The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter-Chapter 41

It was quite the refined spiritual energy—worthy of a Daoist.

But to Seolhwa, who clearly remembered what had happened just moments ago, it was nothing more than a hollow display.

“A disciple of Mount Hua... what brings you to Hefei?”

“That’s a secret.”

He replied with a bright smile, causing a shift in Seolhwa’s gaze—her eyes now serious.

“Mount Hua, in Hefei.”

There could only be one reason why Mount Hua would bother to come here at this point in time.

“But, um...”

The boy scratched his head awkwardly.

“...?”

“Could you maybe put in a good word with my master? If I go back like this, he might actually beat me to death thi—ow!”

Seolhwa didn’t bother listening any further and turned to leave.

Yu Gang hurried after her in a panic.

“Hey, hey! Don’t be like that! I even gave you my robe so your lips wouldn’t get all crooked from the cold! Could you maybe... spare the life of your life-saver just once...? Ack!”

Something came flying straight at Yu Gang’s face.

It was the martial robe he’d draped over Seolhwa.

As he pulled the robe down from his face, he saw Seolhwa staring at him with cold, unreadable eyes.

“We’re even.”

“What?”

“I’m not in a position to help anyone either.”

Seolhwa gestured toward the city.

In the streets, martial artists from the Namgoong Clan were scrambling in every direction—clearly searching for her.

If either of them returned now, it wouldn’t go well for either party.

“Ah...”

Realizing her point a beat too late, Yu Gang turned to stare at the city blankly, then looked back at Seolhwa with a conflicted expression.

His thoughts were so transparent, it was like reading a book.

Seolhwa let out a soft chuckle.

“I won’t forget that you helped me. If you ever need anything, come to Namgoong.”

“If I go to Namgoong... can I see you again?”

Seolhwa nodded once.

Yu Gang’s face lit up with hope as he shouted, “Let’s have a duel! Sword-to-sword! It’s been my dream to fight the Heaven’s Bane Sword!”

“No.”

The refusal was sharp, cutting through the air before he could even finish drawing breath.

Yu Gang’s expression instantly deflated.

“...Why...?”

“If you really want to cross blades with me—”

Seolhwa’s eyes curved gently, her expression softening ever so slightly.

A breeze swept by, fluttering the strands of hair that had fallen over her face.

“—then come back stronger.”

“...!”

She vanished from his sight in an instant.

Like a gust of wind that had quietly come and gone, she disappeared without a trace.

Dust rose from the spot where she had stood, then slowly settled.

Yu Gang just stood there, staring blankly at the empty space.

What the...

“...That was... awesome...”

His cheeks slowly flushed with a light red hue.

****

“She clearly approached with ulterior motives from the start. We should check if any secret techniques have gone missing.”

“She even fooled the Clan Head and the Commander of the Secret Wind Sword Corps, then disappeared? Tsk, tsk. Young or not, she’s smart enough to pull off something like that...”

“She might be family, but shouldn’t she be caught and punished properly?”

The child was gone.

Upon receiving the report of Seolhwa’s disappearance, Namgoong Mucheon immediately organized a search party and ordered her to be found.

At first, he assumed it was the work of enemies targeting her.

But within the span of a single hour, a different rumor began to spread throughout the clan.

That the child had defeated the Commander of the Secret Wind Sword Corps and the Head of the Medicine Hall, then escaped.

Namgoong Mucheon stared down at the warriors and attendants gossiping so confidently.

One hour. In just one hour, public opinion had flipped.

Could that really be a coincidence?

“Someone’s stirring the pot.”

But who?

He didn’t know yet. But one thing was clear—there was rot festering within his own household.

“Clan Head. Shall I punish them?”

“Leave it. If ignorance were a crime, who in this world would be spared?”

Besides, that rumor... might not be entirely false.

When he’d rushed to Seolhwa’s quarters after receiving the report, he’d found everything shockingly tidy. There were no signs of a break-in, no traces suggesting someone had dragged her away by force.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

More than anything—there was the condition of Seop Mugwang, the Wind Thunder God.

Even with the strongest of sedatives, a man of his level—an expert at the peak of mastery—shouldn’t go down so easily.

If an unknown intruder had subdued him, his body would’ve shown clear signs of resistance. His entire being should’ve been locked in tension.

Yet when Namgoong Mucheon examined him, Seop Mugwang looked merely... asleep.

As though he’d recognized the one who drugged him, and chose not to resist.

“She left on her own.”

There was only one person who could’ve incapacitated the Wind Thunder God so effortlessly: that child.

But the idea that she ran away? That he couldn’t believe.

“I can handle this.”

He vividly remembered the look in her eyes when she’d said that.

If it was truly her doing, she hadn’t run away. She was trying to solve things with her own strength.

And if that was the case, Namgoong Mucheon didn’t expect much more from her.

“Where are you, Seolhwa?”

Please, be safe. Unharmed.

****

Voices buzzed all around.

When she left, she’d climbed over the wall.

But this time, she returned through the front gate.

There was no need to make it known that she understood every inch of Namgoong’s estate.

And the fastest way to alert everyone she’d returned—was through the front gate.

“It’s the young miss! The young miss has returned!”

The gatekeeper’s shout was followed by the launch of a signal flare.

All eyes turned to Seolhwa—warriors, attendants, everyone who had been gathered near the gate.

Shock rippled across their faces.

“W-What is that...?”

“Is that... blood?”

As whispers stirred all around her, Seolhwa walked forward without a word.

She had just crossed the gate and was halfway through the Inner Hall’s courtyard when ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ a large figure stepped into her path.

Seolhwa lifted her gaze.

Standing before her, looking stunned, were Namgoong Mucheon, the Chief Administrator, and several Hall Masters.

Seolhwa brought her hands together in a formal martial salute.

“The stench of blood is thick.”

Namgoong Mucheon’s voice was laced with a chill of suppressed fury.

Seolhwa gave no excuse. She simply bowed her head.

There was nothing she could say—after all, she had deceived them all and slipped out in secret.

“...I apologize.”

“You’ve returned. That’s enough. Did you complete your task?”

“...Yes.”

“Come. Let’s go to your quarters.”

Namgoong Mucheon turned to the others nearby.

“All of you—return to your duties.”

Though the Hall Masters looked like they had much to say, not a single one dared to speak.

The warriors and attendants who had gathered around to witness the scene also quietly dispersed, following Namgoong Mucheon’s command.

Mucheon began walking toward Seolhwa’s residence.

Seolhwa followed behind him in silence.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

The cold edge from earlier was now gone from his voice—it had grown warm, almost gentle.

Seolhwa nodded quietly.

“No.”

“Wash up first and change your clothes.”

“Yes.”

When she arrived at her quarters, everything was already prepared—hot bathwater and fresh clothes awaited her.

As if someone had known she would return.

She dismissed the attendant who offered to help her bathe and entered the bath alone. She couldn’t risk anyone seeing the wounds stained with blood energy.

Only after circulating her internal energy and forcing out the blood energy did she sink into the warm water.

Splash—

In the steaming bath, Seolhwa drew her knees up to her chest.

The wounds from her fight with Pawol were still visible.

Fine, bloodless cuts—like hairline cracks—reminded her of what had happened the night before.

Pawol.

She had cut off the arms of someone who had been her comrade for eight years. Yet she felt no guilt. No regret.

Most of the Blood Demon’s teachings were devoid of humanity and worthless—but there were a few things she agreed with.

“If you don’t kill, you die.”

Had she not severed Pawol’s arms, many would have died by his hands. Including members of the Namgoong Clan.

So what she did was justified.

After changing into her clean clothes, she returned to her room.

Namgoong Mucheon was already seated at the table, arms crossed, eyes closed, sitting upright with perfect posture.

“Grandfather.”

Mucheon slowly opened his eyes and turned to look at her.

A faint furrow formed between his brows.

“You’re injured.”

His gaze settled on her forehead.

It was a shallow cut—left from when she had charged through Pawol’s blade.

“It’s nothing. One of the attendants said she’d bring some gold salve.”

“...Sit.”

Mucheon sighed and gestured to the seat across from him. He rubbed his brow, clearly weary.

A heavy silence settled over the room.

It was Seolhwa who broke it.

“...I’m sorry. For deceiving everyone. I just didn’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me.”

“...And what if you were the one to get hurt? If it was something you could handle, then someone else could have solved it without you getting injured.”

There were many in the clan far stronger than Seolhwa.

Had they stepped forward, she would not have needed to shed blood.

That was what truly angered Namgoong Mucheon.

She had returned to the clan. She had the right to step back from danger, to rely on the clan’s protection.

Why, then, had she gone out only to return wounded?

“Do you have so little faith... in this grandfather of yours? In the Namgoong Clan?”