The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 71
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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 71
Father finally spoke in a subdued tone.
“…Very well.”
For someone who despised falsehood, his acceptance came surprisingly easily.
Father then asked a question.
“Yeon, can you see my meridians as well?”
“Yes!”
I had already examined them once.
Father and Namgung Wan’s martial prowess were said to be evenly matched, and indeed their inner strength was so comparable that I couldn’t discern a clear advantage between them. While the Namgung Clan’s warriors glowed with a copper hue, Father’s meridians shimmered with a pale white tinged in blue.
Entranced by the sight of his meridians, I belatedly looked at Father’s face.
His eyes held discomfort.
It was like being doused with cold water—my senses snapped into focus.
‘Of course.’
No martial artist would welcome having their body and inner strength laid bare for examination.
I lowered my head and spoke.
“I’m s-sorry. I won’t examine you again from now on.”
“No, no. It’s just… I felt a bit uneasy. It’s an ability that hasn’t been properly documented, after all.”
Father’s words helped calm my startled heart.
My heart had truly skipped a beat.
‘I need to be more careful going forward.’
Father, who had been lost in thought, began to speak.
“Yeon, I understand you wish to keep this ability hidden. But what do you think about telling Wan?”
“Why?”
“I know very little about Man Shin-ui, to be honest. Since Man Shin-ui is said to have connections with the Namgung Clan, he would know more than I would.”
Actually, I knew nothing about it.
But since they were a martial family with a long history, they might possess knowledge I was unaware of.
“That sounds good!”
After all, what I most wanted to hide was from the Baek Li Family.
From Grandmother, my uncle, my aunt, and my cousins.
‘It’s better to keep them complacent.’
Grandmother and my uncle had certainly opposed Father, but they had never openly confronted him.
Grandfather steadfastly supported my uncle, and Father’s demeanor made it clear he had no interest in the position of Family Head.
Father meticulously avoided entanglement in family affairs. Once he gained the strength to protect himself before reaching adulthood, he left for Jianghu with only a sword in hand.
Before establishing himself in the Murim Alliance, he wandered the world, helping the weak and fighting the wicked. Though his name became renowned, he never returned to the family. He even ignored Grandfather’s gentle suggestions about marriage.
Becoming Family Head required not only personal martial prowess but also the existence of an heir, which was equally crucial.
Marriage proposals came several times, but Father rejected them all. Even those who secretly supported him had no choice but to give up.
Then one day, Father brought a young child, claiming she was his daughter, and even registered her with the Baek Li surname.
The position of Young Family Head was not yet confirmed. What if the child Father brought possessed talent like his own?
It would have been terrifying for them. So before they could even assess my talent, they crushed it. They drove me into Demonic Cultivation.
With Father absent from my side, it was their opportunity.
They subtly encouraged me, a novice who had just begun learning internal cultivation techniques and was practicing the most fundamental basics. They seduced me as if a single elixir would instantly make me powerful.
But for a child without a solid foundation, a spirit elixir was nothing more than a shortcut to demonic possession.
‘It was strange that I, who had been a beggar on the streets, would covet a spirit elixir.’
I had been a child who didn’t even know what a spirit elixir was. I didn’t know what demonic possession meant either. Yet one day I suddenly came to covet and obtain a spirit elixir. Still, they were blood relatives, so even Father wouldn’t have anticipated such a crude scheme.
But there was no evidence. And now I had no standing within the family. If word got out that I was wandering around searching for proof, any remaining evidence would vanish completely.
‘When I… Ah!’
Then it struck me—something I had forgotten. I sprang to my feet and grabbed Father’s hand urgently.
“Father! Quickly! Let’s go to my Residence Quarter right now!”
Father tilted his head.
“It’s late at night. We can visit your quarters tomorrow.”
“No! There’s something I absolutely must show you today!”
The luminescent stone oil!
I couldn’t wait to show Father the luminescent stone oil.
My heart raced at the mere thought of it.
‘How pleased will Father be?’
As I stamped my feet impatiently, Father reluctantly rose to his feet.
“What on earth could it be?”
“You’ll see when we get there!”
I led Father and ran through the Namgung Clan.
We ran for a while, and then ran some more, and ran again.
‘Damn, it’s so vast!’
I stopped, breathing heavily.
How far had we come? In the darkness, the distance was hard to gauge. Father, breathing lightly, glanced around briefly before lifting me into his arms.
‘Yes, that’s right. This sense of security.’
It had been such a long time.
I naturally wrapped my arms around Father’s neck.
“Which direction should we go?”
“This way!”
“It’s late. Lower your voice.”
Father used his lightness technique to dash swiftly in the direction I pointed.
‘It would be faster if we crossed the roofs or vaulted over the walls.’
But we absolutely could not stray from the permitted paths.
In martial family estates where enemy attacks could come at any moment, straying from the paths meant triggering vicious trap formations. The Baek Li Estate was no different.
Father, who had been dashing using his lightness technique, suddenly began walking calmly.
‘Why did he suddenly stop?’
Soon after, we encountered a patrolling martial artist from the Namgung Clan.
The wary martial artist exhaled in relief upon seeing Father.
The martial artist withdrew his hand from his sword hilt and clasped his fist in salute.
“We greet the Great Hero Baek Li. Forgive the intrusion, but what brings you here at this hour?”
“Yeon wished to return to her Residence Quarter, so I came out with her.”
“Hello.”
I greeted them from within Father’s embrace.
“Miss Baek Li? I thought you were at Changung Pavilion… Ah, you’ve come out today, I see. Do you know the way? Shall I guide you?”
“No need. I can’t trouble you.”
“Understood. Well, do be careful not to stray from the path.”
The martial artist then returned to his patrol route.
Once the martial artist’s presence faded beyond my perception, I burst into laughter I’d been desperately holding back.
“Don’t laugh. This is all because of you.”
With a sigh, Father began deploying his lightness technique again. I buried my face in the nape of his neck and laughed openly.
“Ahahaha.”
“Be quiet.”
“Hehehehe.”
I bit my lip and tried to suppress it, but it was no use.
Father clicked his tongue and swiftly passed several pavilions in an instant. We encountered patrolling martial artists twice more. Each time, Father’s footsteps naturally became more measured.
Soon, my residence came into view.
“There it is!”
Father, who had been rapidly approaching by pushing off the ground, suddenly came to an abrupt halt. The movement was sudden, yet so smooth that I felt not the slightest impact from within his arms.
‘So this is lightness technique.’
Unlike my admiration, Father set me down on the ground with a hardened expression.
[Someone is here.]
A voice suddenly resonated in my mind—Father’s telepathic transmission. A sword had silently materialized in his hand.
“This is my daughter’s residence. Who might you be, sir?”
“Daughter? Then you must be Baek Li-ui-gang.”
The peaceful atmosphere that had existed moments before vanished instantly, replaced by a sharp, suffocating aura that made even breathing feel cautious.
The courtyard, shrouded by clouds obscuring the midnight moon, was invisible to ordinary sight. But through my golden eyes, it was different. I could see a blazing crimson inner energy.
I cried out urgently.
“Father, it’s Cheonsan Yeom-je!”
“Cheonsan Yeom-je?”
With Father’s questioning echo, the sharp killing intent that had been about to strike him vanished instantly.
“Tsk, how boring. I hadn’t intended to reveal myself, but that fool ruined it.”
Cheonsan Yeom-je clicked his tongue in disappointment, pushed away what he’d been holding, and clasped his hands behind his back.
I cried out in alarm.
“Yalyu! Are you alright?”
A soft cough sounded, followed by a small voice answering, “I’m fine.”
Why does this old man keep barging into someone else’s residence and causing trouble?
And I’d lost one of the Cheonsan Stones to him—I only had one left to give to Father, which I’d planned to tell him about. But we ran into each other before I could even mention it. Now it looks like I deliberately hid it from him!
Father spoke respectfully.
“I greet you, Senior. I apologize for not offering my respects first.”
But he did not sheathe his drawn sword.
“However, I must ask what you are doing in my daughter’s residence.”
“Knowing who the old master is, yet refusing to lower your sword. Impressive indeed.”
Only Cheonsan Yeom-je had calmed the fighting spirit, but my father grew even sharper.
Surely you don’t mean to fight? I revealed my identity precisely to prevent 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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