The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter-Chapter 18: 3. The Returned Child

Chapter 3. The Returned Child

The dinner that had been arranged with Namgoong Mucheon was prepared at the Clan Head’s residence, where he lived.

After washing thoroughly and changing into the clothes provided by the Namgoong Clan, Ilhwa made her way toward the residence.

The interior of the Clan Head’s quarters was not much different from what she had seen in her previous life.

The flower beds were full of deep crimson poppies in bloom, and towering willow trees hung gracefully over the edge of the large pond.

It was the very same garden she had described when she first entered Namgoong, trying to prove her identity.

"Come in."

The meal was set near the pavilion by the pond.

Namgoong Mucheon greeted her.

Standing behind him was Seop Mugwang, and aside from a single servant attending the meal, no one else was present.

"Sit comfortably. I've dismissed the servants—no need to feel pressured."

"Thank you for your consideration."

Ilhwa returned the greeting with a proper bow, then took her seat.

"I hear you like good food."

No sooner had she sat than a variety of delicacies began to float from the table and arranged themselves neatly before her.

Telekinetic Object Control...

A technique close to divine art, said to be possible only for those who had reached the Flowing Realm.

It was the act of moving objects without touching them, manipulating energy to lift and shift matter.

Naturally, one had to possess enough inner energy to support the object, and above all, the delicate control of qi was essential—something only a true master could pull off.

Yet Namgoong Mucheon controlled it effortlessly, with just the flick of a single finger, as if simply moving his hand.

Despite witnessing such an unbelievable sight, Ilhwa’s expression remained calm.

"How is your injury?"

Namgoong Mucheon asked as he guided the food in front of her.

Ilhwa chewed and swallowed a bite of Dongpo pork before answering.

"It’s fine."

"It doesn’t hurt?"

"No. My body’s dull when it comes to pain."

Namgoong Mucheon’s brow subtly furrowed.

"What do you mean, ‘dull to pain’?"

Ilhwa picked up a dumpling the size of her finger, topped with a flower petal, and answered.

"I almost died when I was five."

Namgoong Mucheon and Seop Mugwang stiffened immediately, but Ilhwa didn’t notice the change in their expressions.

"Someone tried to save me by forcefully pushing inner energy into my body. I think that’s when I lost both memory and sensation."

She popped the dumpling into her mouth and chewed quietly. A nutty, savory flavor spread throughout her mouth.

Tastes good.

Not as good as the dumpling shop Seop Mugwang had taken her to last time, but still—pretty delicious.

Is this why the sons and daughters of wealthy noble clans always look so well-fed?

Even as Namgoong Mucheon fell into a prolonged silence, Ilhwa didn’t seem particularly concerned.

She was busy enjoying her meal.

"Was the one who saved you the Master of Huaoru?"

Namgoong Mucheon’s voice had grown heavier.

Ilhwa raised her eyes and met his gaze.

"Yes."

"Then why did you betray him?"

"Because I think he’s also the one who led me to my death."

“...”

Namgoong Mucheon stared at Ilhwa in silence, then rubbed his forehead with a sigh.

Death.

That word was far too heavy to come from the mouth of a thirteen-year-old child.

And yet, she spoke as though it had nothing to do with her—as if she were talking about someone else entirely.

Who had made her like this?

I will find them... and annihilate them.

The air near the pond where they were eating trembled—rumble—then quieted again.

Ilhwa, having just swallowed a bite, looked at him.

"Namgoong can’t defeat them."

Namgoong Mucheon’s expression hardened, but Ilhwa didn’t stop.

"If you go up against them now, Namgoong won’t survive."

"Do you mean that sincerely?"

"Yes."

"I will take action."

"Even so."

Even in her past life, Namgoong had never been a match for the Blood Demon Cult.

Even if the forces of all Central Plains united, their strength would only barely compare. There was no way Namgoong could bring them down alone.

"There are ten supreme masters in the world. They maintain balance and order in the martial realm. What if three of them were to act?"

"They could kill half of Huaoru’s leadership, but they likely wouldn’t make it out alive."

"Then what if half of them acted?"

"They could destroy Huaoru—but they wouldn’t be able to kill the Master."

Namgoong Mucheon closed his mouth, his expression grave.

He didn’t fully believe the child’s words.

Who were the Ten Supreme Masters of the world? They were the very pillars that held up the martial realm.

It was because they existed that peace flowed throughout the world. No one dared to break that peace while they remained.

And now she claimed that even half of them couldn’t kill a single master of a tavern?

"Who are they?"

Through this conversation with Ilhwa, Namgoong Mucheon had come to understand—there was another force behind Huaoru.

His question was aimed at the identity of that hidden force.

Ilhwa set her chopsticks down neatly and dipped her hand into the tea water.

With the moist tip of her fingers, she traced a single character on the dry surface of the table.

"禁" — Prohibition.

The moment they saw the character, shock spread across Namgoong Mucheon and Seop Mugwang’s faces.

Seop Mugwang murmured under his breath.

"The Forbidden Seal...?"

The Forbidden Seal—a binding spell that prevents any information from being spoken aloud.

The Blood Demon Cult’s version of the Forbidden Seal was particularly cruel. Even attempting to utter a single related word would rupture the meridians, causing one to vomit blood from every orifice and die in agony.

That was why, even though Ilhwa knew her enemies, she could not speak a single word about them aloud.

“Mugwang. Summon the Medicine Hall Master.”

“Yes.”

Namgoong Mucheon’s expression turned grave.

He had assumed that Huaoru, the place that had taken in the child, was just another back-alley faction of the dark path.

A place Namgoong’s strength could easily crush.

He had ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) asked the child about Huaoru to hold them accountable and deliver punishment befitting their crimes.

But a Forbidden Seal?

To think that such a calculated and vicious power existed in this peaceful martial world—one that would go so far as to place a Forbidden Seal on a child.

“Do you understand what it is you’ve just said?”

“A tidal wave strong enough to drown Mount Tai is coming. A tide of blood.”

Her voice and gaze remained unwavering.

They were far too serious for a child. And that seriousness made her words impossible to dismiss.

“If such a force exists, why has no one ever heard of them?”

“Because there are those who hide their existence and blind others to it.”

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“Infiltrators.”

Yes, infiltrators could do that. But—

“There are many factions in the Central Plains. It’s impossible to embed spies in all of them.”

“Not if they’ve had a very long time.”

In five years, the martial factions of the Central Plains would fall without resistance. The main reason: the spies the Blood Demon Cult had planted in every organization.

They blinded eyes and stopped ears, concealing the cult’s existence and leading others straight off a cliff.

In her previous life, the Central Plains martial world only realized the cult’s existence when they were already at the edge of that cliff.

And by then, at that critical moment, not even the greatest masters—no one—could save it.

“Do you still trust me?”

Ilhwa’s eyes, heavy with sincerity, fixed on Namgoong Mucheon.

They still held the innocence of a child—but they were deeper than any adult’s gaze.

“Then let me ask you one thing.”

“Yes.”

“Why did you return to Namgoong?”

It wasn’t a question of blame or reproach.

He simply wanted to know if she had returned because her memory had come back—or if there was something more.

“I know you guided the Red Dragon squad boy’s martial arts. What is it you seek to do in Namgoong?”

“I’m going to prevent Namgoong from falling.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m a child of Namgoong.”

There wasn’t a trace of falsehood in the child's eyes as she said that.

No—what Namgoong Mucheon saw in her gaze was desperation.

A powerful desperation strong enough to make him believe that she truly wished to save the clan.

When was the last time he had seen such fervor for the family?

Even his own children, raised within Namgoong their entire lives, had never shown such passion for the survival of the clan.

And now, a child who had returned after eight years—his granddaughter—was saying she would save the family.

In the name of Namgoong.

“...Ha.”

Namgoong Mucheon let out a quiet chuckle.

He moved some dishes within her reach that she hadn’t been able to reach on her own.

“Since you’ve answered honestly, I’ll give you an honest answer in return.”

Ilhwa took the food he had passed over and began eating.

As she quietly chewed, Namgoong Mucheon looked at her with warm eyes and spoke.

“It’s hard to believe everything you’ve said.”

Ilhwa nodded.

“That’s why I’ll watch you from here on. I’ll see what you do in Namgoong, and how you plan to save it.”

She nodded again.

“I am the Clan Head. If you ever do anything that endangers Namgoong, I will stop you.”

Namgoong was vast and powerful.

Within it, countless interests intertwined, and power struggles were far from rare.

Even now, there were factions vying for the vacant seat of Sub-Head.

As the Clan Head, Namgoong Mucheon had to choose what was most beneficial for the clan. He could not always take her side.

“But.”

The one who stood at the pinnacle of power.

The man who reigned as the absolute authority of the clan, backed by strength that commanded the entire martial world.

“If there is no doubt that what you do is for the good of Namgoong...”

Namgoong Mucheon, Clan Head of Namgoong, gave his vow.

“Then I will become the greatest sky you can rely on.”