Tangmunjeon - Chapter 367



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Tangmunjeon Episode 367

A certain merchant

“Somehow that bastard Namgung Myung just disappeared without looking back…”

Even if you followed Namgung Myung and Hyeon Gong later, the probability of catching them was low. The distance they had traveled in a day would be considerable, and there was no way to know which route they had taken.

I felt like my clothes were turning when I imagined Namgung Myung and Hyeon Gong enjoying an incredibly abundant journey.

In any case, a situation where you have to move without travel expenses or earn travel expenses.

Dang Mu-jin thought that he should make something and sell it, and thoughtlessly threw a joke at Hong Geol-gae.

“I don’t have any money, how am I supposed to eat? Hong Geol-gae, do you want to go begging after a long time?”

“no.”

I thought he would think about it for a moment, but unexpectedly he gave me an immediate answer.

As Dang Mu-jin opened her eyes wide, Hong Geol-gae explained with an embarrassed look.

“Begging isn’t as easy as you think. If you don’t do it often, your skills will rust. With my current begging skills, it’s hard for me to get food.”

It was nonsense that didn’t need much thought. When Dang Mu-jin stared at Hong Geol-gae, Hong Geol-gae came up with the following excuse.

“Besides, there is an unspoken zone between openness and isolation. If I, a homeless person, were to beg in this neighborhood, the other beggars would definitely look down on me.”

“Can’t I just shout, “I’m the next Dragon Head King!”?”

“It would be even more unpleasant if someone as big as the next Yongdubangju were to beg in the other beggars’ area… Besides, because of me begging, other beggars might have to starve today.”

At least this excuse is somewhat understandable. Dang Mu-jin changed direction and proposed a different method.

“Then, should I do some simple work to earn enough for travel expenses?”

“I?”

“Uh… depending on the situation?”

“It’s a bit weird to work in an open market and make money…”

He refuses to work even though he doesn’t beg. Hong Geol-gae has become a person who has a balanced mix of the disadvantages of being open and the disadvantages of being an ordinary person.

Dang Mu-jin thought that he should make some money by making some odds and ends as he had originally planned, but then he stopped. He had a vague realization.

Hong Geol-gae didn’t stop begging. Instead of begging from the countless people walking down the street with their bowls in their hands, he just begged from one Dang Mu-jin.

This could be called advanced begging or covert exploitation.

Dang Mu-jin sighed inwardly.

‘I ruined Hong Geul Gae.’

After feeding Honggeolgae to him as if it were a given for several years, Honggeolgae’s habits have worsened.

When I realized that fact, a strange competitive spirit welled up in me.

Today, I thought I had to somehow make Hong Geol-gae earn some money. Either by making him beg or by making him work.

Hong Geol-gae didn’t notice Dang Mu-jin’s thoughts and tried to trick him secretly.

“If I just make a few odds and ends and sell them, I can make a few silver coins in no time. Let’s eat some greasy food today for the first time in a while. My body is a little sore after sleeping out so much, so let’s find a nice room…”

The thought that Hong Geol-gae could not be left like this grew deeper. Dang Mu-jin thought about what he could do for Hong Geol-gae.

A job that is not too serious, but that Hong Geul-gae would not refuse.

There just so happened to be a suitable job.

The village where the party of Dang Mujin was currently staying was not far from Lanzhou, a transportation hub connecting the North and the Central Plains, so there was quite a bit of traffic going back and forth in the area.

‘I’ll just stick to the upstream and work as a counterfeit moneylender.’

A fake teller, or fake teller, refers to a fake teller who pretends to be a teller and accompanies a traveling companion.

It is natural that the Nokrimdo who were planning to attack the Sangheung would hesitate if the number of the fake vassals escorting the Sangheung seemed large. Even if the fake vassals do not draw their weapons, they are doing the work of one person.

Of course, even if you become a ticket seller and join the merchants, you will not receive a salary, unlike ticket sellers who are hired by merchants or merchants from the beginning.

But you can still get a decent meal. Sometimes you can even sit on a cart.

There were many other advantages as well.

The fact that you don’t have to waste time making and selling things, and that you can hear a lot of interesting stories from the sellers, merchants, and traders.

Since the merchants and traders were people who traveled long distances and got involved in all sorts of things, they always knew a few interesting stories from faraway places. If they were lucky, they could even get valuable information.

Hong Geol-gae was looking after Dang Mu-jin.

“What are you going to make and sell? If we’re going to do it, let’s finish it before the sun sets and go to the guest house early.”

“No. I’m going to find a companion.”

“Come with me?”

“That’s the upper level. Let’s do the job of a ticket seller.”

Hong Geol-gae did not particularly object to Dang Mu-jin’s proposal. From Hong Geol-gae’s perspective, it was difficult to see the work of a ticket seller as active labor.

Dang Mu-jin wandered around the village and discovered an inn with several carts parked there.

As I entered the inn, I saw merchants chatting away. As I looked, there were three merchants in the group.

Dang Mu-jin approached the first merchant and asked.

“Sir. Which direction are you going?”

“I see you’re carrying a sword, so you must be looking for a position as a Gapyeongsa. You’re going to go through Chang’an and go to Wuchang.”

“Yes, but the direction is wrong.”

“That’s too bad.”

Dang Mu-jin approached the next merchant.

“Where are you going, sir?”

“Do you want to go all the way to the western region with me?”

“···Of course not.”

The second merchant burst out laughing.

Dang Mu-jin smiled back and then approached the last merchant.

“Where are you going, sir?”

“I’m going to Chongqing.”

The directions of movement overlap. Dang Mu-jin spoke to the merchant in a soft voice.

“Can you accompany me just to the vicinity of Han-Jung?”

“We’re good…”

Just as the merchant was about to readily agree, the salesman next to him whispered something urgently into his ear.

When the story ended, the merchant naturally looked embarrassed.

“Oh, by the way, I heard there was someone who was supposed to come first. I’m sorry the story changed.”

“···.”

Suddenly the merchant’s attitude became formal.

Thanks to that, Dang Mu-jin quickly understood what the current situation was.

The person who whispered something to the merchant was most likely the person in charge of escorting the merchant.

Pyodu realized that Dang Mujin was more skilled than him and advised him not to let Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae join the group.

From the perspective of a top-notch person, if Dang Mu-jin joins the party, it means that the superiors have increased. It means that the comfortable business trip has become a bed of thorns.

But the bigger problem is that there is no way to stop the party leadership with just the head of the party’s power.

If by any chance the merchant turns into a robber in a dark place, the business is over. In reality, there have been many merchants who have lost their lives or lost their families in this way.

“Hmm.”

I understand the anxiety, but it was a bit unpleasant for the party leader. No matter what, it was a situation where he was suspected of being a robber.

When Dang Mu-jin made an uneasy expression, Pyo-du, who had been observing her, quickly introduced another task.

“Great Swordsman. There happens to be a merchant who gathers skilled swordsmen nearby. How about going over there? It seems like you’ve already reached your peak at a young age, so I’m sure you’ll be treated much better than I would here.”

Dang Mujin was shocked. How dare you disparage this supreme master Dang Mujin by calling him a swindler!

Even Hong Geol-gae was laughing at Dang Mu-jin in an unpleasant manner, which made Dang Mu-jin feel a little more uncomfortable.

Although Dang Mu-jin’s expression became more serious by the moment, Pyo-du had no way of knowing what he had done wrong.

Although I was unintentionally insulted, I have no intention of taking my anger out on Pyodu.

Finally, Dang Mu-jin sighed lightly and answered.

“···I guess there’s nothing I can do. Okay. Where can I meet that merchant?”

“It’s not far. It’s right over there. I’ll show you the way.”

In the end, Dang Mu-jin left the guest house and headed to another guest house with Pyo-du.

*

“This is the guest house.”

After saying that, Pyodu bowed and disappeared.

At that moment, Hong Geol-gae tapped Dang Mu-jin and said.

“Mujin-ah. I’m going to take care of something important.”

“···Okay.”

Hong Geol-gae disappeared in an awkward position.

Dang Mu-jin did not wait for Hong Geol-gae to return, but immediately opened the door to the guest room.

Squeak-

Dang Mu-jin imagined the scene of an ordinary inn. At most, there were a few guests and merchants, and the owner and the waiter were leisurely spending time there.

But there were about fifteen people inside the inn. Most of them even looked like they had eaten rice.

A dozen or so people’s eyes were fixed on Dang Mu-jin.

Dang Mu-jin did not panic, but calmly faced the people and assessed their achievements.

‘Most of them are below first-class, but… there are two people who seem to have surpassed the peak?’

A first-class unmanned vehicle can easily occupy a large upper-class seat. Occasionally, a top-class unmanned vehicle will follow the upper-class vehicle, but this is not common.

What’s more, there were two people on the mountain who were at their peak. This was the first time that even Dang Mu-jin had seen such a sight.

‘···Where on earth is this ship headed that it has so many escorts?’

While Dang Mu-jin was lost in thought, the people inside the inn were looking at Dang Mu-jin with a slightly nervous look.

There was no one among them who did not know that Dang Mu-jin had crossed the line of climax.

Of course, no one thought of Dang Mu-jin as a master, but he didn’t need to be a master to make other martial artists nervous.

Dang Mu-jin raised his head to see who the merchant was who had gathered so many martial artists.

There was an old man sitting among the people of Murim, and his face looked strangely familiar.

‘···Who was it? Ah!’

Dang Mu-jin quickly remembered who the merchant was.

He is a merchant I met on the way to the North Sea Ice Palace, north of the Yellow River. He got drunk with Dang Mujin and his party, and was hit in the chin by my bodyguard, Wang Ho, and passed out.

However, the person who remained vividly in Dangmujin’s memory was not the merchant but the escort warrior Wangho. It was not common for a master like Wangho to take on the role of escort for a merchant.

Besides, didn’t Wangho even tell Baek Hyang-ah where the bodies of the people who were killed were?

Dang Mu-jin looked around to see where Wang Ho was, but he was nowhere to be seen.

‘Did you go to see the work? No, rather, if you include Wangho, there are already three people at the peak of their careers, so why are you continuing to recruit people…?’

Unlike Dang Mu-jin, who recognized the merchant, the merchant did not seem to recognize Dang Mu-jin. It was not strange, since they had only met briefly while drunk.

The merchant asked the officer.

“Are you looking for a job too?”

“Uh… yes.”

Dang Mu-jin thought about it later. He had planned to follow the convoy back to his hometown while getting some food, but how did this happen?

Dang Mu-jin asked the merchant his destination.

“By the way, which way are you going?”

“To the south. I was on my way to Chongqing.”

Fortunately, the direction seemed right. This time, the merchant asked.

“Yeah, you. Do you know how to use a knife?”

Just as Dang Mu-jin was about to answer, a middle-aged man next to the merchant answered instead.

“You don’t have to worry about that at all. He may be young, but his accomplishments are comparable to those of Geum Il-seop.”

“Wow! So you’re a master of the peak! Alright. This should be enough.”

As the merchant slammed the table, everyone’s attention turned to him.

“It looks like we’ve gathered enough people. Let’s start the operation to rescue Wangho.”

···Operation to rescue Wangho?

The situation was a bit strange. If the unmanned escort, Wang Ho, had rescued the merchant, why on earth would the merchant go to rescue the escort, Wang Ho? No matter how I looked at it, something seemed to have changed.

The merchant continued his story.

“As you all know, the compensation is half of my entire fortune. However, the distribution of the compensation will be made after the work is done. The greater the contribution, the more compensation will be received. There may even be someone who takes most of the compensation by himself.”

Dang Mu-jin was also a little surprised.

The merchant was said to be a merchant traveling to the Pasa in the Western Regions. How much would half of that merchant’s wealth be?

Even the merchant’s story is not over yet.

“Of course, depending on the situation, I could pay you more. I could even give you my entire fortune. I’ll tell you one thing for sure. There won’t be a single one of you who won’t be satisfied with your salary.”

People were really excited.

However, Dang Mu-jin did not get caught up in the atmosphere and thought deeply.

Going to rescue the master meant that there was something more than the master. I couldn’t even guess what it was. There was no way that there would be a master among the filthy Green Forest that could subdue the king.

At that moment, the door opened and Hong Geol-gae, who had gone to see the big thing, appeared.

People’s gazes fell on the club hanging from Hong Geol-gae’s waist, then turned to Hong Geol-gae’s face.

The merchant smiled brightly and asked Hong Geol-gae.

“Is it open? That’s good timing. How successful are you?”

The man who had been evaluating Dang Mu-jin, even Surado Geum Il-seop, opened his mouth again. Of course, he didn’t look as impressed as he had when he saw Dang Mu-jin.

“Third-rate… no, barely second-rate. It won’t be of much help. It’ll probably be able to help with odd jobs.”

At the same time, the bald man who was sitting close to Hong Geol-gae got up from his seat and hit Hong Geol-gae on the back of the head.

Bam!

A fairly loud noise rang out.

To Dang Mu-jin, it was clearly an attack that could have been avoided, but Hong Geol-gae did not dodge and simply gave the back of his head away.

The bald man said, clicking his tongue.

“Look at this kid. Five knots? Do you know how high a rank a five-knot knot is?”

“···yes?”

When Hong Geol-gae asked back in a pretended bewildered manner, the bald man shouted at Hong Geol-gae.

“If you tie a knot, you’re a vice-chief or a party leader. If you go around with a knot like that and meet the head of this town, you’ll get hit on the back of the head with a club, not the palm of your hand. If you’re going to pretend to be open, you should tie two or three knots. If you don’t know the subject and where you’re going…”

“Oh, yes… I’m sorry.”

“You should consider yourself lucky that I caught you first. Do you understand?”

“Thank you, sir.”

Hong Geol-gae kept bowing down in an extremely cowardly manner.

However, Dang Mu-jin could clearly see the faint, gloomy smile on Hong Geol-gae’s lips.