Tangmunjeon - Chapter 381



Only Krnovel

Tangmunjeon Episode 381

Kunlun Mountain

Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong headed straight to Cheonghae Castle.

For the first few days, we walked slowly, suffering from the scorching summer sun and humid air, but at some point the altitude began to rise, and the weather became cooler day by day.

After four more days, the weather had already become autumn. The days were cool and nice for walking, but the nights were so cold that I had to cover myself with something to sleep.

We have reached what people commonly call the state of Cheonghae-seong.

Hyun-gong said, adjusting his clothes.

“I’ve heard that Cheonghae-seong is cool, but I didn’t know the weather could change so suddenly.”

“You speak as if it is your first time in Cheonghae Castle.”

“This is your first time here.”

Dang Mu-jin looked at Hyun-gong with a suspicious expression.

“···Didn’t you talk about the Kunlun School’s Taoist temples last time as if you knew something about them?”

“You don’t have to go there to know. It’s like you or I knowing about Murongsega without ever being there. Anyway, which way do we have to go from here to find the village?”

Dang Mu-jin looked at the horizon of Cheonghae-seong. In fact, it wasn’t a perfect horizon. He could see the pale mountains in the distance.

But the distance to that mountain was so far that it was practically no different from the horizon.

Dang Mu-jin couldn’t easily answer which direction the village was in.

It had been so long since I had last been to Cheonghae Castle, and I hadn’t been traveling leisurely, so I had no idea where the village was.

In fact, the reason Dang Mu-jin had been moving confidently as if he knew the way up until now was because he had a somewhat complacent thought that he would probably run into one or two people and ask for directions.

However, five days after entering Cheonghae Castle, Dang Mujin and Hyeon-gong did not encounter a single person.

However, it is impossible to say in front of Hyun-gong that you don’t know the way.

Dang Mu-jin pointed to the northwest with a slightly timid attitude.

“It’s over there. Probably.”

“···maybe?”

“It’s been so long since I’ve been here that I’m a little hazy. I haven’t passed by it many times… But I think it’s the right way.”

“Dang Mu-jin. When was the last time you came to Cheonghae Castle?”

“It’s been about seven or eight years. Why? What’s the problem?”

Dang Mu-jin thought that Hyun-gong would complain, so he spoke in a shameless manner instead.

But unexpectedly, Hyun-gong just nodded with a serious expression.

“Problem? No way. Rather, it’s a great thing. Even after such a long time, it’s impossible for an average person’s memory and senses to guess the direction.”

Because Hyun-gong’s attitude was so positive, Dang-mu-jin felt uneasy.

Men tend to compliment others behind their backs, but they rarely say such things to their faces. This is especially true among friends.

But it would be a bit strange to ask why he wasn’t being sarcastic here. Dang Mu-jin didn’t ask any questions and just walked towards the northwest.

*

The two walked northwest for three more days.

We ran out of food the night before, and now even drinking water was in short supply.

Dang Mu-jin, who had figured out the direction, became increasingly anxious, but Hyun-gong never once questioned Dang Mu-jin and just walked silently.

As he was walking with a heavy heart, enduring his thirst, Dang Mu-jin’s ears perked up. He sensed the presence of a person from the southwest.

When he turned his gaze, he saw a man who looked like a merchant approaching the two of them with a pack on his back. Dang Mu-jin, forgetting about his pride, waved his hand and approached the merchant.

“Elder!”

The unknown merchant was startled when he saw Dang Mu-jin, but he looked a little relieved because it seemed like Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong would not cause any harm.

“What’s going on?”

“Can I ask you for directions?”

“Okay. Where are you going?”

“Anywhere is fine. As long as I can get food and water…”

The merchant clicked his tongue as he looked at Dang Mujin and Hyeon-gong, then pointed in the direction he had come from.

“Tsk tsk. If you want to find the village, you have to go southwest, not northwest. If you move northwest from here, it’ll take another full fortnight to find the village.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“How can you wander around with so much confidence when you don’t even know the way? Young people are so reckless.”

Dang Mu-jin lowered his head slightly in embarrassment. It was clear that Hyun-gong would tease him at any moment.

However, Hyun-gong did not tease Dang Mu-jin, but took out an ornately decorated copper bowl from his bosom and handed it to the merchant.

“Sir, I’ll give you this, so can you give me something to eat and some water?”

The merchant looked a little suspicious, as it was an expensive place that anyone could easily get a piece of gold for.

“Food and water? Of course, I can trade them for that place… But once I trade them, I can’t give them back.”

“Our situation is urgent, so I will not ask you to step down. If you wish, I can give you this sword as well.”

When Hyun-gong tried to take out his sword and hand it over, the merchant waved his hand. Even just the donkey was excessive. He thought that if he also received the sword, he might get in trouble.

“It’s black. I’ll just take the east part.”

“Ah, yes···.”

A look of regret passed over Hyun-gong’s face.

The merchant gave Hyeon-gong and Dang-mu-jin enough food and water for three days, then quickly took his things and disappeared.

After Tang Mujin and Hyeon-gong sat down to quench their hunger and thirst, they turned southwest and began walking again.

While moving like that, Dang Mu-jin, unable to contain his anxiety, spoke to Hyeon-gong.

“Why are you so quiet?”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“At this point, it would be normal for you to be teasing me.”

“There’s no reason to tease me, so that’s why.”

Hyun-gong glanced at Dang Mu-jin and said.

“Anyone can make mistakes. But it’s not easy for everyone to put aside their pride and approach someone they don’t know to ask for advice. Furthermore, it’s hard for most people to have the humility and flexibility to admit their mistakes and immediately correct them.”

I suffered for several days because I took the wrong path, but instead I received praise from Hyeon-gong.

The party leader’s anxiety grew even stronger.

‘This kid wants something.’

Dang Mu-jin asked Hyun-gong.

“Did you do something wrong to me?”

“Wrong? Well, nothing comes to mind right now.”

“Well then, is there anything you wish for?”

“No. I’m grateful that you took my circumstances into consideration and went to Kunlun Mountain with me.”

Dang Mu-jin looked at Hyeon-gong with an expression of disapproval, but Hyeon-gong’s expression did not change at all.

Of course, there was a reason for Hyun-gong’s desperate flattery.

Hyun-gong wanted to obtain a new sword from Dang Mu-jin before finding Ban-yeop. That way, when he retrieved Songmun Sword, he would have two famous swords.

However, Hyun-gong did not ask Dang Mu-jin to make a new sword.

There is a time for everything in this world. If you rush into something rashly, you are likely to make a mistake.

*

After walking for about a day in the direction the merchant had pointed out, a village appeared. It seemed like a village with about two or three hundred people living there.

And right in the center of the village, there was an inn that was so large it didn’t match the size of the village.

“It looks like you came to the right place.”

A large inn located in a small town means one thing.

There are a lot of merchants coming and going from the village.

But the stable next to the inn was completely empty.

There were no pack horses, not even a single mule, or even an unattended cart. But in contrast, there was a considerable presence of people inside the inn.

Squeak-

As Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong opened the creaking door and entered the inn, the eyes of the people staying in the inn turned to them.

As expected, there were quite a few people in the inn, and they all had a crude sword in their possession.

What was unusual was that there were almost none of them who seemed to have learned martial arts. Even if there were some who seemed to have learned martial arts, their achievements were all mediocre.

As Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong took their empty seats, the inside of the guest house quickly became noisy again as if it had never been quiet before.

Dang Mu-jin asked Hyun-gong.

“Isn’t that a little strange?”

“That’s right. Why do merchants have swords?”

People tend to have a unique atmosphere depending on their occupation. A person who is unmanned has a unique atmosphere, and a craftsman or a farmer also has a unique atmosphere.

Likewise, merchants have their own unique atmosphere. Small merchants tend to wear slightly flashy and active clothes, even if the fabric is not of good quality, and they often have a strangely strict and nervous impression.

To Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong, most of the people in the inn seemed to be merchants, although they carried swords.

Hyun-gong spoke to the middle-aged man sitting next to him.

“I have a question for you.”

The middle-aged man looked at Hyun-gong with eyes full of suspicion.

Anyone who looks at it can clearly see that he is wary of Hyun-gong.

And being wary of Hyun-gong meant that it would take Hyun-gong about an hour to trick his opponent into giving him a friendly treatment.

If the opponent was someone like Jang Il-nam, who did not easily suspect others, Hyun-gong could have charmed the opponent five times in one meal and even gained a new family.

The merchant spoke while eating the dumplings that Hyun-gong had bought him with chopsticks.

“The merchants’ behavior seems strange? You guys, you’re not from this area after all.”

“That’s right. I’ve been here before, but…”

As Hyun-gong poured wine into the merchant’s glass while talking like that, the merchant smiled happily.

“Well, there aren’t many natives in this area, so it’s only natural that Gong A-woo doesn’t know.”

The merchant was already calling Hyun-gong Gong-ah. Of course, Dang Mu-jin was Dang-ah.

“What happened?”

“If you go a little west from here, you’ll occasionally come across madmen. If you happen to run into them while leisurely strolling along pulling your donkey, you’re in big trouble.”

“A madman. Are you a bandit or something?”

When Dang Mu-jin asked, the merchant lowered his voice and set the mood.

“If they’re bandits, then it’s better. There are crazy martial artists running around. Of course, not all of them are crazy, but if you look at the things they do, it’s not much different from being crazy.”

“What are you doing to make that happen?”

“They are all different. Some kill people indiscriminately, while others rape anyone regardless of age or gender.”

Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong trembled without realizing it. Raping anyone regardless of age or gender. It would be better to just use a knife.

The merchant continued his story.

“It’s best not to meet them at all, and if you do, you’ll have to run away like crazy, so you can’t take a slow-moving donkey with you.”

Dang Mu-jin thought of the leader of Nokrim Island whom he had encountered while returning to Danggajang with Hong Geol-gae.

I think his name was Magadeng. He must still be buried underground in Amisan.

Magadeng said that if you learn the martial arts taught by the leader of the Demonic Cult, your personality will become violent and it will be difficult to keep your wits about you.

The power of martial arts is immense and can be quickly acquired through achievements, but it is said that there are often people who lose their minds. He said that if he had not stopped and escaped appropriately, that might have happened to him.

While Dang Mu-jin was thinking, Hyeon-gong was playing along with the merchant’s story.

“You have to run away before you can fight back. Those madmen must be pretty good.”

“That’s amazing. Once a fight breaks out, you can expect them to either die or be raped. Those who hire first-class masters as bodyguards sometimes come back healthy, but if you’re unlucky and meet a highly skilled madman, even if the bodyguard is a first-class master, it means nothing. It’s said that among those who wander around like that, there are quite a few top-class masters…”

Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong thought that the expressions first-class master and peak master were very awkward.

However, Hyun-gong did not show it and continued to fill the merchant’s glass again while extracting information.

“Oh my. How can the coffin just sit there while those guys are running around?”

The merchant emptied his glass in one go and snorted.

“Guan? This isn’t a crowded area like Hanam or Seomseo. It’s a town where you have to walk for several days to find a village. In reality, Guan has given up. However, thanks to that, people who want to get a piece of the action are gradually gathering.”

This time, Dang Mu-jin asked back.

“You’re getting a piece of the action?”

The man gestured to the people around him with his chin.

“If you go west from here, there are several villages that have been slaughtered by madmen who have mastered martial arts. There are even more villages that are empty because people have fled. The treasure in those villages belongs to the one who picks it up.”

“iced coffee.”

Just as crows flock when the wind blows, wealth and opportunity always follow death.

Dang Mu-jin thought that the people who gathered in this village resembled crows.

The merchant continued his story.

“The traders know the danger, so they don’t pass by here, and they go far north. But for a peddler like me, with no capital and no money to buy a mule, this is a land of tremendous opportunity. Not long ago, the Hwang family man came with a gold bracelet, bought three pack horses, and went out with it without paying.”

The merchant, still drunk, muttered in a small voice, ‘Three horses, three horses…’ It seemed that he was quite envious of the horses.

The merchant lowered his head for a moment with a dazed expression, then suddenly raised his head and looked Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong up and down.

“Gong Awoo and the person next to him… who did they say they were?”

“Ah, this is Brother Dang. He is the person I regard as my older brother.”

Of course, Dang Mu-jin was not his older brother. Strictly speaking, Hyun-gong was two years older than Dang Mu-jin. Dang Mu-jin’s suspicions toward Hyun-gong deepened even more.

“Yes, Dang-ah. You both look fine, do you want to go west with me? Since I’m a local, I know the locations of most of the villages. Unlike other guys who just keep raiding nearby villages, I can find villages that no one has raided···.”

“Hmm.”

Dang Mu-jin found the story quite interesting. Of course, it wasn’t because of the money.

This land, so-called Cheonghae, is very large.

In the past, you could often find people walking around, so there was no need to worry too much about food or water. However, now that there are almost no pedestrians, it is not easy to find Kunlun Mountain without a guide.

Even if it was just to replenish drinking water, not to mention food, someone who knew the location of the village was needed.

Hyun-gong looked at Dang Mu-jin’s expression and then said.

“Okay, go ahead and do that.”

“Ah, good idea. If we move together, even if something goes wrong, we won’t all die.”

When the madman appeared, it seemed that rather than joining forces to defeat him, they were planning to sacrifice one or two people and escape.

Well, that’s what a martial artist looks like from the perspective of an ordinary person. They’re people you can’t defeat even if you join forces.

Hyun-gong rubbed his palms together gently and asked the merchant.

“Sir, what is your name?”

“Call me Mr. Im.”

“Understood, sir. Is there a place in this town where I can buy the things I need? A lumber shop, or a blacksmith shop, perhaps?”

“There are both. But since the surroundings are crazy, there probably won’t be much stuff.”

“Ahem. Okay, I understand.”

The story ended with an unremarkable conversation between Hyun-gong and Mr. Im, a merchant.

However, the story about the blacksmith shop sounded particularly clear to Dang Mu-jin, who was quietly listening to the story.

In Dang Mu-jin’s mind, a small statue woke up and whispered.

‘Hey, Dang Mu-jin. Is there any reason for Hyun-gong to come to the blacksmith shop now?’

Of course, there was no such thing.

As Dang Mu-jin had been harboring suspicions toward Hyeon-gong, he was able to figure out Hyeon-gong’s true intentions.

Clearly, Hyun-gong was going to ask for something to be made.

The little sage whispered to Dang Mu-jin.

‘Dang Mu-jin. The trick to living in this world is to never give away anything you’re good at for free.’

The little phantom in his mind betrayed the phantom without a moment’s hesitation.