Old Man Mu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Old Man Mu (木老头)
Alias(es)	Old Demon Mu
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Yuqing Sect; intermittently allied with the Dragon King
Occupation/Role	Assassin, martial artist, and manipulator
Status	At large after escaping a siege at Four Truths Blue Lotus 1058
First Appearance	Chapter 354

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Seven Revolutions Great Return Skill	356	Cultivated in seclusion for more than a decade after obtaining Moonlight Hall’s elixirs and secret techniques. The art greatly increased his Internal Force but reduced him to a dwarf who could only move safely at night.
Five Caves Fist — Fire/Heart phase	357	Recently mastered the heart-corresponding Fire Fist, enabling him to sever an opponent’s heart meridian on contact; he removes victims’ hearts to inspect the damage.
Earth Fist — incomplete	389	Sought the highest Five Caves Fist realm, which should shatter all five organs, but could not attain it because his altered cultivation had changed the art’s nature.
Heart Calming Incantation	395–396	Began cultivating the incantation under Shangguan Ru’s guidance. Its effect initially created a slight hesitation that reduced his speed and cost him surprise attacks.
Seven Revolutions Seven Apertures Heart Calming Finger	531	Used a new pressure-point technique to paralyze Ye Buluo without killing him; Wild Horse later undid the technique.
Reduced cultivation	531, 998	His power fell to roughly sixty to seventy percent of his former strength, then to less than half after using the Amber Skill. His Internal Force also pauses briefly after a full circulation.
Death Sutra Swordplay	1021, 1034	Acquired and began practicing the Death Sutra by this period. Though his training was still short, he used its swordplay in a direct clash with the Unrivaled King.

Background / History

Old Man Mu was a disciple of the Yuqing Sect, whose martial arts emphasized orthodox external techniques. Dissatisfied that the sect lacked a suitably powerful internal cultivation method, he killed his own master while demanding to know why Yuqing Sect’s ultimate skills could not make him strong enough. 395 560

He later became a feared killer north of the Tianshan Mountains. He murdered without a fixed purpose, sometimes killing skilled martial artists merely for amusement, and routinely dismembered his victims. After accumulating enemies among both righteous and criminal factions, he was surrounded by hundreds of martial arts masters and presumed killed for more than a decade. 354

He survived and exchanged his martial arts for Moonlight Hall’s life-saving medicine and secret techniques. During more than ten years of secluded cultivation, he practiced the Seven Revolutions Great Return Skill, gaining immense power at the cost of shrinking into a grotesque dwarf, becoming vulnerable to sunlight, and developing an enduring hatred of Moonlight Hall. 356 357

Seeking a daytime servant, Old Man Mu recruited the mute Wild Horse. He taught Wild Horse numerous martial arts after recognizing his talent, while Wild Horse gradually directed the old man’s hatred toward Gu Shenwei. Their association had no formal master-disciple title, but it involved a genuine transmission of skills. 356

Appearance

Old Man Mu is a severely shrunken, child-sized old man whose appearance was distorted by the Seven Revolutions Great Return Skill. His exposed skin is layered with wrinkles, although his forehead was initially unnaturally smooth. 355 356

• Extremely short, comparable in height to a ten-year-old child. 354
• Has white hair according to the accounts of his earlier notoriety. 354
• Wears close-fitting soft armor that ordinary blades and spears cannot pierce. 355 508
• Rapidly withers and weakens under direct sunlight. 357
• Often conceals himself by riding on another person’s shoulders or curling into a ball to evade pursuit. 391 1034

Personality

Old Man Mu is bloodthirsty, shameless, and intensely self-centered. He considers the world divided into only two sides—himself and everyone else—and interprets individual kindness or hostility as the collective behavior of all people. His stated morality shifts according to whether someone helps or harms him. 370

He relentlessly pursues martial superiority because he equates strength with freedom. This ambition makes him covet the Great Awakening Sword Scripture, the Wu Dao Divine Skill, the Death Sutra, and any technique that might restore or expand his power. 391 395

His greatest weapon outside combat is his mouth. He constantly taunts enemies, humiliates allies, spreads rumors, and provokes rash decisions. He is also an adaptable survivor: when weak, he can grovel for protection or pretend loyalty, but he turns on protectors as soon as an opportunity emerges. 531 556 1033

Abilities & Skills

Five Caves Fist

Old Man Mu transformed Yuqing Sect’s straightforward Five Caves Fist into a cruel assassination art targeting the internal organs.

• Fire Fist targets the heart; contact can sever the heart meridian before he physically removes the victim’s heart. 357
• Earth Fist is the art’s intended highest realm, capable of damaging all five organs at once, but Old Man Mu failed to master it. 357 389
• His altered cultivation prevents the technique from being used continuously. 391
• He combines Five Caves Fist with stealth attacks rather than the direct style associated with Yuqing Sect teachings. 391

Seven Revolutions Great Return Skill

A Moonlight Hall-derived evil cultivation art that dramatically strengthened Old Man Mu while deforming his body.

• Uses the practitioner’s bones and sinews as its foundation. 356
• Granted him Internal Force far beyond his strength during his earlier reign of terror. 395
• Left him short, sun-sensitive, and unable to move safely during daylight. 356 357
• His Internal Force develops a momentary pause after completing one circulation, making direct internal-force clashes especially dangerous. 534

Lightness Skills

Old Man Mu possesses several Yuqing Sect movement techniques and uses them primarily to flee, ambush, and evade stronger opponents.

• Fox Walking Technique temporarily increases running speed but requires movement on all fours. 370
• Hidden Fragrance Floating Shadow is suited to rapid movement on level ground. 379
• Spirit Sparrow Flying Talisman allows high aerial movement and rooftop escapes. 379
• Even after his decline, his Lightness Skill remains superior to that of ordinary martial artists. 532

Acupoint Techniques

Old Man Mu can immobilize opponents with unusually forgiving pressure-point methods.

• Acupoint Sealing and Immobilization Finger can paralyze a target for one or two hours. 372
• The technique does not require precise acupoint knowledge; striking within five inches of the Xuanji acupoint allows the force to locate the necessary point itself. 372
• Seven Revolutions Seven Apertures Heart Calming Finger paralyzed Ye Buluo without killing him, though Wild Horse could undo it. 531
• He taught Shangguan Ru the Dianxin Finger, which she later used against him. 1040

Seven Revolutions Demonic Sound

Old Man Mu uses demonic sound to unsettle and harass opponents through Internal Force.

• His sound technique affected the group’s composure during his pursuit of Gu Shenwei and Shangguan Ru. 355
• He Nu could counter it with her own Seven Revolutions Demonic Sound, neutralizing its immediate advantage. 355

Martial Arts Knowledge

Old Man Mu is highly observant and knowledgeable about martial arts, even when his own power is diminished.

• Identified the flaw in Lu Tianfeng’s San Yang Palm after only limited observation. 619
• Correctly evaluated Fang Shuyi as a dangerous assassin despite not witnessing his full strength. 976
• Regularly analyzes, demonstrates, and lectures about fist, palm, weapon, and movement techniques. 683 741
• Claims competence with swords, sabers, spears, halberds, fists, palms, fingers, and legs, though he admits swordplay is his weakest discipline. 781

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Impervious soft armor — Close-fitting armor that stopped He Nu’s sword from penetrating his chest and helped him survive underground during the Flower Soul Forest fire. 355 508
• Longsword — Used to demonstrate martial arts and later wield Death Sutra Swordplay. 781 1034
• Leather pack — Used as daytime shelter while recovering from injuries and avoiding sunlight. 376 538

Relationships

• Gu Shenwei / Dragon King — Enemy, temporary protector, and frequent target of deception. Old Man Mu pledged loyalty when weakened, but later lured Gu Shenwei toward Beiting in pursuit of the Great Awakening Sword Scripture. 531 556
• Shangguan Ru — Would-be disciple and later opponent. He taught her Lightness Skills and finger techniques, while she repeatedly protected him, restrained him, and eventually sought to capture, kill, or cripple him. 370 372 1047
• He Nu — Former Moonlight Hall adversary. Old Man Mu blames Moonlight Hall for his transformation, seeks revenge against its disciples, and covets He Nu’s martial arts. 356 373 1028
• Wild Horse — Informal disciple and former daytime servant. Old Man Mu taught him martial arts, but their relationship was built on mutual use rather than affection; Wild Horse later turned against him. 356 532
• Tu Gou — Traveling companion and reluctant student. Old Man Mu acts as a worldly martial-arts guide, while Tu Gou rejects his indiscriminate cruelty. 778 802
• Unrivaled King / Shangguan Fa — A stronger master whom Old Man Mu once willingly served. He later pretended to betray the Unrivaled King while remaining under the King’s control. 395 1045
• Yuqing Sect elders — Fellow sect members from the Central Plains who sought his external martial arts and offered to help restore his cultivation. 560

Story Role / Major Arcs

Return of the Northern Killer

Old Man Mu reappears while pursuing Gu Shenwei’s group through the Wild Horse. He demands the Great Awakening Sword Scripture, kills He Sancai by tearing out his heart, and uses his armor and Seven Revolutions Demonic Sound to resist a coordinated attack by Gu Shenwei, He Nu, and Shangguan Ru. 354 355

After being trapped through Shangguan Hong and Shangguan Ru’s deception, he is restrained and exposed to sunlight. Even weakened, he eventually escapes and begins pursuing Shangguan Ru as a potential disciple. 356 359 370

Shangguan Ru’s Teacher and Captor

Old Man Mu attempts to make Shangguan Ru inherit his ultimate skills, teaching her Lightness Skills, the Immobilization Finger, and other techniques. He repeatedly tries to manipulate her through threats, flattery, and appeals to sympathy. 370 372

Shangguan Ru protects him from He Nu but refuses to accept his murderous values. Old Man Mu later attempts to escape using techniques he taught her, only for Shangguan Ru and He Nu to turn those lessons against him. 373 379

Hunt for Divine Skills

Old Man Mu kills nobles in Xiangji Kingdom, abducts the Priest Child, and seeks the orally transmitted ultimate skills of Flower Soul Forest’s Great Priests. He attempts to exchange the Wu Dao Divine Skill for his own chapter and uses hostages and traps to gain leverage over Gu Shenwei, He Nu, and Shangguan Ru. 389 392

His pursuit of freedom drives him to seek the Great Awakening Sword Scripture and Wu Dao Divine Skill. Shangguan Ru exploits this obsession by offering martial arts teachings in exchange for his instruction. 395 396

Dragon Army Alliance and Betrayal

After his power declines, Old Man Mu publicly kowtows to Gu Shenwei and requests Dragon Army protection. He earns temporary value as a duelist, martial-arts adviser, and political bargaining piece, although Gu Shenwei remains wary of his true motives. 531 536

His deception is exposed when Gu Shenwei discovers that True Man Yu was not his junior brother and that Old Man Mu had engineered events in Beiting to obtain the Great Awakening Sword Scripture. 556

Jade City Assassin

Old Man Mu later resumes assassinations in Jade City, targeting martial artists from multiple factions to cultivate his special martial art and demonstrate that he serves no one. Gu Shenwei suspects him of acquiring the complete Death Sutra after he attacks Chu Nanping. 1021 1022

He provokes conflict between Shangguan Ru and He Nu, mutilates Moonlight Hall disciples, manipulates bounty hunters with false reports, and spreads chaos by publicly claiming responsibility for killing Central Plains martial artists. 1028 1033 1039

Siege at Four Truths Blue Lotus

Trapped by five eminent monks on Shangguan Ru’s orders, Old Man Mu refuses to accept the crippling of his martial arts. He attempts to escape through argument, deception, and Lightness Skill before fighting through nearly two hundred martial artists on a cliff. 1057 1058

Notable Quotes

“There are only two people in this world: me and everyone else.” 370

“If I’m stronger than someone, I’m freer than them.” 395

“Freedom is seized. Without martial arts far superior to everyone else’s, how can one do as they please?” 391