The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 282

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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 282
“You wretched woman!”
The Left Envoy, eyes blazing with fury, lunged at me.
I sidestepped his blade, and in that instant, the rain intensified—what had been a steady drizzle suddenly swelled into torrential sheets before returning to normal.
Those were the raindrops I’d been holding in suspension until the signal flare detonated.
And those droplets obscured the traces of the Left Envoy’s furious sword strikes.
The Left Envoy unleashed his attacks as though everything before had been child’s play. How fortunate that we were in this dense forest.
Broad leaves, vines as thick as a man’s forearm tangled in chaotic knots, towering trees packed so densely they seemed to pierce the heavens.
Of course, such obstacles couldn’t truly block the Left Envoy’s assault, but they created momentary delays that proved invaluable.
And those precious moments were extending my life.
I was just beginning to feel relief that I could endure by holding my ground.
*Crack!*
‘No—how did he fell it in one stroke…!’
My eyes widened in shock.
The Left Envoy’s greatsword had cleaved through a tree so massive that five grown men linking hands could barely encircle it—severed in a single blow.
*Thud, crack-crack, thud!*
Robbed of its support, the tree tilted and came to rest at an angle.
“Is lumberjacking your dream?”
“Shut your mouth!”
“You’re going to fell every tree and plant in sight! Or perhaps farming is your true calling? Shall we clear this land for slash-and-burn agriculture?”
The Demonic Cult or the Murim Alliance—which would arrive first?
It was then that the Left Envoy’s subordinates, who had been watching from hiding, began to move at some unspoken command.
*Boom—!*
And Yalyu moved to intercept them.
As befitted the Left Envoy’s direct subordinates, each of them was formidable. Yalyu, already exhausted from his battle with the Left Envoy, found himself at a disadvantage.
That was when it happened. The reinforcements I’d been waiting for finally appeared.
As a figure rapidly drew closer, the Left Envoy desperately swung his blade at me, seeking to end this quickly.
*Rumble.*
With a thunderous crash like lightning striking, the Left Envoy hastily redirected his sword.
*Boom—!*
The Left Envoy cried out, his expression contorted.
“Namgung Wan!”
*Rumble—boom! Crack-crack—bang!*
The collision of their devastating sword energies sent raindrops spiraling upward like mist. The clearing that had formed in the heart of the dense forest continued to expand endlessly.
“Protecting the blood of Cheon-ma! Your sister must curse you from the nine heavens.”
“What are you talking about? Introducing yourself?”
Namgung Wan didn’t turn to look at me as he exchanged blows with the Left Envoy.
“Or are you just a dog? Spouting dog nonsense.”
His tone was utterly devoid of refinement—crude as a street ruffian’s.
I expected the Left Envoy, having been mocked in succession by both me and Namgung Wan, to explode, but instead he calmly adjusted his blade’s stance. It seemed his nature was such that when anger reached its peak, he became composed.
“How pathetic. No different from a frightened cur barking without the courage to face me directly.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I came after seeing the Murim Alliance’s distress signal, and you were simply here. Who else is supposed to be around?”
I froze, unsure how to respond.
That’s when Namgung Wan spoke.
“What are you doing? Get out of here, now!”
* * *
The Left Envoy tried to chase us, but Namgung Wan blocked his path.
Instead, the Left Envoy’s subordinates pursued us, leaving their master behind.
However, they were quickly intercepted by the subordinates who had come with Namgung Wan.
We escaped the immediate danger, but Namgung Wan wasn’t the only one who had rushed toward the distress signal.
Those who had discovered my existence began chasing us.
For the next two days, I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t rest properly even once, constantly fleeing without pause. The intermittent rain gradually ceased, and a thick haze enveloped our surroundings.
Then at some point, we became completely engulfed in dense fog.
It was proof we were heading in the right direction.
As I walked through the fog, corpses lay scattered everywhere. Distant sounds of combat echoed occasionally. It felt like entering the gateway to hell itself.
After entering the fog, most of those pursuing me fell away.
But one presence remained—stubborn and unyielding. I couldn’t fathom how they continued to pursue through such thick fog.
Sensing their absolute refusal to give up, I stopped and closed my eyes.
Exhaustion crashed over me.
I pressed my brow firmly, then opened my eyes and looked at Yalyu.
“This won’t work. If we keep going like this, we’ll either collapse from exhaustion or lose our minds.”
Yalyu nodded at me. I let out a hollow laugh and spoke.
“Especially you need to rest.”
“Me? I’m fine.”
“No. You’re not.”
I rolled up Yalyu’s sleeve. His forearm had turned completely black.
“….”
The battle with the Left Envoy.
Yalyu had been struck by the Dark Mirror technique. While the wound appeared superficial on the surface, it was an attack that inflicted severe internal damage. The area struck by the Left Envoy had now turned pitch black and was gradually expanding. I was grateful there was no critical injury, but I had no idea what would happen if we left it untreated. He needed rest now.
“And you say you’re fine? Don’t habitually claim everything is fine. Neglecting your own body is also something you must avoid.”
“….”
My words were harsh, but there was no helping it. If I didn’t speak this way, he would inevitably try to follow.
Yalyu, who had been blinking, lowered his head and spoke.
“Understood.”
“….”
* * *
Whoooosh!
I ran as if flying through the air with lightness technique. The damp earth compressed beneath me, leaving deep footprints.
In an instant, the one pursuing me began to shimmer in my vision. A blurred human silhouette of true energy. It was familiar to me.
Sensing I had noticed, they unfolded their lightness technique and approached me in a straight line.
We locked eyes in an instant and came to an abrupt halt. I felt the fluttering fabric and strands of hair settling slowly in my wake.
Deep indigo martial robes and hair bound in a single knot.
A solid frame and upright posture.
Those clear eyes held a spirit that had never once bowed before anyone.
Namgung Ryu-cheong opened his mouth.
“Finally, we meet.”
“How on earth did you follow me?”
At that moment, a jet-black animal emerged from Namgung Ryu-cheong’s robes, scurrying up his shoulder before sliding back down.
Noticing my gaze shift toward the creature, Namgung Ryu-cheong explained without prompting.
“The Sichuan Dang Family lent it to me. It can track the Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent under any circumstances.”
The Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent was a unique fragrance that, once applied to an object or person, left a lingering trace that allowed one to track the target indefinitely.
“The Thousand-Li Pursuit Scent? When was that applied to me… Seo Ha-ryeong!”
“Correct.”
I had been played by Seo Ha-ryeong!
I’d wondered how they were pursuing me in a straight line through this fog when everyone else had scattered, but to think she would resort to such a trick.
And after claiming to have fought Namgung Ryu-cheong, she had the audacity to apply the scent and then rush off to alert him!
“Was the fight from the beginning a lie too?”
“No, that was real. We did fight. There was a disagreement. But we promised each other that if we found you, we’d let the other know.”
“…What a remarkably steadfast friendship.”
I found myself sneering despite myself.
Namgung Ryu-cheong spoke with utmost sincerity.
“Because I’m worried about you.”
“…”
“Let’s go back.”
“I won’t.”
“Baek Li-yeon.”
“You said you met Seo Ha-ryeong? Then you heard everything about me, didn’t you? If you didn’t, go ask her.”
I spoke with deliberate mockery.
“Go back where? To the Murim Alliance? Ha, the moment I return, Taego Jinperson will come for my head.”
“No. I’ve persuaded them.”
My eyes widened involuntarily.
“The Murim Alliance has agreed not to draw their blades against you.”
“…”
A sigh.
I exhaled slowly and rubbed my lips.
‘…How foolish.’
It must have been Namgung Ryu-cheong who persuaded the Murim Alliance and Taego Jinperson. He must have suffered greatly for it.
But… once Namgung Ryu-cheong brings me back before Taego Jinperson, they will kill me immediately.
When I first held the Cheonma Jibow in my hands, the thoughts and emotions I felt from Taego Jinperson left no room for compromise.
Yet I didn’t want to diminish the effort Namgung Ryu-cheong had expended in persuading Taego Jinperson by calling him a fool for being deceived. Instead, I said something else.
“I don’t want to go back.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong looked at me as if asking what I meant.
“Yes, you may not draw a blade against me. But you’ll doubt me, mock me, sneer at me, and despise me.”
“….”
“I don’t want to face those looks.”
The gazes that fell upon me the moment Baek Li-ui-ran and Wi Ji-baek’s revelations erupted.
If my father hadn’t been beside me, if my grandfather hadn’t shielded me, if the fire hadn’t broken out and the attack hadn’t occurred.
Those eyes filled with shock and suspicion would have transformed into contempt and ridicule.
“Ryu-cheong, I’ve already endured those looks far too long when I became a cripple in martial arts. You looked at me that way too, didn’t you?”
“….”
The banquet at the Namgung Clan where I first met Namgung Ryu-cheong.
That gaze as if looking upon something worthless.
In that moment, Namgung Ryu-cheong’s face went pale as if suffocating.
“I won’t live my life anymore bearing those looks for things that aren’t even my fault.”

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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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