Namgung Heavenly Demon - Chapter 73

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 73

Gaebong’s bustling district, a daru (tea house) located at its center.

Between two people sitting face to face by the window on the second floor, the sound of tea being poured rang out unusually loud.

Trickle.

Lady Namgung Rin skillfully filled the teacup and opened her mouth.

“There must be a lot to talk about, but first take a sip. This is precious tea you can only drink here.”

Namgung Cheon lifted the teacup and barely wet his lips.

Warm heat and subtle fragrance swirled in his mouth, but his attention was entirely focused on Lady Namgung Rin before him.

Lady Namgung Rin, of whom only fragmentary memories remained.

What he knew about her was exactly three things.

She was intelligent and free-spirited.

And her hearing was unusually sharp.

‘Is that about it.’

Even that was just vaguely remaining memories, so he didn’t know the specific situations or reasons that led to such thoughts.

‘Especially the memory of her sharp hearing – I don’t know why I have that.’

But there was something else more important to Namgung Cheon.

Thud.

Namgung Cheon set down his teacup and spoke.

“About the shell game earlier.”

“Hm?”

“The silver coin was definitely in the swindler’s sleeve. But it had moved under the cup.”

Namgung Cheon’s eyes narrowed.

“How did you do it?”

Only then did a mischievous smile spread across Lady Namgung Rin’s lips.

She rested her chin on her hand and stared intently at Namgung Cheon.

“How disappointing. After meeting your sister for the first time in years, all you want to talk about is gambling techniques?”

“It’s an important matter. You didn’t use your hands or internal energy, yet the object moved.”

Namgung Cheon was resolute.

A technique that even he, who had mastered all the martial arts under heaven in his previous life, couldn’t detect.

This went beyond simple curiosity.

“Hmm, didn’t use hands or internal energy… Then how about this?”

She slowly traced the rim of the teacup with her index finger.

Hum—.

A subtle vibration occurred.

A faint tremor that could barely be heard, only felt through the skin.

But at that moment, the tea in the cup strangely undulated and surged upward.

“Does it seem like I used internal energy?”

Namgung Cheon shook his head.

‘She definitely didn’t use internal energy.’

Yet the tea kept jumping out of the cup and falling back down repeatedly.

“All things in the world have their own sounds.”

Lady Namgung Rin spoke quietly.

“The teacup has one, the tea has one, and even the silver coin in that swindler’s sleeve earlier. They all have unique vibrations. If you create waves matching those vibrations, objects will move on their own without pouring in internal energy. It’s resonance.”

“…Are you talking about sound techniques?”

Sound techniques.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar term to martial artists.

Transmitting voice with internal energy like secret voice transmission, or shaking the surroundings with tremendous internal force like lion’s roar – these were also sound techniques.

The principle was simple.

Projecting internal energy through the medium of sound.

In his previous life, as Cheonma, he had faced countless sound technique masters, so he couldn’t be ignorant of this principle.

But Lady Namgung Rin shook her head.

“No, it’s different. Ordinary sound techniques forcibly push internal energy in. That’s like throwing a stone to break a jar. Powerful, but the energy shows and leaves traces.”

As she flicked her finger, the water in the teacup calmed down again.

“But my method… finds the exact point where the jar wants to break itself and touches it.”

Lady Namgung Rin’s voice became quiet like a whisper.

“All objects contain their own unique sounds. You listen to that sound and give it the tiniest touch with the exact same tone. Then objects will move without pouring in internal energy. It’s resonance.”

Namgung Cheon nodded.

Not using artificial force, but natural synchronization.

That’s why it could evade his senses.

He had been looking for foreign energy or movements, not guarding against natural vibrations.

‘Remarkable.’

It was closer to the fundamental principles of all things in the world rather than martial arts.

Namgung Cheon had to acknowledge it.

To find the unique vibration of a single silver coin in a marketplace mixed with tens of thousands of noises.

This was the realm of innate talent.

“Impressive.”

At Namgung Cheon’s honest impression, Lady Namgung Rin puffed up with pride.

“Nothing to be impressed about. I learned from an excellent master. Perhaps… Father and Mother probably didn’t tell anyone, but have you heard of Pungryugweno?”

“…!”

Surprise flashed in Namgung Cheon’s eyes.

‘That man is still alive.’

Pungryugweno Akyul.

An eccentric who belonged to neither orthodox nor unorthodox factions, living only for sound.

He was like a calamity that martial artists should never provoke.

‘When the mood struck him, he’d play the bamboo flute and make all passersby dance for three days and nights, and when his temper was twisted, he’d pluck the pipa and annihilate entire clans.’

A man without malice, but whose very amusement was like a natural disaster.

To think she had become such an eccentric’s disciple.

“From that reaction, you seem to know him well.”

“There would be fewer people who don’t know him.”

Lady Namgung Rin shrugged her shoulders.

“Right, his record is too spectacular after all.”

“But then.”

Namgung Cheon returned to the main topic.

“You’re not simply here for sightseeing, so why are you here?”

“Master’s errand. He told me to find something that would become my instrument.”

Lady Namgung Rin stood up from her seat.

She pointed toward the north of Kaifeng outside the window.

“There’s a place called Munhyangryu. It’s where famous instruments from all over Tianxia gather. And there’s a pipa called Cheonwolhyeon there.”

“…!”

Namgung Cheon’s eyes widened greatly.

Cheonwolhyeon.

Long ago, the instrument of Cheonwol Mahu, who traveled Tianxia with not a sword but a single string.

And.

‘A cursed object that’s said to have driven everyone mad or killed them because they couldn’t withstand the demonic energy the pipa emitted.’

Why was it in Kaifeng, and why did Lady Namgung Rin covet it?

Before he could ask about this, Lady Namgung Rin’s words continued.

“I’m on my way to get it. But the conditions are a bit tricky.”

Lady Namgung Rin raised the corner of her mouth as if troubled.

“I have to complete the performance, and no matter what happens, the sound must not be interrupted.”

She stared intently at Namgung Cheon.

“So I need some help… would you help me out?”

Namgung Cheon’s eyes narrowed.

‘Is she asking for help just because we’re blood relatives?’

That wouldn’t do.

Just as Namgung Cheon was about to shake his head, Namgung Rin spoke quietly.

“Cheonggung Daeyeon Simbeop. You’re on the verge of mastering it, aren’t you?”

“…!”

Namgung Cheon’s eyes widened instantly.

The level of one’s mental cultivation technique couldn’t be known unless the person revealed it themselves.

Moreover, with his energy perfectly concealed through Taeheohosimgong, how could she see through his condition?

“How do you know?”

Even at his cold question, Namgung Rin remained calm.

She tapped her ear with her index finger.

“I can hear it. The sound of the tremendous power deep within your dantian.”

“…”

“I can help you resolve it with Gongmyeong’s ability. My master taught me how.”

Namgung Rin’s eyes curved like crescents.

“How about it? This should be the help you need most.”

Namgung Cheon looked at her for a moment.

‘She’s not wrong.’

Originally, mental cultivation techniques required mastering one before learning another.

That meant mastering Cheonggung Daeyeon Simbeop would lead to the path of learning another technique.

‘I don’t know how she plans to resolve it, but just recognizing my situation is remarkable enough.’

It was worth taking the gamble.

“Very well.”

When Namgung Cheon accepted, Namgung Rin smiled brightly once and continued quietly.

“Thank you. But remember this. Cheonwolhyeon is no ordinary item. Throughout the performance, the demonic energy within the pipa will try to gnaw at my mind.”

Namgung Cheon remained silent.

Demonic energy. He knew better than anyone how vicious it could be.

“So I have one more favor to ask.”

Namgung Rin looked into Namgung Cheon’s eyes and slowly parted her lips.

“If I fail and… become consumed by the demonic energy.”

With infinitely clear and upright eyes.

And in a calm tone.

“Then don’t hesitate and kill me.”

Namgung Rin said.

* * *

Taehwajeon, which oversees the administrative affairs of the Murim Alliance.

In one corner of that place, among piles of documents stacked like mountains, Namgung Hwi put down his brush.

“Phew…”

A deep, heavy sigh burst from his lips.

Though he belonged to Cheonui-dae, perhaps due to his abilities, he had ended up taking on this kind of work as well.

“I’d rather swing a sword until I collapse from exhaustion.”

Namgung Hwi turned his neck, making cracking sounds.

The cause of shouldering the future of the Orthodox Faction sounded good, but the reality was a continuous series of tedious and exhausting administration.

He stood up from his seat and looked out the window.

Before he knew it, the sun was slowly setting.

‘I wonder what Cheon-i is doing.’

Guilt washed over him thinking of his younger brother who had been cooped up in the Alliance for days.

He had brought him here promising to show him the world, yet he himself had been buried in work and couldn’t even see his face properly.

‘I should go early today and have a drink with him.’

Namgung Hwi hurriedly straightened his clothes and left Taehwajeon.

His steps headed toward the guest room where Namgung Cheon was staying.

The thought of catching up with his brother after so long seemed to make him forget his fatigue.

Step. Step.

It was when he reached the corridor in front of the guest room.

Namgung Hwi’s steps slowed slightly.

‘…No presence?’

No matter how much Namgung Cheon concealed his energy, he couldn’t completely erase his breathing or subtle human presence.

But beyond the door was silent.

As if it were an empty room.

Namgung Hwi immediately flung the door open.

“Cheon-ah!”

An empty room.

Only the neatly arranged bed and table greeted him; Namgung Cheon was nowhere to be seen.

“…”

Of course, he could have left the guest room to wander around the Alliance or stroll through Kaifeng city.

But.

‘Why do I feel strangely uneasy…’

Namgung Hwi’s intuition kept leaning toward the ominous side.

That’s when it happened.

“Sword Dragon! Sword Dragon!”

An urgent voice came from the other end of the corridor.

A man in shabby clothes was running toward him, panting heavily.

It was Chwiryong, a rear beggar of Gae Sect and one of the Seven Dragon Peaks.

The man who would normally be leisurely singing drinking songs was running with a pale face.

“What’s the matter that has the renowned rear beggar of the world in such a fuss? Did you run out of drinking money?”

Though Namgung Hwi tried to joke casually, Chwiryong shouted without even catching his breath.

“This is no time for jokes!”

Namgung Hwi’s gaze turned cold.

“What’s the matter?”

“Cheonwolhyeon! Someone has appeared to challenge that cursed pipa! But that person is…”

“…!”

At that moment, Namgung Hwi’s heart sank.

Cheonwolhyeon.

The moment that name came up, one person’s face flashed through his mind.

The face of his sister, Namgung Rin, who had come to find him as soon as she arrived in Kaifeng.

‘No way.’

The color drained completely from Namgung Hwi’s face.

At the same time.

Whoosh―!

Namgung Hwi’s form vanished from the spot.

It was such fierce speed that it didn’t even leave an afterimage.

Swoosh―!

Namgung Hwi’s face was terrifyingly contorted as he leaped over the walls of the Murim Alliance and raced through the streets of Kaifeng in an instant.

‘Damn it!’

Namgung Hwi cursed inwardly.

These were rough words he had never uttered in his entire life, but now was not the time to worry about such things.

‘Rin, you really…!’

The conversation he had with Namgung Rin a few days ago vividly came to mind.

His sister, whom he had met at a quiet inn in Kaifeng.

She had opened her mouth with the same bright face as always.

― Brother, I have a favor to ask. I’m going to retrieve the Cheonwolhyeon. But if I fail and… get consumed by that demonic energy.

“…Kill me.”

Those thunderbolt-like words unconsciously spilled from Namgung Hwi’s lips.

He had threatened her, saying not to speak such nonsense, and that if she was going to do something so dangerous, he would send her back to the Namgung Clan immediately.

And naturally, he thought she had given up.

After that, she had simply wandered around Kaifeng leisurely, with nothing particular happening.

‘But she asked Cheon-i to do it instead!’

When he refused, she had dragged their younger brother who had just arrived in Kaifeng into this.

“Please…”

A groan-like sigh flowed from Namgung Hwi’s lips.

He knew all too well what became of those who had harmed their own blood, regardless of the reason.

That’s why.

‘Please don’t let me be too late!’

Crack.

Gritting his teeth, Namgung Hwi drew his internal energy to its limits.

The hem of his white martial robe fluttered as if it would tear.

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