A Finger-Wrestling Bet and the First Heavenly Demon's Soul
The creak of the door echoed through the Chunmu Guesthouse.
In the four seasonal halls that represented the four greats of Chunmu, each one had a guesthouse where disciples could unwind after the rigors of training.
This place in Ha-mu-gwan was the only one, and it was packed with the students who had just taken the promotion exam.
“You cannot bring weapons.”
The tiny, button-nosed attendant looked as if he were about to burst. I drew the sword from my waist and handed it over.
“You’ll have to hand over the bracelet too. As you know, those who fail the exam can only eat the basic gruel and Zhuyeching. Successes get everything they want.”
I rolled up my sleeve and showed him the silver-shimmering Jade Dew Pill.
“I’ll take a moment.”
The attendant leaned his face close to the pill.
“Indeed, it radiates silver light when the bearer possesses inner force beyond what most people can muster. Congratulations. You passed at the very last moment before the deadline.”
“…”
I said nothing.
The attendant’s face went pale as he lifted the sword he had been holding.
“This… what is this?”
“Throw it away,” I murmured in a hoarse voice.
“Eh?”
I brushed past him on my way out.
“Since the owner isn’t even here, anyway. Besides, bring me something to eat and drink.”
The outer robe draped over my upper body was the wrong cut for the lower half. The gap below the navel kept flashing the skin of my waist with every step, making the whole thing look absurd.
From a distance it was like a person wearing clothes split neatly in half by a giant hammer.
“Yes, please take a seat once you find an empty spot. I’ll bring it over right away. I’ll also bring some celebratory wine for your promotion. Will you be all right with plum wine?”
I nodded.
The guesthouse was already full.
People from every corner of the murim world had come, all around my age.
Their energy was high, so here and there groups of men and women were laughing and talking loudly together.
“I got promoted to Ha-mu-gwan! Now I can proudly say I’m from Cheonsubaekryeonsa! Hahaha!”
“Those words about the abundant support of the Murim Alliance—deep scrolls, rare manuals, pills—starting from Ha-mu-gwan—anyone with ears knows it’s the truth!”
The atmosphere in the hall was split cleanly even though everyone was in the same room.
A small group was laughing, eating, and drinking as they left.
But the rest of the ten were drinking Zhuyeching in gloomy silence.
They were the ones who had failed the promotion exam and been assigned to Chunmu.
“…That could have been me.”
The sight was the one I might have become.
I had barely secured the Jade Dew Pill, made it back to Chunmu in time, and passed the exam.
I had not been superior to them—I had simply been lucky.
I scratched at the brown bloodstain on my cheek with my nails until it was gone.
“Speaking of which, there are really no seats left.”
I was the only one standing alone without a group.
Everyone else had claimed their own sect’s tables.
The only empty seat was the round table in the center where an old man with a red nose sat all by himself.
I walked over.
“May I join your table, sir?”
The noisy crowd around me suddenly fell silent, like the tide going out.
“Asking the Demon Beast Immortal for a seat of his own.”
Even the disciples who had been flirting with the most beautiful women stopped and stared at me.
The attendant pouring wine froze with his mouth open.
“Clink, clink.”
Wine spilled from his hand and flooded the tray.
“I’ve been having trouble with my hearing lately. You’re talking to me?”
He was a tiny, hunchbacked old man with a small stature.
His swollen knuckles beneath the rolled-up sleeve looked tough.
A red nose, deep wrinkles, and a long white beard on his chin told the story of a hard life.
I hesitated, not sure what to answer.
The old man smiled and waved at me.
“Khahaha! There it is—a young fool like you asking the Demon Beast Immortal for a seat! I like it. I really like it. Sit down. There’s plenty of room. Of course there is.”
Demon Beast Immortal…?
I had heard the name somewhere before.
It felt like I should remember it, but I didn’t.
From the reactions around me, it seemed he must have some reason.
I sat down as he had invited me, on the chair opposite.
I motioned to the attendant to bring food over here.
“Then, since we’re sitting, how about a bet? Just to pass the time for this boring old man and me.”
Murmurs of approval came from the surrounding tables.
“This time who’s going to lose how many joints?”
“Last time that arm-breaking brat lost five places alone.”
“Clink.”
Food arrived.
The attendant’s face was deathly pale.
Even if I looked like an idiot, anyone would notice something was wrong when I turned down a bet.
“A bet? I just wanted to eat here.”
“As a junior in the jianghu, a sky-like senior is asking to spend some time together in your old age. Rejecting it now, even though the Demon Beast Immortal has already permitted the seat?”
It came out stronger than I expected.
The situation had taken a strange turn.
The tension I had let down after the extreme fatigue tightened again.
“I’m sorry. I’m new to the jianghu and didn’t know there were rules. I’ll stand up first. As you can see, there’s an empty seat and I sat down by chance—”
“Sitting?”
“Smash!”
The old man’s iron grip caught my wrist.
“Immense grip strength…”
Even though he only held one wrist, the pressure felt like a giant boulder was hanging on.
“Trying to stand up right now after agreeing to sit with this Demon Beast Immortal?”
If those flickering eyes in his gaze had come, I would not have stayed silent.
“What kind of bet was that?”
“Sit down first. Looking up at you makes my neck hurt. And since you said you sat here by chance, I have one thing to say.”
The Demon Beast Immortal grinned and stroked his beard.
“I’m letting you hide your secret today, old man, so one bet request is nothing. But…”
“What secret? I don’t understand what you mean.”
The Demon Beast Immortal chuckled and waved me closer.
I bent my waist and he whispered into my ear.
“You just killed someone on your way here, didn’t you?”
I looked at the old man.
“The clothes you’re wearing belonged to the man who died when he attacked you. The leather padding at every joint and the strong spider-silk thread stitching—the equipment of a man who makes a living by harming others. But the stitching at your waist is completely torn. No matter how much cloth you cover with, my eyes can’t be fooled. The stains on the clothes say the other person was torn in half like a bear. The brown blood on your cheek or clothes is dried. You don’t have any wounds. So it’s not your blood. Does my guess match?”
Our gazes locked at a distance so close we could feel each other’s breath.
A cold, dense spark flashed between us.
“Khuk, khuk. That brat is about to get devoured whole. With the momentum of a Demon Cult leader’s head alone, I can rip off a hundred.”
The Demon Beast Immortal crossed his arms and stroked his nasal bridge.
[…]
The cold reaction from me made the Demon Beast Immortal uneasy.
“So, are you not sitting? As a senior in the jianghu, I’ll give you one piece of advice. If you walk around like this without settling those violent emotions properly, it’s definitely—”
He clicked his tongue and waved at the surrounding tables.
“You’ll lose your neck in a year?”
I sat down.
“There. I knew you would act wisely! Hoho! From the moment I first saw you, you’ve been so striking.”
The rice in front of me had gone cold.
The plum wine bottle I had been holding had turned lukewarm.
Cold dew had formed and fallen.
Water pooled at the bottom of the Zhuyeching and slowly flowed down to my knee.
“There’s no need to be scared. Just play a bet with me as if you’re having fun with an old man. In a way it’s like life-and-death duels. It gives you chills. Every time you do it, it feels like your spine is being twisted and ice water is poured down your back.”
I remembered.
The Demon Beast Immortal.
A madman who lived for bets. He demanded a bet with anyone who sat with him at his table, no matter what.
He was famous for acting on impulse with no principles, driven by pure mood.
I had never imagined he would be in Ha-mu-gwan under the protection of Cheonsubaekryeonsa, sitting quietly.
“I’d like to bet, but sir—”
I tried to refuse indirectly.
“I have nothing I can bet with. No money.”
“Ah, no need to worry! No need to worry! What money would a young man like you have!”
As if to calm me, the Demon Beast Immortal waved his hand.
“Instead, there’s plenty of capital right here!”
He pointed at my elbow.
“One bet per joint. How about it? Young people heal well even when they break bones. Especially the medical skills of Cheonsubaekryeonsa can save dying people. No need to worry!”
The Demon Beast Immortal’s lips glistened with saliva.
This mad old man meant that if I lost the bet, he would break my arm.
“I can’t possibly make a bet like that…”
“There’s no reason you can’t. Don’t worry. If you’re laying your arm, I should lay something fair in return, right?”
The Demon Beast Immortal opened his palm.
“I’ll stake my name in the jianghu and give you an extraordinary item that will definitely help you the best.”
It was clearly an attractive condition.
I had learned the hard way from the bottom of my past— in real combat, the difference in weapons could matter as much as the difference in skill.
Even if the legendary sword could nullify the gap of one realm, as a martial artist you always drooled over better weapons.
“…Not bad.”
“Then let’s decide the collateral first!”
The Demon Beast Immortal laid out three sticks.
One stick had one gold line drawn.
The second had three gold lines.
The third had five gold lines.
“The greater the risk you take, the greater the reward. How much courage do you think you have?”
“What do these lines on the sticks mean?”
“The number of joints you’re willing to break as collateral. I also swear that my reward will be proportional.”
This old man seemed even crazier than I thought.
“You don’t even know what a bet is yet and you’re telling me to decide the collateral first? That’s not fair.”
“You really don’t understand anything? Every bet I make has only one rule. Bet on finger pushing.”
He extended one finger across the table and raised it.
“Touch the tips of your fingers and push each other. The side that bends first loses. Simple strength competition. How is it? Childish and simple, right?”
It was too easy.
I immediately understood the old man’s intent.
Finger pushing.
It might look like a contest of only bone and finger training, but in the murim it could easily turn into an inner energy duel disguised as finger pushing.
This old man had no intention of losing.
He liked to challenge young people because he fed on their weakness—running headlong without regard to reason in the heat of blood, and having relatively weak inner force.
Youngsters would rush at him with all their strength in the bet for the item, and the Demon Beast Immortal would win, break their limbs fairly, and enjoy it.
“Of course.”
I nodded.
There was no need to hesitate.
“Clink.”
I snatched the stick in one move.
“Um…?”
The Demon Beast Immortal’s eyes widened.
I had chosen the third stick, the one with five lines.
“You took the third?!”
“If five places break, it’s almost half a cripple, right?!”
“You’ve gone mad! You’re completely mad!”
Even the people holding their breath joined in.
“Huh.”
The Demon Beast Immortal stared blankly at the third stick I had picked.
“Good… really good. Yeah, I’ve always been annoyed. Old people think too much and often miss life’s opportunities.”
His lips suddenly grew moist.
He kept licking them.
He rubbed his palms.
“You young junior with that much spirit—now that’s what I call a proper man! These days they don’t even try and have no spirit! This will be fun. Five places—my sleep is gone!”
The Demon Beast Immortal’s eyes sparkled with glee.
He spread his fingers and raised them.
I did the same, touching the tips of my fingers.
“Shall we begin? Senior from the jianghu?”
The Demon Beast Immortal chuckled.
“Twududuk.”
Veins bulged along his hand back.
My finger tips started to feel heavy.
I endured the pressure.
“Oh, you’re holding up. As expected. Youth is good. What about this?”
As expected.
The Demon Beast Immortal’s inner energy awakened.
“Gu-gugung.”
The table trembled.
“Giki-gik.”
The table legs looked like they would snap at any moment.
Inner energy pushed along the tips of my fingers.
The Demon Beast Immortal examined the situation calmly.
This guy was changing too.
Just as I was changing, was he also changing under the influence of me and the surroundings?
“I know I’m not a good guy.”
I answered quietly.
“What? You.”
The Demon Beast Immortal was startled by my unchanged expression, then clenched his teeth.
“Yeah, the kid is holding up nicely!”
“Kukung.”
Blood vessels rose on his forehead as he poured inner energy with full force.
“Furr.”
The finger tips shook.
Like a flood, inner energy pushed in.
“Good. Then.”
The Demon Beast Immortal said firmly.
The inner energy flowing along my fingers was clearly strong.
At least one realm.
Given that the promotion exam in this Chunmu Guesthouse required inner force beyond ordinary people, most candidates would be crushed by it.
In the past, that would have been a sky I could not even look up at.
But now it was different.
“Uuuung.”
The massive inner energy that had been latent in my body, tangled with lightning and fire, began to writhe like a dragon.
“What kind of monster is that!”
The Demon Beast Immortal panicked under the immense pressure.
“Senior from the jianghu.”
With red eyes that even my black pupils could not conceal, I whispered to him.
“You have plenty of inner energy, don’t you?”
The cold voice of Mumyeong echoed directly in my mind.
<…>
I felt the Demon Beast Immortal’s expression flicker.
The old man’s face remained unchanged, but I could sense the shift.
He had sensed the change in me.
His gaze on the five-line stick began to waver.
“…”
Then a thin, cold smile spread across his lips.
“Ho… you’re not ordinary, are you?”
The Demon Beast Immortal withdrew his hand and sat back in his chair, rubbing his nose again.
“Fine. I’ll take the bet. But I want something else this time.”
He pointed at my chest.
“From now on, one bet per joint. But the chest is special. If I break your chest, it’s equivalent to breaking five places. Understand?”
I looked at him steadily.
My voice was still calm.
“…All right. I accept.”
The Demon Beast Immortal’s eyes flashed with excitement.
“Great! I like this even better! Young people with spirit and guts—now this is fun!”
“…”
Mumyeong’s voice was icy.
<…What kind of madman is this?>
I did not answer.
The Demon Beast Immortal laughed loudly and pushed his chair back.
“Since it’s settled, let’s eat! Come, attendant!”
He stood up and walked out of the guesthouse.
I remained seated.
The plum wine had cooled completely.
The Zhuyeching had gone down to the last drop.
The surrounding disciples who had been watching the entire thing were now whispering among themselves.
Some looked at me with envy, others with fear.
One of the women from the group that had been laughing earlier walked over hesitantly.
“Senior… congratulations on passing the exam.”
I looked up at her.
“Thank you.”
She smiled, but her eyes were nervous.
“Are you… all right?”
I nodded.
“I’m fine.”
She hesitated, then added in a low voice.
“I heard something interesting earlier. About the old man… about the bet. Are you really not afraid?”
I smiled faintly.
“A little, but not enough to back down.”
She bit her lip and left.
I sat alone for a while.
The guesthouse gradually emptied.
Only the attendant remained, looking at me with a complicated expression.
“Senior, the plum wine and Zhuyeching are on the house for today. Enjoy your meal.”
I nodded.
“Thank you.”
I ate the food slowly, one bite at a time.
The taste was good, but it felt heavy in my chest.
Not because of the food.
Because of the Demon Beast Immortal’s bet.
One joint per bet.
Five joints if I lost.
If I broke his chest… five joints.
A cold smile formed on my lips.
“Interesting.”
Mumyeong’s voice sounded in my mind again.
<…>
<…I know.>
I finished my meal.
The attendant brought more plum wine.
I drank it slowly, savoring the sweet and sour taste.
Outside, the night wind blew through the open door.
The Chunmu Guesthouse was quiet now.
Only the sound of my breathing remained.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Then I opened them again.
The promotion had been decided.
I had passed.
But the real test had only just begun.
The old man’s bet was not over yet.
And I still had one joint left.
One joint.
If I lost, I would lose my arm.
If I won… five joints.
The Demon Beast Immortal would break.
I would break him.
A strange sense of anticipation filled my chest.
Not fear.
Anticipation.
I drank the last sip of plum wine and stood up.
The attendant bowed.
“Enjoy your meal, senior.”
I left the guesthouse without looking back.
The night air was cold.
But my body burned with heat.
I walked toward the seasonal halls.
The Ha-mu-gwan gates loomed ahead.
Inside, the other students were still celebrating their promotions.
I walked past them.
None of them noticed me.
They were too busy laughing.
I went into the training hall.
The room was empty except for a few broken weapons in the corner.
I sat down at the table where the Demon Beast Immortal had been.
The five-line stick still lay there.
I picked it up.
It felt heavier than I expected.
One joint.
Five joints.
If I lost, I would lose my arm.
If I won, the Demon Beast Immortal would break.
I smiled again.
“Interesting.”
Mumyeong asked in my mind.
<…I’m sure.>
I put the stick back on the table.
Then I left the training hall.
The night was deep now.
The Cheonsubaekryeonsa was quiet.
But in my heart, the battle had only just begun.
I walked back toward the guesthouse.
The attendant was still there, cleaning up.
“Senior, are you leaving again?”
I nodded.
“I have something to do.”
He looked at me strangely, but said nothing.
I left.
The moon hung high in the sky.
I found a quiet spot behind a tree.
I sat down and closed my eyes.
The Jade Dew Pill was still in my pocket.
I would need it later.
For now, I just wanted to think.
About the bet.
About the old man.
About the five joints.
About what I would do if I won.
About what I would do if I lost.
I breathed in slowly.
Then I breathed out.
The answer would come when the time came.
Until then, I would wait.
The night deepened.
The stars twinkled above.
And in the distance, the training halls glowed faintly.
I opened my eyes.
The battle had not ended.
It had only just begun.