Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 122

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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 122. Sword Demon Hunts River Pirates
Whoooosh―!
A massive treasure ship pushed through the waters of the Yangzi River, forging ahead.
A treasure ship was a large sailing vessel even grander than a cargo junk,
fitted with nine sails of varying sizes and primarily propelled by wind power.
“What an enormous vessel.”
“Indeed it is.”
“A maximum capacity of a thousand souls, they say. I’ve heard such ships are used only when trading with foreign lands.”
“Isn’t this the one the Hae Hu Trading Consortium uses when hauling tea up to Beijing? You’d need something of this scale to carry imperial tribute goods.”
“But why make such a roundabout departure from Anqing? It would’ve been closer from Wuhu or He County.”
“How would a sparrow divine the mind of a phoenix? He called it a pleasure outing, so perhaps he simply wishes to savor the river journey at length.”
Two middle-aged men stood conversing on deck.
One was Geuk Ji Ryang, commander of the Iron Sword Brigade, of lean height and balanced build.
The other was a man of seven chi—roughly two meters ten—with a thick, unkempt beard, bearing the rough appearance of a mountain brigand.
Maeng Ui Gyeong, commander of the Dae Yeon Brigade.
“A pleasure outing? Do you truly believe that?”
Geuk Ji Ryang chuckled softly as he spoke to Maeng Ui Gyeong.
“Just from the Iron Sword Brigade, we’ve mobilized two and three companies. The Dae Yeon Brigade did the same, yes?”
“Three and five companies marched out.”
“And the Chang Gung Brigade, Cheon Pung Brigade, and Bi Yeon Brigade each sent two companies as well. That’s already a hundred men.”
“Plus the entire Namhwa Pavilion under the Wae Mu Dang has been mobilized.”
“Over two hundred elite soldiers accompanying a pleasure outing. Hehehehe.”
Geuk Ji Ryang smiled meaningfully at Maeng Ui Gyeong.
“This is your first excursion with Lord Ho Yeon, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“Hehehehe. You should look forward to it. Extraordinary things happen when you’re in the company of the lord.”
Geuk Ji Ryang shivered, recalling the Baekga Geom-hoe.
The exhilarating memory of facing a great clan with only ten fighters surfaced in his mind.
After that experience, Geuk Ji Ryang came to understand what it meant to stand against the world with a single iron sword.
Thanks to it, the realm he had been stuck in advanced, and now he stood within sight of the Peak Absolute Realm.
…….
Unlike the spirited Geuk Ji Ryang, Maeng Ui Gyeong’s gaze toward the river lay heavy and dim.
‘I am a traitor who has betrayed the trust of Lord Ho Yeon. He entrusted me with protecting his younger brother, yet…….’
Ever since Young Master Mo Yong Yul suddenly vanished with an overturned boat,
Maeng Ui Gyeong had consciously avoided coming to the Yangzi River.
The memory of a young life extinguished through his negligence, the deep wound inflicted upon the master he served—it haunted him.
Crack!
Maeng Ui Gyeong clenched both fists hard, steeling his resolve within.
‘Whatever it is that Lord Ho Yeon prepares, I do not know. But I shall stake my life to see his will accomplished!’
And so Geuk Ji Ryang and Maeng Ui Gyeong, their minds churning with different emotions and thoughts, turned their gaze toward the bustling center of the deck.
“Wow! I’ve never seen the sea before!”
“That’s a river, not the sea.”
“This isn’t the sea? I can’t believe it. Have you seen the sea, Gwang Myeong?”
“I… haven’t either.”
Hearing the exchange between Hye Il and Gwang Myeong, Na Rin laughed softly and spoke up.
“The sea is much wider than this.”
“Have you seen the sea, Miss Na Rin?”
“Of course. I’m from Zhejiang, after all.”
“Really? Then you’ve been to Hangzhou?”
“Of course I have.”
“So can you see the sea from Hangzhou?”
“Well, there’s a large bay called Hangzhou Bay that connects to the sea.”
At Na Rin’s explanation, Hye Il and Gwang Myeong’s eyes sparkled with wonder.
Gwang Myeong, who had lived in the remote lands of Qinghai, had never seen the sea, nor had Hye Il, who had only ever dwelled in Hubei, the very heart of Zhongyuan.
The inland expanse was so vast that it was not uncommon for people to live their entire lives without ever glimpsing the sea, so it was hardly unusual that Hye Il and Gwang Myeong had not.
“Hangzhou Bay! I want to go there!”
“Let’s go together!”
“Goodness, I’m actually going to see the sea!”
“Did you know? The sea’s water is salty.”
“Gwang Myeong. That’s not something to jest about.”
“You’re serious?”
“Heh heh heh.”
Na Rin watched the two chattering priests with the fond warmth one reserves for younger brothers, her smile brightening as they prattled on.
‘Such clarity. They must have grown without blemish, nourished by the pure essence of the Kunlun Mountains and Wudang Mountain. And yet…….’
Her gaze shifted.
It fell upon Un Am, desperation etched into every line of his face as he gasped for breath.
“Hah! Hah! Hah!”
“Focus. Your heel is touching down.”
“Hup!”
Un Am held the Horse Stance, his heels lifted perhaps an inch from the deck, sweat pouring from him like rain.
Before him, Ho Yeon corrected his posture with precise jabs of the Soft Love Sword.
“The moment you think about your heels, your pelvis locks. Lock the pelvis, and the spine crumples. Look—your center of gravity is a complete wreck.”
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Ho Yeon swung the sheathed blade in arcs, straightening Un Am’s curved spine.
For a moment, Un Am held the corrected posture, jaw clenched tight.
Slosh! Slosh!
The swells of the Yangzi River rolled directly across the deck—and maintaining balance on such a surface was no easy task.
Thud!
“Hah! Hah!”
Un Am could not hold it long. He collapsed, and Ho Yeon, his expression unmoved, looked down at him with a question.
“Had enough?”
“H-huh! Huff! No, just… once more, if… if you please.”
“Suit yourself.”
Smack! Smack!
Un Am hammered his trembling legs with his fists, working the cramps from his muscles, then immediately resumed the Horse Stance.
Na Rin watched his desperate struggle, and for a moment, something tender flickered across her face before fading.
‘He doesn’t want to lose this chance. I understand.’
During his time with the Namgung Clan, Un Am had asked her for a Martial Match nearly every day.
But Na Rin knew he didn’t truly seek a contest with her—he wanted Namgung Ho Yeon to witness his progress.
‘You’ve always sought out wherever the young master was, only to step past him with the Se Ryu Step.’
Namgung Ho Yeon had surely noticed.
The Ho Yeon that Na Rin knew was no fool.
Yet even Ho Yeon, who had made excuses about being busy, had begun grudgingly to help Un Am restore his Se Ryu Step.
There was only one reason for this.
‘When you see someone striving that desperately, you can’t help but cheer them on.’
Na Rin gazed at Un Am as he concentrated, sweat streaming down his face, and smiled softly.
Then.
“River pirates! The Black Tide Bandits have appeared!”
A sailor in the crow’s nest bellowed the warning across the deck with a voice that rang like bronze.
And Na Rin saw it.
“Ho.”
A bright smile bloomed across Namgung Ho Yeon’s lips—replacing the boredom that had been there before.
* * *
“Captain! We’ve spotted her! A massive vessel!”
“I see her too, fool.”
At his subordinate’s cry, Du Gyun, the Black Tide captain, sharpened his focus.
Then he saw it—a banner hanging from the enormous Treasure Ship.
[邂]
“Hah hah hah! The Hae Hu Trading Consortium! Idiots—they forgot the imperial flag!”
Had the Yellow Ginkgo Leaf—the silver mark of the imperial household—hung beside the Consortium’s banner, Du Gyun would never have dared to touch them.
River pirates wielded absolute dominion on the Yangzi, but even they had to show respect before the throne’s wrath.
“Not headed to Beijing, are they? Keh heh! How naive!”
Had he been the Hae Hu captain, Du Gyun would have flown the imperial flag regardless of destination.
Real or false, once that flag flew, no one dared lay a hand on you.
‘The Water Route Alliance sent down two orders. If the imperial flag is flying, bring back proof of forgery. But if it isn’t……!’
Du Gyun twisted his lips into a savage grin and shouted.
“Krah hah! All ships, charge! Take that brigantine! Claim Sang Gwan Hae’s head, then tear his body apart and feed him to the fish!”
The Water Route Alliance had placed a bounty of fifty thousand taels in gold on Sang Gwan Hae’s head.
Even splitting that among his crew, Du Gyun could pocket thirty thousand taels for himself.
‘Thirty thousand taels in gold—enough to escape this damned pirate’s life at last!’
Du Gyun, intoxicated with exhilaration, bellowed.
“Ahahaha! Charge, charge! Whoever brings me the head of that merchant shall receive one hundred taels of gold!”
“Uoooo!”
“One hundred taels of gold!”
“This madness—how many taels in silver?”
“Two thousand taels in silver!”
“Ship slaves! Row faster!”
The Black Tide Bandits’ river pirates trembled with excitement at such staggering sums.
The Black Tide Bandits’ full force consisted of two sand ships and five fast patrol boats.
Sand ships were flat-bottomed, rectangular-hulled vessels with a pointed prow, while fast patrol boats were sleek, nimble craft with sharp bows.
Whoosh! Whoosh-whoosh!
All seven vessels surged forward rapidly, and grappling hooks lashed to ropes launched from the sand ships that had arrived first.
Whump! Whump!
Crunch! Crack-crack-crack!
The hooks caught indiscriminately on the treasure ship’s railings, and the river pirates scrambled up the ropes with practiced ease.
“Ahahaha! Let’s go!”
Swish-swish!
Du Gyun swept across the rope employing the Body Movement Technique with flamboyant ease.
That acrobatic grace alone revealed his martial realm was far from shallow.
Thud!
Landing on the treasure ship’s deck like a hawk, Du Gyun thundered to overwhelm the air.
“Ahahaha! I am Du Gyun, Bandit Chief of the Black Tide, master of the Blood Eagle Claw! Who dares cross the Yangzi without my blessing!”
Swish! Swoosh-whoom!
Simultaneously, iron talons curved like eagle’s claws sprang from Du Gyun’s palms.
He was a master of the Perfection Realm who had cultivated to extraordinary depth the Remnant Soul Eagle Claw technique.
He possessed the skill to project energy threads from all eight talons at once.
“Summon your master at once! If not, I’ll shred you into a thousand pieces!”
Crackle-crackle!
Whoosh-whoosh-whoomp!
As crimson energy threads streamed from Du Gyun’s talons, the river pirates’ fervor surged higher.
“Ahahaha! You’re already dead men!”
“Hehehehe, if you’ve come to the Yangzi, you follow the Yangzi’s laws!”
“Puffaw! Don’t worry. For passage toll, I’ll just take that merchant’s head.”
The river pirates brandished their weapons and hurled threatening words at will.
Yet something felt wrong about it all.
Usually, when sailors encountered river pirates on the Yangzi, they dropped to their knees in terror—but these crew members simply stared at them with bland indifference.
“Have these whelps lost their minds?”
“What’re you gawking at! Don’t you know how to show respect? Should I chew out your eyeballs for you?”
“Insolent dogs—I’ll flay your hides and use them as sails!”
The enraged river pirates threatened more viciously, but the crew only glanced at the center of the deck and broke into smirks.
“Well now, flayed hides for sails. That’s certainly creative.”
Step, step, step.
Then a fair-skinned youth with three swords hung at his waist stepped forward, a smile playing at his lips.
Du Gyun’s brow twitched as he cried out.
“Who in blazes are you!”
“You called for the person in charge.”
“What?”
“I’m here. What will you do about it.”
Du Gyun swept his eyes over the insolent youth from head to toe and scoffed.
“Ha, a milk-reeking brat’s lost his senses. You dare strut before Du Gyun himself?”
No martial presence emanated from the youth at all.
Surely he couldn’t be a master of the Peak Absolute Realm at that age—he was likely just a spoiled rich man’s son.
“Heheheh. A sheltered young lord who knows nothing of the world, I see. This isn’t your household. Let me teach you some manners!”
“That’s right, Du Gyun. At the thought of cutting you down, my heart’s positively thrumming.”
“You bastard!”
Swish-swish!
Du Gyun lunged at the youth who had mocked his very name.
‘I’ll make this as brutal as possible.’
The youth’s bloodied, wretched death would serve as an excellent lesson for all.
‘White Bone Disarming!’
Slash-slash-slash!
Du Gyun’s hands moved with blinding speed, his Iron Talons curved like a hawk’s claws, leaving crimson Claw Shadows as they raked through empty air.
The White Bone Disarming technique—which stripped an opponent’s defense as cleanly as flaying flesh from bone—contained within it the subtle principles of Sealing.
‘Draw your sword,’ Du Gyun thought with cruel certainty. ‘The moment you do, I’ll snatch it between my talons and snap it in half.’
His Iron Talons were an unusual weapon that had shattered the blades of countless masters, trapping them between his claws.
The young man took the bait exactly as Du Gyun expected.
Shring!
The blade he drew was a mysterious Black Longsword, and with its elongated grip included, it stretched well over five chi—nearly five feet in length.
‘What a fool! Drawing such an unwieldy polearm in ship-to-ship combat!’
On a pitching deck, short, direct, linear strikes held the true advantage.
River pirates didn’t favor harpoons and tridents as their primary weapons for nothing.
“Die!”
Slash-slash-slash!
Du Gyun laughed at the young man’s stupidity as he unleashed a barrage of crimson Claw Strikes.
Every river pirate aboard was certain the youth would be torn to shreds.
Then it came.
Whooooom—!
A constellation of blue light exploded from the young man’s blade, sweeping back the darkness and revealing a brilliant clear sky.
That brilliant azure radiance scattered a thousand times over where it struck the ripples of the Yangzi River, dyeing everything around them in shimmering blue.
“…What?”
Crack!
In that blue world, Du Gyun was bisected cleanly in two—his expression frozen in confusion at what he’d just witnessed.
Silence.
“Cough, ptui! I’ll need to refine that more. I’m still wasting far too much True Qi.”
Ho Yeon spat blood and shook his head with obvious dissatisfaction.
Looking down at Du Gyun’s corpse, now neatly divided into two halves, Ho Yeon gave his next order.
“Next time, use thrusting strikes rather than slashing ones.”
Ho Yeon shared Du Gyun’s concern about one thing.
But for an entirely different reason.
“This deck’s going to be a nightmare to clean. Keep the deaths as tidy as possible.”
“Understood!”
“Understood!”
Patter-patter-patter!
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
The warriors of the Namgung Clan, who had been waiting for Ho Yeon’s command, rushed at the river pirates as one.
Within moments, the deck became a living hell.

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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
—————