The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 182

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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 182
“Are you sure about this? The smell is absolutely—”
Namgung Ryu-cheong grasped the coffin lid positioned at the top. Without a moment’s hesitation, he shoved it open.
Thud.
Even from three paces back, the stench that billowed forth made me instinctively retreat.
They’d said they’d taken measures to prevent decomposition, and it certainly wasn’t the reek of rotting flesh. But still…
‘What in the world is this smell? Some kind of chemical?’
It was a stench equally foul.
“Ugh.”
The moment the coffin opened, Mak-gae hastily covered his face with his sleeve and groaned.
The other beggars who’d been trailing after us scattered like cockroaches fleeing light.
“No, blegh, I just came for a meal. Ptui, ptui.”
“Urgh. Blech.”
I held my breath and manipulated the natural energy around me.
I forcefully expelled the surrounding air, then enveloped the area with fresh currents. Only then did I exhale deeply. The assault of the stench still lingered in my nasal passages.
‘I’m using my abilities quite a bit today. I should help Ryu-cheong too.’
I was clicking my tongue inwardly as I approached Namgung Ryu-cheong’s side.
My eyes met Mak-gae’s wide stare.
‘…Could he have sensed it?’
A master of Baek Li-ui-gang’s caliber would have noticed that I’d just altered the air currents.
‘But he doesn’t seem like he’s at that level?’
Mak-gae asked.
“A-are you alright, young lady?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is there perhaps something wrong with your sense of smell…?”
“…No, there isn’t.”
“Huh…”
His eyes shone with genuine admiration.
I felt somewhat relieved.
Mak-gae had every reason to look at me that way. Even an adult like him had fled from that vile stench. To him, I must have appeared as a child calmly enduring it.
I didn’t bother correcting his misunderstanding and drew Namgung Ryu-cheong into the zone of fresh air I’d created.
Namgung Ryu-cheong turned to me with a deathly pale face. For him, it must have been a bewildering moment—the stench suddenly vanishing. Yet Namgung Ryu-cheong said nothing and lowered his gaze once more.
I too looked down at the corpse and bit my lip. I had seen this person several times before, standing beside Uncle Namgung Wan.
“The Seong Warrior…”
Namgung Ryu-cheong suddenly spun around to face me.
“How did you know?”
“He accompanied you when we went to find Man Shin-ui before.”
“…”
Namgung Ryu-cheong, who had offered no response, murmured after a moment.
“I never told you about him.”
“…What?”
“I don’t even know his name.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong let out a self-deprecating laugh.
“Truly… incompetent.”
This situation that had unfolded was beyond his capabilities. And yet, this was likely the first time he found himself in a position of helplessness, receiving aid without contributing anything of his own.
I covered his tightly clenched fists with my hands.
“Let’s examine Seong Warrior first. There might be information we can extract. Seong Warrior would want that too.”
“…Yes.”
Seong Warrior appeared to be sleeping peacefully, save for the pallor of someone completely drained of blood.
Yet the torn fabric of his clothes and the lacerations told the story of a fierce battle. And the wound that had claimed his life lay across his chest.
‘Something feels off.’
There were many other wounds, but they were all merely grazes. That meant he hadn’t been overwhelmed in combat.
That was when it happened.
“…!”
I lowered my head and pressed my fingers to my temple.
Suddenly, a scene began to materialize before my eyes.
‘The sound of rain.’
Through the steady patter of falling rain, the clash of blades rang out continuously.
People locked in combat. Both sides wore unremarkable clothing.
‘What is happening right now?’
The moment doubt seized me, a rumbling sound erupted like thunder.
At the source of that sound stood Uncle Namgung Wan. His haggard appearance, which I had never witnessed before, spoke volumes of his suffering.
‘…Is he injured?’
I could read the traces of wounds in the way he wielded his blade.
‘It doesn’t seem to be a serious injury, but….’
Moreover, Uncle Namgung Wan was holding back the combined assault of two opponents, and I could quickly identify one of them.
‘Cheon Gwi-jo.’
Everyone bore signs of exhaustion, yet the damage was not severe. It felt as though they were holding their ground quite well.
‘If only those two weren’t pressing Uncle Namgung Wan so hard….’
That was when it happened.
‘A child?’
The child appeared to be an ordinary commoner’s offspring. And just as I noticed the child’s presence, Cheon Gwi-jo saw the child too.
As casually as swatting a fly, Cheon Gwi-jo swung his hand toward the child.
And….
“So Ga-ju!”
“Great Hero!”
‘Uncle…!’
Uncle Namgung Wan barely managed to block that attack. But the reckless movement created an opening, and his opponent did not miss it.
“Protect So Ga-ju!”
The vision before my eyes continued for a moment longer before ending with a blade piercing through Seong Warrior’s chest.
My crown split open, my eyes burning as if aflame.
‘What on earth was that just now?’
It felt like I’d been caught in a daydream.
‘Is it the ability of the Golden Eyes? I didn’t know it could do something like this.’
And as if I’d strained myself using too much power, the Golden Eyes’ field of vision suddenly contracted sharply. The power drained away.
My head and eyes throbbed as if burned. When I barely managed to open my eyes again, everything before me remained dark.
I startled, but quickly understood the situation. My face was buried in Namgung Ryu-cheong’s embrace.
‘What?’
I tried to lift my head in greater surprise than before. But Namgung Ryu-cheong prevented it, instead pulling me closer into his arms.
Was he insane?
“Ryu-cheong, this is….”
At that moment, a telepathic voice resonated in my mind.
[Your eyes were emitting a strange light.]
It seemed he’d embraced me to conceal it.
[…It should be fine now.]
Namgung Ryu-cheong, who had lowered his head to check briefly, slowly released the strength from his arms.
“Are you alright, Miss?”
I also heard Mak-gae’s startled voice from beside us.
“I’m fine. What happened to me?”
“You held your head and suddenly started to collapse toward the corpse, but the young master caught you.”
“Thank you.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong slowly helped me up.
Mak-gae watched us with gleaming eyes.
“The two of you… hmm, yes. I see. The Baek Li Family and the Namgung Clan….”
Mak-gae cleared his throat and quietly withdrew.
It was certainly something to be concerned about, but it wasn’t important right now.
That scene I’d witnessed earlier. If that scene was truly real….
‘I need to find Uncle as quickly as possible.’
There was no time. There was no unchangeable future. It had to be this way.
* * *
A narrow, dark staircase descending downward.
A man with a large burden on his shoulder walked swiftly down into the profound darkness where he couldn’t see even an inch ahead.
Upon reaching the end of the staircase, the man opened a thick iron door and stepped inside. A candle with only its end remaining dimly illuminated the room, as if it had been burning for a long time.
Though it appeared like a storage room with boxes stacked everywhere, the simple furniture near the table where the candlestick sat, including a chair, showed signs of habitation.
The man walked deeper into the room.
At that moment, a voice came from the darkness the candlelight couldn’t reach.
“Where have you been wandering about, Cheon Gwi-jo?”
The man, Cheon Gwi-jo, stopped as he was lowering the burden from his shoulder.
Cheon Gwi-jo stared into the shadows and spoke.
“…You could have made your presence known.”
With a dull thud, I dropped the bundle to the ground as though discarding it.
The Shadowy Figure spoke.
“What is that?”
“Baekho Dan Vice-Leader.”
What had appeared to be a heap of cargo in the darkness was a person. Even after being hurled roughly to the floor, he remained unconscious.
Cheon Gwi-jo spoke with evident satisfaction.
“I caught him when he appeared at the Street Pharmacy. No matter how hard Namgung Wan tries to hide, he won’t be able to endure with that wound.”
The man whose blurred silhouette was visible in the darkness replied in a tone that was coldly opposite.
“Who told you to do such a thing?”
Cheon Gwi-jo’s expression hardened abruptly as he glared into the darkness.
“What? Do you think I’m your subordinate?”
“Did I not tell you that the Baek Li Family’s forces have arrived in Ak-yang? Yet you act as you please.”
“That’s exactly why we need to capture him faster, isn’t it? I’ve done your work for you—shouldn’t you be grateful instead of complaining?”
Unlike Cheon Gwi-jo’s voice, which grew increasingly heated, the Shadowy Figure’s tone remained utterly devoid of inflection.
“Did you also impersonate me and infiltrate our disciples into the Inn on my behalf?”
“”
Cheon Gwi-jo flinched momentarily, his expression turning one of exasperation.

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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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