Murim Troubleshooter Dan Mujin

Chapter 40: No Time to Be Bored

Eun Hwaran’s father, the Spring Radiance Tycoon, was a man who excelled at reading the tides of the times and never settled for the present.

And as if to prove it, the moment the Eunseong Trading Company had established its footing, he forcefully pushed ahead with a new business venture called the Eunseong Escort Agency.

At first, there had been much opposition.

People had said there was no need to risk danger by stepping forward when they could just sit in the back and flick abacuses, leaving all the sword fights with bandits to the escort agencies.

But then, her father had spoken with a face full of conviction.

‘Logistics is the very flower of commerce.’

He believed that trading companies and escort agencies were complementary by nature, and that binding them together would generate a great virtuous cycle. Defying opposition, he had pushed forward with steadfast determination.

There had been the painful process of backlash from the existing escort agencies, but with his signature business acumen and the charisma to embrace people, he ultimately turned the rolling stone called the Eunseong Escort Agency into one firmly embedded.

As paths began to open to farther regions, Eunseong’s influence naturally extended beyond Hebei to cover the vast lands of Henan.

Using that as a springboard, the Eunseong Trading Company rapidly grew and eventually engraved its name at the tail end of the Ten Great Trading Companies.

“Hoo, finally, the day has come.”

And with time, today had arrived.

Now, at the crossroads of fate stood one of the two legacies her father had left behind—the Eunseong Escort Agency.

Eun Hwaran looked with concern at the warehouse assistants and escorts lined up at the entrance of the estate.

With a booming voice, the Chief Escort Head Na Maengdal was stressing the importance of this escort trip.

From a distance, she could see the people flinching at his words about how the entire workplace might vanish if they failed.

Srrng.

Then, amid the subdued atmosphere, an elderly man barged in and silently borrowed the Chief Escort Head’s sword with a smooth motion.

Apparently, this hadn’t been prearranged, for the First-Rate Martial Artist Na Maengdal stared in disbelief at the empty scabbard on his waist.

“This old man is the Divine Wind Daoist, who descended from Mount Tai, the greatest of the Five Great Mountains, after cultivating the Dao!”

Stroking his long beard—a symbol of a Daoist—Hwang Noya introduced himself as the mysterious and extraordinary Divine Wind Daoist.

However, the people showed little reaction to this unknown Daoist name, Divine Wind Daoist.

“Divine Wind Daoist? Anyone ever heard of him?”

“I’ve heard of Heopung Jin-in, something like that...”

“I saw that guy sleeping on a roof once.”

Although everyone had heard rumors of a powerful new recruit, no one had expected the shabby old man who looked like a beggar to be that expert.

Therefore, except for a few escorts, most simply murmured without much response.

At that, Hwang Noya squinted his eyes and suddenly raised the stolen sword high.

Chzzzt—!

As he infused internal energy into the blade raised vertically, a bluish Sword Qi surged up more than three cheok.

A sharp, piercing aura swept through everyone’s senses. It was an overwhelming demonstration of power that shattered all doubt in an instant.

Not only those inside the estate but also the onlookers outside stood agape in shock.

Apparently pleased by their reactions, Hwang Noya let out a hearty laugh and then shouted in full momentum.

“As the Eunseong Trading Lord Eun Hwaran feared recent attacks, she has invited this old man. From today on, no fiend shall ever dare to violate Eunseong’s escort trips—!”

His booming voice fiercely pounded everyone’s eardrums.

It carried a thunderous resonance hinting at profound internal energy.

“Uoooh...!”

“A mysterious expert from Mount Tai! Divine Wind Daoist is with us!”

“Nangabong bastard, just try and come!”

“Long live Trading Lord Eun Hwaran of the Three Spring Beauties of Beijing!”

In a world where fists spoke louder than words, having a powerful figure on their side was the greatest reassurance.

The people of the escort agency erupted into a roar, elated at having an expert who could emit three cheok of Sword Qi joining them.

Watching this scene, Eun Hwaran gently covered half her face with her fan and smiled faintly.

She had only asked him to boost morale before the departure, but he had lifted it like that.

As they say, seeing is believing. In this Murim, where violence reigned, a single demonstration of skill was far more effective than a hundred words.

Thanks to that, the escorts and warehouse assistants shook off their fear of the Nangabong Monster.

Everyone gathered here now fervently shouted the Daoist name, Divine Wind Daoist.

All except for one fair-faced youth among the wanderers, who wore a sullen expression.

“Pfft.”

Eun Hwaran hurriedly covered her mouth, but she couldn’t hold back the escaping laughter.

He had said he didn’t want to join the escort trip because he hated suffering, but it seemed Hwang Noya had dragged him along anyway.

The big lump on the crown of his head seemed to affirm her suspicion.

“This escort trip is going to be lucky.”

For some reason, when that child was around, good fortune seemed to follow.

Having saved the trading company with his brilliant wit, she now hoped he could also save the escort agency.

“Trading Lord Eun Hwaran!”

From below, Chief Escort Head Na Maengdal looked up at her with a flushed face.

His eyes asked if everything was ready and whether they could now depart.

“I grant permission to depart!”

Eun Hwaran shouted as she vigorously thrust her fan in the direction of departure.

Na Maengdal conveyed her will to everyone with a bold cry.

“Let’s go, it’s our long-awaited escort trip, you lot!”

Then, all the people who had been crouching in hesitation suddenly sprang into motion as if stretching their limbs.

“Wow, finally an escort trip!”

“How long has it been!”

Dozens of carts began to roll. A long procession of porters followed.

One by one, people stepped out of the estate gate with confidence on their faces.

May fortune follow the road ahead of them.

Eun Hwaran quietly prayed for the safe return of the departing escorts, wanderers, and Dan Mujin as she watched their retreating backs.

The procession that had departed from the escort agency officially began its escort trip as it passed through the gates of Beijing.

A dull and tiresome march of over two thousand li, lasting a full two months.

“Damn it, I’m doing this crap again.”

Even in this world, a forced march? I felt like clutching my head like some end-of-service corporal from a drama.

Still, there was at least one improvement—I had learned the Whirlwind Steps up to level two, which covered both movement techniques and body movement techniques.

Leaning my center of gravity slightly forward, I pushed with my big toe and gently emitted internal energy through the Yongcheon acupoint to smoothly glide forward.

Next to me, Ilhong was also stepping lightly, having learned footwork from Hwang Geolgae, easing the strain on his body.

Had we been deployed without any of this, it would’ve been hell.

Back in the old days when I used to transport cargo, I might’ve seen the heavens turn yellow.

While displaying such unique footwork among the wanderers, I noticed nearby warehouse assistants whispering while watching me.

“Isn’t that guy the one who used to work as a warehouse assistant? But now he’s a wanderer? What happened?”

“You’re slow on the uptake. That kid caught the eye of Divine Wind Daoist and became his disciple.”

“I heard he even earned the Wanderer Token with ease thanks to that momentum. Damn, what a lucky guy.”

“His life’s made. I’m jealous, seriously.”

Listening to that made my ears itch.

His life’s made? Even hearing it, it was an utterly absurd statement.

Would they even know that if the Evil Star snapped one day, their heads would go flying?

“Sigh, my life.”

I’d felt really good when I first heard that old man would be going far away on an escort trip. I thought I was finally free.

My insides were boiling with irritation. So I gave Ilhong’s shoulder a few taps.

“Ilhong, got any water left?”

“No, I drank it all on the way here.”

She held up a completely empty leather water pouch.

“You good-for-nothing junior. You should’ve saved some for your senior.”

“There you go again with your nonsense… Why don’t you ask those folks joining us midway?”

She pointed toward the people joining us from a nearby village called Anyang County as she said that.

In this era, mountains were like lawless zones where the forces of the authorities didn’t reach.

Wild beasts and bandits roamed all over, so an escort trip of this scale that offered such safety was quite rare and valuable.

That’s why, as long as the route aligned, people from around Beijing would pay a certain fare and gather under the flag of the escort agency.

In short, we were like the safety bus of this era—one with an incredibly infrequent schedule.

“Hm.”

It would still be a while before we reached a clean stream for drinking water. Should I go beg for some?

I was about to follow her advice and take a step when—

“Boss, boss.”

Ilhong tapped my shoulder like she’d seen something.

“What now?”

“Boss, among those who just joined us, there’s this girl running toward us?”

Wondering what she meant, I turned to look in the direction she pointed.

And sure enough, some shorty was puffing hot breaths as she ran straight toward us.

And she was moving fast—almost like she was using movement arts.

“Hey! You little punk, I finally found you…!”

As soon as our eyes met, the squirt glared and cursed at me.

Sharp, bratty voice—it sounded oddly familiar.

Why was that short woman so mad at me?

“You bastard! How dare you steal that precious weapon?!”

Fueled by rage, she quickly closed the distance. At the same time, her pale face came into view.

A sharp bob cut falling past her ears, fierce eyes, and crimson-dyed corners of her eyes like rouge.

“Oh, that rude one from the Tang Clan?”

Was her name Tang Yeo-hye or something?

“Hah? I’ll kill you, you piece of shit!”

Ack. That was a slip of the tongue.

Because I always remembered her like that, the words just reflexively came out.

I frantically waved my hands to smooth things over, as if to say it was a misunderstanding.

“Ahem, anyway, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Not well at all! Because of you two little rats!”

Of course, it had zero effect.

Anyway, judging by the deep green on her nails and the settled rhythm of her breathing, she must’ve made progress in her training.

And her yelling probably had to do with the Tang Clan’s cylindrical hidden weapon I’d forgotten to return.

Swoosh.

Feeling the heat, Ilhong hid behind my back, poking only her face out.

“C’mon, who said it was stolen? We just forgot to return it, that’s all.”

If you think about it, she’d also been so focused on the Blood Boar’s Poison Pellet that she forgot to retrieve it too.

So it was mutual fault. No point in grabbing necks and arguing over who was more wrong.

Even so, she stared at us with pointed eyes like she wasn’t buying it.

“Hmph.”

Didn’t I say earlier this would be a long and boring march of two thousand li?

I take that all back.

There’d be no room for boredom with this venomous woman around.

“…Ahaha.”

A frostbitten expression.

A woman clad in the uniform of a Demon-Slaying Unit vice Boss roughly yanked her sword from the chest of a wanted criminal.

“Guhk—”

A short death groan and a splash of blood.

Red dots speckled her face, but the beautiful woman didn’t even flinch.

Throughout winter, she’d slain evildoers nonstop, earning not just the nickname Ice Flower from gossipers, but also the brutal moniker Evil-Slaying Demoness.

Swish.

She swung her sword, scattering the blood across the ground.

No matter how many evildoers she killed, the gaping hole in her chest never felt filled.

“Mm.”

The Boss of the Demon-Slaying Unit, Jeok Unyeop, looked at his vice Boss with a complicated gaze.

To think she subdued a Demonic Practitioner on the cusp of the Peak Master Level in barely over a hundred breaths.

That’s exactly why he’d subtly suggested she take over the Boss position last time.

But she had immediately rejected it, saying if she were Boss she’d have to do paperwork, attend Murim Alliance meetings, and manage subordinates—time better spent killing one more evildoer.

And so, Jeok Unyeop had ended up leading someone with superior martial arts and an even more powerful family background.

He scratched the side of his head like he had a headache.

Ever since she’d shown up last year, it felt like he’d been dragged around nonstop.

“Boss, so where’s the next Demonic Practitioner?”

Look at her again—already looking for the next target without even thinking of resting.

“There are none left in this area.”

“…Why not?”

“Evil-Slaying Demoness, because you’ve already cut them all down.”

Her infamy was already echoing across Hebei.

Thanks to her, all the ones worth killing had fled. One could say not a single fiend remained within a hundred li.

“Then what now?”

“…”

What now? Celebrate a job well done and return to the Murim Alliance to rest, of course.

But faced with the beautiful woman’s expression devoid of all life energy, Jeok Unyeop ended up blurting out the next target without thinking.

“There’s that… monster who attacked an escort agency wielding the Nangabong not too far from here…”

“Let’s go.”

A spark lit up her face. Without hesitation, Murong Cheonghye answered and sprang into action.

He hadn’t even said which direction yet.

Watching her in the distance urging him to hurry, Jeok Unyeop could only shake his head.