Murim Login - Chapter 629

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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 629
After parting ways with Ya-ryul Mok, I turned my steps toward the temporary lodging where the Fire Dragon Pavilion members awaited.
Though my martial prowess meant I faced no real danger of harassment, wandering alone through this tense atmosphere would serve no purpose.
And as I walked, I found myself at the Outer Hall of the Southern Beast Palace before I realized it.
“Good heavens, when did I arrive here?”
I muttered to myself, glancing around at my surroundings.
Hidden as it was among dense thickets of grass, I saw no rats scurrying about—or rather, I did see something.
Two or three monkeys, the mascots of the Southern Wilderness much like the Defense Ministry’s mascot, were loitering about.
–
Squeak?
Why would a Han tribesman crawl out here instead of staying quietly in his lodging?
The monkey’s curious gaze seemed to ask this very question, but I gazed skyward without a shred of shame.
‘I got lost. What of it?’
Of course, following the teachings of Moon Kyung-i, the greatest assassin of all time wearing the guise of the Divine Physician, I had concealed my presence and moved stealthily to avoid drawing attention.
But one thing was certain: I had lost my way.
Though the temporary lodging was scarcely more than a quarter hour’s walk away and there were only two paths, the fact remained—I had gotten lost.
‘Still, I came representing the Martial Alliance. I should at least figure this out on my own.’
A fellow trainee from my days at the Hunter Training Institute had once said something like this.
That a perfect lie becomes truth.
In other words, if you don’t get caught, it’s fine. Of course, I still needed to make an effort not to be caught, given the circumstances.
Whoosh.
After steadying my breath, I slipped out of the grass and melted into the crowd of people gathered nearby.
Suppressing my presence and controlling my momentum, I bent my waist slightly to lower my height and blended in among them—exactly as Moon Kyung-i had once taught me.
‘Do you know who the most terrifying assassin in this world is?’
‘Yes, sir. The person standing right in front of me.’
‘….’
‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’ve committed a grave sin. Please put away the dagger hidden in your sleeve and grant this foolish wretch your instruction.’
Moon Kyung-i, who had been glaring at me with an expression caught between killing and sparing me, had answered thus.
‘An ordinary person.’
‘Ordinary?’
‘Someone more ordinary than anyone else, who blends naturally into any place. That is the most terrifying assassin.’
What Moon Kyung-i taught me then was not limited to assassins alone.
He had mentioned it in passing, calling it merely a simple trick that could not even be called martial arts, but I had not forgotten his teaching and occasionally found it quite useful.
Just like now.
‘It’s certainly different from the Central Plains. Very different.’
I turned my head naturally enough to avoid suspicion, surveying the Outer Hall in all directions.
Looking at it again, the Southern Beast Palace was truly a distinctive place.
Rather than a single martial sect, it resembled a small city, and within that city lived various ethnic minorities in harmony.
Compared to the Central Plains, where Han people were the vast majority, the Southern Wilderness was a veritable melting pot of races.
A Miao woman adorned with brilliant ornaments strolled through the marketplace, savoring the attention of onlookers, while a White Tribe merchant in traditional white garments attempted transactions with a monkey perched upon his shoulder.
And right before me, limping forward, was an old man….
No, Elder. Why are you coming this way?
“Listen, friend. I’m looking to buy some fabric at the Marketplace, but which shop would you recommend? If I were ten years younger, I could find it with my eyes closed, but at my age, my memory isn’t what it used to be. You see?”
“Ah….”
Had I been too natural? I hadn’t anticipated this.
Faced with the question from the Ethnic Minority Elder blocking my path with his cane, I hesitated for a moment before responding with practiced ease.
“Just go straight ahead and turn into the alley on your right.”
“The right alley? There’s a fabric shop there?”
I wouldn’t know, Elder.
But contrary to my true thoughts, I nodded my head.
“Yes. There are many. More than the hairs on your head, Elder. They’re sprouting up everywhere.”
“Is that so? What’s the name of the shop?”
Now he’s asking for the shop name too?
But if I hesitated here, suspicion would fall upon me. I immediately blurted out the first shop name that came to mind.
“The Hyuk Family Fabric Shop. The quality there is quite good.”
“The Hyuk Family Fabric Shop? I’ve never heard of it….”
I had underestimated the local’s knowledge.
It was clearly a reckless move, but these situations are always won by the shameless. With my gaze lifted to the heavens and not a trace of embarrassment on my face, I spoke firmly.
“It’s been open for over ten years now.”
“Is that so? That’s strange. From what I remember, it was clearly….”
“Isn’t that exactly why your memory is fuzzy and you’re asking me?”
“Well, that’s true enough.”
“Elder, if I may ask, how old are you this year?”
“Me? Eighty-two.”
“I’m twenty-two. I still vividly remember when we moved from my father’s side to my mother’s side.”
“You remember that?”
“Since I’m only twenty-two, I remember everything. So please trust me.”
“Ah, I see. Well, thank you anyway.”
Just as the old man, defeated in this battle of nerve, was about to leave, I suddenly recalled something and hastily opened my mouth.
“Wait, Elder?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Where is the most crowded place right now? I was supposed to meet someone, but this bastard hasn’t shown up, so I’m trying to find him myself.”
“Then head over that way. I caught a glimpse of it on the way here, and though I have no idea what’s going on, it was incredibly noisy. It’s probably because of the festival that’s opening in a few days.”
Right then, the old man who had pointed the direction with his cane suddenly paused, and his hazy eyes fixed upon my face.
“But tell me, what tribe are you from?”
“Pardon?”
“From your appearance, you don’t seem to be of the Yao Tribe like me. It’s quite remarkable that you’re so fluent in our language….”
“Ah, I can see it over there. Please be careful.”
“Wait. Listen here.”
I turned away from the Ethnic Minority Elder and hurried away with quick steps.
No matter how naturally one blends in, if given enough time to observe someone’s face, they would inevitably notice the difference.
While not glaringly obvious, the facial features of the ethnic minorities of the Southern Wilderness and the Han Chinese were distinct enough to be recognized with some attention.
However, there was a way around this.
Fortunately, my hands were exceptionally quick, and the Marketplace happened to be packed with ethnic minorities, while the merchant selling traditional animal masks was too overwhelmed with the flood of customers to pay attention.
To put it more simply, there was no problem whatsoever in discreetly acquiring a mask.
‘Inventory open. Store.’
Ding.
–
[Crudely Made Tiger Mask]
has been obtained!
It’s not the hand that’s faster than the eye. It’s the system.
By the time I had slipped the mask into my inventory and naturally passed by a couple of people, a tiger mask painted with crude dye was already covering my face.
‘This should be enough. It won’t stand out much in this neighborhood.’
Was it because of the festival the Ethnic Minority Elder had mentioned earlier? Looking at the people visible before me, if there were ten, two or three of them were wearing masks similar to mine.
I walked in the direction the old man had indicated, taking in the voices that drifted from all around.
“Did you hear? The great chiefs of the Yi Tribe and the Yao Tribe have returned.”
“Really? I thought I heard they went out to subjugate the man-eating beasts about half a month ago.”
“With five hundred warriors mobilized, they must have finished quickly. Unlike the Yao Tribe, the great chief of the Yi Tribe seems to have achieved little of note.”
“Just as expected. Well, I didn’t have high hopes anyway.”
I didn’t miss the familiar exchange woven through their conversation.
‘The Yi Tribe and the Yao Tribe, then.’
Along with the Miao Clan and the White Tribe, which had Beast King Miao Wang of the Southern Beast Palace and Baek Sang, whom I had briefly encountered, as their respective great chiefs, they were among the four major tribes said to wield the greatest power in the Southern Wilderness.
I recalled the information Nam Ho had shared with me on the way to the Southern Beast Palace.
‘The four major tribes of the Southern Wilderness are the Miao Clan and the White Tribe, along with the Yi Tribe and the Yao Tribe. Among them, the Miao Clan holds the greatest power, with the White Tribe second.’
‘What about the Yi Tribe and the Yao Tribe?’
‘Twenty or thirty years ago, the Yi Tribe would have been ahead.’
‘That doesn’t sound like it’s the case now.’
‘Time passes, after all. The great chief of the Yi Tribe, who inherited his position from his father, is said to lack a firm resolve. The Yao Tribe, on the other hand, has grown considerably. They gained an exceptional leader. No ordinary man could have accomplished what she has.’
‘Could it be?’
‘Your suspicion is correct. The great chief of the Yao Tribe is a woman. Remarkably intelligent and extraordinarily beautiful.’
In that moment, the stream of thoughts flowing through my mind was abruptly severed.
Not by my own will, but by something else. And what cut through my thoughts was a clear, distant sound of an instrument drifting from afar.
Swaaaah.
A gentle melody, mingling with the humid wind of the Southern Wilderness, crossed the vast space and reached my ears.
The bustling Marketplace fell silent in an instant, and a soft gasp escaped from someone’s lips.
“Ah….”
It was something that could not be resisted—truly an irresistible force.
The melody reaching my ears was so pure, and the procession that appeared through the crowd stepping back in disarray was both splendid and beautiful.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Following the soft beat of drums, the procession was led by hundreds of men and women.
Yi Tribe men dressed in black robes trimmed with flower-patterned silk and wide-legged pleated trousers.
And Yao Tribe women wearing cone-shaped hats split into two columns, moving forward at a measured pace.
“Wow!”
“The Yi Tribe and Yao Tribe have arrived!”
Cheers erupted from all corners.
Yet while everyone around me marveled at their beauty and magnificence, my gaze remained fixed on the weapons strapped to their waists and shoulders.
‘Each and every one of them is a warrior.’
The warriors of the Southern Wilderness are what the Central Plains would call martial artists. Since they belonged to their respective tribes, it would be more accurate to call them disciples of their clans.
‘And from what I heard moments ago, the grand chieftains of both the Yi and Yao tribes have returned victorious from their subjugation….’
This was no mere procession—it was a triumphal march, and no such celebration lacked the general who had led the battle to victory.
And the generals spoken of here were none other than the grand chieftains of those two mighty tribes.
“Ah!”
“There, there…!”
A sharp cry of recognition burst forth, as if summoned by my very thoughts.
Immediately, countless gazes and voices converged in one direction, and in the next instant, a deafening roar erupted without hesitation.
“Waaaaaaaaa!”
Within the thunderous acclaim that seemed to shake the entire Southern Wilderness beyond the Outer Hall, two figures finally revealed themselves at the center of the procession, waving their hands.
A man riding atop a massive black bear, whom I took to be the grand chieftain of the Yi Tribe. And….
“Yo-hee! Grand Chieftain Yo-hee!”
A woman smiling brilliantly amid the overwhelming attention and affection of the crowd—far surpassing that directed at the man.
Yet even had I not heard the people’s cries, I would have swiftly discerned that she was the grand chieftain of the Yao Tribe.
‘The grand chieftain of the Yao Tribe is a woman. Remarkably intelligent, and extraordinarily beautiful.’
Nam Ho’s words had been true. Yo-hee’s beauty was undeniable—and possessed an almost bewitching quality.
Each time her profound gaze swept across the crowd, people gasped in wonder.
Perhaps that was why.
Standing motionless like a wooden statue amidst the cheers and admiration surrounding her, I stood out all the more conspicuously.
“…!”
Upon spotting me, Yo-hee’s eyes gleamed with a brilliant light.

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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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