Tangmunjeon - Chapter 303



Only Noblemtl

Episode 303 Hong Gyeon

As soon as Dang Mu-jin heard Hong Geol-gae’s story, he clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. I knew something like this would happen someday.”

From what Dang Mu-jin had observed so far, Hong Geol-gae’s gambling was a bit strange. It wasn’t a 100% win rate, but rather a skill where he would win six out of ten times rolling the dice.

I thought that if I played long enough, I would eventually win, but it could be risky when the stakes were mediocre. This was the first time I saw someone lose money and end up losing.

Dang Mu-jin asked Hong Geol-gae.

“You walked all at once with such confidence?”

Hong Geol-gae shook his head.

“No. We walked separately.”

“how much?”

“I went to a slightly larger board and they said I could put in at least three nyang. So I adjusted the amount and bet accordingly.”

“and?”

“I rolled the dice five times and lost three times.”

Even though his friend lost money, Dangmujin just smiled.

Now that the beggar has finally acquired the financial resources to be a beggar, isn’t it only natural that things have turned out that way?

Of course, such a natural course of action does not always guarantee a sweet outcome.

Dang Mu-jin put his arm around Hong Geol-gae’s shoulder and said.

“Anyway, since it’s come to this… I guess I should go?”

Hong Geol-gae bowed his head deeply.

*

The next morning, Hong Geol-gae headed to the reception area for the martial arts competition alone, holding a small wooden sign.

The content of the plaque was plain.

[Open Ogyeolgae Hongjusan]

The only information that must be included on the badge is the participant’s brief characteristics and name.

However, most of the participants wrote their sect’s name and every word of their pride and joy on a wooden sign. This is because when the host introduces a non-competition participant, he or she always reads the contents written on the wooden sign.

Of course, Hong Geol-gae had no such intentions. He thought that the mere fact of participating in the martial arts competition was enough to make him ugly.

‘Please, there shouldn’t be many people.’

It was in a similar vein that Hong Geol-gae headed to the reception desk early in the morning, because that was when there would be the least number of people.

Hong Geol-gae’s plan was simple. After secretly completing the registration, he would show up at the non-competition event a little shamelessly, cleanly defeat the challengers, and take the victory with ease.

Since it was inevitable that it would become ugly, this was the result of thinking of a less ugly way.

But the plan went awry from the start. There were an unusually large number of people around the reception area.

This does not mean that there were many people coming to register. There were more than twenty people who glanced at the registration desk without even waiting in line.

‘···Why on earth?’

Hong Geol-gae did not know that information warfare was taking place concurrently with the non-competition.

The Non-Mu Tournament is a place where the later indexes show off their skills and compete against each other, but it is also a fierce battle for the honor of the family and school.

If the clan’s later index performs well in the non-competitive competition, the clan’s name can be widely known, so it is natural that the clan members and sect members do their best to help the participants.

One of those methods is information warfare. Find out who is participating in the non-competition, figure out the strengths and weaknesses of the martial arts they have learned, and then devise a way to deal with them.

The people who were currently looking at the registration desk for the martial arts competition had one thing in common. They were authors who were second to none in terms of knowledge of the martial arts world.

I need to be able to identify who comes to the reception desk so I can carry out my duties.

As Hong Geol-gae slowly approached the reception area, more than twenty pairs of eyes were fixed on the back of Hong Geol-gae’s head. The back of his head was starting to feel hot.

The moment Hong Geol-gae was about to hold out his badge, ignoring the people’s gaze, he heard people whispering.

“That… That person. Isn’t that Hong Ju-san, the Gyuchogae? He’s the youngest of the top masters in the Central Plains. Didn’t he become a top master not long ago?”

“Let’s see… A young man, not even thirty. With disheveled hair and sad eyes. His clothes are shabby but still clean, and his weapon is a bamboo stick. Above all, judging by the five knots on the rope, it seems to be right. There’s no doubt about it.”

It would have been better if he hadn’t heard it, but Hong Geol-gae’s hearing was exceptionally good.

The sound of people whispering continued.

“But why is Gyuchogae loitering around the reception area? Is he trying to participate in the martial arts competition?”

“Yeah. How could that be? Gyuchogae’s close friend, Yiryong, clearly stated that they would not participate in the non-competition. I heard it clearly.”

“But… aren’t you near the reception desk right now?”

When the question was asked again, someone answered as if they were frustrated.

“Heh, Yi-ryong just asked the receptionist something and left. He even explained it to her so that people wouldn’t misunderstand. Gyu-cho-gae must have come here because he had something to ask.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course! You wouldn’t think of participating in the competition despite your close friend’s dissuasion. I heard that Gyuchogae isn’t such a shameless person.”

“But I’m also concerned that I don’t have any close friends around me. It seems like they came to me secretly…”

The reason Hong Geol-gae came to the reception desk alone was because it was obvious that he would be teased if he went with his friends.

But even if you don’t go with your friends, the suffering is still going to happen. The only thing that will change is the subject that will give you the suffering.

After Hong Geol-gae stood still for a while, the receptionist for the non-event competition asked.

“Are you here to register?”

The hand holding the wooden sign trembled.

Hong Geol-gae thought that his skin had become quite thick while living as a beggar. In reality, he lived ignoring even the slightest glances from people.

But this situation couldn’t be overcome with that level of shamelessness. Instead of handing out the wooden sign, Hong Geol-gae hid it in his bosom so that no one would see it.

Yes, in the end, Hong Geol-gae was unable to overcome adversity.

“Ah… no. I came here to ask you something, but I just found the answer myself.”

“Ah. Yes. That went well.”

The receptionist answered indifferently. Unlike the others, she didn’t recognize who Hong Geol-gae was.

Hong Geol-gae loitered around the receptionist for a bit longer before walking back to the guest house.

*

“···That’s what happened.”

When Hong Geol-gae explained the whole story with his ears bulging, his friends became even more excited.

One person’s embarrassment can be another’s joy.

Namgung Myung banged on the table and made a fuss.

“What the heck? How can that be? Nothing has been resolved at all!”

“I… I’m sorry.”

“If everything in the world could be solved by saying sorry, how could there be any happiness in the world?”

This time, Dang Mu-jin approached quietly and put his arm around Hong Geol-gae’s shoulder.

“Look. If you hadn’t blown the gold, I could’ve understood, but… You’ve already blown it, right? Have you heard the story about breaking up?”

Hyun-gong sat at the table, clasped his hands together, rested his chin on his hand, and spoke.

“Back off, Dangmujin. Honggeolgae becomes stronger the more he is stepped on and broken. He will definitely finish registering for the martial arts competition and return before lunchtime.”

“I guess so?”

“If you ask me one more time, I will consider it as you doubting Hong Geul-gae.”

“Oops! I almost made a big mistake.”

Three devils surrounded poor Hong Geul-gae and teased him. Rep. Yang and Rep. Yeom sat at the table next to him, rubbing their thighs and watching the scene unfold.

Then, the last person in the group appeared. Seolhwa came down the stairs to the lower floor.

Seolhwa greeted her in a voice a little brighter than usual.

“Good morning!”

“Oh, oh. Looks like you woke up from a good sleep.”

But Seol-hwa’s appearance was a little different than usual.

Sulwha usually wore her hair down, but today she had it neatly braided, and her lips were a little redder than usual. Furthermore, her cheeks were flushed, so her complexion looked better than usual. Her clothes were also different.

It’s just that I’ve changed a little bit here and there, but it’s like I’ve become a completely different person.

Hyun-gong spoke hesitantly, looking a little nervous.

“Well, something looks very different.”

“I said I was taking the day off today, so I decorated it!”

The expression was a little strange, but there was no problem understanding the meaning.

Unlike his usual busy schedule of going around, he was planning to stay in Wuchang for a while, so he decided to decorate today to change his mood.

Perhaps because she wanted to show off her new look after a long time, Seolhwa searched around the inn for a while before going outside.

No one was worried about Seol-hwa. Excluding the party of Dang Mu-jin, Seol-hwa’s skills were top-notch among her peers. It seemed that if she went to the non-competition competition, she would be able to rank in the rankings without any problems. If she didn’t have that much confidence, she wouldn’t have come to this faraway place.

Other people quickly started teasing Hong Geol-gae again, but Dang Mu-jin was different. He found a clue to the solution in the story.

After being lost in thought for a while, Dang Mu-jin began to speak.

“If you’re embarrassed, why don’t you just hide your face?”

The story that just came out, and Dang Mu-jin’s remarks. I could easily guess what Dang Mu-jin was thinking.

Hong Geol-gae, who had been quietly being teased until now, became serious.

“Are you asking me to put on makeup? That’s ridiculous. Absolutely not.”

“No. Who wants to wear makeup? I just thought of another way.”

“What method?”

Dang Mu-jin tapped the table with his fingers as he recalled his memories.

“Hong Geol-gae. Do you know about the disease called Gu-an-wa-sa (口眼喎斜) or Gu-an-gwae-sa?”

“Of course I know.”

Hong Geol-gae’s knowledge of the medical term Gu-an-wa-sa is not because he stayed at Dangga-jang for a long time. Hong Geol-gae knew what Gu-an-wa-sa was even before he met Dang Mu-jin.

Sometimes, when a person falls and wakes up, their eyes and mouth are twisted to one side. They cannot move their face at will. This symptom is called Guanwasa.

Dang Mu-jin continued his explanation.

“Guanabilla is a condition that occurs when the muscles in the face cannot be pulled or relaxed at will. As you can see, the facial expression of a person suffering from Guanabilla changes greatly. Sometimes, even their family members do not recognize them at first.”

Representatives Yang and Yeom, who were listening to the conversation from the side, realized the party executives’ intentions.

“Just as the impression changed drastically with the Gu-an Wasa treatment, are you planning to change Hong Dae-hyeop’s face by deliberately tightening his muscles?”

“Yes, if people don’t know who Hong Geul-gae is, the problem will be solved.”

“Hoo···.”

“Do you think it would be possible?”

Representative Yang and Representative Yeom were deep in thought.

And after a while, the answer that Dang Mu-jin was hoping for came back.

“I think it would be possible if I could just finely control the muscles of my face with my internal energy.”

The opinions of three capable members of parliament were unanimous.

This was an idea that Hong Geol-gae liked quite a bit. It would be an extremely ugly act to reveal his identity and participate in the non-competition, but if he could participate in the non-competition without revealing his identity, it would be a fun experience. It was an experience he had secretly been looking forward to.

Dang Mu-jin asked.

“How much time is left to register for the contest?”

“Three days… No. They said they’d close the application process the day after tomorrow at sunset, so there’s about two and a half days left.”

Could it be possible to invent a technique that changes a person’s face in just two and a half days?

If it were an ordinary martial artist, it would have been difficult to achieve even if he worked hard for two and a half years, let alone two and a half days.

However, the current composition of the party’s members is quite coincidental.

There are three excellent members of the National Assembly, including the two best members of the National Assembly. In addition, there is one female master from the northern new martial arts world and one ordinary Taoist.

It is a situation where one can truly say that the best experts in both martial arts and medicine in the Central Plains have gathered together.

It is no exaggeration to say that it is optimized for studying this catch that doesn’t even have a name.

Dang Mu-jin nodded.

“It is possible.”

But Hong Geol-gae still couldn’t shake off his anxiety.

“···What if I fail?”

Dang Mu-jin smiled sinisterly.

“What is it? I will be the first person in history to participate in a martial arts competition and have my name recorded in history.”

*

Two days later, in the evening, when the registration for the non-competition contest was almost finished.

After observing the situation, people who wanted to participate in the non-competition event belatedly started flocking in.

There were hardly any people who were half-hearted. Those people would rush in as soon as the reception started.

Rather, the people gathered now were participants aiming for the top ranks.

After carefully examining the contestants, we judged them to have a chance of winning.

Or at least those who are confident that they will not bring shame to the name of their family or sect.

The participants were nervous as they looked at each other.

‘That guy is Ju Il-seop, the wind-swept swordsman from Cheongdo. The guy standing in line now seems to be Jegal-seop from Bokryongsan. I can handle someone like him.’

‘That short-haired woman’s attire is unusual… Could she be from the Ami faction? Still, it’s fortunate that many factions are not participating because the Jeongsa Daejeon overlaps. If the draw is good, I think I can somehow place.’

Then, when a young man appeared, the crowd split left and right.

A man wearing a hero’s hat on his head and wearing a gray martial arts uniform. However, there was no one among the people gathered at the martial arts competition who did not recognize him.

It was Namgung Hyeon, who was one of the most prominent figures in the Namgung Segae.

But people weren’t too flustered. To them, Namgung Hyeon was like a natural disaster.

If an overwhelmingly strong player appears, they just have to compete for the runner-up spot instead of winning.

People retreated to the periphery, avoiding Namgung Hyeon, and thinking similar thoughts.

‘The bracket needs to be set well. If Namgung Hyun defeats other strong players, I might be able to rise to a high position by chance…’

Namgung Hyeon confidently placed his plaque on the table and went back.

The seven letters [Namgung Se-ga Namgung Hyeon] seemed to show off an enormous presence.

And there was one person who approached Namgung Hyeon without any presence behind him. There were only two knots tied around his waist.

His face was frozen hard, as if he was very nervous.

The open door placed a small wooden sign on the table.

[Hong Gyeon, an open-minded person from Juulchon]

Unlike Namgung Hyeon’s wooden plaque, no one was interested in Gaebongdo’s wooden plaque.

The openness appeared with a faint presence and then quietly disappeared.