Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 55

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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 55. The Sword Demon Fillets the Fish
“Heh-heh-heh! Greedy men are so reliable. Fill their appetites, and the rest bends easily to your will.”
Click-clack! Click-clack!
Thud-thud! Thud-thud!
The silver-masked man sat on the driver’s bench, reins in hand, laughing.
The cargo bed of the carriage was covered in yellow cloth, yet a briny smell seemed to drift from it.
‘The Baekun Trading Company is useful enough. If they handle distribution, I can transport salt all the way to Beijing.’
Follow the Yangtze to the Grand Canal, and the seat of the Emperor in Beijing is just a matter of days away.
The thought of the Salt Department’s salt reaching the capital made him laugh without restraint.
“Heh-heh! How useless the Emperor has become. Shouldn’t he abdicate by now?”
At the sheer audacity of mocking the Son of Heaven with nothing but his three-inch tongue, the silver-masked man trembled with delight.
Then.
“Mm?”
Someone was standing in the plains ahead of the carriage’s path.
A small-framed man dressed in black robes stood with three swords at his waist, staring directly ahead.
“…….”
Thud-thud! Thud-thud! Thud-thunk!
The silver-masked man narrowed his eyes and brought the carriage to a halt.
Good men do not come, comers are not good.
The good do not approach, and those who approach lack goodness.
Especially not one who blocks the road and waits—such a person surely harbors no benevolent intent.
“Who might you be?”
“A traveler.”
“Then shouldn’t a mere traveler continue on his way?”
“A traveler with curious inclinations, rather.”
“Oh? What could possibly interest you so?”
“The briny reek emanating from your carriage. Are you a fish merchant?”
“……Heh-heh.”
As the silver-masked man laughed, the yellow cloth at the back of the carriage was torn away.
Whoosh!
Crash-bang-bang!
Dozens of Wooden-Faced Persons, who had been packed in the cargo bed like goods, burst out and surrounded the man in black robes.
“Has your curiosity been satisfied?”
“Ah, yes. A fish merchant indeed.”
“Heh-heh-heh! An amusing traveler, aren’t you?”
Schlick! Sssslurp!
The silver-masked man tilted his mask and licked his lips with an elongated tongue as he muttered.
“I wonder if you’ll still make jokes after being stripped naked and subjected to Salt Punishment?”
“What? Were you a sodomite? No wonder your voice sounds like a eunuch’s.”
“Heh-heh-heh-heh!”
The silver-masked man’s grotesque laughter twisted his lips, but then he stopped abruptly and gave a low command.
“Take him.”
Whoosh-whoosh-whoom!
Crash-bang-bang-bang!
The Wooden-Faced Persons drew their blades and rushed forward as one.
Whip!
The man shed his robe in a spinning motion, obscuring the vision of one attacker, who thus failed to see the black longsword being drawn.
“One.”
Whish-crack!
Slice!
The Wooden-Faced Person enveloped in the black robe was cleaved in two on the spot.
The sight was no different from a fish being gutted in a market stall.
‘……A boy?’
The silver-masked man found it absurd that the figure revealed seemed barely past his early twenties.
But what followed left him even more stunned.
Hum-whoooosh!
Majestic blue Qi surged through the black longsword, and then the blade began to move with the fluid grace of a whip.
Whoosh-crack!
Hum-buzz!
Sword Wind swept across the plains, and the sharp, cutting gale it carried made the Wooden-Faced Persons halt their assault and retreat.
Clash! Clash! Clash!
Screech!
Yet one Wooden-Faced Person who failed to evade completely had his yellow robe torn away by the Sword Wind, exposing wrinkled skin beneath.
Seeing this, Namgung Ho Yeon narrowed his eyes and muttered.
“What’s this? A salt-cured fish merchant? Heading out on a long journey, are we?”
“……Sword Qi generating Sword Wind?”
The silver-masked man was startled by the technique the youth had displayed.
First-rate mastery at that age? It was impossible unless he came from one of the great clans.
Moreover, Sword Wind was a method of unleashing sharp gusts through internal Qi.
Without dedicated study of Qi emission, it was a high-difficulty technique that shouldn’t be usable.
‘Young, almost a boy. Jade-faced gentleman. Multiple swords. Blue Sword Qi. And if he’s a Later Generation Disciple who would be in Hefei…….’
An incredible rumor he’d heard recently flashed through the silver-masked man’s mind.
“Seonjeon Noe Ah Namgung Ho Yeon?”
“Oh, what’s this? The fish merchant knows my name?”
“……Why would the Namgung Clan be here?”
The silver-masked man’s eyes darted quickly across his surroundings, his body tense.
At that reaction, Namgung Ho Yeon laughed softly and shook his head.
“Don’t worry. I’m alone.”
……
“Nothing serious. I just acquired a new sword, and I needed somewhere to test it.”
……
“But then, wouldn’t you know it—a fish merchant passes by at just the right moment. I figured it must be good fortune, so I came running.”
Tap.
As Namgung Ho Yeon slung the Heukya Tae Sword across his shoulder with a grin, the silver-masked man, who had been keeping his senses sharp and scanning his surroundings, murmured.
“……He really does appear to be alone.”
“An errand like this is something one does alone at his age.”
“Whether you’re foolish or reckless—or both—doesn’t matter. You die here.”
The silver-masked man spoke with finality.
He couldn’t afford a clash with the Namgung Clan.
He had to kill swiftly, erase all traces, and escape.
“Forget capture. Kill him.”
Crash! Boom! Bang!
The Wooden-Faced Persons surged forward again.
Five of them carried a faint yellow Sword Qi around their blades.
“Let’s go, Heukya.”
—Let’s do this!
A smile spread across Namgung Ho Yeon’s lips, and the Heukya Tae Sword cried out with eager delight.
‘Heukya has excellent compatibility with the Cheonpung Sword Technique.’
The Cheonpung Sword Technique was one of the Namgung Clan’s ascending sword arts, a branch technique of the Cheonpung Emperor Sword Technique, which was the family’s supreme martial skill.
It was at once a Swift Sword and a Continuous Chain Sword.
Twelve forms in total, strung together endlessly, unleashing Sword Wind—a sword technique truly embodying the Cheonpung itself.
‘Cheonpung Inception!’
Namgung Ho Yeon unleashed the first form where the wind of heaven begins.
Whoosh!
The slender blade of the Heukya Tae Sword carved through three Wooden-Faced Persons rushing in from the front in a single stroke.
Shriek! Crack! Splinter!
Two of them severed the Sword Wind with their own Sword Qi, but the third could not.
Crunch!
Blood erupted from the neck of the Wooden-Faced Person whose head had been struck.
And as it did, the Sword Wind transformed into a Blood Wind, beginning to form a vortex.
‘Whirlwind Direct Path!’
Boom! Crash! Bang!
The whirlwind that erupted from the Heukya Tae Sword shot forward in a straight line, and the Wooden-Faced Person caught within the Sword Wind erupted with wounds as if a weasel had clawed across his body.
‘Wind-Scattered Dance!’
Whirl! Whirl! Whirl!
The Heukya Tae Sword then flexed and swayed, scattering Sword Wind as if strewing falling leaves.
Bang! Crash! Crash! Bang!
And so three Wooden-Faced Persons with Sword Qi wreathed around their blades stepped forward to break apart the Sword Wind and carve a path toward Namgung Ho Yeon.
Tap.
Namgung Ho Yeon hooked his sword between his shoulder and upper arm.
This was one of the characteristic stances of the Cheonpung Sword Technique.
While ordinary sword methods would drop the vertical cut from above the head straight downward, the Cheonpung Sword Technique’s vertical cut descended at a slight angle from the space between shoulder and upper arm.
This method narrowed the range of motion but enabled rapid successive strikes—it was precisely why Namgung Ho Yeon had evaluated that the Heukya Tae Sword and the Cheonpung Sword Technique had excellent compatibility.
‘Horizontal cuts are fine, but if I execute vertical cuts, the Heukya’s exceptional length carries the risk of plunging into the ground. But the Cheonpung Sword Technique’s vertical cuts have no such danger!’
Thud! Crack-crack-crack!
As Namgung Ho Yeon planted his stance with the Steady Step, the Heukya Tae Sword flicked out swiftly from behind his ear.
Azure Sword Qi tore through the air, lashing against the Wooden-Faced Persons.
One of the Gale Pressure Break techniques—channeling the force of violent wind pressure to overwhelm the opponent.
Crack! Bang!
The sword that met the Gale Pressure Break head-on shattered into fragments, and the Wooden-Faced Person wielding it flew backward, never to move again.
—Similar to the techniques of the Extreme Truth School!
The Heukya Tae Sword marveled at Namgung Ho Yeon’s skill in manipulating its long body with such fluidity.
Whoosh!
Immediately after, Namgung Ho Yeon shifted his grip.
It resembled wielding a spear rather than a sword.
This was possible because the Heukya Tae Sword’s blade was more than twice the length of an ordinary blade.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As Namgung Ho Yeon, gripping the very end of the blade, spun his body with explosive speed, a whirlwind of wind widened in scope engulfed the Wooden-Faced Persons.
Crack-crack-crack!
Scrape!
The Whirlwind Rotation severed all the fingers of one Wooden-Faced Person.
Aaahhh!
Then, gripping the blade closer, Namgung Ho Yeon stepped with the Hand-Silk, moving light as wind into another Wooden-Faced Person’s chest, drawing the Heukya Tae Sword upward in a slash.
Rip!
The Clear Wind Sweep Sword split the Wooden-Faced Person’s chest like the belly of a gutted fish, and the chaotic slashing of Wind-Cloud Transformation that followed tore through another Wooden-Faced Person’s defense like scales being peeled away.
Scrape! Scrape!
The Cheonpung Cross carved the Wooden-Faced Person’s chest in an X pattern, the cuts clean as a fishmonger’s scores.
Whoosh-crash-thud!
One stroke of the Wind-Horse Thousand Lines left yet another Wooden-Faced Person trampled and torn like hoofprints, reduced to a handful of blood.
Whistle! Crack!
The Cheonpung Whispered Chant, advancing as subtly as heaven’s wind reciting verse, pierced straight through another Wooden-Faced Person’s brow.
Clash! Scrape!
At last, a Wooden-Faced Person who managed to close distance found his sword met by the Reverse Wind Reversal, his body split diagonally as he was engulfed by the technique.
Whirrrrr!
As a result, the final Wooden-Faced Person stood alone in a sea of blood and corpses, watching helplessly as the Cheonpung Return to Inception—where heaven’s wind circles back to its starting point—swept toward him.
Scrape!
“Fuhaha! Still in fine form! No—your sword technique has grown even more refined! The Namgung Clan must have filled in what was lacking in you!”
Listening to the Heukya Tae Sword’s satisfied laughter, Namgung Ho Yeon turned to the silver-masked man and asked.
“All your little fish are cleaned up. Aren’t you coming?”
“… You’re different from what I’ve heard. I was told that Seonjeon Noe, who restored the Cheonroe Jewang Singong, commands the techniques of Extreme Strength Extreme Speed?”
Despite the deaths of all his subordinates, the silver-masked man observed Namgung Ho Yeon with an unmoved expression.
“The Namgung sky is vast and high. There’s the Sword of Creation, there’s the Cheonpung, there’s the Cheonroe. What do you want? Take your pick.”
“Arrogant. Though at your age, with your skill, arrogance is earned.”
Slither!
The silver-masked man moved like a serpent, flicking his sleeves.
Flutter!
His pale hand emerged, and the palm—shrouded in white Qi—glistened with frost.
“But you are still unrefined. Tell King Yama of Hell that Dong Mu Oe sends you. Then he will give you a warm welcome!”
“Hmph!”
Whoosh!
Dong Mu Oe’s palm strike, Namgung Ho Yeon met with the Heukya Tae Sword angled diagonally.
Crack-shatter-crack!
Instantly, frost bloomed on the sword’s blade, and damp, cold Internal Qi crept up his hand and arm, infiltrating toward his heart.
‘Yin-Flow martial arts!’
Identifying the man’s technique, Namgung Ho Yeon immediately circulated the Cheonroe Jewang Singong.
Bzzt! Bzzzzt-crack!
The Cheonroe Qi enveloped his entire body, dissipating the invasive cold that had penetrated within.
“Ohohoho! You’ve drawn it out!”
Boom! Boom-boom-boom!
Dong Mu Oe, welcoming the appearance of the Cheonroe Qi, generated dozens of palm shadows.
Clang! Clang! Crash-crash-crash!
Namgung Ho Yeon blocked the cold palm strike with the flat of his blade, but each time Yin-cold energy seeped through, leaving his hand tingling.
Then.
“Heh-heh!”
Clang! Screech!
Dong Mu Oe shoved the Heukya Tae Sword away with his left hand, then straightened his right arm and slashed at Namgung Ho Yeon with the edge of his palm.
“Hah!”
Namgung Ho Yeon twisted his body quickly to evade the blow, but Dong Mu Oe’s laughter deepened.
“Heh-heh-heh!”
Bang! Whoosh!
Following up with a Fleeing Step, Namgung Ho Yeon leaped backward and landed on solid ground.
“Hmm?”
But then Namgung Ho Yeon realized something was wrong with his left arm.
He’d lost all sensation in it. Looking closer, a long cut ran from his wrist to his elbow.
Crackle-crackle!
Frost clung to the wound, and the Yin-cold energy disrupted the flow of his Internal Qi.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Namgung Ho Yeon burned his left arm with Cheonroe Jewang Singong and stared at Dong Mu Oe’s palm.
A single strand of white thread compressed from white Qi hung from his hand.
“…Hand-Silk.”
“Heh-heh! Unlucky for you, I’m afraid.”
Rustle.
Dong Mu Oe licked the Hand-Silk running along his fingertips like a serpent’s tongue as he spoke.
“Strange, this. I heard you’d cut down a Transcendent master.”
“That was fake. They ganged up on me too.”
“Heh-heh! Baseless rumors. Just so many lies carried on the wind, best forgotten entirely.”
“What about you? A Transcendent Extreme should be welcomed anywhere. Why are you crawling around like a dog on the front lines?”
“You wouldn’t understand. I’m being paid quite handsomely for this work.”
At Dong Mu Oe’s words, Namgung Ho Yeon’s eyes dimmed.
A Transcendent Extreme—the same realm as Baeknyak Sanjang’s master, Baek Jong Woo.
Worse, he had no Baekson Steel Arm Guardian now, and no Iron Sword Brigade at his side.
“…This is the end.”
“Heh-heh! Giving up? How boring. Where’s that confidence from before?”
Dong Mu Oe sneered at Namgung Ho Yeon’s murmur.
Thud!
Then Namgung Ho Yeon drove the Heukya Tae Sword into the ground and spoke.
“I’ve learned the feel of the Heukya well. I thank you, fish merchant.”
“…What?”
“It’s not much of a repayment, but I thought I’d show you something.”
Click.
Namgung Ho Yeon formed sword seals with both hands, then crossed them diagonally.
Whooooom!
His lower dantian blazed with heat, and a sense of omnipotence flooded through him—as if he could reshape the world itself.
Savoring that sensation, Namgung Ho Yeon began to pour forth crimson Ghost Qi from both eyes in steady streams.
“Consider it an honor. This is the first time in three hundred years I’ve shown this.”
Screech!
Namgung Ho Yeon lifted his crossed arms.
The blades scattered on the ground rose up in unison, as if answering their master’s call.
Uigi Yeondong—Activation.

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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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