Murim Troubleshooter Dan Mujin

Chapter 33: The Boy Who Embraced the Stars

It was a strange and mysterious feeling.

The energy called Virtuous Qi pounded the Evil Star, stealing fragments of stars.

The sensation of reverting it into Internal Energy and spreading it through the whole body.

An energy with the properties of Evil-Breaking and Anti-demonic filled my body and began to drive out the red energy of the Evil Star.

Tsss—

A faint white shimmer rose above my skin.

Still small and light, but that sparkle within—

A faint white shimmer rose above my skin.

Still immature and dim, but that sparkle resembled the starlight scattered across a dark night sky.

“Hrnnn...”

A long breath like a turtle’s. I operated the Starfall Heart Cultivation Method and pulled all the energy spread across my meridians into my Dantian.

Like a spinning wheel winding thin thread, strands of Internal Energy coiled finely and gained volume.

Then, within the Dantian, a larger and clearer ball of Internal Energy formed than before.

“Phew...”

When I completed the Small Heavenly Cycle that revolved around the Ren and Du Meridians, I felt strength overflow through my entire body.

Six months into learning martial arts, I had reached the level of Nine Years Internal Energy.

Had I taken another step toward becoming the World's Best?

“So this is talent...? How petty the world is.”

“There he goes again.”

Smack!

A thunderous Flick Strike exploded atop my head.

“Aaagh, damn it!”

A sharp pain rattled my skull. Clutching my head, I rolled across the training ground.

Why did they always strike the Baihui Point, where the Evil Star was embedded?

“Boss, you look like a pill bug.”

Apparently amused by my antics, Ilhong, who had been sweating through training nearby, giggled.

To think you'd laugh at someone else's pain. I didn’t raise you to be like this.

“Damn old man! If my skull cracks from this, you’re taking responsibility!”

I sprang up from the ground and protested.

The hit spot still felt like it was about to split. Am I going to go bald just on the top?

“It’s fine, someone like you won’t die from that.”

With a dismissive air, Hwang Geolgae chugged from his gourd.

So as long as I don’t die, it’s all fine, huh. Whether my crown caves in or not.

“So, how much Internal Energy did you gather to be acting all smug again?”

Hwang Geolgae, who had been guarding during my Qi Circulation, stroked his beard and asked.

He seemed curious about what I’d gained from my Murim outing. I leaned in and whispered quietly so Ilhong wouldn’t hear.

“Wanderer Dan Mujin now possesses Nine Years Internal Energy.”

This body is currently basking in radiant growth.

With just one more well-paying request, Ten Years Internal Energy seemed within reach.

“...What?”

Hwang Geolgae’s eyes widened, shocked at how my Internal Energy increased every time he saw me.

He soon demanded an explanation.

“What exactly have you been doing out there?”

What do you think I’ve been doing?

“Good deeds.”

“More details, please.”

I began recounting what Ilhong and I had gone through like a heroic tale.

Yet, the more he listened, the more twisted Hwang Geolgae’s expression became.

“So you're saying you beat up a commoner in the marketplace and then took money?”

“Yes, something like that.”

“And that’s... a good deed, you say?”

Of course. Old Man Jang was a malicious debtor who tried to skip out on payments.

“Punishing a bad guy and helping a victim—how is that any different from the Chivalrous Acts Master Hwang speaks of?”

The client was overjoyed to get his principal back, and Chairman Gam Un and I made off with a tidy sum of interest and commission.

We punished one guy and multiple people benefited—wasn’t that logically correct, even by utilitarian standards?

“Boy, are you serious...? No, you must be. That’s why your Virtuous Qi grew and your Internal Energy increased.”

If one truly believes they are doing good, then it becomes Virtuous Qi.

Since it was something he himself had explained, Hwang Geolgae reluctantly accepted it.

“Still, boy, beating up a commoner? Chivalry is supposed to be...”

No, perhaps he hadn’t truly accepted it. He seemed bothered by the fact that I used the martial arts he taught to brawl with commoners.

It felt like a long and tiresome lecture was incoming. I rummaged through my sack and pulled something out to shut him up.

“A gift I bought with my commission fee.”

A finely polished liquor bottle. The deep scent of alcohol wafted from its stopper. It was Geumnamchun, a famous liquor from Sichuan.

“Don’t let personal gain shake—huh!”

He was scolding me with a stern face, but his hand reflexively snatched the bottle at the alluring aroma.

The famed liquor from Sichuan vanished into his robes before one could blink.

“Huh? Why is this here?”

It must’ve been a subconscious action—he looked confused himself.

With the liquor cellar empty, smelling such a fine aroma after so long must have overwhelmed him.

“I earned it with the martial arts you taught me, so I bought a bottle for you, Master.”

They say human relationships are a continuous act of lubrication.

People naturally wear on each other for various reasons, so a little greasing is necessary.

Especially with someone who holds your lifeline and teaches you martial arts—smooth maintenance is a must.

“Hoho! What a promising fellow. Truly, it’s rewarding to have taught you!”

Hwang Geolgae’s expression turned gleeful, as if he’d never scolded me. He now searched for side dishes and a cup.

He looked like a drunkard newly freed from prohibition.

How could someone who wanted to be called the Divine Wind Daoist live drowning in booze?

“Ha, such fine liquor without a snack? Well, can’t be helped... Now, go on and finish your tale.”

He intended to use my tale of my Murim travels as a side dish while sipping.

Hwang Geolgae popped open the Geumnamchun bottle with a pop.

“Heh heh.”

The sweetly fermented grain aroma tickled his nose, drawing a satisfied grin.

“The next request, well, it was to find a missing son.”

He gulped down the clear liquid that shimmered above the cup.

The deep flavor and searing alcohol burned his throat, prompting a heartfelt “Keh!”

“Good, good. Heh heh... So, did you find the son?”

He asked, downing another cup.

“Well, turns out the village was a trap full of assassins, and the old man who took us there was from the Eastern Depot, serving the Third Princess of the Imperial Palace.”

“Pffft—!”

The precious Geumnamchun sprayed across the training ground.

Hwang Geolgae coughed and gagged, urgently turning toward me.

“...Hrk, boy! Didn’t I tell you during every training session? Stay away from those sinister Imperial bastards!”

I suppose he did say that a few times.

But anyone hearing this would think I got involved with them on purpose.

“Hwang Noya, we were tricked too. They even came wearing a Human-skin Mask, can you believe it?”

Ilhong, who had been listening beside me, stepped in to voice my grievance.

“Seriously, of all people, you had to get tangled with the Eastern Depot.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. We already got involved during the sericulture matter.”

“That was just a fleeting entanglement... Anyway, be careful. The Imperial lot are fickle by nature—get too deep, and it’s a headache.”

Hwang Geolgae warned like someone who had been through it.

Come to think of it, wasn’t the Beggars’ Union banned from entering Beijing by Imperial decree?

That’s why people treated beggars with scorn and oppression—it was a damn hard place to beg in peace.

“Did something happen between you and the Imperial Household?”

“Sigh.”

In response to my question, Hwang Geolgae silently gulped down over 60 degrees of White Liquor like it was water.

To pour that potent stuff straight into his gut without even flinching...

“...That petty bastard Hongnakje.”

Suddenly, he blurted out a curse at the Emperor.

Most people in the Central Plains wouldn’t even dare mention the Son of Heaven, let alone swear at him.

As expected, this man was just as unrestrained as I was.

“You know the Emperor personally?”

“Of course. The old man was both a drinking buddy and a go friend.”

“...”

This time, it was my turn to fall silent.

A beggar and the Emperor, friends? That sounds like something out of a fairy tale.

Hwang Geolgae explained that he had become close with the Emperor, who was traveling incognito.

“And why did things turn out this way? The capital is off-limits now.”

“It’s because of that damn go game.”

Apparently, the topic came up while they were drinking.

They started boasting about who was stronger at go, and naturally, it turned into a match.

Hwang Geolgae, who regarded go as a virtue of Daoists, accepted the challenge with confidence.

“Didn’t expect to lose thirty games in a row. That Emperor bastard teased me about it every time we met. Said I really was the Blusterous Wind Daoist.”

The memory still made Hwang Geolgae’s face crumple with frustration.

“So I used Telepathy and snatched a win. Fortunately, my Upper Dantian had opened a little.”

“...”

Seriously, who uses something like that for go?

Also, if even a part of his Upper Dantian had opened, then he must’ve surpassed the Transformation Realm...?

“Heh heh, then that Emperor bastard threw a tantrum and demanded a rematch, face full of rage.”

“So what did you do?”

“What else? I told him he sucked and refused the match, then ran for it.”

Proudly, Hwang Geolgae declared that he’d left the Emperor forever stuck as the loser.

Who knew there existed someone deranged enough to pull the ‘you suck at this’ card on the Emperor?

“And not long after, an Imperial decree banned all Beggars’ Union members from entering the capital. Tsk tsk, what a petty Emperor...”

So that’s how it happened.

A whole sect and the head of the nation acting like children over a game of go.

Truly, it made my chest feel tight with secondhand embarrassment.

“Wait a sec. So all the hardship we suffered as beggars back then is kind of your fault too?”

When we tried begging like normal, we were mocked. We even had to cling to people’s pant legs.

By the way, in areas with Beggars’ Union branches, mocking beggars openly would get you mobbed by a horde of angry beggars.

“Hrmm, is that how it turns out?”

Looking sheepish, Hwang Geolgae took a sip of the Geumnamchun I gave him.

Now that I knew the truth, I could only shake my head in disbelief.

I fixed my gaze on him with a look full of disappointment.

“...Ahem, why are you looking at the old man like that?”

Why? Because you’re pathetic, that’s why I’m looking at you like this.

All this trouble over one game of go.

Honestly, who else would be so fitting for the title Blusterous Wind Daoist?

“Ahem, don’t look at your elders like that...”

If he says not to, I have to do it even more.

I stared at him even harder, eyes full of judgment.

Without saying a word, just continuing.

“I said don’t!”

Smack!

“Ow!”

In the end, I got hit with another Flick Strike.

“Sometimes I think the Boss just asks for it,” said Ilhong, her gaze dripping with pity on that early winter day.

The training ground of the Eunseong Trading Company, paved tightly with stone slates.

Hwang Geolgae silently observed Dan Mujin, who had entered training.

Pung! Pwoong!

Fists pierced through the air like awls. A palm technique like crashing waves.

His legs, intricately crossing, released Internal Energy from the Yongcheon Acupoint and shot out like a glide.

His whole body carried acceleration, rotation force squeezed from the toes, and unleashed Internal Energy to execute the tenth form of the Hundred-Knot Divine Fist, the Begging Iron Fist.

Pwoooong!

The sound of compressed air bursting tickled Hwang Geolgae’s ears.

A single strike that even a First Rate Martial Artist would struggle to survive if hit directly.

Landing lightly, Dan Mujin launched again, his footwork sliding fluidly.

His fist and footwork linkage had grown much more natural. Had his Whirlwind Steps already reached the second star?

“Wow, just a while ago, his moves were full of excess.”

Who would’ve thought someone could change this much after just a few real battles?

And when the Nine Years Internal Energy, cultivated through the energy of the stars, was added on, every movement began to carry overwhelming force.

All this was achieved just six months into learning martial arts.

“So this is the Heaven-Slaying Star.”

Every time he saw this growth, he felt a flicker of fear.

What if he wasn’t helping someone overcome fate, but aiding the birth of the worst kind of killer?

“No, no. He’s not that kind of person.”

Hwang Geolgae took a silent swig from the Geumnamchun gifted by his sort-of disciple.

He had decided to trust—so he would believe to the end.

After all, wasn’t this the same boy who had taken in little beggars no one cared for, feeding them without expecting anything in return?

And as if it had all been planned, there was that mysterious Daoist Sun and Moon who passed on a star-controlling cultivation method.

Perhaps all of this had been arranged by the one watching from the summit of Mount Okgyeong.

“If so, then O Primordial Heavenly Lord, please continue to keep that little one hidden from those who chase the stars.”

Once again tonight, the 108 Evil Stars glittered across the night sky.

Many of the famed martial masters and notorious Demonic Practitioners who left a mark in Murim were, upon closer look, often born under Evil Stars like the Purple Star, Heavenly River Star, or the Breaking Army Star.

Of course, when such a star descends into the world, it would usually reveal a bright glow in the night sky.

"Does it not look like a star that's already dead?"

The Heaven-Slaying Star, which had ceased all activity and lost its light in a dull gray hue.

It remained an eerie phenomenon no matter how many times he saw it.

The Evil Star within Dan Mujin had also stopped functioning, seemingly fallen into a state of false death.

But from what he'd sensed when he once peeked inside, cluelessly, it felt like something was slowly, ever so slowly, planning a resurrection.

Because of that, Hwang Geolgae had never let his guard down.

“Hwang Noya, could you teach me that sword technique?”

Dan Mujin asked cheerfully, seemingly unaware of the weight behind such concerns.

“You rascal, why the sudden interest in sword techniques?”

“I tried copying the blade swings of that eunuch guy, and I think I’ve got some talent in wielding weapons.”

Dan Mujin imitated the previous fight, making ‘shwok-shwok’ sounds with his mouth.

“No.”

Hwang Geolgae firmly shook his head.

Seeing blood and entrails would stir up the Evil Star and provoke bloodlust, and he still lacked the Internal Energy from the Starfall Heart Cultivation Method to suppress it.

“Then maybe at least something like the Dog-Beating Staff Technique...?”

“I said no, you rascal.”

It was better than a sword, but still risky. Wielding a weapon might deepen his killing aura.

And the way he asked, like he had some claim to it, made Hwang Geolgae irrationally annoyed.

“C’mon, Noya. You teach Ilhong all sorts of stuff.”

“That’s because she’s not a dangerous brat like you. And she’s a pitiful girl betrayed by someone she saw as family. Someone’s gotta look after her.”

Back when he was the Dragon Head Sect Leader, Hwang Geolgae had interacted with the Hao Sect Leader. He was a steadfast man trying to carry on the will of the First Sect Leader.

Had there been a Beggars’ Union branch here, that child would have been taken in and protected long ago.

It was truly unfortunate.

“I’m pitiful too, you know. I was stabbed by family and abandoned by my parents. I’m basically a forsaken orphan.”

“Heh heh, the old man didn’t even have parents to be abandoned by, you rascal.”

“Oh, come on.”

Seeing the boy frustrated like that oddly warmed his heart.

Hwang Geolgae smiled faintly, thinking how far he still had to go in his mental cultivation.

“If you're that desperate, I could teach you some basic staff techniques.”

Just wielding a five-cheok-long staff would grant a level of reach unmatched by fists.

If mastered properly, it could become a formidable extension of the limbs, rivaling even swordsmanship.

“Oh, really?”

“But there’s a condition.”

As expected, Dan Mujin immediately pouted.

“Accumulate Fifteen Years Internal Energy in your Dantian first. Then I’ll bestow my teachings upon you.”

Once, Hwang Geolgae had glimpsed something horrifying inside the boy, tormenting vengeful spirits.

Whatever it was, such a thing should never be allowed into the world. And to stop it, one would need to accumulate Virtuous Qi and cultivate Anti-demonic Internal Energy.

“Fifteen years? Hmph, guess I’ll finish up this current case and move right on to the next.”

Yes, this boy needed to stay constantly in motion.

Maybe even more so than now.

“It won’t take that long. We’re riding the wave now.”

Dan Mujin said confidently, casually thudding the shoulder of fellow wanderer Ilhong.

“Oof.”

Ilhong let out a weird sound.

Having spent their ragged days together, maybe she had unconsciously come to see him like a younger brother.

Well, regardless, since his standards for good deeds were low, it probably wouldn’t take that long.

Hwang Geolgae was quietly placing some hope in him.

A forest not far from Beijing.

Ilhong and I had set out on a journey after receiving a new request.

They needed help gathering medicinal herbs in the mountains, apparently.

One of the clients was said to be a young woman.

Naturally, I assumed she was either a female physician or a dutiful child seeking herbs for her ailing father.

But when we arrived at the site, what greeted us was something quite different.

“Hah? What are these brats?”

A woman shorter than me, dressed in ash-gray martial attire, her sharp eyes tinged with red, hands hardened by training, and something bulky hanging beneath her clothes.

“What? You think I’m looking for herbs? That’s hilarious. What I’m after is a lethal poison potent enough to kill a hundred with a single drop.”

I already had a bad feeling this was going to be another rough mission.

“...Chairman Gam Un, are you seriously doing this again?”

I didn’t think he was like this, but that man’s request picks were absolute garbage.