Episode 232: Nogunsan

Being oblivious doesn’t mean you don’t care if you hurt someone’s feelings. It just means you’re slow to realize when you have.

In fact, those who know they’re oblivious often try even harder to gauge the other person’s mood when they suspect they’ve upset them.

Dang Mujin was exactly that kind of person.

People tend to be honest and emotional at night, but by the next morning, they become rational and clear-headed.

Reflecting on the conversation from the previous night, Dang Mujin regretted his words.

“I bet she’s really upset.”

He had been too honest with his thoughts. Anxiously, he watched Mok Wana for any signs of her mood.

“Maybe I should’ve been more tactful.”

Of course, Mok Wana wasn’t the type to hold a grudge against him, nor did she have any reason to.

Still, it’s only right to be considerate of the person next to you, especially when you’re alone together.

As Dang Mujin fidgeted nervously, Mok Wana also felt awkward.

They both tried to start a conversation, but it kept fizzling out into short exchanges.

In the midst of this awkward silence, Mok Wana finally spoke up.

“Don’t worry too much about what we talked about last night. I’m actually glad you were honest.”

”…Really?”

“Besides, I was the one who brought it up, wasn’t I? You just answered.”

Mok Wana, with her naturally positive disposition, didn’t misinterpret Dang Mujin’s cautious demeanor and took it in stride.

In the past, Dang Mujin would have been relieved that the issue was resolved and would have worn a satisfied smile.

But after spending time with Dan Seol-young, he learned an important lesson.

Just because someone says they’re okay doesn’t mean you should immediately change your attitude.

If you act too casually, the seemingly resolved feelings might become unsettled again.

“Thank you for understanding.”

Maintaining a demeanor about thirty percent more considerate than usual, Dang Mujin continued deeper into Nogunsan with Mok Wana.

Navigating the precarious paths along the high cliffs of Nogunsan is no easy feat. One misstep could send you plummeting down the steep ravine.

The paths are often worn and damaged.

But wandering below the cliffs is even more challenging.

The soil, heavy with moisture, clings to your feet, and the humidity thickens. There’s hardly a place to rest, even when your legs ache.

Insects constantly crawl into your clothes, and if you try to rest, wild animals approach stealthily.

At least at the entrance of Nogunsan, you could guess your location. But as they ventured into the untouched depths, even that became difficult.

“I mustn’t lose my sense of direction.”

Dang Mujin frequently climbed trees to check the sun’s position.

On the third day of wandering Nogunsan, Mok Wana suddenly stopped and looked up.

Dang Mujin halted as well and asked, “Are your legs tired?”

“No. I think I smell something unfamiliar.”

With a serious expression, Mok Wana sniffed the air.

“I wasn’t mistaken. There’s a strange scent.”

Dang Mujin tried to detect the scent but found nothing unusual.

All he could smell was the familiar damp earth, grass, and the faint musk of animals.

“I can’t smell anything.”

“Doesn’t it smell a bit like bitterwood flowers or maybe mugwort?”

“Not at all.”

Mok Wana had a keen sense of smell, so she wouldn’t have imagined it.

Thus, Dang Mujin checked for any toxins in the air.

A strange scent could be linked to the unfamiliar toxins they had encountered in Nogunsan.

But he detected no toxins.

“No toxins here.”

As Dang Mujin murmured, Mok Wana suggested, “Should we head towards the scent?”

“Let’s do that.”

They weren’t moving with a specific destination in mind anyway. Dang Mujin nodded and walked with Mok Wana.

But before they could take many steps, Mok Wana suddenly stopped, startled.

“Toxins!”

“I don’t sense anything. Where?”

“My leg, my foot! I think something bit me.”

Dang Mujin quickly gestured to a nearby rock.

“Sit on that rock!”

The two climbed onto a flat rock.

Dang Mujin gently lifted the hem of Mok Wana’s skirt to reveal her calf, and Mok Wana shook out her shoe.

Sure enough, a small, unfamiliar insect fell out of her shoe, and another clung to her ankle. It was about the size of a grain of rice, with tiny wings.

“What kind of bug is this?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen it before.”

“Well, we don’t know the names of many bugs, but… How’s the bite?”

“It’s a strange toxin, but it’s nothing serious.”

Only after speaking did Mok Wana blush with embarrassment. Dang Mujin also felt a bit awkward and turned away.

Women don’t usually show their bare feet to strangers.

Aside from his childhood and Dan Seol-young, this was the first time Dang Mujin had seen a woman’s feet.

Perhaps that’s why Mok Wana’s feet left a vivid impression. Her face was pale, but her feet and ankles were even paler, with blue veins visible beneath the skin.

Ahem, ahem. Dang Mujin cleared his throat a couple of times and rolled up his pant leg.

Sure enough, a bug identical to the one on Mok Wana’s leg was on his own.

Dang Mujin was about to brush it off when Mok Wana, now wearing her shoes again, asked, “What’s wrong? Want me to get it for you?”

“No. I want to see what kind of toxin it is.”

When Dang Mujin gently provoked the bug, it scurried around before finally biting his calf.

He felt a tiny amount of toxin seep into his leg. It was indeed a new kind of toxin.

Dang Mujin, with his high resistance to toxins, found it hard to determine its effects from such a small amount.

But he could tell it was quite potent for a small insect. An ordinary person might be seriously affected by even this small amount.

Dang Mujin found the situation a bit disappointing.

“If only there were more of it, it could be useful.”

He brushed off the bug and remarked, “Looks like people who came here got bitten by these bugs.”

“Seems like it.”

“Should we go back to the village and warn them to avoid this area?”

“Hmm…”

Mok Wana seemed unsatisfied, and Dang Mujin agreed that it wasn’t enough.

There was no guarantee the bugs were confined to this area, and they had no solution for the toxin.

Moreover, it was a rare opportunity to study a new toxin, and it felt wasteful to leave it unexplored.

Sensing Dang Mujin’s thoughts, Mok Wana suggested, “Since it’s a new toxin, why don’t we go a bit further? There might be a connection between the scent and the toxin.”

“Shall we?”

They both stood up and continued walking.

At first, only a few bugs clung to them, but as they went further, more and more swarmed them.

Dang Mujin and Mok Wana, with their high toxin resistance, could brush them off easily, but an ordinary person might not survive.

In hindsight, it was wise to leave their friends in the city.

After a long trek, the bugs suddenly disappeared as if by magic.

Instead, a strong scent filled the air, one that even Dang Mujin could detect. It was a bitter yet refreshing aroma, unlike anything he’d smelled before.

“Is this the scent you mentioned earlier?”

“Yes.”

As they moved forward, they came upon a large clearing in the forest. It was vast, filled with plants they had never seen before.

This was unusual. In untouched forests, various plants usually grow together.

Some plants, like pine or walnut trees, can inhibit the growth of others.

In a pine forest, for example, only a few plants like azaleas or raspberries might grow.

But this clearing had no such weeds. It was rare, if not unheard of, for a single plant to dominate so completely.

“It’s like someone farmed this place.”

“You couldn’t farm like this. There aren’t even any weeds.”

While Dang Mujin pondered, Mok Wana crouched down, plucking leaves and stems to taste.

Dang Mujin crouched beside her, watching her chew the plants like a calf.

“How is it?”

After some thought, Mok Wana replied, “I can’t tell if it’s toxic. But it does taste unfamiliar.”

Dang Mujin also chewed some leaves but couldn’t discern much. All he tasted was bitterness.

Just as he was about to suggest heading back, he noticed a man standing quietly about five paces away. He hadn’t been there when they crouched down.

The man had an unusual appearance.

Dang Mujin had traveled across the entire Central Plains, yet he had never encountered anyone quite like this man.

Though not particularly large, the man appeared as solid as a rock, with features more pronounced than most and skin of a darker hue.

It wasn’t the sun-kissed tan like Dan Seol-young’s; it seemed to be his natural skin color.

“Is he a Sogdian?”

Merchants from the Western Regions came in all shapes and colors. Some had pale faces and blond hair, others had blue eyes and red hair.

Occasionally, there were those with exceptionally dark skin, similar to this man’s. They claimed to be from India.

Yet, there was something different about this man compared to those he had met from India. It was hard to pinpoint, but his features were distinct.

More concerning than his appearance, however, was the man’s martial prowess.

Dang Mujin hadn’t sensed a thing as the man approached within five paces.

“At the very least, he’s on par with me.”

As Dang Mujin moved to shield Mok Wana behind him and reached for his waist, the mysterious man drew his sword and charged at him.

Clang—

Dang Mujin swiftly unsheathed his own sword, blocking the attack.

Unbeknownst to him, this move wasn’t something he had learned from his master. It was a skill he had picked up naturally while sparring with the martial artists of the Demonic Sect in the backyard of the Tang family estate.

Though the initial strike was effectively blocked, the man seemed unfazed, launching a series of relentless attacks at Dang Mujin.

He deflected the horizontal slashes with a tilted blade and evaded the vertical strikes with a nimble step.

“He’s not from the Central Plains. That’s for sure.”

Dang Mujin was more convinced by the man’s swordplay than his appearance that he hailed from a distant land.

The man’s technique, while not as refined as the swordsmanship of the Central Plains, was wild and fierce, more so than any style named after tigers or wolves.

Yet, there was a consistency to his movements, indicating a unique martial system.

Seizing an opportunity, Dang Mujin infused his sword with inner strength and forcefully pushed the man back, shouting, “Who are you to attack without warning?”

The man rolled his eyes but remained silent.

Dang Mujin recognized the reaction. Many foreign merchants were like that, not fluent in the language of the Central Plains.

After a moment’s hesitation, the man lowered his stance again.

Whether he didn’t understand, thought words unnecessary, or intended to subdue first, Dang Mujin couldn’t tell.

His left hand reached into his robe. Though he was slightly outmatched in pure swordplay, he believed he could gain the upper hand with his poison techniques.

Just as they were about to clash again, a different voice rang out.

“Stop!”

It was a woman’s voice.

But Dang Mujin wasn’t swayed by such a call. When holding a sword, only he and his opponent mattered.

Ignoring the voice, he aimed his sword at the man once more. However, the man sheathed his sword without hesitation.

To put away one’s sword with an enemy before you was puzzling enough, but what happened next was even more baffling.

The man bowed his head toward the source of the voice, acting as if Dang Mujin, sword in hand, was of no consequence.

“What does he take me for?”

Dang Mujin briefly considered striking the man’s exposed neck but decided against it.

Above all, he didn’t want to display such behavior in front of Mok Wana.

He turned his gaze to the owner of the voice.

She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, with large eyes and striking features similar to the man he had just faced. Her skin was nearly as dark as his.

Her attire was peculiar. Despite the humid warmth, she wore several layers of long clothing, as if she were sensitive to the cold.

The woman looked at Dang Mujin and Mok Wana with a hint of surprise.

But she quickly regained her composure and, with a commanding presence, called out, “Who are you to have made it past the Blood Dragon Worms to get here?”

Though a response was expected, there was a small problem.

”…What did she say?”

Her pronunciation was so awkward that Dang Mujin and Mok Wana couldn’t quite grasp her words.