Murim Login - Chapter 628

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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 628
“Merely decades ago, we stood as one, shedding our blood for the Han people. Yet today, you dare raise your blades against us?”
In this moment, Ya-ryul Mok’s anger was genuine and profound.
The death toll from this catastrophe reached over two hundred souls. Most of the fallen were the elderly, women, and children—the defenseless.
Moreover, they were members of the Miao Clan to which Ya-ryul Mok belonged. And yet, after committing such atrocities, they dared to seek his aid.
“We have already shed enough blood. Not for ourselves, but for you Han people.”
Ya-ryul Mok continued, his voice seething with barely contained fury.
“The Southern Wilderness will not spill blood in vain again. So cease your discord and depart.”
A statement as sharp as a blade’s edge, delivered with unwavering resolve. Having finally released all the words he’d been holding back, Ya-ryul Mok regarded the Han before him with a sense of relief.
‘So his name is Jin Tae-kyung.’
Until half a day ago, Ya-ryul Mok had known little of him. He’d only heard in passing that he was some renowned late-stage master from the Central Plains.
But if the absurd rumors of him being a supreme expert held truth, he might well rank among the top three warriors of the Southern Wilderness where Ya-ryul Mok himself was born and raised.
‘He blocked Father’s One-Fist technique. Perhaps the rumors are true after all.’
Ya-ryul Mok knew better than anyone how extraordinary his father, Ya-ryul Cheok, truly was.
Before reaching forty, he had become the foremost warrior of the Southern Wilderness, transformed the Miao Clan into the mightiest tribe, and earned universal recognition to become master of the Southern Beast Palace.
Moreover, through his formidable martial prowess, he had even earned the admiration of the Han people of the Central Plains, who typically regarded southerners as barbarians.
The epithet “Beast King Miao Wang” was said to have been bestowed upon him at that very time.
‘I once thought only Uncle Baek Sang could exchange techniques with Father.’
Based on what he had witnessed with his own eyes, Jin Tae-kyung’s martial skill—barely his own age—was remarkable.
He had blocked his father’s One-Fist technique with relative ease, something Ya-ryul Mok himself could neither properly perceive nor intercept.
True, he had been forced to retreat nearly a zhang’s distance, unable to withstand the raw power, but that hardly justified underestimating Jin Tae-kyung.
‘And furthermore….’
His frame was massive. A head or two taller than an ordinary man, with broad, squared shoulders. And a muscular physique that even his garments could not conceal.
Standing face to face with him like this, it was as though he were confronting a ferocious beast standing upright on two legs.
Perhaps that was why—or perhaps because the eyes and mouth corners that usually wore a perpetual smile were now rigid and stern—Ya-ryul Mok found himself swallowing hard without realizing it.
Then it happened.
“Hey.”
“…!”
“Why so startled? I was just calling you.”
Startled by the sudden, low voice, Ya-ryul Mok responded.
“…Why, why did you call me?”
“Why are you stammering?”
Well, it’s because you’re wearing such a stern expression.
Until now, this man had always seemed as light as a feather, but with the smile erased from his face, he appeared as though he were standing before a massive stone weighing ten thousand catties.
–
A low, rumbling growl….
The master’s tension transmitted even to Baek Ho, who stood beside him.
Ya-ryul Mok, feigning composure, reached out to stroke the nape of the now-cowering Ae-ho while responding.
“I, I wasn’t stammering.”
“….”
“But why did you call me here? If you summoned me, then speak.”
“Well. It’s nothing major.”
Jin Tae-kyung, who had been regarding Ya-ryul Mok with an enigmatic gaze, scratched the back of his head and continued.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“What?”
“I’m grateful you spoke so candidly. There were still parts I didn’t fully understand, but thanks to you, I’ve come to know many things. I’ve gained some understanding of this region’s circumstances as well.”
What is he saying?
It was a reaction entirely different from what Ya-ryul Mok had anticipated. He stared silently at Jin Tae-kyung before suddenly opening his mouth.
“So what you’re saying now… you’re just going to leave, is that it?”
“Hm?”
Jin Tae-kyung tilted his head in confusion.
“Does it work out that way?”
“But you said you understood?”
“Yeah. Of course I understand. It’s not like I have some empathy disorder.”
“Then?”
“Understanding and this are two different things.”
“What?”
“It’ll take too long to explain, so let me just ask you one thing plainly.”
Jin Tae-kyung leaned his back naturally against a tree and continued in a low voice.
“Do you truly believe the Zheng-Ma War was fought only for the Han people?”
“…!”
“And one more thing. Do you think the Southern Barbarians who died in that war perished pointlessly, without purpose?”
“That is…”
“That is… what?”
Ya-ryul Mok suddenly found himself at a loss for words. For some reason, an answer would not come easily.
And as he searched through his spinning mind for a response, a low voice pierced his ears.
“There are two reasons you cannot answer easily. First: deep down, you know my words are true, but you refuse to accept it. And second.”
Jin Tae-kyung, holding up two fingers sharply, spat out the words.
“You’re still a thoughtless brat.”
“What do you mean by—”
“Don’t ask me. Think it through yourself. Why did the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace send so many warriors to aid the Central Plains, which lies tens of thousands of li away? Simply because the ancestors of the Yeolhwa Sect helped organize the chaotic Southern Wilderness long ago? If that were true, Baek Ho standing beside you would laugh.”
“…!”
“Most of your Southern Barbarians probably oppose joining the alliance for the first reason—thinking only innocent blood was spilled. Not wanting to repeat that history. And frankly, that’s not entirely wrong either. Who wants war? What good is fighting like dogs to gain land and treasure when people die like ants from all directions? Of course, some of those ants are my friends, my family, my lover. Or it could be me or you yourself. But do you have a girlfriend?”
Jin Tae-kyung continued, as if sighing.
“Do you have an ex-girlfriend?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Ya-ryul Mok shook his head reflexively.
“What about a previous girlfriend?”
“What exactly do you mean by ‘girlfriend’?”
“A lover. Or a romantic partner. A being with a physical form different from men who maintains an affectionate relationship with you.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Ah. There was one?”
“There wasn’t.”
“So you’re saying there was one?”
“…Not even once.”
“How old are you now?”
“Twenty-six.”
“You bastard. A promising Infant Qi prodigy, are you? If you can just endure for fifty more years, you’ll become a Heavenly Demon yourself. In that case, let’s strike your lover from the list of sacrifices.”
Ya-ryul Mok’s spirit deflated at the sight of Jin Tae-kyung laughing with inexplicable satisfaction.
The man was utterly unpredictable, and the conversation itself was equally incomprehensible.
“What exactly are you trying to say? And why did you suddenly jump to talking about a lover?”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure myself, but one thing is certain.”
Jin Tae-kyung erased the faint smile from his face and continued calmly.
“The sacrifice of the Southern Wilderness people who left their Hometown long ago and perished in the Central Plains—it wasn’t a meaningless death. And if the same situation were to arise again, it would be the same this time.”
“….”
“I genuinely regret what happened with the Cheon-ma Escort Agency. But if there were madmen like that… I would have killed them with my own hands.”
“Even though you’re Han Chinese like them?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Whether it was his imagination or not, Ya-ryul Mok found himself at a loss for words multiple times today.
Ya-ryul Mok, who had been staring at Jin Tae-kyung with his mouth firmly shut, suddenly blurted out a single remark.
“No matter how pleasant your words sound, the Southern Wilderness will not aid the Central Plains.”
“It seems difficult, but I should at least try to persuade you.”
“It’s a waste of effort.”
“What?”
“The matter is as good as decided. The conclusion was reached at the first tribal council held a fortnight ago.”
“That sounds like you’re saying there’s another one coming.”
“The Southern Wilderness is vast, and it takes considerable time for all thirty-two tribes to gather in one place. That’s why my father and the other three Great Chieftains review the matter first.”
“And the result is opposition to joining the Alliance? Go on.”
“In four days, all the tribes of this land will gather in one place for a council. But since the Great Chieftains aside from my father have already made up their minds, there won’t be much change.”
Ya-ryul Mok’s words were fact. The Southern Beast Palace was a symbol of unity, but that didn’t mean equality among the tribes.
If three Great Chieftains, led by Baek Sang, the Great Chieftain of the White Tribe, agreed on something, not even the Beast King Miao Wang, the greatest warrior and Palace Lord of the Southern Wilderness, could unilaterally decide to join the Alliance.
‘That is the rule of this place.’
Ya-ryul Mok, who had reasoned this out internally, observed Jin Tae-kyung with cautious eyes.
How would this young and powerful Han Chinese from the Central Plains react?
Now that the Southern Wilderness’s participation had become virtually impossible, I was curious how he would respond.
Surely he would be disappointed? If not, he would undoubtedly struggle to persuade us somehow….
“For now, I’ll do what I can reach, and if it doesn’t work, there’s nothing to be done.”
“Huh?”
Ya-ryul Mok was taken aback despite himself. Jin Tae-kyung’s reaction was unexpectedly calm and composed.
“But… the result is already decided, isn’t it?”
“Right. But you said it’s not over yet, didn’t you?”
“That much is true, but….”
What is this?
Ya-ryul Mok asked with a troubled heart.
“Don’t you need to convince us one way or another?”
“That’s why I’m trying first. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll leave. Of course, after I deal with something more pressing first.”
“Something more pressing….”
“You seem to be misunderstanding something.”
Jin Tae-kyung scratched his chin and continued.
“I didn’t come here as a diplomat. If anything, I came as a firefighter.”
“A firefighter? What’s that?”
“Well. Someone who puts out fires.”
“Didn’t you set the grassland ablaze the moment you arrived?”
After a brief silence, Jin Tae-kyung answered Ya-ryul Mok’s sincere question.
“That’s just a metaphor, that’s all. Frankly, I’m not particularly skilled at persuading people.”
“That part seems true.”
“…Damn bastard. You’re getting me worked up for nothing. Anyway, if the Southern Wilderness doesn’t join, it’s unfortunate, but if effort doesn’t work, there’s nothing I can do.”
“But you’re Han Chinese, and you’re not even part of the Martial Alliance.”
“So?”
“I don’t know all the details, but I know well enough that the Central Plains is in crisis. Yet you come to help us when you should be asking for help yourself?”
At Ya-ryul Mok’s gaze, as though observing a strange creature, Jin Tae-kyung let out a soft laugh.
“What would you do if the grassland caught fire again like last time?”
“I’d put it out immediately.”
“Why?”
“Because if I don’t extinguish it, the flames will spread in all directions.”
“There. That’s the answer.”
“…!”
“Don’t overthink it. There’s a fire, so I’m trying to put it out. Just like the people of the Southern Wilderness who left this land decades ago and headed to the Central Plains.”
After a moment of silence, Ya-ryul Mok opened his mouth with a complicated expression.
“So you came to help us with no compensation at all…simply to aid us?”
“What if I did?”
“I can’t believe it.”
“Think whatever you like. Ah, but before that….”
Jin Tae-kyung turned naturally and continued walking, his expression growing stern.
“At least give me a proper meal, you bastard.”

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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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