Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 103

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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 103. The Sword Demon Perceives the Cicada’s Shell
“Sword Heaven has made its move in secret! Intelligence reports that the Blood Shadow Ghost Sword and the Red Blood Ghost Sword Brigade have relocated to the Naegang Region!”
“Report this to the Dang Faction immediately!”
“Gyerim has fallen into Pae Cheon’s hands!”
“Curse it all, now Guangdong is in danger too! Does the Guangdong Jin Family know about this?”
“They likely don’t yet.”
“Inform them at once!”
While beggars scattered in all directions, pigeons cooed as they wheeled through the sky above.
This was Kaifeng City, one of the Henan Three Cities alongside Zhengzhou City, where the Yongbong Conference had taken place.
Since the war between the Gunja Bang—Kaifeng’s home faction—and the Gucheon Sung and Baekga Maeng, known as the Gubaek Jaengpae, there had been no moment of peace.
“Gather all intelligence and send it to Zhengzhou!”
“Where in Zhengzhou?”
“To the Baekga Maeng Military Bureau! Make certain it reaches Jegal Ahyeon especially!”
Cheol Mu Gu, who always wore a grin, now bore a grave expression.
Though the Murim Maeng’s internal position had settled on non-intervention, he was using the Gunja Bang’s intelligence network to aid the Baekga Maeng.
‘The Baekga Maeng has particularly weak information gathering compared to other factions. Which means if we assist them, they’ll never fall behind the rest.’
Within the Baekga Maeng Military Bureau especially, Jegal Ahyeon’s prowess had become unmistakable.
Whenever intelligence reached her, she would devise tactics to exploit it in moments—already saving more than a dozen families through her actions.
‘I knew she was capable, but to achieve such visible results in her first real engagement? That’s no small feat.’
Recently, the commander-in-chief Jegal Sin San had come to favor her over his deputy commanders.
Sending intelligence directly to Jegal Ahyeon had become the most efficient way to handle matters.
“Master Cheol. Is this truly acceptable?”
Just then, one of the beggars spoke up, his voice troubled.
“What is it?”
“The Murim Maeng sends dozens of letters each day warning us not to break the Alliance Rules. Not to mention what Gucheon Sung sends. If we continue this way, won’t both factions come to resent us?”
“So you’re saying we shouldn’t help the Baekga Maeng?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“Righteousness Alone.”
Cheol Mu Gu spoke calmly to the worried beggar.
“There is only one path—to uphold righteousness. Are we doing anything shameful now?”
“…No, we aren’t.”
“If we can look up to heaven without a single point of shame, then we are doing what is right.”
Cheol Mu Gu smiled broadly and continued.
“Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? We become beggars? We’re already beggars, so we have nothing left to lose.”
“Understood!”
Inspired by his words, the beggar’s face brightened and he bounded off to catch the carrier pigeons.
Then an elderly voice called from behind.
“Heh-heh, you little wretch of a beggar. You’ve learned to speak like a proper beggar after all.”
“Master!”
Cheol Mu Gu spun around, his face lighting up.
There stood an elderly man with a sour expression and a rotund belly.
What had once been white whiskers were now yellowed and filthy, and the hemp robes he wore were tattered and threadbare.
Yet no one in all the world dared to slight this old man.
His true identity was the master of the Ten Thousand Beggars.
The Beggar King himself—Bang Ui Chae.
“You brat, you’re about to burst my eardrums.”
“Master, why have you come only now?”
“Do I come and go at your command?”
“You were right, Master! The Gubaek Jaengpae has erupted! The great lord has finally arrived!”
As Cheol Mu Gu cried out urgently, Bang Ui Chae clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“The great lord is a curse. This is only the beginning.”
“What?”
“The Gubaek Jaengpae? That’s merely a warning that a typhoon is approaching.”
Bang Ui Chae’s expression hardened like iron, and his voice turned grave.
“The Dark Current’s flow has quickened.”
“!”
“Those who had been quiet all this time have begun their true activities. This Gubaek Jaengpae is their handiwork.”
“Heaven help us!”
At Bang Ui Chae’s words, Cheol Mu Gu’s eyes went wide.
A war between the Martial World’s great powers—orchestrated by a third force?
“How—how is that even possible? Who on earth are they?”
“Blast it. That’s precisely why this old man’s been running around trying to find out.”
Bang Ui Chae glanced about the surrounding area before transmitting his words through inner voice.
『Those wretches call themselves a Society.』
Cheol Mu Gu’s eyes brightened as he questioned through inner voice in turn.
『A Society? You mean……?』
『What kind of society, I cannot say. Their purpose, their scale, even the identity of their leader—all unknown.』
Bang Ui Chae steadied himself against Cheol Mu Gu’s shoulder as he continued.
『Mark this well, boy. You must learn to suspect those closest to you.』
『I beg your pardon?』
『This recent strife has made it certain: dark currents run through both Gucheon Sung and Baekga Maeng. Otherwise, how could war escalate to open conflict so swiftly?』
『Then you’re saying……』
『Yes. They are everywhere. If they exist within Gucheon Sung and Baekga Maeng, they surely infest the Murim Maeng as well.』
『……!』
Cheol Mu Gu grasped what his master was driving at.
『I shall begin a full inspection of the membership at once.』
『Hold on now. You mean to interrogate ten thousand beggars one by one?』
『Nevertheless, I must——』
『Silence, and take this instead.』
Thud.
Bang Ui Chae drew a jade-green staff from his waist and hurled it to Cheol Mu Gu.
“Master! This is——!”
Catching the staff, Cheol Mu Gu was so startled he cried out in his actual voice, forgetting to use inner transmission entirely.
“Hah, hah. You keep it. I’m tired of lugging the damned thing around.”
“I cannot accept this! The Chui Okk Jang—how could I possibly——!”
“Why? Don’t you want to be the leader?”
Bang Ui Chae smirked and sent his words through inner voice.
『You’ll need that to make your work easier. If the dark current has planted sleeper agents, they’re bound to be at least Fifth Rank masters or higher.』
『But Master, with you still here, how could I——』
『Confound it, boy. How much longer do you mean to work me like a mule? I’m heading to Zhengzhou City. You’ll handle the rest from here.』
『You’re going to Zhengzhou City, sir?』
『More precisely, to the Murim Maeng. Those pitiful wretches need to be beaten into motion, even if it takes bloodying my fists.』
As Bang Ui Chae finished his transmission and smiled faintly, Cheol Mu Gu—who had been gazing solemnly at the Chui Okk Jang, the very symbol of the organization’s authority—bowed his head gravely.
『I shall purge the traitors in my master’s stead.』
『Hah, to shed such a burden feels fine indeed. I could run to Zhengzhou in a heartbeat now.』
Observing his capable disciple, Bang Ui Chae suddenly recalled something and posed a question.
“By the way, how fared that fellow?”
“That fellow, sir?”
“The one you mentioned in your letter.”
“You mean the Thunder God’s Brilliant Dragon?”
“Brilliant Dragon? What, is he a madman?”
“Dragon of Light, rather—that is, what the name signifies, but……”
Cheol Mu Gu shook his head as he thought of Namgung Ho Yeon.
“In truth, he seemed far closer to a Dragon of Darkness than a dragon of light.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“For all his brilliant bearing on the surface, his gaze was remarkably still.”
Then Cheol Mu Gu recalled the chilling killing intent he had felt at Wol Ha Ru, and his body trembled.
“He is difficult to fathom in many ways, but one thing is certain—I’ve no desire to make an enemy of him.”
* * *
“Damn this fool of a lord. Every task’s more absurd than the last.”
Jong Pal, who had climbed onto the watchtower in the early Tiger Hour, grumbled as he stood watch.
When he’d seen the black fog settle, they’d asked him to build a watchtower, so he’d built one.
Now they wanted him to scout enemy movements—and here he was, the youngest, standing alone in this freezing cold.
“But I’ll admit, the view is clear enough.”
The black fog clung oddly to the ground alone, and from his perch atop the tower, the movements within the enemy camp spread before him in full.
“Are the enemies within range?”
“Yeah, they’re over there—wait, what the——?!”
Reacting instinctively to the voice beside him, Jong Pal gasped in shock.
He’d climbed up alone—hadn’t he?
“Then you’d better be careful. That means you’re in range too.”
“This is…!”
The moment Jong Pal’s hand reached for the signal horn at his waist.
Schwick!
With a clean slicing sound, Jong Pal’s head separated from his body.
His head fell like a harvested fruit, drifting weightless through the air.
The body left behind tilted outward over the tower’s edge, then jerked inward as though pulled by a ghost.
Whisper.
Watching the head and body settle together as gently as falling petals, Ho Yeon murmured to himself.
“How sloppy. Sentry duty should always be kept by at least two men, shouldn’t it?”
―What do you expect from bandits.
―Hardly more than apprentices!
Nodding at the voices of the Cheonrae Geom and Heukya Tae Geom, Ho Yeon continued muttering.
“Either way, they’ve made things easier for me. Props to them for building such a fine tower.”
Offering a moment’s prayer for the dead bandit’s rest, Ho Yeon drew flying swords from inside his robe and began lifting them one by one into the air.
These were the distinctive flying swords of Dan Ri Sega—each blade no longer than two inches.
“The Hyeon Mu Eun Hyeong Jin. Now that’s a formation that suits my tastes. Old Master, might I learn such formations myself?”
Ho Yeon asked, gazing down at the ground shrouded in black mist.
With visibility this poor, he could use Uigi Yeondong without restraint.
―Your mind isn’t equipped for it.
“Pardon?”
―The harmonies of heaven and earth are not easily mastered. Even the I Ching alone would take a lifetime of study and still remain beyond full comprehension. As for the Star Divination Text, there’s no point even mentioning it.
“…”
At the Cheonrae Geom’s words, Ho Yeon fell silent.
Then, with a clearing throat, the Cheonrae Geom continued.
―Ahem! But who am I, hmm? None other than the great Kundalini Master of all under heaven. Follow my instruction, and you’ll manage a simple formation easily enough.
“Ah! Just as I expected, Old Master! The wisdom of the ages cannot be dismissed!”
―Hrmph! Heh-heh-hem!
At Ho Yeon’s transparent flattery, the Cheonrae Geom broke into a satisfied laugh.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whish-whish-whang!
As Ho Yeon conversed with the sword, the flying swords hovering around him drifted into formation without his notice.
“Now then. Let us begin the Reduction Strategy.”
Whirr! Whirr-whirr!
Ho Yeon’s hands, wielding the Geom Gyeol Ji, began to dance through empty space.
The flying swords descended like eagles diving for prey—silent, swift, and efficient—toward the ground below the tower.
Moments later, screams erupted from all quarters.
“Aaaagh!”
“Hack!”
“Urgh!”
“Is that—an enemy attack?!”
The Geumsu Bandits, exhausted from their march from Sukju to this place, suddenly drew weapons and scanned their surroundings as comrades began falling around them.
Fwoosh! Thunk!
“What—what is this?!”
Schwick! Schwick-schwick!
“Who’s there!”
Crack!
“Ugh! Where—hack!”
But thanks to the Hyeon Mu Eun Hyeong Jin, visibility was far too poor.
The flying swords, shot forth with Uigi Yeondong in secretive silence and speed, glided through the black fog like fish in water, harvesting bandit lives with ease.
“Flying swords!”
“It’s Dan Ri Sega!”
“Damn it all—at least a full company’s descended on us!”
“Call the leader!”
“Form a phalanx! Back to back!”
The panicked bandits began clustering together.
Yet in that brief window, more than a hundred bandits had already breathed their last.
“…What?”
But Ho Yeon’s expression remained troubled.
Rather, it had hardened with sudden gravity.
Rumble.
Rumble.
“Who are you? Reveal yourself!”
A man rushed from the east, wielding a hand axe in each fist and lashing out in all directions.
The axe wind scattered outward in every direction, pushing back the suffocating darkness and carving out a narrow margin of sight.
From the aura alone, he could only be the Geumsu Bandits’ leader—Maeng Pyo, known as the Silver Twin Hands.
Yet Ho Yeon’s gaze did not fix on the east where Maeng Pyo stood, but turned westward instead.
Whooom! Whoooom!
His Upper Dantian burned white-hot. The perceptual field he’d expanded through Uigi Yeondong stretched outward in all directions until it finally brushed against a gathering of some thirty figures seated in a circle.
‘Demonic energy. These must be the Demonized Cultivator Unit. Then could it be…?!’
Snap!
Ho Yeon unleashed Geom Gyeol Ji, and dozens of flying swords rocketed westward in unison.
Clang-clang-clang-crash!
“Hmm?”
“What—!”
“Ambush! Block it!”
The Demonized Cultivator Unit members encircling the Sik In Gyo rose swiftly and began batting away the flying swords.
Ting! Clash-clash-clang!
Crunch-crack!
Most of the flying swords shattered, yet several pushed through to the end, completing their task.
Bang! Crash-crash-boom!
Crack-crackle!
The flying swords slammed into the Black Palanquin without pause, and with the impact, its door panels tore to shreds.
“……!”
And Ho Yeon could now see clearly.
The interior of the Sik In Gyo was utterly empty.
“Cicada Sheds Its Shell!”
* * *
The swaying ceased.
“We have arrived, honored guest.”

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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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