Chapter 134
Translator: penny
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: First Day at the Murim Alliance
My first day commuting to the Murim Alliance.
Having just parted ways with Moyong Hui, I arrived at the White Tiger Unit and immediately drew a ton of attention.
"That guy's Mok Jimyeong, right?"
"His face really does look flashy, huh."
It felt like I'd become a celebrity overnight.
I could sense a bit of hostility in some of the stares, but this was nothing compared to what I'd dealt with before.
'Compared to the Lecherous Demon days, this is child's play.'
More importantly, there was something else on my mind right now.
I scanned the area diligently, searching for one particular person.
'Where's Baek Iryeong?'
Red Peak Baek Iryeong.
The outstanding female swordswoman from the Mount Hua Sect, who in my previous life had come to kill me alongside my youngest sister Yeon-i.
She was stunningly beautiful back then too, but her age made it a no-go...
'Baek Iryeong in her twenties... heh heh.'
I was looking forward to it immensely.
If Moyong Hui hadn't been around, she would've been the first woman I'd targeted after leaving my clan.
But no matter how much I looked, I couldn't spot Baek Iryeong anywhere.
Instead, there were some irritating familiar faces...
'A few of these guys look familiar.'
I didn't know their names or nicknames, but I'd definitely seen those faces before.
Probably guys I'd fought in my past life.
'Oh, that one's the guy I killed.'
It had been the same when I met Namgung Chan—facing people I'd killed with my own hands felt downright weird.
Like they were ghosts or something; it lacked a sense of reality.
That's when one guy approached me.
"Hey, you the Mok Jimyeong who just joined our White Tiger Unit?"
He looked about thirty, with a massive mole smack in the middle of his forehead that stood out like a sore thumb.
No matter how little interest I had in other men, I wouldn't forget a distinctive look like that, so this wasn't someone I'd met in my previous life.
'Man, that forehead mole is huge. You're Dot King from now on, Dot King.'
We hadn't even introduced ourselves yet, but I'd already branded him with the nickname "Dot King."
From a distance, it probably looked like he had three eyes.
As I mentally assigned him his nickname, Dot King scowled, his already ugly face twisting even more.
"What the hell? Ignoring a senior when he's talking to you?"
'What? Is this Dot King punk... picking a fight with me right now?'
It had been ages since someone came at me first like this—it was almost nostalgic.
Usually, I was the one starting trouble, and if anyone ever approached me with bad intentions, Cheon Woojin would step in first.
But nostalgia didn't mean I'd let it slide.
I could brush off hostile glances with a smile, but outright provocation was a different story.
'If I let even this slide with a grin, I wouldn't be the Lecherous Demon—I'd be a monk.'
I, Mok Jimyeong, wasn't that magnanimous.
As I flashed a crooked smile and opened my mouth to retort, a booming lion's roar shook the training grounds.
"White Tiger Unit! Assemble!"
A middle-aged man stormed in, clearly pissed off and grumbling.
And right behind him was the person I'd been looking for.
'Baek Iryeong, there you are!'
She lived up to my expectations perfectly.
A small face with delicately arranged beautiful eyes, nose, and mouth, and skin as pale and flawless as white jade.
Her expression had a sleepy, languid vibe, but with a face like that, it only added to her charm.
As I stared at Baek Iryeong in a daze, Dot King clicked his tongue.
"Captain's already here... You're lucky, punk."
The grumbling middle-aged man who had entered right in front of Baek Iryeong seemed to be the White Tiger Unit's captain.
At the captain's order to assemble, the unit members gathered in one spot.
I slowly made my way over, hoping to get a bit closer to Baek Iryeong.
"Captain, what's going on? Did the Black Tortoise Unit reject us again?"
"Grr, they flat-out refused."
"Those bastards aren't even our superiors...!"
Though everyone had assembled as ordered, the captain was already deep in conversation with some of the others who'd gathered early.
Thanks to that, I could ogle Baek Iryeong without interruption.
That's when someone tapped my shoulder.
"Are you that famous Mok Jimyeong everyone's talking about?"
I turned to see one of the few handsome guys in the White Tiger Unit.
His tone was friendly, unlike the hostility from the others.
"What is it?"
I scowled at the sudden friendliness from this dude, but he just gave a refreshing smile.
"Haha, no need to be so tense. It's just nice to finally have someone my age join the White Tiger Unit after all this time."
I glanced around again and sure enough, most of them were older.
Late twenties at the youngest, with plenty pushing forty.
'Makes sense, I guess.'
Martial artists grow stronger with age.
Sure, exceptional twenties get hyped as the next generation, but they're still green.
'Even the captain there probably crushed most next-gen talents back in his twenties.'
At around forty, he was at the peak realm.
If that's his level now, he might've been one of the Five Dragons and Five Phoenixes twenty years ago.
So, promising youngsters were seen as future potential, not current assets, in most orthodox factions.
But the White Tiger Unit was the Murim Alliance's frontline combat squad—the real deal.
Of course there'd be few young fighters here.
It wasn't weird that this guy was happy to see me.
'So who is this pretty boy?'
Conversely, this clean-cut guy talking to me had to be pretty exceptional himself.
He read my expression and kept smiling as he introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Baek Riwoon. They call me the Cross Sword, though it's more than I deserve. Feel free to call me Senior Baek Ri."
The unfamiliar name and title made me nod casually—then I froze.
'Baek Ri?'
Looking closer, I could see traces of Baek Ri Eunjeong in his refined features.
Their smiles were similar.
"Are you from the Baek Ri Clan in Shanxi...?"
His face lit up at my words.
"Oh, you know our clan? I'm the young master there."
'Huh? Why's the young master here? Shouldn't he be cozying up with the Shadow Gate Sect...?'
Knowing the ties between the Shadow Gate Sect and the Baek Ri Clan—and having met Baek Ri Eunjeong—I was a bit thrown.
Then I recalled my bold conversation with the Shadow Gate Sect leader.
—Actually, the Baek Ri Clan's not doing so well right now. The clan head hit a wall during breakthrough, fell into qi deviation, and has been bedridden for over half a year. And the young master and heir, Baek Riwoon, is currently...
—Yeah, that's enough.
'I cut him off because it was getting annoying.'
Looks like that's what he was about to say.
'Eh, not a big deal anyway.'
If I'd hooked up with Baek Ri Eunjeong or something, maybe, but this didn't change anything for me.
The only potential issue was Baek Rihyeon, training alone back at the lodging...
'But Hyea and Cheon Woojin can handle that.'
Not my problem.
I wasn't the kid's babysitter.
'...Still, for Yang Buin's sake, maybe give Cheon Woojin a heads-up?'
Tch, Baek Rihyeon better be grateful his mom's a beauty.
Yang Hwajeong was even more alluring than Baek Ri Eunjeong.
As I chatted with the Baek Ri Clan young master, the White Tiger Unit captain finished his talk with the others and started looking for me.
"Oh yeah, we got a new guy in the unit today, right? Where's the rookie?"
All eyes turned to me in an instant.
The captain grinned when he finally spotted me.
"Been a while since we got a fresh-faced kid. What's your name?"
The crowd naturally parted between me and the captain.
Even Baek Riwoon stepped back a bit.
Under everyone's gaze, I deliberately locked eyes with Baek Iryeong before speaking.
"I'm Mok Jimyeong of the Mok Family Clan. No nickname."
Murmurs erupted right after my introduction.
"What, no nickname?"
"How'd a guy like that end up here?"
They were already biased against me, so it hit harder.
The captain smirked again at the complaints.
"That many gripes, huh? We can just test his skills right now."
Rumor had it the White Tiger captain was the most battle-hungry—seemed true, with that aggressive streak.
Small cheers broke out at his words.
"That's our captain!"
"Can I give it a shot?"
"Let me spar with him!"
Volunteers popped up left and right—some hostile toward me, others just looking amused.
"Hmm, who should it be?"
The captain scanned the crowd, about to pick one.
Everyone watched eagerly, eyes sparkling.
'They must really underestimate me.'
Perfect—that's exactly what I wanted.
Before he could choose, I quickly raised my hand.
"Captain?"
"What, rookie?"
If he was gonna call me rookie anyway, why bother asking my name earlier?
Funny guy.
'Feels kinda familiar somehow?'
Less orthodox martial artist, more unorthodox rogue.
First impressions weren't bad.
I got straight to the point.
"Can I pick my sparring opponent?"
"You, rookie?"
He looked puzzled, then nodded to himself.
"Hm, not a bad idea. So, who do you wanna face?"
I seized the chance.
"Yes. How about that guy over there with the huge dot on his forehead...?"
My pointing finger aimed straight at Dot King, the one who'd picked a fight earlier.