The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 241

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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 241
Yet I couldn’t afford to wallow in despair.
I turned to him with a question.
“What’s your purpose in coming here?”
Yalyu’s lips curved upward in a smile.
My grip tightened around the teacup in my hand.
“The world is infested with garbage. Those who wield power and trample the weak like insects deserve nothing but death.”
I furrowed my brow, uncertain what he was driving at.
Those deserving death? Was he speaking of revenge?
Yalyu reclined against his chair at an angle, tilting his head as he regarded me.
“Spending time with you has made things clearer. Cheon-ma instructed me to retrieve the Cheonma Jibow.”
My face contorted in fury.
“Cheon-ma ordered you to do that? Knowing full well I’d recognize you, why would he—!”
Why indeed?
Yalyu tilted his head.
“Will you report me to the Murim Alliance? That there’s a Demonic Cult spy here?”
“….”
“Could you?”
I clenched my teeth and glared at Yalyu.
Yalyu spoke as if sympathetic.
“Don’t worry, Yeon. The task is simple.”
“Simple?”
“You just have to stop me.”
Yalyu’s eyes narrowed.
“There’s only one victor in the Martial Arts Tournament, so we’ll meet eventually.”
“That’s all there is to it?”
Could it truly be resolved so easily?
“Of course not, that alone.”
Yalyu flicked his fingers playfully as he spoke.
“The Sect Leader has promised great rewards to whoever brings him the Cheonma Jibow.”
“….”
Not all members of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect were fanatics.
Some had committed crimes and fled to the Demonic Cult after being hunted by the Orthodox Sects, or had joined seeking revenge against them.
If there were those genuinely loyal to Cheon-ma who would surrender the Cheonma Jibow, then surely there were others coveting the power contained within it.
“There will be others besides me. I don’t know who they are either. And they don’t all share the same intentions.”
They’d been made to check and compete against one another. If the Demonic Cult members all operated independently like this, the Murim Alliance’s dream of exposing and eliminating them all at once would slip further away.
Some of the Demonic Cult members would certainly be captured. But since they didn’t know each other’s identities, catching one wouldn’t lead to the others. There would definitely be those who escaped.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“Because I’m concerned about you.”
“….”
“Because I can’t be by your side.”
“You could always come back now.”
Yalyu shook his head.
His expression was resolute.
“I told you. There’s too much garbage in this world. I need to clean it up first.”
“….”
Yalyu smiled with his eyes and spoke in a gentle voice.
“Your tea is getting cold.”
“….”
“You won’t even take a sip.”
A laugh as soft as a breath escaped, and Yalyu reached out, taking the teacup from my hands.
Where his hand brushed against mine, I felt a warmth that seemed to brand itself upon my skin like a seal.
Long fingers, scarred in places, wrapped around the cup. Soon after, it touched his lips.
“….”
His pale throat moved as he drank. The half-empty cup was then placed before me again.
Yalyu spoke lightly.
“There. No poison.”
“….”
Yalyu picked up the teapot and refilled the cup.
But I remained expressionless, not moving a hand.
“Won’t you drink?”
Yalyu sighed softly and reached for the cup, taking it away.
“It was tea far too fine for an inn like this.”
His tone was purely one of regret.
“….”
I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them and asked.
“Where is Baek Li-ui-ran?”
Yalyu’s expression turned genuinely surprised this time.
“You came knowing that too?”
In truth, I hadn’t known Yalyu was here beforehand, but I neither confirmed nor denied it, asking again instead.
“What did you teach her?”
“I don’t know. But the Demonic Cult possesses many strange techniques that can no longer be found elsewhere.”
“Then I’ll have to see for myself. Where is she?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? How is that possible?”
“It’s true. She disappeared while I was competing in the preliminaries yesterday.”
“…She disappeared?”
Yalyu nodded.
“We came together by the Sect Leader’s orders. I was watching Baek Li-ui-ran, and she was watching me.”
“…Cheon-ma doesn’t trust you?”
“The Sect Leader trusts no one.”
Yalyu spoke flatly.
“The only person he believes in is himself.”
I fell silent for a moment before opening my mouth.
-CRASH!
A tremendous sound reverberated through the Inn.
Judging by the direction of the noise, it came from the First Floor Dining Hall. The sharp ring of clashing blades followed. A fight had broken out. And the overwhelming, tyrannical aura that swept through like a tempest made it clear who it was without even looking.
Not just I, but Yalyu as well recognized the presence.
“An uninvited guest has arrived.”
Yalyu regarded me intently.
It was as if he were asking whether I wouldn’t go down.
When I rose from my seat, he followed suit as if to see me off.
“See you again.”
….
I stared at him for a moment, then rushed outside in alarm at the next loud crash.
The room where Yalyu and I had been conversing was on the topmost floor.
The Original Employee who had brought tea was crouched down, peering through the railings at the first floor. His shoulders flinched with each loud noise.
I vaulted over the railing and leaped down to the first floor.
“Ahhh!”
The Original Employee shrieked in surprise at my sudden descent.
With a light tap, I landed on a table that hadn’t yet been overturned.
Namgung Ryu-cheong, wielding a brilliant blue sword, narrowed his brow slightly upon seeing me.
As he swung his blade in a wide arc, the men rushing at him flew backward and crashed into the wall. The overwhelming force was like a crushing weight pressing down. I wondered if the wall would hold.
My arrival caused the fighting to pause momentarily.
“What are you doing here?”
“…You’re fine.”
Fine? That’s what he says upon meeting me? But more importantly—
“How did you get here?”
Had an hour already passed?
That couldn’t be right.
Namgung Ryu-cheong spoke.
“I followed you.”
I wore an expression of utter disbelief.
Namgung Ryu-cheong answered shamelessly.
“I told you beforehand.”
“Wait, you were serious about that?”
I thought he was merely expressing interest in me!
I clicked my tongue and spoke.
“So the surveillance has been lifted, and now Namgung Ryu-cheong is attached to me instead. This is quite the loss….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong raised his eyebrows.
“Are you seriously making jokes right now? Why do you keep doing things alone…!”
Namgung Ryu-cheong shouted before abruptly clamping his mouth shut. Then he turned his head away and took a deep breath as if to compose himself before speaking.
“I hadn’t planned to reveal this, but seeing your sister anxiously pacing around in worry.”
Wait, he knew the person with me was Baek Li-ri?
‘Did Baek Li-ri tell him everything?’
I sighed and spoke.
“So why were you two fighting?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong answered arrogantly.
“I didn’t like the look in his eyes.”
“….”
Then I heard Namgung Ryu-cheong’s voice transmission at my ear.
[These bastards are all Demonic Cult members.]
And suddenly I looked up. Yalyu, who must have followed at some point, was looking down from above while wearing an ink-patterned mask.
I could see that Yalyu and Namgung Ryu-cheong’s gazes had met.
“Have you been with that bastard this whole time?”
“Yes.”
“I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere.”
“Let’s go for now.”
I grabbed Namgung Ryu-cheong’s arm and pulled him away.
The gaze following from behind was sharp enough to sting.
Unlike the inn where the commotion had erupted, the street remained peaceful, unchanged from when I had entered.
Watching Namgung Ryu-cheong adjust his robes, I had a headache trying to figure out how to explain this.
Since I couldn’t remain standing in front of the inn, I moved into the crowd.
“How did you know it was Baek Li-ri?”
“I didn’t overhear it.”
Right. If he had gotten close enough to overhear our conversation, there’s no way I wouldn’t have recognized Namgung Ryu-cheong.
“I originally planned to just watch from a distance.”
“Hmm… just watching from a distance is also a bit… no, never mind.”
I closed my mouth as I received Namgung Ryu-cheong’s gaze.
“Your sister’s appearance seemed so suspicious that I just asked what was going on. Then she suddenly confessed and asked for help. How could you think of going to such a place alone….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s words suddenly cut off.
When I looked at him in confusion, Namgung Ryu-cheong’s eyes grew serious.
“If you need my help, tell me anytime. I’ll help you. Don’t suffer alone.”
That was the end of it.
Namgung Ryu-cheong offered no further explanation and asked nothing more.
‘That’s strange.’
I thought he would rage and demand to know why I was with Demonic Cult members.
I watched Namgung Ryu-cheong quietly before asking.
“Aren’t you going to ask what this is about?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong gazed at me intently.
“Are you hoping I’ll ask?”
“…No, that’s not it.”
“If there’s something you need to tell me, you will.”
“You’re not asking because you trust me?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong spoke as though it were obvious.
“You could never do anything wrong by me.”
“….”
It was as good as saying he trusted me unconditionally. I smiled faintly and replied.
“Thank you.”
Then Namgung Ryu-cheong opened his mouth.
“Of course, it would be better if you told me.”
“….”
I stared at Namgung Ryu-cheong intently.
“Ryu-cheong, that’s pathetic.”
“I know.”
His blunt voice sounded slightly sulky.
This is ridiculous. And here I thought he trusted me?

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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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