Tangmunjeon - Chapter 294



Only Noblemtl

Episode 294 Flames

Aside from Hyun-gong harboring impure intentions, Dang Mu-jin and his group and the Jeongpa Murim were facing a serious situation.

It wasn’t a leisurely story about the future leader of the Demonic Cult bringing bloodshed. Right now, we have to somehow block the Sapha’s unmanned forces that the Gwangyeomra is bringing.

But knowing what to do doesn’t solve all your problems.

Dang Mu-jin was deeply troubled.

‘···Putting the cult leader aside, will he be able to endure this fight?’

Thinking back on how I’ve managed to overcome difficulties so far, I thought I could somehow get through it, but as always, I wasn’t confident this time either.

‘The problem is that the power loss has been too great so far.’

Until just before the Battle of Jeongsa, there were six supreme masters in Jeongpa.

The swordsman Namgung Jincheon, Shin Seung, Geolseon, Yeongheoja, Yeongbo Jinin, and the swordsman Neunggwang Yu Jinkwang.

Except for Yoo Jin-kwang, they were all masters who had been in the realm of the highest level for more than ten years.

‘There were three deaths among them.’

Shin Seung, Geol Seon, and Yeong Heo Ja lost their lives in this Jeong Sa Dae Jeon.

Since Manryeokseung and Honggeolgae have surpassed the barrier of supremacy, the number of supreme masters in the current Jeongpa has been reduced to five.

‘···Manryeokseung and Honggeolgae.’

Dang Mu-jin glanced at Hong Geol-gae.

Hong Geol-gae grumbled as soon as he sensed Dang Mu-jin’s gaze.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“just.”

“What do you mean just? Your eyes are so impure.”

In situations like this, it’s easier to end the conversation by preemptively spouting nonsense.

“This is the look in a man’s eyes that attracts women. If you can learn it, learn it. It’s probably impossible, though.”

“Okay. Looks like you’ve finally gone crazy too.”

As expected, Hong Geol-gae chuckled for a moment after hearing Dang Mu-jin’s story, then lost interest.

In fact, there was a rather sharp part in the story about Hong Geol-gae having impure eyes. Dang Mu-jin thought that Hong Geol-gae was a bit unattractive.

‘It wouldn’t be strange at all to say that Wanli Seung is on par with the former Yukjeon, but no matter how I look at Honggeolgae, I don’t feel like he’s on the same level as Yukjeon. No, I guess I should call him Ojeon now.’

There were three main reasons why Hong Geul-gae did not feel like he was on the same level as the Yuk-jon of the past.

Firstly, it was because the friendship between Dang Mu-jin and Hong Geol-gae was so close.

It would be strange if he could recognize Hong Geol-gae, who had been with him since the time he first started learning martial arts, and Yuk-jon, whom he had looked up to with secret awe since long ago, as equals.

Secondly, because the level of Dangmujin’s inaction has increased considerably.

In the past, the words “the Six Heavenly Kings” or “the Supreme Masters” felt like people from a faraway place that could not be reached, but now, the distance between himself and the Supreme Masters that Dang Mujin felt was not that far.

After defeating Bloody Face Light a few days ago, I became even more confident. If the situation is right, and the opponent is a lower-level super-climax, I can fight him no matter what.

Lastly, it is because Hong Geul-gae is actually a top-notch player but his achievements are not that high.

‘In my experience, Hong Geol-gae’s accomplishments seem to be similar to those of Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang or Mu-ryang-ja before he died.’

So what would happen if Hong Geol-gae and Gwangyeom-ra clashed?

The worry didn’t last long. I lost unconditionally.

‘Then, what if Wanli Seung and Gwangyeomra fight?’

The results won’t be much different. It’ll be better than Hong Geol-gae, but it’s clear that Man-ryeok Seung will also lose to Gwang-yeom-ra.

There is no guarantee that even the most advanced player will be the Kwangyeomra.

No, judging from the situation so far, there was a high probability that Kwangyeomra would appear accompanied by a Sapa or Demonic Cult expert. Judging from Kwangyeomra’s actions, he seemed to be a very meticulous person.

Dang Mu-jin’s thoughts moved to the next step. Who would Gwangyeom-ra bring with him?

‘How many top-class martial artists are there in Sapa? I need to know their level of power to prepare for a fight.’

But there was no way to find out. It’s not like the Sapa martial artists who have surpassed the peak of the wall go around telling the Jeongpa martial artists their names and nicknames.

Just like a village separated by a high mountain, news between the two kingdoms is transmitted very slowly.

It is difficult to estimate the number of Sapa warriors who have surpassed the peak wall, so if you expand the scope to above the peak or above first-class, there is no way to know how many there are.

‘I wonder if the Ghost King knows?’

Dang Mu-jin went straight to the ghost king and asked.

However, the Ghost King also seemed unaware of how much power Gwangyeomra would bring.

The Ghost King is in the northwest, and the Flame King is in the northeast.

It was only natural, since the areas of Sapa Murim where the Ghost King and the Mad King were active were different.

Dang Mu-jin’s chest tightened. A fight where the outcome is uncertain always makes people nervous.

While Dang Mu-jin was racking his brain, Namgung Myung and Hong Geol-gae approached him and asked.

“What are you thinking about?”

Dang Mu-jin waved his hand.

“It’s nothing, so don’t worry.”

“Who cares? I just came to find out what you’re thinking.”

Well, there’s no way these guys would have approached me with a worried mind.

Dang Mu-jin stretched his head out and looked for Hyun-gong. Hyun-gong, who seemed like the only person who could help, was muttering next to Seol-hwa.

Dang Mu-jin explained the situation to the little boy with a runny nose as if he was asking for help.

“What’s the problem···”

Namgung Myung was a little indifferent even after hearing the explanation, but Hong Geol-gae thought hard and came to a conclusion.

Hong Geul-gae uses his head. This must be what is meant by the saying that a place makes a person.

“If we have no way of knowing how many there are, there are two things we can do.”

“What is it?”

“First of all, you have to train hard.”

It was exactly the kind of advice Hong Geol-gae would give. Dang Mu-jin sighed reflexively.

“I knew when the Light Flame would come, so I trained leisurely… No, that’s okay. I guess I have to train, so that’s not wrong. What’s the second one?”

“I’m asking for help.”

Dang Mu-jin asked back.

“Is there anyone who can help me?”

“I don’t know, but you do. You have wide feet.”

Anyway, I’m telling you to do as you please.

Counseling with Hong Geol-gae is always similar.

He doesn’t say anything wrong, but he just keeps saying things that seem helpful but aren’t.

And if I had to be picky, this story was somewhat helpful.

“Someone who can help.”

The first people that come to mind are, of course, the people of the Tang family. Sam-an-bul, Jang Il-nam, and the people from the Demonic Cult.

If Dangmujin asks for help, they will never refuse. However, there is a very serious problem. The distance between Sacheonseong and Gaebong is too far.

“I can’t go to the party hall. It’s too far away and I can’t get there on time.”

“If it’s difficult to be the head of the household, how about Hwayeonshinni?”

Although Dang Mu-jin and his party did not know exactly how much Hwayeon Shinni had accomplished, they were certain that it was an accomplishment that surpassed Gwangyeomra by a considerable margin.

But this time too, Dang Mu-jin shook his head.

“Chongqing is too far away. Besides, even if the distance were closer, I don’t think Hwa Yeon Shin Ni would readily help me.”

“why?”

“Unlike us, Hwayeonshinni is a person who is not a man of the same age.”

Although it is said that there is a demonic cult behind it, most of the warriors fighting are warriors of the righteous and evil factions.

If you ask Hwayeonshinni, who calls herself a non-member of the Jeongsaji clan, to side with the Jeongpa faction, there is a high chance that you will be rejected.

As evidence, Hwayeonshinni had only helped him once in terms of military power. When he was escaping from the Demonic Cult. Hwayeonshinni was his lover, but not his true lover.

Dang Mu-jin continued his thoughts with his arms folded.

It was also difficult to ask for help from the Taoist sects in the northwest. The Gongdong sect was scattered, the Jongnam sect lost its leader, and a considerable number of Taoists from Hwasan and Mudang were killed.

As before, we could no longer expect help from the Cheongseongpa or Jeomchangpa.

‘I regret the most about the Jeomchangpa. If I had known that things would turn out like this, I would have told Yoo Daehyeop not to return to Yunnan and to wait a little longer.’

At that moment, Hong Geol-gae clapped his hands together.

“There are. There are people who can help you!”

Dang Mu-jin asked back indifferently, without much expectation.

“Who is it?”

“If you go south, there is the Nanggong family in Anhui Province!”

“Ah, there was Namgung Se-ga!”

Dang Mu-jin and Hong Geol-gae’s gaze quickly turned to the side. The person who spoke last was not Dang Mu-jin and Hong Geol-gae, but Nam-gung Myeong.

‘···Where does that kid think his family comes from?’

Anyway, it was a really great idea. Namgung Sega was relatively close to Gaebong and had excellent military skills. They were considered the second best military group in the Jeongpa martial arts world after Shaolin.

Besides, Namgung Se-ga is in debt to Dang Mu-jin.

But there is something that is bothering him. Dang Mu-jin asked Nam Gung-myeong.

“Can Namgung Se-ga help? Namgung Se-ga is the one who is blocking the Sapa warriors in the southeast on the front lines.”

“Actually, you don’t have to worry too much about that. The Safa warriors in the south of Anhui, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang aren’t that powerful. Nanggong Se-ga doesn’t put off work and handles it on time.”

“What’s going on?”

“There is no need to wait until the Jeongsa War breaks out. If a Sapha warrior who seems likely to become dangerous appears in Zhejiang or Jiangxi, the Namgung family warriors will go there in advance to ask for a life-or-death decision.”

Dang Mu-jin and Hong Geol-gae were disgusted.

It’s a matter of life and death, doesn’t it mean to catch and kill someone before it causes trouble?

Of course, it may be a tempting offer to the Sapha warriors who are desperate for a life-or-death decision, but the warriors of Namgung Se-ga will not return with only a vague experience.

“How much power does the Namgung family have?”

“You all know that your father is a master of the highest level. There are more than ten masters of the highest level.”

Hong Geol-gae didn’t miss the opportunity and intervened.

“Wait a minute. Leave out the word ‘expert’. Nonsense expressions need to be corrected in a timely manner.”

“···Most of the uncles, the heads of the clans, and the heads of the households are at the peak of their power. Even among my generation, they are at the peak of their power···. No, there are a couple of guys who have surpassed the peak barrier.”

Shaolin is a bit unique, but Namgung Sega’s power is also outstanding. Is it true that the martial arts world has an unrivaled position?

Dang Mu-jin spoke while counting the days.

“It’ll be difficult for us to go there ourselves, so we’ll have to try sending a messenger. Is there a messenger that goes to the nearby Namgung Se-ga?”

“There may be messengers coming from nearby Namgung Se-ga to Gaebong, but there will be no messengers going from here to Namgung Se-ga.”

Of course, the Western world doesn’t understand human speech and doesn’t find its way around.

Homing takes advantage of the pigeon’s tendency to return to a designated location, or a place it recognizes as home.

In fact, even if you were to fly a carrier pigeon all over Central Plains, it would not be the case that pigeons would actually travel all over Central Plains. It would simply be a method for people to deliver letters that had arrived in a large city that could serve as a base.

In any case, there are quite a few pigeons that recognize large cities as their home, such as Gaebong, but there are virtually no migratory pigeons that head to remote areas like Cheonjusan where the Namgung family is located.

“Still, I guess I can get a reply from Jeonseo-gu. I’ll have to send someone. Or, to be more specific, Namgung Myung, would you like to go back to Namgung Se-ga and ask for help?”

“no.”

Namgung Myung deliberately waved his left hand instead of his right. His left hand revealed the subtle relationship between his father and Namgung Myung.

“If I go, things might get awkward. It would be better to send a letter in your name and ask for help.”

“okay.”

“And while I’m sending a letter to Namgung Se-ga, I’ll let you know of a few families and clans that you can send letters to as well. Let’s ask for their help together.”

“···I guess I should do that.”

Before I knew it, Dang Mu-jin’s eyes became moist.

It’s hard to tell how many times Hong Geol-gae or Nam Goong-myeong have been of help in a situation where they weren’t wielding a weapon.

‘Yeah. If you’re human, you should be like this too···.’

As soon as Tang Wujin arrived in Gaebong, he rescued people and sent them to Anhui Province.

The man who had the letter from Dang Mu-jin in his bosom rode his horse and disappeared south.

*

One day, about ten days after the man began to ride a horse, Dang Mu-jin was able to receive a reply from Jeonseo-gu.

As expected, Namgung Se-ga’s reply contained positive content.

[Next New Year’s Eve, the Namgung Se-ga’s warriors will arrive in Gaebong.]

Although not all of the Namgung Se-ga’s warriors will come, Namgung Jin-cheon will definitely not be left out of such a major event, so he will definitely be of great help.

‘At this point, I’ve prepared everything I can.’

Dang Mu-jin put down the letter and smiled happily. Now, he felt a little more at ease.

*

Dang Mu-jin spent her days in Gaebong very busy, with no time to breathe.

Because Dang Mu-jin had to take care of patients while being busy with his training, he could only sleep for two hours a day.

The monks and practitioners of Shaolin Temple worry about Tang Wujin several times a day.

“Your Majesty. Are you okay?”

“No problem. Don’t worry.”

“If you do that, your body will get hurt and you will end up making a bigger mistake, so it would be better to avoid the patient and rest for at least one day every three days.”

“Thank you for your words. I will definitely do that when the going gets tough.”

However, the party leadership had no particular complaints.

This is because being a member of the National Assembly is the true job of the party executives, and the results of the work they have been doing steadily up until now are starting to show.

For example, there were quite a few lawmakers who came to Gaebong after hearing that Dang Mu-jin was staying there.

And among them were two familiar faces. I can’t remember their names, but they were doctors who had once studied medicine at Danggajang.

The two lawmakers, as well as several other lawmakers who came to Gaebong with the two lawmakers, bowed slightly to the party executives and gave them a round of applause.

Even if it is an example, it is rare to see someone bow down like this, even if it is a lottery.

This was an attitude of politeness that was not commonly shown even to superiors, let alone to Dang Mu-jin, who was their son or nephew.

The party leader waved his hands at the members in embarrassment.

“I feel uncomfortable when we first meet. Please make me feel comfortable.”

“Even though we are older than you, you are my teacher, so it is right to show you this level of courtesy.”

“Those who came together···”

“Those guys are learning medicine from us, so technically, the head of the Tang family would be the Grand Master.”

The lawmakers laughed as they talked like that.

It was a story that was half true and half joking, but it was enough to shake Dang Mu-jin’s heart to its core.

But what impressed Dang Mu-jin the most was not their attitude toward him.

The way they treated their patients shook Dang Mu-jin’s heart. The medical technique had a strangely familiar trace.

Dang Mu-jin asked the older member.

“What kind of herbal medicine did you just prescribe?”

“This is Sagunjatang. Is there anything unusual?”

“···No. I think it’s a really great prescription.”

Prescribing Sagunja-tang instead of Ijung-tang for patients who are thin, have poor appetite, and suffer from chronic fatigue and edema.

For people suffering from blood clots, using Baekjusan (伯州散) and rhubarb together instead of Daehwangbujatang or Daegeonjungtang. Numerous other prescriptions.

As far as Dang Mu-jin knew, the only doctors who used such a treatment were Go-ui and Dang Mu-jin.

Since there were more than a dozen doctors who stayed in Tanggajang and then returned to their hometown, it is likely that the medical practice was not limited to Gaebong.

The medical skills of Goeui were slowly spreading throughout the Central Plains through Dangmujin, Dangjeseon, and Chusam.

Although Dang Mu-jin felt very fulfilled and happy about this situation, he felt sad and lonely for some reason.

*

Since he couldn’t fall asleep even after lying down and closing his eyes and waiting, Dang Mu-jin climbed a nearby hill.

There was a tree standing alone on the highest point of the hill. It was a walnut tree.

Walnut trees are poisonous, so there are rarely other trees growing around them. They can be said to be the loneliest trees.

But it was a good thing for Dang Mu-jin. The walnut tree had chased away the other trees, so the view was clear. Dang Mu-jin sat down in front of the walnut tree.

And then I took out the alcohol I had brought in advance.

It was a fairly expensive drink, the kind that a snobby author would like.

But there was no food to go with the alcohol. It was a night with only the moon and the bottle of alcohol.

Under the moon, Dang Mu-jin drank fragrant wine alone.

I didn’t drink it slowly and enjoy the atmosphere like other people.

Just as a person with a burning thirst reaches a stream and gulps down water, Dang Mu-jin drank the alcohol in a hurry.

After putting his mouth on the spout of the bottle and tilting it twice, a considerable amount of alcohol disappeared into Dang Mu-jin’s stomach. He would have to wait a little longer for the intoxication to take effect.

Dang Mu-jin looked up at the sky. Although it was a little dizzy, the round moon was still looking down at Dang Mu-jin.

A distinct scent resembling pear blossoms lingered in my mouth and nose.

As I waited quietly like that, the intoxication soon reached the tip of my head.

Dang Mu-jin laughed heartily, then leaned against the walnut tree and fell into a deep sleep.