The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 7

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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 7
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Jang Seok-ryang and Baek Li Pae-hyuk did not leave the chamber immediately after stepping outside.
Suppressing their presence as much as possible, they settled into the adjacent room and listened to everything.
“This matter won’t be resolved until Grandfather accepts me.”
Jang Seok-ryang found himself sighing without realizing it.
Of course, it was a sigh of admiration.
“‘Well, that could be true. What’s the problem with bringing a child from outside? How wonderful to have a new granddaughter, hehehehe’—wouldn’t that be even stranger?”
When he heard this follow-up, he nearly burst into uncontrollable laughter, forgetting entirely that he was hiding.
“Kh-khup. Kuh.”
But he had to compose his expression immediately under Baek Li Pae-hyuk’s piercing gaze.
And then came the final words.
“Grandfather is Father’s father, after all.”
“What?”
“I’m happy to have a father. But if Father loses his father because of me, that would be sad.”
Jang Seok-ryang could no longer laugh.
“….”
“….”
In the silence that followed, Baek Li Pae-hyuk, whom he glanced at, wore an inscrutable expression.
Baek Li Pae-hyuk spoke in a subdued voice.
“It seems to be over. Let us depart.”
“Yes.”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk swept his robes and left the chamber, with Jang Seok-ryang hurrying after him.
It had been Jang Seok-ryang who suggested eavesdropping. He had worried that Baek Li-ui-gang might immediately seek out the Lady of the House. It was for that reason he had persuaded Baek Li Pae-hyuk, who disliked eavesdropping, to stay—yet he had heard a conversation far more unexpected than he could have imagined.
After walking in silence for some time, Baek Li Pae-hyuk suddenly asked.
“Do you think that child’s words were correct?”
“Shall I speak honestly?”
Jang Seok-ryang answered honestly, reading the intent from Baek Li Pae-hyuk’s eyes alone.
“Yes.”
“….”
“I spoke honestly.”
“Those are merely the words of a six-year-old child.”
“That is precisely what makes them remarkable. The child’s ability to perceive the situation is extraordinary. Her thoughts run deep, and her filial devotion to her father runs even deeper.”
“….”
“When she asked those sharp questions in the Central Hall with those bright eyes, I felt as though I had been struck on the head.”
Jang Seok-ryang’s voice grew increasingly animated.
Baek Li Pae-hyuk twisted his lips slightly.
“It seems you have taken quite a liking to Baek Li-yeon.”
“Haha, I too have a granddaughter the same age as Baek Li-yeon. That child cries at the slightest tumble—wailing so loudly that her mother, her nurse, and even her father must all come to finally quiet her tears.”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk also recalled another granddaughter of his, the same age as Baek Li-yeon.
I didn’t want to compare them, but I found myself nodding in acknowledgment.
The bearing to deliberately release a threatening aura, to tremble before it, yet never avert one’s gaze—such audacity.
The boldness to flatly refuse the Heavenly Fate Golden Soul Pill that everyone coveted.
I didn’t want to admit it, but I felt she resembled Baek Li-ui-gang. And Baek Li-ui-gang was the son he cherished most…
The scales of my heart began to tip.
Jang Seok-ryang continued speaking.
“Like father, like daughter—truly a pity. If only Baek Li-ui-gang were ten years younger…”
“Pointless drivel!”
At Baek Li Pae-hyuk’s sharp rebuke, Jang Seok-ryang quickly prostrated himself verbally, saying, “I spoke carelessly.”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk’s tone softened somewhat.
“The Baek Li Family is still a house of sand. We cannot afford needless discord within our walls!”
Though we were counted among the Ten Great Families, this reputation would only endure as long as Baek Li Pae-hyuk, ranked among the Ten Strongest in the Martial World, remained the family head.
The Namgung Clan and Jegal Clan, which had held their positions firmly even before the term “Ten Great Families” was coined, were still incomparable to us.
In fact, they were separately called the Five Great Families, distinct from the Baek Li Family.
For the Baek Li Family to maintain this standing, we needed at least a solid foundation that would not waver through the next generation.
Should internal strife erupt at this juncture, the name “Ten Great Families” would become nothing more than a hollow reputation of a single generation.
That could not be allowed.
Jang Seok-ryang watched Baek Li Pae-hyuk’s expression and nodded respectfully.
“Then might you show greater mercy? Has the Fourth Young Master not always upheld your will, respecting his elder brother and serving the First Lady?”
Before long, they had arrived at their destination.
Standing before the door, Jang Seok-ryang finished his words.
“Moreover, what fault could a child possibly bear?”
“…Let us enter.”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk pushed open the door and stepped inside. In the serene chamber with one wall opened wide, a middle-aged man with graying hair was being served tea.
“Seok Tae-ui.”
“You have arrived.”
“I apologize for the wait.”
Baek Li Pae-hyuk took his seat across from Seok Tae-ui.
Seok Tae-ui set down his teacup and spoke.
“Not at all. The tea was so fine I lost track of time.”
“I heard you favor white tea, so I had this brought specially. If it pleases you, I shall gift it to you when you depart.”
“I would be most grateful.”
With those words concluded, Jang Seok-ryang, observing Seok Tae-ui quietly sipping his tea, tactfully opened his mouth.
“…How is her condition?”
At Jang Seok-ryang’s question, Seok Tae-ui’s expression grew puzzled.
Seok Tae-ui was advanced in years and had served in the imperial court.
Hearing only the circumstances before and after Baek Li-yeon’s collapse, he had grasped how this child was treated within this household.
The Baek Li Family’s despised granddaughter.
Yet the family head had come personally to inquire about her condition?
Had this not been merely a request for his examination to maintain appearances?
Seok Tae-ui’s gaze swept across the expansive garden.
“You mentioned the child awakened from Demonic Qi Deviation roughly a month ago?”
“Yes.”
“And the child walked alone from the Residence Quarter to the Central Hall of the main residence?”
“Ahem, yes. That is correct.”
“Hmm… The child’s endurance is quite remarkable.”
“Is it?”
“I cannot fathom how they managed to kneel for so long. It must have been agonizing.”
The implication was clear—forcing an already ailing child to kneel on cold stone and hoping for the best?
Jang Seok-ryang, stricken with conscience, cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Ahem. The child’s complexion was indeed pallid, but they seemed so composed that I thought it acceptable.”
The more he spoke, the more his words rang hollow.
Jang Seok-ryang hastily changed the subject.
“So, is treatment possible?”
Seok Tae-ui exhaled deeply.
“Surviving Demonic Qi Deviation at all is a blessing of fate. Given the child’s youth, with time and patience, they can live an ordinary life. Though minor ailments are inevitable.”
His meaning was clear—do not expect miracles.
Jang Seok-ryang already knew this truth, yet fresh sorrow washed over him nonetheless.
Then Baek Li Pae-hyuk spoke.
“There is the Heavenly Fate Golden Soul Pill.”
“The Heavenly Fate Golden Soul Pill?”
Seok Tae-ui, whose expression had remained composed throughout, showed surprise.
“Can it restore the dantian with that?”
The answer came swiftly.
“I do not know.”
“….”
“I have heard of no such precedent. The Heavenly Fate Golden Soul Pill is indeed a miraculous medicine. If administered, it would certainly heal the internal injuries sustained. The child would likely become healthier than most.”
Seok Tae-ui paused before continuing with unwavering certainty.
“But restoring a dantian shattered into fragments is an entirely different matter.”
“Then what is your assessment of the recovery probability?”
“Less than one in ten.”
“That is all?”
“There are no documented cases of medicinal treatment for such a condition. To my knowledge, there is only one instance of someone curing an inner force cripple.”
Jang Seok-ryang spoke with a sigh.
“Man Shin-ui!”
“Yes.”
Man Shin-ui was a physician whose medical skill had reached the realm of divinity.
He could diagnose illness by observing a patient’s complexion alone, without even taking their pulse—and it was said he could even predict the remaining days of the terminally ill.
In particular, he was exceptionally skilled in matters of vital energy and internal injuries, and his legendary feat of curing an inner force cripple was renowned throughout the Martial World.
“But Man Shin-ui….”
Jang Seok-ryang laid eyes upon Baek Li Pae-hyuk.
More than ten years had passed since he vanished from the world. He had sworn an oath before Heaven and Earth that he would sever all ties with the Martial World, then disappeared without a trace.
“….”
Impossible.
The moment I received that resolute refusal, a profound sense of regret washed over me. I was startled by the very fact that I could feel such an emotion.
After concluding our brief conversation, I turned to regard Jang Seok-ryang as I left Seok Tae-ui’s chamber.
“Summon the Chief Steward. And bring me a list of items befitting a child.”
Jang Seok-ryang smiled warmly and raised his clasped hands in respectful acknowledgment.
“An excellent thought, sir.”

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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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