The return of the granddaughter of the Namgoong family

Seom Mu-gwang’s aura momentarily faltered.

“Seolhwa?”

The name Ilhwa had chosen was her real name, which she had heard from Nangong Cheongwoon just before her death.

If he was also looking for a child of Nangong, a small doubt about her identity would make it harder for him to kill her quickly.

And her assumption was correct.

Seom Mu-gwang withdrew his killing intent.

“Hmph. You’re quite the funny little brat. Why should I be your senior? I’ve never had a junior who gives off such a nasty energy like you.”

His tone was still grumbling, but the hostility in his voice had diminished.

A strange expression appeared on his face as he looked at Ilhwa.

“How old are you?”

“I believe I’m thirteen.”

“You believe? You don’t even know your own age?”

“I lost my memories before the age of five in an accident, so I can only estimate my age based on what I’ve been told.”

Seom Mu-gwang’s expression darkened.

The lightheartedness he had shown earlier was now gone.

“I need to see the back of your neck.”

“…”

Ilhwa slowly turned around and lowered her head.

Underneath her tightly tied hair, a horrific scar from a sword wound was visible.

Seeing the scar, Seom Mu-gwang’s expression stiffened noticeably.

“How did you get that scar?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Who did you learn martial arts from?”

“So far, I have studied under Luju of Huāo Lóu in Yunnan.”

“I take that as a ‘no longer’?”

“He tried to kill me.”

Seom Mu-gwang frowned, his gaze now shifting to the pouch containing the Great Elixir.

“That could be poisonous to you. Do you know that?”

The Great Elixir contained pure internal energy from Shaolin, but Ilhwa’s internal energy was rough and chaotic.

Although the Elixir’s effects were impressive, taking it with her conflicting internal energy could risk her falling into a dangerous state, leading to internal turmoil.

Seom Mu-gwang was warning her, thinking she intended to take the Elixir.

Ilhwa nodded and answered calmly.

“I plan to use it to expel my internal energy.”

“What?”

Seom Mu-gwang stared at her in surprise.

After a brief pause, he let out a hollow laugh.

“Do you know what happens if you expel your internal energy?”

“I’m prepared for that.”

Expelling one’s internal energy meant abandoning all the progress she had made in martial arts, returning to the level of an ordinary person who knew almost nothing of martial arts.

Even though she was young, giving up all the hard-earned skill and strength she had achieved was not an easy decision.

Nonetheless, her eyes remained serious without a hint of wavering.

“Hah!”

Seom Mu-gwang, now truly surprised, asked.

“Why? Why would you want to expel your internal energy?”

“Because I want to go home.”

If she returned to Nangong without expelling her blood energy, she might be chased out once again.

“If I return with this power, my family might not accept me.”

Seom Mu-gwang’s expression froze for a moment.

His gaze on Ilhwa became much more profound.

“Do you know where your hometown is?”

“From a fragment of a memory that came back to me, I think it’s in Anhui, Hefei.”

“…”

In the past eight years, Seom Mu-gwang had met hundreds of girls with the same name as the family’s granddaughter.

Therefore, when the child said her name was Seolhwa, he didn’t think much of it.

But then, when he saw the scar on her neck, he started to think something was off.

And now, her hometown being Hefei?

Hefei, where the main family of Nangong was located?

Seom Mu-gwang, visibly shocked, stared at her.

Ilhwa, realizing she had passed a critical point, felt a sense of relief.

Once Seom Mu-gwang started thinking she might be a child of Nangong, the immediate risk of death had essentially vanished.

The overwhelming aura he had been exuding earlier had now completely dissipated.

Ilhwa unconsciously relaxed her clenched fist.

“Ha, huh!”

Seom Mu-gwang, realizing his surprised expression, quickly composed himself.

“Good.”

Ilhwa tilted her head.

‘…Good?’

He pointed at her with a grin.

“I’ll specially help you.”

Seom Mu-gwang, with a confident smile, gave a thumbs up and playfully poked his own shoulder.

“To perform the Qi circulation and breath control technique, you need a Dharma protector, don’t you? Little brat, I will act as your protector to ensure your recovery is successful.”

Ilhwa was secretly surprised.

Offering to act as her Dharma protector meant that Seom Mu-gwang would guard her, ensuring that nothing could interfere with her Qi circulation, preventing any threat from approaching her while she was vulnerable.

In the current situation, where assassins sent by Huāo Lóu might be trailing her, having Feng Lei-shin’s help was a stroke of good fortune.

However…

“May I ask why?”

“What?”

Seom Mu-gwang seemed surprised that she would decline his offer.

But her following words made sense.

“I have no way of protecting myself, so I cannot refuse your kindness. But I don’t understand why you would help a girl you’ve just met today.”

“…Hmph.”

Seom Mu-gwang sighed lowly and rubbed his chin.

The reason was naturally that this child might be the granddaughter of the head of the Nangong family. However, he couldn’t say that directly.

“There’s no particular reason. I’m the kind of person who does what I want when I feel like it. But if you really need a reason, I’ll give you one.”

Seom Mu-gwang smirked and pointed at her.

“First of all, I absolutely hate people like you who exude such filthy energy.”

His eyes narrowed.

It felt like the intense energy from his earlier appearance was now being aimed directly at her with a piercing gaze.

“I’m impressed that you’re trying to expel that dirty internal energy of yours, and I also feel sorry for you, a child who just wants to return home.”

She never said she wanted to go home, just that she wanted to return.

“Well, I think that’s reason enough.”

After finishing his words, Seom Mu-gwang crossed his arms, seemingly satisfied.

Although his last statement was a little odd, Ilhwa had no reason to reject his offer.

“Thank you for your great generosity.”

“Yeah, that’s the right response.”

Seom Mu-gwang chuckled.

***

“Kuh…!”

The leader of the Black Cloud Sect looked down at the sharp blade that had suddenly been pressed against his neck, fear in his eyes.

“W-why is this happening? This isn’t what we agreed upon!”

The red crow emblem sewn on the mask.

It was the symbol of Huāo Lóu.

“Where did you hide the goods?”

“Hide? The Huāo Lóu’s chief disciple took the goods less than an hour ago!”

The blade dug deeper into his neck.

Shivering in terror, the leader of the Black Cloud Sect looked up at the masked figure holding the sword.

“What did the chief disciple look like?”

“A young girl, about ten years old!”

The sharp eyes visible through the mask briefly stared at him.

Then, the masked figure withdrew the sword and turned around.

“Let’s go.”

The figure vanished in an instant.

The remaining masked figures followed him.

Watching the black shadows leap over the wall in the distance, the Black Cloud Sect leader collapsed, sitting down heavily.

‘Just like that child said!’

The leader of the Black Cloud Sect recalled the words of Huāo Lóu’s disciple before they left.

“I must leave now. Have your subordinates leave here and flee as far as possible. Soon, Huāo Lóu’s assassins will arrive here.”

“You say the assassins will attack? The disciple of Huāo Lóu took the goods, didn’t they?”

“That’s true for now, but once I leave here, I won’t be with them anymore.”

“What does that mean…?”

“If they come, tell them the disciple of Huāo Lóu took the goods. There’s no need to hide it.”

“They’ll chase after the disciple then?”

“I don’t care. And…”

The child had mentioned that once the monks of Mount Hua and Shaolin arrived to eliminate the Black Cloud Sect, Huāo Lóu would step in to help and absorb the sect.

The true goal of Huāo Lóu’s order to steal the Great Elixir was to absorb the Black Cloud Sect’s power.

“If you join Huāo Lóu, they might seem friendly at first, but in the end, they’ll kill you and take over the Black Cloud Sect. But I’ve cleaned up your faction today so prepare yourself for when that time comes.”

Reflecting on the child’s words, he realized that every person killed by the child had been a part of the Black Cloud Sect’s internal faction, which had been causing trouble due to their divisions.

The child had taken care of all of them.

The leader of the Black Cloud Sect pulled out a black pouch from his robe. It was the last thing the child had handed him.

“One week from now, if you follow the instructions in the note inside this pouch, you’ll be able to protect the Black Cloud Sect from Mount Hua and Shaolin.”

He couldn’t help but marvel at how a few words had solved all the problems that had been threatening the Black Cloud Sect.

‘How many steps ahead is this child thinking…!’

He was sure now—this child was a master beyond his years.