The return of the granddaughter of the Namgoong family

***

“Ha, how could I not know that the peace of Heifei is thanks to the warriors of the Namgung family! I was just…!”

“That’s right!”

Whoosh—Boom!

“Ugh…!”

The burly man threw the innkeeper aside.

However, no one tried to stop him. They all knew that the man was a warrior of the Namgung family.

In the streets controlled by Namgung, who would dare to stop a warrior of the Namgung family from causing trouble?

There were different ranks among the Namgung warriors, but ordinary people had no way of knowing that.

In Heifei, where the order was maintained under the name of Namgung, anyone from the Namgung family was treated like an absolute authority.

Seolhwa chewed on a hot dumpling and glanced at Namgung Cheongun.

From the moment the man grabbed the innkeeper by the collar, Cheongun’s expression had already turned cold.

‘I wonder if Father knows his hand is still resting on my head?’

If he knew, he wouldn’t have placed it there like that.

Namgung Cheongun was furious at the fact that those causing trouble were warriors of the Namgung family.

However, since they were hiding their identities, he couldn’t act recklessly.

The bodyguards, who were also hiding their identities among the crowd, had quietly raised their internal energy, clearly ready to intervene if the situation escalated.

“You know very well!”

The Namgung warrior stood tall in front of the fallen innkeeper.

“I’m busy keeping the peace of Heifei, and you can’t even pay for a plate of dumplings and noodles without mistreating someone?”

“Hah, it’s not just once…”

“I told you, I forgot my pouch!”

The booming voice echoed through the inn.

Some of the people eating quietly slipped away, while others cast displeased glances at the innkeeper, hoping the commotion would settle quickly.

“Tch…”

How powerless the ordinary people were in front of a warrior.

With the Namgung warriors, who were supposed to maintain order, causing trouble instead, there was no one to turn to for help, and no way to resolve the situation.

“Alright, I understand. But please, next time…”

The innkeeper had no choice but to back down.

He knew that escalating the situation would only make things worse.

“Hahaha! Yeah! I’ll bring it next time! Ah! The food was good!”

The Namgung warrior clapped the innkeeper’s head as he walked past, and the men who were with him snickered as they followed him out of the inn.

“Father…”

From a little distance away, Jeomsoi, who had been pacing anxiously, ran over to help the innkeeper up.

“Maybe we should report this to the authorities…”

“Don’t. Those men are Namgung warriors. Do you think the authorities would side with us?”

“But this is already the… what, the fifth time? The money owed to the merchants…”

“Shh. There are too many ears around.”

Father and son quietly stood up, careful not to say anything that could be seen as criticizing Namgung. The innkeeper bowed deeply to the remaining customers.

“I’m so sorry for the disturbance. As an apology, please enjoy a plate of dumplings on the house. Please, feel free to continue your meal.”

With the broken table, the shattered dishes, and the dumplings, the losses were not small.

Swoosh—

“…?”

As Seolhwa, who had been watching the situation with interest, raised her gaze, she saw Namgung Cheongun standing up, smiling beneath his wide-brimmed hat.

“Seolhwa, keep eating for now. I’ll be back soon.”

Seolhwa nodded.

Namgung Cheongun then exited the inn. The moment he turned his back to Seolhwa, his expression turned cold.

Soon after, two of his bodyguards followed him out.

The remaining three stayed by Seolhwa’s side.

Seolhwa picked up another warm dumpling, steam rising from it.

‘I wonder what punishment he’ll mete out.’

In the Blood Sect, such things were routine, so punishment wasn’t necessary.

But this is the righteous path, isn’t it?

In the righteous sects that prioritize morality and alliances, there’s no way they’d just let such ruffians go.

Moreover, they’re tarnishing the name of the Namgung family, and it’s a matter of family reputation, so there’s no way they’d let it slide.

‘How bold. They’re shamelessly using Namgung’s name like this in the front yard of Namgung.’

It seemed they hadn’t considered they might get caught. Were they on patrol?

Patrolling the streets of Heifei was part of the duties of the external martial force.

From the fact that no one had rushed to stop the disturbance, it seemed that the troublemaking warriors were responsible for this district.

A short time later, one of the bodyguards who had followed Namgung Cheongun returned and spoke with the innkeeper.

The bodyguard handed the innkeeper a heavy purse, and the innkeeper bowed deeply several times, expressing his gratitude.

Then, Namgung Cheongun returned.

“Ha…”

As he sat down heavily, Seolhwa swallowed the dumpling she had been chewing.

“What happened?”

“Hmm? What do you mean? What happened?”

“The punishment. Weren’t you going to punish the warriors who ate without paying?”

Namgung Cheongun blinked in surprise.

Then, he chuckled and pressed his wide-brimmed hat down a bit more.

“Oh, you knew all along, that’s why you sent me off so willingly.”

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

“You can’t hide anything from me, can you?”

Seolhwa shrugged.

It was an obvious cause-and-effect situation, but to be aware of even the details was impressive.

“I found out their names and affiliations. I told them to go back to their family and reflect. I’ll deduct three months’ worth of their wages, and that money will go to the innkeeper.”

“And then?”

“And that’s all.”

Seolhwa furrowed her brows.

Even though this is a righteous sect, they’re only deducting wages for those who’ve tarnished the family name.

“Aren’t you cutting off their hands or tongues?”

This time, Namgung Cheongun frowned.

“Why would I cut off their hands and tongues?”

“You damaged the inn and tarnished the family’s reputation, didn’t you? They wielded martial arts with malicious intent, so their hands should be cut off, and since they sullied the family name with their words, their tongues should be cut off as well.”

‘If this were the Blood Sect, hands and tongues wouldn’t be the end of it.’

In the Blood Sect, when someone tarnished the name of the sect, the punishment was death. And not just any death — the victim would die slowly, their vital energy drained by the Blood Demon, their blood and energy sucked dry.

But that was the law of the Blood Sect. Here, in the righteous sect, the response was more moderate, or at least that was what Seolhwa had expected. However, Namgung Cheongun’s face was filled with shock.

After a moment of confusion, he shook his head.

“I won’t be cutting off their hands or their tongues.”

“Why not?”

“If I cut off their hands, their life as a martial artist would be over. If I cut off their tongues, they would live their lives unable to eat properly or communicate with anyone.”

“That’s the punishment. They’d live their lives regretting what they did.”

“Though they committed a crime by acting under the family’s name, it wasn’t malicious enough to deserve such a harsh punishment. They should be given a chance to repent.”

“Is that so?”

Seolhwa didn’t quite like this mild punishment, but she let it go. If it was the way of Namgung’s righteous sect, she couldn’t go against it.

“Eat your food. It’s getting cold.”

Food tastes best when it’s still warm.

As Seolhwa looked at the now-cold dumplings, she sighed in disappointment.

Namgung Cheongun watched her with a troubled expression.

A short time later, the innkeeper brought out a new plate of dumplings. With that, they were able to finish their meal while enjoying the warm dumplings.

Namgung Cheongun then led Seolhwa to the tanghulu shop as promised.

Standing in front of the Tanghulu stand, Seolhwa’s eyes sparkled with childlike excitement. Namgung Cheongun, seeing her reaction, almost decided to buy the entire shop on the spot.

However, after Seolhwa strongly opposed it, they reached an agreement where he would purchase all the tanghulu that had been prepared.

Both Namgung Cheongun and Seolhwa were handed paper bags filled with the sweet treats.

As they munched on the tanghulu, they wandered around Heifei, admiring the small shops.

There were cute hair accessories, jade rings larger than Seolhwa’s thumb, and sparkling golden shoes decorated with flowers.

Each time they passed by a shop, Namgung Cheongun wanted to buy out the whole store, but eventually, Seolhwa grew tired of stopping him and started ignoring him as she walked away.

While they were still busy sightseeing, Seolhwa suddenly spoke.

“Father, I need to use the restroom. May I go to the latrine?”

“Huh? Of course! Let’s go quickly.”

Namgung Cheongun hurriedly led Seolhwa to the nearest inn.

He had rented a room entirely, just to make sure Seolhwa could use the restroom in peace, and he even moved outside the room to give her privacy.

‘Having so much money must be tiring.’

Seolhwa had expected him to take her to a quiet alley, but she shook her head as if that wasn’t necessary.

At least now there was distance between her and Namgung Cheongun, so her purpose was almost complete.

‘The guards are at the entrance, two on the first floor, and one on the roof?’

She could spot one more guard blending in among the people in the street.

With a clear understanding of the positions of the guards and Namgung Cheongun, Seolhwa opened the window in a direction where their gaze would not reach.

The inn’s room was on the second floor.

Swish!

Without hesitation, Seolhwa climbed out of the window.