Murim Login - Chapter 657

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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 657
Something big is coming.
My instinct, which flashed through my mind in that instant, proved correct. The old proprietor of the thin noodle shop, whom I had been sitting with alongside Hyuk-ung mere moments ago, revealed himself.
‘Damn it.’
Something really big just arrived.
I muttered curses under my breath as I regarded the old proprietor.
But I wasn’t the only one looking at him. The moment countless gazes suddenly converged upon him, a trembling voice flowed from between his age-spotted lips.
“I, I am Woo Turi of the White Tribe. I have come at the summons of the Great Patriarch.”
Beast King Miao Wang opened his mouth with a hardened expression.
“An unfamiliar face. Who is this man?”
At Baek Sang’s gesture, the old proprietor answered promptly.
“I sell thin noodles near the West Gate of the Outer Palace. I have made it my trade for more than half my lifetime.”
Through the old proprietor’s words and actions, I came to understand several new facts.
First: The old proprietor’s name is Woo Turi, and he belongs to the White Tribe.
Second: Unlike what I witnessed at the thin noodle shop, Woo Turi speaks well and his hearing is sharp. In short, he is vigorous and alert. If there was a young warrior named Woo Turi on Jirisan, then in the Southern Wilderness there was a noodle merchant named Woo Turi.
Third: This spry old man of the White Tribe, despite his age, had likely reported everything he saw and heard to Baek Sang.
And fourth: I appear to be thoroughly screwed.
‘Please understand. The proprietor here is over ninety years old, so his hearing is quite poor.’
That bastard Hyuk-ung.
What he said at the thin noodle shop was far from the truth.
‘Poor hearing, my ass.’
What’s darkened is my future.
The proprietor, who was over ninety, had hearing sharp enough to understand Beast King Miao Wang’s words from ten paces away.
“Woo Turi, I summoned you to confirm one fact. Among those present here, is there a familiar face?”
“Yes.”
At Baek Sang’s question, the old proprietor nodded without hesitation, and I realized I needed to add one more item to my newly acquired information.
Fifth: Woo Turi possessed not only sharp hearing, but also considerable eyesight and memory.
The reason I could infer this fact was simple.
From the moment I first set foot in the Western Yao Tribe, the old proprietor’s gaze had been constantly glancing at my face.
“The young man standing over there. The tallest one with the best physique.”
Hands that had trembled like aspen leaves when he set down the noodle bowl now remained perfectly steady, without the slightest tremor.
‘Damn it.’
At his finger pointing directly at me, I fell silent, the atmosphere in the hall grew turbulent, and the script so meticulously crafted by Baek Sang was rushing toward its conclusion.
“Are you certain of this? There must not be even the slightest falsehood.”
The old proprietor, who swallowed hard at Baek Sang’s question, answered.
“Yes, I am certain. Though I have grown old with age, I am not so senile as to fail to recognize a guest right before my eyes. His physique was remarkably large, and because he wore a tiger mask, the memory remained particularly vivid.”
“In the Outer Palace now, five out of ten are wearing masks. Did you report a suspicious person based merely on such grounds?”
“No, that is not it. He loitered about, then sat down and ordered thin noodles. It was from that point onward that I sensed something suspicious.”
“Suspicious? What exactly seemed suspicious about him?”
“Well, that is to say….”
The elderly innkeeper, who had been glancing at me, carefully continued his words.
“It’s because of the mask, sir.”
“A mask?”
“Yes, sir. Even while eating thin noodles, he never removed the mask until the very end. As if showing his face would bring some great calamity.”
“I see. Continue.”
“But later, when he was drinking the broth, he seemed quite frustrated and lifted the mask slightly. That was the first and last time I saw his face.”
So that was when it happened.
If I had revealed my face openly, my Han ethnicity would have been exposed, yet if I hadn’t removed it at all, suspicion would have been aroused.
So I had deliberately lifted the mask only below my nose while eating the thin noodles, and only at the very end did I lift it briefly—but this old man had remembered it.
‘I never thought this decrepit old man would remember such a detail.’
My excessive caution had first invited suspicion, and later, my oversight in disregarding the elderly innkeeper’s existence had now returned as this predicament.
And Baek Sang was putting an end to this situation with his characteristic calm tone.
“Were you alone?”
“No, sir. He was accompanied by a middle-aged man.”
“Another middle-aged man, then. What happened after?”
“They left their seats almost simultaneously and headed toward the West Gate avenue.”
“Do you remember the face of that man?”
“Yes, of course. Though I have lived my entire life in the Outer Palace, his was a strange face I had never seen in these parts, so the memory is vivid. The same goes for the young man.”
“Then they must surely be outsiders from other tribes who arrived during the conference. A portrait sketch should reveal their identities quickly. When did they depart?”
“Around the Tiger Hour, and they stayed for about an hour before leaving. Since the Outer Palace has been launching fireworks at regular intervals, I remember it quite clearly.”
The elderly innkeeper’s answer contained not the slightest hesitation, and his eyes and tone were filled with certainty.
Having obtained all the answers he desired from the old man, Baek Sang gave a small nod.
“Thank you for your cooperation. You may withdraw now. I shall have someone bring you a reward separately.”
“Th-thank you! Thank you so much, Great Chieftain!”
The elderly innkeeper disappeared with a series of bows.
He would surely receive a generous reward for what transpired here. His small stall, which had barely fit four customers, would become a grand inn, and his wrinkled hands that had boiled thin noodles would now count silver coins.
But the opportunity he had grasped in his twilight years had returned to me as the worst possible crisis.
“Truly a curious matter. One who should have been in the Inner Palace secretly slipped away and made contact with an unidentified person, and immediately thereafter, such a tragedy occurred.”
“….”
“Though your earlier words have already been proven false, I shall give you one last chance in consideration of what happened at Ai-nao Mountain. Will you offer an explanation?”
In that brief moment when Baek Sang’s soft voice pierced my ears, countless thoughts flashed through my mind.
The Yao Seo Tribe had fallen into suffocating silence, and all eyes were fixed upon my face.
It was at that very moment.
Nam Ho’s finger brushed against my back once more.
A light stroke.
The character for escape.
Though it was but a single character, Nam Ho’s intent was conveyed clearly enough.
‘First, extricate yourself from this place and plan for the future.’
Had Nam Ho been someone trained in martial arts, he would have sent a whispered transmission instead. Perhaps I would have done the same in his position.
‘Would the situation have improved if I had simply told the truth?’
A sudden question arose in my mind, and I answered it myself. It wouldn’t have been different.
Of course, things might have been slightly better than now. But Baek Sang had prepared thoroughly, and he would have driven me into this exact situation regardless.
I could argue that the old Thin Noodle Shop owner’s words were lies right now… but then again. If Baek Sang were foolish enough to fall for that so easily, he wouldn’t have come this far.
‘Besides, a master of Baek Sang’s caliber would recognize it just from the scars on the assassins who attacked us. Most of them weren’t my handiwork.’
Without Hyuk-ung’s presence to corroborate my words, speaking the truth would only make me sound arrogant.
‘Still, it would’ve been better than Hyung Soo getting caught in his own lie.’
Either way, it was a dead end. Inescapable no matter what I did.
And even at this very moment, the situation was hurtling toward the precipice.
Whoosh.
A faint sound pierced through the brief silence and reached my ears.
Blood-soaked grains of sand were trampled beneath leather shoes, and simultaneously, dozens of fluttering garments brushed against the flowers of the Flower Garden.
An encirclement completed in an instant, centered on me.
At its head stood Baek Sang.
“I ask again. Your defense?”
Defense, he says.
After careful consideration, I answered.
“I won’t bother. It’s too filthy, you bastard.”
“…!”
“…!”
Apparently, he hadn’t anticipated such a response. Baek Sang, who had been regarding me with surprise in his eyes, nodded slowly.
“So you’re admitting your guilt?”
“I’ll admit I lied. I was foolish.”
“So in the end, you intend to deny everything to the bitter end.”
“Would you admit it if you were me? Besides, there’s no guilt to admit in the first place. I just stepped into an inescapable trap, and that’s what pisses me off.”
“If you truly feel wronged, surrender peacefully. I will clarify right from wrong for you.”
“Sure you will, you bastard.”
At my scornful answer, Baek Sang’s pupils darkened deeply.
“Then it cannot be helped.”
And at that moment.
Shring. Tzzzzzzz!
A brilliant radiance erupted from the pristine white blade that was drawn like a flash of light. Baek Sang, wielding a treasured sword infused with sword energy, took a slow step forward and spoke.
“Warriors of the Southern Beast Palace, hear me. From this moment forward, you will exert all your strength to apprehend the criminal Jin Tae-kyung, and not a single mistake shall be….”
And at that very moment, a roar-like cry that burst forth from somewhere drowned out Baek Sang’s continuing voice.
“Baek Sang!”
There is only one person in all the Southern Wilderness who would dare address the White Tribe’s patriarch in such a manner.
“Can everyone not stop!”
Whoooosh!
A tremendous wave of energy pressure bearing down on all sides.
Beast King Miao Wang, whose single word had halted the encirclement that had been slowly closing in, glared at Baek Sang with blazing eyes.
“What is the meaning of this.”
Everyone trembled at the fierce momentum, but Baek Sang was different. He answered in a calm voice.
“Exactly as the Palace Master sees. I will apprehend the criminal Jin Tae-kyung here and now.”
“Have you forgotten? He is a vice-leader of the Martial Alliance and a man of the Yeolhwa Sect, our long-standing ally.”
“Is the Palace Master of the Southern Beast Palace itself protecting Hyuk-ung for such reasons alone?”
“Nonsense! That wretch is not Hyuk-ung. Have you already forgotten what happened at Ai-nao Mountain? There is neither justification nor reason for such an act!”
“But there are witnesses who have seen him and clear circumstances, Your Majesty.”
“That is….”
“All of us present remember the incident at Ai-nao Mountain clearly. Therefore, I undertake the trouble of apprehending him. Of course, should he resist, the condition of ‘no questions asked regarding life or death’ would precede it.”
“Baek Sang!”
“I have not finished.”
Baek Sang’s chilling voice continued.
“If Jin Tae-kyung escapes this place by force, I will cast a heaven-spanning net across all of the Southern Wilderness and pursue him with full strength. Before that, the other Han tribesmen under his command will serve as fine examples.”
“…!”
At Baek Sang’s words, which essentially meant he would not hesitate at war with the Central Plains, Beast King Miao Wang’s eyes widened, and Ya-ryul Mok cried out with a contorted face.
“Uncle!”
“This is a conversation between tribal leaders, not between lord and subject. A minor palace lord with no authority has no place here.”
“But how! How dare you make such a unilateral decision alone!”
“Unilateral, you say….”
Baek Sang, who had scoffed quietly, suddenly lifted his head and gazed at the sky.
The thick darkness that had settled all around had dispersed, and bright light was slowly spreading from the east.
“Do you see? It is already the Hour of the Rabbit. Dawn is breaking.”
“What does that suddenly have to do with anything.”
“What if we begin the second day’s grand assembly here and now? Of course, the new agenda would be….”
Tsss.
The sword in Baek Sang’s hand blazed with even more intense light.
“The life and death of the Han tribesman Jin Tae-kyung.”
And in that moment, a bell sound that only one person in this world could hear pierced my ears.
Ding.
– Sudden Quest,
[Choice Between Two Paths]
has been generated!

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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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