Tangmunjeon - Chapter 262



Only Noblemtl

Episode 262 Flying Wheel

Dang Mu-jin diligently went back and forth to the blacksmith shop to make flying wheels of slightly different sizes and weights.

Since making several similar rings did not shorten the work time, the night watchmen were able to have a very enjoyable time watching Dang Mu-jin work.

Now, there is only one thing left for Dangmujin: practice handling the wheel.

“···.”

The three friends look at Dangmujin in silence.

Dang Mu-jin concentrated his mind and then threw the wheel as if gently shaking his wrist.

Even without the help of the empty space, the orbit of the wheel gradually changed, but when Dang Mu-jin’s internal energy guided the direction in which the wheel was to move, it began to change direction more sharply.

The distant flying dragon soon returned to Dang Mu-jin’s hands like a bird.

Hong Geol-gae, who was watching the scene, asked.

“Are you just practicing throwing and catching?”

“That’s how it should be now. It’s similar to learning a sword by repeating the same movements thousands or tens of thousands of times.”

“It looks pretty clean, but how much more do you plan on practicing?”

“I guess I’ll have to practice a lot more than when I first mastered the sword.”

When learning martial arts, learning it with your head and learning it with your body are two different things.

For example, a duel between two sword-wielding warriors could be said to be a duel between habits.

With swords clashing several times in one breath, it is impossible to think about where to extend the sword and how to retrieve it.

That’s why the drones repeat familiar attacks and defenses against each other.

If swords clash ten times, eight or nine of them will be unintentionally drawn, and if the skill gap is large, the winner is already decided at that point.

However, if the skills of two people are similar, then the victory or defeat will be determined by judgment rather than instinct.

The winner is decided by hiding each other’s weaknesses and throwing tricks between the swords that are habitually extended.

Dang Mu-jin thought that just as warriors unconsciously extend their swords to attack their opponents and take their opponents’ attacks, Bi-ryun should also be able to be handled just as naturally.

Unlike a sword, a flying wheel is not a weapon that you have to keep your hand in at all times. If you can handle a flying wheel naturally without thinking about it, you may be able to handle more than one flying wheel.

If you can throw and retrieve three or five powerful flying wheels at the same time, you will have nothing to fear from any opponent.

Namgung Myung, who was watching Dang Mujin’s training next to Hong Geol-gae, asked.

“But training seems too dangerous. Don’t push yourself too hard and blow off your fingers. Do it in moderation.”

Namgung Myung’s gaze was on Dang Mujin’s hands, which were covered in wounds.

Training in the Flying Wheel was much more dangerous than training in swordsmanship. When receiving a flying Flying Wheel, even the slightest misstep would cause a wound, and there were also injuries where the Flying Wheel’s blade touched the bone.

If we make just a little more mistakes, it wouldn’t be strange if one of our fingers were to fly off, as Namgung Myung said.

However, Dang Mu-jin was practicing with the thought that he might lose one or two fingers if he was not careful.

When receiving a flying wheel that has flown far away and is returning, if you don’t extend your hand for fear of hurting your fingers, the problem will become more serious.

The wound that is not received by hand may become lodged in a vital area such as the neck or chest.

The practice of Bi-ryun was so dangerous that it was thought that someone with low Wuwei might die while practicing this kind of training.

“It’s okay. We haven’t even started yet, so we can’t stop already.”

There were two reasons why Dang Mu-jin endured the pain in his palms and fingers, and the danger that lay ahead.

Firstly, because I saw potential in the wheel, and secondly, because the training itself was fun.

Even when I first learned the sword, I was absorbed in the training, but the fun of flying was nothing compared to the sword technique.

People instinctively like to throw and fly things.

That’s why people like to throw stones and use bows.

But the Flying Wheel was not just that. How could the training of the Flying Wheel, which cut through the sky much more smoothly and flexibly than a mere arrow or stone, and even move at will, not be fun?

Namgung Myung asked, stretching.

“When do you think we’ll be able to spar?”

“I think that might be a bit difficult.”

Of course, there was one serious drawback to practicing Bi-Run: it was nearly impossible to spar with.

When sparring with a sword, you can stop the sword at the moment when the outcome is decided, but that is not possible with Bi-ryun. If the opponent you are defending makes a mistake, it would not be strange for them to die with a large cut on the nape of their neck.

Of course, Dangmujin’s achievements weren’t high enough to overpower his friends by flying a lightning bolt, but no matter how you look at it, the three friends are not trustworthy.

“Then is it okay for me to throw it?”

“That’s okay.”

Namgung Myung was handed a small flying wheel and, imitating Dang Mujin, threw the wheel.

The flying wheel thrown by Namgung Myung tore through the sky quite convincingly and returned, blasting off two of Namgung Myung’s left fingers, which were made of wood, and catching them.

It seems he thought it would be better to lose his prosthetic fingers than to lose two bleeding fingers on his right arm.

Namgung Myung said sheepishly.

“This is harder to handle than I thought.”

Hyun-gong and Hong-geol-gae seemed to think that Nam-gung-myeong’s skills were lacking, but Dang-mu-jin thought differently.

Namgung Myung was able to return the thrown Biryun because he had been practicing the Heogongseop technique consistently enough to be able to move his prosthetic hand freely.

Namgung Myung made a strange expression.

“It doesn’t seem to suit me. I’m better suited to swords.”

“okay?”

Dang Mu-jin pulled out the flying wheel embedded in Namgung Myeong’s prosthetic hand and handed it to Hong Geol-gae.

“Do you want to throw it too?”

“Can I throw it after drinking?”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

Dang Mu-jin held out the wheel to Hyun-gong and said.

“Well then, do you want to throw it?”

Hyun-gong held the flying wheel with considerable confidence and threw it following Dang Mu-jin’s posture.

The dragon flew away to a faraway place and never returned.

As Dang Mu-jin crossed his arms, Hyun-gong slowly got up from his seat and said.

“I’ll come find you.”

Hyun-gong climbed over the wall and disappeared in the direction where Biryun had disappeared.

*

Just as his friends were interested in seeing Dang Mu-jin’s secret, Sam-an-bul and Hyeon-woo-gaek Jang Il-nam also showed interest in Dang Mu-jin’s secret.

This was also welcome news for the party leadership.

Among those staying in the Tang family, if there are two people who cannot be harmed by the current Tang Mujin due to their incompetence, they are Sam An-bul and Jang Il-nam.

This means that the two can become sparring partners for the Bi-ryun.

Sam-an-bul took off his upper garment, turned his shoulders, and stood a little distance away from Dang Mu-jin.

“Il-nam keeps praising that thing called Bi-ryun. Let’s see how powerful it is.”

“You shouldn’t let your guard down too much.”

Dang Mu-jin kicked the seat and threw the wind chimes.

Sam-an-bul-do immediately ran after Dang-mu-jin and swung his fist.

Boooow-

A fist that was fast and heavy, disproportionate to its size, brushed past Dang Mujin’s ear. The wind pressure that came late shook his hair.

Even though the Three Eyes Buddha didn’t swing his fist with sincerity, Dang Mujin felt a thrill of fear every time the giant gray fist approached.

Dang Mujin desperately fled while throwing his flying wheels, and Samanbul avoided or caught the flying wheels. When Samanbul caught the third flying wheel, Dang Mujin was cornered. The match was decided.

Dang Mu-jin let out a sigh of regret.

“As expected, there’s still a long way to go.”

Unlike Dang Mu-jin, who was a little disappointed, Sam-an-bul’s evaluation was different.

“No. If you become more proficient in handling the wheel, I won’t be able to deal with you so easily. Even I fought knowing what the wheel was, and it was still like this.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m not joking. Dangmujin, throw a ring at me.”

The three-eyed Buddha turned around, revealing his broad, rugged back.

Although he felt a little uneasy about attacking someone he knew from behind, Dang Mu-jin did as Sam-an-bul told him and threw his flying wheel at Sam-an-bul’s back.

The wheel flew quickly and hit the back of Sam-an-bul, then fell to the ground, leaving only a small scratch.

Sam-an-bul put his finger on his back and a faint drop of blood appeared on his finger.

“It may not have been very powerful, but the sharpness of the blade itself makes up for that shortcoming. If it were another person, it would have dug into their back and pierced their heart. If the number of blades increases, I might have a hard time dealing with it.”

“How many wheels do you need to deal with an elder?”

“Well, if you can handle five wheels at the same time, then even the most extreme masters won’t be able to guarantee victory over you.”

“Five···”

It was a somewhat distant goal, but I felt energized once a concrete number was set.

The story of Sam-an-bul did not end there.

“The Biryun is a weapon that suits you perfectly in many ways. Dangmujin. You said that the technique you just performed was learned at the Shaolin Temple, right?”

“If you are talking about the Buddha’s shadow and immortal’s cloudy steps, then you are right.”

“Yes. It is not an extremely refreshing method like the method of Ilnam, but it has two major features.”

“What is it?”

“First, it can provide more variation in movement than other walking methods. Second, it causes less shaking of the upper body compared to other walking methods.”

I knew there was a lot of movement, but Dangmujin realized for the first time that there was little shaking in the upper body.

But when I thought about it carefully, it was definitely true. Unlike when I unfolded the Jaunbo that I had learned from the Goyi, when I unfolded the Bulyeongseonhabo, my field of vision barely moved up and down.

“Since the upper body doesn’t move much, it will be of great help when performing martial arts that require precise senses like the Biryun. It’s not just the method that goes well with it. It would be even better if you applied poison to the Biryun.”

Sam-an-bul thought for a moment and then said.

“However, to use the wheel most powerfully, you must first change your thinking.”

“What does that mean?”

“As is the case with all weapons, the Bi-ryun is even more specialized for ambush. It can be thrown from a long distance, and is extremely stealthy. Unlike the dagger, it doesn’t even make a sound as it cuts through the wind. The most effective way for you to utilize the Bi-ryun is to ambush it in the middle of the night and throw it secretly. There will be very few people who can properly counter it.”

Dang Mu-jin frowned. Wasn’t he telling them to act like the assassins in Salmak?

“I don’t really like that method.”

“But there will definitely be a reason to do so. You don’t plan on making Danseolyeong and Mokwan-ah widows in the coming tribulation, do you?”

Dang Mu-jin did not answer. However, Sam-an-bul’s story was clearly correct.

Because the coming wars of Jeongsa and Jeongma will not end safely and peacefully.

Sam-an-bul approached Dang Mu-jin, patted his shoulder, and left.

Of course, Jang Il-nam was expected to follow Samanbul, but he did not return with Samanbul and remained around Dang Mu-jin.

Jang Il-nam was picking up the flying shovel that was rolling around and throwing it while imitating Dang Mu-jin’s posture.

The way Jang Il-nam threw the flying wheel looked similar to how Dang Yeong played with a toy disc, but the speed at which the flying wheel flew was not something that could be called a mere play. It was to the point where it seemed as if he was throwing the flying wheel faster than Dang Mu-jin.

Dang Mu-jin thought it was a bit excessive to ask two people to do a secret dance in a row, so he did not ask Jang Il-nam to do a secret dance and instead focused on training.

‘I should ask Elder Jang for advice tomorrow or the day after.’

A situation where two people suddenly start messing around with each other.

The only difference was that Dang Mu-jin threw his flying wheel far away, while Jang Il-nam threw his flying wheel toward a nearby wall.

After quite some time had passed and the sun had set over the western ridge, Jang Il-nam spoke to Dang Mu-jin.

“Look here, Dang So-hyeop.”

Jang Il-nam said that while observing Dang Mu-jin’s expression.

This is because Dang Mu-jin’s age was very subtle, whether he was a small-time fighter or a great fighter.

It’s like a big chick right before it becomes a chicken.

“yes.”

“Would you like to do some martial arts?”

“Is that okay?”

“Of course. But let’s do it this way. You take the sword, and I take the wheel.”

Dang Mu-jin guessed Jang Il-nam’s intentions.

‘Is it your intention to stand in the position of someone dealing with Bi-ryun and feel the power of Bi-ryun?’

It was such a generous gesture that Dang Mu-jin expressed his gratitude by giving a lottery ticket.

“All right.”

Dang Mu-jin picked up the sword he had placed nearby and looked at Jang Il-nam. There were two flying wheels in Jang Il-nam’s hands.

‘Can you really throw two flying wheels at the same time?’

That is a level that even the party leadership has not yet reached.

But who is Jang Il-nam? Wasn’t he a monster who had been taught by second-rate teachers and had broken through the wall of perfection almost entirely on his own?

In terms of talent, it would be difficult to find anyone in the world who can compare to Jang Il-nam.

Dang Mu-jin raised his sword slightly so that he could defend himself at any time, relaxed his wrist, and stared at Jang Il-nam’s fingertips.

He lightly waved his hand and shot a flying rocket. The flying rocket flew at a height between Dang Mujin’s waist and chest, then gently changed direction and curved toward Dang Mujin.

Dang Mu-jin quickly swung his sword and struck the upper surface of the wheel.

Tick-

The wheel fell to the ground with a small sound and stopped.

Compared to the tense atmosphere he had been in, this was a very disappointing situation, so Dang Mu-jin immediately turned his head and looked at Jang Il-nam. It seemed that he was trying to throw a second Bi-ryun at him while taking advantage of the short gap.

However, Jang Il-nam was still holding the second wheel.

“Take this one too.”

Jang Il-nam threw his second fly ball. This time, the trajectory was much lower.

‘Knee? No. Are you aiming for the ankle?’

The dragon flies at the height of a calf and flies towards Dangmujin.

The trajectory was so oddly low that it was somewhat difficult to respond.

Since the swords of martial artists rarely target the opponent’s ankles or knees, most defensive techniques are weak in lower-body defense.

‘Is this what you wanted to teach me?’

But it’s not to the extent that it can’t be stopped.

At the moment when Dang Mu-jin was about to strike down the second flying wheel with his sword, he saw a strange sight.

The wheel seemed to shake subtly, then suddenly changed direction and jumped upward.

As if he had never aimed for Dang Mu-jin’s ankle, Bi-ryun passed by Dang Mu-jin’s cheek.

A faint drop of blood formed on Dang Mu-jin’s cheek, and sweat formed on his back.

‘How on earth?’

Jang Il-nam approached Dang Mu-jin as if he was startled.

“Oh no! Sorry. I didn’t know you’d fly that close.”

The story of the hemophiliac contained one piece of information. That strange trajectory just now was the hemophiliac’s intention.

Dang Mu-jin pressed his own cheek to stop the bleeding and said.

“It’s okay. It just barely grazed my skin.”

“I’m sorry!”

“That’s fine, really. But what did you do just now?”

I thought that he changed the trajectory by pulling the wheel with the principle of the empty space, but no matter how much I thought about it, that wasn’t it. Even if Jang Il-nam’s empty space was more precise and powerful than Dang Mu-jin’s empty space, he couldn’t make the wheel bounce vertically like we just saw.

“Just wait a moment.”

Jang Il-nam ran over the fence, picked up the second wheel, and handed it to Dang Mu-jin. One side of the wheel was slightly dented.

“It’s dented. It must have fallen on the floor.”

Jang Il-nam shook his head at Dang Mu-jin’s story.

“No. I made this mistake.”

“yes?”

Jang Il-nam held the wheel with his index, middle, and ring fingers.

The index and ring fingers should go under the nasal cavity, and the middle fingers should press down on the nasal cavity from above. When I did this, the shape of the nasal cavity was perfectly aligned.

“When you were sparring with Brother Sam-an-bul earlier, one of the flying wheels you threw hit the wall and got slightly dented.”

“Uh… yes.”

Five flying wheels were thrown at Sam-an-bul. Sam-an-bul caught three of them, and two of them fell after hitting the wall. Dang Mu-jin was planning to straighten out the slightly dented flying wheels and use them again.

Jang Il-nam continued his explanation.

“I felt it while throwing the crumpled ring, but the trajectory was different from that of a clean ring. So I tried crumpling it here and there a little bit and saw how the trajectory changed.”

Jang Il-nam threw the flying wheel again. The flying wheel, which had been flying as if scraping the ground, suddenly bounced up.

He often ran to the wheel and picked it up again, putting it between his fingers and crushing it a little in a different way.

“This time we’re going to move in the opposite direction.”

The second throw by Jang Il-nam went very high.

It’s to the point where it feels like they’re trying to catch a passing sparrow, not a person.

But this time, the high-flying wheel suddenly changed direction and crashed down. If there had been a person below, it would have hit their head.

“But if you bend it like this, it will bend and rise up in the direction the wheel turns. If you pull it with the magic of the hollow submersible, it will turn into this.”

The third ball thrown by Jang Il-nam appeared to fly horizontally, but then suddenly bounced upward to the left.

Dang Mu-jin pictured himself trying to stop Bi-ryun.

If a bullet were to fly like that, I wonder if it would have cut off his neck while trying to block his waist.

Dang Mu-jin’s expression was filled with shock.

It was a sight that was not only surprising, but bizarre.

Even after hearing the explanation, I couldn’t understand it at all.

“How did you do it?”

Jang Il-nam raised both his hands and wiggled them as if he wanted to explain something, but it seemed like he was having a hard time explaining properly.

“This is… Well, I guess I figured it out as I went along. Don’t worry. Soon you’ll be able to handle the wheel much better than I did. I’m just a fool who happened to have learned a few tricks.”

Jang Il-nam smiled awkwardly and handed the wheel to Dang Mu-jin before leaving.

Dang Mu-jin stood there blankly for a while, then suddenly came to his senses. Then he threw the wheel around, bending and crushing it.

The flying wheel thrown by Dang Mu-jin flew here and there, and repeatedly crashed into the wall, getting crushed and broken.

As the wound on Dang Mu-jin’s hand began to heal, red flowers continued to bloom, as if the wheel was being crushed and bent.

However, Dang Mu-jin was seized by a strange passion. This was because the clue that Jang Il-nam had shown was giving Dang Mu-jin a strong inspiration in his mind.

Even though he kept throwing the fly wheel until the sun rose the next morning, Dang Mu-jin was unable to throw the fly wheel as cleanly as Jang Il-nam had shown.

However, Dang Mu-jin’s mood became more refreshing.

Because it became clear that the path that lay before him stretched far and wide.