Chapter 98: People on the Edge
With the newfound abundance of fruit, the village’s atmosphere shifted noticeably.
People’s complexions improved, and instead of lying around indoors in the evenings, many ventured outside. It seemed that having something to eat had revitalized them.
Symptoms of anemia, which had plagued many, began to subside. Given time, it seemed likely that the number of those suffering would decrease significantly.
The situation was undoubtedly better than before. Yet, Tang Mujin was not satisfied with the current state of affairs.
Relying on a few combinations of berries and roots discovered over several days to completely stave off hunger was unrealistic. Even after scouring the area, only a small portion of the available fruits were edible.
Tang Mujin secluded himself in an abandoned hut, studying the fruits and plants of Nogunsan. His goal was to find more edible fruits that could alleviate hunger without burdening the body.
He considered this research essential for the dietary needs of the people of Nogunsan.
However, it was more than just a study of food; it was a comprehensive exploration of medicine and poison. Tang Mujin was beginning to carve out his own domain, beyond the medical knowledge he had been taught, though he hadn’t yet realized it.
With Tang Mujin engrossed in his research, Namgung Myung found himself at a loss for things to do.
Watching Tang Mujin fiddle with fruits and roots, Namgung Myung couldn’t make heads or tails of what was happening. He could only vaguely guess at the principle of using toxins to counteract each other.
As Namgung Myung loitered around, looking utterly bored, Tang Mujin finally spoke up.
“If you have nothing to do, why not help the Nogun Three Swords?”
“The elders? Why?”
“My research can ease hunger, but it won’t completely cure people. Eating only fruit and nuts can cause health issues.”
“Hmm.”
“But the elders gather more than just fruit. You should go and help them.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Restless as he was, Namgung Myung quickly left the hut to find the Nogun Three Swords.
He found them preparing to head out.
Approaching them with a friendly demeanor, he asked, “Elders, where are you headed?”
“We’re off to hunt some game.”
“Mind if I join you?”
“It could be dangerous… but you seem to have some martial skills. What weapons can you handle?”
“I’ve only learned the art of fist fighting. I’m not good with blades.”
It wasn’t so much that he wasn’t good with them, but rather that if word got back to his father about him wielding a sword, he’d be in trouble.
Of course, swinging a sword in a remote corner of Nogunsan wouldn’t likely reach Anhui Province.
But since he didn’t have a sword on him, it was easier to just say he practiced fist fighting.
“Fist fighting, huh. Not much use for hunting, but you’re young and strong, so you can help carry the load. Come along.”
Namgung Myung and the Nogun Three Swords chatted as they made their way down the peak.
Nogunsan was a place of jagged peaks piercing the sky, but there were small, flat areas between them—like valleys.
Upon reaching the valley floor, they were enveloped by the dense forest’s humidity, and the subtle presence and scent of wild animals lingered in the air. Trees with stripped bark suggested large animals had been rubbing against them or clawing at them.
The Nogun Three Swords climbed a tree with Namgung Myung and whispered among themselves.
“Hope we catch a boar.”
“Deer would taste better.”
“Chasing after something so elusive only leads to disappointment.”
“Even if it’s disappointing, it’s worth hoping for.”
After waiting in the tree for some time, Pyochung gestured towards something. The Nogun Three Swords leapt from the tree, sprinting like madmen, with no regard for their age.
A mere boar stood no chance against the combined assault of three martial experts. In the blink of an eye, the boar was brutally dispatched.
Sanjo, with a grim expression, laid the boar on its side and cut its throat to drain the blood. An astonishing amount of blood poured out compared to the other wounds.
“Today’s hunt ended quickly. We got lucky.”
Though it wasn’t the deer they had hoped for, they had secured several hundred pounds of boar meat in no time. Namgung Myung was puzzled.
If hunting was this easy, why were people starving?
“Why do the people of Nogun Village live on the cliffs? Wouldn’t it be better to live lower down? With so many wild animals, meat would be easier to come by.”
Danglang replied, “I thought the same at first. But this place isn’t fit for people. It’s too dangerous for ordinary folks.”
“If it’s just the animals, couldn’t you build strong fences?”
“Fences might work for boars or deer. But Nogunsan has tigers and bears that fences can’t stop. And there’s a bigger problem: venomous insects.”
Namgung Myung was swatting away a bug biting his ankle.
Though not particularly venomous, if such insects constantly bit someone, an ordinary person wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Plus, when it rains, things get worse. Flooding is common, and rocks often tumble down the cliffs. The cliffside was the safest place they could find.”
As they chatted, the boar’s bloodletting was complete.
The Nogun Three Swords, like butchers, carved up the boar, taking only the leg, back, and rump meat, leaving the rest of the carcass and hide for the scavenging jackals that soon descended upon it.
The jackals claimed more than half of the boar.
But Namgung Myung quickly understood why the Nogun Three Swords only took half the meat.
The hunt itself wasn’t difficult, but transporting the meat back to the village was the real challenge.
Each of the four men carried dozens of pounds of meat in sacks, struggling up the narrow mountain path. Their muscles stiffened, and the sacks dug into their hands.
The weight was so burdensome that Namgung Myung and the Nogun Three Swords had to rest several times.
”…Forget the venomous insects, living a bit lower would be better.”
“Those who said that are all dead.”
By the time the four of them reached the top of the peak with their sacks, more than half the day had passed.
Namgung Myung collapsed in exhaustion, while the Nogun Three Swords went around distributing fistfuls of meat to each household. Despite the boar’s gamey smell, the villagers beamed with joy.
Namgung Myung returned to the hut and recounted the day’s events to Tang Mujin. The hunting was straightforward, but bringing the boar back was no easy task.
Tang Mujin replied, “Why don’t the Nogun Three Swords focus on hunting, and let the villagers carry the meat?”
“Even though things have improved, how can the frail villagers handle such a task? They’d be lucky not to faint.”
“Use a cart. The path on this peak is in much better condition than the others.”
“You need a cart to use one. Besides, the path is too narrow for a cart.”
“Then make a cart that can be used on the path.”
Tang Mujin stretched and stood up. He had been itching to move after sitting all day.
He wandered around the village and returned with a crude axe.
He then chopped down a short, thick shrub near the hut.
As Tang Mujin dragged the leafy shrub, curious onlookers gathered.
Ignoring their stares, he casually stripped the branches and tossed them over the cliff.
With large, sweeping motions, he chopped the wood into pieces, creating what looked like large firewood logs.
“Are you really making a cart?”
“Let’s make a rough one first. If it works, we’ll build a proper one.”
As Tang Mujin swung the axe, a few villagers offered to help.
“Can you really make a cart with just wood and an axe? Should I make some wooden nails for you?”
“No need. It’ll be sturdier without nails.”
“You’re making a cart without nails?”
“Yes.”
Tang Mujin cut the logs into suitable sizes and then pulled out a dagger.
With the dagger, the work progressed much faster. The solid wood was quickly shaped into round wheels, and soon a pile of wooden pieces of indeterminate purpose accumulated.
Though the work was swift, there was much to be done, and since he didn’t accept help, it was nearly sunset by the time the wooden pieces were ready.
Tang Mujin then silently began assembling the pieces. Occasionally, he had to shave a bit more off to make them fit, or carve new parts if any were missing.
As mentioned before, no nails were used.
By the time darkness fell, the villagers were still too intrigued to leave.
The villagers watched in quiet fascination as Dang Mujin skillfully crafted a cart, each of them nibbling on fruits and nuts. There was something captivating about the way his hands moved, drawing everyone’s gaze.
As darkness enveloped the surroundings, the peculiar cart was finally complete. Pyo Chung, who had been observing, spoke up.
“You claim to be a doctor, but it seems your true talent lies in carpentry.”
“I hear that quite often,” Dang Mujin replied with a modest smile.
Despite his words, neither Pyo Chung, the other members of the Nogun Three Swords, nor the villagers, including Namgung Myung, could quite grasp the purpose of the contraption Dang Mujin had built.
It looked like a cart, with a large rectangular box perched atop a wheel. But it was unlike any ordinary cart, as it had only one wheel and lay tilted to one side, unable to stand on its own.
As the villagers hesitated, unsure whether to voice their confusion, Namgung Myung took the lead.
“How are we supposed to use a cart that can’t even stand on its own?”
“I thought the same at first, but it turned out to be surprisingly useful,” Dang Mujin said, gesturing for Namgung Myung to grab the cart’s handle. He then loaded it with leftover wood scraps.
“Put some strength into your arms and back, and give it a pull.”
Skeptical but curious, Namgung Myung pulled the cart. It required some effort, but it was far easier than carrying the load by hand.
”…This is amazing. It’s more convenient than I expected.”
Though a bit unstable and wobbly, the cart had advantages over those with two or four wheels. Its narrow width made it easy to maneuver along tight paths, and it was particularly suited for winding trails.
“This could actually work on narrow paths, don’t you think?”
“Seems like it. How did you come up with this?”
“I didn’t invent it. It was Dan Seol-young who first made something like this. I just copied the idea.”
Back in Luoyang, when Dang Mujin lived with Dan Seol-young, she was always tinkering with various contraptions. One of her creations was this single-wheeled cart.
Traditional carts typically had two or four wheels, and craftsmen rarely altered that aspect. But Dan Seol-young, ever the innovator, wondered if three wheels might be interesting. Her small cart, however, wasn’t much different from a four-wheeled one.
So she changed her approach, reducing the wheels to just one instead of adding more. Though it wasn’t a serious attempt, the small one-wheeled cart proved unexpectedly practical. By adding handles at both ends, it could be pulled by two people, providing stability.
The villagers, intrigued, took turns trying out the cart. Despite carrying what seemed like fifty geun of wood, it moved forward with only a slight wobble.
Now, the Nogun Three Swords could focus solely on hunting, while the villagers took turns pulling the cart, ensuring a more abundant supply of meat. Perhaps they could even feast on meat alone.
Pyo Chung offered a simple assessment. “It’s impressive. Fresh and practical.”
Dang Mujin shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s made from unseasoned wood. It’ll warp and break after some use, but it should last a couple of weeks or a month.”
Pyo Chung felt a pang of regret. “What a waste. Why not use well-seasoned wood from the start? Even though Nogun Village is poor, we have wood set aside for firewood.”
“If it turns out to be impractical, it would be a waste of firewood. Then again, if it’s just going to be firewood anyway, maybe it doesn’t matter…”
Nearby, Tang Lang and San Je exchanged puzzled looks. Dang Mujin’s perspective seemed bizarre, valuing seasoned firewood over a meticulously crafted one-wheeled cart.
“Anyway, this is just a prototype. Try it out and let me know if it’s useful. If it proves practical, we can make more carts later.”
Everyone sees the world differently. And because Dang Mujin’s talents were unlike those of ordinary people, his perspective was equally unique.
Yes, unlike the rest, Dang Mujin was destined to leave his mark on the world.
The Nogun Three Swords felt a deep sense of admiration. Yet, at the same time, they couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of joy in the moment.