The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 126

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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 126
* * *
I opened my eyes slowly. The sensation of the natural qi that had moved like my own limbs began to fray at my fingertips, the clarity unmistakable.
The experience I had gained while assisting Jeggal Hwa-mu’s cultivation proved invaluable. I could feel for myself that my control over the natural qi had risen to a new level.
Where once it felt like manipulating water currents through my palms, now it was as though each strand touched my individual fingers. The black turbid qi no longer emanated from Seok Ga-yak.
Next, my gaze fell upon my father. He had remained at my side throughout my cultivation of the natural qi. The formidable aura I felt beside me was reassuring.
My father had placed his sword on a table drawn close—I couldn’t recall when he’d moved it—and sat with his eyes closed. Beside his blade lay various medical instruments, and in one corner lay a piece of white cloth stained with black marks, crumpled carelessly.
I could also see Seok Tae-ui. His expression suggested he had much he wished to say.
My father opened his eyes and spoke.
“Is it finished?”
“….”
I tried to answer, but my voice wouldn’t come. Only after steadying my breath several times could I produce sound.
“…Yes.”
“You cultivated for more than half a day. The physical exhaustion must be severe.”
So that’s why my voice wouldn’t work—I was this exhausted. I barely managed to turn my head toward the window, only to find deep darkness had already settled outside. My vision blurred, and I could feel the beginnings of a headache forming near my temples.
My father’s hand passed beside me and pressed Seok Ga-yak’s pressure point. He released the confusion and immediately checked his pulse.
Seok Ga-yak’s eyes remained closed. Through my blurred vision, I could see his chest rising and falling in steady rhythm.
My father spoke calmly.
“Stable.”
Seok Tae-ui urgently checked Seok Ga-yak’s pulse. A gasp of astonishment escaped him.
My father caught me as I stumbled. I grasped at his robes.
“Rest now.”
The moment I heard those words, I plunged instantly into sleep.
* * *
Seok Tae-ui groaned as he held the wrist of the not-yet-fully-grown child.
“Mm.”
How long had he been doing this? The child’s wrist suddenly slipped from Seok Tae-ui’s hand.
“Please stop now.”
Seok Ga-yak rubbed the wrist that had been held by Seok Tae-ui with his other hand.
“How many times are you going to check?”
“Ahem.”
Seok Tae-ui cleared his throat and unwrapped the bandage from Seok Ga-yak’s leg. New flesh was already visibly forming.
“….”
Seok Ga-yak sighed and snatched the salve from Seok Tae-ui’s hand. Only then did Seok Tae-ui, who had been frozen, move again.
“Ah, my apologies. Let me do it.”
“That’s enough. At this rate, you’ll be at it until tomorrow.”
Seok Tae-ui cleared his throat once more. He hadn’t truly believed Baek Li-yeon’s words that she could help. The reason he had agreed was a slim hope—though it seemed absurd—that she might provide the Heavenly Fate Golden Soul Pill, or perhaps a spiritual medicine of comparable worth.
After all, this child had entered Man Shin-ui’s Training Chamber. Wasn’t it possible she possessed some mysterious spiritual pill in her possession?
He had even heard that Baek Li-myeong had been given Man Shin-ui’s salve. But he had never imagined it would happen like this.
The black liquid seeping from the wound. It was poison. He had heard that when masters of profound inner strength became poisoned, they extracted the toxin in precisely this manner.
Normally, one would expel poison by vomiting it out. And usually, that would only be possible immediately after poisoning, from one’s own body. After all, through qi circulation and internal observation, I knew my own body better than anyone.
But how in the world had Baek Li-yeon managed it…?
I knew better than anyone that the girl was a dantian cripple. Yet the poisons that had escaped from Seok Ga-yak’s body—though only for a fleeting moment—had simply fallen from the air. I could scarcely believe my own eyes at what I had witnessed.
Seok Tae-ui was so startled that he unconsciously glanced at Baek Li-ui-gang. But Baek Li-ui-gang’s expression remained inscrutable.
Baek Li-ui-gang spoke calmly.
“I will trust in the trust we have shared with Seok Tae-ui all this time.”
It was a command to keep silent about what he had seen.
Just then, a servant’s voice came from beyond the door.
“Sir, young master, Miss Baek Li has awakened.”
“Ah, she’s finally awake? I wondered how long she would sleep like that.”
Seok Ga-yak rose from the bed with evident delight, but Seok Tae-ui, witnessing this, was startled and stopped him.
“What are you doing? You mustn’t move yet!”
* * *
My head throbbed relentlessly. When a headache was severe enough, one would groan even in sleep. That was my state now. Unable to sleep deeply because of the pain, I kept drifting through dreams.
After wandering through several nonsensical dreams, I found myself in profound darkness. In that unknown darkness, only the occasional moans of unbearable agony echoed against cold stone walls. And directly ahead, iron bars loomed faintly. Within them sat a figure, huddled and trembling.
After examining several times, I could discern that the huddled figure was a woman. She clutched herself with shoulders drawn tight, occasionally shuddering. Not from cold, but from fear. At her feet, a rat as large as a forearm sniffed the air.
Where was this place, and why was this woman imprisoned?
Then, suddenly, a light flared beside me. Only then did I realize another person was present in this space. It made sense—I had felt neither presence nor breath from them. Moreover, they wore entirely black clothing, completely absorbed into the darkness.
The sudden light had been conjured by this person. I turned my head to look again through the bars. I was curious about the woman’s identity. And I gasped.
‘…It’s me?’
The woman behind the bars was me.
An adult Baek Li-yeon.
The moment I recognized myself, the woman behind the bars became me. And I faced the masked figure in black. Only their eyes were barely visible, yet somehow their gaze felt familiar.
‘Why does it feel so familiar?’
As I tried to examine more closely, my body suddenly crawled across the floor and grasped the iron bars. My perspective remained my own, but my body moved against my will.
I spoke in a frail voice.
“Did Cheong send you?”
Who is Cheong?
I questioned, then suddenly remembered.
Could it be… that she was calling Namgung Ryu-cheong by that name?
“….”
The masked figure remained silent and drew a key from their robes. I flinched and retreated.
‘No, wait. Let me look more carefully.’
I wanted to examine the masked figure’s eyes more closely, but my frightened gaze wandered aimlessly. The helplessness of not being able to move as I wished was unbearable.
Soon the iron bars opened with a metallic click. The masked figure stepped inside and seized my forearm. In that instant, I opened my eyes in reality.
A familiar voice came from beside my pillow.
“Are you awake?”
My eyes were open, but my mind remained hazy. For a long while, I could only blink, struggling to regain my senses. I couldn’t comprehend what that dream had been.
‘What was that prison, and why was I trapped there….’
Even before my regression, I had never been imprisoned in such a place. And besides….
‘Namgung Ryu-cheong?!’
I had never called him that before!
‘Is this just another meaningless dream, like always?’
I’d always been the type to dream frequently. But….
No matter how much I thought about it, those masked eyes seemed hauntingly familiar.
As I sat up, my head throbbed dully. While I grimaced and pressed my palm against my temple, a lukewarm teacup brushed against my lips. Only then did I realize how parched my throat was.
I eagerly drank the tea. It wasn’t until I’d drained nearly four cups in succession that my thirst finally subsided.
I exhaled and asked.
“So what happened? Where am I?”
With each word I spoke, it felt as though someone were pricking the inside of my skull with needles.
“This is the guest chamber at Seok Tae-ui’s Residence. You collapsed into sleep, so Tae-ui offered this room for you to rest.”
“I see.”
“And you’ve just woken up after four days.”
“…What?”
I stared blankly, my mouth agape, before crying out in disbelief.
“I’ve been asleep for four days?”
The outburst made my head throb even worse. I scrunched my face and gently tapped my temples with my fingertips.
“Even while sleeping, you were groaning from the pain. Are you alright?”
“Yes. I just cried out suddenly… but I feel much better now.”
“Bring Tae-ui here.”
“What? No, there’s no need for that.”
“Wait here.”
Father rose to his feet, ignoring my protest. That was when it happened.
A deep, resonant rumble—unmistakably loud and clear. I clutched my stomach.
Did it really have to be that loud?! Heat rushed to my cheeks in embarrassment. Even as I felt the shame, another thunderous growl erupted from within.
Father spoke calmly.
“You seem healthy enough. Let’s have you eat something.”

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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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