Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 124

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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 124. The Sword Demon Arrives in Hangzhou
The Haehoo Merchant Group had arrived in Hangzhou.
But the attention of the people was drawn not to them, but to those who had come alongside them.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
A procession marching down the central avenue of Shangcheng District, which ran vertically through Hangzhou.
The way they moved in perfect rows and columns was disciplined, almost military in its precision.
What struck terror into the atmosphere most of all was the dark blood staining their blue martial robes.
“Oh! The heroes of the Yangtze!”
“Indeed, their presence is as vast and deep as the blue sky itself!”
“Mm… remarkable.”
“If you got too close, you’d be cut. Who would have thought those who were soft as reeds when we met them at the escort house could be so sharp?”
“Well, of course. They’re in a state of war right now, aren’t they?”
The people of Hangzhou were startled by the bearing of the Namgung Clan’s martial masters.
Like finely honed blades, every one of them radiated palpable Fighting Spirit.
Though they had heard of the Great Nine-Hundred Struggle, the people of Hangzhou—who had never known war—were overwhelmed by the vivid scent of the battlefield that the Namgung Clan had brought with them.
“Then who is that youth at the front?”
“Thunder God, Soaring Dragon!”
“Ah! The young hero who felled the Man-Eating Demon General!”
“Heavens, he practically glows with radiance! So that’s why they call him Soaring Dragon?”
The gaze of the crowd shifted to the young man walking at the head of the procession.
His height was neither tall nor short. His nose was prominent and aquiline, his jawline sharp. His skin was pale, his lips a deep red.
He might have looked like a refined nobleman from the inner chambers, but the deep claw marks visible between the loose folds of his martial robe and his tousled long hair gave him a wild, feral beauty.
“My, Hangzhou is truly Hangzhou. It’s still as resplendent as ever.”
Ho Yeon gazed around in wonder at the sights of Hangzhou.
Behind each pavilion stood another pavilion; behind each multi-story tower rose another tower; and behind each pleasure house loomed a yet more ornate one.
The pleasures of Hangzhou had been renowned since ancient times.
A poet of the Song dynasty, Im Seung, had sung of Hangzhou in these very words:
Mountains beyond mountains, towers beyond towers—
Beyond the mountains lies another blue peak,
And beyond the tower stands another tower still.
When will the songs and dances of West Lake ever cease?
When will the singing and dancing upon West Lake come to an end?
Though the poem was meant as satire on the people of Hangzhou’s philosophy of intoxicated life and dreaming death,
the people of Hangzhou took even that as entertainment and raised their cups with mirth, which says everything.
‘Ten thousand strangers passed through every day, and I often used it as a place to hide.’
Ho Yeon’s emotions stirred with old memories.
He recalled the time when, after causing some grand chaos, he had drifted into Hangzhou and mingled among its crowds.
―Puhaha! Oni-ya-ro! It’s been ages since I was in Zhejiang Province, hasn’t it?
‘That’s right.’
―This province was where we first met, after all!
‘True. Though not in Hangzhou itself.’
Ho Yeon smiled faintly.
He had first met Heukyatae in Taizhou, in Zhejiang Province.
It was when he had beheaded a Japanese pirate chieftain wearing a black helmet and a crimson demon mask, and then picked up Heukyatae from atop the corpse.
‘Ah, that was such fun back then. No one complained no matter how many Japanese pirates you killed and eliminated.’
Like Liaoning, where the Moyong Clan was based, Zhejiang was located at the eastern edge of Zhongyuan, touching the sea.
Because of this proximity to the Eastern Seas, Japanese people frequently came and went.
The difference between the two provinces was that Liaoning’s purpose was commercial trade, while Zhejiang’s was plunder.
As a result, he remembered that the perception of Japanese in Zhejiang had reached an all-time low.
“Master, shall we take another circuit?”
As Ho Yeon stood lost in reminiscence, Geuk Ji Ryang, the commander of the Iron Sword Brigade, spoke from behind.
Ho Yeon looked around and shook his head.
“No. This is enough. Plenty.”
“Whew, thank goodness. Walking around with our necks so stiff is quite awkward.”
Geuk Ji Ryang rubbed his neck and joked about the stiffness.
Ho Yeon let out a soft laugh at that.
―Good heavens, what manner of barbaric display is this? Marching through the streets drenched in blood, raising your aura like this?
The Cheonrae Sword rebuked Ho Yeon.
Ho Yeon considered this.
‘Barbaric? No. I’m merely employing human nature. When people encounter one another, they instinctively judge strength and weakness.’
Humanity is a creature driven by power.
Thus people live perpetually calculating the gap in strength between themselves and others.
Is that person stronger than I am?
Is that person weaker than I am?
This desire springs from the instinct to survive—to bow before the strong and dominate the weak is humanity’s truest nature.
—Stop that nonsense! That’s the behavior of beasts, not men!
‘Old master, forgive me. But men are beasts by nature.’
Namgung Ho Yeon replied coolly to the Cheonrae Sword’s objection.
He’d witnessed proof enough during his years as the Sword Demon to grow weary of it.
‘Look—it’s quite effective, wouldn’t you say?’
Namgung Ho Yeon smiled as he noticed the faint tremor of fear and wariness flickering in the eyes around him.
This was the reaction he’d wanted.
That’s why he’d refused to have the blood washed from his clothes, and why he’d ordered his men not to suppress the killing intent that lingered subtly after the battle.
‘Let the main house know we are no mere hollow clan, but a Fierce Lord willing to draw his blade when necessity demands. They’ll conduct themselves accordingly.’
—Tch, tch. What an unscrupulous rogue you are.
The Cheonrae Sword clicked his tongue disapprovingly, though he couldn’t deny that Namgung Ho Yeon’s method was the fastest and most effective.
“Brother, there’s a problem.”
Just then, Sangkwan Hae stepped closer and spoke.
“What is it?”
“The Haehoo Merchant Group’s estate is far too small for a force our size.”
“Well, that’s hardly surprising. This trip to Hangzhou was decided on such short notice.”
Namgung Ho Yeon glanced around dismissively.
“Since we’ve come to such a fine place, we ought to lodge somewhere worthy. Surely with so many estates here, we can find quarters for ourselves?”
“Young master, shall I arrange accommodations?”
“Yes. Find somewhere that can house all our soldiers under one roof if possible.”
“An estate large enough for two hundred men…that won’t be easy.”
“If it’s too difficult, we can simply buy one outright. Land values in Hangzhou won’t be falling anytime soon.”
As Namgung Ho Yeon was discussing lodgings with Geuk Ji Ryang,
from among the noisy group of Samdao disciples, a single figure—who had been standing with an unusually blank expression—stepped forward.
It was Nan A.
“Young master, searching for lodging, wandering from place to place?”
“Yes.”
“Then would you come to my house?”
“What?”
Taken aback by Nan A’s abrupt offer, Namgung Ho Yeon turned to her with a puzzled expression.
“Your house? What are you talking about?”
“Well, not a house exactly. A villa, rather.”
Snap!
Nan A pointed to the left.
Westward along Shangcheng Main Road.
That is, in the direction where West Lake lay.
“What on—”
Namgung Ho Yeon furrowed his brow and turned his gaze toward where she pointed.
There stood an enormous golden hill glittering brilliantly in the light.
Looking more closely, it was a sprawling estate as vast as a fortress, its roof tiles each gilded so thoroughly that it gleamed like Jinling itself.
And upon the dark plaque at the estate’s entrance, in soaring golden script, were written these characters:
[Geumneung Merchant Group]
“Miss Nan A, is that not the Hangzhou branch of the Geumneung Merchant Group?”
At Sangkwan Hae’s words, Nan A nodded and replied,
“That’s right.”
“…?”
“I use it as my villa, though.”
“…?”
At Nan A’s explanation, Sangkwan Hae tilted his head in confusion, while Namgung Ho Yeon stared at her as though witnessing another outburst of madness.
‘This addled, reckless woman. Of all the insane things she’s ever said, this takes the prize. Does her nonsense actually multiply the more she speaks it?’
It was at that very moment Namgung Ho Yeon was coming to understand a fundamental truth: that persistent effort never betrays you.
“Ah! Miss—!”
Among the crowd gathered before the Geumneung Merchant Group to watch the procession of the Namgung Clan pass by, an elderly man cried out.
He was dressed in lavish garments of crimson silk embroidered with golden thread, and upon spotting him, Nan A waved and called out,
“Gal Gadoo, my dear old friend.”
“My goodness! Isn’t this Miss Seo A!”
Tap-tap-tap!
A startled man came rushing over in a flutter of silk robes, seizing Nan A’s hands.
“Heavens, Miss Seo A! How many years has it been!”
“Um… two years?”
“It’s been five years, I tell you!”
“Life passes like a dream, and time flows on without mercy.”
“I’ve heard the rumors. Demon Subduer, Chaos Bringer, they call you?!”
“My alias. Impressive, isn’t it?”
“Oh my, oh my! The clan leader nearly wept with worry. To think you’d stand against that dreadful man-eating demon!”
“Isn’t it splendid?”
“It is indeed. But now, won’t you come home?”
“No.”
Sangkwan Hae, listening to the exchange between the man and Nan A, muttered blankly.
“Gal Gadoo, director-general of the Geumneung Merchant Group? The Gal director-general whose words move a fortune—the one they call ‘Words Worth Ten Thousand Gold’?!”
“What, what?”
Namgung Ho Yeon was equally astounded.
This seemingly simple-minded girl was a lady of the Geumneung Merchant Group, one of the ten great merchant houses of Zhongyuan?
What was this nonsense—as absurd as washing rice in a ghost’s kitchen?
“Please come in at once, Miss Seo A! The clan leader and lady have been waiting for you night and day.”
“They come with me too.”
“Pardon?”
“Our clan leader here, our Samdao members there. If they don’t come in, neither do I.”
As Nan A pointed alternately to Namgung Ho Yeon and Samdao, Gal Gadoo’s eyes brightened with quick understanding.
“What, what is this about?”
“Who is that elder?”
“Miss… Seo A?”
Hye Il, Gwang Myeong, and Woon Am wore equally bewildered expressions—they had heard no whisper of this.
Gal Gadoo, having quickly grasped the situation, offered a respectful fist salute to Namgung Ho Yeon and spoke.
“I am Gal Gadoo, merchant steward. I have the honor of meeting the legendary hero of Zhongyuan’s martial world, the Thunder God and Dragon—a great master of our age.”
“… I am Namgung Ho Yeon.”
“For the sake of peace in the Jianghu, I wish to offer what modest hospitality I can to the heroes of the Namgung Clan, who labor ceaselessly for the greater good.”
His tone toward Namgung Ho Yeon was entirely different—formal and respectful—from how he had spoken to Nan A.
Namgung Ho Yeon returned the fist salute and greeted him in kind.
“You are too kind. Forgive us—our party is rather large, and I fear we may impose.”
“Ha, heroes are best in great numbers. My only regret is that I cannot do more in their honor.”
“Your words are most gracious. We shall gratefully accept your kindness.”
“Thank you. Please, follow me.”
With Namgung Ho Yeon’s consent, Gal Gadoo led the party toward the manor.
Namgung Ho Yeon cast a sidelong glare at Nan A as they walked.
She glanced away sheepishly, then offered an excuse in a low murmur.
“You said I’d get lots of pocket money.”
“… I shouldn’t have bought you that sword. Hand it over.”
“No.”
“That Austeninite Sword is precious. Won’t you give it back?”
“You said taking back a gift is the lowest thing anyone can do.”
“This woman…”
“Hm?”
As Namgung Ho Yeon muttered in disbelief, Gal Gadoo glanced back.
Namgung Ho Yeon quickly changed the subject.
“Truly, how mysterious fate is. Hahahaha!”
* * *
The sunset broke upon West Lake.
It seemed not of this mortal world.
Namgung Ho Yeon gazed out the window at the beauty of West Lake—as lovely as the famous courtesan’s cheek—and murmured.
“Money must be rotting away here.”
Namgung Ho Yeon stood in the topmost chamber of the Qingyi Pavilion, the Hangzhou branch of the Geumneung Merchant Group.
It was a guest pavilion said to be reserved for honored visitors, yet it was spacious enough to accommodate all two hundred-odd members of the Namgung Clan.
“Without West Lake, there is no reason to visit Hangzhou.”
Just as the saying went—without West Lake, there was no point in visiting Hangzhou—the land values surrounding the lake had reached ruinous heights.
To leave such prime commercial land unused and let it rot? It was telling.
One could sense the wealth of the Geumneung Merchant Group through such choices.
‘So Nan A’s family was the Geumneung Merchant Group. Unexpected, perhaps—but all the better. The Geumneung Merchant Group favors the Baekga Maeng. This effectively ends the Three Merchant Council’s resistance.’
Any variable that might have complicated matters was now erased by Nan A’s presence.
The only variable Ho Yeon had considered was an alliance between the Namgyeong Merchant Group and the Geumneung Merchant Group.
Should those two join hands, even winning back the Merchant Council’s hearts would become difficult.
‘Any Merchant Council member with brains should have grasped my warning. Now, what remains is…….’
Ho Yeon rested his arm on the window sill.
At once, gazes flooded in from all directions.
Not only from the Geumneung Merchant Group’s people.
“…… Irritating, isn’t it?”
Ho Yeon’s brow furrowed.
Whoosh!
A Psychic Field spread outward from his surging dantian.
In that instant, dozens of distinct presences became palpable—clear enough to grasp.
The ‘eyes’ that had attached themselves to him the moment he arrived in Hangzhou.
Among them, one presence stood out as particularly grating.
It emanated from one of the countless small boats scattered across West Lake.
“Could it be…… those bastards?”
A faint red gleam flickered through Ho Yeon’s eyes as he murmured in a hollow voice, then vanished.

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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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