Tangmunjeon - Chapter 406



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Tangmunjeon Episode 406

First prize

The long-awaited full moon of autumn is just one day away.

Some of the sects that had said they would participate in the Jeongma War did not send any personnel. However, it was not a wise decision to delay by saying that they would add a few personnel and then miss the departure date.

As the sun began to set, Dang Mu-jin sat on the veranda and watched the faces of the people coming and going from the communal area, feeling inwardly amazed.

‘···That’s amazing.’

Dang Mu-jin and his three friends, Man-ryeok Seung, Neung-gwang-geom, and even Nam-gung Jin-cheon, who was thought to be dead.

Everyone except Youngbo Jinin, the supreme master of the Jeongpa, gathered together.

Even though there are no Jeongpa warriors, there are three-eyed Buddhas, so there are a whopping eight of the best masters in this place.

Unlike when they first heard the story of the leader’s inaction, the hearts of the people gathered in the common sect were filled with confidence. They had gathered a force far beyond their expectations, so it seemed that they would be able to cut off the leader’s head without difficulty.

Hong Geol-gae appeared and spoke to Dang Mu-jin.

“Dang Mu-jin. Are you still here after packing your bags?”

“I packed everything a long time ago.”

The preparations of the Jeongpa Unmanned did not end with gathering personnel. Each person brought their own elixir and extra weapons, and in order not to waste time procuring food, they also brought enough bikgokdan and dried food.

If you follow the guidance of the Kunlun School masters and just replenish your water supply, there is no reason to stop until you reach the Demonic Cult.

The Jeongpa warriors slowly approached the Demonic Cult and had no intention of asking for a fair fight.

Rather, they planned to move towards the Demonic Cult at high speed and then make a surprise attack on the Demonic Cult.

In normal times, there might have been some who would have expressed their displeasure, saying, “How could a soldier of the political faction surprise an opponent?” However, among the soldiers of the political faction at the moment, there were not many who cared about their reputation.

It’s been only three years since the First World War broke out.

Three years was too short a time to forget the empty space of the dead and to assert one’s pride.

While Dang Mu-jin was deep in thought, Namgung Myeong, who was in the room, called out to Dang Mu-jin.

“Dang Mu-jin. Why did you bring this?”

When I looked back, I saw a dice in Namgung Myung’s hand. It was a dice made of paulownia wood with blunt, worn corners.

“Oh, that? It’s something that the old man Daepunggae Pangcheon gave me a long time ago.”

Hong Geol-gae’s teacher, Daepung-gae Pang-cheon, gave Dang Mu-jin a set of dice and told him that one day, these dice would help him make decisions.

But now, Dang Mu-jin had something to ask Nam Gung-myeong first.

“···But why do you have it?”

“I was checking to see if you packed your bags properly. It would be a shame if you remembered something you forgot to pack after you left.”

Dang Mu-jin shook his head. That damn habit.

Hong Geol-gae asked Dang Mu-jin.

“Have you ever used those dice?”

“Of course I didn’t use it.”

At that time, Dang Mu-jin did not believe Peng Cheon’s story. To be exact, he did not believe in Taoism itself.

I thought that magic was just a trick that swindlers on the street would use. If the person who gave me the dice hadn’t been my friend’s teacher, I would have thrown them away long ago.

However, after seeing the Taoist techniques performed by the Taoists of Kunlun Mountain, Tang Wujin’s thoughts changed.

Daepunggae Pengcheon was once a Taoist monk of Kunlun Mountain. He was even said to be able to read the weather, so those dice must have been a magical item.

But Dang Mu-jin hasn’t rolled the dice yet.

“···I don’t think I’ll use it in the future either.”

“why?”

“Why, why? Because I have no use for it.”

Looking back, the path given to Dang Mu-jin was always clear.

I’ve rarely had to worry about whether I should take this path or that path.

Also, Dang Mu-jin was a person who believed that he should do what was right and what had to be done rather than doing what seemed like it would result in a good outcome.

That was his father’s teaching, his teacher’s teaching, and the truth of life that Dang Mu-jin realized.

There was no room for dice in Dang Mu-jin’s life.

“Still, it’s a bit of a waste.”

“Besides, the Kunlun School masters used to say that. The author who is the Emperor of Heaven or something is mean. What if I trust the dice and act and the result comes out badly? What if the Emperor of Heaven was just joking? It would be better to trust my judgment and act.”

“But, since it was given to me by the Master, it can’t be an ordinary dice.”

“There’s no reason to roll dice unless your life is at stake, and there’s no reason to trust the dice when your life is at stake. It’s a trap.”

Dang Mu-jin’s opinion was firm. Hong Geol-gae snickered when he heard that story.

“A precious object has fallen into your hands. It’s like putting pearls on a pig’s neck.”

“I’m sure it’s not just me. Are you confident that you can put the dice ahead of your own judgment at the most crucial moment?”

Hong Geol-gae thought quietly and then shook his head.

Dang Mu-jin extended his hand toward Namgung Myung.

“Give it to me.”

Namgung Myung put the dice in Dang Mujin’s hand. Dang Mujin fiddled with the blunt edge of the dice and asked his friends.

“Does anyone need these dice?”

No one answered. Not only Dang Mu-jin and Hong Geol-gae, but also Nam-gung Myeong and Hyeon-gong had no intention of entrusting important decisions to dice. They were also a bit reluctant about things like sorcery and such.

“Then, should I just give it to anyone?”

When Dang Mu-jin asked, Nam Gung-myeong answered.

“It’s yours, so do whatever you want with it. But don’t give it to Yoo Dae-hyeop.”

Dang Mu-jin nodded. Even if he gave these dice to Yoo Jin-kwang, it was clear that he would only use them at the gambling table.

“Then who should I give it to?”

There wasn’t anyone who seemed particularly desperate.

Just as Dang Mu-jin was about to put the dice back into his backpack, Hong Geol-gae spoke.

“How about giving it to the person in charge of the business?”

“Are you a senior citizen?”

“The situation of the common faction is not easy. It would be good if Jang Moon-in had at least one thing to lean on.”

It’s a plausible answer. Dang Mu-jin and his party went straight to find Sang Gwal-do-in.

*

The monk Shang Gwal showed curiosity after hearing the explanation about the history of the dice.

“It’s a dice that might be wise… How interesting.”

Dang Mu-jin nodded calmly.

“I hope this will help the community.”

But the manager smiled leisurely and answered.

“Like you, I have no intention of leaving important decisions of the community to the mercy of dice.”

“Is that so?”

It doesn’t look like an ordinary dice, but it’s still completely useless.

Dang Mu-jin tried to get the dice back, but Sang Gwal-do-in was just fiddling with the dice.

“In my opinion, these dice are not meant for making choices, but rather for divination.”

“You’re telling fortunes?”

“There are six marks. If it’s a great omen, it will show one mark. If it’s a great fortune, it will show six marks. Since we’re on the subject, how about asking the dice whether the outcome of the Jeongma Battle will be good or bad?”

Dang Mu-jin felt uncomfortable with the proposal.

“What if the results are bad?”

“The Emperor said it was mean, so you can ignore it. But if it turns out well, you can believe it. It’s not much different from the stories of fortune tellers on the street.”

Dang Mu-jin thought quietly and then shook his head.

“I hope you don’t ask about the outcome of the Jeongma War. I’d be worried if it turns out to be ominous.”

“I see. Then let’s ask the dice about the future of the commonwealth.”

The dice player fiddled with the dice for a moment, then rolled them with a light movement of his hand.

The dice stopped with one mark, then rolled sideways twice in a somewhat unnatural manner, showing six marks.

The six marks are the ace of the dice.

Unlike his previous attitude of regarding dice as mere toys, only then did the dice master let out a deep sigh of relief.

“···Good.”

Hong Geol-gae asked with a grin.

“You spoke so calmly, but I guess you were worried.”

“There were so many hardships in the joint faction. When it came time to roll the dice, I started to worry too late. But I’m glad that the horoscope turned out good.”

The Sangbaldoin and Gongdongpa have been through all sorts of hardships over the past few years.

However, since Jang Moon-in was in a lonely position, the Sang Gwal-doin could not open his heart to anyone. If Jang Moon-in showed signs of wavering, the Gongdong-pa’s Taoists would also waver.

Since the dice were not the responsibility of the person in charge of the Sanggwaldoin, and since there were no other disciples of the common faction in this place, the Sanggwaldoin could roll the dice and divine good or bad fortune.

The sage spoke while fiddling with the six marks on the dice.

“Thanks to you all, my heart has found peace.”

“You just gave me something useless.”

When Dang Mu-jin answered humbly, Sang Gwal-do-in smiled gently.

“Now that the Kunlun faction has retreated, the Gongdong faction can be said to be at the forefront of the war against the Demonic Cult. And the fact that the Gongdong faction has a bright future means that the outcome of the Jeongsa War will also be very bright.”

The chieftain paid tribute to the party leaders and their friends by giving them lottery tickets.

“I sincerely hope that the great heroes achieve what they wish for in the Battle of Jeongma. I sincerely hope that they return safely and spread their fame far and wide.”

“It must be so.”

Dang Mu-jin and his three friends also paid their respects to Sang Gwal-do-in.

*

The next day, the Jeongpa’s unmanned forces left the Gongdongpa and headed west.

Everyone’s expressions were a little stiff, but no one seemed afraid. The people around them were too trustworthy to be afraid.

Namgung Myung secretly went to the side of his father and Namgung Se, ‘Cheonnyeonggae Honggyeon’ led the Gaebongdo, and Hyeon-gong received the Songmungogeom and stood in front of the shamans.

Likewise, Dang Mu-jin was with the people of Dangga. To his left were the Sam-an-bul and the martial artists of the Demonic Cult, and to his right was Nam-ung.

Dang Mu-jin asked Nam-woong.

“You want to go back to Haenam and become a fisherman?”

“I think so.”

“Isn’t it a shame? That level of martial arts achievement is no ordinary achievement…”

“I realized this after watching Elder Jang Il-nam for five years. Living with a sword in your hand because you’re good at fighting doesn’t seem like a good path to take.”

“I’m not saying you have to go around killing people. How about at least getting a military rank?”

Nam Woong nodded after thinking seriously.

“It doesn’t matter… I think that’ll be okay.”

The day he encountered the pirates, Nam-woong’s life was turned upside down.

And there was no law that said pirates couldn’t come to Haenam Island again. There were many pirates on the large and small islands around Haenam.

Nam-woong thought that if he could raise the level of the military and raise the ability of people to stop pirates, people like him who live deviant lives would disappear.

Of course, it wasn’t like I was willing to completely give up my life as a fisherman for the sake of the cause.

“Even if I open a restaurant, not many people will come, so I can work as a fisherman in my spare time.”

“It would be much better to just focus on your military career. If you set up a military career in a less competitive place like Shanxi Province or the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, you could live a comfortable life.”

But Nam-woong didn’t answer and just smiled. It was clear that he couldn’t give up his obsession with being a fisherman.

Dang Mu-jin didn’t interfere any further. Just as Dang Mu-jin was unable to let go of his medical skills while increasing his achievements in martial arts, Nam-woong couldn’t completely give up his life as a fisherman.

Dang Mu-jin looked around.

Five days after leaving the common faction, the unmanned members of the sect were practicing light exercises all day long, except for when they were sleeping. It was so hard that those who were relatively less accomplished were half-asleep.

‘I think it would be better to take a good rest today.’

As a result of their diligent efforts, the Zhengpa’s unmanned forces reached almost the upper reaches of the Yellow River within five days.

If we were to say that we’ve made about a third of our way to Cheonsan, where the Demonic Cult is located, that would be roughly correct.

And the further you go from here, the harder it becomes to find the village.

Dang Mu-jin recalled the memory of going back and forth to Kunlun Mountain with the peddler Mr. Im last fall.

‘There’s a place to rest… It’s not far away.’

There is an abandoned village at the foot of the mountain in the upper reaches of the Yellow River. Tang Wujin consulted with Yu Yu-do-in, the head of the Kunlun School, about the route of movement, and then shouted loudly.

“Let’s take it easy today! Just try a little harder!”

*

It was still a little early, before the sun had set. The unmanned soldiers of the Jeongpa arrived at the abandoned village.

There are no people, so you can’t buy food or be treated, but the buildings will remain, so you can take a day off to avoid the dew.

Some of the unmanned people sat down in exhaustion. Dangmujin smiled lightly at them and looked around the village.

Before long, Hyun-gong and Dang-mu-jin’s expressions became serious.

“Dangmujin. No matter how I look at it, it seems like people stayed in this village.”

The scenery of the village was a little different than when I came before.

Most of the wooden parts of the building, such as the roof of the guest house and the doors, were torn off.

Even the old tree that stood next to the well in the middle of the village disappeared somewhere, leaving only the stump behind.

Finally, traces of fires were visible here and there in the village.

‘···It’s not a small number of people.’

Judging by the traces of the fire, there were at least several dozen people, and at most over a hundred.

Dang Mu-jin thought deeply.

‘It was around autumn when I and the Taoists of Kunlun Mountain left Kunlun Mountain. Since then, has there been such a large number of people leaving Qinghai Province? Or did they pass through this village and enter Qinghai Province?’

That’s impossible. People wouldn’t have gone into Cheonghae Castle when winter was approaching.

‘That means people have escaped from inside Cheonghae Castle.’

Dang Mu-jin’s heart beat quickly.

If there are people who can escape from the west of Cheonghae Castle, the only one who can do so is the Demonic Cult.

Dang Mu-jin shouted to Yu Yu-do-in and Hyeon-gong.

“Let’s go to the nearby town together. Right now!”

*

At that moment, the head of the Gongdongpa, Sang Gwal Doin, was fiddling with the dice. The lucky dice that showed six marks.

At that time, I felt a lot of people around the Jangmunin room. At first, I thought it was the people of the Gongdongpa, but there were too many of them to think that way.

‘Are these the people who arrived late?’

Before the chief sergeant could come to a conclusion, a person’s presence approached the long-term office.

Knock knock. The door opened and a man appeared.

A man with a gray beard and sharp eyes. The man looked at the monk with a calm gaze. The monk thought that the other man was looking down on him.

The man looked at his opponent. Judging from his upright posture, it was clear that he had learned martial arts, but his martial arts skills were completely indecipherable.

This is the first time I’ve felt this way.

Even when I first encountered the leader of the Gongdongpa during my rookie days, I wasn’t this overwhelmed.

The man felt his chest tightening.

His jaw was shaking. The man clenched his teeth and slowly opened his mouth to ask. Fortunately, his voice did not tremble.

“···Who are you?”

“Yeonchu.”

“This is our first meeting.”

Although it was our first meeting, it was a name I had heard before. The name of the great guardian of the Demonic Cult, or the leader.

The dice player thought as he played with the dice with his left hand.

‘Am I going to die?’

No, that can’t be.

Didn’t the dice clearly say that it was a big win? Didn’t it show six marks?

At that moment, a thought crossed Shang Gwal Do-in’s mind.

‘What day is it today?’

Five days since the day the Jeongpa’s unmanned forces set out for the west.

And six days from the night the dice were thrown. And six marks on the dice.

The manager laughed in vain.

‘Is that what you meant? Has the bad luck that covered the community not yet disappeared?’

Did the paths diverge? Or did the leader wait until the sect’s unmanned forces disappeared?

I don’t know. Even if I knew, it wouldn’t make a difference.

The odds are slim, but at the last minute, there is only one thing a drone can do.

The swordsman grabbed the sword handle with his right hand.

But I couldn’t draw my sword at all. My elbows and shoulders wouldn’t move as I wanted.

“Ugh···.”

The right arm of the sergeant major trembled.

It wasn’t because I was scared. No matter how hard I tried, my arm just wouldn’t move.

The monk with a bright red face groaned for a long time before raising his head. Before he knew it, the cult leader was looking at the monk from three steps away.

The very next moment, the man felt a tingling sensation in his neck.

“Rest in peace.”

The leader said that and then turned around.

The Shang Gwal Do-in did not see the leader draw his sword. However, before he knew it, the leader was holding a sword in his hand that was not even stained with blood.

That was the last sight the guard saw.

A moment later, a fireball burst out from the common area, signaling the start of the Great Battle of Jeongma.