The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 124

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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 124
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June. Cicadas shrieked raucously through the dense verdant foliage, and in the oppressive heat, even the slightest movement left one drenched in perspiration.
Beyond my feet, a bed materialized through the haze—the bulbous form of quilts and the faint silhouette of a small child perched beside them.
A hushed voice drifted through the air.
“When will he wake?”
Sunlit wind slipped through the window, caressing the pallid complexion of the boy whose skin seemed translucent enough to reveal the veins beneath.
Jeggal Hwa-mu. Save for the slight pallor, he appeared to be resting peacefully—nothing like what I’d feared when he first collapsed.
I had worried, certainly, but I’d believed he would awaken soon. Yet more than a month had passed without him opening his eyes.
‘What if he never wakes?’
I pushed away the ominous thought that had surfaced unbidden. Though Jegal Se’s Sister lay unconscious, I couldn’t seek help from the Jegal Clan.
‘Their relationship with his mother was strained, I’d heard.’
That she wanted him dead.
If she learned that Jegal Se’s Sister had lost consciousness, wouldn’t she rejoice and send assassins rather than aid?
At least here in the Baek Li Estate, he was safe.
‘Did he know he would collapse and ask Grandfather for protection?’
‘What is the secret behind Man Shin-ui’s ability?’
‘And this poison that seems to have addicted my father…?’
Countless unanswered questions swirled in my mind. But the only one who could provide answers remained locked in sleep.
“Then I’ll begin.”
Words Jeggal Hwa-mu would never hear. At my words, my guard Mu-yeong took his protective stance.
I placed my hand gently near Jeggal Hwa-mu’s dantian. Through my fingertips, natural qi flowed carefully into his inner energy, and soon his qi—guided by my will—permeated the meridians throughout his body.
When I first circulated his qi after he collapsed, the effort alone had overwhelmed me, leaving me blind to the truth. His meridians were peculiarly formed—only those near the upper dantian were abnormally vast and wide. To observe only that region was to feel no severing of the meridians whatsoever.
Yet the moment one ventured beyond that area, the meridians contracted sharply. Over the month since returning to the Baek Li Estate, assisting his circulation daily had allowed me to gauge the rate of this constriction.
‘Approximately two more years…’
That was the time remaining before his meridians sealed completely. His condition had never been robust before, but it had deteriorated markedly since his collapse at the Inn.
Even questioning Mu-yeong yielded no explanation.
Only a single phrase: ‘He simply overexerted himself.’ And somehow, I understood that this overexertion was connected to me.
In any case, unlike before, a single circulation session could no longer block or clear the narrowing meridians. Jeggal Hwa-mu’s inner energy was insufficient. Even the natural qi I supplied fell short. Originally, it would have been enough. But since this deterioration…
So recently, my focus had shifted to dissolving the medicinal essences that had accumulated and failed to dissolve in Jegal Se’s Sister’s meridians, integrating them into his inner energy to increase his cultivation.
I opened my eyes. In the bronze mirror placed before me, the golden light that had shimmered in my pupils scattered away.
How much could this increase his reserves? No answer came. As I lowered my head, a faint vitality began to return, yet Jeggal Hwa-mu remained with eyes closed, and the White Cat—appearing from nowhere—came into view.
The White Cat lay curled at a distance from me, its body folded tight. It never touched me during my circulation work with Jeggal Hwa-mu. Once I finished, the White Cat lifted its head. Its rough tongue licked the back of my hand, as if saying thank you for your efforts.
“Dwae-ji, what do you think?”
The White Cat tilted its head as if asking what I meant.
“Meow?”
“That I…to Jegal Se’s Sister…”
Remembering Mu-yeong’s presence in the room, I barely managed to stop myself. I looked down at Jeggal Hwa-mu, then deliberately turned away.
* * *
The usually quiet Residence Quarter bustled with preparations for an outing. My hair was arranged beautifully, my clothes carefully chosen, and gifts were packed. The White Cat followed close behind as I moved back and forth.
There was only one reason for this.
“No way.”
White Cat meowed in displeasure.
“What? Your master is lying right there—just stay by my side, would you?”
I couldn’t read White Cat’s expression well, but was it just my imagination that it felt like ‘not my problem’?
“No, Dwae-ji. There’s a bird there too. You’ll eat it.”
Dwae-ji the cat continued shaking its head.
“Either way, no.”
Eon-du, who had brought the horse, chuckled and spoke.
“Calling such a pretty cat ‘Dwae-ji’? Young Miss, when you have children later, please don’t let them name things.”
“…I’m only seven years old.”
“That’ll come soon enough. Dwae-ji, the young miss said no. Come here.”
White Cat batted away Eon-du’s reaching hand with rapid paw strikes.
“Ouch. What a temperament.”
In the meantime, I left the Residence Quarter with my father, leading the horse.
White Cat, evading Eon-du’s grasp, hurried after me in panic. I ignored it and went outside the Main Gate, mounting the horse with my father.
“Meow! Meow!”
The cat that had been chasing us soon began crying pitifully. My father glanced back for a moment.
I spoke first before my father could open his mouth.
“No.”
“Mm.”
I changed the subject to divert my father’s attention.
“Father, when I first went to the Academy, you were at Seok Tae-ui’s Residence, weren’t you?”
“The day you first went to the Academy?”
“The day I ran into Uncle Wan at the Main Gate.”
“Ah, that’s right. How did you know?”
“Because I saw your horse in the stable at Seok Tae-ui’s Residence that day.”
I tapped the neck of the chestnut horse I was riding.
“Is that so?”
It was, but Seok Ga-yak had stopped his needling right then. A faint smile crossed my father’s lips as I looked up at him.
“…It’s good that there’s no need to hide it.”
Grandfather had told me the secret, then informed my father that I knew the truth as well. I hadn’t heard my father’s response, but later when Baek Geom Danju subtly asked me if my grandfather and father had fought, it didn’t seem like kind words had been exchanged.
As my father and I conversed, we arrived at our destination. It was Seok Tae-ui’s Residence. There was a reason we were going there so late.
While we were returning home, Seok Ga-yak had received a summons from the main house and departed. Seok Tae-ui had hinted so strongly that I should come see Seok Ga-yak—it was rather absurd.
As my father and I spoke briefly, we arrived at the destination. My father dismounted first, then lifted me down from the horse by my waist.
Following the servant’s guidance, we entered. After waiting a moment seated, Seok Tae-ui arrived.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it’s been a while.”
After my father and he exchanged greetings, I greeted him too.
“Hello!”
“…Yes.”
There was something oddly unsettling about his demeanor. For reasons I couldn’t quite place, he seemed exhausted. Seok Tae-ui asked me to wait here for a moment, then left with my father.
After a brief wait, Seok Tae-ui returned.
I quickly asked him.
“How is my father?”
“I cannot discuss a patient’s condition.”
“But I’m his daughter.”
“Then ask him directly.”
“….”
Damn. He was absolutely rigid about protocol. I exhaled deeply and spoke.
“Then at least you can tell me this—how is the treatment progressing?”
Seok Tae-ui fell silent for a moment before parting his lips.
“I told your father as well, but I have decided to cease my research into your father’s illness.”
“…What?”
Seok Tae-ui then spoke with a stern expression.
“And from now on, I shall visit the Baek Li Estate myself. Do not come to my residence.”
What? When did he hint that I should visit him even once? His attitude had suddenly reversed entirely.
Seok Tae-ui was not naturally a kind person. As the head of the Medical Bureau and a high-ranking official, he was the type brimming with pride in his abilities and station—somewhat rigid and particular in his ways.
Or rather, if he was kind, then he was kind.
I could tell from how he cut me off sharply when I asked about my father’s condition, despite me being his daughter.
However, in recent times when dealing with me, he had been quite affectionate and treated me with considerable kindness, so this behavior was unexpected. Since Seok Tae-ui had grasped my wrist and begun taking my pulse, I held my tongue.
“You’ve accumulated quite a bit of fatigue. Training is good, but remember that your body was once injured. Rest between sessions.”
Then he immediately rose from his seat.
“I’ll have a servant bring the prescription. For now, remain here quietly, and once your father’s treatment is complete, return home.”
Seok Tae-ui turned and promptly left the chamber.
What was that reaction about…? I gazed down at my teacup, pondering.
In this life, Seok Tae-ui had shown me unusual favor. Differences from my past life. There were now too many to count. But what seemed to have influenced Seok Tae-ui’s attitude….
‘It must be Seok Ga-yak.’

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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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