The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 202

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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 202
Namgung Wan said nothing, merely fixing Third Young Master with a piercing gaze.
Third Young Master continued.
“If I win, you surrender your arm. If you win, I swear not to lay a hand on anyone here.”
Namgung Wan spoke with chilling composure.
“Why should I trust your word?”
“What benefit do I gain by making such a proposal?”
“Ha—you think those fools will sit idle even if I kill you?”
Third Young Master tilted his head thoughtfully.
“Isn’t that what a martial duel is supposed to be?”
….
“So you’re refusing?”
Namgung Wan laughed with absolute confidence.
“No. I accept.”
An immediate answer. Third Young Master chuckled lightly.
“Good. I like that.”
I clenched my teeth without thinking, only then realizing Yalyu still had his hand clamped over my mouth.
“Mmph!”
I tried to pry his hand away, demanding he release me, but he held firm with such force that I couldn’t budge. In fact, the Baek Li Family warriors seemed almost grateful when Yalyu had silenced me earlier.
Third Young Master made a gesture, and figures clad entirely in black scaled the stone wall from outside.
Third Young Master spoke.
“You’ve all heard. No need for explanation. If I lose, withdraw.”
“Understood.”
Clean and without question. Then a voice reached my ear.
[If an opportunity arises, leave at once.]
It was Namgung Wan’s voice transmission.
[You’re clever enough to understand my meaning. I entrust Namgung Ryu-cheong to you.]
Namgung Wan revealed nothing of his transmission to me as he moved toward the center of the courtyard.
It was the widest space in the inn—where Namgung Ryu-cheong and Yalyu had dueled moments before.
Third Young Master, facing him, stood with hands clasped behind his back as though the inn were his own home, his posture utterly unhurried. Composure radiated from him.
A duel.
I understood Namgung Wan’s intent. There was no trusting the Demonic Cult’s promises. Yet he had accepted this proposal for a reason—to buy time and create an opening for escape.
We were in Ak-yang, not far from the Baek Li Estate. However the Demonic Cult had evaded the Baek Li Family’s notice, it could only be temporary.
‘Reinforcements will arrive soon.’
Support may have already been dispatched; it was merely a matter of time for them to arrive.
Our best course was to buy as much time as possible and seize an opportunity to escape this place.
Moreover, if Namgung Wan could end Third Young Master in the duel, escape would become far easier.
Then why had Third Young Master proposed a duel? Why suggest it now when he could have simply fought from the start?
I didn’t want to admit it, but the answer came easily.
What had Third Young Master done before proposing the duel?
I launched a surprise attack on Namgung Ryu-cheong, and Namgung Wan countered, exchanging dozens of moves in quick succession.
And I realized it. Namgung Wan wasn’t in a state to properly face me. His arm hadn’t fully recovered yet….
In battles between masters, subtle differences determined life and death.
Namgung Wan must have known that fact too. That’s why he gave me such a warning.
How could Namgung Ryu-cheong possibly flee, leaving his father behind?
I watched Namgung Ryu-cheong staring intently at his father. He seemed completely unaware of what Namgung Wan had said to me.
‘If he knew, he wouldn’t be so composed.’
Sensing my gaze, Namgung Ryu-cheong turned to look at me.
Yalyu also relaxed his grip.
I clenched my teeth again, then forced myself to ask casually.
“Are you alright?”
“….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s gaze lingered on his own body for a moment. He must have sensed something was amiss since I had struck his leg.
Namgung Ryu-cheong simply nodded slightly without speaking and looked back at Namgung Wan.
I wracked my sluggish mind, trying to squeeze out every bit of information.
‘Third Young Master, Third Young Master….’
But I truly had no information whatsoever.
I couldn’t remember what martial arts he practiced, how skilled he was, or even whether he was alive or dead.
‘That’s strange.’
Wouldn’t the Sect Leader’s successor be an important figure?
‘Or was he already dead by the time Namgung Ryu-cheong was active?’
If he had died quietly within the Demonic Cult, I would have no information about it.
Then why did he reveal himself here?
‘Because of me?’
Because I had healed Namgung Wan?
As I continued to ponder, Namgung Wan and the Third Young Master took their positions facing each other.
Unlike the sudden clash at first, the two standing opposite each other were silent. But everyone knew this was the silence before an explosion.
Despite the many people gathered, you could have heard a pin drop. And the moment the stone tiles of the courtyard, unable to withstand the previous battles, cracked with a sharp sound.
Namgung Wan shot forward like a comb’s teeth. The Third Young Master’s both hands blocked Namgung Wan’s sword, which left a faint afterimage.
Crash—!
A deafening roar erupted. The collision of tremendous power sent dust swirling in a whirlwind around them.
Blue robes and black robes.
Namgung Wan wielding a sword and the Third Young Master using palm strikes with jet-black gloves on his hands.
As the dust cloud that had overturned the courtyard obscured the view, it felt as if the sparring between Yalyu and Namgung Ryu-cheong was continuing.
Boom— Crash Kaboom!
The roars continued within the dust cloud. The dust cloud couldn’t settle with their frantic movements.
Because of that, I couldn’t properly see what was happening inside. Only white sword flashes were dimly visible at intervals.
When there was sound, it was bearable. When there was silence, it was more terrifying. Namgung Ryu-cheong had his fists clenched so tightly he looked ready to burst out at any moment.
Of course, I could see through the dust cloud regardless. And as time passed, the images of Namgung Ryu-cheong and Yalyu no longer overlapped.
The two people’s fight was on a far higher level.
In that instant, I yanked back one of the Baek Li Family’s warriors who had stepped forward to shield me.
The sword energy that flew through the air shattered the stone tile where the warrior had been standing, the fragments scattering so violently that even the ground beneath was gouged.
“I… thank you.”
The startled Baek Li Family warrior offered his gratitude in a dazed voice. I felt the weight of astonished gazes turning toward me.
It had been a close call—the Baek Li warriors could have been seriously injured—but Namgung Wan was fighting with such intensity that he had no room to consider the range of his attacks.
The courtyard, which had seemed spacious before, now felt suffocatingly cramped. The Taeho stones, trees, and flowers that had once adorned the courtyard were now unrecognizable.
Suddenly, one of the inn’s pillars was torn away by the Third Young Master’s palm strike, as if bitten by a beast. As time passed, I began to discern the attacking intentions of both Namgung Wan and the Third Young Master.
Namgung Wan appeared to be aiming for a swift decisive victory, unleashing a fierce onslaught of full power from the start. His internal energy was far deeper and more profound than Namgung Ryu-cheong’s. With each exchange, I could see the Third Young Master being pushed back.
On the surface, the Third Young Master seemed to be at a disadvantage. But his true objective lay elsewhere.
The Third Young Master was deflecting Namgung Wan’s attacks as much as possible while persistently targeting his right arm.
The movement of his right arm wasn’t poor, but it wasn’t good either. I could sense the burden gradually increasing.
Namgung Wan seemed impatient, and the Third Young Master’s mocking voice was unmistakable as he spoke.
“So Ga-ju, will you be alright fighting like that? You need to drag this out for it to help you…!”
The Third Young Master, mid-sentence, hastily dodged the incoming attack.
“Ah…!”
A considerable gash opened across his chest, but it seemed his protective inner energy had prevented it from becoming a deep wound.
The Third Young Master’s expression, which had remained composed until now, stiffened slightly.
Come to think of it, the Third Young Master was wielding Namgung Wan’s sword with his hand wrapped in a shutu.
A shutu was both a protective glove and a weapon, and now Yalyu’s behavior of facing Namgung Ryu-cheong bare-handed seemed truly insane in comparison.
Once he began to be pushed back, the Third Young Master’s robes started to tear in places, and blood began to show through in various spots.
The Third Young Master’s expression grew increasingly distorted as it became harder to deflect Namgung Wan’s attacks. Victory seemed within reach if this continued…
But Namgung Wan’s offensive suddenly diminished.
“…”
The situation I had been worried about from the very beginning of the match had arrived.
He hadn’t dropped his sword or anything like that. The tip of his blade had simply missed its intended target by a fraction—thinner than a sheet of paper. But that was the problem.
From that moment, the exchange between the two reversed. The Third Young Master’s complexion, which had seemed slightly flustered, returned to normal.
The Third Young Master unleashed his palm energy, which Namgung Wan met with his left hand.
Boom—!
A sound like a bronze bell rang out. The fight gradually shifted into a clash of palm energies.
Though both possessed similar depths of internal power, it favored the Third Young Master, who primarily employed palm techniques.
And I too had grown accustomed to the Third Young Master’s palm methods.
The impact of their colliding energies sent both Namgung Wan and the Third Young Master reeling backward. The moment they were pushed apart, the Third Young Master’s feet dug into the ground.
Namgung Wan, as if prepared, immediately swung his sword horizontally, but…
He was a fraction too late.
The Third Young Master seized the opening, his hand piercing through Namgung Wan’s sword strike. His fingertips, infused with internal power, tore through the protective barrier.
Blood sprayed.

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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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