Murim Login - Chapter 318
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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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“Excellent.”
The elderly man muttered as he savored the Tie Guan Yin tea.
Despite his age, his shoulders were broad and strong. His long white beard reached down to his navel, giving him an air of a sage.
If not for the sword leaning against him, one might mistake him for a hermit.
“I’m sorry, elder. My skills have yet to match my father’s…”
“It’s unfortunate, but inevitable. When the owner changes, so does the flavor of the tea. You may go now.”
The innkeeper, who had been bowing, hurriedly disappeared, as if waiting for those words.
Watching his retreating figure, the elderly man gently stroked his tea cup.
“My three senior brothers and I used to frequent this place. More than thirty years ago. Back then, your master wasn’t the sect leader.”
Opposite him sat Hyuk So-Pyeong, who spoke up.
He had remained silent for over a half-hour, patiently waiting while the elderly man performed the tea ceremony. His voice was parched, like a dry riverbed.
“Would you like to taste a cup?”
The elderly man’s voice was gentle, devoid of any coercion.
Yet, when he offered something, it had to be accepted. Not only Hyuk So-Pyeong, but also the thirty members of the Taeul Sword Squad scattered throughout the inn knew this.
“Thank you, Sa-Hyuk.”
Hyuk So-Pyeong held out an empty cup with respect. The elderly man, Taeulmu Jeonggeom Hwangbo Eom, lifted a jade-green teapot and began to pour.
Slowly, the cup filled, and Hyuk So-Pyeong’s complexion changed dramatically.
“Why so tense?”
“It’s nothing.”
Despite his words, Hyuk So-Pyeong’s condition was far from normal. His hands trembled, and his face turned red as if it were about to explode.
It was just tea, yet each drop that fell into the cup exerted a tremendous pressure on him.
“This is insane…”
It was an overwhelming force. Despite being the Jongnam Sect’s greatest prodigy and receiving all kinds of elixirs, Hyuk So-Pyeong couldn’t handle the immense energy.
Gathering all his strength, he poured his energy into the cup, but his limit came quickly.
As the last drop fell, a crack appeared on the cup in Hyuk So-Pyeong’s hand, and the tea overflowed.
Hwangbo Eom’s eyes darkened as he looked at him.
“How old are you now?”
“…I’m thirty.”
“When did you last see me?”
“Ten years ago.”
“Yes, it was at the Hwagong Competition.”
The Hwagong Competition, also known as the Hwasan Competition, was held every ten years between the two titans of Shaanxi Province, Hwasan and Jongnam, to showcase their younger generation’s skills.
Officially, it was a martial arts exchange for camaraderie, but everyone knew it was a competition.
“You remember. I watched as Baek Mu-Seong toyed with you.”
Hyuk So-Pyeong’s eyes flickered.
How could he forget that defeat? And the cold eyes of the Taeulmu Jeonggeom who found him immediately upon returning to the main sect.
“When I was your age, I had mastered the Taeul Divine Art to eight stars. How about you?”
“I am sorry…”
“In ten years, even the landscape changes. Yet, you remain the same.”
That’s the same for you, Sa-Hyuk.
Hyuk So-Pyeong struggled to suppress the rising words.
‘Surely you haven’t forgotten what you did to me that day.’
Talent without effort cannot blossom.
Hyuk So-Pyeong’s love for martial arts allowed him to become the Jongnam Sect’s greatest prodigy. He loved martial arts and wielded his sword with blood and sweat.
But his slow collapse wasn’t merely due to his public defeat by Baek Mu-Seong of the Hwasan Sect.
“I heard that you’ve been causing quite a stir in Xian.”
“Sa-Hyuk…”
“Silence. Don’t speak while I am speaking.”
Hwangbo Eom’s once monotonous voice turned colder than a thousand-year-old frost.
“You are a disgrace to the Jongnam Sect. From top to bottom, you are all tarnishing our name.”
The top referred to the Furious Sword Saint Song Il, and the bottom to Hyuk So-Pyeong.
Despite his only senior brother’s severe injuries, Hwangbo Eom’s harsh words didn’t change. Both Hyuk So-Pyeong and the Taeul Sword Squad members realized something.
‘Taeulmu Jeonggeom.’
The two characters “mu” and “jeong” in his nickname applied not just to enemies but to everyone.
“Your master, who led the Jongnam Sect to this state, is also pathetic. I don’t know why our master entrusted the position of sect leader to him…”
That was when Hyuk So-Pyeong’s tightly closed lips opened.
“Your words are excessive.”
“What?”
A gust of wind seemed to sweep through Hyuk So-Pyeong’s body.
No, it wasn’t wind. It was the immense pressure emanating from the ultimate master, Taeulmu Jeonggeom Hwangbo Eom.
“Say that again.”
But Hyuk So-Pyeong didn’t back down despite the suffocating pressure.
“I said… your words are excessive.”
Although his master wasn’t warm and affectionate, Feng Yun-Jian was still his only master. Also,
“He is the sect leader of the Jongnam Sect. Sa-Hyuk, please show respect for the sect leader.”
“Respect for the sect leader?”
Hwangbo Eom’s eyes gleamed coldly.
Once, he was the closest to becoming the sect leader of the Jongnam Sect.
Although there were senior and junior brothers with the same master, none were rivals. Neither could match his martial arts and tenacity.
The sect leader of the Jongnam Sect should have been Hwangbo Eom. That was the natural order.
“And yet, you dare…”
Hwangbo Eom was about to shout when he suddenly stopped.
Hyuk So-Pyeong’s unwavering eyes. And the silent tension among the Taeul Sword Squad members.
‘These brats.’
Hwangbo Eom’s eyes cooled. At the same time, the overwhelming pressure he emitted began to subside.
His lips, hidden behind his white beard, curled slightly.
“The sect leader of the Jongnam Sect…”
Hwangbo Eom picked up the half-filled cup and drank it all. Deep furrows appeared on his wrinkled forehead.
“Indeed, it’s different. When the owner changes, the taste and aroma are no longer the same.”
207
“The Jongnam Sect? Don’t make me laugh. The current Jongnam Sect is a house of cards. While you were indulging in debauchery, I was working to revive our sect.”
“What do you mean…”
Hyuk So-Pyeong’s voice was filled with doubt.
Hwangbo Eom had been reclusive, even when his senior brother, the Furious Sword Saint, returned with severe injuries.
‘So how…’
Hyuk So-Pyeong’s thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a group at the inn.
Leading them was a young woman whose presence brightened the surroundings.
“Ju Hwa-Ran, the young lord of the Yongbong Escort Agency, greets Taeulmu Jeonggeom Hwangbo Dae-Hyeop.”
Ju Hwa-Ran’s bold greeting made Hwangbo Eom’s lips curl slightly.
“Have you brought the item?”
Stroking his abundant beard, his eyes gleamed with an inscrutable light.
“By the way, who is Taeulmu Jeonggeom?”
The Speed Demon Baek Geon asked bluntly.
“Taeulmu Jeonggeom is none other than the merciless sword.”
“Gi-Bang. Which is stronger, the Flying Dragon’s Eight Palm Strikes or the Fire Palm Technique?”
“…Taeulmu Jeonggeom Hwangbo Eom. He is the junior brother of the Furious Sword Saint and the senior brother of the current sect leader of the Jongnam Sect.”
Indeed, Murim’s encyclopedia. Not what I intended to bring him for, but he’s useful in various ways.
“Except for the stench.”
I muttered inwardly as I walked.
We were heading to Deungwang Pavilion. Gung Gi-Bang, who was walking alongside me, grumbled with a displeased expression.
“I’ve been thinking, this isn’t a good idea.”
“Why?”
“The situation is bigger than I thought. It’s Taeulmu Jeonggeom, not just anyone. It would be easier to talk to the sect leader, but him…”
Gung Gi-Bang trailed off, shaking his head.
“Why, how bad is he? Have you met him?”
“Once, in the distance. And I thought, I never want to meet him again.”
Given Gung Gi-Bang’s reaction, the first impression must have been quite terrible.
Shivering, he gestured with his eyes.
“No need to ask me. Neighbors know best.”
At the end of Gung Gi-Bang’s gaze was Baek Mu-Seong, who had been walking silently.
His usual relaxed smile had long since vanished, his face now as hard as stone.
Okay, I get it.
“Taeulmu Jeonggeom.”
One of the interesting things you notice in Murim is nicknames.
A nickname often encapsulates a part of a person. The weapon they use, or their personality.
In the case of Taeulmu Jeonggeom Hwangbo Eom, it was both.
“Mu Jeong. Those two characters say it all.”
I could bet Hyuk Mu-Jin’s arm on it. If that wasn’t enough, even his leg.
At that moment, Gung Gi-Bang spoke anxiously.
“It’s not too late.”
“Huh? For what?”
“Interfering in matters between sects can cause a lot of noise. Especially when the other party is Taeulmu Jeonggeom.”
“So?”
“So, what else? Let’s just go to Sichuan!”
I blinked innocently.
“What are you talking about?”
“What?”
“We’re just going to drink tea. Right, Cheong Sohyeop?”
Cheong-Pung, who had been munching on candy I bought to shut him up, answered energetically.
“Yes! We’re going to drink tea!”
Gung Gi-Bang looked at Cheong-Pung incredulously.
“Didn’t you say you’ve had tea before?”
“Well, that…”
I thought his answer was vague.
Cheong-Pung, who had quickly finished the candy, licked his fingers and looked back and forth between Gung Gi-Bang and me.
His eyes, filled with longing, glanced at the street vendors.
“Cheong Sohyeop, you haven’t had tea, right?”
“Yes! I’ve never had tea before! I’m so excited to go to the pavilion!”
Gung Gi-Bang, feeling defeated, grabbed his messy hair.
“Damn it. When Master beats me with a wooden stick later, I’ll say it was all your fault.”
“Tell him. My master is the Fire King.”
“This wretched…”
“Stop whining and let’s go. Mu-Jin, do you have any complaints?”
Hyuk Mu-Jin asked hesitantly.
“Can I speak?”
“Try. If you want to die.”
“Well, we’re almost there.”
The sign for Deungwang Pavilion loomed closer.
I walked without hesitation and finally stopped in front of the pavilion’s entrance.
‘This is serious.’
Taeulmu Jeonggeom, the Jongnam Sect’s greatest swordsman. I could feel his immense aura beyond the door. The presence of dozens of others with significant power.
Suddenly, the backpack felt heavy on my shoulders.
“Master, don’t worry. I’ll protect you no matter what.”
There will be no trouble.
I whispered softly and pushed open the door.