Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 172

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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 172. The Sword Demon Receives Honor
Uwaaaaaa!
A tremendous roar erupted.
It was the shout of countless people gathered like clouds on both sides of the great avenue that cut through Yi Chang.
Clop-clop! Clop-clop!
Twelve magnificent horses pulled a carriage adorned with gold and jewels.
Throughout all of Zhongyuan, only one person could command the Twelve-Horse Chariot.
Eun Mu Gun, the Sacred Celestial Emperor.
The emperor of the Eun Dynasty alone.
But the person riding in the carriage was not the emperor.
“Damn it…….”
Namgung Ho Yeon forced a smile, dragging his contorted mouth upward with effort.
He wore a golden robe embroidered with ginkgo leaves—a Dragon Robe bestowed by the emperor along with the carriage.
‘Cursed emperor! If I’ve earned merit, just give me gold! Why are you tormenting me like this!’
Namgung Ho Yeon, bearing the weight of all Yi Chang’s attention, wanted nothing more than to flee on the spot.
But not even he could ignore the gifts the emperor had bestowed upon him.
―Little brother, isn’t this splendid? A Flower-Wreath Victory Procession, no less. Even this old sword has never known such luxury.
―Puffaw! We’ve become quite the spectacle, haven’t we!
‘Luxury? I’m going to die of embarrassment!’
At the words of the Cheon Rae Sword and the Heukya Tae Geom, Namgung Ho Yeon cried out silently.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The leading orchestra began beating drums and singing the triumphant processional song with tremendous vigor.
“Yi Chang’s flood—The Hero’s Procession!”
“The waters recede—Peace and prosperity reign!”
“The people of Yi Chang—Grateful for this virtue!”
“His name echoes through the ages—The Hero’s eternal glory!”
Waaaaaaa!
The cheering that followed the song shook the earth and covered the sky.
‘Ugh! I’d rather have my bones broken in a fall!’
Squirming under the roar of acclaim, Namgung Ho Yeon tried to distract himself.
Slip.
Namgung Ho Yeon withdrew a Gold Medal from his robe and examined it.
‘They give me one pathetic piece of gold and subject me to this humiliation? Just wait, Your Majesty—I won’t forget this!’
The medal differed in appearance from an ordinary identification tablet; seven ginkgo leaves were carved in relief at its center.
On its reverse, engraved characters indicated the medal holder’s rank.
[Seventh Rank Official
Imperial Secret Envoy
Namgung Ho Yeon]
―Though nominally honorary, the rank of Seventh Official is quite distinguished.
―Fool. Is Seventh Rank high? There are six ranks above it.
―Ah, you ignorant foreigner. Seventh Rank places one on par with Censorate Inspectors and Martial Administrators. Even those who pass the provincial, imperial, and palace examinations rarely begin at Seventh Rank.
―Ooh! That is splendid, yes? Sugoi!
‘What’s so splendid about this phantom position? And what’s this Imperial Secret Envoy business? Why should I protect the Eun Dynasty?’
At his two swords’ admiration, Namgung Ho Yeon grumbled under his breath.
He had received official rank in recognition of his service at Sanxia Dike, but it was an empty honor with flowery words and no real authority.
‘They call me an envoy, but I’m really just a constable with a fancy title.’
Indeed, along with this medal, Namgung Ho Yeon had been granted a secret manual called the Binding Restraint Art.
Calling it a secret manual was generous—the Binding Restraint Art was merely a treatise on how to subdue and restrain criminals, a type of Pursuit and Arrest Art.
‘Well, at least I’m not serving under anyone. That’s something.’
Whereas constables were typically assigned to provincial magistracies, the Imperial Secret Envoy answered directly to the Eun imperial court.
As an honorary rank granted to martial artists, it seemed designed to preserve the rule that martial artists could not be held by civil authority.
‘Still, it’s good that I can use this as a Ma Pae substitute. From now on, I can use the relay stations.’
Namgung Ho Yeon decided to look on the bright side.
After all, a rank was a rank, so he’d receive a salary, and his father and mother would certainly be pleased.
Moreover, what was a constable, really?
It was a profession where the main income didn’t come from the magistracy but from supplementary revenue extracted from commoners’ pockets—a rather profitable side business.
Toll collection, protection rackets, false accusations followed by settlement payments, and so forth.
There were endless ways to squeeze profit, making it a reasonably decent profession.
‘Hmm, if I went to some rural county, I could throw my weight around, no? Once I say I’m Seventh Rank, they wouldn’t dare refuse me, would they?’
―……Little brother, what exactly do you think an official rank is?
‘A legitimate thug.’
―Oh my!
―Pfft! True enough!
That was when Ho Yeon was conversing with the two swords.
“Good heavens!”
At the urgent cry, he turned to see an old woman being swept forward by the crowd and tumbling toward the front of the carriage.
“Neigh!”
“”Whinnying!”
Startled by the sudden commotion, the horses reared in panic, hooves thrashing at the air.
“Ah…….”
The old woman froze in terror, eyes squeezed shut, her body curled protectively around something hidden in her garments.
“Aaaaah!”
“Do something!”
With a horse’s hoof about to come down on the old woman’s head, the onlookers shrieked, bracing for catastrophe.
Thud!
But the tragedy they feared never came.
“……Huh?”
When no pain came, the old woman slowly opened her tightly clenched eyes.
“There now. Do be more careful.”
A youth draped in gold silk that seemed to have descended from heaven itself gazed down at her with eyes as blue as the sky.
It was Ho Yeon, who had stepped on the horse’s hand and caught the old woman.
“Th—thank you so much!”
“Can you stand?”
“Yes, yes I can.”
With Ho Yeon’s support, the old woman rose and bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
“Thank you! Thank you, young master!”
“That’s enough. Go home carefully. Next time, don’t wander into such dangerous places and invite trouble.”
“D—dangerous? Never! Old Schoen couldn’t possibly! I must properly thank the young master!”
“Hmm?”
At Ho Yeon’s words, the old woman responded with sudden intensity and drew something from her garments.
What the old woman had been cradling so dearly was a flower wreath woven together from blossoms and plant stems.
“My family lived because of your mercy, young master! I could die without regret, but I owe you a debt beyond measure for saving my children and grandchildren! I shall repay this kindness for all my remaining years!”
“…….”
“Though it is humble and I have nothing, being poor and uneducated, this is all I have to give…….”
The old woman held out the flower wreath, shame evident in her gesture.
Her hands were creased as deeply as there were children she had raised.
Moreover, dirt clung thickly beneath the old woman’s fingernails, and at the sight of them, Ho Yeon’s eyes curved into crescents.
“What beautiful hands these are.”
“……Pardon?”
“Hands I envy most of all.”
Ho Yeon laughed softly.
Even the Sword Demon, whose hands had never been free of blood, had once dreamed of hands like these.
If he had become a carpenter following Pyeong, would he have possessed hands that created something, like this old woman’s?
“Thank you. My neck felt rather bare just now, as it happens.”
“Ah……!”
Ho Yeon took the flower wreath from the old woman and placed it directly around his neck.
Then he reached into his garments, drew out a money purse, and pressed it into the old woman’s hands.
“Payment for the flowers.”
“N—no! Old Schoen could never……!”
“Commander, could you see this woman home?”
“Of course, of course. How could I refuse such a request?”
The Escort Commander, who had been smiling at Ho Yeon despite the procession’s delay, had his men escort the old woman away.
As Ho Yeon turned back toward his palanquin, a thunderous wave of applause and cheers erupted from the crowd.
From the outer edge of the throng, Jegal Ahyeon, observing the scene through her Simseogamhwa, felt the whole world overflow with light.
Whoosh!
Around Ho Yeon, yellow, crimson, and white lights poured down like gentle warmth.
Bathed in positive emotions—reverence, gratitude, admiration—Ho Yeon’s expression grew somewhat flustered.
“Heh heh, still the same. Always so bashful.”
But Ahyeon knew the truth: Ho Yeon was the purest, brightest light in this place.
“You truly do shine. That’s why so many people are drawn to your light and follow you.”
Jegal Ahyeon broke into a smile.
Namgung Ho Yeon had assumed that Ahyeon herself had created the Nak Jeon Dan, but the truth was quite different.
It was because of the light that was Namgung Ho Yeon that everyone fluttered toward it like moths.
“Is spying your hobby, little one?”
As Ahyeon turned her head and spoke, the man in the bamboo hat replied.
“……I’m hardly little anymore, though.”
At Mo Yong Yul’s words, Ahyeon smiled and said, “You certainly seem to have grown. Back then you were just a jealous little thing.”
“There have been quite a few events over the years. Now I’ve become a swan, not an ugly duckling.”
At Mo Yong Yul’s words, Ahyeon’s eyebrows twitched.
She had realized that he was answering a question she had asked him years ago.
“A swan upon the water appears tranquil, but beneath the surface it must paddle ceaselessly.”
“Only those who are prepared can bask in the light.”
“When next you see Ho Yeon, I hope you’ll be standing beside him.”
“I am ready to bask in that light.”
“Mm-hm, you speak well enough. For someone who has caused Ho Yeon such trouble.”
“That is……”
“Before you bask in the light, you should repay the debt first, shouldn’t you?”
“……Sigh, I’ve brought it, so let’s be done with this.”
Under Ahyeon’s pressure, Mo Yong Yul withdrew a bundle of papers from his sleeve and handed it over.
“It’s the intelligence you requested regarding the regions south of Anhui, along with a report on the movements of Do Cheon.”
* * *
“Wooooow! Is this really true?!”
“Hahahaha! The renown of Namgung knows no bounds and grows ever higher.”
“This time, Young Lord Ho Yeon has saved Yi Chang!”
“They plotted to destroy the Sanxia Dike…… there are all sorts of madmen in this world. But none of it works against our Lord Guanglong!”
The Namgung Sega in Hapbi was in a state of uproar.
The reason was the dozen carriages that had arrived early in the morning.
The carriages were laden with hundreds of bolts of silk, grain, and numerous treasures fashioned from gold and silver.
The problem was not the goods themselves, but the identity of whoever had sent them.
“Huh, living this long, I’ve even received imperial gifts.”
“Ho-ho, truly. How blessed to have such a son?”
As Namgung Baek gazed at the carriages in wonder, Peng So Hwa covered her mouth and laughed.
“He was boasting about perfect marks on his field evaluation, but I never expected him to bring back an imperial gift like this……”
Peng So Hwa shook her head from side to side.
It was one of Ho Yeon’s bad habits to skip all the details and state only the result.
Had it not been for the letter that arrived afterward from Geumjeong, they would have received the imperial envoy without understanding a thing.
Namgung Baek spoke.
“What manner of dike is the Sanxia Dike? It is the greatest dike in Zhongyuan and a major undertaking of the Eun Dynasty. That he has protected it means the Emperor has, most unusually, bestowed a reward upon our martial sega.”
“Father has also sent word. It seems that the renown of the Namgung Sega in Beijing has surpassed even the name of the Peng Family?”
“Hm-hm, my father-in-law is quite the wit.”
At Peng So Hwa’s words, Namgung Baek laughed.
Though he spoke thus, it was not entirely without truth.
When one considered the span of centuries.
The renown of the Namgung Sega had scarcely been as high as it was now—perhaps only when the Azure Heaven Sword Master Namgung Cheon Gang had lived.
And all of this had been accomplished by his youngest son through his own efforts.
It filled him with pride, yet also with a lingering sense of regret.
“When I see Ho Yeon, I realize how lacking I am as a person. Had I worked even a little harder, Namgung would have flourished long ago.”
“My? To me, you are the greatest, my lord.”
“Hm-hm, I am grateful.”
“I mean it. I know better than anyone how diligently you have lived.”
As Peng So Hwa offered her encouragement, Namgung Baek’s lips curved up to his ears.
“Ha-ha! That is enough for me. So long as my wife acknowledges me, I am content.”
“I am proud of you. My husband is an Ascended Master.”
“Hahahaha! Yet even the Ascended Master cannot surpass my wife, so it seems even that rank is nothing much.”
“Ho-ho-ho!”
Namgung Baek, who had been bantering away, suddenly remembered something.
“Ah, speaking of which, did you pass word to Ho Yeon about Cheong Gang’s wedding ceremony?”
“Yes, I sent it tied to Chirpy, so he should receive it soon.”
“Fortunately, it’s the practical quarter at Baekmu Academy, so he should be able to attend.”

“Of course. Cheong Gang deliberately chose the date to match yours.”
“Ha, that rascal. How could he set his wedding day to suit his younger brother’s?”
“Hehe, your new bride will be jealous.”
“That’s troublesome indeed. When a woman harbors resentment, frost falls even in midsummer.”
“Surely you don’t mean me?”
“Impossible! My lady is as warm and gentle as the spring breeze itself!”
Though the Namgung Clan’s renown shook the heavens and earth, Namgung Baek’s daily life seemed scarcely changed at all.

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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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