Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 36

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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 36. Sword Ghost, Younger Brother
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
The boy Seo Cheon-gi raced through the streets of Dandong, gasping for breath.
Click! Click! Click!
Each quick stride sent a jingling sound from the money pouch tucked inside his garments.
‘Fortune smiles on me!’
Seo Cheon-gi had seen it.
The glint of gold flashing from the money pouch of a wealthy young master who had entered the medicine shop.
There was no time to hesitate. He made his move at once, and succeeded.
‘Na-rin! Just wait a little longer!’
Seo Cheon-gi arrived at Punggyeso, breathless from his sprint.
Punggyeso was an establishment founded throughout Jungyeon by the Vagrant King Choo Myung—a kind of employment bureau where Nangadin mercenaries bearing Nangadin Certificates could rest and accept jobs.
Bang!
“Huff! Huff!”
“Hmm? What’s this—you again?”
As Seo Cheon-gi burst through the door of Punggyeso, the goat-bearded man sitting at the counter clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Kid, the life of a martial artist isn’t worth so cheap as a few copper coins, you hear?”
“Huff! Huff!”
As the boy staggered toward him despite the rebuke, the goat-bearded man shook his head and continued.
“This is a place where people stake their lives on their work. Even a lower-tier Nangadin earns ten silver pieces a day as standard, and from middle-tier upward, you need something that shines.”
“Haha! Well said, Bae. You speak true.”
“Right. You need something that glitters.”
“Heh heh, kid. From the upper tier onward, you need something yellowish, eh? Fair warning though—we don’t accept piss.”
The mercenaries around him, bored and seeing an opportunity for amusement, took turns mocking Seo Cheon-gi.
But Seo Cheon-gi ignored their remarks and walked to the counter, placing his heavy money pouch down.
Thud!
“Huff! Here it is. Whew. Something shiny!”
“Well, well. Stubborn as a steel wire, aren’t you…”
Rustle!
Seo Cheon-gi untied the money pouch, and gold gleamed inside Punggyeso.
“Huff…!”
“I’d like to spend all of this hiring Nangadin. How many can I get?”
At Seo Cheon-gi’s urgent question, Bae Ga-so, the record-keeper of Dandong’s Punggyeso, quickly changed his expression and rubbed his hands together.
Rustle!
“Heh heh, so you’re a young master, are you? How much did you have in mind?”
“The strongest mercenaries available! As many strong mercenaries as possible for one day!”
“Of course! That’s how it should be! Currently there are twelve upper-tier Nangadin staying in Dandong. Given a one-day contract, you should be able to hire at least nine of them.”
“I’ll hire all of them!”
At Seo Cheon-gi’s cry, Bae Ga-so’s mouth split into a grin and he nodded eagerly.
“Huh huh huh, I’ll persuade them myself, so you should be able to hire most of them. But what’s the job?”
“…An assault.”
“Hmm?”
At Seo Cheon-gi’s words, Bae Ga-so’s expression darkened slightly.
“An assault, you say… Nangadin are not thieves, you understand?”
“It’s nothing illegal, I swear!”
“That’s not for me to judge… but for a job like that, even six might be difficult.”
“Then, please… narrow it down to whoever can do it!”
“Unless you tell me exactly what the job is, even three might be impossible.”
At Bae Ga-so’s words, Seo Cheon-gi ground his teeth and cried out.
“Argh! Please assault the Dowhwa Ma-bang!”
“Huff!”
“What a lunatic!”
“The kid’s lost his mind.”
At Seo Cheon-gi’s outburst, Bae Ga-so and the other Nangadin in Punggyeso were stunned silent.
Because the Dowhwa Ma-bang was a business under the protection of Salmak, marked by the Resentful Spirit Lantern.
“You mad bastard! Not a single Nangadin will take a suicide mission like that! Get out of here!”
“But… but please…!”
“I said get out!”
As Bae Ga-so’s face flushed red and he raged, Seo Cheon-gi clenched his teeth and swallowed his tears.
* * *
Thump, thump, thump.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Seo Cheon-gi stumbled forward, each step uneven, his breath ragged with moans.
‘Is it truly… impossible? Oh, Na-rin…!’
Tears blurred his vision, fracturing the world into shimmering fragments.
From within those fragments, dozens of shadows materialized.
“Heh, where are you going?”
“Little one, how about you come see us?”
“Fu-heh-heh!”
When he lifted his head, there were not dozens—only three.
Two wore swords at their hips. One carried a spear.
“Do you… have business with me?”
Sensing the foul air, Seo Cheon-gi retreated, but the men moved faster.
Swift, sharp footfalls.
They encircled him with the speed of predators, their eyes gleaming like beasts.
“Heh, no particular business with you.”
“But your money pouch? Now that’s a different story.”
“Haha! Caught us a fat one!”
Seo Cheon-gi recognized them—they were the Nangadin from Punggyeso.
“I thought you said Nangadin weren’t thieves?”
“Of course we’re not thieves. Not until yesterday, anyway.”
“Who’s going to know if we bury you deep in the ground?”
“Besides, you went spouting nonsense about attacking Salmak’s operations—that already makes you a dead man walking.”
Thump, thump, thump.
The three Nangadin closed in. Seo Cheon-gi clenched his teeth and searched for an opening to escape.
‘No time to vault a wall! He’ll thrust the spear first—that has to be Chang-su. I dodge right, push the shaft toward the other two, find an opening, and run!’
Seo Cheon-gi had just tensed into a defensive crouch when—
a voice rang out.
“Hey, you lot. Why are you interested in my nice fat money pouch?”
All four heads snapped toward the speaker at once.
Two figures stood there—one dressed in blue martial robes, clearly a nobleman, and the other a tousle-haired boy.
“…Who the hell are these brats?”
“My money pouch?”
“Did you just try to pick my pocket?”
“…”
The Nangadin exchanged confused glances. Seo Cheon-gi said nothing.
That silence told them everything. The mercenaries snorted with laughter.
“Ha! Looks like you’re in the same boat as us, kid.”
“Well, isn’t this something? But what do we do about it now…?”
“Puh-heh-heh! Does money have your name written on it? How is it yours? You got proof?”
The Nangadin laughed, mocking Ho Yeon.
At their response, Ho Yeon smiled brightly and nodded.
“How wonderfully straightforward you all are. Quite charming, really. I think I’ll give you a proper beating.”
Tap.
The moment Ho Yeon stepped forward, Mo Yong-ryul’s voice cut through, sharp and rigid.
“Brother, leave this to me.”
“Hm?”
“How dare they! I won’t stand by while these scoundrels target your possessions!”
“…”
Ho Yeon blinked at Mo Yong-ryul, taken aback.
The boy was trembling violently, visibly seething with anger.
‘Why is he like this? Is he always this angry?’
As Ho Yeon tilted his head in confusion, Mo Yong-ryul stepped forward and drew his blade.
Scrape!
“You bastards! Resign yourselves to death! How dare you covet my brother’s belongings! A thousand deaths would not suffice!”
Such vehement fury from the normally timid Mo Yong-ryul left everyone stunned.
The Nangadin stood bewildered.
“This pup…?”
“Go on, you take him.”
“Right, the two of us will hold this brat down.”
“Tch, what a laugh.”
Chang-su clicked his tongue at the two vagrant mercenaries’ remarks and approached Mo Yong-ryul.
“So we’re catching three of the little brats today. Wonder if it’ll be satisfying to skewer the big one pulling the strings from behind?”
…….
Mo Yong-ryul’s lips curled into a bloodless smile as he watched the muttering vagrant, and felt heat surge through his head.
‘How dare you. How dare you speak of him like that. My brother……!’
Whoosh!
Fire and hunger blazed in Mo Yong-ryul’s blue eyes.
Bang!
Mo Yong-ryul’s foot drove into the earth.
Executing the Sanxing Step, his form became erratic and dizzying, like a capricious cat.
“Wha—!”
The vagrant panicked and thrust his spear forward with sharp speed.
Though the Common-grade rank was the lowest among vagrant mercenaries, one could only receive a Nangadin Certificate after surviving ten missions and returning alive.
Which meant that at least the basics of the spear—the Lannazha technique—had been thoroughly mastered.
Shwack!
The thrust came hurtling toward Mo Yong-ryul’s chest with vicious speed.
‘I have him!’
The vagrant was certain of victory.
His opponent was slight and lanky—not built for raw power—and with limbs so short, he’d be at a disadvantage in positioning, offense, and defense.
“Hahhh……”
But Mo Yong-ryul instead released the tension from his entire body, letting his muscles go soft and supple.
Though only at the Third Realm, the Moyong Family’s secret—the Qiankun Unharmed Divine Method—was a discipline as stable and reliable as the martial arts of Shaolin.
Internal energy bloomed in his lower abdomen and spread through all four limbs and hundred vital points, turning Mo Yong-ryul’s intention into reality.
Shwack!
Mo Yong-ryul’s sword pierced empty air.
A mistake?
No.
Smooth as silk.
The blade traced a character like己 through the void, bending with fluid grace.
That arc—willow-branch supple and flowing—resembled, from a certain angle, an overturned ladle.
‘The Big Dipper Star Rotation?’
Ho Yeon’s eyes widened as he recognized Mo Yong-ryul’s technique.
The Big Dipper Star Rotation was a secret art of the Moyong Family—using the power of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper to deflect an opponent’s attack and counter it.
It embodied the mysteries of harmonizing movement with stillness and the principle of softness overcoming rigidity, blending together techniques both subtle and profound.
Clang! Shwrack!
“What? Wh-what?!”
Chang-su cried out as his hands moved against his will.
The spear he held was caught up in Mo Yong-ryul’s sword and began to move in directions he could not control.
‘The Celestial Pivot, the Celestial Emperor, the Celestial Jade, the Celestial Balance, the Jade Weigher, the Opening Yang, the Trembling Light,’
Ho Yeon recognized the pattern tracing the constellation of the Northern Dipper.
Shwack!
And when Mo Yong-ryul’s blade passed the final star, the spear tip found itself aimed at Chang-su’s right foot.
Crack!
“Ahhhhh!”
“Repent!”
Thud!
Mo Yong-ryul’s small fist whipped forward, snapping Chang-su’s jaw to the side.
“Ggghh!”
Boom!
Chang-su collapsed with his eyes rolled back, and the two remaining vagrants stiffened, their expressions hardening.
“……This one has some skill.”
“All together!”
Thud-thud-thud!
Both vagrants rushed at Mo Yong-ryul simultaneously.
To judge from their coordination, they had clearly trained together many times—their Combined Strike flowed as naturally as water.
Shwack! Shwack!
One came slashing from the right, the other from the left.
But Mo Yong-ryul did not evade; instead he twisted his waist, sending that elastic force down the length of his blade, and traced the character己 once more.
Shwack! Clang!
Crash!
Under the strange flow of the stars, the two vagrants’ blades spun like lost lambs in a river of light, their trajectories torn from their control.
“What—?”
“Ugh!”
The vagrants tried to stop as their blades flew toward each other, but they couldn’t overcome the current of the Big Dipper Star Rotation.
Slash! Slash!
“Argh!”
“Gahhh!”
As the two vagrants screamed, their blades had carved straight lines across each other’s chests.
Thud-thud-thud!
Mo Yong-ryul closed the distance in quick, feline strides and launched a leg technique aimed at their solar plexuses.
Thwack! Thwack!
But the difference in height meant his kicks fell short of their targets.
Instead, he swept their lower bellies.
“……!”
“……!”
The two vagrants, struck by the unexpected blow, didn’t even have breath for a scream before collapsing like bundles of straw.
The sight was so pitiful it made Chang-su—who had stabbed his own foot earlier—look fortunate by comparison.
“Uh… uhhh…….”
Step, step, step.
Seo Cheon-gi watched the shaggy-haired boy approaching with fearful eyes, his legs trembling.
Through the strands of his hair gleamed a faint blue light—he wondered if this was an eunuch ghost with centuries of resentment accumulated.
“That.”
“Kyah!”
“Give it to him quickly and apologize.”
“……Pardon?”
Seo Cheon-gi realized the pouch Mo Yong-ryul was pointing to was the silk purse in his breast pocket, and he nodded rapidly.
“Ah, yes, I understand!”
Seo Cheon-gi quickly pulled out the money pouch and begged forgiveness from Ho Yeon.
“I’m sorry, so sorry! I’ve committed an unforgivable sin! Please forgive me just this once, sir!”
“He’s not your brother!”
“Ah, r-right then, Elder!”
Seo Cheon-gi bowed low, while Mo Yong-ryul stood beside him, his bright blue eyes fixed on Ho Yeon with an eager gleam.
The sight reminded him of a cat bringing back a mouse, seeking praise for its catch.
“Hmm…….”
Ho Yeon looked between the two boys and scratched his cheek.
He felt as though he’d just witnessed an entire slapstick children’s opera.
* * *
After the commotion settled.
Ho Yeon asked.
“You came from Heugryong Gang-seong?”
“Yes, yes. A friend went missing, and… following their trail is how we ended up here…….”
“Hmm?”
At Seo Cheon-gi’s words, Ho Yeon’s eyes gleamed with interest.

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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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