The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 274

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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 274
Yalyu spoke.
“Your expression tells me you knew nothing of this.”
“….”
After escaping the Murim Alliance, I had been hunted relentlessly within the Heavenly Net, leaving no opportunity for calm conversation with my father.
I could have forced such a moment if I truly wished, but….
I could not discern what emotions I held toward my mother.
If I were to be precise, it was indifference born from resignation.
To me, my mother had always been naturally absent, even from the distant past.
When it was revealed that I was of Cheon-ma’s bloodline, a measure of resentment surfaced.
‘Why of all things. Why of all things….’
I severed the negative thoughts that threatened to spiral outward. There was no use in resenting what had already come to pass.
Yalyu continued.
“Of course, I couldn’t be certain with just that. So I asked you directly about it.”
Yalyu spoke with a smile, as though he had experienced something amusing.
“And then he tried to kill me right there on the spot.”
I fell silent for a moment.
He had just said that everyone spreading such rumors was dead—what audacity was this?
“He tried to kill me, but when he realized I was connected to you, he let me go.”
“….”
“There seemed to be some deeper reason behind it. But I couldn’t uncover what it was.”
Yalyu spoke apologetically.
I remained silent for a moment before speaking.
“Why did you ask him that?”
What business was it of his?
Yalyu spoke.
“Because you said it yourself. That your mother abandoned you.”
“What?”
I responded blankly.
“I said something like that?”
Yalyu nodded.
I could not recall it.
Yet my fundamental perception of my mother as a being… that much was true.
It was likely the influence of my past life. How could I have endured it otherwise? A person who drank every day, became a drunkard, and committed violence… hm?
The memory would not surface.
Yalyu asked with concern, noticing that I had unconsciously furrowed my brow.
“What’s wrong?”
I shook my head.
What had I just been recalling?
‘Ah, yes. I was trying to remember why I said my mother abandoned me.’
Why did I think he had abandoned me?
‘Perhaps it was easier for my young mind to believe that.’
Before I knew it, those words had slipped out during my conversation with Yalyu.
“Even if I said such things, what does it have to do with you?”
I couldn’t fathom this man’s purpose.
Yalyu blinked before answering as if it were obvious.
“Because you’ll worry about it.”
“….”
My expression likely vanished from my face at that moment.
Then a voice loud enough to be impossible to ignore erupted from one corner of the inn.
“Is it true the Demonic Cult stole the Cheonma Jibow and fled?”
“How foolish. If the Demonic Cult stole it and ran, why would they be spreading the Heavenly Net?”
Their burly frames were laden with swords at their waists and backs—they appeared to be third-rate martial artists among the Jianghu crowd.
They continued their loud conversation.
“What I heard was different. They say the Baek Family’s precious jewel is actually the blood of Cheon-ma.”
“Only the Namgung Clan looks foolish. They cherished the bloodline of their enemy so dearly.”
“Ah, I heard that too! I wondered why they were so frantic, but was it because of that? They say she’ll soon earn a name among the world’s greatest masters.”
“So the Namgung Clan is regaining control at the center. What about the Baek Family?”
“That’s what’s strange. There’s no reaction from them. They say it’s quiet.”
The moment the Namgung Clan was mentioned, I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
“Phew.”
It was fortunate. It was only natural.
Wi Ji-baek had committed such criminal acts yet received protection from the Murim Alliance.
This time, that same protection had been extended equally to my grandfather.
Internal strife when the Demonic Cult was at our doorstep.
Moreover, with my grandfather present, who would dare hold the Baek Family accountable?
With my grandfather there, the Baek Family would remain steadfast. There was no need to worry.
Someone sat down at the men’s table with a scoff.
“Do you believe that? The Demonic Cult? Ha, fallen for another baseless rumor spread by that bastard Wi Ji-baek?”
“They say all the women who came to curse Wi Ji-baek at that gathering numbered around eighty, and they were all dazzlingly beautiful!”
Eighty was accurate, but not all of them had been present at that gathering.
Rumors became exaggerated as vague truths mixed with fabrication and spread.
“Good heavens, did he think he was becoming the Emperor himself? He was utterly despicable.”
“Wasn’t he already famous for his obsession with women? And that wasn’t enough. Ugh, disgusting.”
“Why did he inherit Saek-ma’s martial arts? His mind was….”
People chattered as if discussing the most entertaining gossip.
People love scandal. Especially scandal involving the Alliance Leader, who could be called the representative of the Orthodox Path—it was all the more delicious entertainment.
I couldn’t trust everything they said, but it helped me understand the situation.
Then Jeom So-i approached carrying a tray laden with food.
“I apologize for the wait. We had a goose today, so it took some time to prepare it whole. This is our inn’s special sauce.”
Yalyu asked Jeom So-i as he set down the food.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve seen quite a few swordsmen around here. Is something happening?”
I watched him intently.
Jeom So-i looked at us with confusion.
“Aren’t you martial artists? I assumed you came to apply to the Murim Alliance.”
“Apply?”
“Yes. The Murim Alliance is recruiting mercenaries right now. Anyone with martial skills can apply. Most of the people staying at this inn are heading to Muuhan.”
Jeom So-i lowered his voice and spoke in a whisper.
“There might even be a confrontation between the Righteous and Demonic paths.”
Jeom So-i looked at us, unsurprised, and shrugged his shoulders.
After explaining a few things about the food, Jeom So-i withdrew.
The dishes on the table emitted such an appetizing aroma that other guests at nearby tables kept glancing over. Yet I found myself without much appetite.
I’d been living on emergency rations while fleeing, and I’d lost consciousness for days—I should have been ravenous. Yet strangely, my body felt remarkably well. I felt more energized than before I’d lost consciousness.
Yalyu served me some food and asked.
“Why were you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“When you were asking Jeom So-i, you looked fascinated.”
“…You were conversing with others so naturally now.”
The way he engaged in ordinary conversation differed from the Yalyu I remembered.
Yalyu blinked at me.
“I thought you’d be curious. Isn’t that right?”
Yet…the way he gazed at me with such blind devotion hadn’t changed at all from before.
“So everything you’ve done has been for me?”
“Yes.”
I spoke again through telepathy.
[Using the Absorbing Demon Art on my aunt—was that for me too?]
Yalyu’s lips curled into a smile.
“She tormented you.”
His expression was one that deserved death without question.
“I originally planned to kill her at the right moment, but she was quick to notice and hid her body first…”
“…”
I harbored not a shred of affection for my aunt, but I felt only pity for my grandfather, who had to witness his child’s horrific end.
‘Now that I think about it, Wi Gu-jung, the first person Yalyu killed, also had conflict with me…’
Yalyu observed my expression and transmitted through telepathy.
[…And with the Absorbing Demon Art, I only absorbed the vital energy of those Demonic Cult bastards.]
[What do you mean?]
[I didn’t steal from children like Cheon Gwi-jo did. You’d hate that.]
I clenched my lips tightly.
Cheon Gwi-jo had taught Yalyu the Absorbing Demon Art and later planned to steal Yalyu’s vital energy. If he were from the Demonic Cult, there would have been numerous demonic techniques derived from the Absorbing Demon Art scattered about, providing plenty of prey.
[Then why did you do that to Namgung Ryu-cheong?]
Namgung Ryu-cheong could not approach me in the Tournament Arena. More precisely, he had tried to approach, but found himself unable to do so. After the smoke bomb detonated, there were those who had relentlessly pursued him.
[You did that on purpose. The people who attacked Namgung Ryu-cheong—you sent them, didn’t you?]
“Ah, you noticed?”
Yalyu responded as though it were nothing.
“You must have been busy, yet you still paid attention to such things.”
Yalyu lowered his gaze for a moment.
“Then again, you’ve always cared about him.”
Just as I was about to speak with furrowed brows, Yalyu continued first.
“That’s right. I kept him trapped in the Tournament Arena.”
“Why?”
“So he wouldn’t cause unnecessary trouble. If he got hurt for no reason, you’d be sad, wouldn’t you?”
“So you kept him trapped for that reason?”
Yalyu nodded. Then he smiled slightly and leaned forward.
“But even if I hadn’t stopped him, could he have followed you?”
“….”
“I merely gave him an excuse.”
“….”
No matter how I tried to interpret it differently, there was honestly only one way to understand it.
‘Should I ask, or not?’
I deliberated dozens of times in that brief moment.
Wouldn’t it be better to let it pass unspoken? But how long could I pretend not to know? And what if it wasn’t true?
“Everything you’ve done has been for me?”
Yalyu nodded. His expression said he was finally being understood.
I continued with my next question.
“Are you saying you like me?”
Yalyu looked at me as though I had said something absurd. And instead, he spoke as though bewildered.
“You said you would protect me.”
“….”
“You said I could stay by your side.”
Yalyu carefully extended his hand toward me.
“Is that no longer true?”

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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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