Tangmunjeon - Chapter 266



Only Noblemtl

Episode 266 Infiltration

Although it was a little different from what the Ilseonja and Cheongseongpa Taoists had expected, Dang Mujin diligently went around Pyeongryang-hyeon to collect information.

“Don’t you see anything special?”

“It’s strangely quiet, just like when I came here last time. Is it because it’s dark?”

I thought that if it had been daytime, I might have sneakily approached the beggars and asked them what was going on.

But then again, that wasn’t a very good idea. There might be someone among the beggars who had connections with the Sapha Muin.

Eventually, the four of them climbed up to the roof of the most luxurious building in Pyeongnyang-hyeon and spread out a suitable distance between themselves.

And each of them put their ear to the roof and eavesdropped on what was being said inside.

“If you hear any good information, tell me in advance.”

“know.”

The group did not move for quite some time.

Naturally, it was impossible for someone who knew the internal workings of the coalition to start talking at an appropriate time.

The four of them lay face down on the roof for a long time, still feeling the cool spring breeze.

This was quite difficult and even boring work, so soon Namgung Myung started grumbling.

“This, even if it wasn’t us, it seems like someone else could have done it. Aren’t we just being the youngest in the group and taking advantage of it?”

“The Cheongseongpa Taoists probably thought we would talk to the people of Pyeongnyang County and ask around. Not many people climb up onto rooftops to eavesdrop on conversations to gather information.”

When Dang Mu-jin answered, Namgung Myung grumbled again.

“We can just tell you how to gather information effectively. It doesn’t make sense that you can’t do this because you’re afraid of being discovered as a Taoist. If you just put on a mask and pay attention to your conduct, who would know if you’re a Taoist or not?”

Hyun-gong answered seriously, still with his ear pressed to the roof.

“Namgung Myung. Normal people don’t carry masks around like you do.”

“That may be true. But I can lend you the mask.”

“···Why don’t you know that the situation in which the mask pops out from the chest is suspicious?”

Hong Geol-gae, who had been listening to the story, spoke as if he felt sorry for it.

“That’s because he’s more used to the mask than his own face. He’s in a situation where he can’t tell what’s normal and what’s abnormal. He’s the kind of guy who’ll one day put his mask over his head and make a scene in front of his own father.”

The moment Namgung Myung was about to say one more word, Dang Mujin made a shushing sound.

“Wait a minute, be quiet.”

At first glance, it seemed like he had heard talk of a joint operation. Dang Mu-jin put his ear a little closer to the roof.

The voices of the people are heard a little more clearly. The owners of the voices are presumed to be merchants or officials who have connections with merchants.

“···Did you know that the joint faction was replaced last time?”

“Oh, I heard. But I don’t know exactly what happened.”

“At first, the Gonghap faction was pushed out, and other guys came and took over the Gonghap faction, and then some martial artists came and chased out the new Gonghap faction members… That’s what happened, right? Don’t you know?”

“Was that so? Hmm. Anyway, why was that?”

“There’s a story about where the returned Communist Taoists went.”

“The situation of people being pushed out and coming in keeps repeating itself, so I don’t even know what’s going on anymore. It’s not like it’s a guest house, and where is there a sect where the people staying there change all the time?”

“No, listen carefully···”

Since the person explaining it seemed confused, the listener also had no way of understanding it properly.

But what was important was not the content of the story itself.

The two people seemed to be the type of people who were quite interested in the affairs of the world. The fact that even such people did not know much about the situation of the Gongdongpa meant that the people of Pyeongryanghyeon had nothing to be interested in within the Gongdongpa.

If so, then we can conclude that the coalition has been quiet for some time recently.

Dang Mu-jin raised his head and said.

“The authors who have newly settled in the community, it seems like they haven’t been out yet.”

Hyun-gong asked.

“Then why did those guys stick together in the communal area?”

The four people were troubled at the same time, but no one could guess why.

It was not long ago that a noisy incident occurred in the communal group. To rejoin and settle down in such a communal group is a strange act to anyone.

It was a situation that was clearly going to attract the attention of the martial arts community, make the entire martial arts community nervous, and eventually lead to conflict.

It would be understandable if they had done something based on the joint faction, but looking at the situation, that wasn’t the case.

Hong Geol-gae came up with his own answer.

“Well. Maybe they’ve hidden some treasure in the communal forest? They’re targeting the communal forest and communal faction to get the treasure.”

However, Namgung Myung immediately refuted this.

“No. I didn’t see anything like that last time I was searching through the public bathhouse.”

“Then, is there any gold in the commonwealth?”

“If that was the reason, the villagers would have noticed. Besides, do you think the Sapha martial artists are the kind of people who would just swing a pickaxe around to dig for gold? If you give the Sapha martial artists a pickaxe, they’ll just chop down the person next to them with it and run away with their treasure.”

Namgung Myung did not hesitate to tell a story full of prejudice against Sapha Muin. It was a story that Elder Jang would have been heartbroken if he had heard it.

However, in Dang Mu-jin’s experience, this was somewhat true. The temperament of the Sa-pa warriors was generally more impatient and fierce than that of the Jeong-pa warriors.

Both the Jeongpa and Sapha warriors have power, but the Sapha warriors do not go through the process of mentally training in a disciplined situation.

That’s why the Sapha warriors found it difficult to tolerate problems when they arose, and they often solved problems with force rather than complex methods.

Dang Mu-jin stood up from his seat and said.

“Anyway, I think I found out everything there was to find out. Let’s go back.”

The mission given to the party was to find out if there was anything special going on in Pyeongryang-hyeon and Gongdongpa and return. This was enough of an achievement.

However, Namgung Myung could not quench his thirst.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been out in the wild, I wore a mask, and I felt the cool night breeze.

In this situation, it would be a shame to just go back and eavesdrop on people’s conversations.

It felt as if he had started a duel with great vigour, then just did the standing ovation and put his sword back.

“No, Dangmujin. Since we’ve come this far, I think it would be better to take a look at the joint faction.”

When Namgung Myeong made the suggestion, Hong Geol-gae intervened and expressed his opposition.

“We’ve done everything we had to do, so it’s probably best to go back now. It’s dangerous.”

This time, Namgung Myung shook his head with a serious expression.

“This is all for you.”

“···Which part?”

“Hong Geol-gae. I don’t know about you, but people who only do what they’re told never develop.”

“I don’t know about other people, but you have to do what you’re told.”

“Why me?”

“You only do things that other people tell you not to do.”

Hong Geol-gae and Namgung Myeong argued for a moment and then looked at Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong. It seemed to indicate who agreed with their opinion.

Dang Mu-jin did not show much reaction because he thought both opinions were reasonable. However, unexpectedly, Hyeon-gong agreed with Nam-gung-myeong’s story.

“I think Namgung Myung’s story is correct.”

“what?”

“The future could change depending on how much we learn here. It could save us a lot of sacrifices down the road.”

Indeed, it was a remark worthy of a shaman who was on fire. Hong Geol-gae took a step back because it seemed like he was being pushed back by public opinion.

“···Oh, okay. Got it.”

There’s still a long way to go until night.

The four of them ran stealthily from roof to roof of the building to the common mountain.

Because their movements were so secretive, people didn’t even notice that Dang Mu-jin and his party had passed by.

Since they had been on this road before, there was no need to get lost. The four of them moved carefully, avoiding the road so as not to encounter any of the Sapha’s unmanned members.

Finally, the four reached the wall of the communal area.

“I feel popular.”

“That’s quite a lot.”

The four of them circled around the wall of the communal area, then crouched down in the spot closest to the sound of people.

It is the sewer’s way to stick your head over the wall and look inside.

The four of them, without a word, dug a hole in the wall with their fingers full of internal energy and looked inside. It wasn’t difficult to make a hole in the wall, which was made of a mixture of stones and mud.

Even though it was late at night, dozens of people were practicing martial arts inside the communal area.

This was the second time I had seen the Sapha warriors training their martial arts in such a united manner. The first time was when I had seen the Sapha warriors at Hwangolgak.

Even those within the community were not practicing reluctantly. They were literally swinging their fists and stretching their legs with passion and sincerity.

The party of Dang Mu-jin became confused.

“What is this? I think I’ve seen this scene before at Hwanggolgak. Aren’t these really the Gongmunpa drones?”

“No. The martial arts they use are all different.”

“Really? What kind of martial arts is that?”

Namgung Myung thought for a moment and answered Hong Geol-gae’s question.

“At least it’s not the martial arts of the Gonghappa. The momentum and atmosphere are different. Even the herbivorous ones don’t overlap with the Gonghappa’s.”

In front of the people, there was a podium about the height of a person, and on top of it was a person looking down at dozens of unmanned people.

Because the distance was so far and the torch was far away, the opponent’s face could not be seen clearly. However, judging from the atmosphere, it seemed like he was leading the Safa unmanned forces occupying the common area.

At that moment, a low drumbeat was heard.

Ding, ding-

All those who had been working hard at their training stopped moving at once.

The person on the podium also bowed politely to the side and then went down from the podium.

Then a man wearing flowing clothes appeared.

This time, I couldn’t see his face, but I could tell two things about him: his small, sturdy build, and his shiny, shaven head.

‘Are you a monk?’

The monk slowly presented the recommended method under a dark sky without moonlight.

‘Is this Shaolin Temple?’

No. The martial arts were strong and solid, just like Shaolin, but there was a strange atmosphere.

The people below the podium looked up at the podium and slowly followed the recommended method.

At the same time, a subtle fragrance began to waft from somewhere.

The poison of the flower does not cause injury or death, but rather disrupts the mind and makes people dizzy. Dang Mu-jin spoke quietly.

“Slow down your breathing and push out the poison that is seeping in.”

“okay.”

Although the poison spread out of nowhere, Dang Mu-jin did not worry about his friends.

This is because it was not a mixture of numerous poisons, nor was it a poison that was difficult to push out.

Even the people within the communist faction were unmanned, so there was no way they could not read the poison.

But no one ran away. It was as if they knew the scent of the flowers was coming.

How much time had passed? People’s gestures and footsteps began to become heated.

People slowly fell into a state of ecstasy. Some people grumbled, and some even fought among themselves, stretching out their fists.

Then, some people even fell into a state of ecstasy as if they had attained enlightenment. It was a truly bizarre situation.

At that moment, the man on the podium clapped his hands together. It was an internal energy so great that anyone could feel it.

People who had been intoxicated by the scent of flowers and were swaying in the wind scattered around, and a large open space was created in the middle of the crowd.

The man on the podium lowered his posture and extended his right hand toward the empty space.

bang!

Then, with a loud noise, dust rose from the ground.

“What’s going on?”

“I haven’t seen it either.”

The party waited for the dust to settle.

After some time had passed and the dust had settled, the group saw an amazing sight.

A large handprint was left in the vacant lot.

The size was also unusual. It was a handprint at least five or ten times larger than the palm of an ordinary person.

“···What happened?”

“I have no idea.”

It was as if a great master had stepped on a true awakening. However, it was not a true awakening because he had not stepped on it, and the distance between where the man was standing and the imprint of his palm was far.

The man on the podium said.

“It seems that many people have achieved enlightenment today. It is truly a joyous thing.”

People, without exception, bowed their heads to the man on the podium, prostrating themselves.

Their gestures were filled with joy. The joy they got from the fragrance of flowers, and the joy of a warrior who had attained enlightenment and advanced to the next level.

As people began to lie down, the view cleared, and a wind blew from somewhere, brightening the torches a little. Only then did I catch a glimpse of the man on the podium.

Dang Mu-jin’s eyes grew wide.

“It’s the devil!”

“···Ghost King?”

Hyun-gong doesn’t know who the ghost king is. However, Nam-gung-myeong, Hong-geol-gae, and Dang-mu-jin know.

One of the six supreme masters of the Demonic Cult in the past. With Woohobeop dead and Samanbul leaving the Demonic Cult, he should now be called one of the four supreme masters of the Demonic Cult.

In the past, when escaping from the Demonic Cult, the Left Guardian Law and the Ghost King chased after the group.

If Hwayeonshinni had not appeared in time, the party would have been helpless against the pursuing Ghost King and the Left Guardian.

Dangmujin and Samanbul were probably dragged into the Demonic Cult, and the rest were probably killed without a trace.

“That author, isn’t that the guy I saw in the Demonic Cult?”

As Hong Geol-gae spoke with a frown, Namgung Myung also made a serious expression.

“Well, with that skill, it’s better to lead the Sapa’s people and live like a king than to be the leader’s subordinate in a demonic cult. Now that I look at it, it seems like he’s popular.”

Hyun-gong asked again, unable to make up his mind.

“Who on earth is this Ghost King?”

“I am a monk from Potala Palace. I will tell you more details later, so keep quiet for now. Ah, it’s moving!”

The Ghost King came down from the podium and stood on the palm-shaped mark I had left on the floor. He slowly looked around, then lowered his voice and spoke solemnly.

“Come back next month. I hope there will be more people who have achieved something then.”

People were in a state of rapture, lowering their postures even further. Some were crying, and some were moved to tears.

He looks like the leader of a strange religion that practices tyranny.

Hong Geol-gae whispered, feeling very tense and anxious about the situation.

“Hey, let’s run away quickly.”

This time there was no opposition.

The party of Dang Mu-jin quietly got up from their seats and ran down the public mountain.