The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter-Chapter 99

As Namgoong Cheongun swung his sword amidst the throng of bandits, the one causing the mayhem was none other than Seolhwa’s father.

The Namgoong Clan had arrived, and far sooner than expected.

‘He recognized the markers I left behind!’

For them to have caught up this quickly meant that they had pursued the trail relentlessly through the night without rest. The sheer desperation in tracing her path across such a vast area was evident.

Boom! Crash!

Namgoong Cheongun wasn’t the only one.

From the opened entrance, the Namgoong Clan’s Yellow Dragon Division surged forward, flooding into the compound. Among them were Namgoong Cheongsan and Moyong Yeonhwa, Hwarin’s parents.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Moyong Yeonhwa, true to her heritage as a daughter of the Moyong Clan, wielded her sword with a soft yet formidable technique, cutting down the bandits blocking her path.

While Cheongun’s dual swords scattered brilliant blue sword energy, Moyong Yeonhwa’s technique was quieter but no less deadly, each strike precise and unyielding.

“Fire! Shoot the woman down!”

Someone shouted, and within moments, dozens of arrows were launched toward Moyong Yeonhwa. However—

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A massive greatsword intercepted the arrows, knocking them away. Those that slipped past were blocked by the flat of the blade.

“Who dares to harm my wife?!”

It was Namgoong Cheongsan.

Boom!

With a powerful kick off the ground, his enormous frame shot toward the archers.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

The bandits fell without even a chance to resist, swept away by the whirlwind of Cheongsan’s raging greatsword.

“Give me back my daughter, you bastards!”

Whoosh! Wham!

Cheongsan’s greatsword tore through the middle of the bandits. It was a literal onslaught. His strikes showed no hesitation, no mercy. The bandits couldn’t even think of resisting and were trampled underfoot.

“Run! Run away!”

“Aaah...!”

But then—

Clang!

A sharp spear tip intercepted Cheongsan’s greatsword.

“Stand down.”

It was Meng Deungho, the leader of the Guiyeong Stronghold.

**** fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

Vroom...

Meng Deungho’s spear surged with a fierce aura, the embodiment of a perfected Transcendent Peak martial master’s blade energy.

“...!”

Namgoong Cheongsan’s face twisted in alarm.

“Get back!”

Moyong Yeonhwa screamed. But it was already too late for Cheongsan to evade.

Whoosh—

With a sharp sound that cleaved through the air, the heavy spear barrel swung toward Cheongsan.

Instinctively, Cheongsan raised his sword to block.

Boom!

“Argh!”

With a deafening crash, Cheongsan’s body was flung into the air, hurtling toward the shattered remains of a fence.

Moyong Yeonhwa immediately kicked off the ground, channeling energy into both palms.

As Cheongsan’s body flew toward her, she extended her hands, catching him midair as though performing a palm technique.

Meng Deungho’s residual energy clashed with Moyong Yeonhwa’s, creating another explosive impact in midair.

“Urgh!”

Namgoong Cheongsan spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Ngh...”

Moyong Yeonhwa couldn’t completely escape the backlash either.

The two of them crashed into the ground, rolling across the dirt. Moyong Yeonhwa’s quick thinking had at least mitigated the impact.

“Cheongsan! Sister-in-law!”

Namgoong Cheongun, who had been fighting off # Nоvеlight # the bandits, shouted as he rushed toward them.

“Chief! The Chief is here!”

“The Chief has arrived!”

The bandits’ morale surged, faces lighting up with hope at the appearance of a Transcendent Peak master.

Meng Deungho’s arrival had instantly shifted the tide of battle.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes... I’m fine.”

“I’m okay too.”

Namgoong Cheongun checked their conditions before fixing his gaze on Meng Deungho, his eyes blazing with fierce intent. A blue glint shimmered in his pupils.

“I’ll handle him.”

“You alone?”

“Considering the martial experts he brought, we’re already at a disadvantage.”

Including Meng Deungho, there were now four more Transcendent Peak experts who had joined the battle, bringing the total number of elite martial masters to eight.

On Namgoong’s side, they had only six at best.

‘I miscalculated.’

Who would have thought that a mere Guiyeong Stronghold would house so many martial masters?

While Cheongun had anticipated Meng Deungho’s strength as a Transcendent Peak master, he hadn’t expected the sheer caliber of his subordinates.

With this level of power, they ranked among the strongest forces within the Guiyeong Stronghold.

Namgoong Cheongun clenched the hilt of his sword tightly and rose to his feet.

Meng Deungho stood amidst the cheering bandits, his presence commanding the battlefield.

Watching the entire scene unfold from her hidden vantage point, Seolhwa’s expression darkened.

‘This battle is lost.’

From the moment she had seen the composition of Namgoong’s forces, Seolhwa had already anticipated this outcome.

Though Namgoong Cheongun was a Transcendent Peak master, he had only recently reached that level and was still unstable.

Before he could stabilize his aura and fully adapt to his newfound strength, he had ceased training to prepare for the Heavenly Martial Tournament. There was no way he could match a seasoned Transcendent Peak master like Meng Deungho.

‘Moreover...’

The gap in martial strength was vast. Namgoong’s forces, who had initially charged in with ferocity, were now being pushed back.

Even if Seolhwa intervened to reinforce them, victory was unlikely.

‘This can’t go on. I need to find a way.’

A way to turn the tide of this battle...!

Tap—

Seolhwa quickly moved. Just as she was about to head back to where Yugang and Hwarin were—

“!”

Seolhwa abruptly halted, lowering her body as she peered over the roof of the barracks.

She could see Yugang holding Hwarin tightly. Opposite them stood—

‘Ma Jong-ui!’

Seolhwa crouched low, her ears straining to catch their conversation.

“Hand over the child?”

Ma Jong-ui demanded, his gaze fixed on Yugang.

Yugang tightened his grip around Hwarin, his expression resolute.

“I can’t! The Chief personally ordered me to protect her!”

“Ah, right. But I’m the one who ordered your Chief to bring the child to me,” Ma Jong-ui said with a casual wave of his hand.

“Unless it’s the Chief’s direct order, I can’t comply!”

“Oh? This little...”

“Think about it! The enemy has infiltrated, and you expect me to trust someone I’ve never seen before? What if you’re one of them, pretending to be on our side to take the child away?”

Ma Jong-ui let out a frustrated sigh. As annoying as it was, the logic was sound, making it difficult to refute.

What could he say to someone so fiercely loyal to the Chief that they’d even question him?

“It’s been a while since I’ve met someone so good at shutting me up,” Ma Jong-ui muttered, clicking his tongue.

Irritation was plain on his face as he beckoned to Yugang with a lazy flick of his fingers.

“Fine. You’re making this more complicated than it needs to be. Just carry the brat and follow me. Tsk.”

With that, he turned and started walking ahead.

Yugang swallowed nervously, then followed after him, murmuring to the trembling Hwarin, “It’s alright, Hwarin. Everything will be fine.”

Seolhwa watched them move away before she resumed her own course.

‘If it’s Ma Jong-ui, he’ll use Hwarin to force Namgoong to surrender.’

To Ma Jong-ui, Hwarin was just a pawn to be played. Which meant that before he could use her—

‘I have to act first.’

Seolhwa spread her senses to their utmost limit, searching for Jin Soyak.

Since Yugang was only carrying Hwarin, it meant that Jin Soyak must have been moved somewhere safer.

‘Did he go to the Chief’s barracks?’

No. That wasn’t it.

Last night, Jin Soyak hadn’t gone to the Chief’s quarters either. There must be another place where he was actually living.

Should she start searching every tent?

“....”

Seolhwa paused. After a brief moment of thought, she turned and dashed toward a specific location.

Moments later, she arrived at the back of the Chief’s barracks — Jin Soyak’s secret hideaway.

Rustle.

Parting the bushes and crawling through a small hole, she found a small, hunched figure trembling in the shadows.

‘He’s really here...’

She had suspected this place held some special meaning to Jin Soyak, but to actually find him here...

Jin Soyak flinched at the sound, turning around cautiously.

His eyes were red, cheeks streaked with tears.

Upon seeing Seolhwa, he burst into sobs and threw himself into her arms.

Seolhwa frowned slightly.

“I was... so scared...! I-I was so scared they’d catch me and hurt me again...!”

The boy was sobbing uncontrollably. The fear he had been suppressing to avoid showing his father was now pouring out in waves.

‘That familiar fear.’

“...This isn’t the first time, is it?”

“They caught me once... They said they’d kill me... And they hurt my father... I was so scared....”

‘So that’s why.’

That was why Jin Soyak didn’t use Meng Deungho’s last name, why he kept to himself in a separate tent, pretending to be a nobody.

It seemed like a flimsy strategy, but in a place like this, it wasn’t a bad one.

If someone stayed long enough, they might eventually figure out who Jin Soyak was. But for outsiders who had just stormed in, they wouldn’t immediately suspect him to be Meng Deungho’s son.

‘This is... the world of the Unorthodox Faction.’

Using a weak, defenseless child as a hostage was par for the course here. Just as she had once thought.

“Hnghh...”

Jin Soyak sobbed, his small body trembling violently as fear overwhelmed him.

Seolhwa watched him cry for a while, then let out a long, heavy sigh.

She pressed her hands firmly onto his quivering shoulders, lowering herself to his eye level.

“Listen closely.”

Jin Soyak wiped his tears with his sleeve, looking up at her with a runny nose.

“Y-Yeah?”

“I’m going to use you to threaten your father.”

“...What?”