The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter-Chapter 64

Namgoong Soryong.

Seolhwa didn’t have many memories of him.

There was one who abandoned the clan and went into hiding with his maternal relatives after Namgoong was destroyed...

She remembered tracking him down to kill him, disgusted by his cowardice. What had he said back then?

That he’d cast off the Namgoong name long ago, wasn’t it?

Not that it mattered. Even if he'd renounced the name, she had no intention of sparing someone with Namgoong blood. She remembered ending it in a single stroke.

That was the extent of Seolhwa’s memory of Namgoong Soryong.

“You—you crazy bitch!”

Soryong’s face turned red as he screamed.

“Crawling back here like some half-dead stray after rotting away gods-know-where! You should be thankful I even acknowledged you!”

“H-Hyung, please!”

Startled by his sudden outburst, Namgoong Woong tried to stop him.

But Soryong angrily shoved his brother’s arm away.

“Don’t hold me back! You know how much I’ve held back with her!”

Seolhwa tilted her head slightly.

Have I even met him before?

Nope.

They’d never even spoken. So apparently, you could “hold a grudge” without ever exchanging a word.

“Father told us to treat Lady Seolhwa with respect!”

“Are you nuts?! Why the hell should I treat her nicely? She’s just some filthy beggar whore!”

“Hyung!”

Soryong jabbed a finger toward Seolhwa.

“You! Just because Grandpa gave you Bone Cleansing and Marrow Washing, you think you're somebody now? Think again! I’m the one who’ll carry the future of this clan!”

Ah. So that’s why he hates me.

He was pissed because he’d never received the ritual—and yet she had, and was instantly acknowledged as the clan’s eldest granddaughter.

Seolhwa found it all rather pitiful.

“From the looks of it, you’re the type who’ll abandon the clan someday.”

“Wha—you filthy little bitch! What the hell do you know?! You want to die?!”

“Go ahead. Try it.”

“You...!”

Soryong’s face flushed, cycling between red and pale.

To be verbally humiliated like this in front of the branch family kids who always looked up to him—of course it stung.

“I’ll kill you!”

At last, he drew his sword.

Seolhwa’s hand moved to her hilt, but before she could draw—

“Enough!”

A voice boomed, laced with inner energy. Seolhwa winced slightly, and the other children immediately covered their ears.

“Augh!”

“Ugh...”

Seolhwa relaxed her stance and turned to the source of the voice entering the training hall.

It was Namgoong Jangyang, commander of the Red Dragon Division.

“What in heaven’s name is going on here?! You, as direct descendants, are supposed to set an example—and this is how you behave?! Fighting like common street thugs?!”

He marched between Seolhwa and Soryong, forcing distance between them.

“Miss Seolhwa, you mustn’t show such defiance on your very first day! You haven’t even started training yet, and already you cause a scene—what are you thinking?!”

He was scolding her—openly.

Even though it had been Soryong who started it, and Soryong who drew the sword, Namgoong Jangyang had clearly positioned himself on Soryong’s side.

So that’s how it is.

Jangyang was one of Soryong’s people. That explained it.

Seolhwa didn’t bother objecting. ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Until she’d arrived, Soryong had probably been the most promising candidate for the next clan heir.

She offered a respectful martial salute.

“My apologies for causing a disturbance.”

Jangyang looked down at her with smug satisfaction.

So this is the one everyone warned me about? Brash and difficult? Doesn’t seem like much.

He’d expected her to talk back, to cause a fuss. But instead, she’d simply admitted fault.

It was obvious to anyone that the one who started this mess was Soryong. Every single commotion in the training hall could usually be traced back to him.

Still, Jangyang had chosen to reprimand her first. It was a show of dominance—a way to tame the wild horse before it ever thought to rear up.

So she’s not going to act out just because she’s a Namgoong now. That means... she understands how power flows in this place.

“Be more careful from now on.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Jangyang gave a short, dismissive snort and turned to the others.

“Prepare for training. Now!”

At his command, the group—including Soryong—rushed toward the weapons rack.

Seolhwa was just about to walk toward her assigned spot when—

“Hold on.”

Namgoong Jangyang stepped in front of her.

“You’ll be training over there, Miss.”

He pointed behind him—to a far-off corner of the training ground, where a solitary striking post stood.

“This is your first day, is it not? You’re not ready for sword forms yet.”

“I’ve already trained in martial arts. Didn’t you hear?”

“Whatever arts you’ve learned elsewhere, Namgoong’s swordsmanship is entirely different. You’ll need to start from the ground up.”

It didn’t sit right, but technically, he wasn’t wrong.

“So what does that ‘foundation’ entail, exactly?”

“Let’s begin with the most basic of basics—the Three Elements Sword Style.”

Seolhwa’s expression twisted, almost imperceptibly.

The Three Elements Sword Style: a simple slash across, slash down, and a straight thrust. Just three movements—hardly a “style” at all.

In fact, calling it a sword style was generous.

It wasn’t Namgoong’s foundational technique—it was the kind of thing you taught someone who had never picked up a sword before.

“I thought you said I should build the Namgoong foundation?”

“Oh? Are you belittling the Three Elements Sword Style?”

Namgoong Jangyang’s voice held a sharp edge.

“The Grand Vast Sword Art, our clan’s foundational technique, was built upon those very forms, you know.”

He wasn’t wrong. The first three techniques of the Grand Vast Sword Art were developed by refining basic sword movements and infusing them with Namgoong's own principles.

“Even the simplest motions can hold the logic of the world. If you treat the basics with such indifference, then you have no right to even hold a sword. Don’t you agree?”

It sounded noble on the surface. But his true message was obvious.

“Go hit the striking post, and stay out of the way.”

Namgoong Jangyang had no intention of teaching her any sword forms.

He recalled what that man’s wife, Yeon Soran, had said to him.

“You’d best not raise any worms.”

He remembered the cold, venomous glare in her eyes when she’d said it.

“At least until the Celestial Martial Rite is over, you must not teach that girl anything.”

Already, rumors were spreading through Namgoong. The clan’s granddaughter was sharp, composed—and terrifyingly skilled in martial arts.

Her victory in the duel against Mount Hua had flipped her once-negative reputation.

Which meant Yeon Soran’s position was now in a very precarious place.

“If that girl manages to show anything impressive during the Rite... it’ll be my head on the line.”

So the only solution was to cut the sprout before it could grow.

Nine days. That was all they had to stall.

“Well then. Hurry on now—go practice your swordwork.”

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Snickers echoed from behind.

Heard between them was the muttered insult: “Filthy beggar.”

Seolhwa didn’t respond. She simply stepped over to the weapons rack, picked up a wooden sword, and walked to the striking post.

While she began swinging her sword in silence, the training hall rang with the spirited shouts of the other children practicing their forms.

****

“How was training today? Was it manageable?”

Namgoong Cheongun asked over dinner.

Seolhwa, who had been silently eating, nodded.

“Yes. It was good. Some of the kids were a bit... annoying, though.”

“Annoying? What do you mean? Were they bothering you?”

At his concern, Seolhwa paused to think.

Was that really bullying?

Didn’t feel like I was being harassed. Hmm.

“They weren’t really bullying me.”

She shrugged.

“Just some childish teasing? Oh—and the instructor was kind of an interesting person.”

“Hah. The Red Dragon Commander’s quite talented when it comes to teaching. I heard he used to work at a regional academy.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Not Anhui, mind you—some smaller city, but still.”

Although direct descendants were few, people bearing the Namgoong surname were spread all throughout Zhongyuan.

If you included distant cousins and in-laws, their numbers were massive.

So it wasn’t strange at all to find someone with the Namgoong name working as a regional academy instructor.

In fact, the name alone might have been enough to land the job.

“How did someone like that end up a division commander in Namgoong’s military?”

“Cheonghae met him by chance. He saw his potential and recommended him to join the clan. He started out as an outer court warrior, but after performing well during that year’s Celestial Martial Rite, he was promoted to the inner court—and eventually earned his current position.”

Seolhwa nodded.

So that impressive man ended up acting that petty, huh.

After dinner, Seolhwa and Cheongun sat together sipping tea in a moment of calm.

But Cheongun seemed... off.

Even during the meal, he’d seemed distracted. Now, he was just staring blankly into his teacup.

“Has Mount Hua left?”

“Hmm? Ah—yes. They left the guest quarters early this morning.”

“I see.”

Whenever Seolhwa asked something, he gave a short answer... and then fell silent again.

She watched him for a moment before letting out a soft sigh.

Then, she rose from her chair and slowly walked over to a nearby cabinet.

After rummaging briefly through a drawer, she returned to the table with something in hand.

Clack.

She placed it down in front of Cheongun.

“...?”

He stared at the object with a puzzled expression. Then his eyes narrowed in alarm.

“What is this? Why are you bringing me this?”

What Seolhwa had placed in front of him... was none other than the Golden Dragon Jade Blood Treasure—the legendary elixir Mount Hua had desperately wanted.

“Use it.”

She said it flatly, with no preamble.

“...Use it? What do you mean?”

“With this, you can reach the Transcendent Peak Realm. Can’t you?”

Cheongun’s eyes trembled. There was shock in them—How does she know?—but also something deeper.

Seolhwa saw the hesitation in his heart, the silent conflict behind his gaze.

So she made the choice for him.

“Reach that realm, Father.”