Tangmunjeon - Chapter 350



Only Noblemtl

Tangmunjeon Episode 350 Palm

“Let’s meet again later if our paths lead us.”

Wangho bowed to his party and returned to the inn to find the merchant.

Now, the only clue to finding Baek Hyang-ah is a single body.

Dang Mu-jin made his own judgment.

‘First, we find out whose body this is, and then we use that as a clue to track down Baek Hyang-ah.’

The first step is to identify the body.

Fortunately, the body had a rather unusual feature: an extra small finger was attached to the left little finger.

If it’s just the six hands, it’s more than enough to use as a clue to find a person.

Dang Mu-jin and his party went around the surrounding villages to ask if there were any missing or dead Yuk Son-i, and obtained important clues from Jeom So-i in a village a little distance away.

“Yukson? I think it’s that guy from Manga… Isn’t it the guy with an extra finger half the length of the little finger under the left little finger?”

“That’s right. Do you know him?”

“I know, I know. Did something happen to that Manga guy?”

“···died.”

Dang Mu-jin spoke in a pretendedly gloomy voice. But unexpectedly, Jeom So-i smiled brightly.

“Wow, the birds are chirping so loudly in the morning. It’s been a long time since I heard good news.”

“It seems he was not a very good person.”

“Is that all? There aren’t many bastards like him in the world. He was famous in my hometown. My front teeth are like this because of him.”

Jeomsoi opened her mouth slightly to show me her front teeth. It was funny to see her two front teeth empty.

Then, Jeomsoi started spewing all sorts of curses. From relatively minor things like the theft that Maengga had committed when he was young, to more sinister rumors like someone had been beaten to death.

Dang Mu-jin asked Jeom So-i.

“Do you know who might have killed him?”

“There are many. Among the people living around my hometown, there are few who do not have a grudge against Meng Ga, big or small.”

“Since it wasn’t in the hands of an ordinary person, it’s highly likely that it’s unrelated to past grudges. Haven’t there been any reports of a martial arts master appearing around here recently?”

“A master? A master… Ah!”

Jeomsoi furrowed her brow as she thought, then clapped her palms together as if something had occurred to her.

“There’s been a rumor going around recently that several martial artists have frozen to death after being attacked by masters. It seems that that bastard, Maeng-ga, has also died that way.”

“you’re right.”

“The world is a dangerous place, but sometimes it can be helpful. Anyway, I don’t know who that expert is. However, there were many rumors about who he was.”

“Can you tell me more?”

“In the village below, there is a Hwang family that is said to have learned martial arts in their old days, and if you go about two days to the west, there is the Seo clan that is said to be a master of martial arts. I heard that Seo’s younger brother is also quite skilled…”

Usually, salespeople tell stories to earn extra money.

However, since he was quite pleased with the story that Dangmujin told him, Jeomso-yi continued telling the story without even asking for money.

During that time, one story in particular stood out clearly.

“There are two Saekmok people who have settled in the village across from me. They are such great masters that even the most skilled martial artists bow their heads before them. However, no one has actually seen them exert effort.”

Even though this place is quite far north from the Central Plains, it is not a place where you can easily meet a martial artist from the North Sea Ice Palace.

The two Saekmoks that Jeomso-i spoke of must have been Sosang-gakju and Daebyeok-gakju who escaped from Bukhae Ice Palace with Baekhyang-ah.

Dang Mu-jin handed Jeom So-yi a piece of silver and asked.

“Could you elaborate a little more?”

*

The group arrived at the village that Jeomsoi had told them about.

However, he did not roam the village in his usual brazen manner, because he could not gauge Baek Hyang-ah’s abilities.

Since there could have been problems if they had encountered Baek Hyang-ah unprepared, Dang Mu-jin and his party dispersed without making a sound and carefully searched every corner of the village.

While I was wandering around like that for a while, I heard Namgung Myeong’s voice.

– Come this way.

Namgung Myung was hiding behind a cart full of rotten manure, looking somewhere out of the blue.

The other party also slowly approached Namgung Myung. Dang Mujin also approached Namgung Myung and hid behind the manure cart. It was a well-rotted manure, so there was no foul smell.

The group looked at where Namgung Myung’s gaze was directed.

There were a few houses there that looked no different from other houses, but there was something peculiar about one of them.

Two men, one large and one relatively small, were killing time.

The two men’s martial arts skills were also quite good. The man with the larger physique was considered to be among the top-tier masters, and the smaller one was also considered to be at least average.

The group’s gaze turned to Seolhwa.

As expected, Seol-hwa’s expression was frozen stiff.

“The Daebyeok-gakju and the Sosang-gakju are the same. The one with the larger and more stocky body is the Daebyeok-gakju. The one with the smaller and more rounded body is the Sosang-gakju.”

Seolhwa tried to get up from her seat as she spoke like that.

However, Hyun-gong grabbed Seol-hwa’s hand and made her sit down again. The presence of Daebyeok-gakju and Sosang-gakju means that there is a high probability that Baek Hyang-ah is with them.

However, even after a long time, Baek Hyang-ah was nowhere to be seen. It was the same even when I changed the angle and looked inside the house.

While I was thinking about what was going on, I saw So Sang-gak-ju flinch.

The gaze of the small merchant stopped beneath the wagon where the group was hiding.

‘Oops!’

Seolhwa’s feet were exposed under the cart. This was because, unlike the other group, she was not used to hiding.

Seolhwa hurriedly pulled her exposed foot under the cart, but it was already too late.

So Sang-gak-ju strode towards the cart and soon made eye contact with Dang Mu-jin and his party.

So Sang-gak-ju was even more surprised than Dang Mu-jin and his party. It was almost as if he had stopped breathing.

It’s only natural. Who in the world would expect that there would be three top-tier masters and two top-tier masters hiding behind a trolley of dirty manure?

“Phew···.”

Namgung Myung sighed, got up from his seat, and drew his sword.

The hand of Sosanggakju seemed to be slowly approaching his waist, but in the end, Sosanggakju was unable to grab his sword. He didn’t see any chance of winning.

That is why So Sang-gak-ju knelt down on the spot and bowed deeply.

“Oh my! Aren’t you a young lady?”

“···?”

An unexpected reaction. However, Seolhwa did not accept the greeting obediently.

“How can you, a sinner, have the decency to call my name? Where did Baek Hyang-ah go? Where is Mannyeon Bingjeong? Where is Bi-gyeop?”

“Oh no, that’s a misunderstanding! Baek Hyang-ah isn’t here! There’s no Bi-geup-do or Mannyeon Bing-jeong! We’ll explain everything, so hold on tight!”

Sosanggakju looked back. Unlike Sosanggakju who kept bowing, Daebyeokgakju who was far away flinched as if he wanted to run away when he saw this situation.

However, Daebyeokgakju was unable to escape. Seeing the inaction of Dang Mujin and his party, it was clear as day that even if he ran away, he would be caught and killed.

Daebyeokgakju approached cautiously and knelt down next to Sosanggakju.

Seolhwa pulled out her sword from its scabbard with a cold expression. It was a clear threat.

“You want to make excuses? Tell me. But if you don’t convince me, you’ll die right here. And you won’t die peacefully. You’ll die in excruciating pain. I have the world’s best torturer by my side!”

“···.”

It wasn’t a very pleasant introduction. But it wasn’t exactly a lie, so Dang Mu-jin didn’t say anything.

So Sang-gak-ju began to explain the situation quite calmly. His Zhongyuan dialect was even more fluent than Seol-hwa’s.

“I have a rough idea of ​​what kind of misunderstanding you’re having. The people of Bukhae Ice Palace probably think that I and Daebyeokgakju are in league with Baek So-jeo.”

“Then, you’re saying it’s not true? How shameless!”

“That’s not true! Daebyeokgakju and I were just fooled by Baek So-jeo!”

It’s not a very believable story, but it’s worth hearing. Seolhwa pointed to Sosangju with her sword.

“Tell me more.”

“As you know, my lady, I and the Great Wall Master have had a lot of contact with Lady Baek. The Great Wall Master taught Lady Baek martial arts, and I, who managed the elixir, taught her how to receive the elixir’s energy.”

“You’re close enough that you conspired with Baek Hyang-ah to steal the secret recipe and the Everlasting Ice Crystal and run away? There doesn’t seem to be any room for leniency.”

The way Seolhwa pushed Sosangjoo forward was strangely proud.

It seems that he was proud of himself for using the difficult word ‘respect’.

So Sang-gak-ju nodded his head again and spoke.

“No! We were fooled. As you know, Lady Baek knew the location of the Everlasting Ice Pavilion and the Secret Recipe. Lady Baek stole them and then told us in a half-hearted manner that she wanted to escape the stuffy Ice Palace and go sightseeing for just one night. We were too weak-hearted to refuse her offer.”

“you’re right.”

As Sosang Gakju began to make excuses, Daebyeok Gakju, who was standing next to him, nodded his head and clapped his hands in agreement. It seemed that Daebyeok Gakju was not as fluent in the language of the Central Plains as Sosang Gakju.

Once again, So Sang-gak made excuses.

“However, as soon as we left the Ice Palace, Lady Baek surprised us. I’m ashamed to say that we were caught off guard and were helpless, and we lost consciousness. After a long time, we woke up and tried to return to the Ice Palace, but even at first glance, the atmosphere in the Ice Palace was unusual.”

The little prince spoke with full emotion.

“It was only then that we realized. Ah! We had already been framed as accomplices with Miss Baek! If we went back, we would die or be severely punished! If we had committed a crime, we should willingly accept the price. However, we did not want to be punished because of a misunderstanding, and we were afraid. In the end, we ran away. I’m sorry.”

So Sang-gak-ju was overcome with emotion and shed tears.

However, Hyun-gong was looking at So-sang-gak-ju with his arms crossed and a calm expression.

Finally, the Great Wall Master spoke hesitantly.

“Miss, please give us a chance. Give us instructions. Give us a chance to atone for our mistakes by your side.”

That was the end of the excuses. Sosang-gak-ju and Daebyeok-gak-ju lay flat again and bowed their heads as if they were leaving the decision up to Seol-hwa.

Seol-hwa’s mind was so complicated that she couldn’t come to a definite answer.

It was the same for other people.

A situation where you need to talk for a while and exchange opinions.

Dang Mu-jin asked Hong Geol-gae, the person most distant from Sim Gye in the group, to do it.

“Hong Geul-gae. Just watch these guys for a moment.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“I’ll talk for a bit and come back.”

“okay.”

As expected, Hong Geol-gae answered willingly.

Dang Mu-jin took Namgung Myeong, Hyeon-gong, and Seol-hwa and moved behind a nearby building.

Namgung Myung brought luck.

“It sounds like a plausible story, but it feels a bit awkward. But I don’t know why.”

Dang Mu-jin and Seol-hwa nodded. Their impressions were not much different from Nam-gung-myeong’s.

In times like these, it’s time to ask for help from an expert. Naturally, the three people’s gazes turned to Hyun-gong.

Hyun-gong opened his mouth with a cough, perhaps thinking that he had seized the opportunity to look cool in front of Seol-hwa.

“Ahem. Let’s go back through them one by one. Seolhwa. Is it true that Baekhyang-ah knew the location of the Mannyeon Bingjeong and the Secret?”

“Yeah. Since she was adopted as my daughter, Baek Hyang-ah must know a lot of information about the Ice Palace.”

“But it wouldn’t have been a situation where just anyone could get their hands on it. Stealing the Eternal Ice Crystal and the Secret Recipe wouldn’t have been easy even for Baek Hyang-ah. And then, it doesn’t make sense that she couldn’t get through a single door and asked for help from two people. I don’t know how great the door of the Bukhae Ice Palace is, though.”

“Now that I hear it, that’s true.”

Dang Mu-jin and Namgung Myeong, as well as Seol-hwa, nodded.

Hyun-gong continued the story.

“You said that the Great Wall Master teaches martial arts and the Small Wall Master manages elixirs?”

“that’s right.”

“Rather than thinking that Baek Hyang-ah secretly stole the elixir and secret recipe, it is much more realistic to think that So Sang-gak-ju stole the elixir himself and Dae Byeok-gak-ju took the secret recipe.”

The group nodded without realizing it.

The more I thought about it, the more every word of Hyun-gong’s story made sense.

“And you were ambushed by Baek Hyang-ah and survived without any major injuries? You got everything you wanted from the Ice Palace and even came out, so why did you spare those two? I don’t know if it was Baek Hyang-ah or those two who initiated the situation, but based on the circumstances alone, it’s clear that those two aren’t victims. They’re probably the main culprits, or at least accomplices.”

“That’s true too.”

“And above all, the story I heard at Gongdongsan and the story of Sosanggakju don’t match. The man who died at Gongdongsan spoke as if Sosanggakju and Daebyeokgakju were in charge of the situation.”

“Hmm, that’s true too.”

Seolhwa smiled happily.

This is because the sight of Hyun-gong speaking without hesitation felt intelligent and cool.

Namgung Myung said.

“Okay. Let’s find out more and kill him.”

But Hyun-gong shook his head.

“No. That’s not a good choice. There’s no more reliable clue than those guys to find Baek Hyang-ah. If we kill those guys rashly and Baek Hyang-ah notices and disappears, it’ll be a problem. In the worst case scenario, we might never be able to find Baek Hyang-ah again.”

Dang Mu-jin frowned, thought for a moment, and then pointed out sharply.

“Those guys, didn’t they say to Seolhwa earlier, ‘Please spare me’? They said, ‘Give me a chance to wash away my sins by your side’. It’s not like they just brought it up to survive. It seems like they’re trying to sneak up on our group and find some kind of opportunity.”

Hyun-gong also agreed with Dang Mu-jin’s thoughts.

“I think so too.”

“No matter how I look at it, it looks like he’s trying to hit us in the back of the head while accompanying us. Are we going to just let that happen?”

Hyun-gong snorted.

“As the saying goes, even a hunter with good instincts cannot detect a tiger approaching from behind while chasing a deer.”

“What’s that story?”

“Anyone who is determined to hit someone else in the back of the head can’t protect their own. Planning a plot? Go ahead and do it. Aiming for the back of the head? Go for it. It’s all in the palm of my hand anyway.”

Hyun-gong laughed.

A smile that was beyond cocky and even mad. But it was a smile that no one could doubt.

Yes, that was the kind of smile that only the best in their field could create.

Hyun-gong said.

“I was always the one who hit the back of the head first.”