Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 4

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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 4. Doubt in the Sword Ghost’s Heart
Turning around, Ho Yeon saw him.
A man who looked to be in his early thirties stood there, dressed in expensive white silk robes embroidered with golden clouds.
‘What is this pig doing here?’
Ho Yeon muttered under his breath.
The man was so overweight that his chin appeared to triple from his thick jowls.
Anyone could see he was the sort of well-fed, well-off young master from a wealthy household.
The two guard escorts standing behind him made it almost certain.
“Baek… Young Master.”
“Hehe, you’re as beautiful as ever.”
Namgung Sang-ah’s expression hardened the moment she spotted the man.
In contrast, the man called Young Master Baek raked his eyes over her from head to toe with a sinister smile.
“Hmm? And who is this young lady beside you?”
‘What is this bastard—’
Ho Yeon’s brow twitched at the man’s words, but Namgung Sang-ah quickly pulled him behind her and spoke.
“My younger brother. His health is delicate and extended activity is difficult for him, so I beg your generous understanding, Young Master Baek.”
The moment Namgung Sang-ah grasped Ho Yeon’s hand and tried to slip away—
“Then allow me to ask directly. When might you give me your answer regarding my proposal?”
“……….”
“As Baek Won, heir to the Baek Un Trading Company, I can certainly provide betrothal gifts befitting your station. Of course, I will also settle any debts the Namgung Clan has incurred.”
Grip.
With each word Baek Won spoke, Ho Yeon felt Namgung Sang-ah’s hand tighten around his.
‘What? Some unknown nobody coveting the daughter of the greatest sword family in the land? And an ugly pig at that?’
Ho Yeon found it utterly baffling.
He didn’t know what the Baek Un Trading Company was, but he’d never even heard its name three hundred years ago.
Meanwhile, the Namgung Clan had reigned as the pillar of the Righteous Sect ruling Hapbi for countless generations.
By Ho Yeon’s understanding, this situation made no sense whatsoever.
And what was most strange of all—
‘Why is she being so submissive?’
It was Namgung Sang-ah’s demeanor.
“I… would like to think on it a while longer.”
“How many months is that now? Will you lovesick me to death?”
“……But surely Young Master Baek already has an honorable wife?”
“Haha, not just you. Heroes take three wives and concubines, but if I can have you, I’ll be faithful from now on.”
‘The madman.’
A girl in her bloom at twenty was being pursued by a pig who looked at least ten years her elder.
And not even as a proper wife—but as a concubine to the great Namgung Clan’s daughter.
‘Am I the strange one? Or has the world gone mad?’
As Ho Yeon frowned at this twisted logic, Namgung Sang-ah bit her lip and spoke.
“I have not yet abandoned my dream of becoming a martial artist.”
“Bah, women need only manage a household well—what use is this martial nonsense? I’m worried those delicate hands might get hurt.”
Baek Won wore a sympathetic expression as he glanced at his escorts and continued.
“As for swords, one simply hires subordinates for such things. Here in Hapbi, gold is far more important than steel.”
“……….”
“I noticed you took a liking to that hairpin earlier. I’ll buy it for you.”
“That’s not nec—”
Despite Namgung Sang-ah’s protest, Baek Won ignored her and approached the street stall, addressing the merchant.
“How much for that butterfly hairpin?”
“For the Young Master, I’ll offer it at just twenty silver taels.”
“Hmm? Wasn’t it ten taels before?”
“Hehe, the gift-price correspondence, as they say. A gift must match the giver’s worth. The more the Young Master pays, the greater joy the recipient will feel, no?”
‘What nonsense is this?’
Ho Yeon tilted his head at the merchant’s words, but Baek Won seemed intrigued.
“Oh?”
“A person of your bearing, blessed with the Eye of Spotted Lacquer, possesses abundant material fortune. What remains is only good karma.”
“Gahahaha! Quite right! Indeed, whether ten or twenty taels, it’s all the same to me. I’ll pay thirty taels!”
Ho Yeon was at a complete loss at Baek Won’s magnanimous cry.
‘Is this idiot a complete sucker?’
If he had so much money, he ought to donate it, you fool.
“Haha, here you are— Hmm?”
Baek Won reached into his breast pocket to retrieve his money pouch, but his fingers grasped at nothing.
“What? What?”
“…….”
The merchant’s expression cooled visibly, and Baek Won’s face flushed crimson.
“Ha, haha. How careless of me. I must have left my pouch in my room.”
“……Is that so? It seems this Butterfly Hairpin was simply not fated to be yours, young master.”
“Ahem, ahem.”
Baek Won cleared his throat, glancing nervously at the merchant before turning his gaze toward Namgung Sang-ah.
Then he spoke as if in excuse.
“I’ll buy you something even finer next time. Well then, I’ll be going.”
Baek Won beat a hasty retreat with his attendants.
Namgung Sang-ah exhaled softly and spoke.
“Ah, Ho Yeon. Let’s put off seeing the skill competition for now. I’m feeling a bit…… tired.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s head home.”
The vibrancy that had animated Namgung Sang-ah moments before had vanished, and she walked away with heavy steps.
Watching his sister’s retreating figure, Ho Yeon withdrew a golden money pouch from his sleeve.
Whish! Toss!
Whish! Toss!
Using Qi Manipulation, Ho Yeon plucked the money pouch from Baek Won’s breast pocket and tossed it through the air, catching it repeatedly as he approached the street stall and addressed the merchant.
“Pardon me, proprietor.”
“Yes?”
“How much is that Butterfly Hairpin?”
At Ho Yeon’s question, the merchant studied the face of the boy before him, who appeared to be around fifteen years of age.
Then his eyes widened.
The boy’s smile, catching the dimming glow of sunset and cast in shadow, was unspeakably eerie.
Above all, the reddish glint that shone within his clear eyes
made his skin crawl as if he were facing the Life-Death Ghost that presided over the span of human existence.
“Y-young master, I could not possibly accept payment…….”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, please, do accept this gift.”
With trembling hands, the merchant respectfully offered the Butterfly Hairpin to Ho Yeon.
Ho Yeon nodded and accepted the hairpin, pressing the entire money pouch into the merchant’s hands.
“Proprietor, may you live long.”
“…….”
“Gold worth more than the sword. Isn’t that a jest?”
“…….”
“Well then, do good business.”
Step, step, step.
Ho Yeon departed from the street stall, and the merchant, who had remained frozen, let out a shaky breath of relief and muttered.
“Whew…… I’ve just met an envoy of death…….”
Having secured the money pouch in his breast pocket, the merchant began swiftly packing up his stall.
Business was finished for some time.
* * *
Several days later, Ho Yeon made his way to Muae Hall, located deep within the Namgung Clan compound.
His purpose in heading there was straightforward.
He had heard that a Cultivation Chamber used exclusively by direct-line members was located there.
“Phew, staying cooped up in a room like this is suffocating. I need to stretch my body a bit.”
Ho Yeon rolled his neck side to side.
During his days as a Sword Ghost, he had wielded a blade without exception every single day.
But ever since becoming Namgung Ho Yeon, he had done nothing but lie in his chamber.
In truth, he had been consumed with cultivating his spiritual force, but the lack of physical training left his body restless and twitching.
‘Still, it’s a fairly well-conditioned body.’
Ho Yeon assessed his physical state and nodded to himself.
Considering that overly rigorous training from too young an age would hinder proper development,
his current body was in a state of balanced conditioning befitting his years.
‘I need to learn new sword techniques as well. I can’t very well deploy the Youhon Sword or the Talryeongmyeong Sword.’
As a member of the Righteous Sect, the sword methods of the Sword Ghost—with their overly thick killing intent—would draw suspicion.
Though he found himself unable to wield the techniques his hands knew best, Ho Yeon felt no concern whatsoever.
‘The Namgung Clan’s sword methods are vast and varied—the Daeyeon Sword Method, the Changgung Sword Method, the Iron Sword Ten Forms, the Heavenly Wind Sword Method, the Changgung Fei Yan Sword Method, and so much more.’
Where else could it be but the Namgung Clan?
The preeminent Sword Family that reigned over the Martial World with a single blade—acknowledged by all.
Here, it would have been harder not to find a sword method suited to oneself.
It was just as Ho Yeon arrived at the Cultivation Chamber of Muae Hall.
“Whooosh! Hahhh….”
Someone was already there.
In the center of the Cultivation Chamber, a bare-chested man stood with eyes closed, gripping a single sword.
Steam rose steadily from his well-conditioned body, making it clear he had been wielding the blade for quite some time.
‘So he really does live in the Cultivation Chamber, just as they said.’
It was his brother—Namgung Chung-kang, the Small House Master.
Snap-snap-snap!
At that moment, brilliant blue Sword Energy erupted from Namgung Chung-kang’s blade.
The energy was so crystalline and pure that it shimmered with an almost piercing azure light.
‘Impressive.’
Ho Yeon’s eyes brightened as he recognized the distinctive Sword Energy of the Changgung Daeyeon Divine Art.
Energy controlled with such precision could only be manifested at the first rank of the Extreme State.
‘Twenty-five, if I recall correctly? Already standing at the threshold of perfection. A true prodigy.’
As Ho Yeon nodded in approval, Chung-kang began to move the sword with deliberate grace.
‘That stance—the Changgung Muae Sword Method?’
Just as Ho Yeon anticipated, Chung-kang unfolded the Changgung Muae Sword Method.
In truth, Chung-kang had sensed his brother’s presence from the moment Ho Yeon had peered hesitantly through the chamber doorway.
‘Ha, so memory is gone, but habits remain unchanged. You always watched my training from that very spot.’
Feeling his brother’s gaze, Chung-kang felt his body surge with renewed energy.
‘Watch closely! Witness the prowess of your older brother!’
Slash!
The blade swept upward in a horizontal arc as the Changgung Muae Sword Method unfurled in earnest.
From the Heavens High and Clouds Drift opening move, he flowed into a succession of consecutive strikes—each one clear as the azure sky washing the sun.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Followed by the Boundless Heavy Pressure technique, he crashed down upon the world with overwhelming force.
With the Cloud Sea Strike Heaven form, he tore upward in a heavy ascending strike like rending clouds asunder.
“Hyah! Haaah!”
Slash-slash-slash!
The Azure Heaven Rupture, a devastating strike that ascended like a dragon ascending to heaven.
“Hrah-ah!”
Thrust-thrust-thrust!
A succession of Heaven Beyond Heaven strikes transformed an invisible opponent into a honeycomb.
“Hyuh!”
Ring-g-g!
At last, as Chung-kang poured all his Internal Energy into the blade, the Sword Cry resonated through the chamber, and everything around him was bathed in azure light.
‘Changgung Muae—Endless Azure Heaven!’
Slash-h-h!
Boundless, as the azure sky knows no end—that is Changgung Muae.
True to its name, the explosively magnified Sword Energy erupted outward, dyeing the entire Cultivation Chamber in brilliant blue.
Slash! Slash!
A powerful cross-slash tore the world into four quarters.
“Hah-hah! Hah!”
His lower dantian completely drained, Namgung Chung-kang felt exhaustion wash over him—yet he smiled, baring his teeth triumphantly.
‘How is it? Your older brother’s Changgung! Magnificent, yes? Worthy of admiration?’
Namgung Chung-kang waited, as he always did, for his brother’s applause.
But no matter how long he waited, no sound of clapping came.
‘Hm, lost in wonder, perhaps? Well, having lost his memory, this must be his first time witnessing the Changgung Muae Sword Method.’
Swish. Click!
Sheathing his sword with maximum flourish, Namgung Chung-kang finally turned his head, feigning just-then discovery.
“Ho Yeon, you’ve arri— hm?”
But upon seeing his brother’s expression, Namgung Chung-kang’s words caught in his throat.
His dear younger brother was not wearing an expression of admiration, nor was there wonder in his eyes.
Rather.
‘De…disappointment?!’
Thud-thud-thud!
It was as though lightning had struck directly into Namgung Chung-kang’s mind.
Ho Yeon watched the light fade from Namgung Chung-kang’s eyes, and murmured to himself.
‘What is this? The old Sword Ghost’s Changgung Muae Sword Method is completely different.’
* * *
Step. Step. Step.
Ho Yeon walked through the Inner Courtyard with a tense, rigid expression.
‘This doesn’t make sense. Something’s very wrong.’
His recent doubts had taken shape.
First: why hadn’t Namgung Sang-ah demanded an accounting from the Baek Un Trading Company heir, despite being insulted by him?
Second: why was Namgung Chung-kang deforming the Changgung Muae Sword Method so grotesquely, acting like a fool while basking in satisfaction?
To unravel all these mysteries, Ho Yeon sought out a particular man.
Creak. Thud!
“Ah! Ho Yeon—you’ve come.”
A broad-shouldered middle-aged man with striking, forceful features rose from his seat to greet him.
The Clan Master of the Namgung Clan.
His father.
Namgung Baek.

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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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