Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 77

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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 77. The Sword Demon Appears Before the Masses
“Jeongju… It wasn’t this developed back in the old days.”
Namgung Ho Yeon leaned against the railing of the Baekak Heon, the residence assigned to the Namgung Clan by the Baekga Maeng, and muttered as he gazed down at the city of Jeongju.
Though darkness was creeping in, the streets teemed with people.
Even accounting for the Yongbong Jihoe period, it was a crowd that would have been unimaginable in the past.
“I suppose Gaebong or Nakyang would be different, but Jeongju never used to be like this.”
―Listen here. Cities develop according to their people. It’s not the people who follow the city.
Heukya Tae Geom responded to Namgung Ho Yeon’s muttering in a boisterous voice.
―Heh heh, fortunately for you, I’m well versed in the geography of this place. The old master spent a great deal of time wandering about.
“Oh? Really? Well, considering he hung from the Baekga Maeng’s waist for so long, it makes sense this place would be familiar to you. This is quite lucky.”
―Puh-hahaha! Praise this spirit!
“Impressive, truly impressive. I’ll sharpen you one of these days.”
Namgung Ho Yeon gave a half-hearted response to Heukya Tae Geom’s boasting and muttered to himself.
‘Come to think of it, that old man must be somewhere in this city too.’
The Shining Sword he had seen on that ship two years ago remained vivid in his mind.
“Remember me. I am Mo Yong Sang Cheon, the Radiant Sword Emperor. I will wait for you above this sky.”
“Mo Yong Sang Cheon…”
As Namgung Ho Yeon gazed down at Jeongju and murmured the name, Cheonlae Geom let out a false cough.
―Ahem! Boy. Don’t be impatient. You’re already fast enough as it is.
―That’s right, lad. Remember your miserable past. Back then you were far slower than now.
“I know that too. I’m just frustrated, that’s all.”
Namgung Ho Yeon shrugged as he spoke.
Though he had achieved the absurd accomplishment of reaching the pinnacle at eighteen, the path ahead still stretched before him like ninety thousand leagues.
‘I need to break through the Saengsa Hyeongwan quickly, achieve Seungbyeok, and then pursue that thing called Mansang Yusim.’
Namgung Ho Yeon gazed steadily at the dimming twilight.
Over the past two years, the Namgung Clan had undergone remarkable development.
Their financial situation had grown affluent to an almost unbelievable degree, and based on that foundation, they had improved the quality of their warriors through superior weapons and elixirs.
Moreover, they had gained practical experience through the escort trade business and recruited new warriors to strengthen their overall power.
‘Now no one calls our house a fading sunset anymore. But that doesn’t mean they see us as a rising sun either.’
The Namgung Clan still remained at the lowest rung of the Ten Great Houses.
There was only one reason for this.
‘The absence of a Jeoldae Gosoo. Tsk, even I can’t overcome this.’
Namgung Ho Yeon clicked his tongue inwardly.
Over the past few centuries, the Namgung had suffered endless decline.
Though he had seized them by the scruff of the neck and forced them upward, there was no way everything could normalize in mere years.
‘Especially since they’ve spent decades polishing mistaken insights. Such habits have become deeply ingrained in their very bones.’
Even the Third Elder, Namgung Mu Won, found it harder to discard false understanding than to fill in the gaps.
This alone would require more time.
‘Ah, what good does it do to blame time?’
Namgung Ho Yeon shook his head slowly.
Several times a day, the urge to break through the Saengsa Hyeongwan using the Uigi Yeondong welled up within him.
After all, he had pierced that path through shortcuts once before. Why shouldn’t he be able to take the easy route again?
‘Tch, don’t be hasty. Aim for the highest peak. This is the second chance you barely earned. This time, walk boldly down the main road.’
The Daedo Mumun.
The Great Way knows no obstacles.
Whereas the Geomgwi had wandered narrow alleys through fortune, Namgung Ho Yeon would advance down the grand path by following righteous principles.
“To do that, I’ll need to prove myself here first.”
Namgung Ho Yeon pushed off from the railing with a slight laugh and muttered to himself.
The Yongbong Jihoe.
This gathering, held once every five years over the course of several months, was one of the greatest festivals of the Jeongdo Murim.
According to rumor, those martial artists who advanced to the final eight received the titles of Dragon and Phoenix.
Depending on circumstances, eight Dragons and Phoenixes could be born, or there could be fewer, or even more, so it was said.
After all, titles are fundamentally not self-given—they are bestowed by others.
If one used cowardly tricks in the matches or fell drastically short compared to the other Dragons and Phoenixes, even reaching the final eight would not earn recognition.
Conversely, if one failed to reach the final eight but displayed a spectacular match, one could earn the title of Dragon or Phoenix.
―Boy, what sort of title will you receive? The Electric Dragon? The Thunder Dragon?
―For you, onikya, something like Ghost Dragon or Demon Dragon would fit perfectly.
Yet neither Cheonlae Geom nor Heukya Tae Geom doubted that Namgung Ho Yeon would fail to receive the title of Dragon.
They were simply curious as to which dragon he would become.
“I apologize to those innocent children, but I’ll crush them utterly and claim the title of the Divine Dragon.”
Ho Yeon smiled faintly as he answered.
The people within our family call me Shin Yong so often that I’ve grown utterly sick of it.
But I need to prove that their judgment was correct.
“I’d prefer to be called Namgung Shin Yong or Changcheon Shin Yong.”
Ho Yeon glanced down the darkening streets of Jeongju and left the room.
* * *
Taehwa Jeong was crowded with Later Generation Disciples belonging to the Baekga Maeng.
“Ah, the renowned Three-Eyed Swordsman So Hyeop! Delighted to make your acquaintance.”
“Oh, Lightning Blade Without Form Yang Chang Woo! The firstborn of the Yang family!”
“I’m from the Mu Family of Hunan…”
The Later Generation Disciples moved about the hall, familiarizing themselves with one another’s faces.
The Yongbong Jihoe was a place of competition, but also a place of social exchange.
Moreover, ever since the Baekga Maeng had broken away from the Murim Maeng thirty years ago,
the Yongbong Jihoe had become a battle of pride between the two organizations.
And external enemies bind internal members together in common cause.
The Baekga Maeng’s Later Generation Disciples felt a kinship and mingled freely with one another.
“Hmm…”
“My, who is that?”
“Ah, it’s just as the rumors say.”
Yet even among them, there were several clusters that one couldn’t easily approach.
They were all Later Generation Disciples of the Ten Great Houses, those most prestigious of clans.
“Ha-ha! So I told him straight—I’m the second son of the Sandong Ak Family. The fool nearly jumped out of his skin and ran!”
“Kra-ha-ha! There are worthless dogs everywhere. But I rather enjoy them, actually. There’s a certain pleasure in breaking their habits.”
On one side stood a lanky man with a spear slung across his shoulder, and before him sat a massive, solidly built giant roaring with laughter as he drank.
“That must be Ak San Seo of the Sandong Ak Family.”
“Then the one in front would be Hwangbo Pil Seong of the Hwangbo Family.”
“Perhaps because they’re both from Sandong Province? Their friendship seems remarkably deep.”
The Later Generation Disciples murmured as they watched the two men speak loudly, indifferent to their surroundings.
“Brother, brother! Aren’t you going to greet those two?”
A girl who appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen asked her brother.
The girl with the bun hairstyle wore a green robe and yellow slippers, looking impossibly cute and charming.
“Those two have poor reputations.”
“Really?”
“Ak San Seo’s arrogant nature is well captured in his alias, Lonely Towering Ghostly Spear. As for Hwangbo Pil Seong—he’s simply a blockhead. You can’t reason with an inanimate object.”
“My goodness! You can say things like that?”
When the girl’s eyes widened in surprise, her brother Dang Se Gi chuckled softly in reply.
“It’s fine. Our family’s reputation is worse.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re the Dang Family.”
“I want to make friends!”
“Then change your name. Tell them you’re Dan So Mi instead of Dang So Mi—a lie.”
“Pout!”
At Dang Se Gi’s words, Dang So Mi puffed out her cheeks and pointed to another group.
“What about that person?”
“Swift Blade Without Shadow Mo Yong Cheol. Saw him at the Baekga Geom-hoe—he’s garbage too. Rotten character.”
“And that one?”
“Money Ghost Sangwan Seong. If money’s involved, he’d sell even his own family.”
“What about that person standing alone? He looks neat and tidy.”
“That would be Eon Wun Yeop of the Jinju Eon Family. His personality isn’t bad—it’s just that he reeks of death.”
At Dang Se Gi’s hopeless explanation, Dang So Mi fell into despair.
“Goodness, isn’t there a single normal person? I mean, pretty sisters or handsome brothers!”
“Heh-heh, So Mi. If you want to befriend a normal person, you shouldn’t associate with Gangho disciples. Having a name in the martial world is proof of being abnormal.”
“Sigh—So Mi is so disappointed. I was hoping to flirt with someone decent.”
Dang Se Gi watched his younger sister sigh deeply, then muttered quietly to himself.
“…You’re hardly normal yourself, so don’t complain.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing at all. Hmm?”
The moment Dang So Mi’s eyes turned sharp as a viper’s head, Dang Se Gi averted his gaze.
Just then, men in blue martial robes came pouring into Taehwa Jeong.
Among them, Dang Se Gi’s gaze fixed on a young man whose loose robe hung open and whose expression was utterly bored.
“Hmm.”
“Oh my! Oh my goodness! Who is that handsome man?”
Dang So Mi’s eyes lit up the moment she spotted Ho Yeon.
Dang Se Gi chuckled softly and offered an explanation.
“Seonjeon Noe Ah, Namgung Ho Yeon. Probably the most famous person in this place.”
“Wow! That’s the person my brother mentioned! The prodigy who restored the Cheonroe Jewang Singong!”
As Dang Se Gi explained, the moment the Namgung Clan members entered, all eyes converged on a single point.
Two years ago, an unbelievable rumor struck the entire martial world of the Central Plains.
A genius of the age named Namgung Ho Yeon had restored the Cheonroe Jewang Singong and cut down Baek Jong Woo, the master of Baeknyak Sanjang and a Jeoldae Gosoo of supreme attainment.
He was only sixteen at the time.
Most people scoffed at the notion as absurd, yet they couldn’t entirely dismiss it either.
“Namgung Ho Yeon. Is the rumor really true?”
“Surely not. He’s been quiet for two years.”
“They say he restored the Cheonroe Jewang Singong?”
“I don’t believe it. That’s the secret technique of a Jeoldae Gosoo who was called the Heavenly Sword Saint three hundred years ago. It’s not something that can be restored through talent alone.”
The Cheonroe Jewang Singong.
That name carried immense weight.
It had become such a sensation that the entire martial world’s attention had turned to the Namgung Clan at the time.
Yet the Namgung Clan had issued no official statement, and Namgung Ho Yeon himself had shown little remarkable activity over the past two years.
“Hmph, the foam is far too thick. Is this low-grade liquor?”
“Hehe! Couldn’t agree more.”
Ak San Seo and Hwangbo Pil Seong scoffed as they watched Namgung Ho Yeon.
Since they hadn’t attended the Baekga Geomhoe, they believed the reputation of Seonjeon Noe Ah to be hollow fame.
“……Hiss.”
Mo Yong Cheol’s eyes, narrow and deep-set like a serpent’s, fixed on Ho Yeon before shifting to the figure beside him.
‘That one is Namgung Cheong Gang. Even as a child, he had a reputation as a prodigy. Indeed, has he reached that realm?’
Mo Yong Cheol regarded Ho Yeon’s older brother, Namgung Cheong Gang, with wariness.
He believed that brother was the true rival in this Yongbong Jihoe.
“Heh! There he is!”
Sangwan Seong, the Money Ghost, bared his teeth as he fixed his gaze on Namgung Ho Yeon.
‘This worthless brother of mine caught one fortunate break and now rides the dragon skyward? What? The Haehoo Sangdan, the first merchant house of Anhui? I’ll seize it for myself!’
The incompetent younger brother whom he had paid no mind to was now ascending with the dragon he’d met at the Baekga Geomhoe.
The Haehoo Sangdan, that laughable merchant house, was mining gold rather than tea leaves in Anhui’s western warehouses,
and had recently begun purchasing the merchant ships of the defunct Baekun Sangdan to venture into transshipment business.
‘All of that foundation rests on that man, Namgung Ho Yeon. In other words, if I turn his heart, all of it becomes mine!’
Sangwan Seong’s eyes gleamed as he began to study Ho Yeon intently.
If he loved money, he’d offer money; if he loved women, he’d offer women; if he loved weapons, he’d search the black markets for rare treasures to present to him.
“Brother! Is that man all right? Tell me he’s all right! Please, hurry!”
“Hehe, didn’t I already tell you, So Mi?”
“When?”
“When someone makes a name for themselves in the Gangho, that’s proof they’re abnormal, isn’t it?”
Dang Se Gi stroked his younger sister’s head and spoke with sincere conviction.
“That fellow is the most famous here. Which means he’s the strangest fellow of all.”
* * *
‘Why are they all staring? Do they want to greet me?’
―Puhahahaha! We’re surrounded, boy! Let’s cut down all these idiots and escape!
―No!
As everyone’s gaze concentrated upon him, Ho Yeon’s mood soured considerably.

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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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