The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 186

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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 186
* * *
Tiny characters filled the small sheet of paper. Anyone observing would have marveled at the meticulous brushwork. And they would have tilted their head in bewilderment at the appearance of the one who wrote it.
A Beggar dressed in rags folded the paper densely covered in small script into a tight roll. Then he retrieved a carrier pigeon from a nearby cage and tied it to its leg.
Before one bird could fly away, another swooped in through the window.
The Beggar untied the paper from the pigeon’s leg and spoke.
“A signal has come from the young lady. She’s currently under surveillance, and the spy has left the inn, heading north.”
“Good. Tell them not to lose sight of him under any circumstances. And make sure those handling the safe houses keep their eyes wide open.”
“Understood.”
Though I had objected vehemently in front of Baek Li-yeon, this was certainly a sound strategy.
To discover the enemy’s main base in just a day after arriving and launch an assault? No one could have anticipated it. Which meant the Demonic Cult would be completely unprepared.
Another Beggar standing beside Mak-gae spoke with a sullen tone.
“Who says only they get to attack us?”
“Exactly. Those bastards need to understand how we feel too.”
The Murim Alliance’s assault had been a tremendous shock to both the Orthodox and Unorthodox sects, but the Beggar Sect had suffered the greatest blow.
It wasn’t that they had sustained visible casualties. Many of the disciples working for the Murim Alliance had died, but this was the same for other sects and families.
But the reason they were said to have taken the heaviest hit.
It was that the Beggar Sect had completely failed to anticipate the Demonic Cult’s assault.
In the battle of intelligence, the Demonic Cult had overwhelmed the Beggar Sect. In other words, the Beggar Sect’s information network had collapsed.
The trust in them as the foremost intelligence organization of the Jianghu had shattered into pieces.
“But are you really sure about this? We might gain the upper hand through a surprise attack, but….”
“The Baek Li Family has stepped forward to fight the Demonic Cult, so we welcome it.”
Even the Beggars expressed anxiety and doubt, but what was remarkable was that the Baek Geom Disciples followed Baek Li-yeon’s plan without complaint.
‘Is it the influence of Baek Li the Great Hero?’
I shook my head shortly after.
‘No, even the Great Hero accepted the young lady’s opinion immediately. It means he trusts her judgment that much.’
Now that I thought about it, the same applied to the young master of Namgung.
His personality was as famous as his talent and skill. He was known for never yielding his side to anyone and acting as he pleased, but the one I actually met was more docile than expected.
And the matter of discovering Sam-gae’s blood poison. The Baek Li Family Head had made his decision on the spot, listening only to his granddaughter’s words without the slightest hesitation or doubt. It meant he was that confident in his granddaughter’s abilities.
‘Baek Li-yeon… aside from her unfortunate past, there was nothing particularly striking about her. She’s a person to watch.’
It could be called intuition. My long experience of observing people and handling information was speaking to me.
If I could repay the debt through this matter, it would be profitable.
Mak-gae spoke.
“We’ll help with whatever we can, and if it seems impossible, we’ll withdraw at that time. What about Donghobang?”
“There’s no significant movement there.”
“Good. Just keep watching them just in case.”
A knock sounded on the door, and a Beggar opened it, letting in a gust of wind, and entered.
Without any particular greeting, he reported directly.
“This is the record of the Baekho Dan member who fought the Demonic Cultist. It appears the pharmacy was their target. Here is the prescription the physician gave them.”
Mak-gae, who received the prescription, furrowed his brow.
“And this is a portrait of the White Tiger Unit member, drawn by an artist based on the witness’s description.”
Mak-gae took the portrait and opened his eyes wide.
“This is…!”
“Do you recognize him?”
“Recognize him? That’s the Baekho Dan Vice-Leader!”
“The Vice-Leader?”
“Yes. I thought he went missing and died in the attack on the Murim Alliance Headquarters… but he was with the Namgung Minor Family Head?”
Details of the battle at the Murim Alliance Headquarters were gradually coming to light.
The situation with Namgung Wan was similar.
The attack occurred while the banquet was in full swing after the Maeng Meeting concluded.
The Murim Alliance Leader, who had briefly engaged in combat, fled when the situation appeared unfavorable.
Unlike the Alliance Leader, Namgung Wan, who had left early in the banquet, continued fighting on the southwestern perimeter until all the civilians had escaped, and only then managed to flee himself.
‘What a contrast to the Alliance Leader. This is the bearing of a true hero.’
An hour later.
Most of the taverns had closed their doors and ceased operations.
“We found it. It’s the Mantong Express Station.”
“So it was there after all!”
It had been the most suspicious location on our list.
“Let’s go.”
“Will you be going too, Mak-gae?”
“Of course. I need to see how the battle unfolds to make my report. What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“You’re coming with me.”
“M-me too?”
Seeing the terrified Beggar, Mak-gae clicked his tongue.
“Don’t worry—I’m not asking you to fight. You stick close to the young lady of the Baek Li Family. Record everything you see in detail.”
The Beggar exhaled in relief.
* * *
A moonless night.
The hour when all slept.
The only light came from torches scattered sparsely across the wide courtyard used for loading and unloading cargo.
Beside the main gate, warriors stood guard with long yawns, appearing idle and listless.
“Ugh, there’s still an hour left. What’ll we do when this is over? Go grab a drink?”
“Who knows. Will any place still be open?”
They drove away sleep with idle banter, presenting an outwardly ordinary picture of a typical express station. And in the darkness beyond the torchlight’s reach, shadowy figures slipped inside.
Shortly after, the station’s guards began to fall, and it was when fewer than ten warriors had collapsed that—
“We’re under attack!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With the sound of the alarm bell, the station blazed with light and people rushed out.
They had never been trained as professional infiltrators anyway. Only a small force had slipped in to minimize the number of defenders.
The moment I was discovered, those lying in wait immediately vaulted over the wall and rushed in.
Escorted by Mantong Express Station warriors, a man emerged. The escorted figure had an oily complexion and a portly frame, clearly a high-ranking official of the station.
“W-who are you people! We’re from Mantong Express…!”
Before he could finish his words, someone’s blade cut him down. The fallen man’s wide-open eyes bore the expression of one who had never anticipated his own death.
He had clearly been hidden among the escorts, yet no one could fathom how he had been killed.
One of the Mantong warriors cried out.
“You… Baek Li-ui-gang!”
The moment those words—Baek Li-ui-gang—reached my ears.
The Mantong warriors, who had been wearing expressions of terror and shock at the portly man’s death, suddenly transformed into blank-faced automatons. The sight of these expressionless men drawing their blades in perfect unison was quite chilling.
The man who had cut down the official spoke with calm composure.
“Ryucheon, handle things here.”
Without waiting for a response, Baek Li-ui-gang leaped over the warriors and rushed inside.
“Stop him!”
Crash!
A thunderous roar erupted as if lightning had struck.
And at that very moment, Cheon Gwi-jo received word of the assault.
“What? An attack?”
“Yes. People from the Baek Li Estate. They appear to be well-prepared. Baek Li-ui-gang has come himself.”
“How in the world did they find out…!”
After spitting out a curse, Cheon Gwi-jo spoke.
“Stop them. Stop them no matter what. Understood?”
“Our forces are scattered. If the Baek Li Estate’s numbers match the reports, we cannot hold them.”
“I don’t care—sacrifice your lives if you must and hold the line!”
Despite hearing words that amounted to nothing less than a death sentence, the man’s expression remained unchanged.
“Do you have a plan, sir?”
Cheon Gwi-jo’s brow furrowed for a moment.
Then he gazed toward the underground.
“I’ll absorb the Baekho Dan Vice-Leader’s inner energy. That should make me a match for them.”
“You speak of the Absorption Demonic Art?”
“Yes. I need time to circulate my qi and recover. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
Cheon Gwi-jo hurried from the room.
By then, the fighting had already reached inside the building; the sound of clashing blades echoed from mere paces away.
Avoiding the direction of combat, he pressed against the study room wall. The bookshelf moved silently, revealing a small doorway just large enough to crawl through.
It was a secret passage.
The path descending underground was pitch black, devoid of even a glimmer of light.
Behind him, the door closed and the bookshelf returned to its place with a soft sound.
After descending into the underground for some time, Cheon Gwi-jo turned in a different direction—not toward where the Baek Geom Disciple was imprisoned, but toward the passage that led out of Mantong Express Station.
This passage was known only to the man he had killed today.
Yet this was the reason Cheon Gwi-jo could elude pursuit with such mysterious ease.
It was because he was the type to always prepare an escape route wherever he went. Discovering hidden passages was hardly a difficult task for him.
“Absorbing Demonic Energy? What nonsense. Fools, the lot of them. It’ll take at least a day.”
Cheon Gwi-jo only fought in situations where he held the advantage.
Some might call it cowardly, but to Cheon Gwi-jo, it was simply the natural way of things.
“Damn it. How did that wench discover the spy? Twice now—I’ve been bested by her twice. If not for that…”
The long, narrow passage suddenly came to an end, and above it lay a rickety ladder with an opening leading upward.
Cheon Gwi-jo leaped upward without touching the ladder, clearing it in a single bound.
As he pushed open the heavy door and emerged, a dilapidated storage room came into view.
It looked exactly as it had the last time he’d checked.
Cheon Gwi-jo heightened his senses, probing the surroundings for any presence.
Confirming nothing was amiss, Cheon Gwi-jo scanned the storage room floor. Beside the door he’d just exited lay a large wooden chest, shoved to the side.
He opened the chest to find a change of clothes and a wide-brimmed hat to conceal his face. Just as he reached for them—
Crack! Boom!
The ceiling shattered, and a sword-wielding man plummeted directly onto the spot where Cheon Gwi-jo had been standing moments before.
There was no time to process what was happening. Cheon Gwi-jo instinctively drew upon his inner energy and crossed both hands defensively.
Thud!
Cheon Gwi-jo’s crossed hands barely deflected the brilliant blue blade, and as he identified his opponent, his eyes widened in disbelief.
“Baek… Li-ui-gang!”
Yet he couldn’t entirely block the force of the sword’s energy—his cheek stung, and he felt blood seeping across his face.
Cheon Gwi-jo’s hands trembled as he held the blade, gradually being pushed back.
Cheon Gwi-jo gritted his teeth and spoke.
“Why? How did you know of this place?”
“Your methods are always predictable, or so I’ve heard.”
“What?”
Immediately, he sensed presences surrounding the storage room.

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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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