The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 99

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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 99
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The roar of the waterfall thundered like a tempest. Below, where the current was somewhat gentler, a young man burst through the surface. It was Yalyu.
The mountain valley waters ran as cold as ice. Yalyu had been submerged for so long that his naturally ruddy lips had drained of all color, turning ashen and pallid.
‘So hot.’
Yet the scorching heat within his body showed no signs of subsiding. From his dantian to his heart, through his veins to the tips of his fingers and toes, the inferno circulated relentlessly.
There had been times before when the heat rose so intensely that sleep became nearly impossible, but never to this degree. Learning the heart method from Cheonsan Yeom-je had made it far worse.
Regarding this heat, Cheonsan Yeom-je had spoken as though it were trivial.
“As your heart method deepens and your inner strength becomes more substantial, the heat will intensify. Overcome that suffering and you live—fail, and you die.”
It meant that if I could learn to control the heat of the extreme yang constitution before losing consciousness to agony, I would survive. Had Baek Li-yeon been present when he said this, she would have dismissed him as a charlatan.
The moment Yalyu expressed his intention to become Cheonsan Yeom-je’s disciple, he was practically abducted and dragged to an unknown mountain valley. After performing the disciple’s bow before Cheonsan Yeom-je, he received the heart method as his first lesson.
Ordinarily, a heart method could not be mastered in merely a day or two.
But when an extreme yang constitution—a genius talent purchased at the price of lifespan and suffering—encountered a heart method that fit his body as though it clung to him, he could master it perfectly in mere days.
What he had learned through the Absorption Demonic Art did not disappear.
Rather, a superior quality of inner strength now enveloped and suppressed it like a layer.
‘I wonder if Yeon can see this too?’
Baek Li-yeon had revealed roughly the extent of her abilities to Yalyu.
They had spent considerable time together, her golden eyes had already been exposed, and she wanted to examine his body properly.
But even before Baek Li-yeon explained, Yalyu had sensed that she was hiding something. It was evident in the movement of her eyes.
She would grope through empty air, peer into a wall as though seeing through it, and moments later, a person would emerge from that direction.
Of course, Baek Li-yeon did not act carelessly about any of this. She was always cautious.
But Yalyu’s gaze, observing her, ran deeper than her caution.
Observing people was second nature to him. From childhood, in a house where he could do nothing, observation was all he could do.
Then, beyond the rocks, a presence stirred.
“Here are your clothes.”
From learning Cheonsan Yeom-je’s heart method, the waste and sweat he had expelled had rendered his garments beyond salvaging or rewearing.
“Thank you.”
Yalyu emerged from the water, dressed completely, and asked with water still dripping from his hair.
“Are we returning now?”
A faint blush had crept across his cheeks, which had been pallid from the cold water. Seeing this, Cheonsan Yeom-je’s mood twisted inexplicably, and he twisted his lips as he spoke.
“I had intended to, but we’ll need to stay longer.”
“…Why is that?”
“Do as you’re told—why do you ask so many questions!”
“….”
Satisfied with Yalyu’s dejected expression, Cheonsan Yeom-je readily offered an explanation.
“The Murim Alliance Master has come to the Namgung Clan.”
The Murim Alliance Master’s name was Wi Ji-baek.
He was the leader of the Orthodox Martial Arts Sects alliance and counted among the Top Eleven Masters of the World.
“I don’t know what business brought him here.”
Cheonsan Yeom-je, sprawled in an indolent posture, waved his hand dismissively.
“But you are a survivor of the Cheon Gwi-jo incident, are you not? The Alliance Leader may wish to see you once the incident is mentioned, so continue your training here until you depart.”
“How long should I stay?”
“How would I know that?”
Cheonsan Yeom-je observed Yalyu’s rather irritated expression and scoffed.
“Well, the Alliance Leader hardly has time to spare, so it shouldn’t take long.”
Throughout receiving the heart method and training, the child had displayed not a single change in expression.
Despite what must have been considerable pain, he appeared so unblemished that I questioned whether my own memory had deceived me.
But the moment Baek Li-yeon’s name was mentioned, his face displayed a multitude of expressions. It was perhaps the only moment one could call him childlike. It was evident he had endured an extraordinary childhood.
Cheonsan Yeom-je had initially been astounded by Yalyu’s refusal, then infuriated, but ultimately grew curious. Setting aside his desperate desire for a disciple, he genuinely wished to know the reason and asked seriously.
The answer was remarkable.
“There is someone I wish to kill.”
He said that if he gained strength, he would kill that person immediately. In those words, Cheonsan Yeom-je glimpsed a murderous intent suppressed since earliest childhood.
Had such killing intent accumulated over such a long period, learning demonic arts would have been effortless. Yet now he sought to restrain it—that was what astonished me.
“If you wish to kill, then kill. With strength like mine, no one would dare reproach you even if you beat several people to death.”
“Would the Great Master Baek Li-yeon say nothing?”
“….”
Cheonsan Yeom-je was left speechless—and his pride was deeply wounded.
So infuriated that he even forgot about Baek Li-yeon’s Residence Quarter, he seized Yalyu by the collar in the courtyard and shook him thoroughly.
Cheonsan Yeom-je opened his mouth.
“Then tell me your story. How did you become entangled with Cheon Gwi-jo?”
Having performed the disciple’s bow and become his true disciple, they now shared a karmic debt together.
“As your master, I must know which wretches deserve to be beaten to death, must I not?”
Cheonsan Yeom-je was not a man particularly interested in others’ affairs. No matter that Yalyu was now his disciple, he would not normally be curious enough to ask such questions.
One would learn such things in time, and if one did not, there was no need to know.
Such was Cheonsan Yeom-je’s usual disposition, but Yalyu’s matter was different. To prevent Yalyu’s heart demon, he needed to understand him. A heart demon meant the mind—the spirit itself—being dominated by demonic influence.
It hindered martial cultivation and, if unlucky, could lead one to fall into demonic obsession. Negative emotions, vengeance, hatred, and murderous intent most easily influenced the heart demon.
They were precisely the greatest obstacles impeding Yalyu’s training.
In other words, Cheonsan Yeom-je wished for Yalyu to harbor no lingering attachment to the past and focus entirely on cultivation.
After several rounds of struggle with the tight-lipped Yalyu, Cheonsan Yeom-je, acting contrary to his nature, coaxed and cajoled him, even dangling the carrot that he would send him back the moment he confirmed the Alliance Leader had departed from the Namgung Clan vicinity—only then did Yalyu’s lips open.
“My mother’s family name is Byeok, and her given name is Ki-hyeon.”
After the struggle had exhausted Cheonsan Yeom-je’s patience to the point of depletion, he burst out loudly.
“How am I supposed to know from hearing your mother’s name… What? Byeok Ki-hyeon?”
Byeok Ki-hyeon. Once, she had been among the most renowned rising masters, mentioned alongside Baek Li-ui-gang and Namgung Wan. Though she had earned renown as a swordmaster of considerable skill, what had made Byeok Ki-hyeon even more famous was her breathtakingly beautiful appearance that made one unable to look away once seen, her gentle demeanor, and her unique origins.
Byeok Ki-hyeon’s original status had been that of a slave. Whether her parents had been slaves or not, she could barely remember her early childhood, having been sold from place to place.
Eventually she was sold to the Byeok Family, a martial household. There she learned the sword, and her talent was so exceptional that she was eventually adopted as a daughter of the Byeok Family. Her remarkable aptitude was such that even the Hyungsan sect’s master proposed making her a direct disciple.
But she refused, saying she could not betray the Byeok Family’s kindness. It would have been the greatest honor for the family, but becoming a direct disciple of a major sect’s master would have prevented her from serving the family. Thus Byeok Ki-hyeon, a shining rising master of the Orthodox Martial Arts Sects, suddenly vanished from all knowledge.
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At that moment, in the Changgyeong Pavilion of the Namgung Clan.
A broad-shouldered, graying man in white martial robes entered. Namgung Mu-cheol, the Namgung Family Head seated in the main hall, greeted him with a smile.
“Welcome, Alliance Leader Wi.”
“It has been a long time, Alliance Master.”
Wi Ji-baek, the leader of the Murim Alliance—the unified coalition of Orthodox Martial Arts Sects—and one of the Top Eleven Masters of the World, offered a respectful salute. From his bearing emanated an unmistakable aura of martial prowess and valor.
Namgung Mu-cheol spoke with a smile.
“Alliance Master? Simply call me the Namgung Family Head.”
“I shall do so.”
Wi Ji-baek, having answered briefly, turned his gaze toward Namgung Wan, who stood beside the Namgung Family Head.
“It has been quite some time for you as well, So Ga-ju. Has it been about two years?”
“It seems to be around that long.”
“You should show your face more often. You are a model for the younger generation. Your son’s reputation is quite formidable as well.”
“It is merely undeserved praise. Unfortunately, he happened to be visiting a nearby temple today for worship, so he was unable to pay his respects.”
Wi Ji-baek nodded and turned his attention to Baek Li-ui-gang, who sat across from Namgung Wan.
“It has been a long time for you as well, Ui-gang.”
Baek Li-ui-gang clasped his hands together respectfully.
“I offer my greetings to the Alliance Master.”
Namgung Mu-cheol stroked his beard as he explained.
“Ui-gang holds a position within the Alliance, so I invited him to join us.”
“Yes, it is no trouble. In fact, it is more convenient and pleasant to see everyone at once.”
“Please, be seated.”
At the words of the Namgung Family Head, who held the highest rank present, Wi Ji-baek took his designated seat.
Wi Ji-baek spoke, looking toward the Namgung Family Head.
“You appear to be in much better health.”
“Is that so?”
“Now that I hold this position, I understand. Complaints from here, grievances from there—all day long, my only concern is how to silence the endless whining of these troublesome fools.”
“So now there is one more person who understands my burdens.”
The Namgung Family Head chuckled warmly and spoke with benevolence.
“You will do well.”
“I shall do my best.”
“Indeed. You must be quite busy these days—what brings you here?”
Wi Ji-baek exhaled a heavy sigh.
“There is no point in concealing it. The conflict between the Namyak Society and Cheonsobo Yechae has been escalating daily, and I have received requests to mediate. On my way there, I learned the Namgung Clan was nearby, so I stopped by briefly.”
The Namgung Family Head nodded thoughtfully.
“Ah, I have heard of it as well. There have already been several skirmishes, I understand. Both organizations are substantial powers—if they truly draw their blades, the bloodshed will be immense.”
Their forces were evenly matched.
A direct confrontation would result in devastating losses for both sides, making recovery nearly impossible. Naturally, neither faction desired such a conflict.
Yet pride prevented reconciliation. They needed justification for peace that would not compromise their honor—and that was why the Murim Alliance Master had come.
At that moment, Namgung Wan set down his teacup and spoke.
“Then why did you bring that child? An unwelcome guest—or rather, not a guest at all. You brought an uninvited intruder.”
Wi Ji-baek frowned and spoke.
“So Ga-ju, show restraint.”
Namgung Wan lifted his teacup with a contemptuous expression. Wi Ji-baek also raised his teacup with visible displeasure. The Namgung Family Head merely laughed heartily, indifferent to the deteriorating atmosphere between them.

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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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