The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 226
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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 226
The young man asked in a hollow voice.
“You, you’re saying your master is from the Baek Li Family?”
I nodded slightly and removed my wide-brimmed hat with a faint sigh.
“Gasp!”
“It really is…!”
“No, the daughter of Baek Li-ui-gang! But why were you standing in line?”
“Of course I came to participate!”
“No, who doesn’t know that? I’m asking why you were standing in line!”
The warrior cupped his fist in salute to me once more.
“I offer my respects again, Miss Baek Li. I am Yi Gwak, a warrior of the Murim Alliance. There is someone inside looking for you. Please come with me.”
“Someone is looking for me? Who?”
“That would be difficult to explain here.”
….
I slightly furrowed my brow and glanced at the front and back of the line.
‘Have I made it halfway through…?’
I could already feel the commotion and whispers stirring around me.
‘If I stay here any longer, I’ll draw everyone’s attention.’
“I understand. Then, would it be possible for my companion to come along as well?”
I gestured to Jang Cheol with my eyes.
“Who is that?”
“Someone I’ve never seen before.”
“I heard earlier his name was Jang Cheol.”
Jang Cheol….
Jang Cheol’s face had flushed red, apparently having heard their conversation. The moment attention turned toward him as well, his expression clearly showed he wanted nothing more than to escape this place immediately.
However, if I left, it would be the perfect opportunity for that Byeok Family bastard and his younger brother Jang O to cause trouble.
The warrior nodded as if it made no difference.
“Your companion is fine. Please enter together.”
“What do you say, Jang Gongja? Will you come with me?”
Jang Cheol quickly nodded, and I turned to the young man and bowed.
“Next time we meet, let’s properly introduce ourselves.”
The young man nodded vigorously with an oddly excited expression.
I stepped out of the line and followed the warrior.
As I reached the entrance, I saw the Byeok Young Master with wide eyes. Beside him stood Jang O with the same vacant expression as the young man from before.
Jang Cheol, seeing Jang O like that, puffed out his chest proudly.
Jang O seemed to come to his senses and shouted.
“Wait…!”
The spear of the gate warrior blocked Jang O’s attempt to follow.
* * *
The Murim Alliance Headquarters was truly vast in scale. The Baek Li Estate was enormous enough to be counted among the greatest, but the Murim Alliance Headquarters surpassed even that.
Considering the staggering logistics consumed by the Murim Alliance, it would be no exaggeration to say that the Alliance itself sustains Muuhan—the organization was practically a city unto itself.
There was no trace of defeat from the Demonic Cult’s assault. Everything stood with unwavering solidity, radiating an air of unshakeable grandeur.
Yet to me, who had once frequented this place alongside my father and Namgung Ryu-cheong, several buildings appeared different from before. They were likely reconstructed following the attack.
I parted ways with Jang Cheol not long after.
He was handed over to another servant-like figure and directed toward the Guest Hall where visiting members of the Murim Alliance stayed.
I followed Yi Gwak, the warrior who had come to fetch me, deeper into the compound.
Once I had passed more than ten stone walls, I stopped counting them.
Soon I arrived at a place I had never seen before.
Though I had stayed at the Murim Alliance several times following my father and Namgung Ryu-cheong, this was my first time penetrating so deeply into its heart.
And with each step inward, my senses grew increasingly disrupted.
It was as though a suffocating snare pressed down upon me. More precisely, my Golden Eyes struggled to function properly.
I soon understood why. The entire core of the Murim Alliance was ensnared within a single grand formation.
‘So this is the true power of the Murim Alliance?’
Not a single building had been constructed carelessly.
It was when my senses felt blocked by roughly five layers that a pavilion came into view.
From the direction we were walking, I could tell that pavilion was our destination.
As we approached it, I detected the presence of an overwhelmingly powerful master of inner force within. Had it not been for my Golden Eyes, the aura was concealed so thoroughly that I would never have imagined such a formidable expert lay hidden inside.
‘Is it Wi Ji-baek, the Alliance Leader? The person who wished to see me was the Alliance Leader himself?’
If this level of inner force was genuine, I could finally understand why the Murim Alliance refused to part with Wi Ji-baek.
When they were short even a single hand, how could they possibly cast aside a force capable of fighting the Demonic Cult?
And beside him, I sensed a familiar presence of inner force.
Soon after, we arrived before the inner chamber where that presence dwelled, and the door opened.
Just as I had perceived from outside, two people occupied the room.
An elderly sage dressed entirely in white, and a white-haired youth who looked identical to him.
The two, whose ages contrasted starkly, sat facing each other playing baduk.
The old man spoke.
“Let us end the game here.”
“You should speak honestly. The game ended long ago.”
“You’re too harsh. Show some mercy to an old man with little time left.”
“I wonder whose time is truly shorter. We shall see when the moment comes, shall we not?”
The old man burst into hearty laughter.
I had no idea what expression to wear.
The old man, clearing his throat and composing his laughter, looked at me and spoke.
“Welcome.”
I performed a respectful fist salute.
“I offer my greetings to Taego Jinperson, Sect Master of the Kunlun Sect. I am Baek Li-yeon of the Baek Li Family.”
“Hmm?”
Taego Jinperson regarded me with evident interest. Though his gaze appeared gentle at first glance, he was scrutinizing me thoroughly, as if peering into my very depths.
“Did you know that Pyo had summoned you?”
“That is not the case, but I understood upon meeting you. Moreover, I recognized it, and I thought there was no need to pretend otherwise.”
Taego Jinperson, the Sect Leader of the Kunlun Sect. He could be said to be the one who had maintained his name among the Ten Strongest under Heaven for the longest time.
If my grandfather felt like an iron mountain of steel sitting before me, then Taego Jinperson felt like someone who had become one with his surroundings.
Had it not been for my golden eyes, I would never have anticipated Taego Jinperson’s true identity.
At that moment, I felt a blade of energy cutting through the air beside me as I slightly bowed my head. When I glanced over, a warrior was transmitting something through sound transmission.
“Hmm?”
Taego Jinperson looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.
“Bin-do has done something unnecessary. Standing in line like that—you’ve put me in an awkward position.”
“That is not the case.”
“Heh, to think such a child would come from Pae-hyuk’s bloodline. Hmm, is it the influence of your father?”
Taego Jinperson stroked his beard while examining me.
“I merely spoke once, you see. When one stands in such a position, a single word often carries such weight.”
“You wished to see me, sir?”
Taego Jinperson and I had never had even a single prior connection until now.
“Indeed. I wanted to see the child that Cheon-ma has set his sights upon.”
My expression hardened at the sudden mention of Cheon-ma.
How much does Taego Jinperson know?
The Kunlun Sect was a major Orthodox faction among the Nine Great Sects of the Murim Alliance, positioned closest to the Demonic Cult’s stronghold.
While the Murim Alliance in Muuhan had enjoyed peace until the sudden attack, never imagining such a thing could happen, the Kunlun Sect was in constant warfare with the Demonic Cult, making it perpetually a place of war.
Taego Jinperson continued, looking at me.
“Truly remarkable eyes you possess.”
Before I could even express surprise, Jeggal Hwa-mu interjected.
“Would it not be worth showing them once? You might be able to discern something, might you not?”
Taego Jinperson turned to Jeggal Hwa-mu with an amused expression.
“Jegal Family Head, there are no exceptions. Baek Li-yeon must also achieve victory in the martial tournament.”
Jeggal Hwa-mu shrugged and fell silent.
Taego Jinperson spoke to me.
“It seems you still do not know.”
“Know what, sir?”
“The prize for this Murim Alliance martial tournament is the Cheon-ma Records.”
“The Cheon-ma Records?”
I spoke as though surprised.
Though in truth, I was somewhat taken aback as well, so it was not entirely an act.
I had already known what the prize was. However…
‘So the Kunlun Sect’s Sect Leader possessed the Cheon-ma Records.’
It was unexpected.
If it were me, I would have stored it in a far safer location.
To have the Kunlun Sect’s Sect Leader, who constantly battles the Demonic Cult, keep it.
Perhaps they were employing the tactic of hiding something in plain sight.
But why did Jeggal Hwa-mu ask me to show my eyes? Because of these eyes?
I pushed aside my wandering thoughts and spoke.
“Then we have no connection.”
“Hmm?”
“I won’t be participating in the martial arts tournament.”
“What?”
Jeggal Hwa-mu looked at me with startled eyes.
Taego Jinperson spoke.
“Are you perhaps misunderstanding something?”
“What do you mean, sir?”
Taego Jinperson exchanged glances with Jeggal Hwa-mu.
The sight of an elderly man whose age was impossible to discern and a young man exchanging looks was strangely not awkward at all. Yet when they looked at me, their eyes held the quality of regarding a small child.
“The important matter lies elsewhere, so let us set aside the question of your participation. Tell me—do you not covet the Heavenly Demon’s Legacy?”
“No.”
Why would I want such a thing?
“If you were to win the martial arts tournament, honor would follow as well.”
“Is that truly important? Of course, some people value such things, and it does matter to them… but for me now, it is not a goal I particularly desire.”
Taego Jinperson regarded me with an expression of subtle admiration.
“So there was indeed reason for the Tianshan Flame Emperor to sacrifice his own life to save you.”
“…”
“Do you know? The Heavenly Demon appears to have sustained considerable injuries in his battle with the Tianshan Flame Emperor.”
“What?”
The Heavenly Demon was injured?
‘But how has no word of this spread until now?’
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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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