Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 93

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 93. Sword Demon, Standing in for an Elder Brother
Cheongyang.
True to its name, the city gleamed with the warm sunlight of a verdant spring day.
Home to Guhuashan, one of Buddhism’s four sacred peaks, it was said to be protected by the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha.
With countless pilgrims passing through, the city had grown prosperous, and the Cheongyang Clan’s grip on it was formidable enough not to be ignored.
Though they had not joined the Baekga Maeng, they possessed the history accumulated as a local magnate family and regional leader.
So when word spread eight years ago that the daughter of the Cheongyang Clan had become betrothed to the young master of the Namgung Clan, people nodded in understanding.
The Namgung Clan had been in decline then, and a political marriage with Cheongyang would yield much to gain.
Yet contrary to such worldly predictions, the two had become betrothed for reasons far removed from such secular calculation.
‘Hee Mae…….’
Namgung Cheon Gang squeezed his eyes shut.
The bright smile of his betrothed, whom he had last visited before entering closed seclusion for training, rose vividly in his mind.
“Honored father. I pray for your great achievement. This girl will wait for you, however long it takes.”
Her words had offered him great solace when he could not lift his head under the weight of his apologies.
Because of that, he had sworn to become a dragon and return to receive her in marriage—but now…….
Crunch!
Namgung Cheon Gang clenched his fist so hard that the lack of blood flow left his knuckles ghost-white.
‘Tch. This is exactly why I hate forging karmic ties.’
At the sight, Namgung Ho Yeon inwardly clicked his tongue.
The chains of karma were mysterious; deepen a bond with one person, and you become forcibly entangled with all their other connections as well.
Unable to bear watching his elder brother suffer in silence, Namgung Ho Yeon opened his mouth.
“Let’s leave at once. To that Cheongyang place.”
“……Wait.”
“What? Why?”
“A Baekga assembly is scheduled in two quarter-hours. The Alliance will forge its response at that meeting.”
“Even so, brother—we should dispatch reinforcements as quickly as possible. How can we sit idle at a time like this?”
“Rules exist to be followed. If emotion clouds judgment, our thinking becomes muddled. Besides, the clan will have already dispatched supporting troops.”
Namgung Cheon Gang shook his head, and Namgung Ho Yeon furrowed his brow in thought.
‘This stubborn oaf.’
Namgung Cheon Gang was a man who placed great weight on principle and order.
Though such an attitude might be fitting for a clan’s young master, his very core was rotting away in silent torment.
“I’ll stay behind. You go.”
“I said no…….”
“Are you dismissing me?”
“What?”
At Namgung Ho Yeon’s words, Namgung Cheon Gang lifted his head and turned to look at him.
His younger brother, Namgung Ho Yeon, wore an expression hardened by anger.
“I’m not the eldest son, so I have no standing to represent the clan—is that it?”
“That’s not what I…….”
“Then go. Do you think the Baekga assembly will reach a decision quickly? All that deliberation and haggling—it’ll eat up a full day at minimum.”
“…….”
“Spend all that time here groaning? Better to leave it to me. I alone am enough. I am the Thunder God Azure Dragon.”
Though not particularly fond of the sobriquet, Namgung Ho Yeon proclaimed it with swagger, lifting his chin with arrogance.
At the sight, Namgung Cheon Gang’s eyes trembled faintly.
“Young Master, that is sound reasoning. Here we must exercise mental flexibility and handle two matters simultaneously.”
Third Elder Namgung Mu Won voiced his agreement with Namgung Ho Yeon’s proposal.
“Brother, come with me. What would I do staying here? You’ll permit this, won’t you, Sub-Leader?”
“Of course, naturally.”
At Namgung Sang Ah’s words, a middle-aged woman with a kindly expression nodded in agreement.
She was Sub-Leader Namgung Hye Ryeon.
She was a sub-leader-level figure who, having completed escort duties in Habuk, remained in Jeongju to guard Namgung Sang Ah.
“Elder, you should go too. Don’t linger here idle.”
“Hmm?”
“What’s the point of posturing here? Go forth and actually strike at enemies.”
At Namgung Ho Yeon’s words, Namgung Mu Won bared his teeth in laughter.
“Pffh! Is that permissible?”
“Yes—myself and Namgung Ja Ryang should suffice.”
“What?”
At Namgung Ho Yeon’s words, Namgung Ja Ryang turned to regard him.
Namgung Ho Yeon smiled wickedly in response.
“If the Twin Dragons remain, no one will dare say a word. The Ferret stays with me.”
“……I wish to go as well.”
“…….”
Cheon Gang felt the atmosphere around him shift in an instant.
Staying in Jeongju had somehow become shameful, while rushing to Cheongyang had become the obvious choice.
And the one who had orchestrated this shift in mood was his younger brother—Namgung Ho Yeon.
‘Ho Yeon…….’
A deep breath escaped him.
Feeling his brother’s affection, Cheon Gang nodded and rose to his feet.
“Send the marching order to Sang Ah and Hye Ryeon. The third elder shall come with me.”
“Understood!”
“Hehe, yes.”
“Hehehehe! Excellent!”
Cheon Gang then approached Namgung Ja Ryang and placed a hand on his shoulder.
A firm touch.
“Ja Ryang. I leave Ho Yeon in your care.”
“……Very well. Safe travels. I’ll follow shortly.”
“Mun Yeon, you remain as well. Should we need to deploy the Changgung Boundless Sword Formation, the Changgung Division must stay together.”
“Understood……, sir.”
Namgung Mun Yeon, the eighth squad leader of the Changgung Division, reluctantly nodded his assent.
After issuing his orders one by one, Cheon Gang finally approached Ho Yeon and embraced him tightly.
A fierce squeeze.
“Thank you.”
“……Can’t breathe.”
“I’ll be back.”
“Don’t get hurt.”
“Heh, that’s what I should be saying. My youngest brother—the moment I turn my back, he’s bound to cause trouble. I worry leaving you here.”
“Hmph. What trouble could I cause here? I just sit through some meeting and follow along. A day or two makes no difference.”
A soft chuckle left Ho Yeon’s lips, but his brother’s voice trembled faintly against his ear.
“……I’m grateful you’re my brother. I’m leaning on you.”
“…….”
“Let’s go.”
Footsteps. Footsteps. Footsteps.
With those words, four people left the room, leaving Ho Yeon and two others behind.
Ho Yeon scratched his cheek and spoke to Namgung Ja Ryang and Namgung Mun Yeon.
“We should head over to that Baekga Alliance meeting or whatever.”
* * *
Baekga Alliance Grand Assembly Hall.
The vast space was thick with grave tension and sharp killing intent.
“What good is all this talk! Send reinforcements, now!”
“Nonsense! We haven’t even assessed the situation at headquarters yet—we can’t move troops blindly!”
“Curse it, some of them have vanished. Have they already withdrawn?”
“We need to act quickly ourselves…….”
The assembly hall rang with overlapping shouts from multiple voices.
Mainly, clans who’d learned of the attacks were demanding reinforcements, while those not yet struck or with time on their hands advocated caution.
“It’s like a chaotic marketplace in here.”
“The assault came without warning.”
“They’ve exploited this very confusion, no doubt.”
As Ho Yeon muttered to himself, Namgung Ja Ryang and Namgung Mun Yeon, positioned protectively on either side of him, added their thoughts.
“What kind of conference can possibly happen in this madness?”
The enemies had launched their surprise attack and declared war mere hours ago.
Right now, understanding the damage and calming people down was the best anyone could hope for.
He’d harbored no illusions of some brilliant strategy emerging.
‘At best, they’ll ask the Murim Alliance for aid.’
Yet Ho Yeon doubted even that possibility.
Thirty years had passed since the Baekga Maeng severed ties with the Murim Alliance, and resentments could fester deep in that span.
The Murim Alliance might well see the Baekga’s crisis as a satisfaction of justice.
“Everyone, quiet down.”
Just then, a voice like distant thunder—soft yet unmissable—rolled through the assembly hall.
Every shouting voice and every wandering mind turned toward that single source.
Standing there was Mo Yong Sang Cheon, the Baekga Alliance Leader, a faint yet unsettling smile playing across his face.
“If you panic like this, you play straight into the enemy’s hands. Now is the time to face our circumstances with courage and discuss what comes next.”
At Mo Yong Sang Cheon’s composed words, the fervor of the agitated crowd began to subside.
Nodding at this, Mo Yong Sang Cheon turned his gaze to one side and spoke.
“Commander. Explain the situation.”
“Yes, understood.”
A middle-aged man with a clear, intelligent bearing stepped forward. The moment Ho Yeon saw him, his brow twitched.
‘Is that Jegal Ahyeon’s father?’
Seeing Jegal Ahyeon standing behind the middle-aged man seemed to confirm it.
“I am Chief Commander Jegal Sin San. Currently, Gucheon Sung has declared war and is attacking our Alliance members.”
“We all know that already!”
“Give us a countermeasure.”
“Send us reinforcements!”
Under ordinary circumstances they would have fawned and scraped for favor, but now that crisis had befallen the clans, their eyes had glazed over with desperation.
Yet Jegal Sin San began his explanation without so much as a flicker of emotion.
“First, the Ten Thousand Heavens Supreme Emperor shows no sign of movement. Should he act, the Silent Buddha of Shaolin would not stand idle. All our effort in excluding the Murim Alliance would come to nothing.”
At Jegal Sin San’s confident assertion, relieved sighs rippled through the hall.
The Three Emperors Five Sovereigns Twelve Kings were supreme masters capable of annihilating an entire sect single-handedly.
Among them, the Three Emperors at the very apex wielded power that shook heaven and moved earth.
Should Baek Ak Gyeol, the Ten Thousand Heavens Supreme Emperor, move directly, few sects in this place would escape destruction.
Jegal Sin San pressed on to the most critical point.
“Blood Heaven too will find it difficult to move readily, given their geographical circumstances.”
The crowd nodded at Jegal Sin San’s words.
Blood Heaven among the Nine Heavens referred to those called the Wave Shun Blood Religion—a heretical sect devoted to Pa Sun Hyeol Ma, the foremost master under heaven five hundred years ago.
Being a religious organization, they had established themselves in densely populated regions, specifically in the Ye area where Sandong, Habuk, Sanseo, and Hanam converged.
“True. Sandong has the Authority King and the Prosperity King, and in Habuk resides the Dao Master.”
“No matter how formidable Blood Heaven may be, they cannot move easily.”
“The neighboring sects should be relatively safe then.”
At Jegal Sin San’s words, color returned to the faces of several listeners.
“Killing Heaven, well—we Mo Yong keep them in check, but their hidden networks spread across all of Jungwon, so all of you should mind your sleeping quarters. Heh heh.”
As Mo Yong Sang Cheon watched and spoke this jest, the faces around him hardened like stone.
The atmosphere that had begun to ease suddenly tightened, and Jegal Sin San continued.
“Green Heaven and Water Heaven too have forces distributed widely throughout Jungwon. They will move fluidly and strike without warning.”
Green Heaven was the Greenwood Seventy-Two Strongholds.
Water Heaven was the Jang Gang Suro League.
Both were bandit gangs that existed wherever mountains and rivers could be found.
With numbers rivaling the first and second ranks within Gucheon Sung, they would prove formidable adversaries should pitched battle ensue.
“Thunder Heaven will not move from Gucheon Sung’s main stronghold in Gwiju, leaving four remaining powers.”
“…Sword Heaven, Light Heaven, Defeat Heaven, and Sword Heaven.”
When someone murmured this, Jegal Sin San nodded and spoke.
“They control Gangseo, Honam, Gwangseo, and Jungyeong respectively. When Jungwon is divided in half, the southern regions are in grave peril.”
The faces of the clan representatives named these regions turned ashen.
To be positioned at the frontmost line of battle meant suffering catastrophic losses.
‘By that account, Hab Bi where my main family resides sits squarely in the center. We’ll serve as the blocking line against Sword Heaven’s northward advance.’
It could not be called the front line proper, but it would serve as something like the secondary defensive position.
“Those in peril must receive aid first. From now on I shall present the targets and defensive measures for all to consider. Please attend carefully.”
“Will it work?”
At Jegal Sin San’s words, Ho Yeon murmured softly to himself.
Though they were called the Baekga Alliance, they were fundamentally independent clans.
‘What caused the Namgung Clan to decline? They mobilized every elite unit just to capture me alone and fell to ruin.’
The Murim Alliance existed even then. But they had not sacrificed as much as the Namgung Clan.
Indeed, if one examined the character for alliance closely, one discovered something deeply unsettling.
An oath sworn beneath the sun and moon, sealed with blood spilled into a vessel.
Most would interpret this simply as a blood oath, but Ho Yeon understood it differently.
‘An alliance is ultimately a ritual of creating and sacrificing scapegoats.’
Since ancient times, people formed collectives for one reason: to secure as many substitutes for themselves as possible.
To occupy the interior of the fence and throw those on the outside to the predators as food—this was the highest-probability survival strategy.
“Hm, what’s being said here… eh?”
Ho Yeon’s mocking smile froze as he startled.
For Jegal Ahyeon, who had been standing behind Jegal Sin San, now walked forward lightly and stepped to the fore.
“From here on, I shall explain things for you.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————