Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 83

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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 83. The Sword Demon and the Brother Emperor
The main tournament was down to 128 competitors.
Seven matches total until the finals.
But since the total number of matches came to 127, the main tournament would be held over the next fortnight.
“Huff! Huff! I’ve lost.”
A Daoist with a single red plum blossom embroidered on his sleeve acknowledged his defeat with a dazed expression.
Sheath.
Ho Yeon sheathed the Flowing Love Sword and tilted his head in puzzlement.
“That’s strange. I’ve always understood the Huashan sword to be rooted in speed, transformation, and illusion—executing Thousand Changes Myriad Transformations. But yours relies only on speed.”
“…….”
“Looking at the red plum on your sleeve, you appear to be a plum blossom swordmaster. Yet you haven’t learned the Twenty-Four Hand Plum Blossom Sword Technique?”
Ho Yeon posed the question with genuine curiosity.
‘Back in my sword demon days, when I cut down those Huashan Daoists, the scent of plum blossoms always made my nose ache.’
But this Daoist before him couldn’t even conjure a single plum blossom at his blade’s tip, never mind the fragrance. It was decidedly odd.
“Ha, haha…….”
Un Am, the third-generation disciple of Huashan Sect and master of the plum blossom blade, answered with a hollow laugh.
“Young Master Namgung. The Twenty-Four Hand Plum Blossom Sword Technique fell into disuse long ago.”
“Mm……?”
“When the Sword Demon massacre happened, all of Yeon Hwa Bong burned. Many ancestors perished, and countless martial arts were lost in the chaos—numbering in the hundreds.”
“…….”
Ho Yeon fell silent at Un Am’s words.
―This crazy bastard. Asking the victim if they’re alright?
―Gah-ha! How cruel, how delicious!
At the remarks of Sky Thunder Sword and Black Night Great Sword echoing in his mind, Ho Yeon smacked his lips inwardly.
‘Tsk, now that you mention it, there was something like that, wasn’t there?’
Back then, he’d been consumed by such fierce heat that he’d rampaged without thought or restraint.
He had a vague memory of slashing everything in sight and playing with fire…….
“Ahem. My apologies.”
“Haha, think nothing of it. Let it be known someday—it was our sect that mislaid the connection between the Sword Demon and this grievance.”
Un Am continued with a measured laugh.
“Since that day, our sect has been far more stringent in selecting disciples. Emphasizing character over talent, you understand.”
“…….”
“So I ask that you not judge the spirit of Huashan lacking merely because my own talent is meager.”
“……I never thought such a thing.”
“The Red Moon Shadow Flower Sword that Young Master Namgung created—it rivaled our plum blossom blade without a shred of inferiority. I am grateful for the broadening of my perspective.”
Clasp.
Un Am offered a fist salute and gazed at Ho Yeon.
A fierce, burning desire gleamed in his eyes.
“The victor! Namgung Ho Yeon!”
With Gu Il Bi’s pronouncement, Ho Yeon descended from the tournament arena.
“Hm, this time too he matched martial arts with his opponent’s strong suit.”
“Indeed, the Young Master! Spear against spear, illusion sword against illusion sword……is that it?”
“You fool. What illusion sword does Huashan wield? Unless you mean the hollow eunuch blade. Haha!”
The spectators praised Ho Yeon for displaying the Transformation Sword, once Huashan’s specialty—at least three centuries past.
Yet Ho Yeon’s expression remained dark.
‘Damn, that stirred up some unpleasant memories.’
Ghosts of the past surfaced, dampening his mood as he glanced about restlessly.
Namgung Cheong Gang and Namgung Sang Ah would be meditating and cultivating their energy in their quarters, as they faced formidable opponents in the next round.
‘Where’s the girl?’
The person Ho Yeon sought was Jegal Ahyeon.
But she had already fought her bout yet vanished somewhere.
‘What’s she been doing gallivanting about these days?’
She showed her face faithfully each morning, but come afternoon, she’d slip away without a trace.
Without her volunteering the information first, it felt awkward to ask what she was up to.
“Tsk, I suppose I’ll go grab some candy…….”
“Friend!”
Patter-patter, patter-patter-patter!
Just as the sulking Ho Yeon turned to leave, a lanky, monkey-faced Daoist came bounding toward him with a radiant grin.
“That match was incredible! You’re truly my friend!”
“……Don’t you ever get tired of calling me that?”
Ho Yeon frowned as he watched Hye Il.
After taking several blows to the head from the Layered Cloud Myriad Tribulation Palm, something had clearly gone wrong with him.
Ever since that day, whenever Hye Il saw Ho Yeon, he’d come charging over, calling him friend.
“Ha ha! Get tired of it? But you’re my friend!”
“You don’t have any friends but me.”
“That’s right.”
…….
This mad hermit fool.
Ho Yeon turned away with an irritated expression.
“Friend, where are you going?”
“To get some candy.”
“Gasp! Candy? But isn’t that terribly bad for your body?”
“It’s good for the mind.”
“Really? Then isn’t it a Spirit Pill?”
“Spirit Pill or whatever—close enough.”
“W-well, if my friend is eating it, maybe I should try some too? I’ve never eaten candy before in my life.”
“You’re insane. You’ve wasted half your life.”
“Such harsh words aren’t kind. I wish my friend would speak more gently.”
“What, are you the master of a sect now? You long-armed ape.”
“Long-armed ape? Ah, so that’s what an affectionate nickname is? Truly, we are friends!”
…….
“Then I shall call you Grumpy.”
“I’ll kill you.”
* * *
Cheers echoed from afar.
Someone had won.
“Hehe, does it concern you, ma’am?” Cheol Mu Gu asked with a smile.
Cheol Mu Gu chuckled as he spoke.
Jegal Ahyeon turned her gaze toward him and replied.
“Not at all.”
“Hehe, yet your eyes keep wandering outward, doesn’t it seem?”
“Ho Yeon’s victory is inevitable. I’m not worried in the slightest.”
As Jegal Ahyeon smiled softly, Cheol Mu Gu swallowed hard.
Meeting those gentle chestnut eyes and catching the subtle scent of sandalwood, any man’s heart would naturally begin to race.
‘I can’t tell if this woman is human or something else entirely. If I’m careless, she might extract every secret I have—real or imagined.’
As the Yong Bong Ji Hoe progressed, Jung Ju was home to five women known as the Five Flowers of Martial Arts—those who embodied both beauty and martial prowess.
Among them, Jegal Ahyeon was called the Wisdom Flower, a name derived from her family name.
And Cheol Mu Gu was beginning to keenly feel that the title was no exaggeration whatsoever.
“Hehe, with the Wisdom Flower lending her strength to our joint investigation team, we are as formidable as ten thousand soldiers.”
“Oh my, I’m relying entirely on you, the great Cheol, the man of boundless virtue.”
“My goodness! You flatter this humble beggar far too much.”
Cheol Mu Gu scratched his head earnestly, playing the fool.
Yet Jegal Ahyeon knew full well that every gesture he made was carefully calculated.
‘If I underestimate him for his poverty or dismiss him for his careless laughter, his sharp gaze will pierce through that very opening.’
The Inferior Revealing Truth—a principle stating that people show their true nature when in the company of those they deem beneath them.
And Cheol Mu Gu was a master at wielding this principle.
Cheol Mu Gu had cultivated this technique into an art form.
‘Tsk, this woman is truly formidable.’
Cheol Mu Gu, in turn, observed Jegal Ahyeon’s flawless smile and confirmed once again that she was no simple opponent.
True to the name she bore as a woman of the Jegal Clan, her mind worked swiftly and her handling of affairs was deft.
And above all, her greatest strength lay in her ability to command people.
“My lady. The seal bearer has arrived.”
“Show him in.”
Creak!
At Jegal Ahyeon’s permission, Yang Deok Jo, the seal bearer, entered the room and handed her a letter.
Rip!
Jegal Ahyeon tore open the letter and examined it, then nodded slowly.
“Thank you for your service.”
“I shall wait outside.”
Creak!
Cheol Mu Gu watched the departing pavilion master through the doorway and spoke quietly.
“The eldest of the Gansuk Five Heroes—Yang Deok Jo, the Righteous Sword of Western Liang. A master who has reached the Perfection Stage. The consensus has always been that he belongs to no faction… but.”
Cheol Mu Gu turned his gaze toward Jegal Ahyeon and asked, “How did you persuade him?”
“How did you persuade him?”
“Hehe, I simply offered him what he desired.”
“And that is?”
“A dream.”
……
Sensing from Jegal Ahyeon’s cryptic words that she had no intention of elaborating, Cheol Mu Gu gestured toward the documents.
“And these?”
“A status report. I’ve placed surveillance on individuals of interest.”
“Individuals of interest?”
Cheol Mu Gu’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
Hidden beneath the clamor of the festival, Jung Ju had been plagued by a string of sinister incidents.
Beyond the well-known tale of the Jeom Chang Sect’s martial opponents vanishing, several other incidents had unfolded quietly.
“You must know—several schools affiliated with the Baekga Maeng were ambushed by assassins on their way to the Yong Bong Ji Hoe.”
“Such things are common enough in the martial world.”
“Even the Namgung Clan was attacked. The assassins used sword techniques belonging to the Dan Ri Clan.”
A slight frown crossed Cheol Mu Gu’s face.
“Two years ago, at the Baekga Geom-hoe, the Namgung Clan and the Dan Ri Clan had a minor conflict. Someone is clearly trying to exploit that to drive them apart.”
“The Borrowed Knife Murder strategy to provoke Internal Chaos.”
“Up to that point, it was a crude scheme. But the true problem emerged afterward.”
As Jegal Ahyeon’s eyes brightened, Cheol Mu Gu’s eyebrows twitched again.
“What problem?”
“When someone loses a family member or is wounded by assassins, they struggle to maintain reason. If someone nearby then incites them to vengeance, what do you think they’ll do?”
“They’d act on it.”
“Some have. On the tournament grounds.”
“A few days ago, Un Cheon Un, a later generation disciple of the Un family from Sichuan, severed the arm of a fourth-rank disciple of the Qingcheng Sect.”
Cheol Mu Gu’s expression hardened visibly.
The incident that had unfolded during the preliminary matches had the Qingcheng Sect in an uproar.
“But the most notable case is the disappearance of the Jeom Chang Sect’s martial opponents. That one showed some cunning.”
Jegal Ahyeon continued with a faint smile.
“Rather than striking directly at the Jeom Chang Sect, they chose to undermine their reputation and prestige.”
“In fact, the Jeom Chang Sect is now under suspicion from many in the martial world.”
“I suspect the perpetrator is Cho Jin Gwang, the young master of the Cho family estate in Yunnan.”
……!
Cheol Mu Gu’s eyes widened at her words.
‘She’s deduced that much?’
Cheol Mu Gu himself had marked Cho Jin Gwang as a person of suspicion.
But that was only possible because he held a position where he could mobilize the Gae Bang, that vast information network.
Jegal Ahyeon, without such resources, had arrived at Cho Jin Gwang’s identity through logic alone.
“He lost his younger brother, Cho So Pyeong, to the assassins and burns with thirst for vengeance.”
Jegal Ahyeon had learned this through the Simseogamhwa.
She had sensed Cho Jin Gwang’s raw, burning desire for revenge seething beneath his outwardly calm facade.
“Creating grievances, turning their arrows upon each other, inciting them through deception—one name comes to mind.”
“The Red Eye Secret Pavilion.”
Cheol Mu Gu confirmed that Jegal Ahyeon had reached the same conclusion as himself and spoke freely.
“The Gae Bang also suspects that Gu Cheon Seong stands behind these incidents.”
“Does it trouble him that the Orthodox Festival concludes so successfully?”
“The primary aim is likely to drive a wedge between the Martial Alliance and the Baekga Maeng.”
“In that case, why not join forces here and drag the snake out of the grass together?”
“That is what I hoped for.”
Cheol Mu Gu smiled at Jegal Ahyeon’s strategic acumen and how readily she grasped the matter.
“The Martial Alliance will have Ja Song, the Five Path Sword Master, step forward.”
“A supreme master of the Hyeong San Sect. Our Baekga Maeng will have Dan Ri Jeok, the Segment Flow Flying Sword master, come forward to restore his honor.”
“Ah, the vice-master of the Ten Character Heaven Sword Sect himself. Two supreme masters being dispatched—I’m almost concerned it’s excessive.”
“Better excessive than insufficient.”
“Once we have the tail in hand, I’ll send word. Let us show this world what the Baekga Maeng and the Martial Alliance are made of.”
“That is precisely what I hope for.”
Cheol Mu Gu and Jegal Ahyeon exchanged similar smiles.
* * *
“Next match: Ak San Seo of the Shandong Ak Family versus Namgung Cheong Gang of the Namgung Clan!”
The moment Gu Il Bi finished speaking, cheers erupted from the crowd surrounding the tournament arena.
“Ooh, what a showdown!”
“The Shandong Ak Family—aren’t they the house of the Mad Wind Spear King?”
“Ak San Seo and his Lonely High Ghost Spear! Is it true he’s actually drawn forth Spear Qi?”
“His opponent is Namgung Cheong Gang, the young master of the Namgung Clan—the Blue Cloud Sword Hand who summons azure clouds!”
Whirlwind!
A man in a martial robe leapt onto the tournament arena like a sudden gust, landing with a solid thud.
Thud-thud-thud! Boom!
Ak San Seo spun the Serpent Spear, whose blade undulated like a serpent’s coils, and struck the ground.
“Hehehehe.”
In contrast to Ak San Seo’s flamboyant entrance, Namgung Cheong Gang climbed the tournament arena’s steps slowly, one by one.
“Oh my! The Ice Surface Sword—so refined!”
“I embroidered this handkerchief myself!”
“Do your best!”
“You’ll win for sure!”
The attention of several young ladies surrounding the arena was fixed not on Ak San Seo, but on Namgung Cheong Gang.
“Tsk.”
Ak San Seo clicked his tongue at their response and looked Namgung Cheong Gang up and down.
A martial robe of blue silk draped a tall frame—broad shoulders, a sturdy chest. His features were bold and angular, yet his expressionless face radiated a chilling frost.
“Ice Surface Sword? For a martial artist to bear such an epithet is an embarrassment. Know shame.”
“…….”
“I was inclined to hold back, seeing as you may yet become my brother-in-law, but it seems you need a lesson in the ways of the jianghu.”
“…….”
Ak San Seo’s provocative words left Namgung Cheong Gang unmoved.
He gazed upward and murmured softly.
“The sky is blue, and the clouds are high.”
“What?”
“A perfect day to announce that the sovereign of Namgung has returned.”
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
From Namgung Cheong Gang’s entire body, the weighty presence of an emperor began to radiate outward.

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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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