Tangmunjeon - Chapter 302



Only Noblemtl

Episode 302: The Great Fortune

Hong Geol-gae smiled brightly and answered Dang Mu-jin’s question.

“A non-contest? Oh my. Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve wanted to go so badly…”

When we got to that point, the sharp intuition that is characteristic of a master of the highest order sensed danger. It was the feeling that if I took one more step, I would never be able to return.

Just as he desperately twisted his body in a life-or-death battle to deflect his opponent’s sword, Hong Geol-gae also twisted his story with all his might.

“···How can that be possible! Talk about something reasonable. Why should I go to a non-competition held for the later indexes?”

It had been a long time since Dang Mu-jin had seen Hong Geol-gae so serious. It seemed like he was quite desperate.

However, a subtle part caught Dang Mu-jin’s attention. The tone of Hong Geol-gae’s voice as he concluded that he was not a later index.

Before he knew it, Hong Geol-gae had become so delusional that he decided that he was not a good candidate for the position.

Dang Mu-jin asked back.

“Why aren’t you a reviewer?”

“Why am I a later index? I’m one of the few masters in the Jeongpa martial arts world.”

“Isn’t the issue of whether one is a late-stage expert or a late-stage expert? Between a twenty-seven-year-old master and a sixty-year-old first-class martial artist, which one would be closer to a late-stage expert? I think it’s the former. Since a late-stage expert is participating in a non-event for late-stage experts, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

Rather than getting involved in the argument, Hong Geol-gae chose to involve Dang Mu-jin.

“It seems like you want me to go to the martial arts competition, but that’s something that even your friend can’t do. You told people that we wouldn’t go to the martial arts competition. If I go to the martial arts competition, your reputation will be damaged. The reputation of the head of the party, and even the reputation of the head of the party!”

“No. I don’t care.”

When Dang Mu-jin answered plainly, Hong Geol-gae looked a little dizzy.

“Why doesn’t it matter… No, let me ask first. Why do I have to go to the martial arts competition?”

“I’m planning to make a sword for Namgung Myung, and since I’ve come all the way to Wuchang, I wanted to try using some good materials.”

“···You’re going to use my prize money to make that guy a sword?”

Hong Geol-gae spoke as if he had already secured the victory. Of course, no one in the group pointed that out.

Hong Geol-gae resisted.

“Why do I earn the money to buy that sword? It’s right for the person who’s going to use the sword to earn it themselves. Besides, Namgung Myung earns a lot of money too. He doesn’t even need to participate in the martial arts competition!”

Perhaps curious about how Namgung Myung made money, Rep. Yang and Rep. Yeom tilted their upper bodies slightly and pricked up their ears.

As lawmakers who travel to the most dangerous and difficult places, Rep. Yeom and Rep. Yang were not well off.

Dang Mu-jin answered simply.

“It’s a denial.”

I made up my mind to make a sword with all my might, but I didn’t want to use the money I stole to make it. No matter how much I think about it, I still feel a little uneasy.

Besides, even if Namgung Myung did steal other people’s money, he only stole small amounts. Stealing a huge amount of money that could be used as materials for a precious sword was not Namgung Myung’s style.

Dang Mu-jin asked again.

“Why don’t you want to? Didn’t you say you wanted to try something like that at least once? Not like, braggin’ in front of the underlings! Ahem. Showing off your skills in front of people and making them surprised.”

Hong Geol-gae was terrified when he heard Dang Mu-jin’s story, and then looked at the two members of the National Assembly and Seol-hwa.

“When did I ever say I wanted to do that? And it’s not even possible in the first place. What was that uh… uh… name just now?”

“Unbaekgon?”

“Yeah. Don’t you remember that guy recognizing us?”

“That guy has unusually wide feet. Most people wouldn’t know that.”

Hong Geol-gae frowned.

“I might have gone out if nothing had happened. But like I said before, you told me in front of everyone that you wouldn’t compete in the martial arts tournament.”

“So what? You could turn the tables a little.”

“···If I go to the martial arts competition in this state, do you think you’ll be the only one who’s weird? It’ll get worse for me. I’ll be the crazy guy who insisted on going to the martial arts competition even though my friends told me not to.”

The thought that Hong Geol-gae was open and secretly concerned about what other people thought filled Dang Mu-jin’s head.

‘This guy, I don’t think he used to be like this.’

But it was clearly true.

A super-high-level martial artist who goes to a martial arts competition to show off his strength despite his friends’ warnings. Is there anyone in the world uglier than him?

Namgung Myung intervened and said.

“Then what, is there no other solution?”

The person who was most anxious in this situation was not Hong Geol-gae, but Namgung Myeong.

It seems like it would be a waste of time, and if I couldn’t get the money, I think I’d just make a regular iron sword.

Hong Geol-gae suggested an alternative.

“Dang Mujin, you make a lot of money too. Make another sword and sell it. Even if you make a regular iron and sell it, it will be sold for an incredibly high price.”

“No. Do you know who will end up with the sword you sold like that?”

There is one rule that Dangmujin uses to make swords. He does not make swords for just anyone. It was not a rule that was set in place from the beginning, but it naturally became that way at some point.

Dang Mu-jin is a member of the National Assembly who makes a living by curing people and giving them medicine. I really don’t like the idea of ​​a member of the National Assembly making money by making things that kill people.

In the same vein, Dang Mu-jin did not make swords carelessly. He would only give one to someone he deeply acknowledged.

This won’t work, that won’t work either. As the story repeated like that, Hong Geol-gae said.

“How much money do you have now? Give me some seed money instead. I’ll make some money for you.”

The story is about jumping into the gambling world and making money.

Likewise, I felt like it would be a bit negative, but I still thought it would be okay to some extent.

“···Just wait a minute.”

Dang Mu-jin turned over the purse. What fell out was a small gold coin and a few silver coins. It wasn’t even enough to pay for the boat fare.

If you think of silver as being used to support the guest house, then your spare money is one coin.

At that moment, Hong Geol-gae’s left hand moved like lightning and snatched the money.

Hong Geol-gae immediately began practicing the Gyeongsin method.

“I’m off!”

Hong Geol-gae ran out of the guest house with a confident expression.

*

‘That old man. He was called Old Man Tae, right?’

Dang Mu-jin searched his memory and went to the inn where he had met the old man who sold the materials. Before Hong Geol-gae returned, he planned to visit the old man Tae and find out what materials he had and how much he would have to pay.

But of course, you couldn’t meet an old man at the inn. Just because someone was there two years ago, there was no reason for them to be there now.

Dang Mu-jin had no choice but to search for the old man among the merchants of Wuchang, and soon found someone who knew the old man. It seemed that he was quite a famous person.

“Old man Tae? Are you talking about the old lady who likes to set the mood?”

“What’s the mood?”

“Yes. Whenever Old Man Tae deals with strangers or martial artists, he has a habit of telling meaningless stories.”

“···What kind of meaningful story are you talking about?”

“Things should go to those who recognize their value, or maybe we’ll meet again someday.”

Coincidentally, it was a story we had both heard before. While looking at whalebone and tendons, I heard a story about the value of things, and when we were about to part ways, I heard a story about meeting again someday.

The merchant continued his story.

“He’s a bit of an odd guy, but if you do business with him, he’s a pretty good guy. He lives alone without a wife or children to leave his wealth to, so he’s not really interested in money when it comes to business. He barely makes a profit when he sells things, and if he doesn’t think things will sell well, he’ll just give them away for free.”

“Ah, yes···.”

“Here’s a word of advice: Don’t try to haggle. Old Man Tae won’t do business with someone who tries to haggle and ruin the mood. Anyway, go over to that house. That’s Old Man Tae’s house.”

Dangmujin followed the direction the merchant pointed to. There was a house that was not large, but was quite well-furnished and splendidly decorated.

Dang Mu-jin didn’t enter the house hastily, but approached the door and put his ear to it. As expected, he could hear the sounds of people moving busily inside.

Dang Mu-jin waited for a moment and then spoke.

“I came to see you, Elder Tae. Are you inside?”

“Come in.”

A rather solemn and relaxed voice was heard.

As Dang Mu-jin carefully opened the door and went in, Tae No-in said with a meaningful smile.

“Yeah. I thought it was about time you came.”

It was a pretty plausible atmosphere. However, since he had just heard the story about Old Man Tae, Dang Mu-jin could not look at Old Man Tae with the same innocence as before.

However, Dang Mu-jin decided not to provoke the old man unnecessarily.

“I really didn’t know it would turn out like this… It really was fate, as the elder said.”

“Isn’t that the way of the world? Yes. What do you need that brought you to me?”

Dang Mu-jin tried to speak lightly, but ended up speaking to set the mood for no reason.

“I need materials to make a sword. Materials to make a famous sword that will be remembered throughout the world.”

Old man Tae smiled with satisfaction.

Through that smile, Dang Mu-jin was able to confirm that with just those few words, more than three-tenths of the material cost had been saved.

“Yes. You came to the right place. Come take a look around.”

The old man Tae opened the boxes placed all over the room and showed the ingredients inside. They were full of ingredients that even Dang Mujin, who had a wide base, had never heard of or seen.

However, minerals were an exception. Even Dang Mu-jin could quickly identify the types of minerals.

“There are many valuable items. This one is ink iron, and the one next to it appears to be cloud iron.”

“As expected, you have an eye for detail.”

“If I had been in a bad mood, I wouldn’t have come to see you again.”

Perhaps because he had been hanging out with Hyun-gong for a long time, flattery came out of Dang Mu-jin’s mouth quite naturally.

A statement that seems to confidently elevate oneself, but in reality secretly elevates one’s status to that of an old man.

“Hmm.”

The old man smiled with satisfaction. Dang Mujin could guess that the price of the item had been reduced a little.

Dang Mu-jin thought about it carefully after saying that. Was it Yun-cheol or Muk-cheol?

It is easy to understand that iron is an item that has been developed from ordinary iron in many ways. It is an item that can be said to be better than ordinary iron in every way except that it is difficult to handle.

However, the iron is different from ordinary iron and has very distinct characteristics. It is much harder and more colorful than ordinary iron, but it is also almost twice as heavy as ordinary iron.

The problem is that it is unclear whether the weight of the iron will be of any help to Namgung Myung.

‘Namgungga’s swordsmanship is heavy swordsmanship, so wouldn’t it be okay for the sword to be heavy?’

‘No. The idea that you have to use a heavy sword just because you use a medium sword is too short-sighted.’

‘Should I go back and ask Namgung Myung?’

‘That would be good, after all.’

Dang Mu-jin was about to come to that conclusion and tell the old man, when he sensed an ominous atmosphere.

If I had brought up something like, ‘I’ll go ask my friend,’ to the old man here, I was sure I would have gotten a bad reaction.

‘In times like this, you have to be safe. If you make a sword with a sword, at least you won’t hear any complaints.’

The moment Dang Mu-jin made that decision and was about to ask for Yun-cheol, Dang Mu-jin could read a subtle sense of anticipation in the old man’s gaze.

‘What on earth do you expect?’

Yuncheol? Silent iron? No. It wasn’t that kind of anticipation.

After organizing all his judgments in two breaths, Dang Mu-jin took a small gamble.

“Elder.”

“Why are you doing that?”

“Right now, you’re trying to test me.”

“A test?”

A sincere smile appeared on the old man’s lips. It was clear that he had hit the nail on the head.

Dang Mu-jin lowered his voice and spoke in a deep, deep tone.

“Of course, I know that both iron and steel are valuable materials. But it’s unlikely that someone of your age would only have iron and steel, right?”

Old man Tae’s body trembled with joy. He must have hit the nail on the head.

Dang Mu-jin took a step closer to the old man and asked.

“What on earth are you hiding?”

“Huh, you really have a ghostly look in your eyes. Has the heavens taken possession of you?…”

The old man sighed in relief and put away the iron and steel in the box.

Then, when the bottom of the box was lifted, a cool, white lump of iron was revealed. It was about the size of a fist.

“It’s the eternal cold iron.”

“Hmm.”

Mannyeonhancheol is a mineral that is made by being kept for a very long time next to a strong elixir of yin energy. It is a precious item that cannot be compared to not only old iron but also cloud iron.

Dang Mu-jin reached out and touched the iron ingot. Indeed, unlike ordinary iron, there was a subtle coldness to it.

But to be honest, it wasn’t something you could call a perennial success.

‘At this point, I think we should just call him Hancheol.’

But Dang Mu-jin wasn’t so clueless as to tell me what he thought honestly. If he had, the deal would have fallen through immediately.

Also, although it is not as good as Mannyeonhancheol, it is equally as precious as Hancheol.

‘···I should have just asked for the fortune teller.’

Dang Mu-jin felt a little regretful, but he didn’t show it at all and spoke to the old man.

“When I come to see you, I see something precious. Your Majesty. What price must I pay to obtain this eternal iron and forge the world’s greatest sword?”

Dang Mu-jin spoke in a very serious tone.

There are two answers you want.

The first was, ‘The old iron has finally found its owner, so just take it.’

The second was, ‘If you grant me one simple request, I can give you this much.’

But the old man answered plainly.

“I can give it to you if you bring me gold of the same weight.”

Dang Mu-jin stared at Tae No-in intently. No matter how much he thought about it, it was not a situation where he could demand material compensation.

However, it seemed that Old Man Tae had no intention of taking back what he had said.

‘···Well, it would be a waste to give it away for free since there would be a lot of people looking for it once the season comes. Besides, if it’s gold of the same weight, it’s right to give it away for a low price.’

Suddenly, the thought crossed my mind, ‘Should I have Namgung Myung steal this Hancheol or Uncheol?’

But the party decided not to use that method. For now.

Dang Mu-jin nodded calmly, without showing any emotion.

“Thank you for your kindness. I will come back again soon and pay you back the price of eternal love.”

Dang Mu-jin walked confidently and headed towards the front door of Tae No-in’s house.

Just as Dang Mu-jin was about to leave the house, he heard Tae-in muttering softly.

“···We’ll meet again soon.”

Unlike before, Dang Mu-jin returned to the guest house, thinking that the old man was saying something obvious.

*

Dang Mu-jin spent time lounging around the inn with his party.

If Hong Geol-gae brought enough gold, he planned to go straight to see Tae No-in. If by any chance he brought too little gold, he could send him back and have him bring more.

While I was loitering around like that for a while, I felt familiar footsteps. It was Hong Geol-gae’s presence.

However, the sound of Hong Geol-gae’s footsteps was a little strange. It sounded as if he was dragging his feet.

‘···What’s going on?’

Hong Geol-gae, who finally appeared, had a very embarrassed expression on his face. It was an expression that even Dang Mu-jin had never seen before.

“What’s going on? Did the gambling table not open? Or is the table too small to win enough?”

Hong Geol-gae answered Dang Mu-jin’s question with a bewildered expression.

“No. I lost everything.”