Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 74

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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 74. The Sword Demon’s Shock
The faint light of a Night Luminous Pearl embedded in the ceiling fell upon a man with his eyes closed.
Seated in a cross-legged posture, he was a young man with unkempt hair and a thick beard covering his jaw.
His shoulders and chest were broad and well-defined, and his spine and neck, rigidly upright, stood firm as a sword ridge.
Whoosh!
Around the man, particles of blue qi whirled in a torrent, their motion resembling the grace of a Divine Dragon herding clouds.
Crack!
The blue clouds swirling around him compressed, then suddenly formed sharp threads of qi.
These blue threads extended in all eight directions—north, south, east, and west, as well as the four diagonals—occupying the entire octagon.
“Hngh……!”
Flash!
As the man’s eyes opened, a brilliant radiance burst from his blue irises, and something miraculous began to unfold.
Whisk, whisk!
Each of the eight threads extending outward split into ten strands, transforming into a total of eighty impossibly fine threads.
Whoooosh—!
The eighty threads rippled like waves on water, fluttering like the hand of heaven itself, before scattering once more into blue clouds.
Pfft.
“Phew. At last, the Eight Trigrams are complete.”
Namgung Cheonggang, the man who had dispersed the blue clouds, smiled with faint satisfaction.
Three years ago, his youngest brother Ho Yeon had presented the first glimmer of enlightenment—reaching the Emperor Sword Form through the Changung Muae Sword Technique.
Namgung Cheonggang had seized upon that slender thread of insight and thrown himself into Seclusion Training, unwilling to let it slip away.
And the result was his successful cultivation of the Emperor Sword Form—the highest pinnacle among the family techniques of the Namgung Clan’s lord.
‘It is all thanks to Ho Yeon.’
Though he had transmitted the incantations of the Emperor Sword Form as the young family head, he had been at a loss.
Even his father, who had taught him the incantations, had not fully grasped the true nature of the Emperor Sword Form.
In truth, Namgung Baek had mastered the Heaven Wind Emperor Sword Technique, which harmonized the Heaven Wind Sword Technique and the Emperor Sword Form, to an extreme degree.
Yet the Heaven Wind Emperor Sword Technique was merely a modified version, easier to learn—it could not be called the true Emperor Sword Form.
“At this level, it should be possible.”
Clench!
Namgung Cheonggang squeezed his fist tightly.
Why had he spent three whole years of his vigorous twenties languishing in the darkness of the Seclusion Chamber?
“I will obtain the title of Divine Dragon and proclaim to all under heaven that the Namgung Clan stands strong!”
The Dragon Phoenix Gathering was a proving ground where the next generation of masters in the martial realm was measured.
Those Later Generation Disciples who earned the titles of Divine Dragon and Divine Phoenix here found their names reverberating far beyond the four seas.
Should that come to pass, the renown of the Namgung name that preceded his own would rise as well.
‘I must do this.’
His eldest brother Sang Ah could certainly be called a prodigy, yet he lacked overwhelming talent, and Ho Yeon was undoubtedly a genius, but he was still young.
‘Ho Yeon must be eighteen now? Three years ago he was already emitting faint sword qi, so by now he may well have reached the First Rank Extreme, or perhaps even approached the Peak Extreme Realm.’
A gentle smile formed at the corners of Namgung Cheonggang’s firm lips.
No matter how much of a genius his flower-like, delicate youngest brother was, the wall of time was thick and unyielding.
‘Do not worry, Ho Yeon. By the time you grow, I will place the Namgung Clan upon a solid foundation.’
He harbored no intention of burdening his sickly younger brother, who fell ill at the slightest provocation, with such a heavy weight and forcing him to walk a thorny path.
Ho Yeon need only see beautiful things and grow up laughing brightly.
He would become the wall that protected the child, laying the groundwork in advance for Ho Yeon to frolic and play when he came of age.
“I suppose it’s time to leave.”
Namgung Cheonggang rose to his feet.
Today was his promised day of emergence from seclusion.
The thought of seeing his family’s faces for the first time in so long set his heart racing with anticipation.
Click!
Crack, crack, crunch!
As he activated the mechanical device, the massive boulder at the entrance of the Seclusion Chamber slowly slid to the side.
It was at that moment Namgung Cheonggang stepped toward the cool moonlight.
“You’re late?”
“Gasp……!”
Clink!
At the sudden voice, Namgung Cheonggang grasped the hilt of his sword.
A faint silhouette of a person began to resolve in his eyes, not yet adapted to the light.
The figure wore three swords at his waist, and no matter how keenly he extended his qi-sensing, he could not gauge that person’s realm.
Which meant one thing: this person stood above him, who had reached the Peak Extreme Realm.
‘……Who are you?’
Namgung Cheonggang braced himself, drawing Changung Qi up through his body.
This place was controlled by the Namgung Clan, so entry to outsiders would be strictly regulated.
Surely nothing had gone wrong with the clan?
“What are you doing?”
Just as Namgung Cheonggang was considering the worst possibilities, the stranger spoke again.
‘Hmm? That voice…?’
The moment Cheonggang recognized the familiar tone and sharpened his sight, the stranger’s vague silhouette grew clearer by the instant.
A young man with tousled hair loosely tied back, wearing a rumpled azure martial robe left unbuttoned, stared at him with a vacant expression.
“It can’t be….”
“Come home, brother. Everyone’s waiting.”
“…!”
At the young man’s words, Namgung Cheonggang’s eyes flew wide.
“Ho—Namgung Ho Yeon?”
“What?”
“You’re really Namgung Ho Yeon?”
“What else would I be, a tiger?”
Ho Yeon chuckled and, seeing his older brother for the first time in three years, gave him an appraising look. “Wow, you’ve gotten bigger. We came from the same womb—why do I grow in such small increments?”
“….”
“Ugh, the smell, though. You need to wash up, brother. You’re reeking like old bath water.”
“….”
“The beard might look decent, actually? No, Mother’s going to hate it.”
The young man scrutinizing him this way and that was unmistakably Ho Yeon, who had grown tremendously over the three years.
But Namgung Cheonggang felt bewilderment before joy could take hold.
‘At minimum Peak Extreme Realm. Maybe even beyond Peak…?’
Had Ho Yeon not only caught up to him over these three years, but surpassed him?
Gifted as he was, wasn’t this taking it too far?
‘Ah….’
Namgung Cheonggang felt hollow inside.
What he felt was not jealousy at his younger brother’s accomplishment.
Rather, he was genuinely proud of Ho Yeon’s remarkable growth.
But. But still.
‘I wanted to lay a foundation for you….’
Namgung Cheonggang’s shoulders sagged, and he bowed his head deeply.
On his first day out after three years of Seclusion Training, having cultivated the very winds themselves within his chest.
Namgung Cheonggang had lost his purpose.
“Ah, being too exceptional is a problem too.”
“Huh?”
“I wanted to protect you….”
“…?”
Ho Yeon tilted his head in confusion, watching Namgung Cheonggang breathe out a sigh deep enough to swallow the earth itself.
“What’s wrong with him?”
* * *
“Ah….”
How many times had he sighed since returning to the clan compound? He’d lost count.
The first thing that caught his eye was a series of buildings he’d never seen before within the compound.
And not just one or two small structures. There were nearly a dozen enormous buildings, sprawling like a minor estate.
“Namgung Jaryang, what are those?”
“Tea leaf storage.”
“And that one?”
“Grain storage.”
“What about that in the distance?”
“Ah, that’s the Cloud Water Hall. It’s where the outer disciples stay. We’ve been recruiting martial artists from outside for about a year now. The Escort Service Business has been booming.”
Namgung Cheonggang asked Namgung Jaryang, a close friend he hadn’t seen in a long time, as if he couldn’t comprehend. “Where on earth did all this money come from?”
“Money? We have more than we know what to do with.”
“What?”
The output from Seok Tok Land’s tea leaves is absolutely insane. As fast as they’re produced, the big merchants in Bei Jing come swinging bags of gold, raking it in with grabbing hands.”
“…Seok Tok Land?”
“Well, about that….”

Namgung Jaryang regarded Namgung Cheonggang as one might observe a rustic from the countryside, and proceeded to recount the events that had transpired.
“So… Ho Yeon bought land, and the finest tea leaves came pouring out of it?”
“That’s right.”
“And the high officials in Bei Jing couldn’t buy it because there wasn’t enough?”
“That’s what I’m telling you.”
“Does that even make sense?”
Namgung Cheonggang shook his head in disbelief, and Namgung Jaryang chuckled softly, lifting his shoulders in a shrug.
“How could a mere mortal judge the works of the Divine Dragon? I’ve given up trying to understand. It’s easier to simply enjoy it.”
……
Namgung Cheonggang stood dazed for a moment, then shook his head and murmured.
“Well then, you must have paid off all your debts to the Baekun Trading Company?”
“The Baekun Trading Company? They went under.”
“Wh—what did you say?”
“The Haehoo Trading Company took their place. There’s quite a story behind it…….”
Namgung Jaryang, speaking with the flair of a storyteller, recounted how the Baekun Trading Company had collapsed and how the wealthy Baek merchant had met his grotesque end.
“Smuggling salt, no less. Those idiots must have lost their minds.”
“It’s unimaginable now. Thanks to the Third Princess, the Salt Market Opening has begun, and salt is overflowing.”
……?
“In any case, isn’t it remarkable? Now that the northern fields have returned to the Namgung Clan’s care, the land has come alive.”
Namgung Jaryang gestured toward the granary as he continued.
“In fact, the yields have only increased. They say that even if you scatter seeds carelessly, they spring up like a jungle.”
“……Is this a tall tale?”
“Here’s the rest of the story: the Lord saw the surplus grain and distributed it as Relief Grain, so the Namgung Clan’s name has spread across Hap Bi like a tide.”
Namgung Jaryang, speaking as if reading from a classical novel, pointed to the massive roof tiles.
“Do you see those?”
……?
“We hadn’t been able to maintain them because we were investing in people instead, but now they finally match the Namgung Clan’s reputation.”
Focusing his keen gaze, Cheonggang could see that all the roof tiles, shattered by moonlight, were dyed in blue.
“My word, it would take tens of thousands of gold taels even to dye roof tiles like that…….”
“But in return, we’ve gained something more precious than money.”
Namgung Jaryang looked at Namgung Cheonggang and recited the Changung Order’s creed after a long time.
“Changung Muae.”
“Southern Heaven Brightness.”
For the azure sky has no end.
The southern sky shall grow bright.
“Do you see it? This brightened southern sky?”
……
“Now no one dares speak of the Namgung Clan’s decline.”
……
“Would you believe me if I told you that a single person changed all of this?”
“Ho Yeon…….”
“Ever since that child stepped into the foreground, the Namgung Clan’s standing has risen without end. In the jianghu, he is known as the Divine Electric Youth, and for a time he enjoyed considerable renown.”
There was something in Namgung Jaryang’s tone that went beyond mere trust and faith.
“If this isn’t the work of the Divine Dragon, then what is?”
“……Perhaps you’re right.”
Namgung Cheonggang gazed at the brilliantly blue roof tiles and nodded slowly.
The youngest brother he had wanted only to shelter and protect had grown tall without him knowing, now standing as guardian of the Namgung Clan.
‘While I was away, you’ve built the clan on solid stone.’
Namgung Cheonggang realized that Ho Yeon had already done everything he himself should have done.
The weight he had been silently bearing grew lighter, the tension in his jaw eased, and a peaceful smile blossomed across his face.
“Good. Now we have but one task ahead of us.”
Namgung Cheonggang turned to Namgung Jaryang and spoke.
“At the Dragon Phoenix Gathering, we proclaim the resurrection of the Namgung Clan.”
“Heh, that’s only natural. Everyone’s been waiting for it. We’ve been in intensive training for months.”
“I wonder how much progress they’ve all made.”
“Don’t be so sure. While you were in Seclusion Training, everyone went out on Escort Service assignments and gained real combat experience.”
“That’s something to look forward to.”
“And above all, the martial techniques our Lord has newly created are remarkably practical. We’ve reaped the rewards of that.”
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
“Well, it’s like this…….”
As Namgung Cheonggang walked toward the bathhouse, listening to Namgung Jaryang’s account, his receding figure gradually disappeared beyond the gleaming blue roof tiles.

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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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