The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter-Chapter 175

Hah-! Haah!

Shouts of exertion echoed day and night across the Namgoong Clan’s martial training grounds.

It was a fitting sight for one of the noble martial households of the Murim.

From the platform overlooking the entire training ground, Namgoong Mucheon stood with both hands resting on his cane, watching the martial artists display their swordsmanship.

“Grand Evolution Sword Art, Second Form of the First Three!”

Haah! Hah!

In sync with the commanding voice of the Black Dragon Division Commander, the swords of the Namgoong Clan were visibly firmer than they had been just a few days prior.

Even the elders and hall masters, who had initially struggled when group training began across the clan, were now demonstrating the spirit of true warriors from the front lines.

With the elders leading the charge in training, enthusiasm flared not only among the inner court warriors but also the outer court and even the youngest of martial artists.

A breeze blew through the heat of their fervor.

Namgoong Mucheon lifted his gaze to the deep blue sky above.

Three years at the least, four years at the most.

A short time if seen one way, a long time if seen another.

He had already sent proposals for a gathering of the five noble families to the other four clans, aiming for reconciliation.

The Pang Clan of Hebei, the Murong Clan, and the Zhuge Clan had all sent their agreement to attend.

Now, the only one left—

“Father.”

Namgoong Mucheon turned around.

His firstborn, Cheongun, bowed to him and held out a scroll.

“We have received a reply from the Sichuan Tang Clan.”

Namgoong Mucheon unfurled the scroll and read its contents.

Cheongun, clearly curious, asked,

“What did the Tang Clan say?”

Namgoong Mucheon folded the letter and handed it to Cheongun.

At his grave expression, Cheongun looked slightly nervous as he read the letter.

And just as he grasped its content—

“They agreed to join us.”

Namgoong Mucheon replied in a cheerful voice.

Cheongun's expression brightened as well.

“With this, all five clans will be gathered in one place...!”

“Yes.”

Namgoong Mucheon nodded, a satisfied smile on his face.

“It is going to become quite busy.”

****

A chill silence had settled over the banquet hall.

The servant girl, confronted with a cup held out to her, stood frozen in confusion.

“Why are you just standing there? I told you to pour the drink.”

“M-my lord~”

The head courtesan, who had been standing nearby, hurried over and tried to take Ryeong's arm.

But as Ryeong blocked her, she hastily sat beside him and spoke quickly.

“She is not a courtesan, my lord. Merely one of our lowly servant girls. If you wish for someone to pour your wine, please let us know~ There are many girls eager to serve you. I shall call for—”

“I told this girl to pour my drink. I did not ask you to bring another.”

“B-but...”

“Everyone, leave. At once.”

A black aura slowly rose from Ryeong’s body.

The head courtesan rolled her eyes in panic but soon stood and bowed respectfully.

“If you need anything, please call, my lord. We shall wait outside the door.”

The head courtesan and all the other courtesans exited the hall.

With the doors shut, only Ryeong and the servant girl remained in the vast banquet room.

Trembling, the girl approached and poured wine into Ryeong’s cup.

Watching the hand holding the cup, Ryeong spoke.

“That trembling looks natural enough to fool most people.”

“P-pardon...?”

“I said I came here to see you.”

“....”

“Hao Sect Leader.”

The girl’s trembling halted at once.

The wine overflowed, filling the cup and spilling over, wetting Ryeong’s hand.

A brief silence followed.

Then Ryeong spoke.

“Do not entertain foolish ideas. Did you think I would come to meet the Sect Leader without proper precautions? Even if you kill the girl you are facing, it will not reveal my identity.”

Only after relaying Seolhwa’s words did Ryeong realize the Hao Sect Leader had intended to kill him.

The servant girl set down the cup and stepped back.

Her expression had already calmed significantly.

“...How did you know?”

“Traces of martial arts training are not so easily hidden. For the Sect Leader to appear personally—how reckless.”

“Did you not throw money around to host a banquet so grand it nearly emptied all of Changsha’s streets just to lure me here?”

“Then you should have been even more cautious.”

“How could I resist when I was curious which young master from which noble house was behaving so indulgently?”

She was the Hao Sect Leader.

When someone throws a fortune around while obsessively concealing their identity, it was only natural that she would want to see them with her own eyes.

To hide something is to possess a weakness.

“You would do well to be more careful in the future.”

“You mean I should send someone else, like you did?”

“Not a bad method.”

“It is also a cowardly and selfish one.”

“....”

“To put another in harm’s way just to save oneself—is there any act more disgraceful?”

Seolhwa was briefly at a loss for words.

So the Hao Sect Leader once thought this way...

In her previous life, Seolhwa had never seen the Hao Sect Leader in person except when she came to meet the Blood Demon.

Even as countless Hao sect members died searching for her, she remained hidden without exception.

What kind of change had turned her into someone who now stood at the forefront?

“Let me be direct. Help me. I need you and the Hao Sect.”

“No. The Hao Sect is not a faction that moves under someone else’s command. Even if you kill me here, the Hao Sect will never act on your behalf.”

“I am not asking you to submit. I am asking to share information.”

“We do not engage in losing trades.”

“Changsha is divided into three major powers. I hear many die in the hidden conflict between them. If I resolve that issue, would that be enough?”

The Hao Sect Leader faltered.

The power struggles behind the city’s glitzy façade were not something just anyone living in Changsha could know.

The major brothels and merchant guilds were intertwined, and unless one held considerable strength, there was no way to intervene. The ones actually fighting were the black factions hired by those same brothels and guilds.

Anyone who leapt in with some shallow sense of justice was usually found dead the next morning.

The powerless courtesans, errand boys, and commoners at the lowest rungs were dying—but no one paid attention.

“...You say you’ll resolve that?”

“As you can see, I am wealthy, and strong.”

“How many do you think have vanished without a trace, even with wealth and strength?”

“Someone, somewhere, is hoping for that resolution.”

Yes. They were hoping.

Desperately.

But that alone was not enough for the Hao Sect to hand over its information network.

And besides, she still did not know who this man truly was.

“I will unite the black factions.”

“!”

The Hao Sect Leader froze at his answer, as if he had read her thoughts.

She had met many people in her time as the Hao Sect Leader—but never someone who radiated such overwhelming confidence.

“You speak of an impossible dream.”

Unite the black factions?

“It cannot be done.”

“I will make it happen.”

“I do not understand where your confidence comes from.”

“I will show you.”

The Hao Sect Leader stared at Ryeong.

She gazed at him, eyes clouded with slight confusion, then turned away with a sigh, as if resigned.

“Fine. Try solving the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) power struggle first, then. If you succeed, we will discuss terms properly.”

“I will help you find your daughter.”

Shwick—!

“!” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

A sharp throwing dagger halted just before Ryeong’s face.

Behind the mask, Ryeong’s eyes quivered slightly.

At that moment, a voice thundered through the room, accompanied by a suffocating black aura.

[As I said. Even if you kill this girl, there is nothing you will gain.]

The Hao Sect Leader felt a chill that made her skin prickle and her hairs stand on end.

Liuhe Transmission Sound...!

An advanced sound transmission technique—not directed at a specific person but resonating from all directions to conceal the speaker’s location.

As far as she knew, only those who had reached the Realm of Transformation could use Liuhe Transmission Sound.

And to stop her throwing dagger purely with aura—

One of the Ten Masters of the Central Plains...?

Even if not one of the ten, this was someone who stood among the highest level of martial artists.

In such a tightly drawn standoff, where one wrong move meant instant death, the Hao Sect Leader revealed her own sharp killing intent.

“How did you know I was looking for my daughter?”

With the human-skin mask she wore, she could not appear older than twenty at most.

He had realized she was concealing her identity too?

[How I know is not important. What matters is where your daughter is.]

“...Are you saying you know where she is?”

[It is not impossible to find her. I do not know where she is now—but I know who took her. If you help me, I will dedicate my strength to finding her.]

“....”

The Hao Sect Leader’s expression collapsed.

Everything she had built—the Hao Sect, the information network—it had all been for one purpose: to find her stolen daughter.

Liuhe Transmission. Object-subduing Qi.

A man with power on par with the Ten Masters of the Central Plains.

With such a man—

Solving the hidden power struggle, and uniting the black factions may not be impossible.

And even finding her daughter...

The Hao Sect Leader clenched her fist.

She turned to face him.

“Then resolve the struggle first. In the meantime, I will prepare what you need.”

The black aura that had filled the room quietly dissipated.

Ryeong rose from his seat.

“Very well.”

The Hao Sect Leader turned back and asked,

“What is your name? The name of the force you intend to establish.”

The black mask silently regarded her for a moment.

Then, Seolhwa’s voice filled the entire hall:

[Evil Dao Union (Sado-ryeon)]

<Return of the Namgoong Clan’s Granddaughter>

Part 1 – END