The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 91

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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 91
“And you’re not even part of the Suhyang Sect, so what were you doing here?”
“Huh?”
Why was he showing such unusual interest?
Observing his suspicion, I realized the answer and responded.
“I wasn’t trying to interfere with the Suhyang Sect disciples’ training, and I didn’t come here to play around. Relax your expression.”
“…That’s not it.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong bit his lip as he answered, and his ears flushed slightly. I gestured for him to come along.
Namgung Ryu-cheong didn’t move and asked again.
“So why were you here?”
He clearly had no intention of moving until I answered.
“Ah, I had something to give.”
“Something to give?”
“A vitality elixir. I came to give Seo So-jeo a vitality elixir. Do you know what a Hundred-Day Pill is?”
“A Hundred-Day Pill? Why would you do that?”
“Well… I can’t consume it myself, can I?”
I shrugged as I answered.
“….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s face hardened visibly. Puzzled, I opened my mouth to urge him along.
“Young Master, you should go see So Bu-in soon….”
“How can you be like this?”
“Huh?”
“How can you be so composed? Your dantian… when it’s become like that?”
Why now of all times?
I scratched my head. I looked at Namgung Ryu-cheong’s serious face, then at empty air, then down at my feet planted on the dirt ground.
“Do I seem composed?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong nodded.
How should I answer?
As I hesitated, looking at his open, honest face, I suddenly felt the urge to speak the truth.
“Mission accomplished. I’m just trying to appear composed.”
“What?”
“I’m incredibly frustrated, wronged, and resentful. But what good would it do if I weren’t composed? Holding onto hope is fine. But clinging to regret only eats away at you.”
“….”
“It’s already happened.”
These were words I could never say to Baek Li-ui-gang.
‘Come to think of it, what did he say to her?’
I sighed deeply and turned my head away. The good mood I’d felt while with the Suhyang Sect disciples suddenly deflated.
After a moment, Namgung Ryu-cheong opened his mouth.
“You are….”
He spoke only those words before closing his mouth again. And after a long pause, he continued.
“You don’t need to be sad. You’re far superior to those other fools.”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head.
What? Could this be… comfort?
‘Is Namgung Ryu-cheong actually consoling me?’
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s cheeks were flushed crimson.
He really is trying to comfort me…!
“Has he been possessed by a ghost…?”
“More nonsense.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong shot me a sharp glance before quickening his pace ahead.
“E-even if you try to comfort me, I don’t need it anymore!”
“I never asked for your gratitude.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong spoke coldly, hurrying his steps.
Watching his retreating figure, my melancholy lifted entirely, and I found myself humming.
“Mmm-hmm.”
Namgung Ryu-cheong’s true nature is genuinely kind, I tell you.
“By the way, did your uncle mention anything about the Eternal Elixir?”
“No.”
“Really?”
‘I thought the Gongcheong Stone Elixir would go to Namgung Ryu-cheong.’
It’s a parent’s nature to want to give their children good things.
From the moment Namgung Wan received it, I suspected it wouldn’t pass to Namgung Ryu-cheong. And when I saw Namgung Wan receive the Gongcheong Stone Elixir and set it aside rather than consume it immediately, my suspicion became certainty.
‘Is he saving it to give gradually?’
I spoke to Namgung Ryu-cheong.
“You should be grateful to me.”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
Namgung Ryu-cheong glared at me as if I were spouting nonsense.
“No, really—you’ll have reason to be grateful someday!”
This time he didn’t even turn around.
* * *
The moment I arrived at the pavilion where So Bu-in resided, I doubted my eyes. A pallid woman and a boy of about ten years old—one of them looked familiar.
‘Jang Cheol?’
What was he doing here?
The boy beside Jang Cheol was someone I’d never seen before. Namgung Ryu-cheong’s expression had hardened into stone. He didn’t appear surprised, which meant he already knew of Jang Cheol’s presence.
So Bu-in extended her hand toward me.
“Yeon, come here.”
I approached while concealing my bewilderment.
So Bu-in continued gently.
“I apologize for summoning you so abruptly. There’s someone who wished to see you. This is Lady Jang.”
Lady Jang, with her gaunt complexion, offered me a faint smile. From her striking resemblance to Jang Cheol, I could immediately tell she was his mother.
I bowed politely.
“I am Yeon of the Baek Family. It is an honor to meet you.”
“I startled you by summoning you so suddenly.”
Lady Jang’s voice was somewhat unexpected. Unlike her complexion, her tone was clipped and resembled that of a martial artist. When Lady Jang gestured, the female servant brought Jang Cheol and a child I had never seen before. Jang Cheol appeared to be reluctant, dragged along against his will, while the unfamiliar child wore a bright, cheerful smile.
“You already know this one, I presume. My eldest, Jang Cheol, and this is my second son, Jang O.”
Jang Cheol kept his mouth firmly shut, staring only at the ground.
Jang O did the opposite, greeting me with a smile.
“….”
“Hello. I’m Jang O.”
I wondered what on earth was happening, but I returned his greeting anyway.
“…Hello.”
“….”
Namgung Ryu-cheong beside me glanced at Jang Cheol and Jang O once, then said nothing.
Lady Jang spoke.
“O, step back for a moment.”
“Yes.”
Jang O withdrew to the back, and So Bu-in opened her mouth again.
“I heard there was a disturbance in the back alley yesterday. Lady Jang heard of it and came today to apologize right away.”
“An apology?”
“Yes.”
Really?
I looked at her with confusion. Yesterday in the back alley, I had made them apologize and sent them away. Even more than that….
“Cheol.”
“….”
Though Lady Jang pressed him, Jang Cheol kept his mouth shut with an aggrieved expression. There was no sign of remorse whatsoever.
Eventually, Lady Jang’s voice grew louder.
“Jang Cheol!”
Lady Jang, who had shouted, covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed harshly.
Only then did Jang Cheol open his mouth.
“…I’m sorry for what I said yesterday.”
This wasn’t even a proper apology with a bow. Honestly, it didn’t feel sincere at all, but….
Since Lady Jang’s condition looked truly poor, it seemed better to let it slide.
I was about to nod in acknowledgment.
[Fool.]
Suddenly, a voice transmission reached me.
‘Who dares call me a fool!’
There was only one person here who would do that.
Namgung Ryu-cheong.
Unable to help myself, I turned to look at him.
“Grand Young Master Jang, may I ask you something? What exactly are you sorry for?”
It was Namgung Ryu-cheong.
“You don’t even sound sincere about it. What exactly are you apologizing for?”
“….”
“….”
The temperature in the hall seemed to drop by a couple of degrees. Jang Cheol’s face drained of color before flushing crimson.
So Bu-in forced a smile, gritting her teeth as she spoke.
“Ryu-cheong, come here.”
“Mother, are you calling that an apology? Shouldn’t Lady Jang have properly persuaded the Crown Prince first before bringing him here?”
Lady Jang’s eyes widened as she breathed heavily. Seeing her like that, Jang Cheol’s eyes inevitably blazed with fury.
“How dare you speak to my mother that way!”
“You’re the one who brought shame upon your mother’s honor.”
“What did you say? You insolent bastard…! Is that all you can do because you’re from the Namgung Family?”
“Is that truly all you have to say….”
“Enough, enough!”
So Bu-in, stopping the quarrel, rebuked Namgung Ryu-cheong.
“Ryu-cheong! This isn’t even your affair—why are you interfering!”
“But….”
“Ryu-cheong!”
Namgung Ryu-cheong, about to say something, bit his lip and fell silent. Beside him, Jang Cheol clenched his teeth and glared at Lady Jang with resentment burning in his eyes.
“I told you I wasn’t coming!”
Jang Cheol, crying out like a petulant child, stormed out of the hall.
“Cheol, where are you going! Jang…! Cough, cough!”
Lady Jang’s startled cry was swallowed by her coughing. I stood frozen, staring after Jang Cheol’s retreating figure.
“My lady!”
At So Bu-in’s urgent voice, I turned my attention to Lady Jang. The quality of her cough itself was different—her condition appeared far worse than I had anticipated.
“Lady Jang, it would be best if you rested and composed yourself. You must prioritize your health first.”
A faint metallic scent of blood lingered in the air. Lady Jang’s illness ran deeper than I had expected. So Bu-in, gently patting Lady Jang’s hand, commanded the servant.
“Take Lady Jang to the adjacent chamber. Have Jang O rest in another room for a while. And Jang Cheol?”
The servant at the door answered.
“The outer servants have followed him.”
“I see.”
After Lady Jang and Jang O moved to another chamber, So Bu-in wearily pressed her hand to her forehead.

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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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