Murim Troubleshooter Dan Mujin

Chapter 46: What Was Gained

The devastation left in the wake of the Soul-Stealing Demon Lord was gradually being brought under control.

After gathering the casualties in one place, the members of the Eunseong Escort Agency began treating the wounded.

Hwang Geolgae, who had arrived belatedly, looked upon the scene with a deeply conflicted expression.

While he had been preoccupied chasing the energy of the stars, such a catastrophe had unfolded behind him.

Of course, no one present directly blamed Hwang Geolgae.

No one had expected multiple masters to target a single escort agency, and no one dared raise their voice in front of a master emitting such fierce Sword Qi.

“Tch, I’d rather be cursed out instead.”

But uncomfortable glances were inevitable. It would have been easier on his conscience if someone had just yelled at him outright.

At that moment, a brazen fellow showed up to grant that very wish.

“Ah, damn it! You old man, what were you doing that you're this late! I really thought I was going to die!”

It didn’t matter whether the opponent was the Dragon Head Sect Leader or a former Demonic Practitioner—when angered, this madman would charge in first and ask questions later.

I could see Tang Yeo-hye, the Chief Escort, and others around us all flinch in shock.

“Spilled blood’s brought back your damn mania again, hasn’t it.”

The old man smirked and replied. Compared to silent judgmental stares, this was preferable.

After smacking the back of the loudmouth’s head with a ‘thwack!’, Hwang Geolgae asked what had happened.

“The Demon-Slaying Unit of the Murim Alliance intervened and saved us...? Why would they be here?”

“Hell if I know! Damn it, this lump hurts.”

Dan Mujin grumbled, rubbing the bump on his head.

While Hwang Geolgae was still puzzled over the Murim Alliance’s sudden involvement, a woman stepped forward and offered a polite clasped-hands greeting.

“Disciple of Murim, I greet the esteemed senior, the Beggar King.”

With skin like white jade and refined features beneath which a sharp aura stirred, the beauty’s appearance immediately revealed to Hwang Geolgae why the Demon-Slaying Unit had intervened.

Indeed, if it was the Evil-Slaying Demoness, it wasn’t strange for her to appear wherever evil lingered.

She had eradicated the remnants of Hebei's villains, and now she had apparently come to crush the Nangabong Monster.

“But young one, calling me the Beggar King? This old man is the Divine Wind Daoist, famed for his wondrous Daoist arts.”

“……”

No matter how one looked at him, ‘Daoist’ seemed less fitting than ‘senile beggar,’ but Murong Cheonghye kept her mouth shut.

While the second daughter of the Tang Clan had blundered with words the moment they met, the daughter of the Murong Clan displayed commendable composure.

“Heheh, how’s that rascal Murong Cheon doing? All well at the Murong Clan?”

“……”

He had simply asked a normal question, but her expression turned grim.

It seemed there really was serious trouble within her household.

“……He’s doing well. He said he hopes to play another game of Go with you someday.”

“I’ve no interest in matches with those weaker than myself.”

That was said in complete sincerity.

Murong Cheon, as Clan Leader, lacked long-term vision and only focused on the immediate, which made playing Go with him thoroughly boring.

If he ran his clan in that fashion, he was bound to suffer a grave setback someday.

“I see. Since you seem to be concealing your identity for a reason, I shall take my leave now.”

Her original alias had been Cold Jade Maiden. But at some point, she had gained a reputation for mercilessly striking down evil as if to purge the world of it.

What she said about her family’s misfortune hinted at something deeper, but for now, I let her go. There was more urgent conversation to be had.

“So, you rascal. What exactly happened to the Soul-Stealing Demon Lord?”

“Oh, that. He laid a trap with murderous intent, but I saw right through it...!”

Dan Mujin added vivid gestures and footwork as he explained what had happened.

But the more Hwang Geolgae listened, the more his expression darkened.

“So what you’re saying is... you’re the one who killed the Soul-Stealing Demon Lord?”

“Yes, somehow I landed the final blow.”

Once again, the rascal was spouting inexplicable nonsense.

“Then why the hell are you fine, kid?”

“…Oh. That’s a good question.”

Only now, after surviving the ordeal, did he seem to realize it.

Was this guy really the Heaven-Slaying Star, famed for his bloodlust?

“What was the reason...? Did you do it to save someone? Or because it didn’t violate your conscience?”

Dan Mujin explained it had been to save Murong Cheonghye, and that it might have been a situation where good karma outweighed killing karma, resulting in this strange outcome.

“So you're saying the Starfall Heart Cultivation Method helped you keep your sanity?”

“Uh, probably?”

At that, Hwang Geolgae slapped his knee with satisfaction. Who would’ve thought the evil star’s malice could truly be suppressed?

“Nothing strange appeared before your eyes or anything?”

“Oh, of course not.”

Dan Mujin nodded as if it were obvious.

“As expected, the insight of Daoist Sun and Moon was not mistaken. All of this must be the profound arrangement of the Primordial Heavenly Lord!”

Clasping his hands in reverence and exuding an awkward Daoist aura, Hwang Geolgae offered thanks to the one who stood at the pinnacle of cause and order.

Because of that, he failed to notice.

Dan Mujin was subtly averting his gaze from Hwang Geolgae.

“……”

We gathered the remaining wagons and escort cargo and headed to a border city in Henan, where the Eunseong Escort Agency branch was located.

Upon entering the city gates, a middle-aged martial artist ran toward us as if he had been waiting.

Like Murong Cheonghye, he bore the word ‘Demon-Slaying’ engraved into his sword scabbard.

“Evil-Slaying Demoness, what kind of Vice-Captain abandons her own Captain just because she’s a bit slow?!”

He seemed to be the Captain of the Demon-Slaying Unit. He looked at Murong Cheonghye with disbelief.

“I had a terrible premonition... I’m sorry, Captain Jeok Unyeop.”

She explained that she had acted on an inexplicable intuition.

Jeok Unyeop shook his head in disbelief and approached, only to spot a familiar corpse and widen his eyes.

“No way, that face... Soul-Stealing Demon Lord?!”

As expected of a Demon-Slaying Unit Captain, he immediately recognized the infamous face.

“What on earth... Evil-Slaying Demoness, don’t tell me you defeated this monster?”

If that were true, it would be an astounding achievement. Jeok Unyeop beamed at the thought.

“No. I only helped weaken him. The one who delivered the final blow was none other than this young master, Dan Mujin.”

Murong Cheonghye gently nudged my back as she said it.

Jeok Unyeop looked between us in disbelief.

“This young fellow? Took down that century-old fiend?”

“Young fellow? He’s a proper master who even saved my life.”

After Murong Cheonghye briefly explained the events, his expression shifted to shock.

“What?! He consumed the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp? Used extreme Yang energy to wound the enemy?”

The appearance of a legendary spiritual beast seemed too much for him to believe.

“No, that was bait to lure him in. I actually detonated a poison pellet. I have a naturally poison-resistant constitution.”

There could be others who had cultivated demonic arts like the Soul-Stealing Demon Lord, and I didn’t want rumors spreading that I was some kind of walking elixir.

“Heh, you’ve got guts, young master. I acknowledge it. Facing the Soul-Stealing Demon Lord head-on without even reaching the Peak Master Level…”

It seemed this explanation made more sense than the Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Carp, as he patted my shoulder with a satisfied look.

“The merit of taking down the Soul-Stealing Demon Lord is tremendous, Dan Mujin.”

“But… saying I took him down alone feels wrong when two other skilled women were also involved…”

My conscience pricked, so I tried to say something.

“He was a wanted criminal designated by the Murim Alliance, so a massive bounty is due.”

“Now that I think about it, I probably did land the final blow.”

A massive bounty couldn’t be ignored.

The Murong Clan and the Tang Clan had more money than they could spend anyway. There wouldn’t be any issue if someone like me, born of beggars, took it.

“However, the bounty is only paid upon submission of proof at the Murim Alliance. You’re currently on an escort trip, aren’t you?”

The Murim Alliance was based in Shaanxi, far off the current escort route.

On top of that, without any symbolic token, I’d have to lug a preserved head across that distance in salt.

“I, as the Vice Captain, witnessed your achievement myself…”

Perhaps to spare me that burden, Murong Cheonghye rummaged through her robes.

“We’ll recover the corpse, and in exchange, take this dagger. Later, if you visit the Murim Alliance and present it with my name, the bounty should be granted.”

It was a refined dagger, etched with the familiar emblem of the Murong Clan.

“…Thank you for the consideration, Vice Captain Murong Cheonghye.”

“It’s nothing. If more young masters like you appear, that alone would be a blessing for the Righteous Murim.”

“……”

There was a time she claimed people like me shouldn’t be allowed to live for the peace of Murim—and now she calls me a blessing for the Righteous Murim?

The irony had me biting my lip.

Even the Murong Cheongjin within me seemed to miss his sister while also resenting her.

“So… if you continue to progress in martial arts, would you consider joining the Demon-Slaying Unit? With your level of achievement at your age, it won’t take long before you’re deployed to the frontlines.”

Maybe she thought she’d found a promising seedling and wanted to secure the connection early.

“I’m sorry. I’m not interested in such activities for now.”

“I see. That’s a shame…”

This was a woman who had once stabbed me.

Spending too much time near her raised the risk of my identity being exposed. Could I really be sure the Evil-Slaying Demoness wouldn’t swing her sword again?

I shook my head.

“But if you ever change your mind, please let me know. I’ll be waiting.”

Even if she didn’t stab me, her family had once abandoned me.

Revealing my identity should wait until I had martial power enough to protect myself.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

She exchanged a clasped-hands greeting with me and disappeared, her long ponytail swaying behind her.

Watching her fade into the distance, my chest ached for reasons I couldn’t explain. Was this what they called love-hate?

As someone who had never known family, it was an unfamiliar sensation.

“Ahem. Hey, brat.”

Next to approach after Murong Cheonghye’s departure was another woman.

According to Neungsam, thanks to this incident the Chief Escort had handed her some money, and she’d soon head off to Sichuan.

So why was she standing there awkwardly, speaking to me?

“Yes, what is it?”

“Uhm, so, it’s like…”

“If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”

I had just secured a sizable bounty. Whatever she said, I felt like I could laugh it off.

“The young lady wishes to thank you for risking your life during the Star-Sucking crisis. But she’s too embarrassed now, which is why she’s fidgeting like that.”

Suddenly appearing, her servant Neungsam offered a painfully honest interpretation.

Tang Yeo-hye flushed instantly as her feelings were exposed.

“You bastard! Can’t you shut your damn mouth?!”

And so, Uncle Neungsam began taking hits to the shin for leaking heavenly secrets.

“Aha.”

It seemed saying a simple thank-you wasn’t easy for her.

Come to think of it, even when I acted out a fake suicide to draw in the enemy, she’d screamed for me to flee instead of dying for her.

“Because of you! I seriously can’t live, damn it!”

She had a foul mouth but seemed fundamentally kind. She had stepped up against the Soul-Stealing Demon Lord to save my life, after all.

Someone like her, once you got close, could be worth keeping around. There was no downside to getting along.

“Here, take this.”

After she’d smacked Neungsam around enough, she tossed something my way.

I caught it swiftly—a flat, silver, shimmering token engraved with the name Tang Yeo-hye.

“It’s a Gratitude Token from the Tang Clan. Quite rare, so keep it deep inside your robes.”

It was a Silver Token among the Copper, Silver, and Gold. Unlike the cheap Copper Token, this seemed to be pure silver—valuable in its own right.

“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”

“The worth behind it is more than the silver it’s made of, so don’t even think about selling it.”

What a sharp woman. How did she know exactly what I was thinking?

“Of course. That didn’t even cross my mind.”

I tucked it deep into my robes. I had now collected two of the Tang Clan’s Gratitude Tokens, which most people never saw even once in a lifetime.

“And if you ever pass through Sichuan… make sure to visit the Tang Clan.”

“I’ll try.”

“Try? If you don’t, you’re dead. Got it?”

Her eyes flared with a fire that said she’d half-beat me to death if I skipped out.

Seriously, the way she spoke…

“And, um… one more thing.”

“What now.”

“We’ve saved each other’s lives a couple of times, so… I’ll let you call me noona.”

Tang Yeo-hye said, her voice trembling slightly.

“No thanks.”

“…Why not? You called the Evil-Slaying Demoness noona.”

“She’s shorter and feels younger than me, so it kind of made sense.”

“You little…! Getting cocky just because I let it slide, huh?!”

Maybe she’d harbored some fantasy about being called noona because of her stature.

Her explosive reaction was amusing to watch.

She thumped my shins, but with no Internal Energy behind it, her strikes were like drizzle to the body of the Heaven-Slaying Star.

“Phew… anyway, lastly—hey, you over there. You’re Ilhong, right?”

Startled, Ilhong flinched as she was listening to our conversation nearby.

She had saved Tang Yeo-hye with her hidden weapon during the crisis but probably felt guilty about something too.

“That cylindrical hidden weapon—where’d you get it? The mechanism’s similar to the Tang Clan’s.”

“…A blacksmith in the Black Spot saw it once and made something similar for me.”

“Bullshit. Do you know how intricate the parts inside are? Unless you stole the entire blueprint, there’s no way.”

Thing is, someone like that did exist.

Without any blueprint or diagram, he had replicated the weapon simply by observing, dismantling, and reassembling it repeatedly—understanding the moving parts, their interactions, and even the presence of Black Powder.

Kids like that probably grow up to build trap formations in places like the Heavenly Demon’s grave later on.

“Ilhong knew she’d be suspected but fired it anyway. To save you. So could you go a bit easy on her?”

If I had to put it plainly, she stole it with talent. The feared consequence didn’t occur.

“Hey, I also want to let it slide since I got help, but as a daughter of the Tang Clan, I can’t just…”

“Please, ‘noona’. The Tang Clan has plenty of other hidden weapons anyway.”

“….”

The soft but sudden use of the word ‘noona’ made Tang Yeo-hye flinch and pause momentarily.

For some reason, the corners of her mouth seemed to twitch slightly.

“…Ha, fine. Since you’re begging like that, this ‘noona’ will let it slide just this once. Got it?”

She spoke in a tone like she was scolding a much younger sibling.

When I nodded silently, she smiled in satisfaction.

“Hey, Ilhong. I didn’t see you use a hidden weapon today, and if someone else catches you, I won’t be able to help you then. Remember that.”

I thought I might need to drag in the Beggar King and crush her with authority, but with just one request, Tang Yeo-hye really let it go without a fuss.

And her servant Neungsam, mouth agape, looked like he had never seen such a smooth reaction from the lady before.

“…What the hell?”

I, too, felt very strange.

It was like a sharp-tempered wildcat had allowed me to pet its head.

“Truly strange…”

See? Neungsam must’ve felt the same.

“I’ve never seen her melt over a single request… Could it be, Young Master Dan Mujin…”

“Yes?”

“Are you really to become our young lady’s future husband?”

“…What nonsense are you spewing.”

What had this old man eaten to make him talk like this?

“But the lady’s never acted like this before… Could it be I’ll now be serving you, Young Master?”

“I thought you were in a hurry. Get going. Now.”

I shoved Neungsam’s back hard, trying to push him away from his growing nonsense.

And when everyone had finally left, Ilhong stood beside me with puffed-up cheeks.

Now what’s with her?

“Do you prefer short women, Boss?”

“Is that what you choose to say right now?”

We had just barely gotten through a crisis.

Seriously, I was starting to believe there wasn't a single sane martial artist in all of Murim.