Tangmunjeon - Chapter 337



Only Noblemtl

Chapter 337 of the Tang Dynasty: As a result of realizing and putting into practice the method of condensing and refining the toxicity and weakness of the Tang Dynasty’s members in the body, Tang Wujin gained two benefits.

The first is the body’s tolerance.

Dangmujin was able to build up his tolerance to poison by gradually increasing the amount and concentration of poison in his body.

But as with any martial arts, increasing the limits of what the body can endure is a long and arduous process.

It will take quite some time for Dangmujin to withstand the poison of the Inmyeonjiju, or a poison of comparable severity.

Rather, it was the second achievement that Dang Mu-jin found most useful: the number of poisons he could handle increased dramatically.

Up until now, there have been many poisons that have interesting and useful properties, but whose toxicity is so weak that it has no meaning. For example, the poison of peach pits is a representative example.

However, Dang Mu-jin purified the mild poison inside his body and succeeded in giving Hong Geol-gae a stomachache that lasted ten days.

Considering that Honggulgae is so resistant to poison that it can chew and eat dozens of peach seeds without getting an upset stomach, this is truly an amazing achievement.

Even Dang Mu-jin didn’t think that was the end.

Although it is not yet lethal, the poison extracted from peach pits, if concentrated enough, could become a lethal poison that could take the life of a hermit.

It wasn’t even possible to concentrate poison.

For example, we can take the loquat fruit, the loquat. Although the loquat is not used as a medicine, it is a fruit that helps women who have cold hands and feet and poor blood flow.

However, if the medicinal properties contained in this tangerine are condensed hundreds of times, it becomes an auxiliary poison that can make the blood flow extremely fast and spread the poison mixed in the blood throughout the body in an instant.

In this way, the number of poisons that could be utilized increased, and since those poisons could be combined with other poisons, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the types of poisons that Dangmujin could handle were now endless.

After devoting a full month to developing a new poison, Dang Mu-jin stretched.

‘I guess I should start doing other things now.’

*

The first thing Dang Mu-jin did was to teach the members of the National Assembly how to read and write.

When the members of the Tang family heard that Dang Mujin was teaching martial arts, they gathered in the largest courtyard of the Tang family.

The lawmakers murmured among themselves for a while, then shut their mouths as if they had made a promise when they saw the party staff appearing from the conference room.

There was a brief silence.

At that time, a young congressman, barely in his thirties, raised his hand and drove away his opponent.

“Your Majesty, my name is Shim Seo-han and I come from Shaanxi Province. May I ask you something?”

Shim Seo-han from Shaanxi Province. It was a self-introduction that somehow felt good on the lips. Even the rhyme was plausible.

Dang Mu-jin nodded.

“What are you curious about?”

“Is it true that you are teaching me martial arts?”

Dang Mu-jin looked at Sim Seo-han.

He was the first member of the party to enter the party leadership during the past year, when the party leadership was not in power.

Although he was not a very accomplished member of the National Assembly, he had one thing in common. Although he was not very tall, he had a sturdy physique like a stone, and no matter how you looked at him, he looked more like a martial artist than a member of the National Assembly.

If you shave your head and take it to Shaolin Temple, you should be able to blend in without any awkwardness.

Dang Mu-jin shook off his distracting thoughts and answered.

“Yes.”

Sim Seo-han asked hesitantly.

“···Is it okay if we learn martial arts?”

“Is there a problem?”

“I’ve heard that martial arts are not passed down carelessly unless between disciples. I’m worried that the Lord of the Tang family might get into trouble because of this.”

Dang Mu-jin burst into laughter.

Shim Seo-han was worried about Dang Mu-jin, but he seemed to be even more worried about his own safety.

It was a very realistic and accurate worry. If you learn martial arts through unauthorized channels, both the person who taught you the martial arts and the person who learned it will be in trouble.

“That’s true. There is one person who would dislike me if I taught him martial arts.”

“then···.”

“But that’s okay. He’s already dead.”

After hearing that story, Sim Seo-han felt noticeably relieved.

It had already been seven years since the ghost had died. However, in Dang Mu-jin’s memory, the ghost was still vivid as if he were alive.

Dang Mu-jin imagined what the goblin would have said if he had seen this sight.

‘It’s something I’ve never heard of, but at least it might help spread the science of medicine.’

‘Go ahead and do it. Just don’t bother asking for help.’

He would probably say that, but if Dang Mu-jin asked him for help, he would have helped her faithfully, even if it was a little annoying. The person Dang Mu-jin remembered was that kind of person.

Dang Mu-jin continued the story.

“Besides, I don’t intend to teach you any amazing martial arts like the Cheongseongpa or Amipa. It’s excessive to call it a health technique, but it’s not enough to call it a peerless martial art. Furthermore, I have no intention of teaching you swordsmanship.”

The members of the National Assembly were in an uproar. When it comes to martial arts, ordinary people tend to think of swords first.

Sim Seo-han asked.

“If we can’t master the sword, what are we learning martial arts for?”

“First, I will teach you the internal energy method called Hyunmu-gong (玄武功). You can call it Hyunmu-singong (玄武神功). The name sounds pretty good, but as I said earlier, it is lacking in being called a peerless martial art. Just like other internal energy methods, if you learn Hyunmu-gong, you will be able to build up your internal energy through Tonap (吐納) and the morning ritual, and you will stay away from minor illnesses.”

It was an exciting story from the beginning.

Due to the nature of doctors who frequently meet patients, doctors are often criticized by patients for being sick. Doctors are people who treat diseases, but paradoxically, doctors are also the ones who suffer the most from all kinds of minor illnesses.

“I will then teach you the Purple Cloud Step. The Purple Cloud Step is a fairly useful martial art. If you learn it well, you will be able to run away from even the most skilled martial artists without difficulty.”

The Jawoonbo was a method of enlightenment that the Goyi had taught long ago.

However, since Dang Mu-jin had learned the Bulyeongseonhabo while fixing the Mok-inhang at Shaolin Temple, he did not have much use for the Ja-unbo. In terms of perfection as a method, the Bulyeongseonhabo was superior to the Ja-unbo.

However, it is impossible to teach the Bulyeongseonhabo to the members of the National Assembly. If the members of the National Assembly practice the Bulyeongseonhabo anywhere and meet the monks of Shaolin Temple, the veins in their limbs could be severed.

“Next, I’ll teach you the Flying Palm. If you learn it well, you’ll be able to beat up neighborhood bullies without any problems. It’ll also be useful for subduing patients who run away after stealing money for their medicine. But don’t trust the Flying Palm and don’t mess with people with swords. I won’t be held responsible even if you die.”

The members of the National Assembly burst into laughter. They had not expected such a feat.

“If you have mastered the Secretary’s Manual, the next step is Judo.”

“···Judo? What kind of martial arts is that?”

When the members of the National Assembly heard the name Judo-gong, they could not understand what kind of martial arts it was. Furthermore, it was a very uncool name. It was like a running monkey.

The same thought went for Dang Mu-jin in the past. But looking back, there weren’t many martial arts that were as useful as Judo.

“Judo is a miscellaneous skill that deals with how to throw objects. However, you must learn it. In a way, I am teaching you all of this for Judo and the next lesson.”

Next teaching. The members listened to the party secretary’s next story.

“Finally, I will teach you how to do poison.”

Following the judo demonstration, the response from lawmakers was lukewarm this time as well.

This was natural. The members of the National Assembly had heard stories of the party leadership being unilateral, but had never actually seen it.

“Look here.”

When Dang Mu-jin raised his right hand, a drop of clear liquid formed on his index finger and fell.

At first glance, the liquid looked like sweat, but when it hit the ground, something unexpected happened.

The grass that had grown small and green to welcome spring had turned yellow and died as if it had returned to winter on its own.

The area where the grass dried up was five feet from where the liquid fell.

It was a narrow range if it was narrow and a wide range if it was wide, but the problem was the speed at which the grass dried and died. It only took three or four breaths for such an anomaly to occur.

Even from the perspective of someone who doesn’t know martial arts, it was easy to guess that the poisonous gaze was not ordinary.

That wasn’t the end of Tang Mujin’s demonstration. When Tang Mujin gestured, Hyungong brought a white reindeer.

The white reindeer is a deer with white fur on its cheeks and around its mouth. It is a fairly common sight around Sacheon and is as big as a person.

Dang Mu-jin did not swing his sword at the reindeer, nor did he extend his fist.

I just lightly placed my hand on Baeksunrok’s forehead.

However, Baek Sun-rok rolled his eyes in an instant and fell down, shaking as if he was suffering from some kind of disease. People watched him without making a sound.

It didn’t take long for the reindeer to stop breathing completely.

Dang Mu-jin took out his sword and cut open Baek Sun-rok’s stomach, exposing his internal organs.

The liver, which should have been bright red, had turned black, and the stomach was dried, twisted, and dark brown.

“···.”

Dang Mu-jin explained in a refreshing voice.

“As you can see, poison attack is a somewhat useful self-defense technique. It doesn’t show its effects as quickly as a sword, but it has its pros and cons. Those who are suited to poison attack will be able to freely spray poison like me, and those who aren’t suited to poison attack will be able to use poison in other ways.”

“Are you talking about another way, like secretly mixing it into food or something?”

“There is a simpler way.”

Dang Mu-jin took out a dark cylinder from his bosom. It was the first time in a long while that the Pororo-i-hwa-chim had made an appearance, but none of the members of the assembly recognized him.

Dang Mu-jin took thirty steps back and spoke.

“Step back a little.”

The members of the National Assembly could not understand what the party secretary was trying to show them, but they did as the secretary told them.

He took ten or fifteen steps back, further increasing his distance from Baeksun Deer’s body.

Dang Mu-jin held the rainwater needle in his right hand and pressed the protrusion on the side indifferently.

Click.

Because the sound was so faint and small, almost no one even noticed that it was heard.

But the very next moment, smoke began to rise from Baek Sun-rok’s body. It was a volcanic ash buried in the heavy rain.

In fact, Hwagolsan is a substance that has no particular effect on living creatures. It can be considered a kind of exaggerated advertisement.

But there are few means as sure as this to demonstrate the power of poison.

The moment the Hwagol Mountain touched the reindeer’s blood, it generated intense heat. The rising smoke had a pungent smell of blood.

After a while, enough time to drink a cup of tea, the smoke finally cleared. When the reindeer carcass was finally revealed, there was not a single drop of blood left, and the body was shrunken to the point where it was unsightly to anyone.

Dang Mu-jin carefully took out the bones from Baek Sun-rok’s body and rubbed them gently with his thumb and index finger.

The bones of the white reindeer crumbled like soybean powder roughly ground in a mill without water.

Then, Dang Mu-jin picked up a few needles stuck in the reindeer skin and showed them to the people.

The needles were too small and thin to have caused such a tremendous result. They were barely visible to the eye.

“···.”

Silence fell on the party hall.

Until now, the poison that lawmakers had thought of was something like a small poisonous mushroom growing at the base of an old tree, or a poisonous snake targeting the ankle of a herbalist.

In fact, even that alone was extremely dangerous, but I couldn’t understand how Dang Mu-jin became famous in the martial arts world with his poisonous skills.

But what Dang Mu-jin had just shown was a talent that could not be put on the same level as that. It was more secretive, faster, and more vicious than they had thought.

Even people who were not members of the National Assembly were equally surprised by the party leadership’s demonstration of unilateralism.

In particular, the surprise of the unmanned people from the Demonic Cult was great. The poisonous attack that Dang Mujin showed when escaping from the Demonic Cult in the past was not that brutal.

‘···What happened to the head of the party in the meantime?’

The lawmakers looked at the withered and broken body of Baek Sun-rok and each recalled a different person’s name and face.

If you serve as a member of the National Assembly for a long time, you are bound to hear news of members being hacked for all sorts of reasons.

It is not uncommon for well-dried medicinal herbs to be stolen.

Some are beaten for failing to cure the illness of the High One, and some are stabbed with a sword for curing someone who should not have been cured.

I get scared for no reason and close the door to the assembly for a few days, but I can’t completely quit being an assemblyman because I’ve learned that it’s theft.

At times like that, how great it would have been if I had known how to use poison like Dang Mu-jin.

The party leader waited until each member had finished his or her thoughts before speaking.

“You don’t have to learn martial arts and poison, but I will teach it to those who want to. Those who want to learn, please sit cross-legged.”

Several members of parliament rose from their seats.

Some people did not have the confidence to learn martial arts, and some thought they were too old to learn martial arts. Some, like Chusam, backed down, thinking that they would rather be harmed than harm others.

But the majority remained there.

Finally, when dozens of lawmakers sat cross-legged in the courtyard of the party headquarters, Dang Mujin began to teach martial arts in a way that no other martial arts world or school could ever imagine.

I thought of teaching the method of exorcism included in the Hyunmu Shingong verbally, without examining each person individually.

“Calm your mind and focus on your breathing. Inhale slowly for the duration of eight or ten heartbeats, and exhale at a similar pace. Don’t exhale all the air you inhale, but think of it as leaving a little bit in your stomach.”

“Feel the sensation of the breath brushing the Eun-gyo (?交) point touching the Yeom-cheon (廉泉) point and the Geo-gwol (巨闕) point. When you exhale and feel the clear energy touching the Dae-chu (大椎) point, you have taken the first step, so straighten your back. The important thing is not to be impatient.”

When a martial artist teaches a disciple, it is common to start with the speed of breathing and then go over each and every part of the breathing.

However, the way Dang Mu-jin taught the Black Tortoise Sword seemed at first glance to be insincere.

But that was the most efficient way, because there was no need to teach the members in such detail.

Among the members of the Danggajang, there was not a single one who did not know about the eight meridians and acupuncture points.

Sim Seo-han was the first to straighten his back.

It was not even half an hour after Dang Mu-jin had taught him the method of exorcism. Dang Mu-jin placed both hands on Shim Seo-han’s back and nodded while feeling the faint energy seeping into his blood vessels.

“You are doing well. Please continue to do your best.”

Sim Seo-han was already half-conscious. The freshness he felt when he first felt the energy in the air was so attractive that it was hard to give up.

Even before the sun had set, nearly half of the council members gathered in the courtyard had managed to sense the energy in the air.

This was an unusually quick event, but Dang Mu-jin took it for granted. Medicine and martial arts share a great deal in common.

Dang Mujin then planned to teach light-heartedness, martial arts, and judo to check people’s talents. Those with sufficient talents would be given elixirs and taught to make poisons, while those without sufficient talents would be helped to use poisons in other ways.

‘Things might progress faster than expected.’

Hong Geol-gae, who was watching the scene, spoke to Dang Mu-jin.

“You, back when the old man of the monster first taught you the secret method, didn’t he say that you succeeded in reaching the Small Circulation Heaven in one go?”

“That’s right.”

“Every time you tell that story, you brag about how you’re a genius.”

“Of course. It’s the obvious truth.”

Dang Mu-jin nodded and answered calmly.

“I don’t know about Sojucheon, but seeing that the members of the National Assembly quickly master the method of embalming, it seems like you don’t have to be a genius to quickly achieve Sojucheon.”

“He’s a genius. I’m a genius, and those people are geniuses too.”

Hong Geol-gae narrowed his eyes and looked at Dang Mu-jin.

“···Does that make sense?”

“Didn’t you know? Only geniuses can be a member of the National Assembly. You wouldn’t understand since you’re not a member of the National Assembly.”

Namgung Myung, who was eavesdropping on the conversation between Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae, whispered to Hyeon-gong.

“Isn’t it a bit funny to call yourself a genius when you’re the only one who’s falling behind?”

“Just let it be. He’s so pitiful.”

The story of how pitiful it was was particularly clear.

But Dang Mu-jin tried hard to ignore the conversation.