The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter-Chapter 45

Suggestion is a type of energy.

By planting one’s own energy into the target’s body and later activating it in a specific manner, the target could be manipulated at will.

To break free from the suggestion, either the caster must retrieve the planted energy, or the victim must remain under control until that energy is fully exhausted. There was no other way.

Namgoong Mucheon stirred the energy coiled around the Hundred Convergences Point on Seolhwa’s crown and triggered it into a rampage.

All that was left now was to face the girl until the energy disappeared.

“...Very well. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Namgoong Mucheon raised Heaven’s Decree.

He didn’t draw the blade.

Blue energy surged from his body like a fountain.

Seolhwa hesitated for a brief moment—but she didn’t retreat. Instead, she released an even more intense killing aura.

“Come.”

At that instant, her sword shot toward him in a blur.

Mucheon deflected her strike using only the hilt of his sheathed sword.

Clang! Clack! Clang!

The force and speed behind her attack were almost unbelievable for a child.

‘Swift Sword and Shifting Blade...’

The Swift Sword—an aggressive style that presses the opponent with fast, clean strikes.

The Shifting Blade—an unpredictable style that constantly changes its path to confuse the enemy.

While neither style carried overwhelming /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ power on its own, in the hands of a skilled practitioner, they became difficult to deal with.

‘She’s compensating for her lack of strength with speed.’

A shadow passed over Namgoong Mucheon’s face.

‘Was she truly raised as an assassin?’

Her intense killing intent, and the swordplay rooted in traits vital to an assassin, embodied the life she had lived.

‘Damn bastard...’

The curses swelled up inside him, but he held them back—for his granddaughter’s sake.

‘You dared raise my granddaughter as a killer?’

It had been eight years since the child disappeared.

To possess such dense bloodlust and such swordsmanship meant she had been relentlessly pushed during that time.

‘I’ll tear that bastard limb from limb.’

Even throwing the remains to the dogs wouldn’t be enough for a monster like that.

Rumble!

The blue energy around Namgoong Mucheon erupted even more violently.

Clang! Clack! Clang!

Seolhwa’s sword strikes grew faster and heavier in response.

Astonishingly, with each clash of blades, her speed and power increased.

‘She’s adapting...?’

Like a craftsman learning to use a new tool, she was adjusting to herself—refining her grip, adjusting her angles, and refining how she applied force.

What had initially been clumsy overexertion was gradually becoming natural, attuned to her body.

‘Fascinating.’

Was it because she had expelled her former inner energy?

If so, her ability to adapt even her movements was strange.

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Regardless, watching his granddaughter grow stronger before his very eyes wasn’t a bad feeling.

Then it happened.

As she swung her sword like a whirlwind, Seolhwa suddenly paused and shifted her stance.

‘Sword technique...’

Until now, her strikes had been wild and without form.

But this—this was different.

This was the start of something real.

‘Let’s see what sword you reveal to me.’

Seolhwa began her forms like flowing water.

One move, then another, linking smoothly into a full technique.

First form. Second form.

Mucheon, who had been easily countering her techniques so far, suddenly found his expression hardening.

‘This is...!’

****

Clang! Clack! Clang!

With each clash, Namgoong Mucheon’s expression grew colder.

It was because of the sword forms she unleashed—one after another.

‘That’s the Soaring Swallow Sword of the Vast Heavens...’

Every technique Seolhwa displayed was rooted in Namgoong swordsmanship.

But the problem wasn’t that she used it.

The problem was her purpose.

Her sword wasn’t meant to elevate Namgoong’s style.

It was meant to dismantle it.

Slash! Clang!

Seolhwa’s blade tore through the air, piercing precisely along the trajectory of the Soaring Swallow Sword.

And it wasn’t just that technique.

Shhhk—!

Twelve strikes surged forth in rapid succession.

As if weaving a thick shield with sword forms alone.

Clang clang clang clang!

Mucheon’s eyes widened as he deflected her blade.

‘The Lone Soul Sword!’

Starting from the foundational Grand Heaven Sword, then transitioning into the Soaring Swallow Sword of the Vast Heavens, the Lone Soul Sword, the Celestial Wind Sword, and even the Iron Barrier Ten Forms—

Every technique Seolhwa demonstrated was designed to neutralize Namgoong swordsmanship.

A sword to oppose Namgoong itself.

‘Namgoong Destruction Technique...’

She hadn’t been raised as just any assassin.

She had been raised to oppose Namgoong.

Namgoong Mucheon fell silent.

It wasn’t that Namgoong swordsmanship had flaws.

The Namgoong style, when perfected, was a heavenly sword art with power beyond mortal reach.

But how many in the Namgoong Clan had ever perfected even a single one?

‘If the Elders or the Clan Lords saw this sword...’

They would never accept this girl as one of Namgoong’s own.

Even if he personally acknowledged her, they would try every method to exile her from the main family.

‘This... is dangerous.’

****

The sound of hurried commotion echoed from deep within the estate, gradually drawing closer.

Namgoong Cheonghae, who had been handling affairs in the Inner Hall, set his brush down with a weary expression and massaged the space between his brows.

Just as he straightened his posture and brought his hands together, someone began pounding roughly on his door.

“Lord Cheonghae! Are you in there?!”

Cheonghae let out a soft sigh and gave a slight nod to the attendant beside the door.

The door opened, and a crowd surged into the room.

At their front was the Head of the Elders’ Council, with the Yellow Dragon Lord and Red Dragon Lord flanking him.

These were the primary figures who supported elevating Namgoong Cheonghae to the position of acting Clan Head.

Behind them trailed a throng of other elders.

Cheonghae rose from his seat and approached them, bowing politely to the Council Head.

“What brings you all the way here, Uncle?”

“Lord Cheonghae! Is this really the time to be sitting around idly?!”

“What’s happened?”

“The Clan Head has entered the Cave of Divine Insight! And he took that unruly granddaughter of his with him!”

“...What?”

Cheonghae’s expression slackened into blank disbelief.

His father entered the training cave? With that child?

“Don’t you understand what that means?”

“...”

“He’s going to forcibly carry out the Bone Cleansing and Marrow Washing! Even while disregarding the will of the Elders and the Sword Corps!”

There were five main powers within the Namgoong Clan.

First, the House Lords, who managed the day-to-day affairs of the clan.

Second, the direct bloodline, small in number but wielding significant influence.

Third, the Council of Elders, made up of branch family members.

Fourth, the Council of Seniors, composed of those who had stepped down from frontline duty.

And fifth, the Five Sword Corps, the military foundation of the Namgoong Clan’s power in the martial world.

Among these, the Council of Elders and three of the Sword Corps backed Cheonghae. The Council of Seniors, while not openly voicing support, had long viewed him favorably due to his quiet, steadfast service to the clan.

So for those planning to install Namgoong Cheonghae as acting Clan Head, the return of Seolhwa was an unwelcome complication.

“She deceived the clan barely a day ago, and now he’s performing the Bone Cleansing ritual on her?! This is not something we can ignore! The Council of Elders will demand this be addressed upon the Clan Head’s return! So you, Lord Cheonghae, must stand with us!”

Cheonghae responded with silence.

“Lord Cheonghae!”

The Council Head raised his voice in frustration, and only then did Cheonghae speak, calm and emotionless.

“I’m sure Father has his reasons.”

“Do you truly mean that...?!”

“Even if I were to take the position of acting Clan Head by opposing my father—what meaning would that have?”

“...!”

His gaze was steady and cold.

Yes, the Council Head and three Sword Corps supported him—but that was all.

The Council of Seniors had yet to state their position. And while three Sword Corps sounded like much, in reality, there were six in total—meaning barely half support.

The same went for the Elders’ Council.

Even if the Council Head claimed to represent their collective will, not every elder supported Cheonghae.

And above all, no matter how many factions existed within the clan, the authority of Namgoong Mucheon—the Celestial Dragon Sword Emperor—was absolute.

“Namgoong’s golden age was built upon the glory of the Sword Emperor. Now is not the time to oppose the Clan Head’s will. It’s the time to earn his favor.”

The crowd, struck by the weight of Cheonghae’s logic, fell into silent contemplation.

“You say you wish to make me acting Clan Head? Then bring me an opportunity.”

“An... opportunity?”

“What does the Clan Head value most?”

“If I’m being honest... right now, it seems to be that unruly great-granddaughter of his...”

Cheonghae shook his head firmly.

“She’s his granddaughter—of course he’s attached, especially after eight years of absence. However...”

The hotter the tea, the faster it freezes.

His attention, for now, would be fixated on the girl.

But eventually—inevitably—that warmth would fade.

And when that happened, his focus would return to its rightful place.

“The name of Namgoong.”

The clan itself.

“We must seize the opportunity to elevate that name.”

Namgoong Cheonghae clenched his fist tightly.

The Council Head and the Lords standing with him instinctively swallowed dryly.

“An opportunity to elevate the Namgoong name...”

“A way to take the clan one step further!”

“The only path to turning the Clan Head’s heart!”

Just then—

“Lord Cheonghae!”

An attendant burst into the hall, breathless, and dropped to his knees.

“A visitor... has arrived from Mount Hua!”