Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 143

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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 143. Sword Ghost Receives the Beggar King’s Trial
“So, the Namgung Clan is directly managing an orphanage called Hoa Won?”
“That’s correct. Originally it was an orphanage run privately by Noe Sin Gwang Ryong, but when Ui Cheon Geom Jang heard about it, he brought it through a Chang Cheon Hoe council and newly incorporated it into the Yuk Young Dang’s personnel division.”
“They feed them, house them, educate them, and even arrange employment?”
“That’s what I’m telling you?”
“Why?”
“It’s part of the Haebi Benefits Return to Haebi People policy that Ui Cheon Geom Jang advocates for. The profits gained from Haebi land must be returned to Haebi’s people, or so he says…”
“What in the…”
Bang Ui Chae found himself at a loss for words.
He’d known the Namgung Clan earned substantial wealth, but this level of welfare was beyond his expectations.
“…Ahem! Such thorough information control—it only makes the whole thing more suspicious.”
“Master, ignoring it won’t change anything! What do we do now?”
“Enough, I’m not the Master anymore!”
“Then what are you?”
“I’m… a free beggar!”
“You’re the former Master!”
“You talking back to me? Want to die?”
“Ugh…”
Gal Poong, the Haebi branch leader of the Gae Bang, let out a groan at the stubborn old man’s antics.
“In short, those children the Beggar King took…”
“Took? They were protected!”
“Right, so those children you protected belong to the Namgung Clan?”
“…”
“This is genuinely indefensible! The Namgung Clan would have grounds to treat this as a declaration of war!”
“Cough, surely they wouldn’t go that far…”
“The Beggar King doesn’t understand how things work here! If this goes wrong, every beggar in Haebi could be driven out of the city!”
“…Hmm.”
Bang Ui Chae clicked his tongue awkwardly at Gal Poong’s anguished outcry.
In other cities, gathering information this way had worked smoothly, but here in Haebi, everything kept going sideways.
Gal Poong sighed at Bang Ui Chae’s reaction and began formulating a contingency plan.
“Sigh… Fortunately, I’ve covered all traces thoroughly. I’ll sneak the children back to Hoa Won tonight.”
“Mm?”
“The children will testify when they wake, but they’ll never guess that old beggar was actually the Beggar King…”
“Heheheh. That won’t do.”
“Excuse me?”
As Gal Poong questioned him, Bang Ui Chae turned his head toward the outside.
Whoosh!
A sharp, sinister presence bristling with murderous energy lashed out at them like a whip.
“Someone’s calling for me.”
“Surely not…!”
“Geheheh. That one’s certainly feisty.”
“Good heavens! How did they find this place?!”
“Good—this works out. When someone calls, you have to answer.”
Whomp!
Bang Ui Chae pushed himself up from his seat and thought to himself.
‘This leaves me only one final option. I have to check the depths of that bastard myself!’
Fwish!
Bang Ui Chae’s form staggered away like a drunken immortal and vanished.
It was the Chwe Pal Seon Bo, the prized technique of the Gae Bang.
Gal Poong cried out at Bang Ui Chae’s sudden disappearance.
“Heavens! The Gae Bang, whose only pride is Sung Ui Yoo Il, is kidnapping children! And the former Master is the kidnapper at that! This insane Beggar King bastard…!”
He wished Bang Ui Chae would return and hear his curses, but the Beggar King had already departed.
* * *
In the eastern district of Haebi, Fang Miao District, stood a temple reduced to ruins.
It had been a temple called Cheon Hwa Temple, but now it was an eerie, neglected eyesore with no one living in it.
Crack!
“…I’ve never been here before?”
Having arrived at Cheon Hwa Temple, Namgung Ho Yeon stepped on an old roof tile and surveyed his surroundings.
He felt presences from multiple directions.
He already knew that the Gae Bang was using this abandoned temple as a branch base.
But the Namgung Clan was not the true owner of this land either, and since there was nothing to gain from friction with Gae Bang, they had simply ignored the matter.
Until now.
―Brother, this is war. Since those bastards provoked us first, let’s lop off every last head!
―You madman! Shouldn’t we at least hear their side of things first?
―Hah. You think words will work on kidnappers? You’re far too soft, Elder Brother.
―That’s called being honorable. Listen here—we’re not dealing with some minor faction. This is Gae Bang. Gae Bang of Sung Ui Yoo Il!
The Cheonrae Geom and the Heukya Tae Geom had reached an impasse.
At that, Ho Yeon let out a soft chuckle and spoke.
“Whether it’s Gae Bang or anyone else. A Sword Ghost does not shy away from a fight that comes to him.”
―Now that’s the spirit!
―Brother, you are no longer a Sword Ghost—you are Namgung Ho Yeon. Slaughtering beggars only brings notoriety.
“I know that. I’m not as reckless as I once was. Let’s call out whoever’s in there first. Sounds like there’s someone of importance.”
Boom!
Crash-crash-crash!
As Ho Yeon released a wave of Qi Aura around him, the roof tiles scattered across the ground crumbled to dust and scattered.
Then figures began moving urgently from behind the abandoned building.
‘Tagu Bong Jin? It’s been a long time.’
Tagu Bong Jin was a form of human-sea tactic that Gae Bang prided itself on.
The spiritual foundation underlying it was the principle: “Heaven’s net is vast and wide, yet nothing escapes it.”
The belief that no evildoer could slip through the web of heaven.
“Nothing escapes? I’ve gotten away a dozen times over.”
Thwick!
In the moment Ho Yeon caught the Cheonrae Geom’s blade strike with a faint smile.
The movements of the beggars attempting to encircle him froze instantly.
An obese beggar elder had stumbled forward before Ho Yeon’s eyes.
“Ho ho? So you are Namgung Ho Yeon? Truly, an unbelievable achievement.”
“…….”
Ho Yeon kept his gaze on the beggar elder while sharpening every sense in his body.
‘A Seung Byeok master. And bearing the same scent as Mo Yong Sang Cheon.’
In other words, the beggar before him had undoubtedly reached the peak state known as Man Sang Yoo Sim.
And if Gae Bang had a supreme master of that caliber, there was only one name.
“Begging King. Bang Ui Chae.”
“Hehehehe! So you know of this old man?”
“Hard not to know. The name of the kidnapper who coveted the clan’s assets.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure what you mean?”
“Don’t play innocent. There’s evidence right over there.”
As Ho Yeon’s gaze turned toward the building at the diagonal left, a flicker passed through Bang Ui Chae’s eyes.
“Impressive. Your sense perception must be extraordinarily sharp.”
“This much is nothing.”
In truth, Ho Yeon had deployed a Yeom Ryok Jang the moment he arrived at Cheon Hwa Temple, surveying all the surrounding conditions.
“But assets? Surely you don’t mean sacrificial offerings?”
When Bang Ui Chae asked with a sharp gaze, Ho Yeon gave a slight shrug and replied.
“The clan invested in them, so they are the clan’s assets.”
“Invested?”
“Those with aptitude for arithmetic, we sell to Hae Hu Sang Dan. Those who memorize texts well, we prepare for the imperial examination. Those with physical prowess, we develop into outer sect martial artists and put to use.”
“…….”
“We haven’t even recovered our investment yet, and you’d carry them off like that—it’s rather inconvenient.”
“Is that…… all?”
Bang Ui Chae asked suspiciously, and Ho Yeon shook his head with a meaningful smile.
“Surely that’s not all, is it?”
“Ah, so that’s it—!”
“If we left them alone, they’d all turn into beggars. I happen to dislike beggars.”
“What, what did you say?”
“Gae Bang beggars especially. You have the ability to earn your own bread, yet you go around begging? Isn’t that essentially extortion?”
“Absolutely not! When money comes, greed follows, and when greed follows, it becomes difficult to honor righteousness! Therefore, the righteous thieves of Gae Bang do not covet material wealth!”
“Then why do you steal other people’s wealth?”
“Ahem!”
Bang Ui Chae let out a hollow cough.
To that, even a hundred mouths would have had nothing to say.
Instead, Bang Ui Chae resolved to push forward shamelessly.
“You dare insult the Sacred Unity of Gae Bang, you wretched cur? I’ll show you what it means to face a true elder! Draw your sword at once!”
“……”
“As your senior, I’m willing to give you three opening moves—”
Wheeee!
Before Bang Ui Chae could finish speaking, Namgung Ho Yeon unsheathed the Cheonrae Geom.
Shaking his head slowly, Namgung Ho Yeon exhaled and spoke.
“Enough. Even robbers have their limits. If you want to be treated like an elder, act like one.”
“Wh-what?”
“I’ve been itching to give that mole-faced old codger what-for lately. Lucky you came along. Brace yourself.”
Crack!
Namgung Ho Yeon drove his foot against the earth with sudden force.
Boom-boom-boom!
Tracing a Z-pattern across the ground, Namgung Ho Yeon executed the Seon Noe Hu Jeon repeatedly, unleashing the Gi Gang Jung Gyeop.
Rumble!
Crackle-snap!
“Huh?!”
The moment a white blade of Qi materialized on Namgung Ho Yeon’s sword, Bang Ui Chae hastily activated the Ok Hyeon Gwee Jin Hyeon Gong.
Whoooosh!
Black energy surged from both his palms.
Black energy often signified demonic force, but the Ok Hyeon Gwee Jin Hyeon’s black was pure and crystalline—like jade.
This very hue embodied Gae Bang’s philosophy: to face all the world’s filth and corruption head-on, and thereby discover the true essence within.
‘He stacked the Gang Gi layers? That’s impossible—what manner of technique is this?!’
Wary of Namgung Ho Yeon’s blade of light, Bang Ui Chae readied the Hang Ryong Sip Pal Jang, the foremost palm method of Gae Bang.
“Hah!”
Namgung Ho Yeon released a shout, driving a horizontal slash with the Cheon Noe Gyeok Seom.
But it was a feint.
Crack! Whishhhhh!
Having drawn the old beggar’s eyes with the dazzling blade, Namgung Ho Yeon kicked a fallen roof tile up from the ground.
The tile shot toward the old beggar’s lower body, and the alarmed Bang Ui Chae swept his right arm like a dragon’s tail.
Crash!
“Coward!”
“In combat, there is only death or victory!”
Confirming the tile had shattered, Namgung Ho Yeon hurled the Cheonrae Geom away entirely.
Whoooaa!
Fired alongside the Gi Gang Jung Gyeop, the Cheonrae Geom streaked through the air like a thunderbolt spear.
‘A Geom Soo throwing away his sword? Madness…!’
Confounded by such an unprecedented move, Bang Ui Chae withdrew his right arm—already mid-sweep with the Sin Ryong Pa Mi—along a circular path.
Boom!
Followed by the Hang Ryong Yoo Hoe.
This strike felt less like an extension than a push—an art infused with the concept of regret, executed and immediately retracted.
Kaboom!
Through this economical force, a single palm struck the Cheonrae Geom, and Namgung Ho Yeon’s assault seemed to come to naught.
But in that same breath, the Heukya Tae Geom was in his grip, and he was slashing down from Bang Ui Chae’s blind angle, layering the Chang Gung Gi Gang Jung Gyeop onto his blade.
Kraaaaash!
This diagonal downward strike between shoulder and upper arm was the Cheon Poong Geom Beop Gwang Poong Ap Pa.
“Hup!”
Facing the blue wind that tore through the air and overwhelmed his position, Bang Ui Chae brought both hands together in prayer, as though offering devotion.
In the next instant, his palms spread like a frog doing a butterfly stroke, and two dragons—rending the water—parted the azure gale asunder.
Shrieeeek!
“Hehehehe! So this is how it is? Three opening moves already spent!”
Cackling, Bang Ui Chae united both extended palms into one with the Ssang Ryong Chwee Soo, then clapped them together.
Boooom―!
A thunderclap that rolled across a hundred li—the Jin Ryang Baek Ri, the sole sonic attack in the Hang Ryong Sip Pal Jang.
“Gahhh!”
“Aaaahhh!”
“L-Lord Ho Yeon!”
Though the nearby beggars shrieked in agony, Bang Ui Chae’s gaze remained fixed on Namgung Ho Yeon.
The one who drew back his massive black blade appeared unmoved, yet Bang Ui Chae’s keen eyes caught the faint trembling of his brow.
‘An opening!’
Crack!
At that very instant, Bang Ui Chae rushed at Namgung Ho Yeon, his thumb, index, and middle fingers raised like dragon’s claws, raking upward across Ho Yeon’s chest from below.
A single strike of the Heart-Shattering Finger—a technique that destroyed both mind and heart in one blow.
‘That massive sword is effective enough against lesser practitioners, but against peers or those ranked above—it’s a liability,’ Ho Yeon thought.
Bang Ui Chae’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
There was no time to defend with that black greatsword.
Now he would have to draw out the hidden techniques he’d kept in reserve.
‘Come on, show me! If you resort to some extraordinary method…!’ Bang Ui Chae’s eyes hardened.
In that same instant, blue clouds layered upon Ho Yeon’s fist.
Thump-thump!
The Geom Soo palm strike of the Blue Wall Fist technique extended sharply downward and collided with the Heart-Shattering Finger.
Crash!
“What—?!”
“I know a thing or two about fist technique myself!”
Whoosh!
Ho Yeon’s right fist, now wielding even the Heukya Tae Geom, shot toward Bang Ui Chae’s chest, charged with the mysteries of the Severing technique.
The Breaking Forest technique, which snapped timber, now sought to snap Bang Ui Chae’s ribs instead.
Feeling the chill of imminent danger from that blow, Bang Ui Chae involuntarily drew upon his Nae Gong.
Boom-crack!
Bang Ui Chae’s left hand scattered into six directions, as though riding six dragons ascended.
Deploying the opening form of the Riding the Six Dragons technique, Bang Ui Chae’s heart sank.
‘Oh no—!’
He’d unconsciously exceeded the total limit of Nae Gong he’d been restraining himself with.
Burst!
As a mysterious constellation of black stars began to spread outward, Bang Ui Chae hastily tried to withdraw his Nae Gong.
He’d meant only to drive Namgung Ho Yeon into a precarious situation to test him—not to shatter him with Gang Gi.
Thump!
“……!”
But confronted with an almost impossible sight before his eyes, Bang Ui Chae forgot to retract his Nae Gong and simply stood slack-jawed.
‘G-Gang Gi?!’
A network of Wi Seon had overlaid Namgung Ho Yeon’s right fist, and a constellation of blue stars now bloomed forth.
Though only a Pyeong Gang Gi, it was undeniably true Gang Gi.
Boom—crack!
A deafening roar shook the entirety of Cheon Hwa Temple.
Whoosh! Thud!
Ho Yeon leaped back, landing with controlled precision to minimize impact.
In the direction where he’d landed, the Cheonrae Geom was embedded in the earth—a movement calculated to the last detail.
Shink!
Ho Yeon drew forth the Cheonrae Geom and, grinning at the dissipating dust, smiled broadly.
“Heh heh, see? Now stop calling me a bloodletting expert.”
As Ho Yeon spoke proudly, the Cheonrae Geom let out a sound.
“You brat! Don’t handle a great weapon like it’s some parlor trick!”
“What are you complaining for now? You had no complaints back at the bridge.”
“Are the Uigi Yeondong and throwing the same thing? This is disorienting!”
“Have patience. This isn’t an opponent I can afford to fight defensively. Heh heh.”
Ho Yeon gazed at Bang Ui Chae’s silhouette through the thinning dust and laughed.
Battles with the strong always brought growth.
‘Though I don’t sense any Killing Intent from this opponent, opportunities to test techniques against an adversary of such caliber are rare.’
That’s why Ho Yeon had readily accepted Bang Ui Chae’s provocation.
‘So, what should I test next?’
Ho Yeon waited eagerly for Bang Ui Chae’s next attack.
But Bang Ui Chae only stared down at his own hands.
“……I can’t believe it.”
His fingers trembled faintly—evidence of unresolved shock still coursing through him.
“You clearly haven’t broken through Seung Byeok. What in the world is this technique?”
When Bang Ui Chae asked, Ho Yeon answered.
“Jin Gi Yeon So. Since it worked on you, I can use it in real combat now. Before this, I was only ever fighting small fry.”
“Jin Gi Yeon So?”
“A technique for wringing the Qi gates and expanding the total amount of available Qi that can be expelled. Not bad for its purpose, wouldn’t you say?”
“…….”
“Sigh, I keep accumulating parlor tricks, which is a shame—I have no real understanding of Seung Byeok itself, unfortunately.”
“Ha, ha, ha…….”
Bang Ui Chae, who had been listening to Namgung Ho Yeon’s words, burst into a hearty laugh.
Then he lowered both hands as if he had no desire to fight.
“What are you doing?”
“There’s no need for further confirmation.”
“Confirmation?”
“If those people could artificially create anomalies like you, Zhongyuan would have fallen into their hands long ago.”
“……What are you talking about?”
As Namgung Ho Yeon frowned, Bang Ui Chae handed over his fist guard and apologized.
“I’ve misjudged you. Please forgive this addled old man’s error.”
“……You do seem addled, but what am I forgiving you for? Dementia is just the natural course of things, after all.”
“Ahem! I thought there was another reason behind your founding of Hoa Won.”
“Another reason?”
“The Hwaedongjidan runs rampant across all of Zhongyuan, doesn’t it? Abducting children to use them in their sinister methods…….”
“Ah, that Jiseon’s Secret Art?”
“……!”
“That fellow Chui-um seemed to have received it too. It appears there’s some kind of society involved.”
At Namgung Ho Yeon’s words, Bang Ui Chae’s eyes widened and he cried out.
“Tell me in detail!”

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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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