The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 321

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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 15
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Bang—!
Namgung Wan burst through the door as it swung open violently, as if kicked.
Someone present immediately reproached him.
“Must you move about so roughly? You’ll startle the children.”
Namgung Wan frowned and turned to face the speaker.
“Father, why are you here? You’re making the children uncomfortable.”
“And you think you’re any different?”
“I’m the same as you, Father…”
At that moment, the Great Lady set down her teacup and interjected.
“My, what a commotion before the children! I suspect we’re all proving burdensome to them. Shall we all step outside?”
“….”
“….”
Namgung Mu-cheol stroked his beard into silence, while Namgung Wan cleared his throat and fell quiet.
Only when Namgung Wan’s teacup was refilled did Physician Gong arrive. Baek Li-yeon recognized him.
Years ago, when Namgung Ryu-cheong’s blade had torn open her palm, this physician had treated her wound. Though that incident now felt like ancient history—more than a decade past.
The Great Lady’s servant hurried to support the elderly physician as he approached, leaning heavily on his walking staff.
The Great Lady rose and spoke.
“Physician Gong, I apologize for summoning you in your retirement. But I trust you above all others, and so I’ve taken the liberty of requesting your presence.”
“Think nothing of it. Of course I should come.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong asked with a rigid expression.
“Physician Gong? Mother, is something wrong with Yeon’s health?”
He alone in this chamber had failed to perceive it. I had sensed it, but dared not speak the words aloud, fearing my hopes might prove unfounded.
Namgung Wan set down his teacup, which he had already drained, and spoke.
“Keep your mouth shut if you don’t know.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s expression grew displeased, but at his grandfather’s meaningful cough, he pressed his lips firmly together. Then he gazed at me with eyes full of concern.
Under ordinary circumstances, I would have smiled reassuringly, but today I had no attention to spare for his gaze.
Physician Gong approached and positioned his weathered fingers upon my wrist, taking my pulse.
As a single incense stick burned down to ash, the chamber fell into profound silence—not even the sound of breathing disturbed it.
Everyone’s eyes remained fixed upon Physician Gong’s face. Only Namgung Ryu-cheong gazed at me, his hand gripping mine with anxious tenderness. That gaze and warmth brought me solace.
At last, Physician Gong opened his eyes.
With his eyes half-veiled by drooping lids, he smiled at the assembled company, all tense with anticipation.
“Congratulations. It appears you have just completed one month.”
The Great Lady and her servants uttered exclamations mingled with joy.
Namgung Wan asked urgently.
“You’re certain of this?”
“The fetal pulse is still faint, but I am certain.”
Namgung Mu-cheol broke into a broad smile, nodding repeatedly.
“A blessing indeed. A true blessing.”
“If it’s been a month, then March is the expected time! How wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!”
Namgung Wan burst into hearty laughter.
Baek Li-yeon turned to look at Namgung Ryu-cheong with a bewildered expression. Namgung Ryu-cheong still sat alone in the hall, isolated from the conversation.
Despite his usually sharp instincts, the fact that he seemed oblivious suggested he had never once imagined such a situation.
The Great Lady sprang to her feet and grasped one of Baek Li-yeon’s hands, murmuring continuously.
“How fortunate. Truly, how very fortunate.”
Baek Li-yeon asked with concern, watching the Great Lady appear on the verge of tears.
“Mother, are you all right?”
“Of course! What could possibly be wrong! I’m simply overjoyed. Physician Gong, there are no complications, correct?”
Physician Gong continued speaking.
“The child has only just taken root, so I cannot offer absolute certainty at this stage. However, Miss, old habits die hard, ahem. The Lady is in excellent health as well. The first three months are typically the most perilous period, but… hmm.”
Physician Gong cleared his throat while observing Baek Li-yeon’s martial robes and the sword resting nearby.
“Heaven has blessed you. For the next two months, you must absolutely refrain from strenuous exertion.”
It was then that Namgung Ryu-cheong finally spoke.
“A child?”
“Yes, she is with child.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong stared at me with his mouth hanging open stupidly.
“Yeon is… pregnant?”
Physician Gong let out a soft chuckle.
Physician Gong had been at Namgung Ryu-cheong’s side since his birth.
To see the child who had been unusually precocious and taciturn from an early age now looking so utterly bewildered was nothing short of delightful.
“Yes, that is correct.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong opened and closed his mouth like a fool several times before shaking his head vigorously and speaking.
“Yeon showed no signs of knowing. You didn’t know either, did you?”
Baek Li-yeon nodded in agreement.
Namgung Ryu-cheong spoke to Physician Gong with a somewhat accusatory tone.
“Yeon is well-versed in medicine and possesses profound martial skill. How could she have failed to notice? Is such a thing even possible?”
Baek Li-yeon tugged gently at his sleeve to restrain him.
This was practically an accusation against Physician Gong himself.
If he had paused to think, he would have realized there was no benefit to deceiving him about this matter, yet he seemed incapable of such reflection.
Physician Gong stroked his beard and explained as though observing a child at play.
“The Lady likely sensed something amiss. However, she would not have recognized it as pregnancy. Is that not so?”
“I did notice my qi flow felt somewhat disrupted.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong widened his eyes and spoke.
“What? You never mentioned such a thing!”
Baek Li-yeon averted her gaze slightly as she spoke.
“I believed it was part of my dantian’s recovery process….”
My meridian flow had become unstable, and my cultivation progressed sluggishly. Moreover, my body felt strangely fatigued. No matter how much I slept, drowsiness persisted, and on certain days, I experienced a chilling sensation as though wind-chill illness were approaching.
Cultivation could not always proceed smoothly, and if I mentioned feeling unwell, a physician would surely be summoned, which would inevitably result in consuming large quantities of bitter medicinal decoctions.
‘I hate herbal medicine…!’
I still despised medicinal broths. As a child, I felt as though I’d consumed a lifetime’s worth.
And most importantly, I didn’t want to see someone fretting anxiously over my health.
Of course, if my condition worsened further, I planned to mention it then.
Namgung Ryu-cheong spoke.
“You should have told me anyway!”
At that moment, Physician Gong interjected in my defense.
“It’s only been approaching a month, my lady. The form hasn’t properly developed yet, and since this is your first experience, it’s only natural. Had another week passed, I suspect you would have noticed it yourself.”
Baek Li-yeon looked down at her belly. Upon conscious examination with her golden eyes, a faint shimmer the size of a grain of rice caught her attention.
Had I scrutinized my body meticulously every day, I might have noticed it. But who examines their own body so intently? I had no such habit.
Furthermore, I had little expertise in matters of pregnancy or women’s ailments. I’d been consumed with Father’s qi circulation and dantian issues, too preoccupied with survival to ever contemplate bearing a child.
Physician Gong continued.
“In Martial Families, mothers typically explain such matters when their daughters marry. However, since the Great Lady isn’t from a Martial Family background…”
The Great Lady stroked the back of her hand as she spoke.
“Forgive me. I hadn’t thought to address that.”
Baek Li-yeon hastily assured her it was fine.
The Great Lady, offering a gentle smile, pressed her sleeve against her glistening eyes and turned away.
“Now that I think of it, I remember having something to discuss with Father and Uncle. Shall we move to another room?”
Clearly intending to give the young couple privacy, Namgung Mu-cheol rose with a chuckle.
“Yes, yes! I’ll visit again later. Ah, there’s no need for morning greetings from now on! Rest peacefully in your chamber. I’ll visit again later.”
Namgung Wan spoke without reading the room.
“Must we discuss this now? I still…”
The Great Lady’s steady gaze fell upon Namgung Wan, and he clamped his mouth shut, following Namgung Mu-cheol out of the chamber.
Before leaving, the Great Lady offered a parting word.
“Ryu-cheong, take good care of Yeon. It won’t take long.”
…
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s eyes, tightly sealed, darted uncertainly in every direction.
Physician Gong savored the sight before grasping his walking stick.
“Is there anything else you wish to inquire about? If not, I shall take my leave.”
“I’ll visit you later.”
With Physician Gong’s departure, only the two of them remained in the chamber.
Namgung Ryu-cheong urgently grasped her other hand as well.
In his firm grip and meeting gaze, joy and happiness shone through the confusion, while his warm, tender eyes glistened with emotion.
Namgung Ryu-cheong attempted to force a smile before suddenly pulling her into a tight embrace. He buried his face deeply in the crook of her neck.
Moments later, Baek Li-yeon felt dampness against her shoulder.
I smiled softly and leaned my head against his. My nose tingled. I felt an overwhelming emotion surge within me—one that words could never capture.

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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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