Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 161

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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 161. Sword Demon and Yul, United
Whoosh! Whoosh!
“Bright Moon Tavern, Small Moon Wine House, Great Peace Inn, Small Tide Tower, East Lake Garden, Golden Orchid Brothel, White Blossom Pavilion, Golden Horse Inn, Constant Iron Tea House…….”
Mo Yong Yul, one eye closed in concentration, had spread out the Yichang Map and was moving his brush across it.
“Heheheh, see this fat purse? We scored big yesterday!”
“Really? From whom?”
“Who else? Those spoiled young masters from Baekmu Academy.”
“Wow! Quite skilled, aren’t they?”
Through Beast Soul Communication, Mo Yong Yul perceived the conversation with a small bird’s senses, and he murmured again as his brush continued to dance.
“Even Xianmeng Daru…… sigh, truly endless.”
Among the fourteen municipal districts in Yichang, the Central Five Districts alone accounted for this much.
Gong Ling Mun safe houses were stationed throughout Jeomgun District, Oga-gang District, Soreung District, Hyojeong District, and Ireung District—dozens of them.
When one included shop managers and clerks scattered throughout various establishments, the numbers swelled to hundreds.
‘Of course, not all of them are members of the Yeok O Party. Most are ordinary disciples who don’t even know the sect master was murdered.’
Mo Yong Yul bit his lip hard.
He felt a pang of guilt at dragging these hardworking disciples into a power struggle that had nothing to do with them.
For their sake, he had to suppress the rebellion swiftly and restore Hao Mun to stability.
‘The manpower is ridiculously insufficient. I can’t help it—the sect masters of the Eastern and Northern gates are already stretched thin holding back the Eastern and Western forces.’
He had gathered enough intelligence, but the personnel available to act were limited.
If he stepped forward to verify each of these leads himself, it could take years.
By then, Yichang would have fallen completely into Gong Ling Mun’s hands.
‘What if I asked my brother for help?’
The thought flickered briefly in Mo Yong Yul’s mind before he shook his head.
“Sigh, I can’t drag my brother into this world’s political turmoil. Far from helping, I’d only burden him.”
Mo Yong Yul exhaled deeply as he spoke.
It had only been a short time since reuniting with his brother—how could he already be leaning on him again?
He could not afford to weaken. This path was his choice. He had to see it through on his own.
“Should I…… use this?”
Mo Yong Yul lifted his right hand.
Whoooom!
At the same moment, a fierce violet Qi rose menacingly.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
As purple poison Qi crystallized on Mo Yong Yul’s right hand, Weol Myo, who had been rolling about nearby, startled and leaped to his feet.
“Meow!”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Mo Yong Yul quickly dispersed the poison Qi and apologized to Weol Myo.
Any living thing, Weol Myo included, could not help but recoil from this Qi.
Because this violet poison Qi was none other than the Purple Flower Poison Qi of Man Dok Ja O, the spirit beast of the Gong Ling Gate.
Man Dok Ja O—a notorious purple centipede spirit beast that possessed ten thousand toxins, as its name suggested.
It was a fearsome creature from the Ten-Thousand Poison Land, which existed in the deepest reaches of the Southern Wilderness Great Forest itself.
‘The Purple Flower Poison Qi is a synthetic poison combining various biological, plant, and mineral toxins. If I use this, I could compensate for the lack of manpower. But…….’
“Lord, you must not use the Purple Flower Poison Qi unless it is a matter of utmost urgency. Remember that three hundred years ago, even O Ryeok Su, Lord of Hao Mun of that era, became a Public Enemy of the Martial World because of the Purple Flower Poison Qi.”
Mo Yong Yul recalled Mu Young Jin’s words and shook his head.
‘I cannot use the Purple Flower Poison Qi recklessly. Not only would it endanger me, but it could bring condemnation upon all of Hao Mun.’
There was a reason poison-using martial artists were classified as heterodox.
Even among the orthodox sects, the Sichuan Dang Family was the only school that made poison their primary focus.
They too only wielded poison arts under the banner of Using Poison to Control Poison; if they recklessly dispensed deadly toxins for personal gain, not even the Sichuan Dang Family would escape the consequences.
“Sigh…… then what should I do…….”
Tap-tap-tap! Creak!
Just as Mo Yong Yul was lost in thought,
the guard captain, Guard Commander Hyeong Yun, came sprinting and threw open the door.
“Y-young lord!”
“What is it?”
“He has arrived!”
“What?”
“Namgung Ho Yeon! Your elder brother, my lord!”
“……!”
At Hyeong Yun’s words, Mo Yong Yul sprang to his feet.
Though his brother had said he would return, he never expected to see him again so soon.
‘Could it be that my brother has missed me this much too?’
Mo Yong Yul’s face flushed as he shouted urgently.
“Bring him at once!”
“Yes, sir!”
Tap-tap!
Hyeong Yun vanished like wind itself, and moments later returned with Namgung Ho Yeon in tow.
“Please, speak freely with one another!”
Hyeong Yun bowed respectfully and withdrew, casting sidelong glances at Namgung Ho Yeon as he retreated hastily.
At Hyeong Yun’s deferential manner, Namgung Ho Yeon shrugged and spoke.
“What’s wrong with him? Do I look like I have some plague?”
“Hehe, he’s just amazed. You’re the master of the Crimson Dragon Sword Lodge, after all. And there’s that business in the alley……”
As Mo Yong Yul quickly yielded the place of honor, Namgung Ho Yeon settled into the seat and immediately began eating the refreshments on the table.
Just then, Weol Myo padded over with studied indifference and flopped onto Namgung Ho Yeon’s lap.
“Meow!”
“Tch, this cheeky beast. Is this your designated seat? I’ve never seen such an impudent cat.”
“Mew-meow!”
“Hm, you like it here? Here?”
“Meow-ow-ow!”
As Namgung Ho Yeon scratched vigorously, as if kneading laundry, Weol Myo stretched with pink paws spread like a fan.
At the sight, Mo Yong Yul laughed and remarked.
“You know, I’ve always felt it—you seem to have a genuine fondness for Weol Myo.”
“Well, I’m an animal lover.”
“Haha, that old habit of yours hasn’t changed a bit.”
“Hmm? Did I used to say that?”
“Yes, from the very first day we met, you spoke those words.”
Namgung Ho Yeon paused, searching his memory, then spoke.
“Ah, that day? You were trying to kill Weol Myo, weren’t you? Good heavens. So you remember even such trifling details?”
“…Of course. I remember every single word you’ve ever said to me without fail.”
When Mo Yong Yul replied with genuine sincerity, Namgung Ho Yeon shrugged and glanced around, shifting the subject.
“Where’s the rat?”
“Oh, Jeok Seo’s out gathering information.”
“And the crow?”
“Eun A is in Beijing right now…wait?”
Mo Yong Yul, who had been answering naturally, suddenly widened his eyes and stared at Namgung Ho Yeon.
“So it’s true, after all?”
“What?”
“We once received intelligence from the Hangju branch director that you knew the true identity of the Spirit Beast serving the Seon Mun—Eun A.”
At Mo Yong Yul’s words, Namgung Ho Yeon let out an amused snort.
“Just the crow? I know about the flying squirrel, the horse, the centipede, and the turtle too.”
“All Five Spirits……”
“That bastard Kang-ga was running a complete animal farm. An absolutely ruthless operator.”
―Ah, those beasts, you know? They had quite a distinct flavor when sliced.
‘Right. Was it Underworld Turtle Shell Qi? That’s what made them a bit chewy.’
While Namgung Ho Yeon was discussing the taste of the Heukya Tae Geom and O Ryeok Su’s flesh.
Mo Yong Yul shook his head slowly and spoke.
“You truly confound me. You don’t know what a Zhen Tian Lei is, yet you’re familiar with the Five Spirits—Hao Mun’s most guarded secret……”
“I’ll admit my information is unbalanced. That’s why I sought you out.”
“Yes?”
“Do you have any information on the Gong Ling Mun?”
“I do have some…but why?”
“Why? Because I need it, that’s why.”
Namgung Ho Yeon turned up the corners of his mouth and continued.
“Go crack open the Gong Ling Mun and find out where the stolen Zhen Tian Lei went.”
“W-who is asking you to do this?”
“Grandmother Geum Jeong.”
“The Saintly Sword Immortal? The King of Spears?”
“She calls it some sort of practical assessment. It’s transparent scheming, but if it’s homework, what can I do? My mother told me to keep my grades up.”
“……”
“Help me out here. After all, my younger brother is supposedly the lord of Hao Mun, so my older brother shouldn’t face stingy treatment, right?”
“……”
Even as Namgung Ho Yeon made his appeal, Mo Yong Yul simply stared at him in stunned silence.
Does my brother see me as worthy of his virtue?
Wrong.
He’s using the performance evaluation as a pretext to help me.
“No, no—you don’t have to do this. I can’t keep accumulating debt to you……!”
“What are you talking about? I’m the one who owes the debt. What, is it this?”
Whoosh!
Namgung Ho Yeon snatched up the Yichang Map resting on the table and examined it.
“Oh, there’s quite a bit of it.”
“That’s only a portion. There’s far more than what you could review alone…….”
“Who said anything about alone?”
“Pardon?”
Namgung Ho Yeon spoke to the blinking Mo Yong Yul with a meaningful smile.
“There’s this organization called the Nakjeon Dan—you know, the crew that carries my name around? I couldn’t be bothered to do anything about them, so I just left them be, and Ah-hyeon actually raised them properly. Word is they’re already over a thousand strong.”
“……!”
“Anyway, I’m taking this. Send me any new intelligence that comes in, right away.”
“Meow?”
Namgung Ho Yeon gathered up the map, grabbed Weol Myo by the scruff of the neck and set him down from his lap, then rose from his seat.
Looking down at Mo Yong Yul, who still wore a dazed expression, Namgung Ho Yeon chuckled softly.
“Ha, this reminds me of when we were roughing up the salt merchants back in Banjihwa. You always did love covert missions, didn’t you?”
“Oh…….”
At Namgung Ho Yeon’s words, Mo Yong Yul gasped as memories of the past surfaced.
“Let’s go to Banjihwa.”
“Let’s carry out a secret mission together.”
“If you’re going to call yourself a warrior, you ought to know how to execute a covert operation or two. Don’t you agree?”
Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
His heart pounded.
The memory felt vivid as yesterday.
As if he could ever forget it.
He had been overjoyed to walk at his brother’s side, then crushed by the certainty that he could never keep pace with him.
‘But now things are different. I’ve grown! Now I’ll be able to match my brother’s stride.’
As a blush bloomed across Mo Yong Yul’s pale cheeks, Namgung Ho Yeon curled the corners of his mouth upward and nodded.
“Still keen on it, then. I’m counting on you again this time.”
“Of course! Just trust me!”
* * *
Crash!
Five days had passed.
The rain grew heavier, until the view ahead vanished entirely.
Save for the rainy season reaching its peak, Yichang seemed unchanged on the surface, yet much had shifted in the shadows.
Bang!
“Damn it, again?”
“Yes, sir. Over fifty disciples have been arrested from Chuixiang Tower, Jade Liquid Hall, Golden Zither Pavilion, and Fragrant Tea Teahouse, and the gambling den operating in the Hyojeong District, the Fortune Teller’s Garden, has been completely shut down.”
“These blasted Baekmu Academy bastards!”
Crack! Boom!
As Mo Son’s fury erupted, frost gathered on the teacup sitting atop the table before it shattered outright.
Gulp!
‘The lord’s Red Qi has reached an extraordinary realm!’
Witnessing this, his subordinate swallowed hard and stilled his breathing, careful not to provoke Mo Son further.
“What about the Blue Lord?”
“He, he’s not responding to contact.”
“Where the hell is that bastard and what is he doing! He steals right alongside us, so why do we have to take all the heat?”
Bang! Crack!
As Mo Son struck the table, Dark Qi this time penetrated the wood grain, splitting it in a lightning-bolt pattern.
‘No matter how I think about it, something’s wrong. The Baekmu Academy boys are reading our every move?’
Certainly, Baekmu Academy harbored famous names from across the Martial World, but controlling an entire region’s information network was an entirely different matter.
Currently, it was none other than Gong Ling Mun that held Yichang’s information network in an iron grip.
And yet someone was reading every move of Gong Ling Mun as easily as lines on a palm?
“Could it be your doing……!”
Grind!
Mo Son gnashed his teeth.
The only one capable of such a feat in so short a time was the Spirit Beast that had drifted into Yichang a week ago.
It was clear he was scattering information to Baekmu Academy without restraint.
‘But even so, something’s off. Rigid, orthodox sects wouldn’t believe information from an unknown source at face value, would they?’
Could there be a hidden connection between the upper ranks of Baekmu Academy and Hao Mun?
There was no other way to explain the current situation.
‘In any case, it’s becoming dangerous. Control is slipping away!’
Crack!
Mo Son, clenching his fist tightly, spoke.
“Are the Yin-Yang Twin Demons still making unreasonable demands?”
“Yes, sir. They haven’t stepped foot outside their quarters.”
“Those mad old devils……!”
Mo Son glanced at the chest beneath the table, then took a deep breath.
“Sshh, exhale. Grant their request,” he said.
“B-but, Master!”
“Do it now!”
“……Very well.”
Tap-tap! Thud!
As his subordinate left the room, Mo Son, having washed his face with cold water, laughed dryly.
“Krhehe! Yes. Let’s see how this plays out. The moment you unleash the monster’s leash!”
The Yin-Yang Twin Demons.
Bean One and Bean Two.
Release.

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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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