Tangmunjeon - Chapter 268



Only Noblemtl

Episode 268: Opening

Including the Cheongseong faction, Jongnam faction, Hwasan faction, and Mudang faction.

Dang Mu-jin and his friends headed to the Gongdong faction, mixing in with the masters of four different sects.

Moving is always boring. The only thing that relieves the boredom are the interesting thoughts and stories.

Hyun-gong approached Hong-geol-gae and asked.

“What did you and Master talk about all night yesterday?”

Dang Mu-jin and Namgung Myeong also approached stealthily, their ears perked up.

There are many Taoists in the world, but there are very few who can use Taoist magic. The story of such a person would definitely be interesting.

Namgung Myung looked at Hong Geol-gae, sniffed for no reason, and then said.

“I wasn’t talking, I was drinking, you punk.”

Hyun-gong asked back.

“The smell of alcohol? Isn’t that the smell of alcohol that’s ingrained in you? You’ve been drinking regularly lately.”

“No. Look carefully.”

Namgung Myung touched the gourd hanging from Hong Geol-gae’s waist.

The shaking shape was quite heavy, and the inside was so full of alcohol that the clinking sound was barely audible.

Since alcohol probably didn’t fall from the sky, it’s certain that he had been to a tavern or a guest house.

“Besides, even if he drank, he wouldn’t have drank in silence as if he were practicing meditation. Since it had been a long time since he had seen his priest, he would have said something.”

How far should I talk?

Hong Geol-gae thought for a moment and then answered.

“He said this fight would be a close one. I think he expected many of the experts to die or get injured.”

“Is that the end?”

“huh.”

The four of them walked, each thinking about something.

At first, they all walked together, but gradually the distance between them grew wider. Unable to bear the boredom, Namgung Myung and Hong Geol-gae secretly approached the later members of the Jongnam faction and the Hwasan faction.

But Hyun-gong did not approach them.

The later indices of the Jongnam faction and the Hwasan faction were secretly having a hard time with Hyungong, and this was what Hyungong secretly hoped for. There is an aspect of it that is difficult to distinguish between a proper distance and respect.

‘I am the next non-partisan leader, so I have to set the tone in advance.’

While Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong were walking silently, someone approached them. It was Yeong-heo-ja.

The young man asked Dang Mu-jin.

“Danggajangju. Aren’t you nervous?”

“I’m a little nervous.”

“You’re honest.”

The man said with a small smile.

“I came here because I have something to talk to you about.”

Yeongheoja glanced at Hyeon-gong who was standing next to Dang Mu-jin. It seemed as if he secretly hoped Hyeon-gong would step aside.

However, Hyun-gong was walking calmly without any reaction. Given his personality, it was clear that he would be concentrating all his attention on this.

In the end, Young-Heo-Ja nodded slightly.

“If someone else had heard it, it might have been awkward, but Seungryonggeom has a serious personality, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“What are you planning to say that makes you so cautious?”

“First of all, I’d like to ask you one thing. Your Majesty, have you ever felt disappointed when seeing a Taoist from the Cheongseongpa?”

“That has never happened.”

When Dang Mu-jin answered immediately, Yeong-heo-ja asked again.

“Please speak a little more seriously and honestly.”

Dang Mu-jin thought deeply.

The two closest friends of Tang Mujin are the Cheongseongpa Taoists: Hwang Ryeong-ja, the Seongdo Buntaju, and Jin Song, the master of the group.

And both of them were truly kind people.

There was no way that there could be any ill-fated relationship with the other members of the Cheongseong faction, because there wasn’t much contact. On the contrary, the Cheongseong faction almost always agreed with Dang Mu-jin.

“That’s never happened. I’m not just saying that.”

“thank god.”

After hearing Dang Mu-jin’s story, Yeong-heo-ja felt noticeably relieved.

This time, Dang Mu-jin asked.

“By any chance, why did you ask that question?”

“It is said that when Taoists train for a long time to become immortals, their minds become a little more open.”

Dang Mu-jin glanced at Hyeon-gong.

He was clearly a smart guy. His direction was just a little strange.

“Are you saying that you have supernatural powers?”

“It’s a bit of a stretch to call it supernatural power… or maybe insight? No. That’s too grand. Anyway, there’s something like that. I can see a bit more than before. It’s not because I’m a Taoist, but maybe it’s because I’ve just gotten older.”

“okay.”

When Dang Mu-jin lightly nodded, Yeong-heo-ja spoke with a light smile as usual.

“I’ll tell you in advance. I don’t think this will end easily.”

But the content of the story was heavy, unlike the expression.

Dang Mu-jin recalled the story of Daepunggae that Hong Geol-gae had told him. When the story of Daepunggae and the story of Yeong-heo-ja overlapped, Dang Mu-jin felt a deep sense of unease.

“Why do you think so?”

“The Sapha’s unmanned forces are not stupid, they just lack unity. They probably know that the Jeongpa’s unmanned forces will come. They probably didn’t gather in the common faction with the intention of taking it easy.”

“But I don’t think you would have thought that even the Cheongseongpa would come to help.”

“That’s true, but… the problem is that I don’t know if that will be enough.”

“If you are really anxious, wouldn’t it be better to step down now?”

“No. As time goes by, there won’t be a better opportunity than this. Didn’t you say that there was a problem with the Pangga in Habuk?”

Yeongheoja took a breath and spoke again.

“There’s something else I really want to talk about.”

“What is it?”

“I hope that the Tang family will continue to maintain a smooth relationship with the Cheongseong faction. I’m not saying that they should be friendly and live together as brothers. It’s okay if they are distant. As long as they don’t clash, I have nothing more to wish for.”

“yes?”

Dang Mu-jin looked at Yeong-heo-ja.

However, Yeong-Heo-Ja just had a leisurely smile on her face as always. That’s why Dang Mu-Jin couldn’t read Yeong-Heo-Ja’s intentions from her eyes.

The spirit explained.

“The rise and fall of the martial arts world is in the hands of people. The future of the Tang family is you, and the future of the Cheongseong faction will be the Lingzha faction’s guys like Gongryeongja or Hwangryeongja. If we go to the next generation, the Jinhae or Jinja faction’s Taoists will be the future of the Cheongseong faction.”

“That’s right.”

“The guys aren’t falling behind anywhere. But I feel a little disappointed.”

Yeongheoja was comparing the next generation of Cheongseongpa with Dangmujin. It was clear that Yeongheoja thought that the Yeongjapae Taoists and Jinjapae Taoists were inferior to Dangmujin.

The fact that the rise and fall of a family is in the hands of people may mean that in the future, the power of the Tang family may surpass that of the Qing Dynasty.

Yeongheoja seemed worried about the situation where Danggajang was fighting against Cheongseongpa and suppressing Cheongseongpa.

This would not have been an easy story for the head of a large sect to tell in front of outsiders.

Dang Mu-jin closed his eyes briefly and then opened them.

“I think you should tell that story to the Duke, not to me.”

“no.”

Young-Heo-Ja shook his head slightly.

“Always have a confident attitude. That is the most important virtue of a leader. Even if you lose your confidence, even if your heart is burning black, you must always be confident in front of your subordinates.”

“Can that be possible?”

“Of course, if you fail like that, you will be considered a fool and an idiot in the future. But even so, the leader must not show an attitude of uncertainty. In front of Gongryungja and Jinhae, I must be someone who is confident that Cheongseongpa will become the best sect in the Central Plains.”

Dang Mu-jin now understood why Yeong-heo-ja always smiled leisurely. It was not because he was leisurely, but because he wanted to show leisure to his subordinates.

Now, Dang Mu-jin could understand Young-heo-ja’s thoughts, because Dang Mu-jin was also the leader of the party.

If Young-Heo-Ja tells this to Gong-Ryeong-Ja or Jin-Hae, how will they react?

It is likely that he will harbor resentment toward the Dangmujin and the Danggajang, or he will become frightened and lower his stance. Yeongheoja thought that such a result would not be good.

The young man spoke in a voice full of trust.

“The Cheongseongpa will be a good neighbor to the Dang family. The Dang family will also be a good neighbor to the Cheongseongpa.”

“···I will do that.”

Young-Heo-Ja laughed a little more deeply.

*

After walking for another two days, the group arrived at the entrance to Pyeongnyang County.

Instead of going straight into Pyeongryang-hyeon, people sat down in an appropriate place, rubbed their legs, and rested.

“When are you going to the public park?”

Yeong-Heo-Ja answered Dang Mu-Jin’s question.

“I need to get some rest, recover from the fatigue, and get moving, so tonight would be a good time.”

It was important to relieve the stress, but it was also an excuse.

If you can win a fair fight in broad daylight, that would be great.

But it is clear that if you start a fight by surprise at night, you will have the upper hand.

The culprit cleverly made up excuses to minimize the damage.

The other political factions did not particularly oppose it. They valued justification and an upright attitude, but they also knew how to bend their pride a little when their lives were at stake.

The group climbed up to the public mountain only at night.

The soft rustling of grasshoppers hid the sound of his footsteps, and the trees and darkness hid the new form.

Thanks to this, no one noticed the group until they reached the place where the common wave was visible.

But that was the extent of the comfortable movement.

Unlike a while ago, there were quite a few people guarding the area around the communal area.

There are four people in the immediate field of vision, grouped in pairs. Since there is almost no movement, it is impossible to guess what they are doing.

Furthermore, they were not just wasting their time.

He looks around tensely, as if he is sure that someone will approach him.

If there were three or four unmanned personnel in this place, they could have sneaked over the wall if they had the chance. However, it is impossible for nearly a hundred unmanned personnel to climb over the wall without being detected.

It wasn’t a good idea to rush in and kill them without thinking. Even if you rush in and kill them quickly, they’ll still scream.

The frontliner muttered with regret.

“I guess I have no choice but to make a fuss already. I definitely wanted to strike first.”

The soldiers of the Jeongpa silently drew their swords from their scabbards and covered the blades with their hands, for fear that the blades would sparkle in the moonlight.

But Dang Mu-jin did not draw his sword.

“Please wait a moment.”

“Master of the party. Do you have any good ideas?”

“There is a way. It would be a waste of effort to fail, so please wait a moment.”

Dang Mu-jin asked his friends.

“Hong Geol-gae. Do you think you can stop my affair?”

“I think I can somehow block it once or twice.”

Namgung Myung intervened and said.

“That’s not what I’m asking. Hong Geol-gae, you know what a flying dragon is, but those guys don’t know what a flying dragon is. Can you stop a flying dragon that comes flying at an unexpected moment, in an unexpected place, even in the middle of the night?”

Dang Mu-jin asked Nam Gung-myeong.

“Namgung Myung. In your opinion, it’s hard to stop?”

“Even if I were the one in that position, it would have been difficult to stop him. Hong Geol-gae can never be stopped.”

“How different are you and I?”

Hong Geol-gae grumbled with a discontented expression. As Namgung-myeong and Hong Geol-gae quarrelled quietly, Hyeon-gong pretended to stop them while secretly causing discord between the two.

However, no one except Dang Mu-jin and his party understood what Dang Mu-jin and his friends were talking about.

Finally, the party leader asked.

“Among the unmanned soldiers you see over there, is there anyone who is more skilled than you?”

The last question got the same answer.

“That can’t be true.”

“A guy like that doesn’t come out to stand guard.”

“I get it.”

The frontliner asked.

“What is so wrong with Bi-Ryun that he does that?”

“This is it.”

As Tang Mujin lowered both arms, two palm-sized discs popped out from his sleeves and caught on Tang Mujin’s index fingers.

The frontliner knew that it was a round blade, but he had no idea how it was going to be used. Since it was called a flying wheel, he could only guess that it was going to be thrown.

Dang Mu-jin raised both hands and spun his index fingers around, and the wheel on his fingers rotated gently.

Dang Mujin took a deep breath. He had been practicing day and night for the past few days, but this was his first time handling the wheel in a real fight.

“It wouldn’t be a shame to fail here.”

Dang Mu-jin chuckled at Namgung Myung’s playful story.

“I have to succeed.”

Dang Mujin’s eyes narrowed. His head tilted slightly forward like a beast hunting for prey. However, his two fingers were still turning the ring.

There are two rings in hand, and four targets.

The spinning wheel that was caught on the finger bounced up slightly and was caught by Dang Mu-jin’s thumb and index finger.

Dang Mujin, still keeping his posture low, left the tree and hid behind the bushes, and threw the two flying wheels with both hands. The two flying wheels flew low, almost skimming the ground.

There is no sound. The only trace left by the wind is the brief moment of moonlight.

But the Sapa warriors did not notice the wheel.

When the lightning bolt flew right up to the two people, Dang Mu-jin’s index and middle fingers, which had been outstretched, pointed upwards.

Ascension.

At the same time, two flying wheels leapt out like snakes and bit the necks of the two sentries.

The two sentries grabbed my neck, seemingly oblivious to what was happening.

“Crunch.”

All that was left was a brief, burning pain, and a waterfall of blood flowing down my throat.

The flying wheel that had burst through the blood droplets returned to Dang Mujin’s two hands. Most of the Taoists did not even notice what had happened.

Dang Mu-jin’s fingers touched the wheel for a moment, and the wheel flew into the sky again.

From the moment the two sentries’ throats were cut off until Dangmujin threw the wheel again, only three or four breaths had passed.

The moment Dang Mu-jin’s wheel left his hand again, two sentries standing a short distance away noticed that something was wrong with their colleagues.

But the only problem that happened to my colleagues was that two of them were holding each other’s throats and making a phlegm-clogging noise.

Blood was seeping out between their fingers, but it wasn’t easy to notice it in the dark of the night.

‘Did something happen? Or did they get something stuck in their throats while eating?’

The two sentries looked around.

Still nothing was visible. No sign of life was felt. All that was felt was the soft moonlight and the cool night breeze.

They also couldn’t see the moonlight reflecting off the wheel. This time, the wheel was flying much higher than their field of vision.

Dang Mu-jin’s fingers on both hands pointed to the ground.

River (降).

Two flying falcons swooped down like hawks that had spotted their prey, slashing at the necks of the sentries who were circling around.

The second group of sentries fell to their knees, clutching their necks as their comrades had done.

The four sentries knelt and looked ahead. From a distance of about forty or fifty paces, a young man could be seen slowly rising from his seat.

‘Is that guy? What on earth did he do?’

It was such a bewildering situation that curiosity took precedence over the fear of death.

The dying sentries looked around to see what had happened.

Kneeling down and lowering their view, they were able to spot a clue belatedly. A metal disc embedded in the dirt. It was so thin and sharp that it felt like it had no thickness.

Dang Mu-jin quietly dispatched the four sentries and stood up from his seat.

However, the people around them could not open their mouths. The sight they saw was extremely bizarre. Not many people saw what Dang Mujin did.

The sights most people saw were fragmentary.

The disc that he had taken out from somewhere flew out of his hand, and Dang Mujin moved his fingers. Two people died.

Then the disc that had disappeared returned to Dang Mu-jin’s hand, and Dang Mu-jin threw the disc again and moved his fingers. Two more people died. That was the end.

People felt a cool chill.

The skills that the young leader of the party was showing now were completely different from the crude secret techniques that the assassins had learned.

A creepy question came to everyone’s mind.

‘If I were there, could I have stopped that blade?’

No one could be sure. That’s why the strangely heavy atmosphere didn’t seem to lift at all.

At that time, the story that Dang Mu-jin told to the front line broke people’s thoughts.

“It’s done. You may go.”

“Uh… uh. I see.”

The Taoists quietly got up and approached the four sentries who had become quiet.

It was a very quiet death.

If it weren’t for the blood flowing from his neck, he would have looked like he was asleep.

As Dang Mujin retrieved the two flying wheels that were stuck in the dirt, the Jeongpa’s unmanned forces quietly opened the door to the public sect.

Unlike last time when they practiced until late at night, the Sapha warriors of the Gongdongpa seemed to be quietly sleeping.

‘It’s just beginning.’

Under the quiet moonlight, the soldiers of Jeongpa exchanged glances with each other and then dispersed in all directions.