Chapter 6
Mandokji, the source of poison and cursed land.
No one knows how long it has been there.
It ‘existed’ even in ancient times. It was recorded that.
All that was known was that there were ten thousand, no, countless poisons that would not allow entry..
It is a hell of royalties and a forest within a forest where you can never see inside..
Mandokji. Even the poisonous blood song, which was banned in the central plains, was so infamous that it was only a small part compared to here..
“It's still a bad place.”
Hell spreads across the river with strong currents..
However, the huge tree was so dense that it went beyond common sense, so it was impossible to check or look inside..
Above all, there is an unsettling and unpleasant energy that sends shivers down the spine just by looking at it, bordering the river..
There is a saying in the daily newspaper that Namman became a world of poison due to the existence of Mandokji, and after seeing this place, I agree..
“What's going on?.”
The man reacted to the signs of popularity he felt from behind..
“The employee suffered.”
“Did the Qinghua army attack the temple? A lot of people must have died.”
The man snorted..
“no. The cannibal tribe was destroyed.”
“what……?”
The man's face hardened..
My eyes became the size of a lantern and my breathing stopped..
His expression was a mixture of disbelief and astonishment..
“What do you mean! The cannibal tribe is destroyed!”
Their strength goes without saying.
It was a great force for the major tribes, but the same major tribes were reluctant because they were just crazy people who enjoyed cannibalism and were out of control..
Still, I was able to maintain cooperation by exchanging necessary things with the priest who was almost the only one I could talk to..
“There are more than one eyewitness. It's probably spreading throughout the forest by now..”
“Unbelievable… … Priest, what happened to the priest??”
The priest is one of the strongest men in the South..
Although he is not a martial artist, his power is greater than that of a master of flower sutra..
He was a monster that even the great warriors of Nanman were in awe of..
“The body was found on the altar..”
“Who are you?.”
The man opened his eyes fiercely..
“who attacked the temple.”
“that is… … There are no survivors left inside the temple... … Ugh!”
The man's hand disappeared and reappeared to grab him by the neck..
“Be thankful you have a job to do. Otherwise I would have died long ago.”
“Ugh… … flaw… … Hehehehehe!”
The man suppressed his anger and let go of his hand..
“Cough, Cough... … Oh, it's not yet accurate, but there's a rumor that a martial artist from Jungwon has arrived..”
“Does this mean that at least one of the world's greatest masters has come down?.”
The man was quietly lost in thought, and the informant took a deep breath while touching the back of his neck, which had red handprints..
“I don't know who it is, but I will kill that guy..”
There was a sour murderous intent in that voice..
‘Work has become a nuisance..’
Among the major tribes in southern Manchuria, the influence of the cannibal tribe is greater than expected..
But not only fifteen, but all the seeds have dried up..
In particular, the loss of not only the warriors but also the priest, who was the leader and strongman, is a huge loss..
“hold a tribal council.”
A threat that is not yet known is a threat, but the fire that fell right now was a significant decrease in power..
The major tribes of Nanman have been using their pure power to dominate the forests and engage in all kinds of mischief..
He committed rape with a woman he liked, killed her children in front of her parents, or brutally murdered her parents in front of their children..
In addition, there were many instances where food was taken away or animal feed was thrown..
Since all kinds of barbaric incidents have occurred, it is natural for dissatisfaction to build up..
I was just suppressing my anger in front of power..
And the moment that power weakens even a little.
“there will be war”
Namman is noisy.
“The cannibal tribe was wiped out..”
A major tribe in Nanman, a cannibal tribe.
And the tribal leader and the monster of the south, the priest.
His death struck Nanman not long after..
“The monster is dead? Is it true??”
“okay. They say that each major tribe is sending their warriors to rob the temple..”
“It wasn't just a rumor, it was true.?”
“No, who on earth killed that monster??”
Namman was shaken by the news of the man-eating tribe..
It spread not only to the Cheonghwa region, where it was fighting against major tribes, but also to various regions..
Due to the harsh environment, including dense plants and poisonous water, the rumor was only slow, but the speed was fast..
It was an opportunity to see the presence and influence of the man-eating tribe in southern Manchuria..
“I'm from the central region.”
“Eh? I'm a Joongwon person.?”
“No way, Genga sent an army from the central plains.?”
“Nope. They are the martial arts people of the central plains..”
“Huh! I don't understand at all..”
The situation in the Central Plains is as complicated as the South Manchuria..
He must have been busy with things back home, but I couldn't understand why he got involved in Namman's affairs..
“From what I heard, it seems like I came looking for someone.……”
“who?”
“I'm not sure about that. But I roughly know the reason why they clashed with the cannibal tribe..”
“Isn’t the territory of those cannibals all the way to the midfield? It's not strange to bump into each other.”
Cannibalistic tribes don't discriminate against people..
They even eat old and weak people within the tribe..
It is not strange to be attacked when you enter the territory of such tribes..
Meanwhile, while Namman was in turmoil, Yeo-ri took advantage of this opportunity to send messengers to powers in various regions and appealed to them..
“Descendants of Daeyu and Daeyue, listen. How long are you going to give everything to those barbarians?!”
Originally, no one listened to his speech..
But as the situation changed, their hearts also changed..
Above all, the moment they heard that the Jungwon martial arts people were in Cheonghwa, their eyes all started to shine..
The destination of the search party was set at Mandokji..
But even before leaving, I had to face difficulties..
Mandokji, called the cursed land, was a problem in itself, but the entire area around it was the territory of major tribes..
As a result, in order to enter Mandokji, it was inevitable that there would be clashes with major tribes..
“Since we both have the same destination, how about temporarily joining forces??”
Yeori asked, looking carefully..
It may seem passive, unbecoming of a leader leading a faction, but in private, all he did was show courtesy to his lifesaver..
Even the search party was a little surprised when he showed a dignified appearance in public..
“I think this is a difficult issue for me to decide on my own. I think I need to discuss it with my group..”
“of course.”
Joo Seo-cheon summoned key figures and discussed them..
“My intentions are clearly visible..”
Dangyeom expressed his displeasure..
“They say it's cooperation, but it seems like they're planning to use our power to fight for power in the South..”
Dan Ha-seong spoke honestly and plainly..
The one who benefited the most from this incident was the Cheonghwa local army..
As the cannibalistic tribes were removed from the southern Manchurian power structure, forces that had animosity toward the major tribes began to move..
And the Cheonghwa local army was planning to make Jungwon's search party, which was the number one contributor, an ally and promote it to the surrounding area..
“yes. But that goes for us too.”
It's a little unpleasant, but that doesn't mean I don't understand it..
The search party also needed the strength of the Cheonghwa local army..
I wanted to solve it myself, but it was too much..
Even if you tried to infiltrate secretly, it was impossible because the major tribes were very sharp, and a head-on collision was completely impossible..
Without external cooperation, it was impossible to seek good faith..
“I will accept your offer.”
“That's good news.”
Yeo-ri and Wan-chae’s complexions brightened..
The Qinghua local army was no longer at the level of a local army..
As its power increased, it recently changed to the Allied Forces..
The number is over 3,000..
The number may have been small for a war that changed the power structure of a country like the Central Plains, but from the Namman's point of view, it was by no means a small number..
For your information, the force that moved after hearing the rumor that the cannibal tribe was going extinct and that a search party was joining was a whopping 2,000 people..
It was the first time we had gathered like this since the previous dynasty collapsed and the army disappeared and it became a lawless area..
“Of course, please note that cooperation only lasts until God rescues us..”
I had no intention of getting deeply involved in the civil war between the South and the Central Plains..
“of course.”
Wan Chae smiled contentedly..
What they were worried about now was that if the central search party left, the force that had barely joined them would fall out..
Once the war started, they wouldn't withdraw their troops unless they were defeated, so that was no problem..
“Also, it must be true that Shinui was discovered in Mandokji. Otherwise……”
Joo Seocheon frowned and gave a cool look..
gulp.
The leaders of the Blue and White Allied Forces swallowed their saliva..
I was overwhelmed by just a little bit of energy, not even with murderous intent..
“No, of course. Don't worry, this is accurate information..”
“If so, you're lucky.”
Joo Seocheon smiled slightly, recovering the energy he gave off..
It's rude to do this to the leader of a faction in front of others, but since it's Namman and not Jungwon, I came out strong..
Above all, it would be a big problem if the information was wrong or if I did something nonsense, so I needed a little warning..
“Okay then, let’s have a strategy meeting soon..”
Clap clap.
Wanchae clapped his hands to get his attention..
“First, let me tell you about the main tribes that are our main enemies. Since the Wulin people in the central plains are present, I hope that the Allied Forces will please understand..”
There were originally four major tribes in Nanman.
Originally, before they were defeated in the war with the central plains, they used the sparsely populated Mandokji as their main place of operation and stayed in hiding, but after it became a lawless area, they ruled the southern Manchurian region through force..
“First, the beast tribe..”
“beast tribe?”
It was a familiar name to the martial arts people of Jungwon..
Wasn't it one of the eight schools of Sado Heaven that participated in the revolt of the corrupt child that took place not long ago?.
Of course, now it has been completely silenced by the Apostle Heavenly Lord..
“Ah, now that I think about it, I think I heard that there is a Sado sect with a similar name in the Jungwon Murim... … I don't know the relationship..
However, the major tribes do not even interact with the surrounding areas, let alone the central plains, so there is probably no relationship..”
The only powers in the central plains that interact with southern Manchuria are Yunnan or Guanbu..
Other than that, there is almost nothing..
In the case of the government, even officials were dispatched to rule, but everyone was so busy satisfying their own self-interest that they did not care at all..
“The Beast Tribe not only tamed the fierce beasts of the forest, but also possessed the mysterious power of using the power of animals..
For example, you can use the strength of a bear or the agility of a wolf. The largest number is about a thousand people..”
“I always think about it, but... … Hmm. The magic of the forest seems mysterious and amazing..”
I was about to say something because I was in trouble, but I quickly corrected myself..
In the central region, the name Namman is used casually, but if you call it that, it will be frowned upon here..
Namman was a disparaging term used by the people of Central Plains to refer to them as an uncivilized people of the south..
I had to protect what I had to protect in front of those who were my enemies or my allies and collaborators..
“Next is the Poisonous Insect tribe. They were the first to enter the main forest and establish a home..”
“Are you talking about that book??”
Tang Hye couldn't erase her surprised expression..
Even the Jeomchang faction, which had relatively close exchanges with Nanman, did not know much about it, but the Tang family, as a renowned family of poison, knew about Manduji..
Even if they knew about it, it was only a small part of it, but they were in awe of him as a warrior who practiced poisonous techniques..
“They are a tribe known even in the Great Forest as masters of poison. Of course, it’s not like you can walk around Mandokji like it’s your own home. Their territory is only near the entrance..”
“Still, it's amazing.”
Southern Mandarins are basically more resistant to poison than Central Plains people..
Even among ordinary people who are not unmanned.
It is a remote area that such people are reluctant to even approach, but it was an amazing fact to live there..
“And, as you can tell from their name, they live in the poisonous area and control the poisonous insects there like limbs..
Some say that the body is made of poisonous insects, but I am not sure if this is true. The number is about seven hundred..”
“Umm… … Seven hundred or so……”
There were groans from the search party as well..
I had no idea that so many people were living in Mandokji..
I couldn't imagine how strong it would be..
“And then there is the Guxi tribe..”
“Guxi tribe?”
Unlike the previous two, it was impossible to guess based on the name alone..
But as soon as that name came out, the mood changed..
Looking at the heavy expressions of each and every member of the Qing and White Allied Forces, it was clear that they were an unusual tribe..
“The Guxi tribe is the oldest, most mysterious, fearsome, and fierce of the major tribes. The number is only about 300, but each person earns a daily wage of 100..”
“What kind of tribe are they? If it’s Goo Hee… … By any chance, are they mainly made up of women like the North Sea people??”
“It's not like that. This might be a bit of a long story, do you mind??”
“yes.”
“According to historical records, the first nation, Banlang, existed before the existence of Daewoi and Daeyue. The person who founded that country is none other than King Heung... … According to oral tradition, her parents are Nakyonggun, a descendant of the Shennong clan, and Guhee, the daughter of Jerae..”
“Mr. Shennong? You mean the Flame Emperor??”
It was the name of the Three Emperors, a legendary monarch who existed before the Han Dynasty, the first dynasty in the Central Plains..
He was the one who introduced people to farming in earnest and was a monarch with divine status..
But now it's a story of legend.
“exactly.”
In any case, Shennong's third-generation descendant, Jemyeong, had two sons from different mothers, one who was to rule the north and the south, respectively..
And Je-ui's son was Jerae, the incarnation of fire and the father of Gu-hee, who is called an immortal fairy, and Nok-sok was the father of Nakyong-gun, who married the daughter of the Dragon King and would later be called the Lord of the Dragon..
“Gu-hee meets Prince Nak-yong, who lived in Yonggung, for a while, falls in love, becomes pregnant, and lays a hundred eggs..”
From a hundred eggs, a hundred sons are born..
However, about 50 of them later left, following Nakyonggun, who had to return to Yonggung due to unavoidable circumstances..
The remaining 50 people stayed in the mountains with their mother, Gu Xi, and they later became the first dynasty of Nanman..
“However, the country called Banrang was destroyed long ago. Now there isn't even a trace left.……”
“Are you claiming to be that descendant??”
“yes. But the power is real. Although their number is only about three hundred, they may actually be descended from Guxi's blood, but they have regenerative powers that are close to being able to control fire or immortality. So be careful.”
“hmm. Is that really true??”
Tang Yeom stroked his beard with an expression of disbelief..
It's strange that an ancient mythology story appeared, and its descendants are said to control fire and are close to immortality..
I've known for a long time that Namman's magic is amazing, but it was still such an absurd story that it was hard to believe..
“I heard that the martial people of the central plains can break rocks with a single blow and walk on water. They say there is a skill to disappear before your eyes, leaving a shadow behind, or to hold your breath for half a day, or to survive with only 10 pulses a day... … We can't believe it.”
Tang Yeom heard Wan Chae's words and smiled bitterly, as if he was embarrassed..
Even among the martial arts people of the central plains, such a level is not common, but it certainly exists. It's not like it doesn't exist.
However, from the perspective of Southern Man people, who had a rare concept of martial arts, it was an absurd story..
“You said there are four main tribes, but who are the next tribes??”
Joo Seo-cheon asked Wan-chae.
“There used to be four, but now there are three. The remaining one was a man-eating tribe. They treated the jungle island like a ghost, and with the help of a tribe of poisonous insects, they took away their consciousness without a word using poisonous needles. Above all, the thing that is really scary is the priest. You're lucky I don't have his magic..”
Wan-chae, Yeo-ri, and the leaders of the surrounding Blue and White Allied Forces shook their heads from side to side with disgusted expressions on their faces..
Ju Seo-cheon saw the reaction and realized that the cannibal tribe was bigger than he thought..
“By the way, contrary to their reputation, the number of man-eating tribes is smaller than expected..”
“Man- eating tribes have very fluctuating populations. It increases and then decreases regularly. Until recently, it was around four to five hundred..”
“What does that mean? When we looked, there were only about 200 people at most..”
Tang Hye tilted her head with an expression of incomprehension..
“The remaining 300 or so people were either old or naturally weak..”
“no way……”
“Everything was eaten.”
Instead of Wanchae, Yeori responded with a shocked expression..
Qinghua Allied Forces Samcheon.
Major Tribe Icheon.
Looking at numbers alone, the Qing and Hua allied forces are overwhelming..
But I couldn't say it was that advantageous..
Despite this number, the Blue and White Allied Forces were anxious..
That was natural, since the enemies were monsters who subjugated the South through force alone after the collapse of the national system..
Luckily, the Allied Forces had the Central Plains warriors who crushed the monsters with just sixty..
“First, I need to organize my troops..”
Although general command was held by Yeo-ri and Wan-chae, the search party was given special recognition for individual command..
It was natural to move in accordance with maximum power, and independent action was also permitted as long as it did not deviate from common sense..
Even the leaders of the Blue and White Allied Forces could not say anything about this..
“First, let’s check the poison resistance and detoxification ability..”
Tang Hye laughed eerily, poison dripping from the tips of her fingers..
The Qing and Chinese allied forces are also Southern Man, so there is no need to worry about their ability to deal with poison..
But the problem was the midfielder.
Since Dangaya Jungwon is a place that specializes in poison, it was more than the Namman people, but never less..
The problem was the fortune-telling faction..
His martial arts skills and actual combat experience were great, but the problem was how well he could stand up to poison..
Fortunately, most of these people were those who returned alive from Dokhyeolgok in the past following Dan Ha-seong, the Duke of Jeomchang..
As if the hard work had been worth it, he had quite a bit of resistance to poison and his detoxification skills were not bad..
However, just in case, I was prescribed an antidote or administered something like a preventive agent..
“Once the fight starts, it's hard to help detox.”
Danghye gave Dan Ha-seong a warning..
“So, please avoid clashing with the Poisonous tribe as much as possible, and ask for the Beast tribe and the Guhi tribe..”
“Indeed, I understand. Thank you for your concern..”
Even as Dan Ha-seong received the antidote from Tang Hye, he couldn't help but admire her beauty..
‘Hehe, it's not poisonous for nothing. If I hadn't met my wife and was twenty years younger, I would have gone crazy..’
Dan Ha-seong is a middle-aged man in his forties..
Since the family is a family, the wedding was held as soon as one became an adult..
However, as a Jeokjeon disciple of the Jeomchang sect, I was unable to go home properly because I was called to martial arts and all kinds of battles..
Still, even though the couple's relationship was decided by their families, they get along well and are doing well..
In addition, my wife was famous for her beauty in Yunnan when she was young, and she also had a good heart and was good at drinking alcohol..
‘By the way, what is the relationship between Zhou Daehyup and Dokbong Soje??’
If you stay together in Namman, you can hear the harsh but somehow sweet(?) conversation between Joo Seo-cheon and Dang-hye..
Dang-hye spews out shockingly harsh words, and Joo Seo-cheon casually responds to them and continues the conversation..
Most men, or even warriors, would be dispirited in front of Tang Hye, but Joo Seo-cheon didn't mind..
Moreover, since the hero of the political faction and Dokbong got along well, there were literally no good men or good women..
So let me ask you out of curiosity,
“I wonder what kind of mindset the Jeomchang Chil-gong is asking such a question. Maybe I would blush like a girl in love and say, ‘Well, not really! 'There's nothing between us!' Did you know that I would say that? If not, is it because you want to introduce us to the Taoist monks who will drop Ojirap and disappear into the dew of battle??”
“no, that's me……”
“are you okay. I understand. You might be curious. Above all, after a while, Prince Jeomchangchil looked at the young disciples of the martial arts group and thought, 'Giggles, there was a time when I was like that too.' Because I’m old enough to say that. Oh my, but what can I do? Now, even if I laugh just a little, my lungs might hurt as if they were going to burst... … Which poison is better??”
“I won't say anything unnecessary, Sojeo..”
“great. This is why, before I became a clumsy snake, I liked men with a sense of humor. At least you understand what I'm talking about.?”
Tang Hui smiled softly..
* * *
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