The return of the granddaughter of the Namgoong family

***

The moment he saw the child, Namgung Cheongun knew.

‘Seolhwa.’

It had been eight years since he lost his child, but the youthful face still clearly held the image of his daughter, a memory that hadn’t faded.

Even though he had promised himself that he would run to embrace her the moment he found her, his steps were slow, and the vow seemed meaningless now.

‘Seolhwa…’

Tears filled Namgung Cheongun’s eyes.

By the time he reached the brightly lit pavilion, he was already crying.

“The boy is so clumsy.”

Even the gruff reproach from his father, Namgung Mucheon, didn’t reach his ears.

Cheongun knelt in front of the child and met her gaze.

When Ilhwa met those clear, kind eyes, a strange sensation tickled her chest, and without realizing it, she raised her hand and extended her fingers.

It felt odd, so she clenched her fist and lowered her hand.

‘The last man I killed before dying… the sword of Namgung.’

The man who had called her by the name ‘Seolhwa’ just before her death.

‘Namgung Cheongun.’

My… father….

At the same time, a strange sensation of something heavy falling inside her body made her feel off-balance. She furrowed her brow in confusion.

Namgung Cheongun’s hand reached out.

The hand, which was about to rest on her shoulder, hesitated and ultimately stayed suspended in the air.

“Check first.”

At his father’s words, Cheongun withdrew his hand and nodded.

He then smiled softly at Ilhwa.

“I think I should check your body a little, would that be alright?”

Ilhwa nodded in response.

Cheongun also nodded, his eyes briefly becoming serious.

“Seolhwa’s body bears a mark that I personally engraved when she was born.”

This was something he said for everyone present.

“To the untrained eye, these are just five ordinary dots, but if you connect them, they form the shape of a dragon.”

In prominent families, it was customary for the father to engrave a mark on the child’s body upon birth.

The larger and more powerful the family, the more common this was.

The reason for this was that large and powerful families often had many enemies, and such enemies would resort to underhanded methods.

It was common for kidnappers to target weak children or even switch them out when they were babies, making it necessary to mark the newborns discreetly.

“Behind the left ear, below the right clavicle, under the left index fingernail, on the right knee, and on the left heel.”

Namgung Cheongun recited the five points slowly and carefully examined Ilhwa’s body.

His hand was visibly trembling.

Each point he touched revealed a small, almost imperceptible mark. Every time he uncovered one, soft sighs escaped the onlookers.

Though each mark appeared ordinary when viewed individually, they were too small and subtle to be easily identified by those who weren’t trained.

Finally, when his hand touched the small heel of her foot, a quiet stillness filled the room.

Namgung Cheongun gently lowered her foot and met her gaze.

Tears were already streaming down his face.

“My daughter, Seolhwa.”

‘Namgung… Seolhwa…’

As Ilhwa—now recognized as Seolhwa—looked into his tearful, clear eyes, she was overtaken by a strange feeling.

It was as if she was trapped in something, and she couldn’t escape his gaze.

Her throat tightened, and it became difficult to breathe.

‘Is it because I killed my father with my own hands?’

Without realizing it, she clenched her fist even tighter.

“Seolhwa, it’s your father…”

Namgung Cheongun raised his trembling hand and gently stroked Seolhwa’s cheek.

“I am your father…”

His voice, strained and choked with emotion, carried the overwhelming joy he had kept hidden.

Eight years.

It had been eight years since he began searching for his child.

Over the years, he had met countless children, but there had never been one he was so certain about.

This certainty overwhelmed Cheongun.

The more the memory of the child faded, the more he felt like he was letting go of her, and now this was the reward for his restless heart.

It felt like confirmation that he had made the right choice by never giving up on the child.

“You’ve grown so much…”

‘Daddy! Don’t go! Don’t leave me! Waaah—!’

He saw the image of his child crying, begging him not to leave when he had to leave home.

The child who used to crawl into his arms had now grown much bigger, but her image in his memory had not completely disappeared.

Finally, Cheongun pulled the child into his embrace.

Seolhwa’s eyes widened as she was held in his arms.

Through Cheongun’s shoulder, she could see the chief steward, Seom Mu-gwang, the medicine master Cho Ryeon, and the attendants Si-bi, who were also watching.

The chief steward, Cho Ryeon, and Si-bi were all crying, and Seom Mu-gwang had a red nose, sniffling.

‘Why… is everyone crying?’

Seolhwa couldn’t understand.

Isn’t it supposed to be a time to smile when you’re happy?

Why is everyone crying?

But what she found even more incomprehensible was the strange sensation in her chest. Despite knowing her emotions, she felt like she wouldn’t have smiled either.

‘This is strange.’

She had found the child she lost after eight long years, and yet, they were crying.

As for herself, it was only natural to feel uncomfortable due to the karma she carried from her past life.

‘Really strange.’

As she heard Namgung Cheongun’s sobs, Seolhwa lowered her gaze.

In the warmth of Cheongun’s embrace, Seolhwa clenched her fists tightly, stiff as a board.

It had been thirty years since she had been held by someone, and she didn’t know how to respond.

Her sobs continued for a long time, and only when they subsided did Seolhwa stand in silence.

It was the moment she was officially recognized as a member of the Namgung family.

After finishing the meal, Seolhwa returned to Cheongun’s residence at Cheonggaewon with Namgung Cheongun.

Namgung Mucheon and Cheongun had told her to go to Cheongun’s quarters within the inner courtyard, but Seolhwa had requested to remain in Cheonggaewon until she was officially recognized.

While Cheongun briefly spoke with Namgung Mucheon, Seolhwa returned to her room in Cheonggaewon first. She sat cross-legged on the bed and began to circulate her internal energy.

Although she hadn’t officially learned Namgung’s martial arts, it was necessary to examine her blood vessels.

‘It should be fine soon.’

Since there were traces of the energy used by Namgung Mucheon left on her body, there was no need for suspicion.

Seolhwa cautiously began circulating her internal energy.

“….”

From her lower abdomen, a clear, white energy swirled.

It was the pure energy of the Daehwan Dan, not yet fully settled in her body.

This formless energy would eventually transform into the pure, clear energy of the blue sky through Namgung’s martial arts.

‘Just a little longer.’

The energy that began from her lower abdomen moved slowly along her meridians, passing through the Huiyin, Mingmen, Zhongchu, and Baichui points.

The energy that started from her lower abdomen passed through her upper abdomen and finally returned to her Qi Hai.

After completing a full cycle of her energy circulation, Seolhwa opened her eyes.

A faint blue light shimmered in her pupils before slowly fading away.

‘It’s definitely… still messy.’

She thought she had thoroughly cleared out the excess blood energy, but after circulating her internal energy for the first time in a while, she realized the lingering impurities.

The leftover blood energy clung to the meridians like leeches, damaging them in various places.

‘I thought I had gotten rid of it completely.’

No wonder they treated her like a patient.

“It seems you’ve indeed learned martial arts.”

The door opened, and Namgung Cheongun entered.

He was holding a basin of water and a towel.

He immediately approached Seolhwa’s bed, set the basin down on the floor, and rolled up his sleeves with a cheerful expression.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to wash your feet.”

Seolhwa’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Why my feet?”

“Just because. Do you want to offer them?”

Although Seolhwa couldn’t quite understand why he wanted to wash her feet, she readily offered them.

Cheongun, facing Seolhwa, smiled mischievously as he gently held her small feet in his hands and shook them slightly.

After this playful gesture, Cheongun carefully took off Seolhwa’s socks.

“Your feet are still small. When you were little, both feet could fit into one of my hands…”

Cheongun’s face suddenly stiffened as he removed her socks.

Her tiny feet, smaller than a typical 13-year-old’s, were covered in calluses and scars from old wounds.

These were the feet of a warrior who had endured hardship. Even though Seolhwa had learned martial arts, the scars on her feet were numerous and deep.

It was clear how much suffering she had endured over the past eight years. Her feet, never properly treated after being injured, broke Cheongun’s heart.

“What’s wrong?”

“No… no.”

At the innocent question, Cheongun moved his hand with effort.

He slowly wet the child’s feet with warm water.

As he continued his actions, unsure whether he was washing the feet or just wetting them, Cheongun eventually lowered his head.

His hands were caressing the scarred feet of the child, and they were so pure and smooth compared to the roughness of the child’s feet.

“Ugh…”

Tears dropped onto the basin with a soft sound.

The small ripples created by the tears brushed against Seolhwa’s legs.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

Cheongun pulled the child’s feet into his arms.

Even though his chest became wet with the dampness of the water, he didn’t mind.

“I… I’m so sorry, my child…”

His tears fell onto Seolhwa’s feet.

Seolhwa stared at Cheongun’s trembling shoulders for a long time, for a very long time.