Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 102

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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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Episode 102. The Sword Fiend and the Black Mist
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A strange metallic sound echoed across the landscape, and people were seized by dread.
The noise came from a sedan chair painted entirely in black.
The rectangular sedan was a Two-Person Sedan carried by two men dressed in black robes.
The eerie sound that rang out with each step of the bearers came from the cooking implements densely hanging on the walls of the sedan.
Ladles, cleavers, cauldrons, steamers, woks, and more.
Everyday cookware, ordinary and commonplace.
Yet affixed to that black sedan, they inspired a grotesque terror.
“Ugh… So that’s the infamous Cannibal Sedan.”
“A sedan that devours people? It’s every bit as unsettling as the rumors say.”
“Those Demon General Cannibal Squad bastards. They haven’t made a peep this whole time.”
“Insane dogs. This is exactly why we shouldn’t deal with Gwang Cheon.”
The Jin Soo Chae bandits muttered among themselves.
Their eyes, fixed on the Cannibal Sedan, held the scorn and revulsion one reserves for enemies, not allies.
Even bandits whom the world pointed fingers at recoiled from them.
The Demon General Cannibal Squad pressed forward with vacant eyes, gazing only ahead.
The thirty-odd members of the squad were loyal disciples who heeded only their commander, Jin Heuk Cheon.
They had mastered the Heat Black Devouring Demon Art—a forbidden technique rarely seen in this world—and had already transcended the bounds of humanity.
“Hmm…”
Though the world trembled around him, Jin Heuk Cheon sat with closed eyes, a placid smile at the corners of his mouth.
“War is good. Sustenance lies everywhere. But one mustn’t indulge in just anything—that would betray the refined palate.”
Jin Heuk Cheon, wrapped in a subtle excitement, muttered as he licked his lips with a reddened tongue.
The scent of charred flesh and sweet blood seemed to drift from somewhere unseen.
The memory kindled his hunger.
That day when, after mastering the Heat Black Devouring Demon Art, he had felt satiation for the first and last time.
The day he had destroyed his lineage, the Bo Hwa Mun, tearing at the flesh of his fellow disciples and drinking his master’s blood.
“Ah! That was a true delicacy! When shall I taste such a feast again?”
Jin Heuk Cheon trembled, murmuring with longing.
Grrrrr.
The Heat Black Devouring Demon Qi churned in his dantian, whining for sustenance.
He wished to leap forth and feast at once.
But Jin Heuk Cheon shook his head and restrained himself.
“No. No, I mustn’t. To savor fine fare, one must wait. Food tastes truest when consumed at the edge of unbearable hunger.”
Thick saliva pooled in his mouth, yet Jin Heuk Cheon caressed his dantian and spoke to himself gently.
Gnawing on rubbish left only a sour taste.
A grand and abundant banquet was coming soon.
Patience. Nothing but patience.
“Heh-heh-heh. Let me season and cure them. Once I’ve balanced the flavors just so and let them ripen, they’ll fall right into my mouth of their own accord!”
Flash!
Jin Heuk Cheon’s eyes snapped open.
His entirely black pupils caught the sunlight filtering through the sedan’s window, gleaming like a beetle’s carapace.
“Soon. Very soon.”
The meal hour was drawing near.
* * *
A thin fog blanketed the entire city.
This was Mong Seong.
The Dan Ri Sega, which had marched forth four days ago, now stood alongside local martial artists and a volunteer militia that had formed within the city.
And following word of Jin Soo Chae’s assault, it had swelled with mercenaries and freelance warriors of every stripe.
“We have engaged three additional mercenary groups.”
“Our forces now exceed five thousand.”
“Though the enemy claims twice our number, they are mere bandit rabble. Victory is assured.”
The commanders assembled in the Ok Su Ui Ga of Mong Seong delivered their report.
The Ok Su Ui Ga was a prominent orthodox faction in Mong Seong and had maintained close ties with the Dan Ri Sega as a allied force.
“Good. Expand our forces as much as possible until the final battle. Spare no expense.”
Dan Ri Hwan nodded as he received the commanders’ report.
Though they had already spent tens of thousands in gold to hire mercenaries, he would double that sum if it meant increasing their numbers.
For to lose in this Heaven and Earth One Gamble would be to lose everything.
“Huk O, the commander. Report.”
“Yes.”
At Dan Ri Hwan’s words, Dan Ri Chu, the Black Five Sect Leader, stepped forward.
He wore night clothes with a face mask covering his features.
“The Jin Soo Chae forces that departed from Suk Joo are marching directly toward Mong Seong. If we’re unlucky, they’ll arrive by dawn tomorrow.”
“And toward Wa Yang?”
“We’ve dispatched roughly five hundred troops, including two grand masters, but their intent appears to be containment rather than assault.”
“So the real battle will be here, then.”
Dan Ri Hwan nodded gravely.
It was more or less what he’d anticipated.
The cities worth targeting were Wa Yang and Mong Seong, but Mong Seong lay closer to Suk Joo.
‘Besides, controlling Wa Yang would require passing through Taehwa afterward, but Mong Seong—it’s the throat, the direct path to our main clan.’
That’s why Dan Ri Hwan had positioned his elite forces in Mong Seong rather than Wa Yang.
“What of Jin Heuk Cheon?”
“The Demon General Cannibal Squad is advancing from the center together with the Cannibal Sedan.”
“No more hiding their hand, then.”
The Demon General Cannibal Squad and Jin Heuk Cheon had revealed themselves by reducing Suk Joo to ruins.
Logically, they should have been moving in concert with Gwang Cheon, who was currently invading Hubei.
‘But the Jegal Clan holds Hubei. Stepping into their domain would be suicide.’
The Jegal Clan’s power lay not in offense but in defense.
With countless formation techniques and mechanical traps in place, no one would risk an assault without accepting catastrophic losses.
Moreover, Hubei housed the Wudang School as well, anchored by Wudang’s sectmaster.
Even if the Martial Alliance maintained a passive stance, the Wudang School wouldn’t simply stand by and watch Hubei, their own base, fall under Gucheon Seong’s control.
‘That’s why Gwang Cheon is merely feinting invasion while redirecting elite forces like the Cannibal Demon General Jin Heuk Cheon elsewhere.’
They faced a dire situation as a result, yet Dan Ri Hwan’s expression remained composed.
“Summon the First Elder from Wa Yang.”
“But clan lord, what if this is a diversion tactic?”
At Dan Ri Hwan’s words, one of the vice-lords spoke with concern.
“Meng Biao, leader of Jin Soo Chae and wielder of the Silver Axe Dual Hands, is also a supreme master. If the First Elder vacates his post……”
“Meng Biao has been confirmed to be heading toward Mong Seong as well.”
The Black Five Sect Leader explained on Dan Ri Hwan’s behalf.
“He could certainly alter his course en route, but we’re capable of responding.”
“The Black Five Sect Leader is right. Jin Heuk Cheon is what matters now.”
Everyone nodded at Dan Ri Hwan’s words.
The Cannibal Demon General Jin Heuk Cheon was a Wall Breaker. They needed every supreme master they could muster.
“Yawn.”
An abrupt sound drew everyone’s attention to a corner where a young man in blue martial robes was stretching his jaw.
By his refined features and the three swords hanging at his waist alone, he looked every inch a later generation disciple fresh from the martial world.
Yet no one here dared belittle him.
‘Thunder God Azure Dragon Namgung Ho Yeon. The Ten Fingers Ten Ancestors of the next generation, the one who slew a Wall Breaker, fights alongside us!’
‘Truly the bearing of a divine dragon!’
‘They say he rushed here to repay a debt to an enemy? Such spirited youth!’
‘And that sharp-featured man in the back—he too is a dragon. Spear Palace Azure Dragon Namgung Ja Ryang!’
‘If what San Wol said is true, twenty members of the Spear Palace Unit could easily stand against hundreds of enemies!’
The eyes of those gazing toward the Namgung Clan contingent burned with favor.
Among them stood Neung Hu In, leader of the Myosan Unit.
“Say, won’t you teach me at all?”
“Teach you what?”
“I’ve asked the Spear Palace members a hundred times, and every single time they said you created it.”
“I don’t know.”
“Now listen here, Young Master Namgung Ho Yeon.”
“You’ve got the wrong person. I’m actually… Dan Ri Hwan.”
Ho Yeon sidestepped the short man whose eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Wait! Wait up!”
But Neung Hu In, leader of the Myosan Unit, pursued him, his few remaining hairs streaming behind him.
“How did you merge and gather heterogeneous qi together? Heterogeneous qi should repel each other—a person shouldn’t be able to accept another’s martial essence at all?”
“I said I don’t know.”
“Please, just tell me! I’m going mad with curiosity!”
“Ugh, seriously!”
Ho Yeon gave up trying to escape and glared at Neung Hu In.
His relentless questioning about another’s secret techniques was plainly discourteous.
Crushing his head flat as a dumpling would be a fitting response.
“Oh, so you’re going to explain?”
“Tsk!”
But Ho Yeon turned away with a click of his tongue, unable to meet those eyes—bright and clear as a child’s.
If there had been malice behind the question, he would have struck without hesitation. But this man was asking purely out of genuine curiosity.
‘They say all Formation Masters are lunatics. Looks like they weren’t wrong.’
They were simply so rare that encounters were infrequent. Everyone who had met one spoke with a single voice: Formation Masters were madmen.
‘I should have suspected when the old master became obsessed with Formation Technique back then.’
―What the—?!
Just as Ho Yeon was struggling under Neung Hu In’s relentless questioning, the leader of the Black Mist Sect came to his aid.
“Master Neung. This is strategy session time. Please exercise restraint.”
“Hmm? Ah, Chu. My apologies. I got a bit overexcited.”
At Dan Ri Chu’s words, Neung Hu In sheepishly scratched at the few strands of hair remaining on his head.
The Myosan Unit was a subordinate division of the Black Mist Sect, making Neung Hu In technically Dan Ri Chu’s inferior.
But Dan Ri Chu did not speak down to him.
Formation Masters were rare treasures, and talents like Neung Hu In were scarcer still.
‘Still, in an age where mere competence can elevate even madmen, the world truly is in decline.’
―Ha! Who are you to say such things?
―Paha! Introducing yourself, are we?
The Cheonrae Geom spoke as though exasperated, while the Heukya Tae Geom burst into delighted laughter.
Then the Black Mist Sect leader, Dan Ri Chu, turned to Neung Hu In.
“The role of the Myosan Unit is crucial. How far along are your preparations?”
“Just finished! The Black Tortoise Hidden Form Array can be activated at any moment!”
At Dan Ri Chu’s question, Neung Hu In launched into an enthusiastic explanation of the array.
“Mong Seong is aptly named—the City of Dreams. And why? Because the abundant Water Qi creates mist so thick and dreamlike it seems to blur the very world.”
Click!
Neung Hu In withdrew an iron stake from his robes and flourished it triumphantly.
“By harnessing the principle of Metal Generates Water, I can amplify this city’s Water Qi to its absolute limit! Add just a touch of the burning essence of wood through Wood Generates Fire, and we’ll have Black Mist as thick as that which the guardian of the north, the Black Tortoise, would breathe forth!”
Dan Ri Hwan, the head of the Dan Ri Sega, smiled gently at Neung Hu In, who was practically vibrating with the eager hope of a child awaiting praise.
“Well done. You are indeed worthy of being the Myosan Unit’s commander.”
“Haha! This is but child’s play for me!”
“Activate the Black Tortoise Hidden Form Array at once.”
“Understood! I shall go immediately!”
Tap-tap-tap!
Neung Hu In bolted from the conference chamber, and Ho Yeon quietly rose to follow.
“Where are you headed?”
“To watch that.”
At Namgung Moon Yeon’s question, Ho Yeon offered a cryptic smile as he continued.
“You know? That Black Tortoise Hidden Form Array has a rather fascinating function that even the Myosan Unit commander hasn’t realized.”
“Is that so?”
“Something about summoning dark spirits or the like?”
……
Ho Yeon waved a hand at the bewildered Namgung Moon Yeon and stepped outside.
* * *
“Cursed thing!”
“Brr, why is it so freezing?”
“What is this black mist?”
“It’s not poison, is it?”
The bandits of Jin Soo Chae, having arrived at the Mong Seong Plain in the late hours before dawn, cursed and swore without ceasing.
The Black Tortoise Hidden Form Array had been activated, and the entire area was engulfed in a chilling black mist.
“Is this a formation technique?”
“It would appear so.”
“Tsk.”
Inside a vast command tent.
A man with two hand axes slung at his waist folded his arms and clicked his tongue dismissively.
“How troublesome. These theatrical antics.”
“The mist is worse at night. Come morning, the field of vision should improve somewhat.”
“Hmph.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The man with the folded arms, Meng Biao of the Silver Axe Dual Hands, chuckled softly to himself.
“Heh, fools. They don’t even understand the situation they’re in, scrambling to assume a defensive posture.”
“Pardon?”
“You don’t need to know. Khehehehe!”
Meng Biao chuckled darkly, regarding his subordinate’s utter ignorance.
‘If they drag their feet over there, all the better for us. The Dan Ri Sega won’t know what hit them. I’m curious what expression they’ll be wearing in a few days!’
“Fuhahahaha!”
Meng Biao broke into delighted laughter.
“Argh!”
“Gack!”
“G-ghosts…! Ck!”
Faint screams began reaching his keen ears.
“We’re under attack!”
“What?”
“Someone’s gotten inside!”
Patter-patter! Swoosh!
Meng Biao bolted toward the tent entrance and tore open the flap.
The world lay shrouded entirely in black mist—visibility cut to nothing, not even a hand’s breadth ahead.
Only the scattered cries piercing through the haze gave any hint of what was happening.
“Wh-what on earth is going on!”

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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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