The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 218

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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 218
* * *
In the central pavilion of the Murim Alliance Headquarters.
The master of the chamber, who had been writing something with fluid strokes, immediately rose to greet his visitor upon hearing from the servant that a guest had arrived.
A monk in a yellow robe clasped his hands together, holding prayer beads, and spoke.
“Amitabha Buddha, Gongsun Bang. You seem quite occupied—I hope my visit hasn’t been an intrusion.”
“Not at all. Won-eum Seonsa’s visits are always welcome. Please, come in.”
He gestured for the monk to sit, but Won-eum Seonsa withdrew a letter from his robe and handed it to Gongsun Bang.
“A letter from the Abbot.”
Gongsun Bang’s expression brightened.
“Since I’ve delivered it, I shall take my leave now.”
“No, Won-eum Seonsa, please have a cup of tea before you go.”
“I must decline.”
“If you leave like this, I’ll feel terrible. I’ve just received some excellent Dragon Well tea—do taste it before you depart.”
Won-eum Seonsa refused, but as Gongsun Bang insisted, he reluctantly took a seat.
As the servant brought tea, Gongsun Bang hastily opened the letter.
Shaolin had maintained neutrality amid the conflict between the pro-Alliance Leader faction and the anti-Alliance Leader faction. This letter contained mediation efforts between the two sides.
“Sigh, I can only express my gratitude to the Abbot.”
Won-eum Seonsa smiled benevolently.
“No need for thanks. Harmony is something we desire as well.”
Gongsun Bang folded the letter and asked.
“How is the tea?”
“What would a humble monk know of tea? But the aroma is truly profound.”
“When do you return to Shaolin Temple? I’ll prepare some for you to take with you.”
“That’s not what I meant to suggest.”
After several exchanges of banter, it was finally settled that Won-eum Seonsa would accept some to take with him.
Won-eum Seonsa, who had been quietly sipping tea for a moment, spoke.
“I tell you this because I see Gongsun Bang’s sincerity.”
Gongsun Bang’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“I’m listening.”
“Even if the Abbot himself steps forward to mediate, should this not be properly resolved, we will demand the Alliance Leader’s reinstatement.”
“What? But that’s…”
“Until now, we have remained silent to preserve the Alliance Leader’s authority. Do you not understand how difficult it is to gather dragons and tigers in one place and keep them bridled?”
Each of these powers was formidable in their own regions—would they welcome someone sitting above them?
This alliance had been forged with great difficulty, and once its authority began to waver, even the next Alliance Leader would be shaken by the smallest mistake or rumor.
“Honestly, I don’t know why this dispute has dragged on so long. We cannot condone a disciple of the Tianshan Flame Emperor committing slaughter and learning the Devouring Star Technique at such a young age, but wasn’t he already dead?”
Won-eum Seonsa, whose expression had remained kindly until now, showed a slight displeasure.
“Had the Byeok Family Head properly cared for and educated his own blood from the beginning, would such problems have arisen? If the Byeok Family Head has any conscience, he should not blame the Baek Li Great Hero but reflect upon his own actions.”
“…You speak the truth.”
Won-eum Seonsa let out a sigh.
“Moreover, in such a chaotic situation, for the Alliance Leader to be so… incompetent.”
The Shaolin monks merely clicked their tongues, but outside the temple, whispers about the Murim Alliance Leader spread like wildfire.
Of late, the Murim Alliance Leader had been indulging himself in wine and women every single day.
Technically, it was his private affair. But the Murim Alliance Leader was not aligned with the Demonic Cult—he represented the Orthodox Martial Arts Sects. Surely he should at least maintain appearances?
“I have repeatedly urged him on this matter…”
Gongsun Bang lowered his head.
Won-eum Seonsa spoke with firm resolve.
“The Alliance Leader has always valued his honor, so I understand his distress at this turn of events. However, in times like these, should he not conduct himself with greater propriety?”
Won-eum Seonsa rose abruptly.
“The tea was most refreshing. Amitabha Buddha, I can only pray that all matters resolve favorably.”
Moments later, the rear door of the study opened, and a young girl walked out gracefully. She bore an unmistakable resemblance to Gongsun Bang—she was his daughter, Gongsun Wol.
“Father, please eat while you discuss. I prepared these refreshments myself.”
“Thank you.”
After Gongsun Wol set the plate on the table, she glanced around cautiously before asking.
“Father, will the Alliance Leader above lose his position and be removed?”
Gongsun Bang shook his head.
“That is unlikely. Despite his recent blunders, the Alliance Leader is a supreme master ranked among the top ten in the realm. With the Demonic Cult’s intentions still unclear, such a thing is impossible.”
Gongsun Bang exhaled deeply.
“However, the mere fact that talk of removing him has surfaced will deal him a significant blow. Until now, once someone ascended to the position of Alliance Leader, they retained it until they voluntarily stepped down.”
“I see.”
Seeing his daughter’s disappointed expression, Gongsun Bang asked.
“Why do you look so disheartened?”
“No, it is nothing at all.”
Gongsun Wol spoke evasively, then shifted the subject with a question.
“Will everyone accept this mediation?”
Gongsun Bang pointed to one of the drawers and spoke.
“Retrieve the yellow envelope from inside. Yes, that one. Take it out and read it.”
“This came from the Baek Li Estate?”
Following her father’s instructions, Gongsun Wol withdrew the letter from the yellow envelope.
“…Supply rights, merchant guild privileges, and this land as well? No, the Elder Council?”
As Gongsun Wol read through each item, she suddenly looked up from the letter in astonishment.
“Silver and various commercial rights are one thing, but… no, the Baek Li Estate is offering to place one of their people in the Elder Council?”
“A seasoned master who has cultivated his family’s influence in the Jianghu for over half a century. He clearly intends to secure substantial gains from this affair.”
The Elder Council had originally consisted of seats held by the nine founding powers—six sects and three families—passed down through generations. Now they were asking to either grant the Baek Li Estate a seat or create a new one.
Gongsun Wol asked, her tone uncertain.
“Is that even… possible?”
The Elder Council wielded tremendous influence over the Murim Alliance. Moreover, the Elder Council had traditionally served as a check against the Murim Alliance Leader.
Granting a seat to the Elder Council was essentially asking the current Alliance Leader to allow the Baek Li Estate to obstruct him at every turn.
“It seems the Alliance Leader would never accept such a proposal.”
“Then what?”
“Pardon?”
“Then must we continue our confrontation with the Baek Li Family and Namgung Clan while keeping the Demonic Cult at our backs?”
Gongsun Wol bit her lip, wrestling with the question before speaking.
“If the Alliance Leader were to choose… perhaps… he might select that path instead… wouldn’t he?”
The hesitation in her voice as she spoke revealed her uncertainty—she seemed unsure whether she should even be saying such things.
Gongsun Bang let out a soft chuckle.
“You understand well.”
“Pardon?”
“Indeed. Given the Alliance Leader’s recent disposition, he certainly could.”
Gongsun Wol, whose brow had been furrowed, suddenly widened her eyes.
“…Could it be? Father, did you deliberately engineer this talk of succession?”
If he had waited until she was truly cornered with no way out…
“I have counseled the Alliance Leader countless times that this cannot continue.”
Gongsun Bang spoke with a gleam in his eyes.
“The more discord that festers within the Murim Alliance, the more the Demonic Cult profits. Look around—how many minor and mid-tier sects have suffered? Sealed away, or driven to extinction by the Black Gangs. They are our allies. Yet still, he refuses to see reason!”
Gongsun Bang exhaled a long sigh, lifting the teapot to refill the cup that had run dry.
“But as General-in-Chief, I cannot be the one to raise the matter of succession.”
To do so would make even the General-in-Chief an opponent of the Alliance Leader.
“You reject mediation?”
Gongsun Bang set down the teapot with a harsh laugh.
“On the contrary, I welcome it.”
Through this exchange, Gongsun Wol understood that her father did not care whether the Alliance Leader remained in power.
‘Could it be… that the Baek Li Family Head is eyeing the position of next Alliance Leader?’
Gongsun Wol asked, biting her lip slightly.
“But then ultimately… wouldn’t people whisper that the Murim Alliance surrendered to the Baek Li Family? Wouldn’t the Alliance’s authority crumble? You are the General-in-Chief of the Murim Alliance…”
As Gongsun Wol’s words trailed off, Gongsun Bang smiled faintly.
“Do not worry. There is a way. But I have something else to tell you.”
“Please, speak.”
“Namgung Prince will arrive soon.”
“Namgung Prince—you mean Namgung Ryu-cheong?”
“Yes.”
Gongsun Bang, hands clasped behind his back, regarded his daughter with a subtle gleam in his eyes.
“See that you attend to him carefully and show him proper courtesy.”
“Understood. But what business brings Namgung Prince here?”
* * *
“We will hold a martial arts tournament.”
Father answered my question.
“A martial arts tournament?”
“Yes. If the Murim Alliance, the Baek Li Family, and the Namgung Clan are to join hands once more, we must make a grand display of it.”
I was not at Palxiangju, but at an inn.
I sat at the inn table with Father and Namgung Ryu-cheong, where a bottle of clear wine and our evening meal awaited us.
I felt a pang of disappointment.
I had finally hoped to taste the cuisine of Palxiangju, yet circumstances had conspired against it. Should I have exercised more restraint?
I set down my chopsticks after pushing around the mushroom and duck stir-fry, then glanced at Father.
After a brief silence, Father spoke.
“Indeed, it has been far too long since the appointed time for it to open.”
“That’s right. It typically opened once every eight years, yet the scheduled time has long since passed.”
A martial competition where the rising talents of the Orthodox Martial Arts Sects gathered in great numbers.
Due to the Demonic Cult’s assault and the subsequent division of the Murim Alliance, the martial competition had been indefinitely postponed.
Namgung Ryu-cheong refilled Father’s wine cup as he spoke.
“Indeed. Grandfather also entrusted me with a letter, saying that the martial competition seemed likely to be held, and if such a decision were made, I should participate and then return.”
Moreover, the victor of the rising talents competition would receive the opportunity to obtain the Alliance Leader’s sword.
And if the rising talents competition were held this time, the champion would naturally….
I looked at Namgung Ryu-cheong.
Should Namgung Ryu-cheong win the rising talents martial competition, he would receive the Murim Alliance Leader’s sword.
And the Namgung Clan had been one of the factions opposing the Alliance Leader alongside the Baek Li Family.
If Namgung Ryu-cheong triumphed and the Alliance Leader bestowed upon him a sword of instruction, what a splendid reconciliation that would be!
Father lifted his wine cup, his brow furrowing slightly.
“Then we must make haste to Muuhan.”
“There is no need to rush. Since this matter is not urgent, we may travel at a leisurely pace.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong, who had answered with composure, attempted to refill my cup, but I stopped him.
Having already consumed two or three cups, I rose from my seat with a smile.
“I’m exhausted. Since I’ve finished my meal, I shall retire to rest.”
Father glanced at both Namgung Ryu-cheong and me, then nodded as if in understanding.
The sensation of their gazes burning into the back of my head as I walked up to my room in the inn was quite intense… surely it was merely my imagination?

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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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