Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 86

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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 86. The Sword Demon and the Troubled Maiden
Several days had passed.
The eight finalists were announced as follows.
Namgung Ho Yeon of the Namgung Clan.
Namgung Cheong Gang of the Namgung Clan.
Paeng Gu Pae of the Haebuk Paeng Clan.
Jegal Ahyeon of the Jegal Clan.
Beom Seok of the Shaolin Sect.
Won Yeop of the Jeom Chang Faction.
Nan Ah of the Ami Faction.
Il Seong of the Wudang Faction.
‘Weasel and my sister fell short in the sixteen. Nothing to be done about it—they drew poor opponents.’
Namgung Ja-ryang had the misfortune of facing Namgung Cheong Gang, and Namgung Sang Ah fell to Paeng Gu Pae.
Whether those two would earn the honorific titles of Dragon and Phoenix now rested in the whispers of gossip-mongers.
‘At least the Dragon seat should be vacant, so there’s a chance.’
Won Yeop, third-generation disciple of the Jeom Chang Faction, had advanced to the finals yet earned no recognition from the crowd.
He had won far too many matches by default.
As a result, no one regarded Won Yeop as a Dragon candidate, and word had it the Jeom Chang Faction was in mourning.
‘As expected, Beom Seok made the championship.’
The formidable Beom Seok had crushed Paeng Gu Pae in the semifinals and Namgung Cheong Gang in the quarterfinals.
Though it pained him to say it, Ho Yeon had harbored no doubt from the start that Namgung Cheong Gang would fall.
‘That man’s head is a size larger than everyone else’s. He’s already stepped into the threshold of the Supreme Peak Realm.’
His spiritual attainment was plainly beyond the level of a later generation disciple.
It was reason enough to look forward to tomorrow’s championship bout.
“By the way, what are you all doing here?”
Four pairs of eyes turned toward Ho Yeon at his question.
“We’re friends!”
“Heh heh, we came to cheer our sword friend before the decisive match.”
“I’ve decided to take you as my master. Teach me your secret arts for winning the affection of the young ladies!”
“Hmm? Isn’t this a self-help group?”
Ho Yeon’s gaze moved past Hye Il, Un Am, and Gwang Myeong in turn, settling on a young woman tilting her head in confusion.
She wore a white robe and was a delicate beauty with round eyes and bright teeth, her short hair framing an elegant face.
“You three I can account for. But who are you?”
“Hye Il invited me along. Isn’t this the Nakjeon Society?”
“Nakjeon Society? A gathering struck by lightning?”
Ho Yeon fixed Hye Il with a look as if to ask whether he was the guilty party, and the young man opened his mouth sheepishly.
“Heh heh, I thought it was a clever name, no?”
“You long-armed monkey. That’s not what I’m asking.”
“Then what?”
“Stop making strange societies on your own. And don’t hold meetings in my room!”
“But you’re the society’s founder, aren’t you?”
“What did you say?”
“Oh! Block Harsh Words, True Body of Light.”
An oath Ho Yeon had never heard before slipped from his lips unbidden, and the young woman gasped in alarm, reciting an exotic chant no one had heard or seen before.
‘I’m losing my mind. One more problem added.’
The woman’s identity was none other than Nan Ah, the fourth-generation disciple of the Ami Faction he’d faced in the semifinals.
She was a swordswoman of the Peak Realm who had devoted herself assiduously to mastering one of the Ami Faction’s signature techniques, the Chaos Wind Sword Technique.
For that reason, he had drawn Heuk Ya and matched her with a similar swift and linked-chain sword style—the Heaven Wind Sword Technique.
‘They call her and Ahyeon and my sister among the Five Flowers of Jianghu? White Virtuous Flower? I’d sooner call her the White Idiot Flower.’
Listening to her speak, every word bordered on bizarre rather than merely odd.
In short, this woman was as distant from normalcy as a hundred leagues.
―Come now, Ho Yeon. Don’t blame others. This is simply “birds of a feather flock together!”
―Ahem. “He who stays near ink will turn black.”
At the barbed remarks from Heuk Ya and the Cheon Noe Sword, Ho Yeon clicked his tongue and rose from his seat.
“All right. You lot stay here. I’m going out.”
“Huh? The latrine? Want company?”
“Empty both body and spirit when you return, sword friend.”
“Master! Come back quickly and teach me!”
“Noble benefactor Namgung, may you achieve swift relief and boundless compassion.”
Creak! Bang!
Leaving behind their mad ravings, Ho Yeon stepped out of the room.
He made his way toward the back garden, muttering to himself as he went.
“Honestly. If you lose, shouldn’t you be sharpening the blade of vengeance day and night? So why is she going around with that grin on her face?”
―It’s because you exploited their weaknesses so thoroughly, isn’t it? She must have learned plenty.
“Exploiting weaknesses is just part of being a martial artist.”
―Oh, come now. Things are lively and good—so why the sulk? Has your beloved been neglecting you lately, is that what’s bothering you?
“Why are you spouting nonsense too?”
Ho Yeon arrived at the back garden and looked up at the sky.
He caught what seemed to be the faint scent of sandalwood drifting from somewhere, and he glanced around, but there was no one there.
“Tsk.”
Ho Yeon clicked his tongue.
‘What is she even doing? Forfeiting in the semifinals like that.’
His semifinal opponent was to be Jegal Ahyeon, but she had declared a forfeit, claiming that the internal injuries she’d sustained in the previous match had not yet healed.
But Ho Yeon knew perfectly well that it was a lie.
“I heard she’s been running errands for the strategist lately. Is that the reason?”
As Ho Yeon muttered this to himself,
Tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap!
urgent footsteps echoed from somewhere.
He turned his head to see a woman who looked like a maidservant rushing toward him, her face drawn with anxiety.
“Hm? That maidservant is…”
Searching his memory at the familiar feeling, Ho Yeon recalled that this was the same maidservant from Tae Hwa Jeong who had handed over the citrus token.
“Ah!”
Upon spotting Ho Yeon, the maidservant hurried closer and caught her breath.
“Huff, huff! Young Master Namgung Ho Yeon! I’ve been looking for you!”
“Me? Why?”
“Phew, phew! Everything I’m about to tell you is the truth, so you must believe me!”
“…Why should I believe you?”
Ho Yeon regarded her suspiciously as he replied, and she swallowed hard before speaking.
“I am called Ha Rin, and I belong to the Jeom Mun faction of the Hao Mun.”
“Jeom Mun?”
Ho Yeon’s brow twitched slightly.
Jeom Mun referred to the faction of serving attendants who worked in inns, restaurants, teahouses, and taverns.
Because they had to quickly discern their customers’ clothing, bearing, mood, and status, they were said to possess the sharpest perception among the lower ranks.
“Just a short while ago, a great battle broke out at a place called Wol Ha Ru in the western outskirts according to the message relay.”
“And?”
“A joint investigation team from the Murim League and the Baekga Maeng surrounded Wol Ha Ru and launched a surprise attack.”
“…So?”
“The investigation team’s objective is to capture the Black Snake Gang, a notorious band of rogue warriors, but they’re reportedly being pushed back!”
“Ha, what am I supposed to do about it?”
Ho Yeon let out a dismissive scoff at that very moment when a name escaped the maidservant’s lips that he could not ignore.
“Your fiancée, Young Lady Jegal Ahyeon, is part of the investigation team!”
“…!”
* * *
Half an hour earlier.
A group of people appeared before Wol Ha Ru.
“Hmm, is this the place?”
The middle-aged man who cleared his throat as though displeased wore a black silk robe with a silver-embroidered cross stitched across the chest.
“Original Ancestor of Heaven and Earth. Fortunate that it’s remote.”
Beside him, a Daoist priest in a crimson robe and turban, wearing a long sword hung with crimson silk tassels, nodded and offered a respectful salute.
The middle-aged man was Dan Ri Jeok, deputy master of the Sipja Cheon Geom Dan, known as the Flying Sword of Flowing Paths.
The Daoist was Ja Song, the swordmaster of the Hyeongsan Faction, called the Five Path Sword Master.
The Supreme Peak realm masters sent to support them from the Baekga Maeng and the Murim League alternated their gazes between the two men.
“Indeed, we are certain.”
“The last confirmed trace of Cho Jin Gwang, the treasure keeper of the Yunnan Branch Master’s residence, who went missing three days ago, has also been confirmed to be this location.”
At the affirmations from Cheol Mu Gu and Jegal Ahyeon, the two masters nodded and gazed upon Wol Ha Ru.
“The Black Snake Gang, then. I’ve heard their unsavory reputation whispered about more than once.”
“Chu Eum, the Cruel Snake Sword. I heard he turned down the Gucheon Sung’s offer of recruitment and lived as a rogue, but was that a cover?”
Whoosh!
At that moment, a whistle sounded, and Cheol Mu Gu nodded his head.
“The encirclement is complete.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Tsk. I doubt we need both of us.”
Dan Ri Jeok and Ja Song took the lead, heading toward Wol Ha Ru.
‘Two Supreme Peak masters. This mission cannot fail. Phew, it’s finally over…….’
Jegal Ahyeon followed the two men toward Wol Ha Ru, a weary smile crossing her face.
For months now, she’d been running without rest—managing matters for the Dragon and Phoenix Society on one hand, executing assignments from the Martial Instructor on the other.
As a result, the time she spent with Ho Yeon had grown shorter and shorter, but now at last she could return to his side.
Bang!
The moment Dan Ri Jeok kicked open the doors of Wol Ha Ru, a flood of gleaming, predatory eyes poured out from within.
“Well, well? Look at these creatures.”
“Did they know we were coming?”
Inside Wol Ha Ru, members of the Black Snake Gang dressed in dark traveling robes stood arrayed in formation.
“Gack, gack, gack! I nearly died waiting.”
At their head sat a middle-aged man with a cold, stern expression—his right cheek marked with a cross-shaped scar.
He was sitting not on a chair but on a person—though that person was already a corpse with its head severed.
“……Cho Jin Gwang. Dead, as expected.”
Jegal Ahyeon recognized the corpse and murmured softly, while Chu Eum’s eyes rolled outward in a ghastly stare as he raked his gaze across her entire frame.
“Oho! A supreme beauty!”
“If you knew we were coming, why didn’t you flee?”
Though she sensed something crude and distasteful in his attention, Jegal Ahyeon’s expression remained unmoved as she posed the question.
Chu Eum answered her.
“Gack, gack! Pretty thing. Why do you think? Because I have confidence.”
“That’s mere bluster. Had reinforcements arrived, they would not have escaped our observation.”
“Precisely. Jeong Ju is a city where orthodox sects hold overwhelming power. For them, there is no hope.”
As Cheol Mu Gu affirmed this and Jegal Ahyeon nodded in agreement, Chu Eum let out a crooked laugh.
“Gack, gack, gack! Reinforcements? Of course there are none. This body has clawed its way up on strength alone.”
“The madman. We’ll beat him like a dog and drag him out of here.”
“I will take the vanguard. Great Master Dan Ri, please provide support from the rear as planned.”
Screech!
Ja Song drew his sword and stepped forward, while Dan Ri Jeok clicked his tongue and gripped two curved blades in reverse grip.
“Tsk. Let’s finish this quickly.”
“Gack, gack, gack!”
Two Supreme Peak masters advanced, yet Chu Eum only laughed with ease.
‘What is this? What could he possibly be relying on?’
Jegal Ahyeon’s brow furrowed at the sheer confidence radiating from Chu Eum.
Only the mad or those with hidden reinforcements could laugh in a position of absolute desperation.
Tap-tap-tap!
“Ha!”
Ja Song rushed at Chu Eum, and from his blade came silver sword light streaming forth in torrents, weaving a deceptive pattern.
This dark, murderous energy was the Yousal Sword Energy—counted among the finest techniques of the Hyeongsan Faction’s shadowed school.
Clang-clang-clang!
Though Ja Song had unleashed but a single strike, the blade energy split into five rays that descended upon Chu Eum.
This was one of the Five Path Sword Movement—the technique where the sword travels five different directions.
“Gack, gack, gack!”
Screech!
In response, Chu Eum drew his blade—but it was no ordinary sword.
Shing-shing!
The blade was segmented at each joint, connected by three steel wires running through it—the Snake-Belly Sword.
Generally classified among flexible blades, it would be more accurate to call it a whip than a sword.
Only those with Peak Realm inner power and supreme control over their Qi could dare wield such an Unusual Weapon.
Chu Eum handled this Snake-Belly Sword with such dexterity that its movements resembled a cruel serpent in motion, earning him the epithet “Cruel Snake Sword.”
“For all that, it’s merely a trick.”
Such Unusual Weapons were typically employed by lower-ranked heretical cultivators aiming for the element of surprise—effective against commoners, but a liability in battles between true masters.
A segmented, connected blade meant proportionally weaker durability.
Ja Song had no doubt that a single blow of the Five Path Sword Movement would sever each segment of Chu Eum’s Snake-Belly Sword.
But then.
Bzzzzzzt—!
From Chu Eum’s Snake-Belly Sword erupted an ominous, wicked sound, and a field of red stars—like Violent Energy made manifest—bloomed forth.
Ja Song’s eyes widened in shock.
“W-Violent Energy?!”
“Khee-ha-ha!”
Whoosh!
Chu Eum drew the Snake-Belly Sword, and the crimson serpent licked its fangs as it devoured the five-forked sword energy.
Crash!
Bang!
“Cough!”
Ja Song barely managed to deflect the Snake-Belly Sword aimed at his heart, then tumbled across the ground, spitting blood.
Slither!
Slither-slither!
Chu Eum gazed at the crimson violent energy serpent coiling around him with eyes full of affection, then burst into raucous laughter.
“Khe-ha-ha! Didn’t I tell you? I’ve climbed this far on skill alone!”
Boom-boom-boom!
An overwhelming aura and murderous energy began to seep from Chu Eum in thick waves.
“A—a Wall-Breaking Master!”
“Merciful heavens!”
Cheol Mu Gu gasped in shock, and Jegal Ahyeon’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The calculation had gone wrong.
All because of this unforeseen variable—a Wall-Breaking Master.

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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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