The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 231

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

Chapter 231
* * *
Muhan Northwest District.
The pale morning sunlight climbed over the roof tiles that had been shrouded in darkness, illuminating the quiet mansions below.
The Northwest District, where residences clustered densely together, was home to those who had established themselves with branches registered under the Murim Alliance Headquarters.
Among them stood the grandest manor of all.
The servants who had begun sweeping the courtyard early in the morning quickly bowed their heads as they watched Byeok Family Head stride past with heavy footsteps.
Byeok Family Head’s visits to this place were frequent enough, but what was with that expression—so visibly bristling with anger?
The servants’ confusion was soon resolved.
Byeok Family Head, who had swept past the inner gate with commanding momentum, suddenly found himself blocked before the courtyard.
A brief scuffle erupted between Byeok Family Head and the warriors, who seized him as he attempted to force his way inside.
“Young Master, you cannot do this. Someone has gone inside to announce your arrival—please wait a moment.”
“Wait? I waited all day yesterday, and he claimed to be busy, wouldn’t even show his face! And now what? Today I will see him, no matter what. Move aside!”
“It is still early in the morning. It appears preparations are taking time—please be patient!”
“Take your hands off me! So you’re conspiring with those gatekeepers too, are you?”
At that moment, a mysterious man passed by Byeok Family Head’s side. The warriors did not block his path.
Byeok Family Head pointed at the man, his eyes widening.
“Him! Why aren’t you stopping him? What? Preparations take time? Wi Alliance Leader!”
“Young Master Byeok, you cannot do this!”
“Wi Alliance Leader! I know you’re listening to all of this! Come out here!”
And within the inner chamber of the pavilion where the commotion was unfolding.
Wi Ji-baek was dining while attended by a beautiful woman. The mysterious man who had passed Byeok Family Head entered the chamber where Wi Ji-baek was eating.
Upon seeing the man, Wi Ji-baek gestured for the woman to withdraw. She stepped backward and departed, and the man spoke.
“Alliance Leader, it is quite noisy outside—are you certain this is acceptable?”
Wi Ji-baek wiped his hands with a handkerchief and spoke with indifference.
“As expected. Vulgar creatures, all of them. Now they simply reveal their true nature.”
His composed tone and dignified voice possessed a power that naturally commanded belief.
The commotion that Byeok Young Master had caused at the main gate of the Murim Alliance Headquarters the previous day had already spread throughout the Alliance like wildfire.
“Indeed. Until now, they have caused far too many problems by trading on your name, Alliance Leader.”
The man’s gaze upon Wi Ji-baek was filled with unwavering loyalty.
Wi Ji-baek turned to the man, who appeared devoted, and asked.
“So then, what of that child, Baek Li-yeon? I heard she met with Taego Jinperson and Jegal Family Head immediately upon arrival. Is she truly such a precious gem?”
“That is….”
As the man hesitated, Wi Ji-baek spoke.
“Simply tell me what you observed.”
“She appeared not to have detected my presence at all.”
Wi Ji-baek nodded as though this were only natural.
“And strangely, I sensed no aura whatsoever from her—it was disappointing, to be honest. She seemed inferior even to those of her own generation. To speak plainly, she was third-rate.”
“…To that extent?”
“Yes. Oddly, I detected no inner force from her at all. Either that, or she has perfectly suppressed her presence to a degree I cannot perceive. My apologies.”
“No, that can’t be right. You couldn’t possibly not recognize them. But something does seem odd. I heard they’d defeated the Donghobang Master.”
Wi Ji-baek furrowed his brow while stroking his chin.
Baek Li-yeon’s martial prowess was particularly controversial. Despite eyewitnesses who had directly observed it, the rumors persisted because those witnesses kept spouting absurd claims.
In the first place, the very notion that someone of Baek Li-yeon’s age had defeated the Donghobang Master who dominated Ak-yang was difficult to believe.
Perhaps if it were Namgung Ryu-cheong of the Namgung Clan, but that crippled dantian from the Baek Li Family?
In a situation already difficult to believe, hearing tales of swords flying about during Baek Li-yeon’s battle with the Donghobang Master made people want to tell them to stop spouting nonsense.
Wi Ji-baek, who had received reports of the battle with the Donghobang Master, felt the same way.
He suspected the Donghobang people had exaggerated the circumstances to hide the fact that their master had been defeated by a young girl.
Wi Ji-baek muttered to himself.
“Hmm, even if half of the rumors spreading about town were true, she’d at least make it to the middle rounds.”
“Indeed. If she had competed in the preliminaries, we could make some estimate. But she went straight to the main tournament instead…. Come to think of it, wasn’t today the day your disciple competed in the preliminaries? Allow me to offer my congratulations in advance.”
“The results haven’t come in yet.”
“Surely they will pass without question.”
Wi Ji-baek picked up his teacup and recalled the matchup bracket. Since the Murim Alliance’s Muhan regional preliminaries hadn’t concluded, several positions on the bracket remained blank.
Some manipulation was necessary for the prosperity of the Martial Arts Tournament. And someone like Baek Li-yeon would make an excellent sacrifice to elevate his disciple’s reputation.
He was deliberating whether to arrange their meeting in the early rounds or the middle rounds.
“And after Taego Jinperson and the Jegal Family Head finished their conversation and returned to their lodgings, there was a collision between the Namgung Minor Family Head and the Baek Li Elder.”
“Hmm? Tell me the details.”
* * *
My mind was hazy.
I had told my uncle to stop tampering with the bracket, but there was no way to know if he would actually listen.
‘Should I just forfeit?’
No. If I had never registered in the first place, that would be one thing, but withdrawing after already entering would tarnish the Baek Li Family’s reputation.
When I returned to my lodgings without even knowing how I’d gotten there—
“Yeon!”
A woman and a girl greeted me as though I’d arrived at someone else’s quarters. The woman in the yellow martial robe was Seo Ha-ryeong, and the girl in the white martial robe was Jin-jin.
I smiled brightly.
“It’s been a while.”
Seo Ha-ryeong stared at me blankly for a moment before coming to her senses.
“…You… You! You terrible person! How could you disappear without a word? I’ve been waiting for you with my neck stretched out—I must have grown an inch! The person who said they’d come with you arrived, but you didn’t! And after you got here, you didn’t even come to see me? Not a single message!”
Jin-jin soothed Seo Ha-ryeong with a smiling face.
“Ha-ryeong, calm down. There must have been circumstances.”
“I only made it to my quarters last night. The moment I opened my eyes, I went to see my uncle. Have you all eaten breakfast?”
“Eaten? Don’t even think about bribing us with food.”
“I heard they had carp broth prepared….”
“What are you doing? Lead the way. Let’s go eat breakfast right now.”
Seo Ha-ryeong told me to lead the way, but she was the one who went first.
“Carp broth? Where did that come from? They say the price of any food that even slightly restores vitality in this area has gone up ten to fifty times over.”
“Oh….”
If one were to name the three things martial artists loved most, they would be divine pills, secret martial techniques, and elixirs.
Every martial artist in the world who yearned for fame had gathered here, and it seemed that if the medicine proved effective, they would all disappear from this region entirely.
Both Seo Ha-ryeong and Jin-jin said they had arrived ten days ago. The two, who had always gotten along well, felt even closer now that they had met at the Murim Alliance.
After finishing breakfast, I finally understood why Seo Ha-ryeong had come looking for me at this ungodly hour.
“We need to go now.”
“Huh? Already leaving?”
“What are you talking about? You need to get up too.”
Jin-jin explained to me, seeing my bewildered expression.
“If we hurry, we can get a good spot to watch the preliminary matches.”
The preliminary matches…
My head suddenly throbbed with a dull ache.
Seo Ha-ryeong clenched her fists tightly as she spoke.
“No matter what happens today, I absolutely have to see this.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s the day Wi Gu-jung, the direct disciple of the Wi Alliance Leader, is competing!”
* * *
I could tell we were getting closer to the Tournament Arena by the groups of people gathering around us.
‘There are more martial artists here than I expected.’
I could see young and youthful disciples from various sects and families. It seemed everyone had come to see the Alliance Leader’s direct disciple who was competing in today’s preliminaries.
It was when the Tournament Arena came into view in the distance.
Seo Ha-ryeong’s expression hardened.
“Why are there so many people? We came early too.”
The crowd that had already gathered made it difficult to approach the Tournament Arena.
‘Will I even be able to see properly?’
It didn’t matter for me, but Seo Ha-ryeong and Jin-jin would need to secure decent spots. I was worried when I noticed something strange about the atmosphere.
I heard exclamations from the crowd.
“Wow! My goodness! That’s incredible!”
“Is this even allowed?”
A loud boom echoed, and I felt a wave of energy.
Seo Ha-ryeong’s eyes widened.
“What? What is this? Has it already started? That can’t be right?”
My eyes also widened. That energy wave was far too familiar.
I, who had been walking leisurely until now, rushed forward following Seo Ha-ryeong’s sprinting figure.
At that moment, a young man burst out from the crowd and greeted us as if he knew us.
“Seo So-jeo! You finally arrived. Right now…”
The young man, who had been speaking urgently, suddenly stopped when he saw me.
“Uh, um… who is this person…?”
But I had no time to pay attention to the young man. The one competing on the Tournament Arena was Namgung Ryu-cheong.
‘What is he doing there!’

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