Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 127

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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 127. The Sword Demon Answers the Summons
A dimly lit space.
A paper lantern burned within it.
Darkness held dominion over light.
Yet for the two seated across from each other, it posed no hindrance.
One of the two sitting in seiza broke the silence.
“Kotaro. Do not forget your roots.”
A man in night garb spoke.
He wore the same clothes he’d had on when meeting Chang Gwang, the Namgyeong Merchant Guild master, but his face covering was gone.
His features emerged—a cruel, middle-aged visage with thin lips and eyes sharp and triangular as a viper’s.
“Eight Streams converge to form Yin Killing. Though your body was born in Zhongyuan, know that your soul was forged in the East Territory.”
……
The ninja before him, wearing Shin Ji Ho’s stolen face, maintained his silence even at the middle-aged man’s words.
But that was a false face. Few in this world had ever seen his true one.
The middle-aged man continued.
“The Iga, the Koga, the Ranpa, the Tanyuan, the Sutte, the Goto, the Hudo, and the Huma.”
From the middle-aged man’s lips flowed the names of the Eight Yin Sha Families in succession.
“Rivulets springing from different places have met and formed a single current with a common Origin. Now return to the mainstream.”
The lantern flickered.
The ninja called Kotaro, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke.
“I wish to be one person, not the Origin.”
“…Nonsense.”
At Kotaro’s words, the middle-aged man’s lips twisted into an ugly sneer.
“Kotaro. Then why do you not leave? If you truly wish to be free and alone, all you need do is abandon the Huma Family, is it not? With that ability of yours, it would be possible?”
……
“Huh. You lack cruelty. That does not suit a ninja at all.”
The sneering middle-aged man produced a Black Pellet from his bosom and flicked it with his fingernail.
Flick!
Kotaro caught it and swallowed it without hesitation.
Watching this, the middle-aged man let out a soft laugh and muttered to himself.
‘Like a bird pecking at seed. And they call him a Master Ninja. Pathetic.’
The ninja hierarchy consisted of four tiers.
Master, Assistant, Back, Shadow.
Among these, the Master Ninja rank was exceedingly rare even within the Yin Sha Mun.
‘Kotaro, a Master-class ninja of the Huma Family born only once in three hundred years. His talent rivals the finest under heaven, yet regrettably he lacks Pure Blood.’
Three hundred years prior, the Yin Sha Mun, plotting in secret against Zhongyuan, had been driven nearly to annihilation.
The Sword Demon, Dan Wee Myeong.
They had paid the price for touching a force of nature they should never have provoked.
Hunted by the Sword Demon, the Yin Sha Mun fled to the eastern edge and fell under the protection of Liaoning’s provincial lord.
Yet the Sword Demon, relentless as a watchdog, pursued them all the way to Liaoning, even laying waste to Shenyang Palace in his savagery against them.
Left with no choice, the Yin Sha Mun abandoned their designs on Zhongyuan entirely and fled across the sea through Dalian Port to the East Territory.
‘But of them all, only the Huma Family remained in Zhongyuan. A seed left behind in hope of another age.’
In time, as the Yin Sha Mun rebuilt their strength, they set foot in Zhongyuan once more.
Their first task was naturally to find the Huma Family.
But what greeted them was not the Huma Family they had known, but traitors who had turned their backs.
‘Those Near Ink Become Black. Living among Zhongyuan’s people, they had forgotten their roots somewhere along the way.’
The Yin Sha Mun descended into civil conflict, and the rebellious Huma Family, outmatched and overwhelmed, was suppressed.
After that incident, handling the Huma Family’s ninja through Gu Poison became standard practice within the Yin Sha Mun.
‘The Huma rebellion—soon it will have been a hundred years. Is it not time they finally came to their senses?’
The middle-aged man gazed at Kotaro with something resembling regret.
Yet that feeling was not human sympathy, but frustration at being unable to use a serviceable tool as freely as he wished.
The Huma Family’s ninja often resisted even unto death.
They were double-edged blades that had to be wielded with caution.
‘Tch. I would exclude him from duty if I could, but circumstances no longer permit it.’
Snap!
The middle-aged man, clicking his tongue inwardly, withdrew a letter from his bosom and handed it over.
Kotaro received it, read it swiftly, then held it to the lantern flame.
Whoosh!
The letter burned.
Kotaro opened his mouth.
“The mission’s changed.”
“It has. Control of the Gangnam Three Merchant Alliance is already assured. Naturally—this operation has been the Society’s top priority.”
The middle-aged man’s confidence was unmistakable.
When the Opening Battle Lock triggered and pierced the Alliance’s financial lifeline, the Society’s leadership immediately sought alternative sources of wealth.
The Gangnam Three Merchant Alliance, which held the commercial networks of Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang in an iron grip, was an inevitable target in their eyes.
Using the Thousand Face Technique, the Yin Sha Mun had steadily infiltrated and absorbed the Alliance.
Moreover, the Alliance’s conference—where every merchant lord in Jiangnan gathered—offered them the perfect opportunity.
“There were complications, but not enough to reverse the tide. Despite some wavering among the merchant lords, the Society has secured voting rights beyond the majority threshold.”
Ordinarily, the mission should have ended there.
But the Society’s thinking, once apprised of the situation, had taken a different turn.
“One more life to claim, and our work in Zhejiang is finished.”
“Namgung Ho Yeon, the Thunder Divine Dragon.”
“Yes. His death is required.”
The middle-aged man continued with a thin smile.
“A genius of our age, they say—he who slew the Cannibal Demon Jin Heuk Cheon.”
…….
“Kotaro, doesn’t your heart race? Here is talent comparable to your own. To slay an Ascension Kill victim—remarkable.”
What the world did not know was that Kotaro himself bore the distinction of having slain an Ascension Kill victim.
He had single-handedly assassinated a heterodox sect practitioner—one who had received ample support from the Society, then conveniently covered their tracks.
“If the intelligence is accurate, there’s no winning in direct confrontation.”
“Of course there isn’t.”
At Kotaro’s words, the middle-aged man smiled meaningfully and continued.
“No need to worry. The design is already in place. All that remains is your preparation.”
“I am prepared.”
“Good. When Namgung Ho Yeon dies, the Namgung Clan will move. And the Baekga Maeng, which has been on the defensive, will have justification to shift to the offensive.”
The Society does not want the Nine Hundred Power Struggle to settle into stalemate.
That is why they wish to accelerate it into open Blood Battle by eliminating Namgung Ho Yeon, who has become the Baekga Maeng’s hero.
Namgung Ho Yeon is, in essence, a detonator.
“Kotaro, I look forward to that single blow—the one that scarred even the Sword Demon’s body three hundred years ago.”
“A small gap. That is all that’s needed.”
Kotaro spoke without inflection, relaying fact as plain fact.
“The Twin Kill Method always finds its mark and always kills.”
Whoosh!
The lantern flame died.
* * *
“So your dad’s a fake, is he?”
“Sniff! Sniff!”
“Stop your whimpering. Either stop, or I’ll stop it for you.”
“Ugh…….”
At Ho Yeon’s words, the boy wept bitterly, snot streaming down his face.
This snot-nosed brat had been picked up by Samdo Il-hwa during a jaunt to Hangzhou.
‘Father’s a fake…….’
Ho Yeon’s eyes narrowed.
The Yin Sha Mun’s methods were unmistakable.
What was that technique called again? Heavenly Filth?
In any case, it was a filthy, contemptible method.
“M-my dad isn’t… that person…….”
After sobbing for a long while, the boy finally gathered himself enough to speak.
“My dad has… a mole on his shoulder. But… but that man didn’t have one…….”
“Who’s your father?”
“Shin Ji Ho, sir. He’s the master of the Geumhwa Merchant Guild. And I’m Shin So Wan.”
The boy, Shin So Wan, spoke through eyes brimming with tears, rubbing them with his small fists.
Ho Yeon spoke.
“You’re making all this noise over just that?”
“Huh?”
“Moles fade with time. Childhood scars grow faint as you grow old.”
“N-no, that’s not it!”
Shin So Wan cried out suddenly.
“He definitely had it two weeks ago! My father and I bathe together once every fortnight!”
“Hmm…….”
“At f-first, I thought I was just imagining things. But as time went on, it became clear that my father was changing.”
Shin So Wan bit his lip hard and continued.
“No matter what I ask him…… he just evades me. Says he can’t remember well…….”
“…….”
“That’s why I ran away. I took a ship to Shandong and tried to cross into Ningxia.”
“Why Ningxia?”
“I heard that the Wave King, Choo Myeong, a great master, lives there. I was planning to ask him to investigate. But then…….”
“The clan’s warriors caught you? Two Daoist priests saved you?”
“……Yes.”
“Hah, those two. They stir up trouble wherever they go. Should I tie them up in the barn with the dogs?”
—Puhaha! You speak well, don’t you?
—Kid, do you have a conscience at all?
‘No, he’s right. Why meddle in other people’s affairs and make trouble where there is none?’
—Other people’s affairs! That boy is a victim of those villains from Yin Sha Mun. You stand opposed to Yin Sha Mun.
‘That’s a bit different.’
While Namgung Ho Yeon was conversing with the swords, Shin So Wan stole a glance at him, then straightened up as if steeling himself with resolve.
Thud!
Then he dropped to his knees and pleaded.
“Master Namgung! Please, I beg you to help me. I’ve heard that you’re a hero who slew the Flesh-Eating Demon Tyrant.”
Namgung Ho Yeon regarded Shin So Wan intently.
Shin So Wan pressed on.
“Find my father! He must be detained somewhere!”
At Shin So Wan’s words, a cold smile appeared at the corners of Namgung Ho Yeon’s mouth.
He knew well that such a thing was impossible.
Seeing that smile, Shin So Wan urgently fumbled through his robes.
“I—I’ll give you everything I have!”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Rustle!
Then the boy pulled out everything from his robes.
Three heavy money pouches emerged, along with several scraps of paper.
“Where did you get that?”
“I snuck into my father’s study and stole it.”
“His study?”
“I know about Father’s secret vault. I took everything that was in there. So please, if you’ll just accept this…….”
Shin So Wan pushed the money pouches toward Namgung Ho Yeon, gazing at him desperately.
But Namgung Ho Yeon’s attention was not on the pouches—it was on the scraps of paper that had tumbled out with them.
“Give me that.”
“What? This?”
“Yes, that.”
“Well, they were just strange scribbles……?”
At Namgung Ho Yeon’s words, Shin So Wan gathered the paper scraps and handed them over.
They bore strange characters that looked as if worms were crawling across the page, just as Shin So Wan had said.
[Sennyuu Seikou]
Looking at the characters—neither quite Chinese nor not—Namgung Ho Yeon let out a soft chuckle.
An ordinary person from Zhongyuan would have dismissed it as a child’s scrawl…….
—The first two characters mean “infiltrate,” the next three mean “to enter,” and the last four mean “success.”
—Sennyuu Seikou. It means “infiltration successful,” eh?
Namgung Ho Yeon had two swords in his company fluent in East Territory script.
More than that—one of them was a native speaker.
Rustle!
Each time Namgung Ho Yeon passed over a note, the native blade translated it for him.
—Problem encountered.
—Under suspicion.
—Need one more person. Age fifteen. Male.
—Fortunately, since it’s a child involved, no one pays attention. The operation proceeds without issue.
—When the tiger appears on the day the first round ends, I will report in detail at the Broken Bridge.
“Hm.”
After hearing the native blade’s translation, Namgung Ho Yeon smiled broadly.
The first round referred to the inaugural meeting of the Three Merchant Alliance, scheduled to take place this afternoon at the Thunder Peak Pagoda.
The time when the tiger appeared was the Tiger Hour—between three and five in the morning.
The Broken Bridge was the celebrated span of Broken Bridge in Remaining Snow, counted among the finest of the Ten Sights of West Lake.
Namgung Ho Yeon turned to Shin So Wan with a question.
“You know the Broken Bridge?”
“The Broken Bridge? Of course I do.”
“Guide me there tonight, would you?”
“Pardon?”
“They say it’s that beautiful a sight?”
“You won’t see anything in the dark, though?”
“If you guide me, I’ll grant you a favor in return.”
“R-really?!”
“That’s right. So don’t sleep—wait for me. I’ll come fetch you.”
“Yes, understood!”
Shin So Wan’s face brightened and he nodded eagerly as Namgung Ho Yeon turned and left the room.
Bang!
He closed the door and gauged the time by the sun’s angle in the sky.
It was past noon now—he had roughly three and a half hours to spare.
Namgung Ho Yeon let out a soft chuckle, muttering to himself.
“What an elaborate invitation. I was planning to find my way there regardless.”
Step, step, step.
As his feet carried him forward, a cold smile bloomed at the corners of his mouth.
The Sword Demon had never turned away an enemy who came, yet had always hunted down those who fled.
They were repeating the same mistake they’d made three hundred years ago.
“You’re all dead.”

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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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