Murim Login - Chapter 326
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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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The negotiations were going smoothly.
“First, let’s consider the damages incurred by Yongbong Escort Agency two years ago due to the schemes of the Zhongnan Sect. The total losses amount to twenty-five thousand silver taels. Do you agree?”
“Twenty-five thousand taels? I absolutely do not acknowledge…”
“Ha, this old man is at it again.”
Smack!
“Ugh, fine! I acknowledge it!”
Of course, there were times when things didn’t go smoothly, but it was nothing that couldn’t be made to go smoothly. The Beggars’ Sect organized the mountain of information, and the Hao Clan calculated everything with their abacus.
“Let’s see, on January 17th of last year, the contract with the Naktian Merchant Guild was broken. The Zhongnan Sect was involved in that as well.”
“And the damages?”
“In silver taels, it amounts to six hundred and thirty-two.”
Listening quietly to the exchange between the Beggars’ Sect and the Hao Clan, I suddenly spoke up.
“Seven hundred taels.”
“What?”
“Seven hundred taels.”
“…Alright.”
The middle-aged Hao Clan member, who had been writing ‘six’ for six hundred, quickly crossed it out and wrote ‘seven’ for seven hundred. Watching their meticulous handling of the situation, I picked up a bamboo scroll that had been set aside.
“What is this?”
“Oh, that was from May 6th last year…”
“Skip the date. Just the damages.”
“It amounts to nine hundred and sixteen taels.”
“Nine hundred and what?”
Seeing my expression, the Hao Clan member quickly corrected himself.
“A thousand taels.”
“A thousand taels? They’ve really taken a lot. There’s nothing they haven’t meddled in.”
For a family of four, two taels of silver would be enough for a month’s living expenses. No matter how severe the disparity between rich and poor, a thousand taels of silver was a fortune that could sustain a common family for three generations.
The Hao Clan member spoke to me, who was clicking my tongue in disbelief.
“Um, but Young Master Jin, that matter has nothing to do with the Zhongnan Sect.”
“It doesn’t? Then why is it here?”
“Well, you see, Young Master Jin…”
A slender finger poked my forearm. It was Wolhwa, who had been standing behind me, exuding a peculiar fragrance.
“We gathered all the documents that seemed even slightly suspicious. After cross-referencing each piece of information, we found that quite a few were not the work of the Zhongnan Sect. Miss Ju Hwaran, the head of the Yongbong Escort Agency, should know.”
“Is that so?”
Ju Hwaran was already examining the bamboo scroll. After quickly skimming through the contents, she nodded.
“Yes, I remember this clearly because the loss was so significant. This was a failure on our part, wasn’t it, Uncle Heo?”
Under the gaze of the people, Chief Escort Heo Jun cleared his throat and answered.
“Yes, I personally managed the escort, and Escort Chief Song was with me. Unfortunately, due to various adverse circumstances, we couldn’t meet the deadline. We ended up having to pay a penalty of a thousand taels of silver.”
His face was filled with shame.
But I didn’t miss it. Heo Jun’s suspicious glance at Song Ilseom, who was leaning against the wall as if he had nothing to do with the matter.
“Hmm.”
“What’s wrong, Young Master Jin? Is there a problem?”
“No. Let’s move on.”
“Alright, let’s set this one aside.”
At that moment, someone blocked Wolhwa’s white, slender fingers as she reached for the bamboo scroll. It was a rough hand, belonging to a martial artist. The owner was none other than Ju Hwaran.
“Wait a moment.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“I’ve been thinking about it, and it seems like the work of the Zhongnan Sect.”
“…What?”
“…Huh?”
Amid the bewildered gazes of everyone, Ju Hwaran calmly picked up the bamboo scroll and handed it to the Hao Clan member who was calculating the damages.
“Please add this as well.”
“Miss Ju…”
I’ve seen this scene before somewhere.
The Hao Clan member, looking back and forth between Wolhwa and me, clenched his eyes shut and added the amount with a few strokes of his brush.
Adding the hefty sum of a thousand taels of silver with just a few strokes, Ju Hwaran then picked up another bamboo scroll.
“Now, shall we review the others?”
“This one too, that one too, oh, give me that one in the corner. Yes, that one.”
Ju Hwaran rapidly examined the bamboo scrolls and confirmed the amounts. Each time, the damage amount increased like breeding rabbits.
Her calculations were precise, and her fraud was bold.
“This part is also suspicious.”
“That… that was already confirmed to be Chief Heo Jun’s mistake.”
“No, it’s the work of the Zhongnan Sect. Please add it.”
“Then we’ll add another one hundred and fifty taels…”
I smirked and spoke up.
“Make it two hundred taels.”
“What?”
“Let’s make it two hundred taels.”
Ju Hwaran shook her head.
“Three hundred taels.”
She’s doubling the amount. How straightforward.
Already half resigned, Hwang Bo-eom shouted with a voice full of frustration.
“Look at this! Such audacity!”
Audacity?
It seems Hwang Bo-eom wants to eat funeral food tonight.
Just as I was about to prepare for a ritual,
“Did you just say audacity?”
Ju Hwaran looked at Hwang Bo-eom with a cold expression I had never seen before.
“Our Yongbong Escort Agency is asking for what is rightfully ours. If you refuse even this…”
Her voice turned icy.
“Who do you think is the real audacious one here?”
“You… how dare you…”
“If all these facts are revealed, will the disciples of the Zhongnan Sect be able to show their faces?”
Ju Hwaran, who had to lead Yongbong Escort Agency at a young age due to her father’s sudden death, had deep-seated resentment from losing so much to the schemes of the Zhongnan Sect.
“Chief Escort Seok Doman, Escort Warrior Gil Wangjun, Hong Seokjung, No Dusan, and Fighter Seok Sam…”
Reciting the names of those who were lost, her voice trembled.
“In total, thirty-three. These are the people who lost their lives during the escort. Each one was a family member of Yongbong Escort Agency. Despite the hardships and not being able to receive their wages properly, they stayed with us until the end.”
Even though they weren’t related by blood, they were like family.
Just as I had lost my former teammates, Ju Hwaran lost those who believed and followed her.
“Don’t expect any concessions. Also, neither I nor anyone from Yongbong Escort Agency will ever forget this.”
“…”
“Do you have anything more to say, Hwang Bo-eom of the great Zhongnan Sect?”
His clenched fists trembled. Hwang Bo-eom closed his eyes instead of answering.
Instead, Hyuk Sopyung bowed to Ju Hwaran.
“On behalf of our sect, I apologize, Miss Ju.”
“Please call me the head of the Yongbong Escort Agency. And I refuse an apology that is only in words.”
Hyuk Sopyung sighed and spoke.
“I understand. I will inform my master and the elders of this matter immediately.”
“I hope they were unaware of this, sincerely.”
I don’t know what kind of person the master of the Zhongnan Sect, the Wind Sword Lord, is.
But considering Jeok Cheon-Gang once mentioned that he seemed like a fairly decent person, I can only hope he’s reasonable.
“The matter with Yongbong Escort Agency and my issues are alike.”
As the saying goes, ‘Crayfish sides with the crab, and the arm bends inward.’
I’ve killed more enemies than I can count, but Hwang Bo-eom is more than just a martial artist.
The name Taeul Mujong Sword represents the Zhongnan Sect, and personally, he is the senior of the sect master.
‘I could easily eliminate him, but… the aftermath is the problem.’
The Zhongnan Sect is strong enough to be one of the Nine Great Sects.
If I had killed Hwang Bo-eom, would they have just stood by and watched?
Hyuk Sopyung, who stopped me, and everyone else here probably guessed I wouldn’t kill Hwang Bo-eom.
‘I’ll have to be content with leaving him half-dead.’
It’s frustrating, but there’s no choice.
It would take at least a year for Hwang Bo-eom to recover from his injuries.
The important thing is that he is alive, and by the time he recovers, I will be even stronger.
‘Thanks to their foolish actions, things went smoothly.’
Hwang Bo-eom made two major mistakes. The first was drawing his sword, and the second was blocking the Dalu with the Taeul Sword Formation.
Drawing the sword is one thing, but the second mistake was fatal.
‘Not just the Beggars’ Sect and the Hao Clan, but the Huashan Sect is also involved now.’
Because of this, the Zhongnan Sect’s position will become even weaker, both in terms of their status in the martial world and economically.
The numbers written on the bamboo scroll that completed the final tally proved it.
“The total damages our escort agency has suffered, the personnel losses, and the substantial penalty for the failed escort amount to four hundred thousand silver taels. The Zhongnan Sect should be able to manage this with their finances.”
Ju Hwaran’s voice was calm, but to the listeners, it was anything but.
The members of the Zhongnan Sect were shocked and dropped the bamboo scrolls they were holding, and Wolhwa whispered to me, clicking her tongue.
“Miss Ju, no, the head of the Yongbong Escort Agency is no joke.”
“How significant is forty thousand silver taels?”
“Well, if the yearly budget of a prestigious sect within the Nine Great Sects is just under ten thousand silver taels, you can imagine.”
“Ah.”
“Young Master might not understand, but to produce that amount at once, the Zhongnan Sect would have to sell half of their foundations.”
In modern terms, it’s an astronomical amount, comparable to billions of dollars. Thinking about it that way, it feels more tangible.
As I lost my words for a moment at the enormous amount, a soft voice whispered in my ear.
“I like her. She’s a beauty, smart, and has guts. Our Young Master will have his hands full.”
“…What?”
“Hm? What?”
“Didn’t you just…”
“Did I? When?”
What was that? It felt like she said something strange.
Just as I was looking suspiciously at Wolhwa, Ju Hwaran’s powerful voice echoed.
“Hwang Bo-eom, please leave your seal as proof.”
We’re almost done.
Hwang Bo-eom’s face was full of anger, but he had no other choice.
As if cursing everyone present until his death, he glared at each person before finally stamping the bamboo scroll with his blood-soaked hand.
“Is this enough?”
“More than enough. With this, there are no longer any contracts between Yongbong Escort Agency and the Zhongnan Sect, except for the compensation.”
Ju Hwaran deeply bowed.
“Have a safe journey back to your main sect. I hope we never meet again.”
Hwang Bo-eom tried to shake off the hands of the Zhongnan Sect disciples supporting him, but even that was difficult now.
Instead, he coughed up some blood and, for the last time, glared at me.
“I have one question.”
“You can ask, but think carefully before you speak. Otherwise, you’ll be buried right here.”
Shivering, Hwang Bo-eom spoke.
“Did you really… really break through?”
“What a curious thing to ask.”
“What I saw, your energy wasn’t complete yet. How could you…”
“My master said people only see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe.”
“What is that supposed to mean…”
“You’re not grasping the point, are you? Think whatever you want about my level. But remember two things. You’re weaker than me, and I’m stronger than you. And this place is… Murim.”
In the martial world, the strong rule and the weak perish.
Standing here in the martial world, I am a martial artist. Hwang Bo-eom, who has lived as a martial artist for eighty years, understood better than anyone what my words meant.
“Murim, you say.”
A sigh-like murmur. His face was filled with a cold, bitter smile.
“We’ll meet again. Definitely!”
“I’ll visit your funeral. Definitely!”
A half-hour ago, he might have gnashed his teeth, but now he had no teeth left.
Hwang Bo-eom, radiating cold air, pushed away the hands of his disciples and shouted.
“Let go, I’ll walk on my own!”
Staggering due to severe injuries, he struggled to walk, and Hyuk Sopyung bowed deeply as he left, followed hurriedly by the Zhongnan Sect disciples. Watching their retreating backs, a word came to mind.
‘Resentment.’
One of the large gears that move the martial world.
I don’t know what today’s events will lead to in the future, but I don’t regret it. I had already severed ties with the Zhongnan Sect, and it felt disgusting to ignore such blatant schemes.
‘You have to exterminate pests before they grow any further.’
Pest control. That’s all it was.
As I concluded with a sense of relief, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘Oh, right.’
There was still one pest left to catch.
A pest that dared to swap a millennium-old ginseng for a hundred-year-old one.
And it wasn’t me who drew the sword for the extermination.
A soft sword revealed itself. The Silver Flower, Ju Hwaran. Her voice, devoid of emotion, flowed from her crimson lips.
“Only one remains. Isn’t that right?”
Her dark, sparkling eyes focused on one person.