Tangmunjeon - Chapter 400



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Tangmunjeon Episode 400

preparation

Since ancient times, winter was the busiest time for Danggajang. Since there were fewer patients, doctors from all over the Central Plains would stay at Danggajang all winter to learn medical skills.

But this year the crowds were much worse than in the past.

The reason, of course, is because of the warriors who gathered from all over the Central Plains.

The Tang family had to accommodate not only the Ami and Cheongseong factions, but also the unexpected Jeomchang faction’s unmanned personnel.

Thanks to that, Dang Mu-jin got an unexpected problem.

Contrary to their boasts that there were places to stay, there was not enough space for people to stay.

To be more precise, there was not enough space to accommodate people.

‘···What should I do?’

People would sleep half-covered in a small space, and when the night got late, they couldn’t overcome the stuffiness and would come out onto the veranda to sleep again. This was even though the weather was so cold that it was snowing.

‘This can’t go on.’

In the end, Dang Mu-jin made a decision. He acknowledged the limitations of the party leader and decided to send some people to nearby guest houses.

Fortunately, winter is a time when merchants rarely come and go, so there are quite a few inns in Seongdo where only flies are flying.

‘The question is, who should we send out···.’

People in the martial arts world have strong pride.

If you single out a specific person or group and kick them out, the Murim people may become angry, feeling that they have been neglected.

In the end, Dang Mu-jin went to see Hyeon-gong and asked for advice.

“Hyungong. Do you know that the party hall is small these days?”

“There’s no way I wouldn’t know.”

“I think we should send some people away to live in the guest house. Who should we send away?”

When Dang Mu-jin asked Hyun-gong the question, he answered as if asking why he was asking such an obvious question.

“Why are you worrying about that? Of course you should get rid of the easy people.”

Dang Mu-jin said in horror.

“What? No matter what, it’s a bit difficult to single out the nuns of the Amipa and tell them to leave…”

Hyun-gong was unable to continue speaking and stared at Dang Mu-jin for a moment.

“···Who wants to send out the Army?”

“So you’re telling me to send out the Cheongseongpa? You know Hwangnyeongja and Jinsong, right? Can you take responsibility for what happens next?”

“No, why do you keep trying to kick out an entire sect? These days, people are having a blast playing martial arts all day long. As a simple punishment, let’s say the loser of a martial arts fight has to sleep in a guesthouse for a night.”

It was a reasonable suggestion. However, Dang Mu-jin hesitated for a moment and could not readily respond.

“···That might be a bit too much.”

“What’s so extreme? You can just pay for your accommodations at the party hall. It’s not like you don’t have that much money, right?”

“No, it’s just that. I feel bad about chasing away the customers who come to the party. On top of that, I’m sad that I lost the match, and now I have to go out and sleep.”

Hyun-gong crossed his arms and clicked his tongue.

“If I tell you to sleep in the guest room, you might feel a little uncomfortable, but if I force the guests into a small room and make them sleep, won’t all the guests feel uncomfortable physically and mentally? Besides, if the punishment is determined based on the results of a fair competition, no one will be dissatisfied. It’ll also be motivation.”

Dang Mu-jin thought for a moment.

And before long, they came to the conclusion that there was no better solution than Hyun-gong’s advice.

*

Dang Mu-jin gathered the soldiers of the Cheongseongpa, Amipa, and Jeomchangpa and began to talk.

“···As you all know, due to the lack of accommodations these days, we have concluded that some of our members will have to stay outside of the party headquarters.”

The story that follows is that the losers of Bimu have to take turns staying at the inn.

However, among those who stayed in the Tang family, there were some people with extremely cheerful personalities. They were the Jeomchangpa’s unmanned people.

Before Dang Mu-jin could finish her story, Yoo Jin-kwang raised his hand as if he had been waiting for her. Dang Mu-jin pointed at Yoo Jin-kwang.

“Yes, Yoo Dae-hyeop. Do you have any good ideas?”

“Our group of shopkeepers will stay at the inn.”

“···Are you okay?”

“We arrived the latest, so shouldn’t we give up our seats to those who arrived first?”

Dang Mu-jin looked around. The other Jeomchangpa masters didn’t seem to have any complaints either.

But Dang Mu-jin asked back politely.

“When you wake up in the morning, you have to come to the Danggajang, and when it’s time to go to bed, you have to return to the inn. It’s not that far, but… it’ll still be a hassle. And the inn facilities won’t be as good as the Danggajang. Is that okay?”

Then Yoo Jin-kwang waved his hand as if there was no need to worry.

“It’s okay. Since Seongdo is a large city, the guest houses are quite large and clean. No one will feel uncomfortable. If we’re just talking about the sleeping quarters, the guest houses in Seongdo are much larger and cleaner than those in Jeomchangpa.”

It was a joke that took advantage of the fact that Jeomchangpa was still not financially well off, even though he had paid off his debt to Man-geum-jang-ju.

This kind of story might be rude if told by someone else, but it can be quite a funny joke if told by the person involved.

The people listening to the story burst into small laughter. Yoo Jin-kwang also smiled cheerfully.

As the laughter died down, Yoo Jin-kwang asked Dang Mu-jin a question.

“I’m asking just in case. Do we have to pay for the accommodation?”

“No. I will pay for your accommodation and meals. Since you have taken on an inconvenient role, I will provide you with a little more support, not to mention your accommodation and expenses.”

When Dang Mu-jin responded loudly, Yu Jin-kwang gestured toward the masters of the Jeomchangpa.

“Excellent. Everyone, pack your bags! We’re moving to the guest house!”

“yes!”

There was no one to complain. The masters of the Jeomchangpa immediately packed their bags and moved to a nearby inn.

*

Thanks to the sacrifice of the Jeomchangpa people, the thorny issue was resolved, and it seemed that there were no problems left in the Tang family.

A life that was very desirable and prepared for the Great Battle of Jeongma continued.

First of all, as soon as they eat breakfast, all the unmanned personnel gather in the training ground and start practicing.

It was a great opportunity to compete against martial artists from other schools, but there was an even greater advantage. You could watch extremely high-level martial arts every day.

Hyun-gong paid respect to Yu Jin-gwang by offering him a lottery ticket.

“Please take care of me today too.”

“It’s me.”

Yoo Jin-kwang and Hyun-gong drew their swords. The other martial artists craned their necks and opened their eyes wide, concentrating on the two men’s martial arts.

It is extremely rare for a master of the highest level, such as Gongryungja or Hyangbaeksa, to successfully complete a secret fight. How much more difficult would it be to see a secret fight by a master of the highest level?

However, there were now six top-class masters in the Tang Dynasty: Sam-an-bul, Yoo Jin-gwang, Hyun-gong, Wi Ji-nan-hyang, Jang Il-nam, and finally, Dang Mu-jin.

The secret martial arts of the supreme masters left such a deep impression that there were more people who gained enlightenment by watching the secret martial arts of the supreme masters than those who gained enlightenment by engaging in the secret martial arts themselves.

As time passed and they continued to practice and train in this way, when evening came, the warriors of various sects, regardless of their affiliation, gathered together in twos and threes.

And each of them begins to discuss the martial arts by recalling their experiences.

Then, when it was time to go to bed, the warriors of the Jeomchang faction returned to the guest house, and the warriors of the other factions went to their assigned rooms. It was a day that was so wholesome that Dang Mujin felt a sense of accomplishment.

‘Excellent. We may be able to greatly strengthen our forces before the Great Battle of Jeongma begins. If I had known this would happen, I should have gathered people sooner…’

However, a life that is only desirable without any room for relaxation will not last long.

People always seek leisure and things to enjoy.

At some point, a small amount of alcohol naturally became an infusion between dinner and academic discussions.

It was not clear whether it was brought by the Taoists of the Cheongseongpa who enjoyed the pleasures of the world, by the warriors from the Demonic Cult who were accustomed to the life of the saints, or by the warriors of the Jeomchangpa who were staying at the inn.

Dang Mu-jin thought as he watched the people pouring their glasses.

‘···Alcohol. If it doesn’t cause any problems the next day, that’s better. Since we’re in a situation where we have to fight together risking our lives, it’s important to build strong friendships.’

However, it would be a problem if you ruin your practice by becoming friends. Dang Mu-jin kept a close eye on people so that they did not drink too much.

Fortunately, the martial artists had a decent amount of self-control, so no one drank too much and made a fool of themselves.

A few days later, just as Dang Mu-jin was about to feel relieved again, the situation changed again.

A simple gamble that can be said to be a good match for alcohol has crept in.

“···.”

Unlike drinking, I was a little uncomfortable with gambling.

But this gamble was just barely over the line.

There were no people who stayed up all night gambling, and there wasn’t enough money involved to determine the fate of the sect.

Even if you call it gambling, it’s just something that starts slowly towards the end of the discussion on ignorance, is enjoyed for a meal or so, and then ends cleanly.

Dang Mu-jin didn’t want to make the atmosphere awkward by being needlessly picky.

‘If it goes too far, it won’t be me, but rather the Gongryungja Elder or Hyangbaek Saetae who will stop it first.’

The fact that people who make money are usually the unemployed of the Jeomchangpa was also one of the reasons why the Dangmujin did not hastily stop gambling.

Unlike the poor Jeomchang faction, the Cheongseong faction and the Ami faction were relatively financially well off, so losing money did not cause any particular problems.

On the other hand, it was clear to the Jeomchangpa masters that even such small money-making activities would be of great help in running their sect.

Dang Mu-jin watched the gambling and quietly approached Yang Seon-chun, a master of the Jeomchangpa.

Yang Seon-chun was a Taoist monk who could be said to be the leader of the Jeomchangpa, excluding Yoo Jin-gwang.

“Excuse me, sir.”

As Dang Mu-jin spoke, Yang Seon-chun, who had been watching the gambling table, looked at Dang Mu-jin in surprise.

“Ah! You’re the head of the party. What brings you here?”

“There’s no special reason. I just came here to chat a little.”

Yang Seon-chun’s expression became relaxed.

“Haha. That’s what it was.”

“By the way, it seems that the fortune tellers like gambling.”

Yang Seon-chun was noticeably nervous.

“Oh. Come to think of it, it must have been uncomfortable for the owner of the party to see that. I’ll tell him not to even touch gambling from tomorrow.”

Dang Mu-jin waved his hand.

“That’s not what I meant. Even if you say it’s gambling, it’s not like it would interfere with your practice. I just thought that a master of the Jeomchangpa would be good at gambling, so I asked because I was curious. And it seems like they’re all good at it.”

“Ah, that’s what you meant.”

Yang Seon-chun’s expression became relaxed again.

“In fact, any gambler who has been in the gambling business for a long time has probably lost money through gambling at least once. He had no choice but to gamble in order to pay off his huge debts…”

Unlike other sects, the Jeomchang sect could not make money through business trips or trading.

Yunnan was a remote region with no special local products, so not many merchants visited.

Nanmando, located further south than Yunnan, was not a particularly attractive region to merchants.

If you are a merchant who travels long distances in pursuit of a large sum of money, it is much wiser to travel to the West rather than the South.

In this situation, the masters of the past fortune-telling school went to distant lands to set up gambling houses, and when the income from gambling houses was not enough, they became addicted to gambling.

Dang Mu-jin nodded.

“Yes. That’s why I thought the masters of the Jeomchangpa would hate gambling.”

“You can think of it that way. However, there aren’t any decent villages near Jeomchangsan, so there’s nothing to enjoy. Aside from small-scale gambling, there aren’t many things to do that you can enjoy comfortably. That’s probably why the Jeomchangpa masters are accustomed to gambling.”

“Oh, I see. But there’s one thing I’m worried about.”

“What is it?”

“It seems like the masters of the Jeomchangpa are making small profits now because of their skills, but I am worried that they might lose a lot of money. I know that the Jeomchangpa’s financial situation is not very good…”

Yang Seon-chun smiled confidently after hearing Dang Mu-jin’s story.

“Don’t worry about that. We didn’t bring much money. We left the rest of the money at Jeomchangsan, except for the minimum travel expenses and some extra money.”

“okay.”

“Besides, the money earned from the Tanggajang is sent to Jeomchangsan through the Mangeumjang battlefield, so there is no need to worry about losing all the money earned.”

“···.”

Dang Mu-jin thought Yang Seon-chun’s story was subtle.

You’re sending the money you earned from gambling to Jeomchangsan. Doesn’t it feel like you started gambling from the beginning to make money?

‘···Hey, no way. That can’t be true.’

Dang Mu-jin looked around. People were already clearing away the gambling tables and getting up from their seats.

It was a small entertainment. But the excitement that could not be hidden was slowly showing on people’s faces.

Dang Mu-jin asked Yang Seon-chun one last time.

“By the way, where is Mr. Jang?”

“···As soon as dinner was finished, he returned to the guest room.”

“Oh, I see.”

Dang Mu-jin was secretly impressed.

Come to think of it, Dang Mu-jin had never seen Yoo Jin-kwang gamble at the Danggajang.

Although Dang Mu-jin did not enjoy gambling, he vaguely knew how difficult it was to quit gambling. They say that gambling is harder to quit than O Seok-san.

And Yoo Jin-kwang was once a person who was addicted to gambling.

Even when he was running the top, and even when he was wandering in the North looking for his father, Yoo Jin-kwang could not escape the gambling table.

It would be an impossible task for a person like that to return to the guesthouse right after finishing a meal so as not to gamble.

‘Well, I guess he must have been able to become a top-notch expert because he was such a great person.’

Dang Mu-jin thought so and returned to his quarters.

*

And the next evening, a person he had never expected to see came to see Dang Mu-jin.