Murim Troubleshooter Dan Mujin

Chapter 42: Diversion Tactic

In the forested mountain depths.

A hidden shelter carved into the land.

A black-clad figure wearing a mask pushed aside the branches at the entrance and emerged from the cave.

Slung over his shoulder was the long and hefty Nangabong.

“Hm.”

Silently, the masked man looked down at the road beyond the ridge, wide enough for a caravan to pass through.

Sensing something unusual, he tilted his head slightly.

“Something feels off.”

According to the intel from the Second Prince’s side, the Trading Company’s wagons were supposed to pass through this area soon.

But the closer the convoy got, the more this strange tingling sensation crept over his body.

Irritated, the man removed his mask. The handsome Jade Face hidden beneath the black cloth seemed to light up the surroundings.

A beautiful young man with eyes that sparkled as if containing starlight, radiating elegance.

“…It tickles.”

He looked down at his abdomen where the Dantian resided.

It wasn’t a physical itch—his Internal Energy was reacting to something, sending subtle tremors through him.

A very rare occurrence.

He had recently heard that the Eunseong Trading Company had recruited a top expert. Though unlikely, this sensation might be due to that mysterious figure.

Perhaps multiple people blessed by the Stars were alive in this era.

“What a strange fate. To think the Central Plains I believed to be vast would feel this small.”

If his assumption was correct, then this opponent would be no pushover.

Still, fortunately, the Second Prince’s camp had already made preparations against this expert.

Though he wasn’t fond of the “countermeasure” they had prepared—it was of rather poor quality.

“Once this job is done, I’m cutting ties for good.”

He had no choice but to follow orders for now, but he truly loathed these people.

Destroying an innocent Trading Company just because it was affiliated with another faction of the royal family—such vile monsters who’d stop at nothing for power.

Pfft.

Of course, he was no better, serving as their pawn. He had no excuse, even with a hundred mouths.

Letting out a self-mocking chuckle, the young man pulled his mask back on.

It was time to get to work.

A winding mountain road stretched between two ranges.

Thick foliage on both sides obscured vision as a long line of people cautiously continued their Escort Trip, anxiety etched on every face.

“Keep your eyes sharp!”

“Blow your whistle at the first sign of trouble!”

Vigilant Wanderers and Escorts scoured the area, alert to every sound.

Na Maengdal, the Head Escort who had twice suffered bitter defeats, shouted endlessly, refusing to let his guard down.

“What’s gotten into him all of a sudden?”

To my puzzled voice, Ilhong responded while fiddling with his concealed weapon.

“Boss, we’re about to hit that section.”

“What section?”

“The one where that freak with the Nangabong jumps out and smashes the cargo.”

“Ah.”

We’d apparently entered the so-called Killing Field.

With mountain valleys flanking both sides and dense trees offering perfect cover, this terrain was ideal for ambushes.

Rustle. Rustle.

Sure enough, an ominous rustling came from the forest.

Everyone instinctively thought it was the Nangabong Monster and drew their swords in fright.

Shhhk!

But what leapt out of the bushes wasn’t a human—just a herd of plump wild boars.

Moving in groups, they were startled by the large crowd and scattered in a frenzy.

“What the—just wild animals?”

“Damn, they scared the hell out of me.”

Those who had rushed forward mumbled in disappointment.

Not bandits, but wild boars raining on their parade.

As everyone tried to calm their startled hearts…

Crash—!

A deafening smash rang out from the rear of the procession.

Fragments of wood scattered in every direction—pieces of a “wagon” shattered by a massive blunt strike.

Valuable cargo crashed into the dirt, ruined beyond repair.

Watching the scene unfold, Na Maengdal let out a soul-crushing wail.

“Nooo! The goods…!”

It all happened in an instant.

Another wagon exploded at the rear like a thunderbolt, and only then did people realize the assailant’s identity.

“…It’s him!”

“It’s the Nangabong Monster! That lunatic’s back!”

“Form battle formation! Protect the cargo!”

Twice they had failed their Escort Trips. Every time that monster showed up, the Escorts were swept away like autumn leaves.

But this time, their voices held no fear.

Joining this escort was the mystical Daoist who could draw three feet of sword energy—Divine Wind Daoist.

“Heh heh, this one’s exuding strange energy.”

Whoosh—

Hwang Geolgae kicked off the ground and glided forward in an instant.

The crowd erupted with joy at his ghostly and wondrous Movement Technique.

“Ooh!”

“Look at that gust-like divine movement!”

“Nangabong bastard! You’re dead meat now!”

“Follow Divine Wind Daoist—!”

The masked man who had relentlessly tormented the Escort Agencies and nearly ruined their livelihoods.

This time, the Escorts who had always been on the losing end finally saw a chance to settle the score, and they charged with a mighty roar.

“Boss, let’s go too.”

But unlike the fired-up crowd, I was frozen in place, gripped by an odd sensation.

Since earlier, my Dantian, forged through the Starfall Heart Cultivation Method, had been tingling. I hadn’t performed any Righteous Deeds, so why?

“Boss, come on!”

Still, no matter the feeling, I was a hired Wanderer. I had a job to do.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Grabbing Ilhong’s hand, I dashed toward where the monster had appeared.

***

There was a time when people of the Murim called him the Beggar King.

An old man who dared to claim the title of king within the Murim—wielding absolute power among the beggars of Gaebong and its hundred thousand vagrants.

Even in the Righteous Murim, he had once held immense presence. Then one day, he cast everything aside and vanished without a word.

Much like a monk severing all worldly ties and departing into asceticism.

All of it followed a time when he, craving for a higher realm, was tormented by Inner Demons—and was saved by a Mystical Daoist named Ilwol.

Stars in the night sky. Guiding lights for humanity, and immortal fixtures on the celestial sphere.

The Mystical Daoist's teachings, which transcended the principles of all creation, utterly shattered the old man's narrow understanding.

That was why, consumed by emptiness, he let go of the title Beggar King and hurled himself back into the world as Hwang Geolgae.

And today, someone appeared before him—an individual who carried a presence similar, yet curiously different, from that of the Mystical Daoist.

Clad in black, wielding a Nangabong.

Clang!

Feeling as if he were clashing blades with the Mystical Daoist, Hwang Geolgae exchanged strikes with the figure.

Strictly speaking, it was a clash between a stolen sword from the Head Escort and a heavy Nangabong.

Clang-cha!

The sword, imbued with Internal Energy, deflected the incoming Nangabong at a slanted angle.

Metal clashed repeatedly, sparking bright yellow bursts.

The masked figure let out a faint groan as he felt the tremendous recoil surge through his palm.

Stronger than expected. So the source of that tingling must have been this one.

"You're harboring a strange aura the more I see you. Who are you?"

"……."

Without a word, the masked man instead enveloped the Nangabong in a chilling glow.

Each nail embedded in the iron staff began to emit a deadly, murderous aura.

"A quiet one, huh. Then I'll just have to unmask you and find out myself."

With a grin, Hwang Geolgae channeled Internal Energy into his blade and charged at the figure.

His form shimmered and blurred as his Movement Technique closed the gap like a phantom.

The masked man's eyes widened beneath his mask.

"Whirlwind Steps…!"

"Ho, so you recognize it."

Whoosh!

Hwang Geolgae’s sword traced a blue arc—an ingenious strike cutting toward the masked man at an unnatural angle.

Its force resembled the chop of a violently swung axe, forcing the masked man to swing his Nangabong desperately in defense.

Clang-ching-chaeng—!

Both weapons were wrapped in dense Internal Energy. Sword and Nangabong collided, sending invisible shockwaves rippling outward.

Dust billowed into the air from the impact. Though his vision was limited, the masked man relied on his unique sense of qi to pursue Hwang Geolgae, swinging his Nangabong continuously.

But every bold strike was met with empty air, as Hwang Geolgae’s ghostly movements, powered by the wavering Whirlwind Steps, kept slipping into his blind spots.

Realizing the disadvantage, the masked man stomped down with an Internal Energy-imbued step to dispel the dust.

"Why… Why is the Dragon Head Sect Leader guarding an Escort Trip…?!"

If he had known his opponent was the Beggar King, he would’ve done anything to avoid this.

"Heh, there's no reason I can't."

Swoosh!

A strike like Lightning Sword grazed the front of the masked man’s robe. A red line drawn through the air.

The cut was shallow, but the sword must have nicked his rib—his balance faltered.

He quickly launched himself back four or five steps.

But the same number of steps he retreated, the Sword Qi trailing from the blade extended, threatening his neck.

Slice!

“Guh!”

Tumbling like a donkey on muddy ground, the masked man barely protected his throat using Falling Step Roll.

Under the mask, the handsome youth’s face turned pale.

To concentrate Sword Qi to such density and fire it without a hint of instability?

"…Sword Flux!"

A blue heat haze undulated across Hwang Geolgae's blade.

Rumors of the Beggar King were more filled with absurd tales than feats of martial skill.

Even if blessed by the Stars, turning the tables against a martial artist of this caliber was nearly impossible.

“Damn it.”

Realizing this, the masked man's face contorted into a miserable expression beneath the mask.

The ringing clash of metal echoed continuously through the mountain ranges.

As sweat trickled from many hands watching intently, the old man and the masked man had already crossed weapons over fifty times.

“Boss, it’s more evenly matched than I thought. Should we disciples step in too?”

Ilhong, who had been silently watching the duel between masters, spoke up uneasily as if they ought to intervene.

“No, leave them be. He’s enjoying himself.”

I answered while gnawing on high-quality jerky I had picked up from a shattered wagon.

Isn’t watching a fire or someone else’s fight the most entertaining thing in the world?

It’s so fun, people even host tournaments and pay money just to watch.

"…Boss, how are you so relaxed?"

"Well, I don't sense any Killing Intent from either of them."

Words may lie and deceive, but swordplay never does.

And in their swordplay, there was no will to kill the other.

With the Heaven-Slaying Star, I could see things clearly.

"But you sure smashed the cargo just fine, didn’t you."

He let the Escorts and Wanderers charging at him go with barely a scratch, yet singled out and destroyed only the wagons carrying goods.

Maybe that’s why they called him a weirdo (怪人) rather than a fiend or Demonic Practitioner.

It’d be more understandable if he had stolen gold or jewels.

"Though now I do get why he's doing it."

He was likely hired by someone from the Imperial Household—to cut off the Eunseong Trading Company's breath before it became Princess Peach Blossom’s financial backer.

I’d gotten tangled in the sericulture business and ended up learning the backstory.

Politics were a shady mess no matter where you went.

"Hey, don’t you have any shred of disciple loyalty? Your master’s out there fighting, and you’re just chewing on jerky?"

Then came a sharp voice beside me.

Tang Yeo-hye had approached without my noticing and snatched my jerky, grumbling all the while.

She’d been watching just as eagerly, so what was with the attitude?

"What’s a bunch of us who can’t even draw Sword Qi supposed to do? If you’ve got so much energy, why don’t you go out and help?"

I gestured at the scene ahead and shot her a questioning look.

"Forget it, just by the looks of it, Senior Hwang Geolgae’s about to win. He’s been going easy on him, even now."

So that old man’s youthful alias had been Beggar King.

King of Beggars—it sounded both grand and pathetically shabby at the same time.

Slaaash—!

Just then, the blue shimmer on Hwang Geolgae’s blade condensed even tighter, suddenly bursting with light and slashing through the space ahead.

The ground split along a length of roughly one jang. Even the stones and weeds caught between were cleanly severed in half.

It was as if the blade, imbued with Sword Qi, had extended its edge.

The sword cleaved air, and everything in front of it split. I gaped in confusion, unsure what had just happened. But beside me, Ilhong slapped his knee.

"That’s… 'from sword qi to enhanced qi'!"

I’d never seen it, but I’d definitely read about that term before.

Those Murim novels said you needed at least Peak Master Level to control that, and Transformation Realm to launch it freely.

"What level is that guy even at?"

With my meager knowledge, I couldn’t begin to gauge it.

Despite being from the Murong Clan, I had never actually seen a true master.

I’d lived a life thoroughly cut off from martial arts and martial artists.

The best I’d seen was my sister Murong Cheonghye’s Sword Flash of Heaven and Earth.

Even though I was a martial family’s child who couldn’t learn a single sword technique, she once performed that dazzling swordplay to lift my spirits.

Of course, later she used that same swordplay to stab at me.

"Ugh, damn it!"

"You bastard! Stop right there! I still have things to ask you!"

And as Hwang Geolgae continued drawing out Sword Flux with the borrowed sword, the Nangabong Monster seemed to realize he’d reached his limit and turned tail.

Whoosh—!

Hwang Geolgae, shouting that he still had questions, chased after the fleeing figure.

Just like that, the two masters vanished into the forest in a flash.

"Ooooh!"

"Divine Wind Daoist has driven away the Nangabong Monster!"

"Heh, that lunatic finally got driven off!"

"That was satisfying, seriously!"

Escorts, Wanderers, and Warehouse Assistants who had been getting beaten down cheered as the Monster retreated in defeat.

Perhaps they’d been holding it in too long, as curses and insults flew after the fleeing figure.

"That ended more anticlimactically than expected."

I swallowed the last of my jerky and muttered to myself.

Since the royals were involved, I’d expected a more persistent and sinister terror campaign, but this wrapped up surprisingly quickly.

Maybe even the Imperial Household hadn’t expected someone like Hwang Geolgae to show up.

Feeling reassured that the attacks were over, I was about to take a nap until Hwang Geolgae returned—

Crash-crash-crash—!

Another wagon exploded, and the screams of Escorts erupted once again.