The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 277

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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 277
“The… the Sword of Victory.”
Someone muttered under their breath.
The blade suspended in midair gradually pierced deeper into the man’s neck. It pressed lightly against his skin before a thin line of crimson appeared, blood trickling down in rivulets.
“….”
In the suffocating silence, the man could not even draw a breath.
Clang, clang, clang. The sound of the Black Gangs members sheathing their swords echoed through the inn.
I observed the inn’s patrons beyond the Black Gangs members. Those who had been pretending not to notice now stared at me with wide, unblinking eyes.
I spoke to them.
“Please, continue your meal.”
All eyes turned toward their tables at once. Yet not a single sound of chopsticks could be heard. The point had been made—this was sufficient.
One of the Black Gangs members spoke urgently.
“We were merely hired! Someone offered us a substantial reward to capture a group consisting of a woman and a man and bring them in!”
I stared at him for a moment, then gestured toward Jeom So-i.
“You there, come here for a moment.”
“Me, me?”
At the word “you,” Jeom So-i reflexively lifted his head, and our eyes met. His cheeks, which had been swollen red, were now darkening into deep bruises, as were his eyes.
Jeom So-i, realizing he was truly being called, approached hesitantly, trembling with fear.
“Why were you beaten?”
“Guest, no, I mean, the great swordmaster’s guest room—I asked where it was, and when I asked why they were asking, they just… they beat me like a dog…”
“Ha.”
I tilted my head, observing the man. He trembled at my laughter.
“He asked a perfectly reasonable question, and you beat him like that for simply asking?”
“….”
“What are you doing?”
I gestured with my eyes toward Jeom So-i.
“Aren’t you going to apologize?”
In that instant, one of the Black Gangs members behind the man glared at Jeom So-i with a darkened expression.
Without a word, I drew a chopstick from the container on the table and hurled it.
Deliberately slow enough to be seen clearly. As the startled Black Gangs member squeezed his eyes shut, the chopstick halted directly before his face.
The moment he opened his eyes and confirmed the chopstick, he collapsed to his knees.
“I sincerely apologize.”
From that point on, they apologized to Jeom So-i in succession.
Clang.
The blade and chopstick that had been suspended in midair fell to the floor. Yet none of them dared attempt to flee.
From their confessions, I learned they were Black Gangs members from a nearby Black Sect Branch. And I also learned the details of the bounty the Demonic Cult had placed.
The Demonic Cult had posted the bounty immediately after my escape from the Heavenly Net.
And these fools had not come to capture me out of ignorance, nor because they had failed to hear rumors of my Martial Arts Tournament or the Heavenly Net.
Despite knowing all of it, an astronomical bounty had been placed on my head—enough to drive one to madness.
The Demonic Cult possessed vast wealth.
‘No matter how much money there is, this is still….’
Forget three generations—with this amount, one could become the king of an entire region.
A bounty of this magnitude had been placed on my head.
Moreover, the Demonic Cult itself had publicly declared it under the Demonic Cult’s name.
When a sect staked its name on something, it became a matter of honor, and they would honor their word no matter what.
Even those fanatical cultists were no different. Since the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect had staked its name, one could trust that they would pay the money. It was natural that eyes were turning red with greed.
The Orthodox Path was obvious, and even sects neutral between the righteous and demonic were casting aside all pretense and hunting me down.
They didn’t even bother checking appearances—any man and woman who knew martial arts were dragged away on sight.
What does a man and woman together mean? Even if just a single woman walked around, they would attempt to interrogate her. Hadn’t there already been eyes surveying even the inns of small villages, attempting to seize anyone they could?
The Black Sect Branch fools were particularly stupid, so I could assume I’d slip through this time, but I couldn’t keep escaping like this every time.
‘…Silencing them is impossible.’
Unless I slaughtered everyone in this inn, including the Black Sect Branch members, word of my appearance here would spread before the day was through.
Then those seeking to capture me would swarm this area.
‘This is troublesome.’
If it were only the Demonic Cult, I could still manage to flee.
But with such an enormous bounty, not only would the Orthodox Path naturally cooperate, but even sects neutral between righteous and demonic, and perhaps even the government would secretly assist. It was truly a Heavenly Net woven from money itself.
I pondered for a moment, then opened my mouth.
“You lot—if you’re part of the Orthodox Path, you must have connections with the Ha-o Gate, right?”
If the Beggar Sect was the information organization of the Orthodox Path, then the Ha-o Gate was the information organization for the Orthodox Path’s counterpart.
“That, well, we’re not really on the level of having connections with the Ha-o Gate.”
I grasped the chopstick holder on the table.
“You really don’t remember?”
The man spoke hastily.
“There is someone connected to the Ha-o Gate among those we protect at the Pavilion.”
“Do you have paper and brush?”
I nodded and asked Jeom So-i, who quickly produced a brush and blank ledger, thrusting them toward me.
“….”
“….”
In the silence, I swiftly sketched something on the paper with ink. Their expressions showed curiosity about what I was writing, but they dared not look closer.
I tossed what I had written into the man’s possession.
“Go to the Ha-o Gate right now, give them this, and relay my message exactly as I say it. The Ha-o Gate will know whether my words are truth or lies.”
“P, please speak.”
“The bounty the Demonic Cult offered for capturing me is actually treasure from the Heavenly Demon Grand Vault, and the reason they placed such a high bounty on me is because I discovered the location of the legendary Heavenly Demon Grand Vault through the Cheonma Jibow.”
“….”
The stupid expressions on those Orthodox Path fools’ faces were quite amusing.
I continued speaking in the silence that had fallen over the inn.
“And what’s written here is a map showing the location of the Heavenly Demon Grand Vault.”
* * *
Patter-patter-patter-patter-patter.
Like a receding tide, guests rushed out of the inn, leaving it quiet. Only the sound of rain, now falling in thicker sheets, struck fiercely against the rooftop.
I had not driven them away. The people at the Inn who had overheard my story had departed of their own volition, desperate to spread the news as quickly as possible.
And as everyone rushed out in haste, a languid voice tinged with drowsiness emanated from the one figure who remained perfectly still.
“You’re always so virtuous, aren’t you?”
I turned toward the source of the voice.
“Even drawing treasure maps with your own hands.”
At words spoken with full knowledge of the truth, I found myself shaking my head despite myself.
The Black Sect Branch would never reach Ha-o Gate.
Before they could arrive, they would either be robbed by those who came rushing upon hearing the spreading rumors—a fortunate outcome—or they would be slain outright if fortune turned against them.
Perhaps there had been no intention to inform Ha-o Gate in the first place. It mattered little. The objective was simply to let the rumors spread.
If those Black Sect Branch fools might not understand this, Yalyu certainly would.
I gazed at Yalyu for a long moment before asking.
“Your condition?”
Yalyu smiled faintly.
“Someone helped me. I’m fine.”
When I first saw Yalyu coughing blood, I was terrified, then worried, and after grasping the situation, fury rose to the crown of my head.
To touch the seal despite knowing the danger!
And he hadn’t even managed to speak properly about it. He hadn’t even broken the seal. It was nothing short of a suicide attempt.
I resolved that when Yalyu regained consciousness, I would scold him properly.
But gazing into those gentle eyes fixed upon me, I found myself unable… utterly unable to voice my anger.
I spoke with resolve.
“Do not stake your life on something worthless.”
“Worthless…”
“If you touch the seal even once more, acting as though it matters not whether you live or die, I will abandon you and walk this path alone.”
Yalyu gazed at me in silence.
I could read the unspoken conviction in his eyes—that I could never truly do such a thing.
Slowly, the corners of his mouth lifted. His narrowed eyes seemed to shine with joy.
“You’re always so virtuous, aren’t you?”
I don’t know. Truly.
If I truly cared for Yalyu, it would be better to separate from him here and now.
Even if he did not fully understand his own heart, did I not understand it?
Therefore, I should have allowed him to let go of his feelings and begin anew this very moment.
But how could I possibly abandon one who would sooner die than leave my side?
I bit my lip.
Yalyu, who had descended to the First Floor at some point without my notice, gently squeezed my hand.
“I’m fine.”
Yes. It was an excuse. I too found myself lonely, frightened, and overwhelmed when alone.
“Sigh…”
I missed my father.

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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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