Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 153

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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 153. The Sword Demon Meets the Mountain Lord
While the opening ceremony of Geumjeong Sinni was in full swing.
Whispers rippled through the Chunha Cohort in the rear.
“Mister Bang Gae.”
“My name is Gae. Bang Poong Gae, wandering swordsman.”
“Mister Poong Gae. Is that rumor really true?”
A seven-foot giant of a man with a burly frame looked down at Bang Poong Gae with a furrowed brow.
Under other circumstances, Bang Poong Gae might have flinched, but he met the tall man’s gaze with composure.
“What is?”
“Is it true that you, Mister Poong Gae, received a secret commission from the Thunder God Dragon to serve as a Selector?”
“Heh heh heh.”
Bang Poong Gae offered a meaningful smile and adjusted the eye patch over his left eye.
The giant’s expression brightened noticeably, and his voice took on a softer tone.
“Ah, Master Bang! This humble one is Ak Du Gu of the Taesan Faction. I’m a man of some standing in Gwi Province. I would be most grateful if you could recommend me to the Thunder God Dragon!”
“Hmm, I’m afraid I don’t follow.”
“I know you can’t speak of such things. I simply ask that you remember me when the time comes.”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure, but I’ll remember the name Ak Du Gu.”
“Thank you so much!”
As Ak Du Gu clasped his fists in gratitude, Bang Poong Gae’s mouth twitched slightly.
‘This has gotten out of hand. How on earth did things spiral to this point?’
It had seemed harmless at first.
After arriving at the registration desk with his arm linked through Namgung Ho Yeon’s and being called “lifelong friends,” Bang Poong Gae had become a celebrated figure within the Chunha Cohort.
People who wanted to build a connection with Namgung Ho Yeon sought him out.
‘It was pleasant for a few days.’
When he was receiving the kind of attention from female disciples he’d never known in his life, gifts piling up in his arms, he’d thought spring had finally come to his life.
But people’s expectations only grew higher with each passing day.
Bang Poong Gae now found himself in the position of a man forced to wield a rusty blade to slice radish.
‘Damn it! If I begged right now—”I have no connection to anything, I’m terribly sorry”—would they spare me?’
Bang Poong Gae glanced sideways at Ak Du Gu.
The man was puffing out his Taesan-like trapezius muscles while blushing like a girl.
“If I could only learn even one technique from the Dragon, it would be the pride of my house. I could finally face the brothers from Gwi Province who scrounged together funds for my travels. Ha ha!”
Gulp.
‘I can never tell him.’
As Bang Poong Gae swallowed hard, a lazy male voice drifted from behind.
“Well, I wonder if that fellow really is the Dragon’s Selector? I’m skeptical, myself.”
“Gasp!”
“Hmm?”
Bang Poong Gae and Ak Du Gu turned their heads.
Standing there was a lean young man wearing a bamboo hat, arms crossed.
He spoke.
“Only Dong Juk Saeng of the Winter Bamboo Cohort can become the Student Cohort Leader, and the maximum cohort size is a hundred. Why would they need to recruit from the Chunha Cohort at all?”
“Good point.”
Tap!
In agreement with the young man’s words, a girl with a small frame and dark complexion suddenly appeared.
“I’m familiar with the prestigious sects of Zhongyuan. They’d rather go alone than take on dead weight.”
“What do you mean…? Did you fool me?”
Ak Du Gu furrowed his brow at the boy and girl’s words, looking at Bang Poong Gae.
Bang Poong Gae responded with a chuckle, his voice casual and unbothered.
“Believe whatever you wish to believe. This harsh and uncertain world of the Martial World and Jianghu—what you choose to trust is your own affair, is it not?”
“Hmph, from what I can see, you’re nothing special. What exactly makes you think a rabbit can pretend to be a tiger?”
As the dark-skinned girl fingered the horn bow hanging at her waist, Bang Poong Gae burst into laughter.
“Ha ha! True, I am a rabbit. Which is precisely why I survive by staying on good terms with the tiger.”
“Heh heh, prove it then.”
The young man in the bamboo hat asked with a thin smile, challenging Bang Poong Gae’s bluster.
“If you’re so confident, why not find the Dragon after the ceremony and hook arms with him?”
“……”
“Can’t do it?”
“Well, between friends, there’s nothing that can’t be done.”
Having agreed with apparent calm, Bang Poong Gae felt cold sweat trickling down his back.

* * *
After the opening ceremony concluded,
the Training Grounds naturally became a place where students greeted one another.
Jegal Ahyeon went looking for Namgung Ho Yeon and was startled to find him.
She’d expected him to be alone like a loner, but instead he stood with four others.
“What are you doing? Why did you lie to me?”
“About what?”
“You said you hadn’t made any friends among the students.”
“These aren’t like that.”
“What? Ah! So these are the ones from the rumors? The Eight Martial Immortals who fought together at Dan Ri Sega—Eternal Wind First Song, Demon-Stopping Star Peak, and Three Peak Sword Guardian?”
Jegal Ahyeon’s dark eyes shone as she regarded Gwang Myeong, Hye Il, Nan A, and Un Am.
During the Yongbong Conference, she’d been too busy with military affairs to meet them, but these were the only friends Namgung Ho Yeon could have made.
‘All from the Winter Bamboo Cohort. This works well, actually.’
Jegal Ahyeon smiled softly.
She hadn’t given up on placing Namgung Ho Yeon in the Student Council President position.
The three men were whispering among themselves as they watched Jegal Ahyeon appear so suddenly.
“Wow, who is that lady?”
“Jegal Ahyeon. You saw her at the Yongbong Conference. She’s Ho Yeon’s betrothed.”
“What?! Really? Man, no wonder our master is amazing!”
At Hye Il’s explanation, Gwang Myeong looked at Namgung Ho Yeon with admiring eyes.
Beside him, Nan A was explaining Jegal Ahyeon to Un Am.
“She is Wisdom Blossom Jegal Ahyeon, one of the Five Flowers of Murim.”
“I have heard much of her White Spiral Treatise that she authored. It was a truly moving discourse.”
“You know about that? Someone told me I’m one of the Five Flowers of Murim too.”
“Of course I know. Miss Nan A is the Pure Flower, are you not? Such a fitting epithet for one so pure and virtuous.”
“Thank you for the praise, my cheeks flush with gratitude.”
At Un Am’s words, Nan A lowered her head, her cheeks turning pink.
Meanwhile, Namgung Ho Yeon approached the three and introduced Jegal Ahyeon to them.
“This is Jegal Ahyeon. You don’t need to know much about her.”
“I am Jegal Ahyeon. It is an honor to meet the heroes of Murim.”
“The honor is ours—to meet the military strategist of the Baekga Maeng. I am Un Am of Huashan.”
“I’m Hye Il, Ho Yeon’s friend.”
“Gwang Myeong of Kunlun!”
“I am Nan A of Emei.”
Just as Jegal Ahyeon was conversing with the three, a hearty laugh rang out from behind.
“Hahahaha! Our little cousin! I hear you stirred up quite the commotion before the opening ceremony!”
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A muscular giant who could shake the earth itself came striding toward Namgung Ho Yeon, waving his hand.
Namgung Ho Yeon gazed at the man with a dao at his waist and thought,
‘What is this overgrown newt doing here? Has he gotten even bigger? What is he eating to grow like that?’
The man receiving Namgung Ho Yeon’s envious gaze was his distant cousin Peng Gu Pae, whom he’d met during the Yongbong Conference.
“Ha! Your Uncle Mando told me to look after you. He said if we leave you alone, you’ll cause more trouble.”
“Why would I?”
“Because heroes are always surrounded by incidents and accidents. And in that spirit… Hah!”
Whoosh! Thud!
Peng Gu Pae tried to catch him in a surprise embrace, but sensing the move, Namgung Ho Yeon stepped into Gam Bo and nimbly dodged.
“Come on, I told you not to do that.”
“Pfahahaha! Our little cousin is still so shy. Makes me miss Cheongyang!”
“He’s in Cheongyang.”
“Lucky him. Tsk, if the clan hadn’t ordered me here, I’d dash off to the battlefield and hack up the enemy dogs with this Lightning Dao! Ah, how I miss the feel of it!”
‘Crazy butcher.’
As Peng Gu Pae—the very picture of hot-blooded enthusiasm—became too much, Namgung Ho Yeon began to edge away.
But Jegal Ahyeon’s eyes lit up instead, and she approached him to greet him.
“Hello there, Brother Gu Pae.”
“Oh, you’re well, Sister Jegal?”
“Of course! And you’ve become even more reliable, it seems!”
“Hahahaha! I haven’t neglected my training! See these biceps?”
“Wow, impressive!”
Jegal Ahyeon welcomed yet another Winter Bamboo Cohort arrival and played along with Peng Gu Pae’s muscle boasting.
Watching Jegal Ahyeon, Namgung Ho Yeon’s expression became subdued.
‘……Is that really something to admire? Well, she is rather tall, I’ll give her that.’
Jegal Ahyeon was taller than most women.
Her proportions were balanced because her head was small, but her height of five feet eight inches—roughly one hundred seventy-five centimeters—was rare among Han women.
Namgung Ho Yeon had grown considerably tall as well, yet he remained comparable to Ahyeon’s stature.
‘Damn it. My bloodline is excellent, so why do I grow no taller than a chestnut? Father and my eldest brother are both over six feet, yet look at me. Is it Mother’s fault?’
For a Murin warrior, height and long limbs were a distinct advantage.
True, for someone not yet twenty, Ho Yeon was tall—yet he remained unsatisfied.
‘If only I were two inches taller…… or at least that much?’
As Ho Yeon glanced about, his gaze settled on a lean-framed man.
The man had long hair tied back and a Hook-scythe spear slung across his shoulders—a figure whose balanced frame matched an imposing presence like a storm wind itself.
‘His Qi flows without impediment through his entire body. That particular Martial Presence…… he’s an Ascended Master.’
A spark kindled in Ho Yeon’s eyes.
A man who appeared to be somewhere between youth and middle age had already broken through to the Ascended realm?
‘Damn, what a prodigy. Tsk. How did he manage it? Would he tell me if I asked?’
As Ho Yeon sank into such thoughts, the man with the long spear turned and gazed back at him.
For a moment, their eyes met across the empty air between them.
Then the man approached with a refreshing smile.
Step, step, step.
“I didn’t expect you to call out to me first, so to speak.”
“Hm?”
“Is it a warning, then? Heh, as I’ve heard—bold indeed. I approve.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Playing ignorant now? I know of your ambitions, and you know of mine. We are destined to be each other’s adversaries.”
The man, Ak San Gun, looked around as he spoke.
‘The Jegal Clan, the Hebei Peng Family, Huashan, Wudang, Kunlun, Emei even—surely they haven’t simply sat idle. When did you build forces of this scale?’
It appeared that his withdrawal from Heukjuk Won had been a feint to lower his opponent’s guard.
Namgung Ho Yeon was no one to underestimate.
Ak San Gun admired Ho Yeon’s boldness in flaunting his power before all these onlookers.
‘A declaration of war, then. I shall accept it.’
With a ferocious smile like a tempest, Ak San Gun declared:
“Forgive me, but the position of Student Council President is not something I can yield. It is my last chance to surpass my father.”
“Huh? I think you’re laboring under a misunderstanding. I never had any intention of becoming Student Council President…”
Ho Yeon tilted his head in surprise at the sudden proclamation, opening his mouth to speak.
“Ha, ha ha! My dearest friend! There you are!”
A one-eyed man approached, waving his hand with an expression as though he might burst into tears at any moment.
“What? That’s Bang Poong Gae?”
Ho Yeon muttered as he looked at him, and gasps erupted from those around them.
“Oh! Even the one-sword swordmaster Bang Poong Gae!”
“Kuh! The audacity to insert himself between the Thunder God Dragon and the Tyrannical Heaven Spear Master!”
“Good heavens. Was he really such a major figure?”
“The Dragon acknowledges him!”
The onlookers, who had been watching the encounter between Namgung Ho Yeon and Ak San Gun—assessed as the Two Great Powers—in bated breath, suddenly turned their attention to the newcomer with sparkling eyes.
Ho Yeon, glancing at the commotion around him, asked Bang Poong Gae:
“Were you famous?”
“O-of course! Someone who is your friend must be at least this renowned. Ha, ha ha!”
“Oh?”
Ho Yeon was impressed.
‘He seemed like a man of some spirit when he spoke of being a swordmaster, but he was actually famous?’
Meanwhile, Bang Poong Gae was in his element.
‘It’s now or never. One shoulder embrace, just once! Just this once……!’
Just as Bang Poong Gae, steeling himself with desperate resolve, moved toward Ho Yeon, Hye Il, who had been watching, cut in with a bright laugh.
“Wow! Are you also a friend of Ho Yeon?”
“W-well, yes, I suppose…”
“Then be my friend too. I’m the top disciple of the Wudang School—Hye Il.”
“P-pardon? The Wudang School’s premier disciple?!”
“Would you like to join the Nakjeon-dan?”
Hye Il, seeing Bang Poong Gae’s startled reaction, invited him to join the group for the sake of camaraderie.
At that, the eyes of Ak San Gun, who had been listening, narrowed.
“Nakjeon-dan…… So your organization is already this well-structured? Impressive.”
Indeed, a true rival.
Using the attention drawn by the Ranking Examination, he had apparently created a group called the Nakjeon-dan in secret.
In truth, it was merely a social club with an inflated name that Hye Il had founded, but Ak San Gun had no way of knowing that.
And so he jumped to the conclusion that Namgung Ho Yeon intended to use the Nakjeon-dan to seize control of Baekmu Academy.
‘I can’t lose this. We need to accelerate the founding of the Gwangpung-dan!’
‘What in the world is he talking about? W-wait, at least let me catch my breath—!’
‘Haha! The more friends, the better!’
‘This fellow and his smooth talk again. Ugh. I’ll have to grab some sweet rice cakes later to calm my nerves.’
Same bed, different dreams.
Something had become thoroughly tangled.

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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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