Tangmunjeon - Chapter 298



Only Noblemtl

Episode 298 Namgung Se-ga

As the Sapha unmanned forces approached Gaebong, the atmosphere of the Jeongpa unmanned forces became a little chaotic. The air was different from the day before when they had clashed with full of confidence.

One day is too short a time to erase the memory of defeat, and compared to yesterday, the situation of the Jeongpa Unmanned has not changed much.

It is natural for winners to imagine a second victory and for losers to fear a second defeat.

In a situation where things are going well, there is no reason to have second thoughts, but when things start to go wrong, everyone tends to have more thoughts. Naturally, the attitudes of the political party members changed subtly.

The open-minded people had no intention of giving up the opening that was a symbol of openness.

However, the monks of Shaolin Temple thought that it would be realistic to give up Gaebong and regroup at Songshan to retake Gaebong.

Even those who were neither monks of the Shaolin Temple nor monks of the Gaebangdo Temple were prepared to give up even Sungsan. The final line of defense is different for each person.

In this situation, there were people who were more proactive than the open-minded, and that was the Namgung Se-ga military leaders.

“The villains are approaching, so get up and take up your weapons! We cannot afford to give up the high altitude!”

The Namgung Se-ga warriors seemed brimming with confidence, having not properly experienced the defeat the day before, and seemed to truly believe that they could defend Gaebong.

However, Namgung Myung’s impression was different.

What they are expecting is not victory, but defeat. A defeat that will leave only a small scar on Namgung Sega, but could deal a fatal blow to Shaolin Temple.

Namgung Myung raised his hand and touched his crooked nose. It was the nose that had been broken when he was beaten by his father.

In the past, Namgung Myung thought that kind of punishment was natural. His father was a perfect person and always right, so corporal punishment was also natural.

But now it’s different. I’m confused because I think my father might not be a perfect person.

‘Father, were you always such a mean person? Or did you become mean while I was away?’

While Namgung Myung was lost in thought, the atmosphere shifted from Gaebong to resistance.

If it was natural, then it was a natural result. The monks of Shaolin Temple were not able to actively talk about stepping down, but the warriors of Namgung Se-ga and the warriors from Gaebong were able to shout out loud that they had to fight.

In fact, it was a little too late to run away.

The Jeongpa warriors each held their swords and rushed at the Sapa warriors. Along with the muffled breathing, the sound of metal being struck could be heard here and there.

At that moment, Namgung Myung finished his thoughts.

Namgung Jincheon wanted to pull down Shaolin Temple and climb up, but Namgung Myeong did not want to take that approach.

Instead of trying to bring your opponent down, just jump higher than them.

That was the royal path that Namgung Myung believed in, and the most desirable path for a martial artist.

And finally, in this battlefield, there was a platform that could make Namgung Myung jump the highest.

Muyeonggaek. A platform that is a bit burdensomely high, but at the same time, the opponent that allows Namgung Myung to jump the highest.

Namgung Myung approached Dang Mujin.

“Mujin-ah.”

“why?”

“I want to fight the Invisible Guest again. Is that okay?”

Unlike usual, Namgung Myung’s voice was cautious.

Now that it is clear that Muyeonggaek is after Dangmujin, the best option for Dangmujin is to get involved with the team’s experts.

It would be best to stand by Wan Licheng’s side, but if you feel burdened by Wan Licheng’s side, you should mix in with many people. In such a situation, even Muyeonggaek will not be able to easily target Dang Mujin.

However, in order for Namgung Myung to confront Muyeonggaek, Dang Mujin must stay in a place a little bit away from the people, like the day before.

Dang Mu-jin will not be able to fully demonstrate his abilities, and he will even have to risk his life.

However, Dang Mu-jin asked Namgung Myeong back.

“If you want to fight, then fight. Why are you asking me that?”

“That’s because I have to use you as bait.”

“You have to be able to be eaten to be bait. Do you think a guest without a name can kill me?”

The moment Dang Mu-jin’s story ended, a sword about a span shorter than an ordinary sword flew towards the back of Dang Mu-jin’s neck.

The guest who had come before Dang Mujin knew it swung his sword and responded to Dang Mujin’s story.

visor-

Namgung Myung and Dang Mujin swung their swords almost simultaneously and blocked Muyeonggaek’s sword.

“You see? Even though it’s super high and all, you can’t kill me with the skills of a Muyeonggak.”

Although he spoke with great pride, the back of Dang Mu-jin’s neck was slightly torn and burning. Contrary to the story, Mu-yeong-gaek’s sword had touched Dang Mu-jin.

It was a situation that would have made any other person freeze and tremble, but Dang Mu-jin spoke calmly.

“You’ve poisoned the sword. The poison of the gwaramcho… Muyeonggaek. Do you think something like this will work on me?”

The story was a provocation towards Muyeonggaek, but at the same time it was a consideration for Namgung Myung.

That’s why Namgung Myung could smile with satisfaction.

Namgung Myung took a deep breath and flew towards the faint sound.

*

Just as the level of a martial artist varies depending on their achievements, the level at which a killer can hide their presence can also vary greatly.

When an ordinary killer hides his presence, it means he doesn’t make any noise.

It is said that people rely on sight the most among the five senses, but when it comes to understanding the people around them, they rely on hearing as much as sight.

If you can’t hear any sound, it’s hard to notice people walking around very close by.

If you can reach a point where you can walk without making any sound, you can say that you have done more than one person’s job.

A great assassin deceives the aura of a martial artist.

Martial arts practitioners rely on sight, hearing, and even intuition to perceive their opponents’ movements.

It is thanks to the keen intuition of a martial artist that he can block sword attacks coming from outside his field of vision and detect people approaching from outside a building.

Since the sense of ki is an extremely excellent sense, martial artists rely on it a great deal. In times of emergency, martial artists rely on ki rather than sight to swing their swords for that reason.

If the Kigam that he relied on so heavily cannot find an opponent, the void will only grow bigger. This means that he can kill any martial artist as easily as twisting a chicken’s neck.

And the guest without a soul can be said to be a person who has reached a level beyond that.

The Muyeonggaek has reached a stage where not only hearing and senses, but even sight are disturbed. This is thanks to the martial art of Muyeongbo, which has been passed down to one person.

From hearing and sense of touch to sight. No sense can guarantee life in the presence of a shadowy guest. Even if you open your eyes, concentrate, and listen, you can still lose your head.

The reason why the living Salmakju could not claim to be the best killer in the world was because of Muyeonggaek and Muyeongbo.

Since he was such a steadfast and best assassin, Muyeonggaek thought it would not be difficult for him to cut off Dangmujin’s head.

However, Dang Mu-jin’s senses were quite sensitive, so he was a difficult guy to fool. Of course, that didn’t mean he couldn’t hit someone in the neck.

The problem wasn’t Dang Mu-jin, but the guy hanging around Dang Mu-jin.

‘Is it similar to Salmakju? No. It’s much better than that.’

He is a guy with a keen sense of smell and is quite good at hiding his presence.

For the first time, Muyeonggaek coveted someone else’s talent. He thought that if he accepted Namgung Myeong as his successor, Salsu might become the best in the world in the next generation.

‘I heard it was Namgung Myeong. From what I heard, it seemed like things were a bit off with Namgung Se-ga.’

Muyeonggaek changed the direction of his sword and blocked Namgungmyeong’s sword.

And asked briefly.

“You said your name was Namgung Myeong. Let me get to the point. Become my disciple.”

Namgung Myung answered as if he had been waiting.

“I was wondering when you would make such an offer.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I felt like I learned a lot yesterday.”

The guest laughed heartily.

‘···Yesterday?’

It sounds like there is not much to learn today. In some ways, it is a confident and arrogant statement. However, if you have the skills and talent to back it up, I can easily overlook that.

That is why Muyeonggaek made up his mind. Regardless of Gwangyeomra’s request or anything, he must now target Namgung Myung.

He said that he would show Namgung Myung the gap in his skills and take him as his disciple.

Muyeonggaek opened the Chunyuum (春楡陰), the first book of Muyeongbo that contained his enlightenment. For a moment, Muyeonggaek’s presence, which seemed to have disappeared into the ground, appeared behind Namgungmyeong.

“Is there still nothing to learn?”

Namgung Myung immediately turned back and barely managed to deflect Muyeonggaek’s sword.

“You still have one move left. You are worthy of being called a master.”

“Do you want to become my disciple?”

“Okay. Well, I guess it can work out.”

While Namgung Myung was talking like that, he continued to swing his sword without stopping.

Muyeonggaek couldn’t tell whether Namgungmyeong’s story was true or a joke.

But that was okay. Namgung Myung was a guy with a desirable talent, and if you have that level of talent, it’s okay to be a little arrogant.

‘I hope you didn’t just joke around about the priest-student relationship. I need to be a little more serious and make you want to be my disciple.’

Muyeonggaek revealed more of his skills. He was determined to overwhelm Namgungmyeong and make him impressed.

But things didn’t go as planned.

‘···?’

At first, the gap seemed quite large. Mooyounggaek kept pushing forward, targeting Namgungmyeong’s weak points, and Namgungmyeong was busy defending himself.

But after a short period of time, the gap was not as obvious as I had thought. It felt like the gap was gradually narrowing.

To make matters worse, at some point, the situation began to change little by little. Namgung Myung never missed a single moment of Muyeonggaek’s new form, and Muyeonggaek occasionally missed Namgung Myung’s new form.

“This way!”

Namgung Myung was the first to sense Muyeonggaek’s presence and even extended his sword. This was the first time in his life that he had experienced something like this, so Muyeonggaek couldn’t help but be very flustered.

After about ten more rounds, Namgung Myung playfully put down his sword and struck the target.

“Master, I will be leaving as a disciple.”

“···What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“What are you talking about? You’ve learned everything there is to learn, so it’s time to get off.”

“What is that-”

Just as Muyeonggaek was about to ask back, Namgungmyeong took a step back.

At that moment, Namgung Myung’s new form disappeared as if hiding behind a hanging black cloth.

Muyeonggaek was so surprised that he couldn’t breathe. What Namgungmyeong had just shown him was Muyeongbo’s first meal, a night blind.

This was the second time that Muyeonggaek had seen someone unfolding the Muyeongbo.

Naturally, the first time Muyeonggaek saw Muyeongbo was through his teacher, Sakwolnoin.

However, after the old man Sakwol died, Muyeonggaek only unfolded the Muyeongbo and had no opportunity to see it.

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

‘That guy, is he copying my martial arts?’

No, that can’t be. Martial arts can’t be learned that easily.

In a situation where the basics of martial arts were sufficient, it took a full two years for Muyeonggaek to learn Muyeongbo’s first skill, Yalyeom.

‘Then, where did you learn it? I learned it from the old man Sakwol… me?’

That’s not it either. Namgung Myung is young. He must have been born after Sakwol Noin died.

My head is getting complicated.

‘Did Sakwol Noin have other disciples besides me? Did Sakwol Noin’s secret disciple teach that guy Muyeongbo? How did he get connected with Namgung Se-ga? Or was Sakwol Noin originally from Namgung?’

Namgung Myung smiled frivolously, perhaps noticing Muyeonggaek’s confusion.

“Oh, you’re really surprised.”

“You bastard, who is your master!”

“You were calling yourself my teacher earlier. I guess you’ve become old.”

“What a ridiculous pun!”

Anyway, it has become certain that Namgung Myung has mastered Muyeongbo.

I could gradually understand how the young man had survived in front of me, and why Namgung Myung’s movements were so subtly secretive.

The murderous intent contained in the sword of the guest of honor has grown stronger. Now is not the time to talk about master and disciple.

‘Muyeongbo must remain as a martial art passed down by one person.’

The martial arts of one-man transmission also means that if you see someone who you haven’t taught performing the martial arts, you must kill them without fail.

That is why Muyeonggaek did not feel sorry towards the priest he did not even know existed, that is, Namgungmyeong’s teacher.

Because Muyeongbo was a martial art only for Muyeonggaek, and only for Muyeonggaek’s disciples who would one day be admitted.

The guest of honor planted his heels firmly on the ground and performed the Chunyuyin ritual.

This was something that even someone who had studied Muyeongbo could not imitate. Unlike other Muyeongbo’s initial forms, Chunyuum was something that Muyeonggaek had personally created and added.

After the new form of Muyeonggaek disappeared into the ground, it appeared behind Namgungmyeong.

Muyeonggaek held his sword briefly and stabbed Namgungmyeong in the back without hesitation.

‘It’s the end.’

But just before the sword touched the ground, Namgung Myung’s foot touched the ground. This time, Namgung Myung’s new form collapsed and disappeared before his eyes.

The guest became frozen like a stone.

Then, Namgung Myung’s voice was heard from behind.

“Oh, my. You’re really surprised.”

The guest’s breathing became rapid.

If it were other vegetarians, it would be okay, but how could this guy perform the Chunyueum, a vegetarian dish he created himself? This is a vegetarian dish that even the old man Sakwol, the master of Muyeonggaek, cannot imitate.

“Master, it is almost time to go.”

Unlike last time, I didn’t even feel like I needed to lose weight.

The emotion that Muyeonggaek felt at that moment was close to the shock of having his life stolen.

The struggles that had continued for over ten years to add a new leaf to the back of the Muyeongbo, and the achievements that had finally been made, were all denied in an instant.

And now I realize that there was a bit of sincerity mixed in with what Namgung Myung said about his teacher earlier.

Only then did Muyeonggaek think of a small consolation. He might leave his name in the history of martial arts.

The guest spoke hesitantly.

“Master… Yes. I am your master, right?”

“Of course.”

It was a moment when laughter was out of the question. However, Namgung Myung’s voice was full of laughter.

“···Even though there are hundreds more Masters, you are truly my Master. Even if there are hundreds more lighthouses illuminating the path ahead, wouldn’t a lighthouse still be a lighthouse?”

The uninvited guest couldn’t understand what the story meant.

It wasn’t because Muyeonggaek was stupid. Anyone would have done the same.

Namgung Myung added a word while stabbing Muyeonggaek in the back with his sword.

“If King Yeomra asks who sent you, tell him that the Six Lords, Namgung Myung, sent you.”

Only then did Namgung Myung begin to run on his own path.