The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 203

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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 203
“…!”
A streak of blood traced from my chest to my right shoulder.
The Third Young Master furrowed his brow instead.
The inner force wrapped around his hand had clearly shattered Namgung Wan’s protective technique—it was a proper strike, yet the wound wasn’t deep.
If one move within the sword strike had missed, the next turn would have been Namgung Wan’s.
As Namgung Wan threw his body backward and planted his right hand holding the sword against the ground, a heavy kick swept toward the Third Young Master’s waist.
Crash—!
With a tremendous collision, the Third Young Master, struck across the ribs, flew all the way to the Inn’s stone wall.
The wall crumbled, and the Third Young Master vanished into a cloud of dust.
An ordinary person would have been crushed flat. But the Third Young Master walked out from the dust cloud, his brow still furrowed.
He’d blocked it with his arm in that brief moment. Below his elbow, his sleeve was torn, leaving no trace of injury.
The Third Young Master clenched and unclenched his fist.
“What did you just do?”
Namgung Wan spun his sword in his right hand with a sneer.
“Your hands must be dull.”
I clutched my throbbing head.
Yalyu called my name with concern.
“Yeon?”
I reflexively shook my head to say I was fine, but let out a low groan instead. It was the aftereffect of deflecting the previous attack.
Instinctively, I’d disrupted the energy wave around the Third Young Master’s hands and deployed a true qi barrier in that gap. Of course, it was torn apart in an instant, but doesn’t a single sheet of paper sometimes mean the difference between life and death?
In a realm where fractions of a second mattered, that alone could prevent critical injury.
‘But I can’t do this many times.’
Both Namgung Wan and the Third Young Master sensed something odd, but in the midst of their duel now, they wouldn’t have the leisure to investigate why.
However, if I kept using my hands, they would eventually notice something was wrong. And more importantly….
I couldn’t sustain it.
Just blocking once left my head throbbing like this; I had no idea how many more times I could manage it.
I’d essentially inserted myself into a one-on-one duel….
But survival was what mattered.
‘Noble deaths can go to the dogs.’
That was the lesson I’d learned from my father’s death.
I breathed shallowly and looked at the Third Young Master again. I could see his inner force flow had become slightly disrupted.
‘He’s sustained internal injuries.’
Not enough to cough blood, but it seemed his protective technique had shattered from Namgung Wan’s kick.
Fortunately, this time they’d exchanged one move each.
The Third Young Master spoke as if slightly annoyed.
“So you still have hidden strength left. Let’s see how much longer you can use that method.”
He still seemed to think Namgung Wan had pulled some trick. Moreover, he remained composed.
“….”
How much longer could I do this?
There existed no flawless martial art in this world.
I transmitted my voice to Namgung Wan.
[When the Third Young Master unfolds his technique of sweeping the left palm upward from below toward the upper right, his right foot—the axis of his center of gravity—wavers.]
Even after mastering martial techniques, one’s dominant hand and foot are used more frequently. And those microscopic imbalances create openings.
Namgung Wan did not respond. He had no leisure to transmit his voice back. I kept my words as brief as possible.
[Offer your right arm. This is a decisive strike.]
…He must have understood.
The Third Young Master, who had been crouching, pushed off the ground and closed the distance in an instant.
‘The Third Young Master has no intention of killing him.’
At first, I thought he knew the right arm hadn’t fully recovered and was deliberately weakening it to secure victory. But from the attack I had just blocked, I could feel it clearly. It wasn’t that he was weakening the right arm—the right arm itself was the objective.
Come to think of it, when he won the martial contest, he demanded the right arm.
‘Why is he so fixated on it?’
The reason remained unknown.
‘In any case, he must have received orders to take only the arm while sparing his life.’
Judging from how desperately the Third Young Master was protecting something, could it be an order from his superiors—that is, from the Sect Leader?
And so there was an opportunity.
Namgung Wan must have realized that the Third Young Master was targeting his arm. If Namgung Wan exposed his arm as a weakness, the Third Young Master would certainly strike there.
Then a transmission came from Namgung Wan.
[Is it really your arm?]
Pang!
Namgung Wan’s hair fluttered and fell to the ground, swept up by a fist strike that barely missed him.
My eyes widened.
‘Is he out of his mind? What is he saying instead of focusing on the martial contest?’
Moreover, it wasn’t even something important—it was a joke.
A joke now? Don’t joke! I’m not in a state to be joking!
Namgung Wan no longer retreated. He swung his sword again as before.
The Third Young Master smiled faintly. It was an expression that seemed to mock his choice to resume the offensive with that arm.
Just as expected, Namgung Wan’s sword strikes were subtly misaligned.
Minor cuts gradually accumulated on Namgung Wan’s body.
The Third Young Master spoke.
“Why not admit defeat now? You know you can’t last long anyway. Your right arm—it’s growing slower.”
Namgung Wan spoke indifferently.
“Where does a dog bark?”
“….”
The Third Young Master’s expression hardened.
In that moment, a large opening appeared in Namgung Wan’s right arm.
Without missing that instant, the Third Young Master’s left palm surged upward from below. It was power enough to sever an arm.
This was a gamble. If the Third Young Master realized that his right arm was being used as bait, there was a high probability he would no longer target the arm.
After all, he could take the arm even without seizing it during the contest—he only needed to extract a declaration of defeat from the martial contest.
Instead of withdrawing his right arm, Namgung Wan burrowed inward as if he had been waiting all along.
At nearly the same moment the Third Young Master’s left palm tore through Namgung Wan’s protective energy and struck his upper arm, Namgung Wan’s blade pierced through the Third Young Master’s body.
“….”
“….”
I felt myself about to collapse and gripped Yalyu tightly beside me.
My head, my very scalp, burned as though aflame.
Namgung Wan spoke.
“Did the Sect Leader order you to target only my arm?”
Cough. Blood dripped from the Third Young Master’s lips as he hacked.
The Third Young Master spoke.
“The Sect Leader, yes.”
“Nonsense. He’s not even my Sect Leader.”
Namgung Wan withdrew his blade without hesitation. The metallic stench of blood hung heavy in the open field.
Blood flowed ceaselessly from the Third Young Master’s feet, pooling steadily. The artery near his heart had been severed cleanly. It was a mortal wound.
Namgung Wan spoke coldly.
“Your foolish orders have cost your son his life.”
The Third Young Master’s face showed brief confusion before understanding dawned, and he spoke.
“Ah, that’s right. Your sister died, didn’t she? Revenge, then.”
“….”
The casual tone, as though he’d completely forgotten, made Namgung Wan clench his teeth.
Yet the Third Young Master’s eyes were already losing their light—there was no room for him to vent his rage.
The Third Young Master murmured.
“To the Sect Leader, blood relations are worthless things.”
Thud.
The Third Young Master’s knees touched the ground, and his eyes rolled to fix directly upon me—a deliberate movement, as if he’d sought me out intentionally. His lips moved silently.
[You will soon understand.]
His voice echoed through my mind like a whisper in my ears. It was a transmission of sound.
“…?”
With that transmission as his last, the Third Young Master collapsed forward onto the ground.
‘You will soon understand? Understand what?’
What?
But my headache was too severe to dwell on it further in this moment.
Then the sharp auras of both the Namgung Clan and Baek Family warriors turned simultaneously in one direction.
The Black-Robed Attendant, who had withdrawn upon the Third Young Master’s orders moments before, approached with several subordinates in tow.
The Black-Robed Attendant did not enter the inn but stood before the door, clasped his hands respectfully, and spoke.
“May we take the Third Young Master’s body?”
His voice held not a trace of disturbance at the Third Young Master’s death—if anything, it carried a faint note of regret.
Namgung Wan answered.
“Get out.”
From the warriors of both the Namgung Clan and Baek Family, I felt an aura ready to explode at any moment.
They all stood half-prepared to draw their weapons, braced for an incoming assault.
I braced myself for another fight to break out, but the opponent was surprisingly compliant, almost disappointingly so.
“Understood.”
….
With that response, the Black-Robed Attendant withdrew along with his subordinates.
What kind of reaction was that supposed to be?
Even as I held my throbbing head, I felt bewildered. Moreover, the troops surrounding us made no move at all.
They must have known that the Third Young Master was dead….
It seemed I wasn’t the only one confused—everyone lowered their voices and whispered among themselves.
“Why aren’t they attacking? Are they really going to keep their promise?”
“Would those bastards honestly keep their word?”
“We don’t know yet. They might be shocked too. Don’t let your guard down.”
Among the whispers, one of the Baek Li Estate’s warriors asked me a question.
“Miss, are you alright?”
I held up my palm to signal them not to speak and walked forward. With each step, my head throbbed painfully.
Yalyu supported me by the arm.
As I approached the Third Young Master, I felt a hand grasp my arm, and my vision was obscured.
“What are you trying to see?”
….
One covered my mouth, the other covered my eyes.
What were these two doing, taking turns?

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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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