Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 25

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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 25. The Sword Fiend’s Confession
Ship Cabin.
“Mm…….”
Ho Yeon sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.
‘The Chuanggong expands with wild brilliance; the Great Flame manifests where primal force gathers. The divine method merges mystery with heaven and earth; inner strength blooms clear and luminous. The mind flows like water meeting heaven’s breath; the mechanism dances as spirit disperses infinitely.’
He was cultivating the Chuanggong Great Flame Divine Art.
Whoosh!
And with that, his meridian vessels bloomed entirely in blue light, expanding without end.
‘Breathing sustains the eternal circuit; brilliance opens the pathway’s perfect array. The dantian warms like an ocean of qi; the circulation transforms to divine operation. Essence, qi, and spirit merge into the threefold unity; the whole transforms as heaven’s nature breaks through the boundary.’
As the cultivation deepened, the Chuanggong Qi began to embrace the whole world, drawing all things into its boundless compassion.
‘Chuanggong’s limitless transformation flows ceaselessly; the Great Flame divine art leaves no trace. Heaven and earth interchange their vital patterns; yin and yang exchange their principles. All methods return to one—the mind as master; spirit and qi wondrous, the beginning of Chuanggong.’
It possessed a vastness of embrace broad enough to hold even the Red Lightning Cloud that harbored the Cheonroe Emperor Divine Art.
From the start, one reason supremely powerful qi like the Cheonroe Qi could dwell within a human body at all was thanks to the Chuanggong Qi.
If the Cheonroe Qi were a tree, the Chuanggong Qi acted like earth itself—a foundation supporting the roots.
‘The highest victory needs no battle; creation stands eternal, its current flows on.’
After a Single Celestial Circulation of the Chuanggong Great Flame Divine Art, Ho Yeon felt all three of his primary meridians stabilize.
But his expression remained grim.
‘Damn it. My meridian vessels are too weak.’
Compared to his time as the Sword Fiend, this body’s meridian vessels were far too narrow and fragile.
That was only natural.
This body was merely sixteen years old.
It was still a young, vigorous frame with plenty of room to grow.
‘The potential is excellent. I might even reach heights in martial arts beyond my past life. But in this state, I can’t fully utilize even the inner strength I possess.’
At present, Ho Yeon’s Heart-Technique-Body Balance was fractured.
Heart?
Mental resolve—he had that in abundance.
Even when his muscles and bones were shattered, he’d laughed mockingly at his opponent.
Enlightenment was hardly lacking either; if anything, it overflowed.
Technique?
His skills were honed.
Over the past year, he’d obsessively activated Sword Heart Resonance, conversing with tens of thousands of blades housed in the Namgung Clan Estate.
At the same time, he’d cut his sleep to study how to forge the most perfect Namgung sword.
Body.
That was the problem.
This young frame was so frail that even mild exertion would snap bones and tear muscle.
Soft meridian vessels would suffer injury the moment he drew more inner strength than they could bear.
It was like Raw Iron before the quenching process.
Lacking both Hardness and Strength, it shattered easily.
‘I’m supplementing with the Intention Flame Force, but there are limits.’
Ho Yeon recalled the battle at Hapsan.
When dealing with small fry, it was no trouble at all.
He could handle them through simple movements—evade, cut, thrust.
But against Mak Cheon Ak, it was different.
‘I had to draw out my inner strength to its peak. That meant using the Intention Flame Force to reinforce my meridians, creating protective sheaths of flame force around my joints and muscles.’
In short, it was labor-intensive and dreadfully inefficient.
The greatest problem was that there was only one way to resolve the imbalance of Heart-Technique-Body.
“Ah, time. It all comes down to time…….”
Ho Yeon exhaled deeply and opened his eyes. The blue light swept across the entire cabin.
“Well, that’s only natural, I suppose.”
Ho Yeon clicked his tongue and ran his fingers through his tousled hair.
His current problem stemmed from the incompleteness of his physical body.
The only solution, naturally, was time—allowing his body to grow.
Clang.
Ho Yeon picked up the Cheonroe Sword and spoke.
“Gon Dae. Lend me ten years of your life.”
―Are you insane?
“You’ve lived over a thousand years—is ten years really so precious to you?”
―You mad little thing. It’s only because I, Gon Dae, have a generous heart that I’ll tolerate this. Don’t go saying such things to other elders, or you’ll end up dead in the most absurd way possible.
“Why specifically dying while taking a—”
―Because that’s the most tragic way to go.
While Ho Yeon was chatting and fiddling with the Cheonroe Sword,
Tap. Tap. Tap.
came the sound of knocking on the ship cabin door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
“Me? Who is that? Are you a crocodile? I’ve heard they live in the Yangtze, but I didn’t expect you to visit in person.”
“…Don’t joke around. Open the door, please. There’s no time.”
Thud, thud, click!
Ho Yeon approached the cabin door and unlocked it.
Je Gal A Hyeon, draped in a Black Wind-Breaking Robe, slipped inside swift as a river wind and locked the door behind her.
Bang! Thud.
“We need to talk for a moment.”
“About what?”
Whoosh!
As Ho Yeon tilted his head in confusion, Je Gal A Hyeon pulled off the robe and her brown eyes gleamed with intensity.
“About our betrothal.”
* * *
Whoooosh—! Whoooosh—!
A massive Blessed Ship carved through the waters of the Yangtze, forging ahead.
On the largest of the three sails at the ship’s center, the character for “Yang” was painted in bold strokes.
And several li distant, there were those who watched the ship pass.
“Captain. It was the Yang Trading Company. They’re heading to Yang Zhou and then north along the Grand Canal, or so I heard.”
At the gaunt man’s words, a bald man leaning against the rail began picking his teeth and asked,
“And the passage tax?”
“Collected, sir.”
“Anything unusual?”
“There were passengers aboard.”
“Eh?”
At his subordinate’s report, the bald man’s eyes narrowed.
“You bastard! Why are you telling me now? Don’t you know passengers are a separate tax collection?”
“That’s the thing…”
“Damn it, the sect leader’s going to raise hell again. Hey, turn the bow around—quick!”
“Wait, we can’t!”
The bald man’s subordinate grabbed his arm and continued,
“Those passengers—they’re from the Je Gal Clan and the Namgung Clan!”
“…What?”
“They seem to have hired the ship while traveling to Yao Ning.”
The bald man’s face darkened at the report, and he cursed again,
“Damn it! If we let Je Gal slide and let Namgung slide, what the hell do we live on? Can you survive on water alone?”
“But sir, these aren’t just any Je Gal or Namgung members—they’re successor disciples headed to the Hundred Families Sword Tournament. We should be careful.”
“The Hundred Families Sword Tournament… Hmm…”
Yet at his subordinate’s following words, the bald man let out a low groan.
The Hundred Families Sword Tournament, held every five years, was notorious among the Heterodox Sects.
When the successor disciples of the Hundred Families gathered to carry out their missions, those missions were mostly hunting down nearby Heterodox Sects.
‘The brats can be dealt with somehow, but what comes after is impossible to handle.’
The Hundred Families Alliance would never sit idle after losing disciples.
In truth, being marked by the Hundred Families Sword Tournament was tantamount to a death sentence for the Heterodox Sects.
“Damn it. I became a pirate on the Yangtze River to live as I pleased, but why is there so much to worry about?”
Joining the Yangtze Water Route League and becoming captain of the Sea God Sect had seemed promising at first.
The Yangtze Water Route League was part of the Nine Heavens’ Water Heaven, so he could boast of his status anywhere.
But kowtowing to that foul-tempered sect leader and groveling before well-backed men—that life remained unchanged.
“Pathetic. If I’d been born into the Je Gal Clan or the Namgung Clan, I’d be swaggering around… Wait.”
Then the bald man muttered as if something had just occurred to him.
“Hold on—the Namgung Clan? Isn’t that exactly what the sect leader told me to report if I saw?”
* * *
“I slipped out in secret, so I need to get back quickly. I’ll be direct about this.”
Je Gal A Hyeon took a deep breath, then spoke with a disarming smile,
“Marry me, Ho Yeon.”
“…What?”
―Khh! What a refreshingly bold woman!
Je Gal A Hyeon’s declaration struck Ho Yeon like a thunderbolt, leaving him dazed, while the Cheonroe Sword erupted in admiration.
“……W-what did you just say?”
“Marry me. Not a verbal promise—a proper ceremony. Become my husband in truth.”
“…….”
As she delivered this finishing blow with absolute clarity, Ho Yeon blinked rapidly, and Je Gal A Hyeon continued.
“You showed me your true self at Hapsan, so now I’ll speak to you with complete honesty.”
“……Go ahead.”
“First, I apologize for my rudeness at our last meeting.”
Whoosh.
Je Gal A Hyeon smoothed the hem of her White Silk Robe, straightened her garments, and bowed deeply in contrition.
The gesture carried no hint of servility—only dignity.
“Rudeness? What do you mean?”
Ho Yeon tilted his head in confusion.
Being rude was his specialty; he had no recollection of suffering such treatment from anyone else.
“When we first met, I called you irresponsible, remember?”
“Oh, that?”
At her words, Ho Yeon recalled their conversation that day.
“This is my true nature, so if you’re to betroth yourself to me, keep that in mind.”
“Are you truly so irresponsible by nature? How could you say such a thing?”
“Why not?”
“Because it sounds as though you’d accept a betrothal to anyone at all.”
“That’s exactly right.”
―Wasn’t it you who was rude?
‘……Silence.’
As Ho Yeon’s lips twitched at the Cheonroe Sword’s jab—
Je Gal A Hyeon spoke.
“Actually, I was the irresponsible one. I had that same mind—that any betrothal would do.”
“Hmm?”
“I just wanted to escape my clan. The identity of my betrothed hardly mattered.”
“…….”
Watching her gaze drop as she spoke, Ho Yeon sensed there was more to her story than she’d revealed.
“When I left my family, I was nothing but a gift to be bestowed upon the Mo Yong Clan.”
“I suspected as much.”
“You did?”
“The Je Gal Clan always operates that way. I’ve known what those shameless bastards think for a long time.”
Ho Yeon cursed the Je Gal Clan to her face, yet Je Gal A Hyeon seemed delighted.
“You knew…… already? Then this will go quickly.”
“This is already fast enough.”
“I was originally betrothed to Mo Yong Cheol, the young master of the Mo Yong Clan. The Hundred Families Sword Tournament was arranged for that purpose.”
“But?”
“Circumstances changed.”
Tap, tap, tap.
Je Gal A Hyeon stepped closer to Ho Yeon with each word she spoke.
“Because you revealed your divine rank, my father—Je Gal Sin San—had to recalculate everything.”
“And so?”
“It seems his calculations aren’t finished yet. Instead, the timeline has been extended.”
Click.
Je Gal A Hyeon, now standing directly before him, took his hand, her eyes shining.
“My future husband will be decided when the Hundred Families Sword Tournament ends.”
“…….”
“So prove it to me in the tournament. Show me that you are a hero worthy of claiming me.”
“Ha!”
Ho Yeon laughed aloud at her words and replied.
“Why should I claim you?”
“Because I’m beautiful. You acknowledged that yourself, didn’t you?”
Je Gal A Hyeon smiled with her eyes, speaking in a tone meant to seduce.
But Ho Yeon had already noticed that her hand holding his was trembling slightly.
‘This is supposed to be seduction?’
Holding hands and smiling—that’s all.
Even an old fool like Chen Yang Bao Yin would laugh at this.
Of course, when a beauty like her does it, the destructive power is something else entirely.
‘Why is she suddenly doing something she never did before? What is she running from?’
When Ho Yeon’s eyes narrowed, Je Gal A Hyeon spoke in a trembling voice.
“I… I wanted to tell you before we reach Yao Ning.”
“Why?”
“Because if I’d said this after meeting Mo Yong Cheol, I didn’t know what you’d think of me.”
“Didn’t you say before that you examine everything carefully, even when buying something at the market?”
“That… that was just something I said to provoke you. I apologize.”
At Ho Yeon’s words, Je Gal A Hyeon lowered her head and murmured.
“I hope you won’t misunderstand my true feelings. This is the first choice I’ve made entirely of my own will in my life…”
……
Ho Yeon fell silent for a moment at her earnest voice, then opened his mouth.
“It hurts.”
“…Yes?”
“Let go.”
“Oh!”
Je Gal A Hyeon realized she’d been gripping Ho Yeon’s hand far too tightly and quickly released it.
“Your grip is fierce enough to rival a tyrant dragon.”
“I’m… I’m so sorry…”
“There’s much in this world to apologize for.”
Ho Yeon let out a soft laugh and continued.
“Besides, nothing truly changes.”
“…Yes?”
“I was planning to make the Namgung Clan’s name known at the Hundred Families Sword Tournament anyway, and the fact that we’re already betrothed doesn’t change.”
“…That means—”
“So let’s discuss this again after the Hundred Families Sword Tournament is over. By then, we’ll both have had time to sort out our positions.”
Ho Yeon closed his eyes as though he’d said all he needed to say.
With that, Je Gal A Hyeon, whose expression had brightened, stiffened her face. She gazed at Ho Yeon for a moment, then quietly left the Ship Cabin.
Click.
Hearing the door to the Ship Cabin close, Ho Yeon murmured.
“…Could it be the Red Thread of Fate?”
In the darkness of his vision,
a single white thread was slowly drawing near.
* * *
They arrived in Yao Ning.

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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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