Tangmunjeon - Chapter 324



Only Noblemtl

Episode 324: The Last Days of Wei Zhennan Naturally, Dang Mujin could not kill Tuhee right away.

It was partly because he didn’t have the confidence to grant Tuhee’s request for a painless death, a death that would leave no body or grave behind, but that wasn’t the only reason.

Rather, the question of the manner of death was a relatively minor one.

Dang Mu-jin spoke to Tu-hee.

“···Let me think about it a little more.”

“I know.”

Tuhee also did not urge Dangmujin.

*

After a while, Dang Mu-jin talked to his friends about To-hee’s story.

When the story was over, Namgung Myung confessed his feelings.

“I didn’t know you’d hesitate over something like that. You’re probably the one who’s killed the most people out of all of us, so what’s wrong with killing one more?”

“···I killed the most?”

“When we swing our swords and clubs and kill one person, you throw your wheel and kill several people at a time, right?”

It was a strangely compelling story. But the important thing wasn’t how many people had been killed so far.

“That’s different. I don’t kill people so recklessly.”

“What’s different?”

“There’s a difference between killing someone who’s trying to kill you and killing someone who doesn’t intend to kill you.”

“If Toohee loses his mind, he’ll try to kill you. In that situation, you’ll kill Toohee too, right?”

That was right.

When he encountered Tuhee in front of the cave, Dang Mujin would have killed Tuhee if his life was in danger. He probably wouldn’t have felt that sorry.

But now, even though he had been asked to do so, he felt reluctant to kill Tuhee.

Why? By sharing stories?

That may not necessarily be the case. If Tuhee were to go crazy again and try to kill Dang Mujin, Dang Mujin would take Tuhee’s life without much hesitation.

So what is the problem? Which people do you kill and which do you not?

Even the party leaders didn’t know the criteria.

*

Dang Mu-jin did not have the confidence to kill Tu-hee, but since he had been asked to do so, he thought it was right to at least prepare a way to fulfill the request.

Dang Mu-jin believed that the answer was in the poison. A poison that would make you die without even feeling pain and without even realizing it. A poison that was clean to the last detail.

However, since such poison was not created by just thinking about it, Dang Mu-jin would sometimes walk around the village and talk to the villagers to refresh his thoughts.

It was a town with nothing special about it.

There were no Sapa martial artists, no inns like the ones in every village, and no gangsters sitting in the inns.

Suddenly, a question completely unrelated to poison occurred to me.

Dang Mu-jin went to see Tu-hee. Tu-hee happened to be sitting on the porch of a small house, basking in the winter sun.

Dang Mu-jin asked Tu-hee.

“How did you end up living in this village, sir? It looks like you’ve been here for quite some time.”

Toohee spoke with a faint smile.

“When madness came and I became convinced that I could not drive it out, I left the martial arts world. There were many people in the martial arts world who recognized me, so I had to go somewhere.”

“I guess so.”

“There were two choices. The Safa martial arts world north of the Yellow River, or the Safa martial arts world south of the Yangtze River.”

“Why did you choose the South?”

“It’s cold up north. I catch cold a lot.”

Dang Mu-jin looked at Tu-hee’s expression. He thought it was a joke, but it didn’t seem to be a joke.

In fact, that’s how people are.

I hate being cold when I leave home frustrated, and I hate being sick when I think I should die.

Even though he knows that he will not know anything about the world after he dies, he cannot die because he is intoxicated by the glory of his youth.

We live our lives knowing that we cannot be happy if we continue to live like that. That is what it means to be human, and that is life.

“The madness back then was shorter and more intense than it is now. Unlike now, when madness struck, you didn’t even know what would happen. When madness hit, the surroundings were often filled with blood.”

“Did you kill people?”

“···Yes. There were many instances of killing wild animals, but there were also many instances of killing people. I still remember it clearly. The eyes of those who were angry but couldn’t show their anger because they were afraid of me. The eyes that were mean but filled with hatred···. When I got used to those gazes, I arrived in this village.”

Tuhee spoke to Dangmujin and fell into old memories.

*

Tuhee Wijinanhyang lost consciousness again and woke up.

It was indoors, the smell of blood was thick, and I felt chills all over.

So Wei Zhennanxiang realized. He had done it again.

A new sense of inferiority filled her heart. Wi Jinanxiang hummed softly.

“···I have to die.”

But this time, he would not die. Even if he survived, he would not be able to turn his back on the world, knowing that he would only leave behind harm. Wi Jinanxiang was afraid of death, and his attachment to this world was as great as his self-loathing.

Wei Zhennanxiang was still a young, beautiful woman with many dreams. She just went crazy.

As I took a deep breath, the pungent smell of blood seeped deep into my nostrils. A faint nausea rose up.

As I sat up, I heard a small rustling sound coming from my hair. It was the sound of dried scabs falling from the floor.

As expected, half-dried blood was splattered around. Two corpses were seen, almost torn apart. A man and a woman. Behind them, a child who looked to be about five or six years old was sitting and looking at Wei Jinan Xiang. Fortunately, the child did not seem to be killed.

Wi Jinanxiang did not offer the child a word of comfort or an apology.

It would be cowardly to wash away your guilt by saying sorry after doing something.

Wi Jinan-hyang glanced at the child and thought.

‘A dog’s life.’

Wi Jinanxiang turned her gaze away from the child and went outside.

After you kill someone, one of two things happens.

Either the townspeople will flock to seek revenge under the leadership of a brave man, or they will all run away and not be able to see each other.

But the result is the same. Even those who bravely approach will run away when they meet eyes with me covered in blood. A crazy woman covered in blood is not someone you can have a conversation with.

Wi Jinan Xiang secretly hoped that the villagers had fled already.

Now I was used to accepting people’s fear and hatred, but that didn’t mean I liked it. I still hated it when people looked at me with hateful eyes.

It was strange. I was used to doing things that were hated, and being hated, but I didn’t like being hated. It was even a little scary.

But this town was a little different.

People did not run away in advance, but they did not show their anger or dream of revenge.

People shuffled along, each busy with their own work, as if they had no interest in what Wei Zhenyanxiang had done.

It’s weird.

As Wei Zhenanxiang looked around for a while, an old man approached Wei Zhenanxiang. He was not a person who had learned martial arts. Judging from the atmosphere, he seemed to be the village chief.

The village chief stared intently at Wijinanhyang. His gaze was filled with pity rather than hatred.

Meeting that gaze, Wei Zhennanxiang steeled her heart.

If that old man tries to kill me, I’ll have to die. This time, I’ll have to be brave and die.

The old man spoke.

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“···You are brave enough to be sarcastic.”

As if her determination from just now had been in vain, Wei Zhennanxiang frowned.

“I wasn’t being sarcastic. I was just asking to say hello.”

“Did you come here because you thought I might cause an accident?”

“No, it’s not like we can stop you from doing anything.”

Although it wasn’t a very pleasant conversation, Wei Jinanxiang secretly liked it.

Because I was starting to forget when the last time I had a real conversation with someone was.

“You wouldn’t have come looking for that bloody crazy bitch without any plans, would you?”

“Actually, I didn’t expect much, but now that we’re talking, I think I might as well ask you for one thing.”

“ask?”

A favor? An unexpected story came out.

Of course, I could guess what he was saying. Just get out of here. Get out of this town right now. That’s probably it.

Coincidentally, Wei Zhennanxiang was willing to grant both requests.

However, the village chief made an unexpected request to Wi Jinan-hyang.

“Please take care of Jiso.”

“Jiso?”

“Kang Ji-so. The daughter of the couple you killed.”

Wi Jinan Xiang looked back. Through the open door, she saw two corpses, a room covered in dried blood, and a child sitting still with an indifferent expression.

Wei Zhennanxiang realized for the first time that the little girl was a girl.

“Me? Take care of the kid?”

“exactly.”

It was a ridiculous story. It wasn’t a problem of not having taken care of a child since I was of sound mind.

“Hey. Does that make sense? I’m crazy. When I roll my eyes, I can’t see anything.”

It was a very persuasive story, told with scabs stuck to his head. But the village chief did not back down.

“You killed Jiso’s parents, so shouldn’t you do that? Without her parents, Jiso would have died anyway.”

“You can raise them in the village.”

“Our village is so poor that there is no one to take in military personnel.”

Wi Jinan Xiang looked at the people around her. She could see their distant eyes.

Those were the eyes of people who were tired of life.

Now Wijinanxiang realized. The reason the people of this village did not run away was not because they were bold and brave. It was because they were hoping for death, just like Wijinanxiang.

Wi Jinan-hyang looked at the village chief with a sly smile.

It seemed as if the village chief’s deep intentions were completely clear. The village chief probably didn’t ask for such a favor because he thought Wijinanhyang would raise the child well.

‘I guess he just wants to avoid feeling guilty.’

They don’t want to accept a military family member, and they don’t want to think that their child died because of them.

It’s a shallow thought, but I think it’s possible for a person to do that.

In her heart, she thought she should refuse, but Wei Zhennanxiang’s mouth answered on its own.

“Okay, I got it.”

The village chief also looked a little surprised, as if he didn’t think she would really accept the offer.

Wi Jinanxiang didn’t know why he had said such a thing. But he had no intention of turning the story down.

Isn’t it embarrassing that the old man, who was even thinking of dying if he were told to, doesn’t grant this request?

Instead, there was something that Wei Zhennanxiang also needed in order to accept the offer.

“Take it.”

Wijinanhyang threw a sword to the village chief. It wasn’t the expensive sword that Wijisega had brought. It was a sword that he had found by rolling around wherever he went.

But swords are inherently expensive.

“It’ll cost you something. I’ll give it to you, but in return, get me four items that can be used as shackles.”

The village chief nodded.

*

Wi Jinan-hyang sat in the house and looked at the little boy, Kang Ji-so.

Kang Ji-so also stared blankly at Wi Ji-nan-hyang. The two of them did not even approach each other and just sat there. They sat like that for two days without even eating.

And on the second day, at dawn, Wi Jinanxiang realized that her madness was slowly creeping in.

As we went outside, we saw the chains that the village chief had brought. The chains were a bit large, perhaps used to capture animals rather than people.

Even if it’s big, there’s no way to use it.

Wi Jinan Xiang tied four chains to the foundation stone that supported the main beam of the house, and then put chains on her knees and forearms instead of her slender wrists and ankles.

My breathing became ragged, and before long I lost consciousness and woke up.

*

After a very long time, Wei Zhennanxiang regained consciousness from where she had lost consciousness.

When I looked back, I saw a child. The child, Kang Ji-so, was still alive. However, Wi Jin-nan-hyang was still tied up.

Now the problem is the opposite. There is a way to put chains on yourself, but there is no way to release them.

That little boy, if Kang Ji-so comes out with even a dull knife from the mine, he will die without a fight. If Kang Ji-so is determined, he can bring the villagers and curse them before killing them. I don’t know if a child’s thoughts can reach that far.

However, Kang Ji-so approached Wi Ji-nan-hyang and freed her from her chains.

No separate key was needed. There was no lock on the shackles to begin with. When I pulled out the bar across the shackles, the shackles came off without a hitch.

Wi Jinanxiang went to the well, took a sip of water, then returned and put chains on his arms and legs.

*

Three days passed like that, and the second seizure came and went. This time, the child came to Wei Zhennanxiang and freed her from her shackles.

I haven’t eaten in several days, so I have no strength in my arms and legs.

However, Wijinanhyang went out of the village, found a bird’s nest, and brought back a few bird eggs. Instead of eating them herself, she gave them to Kangjiso.

The child accepted the bird’s egg with open arms. Wi Jinanxiang patted Kang Jiso’s head, then collected the bodies of her parents and buried them.

*

It must have been quite noisy, but the townspeople still paid little attention to Wei Zhennanxiang.

They were tired, thin, and poorer than any village I had ever seen in the South.

Wei Zhenanxiang now began to question the village. The location was good, so it seemed like it would be possible to do business, and it seemed like it would be possible to farm at the bottom of the hill, but why was it so poor? The people did not even seem lazy.

Wi Jinan-hyang was about to ask Kang Ji-so the reason, but instead went to the village chief and asked him the reason.

The answer that came back was simple.

“Aren’t there any martial artists in our village?”

Wi Jinanxiang had left the Jeongpa martial arts world and wandered for two or three years, so he could understand what that story was about.

This is the realm of Sapa’s martial arts. A place where fists and blades are closer than laws and regulations.

In the Sapa region, there are martial artists in each village. Some are too shameful to be called martial artists, while others are quite powerful.

At first glance, such people may seem like village tyrants or scoundrels. However, such people do have a role to play.

Without such people, there would be no way to deal with wanderers or martial artists from other villages coming to kill them and steal their wealth.

The martial artists who have settled in the village block such people. The martial artists of Sapa cling to the villagers, but at the same time, they are the ones who protect them.

In some ways, the Sapa Murim people have some similarities to the Jeongpa’s Gaekdo.

People who usually just laze around and eat, but in return, are ready to step forward in times of danger.

Wi Jinan-hyang asked the village chief.

“Was it never there from the beginning?”

“There used to be one. But he was stabbed to death about seven years ago. He wasn’t very skilled, and there are a lot of writers around here who are pretty good at using swords.”

That means I’ve been living a life of being robbed and robbed again for the past seven years or so.

Seven years. That’s enough time to make a person feel down. Poverty would have become a leech that he couldn’t shake off.

Only now did Wi Jinan Xiang realize the village chief’s true intentions.

It was not that the village chief did not drive out Wijinanhyang because he was worried about Kangjiso or to ease his guilty conscience.

The village just needed one more swordsman.

Wei Zhennanxiang understood her role.

“I’m a crazy bitch.”

“No one will deny it.”

The village chief immediately admitted it.

Wi Jinanxiang snickered. Just like before, this time the village chief was not unpleasant.

“I might be crazy to you, but I might be crazy to other people too.”

“That’s the most welcome story I’ve ever heard.”

The old man returned the sword to Wei Zhenanxiang. Now that he had the sword back, Wei Zhenanxiang was left with a debt equal to four chains.

The opportunity to repay the debt was approaching. Down the hill, in the distance, four men with swords were seen approaching, strutting about.

Wi Jinanxiang roughly shook his right arm, took off the scabbard, and went down the hill.

And he walked towards the approaching men.

A bright smile bloomed on the faces of the four men who discovered the rare beauty.

As Wei Zhennan Xiang swung his sword, four heads filled with laughter flew into the sky.

Wi Jinan-hyang thought.

‘He died smiling, so he must be a good person. That’s a good start.’

*

As time passed, the village was freed from its miserable poverty.

People were sincerely grateful to Wei Zhennanxiang.

The beam that had bound Wei Zhenan Xiang became a cave, and the chains became a rock blocking the entrance to the cave.

The silent little Kang Ji-so had grown into a full-fledged adult, and wrinkles had formed on the face of Wi Ji-nan-hyang, who was already an adult.

The dog is gone, and now only the watchdog remains.

A mad dog whose fangs have become sharper as it ages.

The life of Wei Jinan Xiang is established on a strange balance.

Toohee thought that this kind of life was more than enough for her. However, a person cannot be satisfied forever in the same situation.

As reality gradually stabilized, Wi Jinanxiang began to dream every time she fell asleep.

It was always a different dream. But it was also always the same dream.

The sleeping Wei Zhennanxiang returned to her youth.

Instead of being a vagrant, he became a vagrant and stood proudly in front of people. He mingled with people from his hometown without any hesitation and enjoyed the dumbfounded looks on the men’s faces as they looked at him. Sometimes he would playfully playfully, making the men’s hearts flutter.

As I was walking through my dream, I suddenly woke up in a dark cave.

I raise my body with the feeling of falling far down.

“···.”

Even in the darkness, I see my face reflected in a small puddle of water on the cave floor.

There is not a cheerful Tuhee there, but a crazy Wei Jinan Xiang.

After staring blankly for a while, Wi Jinan-hyang runs away into her dream again.

To the happiest time. To the deepest summer of life. To a moment that will never return.

“···The story has gone off track.”

With those words, Wi Jinan Xiang ended her long and simple story.

Dang Mu-jin asked with a sigh.

“Then there is no reason for you to die. If you are satisfied with your current life, then?”

“I can’t be satisfied anymore. Because in my dreams I remember happier moments.”

“Then, how about living by relying on your dreams? Don’t you and the villagers need elders?”

“That could have been the case. But now even the dream is in jeopardy.”

Toohee muttered.

“I can be happy even in my dreams because I know that people remember the name Toohee fondly. On the other hand, if people don’t remember the name Toohee fondly, I won’t be happy even in my dreams. I really won’t be able to bear that… I’ll go even crazier. I won’t even be able to do the job of a watchdog.”

Toohee smiled bitterly.

“I know you’re worried because of my request. I also know that I’m not in a position to ask for such a favor. But I’m a watchdog. I don’t want to fall below that. If you want, I’ll teach you how to be a Daejongyeoha.”

“···.”

“Please give this timid dog a helping hand. That is my only request.”

Tuhee said this to Dangmujin and got up from his seat.

Toohee muttered as he headed towards the dark cave instead of home.

“How great it would be if I could go back in time to the me before I acquired the Great Bell.”

Dang Mu-jin quietly watched as To-hee disappeared into the darkness.

And I replayed Toohui’s last story over and over again.

In that story, Dang Mu-jin thought of a vague possibility.