Tangmunjeon - Chapter 374



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Tangmunjeon Episode 374

Unprecedented

It was around last fall that I parted ways with my friends, so I’ve been staying home quietly for a little over half a year.

‘I guess I should start packing now.’

Dang Mu-jin immediately put his thoughts into action.

But when Dang Mu-jin started packing.

To be exact, as soon as he laid a thick cloth on the floor to pack his backpack, Danseolyeong appeared and stared at Dangmujin.

“···.”

Although Dang Mu-jin thought he had done nothing wrong, he somehow felt as if he had committed a sin.

The exact reason was unknown, but it was the nature of martial artists to not ignore their intuition.

Dang Mu-jin explained the whole story to Dan Seol-yeong.

“I heard that Namgung Myung is getting married. I think I should go to Namgung Se-ga.”

Danseolyoung just nodded and said nothing.

It felt like there was something more to say. Dang Mu-jin asked Dan Seol-yeong.

“···Do you want to go together? Let’s consider it as our first trip together in a while.”

“If we go together, what are you going to do with the kids?”

The answer that I could leave it to Elder Jang Il-nam lingered on the tip of my tongue.

But this time, the martial artist’s intuition warned Dang Mujin.

‘If you answer like that, you will face trouble.’

Then how should he answer? Dang Mujin thought deeply, but the intuition of the martial artist only warned of danger and did not give him an answer.

‘What should I do?’

If Hyun-gong had been faced with this situation, how would he have responded?

Dang Mu-jin awakened the small phantom in his mind.

As it happened, Dang Mu-jin had witnessed the love affair between Seol-hwa and Hyeon-gong in the past.

If it were Hyun-gong, he would have definitely said something like this.

“Well… But I want to go with you. I’ll find a way somehow.”

Dang Mu-jin’s reason did not understand the answer he gave.

Danseolyeong demanded an answer, but Dangmujin did not offer any solution.

But surprisingly, Danseolyoung’s expression softened noticeably. It was strange.

However, Danseolyeong did not accept Dangmujin’s proposal.

“I think it’s a bit much to go together.”

“Why? I’m not going to fight. I want to go together when I have the chance.”

“If it was a five or ten day trip, it would have been nice to go together. But it would take at least two months to go to Namgung Se-ga and come back. I can’t leave Danggajang empty for that long.”

What should he do here? Dang Mu-jin again asked for advice from Hyun-gong in his mind.

The little sage gave the answer to Dang Mujin in a subtle way.

But the answer was something that the party leadership could not accept.

Dang Mu-jin thought for a moment, trying to come up with a suitable answer himself, but no suitable story came to mind.

If you linger too much here, you’ll arouse suspicion.

In the end, Dang Mu-jin followed the advice of Hyun-gong in Sim-sang’s mind, saying, “Let it be as it is.”

“···Shouldn’t we just not go to Namgung Se-ga?”

Dang Mu-jin’s palms were soaked with sweat.

If Danseolyoung nods here, it’s over. She’ll miss her best friend’s wedding.

But Danseolyoung shook her head.

“That’s difficult. It’s not like we’re dating, and it’s Namgung Myung’s wedding. You should go alone.”

It was truly surprising. How could he say he wouldn’t go and then get a reply telling him to go? Even Danseolyoung had a rather gentle smile on her face.

Anyway, it went well. As he thought that and was about to nod his head, Dang Mu-jin felt as if the Hyun-gong in his mind was grabbing his shoulder.

Yes, the situation is not yet concluded.

Dang Mu-jin held Dan Seol-yeong’s hand and looked straight into her eyes.

“I’ll be back as soon as possible, okay?”

Danseolyoung’s expression brightened a little.

“There’s no need to rush like that. Take your time. Just don’t be too late.”

“···Okay. If you want to go together, just tell me anytime.”

Danseolyeong nodded, opened her arms, and hugged Dangmujin tightly.

Dang Mu-jin felt the warmth of Dan Seol-yeong and thought.

Hyun-gong was a close friend, but he may have been a teacher to some extent.

*

Afterwards, Dang Mu-jin went to see Mok Wan-ah and his father to explain the situation, and the next day, he left Dang Jia Jang and headed to Chongqing.

Fortunately, there was some time to spare. Rather than running in the heat, sweating profusely, Dang Mu-jin decided to take a leisurely boat ride from Chungking.

There was someone I was going to meet in Chongqing. Since Hwa Yeon-shin-ni and Sam-an-bul were not in Dangga-jang, the two of them must have been staying together in Chongqing.

As soon as Dang Mu-jin entered Chongqing, he headed straight to Hwa Yeon-shin-ni’s residence.

“This is Dang Mu-jin. May I come in?”

There was a heavy sound of footsteps from inside, and soon the door opened.

The person who opened the door was Samanbul. Beyond Samanbul, Hwayeonshinni could also be seen.

In front of Hwayeonshinni, there was a thick board with several white and black stones placed on it, as if she was playing a game of baduk.

Sam-an-bul asked Dang-mu-jin in his characteristically deep, yet slightly hoarse voice.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to say hello before boarding the ship.”

“ship?”

“Yes. I was planning to go east for Namgung Myung’s wedding.”

“Ah. That’s right, he said he had a lover too. Since you’ve come all this way, why don’t you come in and have a cup of tea before you go?”

Dang Mu-jin entered the room without hesitation.

And I looked at the board to see who was winning between the two.

And then I realized, they weren’t playing Go.

“···It was Omok.”

Sam-an-bul laughed heartily.

“Because Haryeong has no talent for baduk, I was teaching him the slightly simpler game of omok.”

“It’s not that I’m lacking, the problem is that that dark guy only eats and plays Go.”

The way they address each other and their tone of voice are friendly.

Dang Mujin had a keen sense of perception and realized that the relationship between Samanbul and Hwayeonshinni was not ordinary. The rumors that had spread throughout the Dang family were not false rumors.

Hwayeonshinni asked Dangmujin.

“Namgung Myung, it looks like the wedding will be held at Namgung’s house?”

“Yes. I’ll have to stop by the family of my future wife along the way.”

“Yes. That’s great.”

Hwa Yeon-shin-ni smiled as she spoke. However, Dang Mu-jin felt that there was something strange about Hwa Yeon-shin-ni’s smile.

Hwayeonshinni asked again.

“The Namgung family’s power is extraordinary, so many people will come to congratulate the wedding.”

“Yes. Hyun-gong and Hong-geol-gae will come, and guests will come from other martial arts and sects. I don’t know about places as far away as Murong Sect or Kunlun Sect, but Shaolin Temple or Huangbo Sect will send people from a distance.”

Sam-an-bul, who was listening to the story, muttered.

“Shaolin Temple…”

“What’s the problem?”

“No, no. It just feels a little hazy.”

Dang Mu-jin recalled that Sam-an-bul was a monk who had committed a crime at Shaolin Temple and escaped.

He was a Buddhist monk who took care of chores like cooking and fetching water. What did the young Sam-an-bul look like?

It was only then that Dang Mu-jin realized one thing.

Even though Sam-an-bul turned his back on Shaolin Temple decades ago, he still wears a robe and shaves his head, just like other monks.

“It seems you still have attachment to Shaolin Temple.”

Sam-an-bul did not deny it.

“I don’t want to become a monk of Shaolin Temple late and keep the precepts. I drink alcohol and eat meat. I don’t care about the five spicy vegetables and I’ve killed a lot of people. I’m a monk who breaks the precepts. But I can’t help but feel uneasy whenever I hear stories about Shaolin Temple.”

Hwa Yeon-shin-ni didn’t seem to like the fact that Sam-an-bul’s mood was sinking, so she quietly glared at Dang Mu-jin.

But when Sam-an-bul put his hand on Hwayeon-shin-ni’s shoulder, Hwayeon-shin-ni became quiet as if nothing had happened.

Sam-an-bul asked again.

“Yeah. Who said they would come to Shaolin Temple?”

“Wanli Seung Cheong-uk will come to see you. Probably.”

“Wanli Seung. Was he the guy who came to your wedding?”

“Yes.”

“They said Shin Seung was dead.”

“yes.”

“I see···.”

The age difference between Samanbul and Shinsung is not that big. I thought the two might be acquainted.

“Are you friends with Shin Seung?”

“There’s no way there could be a friendship between a monk who ran away after causing an accident and the head of the Shaolin Temple. I just remember the new monk from my younger days.”

“What kind of person was Shin Seung?”

“He was a very distant person.”

Dang Mu-jin knew what that meant.

In his youth, Sam-an-bul knew Shin-seung, but Shin-seung may not have known Sam-an-bul.

The distance between a slacker who can’t even learn martial arts and a promising young man is so vast that it’s hard to measure.

“You wander throughout the Central Plains, but you always return to the Tang family when the time comes. But what about me?”

“Why don’t you just come back to the party hall?”

Sam-an-bul smiled faintly after hearing Dang Mu-jin’s story.

“Yes. That’s why I’m staying in the Tang family. But I still don’t know. I don’t know if I’m settled in my new hometown or if I’m still on the road.”

Dang Mujin couldn’t quite understand Samanbul’s true feelings. Did Samanbul want to return to Shaolin Temple?

Just as the story was about to get a little more serious, a faint roar was heard from beneath my feet.

“Eww-!”

It seems that the two-headed owl is causing a commotion.

Dang Mu-jin felt embarrassed for no reason and said to Hwa Yeon-shin-ni.

“···It looks like the condition is still not good.”

“It’s getting better little by little, so there’s no need to worry too much. But for now, I need to go down and calm down.”

Hwayeonshinni and Samanbul stood up from their seats. Dangmujin also stood up naturally.

Sam-an-bul patted Dang Mu-jin on the back and said.

“Have a safe trip. Tell Namgung Myung I congratulate you.”

“All right.”

Dang Mu-jin bowed to the two people and walked towards the ferry terminal in Chungking.

*

Tang Mujin rode a boat and followed the current of the Yangtze River to the east.

The speed wasn’t that fast, but the true value of the ship was that it kept moving without stopping.

The ship rocked along without stopping, except for the occasional stop at a ferry terminal.

Dang Mu-jin was listening to the other passengers’ stories.

“···My joints hurt. They’re red, swollen, and hot, and the area that hurts changes every day. Just the day before yesterday, my toes hurt, but today my ankles hurt. I’ve taken medicine that’s supposed to be good for joints at least ten times, but it doesn’t get better.”

“How many days does it last once you get sick?”

“Two or three days.”

Dang Mu-jin carefully touched the young merchant’s ankle.

It hurts when you press on it and it frowns, but it doesn’t hurt when you grab it with your fingers.

“It looks like the problem is not with the joint, but with the muscle in contact with the joint. It is only natural that the pain will not go away even if you try to treat the joint. However, this is not something that can be treated with pills, so when you get off the ship, go to the doctor and ask for Sipmi-Paedok-Tang and Dang-Gwi-Jeom-Tong-Tang to take them.”

“Sipmi-paedok-tang and Dang-gwi-jeom-tang… Yes. I remembered.”

“If by any chance your symptoms do not subside, come to the Danggajang. But it doesn’t seem like that will happen.”

“thank you!”

As Dang Mu-jin spoke, the young merchant limped away, delighted.

‘Is it going to end with three people today?’

Dang Mu-jin sat leisurely leaning against the side of the boat and observed the minor health problems of the other passengers.

Suddenly, I remembered the old days. When I first got on the ship, Dang Mu-jin took care of the patients like this. I could feel the empty space left by the doctor.

If you think about it, the place where I first met Namgung Myung was on a boat. On a boat that was floating along the Yangtze River just like it is now. The location was probably similar to what it is now.

It’s hard to gauge the world’s affairs.

I never thought I’d be back on the boat again to attend that thief’s wedding.

‘They say that a needle thief will eventually become a cattle thief. So then, what will a thief who steals swords instead of needles end up stealing in the end···.’

It was clear that he was not a normal human being.

Dang Mu-jin hoped that Namgung Myung would not reveal his true nature further.

*

Dang Mu-jin got off the boat and arrived at Namgung Se-ga.

Not only Namgung Se-ga, but the entire village was in a celebratory mood.

The abundance was so great that even the neighborhood rascals would carry snacks they would never have seen before, so there was no need to explain it in detail.

The main gate of Namgung Se-ga was wide open, and there was no one blocking the entrance.

The reason was easy to guess. The first reason was that even a person of sound mind could not cause trouble in the Namgung family, and the second reason was that the new head of the household would be able to win the hearts of the villagers by treating them well.

As Dang Mu-jin entered Namgung Se-ga, several familiar warriors approached Dang Mu-jin.

“Aren’t you the lord of the party?”

“It’s been a while.”

“How have you been?”

The Namgung family’s warriors whom he encountered in the Jeongsadaejeon including Namgung Heonwi, Namgung Hyeon whom he encountered in the non-martial arts competition, and even Namgung Jinya, Namgung Myeong’s uncle.

Now that I look back, Dang Mu-jin had quite a few acquaintances in the Namgung family.

After chatting with the people for a while, Dang Mu-jin asked about Namgung Myeong.

“By any chance, where is Namgung Myung?”

“The lord will be at the lord’s court.”

Gajurani. Namgung Myung is the head of the Namgung family.

It was a fact I already knew, but hearing it from someone else made me even more worried about the future of the Namgung family.

If a wound on the sole of your foot festers, it could be life-threatening.

How dangerous would it be if a wound on the head were to fester?

‘Namgungga is in danger. I need to come to my senses and lead the Dangga family.’

Dang Mu-jin walked towards Gajujeon with a heavy heart.

Some people tried to stop Dang Mu-jin, but they backed off after seeing Dang Mu-jin’s face.

A maidservant was seen passing the news inside when she noticed Dang Mu-jin approaching.

Then the door to the Gajujeon opened. Dang Mujin walked straight into the Gajujeon without stopping.

In the middle of the dining room there was a rather ornate chair.

Namgung Myung was sitting on the chair with a pitiful expression, and Hong Geol-gae was sitting next to him with an arrogant attitude.

The appearance of the two people had hardly changed compared to when they broke up.

I felt happy but also somewhat disappointed. Of course, Namgung Myung and Hong Geol Gae also made the same expression when they saw Dang Mu Jin.

“···.”

Namgung Myung raised his right hand toward Dang Mujin and pretended to know him.

“Are you here?”

“okay.”

“how is it?”

Dang Mu-jin looked around. Since the sibbi was left outside the Gajujeon, there were only three people inside the Gajujeon.

Thanks to this, Dang Mu-jin was able to express his honest feelings.

“I don’t know about others, but I never thought you would become the head of the family… The future of the Namgung family is bleak.”

Namgung Myung nodded and answered.

“Actually, even a few years ago, I had no intention of becoming a head of household. I thought it was a position I was more than capable of.”

“That heart should have been the same···.”

“Looking back, I think it was thanks to you that I became the head of the household.”

“I worked hard to make you a human being.”

But Namgung Myung shook his head.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought that seeing you being a housewife made me think that there’s nothing I can’t do.”

“···.”

Dang Mu-jin didn’t bother to refute it. It’s not like everything he says is true.

It is only when words are true that they are worth answering.

Instead, Dang Mu-jin looked at Hong Geol-gae next to him.

A rope with seven knots was hanging from Honggeolgae’s waist. It was clear that there were two more knots than before, but it still felt empty as if there were two knots.

“Hey, Hong Chongtaju. How have you been?”

“Well… it just happened.”

Dang Mu-jin smiled brightly.

“You left saying you would become the Dragon’s Head Ark, but why did you become the Gunner’s Head instead of the Ark? Did you suddenly want to hide your power? Or did you decide to be satisfied with being the Gunner’s Head because you thought the Ark position would be bothersome?”

Hong Geol-gae shook his head with a strangely gloomy expression.

Then Namgung Myung burst into laughter.

“That guy didn’t refuse a seat on the ark, he just couldn’t get on the ark.”

“···huh?”

An unexpected story popped out.

Dang Mu-jin asked Nam Gung-myeong.

“Why? Was there anyone better suited to the job?”

“I thought there wouldn’t be any, but surprisingly there were.”

“···Who are you?”

When Namgung Myung just giggled and didn’t answer, Hong Geol-gae spoke gloomily.

“···As a result of the meeting between the Yukgyeol Beopgae and the Chilgyeol Elders, it was decided that the Cheonryeonggae Honggyeon should also be given a chance.”

Namgung Myung added a word.

“You know what? They say there were more people supporting Hong Gyeon than Hong Geol-gae.”

Yes, that’s right.

For the first time in the history of the Central Plains, Hong Jiekai became the one who defeated himself.