The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 74

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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 74
Even someone who had cultivated to the level of Cheonsan Yeom-je could not hide their anxiety well enough to escape my notice.
‘Is it an act? Or…’
As I observed Cheonsan Yeom-je carefully, I discovered something peculiar.
‘Why hasn’t his inner strength increased at all?’
It hadn’t grown in the slightest.
That meant he hadn’t consumed the Sapphire Stone Jade that he’d taken from me. I’d wondered about this since the moment I first saw Cheonsan Yeom-je here. I’d assumed I wouldn’t see him for quite some time, since absorbing the Sapphire Stone Jade would require him to enter closed-door cultivation for months, if not years.
‘If he wasn’t going to consume it, why take it in the first place?’
Was there a reason he couldn’t consume it?
‘But the Sapphire Stone Jade shouldn’t discriminate based on inner strength.’
The Crimson Flame Sect’s Crimson Essence Pill was comparable to the Sapphire Stone Jade.
However, if someone who hadn’t learned the Crimson Flame Sect’s Crimson Flame Divine Art consumed the Crimson Essence Pill, the inner strength gain would plummet to fifty percent or less.
What could have yielded sixty years’ worth of inner strength in one cycle would be reduced to thirty years or less.
In truth, most spiritual medicines were similar to the Crimson Essence Pill. Unless a spiritual medicine matched one’s own inner strength, it was extremely difficult to absorb all the inner strength contained within it.
For instance, the inner core of the Thousand-Year Fire Lotus contained fire essence, the Heavenly Snow Ginseng contained cold essence, and century-old Polygonum multiflorum, one of the most common materials for crafting spiritual medicines, possessed earth and wood essence.
Earth and wood essence were the most stably harmonious with other types of inner strength.
However, for an Extreme Yang Constitution—a body overflowing with yang essence and fire essence—consuming an inner core containing wood essence would be like throwing kindling into an already burning inferno.
Conversely, if one consumed the Heavenly Snow Ginseng with its excess cold essence, the fire and cold essences would clash within the body, tearing it apart.
But the Sapphire Stone Jade was different. It harmonized regardless of what inner strength one possessed. This was why the Sapphire Stone Jade was ranked at the very top among all spiritual medicines.
In that moment, a hypothesis occurred to me. Cheonsan Yeom-je must be approaching seventy years old. If he hadn’t taken a single disciple by that age, his anxiety was more than justified.
Even if he found an Extreme Yang Constitution and took them as a disciple, he would need to elevate their cultivation realm quickly to pass on more knowledge, and nothing was better for rapid advancement than spiritual medicines.
‘So what if Cheonsan Yeom-je’s desire for the Sapphire Stone Jade was never for himself from the beginning, but for his disciple?’
Of course, this was merely my intuition with no basis whatsoever. And since he was right here, I could simply ask.
“You intend to give the Sapphire Stone Jade to Yalyu?”
Both ends of Cheonsan Yeom-je’s white eyebrows rose. He realized I’d guessed correctly once again.
‘How curious.’
Things were unfolding in such a way.
I’d said the life I saved was with the Sapphire Stone Jade, and now that very stone was truly becoming Yalyu’s.
Either way, it was a good outcome. Cheonsan Yeom-je wouldn’t lose his divine art, Yalyu would live, the demonic energy would be eliminated, and a stronger Yalyu would become our ally.
‘Our ally…right?’
If he became Cheonsan Yeom-je’s disciple, it seemed we’d be apart for several years. For a child, several years was more than enough time to forget someone they’d spent a few months with.
‘I’d need to check in on him frequently to maintain our closeness.’
I felt a slight worry.
“Ha.”
Cheonsan Yeom-je exhaled sharply, as if astounded.
“To think I’d be toyed with by a mere child.”
In a single breath, Cheonsan Yeom-je, who had been more than ten steps away, was before me. I saw his hand extending toward me and reflexively dodged.
‘Mm…’
I immediately regretted not taking the blow. Cheonsan Yeom-je’s expression had turned fierce.
“You’re dodging this?”
“Haha, is that so?”
In that instant, a hand moved at a speed I couldn’t evade, grasping my jaw firmly.
“It wasn’t a coincidence, then.”
“Huh? Hey now, don’t be like that. Speak plainly.”
“I felt it before too… your eyes are quite sharp.”
Cheonsan Yeom-je placed a hand on my dantian.
A scorching surge of inner strength rushed through me. I could tell it was Cheonsan Yeom-je’s qi.
“You’re supposedly crippled of inner strength, yet somehow you seem to be using qi as well.”
This time, I was the one taken aback.
“Krhehe. You look surprised to have been discovered.”
Cheonsan Yeom-je continued with a chuckle.
“You weren’t even trying to hide it, were you? If you had caught a wooden sword imbued with Namgung Ryu-cheong’s blade energy barehanded without any inner strength, your palms wouldn’t have merely been torn—they’d have been shredded.”
“Ah, I see. Don’t tell anyone about this, alright?”
“You won’t be able to learn the Nine Heavens Crimson Flame Scripture, but someone of your caliber wouldn’t be bad. I might even change my mind after seeing what you learn. Hmm. Yes. This could serve as a pleasant diversion.”
Why was he suddenly muttering to himself like that?
Finally, he released his grip on my jaw.
I pouted and rubbed my chin, opening and closing my mouth repeatedly.
‘I thought my jaw was going to break.’
Then Cheonsan Yeom-je suddenly hoisted me up and tucked me under his arm.
“…?”
He then strode heavily toward the Residence Quarter.
“Where are you going?”
“….”
Without a word, Cheonsan Yeom-je reached the hall where Father and Yalyu were conversing and kicked the door open.
Father was already standing as if he’d known someone was coming, while Yalyu’s face showed surprise upon seeing me.
“Your daughter says she wishes to learn my Golden Immortal Scripture.”
“Pardon?”
“What?”
* * *
The next day, after sleeping in rather late, I eagerly presented the Luminous Jade Stone to Father—something I’d forgotten to do the previous day in all the commotion.
But his response was lukewarm. Father showed no great surprise nor particular joy, merely asking with a puzzled expression.
“How do you possess this? Wasn’t it taken from you by Cheonsan Yeom-je?”
“Why aren’t you surprised?”
“I already heard from Namgung Wan. He said you gave him the Luminous Jade Stone you discovered in Man Shin-ui’s Alchemy Chamber?”
No! My grand plan to astonish Father had been completely foiled!
Now that I thought about it, Father had waited for me in front of Changung Pavilion for a week, so he must have heard the story about the Luminous Jade Stone from Namgung Wan as well.
“Tch.”
“…?”
“I was trying to surprise Father.”
Father smiled faintly and spoke.
“I was certainly shocked. So how is one still remaining? I heard there were two.”
I straightened my shoulders and boasted.
“It’s all because I’m clever, Father.”
Father tilted his head slightly and asked as if he didn’t believe me.
“You didn’t lie and say there were only two from the beginning, did you?”
I nodded.
Father, who had been looking down at me with a stern expression, spoke.
“I’ll keep this for now. It’s difficult for me to drink it at present. I’ll accept only your heart.”
It was a smooth answer, as if he had prepared it.
Something about it felt slightly off. But the words that followed made me forget that irritation entirely.
“We’ve decided to move the Residence Quarter.”
“Why?”
“It’s difficult for me to stay here as well… I’ve informed Namgung Wan about your abilities.”
“Ah…”
I asked with a slight tension.
“What did he say?”
“He said it was good.”
I placed my hand over my heart and exhaled in relief.
Soon after, I relocated the Residence Quarter deeper into the Namgung Clan. It was a place with almost no foot traffic, and I could see it was arranged so I could practice freely without worry.
Seeing this, the Namgung Clan’s consideration seemed deeper than the Baek Li Family’s, and my feelings were… well, complicated.
‘Someone else’s home is more comfortable than my own family’s.’
I began to understand why Father had wandered the Jianghu instead of returning to his clan.
* * *
I didn’t have much to prepare. I had little luggage to begin with, and So Bu-in had been incredibly helpful.
After moving to a place where I could practice freely, I spent about half of each day learning Geum Na-su from Cheonsan Yeom-je.
Geum Na-su was unarmed martial arts involving grappling and joint-breaking techniques.
The moment I barely dodged a hand reaching to seize my elbow, suddenly another hand thrust toward my face.
“Ow!”
My forehead stung and stars sparkled before my eyes.
What good was seeing the attack path? Cheonsan Yeom-je’s hands weren’t something I could evade just because I could see them.
At first, the moment we began, I saw stars, but now I could dodge to some extent. Of course, Cheonsan Yeom-je was going easy on me.
“We’ll stop here for today.”
“…Thank you.”
“Hmph.”
My forehead was hot and throbbing.
I even wondered if Cheonsan Yeom-je was teaching me Geum Na-su as a legitimate excuse to beat me senseless, just to vent his anger at me.
Cheonsan Yeom-je primarily fought using Gwon Jang-beop—fists and palms—which was deeply connected to his inner strength being Guwhwa Jeok-yeom-gyeol.
Most weapons couldn’t withstand the heat of Guwhwa Jeok-yeom-gyeol.
Especially those struck by his bare hands—the number of people who became disabled or met their end was too many to count on one’s fingers.
He had been indiscriminately destroying everything regardless of right or wrong, but at some point, he had become quiet.
‘If only I hadn’t sworn brotherhood with the Namgung Clan’s Family Head, I would have become a member of the heterodox sects.’
Anyway, since the Kwon Jang method was extraordinary, the Geum Na-su was also in a different class from most other martial arts. That’s why Baek Li-ui-gang strongly recommended that I learn Cheonsan Yeom-je’s Geum Na-su.
“You’ve improved considerably.”
Father had apparently arrived without my noticing and was watching me. Upon seeing him bow respectfully toward Cheonsan Yeom-je, I mirrored his gesture, pressing my palms together.
After watching Cheonsan Yeom-je depart, Father approached and gently rubbed my forehead. The sensation was refreshing and cool.
“Let’s head inside.”

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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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