The Heavenly Demon Cult’s Strongest Maid - Chapter 55

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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 55

Whoosh— Whoosh—

A group rushed through the dense forest at a terrifying speed.

They ran looking only ahead, as if being chased by someone.

Surprisingly, the one leading them was Shin Geum. She was displaying incredible movement techniques that were not inferior in the slightest to Seolha, who had learned Mabang Bicheongang.

Tak Joong-hak closely pursued behind her. Despite his advanced age of eighty, his breathing and movements were perfectly controlled without a single flaw.

Following behind and guarding Tak Joong-hak’s rear and flanks were the shadows of Hyeon-wol-dang.

Hyeon-wol-dang were also warriors of the Tak Family in the broader sense, but due to the nature of their work handling the family’s secret affairs, they had come to be called a shadow organization.

For a while, only the sound of wind circled around them.

Thud!

How long had they run without rest?

Shin Geum stopped only after nearly two hours since leaving Headquarters.

A wide clearing that suddenly appeared in the middle of the forest. It was a space with traces of trees being forcibly cut down nearby.

In its center, a single grave sat quietly.

Tak Joong-hak, who arrived afterward, slowly walked toward the tomb.

Tap, tap, tap tap.

When Cheon-yeong signaled, his subordinates scattered and widely surrounded the clearing.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know the name, so I couldn’t even erect a tombstone.”

“Don’t apologize. I can tell without looking how much care you’ve taken all this time.”

Though there was no tombstone, the surroundings were entirely a flower garden.

The grave, well-maintained without a single weed, lent considerable credibility to Shin Geum’s words.

“Dig it up.”

But there were still verification procedures remaining.

If Seon-hwa was truly buried here, he would naturally be able to tell as her father.

At Tak Joong-hak’s command, four subordinates immediately rushed forward and began digging up the grave.

“May I ask just one thing?”

Shin Geum asked while calmly watching the grave being excavated.

“Speak.”

“By any chance, is Seolha of Cheonma’s bloodline?”

“What did you say?”

“They say blood calls to blood. Seolha was merely a maid. Yet Cheonma showed interest the moment he saw her.”

“…Because she resembled her.”

“If he took her as a disciple for that simple reason alone, it means Cheonma’s affection for your daughter was extraordinary, but I understand this part even less. If he loved his lover so much, why was she chased and killed by demons when she was carrying his child? Why didn’t she even ask for help from you, her father?”

There was surely some complex matter that Shin Geum didn’t know about.

“Also, the Benefactor left such words at the end.”

“Our Seon-hwa left some words?”

“I thought she might tell me the baby’s name at least, but she said something strange.”

“Something strange?”

Shin Geum recalled the Benefactor’s voice, which had been more desperate than anyone’s.

“You must not let Cheonma and the child meet. Please make sure she grows up normally as your child. That’s all I want.”

Before the final battle with the assassins, she had repeated those words dozens of times while entrusting Seolha to Shin Geum.

At the time, with life hanging by a thread, there was no time to think deeply about it.

After entering the sect, she was busy establishing herself and had no peace of mind while raising Seolha.

Then today, she suddenly began to question the truth behind those words.

Previously, she had vaguely thought it meant not to let her meet Cheonma because he was a dangerous person, but facing the current situation, the words seemed to have deeper meaning.

Perhaps the Benefactor didn’t want to give her real daughter to Cheonma for some reason?

“She knew it too. That Cheonma would become obsessed with her daughter.”

“Did you just say obsessed?”

“Cheonma’s obsession with my daughter was beyond imagination. He made many efforts to win her heart.”

“But the Benefactor wasn’t interested?”

“Seon-hwa had a lover. That was the beginning of all this tragedy.”

Tak Joong-hak spoke heavily.

‘She had a lover?’

“Don’t tell me… what caused the Benefactor’s death was…”

“That’s right. My lord, whom I raised and served like a son, did that.”

To save her lover, Tak Joong-hak’s daughter Tak Seon-hwa had to leave the Cheonma Sect.

How much effort had he put into finding his daughter who had hidden herself away.

When he finally heard the news that both his daughter and that man had died, he had gone to find Cheonma.

Did it have to be that way?

Did he have to take away his only blood relative?

But at that time, Cheonma was completely blinded by jealousy.

Though he had never crossed the line even when his daughter told him she had a lover, he had completely lost his mind at the two lovers’ elopement.

After three years of pursuit, the conclusion was everyone’s death.

Tak Joong-hak could guess why Seon-hwa had tried to return to Headquarters with a newborn baby on her back.

She must have thought she could save her daughter at least here.

Under the protection of the Hyeon-ma Tak Clan.

But she ultimately failed, and by fate’s trick, his granddaughter was entrusted to Shin Geum.

Perhaps his daughter Seon-hwa had thought this way in her final moments.

Since it had come to this, she hoped the child would grow up normally, having nothing to do with either Cheonma or the Tak Family.

Though she had always been proud of being a descendant of the Tak Family, she was a daughter who always yearned for freedom.

She would have wanted her own daughter to live without any constraints.

“Hah.”

What expression would that girl make in the afterlife if she knew that the daughter she saved by sacrificing her life had become Cheonma’s disciple?

Faced with a reality that could only be described as divine mischief, Tak Joong-hak squeezed his eyes shut.

“How could such a thing happen…”

Shin Geum’s guess that Cheonma might be Seolha’s biological father was completely wrong.

Rather, he was the mortal enemy who had killed her parents.

“Seolha…”

Shin Geum was already worried about the shock her granddaughter would receive when all the facts were revealed later.

Tak Joong-hak, who had been staring only at the earth being excavated, opened his mouth with a heavy expression.

“Do you know why the Sect Leader has had no disciples until now?”

“Isn’t it because he had no interest?”

“That’s partly correct. More precisely, there was no one he felt affection for.”

He was a Sect Leader who showed no tender feelings even toward his three sons.

His interest and favor depended solely on his personal preferences.

“Even so, how could he? Killing them with his own hands, then taking her as a disciple because she resembles them? Isn’t your Sect Leader insane?”

“Do you want to know my answer?”

Shin Geum was left speechless by Cheonma’s twisted love.

She finally understood what Gong Pae-cheon had meant when he said there were some entangled problems between the Tak Family and the Sect Leader.

“Family Head!”

At that moment, the subordinates who had been digging the grave shouted.

Tak Joong-hak and Shin Geum moved instantly without hesitation.

Seventeen years had passed.

What emerged from the grave was naturally skeletal remains.

Fortunately, the bones were neatly arranged, seemingly undamaged by wild beasts.

“…!”

Tak Joong-hak, who had been quietly looking down at the skeleton, suddenly jumped down into the pit.

The man who had been frantically digging through the dirt with his bare hands like a madman suddenly stopped and trembled.

What Tak Joong-hak held in his hands was a golden bracelet.

It was his wife’s keepsake that he had personally placed on his daughter’s wrist on her fifteenth birthday.

“Dig around the area more!”

When Cheon-yeong commanded in place of his lord, the subordinates all began digging through the dirt pile with their hands.

Then several more pieces of gold jewelry emerged.

They were all Seon-hwa’s belongings.

“Sob!”

Tak Joong-hak, who had begun weeping after discovering the bracelet, finally embraced all of them and wailed.

When Shin Geum turned away, his subordinates also retreated to a distance.

Having finally found the corpse of his daughter who had left this world 17 years ago, what must his feelings be like?

Shin Geum’s teeth chattered at the baseness and cruelty of Cheonma, who had ordered the killing of a loved one.

It was utterly frustrating and infuriating that Seolha had been entrusted to such a person.

“Thank you.”

Tak Joong-hak, who had been unable to take his eyes off his daughter’s keepsakes for a while, composed himself and approached Shin Geum.

“Thanks to you, Seon-hwa can return home.”

“It’s fortunate that she can go now, even if late.”

“I’m also grateful that you saved and raised my granddaughter.”

“I was the one who received the gift of life first. Without my benefactor, I wouldn’t have been able to be here either.”

“You’re from the Jeongpa, aren’t you?”

“…Did it show? I thought I had hidden it well enough.”

Tak Joong-hak smiled faintly.

“I had a feeling from the noodle shop. Even ordinary people have a faint flow of qi, but I couldn’t sense any from you at all.”

“Oh my.”

Shin Geum laughed softly and exclaimed as if she had overlooked that aspect.

“The energy when you used your movement technique was also pure and righteous.”

“I deliberately acted like a wild, unruly colt, but it seems it wasn’t enough.”

“Even if you imitate, the roots don’t change. Did you impose restrictions on yourself?”

“I knew I couldn’t fool the eyes of Family Head Tak. That’s why I avoided you so much.”

As Tak Joong-hak said, Shin Geum had imposed restrictions on her own body.

Using thin needles to completely conceal her qi and blood, her internal energy couldn’t be read at all.

Since he was at the level of Family Head Tak, he instead felt something strange about this and found her suspicious.

“Your current appearance isn’t real either, is it?”

“…”

Shin Geum neither confirmed nor denied it.

“I don’t know what circumstances you have, but I’ll pretend not to know for now.”

“…Are you serious?”

“You’ve helped me find both my daughter and granddaughter, so shouldn’t I show at least that much sincerity?”

Tak Joong-hak gazed at Shin Geum with a serious expression.

“If you ever need help, come to the Tak Family anytime. I will definitely repay this debt.”

“What do you plan to do about Seolha?”

“I must bring her back.”

Tak Joong-hak showed not a moment’s hesitation.

“I failed to protect my daughter, but shouldn’t I protect my granddaughter?”

This was the Hyeon-ma Tak Clan, called the founder and root of demonic swordsmanship. When his long seclusion was broken, what kind of storm would blow through the Cheonma Sect, and what effect would that have on Seolha?

Shin Geum’s mind became incredibly complicated.

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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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