The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 199

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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 199
* * *
When everyone had fallen asleep.
The rain that had been falling drop by drop suddenly began to pound violently against the tile roof.
“It’s pouring, really pouring.”
Mak-gae, muttering to himself alone, wore an expression heavy with anguish.
He looked again at the letter he held in his hands.
“Why now, of all times? If only it had arrived a few days earlier….”
The letter contained information about the current state of affairs within the Murim Alliance. And the way the Murim Alliance was operating lately seemed, at least to Mak-gae’s perception, utterly absurd.
“They actually pulled in the Baek Li Family. Has the Alliance Leader lost his mind? No, wait. Should I say he’s using his head well?”
Given how long it had taken for this information to reach Ak-yang, he had no way of knowing what the situation was like now. Yet he had a troubling premonition that it could not possibly be favorable for the Baek Li Family or Baek Li-ui-gang.
“What am I supposed to do about this…? Well, I don’t have an obligation to inform him, do I?”
The mission assigned to him by the Beggar Sect was to assist Baek Li-ui-gang moderately while gathering information, not to provide comprehensive support.
Besides, Baek Li-ui-gang had already departed for the Murim Alliance Headquarters several days ago.
“….”
After a long silence, Mak-gae pulled out paper and picked up his brush.
“…Still, it wouldn’t hurt to clear a debt, would it? Besides, I promised to inform him if anything happened…. A promise must be kept.”
He knew he was making excuses because he wanted to help, but what did it matter?
He had grown quite fond of Baek Li-ui-gang.
Many young beggars had received his assistance. Some wealthy young masters would mock him, saying that since he had money, what was the harm in spending it, or even call him disagreeable. But he thought differently.
If all wealthy people scattered their money about, why would beggars exist? When you receive help, you help in return—isn’t that how the world works?
Moreover….
Mak-gae clicked his tongue in irritation.
There were signs that information about this place had leaked to Wi Ji-baek and the Alliance Leader.
“Which rat bastard leaked the information?”
As he recalled it, anger surged through him.
Clearly, someone among his subordinates had passed word of this place to the Alliance Leader’s faction.
There were people from the White Tiger Unit, the Baek Li Family, and the Namgung Clan, but those three had no reason to leak information to the Alliance Leader’s side. They couldn’t even show their faces.
In the meantime, Mak-gae arrived at the room where the carrier pigeons were kept.
In his heart, he wanted to throw the door open with a bang, but since the birds were delicate creatures, he had to handle them carefully. A trained carrier pigeon was worth its weight in gold.
He suppressed his presence and carefully began to open the door when he paused.
“Who’s there? Hmm? So-gae? Why aren’t you sleeping and what are you doing here?”
The small-framed beggar blinked his eyes before answering.
“I came to check if any of the birds were getting rained on.”
“Is that so? Good thinking, not sleeping.”
The area near the open window was completely soaked since they didn’t know when the carrier pigeons would return.
“And what brings you here at this hour, brother?”
Mak-gae walked into the interior, which reeked of bird droppings, and inspected the cages.
“Why else would I come to a room with carrier pigeons?”
“Where are you sending one to?”
“I have something to report to the higher-ups.”
Flap, flap.
Awakened by the light, the birds stirred restlessly within their cage, their wings beating against the confines.
Mak-gae selected an appropriate bird and flung open the cage door.
So-gae spoke cautiously.
“With rain falling this heavily, wouldn’t it be better to wait until it stops before sending it?”
Mak-gae paused for a moment.
“You’re right. Hmm… I was in such a hurry I didn’t think that far ahead.”
Mak-gae scratched his head, then moved his hand again.
“I’ll send this one now, and after the rain stops, I’ll send another.”
A carrier pigeon soon took flight, piercing through the downpour.
“Then I should be going as well.”
“So-gae.”
Mak-gae’s voice had turned grave.
“Show me your hands.”
“…”
“Why aren’t you answering? I said show me your hands.”
Among the birds he had scanned in the cage before selecting the carrier pigeon, one was completely drenched. Yet the rain had not reached into the cage itself.
This meant the soaked bird had arrived after the rain began.
And the tube attached to that bird’s leg was open. He had never checked the carrier pigeons after the rain started.
So-gae spoke as if wronged.
“Brother, are you suspecting me?”
“Your tongue wags too much. Stop your nonsense and show me your palm.”
So-gae, who had been hesitating, finally opened his hand. And in his palm lay a crumpled letter.
Though I had already suspected it, seeing the evidence itself ignited my fury.
“You bastard!”
Smack!
Mak-gae struck So-gae’s back of the head with brutal force.
As So-gae staggered, I snatched the paper from his hand.
Though crumpled, the writing was still legible.
Before I could even read a few characters, my expression hardened gravely.
“Why did you hide this? You… don’t tell me you’re with the Demonic Cult…”
“Brother! Brother, wait. I can explain this.”
“Go ahead. Let’s hear your explanation…”
It was then that Mak-gae spoke.
So-gae suddenly extended a palm strike toward Mak-gae. It was one of the first palm techniques the beggars of the Beggar Sect learned.
Mak-gae felt somewhat relieved.
Easily evading So-gae’s attack, Mak-gae spoke.
“With your skill, you can’t possibly match me…”
At that moment, a sharp sting pierced Mak-gae’s palm. Looking down, a thin needle was embedded there. And the numbness spreading from my palm rapidly consumed my entire body.
So-gae spoke to Mak-gae, whose body had gone rigid.
“Brother, I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me.”
“You….”
“It’s only leaving a day early, so don’t feel too wronged about it.”
* * *
The rain that had fallen all night began to ease as morning broke.
Last night, while taking an evening walk with Uncle Namgung Wan, a sudden downpour had forced us to hurry inside.
‘It seems Uncle has already said everything he wanted to say.’
I pressed my forehead. My head felt heavy and foggy.
Was it from hearing such things from Uncle Namgung Wan? My dreams had been growing fewer lately, but yesterday I dreamed continuously again.
It was the complete opposite of what happened during my breathing meditation. In fact, this dream was one I had experienced long ago.
I was in a dark, cold prison, and a masked woman with familiar eyes dragged me out as I trembled in fear.
‘I had this dream after… treating Seok Ga-yak, didn’t I?’
Now that I thought about it, there was a similarity between then and now. Both were moments when I had made progress in controlling my golden eyes’ abilities.
I walked for a long time, almost being dragged along by the masked woman.
The reason I didn’t resist was because this masked woman seemed genuinely trying to get me out of this place.
And that was strange. Or rather, the more I dreamed, the more I felt something was off.
Were the dreams I was having actually the contents of the novel?
The feelings of injustice and sorrow I felt when Namgung Ryu-cheong and Seo Ha-ryeong were angry with me before, and the fear I felt now—all of it was as vivid as if I were experiencing it directly.
A long, endless escape that lasted through the night.
“From here on, you must go alone.”
A saddle and simple luggage were placed on the horse.
“If you go down this way a bit, you should be able to meet those who came looking for you.”
“Those who came looking for me… Is it Cheong? Did Cheong come looking for me?”
Stop it! What Cheong!
Having already drawn my own conclusion, I hurriedly grabbed the horse’s reins.
Despite having been exhausted and carried on the masked woman’s back at the end, I mounted the horse with surprising speed. But that was all I could manage. The moment I got on the horse, my head suddenly spun and my body swayed.
The masked woman tried to catch me in alarm. And my hand, which had been flailing in the air after losing the reins, happened to grab her mask.
Tug. Before I could say anything, the mask came off. And there was a woman.
“Oh, I’m, I’m sorry….”
I reflexively apologized, but then I stared blankly at the woman.
I had already suspected she was a woman when she was carrying me on her back. What surprised me was her remarkably beautiful face. She appeared to be middle-aged.
And judging by her familiar eyes, I thought I might know her, but I didn’t. She was completely unfamiliar. What I could say for certain was that her appearance was the kind you could never forget once you saw it. Yet somehow, it felt familiar.
“….”
The middle-aged woman stared at me with a rigid expression, then put her mask back on. And she left first.
That dream was the culprit behind my foggy head now.
“Does your head hurt?”
Yalyu asked with a concerned voice.
“No, I just had a lot of dreams all night. Don’t just eat by yourself—you eat too.”
“What kind of dream?”
“Just old matters?”
I set down my chopsticks and looked at the face full of concern for me.
“Is this really the time for you to worry about me?”
“Why?”
“You have your martial duel today… never mind.”
“Didn’t you say I’d win?”
“That’s…!”
“Just a joke then? I don’t mind either way.”
Yalyu smiled faintly.
I exhaled a sigh and shook my head.
In truth, I had no idea whatsoever who would emerge victorious.
In the novel… or rather, I can no longer even trust whether this is still a novel. In any case, from what I knew, the two of them had clashed countless times, yet they had never once settled the matter decisively.
There was one instance where Yalyu won through underhanded means, and the amusing part was that even after his victory, he never killed Namgung Ryu-cheong. At the time, I had glossed over it without much thought, reasoning that if the protagonist died, the novel would end there.
After finishing the meal, I headed outside. The moment I stepped out of the guest room, I spotted Uncle Namgung Wan.
Just as I was about to greet him, the uncle turned to face a warrior standing before him with a grave expression.
“This is strange. Still no contact from the Main Family Estate? It seems about time they should have arrived. Surely they would send word if they were running late?”

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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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