The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter-Chapter 23

"Ha! Peace in Hefei is thanks to the warriors of Namgoong—how could I not know that! I only meant...!"

"That’s right!"

Fwoosh—thud!

"Ugh...!"

A massive man hurled the innkeeper across the floor.

Yet not a single person stepped in to stop him. Because they all knew who he was—a warrior of the Namgoong Clan.

And in a district under Namgoong’s jurisdiction, who would dare interfere when one of their own ran amok?

There were ranks among Namgoong’s warriors, of course—but no commoner could be expected to know that.

In Hefei, where order was maintained under the Namgoong name, simply being "one of Namgoong" was tantamount to absolute authority.

Seolhwa popped a warm dumpling into her mouth and slowly chewed as she looked at Namgoong Cheongun.

From the moment that man grabbed the innkeeper by the collar, her father's expression had already gone ice cold.

Does Father even realize his hand has stopped, resting on my head?

If he did... he wouldn’t have left it there like that.

Namgoong Cheongun’s eyes gleamed with fury, cold enough to freeze, as he realized that the ones causing this disturbance were warriors from his own clan.

But as long as he remained undercover, he couldn’t move carelessly.

Even the bodyguards hidden among the crowd had quietly drawn up their inner energy, as if preparing to act should things escalate.

"You catch on quick!"

The Namgoong warrior towered over the fallen innkeeper.

"I’m out here breaking my back to keep Hefei safe, and you're disrespecting me over a bowl of dumplings and a plate of noodles?"

"It... it’s not the first time... sir..."

"I told you, I forgot my coin pouch!"

His voice boomed like thunder throughout the inn.

A few patrons quietly slipped out. Others exchanged glances, throwing irritated looks at the innkeeper.

Clearly, they just wanted the ruckus to end.

“Kh....”

What power does an ordinary man have before a warrior?

When those meant to uphold justice become the oppressors, there's no one left to turn to. No way to resolve the situation.

“I... I understand. Then please... do bring it next time...”

The innkeeper had no choice but to relent.

He knew nothing good would come of dragging this out any further.

“Bwahaha! That’s right! I’ll bring it next time, sure thing! Food was great!”

The Namgoong warrior gave the innkeeper—now slumped on the ground—a few patronizing taps on the head as he walked past. The men who had been drinking with him snickered and followed him out of the inn.

“Father...”

A young busboy, who had been fretting helplessly nearby, rushed over to help the innkeeper up.

“Shouldn’t we report them to the magistrate...?”

“Don’t be foolish. They’re Namgoong warriors. You think the magistrate would side with us?”

“But... how many times has this happened already? The money we’ve lost to those men—”

“Shh. Watch your tongue. There are ears everywhere.”

Father and son stood cautiously, fearful that even complaining might be seen as slandering the Namgoong name.

The innkeeper bowed low to the remaining guests.

“Ahh, please forgive the disturbance. As an apology, we’ll be serving a complimentary plate of dumplings to each table—please enjoy the rest of your meal.”

Broken tables, shattered dishes—and now free dumplings. Even this one incident had already cost them dearly.

Srrk—

“...?”

Seolhwa, who had been watching the scene unfold with detached interest, looked up and found Namgoong Cheongun standing.

From beneath his bamboo hat, Namgoong Cheongun smiled softly and said, “Seolhwa, eat a little more while I’m gone. I’ll be right back.”

She nodded.

He turned and left the inn. The moment he turned away from her, his expression turned to stone.

Two of the hidden bodyguards followed close behind.

The remaining three stayed at Seolhwa’s side.

She picked up another warm dumpling. Steam still rose from it.

What kind of punishment will he deliver?

Back in the Blood Demon Cult, scenes like that were so common no one would have batted an eye.

But this wasn’t the cult. This was a righteous sect.

And righteous sects valued justice and chivalry. There was no way they’d let thugs like that run wild.

Especially not when they were tarnishing the Namgoong name. The clan’s reputation was at stake. They’d never let it slide.

They’ve got guts, I’ll give them that. Parading around like that under Namgoong’s name, right in Namgoong’s front yard.

Judging by how carefree they looked, they must’ve been on patrol.

Patrolling the streets of Hefei was one of the Outer Hall’s responsibilities.

The fact that no one had stepped in during the commotion meant those thugs were likely the very ones assigned to that district.

A few moments later, one of the bodyguards who had gone after Namgoong Cheongun returned and spoke quietly with the innkeeper.

He handed over a heavy pouch.

The innkeeper bowed repeatedly, overcome with gratitude.

Then Namgoong Cheongun came back.

“Phew...”

He sat down across from Seolhwa with a quiet thump. She swallowed the dumpling she had been chewing.

“What did you do?”

“Hm? What do you mean, what?”

“The punishment. You went to punish the warriors who dined and dashed, didn’t you?”

Namgoong Cheongun blinked, startled.

Then he chuckled and pulled his hat down a bit lower.

“Oh my, so you knew—that’s why you let me go so easily.”

“You had to catch them before they got too far.”

"You can't fool my Insight Eyes."

Seolhwa shrugged her shoulders.

Given the circumstances, it was an obvious causal relationship—not something her Insight Eyes were even needed for.

"I’ve learned their names and affiliations. I told them to return to the clan estate and remain under probation. Three months' wages will be deducted, and that money will be given to the innkeeper."

"And?"

"And what? That’s all."

Seolhwa furrowed her brow.

Even if they were part of an orthodox sect, was a mere pay deduction all they were going to do to those who tarnished the clan’s name?

"Aren’t you going to cut off their hands or their tongues?"

This time, Namgoong Cheongun furrowed his brow.

"Their hands and tongues? Why?"

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"They injured the innkeeper and disgraced the clan's name. They learned martial arts and wielded them with malicious intent, so their hands should be cut off. And since they sullied the clan’s name with their deceitful tongues, those tongues should be cut out."

If it were the Blood Demon Cult, losing a hand or a tongue would’ve been merciful.

If it ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) was revealed someone had brought shame to the Blood Demon Cult's name, the only punishment was death.

And not just death—death by having their entire internal energy drained by a Blood Demon until their qi and blood dried up like withered leaves.

But that was the law of the Blood Demon Cult. This was an orthodox sect, so she'd already softened her words. Yet Cheongun’s face was awash with horror.

For a moment, he seemed too shocked to speak, his expression shaken. Then he slowly shook his head.

"I will neither cut off their hands nor their tongues."

"Why not?"

"If I sever their hands, their life as martial artists ends. If I cut out their tongues, they’ll spend their lives unable to eat properly or even converse with others."

"That’s the punishment. To live out the rest of their lives regretting what they did."

"The crimes they committed, hidden from the clan’s eyes, were indeed wrong. But they weren't malicious enough to warrant such cruel punishment. Even they should be given at least one chance to repent."

"I see."

She disliked how light the punishment was, but Seolhwa dropped the subject.

If that was the law of the Namgoong Clan, an orthodox sect, then she had no reason not to follow it.

“Please eat. It'll all go cold otherwise.”

It tastes better when it’s warm.

Looking at the now-cold dumplings, Seolhwa consoled herself with the thought.

Cheongun looked at her, his expression full of unease.

A little while later, the innkeeper returned with a fresh plate of dumplings. Thanks to that, the two of them were able to finish their meal with warm food.

As promised, Namgoong Cheongun took Seolhwa to a tanghulu vendor after they left the inn.

When he saw Seolhwa’s eyes sparkle like a child’s in front of the tanghulu stand, Cheongun tried to buy the entire shop on the spot.

But Seolhwa strongly opposed him, and they compromised by buying every tanghulu that had already been made.

Each of them carried a paper bag filled with tanghulu.

Cheongun and Seolhwa strolled through the shops of Hefei, crunching through the candied skewers.

Delicate hair ornaments, jade rings larger than Seolhwa’s thumb, and silk-embroidered flower shoes that shimmered in the light.

Each time they came across something pretty, Namgoong Cheongun tried to buy out the entire shop. At some point, Seolhwa got tired of stopping him and simply walked on, ignoring him.

They were deep into their outing when it happened.

“Father. I need to pee. May I go to the privy?”

“Huh? Of course! Let’s go, quickly.”

In a fluster, Namgoong Cheongun grabbed Seolhwa’s hand and rushed to the nearest inn.

Just to let her relieve herself, he rented out an entire room and even stepped outside to give her privacy.

Being rich is a burden too, huh.

Seolhwa had expected he might take her to a quiet back alley for something like this, so she shook her head in disbelief.

Still, she had achieved her purpose—putting distance between herself and Namgoong Cheongun.

One guard at the entrance, two on the first floor. One on the roof?

The last one was among the people on the street outside the inn.

Once Seolhwa had confirmed the positions of Cheongun and the escorts, she opened the window in the direction least exposed to their line of sight.

The room was on the second floor.

Tap—!

Without hesitation, Seolhwa vaulted through the window.