The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 310

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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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Side Story Episode 4
I spun around sharply, startled, to face Namgung Ryu-cheong.
Namgung Ryu-cheong continued speaking.
“Rather than an employer-employee relationship, we would simply be traveling together.”
“What? But….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong raised his hand to silence Hak Jin-pyeong and went on.
“Should you require assistance, we will lend our strength. However, should a situation arise that we cannot manage, we will withdraw without seeing it through to the end. Therefore, please hire Pyo Sa and the guard warriors as if we were not here.”
So essentially, he was saying he’d travel without payment and fight if the Demon Cult appeared?!
Hak Jin-pyeong’s mouth fell open foolishly before he suddenly stood and bowed repeatedly.
“Thank you! Thank you so much, Great Hero! I shall never forget this kindness.”
My appetite vanished entirely.
A faint sadness washed over me.
Had our journey together meant something only to me? Had I been the only one who cherished it?
I had naturally assumed Namgung Ryu-cheong felt the same way, but perhaps he didn’t?
“…Wait. We need to talk.”
I rose from my seat and gestured for Namgung Ryu-cheong to follow me.
I stepped out into the Inner Courtyard attached to the inn. The courtyard, shrouded in darkness, was dimly illuminated only by the light spilling from the inn.
“What do you mean suddenly? Traveling together? Didn’t we agree to refuse?”
“Cheonju borders the sea.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“I wanted to see the sea.”
“Suddenly?”
“….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong fell silent.
I crossed my arms.
No, fine. We had spoken of such things before. Besides, we hadn’t set a specific destination, so it was possible his mind had simply changed and he wanted to see the sea.
“The sea is fine. It’s fine, but there’s no need for them to travel with us, is there?”
“You said you had no money.”
“….”
Caught in my own words, I sputtered. I had indeed said that.
“If we travel with them, there will be no expenses, won’t there?”
“That’s… true.”
Surely they wouldn’t ask us to pay separately for lodging and meals? Not if they had any conscience.
Namgung Ryu-cheong spoke calmly.
“If you truly dislike it, very well. I’ll refuse and return.”
I bit my lip.
Trapped by my own logic.
* * *
The Muyang Escort Agency remained at the inn for about ten more days preparing for their escort mission, then departed. We traveled with them.
Though we set out well-prepared, the journey proceeded peacefully without any attacks. By the seventh day, I noticed something was slightly off about Namgung Ryu-cheong.
Throughout the journey, I repeatedly found myself lost in thought, and even when speaking, my mind seemed to drift elsewhere. More than once, I caught Namgung Ryu-cheong’s gaze fixed upon me when he turned away after laughing and chatting with me.
I asked Namgung Ryu-cheong with concern.
“Is something troubling you? If you have something to say, speak freely.”
“No, nothing. It’s nothing at all.”
After this situation repeated for several days, my initial worry transformed into a throbbing headache.
‘What on earth is he doing?’
Every problem required understanding its cause before one could find a solution.
I carefully traced back to the day Namgung Ryu-cheong’s strange behavior began. I realized it started from the day we entered the Muyang Escort Agency and the inn.
Yet no matter how much I recalled, there was nothing that day that would justify his peculiar attitude.
‘Or perhaps he heard some news from the Beggar Sect while he was out?’
I subtly probed Hak Jin-pyeong about matters concerning the Murim Alliance and the Demonic Cult, the Namgung Clan and the Baek Li Family.
But the world remained peaceful without incident. The most significant event in the Jianghu recently was perhaps the collision between the Murim Alliance’s pursuit unit and the Blood Immortal Woman?
After that….
“If we’re talking about where attention is focused in the Orthodox Martial Arts Sects right now, it would be the Baek Li Family.”
My heart suddenly sank.
“…Is something happening there?”
“Not long ago, Baek Li-ui-gang, the fourth son of the Baek Li Family Head, became the So Ga-ju.”
I relaxed and spoke.
“Ah, yes. Wasn’t that something everyone anticipated?”
“Indeed. So everyone waited, expecting a celebration banquet to be held, but the Baek Li Family passed it quietly without one. I heard that gifts sent by disappointed people stretched endlessly beyond the main gate.”
Hak Jin-pyeong enthusiastically continued his narrative with just a little encouragement.
How far the line of gifts extended, from where they were sent, what precious items were among them—and so on.
There was an advantage to extracting information easily….
“But the reason they didn’t hold a celebration banquet was actually to hide the critical condition of Baek Li Young Lady, Baek Li-ui-gang’s only daughter, or so the rumors say.”
“What?”
Hak Jin-pyeong, interpreting my stunned exclamation however he wished, lowered his voice and spoke suggestively.
“Yes. The Baek Li Family claims she awakened without problems and is in good health, but since no one has seen her leave the residence, who would believe such words?”
“….”
“Baek Li Young Lady defeated Cheon-ma, so either she cannot show herself to others, or she sustained wounds from which she will never recover.”
“From what I’ve heard, she did appear before the Baek Li Family’s household members and relatives.”
Everyone must have seen her perfectly fine during the discussion of my uncle’s inheritance. Why on earth had such rumors spread?
“How could we trust the words of the Baek Li Family? For their family’s sake, they would naturally say such things.”
“….”
Hak Jin-pyeong, unaware of my inner turmoil, continued.
“How much must the Demonic Cult be grinding their teeth over Baek Li Young Lady? I understand the concealment. Moreover, among the young Orthodox Martial Arts practitioners now, Baek Li Young Lady is practically a hero.”
A scoff escaped me reflexively.
“When they tried to kill her as the Cheon-ma’s granddaughter, where was this? Their attitude changes faster than flipping a palm.”
Hak Jin-pyeong looked at me slightly startled, then smiled and spoke.
“The circumstances are different now. Currently, those discussing marriage proposals with Baek Li Young Lady are so numerous that the threshold of the Baek Li Family is wearing away.”
“A pointless endeavor.”
At that moment, Wang Jang-go, who had approached beside Hak Jin-pyeong, interjected.
“Have you ever seen the Young Lady of Baek Li, Master Baek?”
I answered with composure.
“Me?”
“Ah, you haven’t? Given your age and skill, I thought you might have participated in the Martial Arts Tournament held by the Murim Alliance and achieved excellent results.”
I smiled gently and replied.
“If I had participated, naturally I would have won first place.”
At my words, both Hak Jin-pyeong and Wang Jang-go burst into hearty laughter, and Hak Jin-pyeong spoke.
“You certainly have remarkable confidence!”
While conversing, I glanced back slightly at Namgung Ryu-cheong.
He still wore an indifferent expression, his mind seemingly preoccupied elsewhere.
The conversation with Hak Jin-pyeong yielded nothing of substance, but as the situation had developed to this point, there were aspects that aroused suspicion.
As the sun began to set, the Pyo Sa and their company found a spot in the open field and prepared to make camp.
It was a sight that had become familiar over the past several days.
People spread out across the spacious field, gathered in small groups to kindle campfires, and prepared meals. The miscellaneous tasks were handled by the Muyang Escort Agency personnel, so I had little to do.
I waved toward Namgung Ryu-cheong, who had returned after surveying the surrounding area for safety.
“Over here! Come sit.”
I handed a meal to Namgung Ryu-cheong as he sat beside me.
Meals eaten on the road were nothing to boast about—a thin gruel made with dried meat strips, a bit of rice, and Job’s tears flour.
Since the escort company’s objective was swift travel, luxurious meals on the road were impossible.
“I picked up some spices I spotted along the way, and I’m glad I added them.”
“Mm.”
“Tomorrow we should be able to stay at an inn instead of camping. That’s fortunate, isn’t it?”
“Indeed.”
I chattered away beside Namgung Ryu-cheong.
Our conversations had always been mostly me speaking and him responding. Namgung Ryu-cheong was naturally taciturn by nature. Yet I could sense that something had changed.
After finishing my meal, I carefully reached out and took Namgung Ryu-cheong’s hand.
I had merely placed my hand over his, as if simply holding the back of his hand. But immediately, Namgung Ryu-cheong withdrew his hand and spoke.
“We’ve run out of water. I saw a spring nearby. I’ll go fetch some.”
I too found it difficult to maintain my composure. I rose with a smile still on my face.
“I’ll come with you.”
“There’s no need—”
I looked directly at Namgung Ryu-cheong, my smile unchanged, and spoke.
“Don’t we have something to talk about?”
“…”
Namgung Ryu-cheong clenched his lips firmly and turned away.
Namgung Ryu-cheong and I entered the forest. We stopped once we had moved far enough that the campsite was no longer visible.
I asked him directly.
“Why are you acting like this? Don’t tell me it’s nothing—your attitude is strange.”
“…”
“Ryu-cheong, is there a reason you won’t tell me?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s brow furrowed slightly as he unfurled a barrier of qi around us.
The murmur of voices from the camp, the gentle babbling of the nearby stream, the rustling of brush in the wind, the chorus of insects—all sound vanished in an instant.
In our newfound silence, I spoke again.
“Is it because of the Muyang Escort Agency?”
“….”
“You’ve been strange ever since you met with them.”
“No.”
“Or is it because of Hak Jin-pyeong?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s expression twisted before he let out a scoff of disbelief, his tone turning irritable.
“If you had eyes, you’d know I’m far superior to that fool. Comparing me to him? Ha.”
“….”
I found myself momentarily speechless.
No, that wasn’t what I meant by the comparison at all….
But yes, this arrogance was quintessentially Namgung Ryu-cheong.
I opened my mouth again.
“Then why have you been like this? Don’t think you can brush past me now that we’ve come this far.”
“….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong clamped his mouth shut again, and I, growing frustrated with the silence, called out to him.
“Ryu-cheong!”
“…We agreed you’d call me Cheong.”
“Huh?”
What is he suddenly saying?
Cheong? Is he referring to a pseudonym? Why is that coming up now?
Namgung Ryu-cheong spoke with melancholic eyes.
“But it seems you don’t want to call me that.”

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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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