The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 104

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

Chapter 104
Father spoke calmly.
“Please, stand up. I need to understand what this is about before I can decide whether to help.”
The young man hesitated, then gritted his teeth and rose to his feet.
“Would you be willing to follow me first?”
Father replied matter-of-factly.
“I cannot follow someone without an explanation beforehand.”
He was right. Whether child or adult, one shouldn’t follow a stranger without knowing where they’re going.
Then Pyo Sa spoke carefully.
“Alliance Leader, perhaps you should follow this young man for now.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s not far—just to that carriage blocking the road ahead. You only need to go that far.”
Father regarded both Pyo Sa and the young man quietly for a moment.
“Since you say so, I understand. Yeon, come here.”
Ever since the landslide, Father had kept me close whenever the situation seemed even slightly uncertain. I followed Pyo Sa and the young man while nestled in Father’s arms. A large carriage came into view in the distance.
‘A carriage this size blocking the road—no one could pass.’
People moved busily around the carriage. The window was slightly ajar, and through it I could see a young boy with snow-white hair.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
‘Could it be… the Jegal Clan?’
But why would someone from the Jegal Clan be lying here? That white hair was practically the symbol of the Jegal Clan. There had to be a reason Pyo Sa suddenly brought this unknown young man.
‘Wait, if this is someone from the Jegal Clan right now…’
There was only one person it could be.
Jeggal Hwa-mu, the Family Head of the Jegal Clan.
“Why are you here…?”
Father seemed equally shocked by this unexpected situation. Then the young man bowed again and spoke.
“Someone will come to explain the details. I apologize for not being able to tell you more here.”
At that moment, Father instinctively pulled me close and stepped back. Simultaneously, something white fell from the carriage roof. Because Father was holding me tightly, I noticed it a beat too late.
‘A cat?’
The cat was white with golden eyes. It looked identical to the one I’d encountered in the peach blossom forest near Cheon-am Temple.
What were the odds of meeting another white cat with golden eyes?
The cat then led the way into the carriage as if guiding us.
* * *
A peculiar fragrance emanated from inside the carriage. Most of it had dissipated through the open window, leaving only a faint trace, but it was a scent I’d encountered before.
‘Ah, isn’t this a strong pain-relief incense?’
The white-haired boy inside the carriage appeared to be about the same age as Namgung Ryu-cheong, but he was already unconscious.
‘This boy is the last of the Jegal Clan.’
That was why I could say with certainty that this child, whom I’d never seen before, was the Family Head of the Jegal Clan.
The Jegal Clan. Once a family that aspired to supremacy in the Jianghu, their glory had now faded. No one could have predicted that the Jegal Clan, which once dominated the Jianghu, would crumble in this manner.
The reason the Jegal Clan fell was because, at some point, an incurable disease began afflicting the direct descendants of the clan. Most died before reaching thirty, and some didn’t even live past their twenties, the pattern repeating endlessly.
With the Family Head and successors in such poor health, there was no way the clan could maintain itself properly. Now, only a young boy like this could become the next Family Head.
When Namgung Ryu-cheong drew his sword and entered the world, Jeggal Hwa-mu’s body had already found rest in the cold earth below.
The fact that such a Jeggal Hwa-mu now stood before me felt utterly surreal.
‘Why is he collapsed here?’
A young man who, by all accounts, should have died not long from now.
Jeggal Hwa-mu with white hair and a complexion so pallid it seemed lifeless struck me as almost… spectral.
And there, perched at the Jegal Family Head’s bedside, was a white-furred cat with golden eyes, staring directly at us—the whole scene felt like being dragged into some strange, otherworldly realm.
My father spoke in a grave tone.
“What exactly is the meaning of this?”
“That is…”
“Allow me to explain.”
An elderly man stepped forward from behind the bewildered young man and clasped his fists in salute.
“I am called Mak-chu, the Family Head’s old servant.”
From his appearance and bearing, I could tell he had served the Jegal Clan for many years. Mak-chu glanced at me—a silent indication that what he had to say would be difficult to speak in my presence.
My father pulled me close in a firm embrace.
“This is my daughter. And I have no intention of sending her away. Speak freely.”
“…Very well, then.”
At my father’s resolute words, Mak-chu took a step back.
“The Great Hero’s reputation has reached even the ears of a lowly servant such as myself. However, what I must tell you is most delicate…”
My father gestured, and a shimmering blue barrier of inner force spread outward from us, forming a protective veil.
A qi barrier—a thin membrane woven from inner force itself.
‘I’ve heard such a thing was possible…’
But this was my first time witnessing it.
A qi barrier was not something anyone with inner force could simply deploy. To manifest one required the ability to manipulate the form of one’s inner force with absolute freedom. And watching my father weave the barrier through my golden eyes was breathtaking—so intricate, so beautiful it was almost painful to behold.
It was as though we stood within a perfect sphere, inside a snow globe, observing the world from within. All the ambient noise from outside—the clatter of wheels, the murmur of voices, the conversations of guards, the rustle of grass in the wind—all such mundane sounds were sealed away. Only the breathing and presence of those within this carriage remained perceptible.
“The barrier is now in place, so you may speak freely.”
“Thank you.”
Mak-chu glanced once at the Jegal Family Head before opening his mouth.
“The Family Head suffers from… severed meridian syndrome.”
My father’s eyes widened as he looked at Jeggal Hwa-mu. Inwardly, I sighed.
‘It seems I encounter every peculiar constitution the Jianghu has to offer.’
If Yalyu’s extreme yang constitution was a condition that inverted talent and lifespan by disrupting the balance of yin and yang…
Then severed meridian syndrome was a cursed constitution offering no benefits whatsoever—merely a slow blockage of qi circulation throughout the entire body. It was an incurable disease that inevitably led to death as the circulation of inner force gradually became impossible.
My father spoke with concern evident in his expression.
“I have heard of severed meridian syndrome. However, I confess I am uncertain what aid I could possibly provide.”
“With the Great Hero’s inner force, you need only forcibly guide the qi to flow smoothly.”
“You mean to forcibly conduct breathing exercises for the Jegal Family Head?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
My father asked, as though something did not sit right with him.
“Could not such a method be performed by someone other than myself?”
And he calmly pointed out the flaw in Mak-chu’s reasoning.
“Moreover, the Jegal Family Head is suffering from a severed meridian. Did you really come without any preparations for such a situation?”
Right, right. It had seemed far too suspicious.
Mak-chu’s beard trembled slightly.
“Of course we came prepared. However….”
Mak-chu suddenly prostrated himself as he spoke.
“Great Hero, I beg of you. I shall never forget this kindness.”
At that moment, the curtain suddenly blurred and scattered.
‘Hm?’
Baek Li-ui-gang rose as he spoke.
“…Let us depart with the carriage first.”
“Great Hero!”
“We cannot perform cultivation on the roadside.”
“But time is of the essence…!”
Baek Li-ui-gang fell silent in thought for a moment, his eyes lowered, before looking at me. Then he spoke with resolve.
“I cannot take actions that would place me in danger based solely on the words of someone from another family. I too have things I must protect. At the very least, I must station a guardian at the Inn.”
Cultivation regulation had always required caution. Especially when forcing someone else into cultivation—if someone were to interfere, there was no telling what accident might occur.
I looked at the Jegal Family Head.
‘…So that was it.’
From the moment I first saw him, Jeggal Hwa-mu’s aura had been remarkably strange. His overall vitality fell short of ordinary people. Instead, only his dantian shone with unusual brilliance. Particularly the upper dantian near what was called the Baihui point.
After examining him thoroughly, I opened my mouth.
“Father, let me try.”
“You, Yeon?”
I spoke through sound transmission.
[I’ve seen information about severed meridians in Man Shin-ui’s Alchemy Chamber.]
“I have seen it as well. But you have never actually attempted it, have you?”
Hm? Why wasn’t he responding through sound transmission?
Well, there was nothing in his words so important that it couldn’t leak out.
[Haven’t you also never actually dealt with a severed meridian?]
“…That is true as well.”
[Besides, Man Shin-ui originally used this ability to treat people. While I cannot be of much help with ordinary illnesses, this involves true qi, so it should work well.]
Unlike Lady Jang, whom I had been unable to help before, a severed meridian condition was perfectly suited to Man Shin-ui’s abilities.
“That may be so, but….”
[Father, you must decide quickly. The Jegal Family Head’s condition looks truly grave.]
“….”
Baek Li-ui-gang gazed at me and the Jegal Family Head with worried eyes. I grasped my father’s hand reassuringly and looked at the Jegal Family Head.
A faint aura. Even now, his true qi was gradually weakening. My father, who had been deliberating with lowered eyes, seemed to reach a decision and spoke toward Mak-chu.
“What if my daughter were to assist instead?”
“…A-are you serious?”
Mak-chu looked at me in bewilderment.
“Might I ask how old the young lady is?”
“Six years old, then.”
Mak-chu’s expression suggested he might collapse at any moment.
I protested indignantly.
“I’m seven years old now!”
Baek Li-ui-gang spoke as if questioning what I meant.
“Your birthday hasn’t passed yet, so you’re still six, aren’t you? Has your birthday already come?”
Ah. In this place, age was reckoned by birthdays.
“Ah… I was mistaken.”
I scratched my cheek and nodded in agreement.
“Though she is my daughter, Yeon is remarkably intelligent and kind-hearted—truly not a child at all in her demeanor.”
“Father?”
Praise, suddenly, here of all places?
“Hearing Yeon speak, I find myself doubting whether a child could truly think such things. There is no way to regard her as merely six years old, so please do not worry.”
Even while sitting, my mind grew hazy, and I pushed myself upright with my hands against the floor. No—my pretense of being six years old had already been exposed long ago.
Haha. Well, I did overreach.
Mak-chu gasped for breath, his voice hoarse as he spoke.
“But no matter what, how could you possibly ask such a young lady to…”
Baek Li-ui-gang cut off Mak-chu’s words decisively.
“There is nothing more to discuss. I propose two options. The first is to depart for the Inn immediately, and I will handle it myself.”
Baek Li-ui-gang continued, looking at me.
“The second is for me to stand guard while my daughter handles it here. Choose.”

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