The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 209

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 209
* * *
Crash, boom, bang, smash!
A sickening crunch.
The inn collapsed in an instant. Yet I could not see it with my own eyes. A thick fog had suddenly enveloped the surroundings. It seemed that even after Tianshan Flame Emperor killed the two sorcerers who had laid out the formation, it had only bought us a brief moment of time.
I hoped the Inn Owner and the Original Employee had escaped in time.
I surveyed my surroundings and spoke.
“This way, sir.”
Namgung Wan immediately changed direction at my words.
“Do you know this formation?”
“No, I can just see it.”
“I see.”
Namgung Wan took a breath and shouted behind us.
“Everyone…! Damn it.”
For a moment, Namgung Wan’s feet came to an abrupt halt.
I turned to look behind us as well, and my eyes widened in shock. Only four people were following us. And they were the ones who had been closest to Namgung Wan as his personal guards.
From what I could still discern with my golden eyes, the others did not seem to be far away. But the formation prevented us from moving recklessly.
The warriors following us also realized the situation too late as we stopped.
“No, everyone…!”
Namgung Wan clicked his tongue.
“I moved too quickly, it seems.”
Within a formation like this, if you weren’t pressed tightly together, the distance could widen in an instant.
Namgung Wan spoke to me in a soothing tone.
“Ryu-cheong received instruction on formations long ago, so even if he wanders for a bit, he’ll soon figure out how to escape.”
“…”
“What we need to worry about is ourselves.”
I bit my lip.
With Namgung Wan and me, we were only six in total.
“Can we hold out until we escape the formation? Shouldn’t we try to reach Ryu-cheong right now…?”
“No. If they move, they’ll only chase us from behind and become completely trapped within the formation. Worse, they might mistake us for enemies and attack. Within a formation, you must find the gate of life first, not search for others.”
Namgung Wan deployed his lightness technique again.
“Our numbers are few, but if you help us, won’t that be enough?”
I understood he was referring to when I had sparred with the Third Young Master.
I let out a sharp cry, overwhelmed by conflicting emotions.
“Do you think that’s easy?”
The moment I spoke, I said:
“Sir, come here.”
“What? Which direction are you talking about?”
So this is what it means when one’s senses become muddled. He didn’t even notice when I got this close.
“Above!”
I shouted and drew my short sword in the same breath.
The Demonic Cult Member leaped down from above, driving his blade downward, which I parried with my short sword.
The Demonic Cult Member’s short sword shattered cleanly. It was the blade Namgung Wan had given me long ago. It possessed the formidable power befitting a sword forged from Baek Ryeon Jeong-gang.
Namgung Wan caught the severed blade and hurled it back at the Demonic Cult Member.
With a dull thud and without even a groan, the Demonic Cult Member collapsed.
Namgung Wan glanced at me.
“Indeed, giving it to you was the right choice.”
The other Demonic Cult Members who rushed forward were repelled through coordinated attacks between him and the Namgung Clan warriors.
It was only when I barely escaped the formation array, unable to gauge the exact passage of time.
“So Ga-ju!”
“You all!”
“You’re safe!”
These were the reinforcement troops that had arrived from the Namgung Clan.
Whether the claim about receiving aid from the Tianshan Flame Emperor was true, there were signs of battle, but the casualties were not severe.
“What is the current situation?”
“More importantly, have you not seen Namgung Ryu-cheong?”
“No. We have not encountered him.”
“Damn it. Understood. There is no time for explanations now. We must escape this place immediately!”
From that moment on, our objective shifted from escape to combat against the Demonic Cult Members.
While fighting the Demonic Cult Members who had deployed their formation array, those who escaped from within began emerging one by one. I continued to wait for Namgung Ryu-cheong and Yalyu, but the reinforcement troops sent by the Baek Li Family arrived first.
They had not come in response to my carrier pigeon, but rather were troops dispatched by the family after belatedly recognizing the movements of the Demonic Cult forces.
When Baek Geom Danju himself arrived leading elite personnel, the tide of battle shifted to our side in an instant.
How much time had passed?
By the time we had shattered the formation array and driven out all the Demonic Cult Members, the rain had ceased. And beneath the dim glow of the evening sunset, the inn revealed itself in a state beyond recognition.
There was no sign of the Tianshan Flame Emperor or Cheon-ma.
Amid all this, the Inn Owner and the Original Employee had survived. It was fortunate.
But the aftermath was astounding. They had survived because the Demonic Cult Members had protected them. Moreover, the cult had even left generous compensation for the damage to the inn.
‘What scheme is this?’
Did they spare the common folk?
‘Yet they slaughtered all the villagers where Man Shin-ui had stayed.’
It hardly seemed like they were sparing the lives of ordinary people.
It felt as though they were mocking us, who had exerted every ounce of strength to escape that place alive.
And….
Namgung Ryu-cheong and Yalyu still could not be found.
Quite a number of corpses were discovered within the formation array. Fortunately, neither Namgung Ryu-cheong nor Yalyu were among them. But I could not bear to watch the search continue further.
“….”
According to the last witness, Namgung Ryu-cheong and Yalyu had been escaping the formation array together.
“….”
Baek Geom Danju approached me. I could anticipate what he would say, and my expression hardened involuntarily.
Baek Geom Danju appeared threatening due to the unabated killing intent and bloodstains from the recent battle. Moreover, with outsiders present, he bore none of the gentle and kind demeanor of a grandfather that he usually showed me.
Baek Geom Danju spoke.
“Miss, the Family Head has ordered your immediate return.”
“….”
“Miss, you must return at once. The Family Head is deeply concerned.”
I bit my lip hard and spoke quietly.
“Couldn’t I stay here at least until I find Ryu-cheong and Yalyu?”
Baek Geom Danju sighed.
“Baek Li-yeon.”
At that moment, Uncle Namgung Wan approached and called out to me.
“You’ve done your best. It’s more important now to set your worried family’s minds at ease. Go home.”
“….”
“Your staying here won’t help anything.”
After hearing those words, I couldn’t insist on remaining any longer. Baek Geom Danju bowed his eyes in gratitude to Uncle Namgung Wan.
And so I left Ak-yang, following Baek Geom Danju.
* * *
On the way to Ak-yang, I had suffered under the oppressive heat and the relentless sun, but the return journey was cool with days of rain and overcast skies.
“….”
For some reason, the situation felt absurd.
Uncle Namgung Wan had disappeared on the way there, and now Namgung Ryu-cheong had vanished on the way back.
Father and son disappearing in turns. Even the heavens seemed cruel.
As we drew near the estate.
The streets felt somewhat unsettled. I could see Baek Li Family warriors scattered here and there.
As our party crossed the main gate of the estate, we encountered two squads composed of Baek Geom Disciples.
Five members formed one squad, and even a single Baek Geom squad represented considerable military strength for the Baek Li Family.
They saluted Baek Geom Danju and quickly departed elsewhere.
Sensing my puzzled gaze, Baek Geom Danju spoke gently.
“You’ll understand once you meet the Family Head.”
Upon arriving at the Residence Quarter, Geum-swe, So Nok, and even Eon-du all seized me, and we all shed tears together.
After barely calming them down, I removed my damp clothes, washed thoroughly, and headed straight to my grandfather.
Though not much time had passed, it somehow felt like ages.
The Old Servant guarding the entrance to my grandfather’s chamber remained unchanged as always.
“Miss, you’ve arrived. We’ve been waiting.”
I thought he would let me in immediately, but the Old Servant suddenly asked me something.
“Are you injured anywhere?”
I hesitated slightly before answering.
“No, I’m not.”
“I’m truly relieved you’re unharmed.”
The Old Servant was my grandfather’s loyal retainer who spoke little beyond what was necessary.
Both before and after my regression, he had always guarded the door where my grandfather stayed, showing me neither favor nor disfavor.
He was like my grandfather’s shadow, but to be precise, he treated all those who carried my grandfather’s blood equally. So I was surprised he spoke to me with such warmth.
“…it appears they were targeting the Young Miss from the very beginning.”
“What?”
Thud!
A thunderous sound erupted as the table was struck.
“Targeting my granddaughter? I’ll slaughter every last one of those wretches!”
The Old Servant spoke urgently.
“Young Miss Yeon has arrived.”
The moment I stepped through the open doorway, a sharp rebuke rang out.
“Why are you so late? And what’s with that smile despite your tardiness?”
“Well, seeing Grandfather just makes me so happy.”
“….”
Grandfather fell silent, his lips pressed firmly shut.
Soon, he opened his mouth again.
“Come here.”
When I stopped about three paces away, Grandfather spoke.
“Closer.”
As I drew near, almost face to face, Grandfather pulled me into a tight embrace.
His voice reached me from above my head.
“I’m relieved you’re safe.”
“….”
This time, I found myself unable to speak. My eyes grew warm. Strangely, being held in Grandfather’s arms brought me genuine peace.
‘And I’m not even a child anymore.’
Before my regression, I had barely exchanged words with him. When had things changed?
I had only recently come to understand that Father cared for me, yet even before the regression, I had never thought of him differently as my biological father.
But Grandfather—I had seen him only a handful of times, and our conversations were virtually nonexistent. He felt more like the Family Head of the Baek Li Family than my own grandfather.
That’s what I thought I believed. How foolish I had been all this time.
Nestled in his embrace, I drew a deep breath and lifted my head with a smile.
“And that won’t do.”
Grandfather furrowed his brow, taken aback.
“What won’t do?”
“I’m the one who will slay Cheon-ma.”
“….”
“….”
Both of them stood speechless, their eyes blinking in stunned silence.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————