Chapter 18: Double the Benefit
“Damn that Mujin kid, he must be wavering by now.”
A tattered and worn-out robe. Hair matted with greasy grime.
A penniless beggar of an old man muttered while clutching a liquor jar loaded onto a cart.
Greed was one of the Ten Evils defined by Buddhism, and the root leading to inner demons.
Especially the sinister energy clinging to money had, since ancient times, drawn blood and taken countless lives.
Even the smartest of men would lose reason before money, their inner desires stirred.
And now, the Evil Star would worm its way into Dan Mujin’s heart, which had grown lax in the face of massive reward.
“When a devil beckons, what choice will he make?”
People often changed when they suddenly gained great wealth. Their true nature would be revealed.
That’s why Hwang Geolgae didn’t particularly stop Trading Lord Eun Hwaran from offering him a monetary reward.
Though it might be toxic to the training of Starfall Heart Cultivation Method, it was also a great opportunity to gauge the boy’s capacity.
“This will be a sort of test.”
Beggars, all of them, were extraordinarily obsessed with money. If someone slammed down shining gold before them, how many could truly maintain their reason?
Most would go wide-eyed. Staying calm would be difficult. That way, he’d give Heaven-Slaying Star a pretext.
And yet, Hwang Geolgae secretly hoped Dan Mujin could overcome it.
To resist a fate bestowed by the heavens, one needed corresponding willpower and mental strength.
Gulp gulp.
Hwang Geolgae downed a ladleful of Shaoxing wine in silence.
He just hoped the boy wouldn’t lose sight of the bigger picture and fall into the trap of Tanglangzaihou (the mantis stalks the cicada).
“Tch, damn kid keeps adding to my worries day by day.”
No matter how much he kept drinking, the worries and concerns didn’t go away.
So, he silently looked up at the Evil Stars that shimmered in the night sky with their own colors.
Among them, he stared long at Heaven-Slaying Star, which gleamed with particularly ominous light.
Two small gold ingots, shining bright yellow.
For a moment, I felt my consciousness being drawn into the golden gleam they emitted.
Those quail-egg-sized lumps were worth several decades of a warehouse assistant’s salary.
Even accounting for the pitiful basic wage of a warehouse boy, it was clearly an amount the average commoner could barely even touch.
‘How much did I make selling silkworm cocoons on Earth again?’
About a hundred thousand won.
It had been a fortune for a kid from an orphanage. Enough for a snack party at the convenience store.
But here?
With just a single click, I had obtained solid gold ingots.
Even on Earth, this would be quite a sum. Too big and dangerous for a mere warehouse assistant kid to be holding.
All sorts of wild thoughts raced through my mind as I glanced at Trading Lord Eun Hwaran. Could I really accept this?
“Don’t refuse. Eunseong always repays its debts.”
Trading Lord Eun Hwaran gave me a smiling glance, her lips half-hidden by her fan.
She really was giving it. Even though the Eunseong Trading Company was struggling financially and short on every coin, they insisted on paying what was due.
If that’s the case, then who am I to say no?
“Ahem. Well, thank you kindly…”
Grinning ear to ear, I reached out and grabbed the gold.
The moment my fingertips touched the ingots, a shiver ran down my entire body. Small, yet weighty. Yes, this was the solution.
With this kind of money, I straightened my back without even realizing it.
What should I do first with this cash? First, swing a stick and march right up to Mr. Jang’s fabric shop and brag like crazy.
Then, go slap that brothel manager who looked down on beggars with a faceful of money, and feast on all the gourmet delicacies of Beijing.
“Heh heh.”
Who knew making money could be this easy?
The days I cried over a single copper coin as a beggar, and the sweat I shed working from dawn as a warehouse boy, suddenly felt pathetic.
With this money, I could live warm and full for quite some time.
Indeed, money makes the world go round. Having it after having none felt amazing.
Just as I was about to slip the gleaming ingots into my clothes—
Suddenly, a searing pain shot up from my dantian.
“Ugh!”
An intense agony surged through my entire body. My eyes, blurred by greed, snapped wide open.
A speck-sized speck of Anti-demonic Qi, like it was warning me, thrashed around violently.
Thanks to that, it felt like a bucket of cold water splashed over my head, clearing my mind instantly—and I saw something horrifying.
‘What the hell is this…’
Thick, sinister blood-red mist had silently filled the Trading Lord’s chamber.
And Heaven-Slaying Star’s energy, clutching my arm and pulling it toward the gold.
Red tendrils squirmed all over my body. Like a venomous snake flicking its tongue before devouring its prey.
‘Damn it.’
My hair stood on end. I had been so blinded by the gold in front of me that I didn’t even notice this.
That bastard was playing tricks on me. If not for the Starfall Heart Cultivation Method waking me up, I would’ve stepped right where the Evil Star wanted me to.
It seemed like the recent training had quieted it down, but the damn thing had still been waiting eagerly for my spirit to fall.
Relentless and tenacious bastard. And I couldn’t even shake it off.
Realizing my situation all over again, I felt the greed that had filled my mind completely evaporate.
Yeah, what good was gold and treasure if I lost my mind and became a killer?
“Noona.”
They say Seeing brings desire. But if you don’t hold it, you won’t be tempted or tested.
I couldn’t let Heaven-Slaying Star’s schemes succeed. I’d cut it off at the root.
“Thank you, but I’ll return this.”
I gently slid the gold ingots back toward her as I said it.
Survival came first.
“…What? Are you serious?”
Eun Hwaran blinked her large eyes, seemingly shocked.
“Yes. I heard your company isn’t doing so well. Even got pressured by creditors… Use it for that.”
The Evil Star’s revival would mean the death of my own consciousness. I hadn’t yet cultivated enough Starfall Heart Method to swallow it whole.
Feels like I’m sweating from my eyes. Someday, I’ll obtain the inner strength of Anti-demonic Qi to beat back even that cursed star.
“Are you really okay with that?”
The black-haired beauty’s face was filled with astonishment, as if this had never occurred to her.
I nodded and said,
“Yes, Noona. But in return, please give me a mountain of meat dumplings.”
To soothe my sore heart, I needed a whole pile of freshly steamed ones.
And I would finally get to eat that Dongpo Pork I never got to try last time.
“Oh right, also—could the company hire more kids like me?”
Speaking of Dongpo Pork reminded me.
This wasn’t a selfish wish for my personal gain, so there shouldn’t be an opening for Heaven-Slaying Star to exploit.
I should take this opportunity to bring along the kids who used to call me Boss and follow me around.
“……”
But when I said that, Eun Hwaran had a somewhat dazed expression.
Maybe she was dumbfounded that a beggar-turned-warehouse assistant was acting out of concern for others.
“…How many kids are we talking about?”
“About ten or so.”
If it was her, she’d be able to set up proper jobs for them.
Giving away things without compensation only led to dependence, so giving them work and proper payment was the right thing to do.
At that, Eun Hwaran folded her fan, which had been covering half her face.
And on her now-revealed lips bloomed a smile full of admiration.
There’s a saying: Seeing gold as stone.
It meant treating gold like mere rocks, valuing righteousness over wealth.
As the daughter of a tycoon and heir to the trading company, Eun Hwaran had seen all kinds of people.
Even so, she had never seen someone actually live by that principle.
Some people might reject gold because they didn’t understand its value. Some backwater child from the Central Plains might do that.
But this child had clearly understood the value of those gold ingots. Didn’t his eyes go wide the moment he saw them?
And yet, he had yielded them back out of consideration for the company’s situation—telling her to use it to hire more wanderers or aid their escort work.
Such compassion—like that of an enlightened monk. At such a young age.
The ascetic training style of Hwang Noya, who was detached from material wealth—honestly, she thought it would be too hard for a child to follow.
But maybe this boy was different. It seemed Noya truly had an eye for people.
“Noona, you’ve been quiet for a while. Are you okay?”
She had lived her whole life calculating gains, social ties, and profits.
As Hwang Noya’s disciple, and because the boy had usable sericulture knowledge, she had treated him kindly—but now she felt a bit embarrassed by that motive.
“From now on, just call me Noona.”
Eun Hwaran tapped her cheek with the folded fan as she said it.
Maybe she had finally met someone with whom she could build a bond regardless of gains or losses.
“Yes, Noona.”
Such a bright, well-mannered, and talented child. Eun Hwaran smiled warmly with genuine kindness.
She opened a drawer and handed me a piece of candied fruit.
“Ooh, jackpot.”
He occasionally spat out words no one could understand.
Having once endured hunger, he was the type who would never refuse food—he popped it straight into his mouth.
Before she knew it, Eun Hwaran found herself wearing the same fond smile as the women during the warehouse assistant’s evaluation.
“Have this one too, Mujin.”
Seeing how happily I ate, she even handed over her own snacks. Slurp slurp—Dan Mujin devoured them eagerly.
As she had said before, the Eunseong Trading Company always repaid favors.
You say you won’t accept material reward because of your teacher’s teachings? Then she’d shower him with intangible help instead.
Conveniently, she had no family. Just one estranged older brother.
But today, it felt like she’d gained a new younger brother she could grow close to—and even become a dependable backer for.
“Heh heh.”
The woman propped her chin on both hands, watching Dan Mujin with interest.
Dan Mujin had somehow managed to win the affection of Eun Hwaran—something even the wealthiest young masters couldn’t buy.
The faint light of dawn. A full moon glowed red in the faraway night sky.
In the silent stillness with not even a single insect chirping, I exhaled a slow breath.
An exercise called Small Heavenly Cycle, based on viewing the human body as a microcosm and circulating energy as if it orbited the celestial spheres.
“Hoo—”
Hwang Geolgae once told me—the standard of good karma depended solely on oneself.
And today, I had extended grace to those in need.
I had grabbed the floundering sericulture industry by the collar and hauled it back up, securing many jobs along the way.
Even returned the gold Eun Hwaran had offered me.
For someone like me—a money-grubbing miser—this was about the best good deed I could ever hope for.
Thus, I felt confident in what I was about to do.
‘May the Radiant Tathāgata descend, and may the Sun and Moon Lights govern all...’
The North Star Lords and South Star Lords that brightly filled the night sky.
The ability of the Starfall Heart Cultivation Method was to convert stellar energy into purified internal strength.
Normally, my qi flowed gently like a stream. But tonight, powered by great virtue, it surged like a powerful river through my eight extraordinary meridians.
Tzzzzzt—!
Sensing something amiss in that flow, the crimson aura of Heaven-Slaying Star flared up in alarm.
Then, the condensed qi charged all the way to the Baihui Point atop my head.
Boom—!
And then, it blasted upward, striking something at the Baihui Point. My body flinched and jolted.
The image of the Evil Star lodged in my head became clear. It wasn’t as solid as before. Maybe due to the good karma, its outer shell had weakened.
Then came another siege hammer blow from the Starfall Heart Method's strength, crashing into the shrunken Evil Star again.
Boom—!
My body jerked once more. Fragments chipped off from the edges of the Evil Star.
And shockingly, the power of the Starfall Heart Method absorbed every one of those fragments, turning them into its own energy.
I had really succeeded in stealing the power of a star.
Tzzzzzt—!
Finally realizing what had happened, the qi of Heaven-Slaying Star went berserk, thrashing wildly in protest.
It looked so much like a nouveau riche losing his fortune to a thief—it was hilarious.
But the stolen star energy had already been gathered and sent down into my dantian.
“Hup!”
Like thread wrapping around a spindle, the qi strands inside my dantian grew larger and larger.
The purified strength of Starfall Heart Method was increasing in real time.
Heaven-Slaying Star, furious that even a tiny speck of its power had been stolen, stabbed my skin relentlessly like a madman.
I continued my qi cultivation by reciting the incantation Hwang Geolgae had taught me.
‘With spirit and soul united… I break through a thousand inner barriers… All that pierces eternity is righteous Heart-Intent.’
As cold sweat drenched my whole body and night blurred into dawn—
Finally, I completed the Small Heavenly Cycle and sprang to my feet.
My breathing had grown deeper and heavier. My senses had expanded. Strength surged from my fingertips and toes.
I met the eyes of Hwang Geolgae, who had been standing guard. He looked visibly surprised.
“…Whoa, this actually worked?”
By the end of the process, my speck-sized internal energy had grown to the size of a pea.
Pop! Pop!
When I threw a few test punches, they made crisp sounds as they tore through the air.
Even without using any technique, just firing off internal energy—my movements felt entirely different than before.
“It’s like I’ve taken a spiritual elixir.”
Though, to be honest, I’ve never taken one before.
Power surged through my whole body. I could feel the fullness of natural qi. In a way, it felt like a miraculous encounter.
To think I could reverse the power trying to devour me and make it my own. This was truly double the damn gain.
“That’s the power of the Starfall Heart Cultivation Method—the one you doubted could be an ultimate heart method.”
Hwang Geolgae chuckled and finally explained it to me.
And then, estimating the amount of energy that had gathered in my body earlier, he added that it was roughly equivalent to three years’ worth of internal energy.
“This… this is my power?”
I felt the strength in my grip, like I could crush a rock, and clenched both fists tightly.
Back then, my internal energy dried up in a flash after just a few uses—but now, even projecting qi through my feet and throwing a punch left me with plenty to spare.
“Hehehe.”
This was the strength that ordinary martial artists had to painstakingly accumulate for three years—and I had obtained it in just one day.
This was the difference in tiers.
The beggar brat who once groaned at the very bottom was finally standing tall in this world ruled by the strong.
By giving up gold, I had gained massive power. I looked down upon the world with a lofty gaze.
And beside me, Hwang Geolgae scoffed in disbelief at how drunk I was on this newfound power.
“What’s so funny… old man?”
Smack!
The base of his gourd bottle slammed down onto the top of my head.
“Argh, damn it!”
I rolled on the ground, screaming from the pain that drilled into my skull.
In a single strike, the arrogance of a boy swollen with pride from his pea-sized qi was completely wiped away.
“What a load of crap you’re spewing.”
Hwang Geolgae shook his head in dismay.