Tangmunjeon - Chapter 327



Only Noblemtl

Chapter 327 of Tangmunjeon: The Foolish Man, Cheonpae Gwak Ji-dal, arrived near Samgu Village and looked around.

‘I think I ran into Tohee around here a long time ago.’

But unlike in the past, this time, Tuhee did not come out to greet Gwak Ji-dal. He did not expect it. Gwak Ji-dal headed towards the village on the hillside without hesitation.

I was excited just by entering a small town. It felt like I had come to clear away something that had been bothering me for a long time. Or like I had come to find the woman of my destiny. Gwak Ji-dal walked around with a pomp and authority like a king.

The first person to discover Gwak Ji-dal was an old woman from Samgu Village.

The old woman held her breath as soon as she saw Gwak Ji-dal. Anyone who saw Gwak Ji-dal’s behavior could tell that he was a martial artist.

Because Tohui would hide in a cave whenever his madness rose, the villagers would occasionally have to face outsiders when Tohui was not present.

And that situation always leads to bad results.

The relatively docile martial artists would only extort money or property from the villagers, but those with rough and violent personalities would even indiscriminately harm people.

To ordinary people, a martial artist is a disaster in human form.

The old woman tried to hide before Gwak Ji-dal found her. However, it was impossible for an old man to avoid Gwak Ji-dal’s senses, who was neither a stranger nor a swindler.

As Gwak Ji-dal performed the lightness technique, the new form disappeared from its original location and appeared in front of the old woman.

Kwak Ji-dal spoke while blocking the old woman.

“Hey, Grandma.”

“Please, save me!”

The old woman was gripped by an unbearable fear. Even from the perspective of someone who knew nothing about martial arts, Gwak Ji-dal’s lightness was far beyond the level of an ordinary martial artist.

The old woman looked around with a bewildered look. She hoped that someone would clear the rocks from the cave and bring Tuhee in.

It was an extremely slim hope. Even if you diligently move the rock, it will take quite some time until the scorpion appears. On the other hand, Gwak Ji-dal can break the old woman’s neck in one breath.

But Gwak Ji-dal took a step or two back from the old woman and spoke.

“I have no intention of killing. I’m not the type of guy to kill people and show off.”

Kwak Ji-dal had one theory: there was no reason to associate with a man who said he enjoyed killing.

As far as Kwak Ji-dal knew, none of those people truly enjoyed killing.

The purpose of such people is not to kill, but to instill fear and disgust in those around them through killing.

In other words, what they enjoy is not the killing itself, but the reactions of the people around them that come from the act of killing.

Since I don’t have the skills to be respected by the people around me, I try to solidify my position through such rejection.

In some ways, they are the most cowardly of people, and can be said to be puppies that bark the loudest.

On the other hand, Kwak Ji-dal was not so lacking in ability that he had to use such dirty methods to gain people’s respect.

Because they have the ability, they can be quite lenient towards people who have no vested interests.

The old woman felt that Gwak Ji-dal’s story was not a lie, but that did not mean she could feel at ease. Even when facing a gentle tiger, it was still nerve-racking.

The old woman spoke.

“Uh, what do you need···”

“Toohui. Where is Wijinanhyang?”

The old woman thought to herself that it was a good thing. When Wijinanxiang first appeared in the village, he was an evil spirit, but now he was the village’s most reliable guardian deity.

Among the martial artists who came to Samgu Village, no one survived before Wijinanhyang.

“I, I’m over there. I’m in the cave.”

The old woman raised her wrinkled hand and pointed to the cave. To be exact, it was the rock blocking the entrance to the cave.

Cheonpae looked at the rock and laughed.

“With that skill, you’re calling yourself a livestock in this small town. What a funny life. Oh, by the way, grandma, go home. Don’t be in such a hurry that you fall over.”

“Ah, yes···.”

The old woman walked home, leaning on a cane and her legs trembling.

Cheonpae Gwak Ji-dal looked at the large rock and thought for a moment, then placed both palms on the side of the rock and took a deep breath.

“Ugh!”

Kwak Ji-dal poured his strength into his work until his face turned red.

As his internal energy, built up through a near-monopolization of the Southern elixir, and his innate physique came together, a surprisingly large rock began to move, scraping the ground.

The old woman, who had been avoiding the place, was so startled by the sight of Gwak Ji-dal pushing the rock that she almost fell over. How could a person move such a huge rock?

Finally, the rock moved about ten feet, and the cave was revealed.

Kwak Ji-dal walked into the dark cave.

Before I could even take ten steps into the cave, I heard a growling sound.

And then, a woman appeared in the darkness, bowing low, and rushed at Gwak Ji-dal. It was Wi Ji-nan-hyang.

Without even looking at who his opponent was, Wi Jinan-hyang’s left arm swung toward Gwak Ji-dal’s neck. In a situation where he was more than half relying on instinct, he aimed for the opponent’s weak point first.

Kwak Ji-dal drew his sword and struck Tu-hee’s left arm hard. Contrary to his wild beast-like behavior, Kwak Ji-dal saw Wei Jin-an-hyang’s round, well-trimmed fingernails. He couldn’t tell if he was trimming them himself or if someone else was trimming them for him.

Wi Jinanxiang did not resist the power of Gwak Jidal blocking him. Instead, he turned his body in the opposite direction in the air and performed a kick. It was a kick performed based on instinct, so it was not a well-polished kick. A large and flashy kick.

However, because it did not pursue the best efficiency, the technique contained extremely powerful power. The legs of Wei Zhennanxiang contained the power to kill even a man of a large body in one breath.

However, Kwak Ji-dal found a little instability and unnaturalness in the movement.

Kwak Ji-dal chuckled.

“As expected, it looks like you’ve been injured?”

Kwak Ji-dal bent his back to avoid Wi Ji-nan-hyang’s legs, then flew backwards.

“I saw Wei Zhenanxiang’s right hand wriggling at his waist. He was looking for a sword even though he didn’t have one.”

Kwak Ji-dal took a brief moment to examine Wei Jin-nan-hyang’s appearance. Through her disheveled hair, he could see Wei Jin-nan-hyang’s face.

Even the famous tuhee could not escape the passage of time. It was no longer as fresh as it used to be. To put it bluntly, it was at an age where it was overly ripe.

However, she was still a beauty, and the atmosphere of the time when she was still called a hoe remained. That subtle difference shook Kwak Ji-dal’s heart.

Gwak Ji-dal lived a rather debaucherous life as the leader of the southern martial arts world, but he had never felt this excited in front of a woman.

“Okay, good···.”

Kwak Ji-dal slowly pressed against To-hee while holding his beloved sword, Cheon-am (天暗), which was three inches longer and one inch thicker than other swords. The space To-hee occupied in the cave gradually narrowed.

When his back finally touched the wall of the cave, Tuhee Wei Zhenanxiang suddenly changed direction and rushed at Gwak Jidal, his two hands curled up like animal claws.

Even in that sloppy technique, the wisdom of a true master is reflected. Any other guy would have died before they could even withstand a couple of bites.

“haha!”

However, Kwak Ji-dal went beyond blocking Wei Jinan-hyang’s attacks, and blocked her path so that she could not escape to a wide area. Even though she was just giving in to her instincts, Wei Jinan-hyang was so flustered that she was like a cat with her fur standing on end.

Kwak Ji-dal’s heart swelled with excitement.

‘I’m better.’

Perhaps because he was so nervous, even the subtleties of martial arts that had been engraved into the realm of instinct began to blur. Because of this, Wijinanhyang was launching even more rough and fast attacks, but Gwakjidal’s defenses were becoming more relaxed. The most important thing in martial arts is not strength, speed, or momentum.

Finally, Kwak Ji-dal made a decisive move. He showed a moderate amount of weakness and induced Wei Jinanxiang to attack.

As expected, Wi Jinan-hyang threw her whole body and jumped into Gwak Ji-dal’s opening. The attack came exactly as expected, towards the exact place she had expected.

Swish.

As Kwak Ji-dal slightly pulled his foot away, Wei Ji-nan-hyang’s hand cut through the air. Kwak Ji-dal lifted his knee and struck Wei Ji-nan-hyang’s abdomen.

“Cough!”

If there had been no problem with his physical condition, he would have used his internal energy to minimize the damage, but Tohee was unable to do so. This was because his internal injuries had not fully healed.

Furthermore, before Toohee’s body rolled on the floor, Kwak Ji-dal’s elbow struck Toohee’s back. Toohee rolled on the floor, spitting up blood.

Kwak Ji-dal ran straight to Wi Ji-nan-hyang and tried to prick her acupuncture points.

The internal energy of Wei Zhenanxiang, which had been accumulated by drinking from the water of the spiritual pool for decades, resisted on its own. However, Gwak Jidal’s internal energy was much greater than Wei Zhenanxiang’s. Didn’t Gwak Jidal collect all the elixirs from the south?

Kwak Ji-dal did not put Wei Jin-nan-hyang to sleep by acupuncture or knock her out by acupuncture. Instead, he only acupunctured her limbs. He bent or twisted her torso so that she could resist a little.

Kwak Ji-dal climbed on top of Wi Ji-nan-hyang’s body and crushed her with his weight. Tu-hee screamed like an animal and twisted her body. She was like an animal with only instinct left, but Kwak Ji-dal felt a faint sense of reason and fear between them.

I’m so excited that my head feels dizzy.

Kwak Ji-dal pressed Wi Jin-nan-hyang’s neck with his left arm and wiggled his right hand in his pants.

But before he could pull down his pants, Kwak Ji-dal felt a murderous intent approaching from behind.

“···!”

He was so excited that he reacted late, but he still managed to avoid a fatal hit. Kwak Ji-dal deflected the blade flying from behind with his right forearm.

A small but deep wound remained on his forearm. However, no blood flowed. The wound was lightly frozen.

‘Is this a negative energy?’

The person who appeared behind Gwak Ji-dal was Seol-hwa.

Seolhwa didn’t go out to gather herbs, but was hiding and was playing around. Then, after hearing the story of an old woman who came asking for help, she came to the cave.

Kwak Ji-dal looked into the story.

Although Gwak Ji-dal’s knowledge was quite broad, even to him, the tale was unusual in many ways.

Although there were some who had learned the Yeolyang technique, Seolhwa was the third person to have met someone who had learned the Eumhan technique. Even Seolhwa’s Eumhan technique was so perfect that it could not be compared to that of the other two idiots.

Even a woman of that rare color.

As you can see, his achievements are not low. Considering his age, his achievements are remarkable. However, his talent has not yet matured. He is far behind not only Gwak Ji-dal but also Tu-hee, who has not yet regained his senses.

Instead, Kwak Ji-dal was interested in a different direction. Although not as much as Wi Ji-nan-hyang.

Kwak Ji-dal pointed to Wi Ji-nan-hyang, who was struggling to relieve her aching pain.

“You, you came here knowing that if you attacked me, you would end up like this, right?”

Seolhwa didn’t answer, but straightened her posture and glared at Kwak Ji-dal. Kwak Ji-dal took that reaction differently.

“They say that people with colored hair are naturally lewd, and indeed, they’re really into it. Haha!”

As soon as Kwak Ji-dal finished telling his story, he stepped on the stone.

The floor shook slightly around Kwak Ji-dal’s feet, and his internal energy seemed to sweep through the surrounding area. For a moment, his body froze. Kwak Ji-dal did not miss the opportunity and rushed to Seol-hwa.

Seolhwa immediately swung her sword and barely managed to block Gwak Jidal’s sword. Three sword strikes were exchanged in succession.

Seolhwa’s swordsmanship itself was not particularly threatening. However, Gwak Jidal felt intrigued in a different way. Gwak Jidal’s sword was covered in a thin layer of frost, and his forearms began to stiffen as if they had been dipped in icy water. He could also feel his internal energy gradually becoming dull. Seolhwa’s sword was a sword that slowly tightened around his opponent.

“That’s fun!”

However, it is impossible to overcome the overwhelming difference in level with just the specialness of martial arts.

Kwak Ji-dal crouched down, then kicked the ground with all his might and flew at Seol-hwa. He tried to block Kwak Ji-dal by swinging his sword, but he was unable to fully handle his overwhelming physique and strength.

Kuung-

As Gwak Ji-dal’s shoulder pushed Seol-hwa’s body, Seol-hwa bounced off awkwardly and rolled around on the floor. Gwak Ji-dal ran to Seol-hwa and, just like he had done to Wi Ji-nan-hyang, pricked Seol-hwa’s arms and legs.

I now have two women I can do whatever I want with.

However, Seolhwa’s reaction was a little different from Wi Jinan-hyang’s. She did not struggle, tremble, or look afraid like Wi Jinan-hyang. Instead, she stared at Gwak Ji-dal.

Since Kwak Ji-dal declared himself a champion, no woman has stared at him like this. Not a single one.

Kwak Ji-dal met that gaze and burst into laughter.

“You bitch, did you really come here expecting something like this? You’re a piece of shit! Well, a woman wants a strong man.”

Seolhwa opened her mouth.

“I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Who else but me is saying this?”

Kwak Ji-dal didn’t know that someone had just arrived at the cave entrance.

Hyun-gong was looking inside the cave.

In fact, it wasn’t just Gwak Ji-dal, but Seol-hwa didn’t know about Hyeon-gong’s existence either. She just believed that Hyeon-gong would come.

A little while ago, Hyun-gong was overcome by a strange intuition and stopped his search for the elixir and returned to the village. As if to say that his intuition was not wrong, the rock in front of the cave had been moved away.

When Hyun-gong looked inside the cave, the first thing he saw was the sight of Seol-hwa being thrown away and bleeding.

Even to that extent, Hyun-gong was able to guess Gwak Ji-dal’s incompetence.

Numerous thoughts came to Hyun-gong’s mind.

‘It’s rare to find someone with that level of skill. Is that Cheonpae Gwak Ji-dal?’

‘You’re much stronger than me.’

‘The situation is not good. There are two people taken hostage.’

‘If you fight, you lose.’

‘Can we win with Namgung Myung and Hong Geol Gae’s help? We can win, right?’

‘But Namgung Myung and Hong Geol Gae don’t know about this situation. We don’t know when they’ll come back. We have to think about it without considering them.’

‘How long can I last against a thousand-year-old opponent?’

‘What do you get if you win?’

Winning was next to impossible, and even if you did win, there was nothing to be gained.

It’s just that you don’t lose. Even the loss wasn’t yours. The only ones who get hurt are Seolhwa and Tuhee.

‘Toohee, we became friends, but it hasn’t been that long since we last met.’

The only thing that bothers me is Seolhwa’s feelings.

However, Seolhwa never showed affection to Hyungong. Hyungong could only guess that Seolhwa did not reject his favors, and thought that maybe she did not hate him.

But the world is wide. There are probably many women better than Seolhwa in the world.

There are probably many women who express their affection to him first, rather than clinging to him. After all, someone like Hyungong is a man who is never left out.

I thought that if I ran away from here, my friends might think of me like trash.

It will definitely be like that.

But if you’re lucky, you might get through without being caught by your two friends.

Since his friends won’t know that Hyun-gong is watching this situation, he can just pretend to arrive a little late.

One breath was enough to make a judgment call.

Hyun-gong’s legs slowly moved backwards.

But I couldn’t run away as coolly as I usually did.

It wasn’t because the woman he had worked so hard for, Seol-hwa, was in danger.

I just realized that there was no one to step up and clean up the mess for me.

Hyun-gong stopped his legs and took a deep breath.

The calculating man, Hyun-gong, was lost in thought again.

And I thought about it in a different order than before.

Previously, we predicted and chose the best outcome in a given situation.

But this time, it’s the opposite. We decide on the best outcome and fit that outcome to the current situation and possibilities.

‘If we’re lucky, our friends might come on time. The townspeople might notice and come pick them up.’

‘Do the villagers know where Namgung Myung and Hong Geol-gae are? I don’t know. But if we’re lucky, we might be able to bring at least one of them.’

‘How long will it take? Will I be able to hold out until then?’

‘If I’m lucky, it might be possible. I’m confident in one defense.’

‘The compatibility of martial arts might be good.’

Linking luck and luck together.

It is an optimistic view with little basis. Even Hyun-gong knew how foolish this judgment was. Hyun-gong was not as foolish as his friends.

But what is certain is that it was not impossible. There was a very slight possibility. Certainly.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Hyun-gong’s potential.

Another breath. In the meantime, Hyun-gong gathered his thoughts again.

When he stopped thinking, Hyun-gong had already entered the cave.

Hyun-gong deliberately put himself in a situation from which he could not retreat.

That’s what a coward’s courage is. Do it first, and then somehow clean it up.

Cheonpae and Hyeon-gong’s eyes met.

Hyun-gong took a deep breath and spoke in a seemingly relaxed voice.

“Think about it logically. Would Seolhwa have expected someone like you? Of course she would have expected me to come.”

Cheonpae asked.

“What are you again?”

“I am-”

Hyun-gong answered.

“This is the Hyeon-gong of Mt. Mudang.”