Murim School Record - Chapter 36

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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 36: A Curious Transaction (2)

It was coercion. It was extortion.
He’d assumed agreement would come easily, given the accusations against him—and not merely a common martial artist, but the Alliance Master himself.
Should the Elder Council vote to remove the Alliance Master, his authority would be stripped automatically.
But there was one condition.
Unanimous consent.
On most matters not concerning the Alliance Master, the Council reached conclusions by majority. But this was different.
The stability of the realm itself hung upon his fate.
“Much time has passed. Let us adjourn today’s proceedings and reconvene tomorrow at midmorning.”
Qing Yue Immortal, who had become Vice Alliance Master following the death of Tai Yue Immortal, the late Sect Master of Huashan School, declared the session closed.
It was Mo Yong Cheon, the Alliance Master, who had placed Qing Yue Immortal in that position.
Qing Yue Immortal had firmly refused the recommendation.
He had proposed that a younger, more capable figure be nominated instead—but the true circumstances were otherwise.
The Great Shaolin Temple.
The title of Alliance Master sat poorly with the glory of being the greatest school under heaven.
Yet Mo Yong Cheon would not bend his will either.
In these turbulent times, someone of Qing Yue Immortal’s stature must come forward, he had insisted.
The Wulin Alliance was in flux.
That none but Qing Yue Immortal was fit to set it right—this argument had finally swayed him to accept.
As everyone rose to leave, the door opened and Yue Gong Immortal, chief among the Thirty-Six Arhats of Shaolin, stepped inside.
“Abbot!”
At Yue Gong Immortal’s entrance, all eyes turned toward him.
Yue Gong Immortal handed over a small letter and walked back out of the assembly hall.
Crackle.
Qing Yue Immortal unfolded the letter Yue Gong Immortal had brought, and his eyes widened.
“Infinite Buddha… what could be the matter to occasion such shock?”
Tai Ji Daozhang, Sect Master of Wudang, stepped forward, and beside him came a robustly built man in his early fifties, bearded and dark-visaged.
It was Eon Jong Wol, Family Head of the Eon Clan.
“Vice Alliance Master, what is it?”
One by one, the Sect Masters drew near.
Qing Yue Immortal gazed at the letter once more, then extended it to Tai Ji Daozhang.
Tai Ji Daozhang examined the letter Qing Yue Immortal had offered.

‘The news is that a person named Yi Mo Baek has been designated as the next Family Head of the Mo Yong Clan.’

Tai Ji Daozhang passed the letter to Eon Jong Wol, who was reading over his shoulder.
After Eon Jong Wol, every Sect Master took turns examining the letter’s contents, and not one among them refrained from shock.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“I confess, I do not know.”
All eyes began to turn toward Qing Yue Immortal.
The letter’s content concerned only the Family Head of the Mo Yong Clan—a position wholly separate from the Wulin Alliance.
The problem was that the current Family Head of the Mo Yong Clan was none other than Mo Yong Cheon, the Alliance Master.
These were veterans of a hundred campaigns.
None needed be told that the positions of Family Head and Alliance Master could not be wholly unconnected.
The letter circulated from hand to hand among them.

Two carriages thundered forward at full gallop.
On the coachman’s post stood pillars bearing the Red Mountain character (山) in crimson.
They were carriages of the Red Mountain Escort Bureau.
Yi Mo Baek sat at the head of the first carriage, flanked by a dozen or so escort guards in close attendance.
“Yeo Mountain is not far now. Press on harder.”
Yi Mo Baek’s voice rang out with vigor.
Thunder-thunder-thunder-thunder!
The carriages tore down the road in a spray of dust, traveling at breakneck speed.

The party arrived at Imdong County as the sun dipped low.
Imdong County lay beneath Yeo Mountain and had grown into one of the three greatest medicinal herb markets in all of Zhongyuan.
The herbs that grew on Yeo Mountain and the nearby Yukban Mountain possessed far superior efficacy than those from other regions.
Consequently, even a Nine-Leaf Detoxification Herb from this place sold for twice the price, despite the herb’s renowned detoxifying properties.
With such demand came an inevitable flood of counterfeits.
The saying went that half the medicinal herbs in Imdong County were fakes smuggled in from elsewhere—and today, the marketplace bustled with herb merchants converging from all directions.
A large carriage bearing the flag of the Red Mountain Escort Bureau stood before the stable entrance of the Yong Hwa Tavern.
The horses rested and ate carrots, and the carriage’s impressive size drew glances from passersby.
The tavern’s interior was crowded with customers.
On the second floor, near the window, about a dozen escort operatives from the Red Mountain Escort Bureau sat eating.
Yi Mo Baek and his party were dining on Bamboo Rat Soup.
The bamboo rat is a rodent that lives in bamboo groves.
It feeds on bamboo shoots and grows considerably larger than ordinary rats, its meat having been consumed as food since ancient times.
It was a delicate dish prepared with bamboo shoots and more than a dozen other seasonings.
“Let’s have some wine as well.”
Yi Mo Baek spoke with an air of ease.
“Ah! Thank you, Escort Chief.”
Suk Ji Un was the first to show his delight.
“You there, server. Bring ten cups of Bamboo Leaf Spirit.”
“At once, sir.”
The server disappeared to fetch the wine, and Yi Mo Baek glanced subtly to his right.
Five men sat at a table nearby, also in the midst of their meal—these were the newly recruited reinforcements.
Yet something unusual had occurred.
The assignment of escorts to each Escort Corps was ordinarily decided by the upper ranks of the bureau.
While it was customary to honor an escort’s preferred posting, such decisions were typically handed down from above.
But this time, Yi Mo Baek had been given explicit instructions to handpick his own team.
That amounted to an invitation to choose whomever he wished.
Truth be told, the Red Mountain Escort Bureau’s roster had been nearly decimated.
Of the thirteen Escort Corps dispatched to accompany the Wulin Alliance Master during his medical treatment, no fewer than twelve had been wiped out.
Casualties among escort operatives were not uncommon in the trade.
What shocked everyone was not the losses themselves, but the identity of the opposition—and more remarkable still was the Martial Arts World’s response.

‘The Red Mountain Escort Bureau, as expected.’

Though nearly all the Red Mountain escort operatives had perished, an unexpected wave of acclaim had swept through the Martial Arts World.
The reason lay in the caliber of those who had attacked them.
Without exception, they were seasoned veterans of the Demonic Martial Arts World.
Ma Shu Zunzhe and Chu Yin Zi had been the most notable among them.
Both were masters over ninety years old, their ferocity and ruthlessness having dragged the Martial Arts World through seas of blood.
The Wulin Alliance had laid traps and pursued them countless times, only to fail.
Yet these very men had been deployed in the attack on the Red Mountain carriage.
The other attackers, once identified, proved to be formidable figures of comparable stature.
The Red Mountain Escort Bureau’s true strength—superior in martial prowess to even many noble houses—had been unquestionably proven.
It followed naturally that Yi Mo Baek and his Escort Corps, the sole survivors of that blood-soaked ordeal, would become the focus of intense scrutiny.
Yi Mo Baek had brought these five men with him.
“Let us toast together.”
Everyone filled their cups and drank in unison, following Yi Mo Baek’s lead.
It was then that a voice pierced Yi Mo Baek’s ear.
“What do you mean the next Family Head of the Mo Yong Clan isn’t his disciple? What kind of nonsense is that?”
Yi Mo Baek paused mid-drink, lowered his cup from his lips, and glanced casually over his shoulder.
Two men in dark robes sat across one table, their eyes gleaming with a fierce, penetrating light—clearly formidable masters.
“Wi Ji Gwang is known throughout the land as Mo Yong Cheon’s disciple, is he not? If the Mo Yong Clan has no blood heirs, then naturally Wi Ji Gwang, as the disciple, should inherit the position.”
“That’s how it ought to be—but that’s not what’s happened, friend. The man is someone called Yi Mo Baek.”
“Yi Mo Baek?”
Both men furrowed their brows and tilted their heads in confusion.
“What’s even more shocking is that the Alliance Master, Mo Yong Cheon, has announced that he will hold a Martial Arts Tournament to select the next Alliance Master during the coming Double Ninth Festival.”
“A tournament to select the Alliance Master? What are the qualifications?”
“That’s the strange part. He’s set the condition that anyone at all may challenge.”
“What?”
The man’s eyes widened.
“In the past, wasn’t participation restricted to sect masters or those of equivalent rank?”
“That’s right. But this time, it seems anyone can compete if they simply apply.”
Gu Yang Woo, the man called older brother, fell silent.
His younger brother Gu Yang Seol took up the thread.
“So it looks like the tournament will begin in a fortnight. Anyone can apply to the various divisions of the Wulin Alliance and receive qualification. After the preliminary rounds, once the Double Ninth Festival draws near, the lay of the land should become clear enough.”
Gu Yang Woo’s furrowed brow did not ease.
This was unprecedented.
The method of selecting the Alliance Master was always determined by the previous Alliance Master.
Various approaches had emerged over time, but he knew of no selection method quite like this one—making no distinction between orthodox and heterodox sects, showing no regard for rank or status.
The party finished their drinks and rose from the table.

The carriage was ascending into Yeo Mountain.
Their destination lay there.
“Chief Escort!”
Just then Jong Bae urged his horse forward alongside them.
Absolute loyalty.
Ever since Yi Mo Baek had beaten Hyeong Do Chan to death, Jong Bae and the other three had become unfailingly respectful.

‘No wonder the tiger is the king of the forest. The Martial Arts World runs on power. Pure power.’

It was something his father had said every time he opened his eyes.

‘What frozen death? The strong man’s word is law itself.’

Having lived as a subordinate steward at Shaolin, his father had witnessed firsthand how absolute an instrument power truly was, and from his mouth came only talk of strength.
What startled Jong Bae and the other two was that Yi Mo Baek had not exerted his full power when killing Hyeong Do Chan.
At the time, through Sound Transmission, the three of them had suggested joining forces to attack Yi Mo Baek.
But Jong Bae had stopped them.
Something felt wrong about it.
He’d sensed that combining their efforts would bring something terribly unfortunate—and his judgment at that moment proved remarkably sound.
“I also overheard the conversation those two were having at the inn just now. Truth be told, I’m curious myself. Why would they open the position of Alliance Master to anyone? If they did, any fool could apply, and it would be a travesty—the tournament would lose all dignity. It would be complete chaos.”
Yi Mo Baek smiled faintly.
The carriage climbed the sloping path at a steady pace.
“Jong Bae.”
“Yes, Chief Escort!”
“Say the Sect Master of Wudang wished to become Alliance Master. Wouldn’t he have to participate in the tournament?”
“Of course.”
“The sect masters of the other schools would have to do likewise if they wanted to become Alliance Master. But you see, we say it often enough—the Martial Arts World is thick with Hidden Masters, countless as grains of sand on a shore.”
“True. There are always more hidden gems than polished ones.”
“Now, what do you suppose would happen if a sect master of an orthodox school were defeated by some unknown, nameless warrior?”
“Ah!”
Jong Bae jolted in his saddle, his upper body swaying.
“If only masters of the great sects or near-equivalent experts competed, then even defeat wouldn’t greatly damage their reputation. But lose to an unknown nobody? Humiliation aside, the centuries of honor and pride their school has accumulated could crumble in a single instant, yes?”
“Then—you’re saying they removed the participation restrictions precisely to discourage the masters of the Orthodox Sects from entering?”
“That’s what I believe.”
Yi Mo Baek smiled in an odd manner.
Jong Bae’s horse slowed, and he naturally fell back.
“What did he say?”
Bo Hae Man, who had learned the Dang School Sword Technique, asked.
Jong Bae relayed what he had heard from Yi Mo Baek.
“So the conclusion is that Mo Yong Cheon, the Alliance Master, is calculating to keep the masters of the Orthodox Sects from entering?”
“That’s the way of it. This chief escort isn’t weak in martial prowess, but there’s still a gap before he’s ready to sit in the Alliance Master’s seat, so I think he’s trying to tie down the strongest experts from entering.”
“Hmm.”
Bo Hae Man furrowed his brow.
Jong Bae turned his head and looked back.
“Still not following? Listen carefully. This chief escort’s reasoning.”
Just as Jong Bae was about to go through the explanation once more, Bo Hae Man spoke up.
“Well…”
Bo Hae Man tilted his head, then glanced at Jong Bae with a knowing smirk.
“I borrowed Mo Yong Cheon’s name, sure, but if you ask me, this looks more like our escort leader’s strategy.”
“Strategy?”
Jong Bae’s eyes widened.
“Ever since leaving Mun Gong Academy, this escort leader has been working alongside us on escort jobs for nearly a month straight.”
“True.”

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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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