Tangmunjeon - Chapter 349



Only Noblemtl

Thanks to the explanation of the Northern Tale in Chapter 349 of Tangmunjeon, Tang Wujin and his party were able to roughly understand how the situation was unfolding. However, there was still one important problem left for the party.

“Mujin-ah. What are you going to do about the public offering?”

“···Let’s think about it.”

The communist party has suffered a lot recently.

In a short period of time, the leader of the clan changed three times, and many disciples died or became disabled.

The area around the Gongdong faction became the main battlefield of the Jeongsa War, and some people abandoned the Gongdong faction and took refuge in the area around other factions.

Just when all the hardships seemed to be over, the coalition split into two.

Furthermore, it was clear that the relationship between the Gongdongsan Taoists and the Gongdongpa main group Taoists, including the Sanggwal Taoists, was not very good, so even if you tried to find good parts, you would not be able to find them.

Currently, the Gongdongpa is not much different from other mid-level sects, except for its long tradition.

And now, the final test for the commonwealth has arrived.

The Gongdongpa members didn’t know it, but the future of the Gongdongpa depended on the judgment of Dang Mujin and his party.

‘The story of Baek Hyang-ah’s connection with the Demonic Cult spread through the ghost king’s statement.’

The Tang Mujin party could sweep away the public mountain under the pretext that some Taoists are intertwined with the Demonic Cult.

I wasn’t too worried about what would happen later. The Gongdongpa Taoists who were staying in Sangkwaldoin and Gyeju would defend the actions of Dangmujin and his party.

People will see this situation not as an internal strife within the sect, but as a confrontation between the cult’s underlings and the sect’s unmanned forces.

The force is also overflowing. Half a day is enough to sweep away the common mountain.

All conditions were in place, but the party leadership was still unsure.

‘Just because you can, does that mean it’s right to do it?’

The friends waited silently for Dang Mu-jin to reach a conclusion.

Finally, Dang Mu-jin finished playing the janggo.

“···I think it’s better to just go.”

“Why? We don’t know how much of Baekhyang-ah and the devil’s cult’s sect is mixed into the common faction.”

“That’s true. But I don’t know what will happen in the future.”

“What happens next? Don’t worry, the manager will take care of it.”

“We’re not talking about our safety.”

This is not to say that there may be consequences for Dang Mu-jin and his friends.

Rather, it was a story about how it was impossible to predict what kind of impact it would have on the communist faction and the villages near the communist faction, and further, on the relationship between the political faction and the opposition faction.

Dang Mu-jin asked Hyun-gong.

“Hyungong. What do you think will happen if the public wave disappears?”

Hyun-gong understood the meaning behind Dang Mu-jin’s question and became lost in thought for longer than usual.

But before long, Hyun-gong also shook his head.

“I don’t know. Not only me, but no one in the world would know.”

“Yeah. That’s the problem.”

Hong Geol-gae had no thoughts, but Namgung Myeong was different.

Namgung Myeong asked Dang Mujin and Hyeon Gong.

“You’re not saying we should eliminate the entire communal faction, are you? You’re saying we should leave the communal factions of Sang-Gwal-Do-In and Gye-Ju behind and just wipe out the communal mountains.”

“When something like that happens, there is no guarantee that the communist faction will continue to exist.”

At first glance, it seems as if the Communist faction could rise again even if the masters of the Communist Mountain were wiped out. Just as a thin ember can engulf a large building in an instant if there is enough to burn it.

But Dang Mu-jin is a night owl. Dang Mu-jin knew that even a spark had its limits.

A spark that has become too small may not be able to flare up again and may even die out. This is the situation with the current coalition.

Even now, it is not certain whether the joint faction can continue to exist. What will happen to the joint faction if half of its capabilities are destroyed again?

Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong reached similar conclusions.

The Gonghappa was likely to be destroyed. And there was no way to predict what would happen in the future with the Gonghappa’s absence.

The party leadership settled the situation appropriately.

“We’ve blocked any outside intervention. It’s right for the remaining work to be completed by the joint faction itself.”

Dang Mu-jin put the body of the man who had been placed in the corner into the pit and dropped two drops of Hwagolsan on it.

Smoke rose loudly from the corpse, but since it was still early in the morning, no one noticed the smoke.

Before long, the body will disappear, leaving behind only a small trace and some clothes.

The party covered the body with dirt, then left the mountain and headed north.

*

There was a small incident on the mountain, but the group’s destination did not change.

The group headed to the place where they saw the body of a martial artist who died from the evil spirits. To the far north.

The season was clearly heading towards summer, but the path the group walked was getting colder and colder.

The group went into the guest house, unpacked their luggage, ordered food, and began chatting away.

“Now, even if I cross the Yellow River, I don’t have any thoughts.”

“so do i.”

In the past, I would get really nervous if I crossed the Yellow River and entered the Sapa region, but now I don’t care whether I cross the Yellow River or not.

This is because I realized that crossing the Yellow River is not something that happens once or twice, and that nothing special happens even if you cross the Yellow River.

Of course, it is true that as you go north across the Yellow River, the villages become more impoverished and the people become more hostile.

However, this was not the result of the evil intentions of the Sapa people covering the world. It was just that the area did not receive much rain, so farming was difficult, and the people’s granaries and hearts were not full.

The conclusion reached by Dang Mu-jin was that because the people were not well off and had poor financial standing, they would fight with each other more and more, and that these fights would make the people of the north harsh-tempered.

Seol-hwa, who was listening to Dang Mu-jin’s story, said:

“Even if the granaries are empty, people’s hearts can be filled with abundance.”

“okay?”

“If you go further north from this plain, the weather gets much colder than it is now. Everyone has to wear thick fur coats. Farming is obviously impossible. However, the people there are actually friendly. They are willing to take strangers into their homes and offer them food and a place to sleep.”

“Really? Why is that?”

“Only those who gave like that survived.”

The tale told a story from the far north.

The cold that makes fish that are caught in the lake freeze immediately. A harsh life. A sudden snow storm.

Even if you lived comfortably until yesterday, tomorrow you could face a threat to your life. That place is the North.

“This place is also quite cold and barren, but it is still a land where people are scarier than nature. However, as you go further north, nature becomes scarier than people. In order to survive in the face of the mighty nature, people must work together. That way, they will be able to survive when nature gets angry. People have no choice but to become close to each other.”

Seolhwa spoke like that and clung closely to Hyeon-gong.

Even though the eyes of the party including Dang Mu-jin and the guests in the guest house were focused on her, Seol-hwa’s actions showed no hesitation.

“···.”

The current situation between Hyun-gong and Seol-hwa can be summarized simply.

I got a job.

Upon entering the inn, Dang Mu-jin still reserved a separate room for Seol-hwa.

However, Dang Mu-jin knew that Hyun-gong would sneak into Seol-hwa’s room. They would often disappear out of the guest house together.

Even in such a situation, it was not Hyun-gong but Seol-hwa who took the lead. There was no hesitation in Seol-hwa’s expression of affection. The relationship between men and women in Saekmokin was different no matter what.

While the other friends were eating slowly, Hyun-gong and Seol-hwa finished their meal in a hurry.

When Seolhwa gently grabbed Hyungong’s arm, Hyungong stood up and spoke.

“We’re going to go out for a bit and get some fresh air.”

Of course, that wasn’t a request for permission, it was a unilateral notification. There was no reason to ask for permission in the first place.

As Hyun-gong and Seol-hwa disappeared out of the inn, Hong-geol-gae expressed his discontent.

“That guy Hyungong. That guy called Taoist is obsessed with women…”

The story was only a criticism, but anyone who saw it would think it was envy.

Dang Mu-jin shook his head.

“You have to understand and support him. Hyun-gong is also a bachelor. He’s thirty this year.”

Hyun-gong is two years older than Dang Mu-jin and Hong Geol-gae.

It is common to hear that a man is already of marriageable age when he turns twenty, and that he should get married quickly to continue the family line.

Although it is said that martial artists tend to marry a little later because they focus on training their martial arts, thirty is still quite late.

Hong Geol-gae complained again.

“If Hyun-gong is an old bachelor, then what am I?”

“···.”

Dang Mu-jin has started a family, Namgung Myeong also has a lover, and Hyeon-gong is in a passionate relationship.

But only one person. Hong Geol-gae was pure.

He had no lover, let alone any contact with the opposite sex. Hong Geol-gae also knew that most people who open up do not get married. However, he did not want that kind of future.

Dang Mu-jin thought for a while and then came up with a plausible expression.

“You… are right. You are the only one who is worthy. You have become a precious person on your own. How is that?”

I’m not sure if the expression “the only one in the world is the one who is the only one in the world” is used in that sense, but since Dang Mu-jin and Hong Geol-gae had lowly knowledge of Buddhist scriptures, it wasn’t a big problem.

“I don’t need anything, whether it’s being the only one or whatever. I just want someone by my side too…”

While the remaining party members in the guest house were laughing and chatting, a loud voice was heard from a table a little distance away.

“···I saw the martial arts of a peerless master! As soon as I pulled out my sword, a biting cold wind blew, and as soon as the sword touched my body, my whole body froze! When I kicked him, he fell to pieces!”

He was a merchant whose face was red from drinking. He arrived at the inn after traveling through the north and west, and he arrived at the inn not on a horse or a donkey, but on a camel.

The merchant used loud sound effects to describe the situation plausibly.

In normal times, they would have thought it was nonsense and just passed it over, but Dang Mu-jin and his party couldn’t ignore the story. The same was true for the other people in the inn.

This is because there have been quite a few stories of experts freezing to death.

Dang Mu-jin, Namgung Myung, and Hong Geol-gae stood up from their seats as if they had made a promise and approached the merchant. However, the merchant was already trying to change the subject to something else.

“Oh, by the way, last time I was at the West Station…”

“Sir. Could you tell me the story of that martial arts performance in more detail?”

Dang Mu-jin interrupted the merchant’s story.

However, the merchant glanced at the party with drunken, gloomy eyes, and frowned.

“Where are the children going to tell their elders what to do? They’re being rude when the elders are talking…”

“If you need a bribe, I’ll pay you. No, can I pay for the drinks for you?”

Any other storyteller would have bowed down in gratitude, but the merchant’s reaction was different.

“Do I look like I have no money? I’m a merchant who crosses the desert and goes all the way to the other side of the Pasa!’

The merchant spoke with great confidence, but unlike the merchant, the guard next to him seemed unable to hide his anxiety.

Although Dang Mu-jin and his party had been in the corner of the inn the whole time, the merchant’s escort was aware of them as soon as they entered the inn.

The story about the target being a target wasn’t a lie, and the escort’s skills were exceptionally good to the point of being a bit unusual.

It was rare for a man who had surpassed the peak of the wall to act as a merchant’s bodyguard, even if he was guaranteed a huge ransom.

The escort whispered, grabbing the merchant’s arm.

“Sir, please calm down. You have had too much to drink.”

The sight of him desperately nodding at the party of Dang Mu-jin while talking like that was extremely pitiful.

But unfortunately, the merchant was too drunk to even notice who was talking.

“What the hell… Do you think I’m funny? If you keep doing that, you’ll end up getting beaten up by my guards! Do you know how strong my guards are? I’m the one who hangs the balls of bandits on the camel’s butt! Wanghoya! Wanghoya!”

There is even a situation where he shouts that he will call for an escort while shaking off the escort that is trying to stop him.

Sometimes it makes me angry to see someone getting drunk and making a fool of themselves, and other times it makes me laugh.

And now the situation was clearly the latter, because the escort clinging to the merchant looked so pitiful.

“Sir! Calm down!”

“Where did Wangho go! Wanghoyaaaaah!”

The escort and the king finally made a decision.

With a shout of “Wow!” he swung his fist and hit the merchant in the jaw. The merchant fell face down on the table.

This was a response that even the party leadership did not expect.

“···.”

There was a good way to do it, but it seems that the escort wanted to show his sincerity by doing something a little more dramatic in front of the party. In fact, it was quite effective.

The merchant’s escort, Wang Ho, spoke to Dang Mujin and his party.

“Great heroes. Please don’t take it too personally. That old man is a kind-hearted person, but his drinking habits are really bad…”

Dang Mu-jin said, waving his hand.

“We’re fine. But is it okay for an escort to hit a merchant?”

Wang Ho looked relieved at Dang Mujin’s gentle attitude.

“It’s okay. It’s not the first time this has happened. Besides, if it’s a real escort, it should be done like this. If you ignore it and our elders pass away, it’ll be even more of a problem.”

The expression “our elders” sounded particularly clear. No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like a relationship that was simply based on money.

“You seem to be very skilled, but as an escort? That’s unusual.”

“I received a lot of help from you when I was young, and I’ve been repaying your kindness by acting as your bodyguard ever since. Anyway, if you feel offended, I apologize on your behalf.”

Wang Ho bowed down in front of Dang Mu Jin and his party as if he had no pride. For some reason, his appearance reminded him of Hyun Gong. If he were to show loyalty to Hyun Gong, wouldn’t he become someone like this?

“You don’t have to worry about it. Anyway, about the ice rink story that the merchant mentioned earlier. Could you tell me a little more about it?”

“Oh my. That old man said it as if he saw it himself, but he didn’t actually see the fight. He just saw the body on his way here.”

“ah···.”

As Dang Mu-jin and his party expressed regret, Wang Ho continued his story.

“But even from my perspective, the condition of the body doesn’t seem normal. If you go outside the village and walk a little, the body will be there. Would you like to come and check it together?”

A refreshing story. Dang Mu-jin nodded immediately.

“We would appreciate it if you could do that. Could you spare a moment of your time?”

“Yes. That’s about it···.”

Dang Mu-jin and his party got up from their seats with Wang Ho and headed out of the guest house.

*

“···Oh my.”

It was summer, but the weather was so cold that it was snowing even in the middle of the day, so Dang Mu-jin and his party dressed warmly and went outside.

As Wang Ho said, the body was not far away.

The place I arrived at after running for a while, demonstrating lightness after leaving the guesthouse.

Wangho pointed to the thicket of bushes.

“The body was inside there.”

There was a part of the bushes that Wangho had pointed to where they had fallen.

But something was strange. If a person had died, there should have been a foul smell everywhere, but there was none of that.

‘Is it because the weather is cold?’

The group approached the place where the bushes had fallen. Sure enough, a corpse was lying on top of the bushes.

But the condition of the body was strange to anyone who saw it.

When a person freezes to death, the body turns black. And after freezing and thawing repeatedly, it becomes mushy and looks very horrible.

“This is···.”

There was a reason why rumors spread among people who didn’t even know martial arts that a master of ice magic had appeared.

The body lying on the bushes was very clean, except that it was broken into several pieces.

The body was broken into several pieces like ice, and it still had its shape without decaying. It had not even turned black. The cross-section of the corpse, which was frozen cleanly, was extremely bizarre.

There was no need to ask Seolhwa. This was not a phenomenon that could occur because of the cold weather.

It is not a result that can be produced at the level of an ordinary ice rink, or even an excellent ice rink.

Dang Mu-jin thought as he recalled the story of Sam-an-bul.

‘···Has a monster really appeared?’