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Chapter 108 - The Secret Behind The Jade Plaque (5)
“Both of them are dead. Now it is fine.”
‘… no way.’
Ja Muk-hyun couldn’t help but be shocked at Mumu’s words. They were still inside the hall!
Of course, he, too, had detected the presence of those beyond the wall from here. However, that was something different from what Mumu said and supposedly did.
‘A few walls… distance… numerous obstacles…’
And the people were the biggest problem. He overcame all those and managed to take down specific targets? How could he even detect the difference in presence?
Was this man really human? He had often heard of such beings in Murim, but Mumu was just 17 years old.
‘Blood…’
Ja Muk-hyun’s eyes trembled. Could such a person be born with just the blood of that person?
All those with the jade plaque had extraordinary talent.
However, Mumu was utterly different from those who also shared his blood. Suddenly, in his mind, the words of his sect leader came to mind.
[Do you know what a predator is?]
[… isn’t it an animal that preys on other animals?]
[Right. That’s correct. Predators are born with ferocity and strength to prey upon.]
[I know what you mean. The attitude of such a predator….]
[I see.]
[Uh?]
[Real predators are not nurtured but are made complete through honing.]
[What is that supposed to…]
[A predator has been that way since birth. They are just that way.]
At that time, he couldn’t understand what his sect leader was saying.
He thought of it as simply a sign to be loyal to those who had that person’s blood.
Ja Muk-hyun believed there was no true or absolute strongest in the world. Everything had its own compatibilities, and the strong would eventually fall.
Hadn’t the same thing repeatedly happened in history?
‘Didn’t the Four Great Beings collapse to give rise to another era?’
So he thought everything would change and was convinced that only when strength and fierceness were united would he be able to subdue everything.
But what does this strength mean?
This sight broke his will with the sheer absurdity of it.
-Prrrr!
‘This isn’t something which can be handled.’
The hand holding the sword against Ha-ryun’s neck relaxed. He had decided on a lord, but now this man was looking like the True Lord to him.
It was then.
“Haaah!”
Mumu took a deep breath which puffed up his cheeks like a balloon.
Pang!
‘!?’
At that moment, the blade he held in his hand broke in two with a loud rumble. Everyone’s eyes widened at this.
This was even more absurd!
‘T-this is insane!’
Even Ha-ryun, who had his life saved thanks to this, was shocked. The technique of using needles hidden in the mouth was something often used by assassins, but Mumu had used only air to break a sword.
‘He isn’t a human!’
He was speechless, and it was difficult to even open his mouth. And then Mumu said.
“What more have you prepared? It is getting annoying, so let’s talk it out.”
-clack!
Ja Muk-hyun dropped the broken sword.
Drip.
No, as the sword broke down, he could feel the palm holding the handle lose the strength to hold on.
This wasn’t something that an assassin’s technique could bring.
Ja Muk-hyun immediately fell to the floor.
“Demon Blood Sect’s Ja Muk-hyun greets the Lord!”
‘… see that change.’
Mo Il-hwa clicked her tongue at this.
Of course, if they saw something as shocking and miraculous as this, anyone with the will to live would do the same.
At that time, Ha-ryun, who managed to escape from death’s door, bowed down as well.
“White Valley’s Ha-ryun greets the True Lord.”
‘Kuahaha. I knew you would bend down to him.’
Ha-ryun laughed, looking at Ja Muk-hyun.
Seeing this arrogant man bow down to Mumu’s strength was refreshing. Seeing how he acted arrogantly and now bowed to stay alive felt refreshing.
‘But will he be forgiven?’
He threatened the person who would become the Lord.
He was unsure if such acts would be forgiven. Ja Muk-hyun then opened his mouth.
“I have committed an indescribable sin against my Lord, so I will pay with my life.”
Ha-ryun frowned at his words. Was this his attempt to live?
Begging by offering your life up?
‘He is working that brain.’
And Mumu opened his mouth.
“I hope you will answer my questions from now on. If not…”
Pang! Bang!
Mumu flicked another finger at the floor right next to Ja Muk-hyun, causing a hole to be drilled into it.
Cold sweat dripped from Ja Muk-hyun’s forehead.
Ja Muk-hyun wiped the sweat off and said,
“… please give me the order.”
“Ha-ryun.”
“Yes!”
When he was suddenly called, Ha-ryun responded in a sharp voice.
“If he lies, tell me right away.”
“I-I will do as you ordered.”
At those words, Ha-ryun couldn’t hide his intentions.
Things have changed completely. He was someone who had been captured because of a misunderstanding, but now he will be the one with power.
Mumu pulled something from his waist carefully and asked,
“Do you know what this means?”
Sh!
Ja Muk-hyun raised his head and frowned, looking at the two jade plaques in Mumu’s hand.
[Mui]
[Mumu]
It was the same character. And he was puzzled.
‘What is that one character on the back of the jade plaque?’
At first, Ha-ryun thought only one existed, so it was natural to be shocked at two existing.
‘So it is their real name and not a false name?’
It was the first time he came to know that the name on the plaque was their real name. On the other hand, Ja Muk-hyun had other thoughts.
It was because of Mumu, especially the second Mu character, which was a character in Chinese that signified Nothingness.
‘What is this?’
He didn’t remember hearing about this. No, there were four owners of the jade plaques that he knew of. These four were the only survivors of the bloodlines from 17 years ago.
But for them,
Bang!
Another hole was drilled in front of him.
“I need the answer right away. Don’t even think about saying something else.”
“That…”
“From now on, if you don’t answer immediately, I will aim for you.”
‘Good!’
At Mumu’s attitude, Mo Il-hwa cheered for him. A late answer could signify that the answerer was thinking of decorating the truth with lies. Applying pressure in this scenario was good and was proven as Ja Muk-hyun spoke immediately.
“The Lord should know the meaning better than me. How can I understand the true meaning of the question…”
“I am asking because I don’t know.”
‘You are too honest.’
Mo Il-hwa clicked her tongue at Mumu’s honest words. But contrary to her worries, Ja Muk-hyun feared losing his life. He couldn’t even think of ways to get out of this.
“I-I do not know everything, but I will tell you what I know. I know those that have the jade plaque are those that have inherited his blood.”
“Blood?”
Mumu tilted his head and asked,
“Does the fact that we share the same blood mean that we are brothers?”
At Mumu’s question, Ja Muk-hyun paused. Something felt strange.
If he was the owner of the plaque, he should know this by default, so why ask this question…?
Crack!
‘!?’
At that moment, Ja Muk-hyun’s left arm was blown off, and tremendous pain arose, making him scream.
“Kuaaak!”
Mo Il-hwa was startled by the sight. She didn’t think Mumu would actually do this just because of a delayed response.
‘He is relentless!’
Mo Il-hwa bit her tongue. Usually, people would have a change of expression when they did something like this, but Mumu looked expressionless.
‘…having him as an enemy will be really scary.’
It was so painful that it felt scary that Mumu didn’t even have a change of expression. There was no sympathy.
This is because Ja Muk-hyun threatened the life of her father and his father.
“Kuaaakkk.”
Ja Muk-hyun groaned in pain despite covering his mouth. He quickly stopped the bleeding by sealing the blood points there and then said,
“Step-brothers…”
“Step-brothers?”
“Yes. I just know that he gave the jade plaque as proof of that.”
At those words of Ja Muk-hyun, Mumu had a question answered.
There was only one father, and Kang Mui was a half-brother born from another woman’s womb. In any case, they were still brothers.
But Mumu’s expression darkened.
‘… Mumu.’
Jin-hyuk looked at Mumu with a sad expression.
The first time his brother received a hint about the secret of his birth, it was the least expected thing that any child wanted to know. Mumu then opened his mouth again.
“Then are there other brothers besides senior Mui?”
This time the answer came right away.
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“As far as I know, there are five, but I know that young master Musam lost his life during the war 17 years ago.”
“Musam? Was his name Musam?”
“From what I know.”
Mumu tilted his head at those words and asked.
“Does the Musam name mean that it’s like ‘The Third Mu’?” (Sam means 3)
“… I understand it to be as such.”
Mo Il-hwa thought about Ja Muk-hyun’s answer.
‘Then did he add a number to his kids? Like Mu and then one two three? Then why does Mumu have no number?’
She was puzzled, but Mumu asked.
“Then there are Muil (Mu One) and Musa (Mu Four)?”
“Yes.”
Mumu then asked right away.
“Then why is my name not Muo (Mu five)?”
At Mumu’s question, Ja Muk-hyun paused and then spoke hurriedly, scared that Mumu would hit him again.
“I-I apologize, my lord. There is a Muo.”
“Uh?”
Mumu frowned at those words.
What is this?
He said there were five siblings, and one died 17 years ago. And if there were five, he had to be included.
But what was this? Ja Muk-hyun spoke cautiously.
“I never saw Muo, but I know that Muil is actually in the Imperial Palace.”
‘What?’
At these words, Jin-hyuk and Mo Il-hwa were shocked.
Then these people aren’t solely dependent on ruining the academy but the Imperial Palace as well?
Mumu asked,
“… then it isn’t just five kids then.”
“Even if I belong to the sect, I do not know the reason for this. All I know is that ownership of the jade plaque means that you are of his blood…”
“You keep saying his and him. Who is that person?”
Mumu couldn’t stand it anymore and asked the inevitable question.
It didn’t make sense to talk about the kids without knowing the father, but this question made Ja Muk-hyun, and even Ha-ryun, look shocked.
‘He doesn’t know Him?’
The owner of the jade plaque doesn’t know that person? They were flustered.
“You are late in answering.”
Mumu was about to flick again, and Ja Muk-hyun didn’t bother thinking.
“He is the leader of the Dominating Hegemony and the Overlord Blood Martial God.”
‘!!!!’
As soon as those words were said, Jin-hyuk and Mo Il-hwa were shocked.
For a moment, they doubted their ears.
He was called the Lord, so they had guessed that Mumu’s father was someone important in the Forces of Evil. But the surprise was not lessened with the news that Mumu’s biological father was the Great Demon, the man who had caused the war 17 years ago.
‘How can this….’
‘…this is a mess.’
This was indeed a piece of information that would turn the entire Murim upside down.