Ice Dragon of Namgung - Chapter 93

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 93
“The Black Cat Technique?”
Namgung Bing tilted his head, asking the question aloud.
Though he considered himself well-versed in many matters, the name Black Cat Technique was entirely new to him.
“The Black Cat Technique doesn’t actually exist—it’s a method I’ve invented.”
“So you’re saying we should spread rumors that someone has mastered a technique that doesn’t even exist?”
Namgung Bing’s face twisted in bewilderment as he posed the question.
“Whether the Black Cat Technique truly exists is not the point.”
At Namgung Geom’s reply, Namgung Bing fell silent for a moment, then nodded as understanding dawned.
“Ah—so you need the spymasters of the sect to believe the Black Cat Technique is real?”
“Exactly so.”
“Then the substance of the technique becomes crucial. So what is this Black Cat Technique?”
From the name alone, one could hazard that it involved some manner of control over cats.
“It’s a technique that allows one to read and command the consciousness of cats.”
“Using such a technique, you could identify the true master of the Messenger Cat. Of course, assuming the technique actually exists.”
Namgung Geom smiled faintly and posed his next question.
“Precisely. So what do you think the true master of the Messenger Cat will do once word of the Black Cat Technique reaches him?”
“He’ll try to kill whoever mastered the technique, or eliminate the Messenger Cat entirely.”
Namgung Bing answered without hesitation.
“Exactly. And the moment he moves, an opportunity to capture him will present itself.”
“Not a bad stratagem.”
Whether the sect’s spymasters would actually believe in the Black Cat Technique remained uncertain.
But there was certainly a chance—however slim.
In a situation where other options had dried up entirely,
even the smallest possibility was worth pursuing.
“We’ll proceed with your plan.”
Namgung Bing accepted Namgung Geom’s proposal.
“Thank you.”
“I should be thanking you for providing the method.”
“The sect’s spymasters may not move at all.”
Judging from how the Messenger Cat had been deployed, the spymasters were evidently cautious and meticulous individuals.
If word of the Black Cat Technique suddenly surfaced, suspicion would be their first instinct.
“Then we’ve nothing to lose. It’s worth the attempt either way.”
Namgung Bing harbored no grand expectations either.
With no other recourse, they would simply attempt this and see what came of it.
“Then let’s prepare on two fronts.”
“One is to move as though searching for whoever mastered the Black Cat Technique, thereby luring out the spymasters. The other…”
“…is to watch for anyone who comes to eliminate the Messenger Cat.”
Namgung Bing nodded.
“We’ll make the preparations here at the pavilion.”
“Should we not report this separately to the Family Head?”
“I was planning to visit him anyway. We’ll present the report then. Or, if you prefer, you could come along as well.”
“That would be best.”
Namgung Geom departed for the Family Head Residence alongside Namgung Bing.
There, they presented their plan to lure out the sect’s spymasters using the Black Cat Technique.
“It seems sound. This is the Changyong Sword Brigade Master’s idea?”
“It is. When I heard it, I was astounded as well. I don’t know how he comes up with such ingenious notions.”
Namgung Bing lavished praise upon Namgung Geom.
“How did you arrive at such a scheme?”
Namgung Pae asked.
“I turned the matter over in my mind from every angle until this occurred to me.”
It was the truth.
“With no other path forward, we’ll execute the plan as conceived.”
At Namgung Pae’s words, Namgung Bing nodded in agreement.
“Understood.”
“Chang has reached the pinnacle realm?”
Namgung Pae turned to Namgung Geom with the question.
“You’ve already heard?”
“Word came through the Heavenly Thunder Pavilion.”
“Thanks to the Great Cultivation Pill you provided, he safely ascended to the pinnacle realm.”
Namgung Pae let out a soft laugh at Namgung Geom’s deflection of credit to him.
“So you passed on the insights of the Heavenly Wind Boundless Heart Technique to Chang, I hear?”
“It was only possible because of the Family Head’s teachings.”
Namgung Pae chuckled at the repeated self-deprecation.
“That won’t earn you anything, you know.”
“I’m not asking for anything—it’s simply the truth.”
“That boy. Flattery’s become second nature to you.”
Despite his words, Namgung Pae’s mouth curved upward with amusement.
“Still, it’s impressive that you took the time to assess Chang’s martial skills.”
Namgung Geom could have ignored Chang’s development entirely, focused only on his own advancement.
Yet he had supported Chang’s growth as if it were his own concern.
Even accounting for their blood relation, that was no simple thing.
“For the Namgung Clan to truly prosper, every additional master strengthens us all.”
Namgung Pae’s eyes glimmered with new understanding.
Namgung Geom was not only investing in Chang’s growth—he was pouring effort into the Changyong Sword Brigade’s advancement as well.
Despite the sacrifice of his own cultivation time.
He was not seeking to become strong alone, but to rise together with the brigade.
For a clan to be truly powerful, no single person could stand alone.
The entire clan had to grow stronger together.
Namgung Pae now sensed that if anyone could do it—Namgung Geom could make the whole of the Namgung Clan formidable, not just himself.
This was something Namgung Pae had never achieved.
He had devoted himself solely to cultivating his own realm and martial power.
He had no leisure to look after the clan’s members.
That was how he had earned the title of Sword King and secured a place as one of the Six Supremes.
Yet he had failed to strengthen the Namgung Clan itself.
He had always regretted that deeply.
Now Namgung Geom was doing what he could not.
Today, Namgung Pae’s conviction only deepened.
For the sake of the Namgung Clan, Namgung Geom must become the Potential Family Head.
But that was not something Namgung Pae could grant him.
It was a destiny Namgung Geom had to achieve through his own effort.
Namgung Pae could only believe in him and lend his support.
“However, there is one matter concerning the Jeongcheon Assembly that troubles me.”
“What is it?”
Namgung Pae asked, his expression turning quizzical.
“I worry that the clans and families participating in the Jeongcheon Assembly might fall under attack as they make their way to the main residence.”
Namgung Pae grasped immediately what Namgung Geom was concerned about.
“You mean the Sect?”
“We cannot know how many of their agents remain scattered. They could mobilize heterodox sects to attack, just as they did with the Blood Wolf Sect and the Black Water Sect.”
Now that it was laid bare, the threat seemed entirely plausible.
Still, he was not greatly alarmed.
“The Family Heads are coming in person, so they will have taken special precautions for their safety.”
When Family Heads travel, security forces are typically deployed in substantial numbers.
In the Namgung Clan alone, the Family Head is routinely escorted by at least four protective divisions.
The other clans and families would be no different.
Even if attacked, the Blood Wolf Sect or Black Water Sect could be repelled without serious difficulty.”
“But a master of the caliber of the Black Killing Sect Lord could well take action.”
Namgung Pae wondered if there was another master like the Black Killing Sect Lord among the Sect’s agents, but such things were unknowable.
If even one master of that tier were to move against them, safety could not be guaranteed.
“Should any Family Head come to harm, the situation would spiral beyond anyone’s control.”
A bereaved clan or family might rage unchecked and turn their assault on the heterodox sects, escalating the conflict catastrophically.
Namgung Pae now recognized this was no trivial matter.
“Yet we cannot spare our full strength to protect them all, can we?”
If the Namgung Clan’s military might were infinite, they could dispatch forces to every participant and be done with it.
But the Namgung Clan’s strength had its limits.
It was impossible to send protective forces to every single clan and family in the Jeongcheon Assembly.
At best, they could select a few and dispatch guards to them.
But with no way of knowing where an attack would come, choosing became nearly impossible.
“Perhaps the nearby clans and families could travel together in groups instead.”
If two or three parties moved as one, potential attackers would think twice before striking.
Even if they did launch an attack, the damage would be far less than if they struck a single location.
Namgung Pae thought it was not a bad approach.
“It seems like a reasonable method. I’ll notify the clans and families participating in the Jeongcheon Assembly at once.”
“And it would be wise to make full use of the Silver Dragon Pavilion’s intelligence network to monitor the movements of the heterodox sects.”
Namgung Pae turned his gaze to Namgung Bing.
“You heard that?”
“I’ll deploy surveillance personnel immediately.”
Namgung Bing answered without hesitation.
* * *
A rumor spread quietly within the Namgung Clan.
There was a sorcerer on Cheonju Mountain who had mastered a technique called the Black Cat Technique, and the Silver Dragon Pavilion had sent someone to bring him to them.
Details about the Black Cat Technique also circulated—it was said to be a sorcerous art that could control the consciousness of cats.
Most who heard the rumor found it puzzling.
What possible use could a technique for controlling cats’ minds have?
And soon enough, their interest faded.
Meanwhile, the warriors of the Flying Dragon Pavilion departed secretly for Cheonju Mountain.
Even a child could guess they were going to bring back the one who had mastered the Black Cat Technique.
Namgung Geom wanted to move with them.
But Namgung Pae would not permit it.
Namgung Geom had no choice but to remain within the clan.
Meanwhile, the task of guarding the Messenger Cat that the Silver Dragon Pavilion had captured was entrusted to the Black Shadow Three Swordsmen.
Namgung Geom had considered guarding it himself, but he could not handle every matter alone.
And for this task, the Black Shadow Three Swordsmen were more suitable than he.
If the mole in the sect tried to eliminate the Messenger Cat, they would scrutinize their surroundings.
And if they learned that Namgung Geom was guarding the cat, they would likely retreat.
So the mole had to not know that anyone was guarding it.
The Concealment Art of the Black Shadow Three Swordsmen was more than sufficient for this.
Their concealment technique was difficult even for True Martial Realm masters to detect.
And their martial prowess was far from weak.
If the Black Shadow Three Swordsmen unleashed a Combined Strike, even a True Martial Realm master would not withstand it.
With the Black Shadow Three Swordsmen, he could trust and delegate the task.
The key question was whether the mole would make a move.
Namgung Geom hoped that he would bite the bait.
But days passed without any movement.
The fact that the mole had not moved by now could be interpreted in two ways.
One was that there was no mole.
The other was that the mole had sensed this was a trap to lure him out and chose not to act.
Namgung Geom was convinced that there was a mole within the clan, and he believed the latter possibility was more likely.
“I suppose it was too obvious a ploy after all.”
In truth, the sudden appearance of a sorcerer who had mastered the Black Cat Technique right after capturing the Messenger Cat was too contrived.
Anyone with even a modicum of sense would have to suspect something.
“No. Even if it is an obvious ploy, it would be difficult to ignore it entirely.”
What if, by some chance, a sorcerer who uses the Black Cat Technique actually existed?
What if that sorcerer could control the Messenger Cat?
No one could help but consider such a possibility.
Because of that anxiety, they would surely make a move.
Namgung Geom decided to wait a little longer.
By now, the warriors of the Flying Dragon Pavilion who had gone to Cheonju Mountain would have encountered the man posing as the sorcerer.
Given that the Messenger Cat had not been targeted these past few days, if a move were made, it would more likely come from the sorcerer’s direction.
“Sigh. I should have gone myself.”
Namgung Geom felt uneasy about not having gone.
He hesitated for a moment, then rose to his feet with resolve.
“I’ll have to move on this myself.”
Namgung Bing Long
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Baek Wol Geom
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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