Murim Troubleshooter Dan Mujin

Chapter 62: Starry Night

The Demonic Practitioner being chased simultaneously by the Magistrate Office and the Murim Alliance—the Blood-Sucking Fiend.

Contrary to public belief, he wasn’t just some martial artist with a grotesque habit of sucking blood.

Rather, he was someone who used that blood as a medium to perform unheard-of Evil Arts.

“He’s using Evil Arts!”

That signature shout one must make whenever someone displays an unknown martial art.

And through exchanging dozens of Lethal Techniques, we realized—this guy wasn’t at the beginning of the Peak Master Level, but rather a formidable expert who had reached its pinnacle.

He was on par with Dang Yeo-hye of Poison Sparrow Mountain.

But standing on the side of justice, we overwhelmed him from all sides with more than triple his numbers. Gradually, he began to collapse under the barrage flying in from front, back, and sides.

Clang! Ka-ka-kang!

A short Sleeve Dagger imbued with Qi clashed against Jo Hah-rang's greatsword.

Sparks burst out in bright yellow as the Sleeve Dagger cut halfway through the greatsword. But perhaps from the strain of the continued duel, its blade shattered sharply.

Then came the greatsword, pushed forward with brute force, slicing open the Blood-Sucking Fiend’s chest.

“Graaagh!”

With the sound of ribs shattering, crimson blood splattered in every direction.

Seeing my golden chance, I clenched both fists and dashed in.

Tsst-tsst—

Apparently able to use his own blood for sorcery, he gathered the scattered blood into bean-sized pellets and fired them like Elastic Qi Bullets.

Pipipip—!

“What the hell?!”

“What the—what even is that?!”

My companions gasped at the scene none of us had ever witnessed. I instantly rolled to the side, dodging the attacks flying at me like Hidden Weapons.

Bang—!

And as if refusing to go down quietly, Ilhong pulled out a cylindrical device from his coat.

A burst of pointed Bi Chim needles exploded, hurtling toward the Blood-Sucking Fiend.

“Guk!”

The Demonic Practitioner collapsed like a porcupine, his front pierced all over by the tightly packed Bi Chim.

“Damn it! Didn’t I tell you not to use that in front of me?!”

Dang Yeo-hye instantly lashed out at the reappearance of that weapon as if someone had hit her berserk button.

“You said it was okay last time!”

“I didn’t permit it—I just turned a blind eye! You little—!”

In any case, while the two bickered, the Blood-Sucking Fiend was incapacitated and lay melded with the dirt.

We had the numbers and Dang Yeo-hye, so we thought he’d be an easy opponent—but it turned into a hair-raising battle more than once.

Had Dang Yeo-hye gone in alone, the outcome might have been much worse.

“Cough!”

The Blood-Sucking Fiend vomited dark red blood onto the ground.

And apparently fully poisoned by the Bi Chim, his lips and face had blackened.

“Ilhong, what the hell did you coat the Bi Chim with?”

“The Corpse Bone Pellet I bought at Black Spot.”

A poison designed more for inflicting pain than killing quickly, he said.

And judging by how he convulsed and trembled all over, it was clearly painful.

“Why use something so vicious?”

“One day... I want to stick it into that traitor’s back.”

The poison was meant for Black Diagnosis Bird, who had killed his father and usurped the position of Hao Sect Leader.

Ironically, the Blood-Sucking Fiend, who had been draining the lifeblood of innocents, was the one struck by it.

“Grrrk... The completion of my Blood Arts was so close...”

Eyes turning white, spitting blood and mumbling resentfully, the Demonic Practitioner uttered something incomprehensible.

He reached toward the sky with a vacant face and muttered his final words.

“To not be part of the Great Undertaking... such regret... ugh.”

Thus, the Demonic Practitioner breathed his last.

Blood Arts... Great Undertaking, he said. What kind of lunatic drops such ominous words before dying?

Swish!

Dang Yeo-hye borrowed Jo Hah-rang’s chipped greatsword and cleanly severed the Blood-Sucking Fiend’s head.

Then, she lifted the head high like a trophy.

A barbaric age, if there ever was one.

“That’s gross. Did you really have to hold it up like that?”

“Think of it as a fifty-silver-coin head.”

“Oh...”

So it was like a bearer check that could be cashed at any time, like a dagger in the coat.

Thinking of it that way made it less gross.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and salt it.”

The battle with the Blood-Sucking Fiend had taken a heavy toll on our stamina and mental strength.

So we decided to stay put in Deungbong and wait for Chairman Jo’s return, using the time to recover.

And then Dang Yeo-hye stuck close by our side.

“You’re joining us now?”

“Yeah. Being with you always drags me into incidents. I like that.”

“...”

She talks like I’m some walking curse, and I can’t even refute it. That stings a little.

Seriously, Heaven-Slaying Star... trouble really does follow me.

“But how’d you know that waiter was a killer?”

“That’s a trade secret.”

Can’t tell anyone that. Even if asked, I’d play dumb.

Worst case, I’d just say it was a special trait of the martial art I trained in.

After all, this is the Central Plains Murim, where all kinds of eccentrics and phenomena run rampant.

“...Please rest up before you go, Sirs!”

The cheerful Innkeeper of this place addressed us.

We weren’t some Evil Sect Ruffians or Fallen Nobles. We were Orthodox Chivalrous Heroes. So of course, if something broke, we knew to pay for it.

When we waved him off, the Innkeeper bowed nearly ninety degrees before retreating.

Not long ago, he had been sobbing at the sight of his destroyed inn, but after we tossed him a wad of silver, his face lit up like a lantern.

“But why was it my money?”

Grumbling while caressing her now-thin Coin Pouch, Jo Hah-rang complained.

After a heated debate that lasted a full Il Dakyung, she was chosen to front the repair cost.

“But Ilhong and I are barely scraping together money for food and lodging.”

“And I’ve got to feed Neungsam, so even the Murim Alliance stipend is tight.”

Neither Dang Yeo-hye nor I had the frugal saving habits of Jo Hah-rang.

You could say we were the types to earn like dogs and spend like kings. Ilhong had probably splurged at Black Spot, too.

“Don’t worry. This dagger’s worth twenty silver coins, and that head is worth fifty.”

As long as we made it to the Murim Alliance, all those debts would naturally be settled.

Nothing to worry about—but judging from her expression, she didn’t quite agree.

“Great heroes, these are drinks and dishes sent by the innkeeper. Please enjoy them.”

Perhaps on the innkeeper’s cue, another nimble waiter moved quickly to serve us with wine and meat.

“Tea for me and the kids.”

No way should the kids be getting a taste for alcohol already. Since it interfered with my cultivation, I told them to take it away and asked for teacups instead.

Soon came boiling hot tea along with a continuous parade of lavish dishes.

Having just expended a great deal of strength, we devoured the food like starving beggars.

But unlike the rest of us, Jo Hah-rang sat there barely eating, just nibbling at her food.

“Hey, you don’t trust me? I said I’ll pay it back.”

Thinking she was worried about the money she borrowed, I tried to reassure her.

“No, that’s not it...”

Apparently, that wasn’t the issue. She just sat there, face clouded, fiddling with her half-broken greatsword.

That massive blade was called the Heroic Blade, wasn’t it?

“During the fight with the Blood-Sucking Fiend, his tiny dagger almost sliced through my greatsword... and my neck.”

She muttered that if the Sleeve Dagger hadn’t broken midway, her head might have been the one to roll.

“At this rate, I won’t spread my sect’s name... rather...”

Trailing off, she glanced toward Dang Yeo-hye, who was likely to attend the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly.

When she left her sect and set out into the world of the murim, she brimmed with confidence. But the Central Plains was vast, and the number of masters overwhelming.

Now, just before her first Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, she seemed to realize that fact all over again and looked completely deflated.

“If only I could use Sword Qi...”

Her sword style, I’d heard, was based on a massive sword filled with Weapon Qi, sweeping across the battlefield.

But now, lacking strength, she could only display a half-finished version of it.

“You’re already progressing fast enough. Why put yourself through this?”

“No... this isn’t nearly enough... I’m not an ordinary person.”

That wasn’t something I could ignore.

If not ordinary... then what was she?

But she looked too down to answer any questions right now.

Meanwhile, I had taken down a Murderous Spirit, earned money, and even accumulated good karma. I couldn’t have been happier.

“Sometimes, I think even you, Captain, need that kind of drive to improve.”

Ilhong murmured this while picking meat clean off duck ribs.

Improvement, huh? For me, every day was already a battle to survive.

Everyone else sure had it easy.

‘Right, Salsung?’

‘Kill (殺)!’

It was still a conversation where only one side talked—if you could even call it a conversation.

Salsung really was consistent, I’ll give him that.

Anyway, after waiting in our lodging a few more days, Chairman Jo, having finished his tour of Shaolin Temple, returned to the inn.

And Ma Jungcheon, who had been secretly watching me the whole time, casually rejoined us, pretending he had just come back from sightseeing.

“You all... why are your outfits like that again?”

Chairman Jo clicked his tongue, saying we looked worse every time he saw us.

“Well, many things happened again.”

Once we arrived at the Murim Alliance and got our big payout, new clothes were going to be the first order of business.

If we kept traveling like this, we’d soon look like beggars from the back alleys of Beijing.

“And who is this young lady...?”

“She’s the chivalrous heroine Dang Yeo-hye of Poison Sparrow Mountain from the Sichuan Tang Clan.”

Before Chairman Jo could step into a minefield, I quickly intervened.

Upon hearing her affiliation and epithet, his eyes widened, and his mouth clamped shut.

Then he nodded at me in silent gratitude.

No need to thank me. If that woman threw a fit while Neungsam wasn’t around, we’d all be in trouble.

“Chairman Jo, right? Mind if I join you?”

“It would be an honor! We’ve even secured a special seat on the carriage for the heroine...”

“Oh, no need. I’ll ride with my little brother in the cargo wagon. That’s more comfortable for you too, right?”

“...Yes.”

Truly uncomfortable, this woman.

Now I had to share a wagon with someone I had to treat like royalty.

“So, uh... what clan are you from?”

“Street orphan. Just happened to get close to her by chance.”

Hearing us calling each other ‘noona’ and ‘dongsaeng’, Chairman Jo seemed worried and asked—but then let out a sigh of relief.

“Haha! I see, I see.”

I really liked Chairman Jo’s snobbish but transparent nature. At least he was consistent and not hypocritical.

“Then we’ll wait for that Poison Sparrow Mountain heroine’s companion, Neungsam, and depart right after.”

Chairman Jo exchanged a few words with Dang Yeo-hye and soon set the schedule.

“So, where to next?”

Hopefully not another detour like Shaolin Temple.

“Shaanxi. To the Murim Alliance.”

“Oh, finally!”

The sacred ground of Orthodox chivalrous heroes, where countless murim warriors gathered.

Though Dang Yeo-hye and I were just going there to collect some money, still, it was a place to look forward to.

One night, the stars shone especially cold and bright.

Two young people remained sleepless for very different reasons.

I had simply eaten too much food before departure, and my stomach felt heavy.

Jo Hah-rang of the Small Scalpel Blade, however, seemed to be awake for entirely different reasons.

Whoosh! Whooosh!

In an open clearing near the carriage, she swung her massive greatsword, dancing under the moonlight.

It was a fast and domineering blade style, but a sorrowful whistling sound escaped from the half-broken blade with every swing.

As if echoing her somber emotions.

“Hm.”

From our previous conversation, I remembered that such a massive blade could be repaired with some effort.

But the hole in her heart—that seemed harder to mend.

“Tch.”

Each time the whistle of escaping air rang out, Jo Hah-rang bit her lip harder and swung even more fiercely.

Whoooosh!

The night wind exploded with every swing.

I stood silently, observing her sword technique. Normally, watching someone’s martial arts so openly would be a grave insult, but she seemed too absorbed to notice.

“Such a fierce sword style, no matter when I see it.”

Every time I saw it, the momentum was astonishing. Get caught in that, and even if you could read the crimson trajectory, escaping would be nearly impossible.

If swift swords posed a danger due to speed, hers was deadly due to sheer scale.

I quietly drew upon the energy of Heaven-Slaying Star to trace the path of her technique.

But the moment I activated Heaven-Slaying Eye, something felt off.

“What... why are the trajectories like that...?”

I could only stare at her in puzzlement.