and replied.
“My master and he are quite close.”
Indeed, life comes down to school ties, regional connections, and blood relations.
* * *
Beast King Miao Wang appeared delighted. No, he was definitely enjoying himself.
I had already heard from Jeok Cheon-gang that he possessed a rather cheerful disposition by nature, but sitting in the Great Hall of the Southern Beast Palace and recounting old stories, he resembled nothing so much as an oversized child.
“I remember the day I first met Old Master Jeok. The moment he saw me, he immediately hurled a Flame Divine Palm at me.”
“…Old Master Noya. Or rather, my teacher said he didn’t hurl it, but nearly did.”
“No, it definitely hit me. My breath caught, and my insides twisted with fear.”
Most sect leaders and family heads of prestigious clans I had encountered thus far maintained a certain dignity, but Beast King Miao Wang, who wandered about wearing nothing but tiger-skin trousers, cared not a whit for such propriety.
He casually added while pointing to the scar of a Flame Divine Palm mark etched on his ribs as proof.
“It was quite an intense first meeting. After I bled for a couple of days and returned, he told me to disinfect the wound and poured me a drink. He was a truly forthright man.”
“…Ah, yes.”
I wondered if my understanding of “forthright” aligned with his, but since the one who was hit seemed unbothered, there was little I could say.
Even if I tried, the other party was Jeok Cheon-gang, so it would be pointless.
“After the Jeongma Great Tournament ended, I regretted not seeing him again, but meeting Old Master Jeok’s disciple like this is truly delightful. Do you enjoy drinking?”
“I certainly enjoy it, but it seems difficult right now.”
“Why?”
“Because there are more pressing matters than drinking.”
Had the world been at peace, I would have gladly indulged in a grand drinking bout.
I would have toasted with Beast King Miao Wang, shouted random game calls that Ya-ryul Cheok enjoyed, and rendered the foreign warriors senseless through various drinking games.
But in times like these, such things were impossible.
“This time, I have come not as my teacher’s disciple, but as an envoy of the Martial Alliance.”
At my quiet words, the smile playing at Beast King Miao Wang’s lips grew slightly dim.
“Is it because of Dark Heaven?”
“Indeed, you were already aware.”
“I received a Messenger Hawk regarding it as well. Since we are tens of thousands of li away from the Central Plains, the delivery was delayed. But I am not entirely ignorant of Central Plains affairs.”
“If I may ask, when did you receive the Messenger Hawk….”
“Well, it seems to have been over a month ago now.”
Considering the distance between Hanan and the Southern Wilderness, and the timing, it must have been a letter sent before the formation of the Martial Alliance, named the Songshan Resolve.
Many sects needed to attend the Songshan Resolve, and Cheon Myeon Ho-ri, the Shadow Pavilion Master, was not the sort of person to send a letter without calculating such details.
And that meant….
“The Southern Beast Palace refused to join the alliance.”
There had been time to send a reply and time to lead some of the foreign warriors to Songshan.
Yet the fact that the Southern Beast Palace had given no response to the Martial Alliance could only be interpreted as a polite refusal.
Beast King Miao Wang, who had maintained silence for a moment at my words, suddenly spoke.
“It is not a complete refusal. I simply have not yet reached a conclusion.”
“A conclusion, you say? Then the Palace Master….”
My words were cut short by Beast King Miao Wang’s gesture.
He stroked his whiskers, which resembled a beast’s mane, and spoke once more.
“Disciple of Old Master Jeok. Or rather, Jin Tae-kyung, was it?”
“Yes.”
“Ask those you have brought with you one thing. Do you know who I am?”
The hesitation lasted only a moment. Hyuk Moo-jin, whose eyes met Beast King Miao Wang’s first, swallowed hard and answered.
“Beast King Ya-ryul Cheok, a supreme master belonging to the Ten Kings.”
“Correct. And the woman beside him—yes, who are you?”
Ju Hwa-ran answered without hesitation.
“As everyone knows, I am the Palace Master of the Southern Beast Palace.”
“That is also correct. But that is not the answer I seek. Now then, you there beside her—speak.”
Before I could intervene, Tae-san, his bulbous eyes blinking, gave his answer.
“Tae-san. Hungry.”
That damned Tae-san. Like some automated response machine. This bastard…
Beast King Miao Wang’s expression turned sour at an answer that deviated wildly from what he expected.
“Who is that one?”
I paused briefly before answering honestly.
“At this point, I’m not entirely certain myself.”
“A peculiar fellow indeed. Then you, elder, beside him—answer for me.”
Nam Ho, who had been unleashing a barrage of curses at Tae-san in a low voice, opened his mouth.
“The Great Clan Leader who leads the Miao Clan.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Beast King Miao Wang nodded and continued.
“I am the Great Clan Leader representing countless Miao. I gathered them under one banner and earned the support of other clan leaders to become Palace Master of the Southern Beast Palace. Mok, do you know how many tribes exist in our lands?”
Ya-ryul Mok, who had been standing quietly, answered.
“If we count the entire Southern Wilderness, there are thirty-two tribes, with four great tribes including the Miao Clan.”
“Yes, that is the Southern Beast Palace.”
I understood what Beast King Miao Wang was driving at. In fact, everyone in this hall grasped it as well.
Except for Tae-san, of course.
“You mean to say…”
“I am the Great Clan Leader of the Miao before I am Palace Master, and the Palace Master of the Southern Beast Palace is not a king.”
It meant he could not decide everything alone.
Certainly, the Southern Beast Palace was like a separate kingdom, distinct from the Central Plains, yet that kingdom was formed by an alliance of large and small tribal bodies.
Then why reveal this truth so candidly?
‘Other tribes oppose it, but Beast King Miao Wang himself is considering agreeing to join the Alliance?’
Just as I was about to voice this sudden question, a soft voice came from beyond the tightly closed doors of the Great Hall.
“Palace Master, might we have a word?”

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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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