The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 239

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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 239
* * *
The next morning.
I rose before the roosters crowed, completed my breathing exercises, and sparred extensively with Jin-jin.
Jin-jin had come to stay at this lodging with me. Since I had spare rooms anyway, I’d invited him to lodge here as well.
I’d also extended an invitation to Seo Ha-ryeong, but she declined. She felt awkward abandoning the Anwhui Province disciples under her care to move into more comfortable quarters alone.
After washing and sharing breakfast with Jin-jin, I secluded myself in my chamber.
Guests continued arriving, hoping to build rapport with me, but I turned them all away.
When the sun reached its zenith.
Jin-jin entered my chamber, his arms laden with bundles of papers.
“Miss, the Elder sent these to you.”
“Ah, set them there.”
Finally, it had arrived.
Jin-jin placed the bundles on the table I indicated, then hesitated.
“Is something troubling you?”
“Well… will it be alright? The two of them had quite a serious quarrel yesterday…”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
The two he referred to were Baek Li-ui-muk and Namgung Wan.
Yesterday, when I was nearly dragged away by Namgung Ryu-cheong to the Law Bureau, Jin-jin had hurried to find Baek Li-ui-muk and report the situation.
Unfortunately, that location happened to be where the Elder Council was convening. Namgung Wan was also present.
Both Baek Li-ui-muk and Namgung Wan rushed toward the Law Bureau, believing it would already be too late even if they went to the Tournament Arena.
However, they learned that I had resolved the matter myself before they even arrived at the Law Bureau.
Upon hearing this, Baek Li-ui-muk immediately began quarreling with Namgung Wan, or so I heard.
The argument was roughly about how he’d raised his child so poorly as to cause such trouble, and that he should conduct himself properly without dragging Yeon into these matters.
Jin-jin could only stand by helplessly, shifting his weight from foot to foot. This was why he hadn’t returned for so long.
I understood why Baek Li-ui-muk had made such a fuss, but Jin-jin must have been thoroughly shaken. He’d been blaming himself since yesterday, wondering if his report had been unnecessary.
I spoke with a sympathetic tone.
“You must be disappointed about missing the match you wanted to see yesterday.”
“It’s alright. Besides, Ha-ryeong said she only saw dust clouds anyway.”
“…That’s true.”
Jin-jin and I burst into laughter. We were still discussing the techniques I’d managed to discern and countermeasures when—
A servant entered, drawing back the curtain.
“Miss Baek Li, you have a visitor.”
Jin-jin stepped forward to respond.
“I believe Miss instructed us to refuse all visitors today.”
“Yes. We declined, stating that Miss would see no one today, but the visitor refuses to leave and continues making a disturbance. We felt we couldn’t handle it alone, so we came to ask if we should summon the Security Force.”
Jin-jin’s eyes widened as he spoke.
“Miss, allow me to go handle this.”
“I told you to rest, yet you keep getting caught up in chores.”
“It’s nothing, really. You focus on your work.”
Jin-jin slipped out of the hall.
I gazed down at the stack of papers he’d brought—yesterday’s list of preliminary round champions.
I exhaled deeply.
‘Because of that bastard Namgung Ryu-cheong yesterday, I couldn’t even watch the finals….’
I’d managed to observe the early matches, but at some point, my attention had been completely consumed by Namgung Ryu-cheong.
‘What on earth was I thinking?’
Merely recalling yesterday’s events sent heat flooding through my face.
‘Shameless, utterly shameless….’
A torrent of thoughts swirled through my mind.
Crackle.
The sudden sound jolted me back to awareness—the stack of papers in my hands was crumpling.
Without realizing it, I’d clenched my fists.
I sighed and smoothed out the wrinkled papers.
[Winner: Chu Do-mun – Red Night Sect.]
Chu Do-mun was a sect I’d never heard of before.
The Jianghu contained countless sects. Most of them were so obscure their names never even spread beyond their own regions.
I tapped the table and rose from my seat.
‘If I don’t know, I should simply seek out someone more knowledgeable.’
I’d just selected an appropriate gift and stepped out of the lodging building when I sensed commotion beyond the garden.
Jin-jin, who’d been hurrying back with a flustered expression, spotted me and bowed his head.
“My apologies. It’s been quite loud, hasn’t it? Even when I told them to stop, they wouldn’t listen. The servants have called someone from the Murim Alliance, so it should quiet down soon.”
“Ah, it’s fine. That’s not why I came out. I was planning to go out anyway.”
“Pardon? Where are you headed?”
“I was thinking of visiting Gong-sun. There’s something I need to ask her. Do you know which residence quarter she’s in?”
“I’ll guide you there.”
I crossed the garden in conversation with Jin-jin.
The chaotic main gate came into view. Servants were blocking the entrance against a woman trying to enter.
Curious about who would cause such a scene, I examined the woman’s face—and my eyes widened.
Jin-jin, noticing my reaction, called out uncertainly.
“Miss?”
I raised my hand to silence him.
‘What? Why is she here…?’
Standing at the gate was Baek Li-ri, her face drained of all color.
* * *
Plink.
Tea filled the cup before Baek Li-ri. Her expression remained visibly unsettled.
Sensing she had her reasons for coming, I waited for her to speak first.
Only after emptying two cups of tea did Baek Li-ri finally open her mouth.
“I’m here, yet you don’t seem particularly surprised.”
She spoke while lifting her teacup.
“Of course I knew. I’m aware you’re here.”
“You knew?”
“Yes. I ran into you before.”
“Where?”
“On the street. You didn’t notice me.”
I took a sip of tea before continuing.
“And Uncle Baek Li-ui-muk knows as well.”
Baek Li-ri flinched in her chair and cried out.
“Did you tell him?”
“Yes.”
Baek Li-ri stared at me with eyes full of betrayal.
“Why would you tell him that!”
“Then what reason would there be not to tell him?”
“….”
“You know Uncle Baek Li-ui-muk is here, don’t you?”
Baek Li-ri spoke sharply.
“I know. But what does that have to do with me? Are you going to run and tattle to Father that I’ve come?”
“I stopped Uncle Baek Li-ui-muk from rushing off to capture you.”
“…You stopped him?”
In truth, since I didn’t know where Baek Li-ri was or exactly where she was staying, there was no way to capture her. But it wasn’t entirely a lie either. It was merely an ambiguous statement.
“I told him that you must have your own reasons, and that I would speak with you slowly first.”
“….”
“Everyone is worried. Stop causing them concern and come home.”
Baek Li-ri bit her lip slightly.
Thinking that was enough, I broached the main subject.
“So why did you come here?”
The moment I asked, Baek Li-ri’s complexion darkened considerably.
At this point, I was truly curious.
‘What on earth could it be that she’s reacting like this?’
And what came out of Baek Li-ri’s mouth was completely unexpected.
“I saw Aunt Baek Li-ui-ran.”
* * *
Aunt Baek Li-ui-ran had vanished back then and still hadn’t been found.
It was impossible for Aunt Baek Li-ui-ran, crippled in her inner energy, to escape without someone’s assistance. Based on the timing, I believed her helpers were likely from the Demonic Cult. But it was only suspicion—I couldn’t find a shred of evidence.
Grandfather, who had searched for Aunt Baek Li-ui-ran for some time, eventually gave up when he found no trace of her. Instead, he kept the Twin Cousins under strict surveillance, believing that if Aunt Baek Li-ui-ran was alive, she would try to reclaim them by any means.
But Aunt Baek Li-ui-ran never came to see the Twin Cousins.
Years passed like that.
Everyone had nearly forgotten about Aunt Baek Li-ui-ran, assuming she was dead.
“Just keep going this way.”
I led Baek Li-ri out of the Murim Alliance Headquarters.
Beneath a cloudless, crystalline sky, the streets teemed with people.
Baek Li-ri, who had come to Muuhan under a false identity, was said to be staying at an inn outside the Murim Alliance Headquarters.
Under her assumed name, she had made new friends and spent her days watching the preliminary rounds—though notably, she hadn’t participated in the Martial Arts Tournament itself—until she spotted that person.
“At first, I couldn’t believe it either, so I kept following her….”
After confirming that my aunt had entered a certain inn, Baek Li-ri had spent the entire day agonizing over what to do before coming to find me.
“How can she be so brazen? To think she’d show her face right in the heart of the Murim Alliance.”
Well. You’re hardly one to talk about being brazen and showing up in the heart of the Murim Alliance after running away, are you, Li-ri?
“My aunt’s name isn’t widely known, after all.”
My aunt’s name had scarcely spread beyond a small circle. And if her name wasn’t known, her face certainly wasn’t either.
The few people who might remember my aunt’s face were all from the Hunan Province region. Even if someone here happened to recognize her, Muuhan was vast enough that a little caution would have prevented any problems.
But regardless of all that… it was still an audaciously reckless act.
“You’re certain it’s your aunt?”
Baek Li-ri nodded emphatically.
“I’m certain. She hasn’t changed at all—I recognized her the moment I saw her! That shameless woman. After we saved her life, the least she could do is be grateful, yet she runs away? I absolutely won’t let this slide.”
Baek Li-ri spoke with indignation.
She had nearly fallen into demonic cultivation just like her brother, so her resentment toward my aunt ran deep.
I seized upon something in Baek Li-ri’s words that troubled me.
“…She hasn’t changed at all?”
“Right. She looked exactly the same. I’m disguised myself while moving about, and I thought she’d lost her mind.”
“That’s strange.”
“What is?”
“My aunt sealed her inner energy.”
Baek Li-ri looked at me as if I’d spoken nonsense.
Generally, those of the Orthodox Path—practitioners of righteous martial arts—aged more slowly than ordinary people. One of my aunt’s favorite compliments had always been that she didn’t look like someone with two children.
My aunt had also been meticulous about her appearance, and the last time I’d seen her, she’d looked to be in her mid-to-late twenties.
But my aunt had become an inner energy cripple. By now, she should have appeared her actual age.
Unlike the heterodox martial arts practiced by those Black Gang members, which caused sudden, dramatic aging and other side effects, sealing one’s inner energy still caused severe damage to the body.
As Baek Li-ri finally grasped the meaning of my words, her face drained of color.

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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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