The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 174

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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 174
In the past, the Murim Alliance had been attacked by the Demonic Cult once before. But that had occurred after my father’s death. Which meant it still lay years away!
Moreover, by that time I had already left the Baek Li Estate and gone into hiding. So I had only heard from afar that the Murim Alliance had been attacked—mere rumors carried on the wind.
Jeggal Hwa-mu had said the Demonic Cult’s Sect Leader must have also regressed, but aside from the massacre of Palgwae Village to capture Man Shin-ui, the Demonic Cult had shown no other sudden movements.
‘I was far too complacent.’
If the Demonic Cult’s Sect Leader, like me, possessed memories of regression, there would be no reason to employ the same methods as before.
Then why had they chosen this precise moment to strike? There must be something different about this timing—something that made it worth targeting now.
And I could discern one reason. The difference from the past.
‘Grandfather.’
My grandfather had not attended the Maeng Meeting. He could not have.
If my grandfather, one of the Top Eleven Masters of the World, had been present at the meeting, would such a calamity have unfolded? Even the Demonic Cult would have found it impossible.
‘Why the Demonic Cult left my aunt alone.’
This had been their plan from the beginning.
Between the shattered wooden fragments, the crimson jade gleamed.
* * *
An emergency council convened at once.
Word spread, and every Orthodox Martial Arts sect and family from the surrounding regions converged upon the Baek Li Estate. Even my uncle, who had remained in seclusion, attended. The family elders who arrived in succession showed slight surprise upon seeing me present.
Outsiders—people from other families and sects—reacted with even greater astonishment.
But the urgency of the matter quickly redirected their attention, and they fixed their expressions into gravity as they focused on the agenda.
The aide standing behind Jeggal Hwa-mu spoke.
“The Alliance Leader’s survival has been confirmed. He appears to be fleeing northwestward with survivors.”
At the news of survivors, several people released sighs of relief.
“How many survivors are there?”
“That much has not yet been confirmed. However, based on reports of sporadic skirmishes occurring around the Murim Alliance Headquarters, it seems there are considerable survivors.”
“If they’re heading northwest, the nearest major sect would be Wudang, correct?”
“Indeed. They should receive reinforcements shortly if they continue in that direction.”
“The distance is greater, but Shaolin, Jongnam, and Huashan lie to the north, so support should come from those quarters as well.”
“Will they be sufficient?”
The Baek Li Estate lay in the region below the Murim Alliance Headquarters.
‘If they’re fleeing northwest, they’re actually moving farther from here.’
Moreover, it was in the opposite direction from where the Namgung Clan was located. No matter how swiftly reinforcements were mobilized, time would inevitably be lost. The transmission of news itself would require days.
I observed my father and Namgung Ryu-cheong. My father’s stern expression revealed little outward emotion, while Namgung Ryu-cheong’s fists, clenched beneath the table, looked as though they might shatter.
I bit my lip, lifted my teacup, and brought it to my mouth to conceal my expression. While pretending to drink, I transmitted my voice toward Jeggal Hwa-mu.
[Was there any word about Uncle Namgung Wan?]
[…Unfortunately not.]
“The military force itself must be small in scale. Otherwise, it would be inexplicable that we failed to detect their movements until now.”
Had they mobilized a large force, the Murim Alliance and the other major sects and families centered around it could not have failed to notice. Given the secrecy involved, the force must be modest.
“The burned and collapsed Banquet Hall still bears the scent of explosives. Moreover, there were tremendous sounds throughout the night, as if detonating repeatedly in succession. It appears they used modified thunderbolt bombs.”
“Has the Demonic Cult finally lost its mind? Modified thunderbolt bombs?”
Thunderbolt bombs—explosives—were strictly controlled by the Imperial Court. Modification was naturally forbidden, and violation of this prohibition was punishable as treason.
“How could the current Imperial Court possibly have time to look into this? They acted knowing the court couldn’t spare attention.”
The Emperor was on his deathbed, and the Crown Prince remained undesignated. The Imperial Court was embroiled in bloody succession struggles multiple times a day.
Yet the Emperor, even as he lingered at death’s door, clung to life with stubborn tenacity—he would live several more years.
And after the Emperor’s death, matters would only grow more chaotic.
“Regardless of how formidable the Lightning Bombs are, I find it hard to believe that a small force breached the Murim Alliance Headquarters.”
The Murim Alliance Headquarters had long served as the center of the Orthodox Martial Arts Sects, its massive scale rivaling that of a small city.
From its founding, it was constructed with countless defensive formations and traps prepared against Demonic Cult attacks—a fortress by design.
Moreover, the Maeng Meeting was in session. Martial artists had gathered to attend, along with military forces deployed to protect them.
A small force could never have succeeded in attacking a headquarters that rivaled a city in scale—not if they had united and fought back….
But amid the chaos and thick fog, it was said that most of those attending the Maeng Meeting had fled in panic, desperate only to save their own lives.
The Martial World had enjoyed prolonged peace and grown complacent.
Moreover, since Wi Ji-baek became Alliance Leader, he had consistently worked to diminish the influence of the Nine Great Sects and existing powers—those who had once held central authority. Ostensibly, it was under the banner of injecting fresh blood into the stagnant Alliance and implementing reform.
‘To be honest, it’s true that the Nine Great Sects and certain families had monopolized everything for far too long.’
But the Nine Great Sects and families could hardly welcome Wi Ji-baek’s approach. They clashed with him repeatedly, and now, years after Wi Ji-baek became Alliance Leader.
‘The Nine Great Sects and families had accumulated considerable resentment.’
They sent mere puppets—those who were neither successors nor talented individuals—to the Maeng Meeting, weakening its overall strength. As a result, there were far fewer people capable of quelling the chaos and maintaining order.
“What in the world was the Alliance Leader doing!”
An elder of the Baek Li Family cried out. The elder’s most cherished daughter was currently at the Murim Alliance. Whether she was even alive remained unknown.
Many besides the elder had sent children and relatives to the Murim Alliance. They all voiced their grievances loudly.
“We may need further confirmation, but according to survivor testimonies, the Left Envoy of the Demonic Cult appeared.”
Gasps of shock, sighs, and silence pressed down upon the conference hall.
Left Envoy, Right Envoy.
The closest aides to Cheon-ma, they could be considered his left and right arms respectively. As befitted the Demonic Cult’s philosophy of strength reigning supreme, both were absolute powerhouses—while they hadn’t earned a place among the Top Eleven Masters of the World, their abilities were expected to be comparable.
Unlike the Right Envoy, who occasionally appeared throughout the Martial World, the Left Envoy rarely moved.
Someone voiced a question in the silence.
“Wait, didn’t you say the Alliance Leader survived and is being pursued? Are you saying the Alliance Leader fled before the Left Envoy?”
“…That, that can’t be… he must have fled?”
“But if the Alliance Leader had cut down the Left Envoy, there would be no reason for him to be pursued!”
If the Left Envoy had died or been gravely wounded, the Demonic Cult disciples would never have retreated.
“If the Alliance Leader fled… then what of the other Alliance members?”
“….”
In that room, only Wi Ji-baek possessed the strength to stand against someone of the Left Envoy’s caliber.
Someone muttered.
“Damn Wi Ji-baek….”
It had been said that Wi Ji-baek sought to push out the Nine Great Sects and existing families, but it was impossible for Wi Ji-baek alone to accomplish such a thing.
Wi Ji-baek’s success stemmed from receiving fervent support from ordinary Alliance members.
For instance, the Kirin Society was an organization of proven individuals—those selected not merely by family and sect, but by character, ability, and even appearance. Its standards were exceptionally high.
That Byeok Seong-ryul was a disciple of the Hyungsan sect, and outwardly, he was beyond reproach.
In any case, it meant that not all blood relatives of the Nine Great Sects and families sent to the Murim Alliance could qualify for the Kirin Society.
And those mediocre sect disciples and family members who fell short of Kirin Society standards—in other words, people like the twins or Baek Li-myeong.
Such individuals had become Alliance members through nepotism, receiving far better treatment than existing members despite coming from prestigious Orthodox sects.
‘And how arrogantly they carried themselves.’
When I stayed at the Murim Alliance briefly thanks to my father, it was truly….
How much resentment must have accumulated in the ordinary Alliance members who had to witness that spectacle day after day?
I too was frequently disrespected as someone crippled in internal energy, so I understood their feelings all too well.
That’s why Wi Ji-baek, who rose to become the Murim Alliance Leader among the Top Eleven Masters of the World without coming from a prestigious Orthodox sect, was especially an idol to the ordinary Alliance members. He was a warrior who would shatter the existing irrational order, and a beacon of hope showing that they too could reach such heights.
‘Yet he fled at the front when things seemed dangerous…!’
And there were those here who had profited by riding Wi Ji-baek’s authority, as well as followers who still denied reality and believed in him.
“How dare you speak so disrespectfully of the Alliance Leader?”
“What? Disrespectful? My child is at the Murim Alliance right now, and I don’t even know if they’re alive or dead…!”
“The attack isn’t the Alliance Leader’s fault either, and we don’t even have confirmation yet!”
Crash!
The massive table shook as if struck by an earthquake. Under my grandfather’s piercing gaze, those who had been raising their voices fell silent as though they’d never spoken.
“Everyone, quiet down. This is not the time to assign blame. We can settle matters regarding the Alliance Leader’s conduct after we return from providing support. Our family will send Ui-gang and part of the Baek Geom Unit.”
My father nodded naturally upon receiving my grandfather’s gaze.
“Our sect will provide support as well.”
“Our family will join in as well.”
As several families pledged their cooperation, the discussion progressed rapidly.
A few already eager members rose from their seats to deliver the news, and they were finishing coordinating the routes and departure times.
Suddenly the door burst open and a beggar-like figure came stumbling in frantically.

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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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