The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter-Chapter 76

Night had fallen, cloaking the lakeside in darkness.

Namgoong Mucheon stood there in silence, recalling the conversation he had shared with Seolhwa earlier that day.

Grandfather, I need your help.

He vividly remembered the moment the child had first reached out to him, revealing the existence of the mental suggestion curse.

The surge of emotion he had felt then—fierce anger at the curse, yes, but even more so, overwhelming joy at the fact that Seolhwa had chosen to rely on him—had been enough to make his fingertips tremble.

Until now, those who knew Namgoong Mucheon had either tried to exploit his power or manipulate his influence.

Seolhwa was different.

That the child had finally broken through her stubbornness to ask him for help had felt like nothing short of a miracle.

And now... she asks for favors so naturally.

Was it truly possible to feel such pride simply because his granddaughter needed something from him?

He smiled without realizing it, heart swelling with a fierce, tender pride.

"Clan Leader."

A figure approached from behind.

It was Seop Mugwang, Lord of the Storm Sword Division.

"Have you found the source of the rumors?"

"It seems to be coming from the Red Dragon Division, but we haven’t yet identified the one pulling the strings behind them.

Rest assured, I will find them and drag them to their knees before you."

"No," Namgoong Mucheon said quietly. "Not before me. Before Seolhwa."

"Of course. Damn bastards."

Power struggles were one thing, but this?

To attack the granddaughter of the Clan Leader—the granddaughter who had only just returned after eight years—was unforgivable.

Whoever it is must be a fool.

The clan’s peace must have deceived them into thinking the Clan Leader was a soft man.

They couldn’t have been more wrong.

The Namgoong Mucheon Seop Mugwang knew was not one to show mercy when it came to injustice.

They'll be lucky to keep their lives...

"The child said she wants to learn the sword from you."

For a moment, Seop Mugwang’s confident face crumbled into confusion.

Flustered, he opened his mouth to protest.

"Brother, that’s—"

"I told her she could."

Seop Mugwang lifted his head to stare at Namgoong Mucheon, who met his gaze squarely.

"Mugwang."

"..."

"I entrust my granddaughter to you."

For the first time in a very long while, Seop Mugwang’s steady gaze wavered.

The man who had always carried himself with unshakable confidence now looked genuinely moved.

"You’re truly giving your permission?"

"If it’s you, I can entrust her without hesitation."

"But Brother... the child’s accomplishments already surpass any of her age group. No—

even among the young masters of the Ten Great Masters, none reached such a level at her age.

If we start training her properly from now..."

"There’s no need to teach Seolhwa the Namgoong Sword."

"Brother!"

Seop Mugwang’s tone grew urgent, his voice slipping into a more formal register.

"She may have been away from the clan for eight years, but she carries Namgoong blood!

Surely you don’t intend to deny her the Namgoong Sword simply because she learned other martial arts outside the clan?"

Namgoong Mucheon shook his head.

"I’m not refusing to teach her.

I’m saying there’s no need."

He smiled faintly.

"That child already knows all there is to know of the Namgoong Sword."

"...What are you saying...?"

"Come to think of it, isn't Mugang due to arrive soon?"

"...He won’t make it before the Heavenly Martial Festival. But no—what do you mean by that?!"

Seop Mugwang stared at him, aghast.

Seolhwa knew the Namgoong Sword? All of it?

"There is no one in Namgoong Clan who could defeat her with the Namgoong Sword except for myself and Mugang."

"...!"

"Even Mugang may have to yield the first exchange."

"You're saying... she's at that level?"

Of course, it was a different matter if they used internal energy to its fullest, but—

In Namgoong Clan, there were two peerless masters: Namgoong Mucheon himself, ranked among the Ten Great Masters,

and Namgoong Mugang, who, while not in the top ten, easily counted among the top thirty martial artists under heaven.

And yet, Mugang might lose the first clash against Seolhwa?

"To be honest... I find it hard to believe."

"Hahaha!"

Namgoong Mucheon let out a hearty laugh.

"Once Mugang returns, see for yourself whether I speak truth or not."

"It’s not that I doubt your judgment, Brother, but..."

"If you find it hard to believe, isn’t that doubt?"

"Well..."

Fine. He admitted it.

It was impossible to believe.

That Namgoong Mugang would lose the first exchange?

That the commanders of the Martial Corps would fall before a mere 'child'?

This time, he couldn’t easily agree with Mucheon’s assertion.

"Well... anyway, so it’s truly all right? That I teach the child the sword?"

"It is."

Mucheon’s eyes softened slightly.

"Whatever sword she learns or masters, that child will always seek the True Sword of the Heavens."

The True Sword of the Heavens—the very essence of the Namgoong Sword.

Namgoong Mucheon had not abandoned his granddaughter.

Rather, he had chosen the path that would allow her to reach even greater heights.

"Your sword is faster and more powerful than any other.

There’s a reason they call you the Storm Thunder God.

And after all, thunder and lightning originate from the heavens—

could there be a sword style more fitting?"

"Hmm..."

Seop Mugwang nodded slowly.

There was no denying that Namgoong Mucheon had played a major role in shaping his own thunderous sword arts.

The child is skilled in both illusionary swordplay and swift sword techniques...

Seolhwa’s sword style shared certain commonalities with both the Namgoong Sword and his own.

Thinking of it that way, perhaps it wasn’t such a bad thing for her to learn from him after all.

Especially since the child had expressed her own will to find her own path.

As expected of the Sword Emperor.

Seop Mugwang let out a short laugh.

A grandfather who, in just a short conversation, could judge everything and open the best possible path for his granddaughter—

there could be no greater ally.

He stepped forward and offered Namgoong Mucheon a crisp martial salute.

"I’ll teach her to the best of my ability, worthy of the trust you’ve placed in me."

"I’ll be looking forward to it."

Namgoong Mucheon tilted his head back, gazing up at the night sky strewn with stars.

"I wonder what kind of sky that child will one day show us."

A quiet smile naturally lifted the corners of his lips.

****

It was around evening when Seolhwa received word from Ilryong, Imoe, and Sambong.

Seolhwa, together with Ryeong, slipped into the shadows and headed out toward the outer courtyard, meeting the three men in secret behind one of the pavilions.

The information they had gathered was excellent.

"Turns out those Division Leaders have been helping themselves to quite a bit," Sambong said with a sneer.

"Compared to them, our little scams against the merchants don’t even count."

"They’ve been taking bribes to promote people to the Inner Hall as guards, no questions asked," Sambong continued.

"Not just that—they’ve even been accepting black market thugs as guards and selling Namgoong Clan’s internal information. Honestly, they're worse than the black market scum."

The sheer amount of evidence they'd collected made it clear just how many crimes the Outer Hall’s Sword Division Leaders had committed under the clan's nose.

"Some idiots think that if they steal long enough without getting caught, it’s a sign of talent.

Now they're even openly drinking with black market sect leaders."

Sambong rattled off their crimes, looking almost more disgusted than angry.

And indeed, it was an ironic situation: it was hard to tell who the real criminals were anymore.

"You did well. Ryeong."

Ryeong pulled out a pouch from her robe and tossed one to each of the three men.

The moment they caught the pouches, the three of them lit up like gold itself.

"Anything else you need done?" Sambong asked slyly, tucking his prize away.

With the payment so generous and their °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° status secured, he was already thinking that if the work stayed this easy, it might be time for a real score.

"Of course," Seolhwa said, almost as if she'd been waiting for the question.

She beckoned to Ryeong, who brought out three more pouches—heavier and fuller than the last.

"This is your advance. Double the amount."

"D-Double?!"

The three men gaped at the bulging pouches.

As they stared, hypnotized by the promise of gold, Seolhwa asked sweetly:

"So, what do you say? Will you take the job?"

****

A man staggered drunkenly through the darkened streets.

A tuneless hum slipped from his lips, unable to contain his glee.

"Heh heh... everything’s going so smoothly."

Namgoong Suhak, Division Leader of the Red Dragon Division’s Outer Hall.

He replayed in his mind the conversation from the drinking party he'd just left.

"They say the Clan Leader cherishes her, but honestly, she’s nothing special. I was so nervous at first, thinking he might stamp out the rumors before they spread."

"Hah! Since when has the Clan Leader ever gone out of his way to protect his children? I heard he gave her some Bone Cleansing and Marrow Washing, and that was it!"

"When she came back and started meddling with our Martial Corps, I got a little worried. But now? I can sit back and enjoy the Heavenly Martial Festival."

"Aren’t you excited? When that brat gets laughed at in front of the entire clan, can you imagine what Master Il will look like?"

Everything was progressing perfectly.

Tomorrow, the first Inner Hall Guard Selection Trials would be held.

And Namgoong Seolhwa’s so-called Red Dragon Eleventh Unit would not be participating.

The Eleventh Unit was made up of castoffs with no backing, no real strength or skill.

There was no way ‘that person’ would tolerate them standing in the way.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

They really thought that just because they had the little Namgoong girl backing them, they could make something of themselves. Heh heh...

But what power did a thirteen-year-old child, newly returned to the clan, really have?

Foolishly, the idiots of the Eleventh Unit had risen to his bait without a second thought.

Thanks to that, he'd crossed one more worry off his list.

Once ‘that person’ found out how well he’d handled things,

what sort of reward might he receive?

"Heh heh... I'm really looking forward to it. Really looking forward—"

"What are you looking forward to so much?"

A voice cut through the darkness, startling Suhak so badly he leapt back and pressed himself flat against a nearby wall.

"Wh-Who’s there?!"

Frantically scanning the shadows, he spotted a figure emerging from the darkness.

No—not a man.

A child.