Chapter 369 of “Tangmunjeon”
In the Green Forest
As Hong Geolgae unleashed the Hangryong Yuhwe, the leader of the Green Forest bandits braced himself, crouching low and shielding his body with a metal club and his arms, readying for the impending impact.
Boom!
A deafening noise followed. The unique, heavy energy of the Hangryong Yuhwe enveloped the bandit leader entirely.
It felt as if he was being struck by an invisible iron club. Despite his sturdy defense, he couldn’t prevent himself from being pushed back. Two long lines were drawn in the dirt where his feet had been.
The distance he was forced back was nearly ten meters. Silence fell over the surroundings, as if the world held its breath.
”···.”
To strike an opponent without physical contact—such a feat was unheard of for everyone present, except for Tang Mujin and Hong Geolgae.
The power was extraordinary. Several people standing behind the bandit leader lost their balance and tumbled to the ground.
Bang Woongyeop, who had been watching in awe, finally snapped out of his daze and shouted.
“The legendary martial art of the Beggars’ Sect, the Hangryong Eighteen Palms! I never thought I’d witness it with my own eyes!”
Hong Geolgae couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride at Bang Woongyeop’s reaction. He relaxed his stance, savoring the astonishment of those around him.
As expected, Bang Woongyeop’s reaction didn’t stop there.
“A young beggar wielding the Hangryong Eighteen Palms… Hong, you! No, the identity of Hong Daehyeop is becoming clearer!”
Hong Geolgae looked at Bang Woongyeop with a deep, expectant gaze, hoping for an introduction of his name and title to the crowd.
Tang Mujin had never seen Hong Geolgae so genuinely happy before.
’…How much did this mean to him?’
Without hesitation, Bang Woongyeop declared.
“Hong Daehyeop… You must be the champion of the recent martial arts tournament, the Celestial Dragon Beggar, Hong Gyeon Daehyeop!”
”···.”
Hong Geolgae’s expression turned sour. But those who heard Bang Woongyeop’s words were abuzz with excitement.
“I’ve heard of him! He was just a third-rate fighter when he entered the tournament, but by the end, he had reached the pinnacle. The future of the Beggars’ Sect and the next great master, the Celestial Dragon Beggar, Hong Gyeon!”
“I know! He easily defeated the Namgung family participant and won, right? Has he already become a supreme master?”
Hong Geolgae’s shoulders, which had been lifted high with pride, slumped.
Technically, it wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t the recognition he had hoped for. He wanted people to recognize him as Hong Geolgae, not the Celestial Dragon Beggar, Hong Gyeon.
In truth, Hong Geolgae’s fame didn’t quite match that of Hong Gyeon. A nickname needs a dramatic event to spread widely.
While Hong Geolgae’s steady achievements were overshadowed by his three friends, the story of Hong Gyeon was far more sensational.
A third-rate fighter breaking through to the pinnacle and winning a martial arts tournament—what could be more thrilling?
Hong Geolgae felt a twinge of injustice.
‘These people must not have participated in the Great War of Righteousness and Demons. If there were people from the great sects I fought alongside, they would have recognized me…’
Moreover, Hong Geolgae hadn’t used his reverse technique.
Nodding here might reveal to the world that Hong Gyeon and Hong Geolgae were the same person.
So, Hong Geolgae had to deny any connection between himself and Hong Gyeon.
He shook his head.
“I’m not the Celestial Dragon Beggar, Hong Gyeon. Though I’ve heard he’s quite skilled…”
“Impossible! Then who are you, Hong Daehyeop? A hidden master? Or a legendary recluse?”
“Neither. I’m Hong Jusang. My friends call me Hong Geolgae.”
“Hong… Jusang? Ah, yes. Hong Geol… Hong Geolgae! Yes, I’ve heard of you!”
Bang Woongyeop’s reaction, along with those around him, was lukewarm.
Tang Mujin and Hong Geolgae quickly understood the meaning behind their reactions.
It’s the kind of response you get when people pretend to know something they don’t, only to realize they’re not alone in their ignorance and feel relieved.
Hong Geolgae was tempted to boast about his achievements, but he suppressed the urge. It would be too unbecoming, even by his standards.
Meanwhile, the bandit leader regained his composure and shouted.
“What are you waiting for? Attack them!”
“Y-yes…”
But contrary to the leader’s expectations, his subordinates hesitated noticeably.
It seemed they weren’t particularly loyal. When their leader’s prowess was overwhelming, they followed without question, but that wasn’t the case now.
Step by step, Hong Geolgae approached the bandit leader. It was a chance to showcase his skills and make a name for himself.
Raising his club, Hong Geolgae spoke.
“Shall we see whose club is mightier?”
With those words, Hong Geolgae launched into his club technique, attacking the bandit leader. The leader hurriedly raised his iron club to block.
The atmosphere shifted to a one-on-one duel.
‘This isn’t good.’
Tang Mujin couldn’t easily intervene. The situation was one thing, but using poison here would undoubtedly affect Hong Geolgae as well.
However, Tang Mujin soon noticed something strange.
‘This isn’t as bad as I thought…’
Hong Geolgae’s martial prowess was straightforward.
He was indeed a supreme master, but among them, he was at the bottom. It was an unfortunate but undeniable reality.
He had been outmatched by the frenzied Tuhee Weejinang and even in a duel with Jang Il-nam. The gap between him and masters like Sam Anbul or Namgung Jincheon was even wider.
At best, he could occasionally land a hit using the Eight Drunken Immortals technique.
Yet now, Hong Geolgae was holding his own against the bandit leader.
’…Is Hong Geolgae actually defeating a supreme master?’
This was the first time Tang Mujin had seen Hong Geolgae gain the upper hand in a one-on-one fight with another supreme master.
‘Am I missing something?’
No matter how he looked at it, there was nothing amiss. The bandit leader was simply on the defensive.
It was unlikely that Hong Geolgae’s skills had suddenly improved. So Tang Mujin focused on the bandit leader.
’…Something’s off. Is he really a supreme master?’
The bandit leader was too strong to be just a peak master.
If being stronger than a peak master was the criterion for a supreme master, then the bandit leader fit the bill.
But to Tang Mujin, the bandit leader seemed somewhat lacking for a supreme master.
The proof was in his inability to handle Hong Geolgae.
This situation felt oddly familiar.
What came to Tang Mujin’s mind were the supreme masters from the Demonic Cult he encountered after the Great War of Righteousness and Demons.
In hindsight, it was strange for so many unknown supreme masters to appear.
‘The likes of Guiwang, Zuo Hofa, and Guangyanla were supreme masters from the start, so that’s understandable. But I knew how many supreme masters the Demonic Cult had. It’s odd for so many unknown ones to appear in just a few years. Could this guy be one of them?’
He knew the Demonic Cult leader was training masters generously.
But they all shared a common trait. Compared to other supreme masters, their skills were oddly lacking.
They were weaker than Guangyanla or Guiwang, and even less skilled than the relatively weaker Blood-faced Mad Wolf.
Even in the Northern Sea Ice Palace, two unknown supreme masters were easily killed by Baek Hyang-a. Despite her formidable yin energy, it was absurd for her to handle two so effortlessly.
Previously, he thought they hadn’t fully grasped their enlightenment, having recently reached the supreme level.
But now, Tang Mujin’s perspective shifted.
‘Were they not true supreme masters?’
Even if they looked similar, a sword forged with care and one made to look impressive were fundamentally different.
Just then, Hong Geolgae’s voice interrupted Tang Mujin’s thoughts.
“Stick to the Mad Dog!”
It was a move from the club technique, Stick to the Mad Dog.
As Hong Geolgae swung his club diagonally upward, the bandit leader rolled on the ground, using a technique to evade.
It was a pitiful sight, especially with so many subordinates and onlookers. The bandit leader’s face and ears turned red with embarrassment.
“Damn it!”
Instead of regaining his stance and charging again, the bandit leader turned and fled.
Tang Mujin, watching the scene unfold, swung his hands. In them, he held a pair of flying wheels.
The spinning blade sliced through the air, leaving a vivid trail of blood along the side and thigh of the bandit leader.
“Ouch!”
Though not life-threatening, the wound was enough to send the fleeing bandit leader sprawling to the ground once more.
As he struggled to his feet, he felt a pair of eyes on him.
There was Tang Mujin, crouched and watching him intently. Beside him stood Hong Geolge, leaning on his staff.
Tang Mujin spoke to the bandit leader.
“Care to have a little chat with me?”
It wasn’t really a question.
The bandit leader nodded reluctantly.
”…And that’s how I ended up here.”
The bandit leader spilled his story, one word tumbling after another.
As Tang Mujin had suspected, the bandit leader had ties to the Demonic Cult.
He had been learning martial arts there before he fled.
The idea of someone escaping from a place known for harboring fugitives was almost comical.
But Tang Mujin didn’t bother pointing that out. The bandit leader’s tale was far more intriguing than his circumstances. Among the stories, one was particularly hard to believe.
“You suddenly reached the pinnacle of martial arts?”
“Yes.”
According to the bandit leader, he had been stuck at a middling level among the top martial artists. It was a bit disappointing, but he wasn’t too upset about it.
The problem arose when a friend, in a similar situation, met the cult leader and suddenly advanced to the next level.
Curious, he sought out the cult leader himself, and indeed, the leader taught him a new martial art. In less than three months, he claimed to have become a master.
“Of course, not everyone who sought the cult leader’s guidance reached such heights. Only about two out of ten did. The rest saw little improvement.”
Turning two out of ten top martial artists into masters was hard to believe.
Tang Mujin felt a strange sense of deprivation.
“What kind of teaching could make someone a master?”
“The cult leader told us to stop practicing our usual martial arts and learn what he taught first. Then, in a room filled with a strange fragrance, we endlessly recited scriptures and practiced internal energy techniques. Suddenly, I reached the next level.”
“Suddenly?”
“Yes.”
Tang Mujin frowned. The idea of suddenly reaching a new level was odd, but the mention of a strange fragrance was even more troubling.
During the last great martial arts war, Tang Mujin and his friends had once hidden behind a wall, watching the Ghost King teach some bizarre martial arts to the unorthodox fighters.
The Ghost King had used a strange incense while imparting his teachings, and the fighters had absorbed it in a trance-like state.
Could this man have trained under similar circumstances?
Tang Mujin asked, “Do you really think such incense and martial arts could lead to enlightenment? It can’t be that easy.”
“I was in a daze, so I don’t remember clearly. But I think I saw an endless darkness.”
Endless darkness. He must be talking about a world within his mind.
“Did you find a path?”
“What path are you talking about?”
“Never mind.”
The bandit leader seemed clueless about any path within his mind.
With this, Tang Mujin and Hong Geolge were certain.
The cult leader was creating incomplete masters through dubious means. Stronger than most top martial artists, but not quite on par with true masters.
The bandit leader added, “Oh, and there were some people the cult leader didn’t teach.”
“Not talented enough, I suppose?”
“No, it was the opposite. Those with too much talent weren’t taught. But such people were rare.”
Tang Mujin nodded.
It seemed the cult leader left those who could reach mastery on their own alone, while guiding some who couldn’t to the threshold of mastery.
Hong Geolge asked the bandit leader, “Why did you kidnap the other martial artists?”
“I didn’t mean to harm them. I wanted to teach them the martial arts that helped me reach mastery and find a solution to the problem together.”
Surprisingly, his motives were somewhat constructive. At least it meant that, as merchant Wang had hoped, Wang Ho was likely still alive.
Hong Geolge pressed further, “Problem? What problem?”
“After learning from the cult leader, I felt my personality changing. I became irritable, angry over trivial things… I even beat someone half to death without realizing it.”
Tang Mujin and Hong Geolge exchanged glances.
Baek Hyang-a had mentioned feeling an overwhelming chill and an uncontrollable urge to kill after receiving teachings from the cult leader.
Her symptoms seemed eerily similar to the murderous intent this man described.
Hong Geolge asked again, “Was it just you?”
“No. Most experienced something similar, though to varying degrees. It seemed to worsen over time, so I fled the cult to find a solution. That’s all.”
They had asked almost everything they needed to. Except for one thing.
Tang Mujin asked the bandit leader, “Do you know the current level of the cult leader’s martial prowess?”
The bandit leader hesitated.
In the past, the cult leader had been strong enough to easily defeat the Three-Eyed Buddha.
Now, he might be nearing the level of the Flame Goddess.
Of course, Tang Mujin couldn’t accurately gauge the Flame Goddess’s prowess either. He just assumed she was at the peak of mastery.
Finally, the bandit leader spoke.
“I don’t know.”
Hong Geolge retorted bluntly, “You don’t know? Even if you’re not a complete master, you should have some idea.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
The bandit leader continued, “Even the cult leader might not know what to call that level.”