Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 193

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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 193. Sword Demon’s Headache
“Pfahahaha!”
“Khehehehe!”
“Ahahah, what is this?”
Laughter bloomed across the mysterious tower that rose above Poyang Lake.
It was the laughter of the Byeoldongdae members examining the Wanted Poster that Ho Yeon had brought back.
“What? Muscle Money King? Are these bastards joking? Who dares call me a pig! This is an insult to this perfect body, not a speck of fat on it!”
Crack!
Peng Gu Pae flexed his biceps as he spoke, and So Gyu beside him burst into giggles.
“Haha, Gu Pae. Why get so worked up? You look exactly like it.”
“What?”
“Especially the description of your neck—a masterpiece. Your neck’s as thick as a log.”
“Ha, and you, Yi Ta Gwang, look identical to So Gyu here as if he’d been rubbed off as a print. Does that make you feel better?”
“Khehehehe! I’m satisfied, actually. How do you even make a face like that? It’d be perfect for intimidating those Sura Mun bastards.”
So Gyu paid no mind to Peng Gu Pae’s counterattack and began mimicking the vicious expression from the Wanted Poster.
“Better than ‘Demon Slayer Swordsman.’ Yi Ta Gwang—’Twice-Fallen Mad Taoist.’ It suits a Gongdong School warrior perfectly. Khehehehe!”
“……I should know better than to speak.”
Peng Gu Pae shook his head back and forth.
Then his gaze turned toward Ho Yeon, who was leaning against the tower railing with a yawn.
“Yaaawn.”
“‘Heavenly Chaos Earthworm!’ Why am I a worm that scrambles the heavens? I’m a dragon!”
“Hehe, mine’s ‘Blood Wind Hidden Palm.’ The Soft Wind Single Palm was too gentle to have any dignity—maybe I should change it this time?”
“No, don’t.”
Ho Yeon sighed and replied to Gwang Myeong’s grumbling and Hye Il’s clear voice.
Thump! Thump!
Peng Gu Pae approached Ho Yeon and asked.
“Outer brother……no, Lord Ho. What becomes of us from here on?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve stirred quite a commotion in the Geumcheon Mun, haven’t you? Soon enough, our enemies will react.”
“Kihihi, just like Lord Ho! Your word is your bond. ‘Vanquish Demons and Expel Evil, the Celestial Righteous Qi’—isn’t that the very foundation of the Nakjeon Dan!”
“When exactly? Don’t make things up.”
Ho Yeon shook his head at So Gyu’s words and spoke.
“We’ve already received intelligence that the Sura Mun is on the move.”
“Hmm…….”
“The Sura Mun, you say.”
“Jiangxi’s first power.”
At Ho Yeon’s words, the expressions of the Byeoldongdae members grew serious.
The Sura Mun was the head—the Giant Gate—among the Kangseong Five Demons of Jiangxi.
If they moved, there would be a shift in how the response unfolded, no matter what form it took.
Ho Yeon spoke.
“The Sura Mun has two possible courses of action. First, they’ll likely send reinforcements to Anhui to fill the gap left by the Hojeop Mun and Geumcheon Mun.”
“Then isn’t that a disaster? We’d have to go help…….”
“Hehe, soon enough, no one will have the luxury of worrying about others.”
Ho Yeon continued with a meaningful smile.
“If I were the Sura King, I’d be far more sensitive to what happens in Jiangxi than in Anhui. Jiangxi is their own backyard, after all.”
“True enough—a king’s pride would be wounded.”
“Then…….”
“They’ll commit not merely the same force they’d send to Anhui, but even more, just to capture us.”
At Ho Yeon’s words, the faces of the Byeoldongdae members hardened like stone.
Before the sortie, Ah Hyeon said that if the Byeoldongdae’s exploits became too conspicuous, the enemy would establish a siege at Poyang, Jingdezhen, Wuyuan, and Pengze, creating a Triangle Fish Net.”
“Poyang, Jingdezhen, Wuyuan—that’s the entire overland route connecting to Anhui through Daozhou, isn’t it?”
“And Pengze faces the Yangtze River’s waterway leading to Anhui as well.”
“I see. They mean to control both water and land, blocking our passage to Anhui by any means necessary.”
Worry rose to the faces of the Byeoldongdae members.
If the enemy deliberately sealed the roads, the Byeoldongdae would be isolated in Jiangxi.
But Ho Yeon’s expression remained as calm and composed as a still lake.
“Don’t worry too much. Secure the retreat route first—that’s my habit. I always prepare my escape before I attack.”
It was a habit from his days as the Sword Demon.
Dan Wee Myeong had not always been the finest in the land.
There had been a time when he was weak, and when circumstances turned against him, he would slip away so skillfully that he was once called the Ghost-Footed Coward.
‘Call me a coward if you like. An enemy’s insult is praise—proof they’re rattled enough to care.’
Namgung Ho Yeon smiled at the memory.
That unflinching composure gradually steadied the Byeoldongdae members.
“If the Commander says so, then that’s how it is.”
“True enough. What manner of man is our Nakjeon Dan’s strategist? At such a tender age, already a schemer who debates the fate of nations.”
“Phew, gave me quite a fright.”
Through the trials they had endured, all of the Nakjeon Dan had come to place their complete faith in their Commander and his strategist.
An army that moves on trust is more fearsome than any other.
Namgung Ho Yeon spoke with quiet certainty.
“So put aside your worries about retreat and focus only on the mission. Our objective is to harass the enemy’s rear while the main force secures Xiuzhou District.”
“Once Xiuzhou is secured, the Three Mountain Defense System—connecting Jiuhua Mountain, Huangshan, and Jieyun Mountain—will be complete.”
“With that accomplished, a defensive line shaped like an inverted basket will span the territory south of Anhui, permanently checking Daozhou’s northward advance.”
“The moment the Three Mountain Defense System is fully realized, first place in this semester’s trials will undoubtedly belong to the Nakjeon Dan!”
The clarity of the plan ignited the spirits of the Byeoldongdae members.
Peng Gu Pae watched, lost in admiration.
‘Remarkable. A few words and he commands their hearts. Martial prowess, proven success, commanding presence—it’s like looking at Grandfather himself.’
Peng Gu Pae found himself thinking of Peng Hwan, the Five Lakes Master.
The shadow of the man he most admired, the murin he most wished to emulate, was showing in someone a full decade his junior—his own distant cousin.
“Hah, small in stature perhaps, but you are blood of the imperial line indeed.”
…….
At Peng Gu Pae’s ill-humored murmur, Namgung Ho Yeon’s brow creased slightly as he quieted the excited Byeoldongdae members and continued.
“Still, we cannot deny the situation has grown tighter. From here on, we’ll reduce the frequency of our strikes. We’ll cut from three operations per cycle down to two.”
“True—masters are beginning to show their faces.”
“The Yuelyeong Mun has been passive enough until now.”
“But if the Sura Mun enters the field, everything changes. Do not relax your vigilance.”
As the Byeoldongdae members’ sharpened intensity returned, Namgung Ho Yeon nodded and pressed on.
“From this moment, our Byeoldongdae operates under one principle: zero accidents. Make no grave mistakes, endure until the Three Mountain Defense System is complete—”
Creak-splash! Creak-splash!
As Namgung Ho Yeon spoke.
The sound of oars cutting through the lake’s surface reached them.
“The strike team has returned!”
“No casualties?”
“How could there be? The First Unit Leader, Beom Seok, is one of the Eighteen Arhats!”
Namgung Ho Yeon turned his head to watch a single vessel cutting through the mist, drawing near.
“Namo Amitabha Buddha. Avalokiteshvara.”
“What? What’s that about?”
Then he started.
Beom Seok’s appearance at the bow was decidedly strange.
‘What’s he doing? Did the man develop an exhibitionist streak while I wasn’t looking?’
The yellow robes had vanished; instead, a bare-chested Beom Seok, muscles on full display, was chanting sutras and fingering prayer beads.
Creak-splash!
The boat finally arrived.
The First Unit members filed into the pagoda one by one, leaving two figures on the vessel.
“Benefactor, do come ashore.”
“……Hmph.”
Tap!
An unidentified woman, her entire face and body concealed beneath Beom Seok’s yellow robes, leapt toward the pagoda.
As Beom Seok followed into the pagoda, Namgung Ho Yeon turned to him with a question.
“What is this?”
“Amitabha. You have returned, Commander.”
“Ten of you left. Eleven of you return. Did someone give birth on the water?”
“I have guided a tempter onto the path of enlightenment, freeing the world of her torment.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Namgung Ho Yeon regarded Beom Seok with bewilderment.
“Honestly, what are you doing? Why drape nonsense like this over people’s heads?”
Whoosh!
She shook off the yellow robes, revealing a striking woman with an androgynous beauty.
Her hair barely reached her shoulders, and intricate black tattoos covered her bronzed skin, marking her unmistakably as no Han.
“Hmm?”
“Well, quite the distinctive attire.”
“Oh my!”
“What’s wrong with you?”
Above all, the outfit with her right shoulder completely bare was shocking even by the open-minded standards of the Martial World.
“How many times must I tell you — short hair and a split-shoulder robe are Moon Clan traditions? As the saying goes, people see only what they wish to see!”
“Ah, but the Flower Garland Sutra teaches that clothing guards not merely the body, but the mind as armor. Please, put something on!”
“I don’t want to! I’m not ashamed!”
“A demon has possessed you again! A ruined garment bespeaks a ruined spirit, as I have said!”
“Crazy madman! You look far more dangerous than I do!”
The woman and Beom Seok began to quarrel.
Namgung Ho Yeon, who had been staring blankly at the scene, muttered under his breath.
“What the hell?”
“Surely the Master has something to say. How can a woman expose herself so brazenly before unfamiliar men!”
“Why are you all so narrow-minded? Let me ask you something. Are orthodox sect members exclusionists who despise and scorn traditions different from their own?”
Unlike Beom Seok’s question directed at Namgung Ho Yeon, the woman’s words were an appeal to the students around her.
“Exclusionists? No, certainly not. We orthodox sect members respect other cultures.”
“Well, it does look somewhat unusual, but if it’s a tradition, then…”
“Ho? Those are well-developed deltoids. She appears to be quite skilled. From the muscular development, I’d wager she specializes more in cutting techniques than thrusting.”
“As expected of the muscle scholar. Deducing all that from physiology alone.”
A few male students who had trained in seclusion felt embarrassed, but most of the students sided with the woman.
Especially the female students began discussing her attire with sparkling eyes.
“Isn’t that beautiful?”
“Really, it’s so exotic.”
“And it looks like it’d be so comfortable to move in. Is she right-handed?”
“Should we try to find one when we go into the city?”
“Absolutely!”
Emboldened by the students’ response, the woman placed her hands on her hips and spoke.
“See? I was right, wasn’t I?”
“The demon spreads! Oh, the suffering of the world! I must discipline these children with the Buddha’s compassion!”
Beom Seok, by contrast, grabbed his shaved head and lamented.
And Namgung Ho Yeon, watching it all unfold, felt something deeply twisted and cursed under his breath.
“Damn it all! Everyone, shut up!”
* * *
Crack!
“What?”
Jong Ri Pae crumpled the letter and demanded an answer from his subordinate.
“Yes, the Yuelyeong Mun Master has been kidnapped by unknown assailants!”
“What the hell kind of nonsense is that!”
“She went alone to escort a supply convoy and was captured instead!”
“…!”
Jong Ri Pae’s eyes widened.
What? Mu Ga Yak taken captive?
And she went alone?
“That bitch — how dare she pull something like this!”
As the absurd situation unfolded, Jong Ri Pae realized this was no accident but Mu Ga Yak’s scheme.
She must have deliberately allowed herself to be captured, knowing time could not be stretched much longer.
The real problem lay in the contents of the letter Jong Ri Pae held.
‘Then… does that mean the Lunar King Nine Heaven Sword in her possession has also vanished? That object containing the Full Moon’s secrets?’
Jong Ri Pae’s face went pale.
His father had ordered him to recover the Lunar King Nine Heaven Sword, even if it meant destroying the entire Yuelyeong Mun.
But now the woman holding it had disappeared — what kind of disaster was this?
“…Summon the Narak Three Squads.”
“Yo-young Master! This is Daozhou, within Yuelyeong Mun territory! If they rampage here, it will mean war…”
“Silence! If anyone tries to stop you, kill them all!”
Whoosh!
Jong Ri Pae’s eyes blazed with flame as he bellowed.
“Find that woman by any means necessary! The culprits must be the Nakjeon Dan!”
“Yes, yes!”
Patter-patter!
At Jong Ri Pae’s urgent command, his subordinate rushed outside.
Left alone, Jong Ri Pae trembled as rage consumed him.
“If that sword disappears, it’s all over! My furious father will come himself!”
If it came to that, he wouldn’t escape unscathed either.
The wrath of a Demon knows no distinction between enemy and ally, friend and kinsman.
‘I have to secure the woman before it reaches that point!’
He sprang to his feet.
Jong Ri Pae rose from his seat.
The Narak Do-jang was moving.

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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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