The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 196

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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 196
While such trivial incidents unfolded outside, Baek Li-ui-gang made his way to the chamber where Yalyu awaited him.
Namgung Ryu-cheong had been dispatched to remain at Namgung Wan’s side, and Baek Li-yeon had been instructed to stay in a separate room until summoned.
Baek Li-ui-gang closed the wide-open window and turned to face Yalyu.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“What is the meaning? Haven’t you already made up your mind that it was me?”
“….”
“That’s why you’re speaking with me first, isn’t it?”
Baek Li-ui-gang spoke with measured calm.
“You are the one most entangled with Cheon Gwi-jo, so it is only natural that I speak with you first.”
Yalyu hesitated, then bowed his head quietly.
“I apologize.”
His voice had grown subdued.
Without further words, Baek Li-ui-gang retrieved a teapot and poured tea before Yalyu.
“Did I not explicitly forbid you from meeting with Cheon Gwi-jo? How did you emerge from that place?”
The question had become more pointed.
Yalyu’s sharp tone suggested that the lack of clarity in the earlier question had caused this situation.
Yalyu, who had been silent, answered with a question of his own.
“…Would you believe me if I said I didn’t kill him?”
Baek Li-ui-gang lowered his gaze for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes.”
“Hah.”
Yalyu sighed and shook his head slightly.
“I examined him briefly, but I could not determine the cause of death. If you say it wasn’t you, then I should hear what Ryu-cheong and Yeon have to say and investigate the cause.”
“No. It was me who killed him, so there’s no need for that.”
Baek Li-ui-gang’s eyes grew cold.
“Why did you do it?”
Yalyu, whose expression had shifted back to his usual composure, turned the question back.
“Does the reason matter?”
“….”
“The Great Hero did what the Great Hero had to do, and I did what I had to do.”
“Is your duty to take Cheon Gwi-jo’s life with your own hands?”
Yalyu posed an unexpected question.
“Have you determined the cause of Cheon Gwi-jo’s death?”
“…Not yet.”
To ascertain this, he would need to bring someone skilled in forensic examination and conduct a thorough investigation. While the Murim Alliance might have such resources, finding such a person in Ak-yang—a territory of the Black Gangs—would be nearly impossible.
The oppressive heat was also a complication. It wasn’t impossible if forced, but it would require considerable effort.
But was it truly necessary?
The man in question was Madu, who deserved to be dead.
The number of children he had abducted over the years was beyond counting. Yalyu alone had miraculously survived. Was there truly a need to expend such effort to determine the cause of death for such a creature?
“….”
If Yalyu didn’t testify, the answer to who killed Cheon Gwi-jo would be obvious, but the situation would lack concrete evidence.
Moreover, even if Yalyu’s testimony revealed that I had killed Cheon Gwi-jo… what problem would that pose? There would be no one to press the matter regarding his death.
Would the Murim Alliance arrest Yalyu, a disciple of the Cheonsan Yeom-je, and throw him in prison for killing Cheon Gwi-jo? If anything, the Murim Alliance would face criticism for such actions.
Baek Li-ui-gang spoke with a deeper, more somber tone, as if suddenly understanding.
“So. You intended to kill Cheon Gwi-jo from the moment you came asking why I prevented you from meeting him.”
Then Yalyu spoke.
“I killed him with poison.”
“Poison? You carried something like that with you?”
His tone suggested surprise at the idea of carrying something so dangerous.
“It wasn’t mine. It was Yeon’s.”
“What? You’re saying it was Yeon’s?”
Baek Li-ui-gang’s voice, which had maintained composure, rose slightly.
“Yes. To be precise, it was the poisoned powder that the spy used when attacking Yeon at the inn.”
Baek Li-ui-gang had heard about it too—how the spy had scattered strange powder when attacking Baek Li-yeon, and how she had collected it.
He believed Baek Li-yeon wasn’t the kind of child who would be seriously harmed by such an attack, but it had still been a dangerous situation.
However, since the current circumstances didn’t warrant a detailed investigation into the matter, he had set it aside for later.
Yalyu continued.
“I used it.”
Baek Li-ui-gang’s brow furrowed.
Meanwhile, Yalyu laughed as if amused.
“If it had been a poison truly capable of killing a person, he would have died. If it was nothing serious, he would have lived. Since he’s dead, it seems it was poison after all.”
“….”
Yalyu continued speaking.
“Cheon Gwi-jo told me that he would inform the Murim Alliance that I had learned the Absorption Demonic Art and that the Great Martial Master had hidden this fact. He asked if that wouldn’t put me in a difficult position. He wanted me to cooperate in his escape before that happened.”
Baek Li-ui-gang’s expression grew even colder.
“It seems he likely made similar threats to the Great Martial Master as well… Is that why you prevented me from meeting Cheon Gwi-jo?”
“….”
“The Great Martial Master… is a good person. There was no need to taint his reputation because of a wretch like me. So I killed him.”
“….”
“You asked for my reason. This is it.”
Yalyu exhaled slowly.
“Great Martial Master, did you truly believe you could obtain reliable information from such garbage—someone without remorse, thinking only of blackmail and escape?”
“….”
Baek Li-ui-gang closed his eyes and pressed his hand to his forehead.
But he had to open them again almost immediately.
He sensed someone approaching the chamber urgently.
He had dismissed his attendants while speaking with Yalyu, and the third floor of the inn had always maintained a cautious atmosphere due to Namgung Wan’s condition.
A voice called from beyond the door.
“Great Martial Master.”
“What is it?”
“So Ga-ju has awakened.”
Yalyu said.
“You should go.”
Baek Li-ui-gang regarded Yalyu briefly.
“Will you continue?”
Yalyu’s demeanor suggested he didn’t mind either way.
After a moment’s deliberation, Baek Li-ui-gang rose to his feet.
With Namgung Wan now awake, Cheon Gwi-jo’s death would inevitably fade into the background.
For Yalyu, it was as though he had killed Cheon Gwi-jo at the opportune moment.
“Ah, Great Hero.”
As Baek Li-ui-gang was leaving, Yalyu called him back.
“When we discovered the temple in Cheon Gwi-jo’s lair, you were there, weren’t you?”
Baek Li-ui-gang asked as if he didn’t understand.
“You don’t remember?”
“I’m a bit confused about it.”
“Yes. I brought you out with me.”
“I see.”
Yalyu nodded and turned his gaze toward empty space.
With his purpose seemingly fulfilled, Baek Li-ui-gang left the chamber.
Once the room fell silent, Yalyu rose slowly from his seat. His gaze drifted toward the window. As he reached toward the window that Baek Li-ui-gang had closed, his eyes reflected the vase on the nearby shelf.
His hand reached for the flower vase that sat on the adjacent shelf. Yalyu’s fingers brushed against the slightly wilted flowers.
Suddenly, Baek Li-ui-gang returned to the chamber. Yalyu turned to regard him with a puzzled expression.
Baek Li-ui-gang spoke in a low voice.
“Yalyu, if my reputation suffers, it is not because of you, but because of Cheon Gwi-jo. You need not blame yourself.”
As if he had come solely to speak those words, Baek Li-ui-gang departed immediately after.
“….”
Silence descended upon the chamber once more.
* * *
When Namgung Wan appeared with his arm intact, the atmosphere among the Namgung Clan was nearly festive.
The people of the Baek Li Family and the Baek Ho Dan, who had been holding their breath, were relieved. And Father, having waited only for Namgung Wan to awaken, prepared to depart for the headquarters of the Murim Alliance.
Word also arrived that the reinforcements sent by the Namgung Clan had finally drawn near. Though they were still days away, this alone eased Father’s worries considerably.
Amid the bustle, Father even had a lengthy conversation with Namgung Wan.
The day after Namgung Wan awakened, I saw Father off on his departure.
“Listen well to Wan. Don’t wander about alone. Do you understand?”
“Yes. Father, please don’t overexert yourself either, and take care of your health.”
Father gazed at me with eyes brimming with concern, then pulled the reins.
Long after Father’s figure vanished from sight, I remained standing.
“Miss, shall we go inside now?”
“Yes.”
I decided to remain a while longer and return with the remaining Baek Li Family members once reinforcements from the Namgung Clan arrived.
As for Cheon Gwi-jo….
“We buried him in the nearby mountain wilderness. Phew, carrying the corpse was grueling—the stench was unbearable. The heat must have accelerated decomposition; maggots were already writhing when we tried to bury him.”
That overheard conversation between So-gae and another beggar was the only account of Cheon Gwi-jo that circulated. No one else dared mention him. In this joyous atmosphere, who would willingly bring up such a wretched subject?
‘Well, it worked out.’
Thus Cheon Gwi-jo’s death rippled through like a minor disturbance before fading into insignificance.

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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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