Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 111

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 111. The Sword Demon’s Identity Exposed
Guizhou Province, Guiyang.
Sama Hwan’s crimson eyes bored into the map spread across the table.
That strange leather thing was none other than a map of Zhongyuan itself.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Sama Hwan reached out, swept away the white stones that sat atop Guangdong’s Lianjiang, Huashan, Wuchen, Wuming, Guzhou, and Xinyi regions, and placed black stones in their stead.
“Paecheon’s eastern advance proceeds smoothly. If we secure Guangdong this way, we can encircle Fujian together with Docheon.”
His gaze shifted next to Sichuan Province, to the Neijiang region.
“The movements of the Crimson Blood Demon Sword brigade have become readable. If this continues, they’ll become an isolated tree standing alone.”
Sama Hwan reclaimed the black stone he had placed in Neijiang.
“Sichuan, where the Dang Clan holds firm, is difficult to breach. Without the Gaebang’s assistance, such a strategy of four deaths and six lives would have been possible down the road.”
The space between Sama Hwan’s brows rippled with thought.
The Gaebang’s involvement was within expected parameters to some degree. Yet it had come far too quickly.
‘Could they have sensed something? Did they read our movements? No, that’s impossible.’
Sama Hwan paused mid-hypothesis, then shook his head.
Even Gucheon Sung had not fully grasped their true nature, so there was no reason to expect the Gaebang to fare better.
“In any case, I must lower my sights.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Sama Hwan moved the recovered black stone this time toward the Yunnan region.
“I should move to the Four Corner Palace strategy.”
Yunnan would not be as heavily fortified as Sichuan.
Moreover, among the great sects there was only the Jeomchang School, and even their influence was concentrated in the west—the east lay defenseless and open.
In short, it was ideal terrain to seize advantage.
“The Great Horse remains the problem, however.”
Tap-tap. Tap-tap.
Sama Hwan lifted a black stone and drummed his fingers against the table.
The center of the Zhongyuan map was held by white stones arrayed as the Great Horse.
For all the talk of the Great Horse’s immortality, he had not expected it to yield so little ground.
“The Consecutive Cutting Move certainly found its mark. Jegal Sinsan is skilled at reading flow, yet weak in command and leadership. The Baekga Maeng should have become a Trapped Horse, trapped and dying.”
Yet the Baekga Maeng still lived on within the Great Horse.
Why was that? Who had compensated for Jegal Sinsan’s weakness?
“Jegal Ahyeon. An unexpected master stroke has emerged.”
Wisdom Profound Phoenix, Jegal Ahyeon.
The flower of the Baekga Maeng’s military division, who had suddenly risen to prominence through the Yongbong Conference.
It was she, they said, who had tracked down the Cruel Scar Sword Chu Eum by supplementing insufficient intelligence with her own keen insight.
“Hundred Tile Overlapping? She is indeed a bold young woman.”
Hundred Tile Overlapping.
A hundred roof tiles layered one upon another.
Her speech, which erupted during the Baekga Maeng’s crisis like a candle in the wind, had stirred the hearts of many righteous faction warriors and unleashed unprecedented power.
“I’ve been played. I underestimated how much foolishness the righteous faction was capable of imagining.”
Their own house ablaze, yet they rushed off with buckets to quench fires in another’s home?
It made no common sense, yet that was precisely what made them righteous.
“If she orchestrated this with knowledge, her strategy pierces men’s hearts; if she did so in ignorance, then heaven itself chose her as virtue’s exemplar.”
A faint smile played at the corners of Sama Hwan’s mouth as he spoke Jegal Ahyeon’s praise.
Though events had not unfolded as planned, this was precisely why the Great Game flowed in such an entertaining direction.
A match against a skilled Go master was always compelling.
“Huh. I wonder how they’ll respond to my next move.”
His gaze drifted toward the center-east of the Zhongyuan map.
The faint smile vanished from his face in an instant, his jaw clenching hard.
“Since the black stones have seized the initiative, granting white some compensation is acceptable. But what happened in Anhui was truly unexpected.”
Sama Hwan had paid special attention to Anhui.
Securing Anhui would make it possible to sever the Great Horse’s waist and drive a wedge through along the diagonal.
From there, he could apply pressure with the blade at the enemy camp’s throat.
“Starting with the annihilation of the Dan Ri Sega, I aimed for Wave Riding Attack, successive onslaughts, yet the first wave was already blocked by the dike.”
Tap.
Sama Hwan lifted the white stone that sat at Hefei, the precise center of Anhui, and studied it.
“The Namgung Clan. Even rotten pickled fish still has its uses, then.”
The Namgung Clan, which had been in endless decline for decades, was now putting up unexpected resistance.
He had struck what he believed was the weakest corner among the Ten Great Clans, only to have a sharp blade spring forth and draw blood from his fingers.
And that blade’s reputation was now echoing loudly throughout Zhongyuan.
“The Thunder God Dragon, Namgung Ho Yeon. Truly a man not to be trusted.”
As Sama Hwan investigated Namgung Ho Yeon’s recent movements, the emotion that took root in him was distrust.
At the Baekga Geom-hoe, at merely sixteen years of age, he’d drawn out the Sword Technique and cut down Baekjongwoo.
Considering that Baekjongwoo had at that moment stepped into the Peak Realm, however briefly, with his Demon Spirit Deep Burst, it was an impossible feat.
After that, he made a name for himself at the Yongbong Conference with the Minor Archetype Technique, then hunted down the brutal and merciless Chu Eum.
And now this time, he’s killed the Cannibal Demon Beast Jin Heukcheol at Buyanggun?
“All of them Rank Elevation Kills. A Sword Demon, that one is.”
Sama Hwan shook his head slowly.
In this age when countless talents bloomed and displayed their brilliance,
Namgung Ho Yeon’s light shone with particular distinction.
“I cannot allow this momentum to continue unchecked. A gifted child must be tempered.”
Sama Hwan gazed thoughtfully at the map of Zhongyuan, then picked up a black stone with a faint smile.
Clack. Clack. Clack!
* * *
“Come now, let me see.”
“That’s enough.”
“Don’t be stubborn—let me have a look.”
“I said that’s enough.”
Ho Yeon glared at the white-haired grandmother waving a plate of mandarin cakes before his eyes, his brow furrowed deeply.
“Hehe, even your sulking face is adorable.”
“Seriously.”
“Here, take these.”
Dan Ri So Og, the First Elder of the Dan Ri Sega, pressed a plate of mandarin cakes into Ho Yeon’s hand.
After glowering at her a moment, Ho Yeon began eating them one by one with an expression of reluctant approval.
Crunch! Crunch!
“Mmm…….”
The outer shell shattered sweetly, crisp, while the inside burst with tart juice, soft and yielding.
As Ho Yeon trembled with pleasure, feeling the sweetness spread through his entire body,
Dan Ri So Og looked at him and smiled softly.
‘Who would ever see this child as the Dragon who slew the Cannibal Demon Beast?’
The martial artists who had returned to the Dan Ri Sega with anxious hearts were startled.
Though the clan’s main gate had been destroyed and casualties had occurred, compared to the fearsome reputation of the Cannibal Demon Beast Jin Heukcheol, the damage was almost nothing.
‘Was it possible only through the power of formation arrays and with the aid of the Scattered Wind Demon Sword and others? No, absolutely not.’
Everything was Namgung Ho Yeon.
The achievement of this young man, looking wistfully at an empty skewer as though regretting it.
“Oh, had I known you’d love them so, I’d have brought more back.”
“Wait—you can only get these at Tangtangtang, and they have a branch in Buyanggun?”
“Unfortunately not. This old woman crossed over Palgong Mountain to fetch them.”
“You…what?”
Ho Yeon’s eyes widened.
‘What, a Peak Realm master crossed a mountain just to fetch sweets? Is she serious?’
At Ho Yeon’s reaction, Dan Ri So Og covered her mouth and laughed.
“Hehe, you said you wanted them, didn’t you?”
“Well, yes, but…….”
“Tell me what you desire, and I will obtain it for you, no matter what.”
Dan Ri So Og spoke with genuine sincerity.
Indeed, she was prepared even to teach Ho Yeon the secret techniques of the Dan Ri Sega if he asked.
That was the measure of the debt the Dan Ri Sega owed to Namgung Ho Yeon.
“……It’s fine. I have plenty of money too.”
Feeling her sincerity, Ho Yeon averted his gaze and scratched the bridge of his nose.
In doing so, his arm wrapped in bandages came into view, and a faint herbal fragrance wafted from it.
‘This is unbearable.’
It had been several days since he’d regained consciousness.
The Dan Ri Sega tended to Ho Yeon with devoted care.
His internal energy had grown somewhat, as though spirit medicine had been administered while he slept, and the demon energy that had accumulated in his meridians and blood vessels had vanished like melting snow.
The technique Jin Heukcheol had employed—the Severed Meridian Technique—was not something easily dispelled,
yet seeing it disappear so cleanly made clear that the practitioner had accepted the loss of their own internal energy.
‘And this smeared all over my body is the Purple Scale Healing Cream that the Baekson Medical Clan prides itself on, isn’t it?’
The faint violet hue visible through the bandages left no doubt.
At the Dan Ri Sega, whenever even a small scratch appeared, the clan’s healer would gasp and apply this, as he well remembered.
Jarin Taesaenggo was a salve that the Baekson Medical Clan did not sell to just anyone.
Applied to a wound, it would heal the injury cleanly and completely—a miraculous ointment.
Naturally its price was astronomical, yet the Dan Ri Sega was using the expensive salve on Ho Yeon as though bathing him in it.
‘Well, thanks to that my body’s in nearly peak condition. There’s some internal damage left, but it’s something I can recover from with Qi Circulation Breathing.’
Most importantly, the external wounds had healed cleanly.
If scars had formed, there would have been absolute chaos when he returned home.
“What about the others?”
As Ho Yeon checked his own body, he asked the question, and Dan Ri So Og answered with a soft smile.
“The Daoist masters from Wudang, Kunlun, and Huashan, and the Buddhist nun from the Emei Sect—they’re all receiving treatment at the Uiyak Dang.”
“Did you apply this to them too?”
“Of course. They stepped forward for the sake of our main house—they’re people we owe a debt to.”
Dan Ri So Og continued, her voice tinged with admiration.
“I don’t know where they find such courage. Charging at a Sword Demon like that.”
“Hmph, it’s just stupidity, not courage.”
“Where are you headed?”
“For a walk.”
As Ho Yeon rose from his seat, Dan Ri So Og pointed eastward and spoke.
“The Uiyak Dang is that way.”
“I’m not going there!”
Bang!
As Ho Yeon shut the door and stepped out, the voices of the Heavenly Thunder Sword and the Black Night Great Sword echoed in his mind.
―Young master, when are you returning to the clan?
“Soon enough. The weasel’s been nagging me so much my ears are sore from it.”
―Oh you! This battle was thrilling! Let’s celebrate survival and drink flower wine together!
“I’ll pour some out when we return to the clan. But I won’t be drinking any.”
―Hey, hey now! What’s the point of me drinking alone? We should drink together, you fool!
“I refuse. Fool.”
Tap, tap, tap.
As Namgung Ho Yeon walked toward the Uiyak Dang conversing with the swords, greetings flew at him from all sides.
“Great Master Ho Yeon! Thank you!”
“Everyone, show respect!”
“Return Favor with Favor!”
“Gratitude Must Be Answered!”
Tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap!
Without acknowledging their salutations, Ho Yeon swiftly deployed his Movement Technique and fled.
―You wretch! You did the same thing at the clan, and now you’re running again?
“So what. Nothing new about it.”
―Exchange a few kind words with them. It will all become part of your renown.
“I don’t need that.”
Ho Yeon shrugged as he muttered to himself.
“A relationship of mutual use is enough. As long as they remain strong, there’s less chance of being stabbed in the back from the north.”
Tap-tap! Tap!
Ho Yeon arrived at the rear courtyard of the Uiyak Dang, which was filled with bamboo.
“Hmm?”
There was a visitor there.
The man standing among the bamboo spotted Ho Yeon and bowed respectfully.
“My name is Cheon Se Geuk. I formally offer my gratitude to my benefactor.”
The man in the crimson martial robe was Cheon Se Geuk, and his previously wild, unkempt hair was now tied up neatly, his beard trimmed with care.
The savage appearance was gone; in his place stood a composed, middle-aged man.
“Wow, what? You’re like a completely different person?”
“How could a cripple like me have washed his hair and trimmed his beard? I simply continued living as I was.”
“Speaking of which, how did the matter you needed to settle go?”
“If you wish, I can tell you.”
“Never mind. I’m not curious.”
Ho Yeon let out a quiet laugh and looked toward Cheon Se Geuk’s arms.
“Are they usable?”
“Very much so.”
“Then use them well.”
……
“Our wager was to last until the dispute with the Geumsu Clan was resolved. You are free now.”
“Freedom… is that what you mean?”
“You said you had work to do. Earn money and rescue your daughter.”
Namgung Ho Yeon shrugged and continued.
“You’ve done enough. You held on well. Because you let your strength slip away, I was able to capture Jin Heukcheol.”
“…That is not so.”
“What?”
“Even without me, you would have won.”
Cheon Se Geuk’s expression grew earnest, and his lips moved, yet no sound emerged.
Instead, a transmission echoed through Namgung Ho Yeon’s mind.
‘Sword Demon Undefeated. The Sword Demon never knows defeat.’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————