Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 147

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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 147. The Sword Demon Slurps La Mian
“We couldn’t confirm Namgung Ho Yeon’s actual strength?”
“That’s correct.”
“As expected, there are limits to what a mere drifter can accomplish.”
“However, we were able to confirm that he arrived with the Salsu Group under his command.”
“The Salsu Group?”
“They employ a unique martial art, moving like the wind using the subtleties of Lightness technique. A distinctive style.”
“Hmm?”
“The leader of the Salsu Group was someone whose strength I myself could not fully assess.”
“He must be Namgung Ho Yeon’s guard captain.”
“That would appear to be the case. However, their martial arts are nothing but prey for the Mad Wind Spear. There is no need for concern.”
“What interests me isn’t Namgung Ho Yeon’s guard unit. I want to understand the Thunder God Lightning Dragon himself.”
A lean-framed man smiled faintly.
With his long hair tied back, he sat motionless yet radiated a distinctive aura—as though a mad wind could tear loose from him at any moment.
“The Demon-Devouring Beast Lord is truly a Wall-Breaker. If he pulled him away from the wall, then Namgung Ho Yeon must also be a Wall-Breaker—and he achieved it before his twentieth year? I hadn’t reached that point at his age.”
“Lord Ak San Gun, prevailing opinion suggests there’s exaggeration mixed into that rumor.”
A middle-aged man prostrating before him spoke.
“At the time, the Demon-Devouring Beast Lord was exhausted from destroying the Dan Ri Sega’s absolute formation, and had already expended his vitality fighting against Eight-Blade Cooperating Hands, One-Wind Single Spear, Anti-Demon Violet Peak, and Three-Peak Sword Skill. Because of this, Namgung Ho Yeon…”
“Hehehehe! Chung Mu Dae Ju. Don’t be swayed by rumors.”
“Yes?”
“Eight-Blade Cooperating Hands? One-Wind Single Spear? Anti-Demon Violet Peak? Aren’t they all greenhorns who only started making names for themselves at the Dragon Phoenix Conference? A few children like that can never touch a Wall-Breaker.”
“That may be… but for someone like you, Lord Ak San Gun, who earned the title of Spear Dragon at such a young age, such things would seem trivial.”
“Don’t flatter me. After all, I was only runner-up.”
“That was because of the cowardly scheming of those Martial Alliance dogs! They have no shame—several times the difference in…!”
“Namgung Ho Yeon faced identical circumstances. I heard his opponent in this Baek Mu Academy entrance was Beom Seok, an early-generation disciple.”
“That’s not true! He supposedly won the tournament by forfeit.”
“Right. Namgung Ho Yeon sustained internal injuries cutting down the Wall-Breaker Chu Eum, and Beom Seok simply isn’t a cruel enough person.”
The man offered a gentle smile to the agitated Chung Mu Dae Ju.
“Cutting down the Cruel Sword Saint Chu Eum? I could do that myself. Just some Entry Transformation fool who thinks newly-awakened power makes him invincible.”
“As expected!”
“But the Demon-Devouring Beast Lord, Jin Heuk Cheon, is different. He is an Awakening Transformation superhuman—a General like me. No mere Formation Technique or Later Generation Disciples trickery could handle him.”
Whoooosh!
Gales began swirling within the man’s eyes.
Though his robes didn’t stir, it felt as though all the world’s winds were pouring forth from him.
“Right now, the most threatening rival is the Thunder God Lightning Dragon, Namgung Ho Yeon. He’ll be gunning for Student Council President too. This is getting interesting.”
“…….”
At the man’s words, Chung Mu Dae Ju Ak Dae Wi swallowed his protest, his expression darkening with dissatisfaction.
‘There’s no way he could ever be a match for Lord Ak San Gun. You are the greatest genius of martial arts under heaven, Ak San Gun. A once-in-a-century prodigy acknowledged by the Spear King himself.’
A genius heralded as the supreme spear master under heaven, evaluated as the finest talent in the entire history of the Shandong Ak Family.
That man was none other than Ak San Gun, seated before them now.
He had earned his name through brilliant military accomplishments in the ceaseless wars against the Fa Shun Blood Cult in the Ye region.
Recently, after defeating the Asura Blood General and taking his seat among the Hundred Eight Stars, his reputation had soared.
Explosion Heaven Mighty General Ak San Gun.
Would the pride of the Shandong Ak Family, destined to one day reach the realm of the Three Sovereigns, truly compete with a snot-nosed brat from a fallen Namgung clan?
“Hehe, there’s no shame in calling the Martial Alliance cowardly. I myself have resolved to shed all pride in order not to miss any opportunity.”
Ak San Gun laughed wickedly.
When he heard news of the Baek Mu Academy’s opening, Ak San Gun immediately sensed it as an unprecedented opportunity.
‘In Shandong, no matter how high I climb, I cannot escape Father’s shadow. But if I were to become a new lord in a new region…’
Ak San Gun had not come to Baek Mu Academy seeking an education.
He aimed to become the foundation upon which the Baekdo Martial Alliance would one day be built.
If he could accomplish this, he might even surpass his grandfather, the Mad Wind Spear King Ak Bul Gun.
“The wind is beginning to blow. A mad wind that will carry my ambitions toward the heavens.”
“We of the Chung Mu Division will absolutely make you Student Council President, Lord Ak San Gun!”
“Hehe, I can’t have you showing yourselves. The farce of aged men squabbling with Later Generation Disciples is beneath us. I alone am enough.”
“But…!”
“Gather information diligently from the shadows. Those brats think individual martial power is everything, but in war, the most important thing is information.”
Ak San Gun’s narrow eyes grew even thinner.
“That’s precisely why Namgung Ho Yeon brought the Salsu Group. Yi Chang is currently a battleground where various information factions clash.”
“Since it’s a newly illuminated region, there apparently isn’t any overwhelmingly dominant power yet.”
“That too is an opportunity for us. Make contact with the Gold Coin Guild.”
“Understood.”
Creak, click.
The Commander-in-Chief left the room, and Ak San Gun, left alone, closed both eyes and drew a deep breath.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to control the raging Mad Wind Spear that threatened to break free from within him.
“Sigh. Namgung Ho Yeon. By now you’re surely stirring about busily, aren’t you? I do hope you’ve brought competent subordinates. The presence of a formidable opponent is precisely what I desire.”
There was nothing quite so satisfying as crushing an enemy that everyone acknowledged as fearsome.
* * *
“Brother, are you prepared?”
“There’s nothing much to prepare.”
“I’m told the Baek Mu Academy divides its students into four groups based on their skill level. The Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.”
“Hmm. The ostensible reason is tailored education to match ability, but it’s fundamentally a ranking system—upper and lower tiers.”
“Third-rate students are Spring. Second-rate are Summer. First-rate are Autumn. Anything beyond that is Winter. If you fail to place in the Winter tier at the Placement Examination, it will be troublesome.”
“Such insolence. Misspeak once more and your tongue might just get cut off.”
“Ha, can’t even brothers jest with each other?”
“Brothers? In the Moyong Clan, we’re scarcely better than strangers.”
“True enough. In any case, we’re infiltrating our people uniformly across all four tiers. Here is their roster.”
“Do they know who I am?”
“They don’t.”
“What?”
“To deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your own side. They’ll treat you as a pawn to be used and discarded.”
“Hmm, so you lot don’t trust each other much either. This roster doubtless has its blind spots?”
“Of course it does. You won’t trust us either, after all.”
“…….”
“Only—don’t forget that our society has given you this chance. Not a single traitor among us has ever lived to see the next sunrise.”
“Spare me the crude threats. We’re in the same boat now. I’m not fool enough to bore holes in the bottom of the vessel I’m riding in.”
“Just as I’d expect from you. Quick to calculate.”
“Stop wasting time and give me the information.”
“Very well. The two closest to the Student Council President are the Thunder God Lightning Dragon and the Exploding Heaven Fierce Spear.”
“Namgung Ho Yeon. Ak San Gun.”
“You know Namgung Ho Yeon painfully well, so I’ll skip him—but regarding Ak San Gun: he is still a young man, known as the Bloodstorm Spear Dragon. A true martial artist who slaughtered the fanatics of the Fa Shun Blood Cult.”
“A true martial artist?”
“One who understands warfare, you might say. Unlike the later generation disciples scattered everywhere, he possesses not merely personal martial prowess but also sound judgment, strategic cunning, and command authority—he is a general among men.”
“Difficult, then.”
“It’s possible Ak San Gun may prove even harder to overcome than Namgung Ho Yeon.”
“And the others?”
“Every talented young master from the various schools and clans has gathered here. They wouldn’t send anyone of middling rank or above for face’s sake, but everyone on that ambiguous threshold has arrived in Yi Chang.”
“Hmm, quite the grand proxy war they’re orchestrating. Whoever designed this stage has a real knack for spectacle.”
“You didn’t know? The architect of this game is Jegal Ahyeon, the Brilliant and Wise Peak. The woman with whom you were once linked in betrothal negotiations.”
“…….”
“That woman is coming to Yi Chang as well. She’ll certainly place herself under Namgung Ho Yeon’s command.”
“……Anything else?”
“Far too many to list. The Thunder Might Peng Gu Pae. The Cornerstone Beom Seok. Mu Ui Gae and Cheol Mu Gu. The Wise Sword Baek Cheon, and so on.”
“Every notable name converges on this place. Hmm—it’s as if starving jackals had caught the scent of rotting flesh.”
“The problem is the corpse itself is far too large. Oh, and there’s one more.”
“Who?”
“Gong Sun Il Bi.”
“I’ve never heard the name.”
“You wouldn’t have. This person has yet to make a name in the world.”
“Is she a master?”
“That I cannot say. This appears to be her first venture into the Martial World.”
“Now you’re asking me to concern myself with some unknown nobody making her debut?”
“You must concern yourself. Her master is Mu Yeo Hae.”
“Mu Yeo Hae? You don’t mean—the Ten Thousand Defeats Sword Emperor?”
“The very same. The disciple is believed to have inherited the lost arts of the Hwangsan School—the Three Sovereigns’ true teachings.”
“A disciple of such an extraordinary figure—how is she unknown?”
“The Ten Thousand Defeats Sword Emperor himself is a recluse whose whereabouts and activities are a mystery. We only discovered the disciple’s existence by chance while pursuing his trail.”
“Then the others won’t recognize her worth.”
“Precisely. If you can secure her, she would prove most valuable to you.”
“Good. Tell me her appearance.”
“Someone from the Gong Ryeong Gate will come. You’ll receive your information from them going forward. I have other duties and must leave Yi Chang briefly.”
“Gong Ryeong Gate. You trust those petty thieves?”
“Heh heh, it’s precisely because they’re petty thieves that you can trust them. Neither you nor I would trust anyone better than ourselves, even in death.”
“……You’re rattling your tongue again without restraint.”
“Self-deprecation, that was. I cast off the Moyong Clan and came to understand the world’s vastness. In any case, the Gong Ryeong Gate Master has brought nearly all the shop networks under our Society’s sway through our assistance, so we won’t fall behind in information warfare in Yi Chang.”
“That’s good. If only I’d had that information, I wouldn’t have suffered such a fate……! Ugh!”
“Heh heh, don’t excite yourself so. Jiseon’s Secret Art is a technique that forcibly opens the lower dantian. It affects the spirit. Especially for you, with your years, your Baihui Point was likely nearly sealed shut.”
“Huff, huff! Where is Namgung Ho Yeon right now, and what’s he doing?”
“He should have arrived at Yi Chang by now. He’ll also be eyeing the Student Council President position, so he’s hardly idle in the shadows, is he?”
“Kh kh kh! The Student Council President seat is mine. This time, I won’t let it slip away!”
“I do hope so.”
* * *
A dimly lit space.
Ho Yeon, who had been standing with his eyes closed in a serious expression, opened them as he sensed cautious footsteps approaching.
“You’re back.”
“Y-yes, yes.”
Flash! Swish!
His eyes snapped open, light blazing forth, and in one fluid motion Ho Yeon drew chopsticks like an unsheathed blade, fixing Jeom So Yi with a gaze as if they stood locked in mortal combat.
“H-hyiii!”
“Hand it over.”
“Y-yes, at once!”
Thump! Patter-patter!
Jeom So Yi set down the steaming bowl and bolted from the room.
Ho Yeon brought his nose close to the bowl and breathed in deeply.
“Sniff, sniff.”
Like a cat wary of unfamiliar food, he inhaled cautiously and murmured to himself.
“No foul odor. The reputation of that Gansu Province soup master doesn’t seem to be hollow.”
―Oniayro! Hurry! I’m getting dizzy!
“Don’t rush me. If this tastes bland again, you’ll pay dearly for my forsaken palate.”
Ho Yeon wielded his chopsticks through the bowl and finally lifted a mouthful.
Silky white noodles clung to the pale broth rendered from bone, shimmering like fine silk.
“Slurp, slurp. Hmm?”
As Ho Yeon cautiously drew the noodles into his mouth, his brows twitched.
The noodles had elasticity, and the broth they carried was clean and fragrant.
He broke the noodle, tore apart the thinly sliced boiled meat and placed it on his tongue, chewing slowly—and warmth bloomed through his entire body.
“Ah. You found the real thing. This is distinctly different from what I ate yesterday.”
―Ey, Oniayro! Did you just break the noodle? That’s an insult to authentic soba!
―It’s not soba—it’s La Mian! Don’t steal Zhongyuan’s culture, you foreign barbarian!
―Kondaiyaro! I’m here! Listen, Oniayro. Slurp it up, slurp it up! Only when you let the noodle cut through the air does it contact the oxygen and release its fragrance!
―You uncouth fool. What nonsense is that? One eats in silence during meals.
―Heh, you know nothing. When eating noodle dishes, making sound is precisely the courtesy owed to the chef!
―Such barbarous customs. Truly, you’re a Dong Yeong foreigner through and through.
―What? Kondaiyaro seems unaware of my thoughtful consideration. How does a toothless old geezer like you expect to break noodles?
―What?! You dare speak to the great Kondai…….
Ho Yeon severed his connection to the clamoring inner voices.
“Given them La Mian and they still make a fuss. Tsk.”
“M-master.”
“What?”
“Aren’t you going to prepare? Tomorrow’s the Placement Examination.”
Cho Seon Hyang, who had been watching Ho Yeon’s peculiar behavior from the side, asked with concern in her voice.
Ho Yeon waved his chopsticks in response.
“I’ve never seen anyone who studies frantically the night before an exam do well. Proper preparation, you see, is done long in advance. Understand?”
“…….”
At Ho Yeon’s words, Cho Seon Hyang fell silent and reflected inwardly.
‘But you’ve been hunting for restaurants the entire three days since arriving, not studying at all…….’
Cho Seon Hyang had learned the true reason for her lady’s concern three days after arriving at Yi Chang.

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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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