Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 52

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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 52. The Sword Demon’s Reward
Several days passed without incident.
The Namgung Clan continued to buzz with talk of their youngest master’s return, adorned with his brilliant new title.
More than anything, each branch was occupied with hosting Namgung Ho Yeon and receiving his overdue instruction.
In truth, their real motive lay elsewhere, and Ho Yeon, understanding it well enough, had to demonstrate the Cheonroe Ki whenever he made an appearance.
Each time white lightning erupted from Ho Yeon’s blade, the warriors gasped as though witnessing the luminous future of the Namgung itself.
By now, Namgung Ho Yeon had long since become an irreplaceable treasure to every member of the Namgung Clan—a living heirloom no coin could buy.
* * *
“Ugh, persistent creatures.”
Tap! Tap-tap!
Ho Yeon darted swiftly across the courtyard, shaking his head.
He was currently on his way back from a visit to Cheonpoong Dae.
The master of Cheonpoong Dae had prepared every conceivable sweetmeat to keep Ho Yeon there as long as possible.
But today, eager to visit Dangdangdang for the first time in ages, he’d refused and fled.
“Hey, when did you start liking sweets? You used to say they were children’s food.”
“Well, this one is still clearly a child—barely a hundred years old and already talking back to his elders like he owns the place.”
“Fuhaha! So his tastes really have changed? That’s amusing!”
“Look closely and you’ll see his eating habits are identical to a six-year-old’s. The brat won’t even touch medicine if it tastes bitter.”
The Cheonroe Geom and Heugya Tae Geom conversed from his waist.
He was glad to have the Heugya back, but the noise had doubled—and that was decidedly unwelcome.
Tap!
“Quiet. You don’t have a mouth anyway.”
Ho Yeon rapped the Heugya Tae Geom at his waist and spoke curtly.
Three swords hung from his belt in total; even with the Heugya Tae Geom positioned as horizontally as possible, it still looked perilously close to scraping the ground.
“Hey! That was uncalled for, you fool!”
“What are you going on about, you oversized lump?”
“Apologize! I have foods I want to eat too, thank you very much!”
“Like what?”
“A specialty from my homeland—Okinawa soba!”
The Heugya Tae Geom launched into an eager eulogy of Okinawan soba.
“Springy noodles in a broth made from pork bones and bonito, then slurp them down! Ah! Add some pork ribs and fish cake, and one bite—hngh!”
“You lunatic. I’ll give you a few dunks in broth later.”
“Argh! And here I thought you were my only true friend, you fool!”
“Maybe so. You fool.”
Despite their bickering, a soft smile played at the corners of Ho Yeon’s mouth.
Tap-tap! Tap!
Ho Yeon headed not toward his own quarters, but toward Namgung Sang Ah’s residence.
Sang Ah had agreed to join him on today’s outing, and besides, Mo Yong Yul was being held captive there.
Creak!
As he opened the sliding door, a dire scene unfolded before him.
“Oh! This one’s lovely too!”
“Everything suits you so well!”
“Where did my Cheonggeum Stone Hair Pin go?”
“Your skin is so fair, gold looks better on you than silver.”
Namgung Sang Ah and Paeng So Hwa bustled about, draping various ornaments this way and that.
On whom?
On Mo Yong Yul.
“Mmmm……”
Mo Yong Yul sat in the center wearing the Namgung Clan’s martial robes of azure silk, cradling the Wolmyo with a vacant expression on his face.
“B-brother!”
“Meow?”
The moment Mo Yong Yul spotted Ho Yeon, his face lit up as though he’d found salvation itself.
But Ho Yeon was helpless to intervene.
Because—
“Ho Yeon’s here?”
“Come here, my boy. Mother’s found the finest Gamnam Yyu for you.”
“No, I’m quite all right, really.”
“Hurry now! What’s this for hair? A ghost will befriend you if you keep it like that!”
Unable to resist Paeng So Hwa’s persistence, Ho Yeon too fell victim to having his hair combed.
Having surrendered to his fate, Ho Yeon exchanged a wordless glance with Mo Yong Yul seated beside him.
‘Wasn’t that why you came seeking me out?’
‘I’m sorry. I got caught too.’
‘How could that be!’
‘Bear it. It will end eventually.’
Having learned that resistance only prolonged the ordeal, Ho Yeon squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself, activating the Geom Sim Gam Eung to endure.
―Pfft-hahaha! Heaven’s punishment upon you!
―Twing! Tsk-tsk, and at your age, still unable to escape mother’s embrace—what a disgrace!
From experience, Ho Yeon knew that idle chatter made time pass faster.
With Heugya Tae Geom joining in, the time would fly twice as quick.
“Wow! The more I look at it, the prettier it gets. How can your eyes be so blue?”
“Ah, ah……”
“Right? I’ve only heard about Cheonghae Lake, but I never knew it could be this beautiful.”
“Uh, uh……”
Opening his eyes slightly at the sound of their voices, Ho Yeon caught sight of the scene.
Under the barrage of compliments from Namgung Sang Ah and Paeng So Hwa, Mo Yong Yul’s pale cheeks flushed crimson as he twisted and squirmed in embarrassment.
Ho Yeon felt a kinship with his discomfort and let out a quiet laugh.
Emboldened by Ho Yeon’s encouragement, Mo Yong Yul began wearing his hair swept back within the Namgung household, letting his blue eyes show.
The Namgung Clan people were fundamentally those who adored blue—it was as natural to them as breathing.
No one considered Mo Yong Yul’s blue eyes strange or unbecoming; if anything, they found them beautiful.
Moreover, now that his fuller hair was pulled back and his features laid bare, his face revealed a foreign elegance distinct from Han customs.
The sharp line of his nose, the depth of his gaze, and the delicate curve of his jawline marked him unmistakably as handsome—so much so that the servant girls would blush whenever he passed.
‘Well, he came at the right time. Having him here certainly spreads the attention around, which is convenient.’
With that thought, Ho Yeon closed his eyes again, and this time Mo Yong Yul glanced at him sideways.
‘I really……am grateful……’
Since arriving at the Namgung household, Mo Yong Yul had felt as though he were dreaming.
Everyone here treated him with genuine kindness.
And he understood well that beneath that kindness lay the fact that he had been brought here as the younger brother of Ho Yeon.
‘I must……!’
Mo Yong Yul’s blue eyes shimmered with solemn determination.
* * *
Five figures walked down a street in Hapbi and came to a stop before a shop.
“Ah, quite a crowd here.”
Sang Kwan Hae admired the long line of people waiting before Dangdangdang.
Dang Se Ki stared at the shop sign, then muttered with a wry smile.
“Three characters for ‘dang,’ yet no ‘Tang’ among them.”
“Ha-ha! What do you mean?”
“Ah, my apologies.”
“No, not at all. You’re quite the wit.”
As Namgung Sang Ah broke into laughter at Dang Se Ki’s remark, Mo Yong Yul clenched both fists at his side.
“Is this Dangdangdang? Is this your shop, hyung?”
“Yes.”
“Remarkable! You seem to have quite the gift for commerce as well?”
“Well, I was fortunate.”
As Ho Yeon shrugged and spoke, Sang Kwan Hae’s eyes brightened and he opened his mouth.
“Ho Yeon, there’s no such thing as luck in the marketplace. I know all too well how ruthless this world is.”
“Truly, I was just fortunate. I simply enjoyed sweets, so I invested in Pil Jong Dae, and the rest just happened to work out as it did.”
Ho Yeon meant every word of it.
He was no merchant by trade, after all. From the beginning, Dangdangdang had been born from a mere hobby.
Yet Sang Kwan Hae shook his head and praised Ho Yeon effusively.
“Ah! That is precisely what we call commercial talent! Your passion brought forth profit, did it not?”
“……Is that so?”
“Of course! Coming from the Sang Kwan Clan, you can trust my word!”
“Hmm…… now that I think of it, perhaps that’s true. Then was I destined to become a great merchant?”
―Wow, so that’s what it was?
―What are you marveling at? Oh no! That Sang Kwan Hae is going to ruin the boy.
At Ho Yeon’s murmur, the two blades reacted differently.
At that moment, a middle-aged man in silk robes came tumbling out of Dangdangdang like a puppy searching for its master.
“My goodness! Young Master Ho Yeon!”
“Pil Jong Dae, it’s been a while.”
“Ha-ha! I saw your face just days ago. When I heard you were returning, I went out to greet you at once.”
“Was one of them an assassin?”
“Pardon?”
“More importantly, your complexion has cleared up nicely.”
“Ah, haha. It’s all thanks to you, sir.”
A man who’d turned his life around with a single well-made skewer of candied fruit.
From hawking sweets at a street stall to becoming the proprietor of a teahouse backed by the Namgung Clan—a man blessed beyond measure.
Pil Jong Dae, Hapbi’s luckiest son, whispered as though embarrassed by his fortune.
“If I play my cards right, sir, I might even manage to marry late.”
“Oh?”
“Hehe! A matchmaker introduced me to someone, and we get along wonderfully. My days as a lonely bachelor are finally over!”
Pil Jong Dae spoke with an expression of pure bliss.
Namgung Ho Yeon smiled knowingly.
“We’ll see about that.”
“Sir?”
“If this new delicacy you’ve developed doesn’t pass inspection, marriage can wait.”
“I—I’m confident, sir!”
“We’ll see. Bring me herbal medicine like last time, and you’ll be drowning in debt.”
“P-please, come inside.”
Pil Jong Dae ushered the party into the shop, sweat beading his brow.
The establishment was a three-story pavilion, yet unlike other ordinary teahouses, it was filled with young people.
“Hmm?”
Sang Kwan Hae’s eyes moved swiftly, taking in the delicacies and tea arranged on the tables.
‘Indeed. These are unique creations I’ve never seen before. And the aroma is excellent—surely these aren’t premium grade goods?’
The party was seated at the finest table on the third floor and placed their orders.
Namgung Ho Yeon naturally ordered the new delicacy Pil Jong Dae had developed, but declined tea.
He didn’t understand the appeal of tea—couldn’t fathom why people enjoyed drinking something bitter, when he found it utterly unpalatable.
Shortly after, the drinks arrived, and Pil Jong Dae himself carried out Namgung Ho Yeon’s order.
“I’m certain you’ll love it!”
“What is this? It looks just like that Reliance Through Hardship you gave me last time.”
“It’s completely different from Green Essence Broth!”
Namgung Ho Yeon regarded the pale, translucent liquid in the small ceramic bowl with suspicion, while Pil Jong Dae waved his hands in protest.
“Go ahead and dig deep, sir!”
At Pil Jong Dae’s urging, Namgung Ho Yeon plunged his spoon into the white, trembling liquid.
Plunge!
The spoon sank deeply, then withdrew, trailing black bean-like grains that had been hidden within.
Munch, munch, munch.
……
As Namgung Ho Yeon took a full spoonful and began to chew, Pil Jong Dae clenched both fists, waiting anxiously for his verdict.
“Oh?”
After chewing several times, Namgung Ho Yeon let out an exclamation, and color flooded back into Pil Jong Dae’s face.
“What is this? It’s fragrant.”
“It’s called tofu pudding! I grind soybeans into soy milk and coagulate it with goat’s milk!”
“And these chewy, sweet grains?”
“Hehe, to match your refined taste, sir, I simmered tapioca starch pearls in dark brown sugar.”
“These dark pearl jewels are excellent.”
“Sweet black pearls—a most poetic way to put it, sir!”
Pil Jong Dae rubbed his hands together fawningly, while Namgung Ho Yeon chuckled and nodded.
“At this rate, you’ll manage to get married.”
“Th-thank you so much!”
Having received his passing grade, Pil Jong Dae bowed deeply in gratitude while Namgung Ho Yeon gestured dismissively for him to go.
“The candied citrus skewers are the best, aren’t they?”
“They are. It’s my favorite too.”
“Hehe. Seems our tastes are quite alike!”
Mo Yong Yul held up a citrus skewer and laughed carelessly.
In truth, his tongue was tingling from the sweetness, but Mo Yong Yul had just decided that candied citrus skewers were now his favorite thing in the world.
“Slurp. Mmm?”
“Gulp. Ah?”
“How is it? These are tea leaves we cultivated at Seo Ok To in our Namgung lands.”
Dang Se Ki and Sang Kwan Hae took their first sip from their cups, while Namgung Sang Ah watched them with a confident smile.
And just as expected.
Exclamations of delight burst from both their lips.
“……Until now, every Tieguanyin I’ve ever drunk was swill.”
“Goodness! The flavor alone is remarkable—but how is this price even possible?”
Where Dang Se Ki had offered a measured appraisal focused on taste, Sang Kwan Hae stood genuinely astounded that such premium tea was selling at prices that seemed to defy reason.
“Heh, well, the tea fields are right next door, you see? Besides, Ho Yeon here holds a fifty percent stake in Seo Ok To, so there’s hardly any margin to keep.”
“Oh, is that so?!”
Sang Kwan Hae’s eyes brightened as he fixed his gaze on Ho Yeon.
The proximity of the fields that saved on transport—that was one thing. But land capable of producing tea leaves of this caliber was rare, even searching the length and breadth of the Central Plains.
That precious tea field, with rights held by fifty percent and by Namgung Ho Yeon himself?
“Brother! Strike a deal with this merchant!”
“Pardon?”
“This quality is fit for the Imperial Palace! I’ll pay top price, I swear it!”
Sang Kwan Hae had caught the scent of opportunity.
If he could break into trade with the Imperial Palace?
Money would cease to be an obstacle.
“Hmm…….”
Ho Yeon paused briefly before Sang Kwan Hae’s proposal, then asked a question.
“Does your merchant guild have many openings for employment?”
“Openings?”
“I’ve got some young people who can read and figure accounts. Would you be willing to take them on?”
At Ho Yeon’s question, Namgung Sang Ah gazed at him with evident appreciation and smiled.
Sang Kwan Hae, unclear on the meaning, tilted his head and replied.
“……Well, we’re always short on hands. But guild work is grueling—traveling between regions, almost no days off. Are you sure about that?”
“No matter. They’re the sort who’ve got nothing but hunger driving them.”
“In that case, I’d actually like to ask a favor of you…….”
“Let’s draw up a contract then. It works out well—reduces the number of idle mouths to feed.”
As Ho Yeon extended his hand, Sang Kwan Hae reached to clasp it, but in that instant—
Bang! Crash!
The sound of something shattering erupted from below, followed by a man’s roaring voice.
“What? No seats on the third floor? Do you know who I am? I’m Baek Won Ui of the Baekun Merchant Guild!”
At that voice, Namgung Sang Ah’s expression turned rigid, while Ho Yeon’s lips curled into a smile.
“Interesting.”

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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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