Tangmunjeon - Chapter 287



Only Noblemtl

Episode 287 Doghouse

When the party crossed the Yellow River and advanced for about a day, martial artists began to appear from somewhere and began to circle around the party.

It was clear that they weren’t just curious onlookers. They were all trained in martial arts, and they didn’t come too close.

Namgung Myung grumbled.

“Dangmujin, can you please blow the whistle and get rid of those things?”

“It’s better to keep it hidden for now.”

I was curious about the voice of the person walking a little distance away.

“Have you learned the wheel of the Tang Dynasty?”

“Yes. As I became more familiar with the sword, I began to think that the sword was not my path.”

Among the many weapons handed down in Shaolin Temple, there is a weapon called Lun. Like the Flying Wheel, it is a round metal weapon.

However, the wheel of Shaolin Temple is different from the wheel of Tang Wujin in many ways.

It is much larger in size and has a slightly different shape. Basically, the Shaolin wheel is an object that is held and swings around by the bladeless part. It can be thrown, but it is not a weapon for throwing.

The monks of Shaolin Temple also considered the wheel to be difficult to master and not particularly powerful, so they rarely used it in actual combat.

“It must not have been easy to learn the wheel.”

“It actually fit my hand well.”

“That’s unusual. But as Namgung Siju said, it wouldn’t be a good idea to throw the wheel now.”

“That’s right.”

The story was like that, but in fact, Dang Mu-jin also had a strong desire to throw away the wheel.

The actions of the leaning Sapha Murim people clearly showed their intention to prevent the group from resting, and the sight was truly disgusting.

It wasn’t just about keeping a distance and getting on my nerves.

“What the heck!”

Hyun-gong stretched his hand out to the side of Seol-hwa. In Hyun-gong’s hand was a dagger without a tip. It was thrown by a Sa-pa warrior who was hovering around.

The Sapa warriors would sometimes throw knives or stones.

“are you okay?”

“I can do it too!”

Seolhwa’s voice was quite confident.

It was clear that it wasn’t just a lie, because he had reached out and pointed in the same direction that the dagger had come from.

It was just that Hyun-gong’s hands were a little faster, and Hyun-gong’s desire to look good to Seol-hwa was more desperate than Seol-hwa’s desire to avoid danger.

Hyun-gong thought as he picked up the dagger.

‘It’s fortunate that Dang Mu-jin is not the enemy.’

If there had been an opponent who could fire a flying wheel from a distance like Dang Mu-jin, the situation would have become very serious.

However, unlike the wheel, the dagger is not very powerful, and once thrown, there is no way to retrieve it. It is tiring to block it, but it also means that the thrower has clear limits.

At that moment, Manryeokseung, who was standing next to Dangmujin, pointed to a person wandering among the Sapa warriors.

“The author is a bloodthirsty maniac.”

Sapa’s ultimate master, Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang, was a man with hair that had a faint reddish tint.

He was probably a little over fifty years old. His hair was messy and disheveled, and he stood out.

The bloodthirsty man lifted one leg and took a strange pose, then threw a rock the size of a fist straight at him.

Boo-

With the sound of stones flying through the wind, the group’s gaze turned to Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang.

“Hey, I heard your old man is doing well in the afterlife?”

A provocation that involved talking about a dead girl. The Gaebongdo members were furious and almost rushed at Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang, but Shin Seung calmed them down.

“Calm down.”

“You’re talking nonsense with a pierced mouth. How can I endure such things?”

“Isn’t that just a story I’m telling you in hopes that you’ll react that way? I don’t think Geulseon would want you to act hastily either.”

The Open Doors were hasty and impatient, but they were not fools.

Wasn’t it just recently that Geulseon was caught in a trap while chasing an opponent and died?

Unlike the Gae-dos who suppressed their anger, Wan-ryeok-seung was always relaxed.

“That guy is getting impatient after seeing the direction we’re moving.”

“Are you getting impatient?”

“Where do you think our destination will be?”

“Wasn’t it just moving north?”

Wanli Seung laughed.

“No. We’re going to Gwangrangmun, the headquarters of the Bloodthirsty Clan. That guy may look like that, but he’s actually acting as the lord of the clan.”

“···What are you going to do at Gwangrangmun?”

“Hyeolmyeongwangrang created his sect by committing unforgivable acts such as murder and plunder throughout his life. If we were to set fire to the sect he founded like that, he would definitely not be able to tolerate it. He would not be able to hover around like that and would attack. We can just cut off Hyeolmyeongwangrang’s head then.”

The Jeongpa martial arts people have a lot to lose, but it doesn’t mean that the Sapa martial arts people have nothing to lose. And Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang had quite a lot to lose.

*

As time passed and they got closer to Gwangrangmun, Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang’s provocations became more intense.

They hurled all sorts of foul language, threw knives and stones, and occasionally shot arrows that they had obtained from somewhere. They were short on arrows, so they could only shoot a few shots.

Wanli Seung shouted at Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang.

“Hey, you know where we’re going. Just stay home and get ready to greet our guests. Haha!”

Of course, Hyeomyeon Gwangrang did not stay still.

After suddenly disappearing, he brought back nearly 150 people who had learned martial arts in just half a day. It was more like an army than a group.

Of course, because there were so many people, there were a lot of mixed people, but the pressure from the number of people itself was not negligible.

Shin Seung spoke to the monks of Shaolin Temple.

“Form up and protect the hosts. Do not open the killing zone hastily, and focus on defense. I believe there will be no casualties. Do you understand?”

“yes!”

Without telling them to fight hard, Shin Seung only laid out three restrictions.

Protecting the donors means that only the monks of Shaolin Temple will fight.

Since he said not to open the killing gate, he would not be able to kill his opponent, but at the same time, there should be no casualties. Furthermore, the number of monks in Shaolin Temple is only about thirty, while the number of opponents is three or four times that number.

‘Is that possible?’

Not only Dang Mu-jin, but also his friends did not think that Shin Seung’s story would come true.

But regardless, the monks of Shaolin Temple formed a circle around the Gaepoongdo and Dangmujin group in two layers.

Within seconds, the two rings created by the Shaolin monks began to rotate in opposite directions: the inner ring to the right, and the outer ring to the left.

The Shaolin monks did not even have weapons in their hands.

“Eww-!”

“Kill him!”

The martial artists of Sapa rushed in like waves and crashed into the monks of Shaolin Temple.

But the monks endured the clashes of the Sapa martial artists without even budging, like a rock that resisted the waves.

“Hey···.”

What followed was an unprecedented scene in the history of the Central Plains. Over thirty monks formed a circle and presented their winning moves.

That was the moment when the meaning of passing the exam expanded into a new realm.

Hyun-gong muttered.

“What the heck is this…”

A well-made passing lineup usually consists of three or four people, and even the occasional rising passing lineup never exceeds six people.

There was no such thing as a passing formation that could be performed by more than seven people in the martial arts world. This was because creating a passing formation was a different level of problem from creating an ordinary martial art.

People who haven’t learned martial arts imagine passing the exam as a kind of military dance, where everyone performs the same moves at the same time.

But that is a foolish act that cannot even be called a passing grade.

If everyone is using the same technique, it means everyone is exposing the same vulnerabilities at the same time.

The basic principle of a successful lineup is that everyone who makes up the lineup plays a fundamental role in complementing each other’s weaknesses.

However, as the number increases, the difficulty increases exponentially. If two people join forces, it is enough to just compensate for each other’s weaknesses, but if three people join forces, they have to compensate for the weaknesses of two people. The amount of things to worry about doubles.

However, if the arrangement of the three is exquisite and allows three people to form a perfect pass line, its power is incomparable to that of a pass line formed by two people. Isn’t it like two people covering up one person’s weakness?

The inevitably exposed loophole. And the arrangement of the herbivores that block that loophole. That endless cycle.

Creating a passing grade is a process of solving an endless puzzle.

The process of thinking, worrying, and intertwining what kind of diet the person standing here should adopt to achieve the best results, based on the diets of the people around them.

Even that’s not all of the problem.

It is difficult enough to create a pass-through and solve the puzzle, but an even bigger problem is that everyone who unfolds the pass-through must completely master the puzzle.

Even if you take on this role now, you may have to stand in a different position and take on a different role in the future.

Even if you don’t want to, you have to do it. If someone dies or gets injured and leaves, someone else has to take their place.

A group of candidates who are not perfectly organized and skilled cannot hide each other’s shortcomings. Even the slightest unexpected situation can cause them to collapse like a sand castle.

The result would be worse than not spreading the word.

Because it was difficult to create a passing team and even more difficult to master it, even the best passing team in the history of the Central Plains was limited to six people.

However, the thirty or so Shaolin monks present here are unfolding their formation without a single error.

As the Sapa warriors hesitated, the bloodthirsty dragon roared.

“Pierce through, pierce through!”

“How are you going to break through that!”

As soon as the bloody face lightened and cut off the head of the closest Sapha warrior, the other Sapha warriors began to approach one by one again.

But the results are not very good. Even if the Sapha warriors charge forward with their swords in full swing, the monks of the Red Hand Revolutionary Force spin around like two wheels and crush the Sapha warriors with their fierce blades.

The Sapha’s unmanned soldiers, summoned by the Bloody Face Light, were dragged between the two rotating rings and thrown away. Most of them even had their weapons taken away.

As Shin Seung said, there was no need to kill the opponent.

Because the Sapha warriors could not even maintain their fighting spirit in the face of such overwhelming strength and density.

After the Sapa martial artists were swept up in the formation once, they were busy running away without anyone knowing who would go first.

“This is the power of Shaolin Temple…”

The monks of Shaolin Temple were performing feats that were close to impossible, so Namgung Myeong and Hyeon Gong could not help but gape in amazement.

But Dang Mu-jin was a little different. Dang Mu-jin just had a blank expression.

The only monk who did not participate in the passing ceremony, Shin Seung, smiled at Dang Mu Jin.

“I thought you would know what this was.”

“How could I not know?”

The movement of the monks. It was the wooden port of Shaolin Temple.

Since Tang Wujin repaired the Mokinhang, the monks of Shaolin Temple have been challenging the Mokinhang once they have achieved a certain level of accomplishment.

Dang Mu-jin thought of Mok In-hang as a facility only for obtaining the Bulyeong Seon Ha-bo and Baekryeon Shingwon.

Where else in the world can you learn martial arts while having fun?

Since there was more than enough, Dang Mu-jin did not think that there would be anything more in Mok-in-hang.

But it didn’t stop there, one of the monks of Shaolin Temple looked at the movement of Mokinhang from a different direction, which was the starting point.

Even if you are a top-class expert, it is difficult to break through the wooden manhole unless you raise your internal energy to destroy it.

‘Then, wasn’t it possible that Mokin Port itself was a sophisticated pass-through?’

‘If you can imitate the movements of a wooden sword with your human body, and if you put your inner energy into those movements, wouldn’t it become the greatest passing line of all time that cannot be broken even with inner energy?’

Even learning the movements of the Mok-in-hang was easier than learning any other passing formation.

In order to break through the wooden gate, you have to go through hundreds or thousands of failures. In the process, you have no choice but to memorize the movements that each of the dozens of wooden gates make, even if you don’t want to.

All monks learn the most elaborate riddles through the same experience.

There is no need to fret about falling behind. Mokinhang will move silently and show its movements endlessly until the passing line is completed.

Shin Seung said.

“The gifts you gave me were not just the Bulyeongseonhabo and the Baekryeonsin Kwon. This formation is the greatest gift you left to Shaolin Temple.”

“That wasn’t my intention.”

“Sometimes, there are moments when intention doesn’t matter. This is how it is.”

Dang Mu-jin watched the monks’ movements and asked.

“This formation… seems like it could be expanded further. It seems like a few more rings could be created outside.”

Shin Seung asked in surprise.

“Have you figured it out that far already?”

“I think it was possible because it was a familiar movement. How many people can deploy this pass line at most?”

“I asked Cheong-wook the same question a while ago. He said he thought it would be possible to make four more rings. My opinion is the same.”

Then, the total number of rings is six. Each ring consists of eighteen monks. A total of one hundred and eight monks can form one passing group.

“A sophisticated passing lineup of over a hundred people···.”

“The number of monks who have broken through Mok-in Port is not that many, so it is still a long way off, but I believe that one day we will be able to deploy such a formation.”

It’s always fun to see the positive changes that your past actions have brought about.

A corner of Dang Mu-jin’s heart filled with joy.

Dang Mu-jin said with a smile.

“You showed me something amazing, so I’ll show you something fun too.”

“What’s funny?”

“It’s called a cycle.”

As Tang Mujin lightly shook both his arms, two flying wheels emerged from his sleeves and caught Tang Mujin’s index fingers. Tang Mujin spun the flying wheels around and around before throwing them high into the sky.

Two small rings disappeared into the sky. Bloody Face Light was too busy shouting at the fleeing drones to notice the movement of the rings.

A strange light appeared in Shinseung’s eyes.

“I guess you’ve come to handle a strange weapon since we last met. When I met you last time, you were a young man with a clumsy personality and no real skills.”

“It’s the same now.”

“How humble. Show me how to use the ring. I’m already looking forward to it.”

Shin Seung’s gaze left Dang Mujin’s fingers and turned to Bi Ryun.

The middle and index fingers of both hands of Dangmujin, who was facing the wheel, suddenly pointed downwards.

River (降).

The moment the two flying wheels reached the top of Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang’s head, the leisurely flying wheels suddenly changed direction and slammed down vertically.

The movements of the wheel that Dang Mu-jin showed were much faster and more stealthy than those shown by the public.

The wheel rushes towards the head of the bloodthirsty dragon.

And only after the wheel had reached the height of three jang above his head did Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang become overcome by a strange intuition.

It was literally a gut feeling. A gut feeling that an invisible death was approaching, very secretly.

“···!”

What brought Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang to this position was not his detailed mind, nor his talent that was superior to that of other top-class masters, nor his character and virtue.

The only thing that guided him was an instinct that was closer to that of a beast than a human.

Bloody Face Light immediately twisted his body and narrowly avoided the two deaths that fell from the sky. In return, half of his right ear was cut off, from the highest part of his ear to his earlobe.

Dang Mu-jin clenched his fist.

‘Okay.’

But Hyeomyeon Gwangrang’s intuition and instincts did not end there.

Between the great pain of being cut off, I felt a very secret and tingling sensation. A faint sensation that any other extreme master would have surely overlooked.

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang took out his dagger and, without a moment’s hesitation, cleanly cut off the half of my right earlobe and the rest of my ear. This all happened in just two or three breaths.

Now, where Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang’s right ear used to be, only the ear hole and blood flowing out remained.

Shin Seung asked.

“Why did you cut off that guy’s ear again?”

“It seems that you have realized that you have poisoned the wheel. You are a very sharp author.”

If the poison penetrates the brain through the ears, even the most skilled fighter will die without a fight.

Thanks to his quick and bold response, Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang saved his life.

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang ran away, glaring at Dangmujin beyond the monks of Shaolin Temple. Before he knew it, his face was red with blood.

Dang Mu-jin took back the wheel and sighed with regret.

“My performance was lacking. If I had done just a little better, I could have killed him in one go.”

But Shin Seung smiled with satisfaction.

“It’s okay. Doesn’t the sight of him running away with his tail tucked in and his face covered in blood suit his nickname, Bloodstained Wolf, really?”

As Shin Seung lightly stepped on the stone, a small shaking occurred and dust rose up.

Only then did the monks forming the two rings slowly stop moving. None of the monks suffered injuries beyond minor scratches.

Shin Seung laughed as he touched the ground with his jade-shaped sword.

“Let’s go. Let’s set fire to the scared dog’s house and comfort the spirit of our dead friend.”