The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter-Chapter 2

Namgoong had been searching for the lost child for eight years.

She had been raised in the hands of the Blood Demon since the age of five, which meant that her current age was thirteen.

For reasons unknown, she had returned to the past—to when she was thirteen.

"A regression after death."

Was it the result of some grand technique someone had achieved? Or sorcery?

The Blood Demon Cult had pursued many great techniques with endless possibilities, so it wasn’t entirely impossible.

The Blood Demon had spent his life relentlessly researching the path to immortality—perhaps one of his experiments had succeeded.

She didn’t know the reason behind her return.

"Regardless of the cause, what matters is that I have returned to the past."

Returning to her room, Ilhwa gathered her belongings.

Though, calling them ‘belongings’ was an overstatement. All she had was a single sword and a small pouch containing a few copper coins.

Ilhwa hesitated for a moment.

At this point in time, the Blood Demon was operating a tavern called Fire Crow Tower in Yunnan.

On the surface, it appeared to be an ordinary inn and tavern, but in reality, it was a hidden stronghold where the Blood Demon Cult silently expanded its power in preparation to devour the Central Plains.

"I can’t go back to Fire Crow Tower."

Now that she knew she was of Namgoong blood, she could no longer foolishly carry out the very act of annihilating her own clan.

That left only one place—Namgoong.

Ilhwa lowered her gaze to her small hands.

She still couldn’t believe it.

That she was truly a Namgoong.

In her previous life, she had lived solely to destroy the Namgoong Clan.

"I... was one of them all along."

She clenched her fists tightly.

"Five years from now."

That was when the Blood Demon Cult, which had remained hidden in the shadows, would emerge under the name Daesura Blood Cult and unleash the Blood Cult Rebellion upon the Central Plains.

There were five years left until then.

"I refuse to be a pawn in the Blood Demon’s hands any longer."

Now that she had returned to the past, she couldn’t live the same life again.

So—

"I will return."

She would return and grow stronger.

She would cultivate the power of Namgoong—not only to prevent its destruction, but to stop the Blood Demon’s grand ambition of swallowing the Central Plains.

With the memories of her previous life, nothing was impossible.

Five years was short, but it was enough time to prepare.

So...

"I’m going back."

To Namgoong.

To the home I destroyed with my own hands.

****

She had already made up her mind to return, and she wanted to leave for Namgoong immediately.

However, there was one problem.

Ilhwa circulated the internal energy flowing within her body.

A murky, dark-red aura surged from her dantian.

Before her death, she had reached the realm of Hwagyeong (Transcendence).

"Now... it’s only at Peak Level."

No, in truth, being at Peak Level was a relief.

The martial arts of the Blood Demon Cult were founded upon blood.

Instead of gradually refining and building a stable foundation, most of their techniques involved absorbing and assimilating the blood and life force of others to claim as one’s own.

As a result, it allowed for rapid and explosive growth, but the internal energy it produced was always impure, plagued with severe side effects.

The problem was that if she returned to Namgoong with this kind of internal energy, she might be executed before she even had the chance to prove her lineage.

"Namgoong Mucheon, the Heavenly Dragon Sword Emperor."

Ilhwa’s grandfather and the head of the Namgoong Clan.

One of the Top Ten Martial Masters of the Jianghu, infamous for his hatred of dark path practitioners.

He particularly despised those who cultivated impure internal energy, and it was rumored that he showed no mercy in executing them.

****

That meant before she could return to Namgoong, she had to purge the Blood Qi that the Blood Demon had forced into her body.

"They say thousands have already gone to Namgoong. If you have even a single mark on your neck, they drag you in."

"Someone even brought their own child. Can you believe it? Selling their own kid for money?"

"Come on, Namgoong isn’t stupid... do you think they really can’t tell their own blood from someone else’s?"

As she stepped out of the inn, the streets were filled with lively chatter about Namgoong’s lost child.

And yet, the subject of all these rumors—Ilhwa herself—stood in front of a small stall, deep in thought.

"Hey, brat! Are you buying something or not? If you’re not, then move along! I’ve got customers waiting!"

Ilhwa lifted her gaze to the shopkeeper.

She had merely looked at him, but the sharpness in her stare made the man instinctively shrink back.

"W-Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Is this any good?"

The shopkeeper’s eyes shifted ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) to his stall.

In front of him, rows of candied hawthorn skewers glistened under the sunlight.

"...You’ve never had one before? Didn’t your mother ever buy you some?"

"I don’t have a mother."

"...!"

The shopkeeper’s face drained of color.

Ilhwa tilted her head, puzzled by his stiff reaction.

Crunch. Crackle.

"What a strange man."

After asking about her mother, he immediately followed up by asking about her father.

Then, without another word, he handed her a candied skewer.

She tried to give him money, but he refused to take it.

In fact, he even patted her head with teary eyes.

Even though she had regressed into a child’s body and hadn't fully lost her emotions, she couldn't comprehend the shopkeeper’s actions.

"Is it because I lived too long without emotions?"

She could no longer remember what emotions felt like—what they were, how they worked, or how they should be expressed.

Because of that, she often found it difficult to understand the behavior of others.

But it didn’t matter.

"Emotions only cloud judgment."

There was no need to reclaim something that had already dulled.

Biting into the candied skewer she had received for free, Ilhwa scanned her surroundings.

"Is this Raknam?"

The place where she had woken up was Raknam County in Shaanxi Province.

It was located south of Huayin County—the renowned home of the Mount Hua Sect.

Ilhwa had only been to Raknam once as a child.

"It was when I intercepted an item being secretly traded between Mount Hua and Shaolin."

The exchange between Mount Hua and Shaolin had been conducted under strict secrecy. And as expected of something so covert, the item being traded was extraordinary.

It was none other than the Great Return Pill—Shaolin’s sacred elixir.

Known as the elixir of miracles, the Great Return Pill was one of the most sought-after medicines in the martial world, something warriors would risk their lives to obtain.

Upon hearing that this priceless elixir was leaving the walls of Shaolin, the Blood Demon had ordered a group of Black Cloud Gang members to steal it.

"Didn’t he threaten to cut off all their limbs if they failed to retrieve it?"

Fire Crow Tower was infamous among those of the dark path, and the Black Cloud Gang had no choice but to comply with the Blood Demon’s orders, despite their reluctance.

Ilhwa’s role had been to deliver the stolen item to her master.

"Hmm..."

Resting her chin on her hand, Ilhwa pondered.

The Great Return Pill was the perfect medicine to cleanse her impure internal energy. Right now, she had no other way of acquiring such a powerful elixir, which made this a rare opportunity.

For some reason, Mount Hua and Shaolin had never openly pursued the matter, meaning it wouldn’t become a major issue if she took it.

"I'll steal it."

Ilhwa lifted her head, gazing at the slowly descending sun.

The deal with the Black Cloud Gang was set to take place at Yushi (between 5 PM and 7 PM).

"It’s about time to go."

She tossed the empty skewer stick aside and bounced lightly on her feet a couple of times.

Having returned to her younger body, she wasn’t fully accustomed to her diminished internal energy. However, as a child, her body felt far lighter.

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Even without stretching, her natural flexibility was evident, a result of years of rigorous training.

"Good."

She hopped in place a few more times, warming up.

Then—

Tak!

Her body shot into the air in an instant.

From high above, she could see all of Raknam spread beneath her.

Landing atop the tallest building in the county, she began running, moving swiftly across the rooftops.

An ordinary person wouldn’t even be able to track her with their eyes.

In mere moments, she reached the outskirts of Raknam, where she leaped off the final rooftop.

It was as if she were diving straight into the vast crimson glow of the sunset.

Suspended in the air, Ilhwa looked down at the dense forest below.

And then, she vanished into the trees.

****

Boom. Boom. Boom!

Ilhwa pounded on the large, unmarked black gates.

A moment later, a small slit at the top of the gate opened, revealing a pair of cold, piercing eyes. The gaze swept over the area before shifting downward, sensing something unusual.

A child stood before the gate.

A girl who looked to be barely over ten years old.

"Did you knock just now?"

Ilhwa simply nodded.

The man’s thick brows twitched in irritation.

But the child before him barely reached half his height. With a sigh, he decided to show some generosity.

"Go back. This isn’t a place for kids."

"I have an appointment with your leader."

"What?"

The man let out a short, incredulous laugh.

"This little brat must have a death wish. You think the boss just meets with anyone who asks? If you don’t turn around and leave right now, I’ll—"

Crash—!

The thick gates of the Black Cloud Gang flew off their hinges with a thunderous impact.

A cloud of dust slowly settled.

Beyond it, Ilhwa stood calmly, staring at the gang members who had already begun to gather.

Every single one of them wielded weapons—swords, axes, and other lethal tools. Their expressions were fierce, their presence intimidating.

"Nothing’s changed here."

In her past life, she had slaughtered every single one of them.

There was no need to do that this time.

"I should minimize unnecessary killing. I belong to the righteous path now."

Without hesitation, Ilhwa stepped inside.

As she walked over the fallen gate, she heard a faint groan from beneath it.

The gang members instinctively took a step back as the child approached, their grip on their weapons tightening.

None of them dared to attack.

"What kind of child has such a murderous aura...?"

"If I make a wrong move, I'll... I'll die."

The chilling bloodlust radiating from her small body was suffocating.

It felt as though she were surrounded by an ominous crimson mist, a presence so thick it made their skin crawl.

With every step Ilhwa took, the gang members retreated further.

When she had crossed about half of the courtyard—

A man, clad in black with his face partially concealed by a hood, stood waiting for her.

He watched her approach, then respectfully clasped his hands in greeting.

"Are you the Young Master of Fire Crow Tower?"

Ilhwa gave a small nod.

"Please, follow me. The boss has been expecting you."