Murim Login - Chapter 309
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I will re-publish the earlier chapters to fix those issues with the translation. I apologize in advance if it did not meet your standard. Please comment the chapters you find that is lacking in quality so I can fix them ASAP. Thanks for understanding!
Current re-published chapters (270 - 305)
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It’s been three days since we left Luoyang with the Bermuda Triangle Group.
Suddenly, I spoke up.
“Mu-Jin.”
“Huff, huff. Yes?”
Hyeok Mu-Jin, who was sprawled on a rock near the stream, was barely clinging to life.
Although he had made great strides over the past year, his personal energy and martial arts had quickly reached their limits.
‘Gung Ki-Bang is keeping up fairly well, but he’s still lacking.’
As the successor of the Beggar Clan, Gung Ki-Bang possessed one of the best body movement techniques among the next generation, but he still couldn’t match up to Cheongpung and me.
What good is mastering the **Manli Chupung Sinbeop** (Ten Thousand Mile Pursuing Wind Technique), the Beggar Clan’s best body technique, if he’s only reached the fifth stage?
“Gung Ki-Bang.”
“Huff, what is it?”
Heavy breathing.
He was in better shape than Hyeok Mu-Jin, but still struggling.
And then, there was the last one…
“Benefactor, would you like a dumpling?”
“You can have them all.”
“I ate a lot on the way here. I’m full.”
“Then go take a dump and eat more.”
“Wow! That’s a great idea!”
Cheongpung, as always.
Even while using his body movement technique, he still had the energy to stuff himself with dumplings. He’s truly a monster.
Well, considering I’m carrying Jeok Cheon-Gang on my back and still keeping up with Cheongpung, I’m not really in a position to talk.
I scratched the side of my head as I looked at the three of them.
‘This won’t do.’
From Henan, through Shaanxi, to Sichuan.
The journey spans several thousand *li*, and even with horses, it would take at least a month.
But we didn’t have that kind of time.
To drastically shorten the travel time, special measures were needed.
“Huff, Captain, why did you call us?”
“Oh, it’s nothing much.”
I turned to Hyeok Mu-Jin and asked,
“That thing I entrusted to you last time, do you still have it?”
“Entrusted? What do you mean?”
“The chains.”
“What chains… Oh, you mean those you used to carry around?”
“Yeah.”
The chains were made of **Myungnyeon Hancheol** (Thousand-Year Cold Iron) and specially crafted by Yeolhwa Gate.
Just before the start of the Holy Land Tournament, I had removed the iron ball and chain, and Hyeok Mu-Jin, who had been dazzled by the material, quickly took them.
“Did you bring them?”
Hyeok Mu-Jin, who had a knack for sensing trouble, began to roll his eyes suspiciously.
“No, I stored them separately.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s do this. If I find them, you’re dead too.”
“Oops, my mistake. Now that I think about it, I did bring them.”
Clink.
Only then did Hyeok Mu-Jin start to unwind the chains he had wrapped around his body. Myungnyeon Hancheol is extremely strong yet light, and he had used the chains as a makeshift armor.
The chains, made from Myungnyeon Hancheol, are precious enough to be used as makeshift armor or weapons, which explains why Hyeok Mu-Jin handed them over with such reluctance.
“Wasn’t this given to me to use? I was saving it to make a weapon later…”
“I told you to hold on to it, not to keep it.”
“But who takes back what they’ve given?”
“I borrowed it too. It’s Yeolhwa Gate property. How do you think Master will react if he finds you with it when he wakes up?”
“…Please take it back. Hide it where I can’t see it.”
“Good thinking. Ki-Bang!”
Holding the chain, I called out to the confused Gung Ki-Bang and got to work.
Both of them, looking bewildered, spoke up at the same time.
“What are you doing?”
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
Clang.
I calmly replied,
“Can’t you see? I’m tying knots with the chain.”
“No, I mean, why are you wrapping it around my waist…”
“Hold still. Take it off.”
“And… done.”
Feeling satisfied, I looked at the fruits of my labor.
Hyeok Mu-Jin, Gung Ki-Bang, and I were now bound together by the chain, like fish on a string.
“Everyone had a good rest?”
“Rest? We barely got an hour.”
“Untie us now!”
I smiled brightly and shook my head.
At the same time, my *danjeon* (energy center) surged as ninety years’ worth of internal energy flowed into my legs.
“Alright, let’s run.”
*Swish!*
“Ahhh! This is insane!”
“The captain’s lost it! He’s trying to kill us!”
Gung Ki-Bang and Hyeok Mu-Jin, who were linked to me, were dragged along like wild boars with their tails on fire.
Hearing the noise, Cheongpung, who had been taking care of business in the bushes, quickly emerged and followed.
“Benefactor, wait for me!”
That guy didn’t wipe after, did he? No, he must have.
I shook off the disturbing thought and focused on the body movement technique.
Time passed as quickly as the scenery flew by, and in just two days, we reached the border between Henan and Shaanxi.
* * *
Step, step.
The rows of people were disheveled, their faces weary. The dozens of people struggling to move forward were all from a *pyo-guk* (escort agency).
But the *pyo-sa* (escort guards) with their weapons, and the cart drivers wrapped in thick clothing, were all exhausted.
It wasn’t just because of the four-month-long journey.
“Hwalan.”
The soft voice that penetrated her ear caused Hwalan’s black eyes to glimmer as she turned her head. A clear voice soon followed.
“Speak, Uncle Heo.”
A middle-aged man with graying beard, who had quietly approached the front, hesitated before sighing and saying,
“Escort Leader Seok has passed away.”
…
The slender figure swaying atop the horse stiffened. A trembling voice emerged moments later.
“So, it has happened after all.”
“The poison had reached his bones, and there was nothing more that could be done. I’m sorry.”
“There is nothing for you to apologize for, Uncle. Seok Orabeoni’s (older brother Seok’s)… no, Escort Leader Seok’s death is my fault.”
Ju Hwalan bit her lip beneath her veil.
Yes, it’s all her fault for being unworthy.
The death of Seok, who had been like a sibling to her since childhood, and the deaths of the thirty-two others before him, were all due to her poor judgment.
‘Father, what should I do?’
Ju Hwalan looked up at the sky.
The dark sky. A face emerged in her mind among the scattered stars. It was her father, Ju Ho-Gun, who had nearly died two years ago after falling into a state of internal deviation during training.
‘I am so blessed to have such a beautiful and talented daughter. I couldn’t ask for anything more. Haha!’
It was something Ju Ho-Gun often said.
Had it been someone else, they might have adopted a son to carry on the family name, but he adored his beautiful and talented only daughter and always boasted about her.
‘The only person who can follow in my footsteps is you. The past fifty years of the Yongbong Escort Agency (Dragon-Phoenix Escort Agency) will be nothing compared to what you will achieve.’
Ju Ho-Gun’s love for his daughter was so well known in the land of Shaanxi that no one was unaware of it.
But as Ju Hwalan grew up, people began to realize that he was no fool.
She had a brilliant mind, capable of understanding the agency’s ledgers before she was even of age, and her beauty was so renowned that she was called one of the Three Flowers of Jiangbei.
Moreover, she was so skilled in martial arts that she was considered one of the Ten Phoenix Dragons, the top martial artists of the younger generation in the righteous Murim.
But…
‘Where did it all go wrong?’
Ju Hwalan swallowed the sigh rising from deep within her.
Now, everything around her was falling apart. It had only been two years since she had taken over the Yongbong Escort Agency after her father’s collapse.
“Hwalan, are you alright?”
The only thing she had left was people.
The fifty years of relationships her grandfather and father had built through kindness and virtue were the only support she had left.
Ju Hwalan forced a smile at the worried Heo Jun, the Chief Escort.
“I’m fine, Uncle Heo. Don’t worry about me.”
“That’s a relief.”
Heo Jun nodded with a somber expression.
Ju Hwalan was only twenty-one.
Though she already had so much, she was still too young to have developed a strong heart.
However, feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt, all Heo Jun could do was watch over her.
Ju Hwalan knew what Heo Jun was feeling. After steadying her voice, she spoke.
“The sun has set, so let’s camp here for the night. Please prepare the camp.”
“A wise decision.”
“And… prepare for the funeral as well.”
The thirty-third victim of this escort journey. It was time to say goodbye to Escort Leader Seok, who had been with her since childhood.
Although obtaining salt would help delay the decomposition of the body, by the time the escort journey was over, the poison would have turned his flesh and bones into a pool of blood.
“Understood. Rest for now.”
“With everyone else working so hard, how could I rest? Don’t worry and go.”
Heo Jun nodded slightly and signaled to the others, who soon came to a halt.
Despite the lingering cold, the broad expanse was perfect for setting up camp. Ju Hwalan planned to rest here to replenish her strength and cross the mountain early in the morning.
‘We’re almost there.’
Ju Hwalan gazed at the mountain, now shrouded in darkness.
The mountain’s rocks were black, hence its name, Heukseok Mountain (Black Stone Mountain). Once they crossed it, this escort journey would be nearing its end.
Though they had suffered many losses, if this escort mission was successful, the Yongbong Escort Agency would have a chance to catch its breath.
‘There are still seven days and nights left until we reach Zhongnan Mountain. We have just enough time, as long as we cross Heukseok Mountain safely.’
The only problem was…
The mountain’s master’s attitude.
**Heukseokchae** (Black Stone Stronghold) was one of the eighteen most powerful strongholds under the Green Forest Alliance, and its leader was a master known for wielding a single axe like a ghost.
If the exhausted Yongbong Escort Agency clashed with Heukseokchae, they would have to bear even greater losses than they already had.
‘Please, let nothing happen.’
As Ju Hwalan turned, lost in thought, she heard it.
*Rustle.*
A faint noise reached her ears. The sound of dry leaves being crushed was not that of a wild animal.
In that instant, a red alarm bell rang in Ju Hwalan’s mind.
‘An enemy!’
*Shing!*
Ju Hwalan drew her *yeongeom* (soft sword) from her waist and shouted like a thunderbolt.
“Who’s there?!”
Her sharp voice echoed through the darkness.
Almost simultaneously, Chief Escort Heo Jun, who had sensed the situation, gathered the escort guards around her.
“Protect the Young Leader!”
“Yes!”
*Clang!*
The sharp glint of their weapons shone under the faint moonlight.
That’s when the bushes, several dozen *jang* (Korean yards) away, began to stir.
“Who do we have here? The brave escort guards of the Yongbong Escort Agency.”
A giant of a man, over eight feet tall, emerged with a huge axe strapped to his back. Heo Jun grimaced at the sight of him.
“The Sky Power Axe…”
“Oh, isn’t it Brother Heo? I’ve heard you’ve been busy wiping the ass of a little girl these days.”
“How dare you!”
Ju Hwalan, who had been standing frozen beside Heo Jun, suddenly stepped forward.
“You’re just in time. I was about to pay the toll.”
“Well, then.”
The Sky Power Axe grinned and swung his axe.
“Let’s see what you’ve got first.”
*Swish, swish, swish!*
Hundreds of Green Forest bandits emerged behind him.