The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 89

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 89
“Yes! All these books came from Man Shin-ui’s Meditation Chamber. Most of them are about medicine, aren’t they?”
“That’s correct.”
The answer came from Father. I hesitated for a moment before asking.
“Father, have you read all of them?”
Father gave a subtle nod.
Seop Chong-gwan added an explanation.
“Ui-gang assisted with the cataloging of the books.”
Of course he did.
He was more passionate than anyone about treating my dantian, so there was no way he wouldn’t have read Man Shin-ui’s medical texts. But as I had discovered myself, there was nothing particularly helpful for my dantian condition.
I continued speaking.
“With these books, wouldn’t the Baek Family be able to help if someone fell ill?”
“Fell ill?”
“Yes! In case something like what happened to me occurs again, so no one else has to suffer as I did.”
“….”
“….”
Everyone’s reaction to my hastily cobbled together words was peculiar.
I tilted my head and spoke.
“Why… are you all looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
“What do you mean?”
Thus, we decided to take the books. And I gathered a few other things besides. Trauma salve that appeared to be Man Shin-ui’s own creation. I received several pills for treating internal injuries and Taeching Pills, which purify inner energy, and gave them to Father.
I also took one spirit elixir that enhances inner energy. It was called Baekil Dan—a spirit elixir from the Ju Clan Medicine School, recognized throughout the Jianghu. With its versatile nature that harmonized with most inner energy cultivation methods, it was too good to be called mid-grade but too ambiguous to be called top-grade.
Father came out to see me off as I left.
“Yeon.”
As I turned around, Father continued carefully.
“You know you cannot consume spirit elixirs, don’t you?”
“Yes? Yes.”
I answered in bewilderment.
Why was he mentioning something so obvious again? If I consumed a spirit elixir in my current state—a crippled cultivator with a shattered dantian—I would fall into demonic cultivation and this time it would truly be a one-way trip to the underworld.
“Then why did you ask for the spirit elixir?”
“Oh! I’m giving this to Ha-ryeong!”
What martial artist dislikes spirit elixirs?
Even if Baekil Dan was ambiguous as a top-grade elixir, such talk only applied to the people of the Namgung Clan.
While the Suhyang Sect was not a small faction, it could not compare to the Namgung Clan. Moreover, spirit elixirs were inherently rare, and Baekil Dan, with its efficacy guaranteed by a renowned medicine school, was among the difficult-to-obtain spirit elixirs even with money.
The Namgung Clan used such elixirs as rewards for their subordinates, but in the Suhyang Sect it would be treated as a top-grade spirit elixir. The Namgung Clan had been very kind to me, but Seo Ha-ryeong had been equally kind.
And….
‘It’s better if it goes to someone I’m closer to anyway!’
There were several other spirit elixirs besides this one anyway. There were even elixirs with better efficacy. But since I couldn’t be certain they would suit Seo Ha-ryeong’s inner energy cultivation method from the Suhyang Sect, I cleanly gave up on those.
Father asked as if he hadn’t considered it.
“…You were planning to give it to Seo So-jeo?”
“Yes!”
Father exhaled in relief at my response.
“Why are you reacting like that?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
I tilted my head curiously and studied Father’s face. Then it dawned on me.
‘Did he think I was asking for the vitality elixir to eat myself?’
I suddenly understood why he had been so cautious. He was worried I might feel hurt if he directly asked why someone with a crippled cultivation base like me would request a vitality elixir, so he had asked so carefully instead.
‘Ah, really. He could have just asked directly.’
Whenever I saw Father being so considerate like this, a strange, indescribable emotion would pierce through my chest like a sharp sting.
I suddenly wrapped my arms around Father’s waist as we walked. He seemed slightly startled and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeon?”
“Just because.”
Father chuckled softly and lifted me up into his arms.
“You’ve grown so much. Soon it will be difficult for me to hold you like this.”
I hugged Father’s neck tightly.
“I wish I hadn’t grown up.”
Father looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“That’s unusual. When I was your age, I wished to grow up faster. Most other children say the same thing.”
“I like how things are now.”
I sighed deeply and continued.
“Growing up just means more responsibilities. Sigh.”
Father looked at me with a peculiar expression and spoke.
“Where did you learn to say such things?”
“I just want to spend my whole life playing and eating with Father.”
“…I’m not fond of an idle life.”
“Father, the important part is ‘with Father for my whole life.'”
“When the time comes, a person must become independent from their parents’ embrace.”
“….”
Can you hear it? The sound of my touching moment shattering into pieces….
I respect and love Father, but why does the back of my head suddenly ache and my chest feel so suffocated at times like this…?
I tapped Father’s shoulder and spoke.
“Put me down.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll become independent right now.”
Father burst into laughter—a rare sound I could only hear occasionally, but it wasn’t particularly moving at this moment.
“Haha, are you angry?”
“I’m not!”
Father set me down on the ground.
I brushed off my clothes and straightened them as I spoke.
“I’m going to see Ha-ryeong.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
Father paused in thought for a moment, then offered his counsel with gravity.
“Even if you give it to Seo So-jeo, tell her not to consume it now. Since Seo So-jeo is still young, she will need a guardian to guide the spiritual elixir’s power and a protector to stand watch over her. Hand it to her, but instruct her to take it only after returning to the Suhyang Sect.”
“Yes!”
After walking toward Seo Ha-ryeong’s residence for some time, I stopped and turned back to look.
Father was still watching me.
I took a deep breath and braced my core firmly.
“I will never become independent for the rest of my life!”
And before Father could say anything, I bolted away in a flurry.
* * *
After walking for about two hours, I arrived at Seo Ha-ryeong’s residence. But Seo Ha-ryeong was not there.
“Ah, that’s right….”
It was the time she would be training.
The servant who greeted me spoke while holding a broom.
“Seo So-jeo is at the Practice Hall that appears if you go left from here. Why don’t you visit? The people from the Suhyang Sect will be delighted to know that Young Master Baek has come.”
“Hmm….”
I counted the days. Fortunately, today was not a day when the Namgung Clan and the Suhyang Sect trained together.
“I’ll just ask first, and if it’s not possible, I’ll leave. What’s the harm?”
I was worried about interrupting their training, but since I’d come this far, I wanted to give it to her directly. I could have given it through a servant, but I preferred to hand it over myself.
‘I want to show off a little!’
The Practice Hall was close to the residence. I had been there before, led by Seo Ha-ryeong’s hand, to watch the Suhyang Sect disciples training.
The servant led the way into the Practice Hall. After waiting briefly at the entrance, the servant returned and spoke.
“You may come in.”
In the spacious Practice Hall, about ten boys and girls were earnestly wielding their swords. Of course, Seo Ha-ryeong was among them.
My eyes met with Seo Ha-ryeong’s senior sister, the oldest among the Suhyang Sect disciples. She gave me a quiet nod of acknowledgment. I returned the gesture and moved to one side of the Practice Hall to observe quietly.
‘…They’re all so diligent.’
Internal energy does not always correlate with skill. However, those with greater internal energy fundamentally held an advantage over those with less.
Most disciples of renowned Orthodox Sects learn meditation techniques from a young age and repeat the same training daily. This meant that the depth of internal energy was proportional to time.
Unless there was some major opportunity—not something like a spiritual stone—the amount of internal energy that could be accumulated in one’s teens, thirties, and sixties was predictable. This was why everyone coveted spiritual elixirs. It also meant that the internal energy accumulated in the dantians of the Suhyang Sect disciples was roughly similar for their respective ages.
For her age group, Seo Ha-ryeong had accumulated quite a bit. It seemed she had consumed some spiritual elixir, but not enough to overwhelmingly suppress those older than her.
Watching the Suhyang Sect disciples and Seo Ha-ryeong together like this, I could see it clearly.
‘The Hundred-Day Elixir will be quite helpful.’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————