Tangmunjeon - Chapter 402



Only Krnovel

Tangmunjeon Episode 402

The path a knight must take

The gamblers kept glancing at the bouncer guarding the entrance to the casino.

The gazes of the people contained the meaning of going quickly and bringing the master. Even to someone who knew nothing about martial arts, Yoo Jin-kwang was no ordinary person.

However, the gatekeeper did not leave his seat and kept an eye on Ban Yong-gwol, Dang Mu-jin, and Hyeon-gong. Hoping that Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong would resolve the situation.

However, Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong did not act rashly and watched how Yu Jin-gwang would act.

Yoo Jin-kwang, his face covered with black lipstick, spoke to the gamblers.

“Of course! There are exceptions. Those who have lived uprightly can take the prize money and leave.”

“You’ve lived an honest life… What exactly are you talking about?”

“I have no intention of intimidating good people. Those who have earned their money in an honest and dignified way and have never hurt anyone should just leave.”

Some gamblers became even more nervous, but most breathed a sigh of relief.

Some people suddenly changed their attitude and even started supporting Yoo Jin-kwang.

“Okay! I can just go out.”

“That black-haired gentleman over there. Now that I look at him, he was a righteous swordsman. Please fix that bad guy’s bad habits!”

The gamblers tried to go out confidently.

But Yoo Jin-kwang’s story is not over yet.

“Of course, a father who neglects his family because he is obsessed with gambling would not be very proud.”

The gamblers who had been relieved protested all at once.

“No, make sense! What if I tell you that you shouldn’t gamble in a casino?”

“It’s okay to enjoy gambling to some extent. I’ll let it go as long as you feed your family and have some extra money to play around with.”

“If I lose all my money here, how will I feed my family? That doesn’t make sense!”

However, Yoo Jin-kwang skillfully suppressed the gamblers’ protests.

“Those who can’t even feed their children and still frequent gambling houses need to experience the bitter taste before they can stop gambling. Even if you go hungry today, it’s better in the long run. Your family will understand.”

At first glance, it sounds plausible, but the more you think about it, the more it has the strange flavor of nonsense.

It was also very annoying that he talked as if he was different from the other two, even though they both frequented the same casino.

And before long, gamblers came to a similar conclusion.

‘···Can’t he just ignore it and leave? How does he know if my wife ate well?’

But it’s burdensome to be the first.

That’s why the gamblers watched each other closely, waiting for the other person to take the lead.

Of course, Yoo Jin-kwang had a clear view of the gamblers’ minds.

“Of course! I don’t know exactly what you guys do on a daily basis, so I’ll give special treatment to anyone who helps me.”

“What help?”

“Whoever accuses another of lying three times will walk away with the prize money.”

“···.”

“Stop dawdling and come out one by one.”

Hyun-gong, who was watching the situation, muttered.

“Yoo Dae-hyeop… You’ve become more skilled than before.”

Dang Mu-jin’s thoughts were the same.

Eugene Kwang definitely caught people’s attention, set the standard, and then made people compete with each other. This is not the skill of a beginner.

The gamblers became depressed, like cattle being dragged by a butcher.

Ban Yong-gwol spoke to Dang Mu-jin in an earnest voice.

“Your Majesty!”

Eventually, the party decided to intervene in the situation.

Dang Mu-jin raised his right arm and waved his hand lightly.

Then, a sour scent like plum emerged from Dang Mu-jin’s fingertips.

Most people didn’t even notice the faint scent, but Yoo Jin-kwang’s keen senses didn’t miss the scent.

Yoo Jin-kwang turned his head and looked at Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong.

Because of the hat, Yu Jin-gwang’s expression could not be confirmed. However, Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong thought that Yu Jin-gwang’s movements had become stiff.

Eugene Kwang coughed loudly.

“···Good. I believe everyone has learned their lesson by now. Live properly from now on. I won’t show any mercy.”

Eugene Kwang slowly backed away and disappeared out of the casino.

Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong felt a strange sense of shame.

“What’s going on?”

“Get out first!”

The gamblers were bewildered by the sudden turn of events, but they could not suppress their joy at having kept their stake. The gamblers rushed out of the casino.

Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong waited until all the gamblers had disappeared and then came out of the gambling house.

On a cloudless night, the bright moon shone down on Dang Mu-jin and his party.

Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong looked back.

On the roof of the casino, a man wearing a black hat, Yoo Jin-kwang, was sitting.

Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong jumped up onto the roof. Ban Yong-gwol, who had brought Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong, also crawled up onto the roof, groaning.

Dang Mu-jin said as he took off his bamboo hat.

“Yoo Dae-hyeop. I thought you had stopped doing that.”

“···That’s what I wanted to do.”

Eugene Kwang answered in a bitter voice.

“Was there any unavoidable reason?”

“It’s a trivial reason. The state of the Jeomchangpa is a bit precarious these days.”

“It looks like making money isn’t going well.”

“Yes. I didn’t know this before, but after becoming a long-term writer, I couldn’t close my eyes to this kind of thing. All the money I earned was gone, and I had nowhere to borrow money, but my income didn’t get any better. No, it just got worse.”

There was a pause in the conversation.

And how much time had passed? Yoo Jin-kwang took off his black hat and spoke hesitantly, unlike other people.

“Dangmujin.”

“yes.”

“Can you tell me how the owner of the house makes money?”

It’s not easy for someone unmanned to bring up the topic of money.

Dang Mu-jin guessed Yoo Jin-kwang’s true feelings, so he answered as naturally as possible.

“Being a member of the National Assembly is not about making money. Rather, collecting a portion of the proceeds from the sales of goods from the night market is quite profitable.”

Items made by the night market stall owners are sold at quite high prices.

It is not that they pay a high price because they think the sword was made by Dang Mujin. People believed in the excellent skills of the night masters staying in Danggajang, not Dang Mujin.

There were quite a few people who came from far away places to find the sword.

And the merchant took one-third of the price of the goods sold.

At first glance, it may seem excessive, but the blacksmiths didn’t have any major complaints. If they sold their goods at the blacksmith shop, they could sell them for two or three times more than they would at their own blacksmith shop.

People believed that the name Tanggajang virtually guaranteed the quality of the product, and indeed it did.

“And I also do some business near the Tanggajang area. I’ve even started to go uphill recently. The help of the King’s general was a big help.”

Yoo Jin-kwang let out a deep sigh as he listened to Dang Mu-jin’s story.

“There is no way that the Jeomchangpa can follow. It would have been better if they could at least organize a Sanghaeng.”

“Oh, I heard that the situation of the Jeomchangpa is not good in many ways.”

“Is that what Yang Seon-chun said?”

“yes.”

“I knew it. Yang Seon-chun is the next person to worry about Jeomchangpa’s finances.”

Dang Mujin recalled the story he had heard from Yang Seonchun. Yunnan had no special products, so it was extremely rare for merchants to come to Yunnan.

The population was small and there were no large cities. Nanman, beyond Yunnan, was not an attractive place for merchants.

To make matters worse, the area around Jeomchangsan was considered poor compared to other areas in Yunnan.

It is a law that money does not flow where there are few people. The fortune tellers are drying up and dying.

“You should try setting up a fountain… No, that’s not it.”

Come to think of it, the Jeomchangpa faction had a branch office in Luoyang.

However, there were few people who wanted to learn martial arts from the Jeomchangpa Luoyangbunta.

Dang Mu-jin imagined Dang Yeong going to learn the martial arts of Jeomchangpa, and further imagined Dang Yeong skillfully wielding Jeomchangpa’s sword.

I got goosebumps all of a sudden. It felt like he would grab a sword and throw away his life at any moment.

Dang Mu-jin couldn’t accept such a future. Other parents probably felt the same way.

Eugene Kwang said.

“Do you know why the Jeomchangpa is going all out to fight in the Jeongma War?”

“I guess that’s because they are people who never back down.”

“That’s true, but it’s also because they want to keep their mouths shut and make money.”

Where there are no people, there is no money. But where people die, there remains blood and ownerless property.

The fortune-teller was desperate for ownerless property.

“Everyone is bravely stepping forward, knowing the true circumstances of the Jeomchangpa, so how can I, the eldest son of the family, shoulder the burden and take on the burden? Since this is a matter for continuing the Jeomchangpa tradition, I should step forward first.”

Eugene Kwang lay down on the roof and looked at the moon. He stretched out his hand toward the moon.

The moon was shining bright white like silver.

“When I left Jeomchangsan, I thought that I had to make a lot of money, even if it was through some dirty means. My thoughts didn’t change even after I came to Seongdo, and I even thought that this situation might come to me. But when I actually found you, I backed away in a hesitant manner. What’s with all that honor?”

Yoo Jin-kwang let out a deep sigh. He looked like a man with heavy shoulders.

Dang Mu-jin realized that this was not just a problem for the Jeomchangpa.

Just as the Tang family members of the past lived off the Cheongseong faction, there must be many people living off the Jeomchang faction near Jeomchangsan Mountain. Their livelihoods also depend on the Jeomchang faction.

Dang Mu-jin asked Hyun-gong.

“What about the nonpartisan group?”

“Even the non-partisan group isn’t particularly well off.”

Dang Mu-jin thought.

‘Should I lend some money to the fortune teller?’

No, that would just be peeing on your own feet.

Not only Dang Mu-jin, but also Hyun-gong was unable to come up with a special solution this time.

Eventually, the four of them started to change their mood and talk about various things, such as their lives so far, fun things that happened, and future plans.

It was an ordinary conversation for Dang Mujin or Hyeon-gong, but it was different for Ban Yong-gwol. The very fact that he was talking among such famous martial artists was unfamiliar, and for some reason, his heart was full of emotion.

Finally, Ban Yong-gwol found courage.

“excuse me···.”

Ban Yong-gwol spoke to Yu Jin-gwang hesitantly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had such circumstances and I caused trouble.”

Of course, Yoo Jin-kwang waved his hand as if to tell her not to worry.

“Don’t worry about it. That’s your job.”

“still···.”

“It’s okay. I don’t want to hinder people who want to pull themselves together and live honestly, even if I can’t encourage them.”

Ban Yong-gwol was deeply moved after hearing the warm story.

However, Ban Yong-gwol had other business.

“I want to repay the favor, Lord Yoo.”

“It’s okay. I heard you’re not well off either?”

“That’s not it. There is a better way.”

“A good way?”

“I heard that in addition to this casino, Mr. Yoo also raided two other casinos.”

“···Don’t talk about that.”

Yoo Jin-kwang tried to cut off the conversation, but Ban Yong-gwol did not stop.

“Actually, there is a competitor in the city… no, another casino. Did you know that?”

“This is the first time I’ve heard of that.”

“I thought so. Our three branches are relatively sound, but the gambling houses there are of very poor quality. They are gambling houses run by people who call themselves black dealers. Of course, they are only afraid of people like me, but to Yoo Daehyeop, they are just pyramids.”

“What does it mean when the quality is bad?”

“It is common for them to pay off debts through gambling. They capture and sell off debtors or their families, and even harm people as an example. They are the worst people in the church. People who gamble at casinos are also in a serious situation. It is common for them to steal things or harm people in order to enter the gambling table.”

Although it was obvious that Ban Yong-gwol was very nervous, he looked straight into Yoo Jin-gwang’s eyes and explained the situation.

For Ban Yong-gwol, this story may have been the gamble of a lifetime.

However, Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong frowned.

According to Ban Yong-gwol’s story, the situation at the casino was clearly serious. However, the problem was that Ban Yong-gwol’s intention in bringing up the story seemed too transparent. A competitor? Isn’t that too shallow a trick?

Dang Mu-jin thought that Yoo Jin-kwang would get angry.

And as expected, Yoo Jin-kwang got angry like fire.

“Speak sense!”

Ban Yong-gwol was startled and fell to the ground.

“I’m sorry! I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me for this once.”

“How could I forget a story I’ve heard once? There are such heinous people in the world… I can’t forgive them!”

But the direction of the anger was a little strange.

Even Yoo Jin-kwang looked at Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong’s expressions while getting angry.

“···.”

Yoo Jin-kwang was a man who could be called a cheerful person.

When he stood before the enemy with his sword in hand, he never retreated. He did not look around or look after his own safety.

However, Yoo Jin-kwang, who did not hold a sword, was not that cheerful.

Eugene Kwang’s voice became more and more powerful.

“If you listen to the stories of those who will tear you to pieces and hide your body, then there is nothing a swordsman of the righteous faction can do. I must end you tonight. Tell me where you are right now.”

Ban Yong-gwol rubbed his hands and bowed.

“Hehehe. Can I take the lead?”

“That’s right. If the saints become peaceful, it will also help the Tang family. There may be some who are not completely corrupted yet, so we may be able to guide them to the right path…”

“Of course. You are a deep thinker.”

“All of this is merit, and it is also the path that a Taoist should pursue.”

Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong watched the backs of the two people without saying anything.

Soon, the backs of Yoo Jin-kwang and Ban Yong-gwol disappeared into the night streets of Seongdo.

After quite some time had passed, Dang Mu-jin opened his mouth.

“stringer.”

“why?”

“Don’t tell anyone what happened tonight.”

“···Let’s just forget about it.”

Dang Mu-jin and Hyeon-gong trembled with inexplicable shame.