The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 125

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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 125
I noticed the Female Servant standing in the Hall.
‘What should I do?’
In that moment, our eyes met.
The Female Servant smiled and spoke.
“Is there anything you require?”
“No, I’m fine.”
As long as that Female Servant remained, I wouldn’t be able to leave.
Then, I heard the sound of the door creaking open. When I turned my head, there stood a Servant who appeared to be in his adolescence. The startled Female Servant moved to block the approaching Servant, then lowered her voice and whispered.
“Why are you here?”
She spoke as though I wouldn’t hear, but by heightening my senses, I could catch every word.
“Young Master Seok told me to bring her.”
“What? But…”
“I merely follow Young Master Seok’s orders.”
“…I’ll inform the master about this.”
“Do as you wish.”
Something about this exchange felt peculiar.
Soon after, the Servant approached me and bowed respectfully. In contrast, the Female Servant gave me a slight bow and hurried out of the Hall, her expression betraying nothing of the argument that had just transpired.
The Servant spoke to me.
“I offer my respects to Miss Baek Li-yeon. My apologies for the delayed guidance. Please follow me.”
I searched my memory, feeling as though I’d seen him before. He was the Servant who had carried a peony pot when Seok Ga-yak visited our residence previously.
“…Seok Tae-ui instructed me to remain here quietly.”
“That’s quite alright.”
“If that’s the case, then I’m relieved…”
I followed the Servant, setting aside my subtle unease.
Upon entering the Residence Quarter that the Servant led me to, I understood why Seok Tae-ui’s expression had been so rigid. Despite the windows being wide open, the air carried the acrid scent of medicinal paste mingled with herbal decoction.
‘I feel as though I’ve encountered a similar situation not long ago…’
Seok Ga-yak sat upon the bed and welcomed me. As expected of a child in his prime growing years, he had grown considerably. The baby fat had melted from his cheeks, sharpening his features, and his already refined presence had deepened.
Seok Ga-yak smiled brightly and spoke.
“Who are you?”
“…It’s me, Baek Li-yeon.”
“Who is Baek Li-yeon?”
I laughed awkwardly, a hollow sound.
“I heard you had safely arrived at the Namgung Clan, and I waited for over a month without receiving a letter from you. I thought you had forgotten about me.”
“That… I was rather preoccupied… That’s why I came as soon as I heard you had returned. And I did send a reply.”
“Ah, that half-hearted one?”
“I had injured my hand at that time.”
I showed my palm as proof of my innocence. A faint white scar remained, far smaller than it should have been. The scar was fading rapidly, likely due to the influence of natural healing.
Seok Ga-yak narrowed his eyes.
“It looks more like a scratch.”
“No! Blood was dripping everywhere—I even had to stitch it up!”
“…An injury severe enough to require stitches?”
Seok Ga-yak lowered his head to examine his palm more closely. I seized the moment to close my eyes and draw upon the power of my Golden Eyes.
‘I should have worn a veil if I’d known.’
The weather had been unbearably hot lately. Even wearing a veil felt suffocating. Well, the Golden Eyes didn’t rely on sight alone, so I could use them with my eyes closed. But the ability did diminish somewhat without visual focus.
I found the anomaly immediately. His leg. One section of his leg’s vital energy was murky black, twisted and corrupted.
I gasped in alarm and hastily released the Golden Eyes, opening my eyes wide.
“What’s wrong with your leg?”
“Hm?”
Seok Ga-yak looked startled, his eyes shifting slightly.
“It’s nothing. Really, there’s no need for you to worry.”
I didn’t bother arguing about lies and truth—I simply yanked away the blanket he’d been covering himself with.
“Yeon!”
Seok Ga-yak yelped in surprise, his eyes widening. His leg was wrapped in bandages.
“This is nothing serious?”
Seok Ga-yak touched the corner of his eye awkwardly, looking uncomfortable.
“It looks quite painful. More importantly, when did you get hurt? I can still smell blood.”
After hesitating, Seok Ga-yak finally spoke.
“I was attacked on the way back from the Main Family Estate.”
“Attacked?”
“But it’s nothing you need to concern yourself with.”
I frowned deeply.
“I took medicinal herbs, so it barely hurts now. And as you well know, Seok Tae-ui is here, isn’t he? There’s no need to worry. That’s why I wanted to keep it secret—but you’re almost supernatural in how you figured it out.”
“….”
His explanation was delivered with such composure that without the Golden Eyes, I would have been completely fooled into thinking it was a trivial wound.
That was when the door creaked open, and a voice came through.
“So you’ve come after all.”
A familiar presence drew closer from behind me.
“I even asked you to return quietly.”
“I called for him. Tae-ui, please don’t concern yourself and go.”
Seok Ga-yak showed no hesitation whatsoever.
‘What is this?’
I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. It was something I’d sensed subtly ever since I overheard the conversation between the Female Servant and the Servant….
‘The hierarchy seems inverted somehow…. Weren’t they said to be distant relatives?’
Moreover, Seok Ga-yak was supposedly indebted to Seok Tae-ui’s Residence. Yet in this moment, Seok Ga-yak showed no deference to Seok Tae-ui whatsoever.
Then Seok Tae-ui spoke.
“What you should know about Ga-yak’s wound is that if you hadn’t been entangled with him, this would never have happened….”
“Seok Tae-ui!”
Seok Ga-yak’s cry cut off Seok Tae-ui’s words. I looked at Seok Ga-yak in surprise.
Seok Ga-yak spoke in an awkward tone.
“It’s not your fault, so don’t worry about it.”
“….”
I glanced at Seok Ga-yak before turning back to Seok Tae-ui. “How am I connected to this?”
“You don’t need to know the details.”
I furrowed my brow but nodded.
“Understood.”
Both Seok Tae-ui and Seok Ga-yak regarded my ready acceptance with suspicious expressions.
“Then, please tell me about Ga-yak’s wound.”
“That’s also something you need not know. Go back.”
“….”
At this point, I wasn’t pleased either.
“…Perhaps I could be of help.”
“You? Ha, and how exactly would you help?”
“You don’t need the details.”
Seok Tae-ui exhaled sharply.
Seok Ga-yak beside him opened his mouth blankly before breaking into laughter.
‘He’s laughing now?’
I gave him a sidelong glance.
Seok Tae-ui, eyes narrowing, clicked his tongue and spoke. “Quite the confidence. Fine! I hope it’s more than mere words.”
“Tae-ui?”
Seok Ga-yak’s voice carried surprise. I too was somewhat taken aback by his easy consent.
Seok Tae-ui unwrapped the bandages from Seok Ga-yak’s wound.
Seok Ga-yak looked at me with an uncertain expression, as if debating whether to stop him. His face radiated keen curiosity about how I intended to help.
The wound was soon exposed, and I drew a sharp breath. It was remarkably deep, and blood still seeped from it slowly.
Seok Tae-ui explained. “The blade was poisoned where it grazed him.”
I knitted my brow deeply.
“The wound itself was shallow, but we had to excise all the tissue the blade touched. We’ve attempted detoxification, but… the wound’s recovery has been sluggish.”
Seok Tae-ui spoke in a frustrated tone.
“At this rate, he may end up limping through life.”
I stared at the wound and spoke. “You say the detoxification is complete? No, that can’t be right.”
“What?”
It wasn’t something I could explain. The dark, murky energy I perceived with my golden eyes.
‘So that’s what it was… poison.’
Traces of poison remained, hindering the wound’s recovery. But since they couldn’t excise further, they’d apparently resorted to detoxification as a compromise. And on the surface, it appeared the poison had been neutralized. If things continued this way….
“I can help.”
“Truly?”
“It turned out to be poison when I checked what it was.”
The toxins remained in minute traces, blocking the recovery of the affected area. However, it seemed they couldn’t exercise further restraint here, so they had attempted detoxification as a second-best option. And on the surface, it even appeared as though the detoxification had succeeded. If things continued this way…
I can help you.
“Really?”
Rather than answer further, I pressed Seok Ga-yak down onto his back.
“Ugh! Yeon, please….”
I couldn’t afford to let him speak carelessly, so I located his acupoint and placed my hand over his dantian.
‘I’ve heard that masters can expel poison through the flow of their inner energy, even when poisoned.’
This was precisely what I intended to do. I had witnessed someone expel poison through breathing exercises before. When Namgung Wan had been poisoned by mountain toxin in the past, Dang So-yong had detoxified him on the spot in much the same manner.
‘Hmm?’
Seok Ga-yak’s meridians were remarkably well-cultivated.
These were the vital channels of someone who had trained consistently in the foundational heart method. Even in his dantian, I could faintly sense a coiled thread of inner energy.
Not the work of a professionally trained martial artist. Merely enough to protect the body and maintain health. If he could sense my inner energy, it would be better for him to lose consciousness.
I pressed another acupoint on Seok Ga-yak’s neck with my other hand.
“…!”
I felt the boy who could not cry out slip into unconsciousness. I also sensed Seok Tae-ui’s sharp intake of breath.
I spoke softly.
“Please tell Father that I request his protection of the dharma.”

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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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