Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 31

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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 31. The Sword Demon’s Drunkenness
“Mm…….”
Sang Gwan Hae let out a low murmur as he gazed at the dining table reduced to chaos.
Across the broad surface lay half-eaten dishes, grown cold and unappetizing.
Buddha Jumps Over Wall, Bird’s Nest Soup, Shark Fin, Dragon Whisker Vegetable, Steamed Abalone—every last one of them was devastatingly expensive.
The scattered bottles held Baek Hwa Ro, a premium spirit supposedly distilled from the dew of a hundred flowers.
“At this rate, we’ll have spent several hundred taels before the day’s out.”
At Sang Gwan Hae’s murmur, a languid voice drifted from the direction of the window.
“Sang Gwan family—you’ve really found yourself a proper spendthrift, haven’t you?”
Turning his head, he saw a lean man in a green martial robe, his cheekbones prominent and sharp, grinning widely.
A wine bottle hung from one hand, and a rivulet of drink traced down the corner of his mouth.
“Well, I rather enjoy it myself.”
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
The man brought the bottle to his lips and drained it in one long pull.
“Ahh! Fine wine, fine food, beautiful courtesans—this is paradise on earth indeed.”
“Dang Se Gi, drink in moderation.”
“Moderation? Is that a type of wine? Order some of that for me, would you?”
“Sigh. Is this truly what the head of the Dang family sent you to the Bai Jia Sword Tournament to do?”
“You’re one to talk. You’re just playing nursemaid to the Namgung brat.”
As Dang Se Gi curled his lips upward in amusement, Sang Gwan Hae responded with a benevolent smile.
“You weren’t at the Sword Demon’s Pavilion, so you can say such things.”
“Shin Jeo Hab Il? Heh, an unusual technique, using chopsticks to deploy such refined martial skill. But tell me, Hae.”
Dang Se Gi’s languid demeanor suddenly sharpened, his presence cutting through the air.
“What matters more than the martial arts one possesses is the measure of a person’s vessel. Will the Namgung boy be a vessel large enough to contain your ambitions? I think not.”
“Heh, Se Gi. The drink is talking now. How kind of you to worry over my ambitions.”
“It’s sincere advice from a friend. I care not for myself, but you’re in competition with your elder siblings, are you not?”
To Dang Se Gi’s earnest words, Sang Gwan Hae offered a slight bow of gratitude before speaking.
“Precisely because of that.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m at the point where I need a gamble of my own.”
“……Well, your life is yours to live as you see fit. I’ll just drink.”
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
Dang Se Gi tilted the bottle once more, his manner growing languid again.
Sang Gwan Hae smiled meaningfully, his gaze drifting upward to the upper floor.
‘Namgung, little brother. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but now that you’ve pushed the stakes in, I’ll see this through to the end.’
All or nothing.
The hand is played only when the cards are revealed.
* * *
“Ugh……”
Mo Yong Ryul pushed open the door with effort and made his way toward the bed.
On his shoulder, Ho Yeon leaned heavily, drunk and swaying.
“Here, sir. We’ve arrived.”
“Mm…….”
Mo Yong Ryul called to Ho Yeon, but the other only let out a murmur, reeking of wine.
Mo Yong Ryul had no choice but to support Ho Yeon’s weight as he walked him to the bed and lowered him down.
“Sigh…….”
Mo Yong Ryul exhaled deeply, then stood motionless, regarding Ho Yeon sprawled across the bedding.
His expression hardened, and he used his sleeve to wipe away the red marks of lipstick staining Ho Yeon’s cheeks.
“……So you do fancy wine and women, it seems.”
It was the first day the Bai Jia Sword Tournament had begun.
Groups one, two, and three had left Simyang that day to pursue the Child Trafficking Gang.
But groups four and five—
Or more precisely, Nam Gung Ho Yeon, Mo Yong Ryul, Sang Gwan Hae, and Dang Se Gi, the four of them, had rented out the most expensive lodgings in all of Simyang.
And by the fourth day, they had begun visiting several high-class pleasure houses and wine taverns throughout the city each day.
All of it orchestrated under Nam Gung Ho Yeon’s initiative.
“Well, they do say heroes have always been fond of wine and women……”
Mo Yong Ryul, experiencing such things for the first time, muttered bashfully, his face flushed.
He himself could hardly hold his drink and fumbled awkwardly around the courtesans, yet his brother moved through the wine gatherings with such effortless grace.
He was the very embodiment of a Man of Wind and Cloud, as if painted from legend.
“Perhaps this is normal in Hab Bi……and sir, surely you already have a lover back there?”
Mo Yong Ryul, who had been watching Ho Yeon with bright, earnest eyes, nodded firmly and clenched his fists tight.
“No matter what others say, I believe in you! I’m going to become a great Man of Wind and Cloud just like you!”
As Mo Yong Ryul spoke with blazing passion, Wol Myo, who had been wandering across the bed, tilted her head.
“Meow?”
“Wol Myo, come here. Your brother is trying to sleep.”
“Mew!”
Mo Yong Ryul scooped up Wol Myo and walked toward the bed across from them.
……
Ho Yeon opened one eye to watch his retreating figure, then closed it again.
‘Late.’
He was waiting for something.
* * *
Six days into the Bai Jia Sword Tournament.
A famous group of Four Immortals had been born in the streets of Simyang.
“Look, look over there. Those flashy young princes are passing by.”
“They say they spend gold and silver like water.”
“It seems the Uuiyi Tower is the lucky establishment chosen to serve today’s Gold and Silver Like Water princes.”
People murmured as they watched four young masters enter the four-story tower.
“Welcome, honored guests!”
The manager of Uuiyi Tower came rushing out with raised eyebrows to greet these living treasures.
“Bring the most expensive dishes in order, twenty of them. As for the wine…….”
“Namgung, you’ve had enough white spirits these days—try the finest yellow wine from Zhejiang today. What do you say to some Shaoxing Wine?”
“Oh? You’ve been to Hangzhou, Dang?”
“Of course. ‘Above there is paradise; below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.’ If paradise exists in heaven, then Suzhou and Hangzhou exist on earth—any lover of fine drink must visit those two cities.”
Dang Se Gi launched into a passionate eulogy in response to Ho Yeon’s question, speaking with such vigor he nearly spattered his words.
“Especially Shaoxing Wine sipped while gazing over West Lake—truly a sublime taste! When warmed slowly in hot water, that salty note you feel is nothing less than the very flavor of life itself.”
“I can’t possibly pass up Shaoxing Wine after hearing that. Bring us ten bottles right away.”
“T-ten bottles, sir? Of course, right away!”
At Ho Yeon’s word, the manager’s face lit up and he rushed off quickly.
To any onlooker—even a stray dog relieving itself as they passed—they looked like rich young heirs drowning themselves in wine and women.
Ugh……
……
Mo Yong Ryul’s expression grew weary as the wine service was hastily prepared.
Sang Gwan Hae, meanwhile, continued watching Ho Yeon with his benevolent smile.
“Sang Gwan Hae, how are your coffers holding up?”
Ho Yeon asked, and Sang Gwan Hae burst into hearty laughter.
“Ha ha ha! If you’re worried about the Sang Gwan Family’s stores, don’t be. Not a single rat in all the Central Plains could drain them dry.”
“True enough—the Ten Great Merchant Houses of the realm didn’t earn that title for nothing. Then I’ll drink without worry?”
“By all means! Shall I even order some Nu Er Hong for us?”
“Oh! Now that’s fine.”
Ho Yeon eagerly accepted Sang Gwan Hae’s suggestion, and Dang Se Gi, watching this exchange, smirked and thought to himself.
‘Merchants always extract a price for their favors—that’s what makes them merchants. Running up a large debt means he plans to collect a large payment in return.’
In Dang Se Gi’s eyes, Nam Gung Ho Yeon was nothing but a spoiled, naïve young master.
What could Sang Gwan Hae possibly believe in about this child, who didn’t even understand the basic Rules of Commerce governing the martial world?
‘The Bai Jia Sword Tournament comes only once every five years—a golden opportunity. If Sang Gwan Hae misses this chance, he’ll be completely swept aside in the succession struggle. He knows that, doesn’t he?’
Dang Se Gi glanced at Sang Gwan Hae, but the man simply smiled and placed his order for Nu Er Hong.
‘Well, it’s nice not to have any headaches. By now, the other factions must be sweating bullets running around. The Mo Yong people will be breathing down their necks.’
Dang Se Gi smirked and looked at the young boy sitting across from him.
Blue eyes peered out from beneath the shaggy hair, gleaming with longing.
“Ho Yeon, couldn’t you excuse me from drinking today?”
“What are you talking about?”
“My stomach feels too bloated…….”
“Tsk, tsk, how can you call yourself a man when you can’t even drink three buckets of wine in one day?”
“Even an ox couldn’t drink three buckets.”
Dang Se Gi, watching the boy Mo Yong Ryul with his pitiful expression, nodded knowingly.
‘Well, consider yourself lucky. If you’d been assigned to another faction, you’d have been a corpse by now.’
A bastard of the Mo Yong Family.
Mo Yong Ryul—jade-eyed and ashamed.
Since Simyang fell within the Mo Yong Family’s sphere of influence, though he bore the bastard’s stigma, his death here would only complicate matters for the Family.
Thus, the Mo Yong Family had no choice but to protect him, willing or not.
‘Surely that’s not what they were after…….’
Dang Se Gi studied Nam Gung Ho Yeon with an odd gleam in his eye.
“So be it. I’ll drink with you instead, then.”
“I’m—I’m so sorry. Next time I’ll make sure to match you drink for drink.”
Mo Yong Ryul was watching him too.
Dang Se Gi laughed softly and spoke.
“I welcome it.”
* * *
Night had fallen.
The servers at Uuiyi Tower were whispering as they watched the Gold and Silver Like Water nobles.
“My, I’ve never seen such a prodigious drinker.”
“Goodness. Where does it all go in that tiny frame?”
“Come to think of it, isn’t that young master really an elephant from the Western Regions?”
The servers paid special attention to the handsome noble in the blue martial robes, clicking their tongues in amazement.
“So this is the Man of Wind and Cloud from Namgung—his sea-like capacity for wine, I suppose.”
“Hah! That tracks, doesn’t it?”
“Look here, Young Gil. This time you go. A few bows and curtsies, and the silver falls from heaven, they say?”
“Much obliged.”
The servers took turns attending the tables of the wealthy guests.
Now it was the turn of a server named Young Gil.
Young Gil carried a fresh bottle of wine on a tray and approached the Gold and Silver Like Water nobles with quick, efficient steps.
“Ah, that’s all right now. They’ve all passed out cold.”
“……Is that so?”
But at the shaggy-haired young master’s announcement that the celebration had ended, Young Gil’s expression twisted.
Looking at the table, the other three nobles were sprawled in a drunken stupor, while only the youngest remained perfectly lucid.
‘Damn, I miscalculated.’
It was as Young Gil turned away in disappointment.
‘Hmm?’
On the floor, his eye caught two swords lying haphazardly about.
When Young Gil spotted the old, worn sword in its humble sheath among them, his eyes went wide.
‘The—the Cheonrae Sword!’
Among the many rumors that had swept through the martial world recently, one of the most astounding.
The news that the Namgung young master from Hab Bi carried the Cheonrae Sword.
And that same Namgung young master now lay sprawled in drunken stupor.
Gulp.
Young Gil glanced around nervously, swallowing hard.
“Masters! Come to your senses!”
“Mmph…….”
“Snore!”
“Unngh…….”
The owner of the Cheonrae Sword had drunk enough to fell even a god of wine and lay unconscious, while the other two nobles were equally far gone.
‘A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!’
Young Gil’s eyes blazed. Bending as if to collect a dropped item, he snatched up the Cheonrae Sword.
Tap-tap, tap-tap, tap-tap.
Slipping out through a back entrance where few people ventured, Young Gil broke into a sprint through the streets of Simyang.
Clatter-clatter! Clatter-clatter-clatter!
His destination was a gambling house called Do Jeon Tower.
“Huh? Who are you?”
“Gasp! Gasp! I’ve come to see the branch chief!”
“What’s the code? Moon hides in the mountains.”
“Wind moans urgently in the night!”
“Shadow moves through darkness.”
“Starlight gleams faintly!”
When Young Gil recited the secret password, the gatekeeper nodded and stepped aside.
“The chief is in the basement office.”
“Thank you!”
Clatter-clatter-clatter!
Young Gil descended rapidly through the crowds inside Do Jeon Tower, heading straight for the basement.
“Branch chief!”
Bang!
Young Gil burst into the office, yanking the door open with such force that it swung wide.
A middle-aged man with a scraggly beard and stubby build looked up sharply, his coal-dark eyebrows arching.
“What is it? An attack?”
“Huff! Pant! S-sir, a big fish!”
“A big fish? What? You’re Young Gil, aren’t you? What brings you to Uuiyi Tower?”
“Look at this, please!”
Thack!
Young Gil thrust the Cheonrae Sword forward, and the middle-aged man who took it drew the blade to examine it.
Shring!
“Oh, oh my!”
The mystical white blade was flawless and smooth, its edge sharp as a razor’s edge.
“This… surely not?!”
“The Cheonrae Sword! It’s the Cheonrae Sword!”
……!
At Young Gil’s confirmation, the middle-aged man’s jaw dropped.
“If we sold it on the Black Market, we’d rake in several hundred pieces of gold!”
“What the—! Why did you bring such a thing here?!”
“Sir?”
“This is a treasure of the Namgung Family! If you stole something this dangerous—!”
“Ha, don’t worry. No one knows. The sword’s owner is passed out drunk somewhere right now—”
Just as Young Gil was excitedly recounting his exploit,
Boom—!
A tremendous roar erupted from above ground.

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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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