episode_0040

*** ***

After the morning storm passed, Tang Do-gyeong gathered all the ronin together, demonstrated martial arts, and sang the Gugyeol.

Tang Dao-jing simply explained the entire Meng Tiger Quan method to Sichuan Nangren.

[I understand the first seven formulas of the [Fighting Tiger Fist].]

[I have learned the one-second form of the Fierce Tiger Fist [Martial Arts: Gaho Chulsu].]

[I have learned the three-second method of fierce tiger fist [Martial Attack: Fierce Tiger Attack].]

[I have learned the four-pointed approach of the Fierce Tiger Fist [Martial Arts: Light and Seven Strikes].]

[I have acquired the Five Chosik [Martial Arts: Half-Yeon-Ji-Two] of the Fierce Tiger Fist method.]

[I have learned the six-second method of fierce fighting techniques [Martial Arts: Eight Strikes].]

[I have learned the Seven Seconds method of Fierce Tiger Fist [Martial Arts: Tiger Strike].]

I also learned hard. In fact, this Fierce Tiger Fist technique was inferior in many ways to being considered a transcendental martial art, but compared to the martial arts that I can currently learn, it was of a far higher level, so it was right to learn it even if I could not use it.

Since I learned Lee Cho-sik [Martial Arts: Double Tiger Fist] previously, I have learned all 7 forms of the Feng Shui Fist.

“ Due to the lack of this Tang Mo, the Fierce Tiger Fist Technique is at best a poor martial art that only has a general sense. However, I hope that it will be of help to those who are in need.”

The Ronins showed their support and expressed their gratitude.

I sighed as I looked at Dang Do-gyeong, who was having a heart-warming conversation with the ronin people as he looked like he was embracing them. Actually, I still don’t understand Dang Do-gyeong’s choice…

“Senior.”

“Ah, why am I still so distraught?”

“Aren’t you curious about Dang Do-gyeong’s personal history?”

I turned my head towards the black cat. Before I knew it, he had put away the puffery and seemed to have become a little more serious.

“Do you know anything?”

“What kind of information does the senior want?”

I looked at the black cat for a moment and then shook my head. I had guessed that Black Cat was a person who worked in the shadows in his own way. Since it is the climax or the climax that is close to the climax, of course it will be a hit.

It is not strange to have information about Tang Tao Sutra.

Listening to the story from the black cat wasn’t a bad option, but I shook my head.

“I need to make sure of this. Let’s go listen.”

*** ***

In the alley of Soyo Gaekjan, I ordered a black cat to relieve my inner strength.

A master of the Tang Dynasty that I had seen yesterday appeared and seemed to be spying on me, and then a Tang Dokgi appeared in the alley. Just looking at his dark complexion, it seemed like he was very worried about Tang Do-gyeong.

“You are also very brave. I would have thought that the person who came out with the guest at that time was the person responsible for that incident.”

It seems that Tang Dok-gi remembered me from when I met Yu Sa-yeon.

Even though my face was covered with black lips, experts could just read my body type and the habits my body had picked up anyway.

Tang Dok-gi seemed to have no idea of my intention in coming to see him.

“I came here to ask you a few questions.”

“Ha…you are truly shameless.”

Tang Dok-gi’s eyes were filled with life.

“If only you hadn’t caused a commotion in front of Golden Street back then…! No…no…hehe…it just happened.”

Tang Doki waved his hand wordlessly. Does this mean that I should just say what I have to say and leave?

“If you are to be isolated, what do you plan to do with your brother?”

“I don’t know. Me too..! How could I guess that this is the first time in the history of the Tang family? I have no choice but to do my best to prevent it so that there is no punishment.”

Is this the first time in the history of the party? The isolation itself is a big deal… but the crime itself is light, so I don’t know what will happen.

“It may be a rude question, but may I ask why your brother has such animosity toward the family?”

“Haha, that’s a really rude question. Why are you coming to me like this?”

“Don’t you need to know the cause so you can take action? If you want to change your brother’s mind, you must first find out why he changed his mind.”

I don’t know Tang Do-gyeong’s personal history.

However, I know Tang Tao-jing’s characteristics, abilities, and martial arts list. Dang Do-gyeong’s battle pattern is also sharp.

The Dan Do-kyung I knew was someone who would never choose the option of isolation.

So I was confused.

In order to resolve this confusion, I needed to know more about the person named Tang Do-kyung. Even if it is just to narrow the gap between the choices made by the human being I know and the information I know about Tang Do-kyung.

“…This story should never be revealed to the outside world.”

Black Cat and I nodded. Because there was nothing left to do by spreading the story of the party. And they say they know about black cats anyway.

“Do you know about the direct, collateral and non-lineage systems of the party family?”

“Yes.”

In most families, the lineage is direct from the head of the family. And the rest become collateral lineage.

But the price is different.

There are too many people using the Tang family name for the Tang family to be trapped in such a vertical structure. That is why the party [selects] its direct descendants.

Although the Dang family consists only of members with the Dang surname, the form of the organization is closer to a sect rather than a segment. Among the thousands of Tang clans, only those who were talented in martial arts were gathered together to form a sect called the Tang clan.

In a typical Sega, external people are hired to make up for the lack of heads, but there is no need for the Tang family, which has enough members just for the Tang clan.

Adding to this is the unique fact that the Tang family’s main martial arts are dark techniques and dragon poison techniques. In order to use cancer techniques and dragon poison techniques, you must continue to produce poison and magic, and the more magic and poison you consume, the more power an individual can show off.

Not just mass-produced products, but those who are truly qualified to memorize the secret scriptures of the Tang School or use the secret poison, and who specialize in the magic and dragon poison techniques, are the direct descendants of the Jinshin martial arts of the Tang School.

And the collaterals are ordinary warriors who are not allowed to use the Tang family’s secret memorization or blind poison, but are allowed to learn the Tang family’s martial arts.

Martial arts refers to people who have the Tang surname but do not use martial arts professionally.

Although they are considered martial, they are also important workers of the Tang family. Gatherers who collect ingredients to make poison, merchants who buy various ingredients, artisans who learn iron-making techniques to make poison, pharmacists who combine poisons or medicine, etc.

Unlike the clans that only deal with martial arts, the Tang family has comprehensive capabilities, which is why they call themselves the Tang family and not the Tang family.

“Dividing the direct lineage and collateral lineage was not only about level of talent, but also to take into account the differences in the nature of the direct lineage and collateral lineage. Those who had talents suitable for the Tang family’s arcane skills were classified as direct descendants, and those who were not suited for the Tang family’s arcane skills but were born with general martial qualities were classified as collateral.”

“The problem is…yes, the problem probably began when the war with the Sa sects broke out in Sacheon.”

Tang Dok-gi sighed.

“The number of non-memorizing machines that the Tang Family could produce was limited, so in order to increase its strength in the war against Sa Sect, it had no choice but to drastically increase its collateral, not the direct line. After the war with Sapa, our party’s territory expanded greatly. They couldn’t handle it, so they gave up the territory to other clans. But does it end with the occupation of a sphere of influence?”

“Probably not.”

“Miscellaneous disturbances continued to occur. That’s why the collateral worked hard. Direct relatives can handle the plot, but memorization and reading are their main strengths. Since it was difficult to throw a special memorization or detoxify the miscellaneous commotion, collaterals had no choice but to come to the rescue.”

“As time passed and things stabilized, everyone in the Tang family thought of the collateral when it came to famous masters. Tang Wen-gi, Tang Do-gyeong’s father and my close friend, was also one of those collaterals. There were many people in the collateral world who were excellent at recommending angles, but among them, Mungi was unrivaled.”

“After the war with Sapa, many upheavals occurred in Sacheon. Sacheon nangin. Sichuan Province. Nangya sword. The Jongnam faction’s secret statement… It was just buried in other rumors that shook the whole of Sacheon, and our party family was just as excited as other factions. It’s just that it didn’t leak out.”

“That was the declaration of a direct challenge by the party leader.”

Although Tang Doki did not exactly criticize what he said, he fully understood it. Tang Mun-gi’s challenge would have been an incident that represented the dissatisfaction of collaterals.

“Since all the four factions in Sichuan were uprooted, the number of direct descendants stepping forward was extremely reduced, and those who suffered in the explosively increased area of the Tang family were collaterals…”

“Mungi emphasized that times have changed. Even though he is the one who handles the recommended angle, he asked to be recognized as a direct descendant as long as he has sufficient qualifications and requested to work with the direct descendant.”

“And you lost.”

“Haha, right.”

I don’t know how strong Tang Wenqi was. However, there is no way he can win in a serious relationship with his direct descendants.

Why do martial artists who represent clans and families represent those groups? Because it is the strongest. If Hwasan’s Plum Blossom Sword Technique was weaker than the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, then why would Hwasan become a sword sword? It would have been a long sentence. The same goes for party prices.

Cancer technology has its own characteristics.

The idea is that if you make a lot of money, you become stronger. Is the secret memorization machine that the craftsmen trained with all their might at the Tang family produce once a week or a month at best really weak? Because it is so valuable, even the party makes it even if they can only make one a week.

Even if Kwon Ryong was born in the Tang family, the recommended angles of the Tang family would inevitably have been lacking in depth compared to the cancer techniques of the Tang family. Even if Amman was talented, he would have been helplessly defeated in the face of the gap in martial arts and the power of money.

“It was a painful defeat for Moongi. Hehe… Where did Do-kyung’s temper come from? It was all inherited from Moongi. Mungi, who was defeated by his direct lineage, broke his will and returned to martial arts… and Do-gyeong… was very shocked to see his father like that.”

“Is that what happened?”

“Mungi’s challenge was a turning point in the party. It served as an opportunity to narrow the distance between the direct line and the collateral line, and it also served as an opportunity for the leadership to hear the activities and voices of the collateral lineage. However, Do-kyung stopped practicing memorization in which he excelled and suddenly turned to the recommended angle.”

After that, did he become the current fighting dog, Dang Do-gyeong?

“Would this be helpful?”

“Yes. Thank you for your words.”

The young Dang Do-gyeong embarked on the path of Gyeonggi-gak in order to restore his father’s honor. However, while Tang Do-gyeong was growing up, his father’s work became a thing of the past. As the distance between the immediate and collateral world narrowed, naturally, the discontent of the collateral world would have subsided, and Tang Dao-gyeong would have truly become a source of sorrow for the Tang family.

A reckless person who keeps bringing up events from the past that have already been concluded well. That must have been the way the leadership viewed the party leader.

What would it have been like from Tang Do-gyeong’s perspective? What did you think as you looked at the party family becoming more harmonious as the years passed?

Is Dang Do-gyeong, who developed German martial arts and devoted himself to that goal in order to achieve the goal he set for himself as a child, really just a young child who does not know his family’s intentions? Or is he a great person who has had a firm will since he was young?

Is the changed party name a mistake? Is the unyielding Tang Dao-gyeong wrong?

It was difficult.

Tang Dok-gi returned to his guest house, and as I looked at his back, I became lost in thought.

“Senior.”

“…Why?”

“From your perspective, didn’t this end ideally?”

In a way, Black Cat’s words hit the nail on the head.

“Since Tang Do-kyung declared isolation, all the little things like rumors about the senior will be swept away, so things have worked out well for the senior, so there is no need for the senior to step forward now.”

“…what.”

What was the reason for initially trying to get Dang Do-gyeong out of Rongin Gaekjan as soon as possible? If a rumor spreads that Dang Do-gyeong is coming in and out of the guesthouse to compete with me in battle, my reputation will increase day by day.

And now you don’t have to worry about that anymore.

Tang Do-gyeong’s bet is not important anymore. The fact that Tang Do-gyeong declared separation from the Tang family is important in itself. He confidently stated that it is good for ronin to attend ronin guesthouses. Rumors about people going to the Ronin Gaekjan for gambling will also die down.

Now, the whereabouts of Hyeok-bi and the evil surrounding him are no longer important.

It can’t be helped once a rumor spreads, but the news that will be on people’s lips for a while is Tang Tao-gyeong’s declaration of excommunication, not the bet over Blood Jade Fei.

So, I had nothing to lose whether Dang Do-gyeong was cut off in a week or not.

In general, in the Murim Sega, being cut off is the same as being excommunicated from another sect, and it is common to disfigure one’s body so that one can never again perform the martial arts learned in the sect or Sega. Even if it is a moderate measure, abolishing power cuts is fundamental.

Of course, considering that excommunication is usually a judgment made in situations where a crime is committed at a level that cannot be washed away, Tang Do-kyung, who has not committed any serious crimes, may just have his last name taken away.

Even if Tang Tao-kyung becomes a ruined person due to excessive punishment, no matter what kind of life he lives, it is a path he chose on his own and has nothing to do with me.

“No merit.”

However, there is a reason to intervene with Tang Dao-gyeong.

Because the decisions made by Tang Tao-gyeong, which I have seen in the martial world, and the Tang Tao-kyung of the martial arts world that has now become reality, are very different.

Tang Tao Jing, who has achieved enlightenment, gains new characteristics.

That characteristic is [family love].

When working with other colleagues with the Dang surname, it was also a trait that raised ability levels or sometimes saved colleagues by using memorization when colleagues with high affinity were in danger.

Since it is a Buddhist scripture that awakens such characteristics when one attains enlightenment, it was assumed that affection for family would naturally lurk within it. Therefore, I thought that if a situation came into which I was in extreme conflict with my family, I would have no choice but to break my stubbornness and respond to it.

“What?”

“You learned martial arts.”

So, I will enlighten Tang Tao-gyeong and check. What is enlightenment? How far can the power of enlightenment change a person? Like a game, can Dang Do-kyung, who chose to live alone, open his eyes to family love just by understanding a few words?

Since I couldn’t declare that I would give enlightenment to Tang Tao-gyeong, I made an excuse for not doing anything.

“Heung~”

As I thought it was a poor excuse, I had no choice but to remain silent in front of the black cat who snorted as if it was not funny.

“Well, let’s leave it like that.”

I decided to give Tang Tao-gyeong enlightenment.

However, he had no intention of receiving a silver medal from Tang Do-gyeong.

Eunwonpae only has meaning if you hand it to someone in person. Since the silver medal itself is almost a blank check, you can handle the matter without hesitation only if you make it clear in advance.

If you get caught thinking that this incident has given you enlightenment, there is really no way to turn back.

So, we need to create a situation and environment so that people don’t think I gave it to them.

It didn’t seem like it would be impossible to spread enlightenment if one got the cooperation of the guests and did some similar work.

The name is Tang Do-gyeong’s Enlightenment Sleeve Operation.

“I don’t know why you pretend not to be like that. If you like Dang Do-kyung, just say you’ll go.”

“Ha.”

Black Cat’s misunderstanding was so absurd that he just snorted. I was just curious whether enlightenment could change people even in situations like now.

I remember Dang Do-gyeong retreating neatly even in the midst of his anger.

You can never admire Tang Tao-gyeong’s fearless side or feel the passion that Tang Tao-kyung has within you while learning the fierce tiger fist method that you created on your own.

In the conversation between Dang Do-gyeong and Dang Do-ki, I heard Dang Do-gyeong’s inner thoughts and came to support him.

In any case, if the dantian is blocked or the tendon is cut, I will leave it behind and think of it every time I sleep.

I am not paying any attention to the words of Dan Do-kyung, who praised me for good distribution.

“Hmm~ I see~ I don’t like you at all~.”

I left the black cat’s teasing behind me and headed to Rongin Gaekjan, who was slandering me for deciding to give enlightenment to Dang Do-gyeong without any self-interest, just out of pure curiosity.