The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 115

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 115
“Really, truly? Father is unwell somewhere?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about.”
“Grandfather!”
I pressed forward with my explanation urgently.
“You know I said I could see the flow of qi with my abilities. But there were times when I observed Father and something seemed… off.”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk pressed his hand to his forehead.
“Sigh. That fool Ui-gang had to be the one…”
My grandfather gazed at me with a melancholic expression. I seized his sleeve and dropped to my knees.
“Please tell me. What’s wrong with Father?”
“…Sigh.”
Grandfather exhaled deeply once more and grasped my forearm.
“Stand up.”
“Grandfather! Please.”
“It would do you no good to know.”
“But Grandfather, I’ve already figured it out—how can you just leave it at that!”
Grandfather lifted me effortlessly despite my resistance.
“Go back.”
His stern expression made it clear he had no intention of telling me.
“Grandfather…”
I considered whether I should try crying, but no tears came. Grandfather despised repeating himself. No one was exempt from that rule.
‘What should I… what can I do…?’
I gnawed at my lip, then suddenly lifted my head.
“With the abilities I’ve gained, I could help Father—I might be able to help him.”
“…”
Those words swayed him. Grandfather stroked his beard in silence several times before slowly opening his mouth.
“Your father’s ailment is something even I cannot explain precisely. It is a symptom I have never witnessed before in all my years. We have not even determined what illness it truly is.”
“An illness?”
Father was ill?
Grandfather spoke in a sorrowful tone.
“As you observed with your ability, yes. You saw it correctly. Ui-gang’s inner energy flow occasionally becomes unstable.”
“What… what kind of instability?”
“Without warning… his qi circulation sometimes becomes impossible.”
“His circulation stops working?”
“Yes. Anywhere from a quarter hour to half an hour. Fortunately, it returns to normal after some time passes.”
In that moment, everything became clear to me.
Why my qi suddenly shattered and why Father hadn’t used his voice transmission—if his inner energy flow was disrupted and he couldn’t circulate his qi properly.
‘Then… was that why he said he couldn’t help the Jegal Family Head?’
Of course, it was natural to refuse something dangerous to attempt on the road. But Father’s refusal had been unusually resolute, which had struck me as odd.
‘Because Father cannot do it right now…’
Is that perhaps why he refused to allow it?
“Since when… since when has this been happening?”
“I’m not entirely certain myself. I only discovered the problem while sparring with your father.”
“….”
“Don’t worry. The progression is slow.”
“Slow?”
I grasped at this sliver of hope like a drowning person clutching driftwood.
“What happens if the condition continues as it is?”
“We must find a cure before that happens.”
“Of course! Obviously, but….”
I was terrified even to voice the question. My voice trembled slightly.
“But what if, in that worst case, it continues to progress? What then?”
“Nothing is certain. The blockages in his inner energy flow are increasing, and the intervals are growing longer. Perhaps….”
I held my breath, listening to Grandfather’s words.
“One day, he will no longer be able to wield a sword.”
“Father… Father won’t be able to wield a sword?”
What is this? My father? My own father unable to hold a blade?
“Seok Tae-ui said it doesn’t appear to pose an immediate threat to his life.”
“Ah….”
Was that fortunate? Could I truly call it fortunate that his life wasn’t in danger? That it wasn’t a fatal illness? But he couldn’t use a sword anymore? My father couldn’t wield a sword?
A martial artist speaks through the blade. To no longer wield one meant death as a warrior. Could I truly consider it fortunate that he lived, that his life was safe?
‘Father, who once roamed the Jianghu with nothing but a sword, now needs someone’s protection….’
And I hadn’t even known he was suffering from such an affliction until he passed. He had hidden it to the very end.
Grandfather sighed heavily.
“Tsk, didn’t I tell you it’s better not to know!”
A sudden thought struck me, and I lifted my head.
“…Wait, Grandfather. An illness?”
“I’m not certain. The symptoms defy explanation from anyone. We can only assume it’s an illness.”
Grandfather gripped my shoulder.
“But Yeon, there’s no need to worry. For now, it’s not causing serious problems. Besides, the Jegal Family Head has already discovered a way to alleviate it. While we slow its progression, we’ll find a cure.”
I only half-listened to Grandfather’s explanation. Staring blankly into the void, I spoke.
“Grandfather… you said it was an illness?”
“Yes.”
“Then… did Father obtain the Heavenly Fate Golden Soul Pill because of this?”
* * *
Father had obtained the Heavenly Fate Golden Soul Pill from Grandfather when I was around nine or ten years old.
When I was six, the first commotion arose when Father demanded the Heavenly Fate Golden Soul Pill from Grandfather. At that time, Grandfather refused to give it. That incident began to strain the relationship between Grandfather and Father.
But I hadn’t even known such a thing had occurred back then.
And then Namgung Wan came to visit, I went to meet Man Shin-ui, I couldn’t receive treatment, and my body was far more fragile than it is now.
Father finally obtained the Heavenly Fate Golden Soul Pill from Grandfather.
What was Father’s expression like back then?
I couldn’t even remember. My mind had been consumed entirely by the Celestial Ming Golden Harmony Pill.
By that time, I had already learned of the Celestial Ming Golden Harmony Pill’s existence. And I had resented Baek Li Pae-hyuk for not giving it to me. The small wooden box Father had brought. The round medicinal pellet inside it had seemed like salvation itself to me.
And after taking the Celestial Ming Golden Harmony Pill. The first thing I saw upon awakening was Father’s shadowed face.
My dantian had not healed. Father repeated his examination several times and opened his mouth as if to say something. But in the end, he said nothing, only sighed and left the chamber.
I could only weep silently beneath the blankets. All the various pains and chronic ailments that had constantly weighed upon my body had vanished. I no longer needed to consume seven or eight bowls of medicine daily.
My frail body had become healthy. My hands and feet, which had always felt cold, now carried warmth, and I could even run. Perhaps I couldn’t learn the blade or martial arts, but couldn’t I at least function as a person? Not everyone in the world carries a sword through life, after all.
I tried to think that way. Seeking to settle my mind, I ventured out for a solitary walk.
And then….
“Did you hear? The Fourth Young Master took the Celestial Ming Golden Harmony Pill but it didn’t work!”
“Wow, so a pill that costs a fortune just went to waste?”
“That’s what I’m saying!”
“The Fourth Young Master is so pitiful. Why would they do something so pointless?”
“The pitiful one is Sister Yong-guk. I heard that several warriors from the Baek Geom Unit died obtaining the Celestial Ming Golden Harmony Pill! You know, the one from the Baek Geom Unit who was betrothed to Sister Yong-guk….”
“Gasp, so that warrior died while trying to obtain the Celestial Ming Golden Harmony Pill?”
“Yes. Better to have died. How can they keep on living like this, bringing shame to the Baek Family….”
I could listen no longer and walked away. The female servants who saw me jumped in surprise. I passed them and crossed through the middle gate of the Residence Quarter.
“D-did you hear what we said?”
“I-it’s fine. What can I do about it? The Fourth Young Master must have given up by now anyway.”
Leaving the servants’ voices behind, I found the quiet Back Garden where no one else was. How long did I sit on the bench by the pond? Then my gaze caught upon a figure.
Baek Li Pae-hyuk. As if he had been watching for a very long time, pear blossoms that bloomed abundantly throughout the Back Garden had accumulated quite thickly on his shoulders.
I started in surprise and lowered my head. I was so frightened of Baek Li Pae-hyuk that I couldn’t even bow properly. He continued to gaze at me as if he had something to say. I didn’t even dare to think of running away.
After a time long enough for my neck to grow stiff, when I lifted my head again, Baek Li Pae-hyuk had disappeared.
“Meow.”
The sudden sound brought me back to awareness. The Jegal Family Head’s White Cat. The White Cat was rubbing itself against my feet.
When I lifted my head, I saw a deep blue night sky glittering with stars. The garden attached to the Inn. I had no idea when I had come here.
I leaned against a tree and slid down slowly. The White Cat leaped into my arms. It gazed at me with gleaming golden eyes.
I stared blankly before gently embracing the White Cat. Its faint warmth seemed to offer some comfort.
My face contorted.
“Yeon, do not entertain such useless thoughts. The Celestial Ming Golden Harmony Pill was obtained only for use when there was no other way.”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk’s words before I left the chamber came back to me. But how could I truly believe that? Just as Father had given me the Celestial Ming Golden Harmony Pill with a glimmer of hope, Baek Li Pae-hyuk must have harbored the same heart.
After returning, I thought I knew everything, but in truth I knew nothing. My mind was far too confused.
Rustle. Crack. Rustle. Crack. The sound of footsteps on undergrowth mingled with the whisper of fabric.
“Yeon, Miss. What troubles you so that your face bears such an expression?”
A pallid complexion. Long white hair flowing down. A white robe unsuited to the season. Beneath the bright moon, the young master shone alone in the darkness with an inauspicious radiance that drove away the quiet night.

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