Make the Namgung Family Great Again – Chapter 16

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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[It seems a battle has broken out.]

Peng Mu-ho sent a mental message to Peng Ha-ryeong from the vanguard of the Peng Family group, riding alongside Namgung-Woo and the Yang brothers.

Peng Ha-ryeong, a Peak Realm master in her own right, replied mentally, [The Qi is considerable.]

[Indeed. At least a Peak Realm master.]

[Their speed seems to be increasing. Perhaps we should also—Uncle!]

*Pheeew!*

*Phew!*

*Phew!*

Signal flares shot into the sky. A long whistle followed by two short ones.

It was the prearranged signal indicating the type of yokai they had encountered.

“Spectral type… This is going to be troublesome.”

Peng Mu-ho spoke aloud.

While he’d used mental messages to discuss Namgung-Woo, this concerned the entire group, so he addressed everyone.

“Ha-ryeong, what’s the plan?”

Peng Ha-ryeong felt a conflict within her.

She wanted to follow Namgung-Woo, to witness his true abilities firsthand.

But the Wraiths were too dangerous.

How had the Peng Family managed to maintain their position in Hebei, even after the Imperial Court moved to Beijing and many other martial arts families had either left the region or abandoned their martial ways to become officials?

Was it because they’d abandoned their ancestral home in Beijing and relocated to Tianjin?

Because they had sided with the Yongle Emperor during the Jingnan Campaign?

Or was it because they’d pledged their loyalty to the Yongle Emperor by sending their martial artists to serve in the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

Those factors played a role.

But the fundamental reason was different.

The Peng Family had survived and thrived in Hebei because they had earned the support of the people.

They were a righteous family, dedicated to protecting the common folk.

And in turn, the people protected them.

That’s why the Imperial Court had allowed them to remain in Hebei.

It was a stark contrast to the Jin Family, another martial arts family in Hebei, who had been driven out.

The Hebei Peng Family couldn’t abandon the people.

Peng Ha-ryeong closed her eyes briefly and then made her decision.

“Peng Wei, Peng Sa-beon, Peng Woo-chaek, you three will disperse and assist the other martial artists. First-rate martial artists can hold their own against Wraiths, but they’ll need help to eliminate them.”

“As you command,”

the three responded in unison.

“Hurry. Even a single Wraith entering Wuan County could lead to disaster.”

Yokai didn’t remain stagnant for long.

They grew stronger.

And unlike humans, whose growth was limited by time, yokai grew at an astonishing rate.

Their growth wasn’t fueled by cultivation, meditation, or training, but by consumption.

“Uncle, let’s go. We need to close the Ghost Gate.”

Peng Mu-ho was one of the Peng Family’s top experts.

While he hadn’t reached the Transcendent Realm, he was strong enough to seal a Blue rank Ghost Gate.

There was no other choice.

‘I don’t know how strong Nam Woo is, but… I have to choose the surest path.’

If he truly was the hope she, and the Peng Family, sought, he would prove himself, even without her presence.

With that belief, she changed course and headed towards the Ghost Gate to reinforce the encirclement.

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‘They’re moving away.’

Namgung-Woo sensed the Peng Family members distancing themselves.

They’d been keeping a certain distance and following him, but now they were dispersing.

So, he retracted his extended senses.

His True Qi, now under much finer control, flowed back to him.

Unaware of his extended senses, the Yang brothers focused on the scene unfolding before them and offered urgent advice.

“Fellow martial artist! Conserve your energy! There are too many of them!”

“Damn it! This isn’t Red rank…it’s Blue, at the very least!”

*Shhk!*

*Swish!*

Namgung-Woo focused on the Wraiths directly in front of him, and left the ones flanking him to the Yang brothers.

He’d already assessed their abilities. They could handle this.

He could focus on clearing a path.

His sword flashed again.

*Shwaack!*

“More Flying Sword Qi?! Fellow martial artist, I told you to conserve your energy!”

“I’m fine.”

His lower dantian, filled with Heavenly Thunder True Qi, felt bottomless.

He’d been unleashing Sword Qi and Flying Sword Qi since he’d taken the lead, yet his energy reserves showed no signs of depletion.

Instead, they seemed to surge even stronger.

And he had two more dantians, each holding comparable power.

The upper, middle, and lower dantians.

Each contained a different type of internal energy.

While it might seem strange not to unify his cultivation, since mastering multiple techniques is an exceptionally difficult feat.

Internal energy cultivation methods varied depending on which dantian was used.

The Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Regular Meridians, along with countless smaller channels, formed a complex network through which Qi flowed.

Internal energy cultivation techniques dictated how Qi circulated through these channels.

The chosen dantian, the core of the circulation, greatly influenced the technique’s effectiveness.

The Qihai acupoint in the lower dantian, the Yutang acupoint in the middle dantian, and the Yintang acupoint in the upper dantian.

While Qihai and Yutang belonged to the Conception Vessel, Yintang was one of the 48 Extra Points, not included in the Fourteen Meridians.

Techniques centered on the lower dantian could naturally cultivate the middle dantian, since they both belonged to the Conception Vessel, but the upper dantian was a completely separate domain.

Moreover, most lower dantian techniques didn’t even address the upper dantian.

For example, the Heavenly Thunder Emperor Divine Art focused on channeling the explosive power of lightning through the limbs and body, primarily utilizing the Twelve Regular Meridians.

It didn’t significantly involve the Yutang or Yintang acupoints, making them unsuitable for storing Heavenly Thunder True Qi.

While it was technically possible to force True Qi into an incompatible dantian, it was inefficient.

His middle dantian, however, held the energy of the Vast Sky Great Expansion Art.

This technique embodied the boundless expanse of the heaven and focused on strengthening the body’s equilibrium by circulating Qi through the internal organs.

This meant that, unless the energies clashed and caused internal conflict, there was no need to limit himself to a single type of internal energy.

While cultivating both righteous and demonic energies simultaneously would be reckless, combining compatible energies could create a synergistic effect.

Some might argue that it was better to master a single technique that cultivated all three dantians.

And indeed, many martial artists had pursued that path.

There were successful examples: the Tendon Transformation Classic of the Shaolin Temple, the Violet Mist Divine Art of the Mount Hua Sect, and the Yellow Emperor’s True Classic of the Xuanyuan Family.

But such techniques were exceedingly rare.

There was a reason why they were called divine arts, treasured secrets of powerful sects.

In short, even if he depleted his Heavenly Thunder True Qi, he still had the Vast Sky True Qi in his middle dantian.

Knowing this, he unleashed his Heavenly Thunder True Qi without reservation.

Platinum lightning crackled across the foothills of Mount Wa, obliterating the Wraiths in his path. They vanished without a trace, unable to withstand the surging energy.

‘This is too easy.’

With such overwhelming power, he didn’t even need to use any specific sword techniques.

Simply channeling Sword Qi through the Iron Sword Ten Forms was enough to unleash devastating power.

While this was a good opportunity to practice wielding his full power, it wasn’t enough to satisfy his thirst for a true challenge.

“Jeong-hyung, do the yokai get stronger the closer we get to the Ghost Gate?”

“N-Not particularly…”

“Hmm…”

The yokai guarding the Ghost Gate radiated a different kind of energy, far more potent than the Wraiths he’d encountered so far.

He pushed that thought aside.

He was headed there anyway, so he’d see for himself.

“…The Peng Family has reached the Ghost Gate ahead of us. We should increase our speed.”

“Increase it further?”

“L-Little brother… I’m sorry, but we’re already at our limit.”

Peng Ha-ryeong and Peng Mu-ho hadn’t reached the Ghost Gate first because they were stronger.

Unlike him, they didn’t have to worry about slowing down for others.

Two Peak Realm masters, utilizing the renowned movement techniques of the Peng Family, were naturally faster.

‘I need to get there before they close the gate.’

Namgung-Woo’s silence left the Yang brothers, now reduced to little more than baggage, feeling awkward as they anxiously waited for his next instruction.

Yang Kwai glanced at his brother.

‘Think we can make it back on our own?’

Although no words were spoken, whether aloud or mentally, after more than twenty years together, his twin still understood.

‘We could. The Wraiths are all gone, thanks to his Sword Qi.’

‘But leaving now would be… awkward, wouldn’t it?’

‘Of course. We have to stick with him. How often do you meet a master of Lightning Qi?’

For the Yang brothers, this was a golden opportunity.

Just as Song Chae-ji had gained insight from witnessing Namgung-Woo’s Unity of Body and Sword, they were also learning from Namgung-Woo’s mastery of Lightning Qi.

Lightning Qi was wild and unpredictable, powerful but difficult to control.

That’s why, despite their excellent cultivation technique, they hadn’t found a compatible martial art.

“Little brother, would you mind… eliminating the remaining Wraiths? If we don’t have to worry about them, we can focus on increasing our speed.”

“Of course, we wouldn’t ask for your help without offering something in return…”

“Consider it done.”

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