Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 131

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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 131. Sword Demon’s Broken Bridge Blood Blossom
Kotaro held his breath, watching the situation unfold.
Atop the Broken Bridge at West Lake, a fierce battle raged.
Or rather—the Insal Mun operatives fought fiercely, but their opponent seemed perfectly at ease.
‘Eighteen years old, is he? A monster, truly.’
An infant monster was running wild across the bridge.
His martial prowess at such an age was impossible to fathom, yet what struck Kotaro more than anything was the bloodstained Killing Intent that clung to him like a second skin.
‘What battlefield has he crossed? That’s no Divine Dragon—it’s more like a multi-headed serpent, a Great Viper incarnate.’
Thunder God’s Divine Dragon, they called him?
Everyone was deceived.
How could a divine dragon exhale such sinister Killing Intent?
It resembled far more closely a venom-soaked serpent, grounded and creeping, too earthbound to touch the sky.
‘Yes—this is what the legendary Yamata no Orochi must have looked like.’
Kotaro gazed at Namgung Ho Yeon’s silhouette and conjured the image of an eight-headed, crimson serpent with a lashing tail, murmuring the thought to himself.
In that moment, the Shinobi Water Formation shattered, and the spiritual ninja fell in droves.
‘Not yet. Not yet.’
Endure.
Next came the body ninja, hurling themselves at Namgung Ho Yeon.
Their afterimage techniques unraveled, their poisons ignited into flame, their iron chains melted like wax.
‘Not yet.’
Endure.
Then the rank ninja charged.
Their chests were punctured, their upper bodies torn asunder, their brains seared by electricity and burned to ash while still alive.
‘Just a little longer.’
Endure.
Namgung Ho Yeon was bound by the Mannyeon Hancheyol Sawae.
It looked like an absolute opening, yet Kotaro still did not move.
‘Namgung Ho Yeon broke through the Man-Eater Demon Lord’s protective barrier. That means he possesses some method to shatter the defending saint’s guardian energy.’
This was why they had deployed the Mannyeon Hancheyol Sawae.
Now—draw it out.
Your secret technique.
‘……There it is!’
As expected, azure energy surged from Namgung Ho Yeon’s right hand.
This was surely his full power, the strength he had concealed until the very last moment.
Whoosh!
Kotaro, who had endured and endured, finally began to move.
Clang!
Kotaro drew a Naginata from his back.
The Naginata was a curved blade affixed to a long shaft—the signature weapon of the Fuma-ryu, whose origins lay in cavalry units.
Woom!
At the same instant, the space between Kotaro’s brows burned hot.
Three centuries past, when the Fuma-ryu served alongside the Iga-ryu as dual engines of the Eight Insal Houses.
The mystical spirit power that the Fuma-ryu’s leader of that era possessed now dwelt within Kotaro’s upper dantian.
‘Yangga Byungjon.’
As this incomprehensible spirit power activated, bearing a name that meant “two possibilities coexist,” Kotaro’s aura transformed entirely.
Swish-swish-swish!
Kotaro felt as though he had become two beings at once.
His consciousness literally split in two.
One remained anchored in his body, while the other descended from above like an observer, gazing down upon him from beyond his head.
This sensation resembled depersonalization—a symptom of certain mental conditions—where consciousness detaches from flesh.
Kotaro felt as though his mind had separated from his body, becoming a free wind.
‘Focus. I am not free wind. I am nothing but a dog on a leash.’
Overcoming the risk of permanent dissociation by grounding himself in cold reality, Kotaro hurled his body toward Namgung Ho Yeon.
Whoooosh!
Crack!
Wind-sharp deceptive force coursed through the Naginata’s edge, driving toward Namgung Ho Yeon’s brow.
“What in the…”
Namgung Ho Yeon perceived the attack through Gwanseuk.
‘Caught!’
Kotaro was certain of the ambush’s success.
The mystical power of Yangga Byungjon lay in the superposition of twin aspects.
Though his physical body thrust the Naginata toward Namgung Ho Yeon’s brow, his spirit was simultaneously driving it toward the heart.
If the physical trajectory was Path A, then the spiritual trajectory was Path B.
Kotaro’s attack existed in a state where both possibilities overlapped like twins.
‘Whichever path the opponent observes becomes fixed as reality.’
If the opponent fails to observe, the physical path remains — Path A. If they observe, it shifts to the spiritual path — Path B.
Fail to observe and you allow an ambush, guaranteeing death. Observe and the path shifts the instant you react, still guaranteeing death.
‘This is the secret of Necessary Strike Certain Death — the Yangja Salbeop, the Twin-Aspect Killing Method!’
Crack!
The Naginata aimed at the brow vanished, and the one targeting the heart appeared.
The twin superposition had collapsed.
Kotaro felt his divided consciousness snap back into one, and he drove the Naginata forward with all his strength.
Thud!
The sound of flesh being pierced.
“Hack! Cough!”
Namgung Ho Yeon coughed up blood violently.
‘What…?’
Yet Kotaro felt a spike of alarm.
A burning pain lanced across his shoulder, but he couldn’t turn his head.
It wasn’t just Kotaro — every fighter encircling Broken Bridge found themselves in the same state.
‘The world… has stopped?’
Creak, creak-creak!
Kotaro watched as the Naginata aimed at the heart trembled violently, frozen a mere inch from Namgung Ho Yeon’s chest.
“Damn. Even after polishing it down, the efficiency is garbage. Hack! Ptui!”
In that frozen world, only Namgung Ho Yeon moved — fluid, dynamic, alive.
‘What in the hell is this…!’
Kotaro felt trapped in the grip of an invisible giant’s hand.
‘Could that exchange not have been his full power? Does he still have hidden techniques?’
Even as Kotaro reeled in shock, Ho Yeon, who had been tracking the moon’s movement, smiled softly.
“Time’s up.”
* * *
Bang-crash-boom!
“Who, who goes there!”
“Intruders!”
Chaos erupted in the middle of the night.
A dozen masked raiders had stormed the manor of Changtae Trading Company, one of Zhejiang’s great merchant houses.
“Minimize casualties.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Yes, sir!”
The subordinates answered the commands of a massive man, seven feet tall with a thick beard.
Crack! Thud!
As they moved with the swiftness of flying tigers, the Changtae Trading Company guards fell like autumn leaves before the wind.
Not a single casualty among the raiders — a stark disparity in skill.
Screech! Bang!
The massive man rushed toward the main building and tore open the bedroom door.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Who, who are you!”
In the bedroom, a woman huddled under quilts and a portly middle-aged man fumbled into his clothes.
“Meng Yi Gyeong.”
“Big, big lord of the clan?! How dare the Namgung Clan commit such barbaric acts!”
The massive man revealed his identity, and Chang Hu Wae, master of Changtae Trading Company, raised his voice in protest.
“So the great and righteous clans prey on common folk! Whatever doesn’t suit you, you smash to pieces! Just like that arrogant brat Namgung Ho Yeon, you’re all worthless scum…!”
“How dare you!”
Tap! Crack!
As his master was insulted, Meng Yi Gyeong hurled himself forward and struck Chang Hu Wae in the solar plexus.
“Ghaaa!”
“Ahhhhh! Help, someone help me!”
Tap-tap-tap!
As Chang Hu Wae collapsed, a young woman who appeared to be his concubine shrieked and fled.
Meng Yi Gyeong did not pursue her. His orders were only to capture Chang Hu Wae alive.
“Lord Commander.”
“Mission complete. We’re moving to the Uioh Trading Company immediately.”
Meng Yi Gyeong handed the captured Chang Hu Wae over to his subordinate as he spoke.
One of the younger members, who had been hesitating until then, posed a question.
“Is this… really all right?”
“What do you mean?”
“These are merchants, not martial artists. If word spreads that the Namgung Clan is coercing a trading company…”
“If it does?”
“The clan’s honor will be dragged through mud, and no merchant house will want to aid the Namgung Clan ever again.”
Meng Yi Gyeong regarded the anxious young man with an unmoved gaze before answering.
“How presumptuous.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“You are not the one who decides.”
……
“Decisions are made by Master Namgung Ho Yeon. Hands and feet follow the head’s judgment—are you claiming to surpass the master in wisdom?”
“No, no, of course not!”
“Then stop thinking. Simply obey. Even if the decision proves mistaken, if the master wills it, you must carry it through. That is the role of those who serve.”
“…I shall remember this well.”
“We move toward the Uioh Trading Company.”
“Understood.”
Similar scenes were unfolding across Hangzhou at that very moment.
* * *
The crescent moon tilted toward the west.
The moon’s form, veiled in mist, shimmered with the otherworldly beauty of a wine cup held by the Queen Mother of the West.
It was a sign that dawn approached.
‘The sweep operation should be wrapping up by now. I’ve bought enough time.’
Namgung Ho Yeon smiled.
The Insal Mun had believed they were luring him to the Broken Bridge, but the truth was the reverse.
He had spotted their trap and turned it against them.
‘With all their operatives here guarding the foxes, clearing out their den is child’s play.’
For this reason, Ho Yeon had used his fists rather than his blade, meeting every one of their attacks head-on and deliberately prolonging the engagement.
Had he shown overwhelming martial prowess from the start and cut them down, their sort would almost certainly have retreated to plot for another day—a risk he could not afford.
‘That won’t do. Not after all the preparation I’ve put into this stage.’
Swish!
Ho Yeon whirled the Geom Gyeolji through the air.
Clang!
Screech!
Then, from beneath the Broken Bridge, came the sound of a heavy metal groan, followed by the creak of a door opening.
It was the water gate situated at the bridge’s center—a dam that separated the northern waters of West Lake from the outer channels.
Roar!
As the gate swung open, a torrent of rushing water spilled beneath the bridge.
At the same time, the already thick mist billowed in like a flock of white clouds.
―According to the principle that metal generates water, the concentration of water vapor that had been building up now exceeded its threshold with the gate’s opening; the Gold-Water Smoke Formation will hold for perhaps half a watch at most.
Cheonrae Geom spoke these words, and Ho Yeon nodded in acknowledgment.
“That will suffice.”
The mist was so thick that not even an inch ahead could be seen—acrid and suffocating.
In truth, this mist was no natural phenomenon.
Ho Yeon had mobilized the boatmen of the Seonmun to transport iron stakes.
Following Cheonrae Geom’s counsel, he had driven them into the bed of West Lake and activated the Gold-Water Smoke Formation.
“Thus, all external sight is now cut off.”
With a grim smile, Ho Yeon formed the Geom Gyeolji in both hands, and the three blades at his waist were drawn simultaneously.
Whoosh—slash, slash, thrust!
He then danced through the mist, wielding the Geom Gyeolji in flowing arcs.
With the Yeomryeok-jang allowing him to sense everything around him, the fog posed no hindrance whatsoever.
Slice! Slice-slice!
Splash!
“Aghhhh!”
“Gahhk!”
“Gurgh!”
A slaughter unfolded.
The lead was Namgung Ho Yeon.
Everyone else was bit players.
The performance lasted barely half an hour.
As for the audience—just the fish of West Lake?
Whoosh!
Before long the mist began to thin, and the Samgeom returned once more to its sheath.
Clang!
‘That was close.’
Namgung Ho Yeon pressed his temples, which throbbed dully, and knitted his brow.
Deploying the Yeomryeok-jang and sealing the movements of the surrounding vital points consumed far more Spirit Energy than controlling the blade itself—naturally.
Had he not steadily pinned the vital points even as time dragged on, he might have let several slip away.
“In any case, the cleanup is complete.”
Whoosh!
As a single gust of wind swept past the last of the mist, the scene that lay exposed was grim.
Broken Bridge and the waters surrounding it were dyed entirely red.
“I wonder if the Ten Sights of West Lake need renaming. Not Broken Bridge in Winter Snow, but Broken Bridge in Blood Blossom.”
As Namgung Ho Yeon gazed around at the surroundings as though swept by a tempest and murmured, the Cheonrae Geom spoke in a somber tone.
―Young master, when dawn breaks, the people of Hangzhou will weep tears of blood. To destroy that beautiful bridge so thoroughly.
―Hah! Not bad for poetry, yes? Flowers of blood blooming on Broken Bridge. I quite like it.
―Good grief, what barbarians these are…….
“Perhaps the people of Hangzhou will actually be pleased. They harbor no small ill will toward the Japanese.”
Step, step, step.
Namgung Ho Yeon, answering matter-of-factly, moved forward.
At his destination stood a man in black robes, the Weolyeong Danhong embedded in his shoulder, rigid and motionless.
“With the ringleader captured, we can proceed to interrogation at our leisure.”
Namgung Ho Yeon extended his hand.
Kotaro watched blankly as Namgung Ho Yeon, who wielded water and wind and lightning as he pleased to complete the slaughter, and he thought:
‘Not Yamata no Orochi—but Susanoo…….’
Thump!
Namgung Ho Yeon flicked a finger wind.
Kotaro lost consciousness.

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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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