Murim Login - Chapter 322
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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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When I met Wolhwa after a year, she seemed even more beautiful than before. Her splendid attire and captivating smile were reminiscent of an elegant peacock as she approached and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Our Jin Gongja, you’ve become even more handsome since I last saw you.”
Some things never change.
I smirked and gently pushed her hand away.
“You’re still the same.”
“Oh, how cold. After a year, that’s all you have to say to me?”
“Well, you seem to have gotten even more beautiful.”
“That’s more like it. I feel like bowing and thanking you, even if it’s just flattery. Anyway, I’m glad I ditched my work and came here.”
As Wolhwa flashed her characteristic eye smile, a scruffy-looking young beggar approached us with a reluctant expression. He had three knots in his belt, signifying his status as a third-rank disciple of Gaebang.
“Black Crow, in charge of the Seokhyeon branch of Gaebang.”
“Yes, I’m from the Taekyung Jin family…”
“I already know. You look as good as they say. With that face, you’d easily earn dozens of nyang in a day. Ever considered joining Gaebang?”
“Well, if you don’t want to, never mind. By the way, I don’t see someone who should be here.”
Black Crow, who had been snorting heavily and looking around, suddenly found his target and shouted.
“Gung Ki-bang! You damned bastard!”
When did that guy move over there?
Gung Ki-bang, who was now crouching under a table far away, gave an awkward smile.
“Ah, my old friend Black Nose is here. But what brings you here?”
“I told you not to call me Black Nose! And why? You damn bastard, I warned you not to let this happen, and yet you…”
Black Crow shook a wooden piece furiously. Written on it was a message telling him to come to Dengwang Tower with the necessary information, along with eight yellow hairs, supposedly from a stray dog.
Anyone else might wonder what it meant, but Gung Ki-bang had explained it was the mark of an eighth-rank disciple, the status of a senior member in Gaebang.
“Well, I couldn’t help it either.”
“Listen, if our master comes here because of this, it’s all your fault.”
“Hey, for a third-rank disciple, you sure talk a lot. Instead of assisting our master, you’re—”
“Well, you might be a senior disciple, but you’re acting like a child.”
Despite their bickering, Black Crow pulled the chair away to help Gung Ki-bang stand up. Their conversation revealed they had been close friends since their beggar days.
‘This makes things easier.’
However, it wasn’t good news for everyone.
As I turned my head, I saw Hwangbo Eom’s contorted face. My lips curled upward involuntarily.
“Since it’s our first meeting, why don’t you introduce yourselves? Both of you play significant roles in Shaanxi Province.”
Although Jongnam Sect’s presence in Shaanxi couldn’t be ignored, it didn’t compare to Hwasan Sect. Hwangbo Eom must already know about the branch leaders of Gaebang and Haomun, but I said it just to get under his skin.
“…You bastard.”
As expected, Hwangbo Eom, who already knew their identities, bit his lip. His fingers twitched as if he was itching to draw the sword beside him and swing it.
‘Go ahead and draw it.’
But Hwangbo Eom wasn’t as simple as the Roaring Sword Master.
The eyes of the cunning old man turned cold.
“What kind of scheme are you plotting?”
The answer came from behind me.
“Well, I’m just as curious. I’m always excited to see what kind of trouble our Jin Gongja will stir up next.”
Wolhwa, who had suddenly spoken, received a sharp glare from Hwangbo Eom.
“This isn’t a place for Haomun to interfere. I don’t know why you’re here, but you should leave.”
“Hwangbo Daehyup, I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
With a radiant smile, Wolhwa continued.
“I’ve already accepted the request. My client is right here, Jin Taekyung Gongja. Isn’t that right?”
“Oh, absolutely. Did you receive the advance payment I sent through the shop assistant?”
“Of course. But one nyang of silver is a bit stingy. I expect a generous bonus later.”
I didn’t know how much she would charge me in the end, but that was a problem for another time.
Hwangbo Eom, who had been silently glaring at us, turned his attention to Black Crow.
“What does Gaebang intend to do?”
“Hwangbo Daehyup, this situation is quite…”
Scratching his head, Black Crow bowed deeply.
“I apologize. This isn’t something I can handle.”
“Is that Gaebang’s stance?”
Startled, Black Crow bowed even lower.
“Oh no, not at all. I’m just a third-rank disciple. I can’t speak for Gaebang.”
“Then leave. If you don’t want to make an enemy of us.”
“But, you see, we have our own rules. So I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
“You call that an excuse?”
“It’s not an excuse, it’s the truth. Isn’t that right, senior?”
Gung Ki-bang, avoiding Hwangbo Eom’s gaze, nodded.
“Well, yes.”
“I was willing to overlook it because you’re young and inexperienced, but enough is enough. Leave now, or else.”
Bang!
Hwangbo Eom slammed his palm down on the center of the table. The table couldn’t withstand his immense power and shattered under his hand.
And then…
“Huh.”
“This is getting interesting.”
In an instant, the groveling demeanor of Gung Ki-bang and Black Crow changed. They looked at each other and smirked.
“Hey, Gung Ki-bang. I guess we really are beggars. Even here, we’re treated like dirt.”
“Right? Today of all days, I’m in a foul mood. Should we call all the beggars in Shaanxi?”
“That’s my job as the branch leader. If I call just the ones in Xi’an, we can gather about a thousand.”
“As a third-rank disciple? I’m an eighth-rank. The only one in Gaebang! If I call, they’ll come running from the next province.”
“Shaanxi will become a beggar’s nest. That sounds more like looting than begging.”
“Oh, not looting. I’ve heard there’s plenty to eat in Jongnam Mountain. Let’s strip it bare.”
Not quite Alibaba and the Forty Thieves, but Gung Ki-bang and ten thousand beggars…
I knew Gaebang had ten thousand paths, but hearing it like this was overwhelming.
‘At least like a swarm of locusts.’
If ten thousand beggars swept through Jongnam Mountain, it would turn into a desert within a month. Not only would the wildlife be wiped out, but they would eat every edible plant and tree bark.
“You, you fools…”
Hwangbo Eom’s wrinkled hand trembled.
“Do you think I’ll let that happen? I will personally demand your punishment from the leader of Gaebang!”
“Do as you wish. I’ll get beaten to a pulp by my master, but he won’t kill his only disciple. However…”
Gung Ki-bang’s voice, which had been slyly pulling away, sank into a deep, somber tone.
“As the chief disciple of Gaebang’s Xi’an branch, I have issued my orders. Only two people in the world can rescind those orders: our leader, Yongdu Bangju, and the executor of our rules, Beopga.”
“Ugh!”
“My master, Yongdu Bangju, always says we may lack homes, but not pride. You’ve insulted the pride of beggars.”
Indeed, a seasoned beggar. It’s not easy to sound so grand yet so shabby, but he did it effortlessly.
‘Is he a professional beggar?’
With a voice filled with grim determination yet pathetic content, Gung Ki-bang commanded the room, then turned to Black Crow.
“Did you bring everything I asked for in the letter?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t dare ignore a direct order from the chief.”
At Black Crow’s gesture, the waiting Gaebang disciples began stacking bamboo scrolls beside the table. There were a hundred in total, but that wasn’t the end.
“What’s everyone doing? Get to work.”
At Wolhwa’s enchanting voice, the Haomun disciples also began placing bundles of paper next to the bamboo scrolls. Their number was almost equal to Gaebang’s.
Seeing this, Hwangbo Eom’s face hardened.
“What is the meaning of this?”
I looked at the bamboo scrolls and paper lovingly and said,
“Doesn’t anything come to mind? For example… the constant misfortunes of the Yongbong Escort Agency over the past two years.”
“Ugh!”
“Let’s retrace the past, like salmon swimming upstream. Let’s also consider how the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng disappeared without a trace.”
Two people’s energy surged like salmon leaping upstream.
Hwangbo Eom was filled with confusion. The other person was Ju Hwa-ran. Her once brilliant eyes now glared icily at Hwangbo Eom.
“As expected… it was like that.”
“Did you know?”
“I couldn’t help but know. I suspected it, but had no choice but to endure it.”
Because our opponent is one of the Nine Great Schools.
Her voice, carried on the air, dissipated without a trace. Over the past two years, Jongnam Sect had been secretly orchestrating the downfall of the Yongbong Escort Agency. Someone unaware of the situation might say she had ruined the agency in just two years, but they would be wrong.
The Yongbong Escort Agency was already a sinking ship, and Ju Hwa-ran, not even of age, had become its captain. It was her ability that kept them afloat against the monstrous threat of Jongnam Sect.
But now, everything would change.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Ju Hwa-ran bit her lip at my words.
But instead of crying, she chose to smile.
“Thank you, Jin Taekyung. But I’ll accept your thanks after this mission is over.”
Indeed, as Ju Hwa-ran said, the Yongbong Escort Agency’s mission wasn’t over yet.
I nodded slightly to Black Crow and Wolhwa.
“Let’s begin.”
Hwangbo Eom thought to himself.
‘What is happening?’
Everything had been going smoothly. For the past two years, he had meticulously executed his plans, and all that remained was the final blow.
That’s what he had thought.
“Last summer, the Yongbong Escort Agency suffered a loss of a thousand nyang due to a failed transaction with the Geumo Merchant Group. In this process, a man named Hwang Cheol-shim secretly intervened. According to our findings, he is affiliated with Jongnam Sect…”
The voices reaching Hwangbo Eom’s ears felt distant and unfamiliar.
Most of the information Haomun and Gaebang had gathered was accurate.
They cross-referenced their data, uncovering more facts, and the information flowed continuously like the stems of plants.
‘This is unbelievable.’
As Hwangbo Eom stood frozen, his mind repeatedly echoing the same thought, his eyes fell upon a single person.
A smirking face, eyes that seemed to see right through him.
Jin Taekyung was mocking him.
‘It’s all because of him. If it weren’t for him, then…!’
People said Hwangbo Eom was different from his two senior brothers.
But they were wrong. At this moment, Hwangbo Eom’s mind was consumed with rage.
Where the cold, calculating mind once was, a burning desire for bloodshed now took its place.
“You wretched brat!”
Sching!
In an instant, a silver streak flashed as Hwangbo Eom’s sword flew into his grasp through his mastery of object manipulation.