Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 60

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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 60. The Sword Ghost Responds to Request
“Salt?”
En Choo Ae’s delicate brow furrowed.
“Official salt, surely?”
“I’m not certain. There was no government seal stamped upon it.”
“……Ah, then it’s smuggled salt.”
En Choo Ae exhaled heavily, shaking her head side to side.
After a moment’s thought, she murmured in a hollow voice.
“There was no helping it.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“From what I understand, official salt is priced so high that common folk cannot possibly afford it.”
En Choo Ae continued, her words weighted with sorrow.
“If smuggled salt costs half as much, the people would have had no choice.”
“…….”
Ho Yeon fell silent, observing her.
‘What nonsense is she talking? She’s a princess, for gods’ sake.’
Right now I should be rounding up everyone dealing in smuggled salt.
What’s all this talk of mercy from someone so fortunate?
‘This won’t do.’
Ho Yeon, who had meant to exploit the imperial princess, now felt compelled to show her the truth of the world.
“Even if the common people cannot help themselves, what of those who produce the smuggled salt?”
“Hmm?”
“Such people risk their lives dealing in smuggled salt, which the law forbids on pain of death. If they’re already condemned to hang for this, why would they not turn to other crimes?”
“Other crimes…… such as what?”
As En Choo Ae tilted her head in confusion, Ho Yeon chose his words with care, yet let the truth seep through.
“They cannot hire legitimate workers, so they must surely be employing slaves. They cannot use government slaves, so they must be abducting common folk from somewhere.”
“That, that cannot be…!”
“And now that I think of it, those masked figures had skin as withered as dried dates.”
“Merciful heavens—that is the work of salt-curing!”
Salt-curing was a preservation method wherein vegetables or meat were pickled in salt.
This drained away moisture, prolonging storage indefinitely.
But what if such a practice were inflicted not upon foodstuffs, but upon human beings?
“How utterly monstrous!”
Tears welled at the rims of En Choo Ae’s jade-like eyes.
Simultaneously, a razor-edged Killing Intent radiated outward from all directions.
‘Damn, I’m sorry. Made the girl cry for nothing.’
Even as his skin prickled beneath the Killing Intent, Ho Yeon merely scratched the back of his head.
She was a woman of such crystalline purity—so utterly unlike himself, who had witnessed every filthy deed in the martial world of Do San Geom Rim.
A princess, sheltered like precious treasure, now shedding tears after hearing from some nameless martial artist about people being preserved in salt…….
“I cannot pinpoint the exact location, but I was able to determine that these men came from Ban Ji Hwa.”
“Ban Ji Hwa? That’s definitely in the southern reaches of Sa Cheon, isn’t it? Near Yunnan.”
“It’s one of the farthest regions from Sung Do. An ideal place for smuggled salt production.”
“……How did you uncover such facts?”
As En Choo Ae gazed at him with eyes bright from tears, Ho Yeon cleared his throat.
“I traced the origin of the swords those men carried.”
In truth, he had discerned it through Sword Heart Resonance.
Yet Ho Yeon had not managed to locate the true headquarters of Yeom Bang precisely.
‘Unfortunately, that man Dong Mu Oe was no swordmaster. The masked workers are always transported out in cloth-covered carriages from Yeom Bang.’
That was why mobilizing government forces had become necessary.
To search the mountains and fields of Ban Ji Hwa would require manpower on a scale beyond ordinary means.
“We pursued our investigation to that point, then halted our search.”
“Why did you do so? If people are suffering, should we not aid them?”
“I regret it, but we are not government soldiers. Our resources and manpower are limited.”
“I have heard that the Namgung Clan belongs to the Righteous Faction. Is it not the function of the righteous to correct what is wrong?”
“…….”
As En Choo Ae spoke with earnest intensity, Ho Yeon began to sense something odd.
‘What’s this? By now she should’ve just sent a letter to the provincial lord of Sa Cheon. Why is she pressing the Namgung Clan so hard?’
“……It is too grave a matter for us to act alone. That is why we intended to drop a word to the Sa Cheon Tang Clan—who belong to both the Righteous Faction and the Baekga Maeng.”
“A word…… nothing more?”
“That is all.”
“Ah…….”
At Ho Yeon’s firm reply, En Choo Ae let out a lament.
Watching her, Ho Yeon—who’d been holding back—spoke more directly.
“If it troubles you so much, why not send word to the Sa Cheon governor yourself, Your Highness? Ask him to search Ban Ji Hwa.”
“……That’s impossible.”
“What?”
“I have……no power.”
At En Choo Ae’s words, Ho Yeon’s brow twitched.
The princess has no power? Then ordinary commoners must be crawling with influence.
When Ho Yeon sent her a look of disbelief, En Choo Ae smiled sadly and spoke.
“Do you know why I’m here and not in Beok Gyeong?”
“To attend to Her Majesty the Empress, who is convalescing, is it not?”
“That’s true, but it’s not the only reason.”
“……Then what is it?”
“My brothers and sisters despise me.”
At En Choo Ae’s words, Ho Yeon grasped the situation at once.
‘She said the Third Princess enjoyed the Emperor’s favor. That must have rubbed them the wrong way.’
En Choo Ae was the anomaly—royal blood typically bred such things.
Power was a demon that refused to be shared, not even between parent and child.
What bloodshed must occur in that pinnacle of all courts, the imperial palace itself?
“They watch my every move. If I sent a letter to the Sa Cheon governor, it would invite political interpretation.”
“……I see.”
Ho Yeon felt disheartened.
‘Tsk. Can’t be helped. I’ll just have to deal with the Baek Un Merchant Group alone.’
The original plan had been to expose and obliterate those Yeom Bang bastards entirely.
He’d intended to make them pay for daring to meddle in Hap Bi, where the Namgung Clan held sway.
But given how things stood, he’d leave the Yeom Bang alone and crush only the Baek Un Merchant Group.
‘The justification is solid. Uncover their smuggled salt operation and eradicate the clan—no one will dare object.’
As Ho Yeon recalculated his plans, En Choo Ae—who’d been worrying at her lip—looked up at him with gleaming eyes.
“Surely you are the martial master who earned the name Seonjeon Noe Ah?”
“……It’s an undeserved reputation. I simply possess certain martial techniques. My skill is nothing exceptional.”
“You’re wrong. You are exceptional. Not only in martial power, but in wisdom and judgment as well.”
“I doubt it. Truth be told, I’m an ignorant brute who’s never even read the Four Books and Three Classics.”
“Knowledge from books cannot compare to wisdom earned through living.”
Despite his protests, En Choo Ae persisted in her praise.
Ho Yeon, sensing where this was heading, thought with an expression like he’d bitten into something foul.
‘Don’t do this.’
But En Choo Ae betrayed his hopes without fail.
“Will you not save the suffering people of the En Dynasty?”
“……I am merely the child of a martial clan.”
“The Namgung Clan’s history predates the En imperial house. As a noble family, you wield considerable power.”
“I am neither clan lord nor deputy lord.”
“And yet, think of those who suffer even now!”
At his continued refusals, En Choo Ae rose from her seat with obvious agitation.
‘Damn it. Came to lance a boil and ended up planting a whole new one.’
Realizing this wouldn’t do, Ho Yeon spoke in a firm voice.
“Well Water Does Not Invade River Water.”
A well does not encroach upon a river.
“……You mean Officials and Martial Forces Cannot Invade Each Other. I know it.”
En Choo Ae nodded.
So long as the martial world did not threaten the throne, it was in the imperial interest to recognize the clans and sects as regional powers.
After all, the imperial court could not govern this vast Jung Won alone, nor could it spare the imperial army that guarded the borders to suppress the martial world.
“Then let me rephrase. I wish to make a personal appeal—not to the Namgung Clan, but to you, Ho Yeon.”
“…….”
“Save the people of the En Dynasty. If you do this…….”
With a soft whisper, she moved.
En Choo Ae slipped a hand into her crimson robe and withdrew a round elixir wrapped in gold foil.
“I give you this. Martial masters do love miracle elixirs, do they not?”
Whoosh! Clap!
The moment En Choo Ae produced the Gold-Wrapped Elixir, a man in dark clothes descended from the ceiling and prostrated himself.
“Your Highness. That is a safeguard to protect your life in times of crisis.”
The man who had been glaring at Ho Yeon with sharp eyes turned his gaze toward En Choo Ae and urged caution.
“It is not something to be handed over to that man under any circumstances.”
“Then will Hong Jak Dae Ju come forward instead?”
“……That cannot be done.”
“This won’t do and that won’t do either. You truly lack power, don’t you?”
“No! That is not it at all!”
“I…… I…… Hic!”
En Choo Ae’s voice trembled, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Oh! Your, Your Highness!”
The man in servants’ garb then panicked as if the world were collapsing, at a loss for what to do.
Ho Yeon found the sudden theatrics utterly absurd.
‘Wait, no one’s even ordered the rice cakes yet and here you are pounding away.’
This Gold-Wrapped Elixir—he had no idea what it truly was—but did they really think one measly pill could command the Sword Ghost of all the realm?
Nonsense. Pure nonsense.
“Hic! Do you think it foolish of me to worry for the people of the En Dynasty?”
“No, not at all! You are most noble!”
“Then why do you hinder my actions?”
“It is that……”
“I was born of the royal blood and taught that I must care for my people. Was that teaching wrong?”
“No…… it was not.”
Watching En Choo Ae persuade Hong Jak Dae Ju, Ho Yeon felt something stir within him.
‘Ah. So that’s why this seemingly simple woman survived in the imperial palace where scheming and intrigue run rampant.’
It was nothing but sincere conviction born of goodwill.
It was only natural that many would be drawn to this flower of such unspoiled idealism.
‘That Eon General and this Hong Jak Dae Ju—both were moved by the princess’s genuine heart.’
Loyalty follows naturally when one captures the human heart.
If Ho Yeon were to describe En Choo Ae in a single word, it would be: lotus.
A lotus blooms beautifully even in mud and filth.
‘The more the world descends into mire, the brighter that woman will shine.’
Jegal Ahyeon’s words unexpectedly came to mind.
“Light shows clearly in darkness. So everyone who approaches you must be a drifter desperately seeking light.”
‘That I and this woman are alike? Ha. As if.’
Ho Yeon let out a silent snort.
When he saw people this clean and pure, he broke out in hives.
Those who dreamed of an ideal world tended to die quickly.
“Hong Jak Dae Ju. I do not wish to become someone who treasures her own life while treating others’ lives as worthless.”
“But, but Your Highness……”
“This is for your sake as well. To be served by someone as noble as you, must I not first become a righteous person?”
“Your Highness!”
As En Choo Ae spoke with a gentle smile, Hong Jak Dae Ju trembled as if struck by lightning and cried out in rapture.
Rustle. Rustle.
En Choo Ae, having dismissed Hong Jak Dae Ju, stepped forward trailing her crimson robes, and stood before Ho Yeon.
She looked directly into his eyes and made her request with sincerity.
“Namgung Ho Yeon. I, En Choo Ae, third princess of the En Dynasty, humbly ask of you. Please save my people.”
“……”
Ho Yeon’s gaze flickered between the Gold-Wrapped Elixir she held out and En Choo Ae herself.
‘This woman. Do you enjoy setting the mood like this and making fools of people? This is no ordinary trick. She’s definitely a repeat offender.’
An ordinary righteous faction martial artist would have been moved by such a solemn request from the princess and leapt to action.
But who was he?
A wanted criminal across the martial world, a disaster among the realm’s wicked masters.
A true villain operating on an entirely different level from those half-baked righteous faction upstarts.
“I cannot……”
“Consider it an honor.”
Just as Ho Yeon was about to refuse, Hong Jak Dae Ju’s eyes blazed from behind, and he spoke.
“The Cheon Gang Dan is a rarity that can no longer be produced. A supreme spiritual elixir that instantly replenishes depleted inner force and heals any internal injury in one stroke.”
So what?
Did I ask for it?
Ho Yeon’s expression twisted at that very moment.
“Moreover, that spiritual essence will seep into the blood vessels and meridians, granting you complete freedom in wielding your inner force from this day forward.”
“……!”
At Hong Jak Dae Ju’s words that followed, Ho Yeon’s gaze shifted to the Cheon Gang Dan.
What? An elixir that permanently strengthened blood vessels and meridians?
“Please, I beg you…….”
When Ho Yeon offered no answer, En Choo Ae pleaded with an urgent voice.
Ho Yeon, who had been gazing at the Cheon Gang Dan as though entranced, handed over the folded letter and spoke in grave tones.
“How could I, as a subject of the En Dynasty, refuse a request from the Imperial Princess? Rest assured — I shall look into it.”
“Ah……!”
A brilliant smile bloomed across En Choo Ae’s face like a thousand blossoms opening at once.
By contrast, Ho Yeon’s expression was crossed by complex, subtle emotions.
‘……Damn it.’
The price was far too sweet to refuse.

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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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