Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 178

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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 178. The Sword Demon Arrives at Huangshan
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
A massive cloud of dust rose into the air.
It was the day immediately after the Three Peaks Screen Strategy was proclaimed at Yangguang Pavilion.
Two thousand warriors of the Nakjeon Dan had begun their southern advance in unison.
“Huff! Huff!”
“Oh no! Mother!”
“Hack, hack! Please…… let me die!”
Cries of anguish erupted from every corner.
It was all because of Namgung Ho Yeon’s declaration.
“What are you lot, a bunch of snails? At this pace, we won’t reach Huangshan in a single day?!”
Ho Yeon’s voice thundered across the ranks.
“B-but Lord! It’s more than two hundred fifty li from Qingyang to Huangshan!”
“How are we supposed to cover that distance in one day without horses?!”
“Let’s rest for a moment!”
Groans of protest burst forth, but Ho Yeon remained unmoved.
“Rest? What’s there to rest for? If you’re dead, you’ll rest for eternity anyway. In my prime, I used to cover a thousand li in half a day. Tsk-tsk.”
“Argh!”
“Save my legs……!”
“Gasp! Gasp! But Lord, you’re not even of age yet! When was this ‘prime’ of yours? When you were a newborn?”
“Hmph! If you have breath enough to complain, use it to run! Only when your mouth tastes of iron and plain water feels as sweet as nectar can you truly say you’ve mastered the Light Body Technique!”
Ho Yeon urged the Nakjeon Dan forward with a booming voice.
To construct the Three Peaks Screen Strategy that Jegal Ahyeon had proposed, speed was everything.
Yet that alone was not the reason behind this merciless forced march.
“Our young kinsman appears to have a harsh side beneath that exterior. The spring and summer cohort students must have depleted their Nae Gong by now.”
Peng Gu Pae muttered to himself as he watched the spring and summer cohort stumbling along at the rear, barely staying alive.
The students from noble families had suffered little hardship, but those with insufficient Nae Gong reserves must be experiencing agony at this moment.
“Peng, you’ve got it backward.”
“Hmm?”
As Peng Gu Pae turned his head to look at Jegal Ahyeon, she smiled brightly and spoke.
“Ho Yeon is worried about them.”
“Is that so?”
“He’s been training them even while sacrificing his own sleep, afraid that those who follow him might perish uselessly.”
Jegal Ahyeon smiled tenderly as she recalled Ho Yeon’s recent increase in yawning.
To an outsider, it would appear as listless indifference born of fortune.
Yet it was in truth the result of weeks without proper sleep, spent attending to the needs of two thousand Nakjeon Dan members late into the night.
“Ah? A sense of responsibility, then? That is indeed unexpected.”
At Jegal Ahyeon’s words, Peng Gu Pae turned his gaze back toward Ho Yeon.
He was scanning in all directions to ensure no one fell behind, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“The essence of the Light Body Technique can be divided into seven principles: Lightness, Push, Stillness, Speed, Balance, Release, and Dispersion! Until now, you’ve concentrated only on Push, Release, and Speed!”
Ho Yeon’s voice, charged with Nae Gong, echoed through the ears of the exhausted students like a distant bell.
“But what truly matters are Stillness and Balance! Without proper balance in your frame, all the speed you muster will be wasted effort!”
“Huff! Huff! Stillness and Balance?”
“Wheeze, wheeze. But how……?”
“Straighten your spine! Eyes forward! Feel the Still Balance of your body! Then disperse your weight with Dispersion, drive forward with Push, release power with Release, and naturally Speed will follow! This is the Light Body Technique!”
“Stillness-Balance-Dispersion-Push-Release-Speed-Lightness! Memorize it!”
“Wheeze! So it’s all about consistency, then!”
“Huff! Huff! We learned this in the academy, so why doesn’t it make sense now?”
The Nakjeon Dan members applied theory to practice, their bodies gradually grasping the Light Body Technique.
Body Foundation was the root of all martial arts.
Master the proper way to move the body, and the force that could be channeled through the same sword strike would transform entirely.
‘My movements…… have become lighter than before? Even though my Nae Gong has diminished further?’
‘Ah, I see. So that’s how one distributes weight.’
‘Receiving instruction from Gwang Myeong, famous as a Sect Elder! This is knowledge worth more than gold!’
Gradually, the complaints and grumbling faded away, and more and more students began to concentrate on finding the Still Balance within their own frames.
They understood it too.
That this was no ordinary opportunity.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
As they advanced, the beautiful landscape of Taiping Lake, one of the Anhui Three Luminaries renowned throughout the land, unfolded to their left.
Yet the Nakjeon Dan members had no leisure to admire the scenery—they had to remain focused on mastering the Light Body Technique.
* * *
Huangshan.
There was a saying that once you’ve seen the Five Peaks, you’ve seen no other mountains, and once you’ve seen Huangshan, you’ve seen no other peaks—a renowned summit whose landscape justified such claims.
“We’ve arrived.”
Following Gongsun Il Bi’s guidance, the party reached Yuping Tower.
Midway up the mountain stood an enormous temple, and decades of neglect had left it desolate—broken roof tiles, choking weeds, an air of abandonment.
“This is your home? Seriously?”
Namgung Ho Yeon asked, bewildered, while Gongsun Il Bi scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“It may look like this on the outside, but the interior is quite spacious. Long ago, it was a temple dedicated to Manjushri.”
“That’s not the point at all. What the hell are you, anyway?”
When Namgung Ho Yeon pressed him, Gongsun Il Bi fumbled for words and couldn’t answer.
‘I thought he might be some local notable, but why bring us to such a massive abandoned ruin? What is he playing at?’
Gongsun Il Bi.
From their first meeting, something about him had felt off.
He had more than enough skill to be a senior student, yet he remained in the junior ranks.
His martial technique far outpaced his experience, which was painfully inadequate.
Despite using a false name, his every action was clumsy and ill-conceived.
“You want to know what I am? I’m Gongsun Il Bi—a man with not a shred of propriety to his name.”
“Gongsun Il Bi?”
“Hey, Gonghyo. What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Older brother Gong?”
……
At Namgung Ho Yeon’s question, Bang Pung Gae, Ak Du Gu, and Myo Ha Young—standing beside him—turned questioning gazes toward Gongsun Il Bi.
Gongsun Il Bi’s expression grew troubled. He fell silent for a moment, then cupped his fist in formal salute and spoke.
Snap!
“I owe you all my sincerest apologies. I have concealed my true identity this whole time. I am not Gonghyo, but a man named Gongsun Il Bi.”
“Well, people change their names all the time, so…….”
“But why would you do something so pointless in the first place?”
“There must be a reason for it, surely?”
Huff……
Gongsun Il Bi drew a deep breath and spoke his true identity aloud.
“I am a disciple of the Hwangsan Sect.”
“The Hwangsan Sect?”
“Hm? I’ve heard that name before somewhere… Wait?!”
“No way… could it be…?!”
The eyes of everyone around them went wide.
But Namgung Ho Yeon remained bewildered, muttering to himself.
“What’s everyone so shocked about? Is it really so surprising that there’s a Hwangsan Sect on Huangshan?”
“Ho Yeon! That’s not the issue!”
“The problem is that the Hwangsan Sect is *that person’s* sect!”
Hye Il and Gwang Myeong cried out in unison.
“Decades ago, the entire sect was destroyed—there should be only a single disciple left!”
“This dull-looking youth can’t possibly be that person himself…….”
“Could he be that person’s disciple……?”
As the murmuring grew louder, Gongsun Il Bi nodded, transforming their suspicions into certainty.
“That’s right. My master is Mu Yeohae, known throughout the Jianghu as the Thousand-Defeat Sword Emperor.”
……!
……!
……!
* * *
Screeeech!
The Jaha Divine Sword tore sharply through three directions of empty space.
Had there been a person standing before him, the strikes would have pierced the spirit palace, the chest center, and the stomach center in succession—a terrible killing strike that would have meant instant death.
“Tch, this still isn’t it.”
Yet as Namgung Ho Yeon stared at the rigidly extended purple blade, his expression remained troubled.
―Little one of Namgung. How do you call that a blade of the Way? There’s the stench of blood, not the fragrance of plum blossoms.
The Jaha Divine Sword continued in a tone of exasperation.
―The three soarings in the Plum Blossom Three Soaring Sword mean to surpass three times, after all.
“So I’ve given it three variations. Doesn’t three soarings equal three transformations?”
―Only half correct. The Plum Blossom Three Soaring Sword was created centuries ago, one winter, by a Daoist master named O Gon, who bore the title Frost Snow Plum Blossom Sword.
“The frost-laden plum blossom sword?”
―The plum blossom blooms even in the harshest winter, a symbol heralding spring—it represents resilient vitality and virtuous integrity.
The Jaha Divine Sword began to explain the essence of the Plum Blossom Three Soaring Sword.
―Look closely at the character ling in “three soaring”—see how it combines frost and multiplication? That’s the key: the Plum Blossom Three Soaring Sword is what we call the Transformation Multiplication Sword.
“Ah?”
Ho Yeon closed his eyes as if understanding at last, having heard the Jaha Divine Sword’s explanation.
With his thoughts gathered, Ho Yeon raised the Jaha Divine Sword above his chest and held it upright.
He stood there like the trunk of a plum tree stretching forth with integrity.
‘Frost Snow Plum Blossom.’
Swish!
A swift piercing thrust cut through the empty air.
The fast yet supple strike carried the vital essence of the plum blossom that maintains life even within ice.
‘Plum Branch Proliferation.’
Whir-whisper!
As his arm holding the blade trembled gently in continuation, sword shadows unfurled through the empty air like the spreading branches of a plum tree.
‘Snow Within Augmented Blossom.’
Slash! Clang-clang-clang!
As the blade spun rapidly and pricked the empty air in succession, cool and piercing petals began to bloom in full profusion, like plum blossoms flowering in winter snow.
Whir-whisper-whisper!
With transformation added to multiplication, the sword path of the Plum Blossom Three Soaring Sword—merely three moves—repeated endless expansion.
Consequently, frost-laden plum blossoms bloomed abundantly around Ho Yeon, and the fresh fragrance of plum blossom seemed to fill the air.
Had the Huashan Sect masters witnessed this sight, they would have fallen to their knees in tears.
It was the Three Soaring Plum Blossom Blooming in Zhongyuan After Three Hundred Years.
“Phew. Good. I’ve recovered another one.”
Ho Yeon opened his eyes and nodded with satisfaction, then walked to the desk and dipped his brush in ink.
Swish! Swish-swish!
As he wielded the brush as if swinging a blade, sharp strokes began to reveal the secrets of the Plum Blossom Three Soaring Sword upon white paper.
Ho Yeon was well accustomed to this process. It was exactly the same work he’d done filling the Changgyeong Pavilion at the Namgung Clan.
“I don’t think there’s anyone here ready to learn this yet. Will he send it to headquarters again?”
The Plum Blossom Three Soaring Sword was an advanced martial art combining two or more disciplines.
The Huashan Sect disciples under the Nakjeon Dan, including Un Am, didn’t seem equipped to learn it easily.
They were only just mastering the Six Harmony Plum Blossom Sword, the basic blade work of the Huashan Sect, and even those with faster progress had only recently advanced to the Seven Plum Blossom Sword.
“Well, they’ll figure it out on their own.”
Ho Yeon shrugged and set down his brush.
The reason he was restoring the Huashan Sect’s dormant martial arts was to settle an old debt.
For the past three centuries, the Huashan Sect had held a Memorial Day Tournament to honor the memory of Pyeong, the old man.
That was originally work Ho Yeon should have done himself, but they had done it in his stead.
Because of this, Ho Yeon wanted to repay their kindness in whatever way he could.
―Little one of Namgung, surely you haven’t forgotten your promise with me?
“I haven’t. So what’s this about now?”
―Hehe! Three natural ways to hold a woman’s hand!
The Jaha Divine Sword continued in an excited voice in response to Ho Yeon’s question.
―First! Comparing hand sizes! For blade masters, hand size matters—you have them compare hands against each other. Women often find men with larger hands attractive!
“Then the Kunlun slaves would be incredibly popular. Their hands are as big as pot lids.”
―Don’t interrupt me. Second, reading palms. It’s a classic but effective method—the old-tried-and-true palm reading strategy! Compare lifelines and fortune lines, and eventually you’re reading each other’s fate lines, saying ‘Our destinies are intertwined forever.’ Kyaaaaaaa!
“Tsk.”
As the Jaha Divine Sword shrieked and grew radiant, Ho Yeon clicked his tongue and severed the Sword Heart Resonance.
He’d been subjected to this so many times already that it no longer surprised him.
“Why do I have to put up with this nonsense? If the Jaha Divine Sword is the new sword of the Huashan Sect, shouldn’t you be begging me to restore the sect’s martial arts?”
Ho Yeon was utterly dumbfounded.
When he’d asked Un Am to lend him the Jaha Divine Sword so he could restore the Huashan Sect’s martial arts, she hadn’t simply agreed—she’d proposed an outrageous bargain instead.
“Help Un Am escape her eye color restriction. What kind of insane sword is this?”
Ho Yeon shook his head.
It was a bizarre proposal, but he couldn’t refuse it either.
Without the Jaha Divine Sword’s help, the time needed to restore the Huashan Sect’s martial arts would increase exponentially.
―Hmm, young one, it’s rude to interrupt when someone is speaking. Of course, this sword has no interest in such vulgar matters.
―Come now, little brother. I’m curious about the third method. Ask quickly, won’t you?
“Don’t you two start either. I don’t have the confidence to handle it. Alas, what a fate I bear.”
Just then, as Ho Yeon sighed in response to the words of the Cheonrae Geom and Heukya Tae Geom.
“Chirp! Chirp!”
Pitter-patter!
Baek Seol O, whom they’d released on Huangshan, came bounding over with cheeks puffed out like balloons.
“Quite the haul, I see.”
“Chirp!”
Tap-tap-tap!
Once on the platform, Baek Seol O began spitting out the pine nuts clutched in its beak.
“What’s this? A gift for me? Hmm?”
Ho Yeon, who had been watching Baek Seol O’s unusual behavior with quiet curiosity,
noticed that the creature was arranging the pine nuts into characters on the wooden floor.
Thousand Gold Pavilion
“Ah? So that’s how it works?”
Ho Yeon chuckled at the message and gave Baek Seol O’s cheeks a playful tug.
“Earning your keep with birdseed, aren’t you.”
“Chirp-chirp!”

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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
—————