Tangmunjeon - Chapter 401



Only Krnovel

Tangmunjeon Episode 401

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“Your Majesty, how have you been?”

“···Isn’t this Ban Yong-gwol? It’s been a while.”

The person who came to see Dang Mu-jin was Ban Yong-gwol.

A brat who tried to beat up Dang Mu-jin years ago and got severely beaten up.

Of course, even if you think about it a hundred times, it was Ban Yong-gwol’s fault, but Dang Mu-jin secretly felt sorry towards Ban Yong-gwol.

There is one reason. When punishing Ban Yong-gwol, the hands of the party leader were too rough.

At that time, Dang Mu-jin had lost his teacher and was in a very unstable state of mind. It was to the point where he had a hard time coming to his senses when he saw a masked person.

Ban Yong-gwol was tortured by Dang Mu-jin not because he had tried to beat him up, but because he was wearing a mask.

Looking back, I feel like I was lucky just to not have died or become an idiot.

After that, Ban Yong-gwol avoided Dang Mu-jin for several years. However, as time passed, Ban Yong-gwol gradually overcame his fear of Dang Mu-jin.

Not long ago, he greeted the party leader politely, but now he seems to be able to talk to him somehow.

Dang Mu-jin extended his hand to Ban Yong-gwol in a seemingly friendly manner.

“I heard you’re learning how to work at the fortress blacksmith shop? How’s it going?”

“Yes. I’m studying hard.”

Ban Yong-gwol answered hesitantly, looking very nervous.

After his big fight, Ban Yong-gwol has become more healthy than before. I heard that he is learning the craft at a small blacksmith shop in Seongdo.

I heard that he sometimes visits Seok Ji-seung’s blacksmith shop to watch the blacksmiths work. Thanks to that, Dang Mu-jin also ran into Ban Yong-gwol a couple of times around the blacksmith shop.

However, I heard that he has only become more healthy ‘than before’ and that he has not become a completely new person.

Somewhere between a thug, a bully, and an ordinary person.

However, it was clear that he was trying to do his share, so Dang Mu-jin was secretly rooting for Ban Yong-gwol.

Dang Mu-jin asked Ban Yong-gwol.

“What brings you here?”

“Well, I came here because I need help. Among the people I know, there is no one I trust as much as you, Lord Dangga…”

It was not clear whether Ban Yong-gwol’s story was flattery or the truth.

However, Dang Mu-jin decided to listen to Ban Yong-gwol’s story more, if only because he felt sorry inside.

“What help do you need?”

“As you know, I work in the blacksmith shop from early morning until sunset.”

“Yes. You’ve worked hard. Hard work never betrays you, so you’ll become a great field marshal in no time.”

Dang Mu-jin responded by hitting the janggu.

But Ban Yong-gwol spoke hesitantly.

“And in the evenings I do some small money-making.”

“Small money making? What is it?”

“···A little bit of gambling.”

Dang Mu-jin looked at Ban Yong-gwol with crooked eyes.

Ban Yong-gwol trembled like an aspen tree, not knowing what Dang Mu-jin’s expression meant.

“Oh my! I, I didn’t set up a gambling house! I just manage the gamblers so they don’t cause trouble and collect a small daily wage. As you know, my lord, I came of age late in life and don’t have any savings, so I have to work hard to support my parents and feed my family. And this is all I can do at night.”

Dang Mu-jin thought for a moment and then nodded.

It didn’t seem like he was bothering people like before, just because he was touching the gambling table, and the motivation for working at the gambling table wasn’t too bad.

“Please continue talking.”

“When a gambler causes a commotion, it’s my job to calm them down and get them out. However, when a person who has mastered martial arts causes a commotion, I have to bring in a skilled first-class master to get them out. I’ve been doing that for about three years now. There have been no problems.”

After hearing the story up to this point, Dang Mu-jin was able to guess why Ban Yong-gwol had come to visit.

“It seems like someone who can’t be dealt with by a first-class person has appeared?”

“Yes! That’s it!”

“But why did you come to me?”

When Dang Mu-jin asked, Ban Yong-gwol answered in a voice that seemed to be crawling.

“Of all the people I’ve talked to, the only one who can subdue a first-class master is the head of the Tang family…”

It was a sad story.

But if you think about it carefully, it’s an understandable story. How wide can the neighborhood bully’s reach be?

Dang Mu-jin thought about it for a moment.

‘Is it right to help?’

It is regrettable that in the past, Ban Yong-gwol was tortured to the point of going mad.

But that doesn’t mean I was a little reluctant to readily step forward and help Ban Yong-gwol. It was just too much of a stretch, and Ban Yong-gwol was also the one who was at fault first.

While Dang Mu-jin was thinking, Hyun-gong intervened and said to Dang Mu-jin.

“Shall we go together?”

“Eek!”

Ban Yong-gwol was so surprised that he almost lost his breath because he didn’t feel Hyeon-gong approaching.

However, Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong did not show much interest in Ban Yong-gwol’s reaction and just talked.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“I’m just saying let’s go out and get some fresh air. It’s not like you have anything to do right now, right?”

Hyun-gong tried to cover it up a bit.

Dang Mu-jin was a little suspicious of Hyun-gong. Hyun-gong wasn’t the type of person to move without a reason.

But if you think about the story the other way around, it means that there is a reason why Hyun-gong brings up this story.

“It’s the night breeze. I’ll be okay.”

The party leader readily agreed.

*

Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong followed Ban Yong-gwol into a narrow, winding alley.

At the end of the alley was a fairly spacious building, which at first glance looked like a one-story building. There was a man leaning against the wall, guarding the entrance to the gambling house.

The inside of the building was as bright as day, and occasionally one could hear people sighing or cheering with joy.

Dang Mu-jin pointed to the building and asked.

“Is that building a gambling house?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

When he heard the voices, the man guarding the entrance to the casino looked in the direction where Dang Mu-jin was.

He recognized Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong and bowed deeply, almost to the point where his forehead touched the floor.

On the other hand, Ban Yong-gwol’s shoulders were filled with strength.

It was a matter of great pride to bring not only the famous Tang family head, but also the ‘Hyungong of Jeong-eon’.

As Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong were about to enter the gambling house, Ban Yong-gwol handed them two bamboo hats.

“Please start from this!”

“Why the sudden death?”

“Your noble people have shown us generosity by coming to our shabby place, so how can you show yourself around so carelessly?”

Ban Yong-gwol naturally talked back. But it didn’t seem like he would have recommended Jukrip for that reason alone.

If Dang Mu-jin was guarding the gambling house, he would have wanted to reveal that he was friendly with the high-ranking officials.

‘It seems there is a reason why I have to use bamboo sticks…’

However, Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong did not bother to ask questions and just entered the gambling house wearing their bamboo hats.

A large number of people were sitting tightly together, their eyes wide open, absorbed in gambling.

Dang Mu-jin thought that wearing bamboo hats might attract people’s attention.

But when I looked inside the casino, that didn’t seem to be the case. There were quite a few people wearing masks.

Some people wore brown hats made of bamboo, like Dangmujin and Hyeon-gong, while others wore hats made of woven reeds. There were also three or four people who wore black hats made of bamboo hats painted black.

“There are quite a lot of people wearing bamboo hats?”

“That’s because there are people who don’t want to reveal their identity. There are many authors who say that I’m a blacksmith, and it’s not a proud thing to frequent a gambling house.”

“I see. So, which one of you is causing trouble?”

“that···.”

Ban Yong-gwol hesitated while observing the expressions of Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong.

“Actually, I don’t know.”

“···what?”

Dang Mu-jin was a little embarrassed and asked Ban Yong-gwol back.

“You don’t know? What do you mean?”

“It’s literal. I don’t know who’s making a fuss.”

Dang Mu-jin burst into laughter and looked at Ban Yong-gwol. Only then did Ban Yong-gwol realize how his story had sounded, and he hurriedly made up an excuse.

“It’s not just me who doesn’t know! Since the author always covers his face, there’s no way to confirm who he is.”

“···.”

Dang Mu-jin now understood why Ban Yong-gwol had given him the bamboo stick.

He was worried that someone he didn’t even know would recognize Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong and run away, so he tried to hide the faces of Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong.

“So. You brought me here to beat up some guy who may or may not exist?”

Ban Yong-gwol spoke in a low voice, desperately bowing.

“It’s not unfounded! There are three gambling dens in the city, and the other two have been robbed twice. This one has only been robbed once. It’s time to come here now.”

“Is that all?”

It’s a bit subtle to be considered evidence.

Just as Dang Mu-jin frowned and was about to leave the gambling house, Hyun-gong stopped him.

“Calm down. How desperate must it have been for him to come to you and ask for help instead of someone else?”

“That’s just thoughtless. I would have understood if you had come to me for help as soon as the problem arose.”

“Now that we’ve come this far, do we really need to leave right away? Let’s eat comfortably and wait a moment.”

Hyun-gong calmed down Dang Mu-jin by saying this, and then spoke to Ban Yong-gwol.

“I’ll wait an hour. If you don’t show up within an hour, I’ll go back.”

“Yes! I understand!”

Dang Mu-jin let out a deep sigh and sat down in a corner of the gambling hall.

And then he scratched the back of his head.

‘···Okay. I can wait about an hour.’

Thinking back, I was impressed by Ban Yong-gwol’s courage in asking for help despite his fears. I wonder how desperate he must have been.

Dang Mu-jin asked Hyun-gong.

“Do you have money?”

“No. I don’t have a penny.”

If they had brought money, they could have spent the time playing a simple game of dice, but Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong had no money. So they sat quietly and watched the people.

‘···It’s more fun than I thought.’

It was more fun to watch people than to watch the gambling.

Some people are so frustrated that they feel as if the sky is falling down that they bang their fists on the table, while others are so excited that they clench their fists and shout.

The intersection of so many people’s intense emotions is a wonderful spectacle in itself.

Not even an hour had passed, barely an hour had passed, when someone in the distance burst into laughter.

“Haha! What should I do, I’m so sorry? I ate it all up.”

The person who said that was a plump man.

The fat man stood up from his seat and tossed a silver coin to the black-haired man sitting across the table as a gesture of charity.

“It’s opening day. Is this enough?”

You say it’s Gaepyeong, but you’re giving me silver instead of coins!

It was clear that the man wearing black lipstick had lost quite a bit of money.

Dang Mu-jin listened to the conversation between the two men, wondering if the man in the black hat was about to burst into tears.

But unexpectedly, the voice of the man wearing black lipstick did not tremble at all.

“Sit down.”

“Why? Is there a lack of openness?”

“no.”

Tak. The man wearing black lipstick placed a piece of silver he had obtained through Gaepyeong firmly on the table.

The man wearing black lipstick said.

“Hey, do you know how long an archer can shoot his bow?”

“···What the hell are you talking about?”

“Until the quiver is empty.”

The man wearing the black hat said that, then looked at the fat man through the black hat.

“Sit down. I still have one arrow left.”

Dang Mu-jin was speechless when he heard that story.

‘···no way?’

The plump man chuckled and sat back down.

“You are brave, but foolish. Don’t expect me to take care of Gaepyeong again.”

“I didn’t expect that.”

“That’s good. I’ll go first.”

The fat man threw two dice into the air, then deftly snatched them both up and placed them on the table. The numbers were five and three.

The fat man looked slightly displeased.

“Eight… Yeah. Not bad. Now it’s your turn.”

The man in the black hat rolled the dice on the table. The numbers were three and one.

“Haha! Then that’s right. You lost Gaepyeong too. Thanks for your hard work.”

The fat man burst into laughter and picked up the silver coins lying on the table.

The man wearing black lipstick bowed his head and said nothing.

As the fat man was about to leave, the man in the black hat spoke again.

“hey.”

“Why again? Do you have any money hidden away?”

“Do you know how long an archer can shoot his bow?”

“You’re going to shoot until your quiver is empty?”

“Yes. But I have one more arrow that I haven’t shot yet.”

“···What the hell are you talking about? Even Gaepyeong was completely looted.”

But Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong felt a strong sense of foreboding.

And I knew very clearly what was going to happen next.

The man wearing the black hat jumped up from his seat as Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong had expected, and stepped on the steps powerfully.

Kuung.

A loud footstep sound that an ordinary person cannot make.

All the gamblers’ eyes were focused on the man wearing black lipstick.

The man in the black hat drew his sword, pointed to the entrance of the gambling house, and spoke quietly.

“Everyone, put down your money and come outside.”