Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 185

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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 185. The Sword Demon Meets the Sword Emperor
Du Chang, Jiangxi Province.
A major city in the northern region of Poyang Lake, it was an adjacent city to Nanchang, the provincial capital to the south, accessible via the lake’s waterways.
Poyang Lake resembled, on the maps where it was drawn, a crane standing with its neck held high and proud.
Because it served as a wintering ground for migratory birds, over eighty species of waterfowl—more than four hundred thousand individuals—made their home there.
Du Chang sat near the neck of this crane-shaped map, and thus served as a gateway to the Yangtze River that connected northward.
Consequently, it was where Jiangxi’s trade routes converged, and also the hub of transport leading outward into Hubei and Anhui.
“The Weol Young Dae Mun leader still refuses to show her face.”
“My apologies. Our leader is occupied with managing the supply lines.”
“For more than a fortnight?”
……
“Heh heh, even dismissing the Surado Mun has its limits. Do you scorn this emissary, who has brought the Marriage Proposal Document in person?”
……You would never dare dishonor the Narak Blade General Jong Ri Pae, the great master.”
In the room sat an elderly woman and a tall, robust man of middle years, facing one another.
The man’s identity was Jong Ri Pae, the deputy leader of the Surado Mun and the Narak Blade General.
He was counted among the One Hundred Eight Stars of the Realm as a master-class expert in Zhongyuan.
“Hmph. This constant postponement has its limits too. When my father grows angry, this won’t end politely.”
……
“There is an age difference, yet your appearance resembles someone my age. Most importantly, my father is Jong Ri Pae, the Surado Mun King—one of the absolute masters in this vast Zhongyuan, countable on one’s fingers and toes.”
……
“What does the Weol Young Dae Mun possess in comparison? Pride in being descendants of the Yue royal house? Keh heh! How laughable. You ought to be grateful to be taken as a concubine rather than a wife.”
To Jong Ri Pae’s contempt, the old woman could offer no reply.
‘If only Man Wol Yeo Gun were still alive……!’
That she could not firmly refuse such a humiliating proposal—to take a clan leader as a mere concubine—was bitter indeed.
This tragedy had unfolded only after the death of the previous leader, Mu Ye Ryeong, when the clan’s strength had waned.
Jong Ri Pae watched the old woman’s trembling hands and smirked.
“Keh, my father does have peculiar tastes. What could be appealing about these milksop women?”
Jong Ri Pae shook his head.
The Weol Young Dae Mun cultivated the yin martial arts that received the essence of moonlight, and as a result, women rather than men were naturally suited to becoming masters.
Moreover, their most distinctive feature, as self-proclaimed descendants of the Yue, was their short hair and body tattoos.
The closely cropped hair and the strange marks etched upon their skin were far removed from the aesthetic ideals pursued by those of Zhongyuan.
“Tsk tsk, exposing their shoulders before strange men and all that. There’s a limit to barbarism.”
Jong Ri Pae swept his gaze across the old woman with an expression of disgust.
The old woman too was a descendant of Yue.
Short cropped hair and tattoos.
Following Yue tradition, she wore distinctive garments that left her right shoulder bare while fastening her robes from the left.
‘How dare he! We Yue people, who once destroyed Wu itself, must suffer such indignity……!’
Young Hwa, the overall leader of the Weol Young Dae Mun, felt her face flush as their very cultural roots were insulted.
“It would be wise to accept the marriage proposal quietly. Otherwise, send troops to Anhui—or rather, the other three sects have already rushed in additional forces.”
Jong Ri Pae continued, his smile turning venomous.
“I hear that some fellows called the Nakjeon-dan from Baekmu Academy have joined the front lines. Running from marriage negotiations in times like these? You have it rough, serving a barely-weaned girl as your leader.”
Jong Ri Pae’s contempt and mockery grew sharper by the moment.
Yet Young Hwa’s expression grew correspondingly calmer.
‘He’s being too obvious. To resist here would be the worst course. That is precisely what he wants.’
Young Hwa saw through Jong Ri Pae’s stratagem.
If she lost her temper now, he would feel vindicated and match her anger in turn.
If an Ascended Master like him demanded the leader be brought forth and threw a tantrum, she had no means to stop him.
Eventually, the one sheltering in Poyang Lake would have to return.
“I apologize. I will do my utmost to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.”
Tsk.
When Young Hwa did not readily yield, Jong Ri Pae clicked his tongue.
Recognizing that business was at an impasse, Jong Ri Pae rose from his seat and spoke.
“My father has set a deadline: one month. Within that time, we must have an answer, one way or another. Damn it all. I have to remain in this fish-reeking city for another two weeks.”
Creak! Bang!
Jong Ri Pae slammed the door shut as he left.
Young Hwa watched his retreating figure and let out a long sigh, muttering to herself.
“Phew, it is because of such Yue people that our supplies flow smoothly. To us, their boats are our carriages, their oars our horses.”
It was none other than the Yue people who controlled the waterborne commerce of Poyang Lake.
From boatmen to fishers to shipwrights, the Yue were a people intimate with water.
Indeed, their ancestors had been masters of the seas in the regions around Zhejiang Province.
If the water clans vanished, the supply lines for the forces that had poured into Anhui would face immediate catastrophe.
“Sigh… if I had my way, I’d abandon Du Chang altogether.”
Yet despite the water clans’ importance, the reason the Surado Mun dismissed the Weol Young Dae Mun was simple.
The distance between Nanchang, where the Surado Mun stood, and Du Chang, where the Weol Young Dae Mun operated, was close enough to touch if one bent over.
Should the Surado Mun march into Du Chang, the Weol Young Dae Mun would be reduced to water wanderers, drifting from boat to boat.
“Must I truly accept this marriage proposal? No—it cannot be. How could the descendant of the Water King be sold off like a pirate to some rogue? Rather than that…”
Young Hwa had entertained a thought: what if the Nakjeon-dan were to topple Do Cheon?
“Sigh… but that’s hardly likely.”
Yet it was nothing more than a vain hope, divorced from reality.
Young Hwa shook her head, her voice tinged with bitter mockery.
“If the worst comes to pass, I must prepare so that the sect master can at least escape.”
* * *
Tap-tap-tap!
Gongsun Il Bi struck the Hyeon Cheon Gu Seong Bo formation, rushing at Ho Yeon.
Ordinarily, the Hyeon Cheon Gu Seong Bo was a positioning technique that employed the orientation of nine stars—proceeding as one white, two black, three red, four green, five yellow, six white, seven red, eight white, nine purple.
But Gongsun Il Bi stepped on seven red after one white, five yellow after two black, mixing the positions in seeming randomness.
Swish-swish-swish!
The dizzy rotation of the stars transformed into something ghostly and unnatural.
“Good. Now you’re breaking the form.”
Watching Gongsun Il Bi stumble forward, Ho Yeon nodded in approval.
There were more openings now, but equally more unpredictability.
Hup!
Gongsun Il Bi tilted sideways as though falling, drawing his blade upward in a shape like the character 了, slashing across.
Swish-cut!
The hook-curved sword energy, like a wolf’s fang, reached for the opponent’s carotid artery with lethal intent.
It was one of the Seven Stars Sword techniques—the Greedy Wolf Sword.
“Not bad. Your posture is nearly perfect.”
Swoosh!
Ho Yeon stepped through the Gam Bo formation, moving as fluidly as water to evade, continuing his instruction with ease.
“But your Intent is rough. The Greedy Wolf Star is one of avarice and desire. Strike more instinctively. The fundamental principle is the Heaven-Sucking Blade!”
Clang! Swish-cut!
Ho Yeon drew his Yu Ae Geom and recreated Gongsun Il Bi’s attack exactly.
The sword path was identical, yet Ho Yeon’s blade generated a pulling force, as though greedily drawing all things around it inward.
Zing!
“What?! A adhesive lock?!”
Gongsun Il Bi was shocked.
His own blade was pulled helplessly into an inexorable current, sticking fast against Ho Yeon’s sword.
“While you’re stunned—what did I tell you to do?”
“Attack!”
Thud-thud-thud!
Gongsun Il Bi’s mind snapped into focus, and he instinctively unleashed his leg technique.
True to its name, the Grasping Moon Kick sent his thigh and calf bending and straightening, reaching for Ho Yeon as though clutching at the moon.
“Excellent!”
Tap! Crack!
The two swords parted as Ho Yeon blocked the kick, and Gongsun Il Bi seized the opening to slip into Ho Yeon’s guard.
“Not a chance.”
Bang!
Ho Yeon immediately raked a pine tree beside him with his blade.
The tree shattered, its splinters shooting toward Gongsun Il Bi like needles of gossamer.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
“Damn it all…!”
Each fragment carried martial force that was far from ordinary.
Gongsun Il Bi quickly braced himself, certain he’d be riddled like a honeycomb if this continued.
He drew his blade horizontally to broaden its surface area, moving both arms in rapid left-right arcs.
Tap-tap-tap-bang!
A massive gate appeared before Gongsun Il Bi, blocking the storm of splinters.
It was one of the Seven Stars Sword techniques—the Giant Gate Sword.
“Not yet!”
But there was no time to rest.
While Gongsun Il Bi defended against the wood fragments, Ho Yeon charged in, using his right foot like a hoe to rake rapidly across the earth as he swept past.
Crash!
Dust erupted in a thick cloud, cutting off visibility, and Gongsun Il Bi’s expression darkened as he lost sight of Ho Yeon’s movements despite using the First Glimpse Blind Eye to track him.
“Damn it!”
“I’ve told you a hundred times — don’t rely on your eyes!”
Whoom! Crack!
An unexpected blow burst from the dust cloud, and Gongsun Il Bi barely caught it on his forearm — but the impact sent a sickening wave through his chest.
“Ugh!”
The pain hit like he’d been struck by an iron club, but Gongsun Il Bi didn’t hesitate; he flowed immediately into the next sequence.
Slash-slash-slash!
The Destroyer Army Sword, embodying the bold audacity of the star that ruled ruin and transformation, swept the dust asunder in a torrent of blade-wind.
“Good — you cleared the dust with the Destroyer Sword — but your stance got too wide!”
Whoom!
Gongsun Il Bi’s jaw clenched as he watched Ho Yeon’s leg come whipping toward him like a lash.
‘I’ll reverse the Heaven-Reaching Nine Star Formation!’
He’d never attempted it before, but he had to pull it off.
Otherwise his face would be pulp, and he’d be subsisting on rice gruel for days.
Tap! Rat-a-tat-tat!
A bright gleam crossed Gongsun Il Bi’s face as he wove the Retreating Step into his footwork.
‘Yes — yes, I’ve got it!’
His body slipped sideways into a direction it had never moved before, slipping clean out of Ho Yeon’s leg’s reach.
For just an instant, Gongsun Il Bi thought he’d dodged the attack.
Whistle!
Crack!
“Hack!”
Ho Yeon’s foot seemed to extend impossibly, and a dull, crushing impact — like being struck by stone — slammed into his face.
He felt something warm trickling from his nose as his body lurched sideways and began to fall.
‘What in the…… what even……’
As he toppled like a rotten tree stump, the last thing Gongsun Il Bi’s eyes registered was
Ho Yeon’s bare white feet flexing and curling in midair.
‘He kicked…… his shoe off…… insane……’
Thud!
Gongsun Il Bi crashed to the ground in a heap, blood streaming from his nose.
Standing over the unconscious youth, Ho Yeon spoke.
“See? I told you not to drop your guard until the very end. Tsk, you’ve still got a long way to go.”
Hop! Hop! Hop!
Hopping on one foot, Ho Yeon slipped his shoe back on and raised the Yu Ae Geom, playfully twirling it through the air.
Slash-slash-slash-slash!
Greedy Wolf, Giant Gate, Celestial Store, Literary Altar, Moral Constancy, Warrior Altar, Destroyer Army.
The essence of the Seven Stars Sword traced itself across the void, and the Seven Stars rose into being.
―Boy, enjoying yourself seducing an innocent youth into revealing his swordsmanship?
The Cheonrae Geom spoke with disdain, and Ho Yeon shrugged back with a grin.
“So what? I gave him just as much.”
―If you get caught, you’ll face a life-or-death duel. Stealing even a glimpse of another’s martial art is grounds for that. And you’re doing it brazenly.
“As long as we don’t get caught.”
―Hahahaha! Now that’s the truth! A perfect crime is innocent!
―Crazy bastards. Don’t come crying to me when it blows up in your faces.
“Get caught? How? The Hwangsan Sect is just the two of us right now. Finding a hair-thin needle in a barn is easier than finding us in this vast Zhongyuan.”
Ho Yeon spoke with supreme confidence, then released a heavy sigh.
“Sigh. But I’m disappointed. I thought the Sword Emperor’s technique would have something more special about it……”
For the past week, he’d done nothing but spar continuously with Gongsun Il Bi.
Through it all, he’d seen the Hwangsan Sect’s sword technique clearly enough.
It was certainly skilled swordplay, but it hadn’t provided him with the breakthrough he’d hoped for.
“Tsk, well, I was grasping at straws anyway. I’ll set out for Jiangxi Province as soon as dawn breaks.”
His wager with the King of Fighters Yang Mu Cheon ended today.
He hadn’t reached the Ascended Master realm.
Since he couldn’t even figure out what the problem was, let alone reach that threshold, he might as well abandon any hope of Yang Mu Cheon’s help.
“Ah, that’s just my fate. Nothing’s ever gone smoothly for me.”
Step, step, step.
As Ho Yeon moved forward to carry the unconscious Gongsun Il Bi, something happened.
A rustle.
“What audacity — a bandit with such grand ambitions.”
“……!”
Without a whisper of warning.
A man materialized before his eyes.
The man draped in a crimson cloak appeared to be in his mid-twenties.
But when Ho Yeon met the gaze of those pupils, transparent as glass, he made no judgment by appearance alone.
A deep, resonant hum—!
Snap!
Heat flooded his brow. In an instant, his Intent and Killing Intent Resonance flared to life, locking onto the youth. The Sword Gate unfurled.
Ho Yeon felt himself standing at the threshold between life and death by the mere arrival of this man, and he began drawing forth every ounce of his power.
“……Who are you.”
“Heh, shameless, aren’t you.”
At Ho Yeon’s question, the youth spoke with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Does a guest demand that the master of the house reveal his name?”
“Master of the house? What nonsense is that? The master is over there sprawled out like a fool.”
As Ho Yeon furrowed his brow, the youth glanced toward Gongsun Il Bi and spoke.
“A fool, you say. That’s rather harsh.”
“What?”
“For all his faults, he is my only disciple.”
“……!”
Ho Yeon’s eyes flew open wide.
If this was Gongsun Il Bi’s master…….
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Five Souls. I am known as Mu Yeo Hae.”
“The Sword Emperor……!”

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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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