Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 7

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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 7. The Sword Demon Seizes Lightning
Ho Yeon focused his mind on the Lower Dantian.
Immediately, a vast expanse of blue sky unfurled before his eyes.
Pristine white clouds drifted through the azure heavens, dominating all beneath them.
‘Cheon Noe Je Wang Jin Gu So. Eum Yang Sang Gyeok Hwa Sin Noe. Ki Chui Dan Jeon Noe Jeong Ki. Je Wang Ji Sae Eo Man Noe.’
Ho Yeon slowly recited the Gu Gyeol of the Cheon Noe Je Wang Sin Gong.
At once, within the red storm clouds, Yang Ki Hwan and Eum Ki Hwan began colliding with each other.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Crackle-crackle-crack!
The two opposing forces generated friction, creating Jeon Ap with each collision.
The white clouds transformed in an instant into black storm clouds, pregnant with white lightning.
Snap! Crackle-crackle-snap!
“Ah! Old master! What do I do now?” Ho Yeon called out urgently, and Cheon Noe Geom replied in an unhurried voice.
―Keep amplifying the Cheon Noe Ki.

“What?”
―Just let it be, I said!
“But what exactly—ugh!”
Crack! Crackle-crackle-crack!
As he spoke, the red storm clouds transformed completely into a lightning storm.
The Cheon Noe Ki thrashed wildly as if the clouds were too cramped for its fury.
Ho Yeon, losing control, cried out in alarm.
“No, Master! Are you serious? Even if you despise me, is this how you take your revenge?”
―What are you talking about?
“You tell me to teach you the cultivation method, then try to kill me? You bald old fool!”
―You insolent brat! Just go ahead and die!
“I’m dying anyway, you cursed geezer!”
Boom-boom-boom!
The Cheon Noe Ki had now completely slipped from Ho Yeon’s control, moving of its own accord.
The Qi had slipped from his grasp?
That could mean only one thing.
Ju Hwa Ip Ma.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
As Ho Yeon struggled desperately to regain control,
Cheon Noe Geom’s stern voice cut through.
―You fool! I told you to let it go!
“Shut up, you murderous blade! Did you pick me as your second victim?”
―Trust the sword! You cannot control the Cheon Noe Ki anyway!
“What?”
―It’s not about control—it’s about guiding it!
“What kind of nonsense is that—!”
―Recite the Gu Gyeol! Quickly!
Spurred on by Cheon Noe Geom’s urging, Ho Yeon began reciting the Gu Gyeol of the Cheon Noe Je Wang Sin Gong.
‘Ju Cheon Un Jeon In Cheon Ji. Yang Seung Eum Gang Sae Yeo Jo. Un Jip Mu San Pung Noe Dong. Cheon Hwa Ji Su Sang Gyo Yung. Sim Sin Hab Il Tong Cheon Ri. Ho Heuk To Nap In Noe Jeong…….’
Boom-boom-boom!
Crackle-crackle-snap!
The clouds were no longer visible.
All that could be seen was an enormous mass of electricity, countless bundles of lightning writhing and tangled together.
‘Dan Jeon Il Jeom Hwa Man Cheon. Noe Gwang Seom Seok Pa Jang Gong. Je Wang Sin Tong Neung Gu Cheon. Jang Sim Noe Dong Jin Geon Gon. Noe Jeong Man Gyun Hwa Wi Geom. Il Geom Hwi Chul Pa Chang Gung…….’
Ho Yeon recited the Gu Gyeol with desperate fervor.
What came next, he did not know.
If he died, so be it.
‘Cheon Ji Wi Ro Ryeon Sin Noe. Noe Ji Gon Gon On Sin Ki. Je Wang Il No Cheon Ji Byeon. Man Noe Je Bal Pa Mi Mu.’
The Gu Gyeol ended.
A moment of absolute silence.
Thunder.
Rumble!
Flash―boom!
With a sound that shook heaven and earth, white lightning descended from the storm clouds.
‘…Am I dying?’
Well, I’ve already died once before.
It wasn’t much.
Though I might still feel a little……
regret?
―Well done. That’s what’s known as the Seon Do Noe.
“What? The old man died too? Strange. Can a sword die?”
―What are you going on about? The Hu Do Noe will come next, so prepare yourself.
“Huh?”
Ho Yeon watched in detached bewilderment as things unfolded within his Dan Jeon.
The Cheon Noe Ki, breaking free from the clouds, stretched its branches skyward in multiple directions like an inverted growing tree, embroidering the blue heavens.
And then, the next moment.
Crack-boom!
A lightning strike incomparably more powerful than before shot upward from below in a straight line, returning as suddenly as it had struck.
Whoooosh!
Crackle-pop!
The clouds that received the returning lightning brightened, gathering their energy.
“……huh? What—?”
Ho Yeon’s eyes widened as he felt the Cheon Noe Ki surge noticeably stronger.
―The Seon Do Noe descends slowly, carving a path, and the Hu Do Noe ascends along that path in one breath. This is the Il Ju Cheon of the Cheon Noe Je Wang Sin Gong. The Seon Noe Hu Jeon.
Following the Cheon Noe Geom’s explanation, Ho Yeon attempted the Il Ju Cheon once more.
Rumble!
Crash-boom!
Again, lightning fell and returned.
Again.
Once more.
Whoooosh!
With each repetition of the Il Ju Cheon, the amount of Cheon Noe Ki increased little by little.
The energy that had been an uncontrolled wild horse began to follow Ho Yeon’s guidance like a tame, docile lamb.
Flash!
Ho Yeon opened his eyes.
Silence surrounded him.
He still sat cross-legged, the Cheon Noe Geom resting on his knees.
Yet Ho Yeon knew he had changed.
Lifting his right hand to examine it quietly, a single strand of white lightning crackled forth.
Crackle-pop!
Faint, but.
The Cheon Noe Ki.
* * *
“My boy, what on earth has happened to you?”
Stroke. Stroke.
Ho Yeon lay nestled in Peng So Hwa’s embrace as she combed his hair.
“Just yesterday it wasn’t like this……”
Peng So Hwa brushed her youngest son’s hair with meticulous care, bewildered at how locks that had been smooth as silk were now standing on end overnight.
Yet no matter how much she combed, fine wisps kept rising again, forcing her to comb anew.
‘Free me from this already, woman.’
As a result, Ho Yeon had now spent more than an hour trapped in Peng So Hwa’s embrace while she combed.
‘Comb all you want. It won’t settle down.’
Ho Yeon had succeeded in cultivating the Cheon Noe Je Wang Sin Gong last night.
And ever since he’d begun to control the Cheon Noe Ki, his hair had started to stand on end.
The Cheon Noe Ki circulating throughout his body was naturally generating static electricity.
Stroke. Stroke.
“Perhaps the weather’s turning cold?”
Peng So Hwa tilted her head as she combed Ho Yeon’s hair, which refused to settle no matter how much she worked at it.
“Hehe, how adorable you are.”
“……”
Unable to restrain herself at the sight of her youngest son’s tousled cuteness, Peng So Hwa laughed aloud and pinched his cheek.
‘Let go! Release me!’
Ho Yeon desperately suppressed the urge to flee, waiting only for this humiliating moment to end.
―Pffft, the ferocious wild cat has finally met his match.
‘Shut up, old man!’
When Ho Yeon shot a glare at Cheon Noe Geom, who was taunting him,
Peng So Hwa declared her surrender.
“This simply won’t do. I’ll have to get some Ama Yu Na Gam Ram Yu and apply it.”
Ho Yeon’s eyes brightened—finally, it was over.
But Peng So Hwa showed no sign of letting him go.
Instead, she pulled him closer and began patting him gently.
“My dear, have you been losing sleep lately?”
“…No.”
“Then why won’t you sleep in bed? The servants say they’re startled every morning finding you elsewhere.”
“…”
Ho Yeon fell silent at her question.
It was a habit from his days as the Sword Demon.
Stretching both legs out on a bed and sleeping?
That was practically asking to be killed.
‘A blade could come flying from anywhere at any moment—I can’t afford to be defenseless.’
For this reason, when he slept, he held a sword close to his chest and rested his back against a wall, taking only light, fitful naps—a habit that had become his life.
His senses had to remain vigilant at all times, and with each passing day, his nerves grew sharper.
Even after becoming Ho Yeon, that habit had not easily faded.
“You need deep sleep to grow tall, you know.”
“Yes.”
“Or would you like to sleep with Mother?”
“What?”
“I’ll sing you a lullaby.”
“Ah, no! That’s all right!”
‘Is she trying to kill me?’
Ho Yeon panicked and refused at Peng So Hwa’s words.
At that, Peng So Hwa spoke with a slightly deflated tone.
“So…? I suppose you like your sister more than Mother?”
“Huh?”
Wait, how did the conversation turn in that direction?
As Ho Yeon faltered, Peng So Hwa continued.
“Sang A was showing off the Nabi Tteol Jam you gave her. So you bought it for her?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Mother likes gifts too, you know…”
Peng So Hwa spoke in an aggrieved tone, and Ho Yeon laughed awkwardly in response.
“Ha, haha. Actually, I did want to buy you a gift too, but I couldn’t find anything suitable.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes—somehow you seem suited to Mok Ryeon, but I haven’t seen any like that around.”
At Ho Yeon’s words, Peng So Hwa’s eyes widened and she nodded enthusiastically.
“That’s right! Mok Ryeon is Mother’s favorite flower. You remember?”
“…Vaguely.”
“Hehe. So you do? My Ho Yeon loves Mother most, after all.”
Peng So Hwa embraced Ho Yeon with a beaming smile, playfully ruffling him.
‘Ugh, I really…’
While being toyed with by Peng So Hwa, Ho Yeon gazed out the window.
The sun had already climbed to its height, and seeing it, Ho Yeon’s eyes flashed.
Up he sprang!
Ho Yeon bolted from Peng So Hwa’s embrace and leapt to his feet.
“Oh, that reminds me—I promised to help Father with his work starting today!”
“What? Absolutely not! You still need to rest…!”
“It’s fine! I’ll be back soon!”
Patter-patter-patter!
As Ho Yeon fled from the room, Peng So Hwa’s sharp voice rang out behind him.
“No! This boy is really…!”
―Tsk, tsk, tsk. Sowing discord between parents, no less. Such ingratitude.
Cheon Noe Geom clicked his tongue and rebuked him, and Ho Yeon chuckled cynically as he murmured.
“Well, first I have to survive.”
The legendary Sword Demon.
He would not suffer being petted any longer.
* * *
“Welcome, sir. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Ho Yeon arrived at Chang Gung Jeon, where the family head’s residence was located.
An elderly man who appeared to be over seventy greeted him.
“And you are?”
“Ah, forgive me. I am Man Ri Choo, the steward of this household. I have served the Namgung Family for generations.”
Man Ri Choo introduced himself while watching the youngest master, who stood leaning on one leg.
‘Hmm, so it’s true that he’s lost his memory….’
Man Ri Choo felt a pang of sympathy for the youngest master, who had lost his memories in an unexpected accident.
“Ah? Where is Father?”
“The family head is currently attending to a guest. Allow me to guide you instead.”
Man Ri Choo led the way, and Ho Yeon followed behind him.
They arrived at a room not far from the family head’s quarters, where over a hundred swords of various kinds leaned against the walls.
“Oh!”
“By the family head’s orders last night, these swords were hurriedly brought out from Cheon Pung Moo Go. Though these are merely a small portion, of course.”
“This is just a small portion?”
“Yes.”
Ho Yeon nodded at Man Ri Choo’s explanation.
“Very well. What am I to do?”
“You are to examine the swords and classify them according to their condition.”
Man Ri Choo handed over a bundle of documents and continued.
“Swords ready for immediate battlefield use shall be classified as first-grade, those requiring repair as second-grade, those suitable for melting down as third-grade, and all others as fourth-grade scrap.”
“Simple enough.”
As Ho Yeon accepted the documents and nodded, Man Ri Choo gazed at him with satisfaction.
‘His health is still poor, yet he wishes to be of service to the family. Indeed, having some work to occupy himself will be good for his wellbeing.’
Unaware of Geom Sim Gam Eung, Man Ri Choo believed this to be merely a cataloging task.
But the reality was quite different.
‘A sword must be at least three hundred years old to qualify as first-grade. Anything too new is worthless.’
The grades Ho Yeon would assign differed entirely from what Man Ri Choo imagined.
“Well then, take your time. I shall leave you to it.”
Thump.
As Man Ri Choo departed, Ho Yeon surveyed the swords once more.
“What do you think, old one?”
―What’s there to say?
“Any familiar blades among them?”
―Well, that broken Ban Geom over there catches my eye. Looks like some girl’s sword from five hundred years ago—the one they called the Undefeated Iron Blade?
“Is that so? Anything else?”
―And… wait, what? Why am I taking orders from you?
Cheon Noe Geom spoke as if bewildered, and Ho Yeon shrugged as he replied.
“Well, if you hate it, forget it. That dead brat will just weep tears of blood in the afterlife…….”
―Fine! Fine! That one! And that one! Bring that one over!
“About time you cooperated.”
―……You despicable wretch!
As Cheon Noe Geom spoke, trembling, Ho Yeon let out a dry laugh.
“Where will you find anyone as virtuous as I am? Am I doing this for my own pleasure?”
―You have no respect for order and propriety!
“Perhaps not for propriety, but I know the saying—the like cleave to the like. We’re in similar straits, so let’s help each other.”
―Why would I be similar to you! I am Kundata!
“Ah, is that so? How impressive your Kundata is.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
It was as Ho Yeon picked up the swords Cheon Noe Geom had pointed out, bantering absurdly with the blade.
“Nonsense!”
A sharp voice suddenly erupted from nearby.
From the direction of the family head’s quarters.
It was Namgung Baek’s voice.

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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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