The Return of the Namgoong Clan’s Granddaughter - Chapter 95



Only Noblemtl

Episode 95

Choaaaah-

The ship quickly approached the land.

Seolhwa pulled up her clothes to cover her lower body as much as possible and lowered her head.

On the outside, he looked cowering in fear, but he was hiding his face in case someone recognized him.

– This is a big deal.

Yoo Kang relayed the message in an embarrassed voice.

He was carrying Hwarin on his back.

After observing the reactions of the enemies for two days, it turned out that they didn’t really care about Hwarin being tied up.

There was nowhere to run in the middle of the river, and it didn’t seem like he had any intention of harming Hwarin in the first place.

Even though Yugang took Hwarin here and there, no one showed much interest, just glanced at her and said nothing.

No, rather, he seemed satisfied with the way Hwarin looked, which suited Yugang well.

– The atmosphere is ominous. It seems like there’s a master there.

As he approached the water channel, Yu Kang seemed to sense something.

– Have you heard of the evil spirit of the Yangtze River?

– The demon of the Yangtze River?

– Maeng Deng-ho, the evil spirit of the Yangtze River. He is one of the top 100 masters. He is famous for using a spear.

Yu Kang’s face darkened at the mention of being one of the top 100 masters.

Being a top 100 expert means that you have reached at least the pinnacle of skill.

That alone was not enough to make him a match, but in addition to Maeng Deung-ho, there were easily more than ten other masters who seemed to be at the peak of their power.

– Can we… escape…?

– no.

– What should I do?

– First, we have to wait for reinforcements from Namgung. Until then, we have to be careful not to let our identities be discovered. Someone like Maeng Deung-ho will know that we are not ordinary kids.

The best way would be to avoid encountering blind spots as much as possible.

– Just in case, think of an excuse. Something like what made you learn martial arts.

– huh.

* * *

The ship finally anchored on land.

“Now, move quickly, move quickly!”

Yoo Kang handed Hwarin over to Seolhwa and went to move the ship’s cargo.

When the unpacking was almost finished, the captain of the ship, Su-jeok, ordered the three men to follow him.

He was a master of the highest order and the strongest wielder on the ship the two were on.

“Wait here for a moment.”

Arriving in front of a barrack, he left the three men behind and entered the barrack alone.

It was located at the innermost part of the water channel and was also the largest in size, so it seemed to be the barracks of the water channel lord.

– I’m screwed. I guess I should say hello to Chae Joo.

Yoo Kang-do had a worried look on his face, perhaps thinking that it would be best not to encounter Maeng Deung-ho.

Well, since it was my first time at Surochae, it was natural to greet the owner.

Since it was Surochaeju who ordered the kidnapping of Namgung’s child, he will want to see Hwa-rin.

‘Will Maeng Deung-ho recognize me?’

Have you ever encountered a blindfold at this age?

It was a time when I was worrying about the various possibilities that could happen.

The number of people who had entered the barracks came out.

“Follow me.”

Yoo Kang and Seol Hwa shared a look.

– I’ll take Hwarin.

Yu Kang took Hwarin and placed her on his left and stood next to Seolhwa.

– You guys look alike, so it would be difficult if someone recognized you.

It wasn’t a wrong statement. The current Seolhwa was hiding the fact that she was Namgung’s child and was a newcomer.

The inside of the barracks was dark. Inside the dark barracks, Maeng Deung-ho was sitting on a large chair with a crooked posture.

The sunlight was half-illuminating his face, obscuring his eyes and making it difficult to read his expression.

“Is that the kid?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Su-jeok gestured to Yu-gang to send the child out.

After thinking for a moment, Yoo Kang walked towards Chae Joo while holding the child’s hand.

“That idiot…!”

I could hear the water dripping down my teeth.

I was just meant to send the child forward, but now I’m the one who’s stepping forward!

“Who are you?”

As expected, Maeng Deung-ho asked Yu Kang.

It was a deep voice, like the growling of a beast.

Yoo Kang bowed to Maeng Deung-ho while holding Hwa-rin’s hand.

“Hello, Chaeju! My name is Kang, the youngest!”

It was a bright voice that shook up the dark atmosphere of the barracks.

There was silence.

The cheerful Yoo Kang and the taciturn Maeng Deung Ho faced each other for a moment. The awkward silence was broken by Su Jeok, who had come in with them.

“Chae, Chaeju! He’s the youngest we brought in on our ship this time! I was going to introduce him to Chaeju anyway…”

Maeng Deung-ho raised his hand to stop Su-jeok’s words.

“Is this the martial arts of the Jeongpa?”

“!”

Yoo Kang’s smile cracked.

Meng Deung-ho immediately understood the nature of the internal energy.

Yoo Kang answered, trying hard to hide his embarrassment.

“Ahaha, that’s right, there was a volcano military academy in the neighborhood I used to live in. Oh, but that doesn’t mean I went to the military academy. I didn’t have the means to go to the military academy, but I wanted to learn martial arts…”

Yoo Kang clenched his fist and showed it to me.

“I learned it by being beaten. From a guy who was a military brat.”

He hehe, laughed.

Seolhwa’s mouth opened slightly.

‘Is that why you thought that?’

It’s a ridiculous reason, but it’s not that bad.

It was a very strong and powerful sect, perhaps because it had the inner strength of a sect.

“I see.”

That was Maeng Deung-ho’s brief impression.

“I will work hard, Chaeju!”

Yu Kang bowed again and greeted her.

Although Su-jeok signaled for him to fall back, Yu-gang ignored him and stood next to Hwa-rin.

Fortunately, Maeng Deung-ho didn’t care much.

Maeng Deung-ho’s gaze lingered on Hwa-rin for a moment before speaking to Yu-gang.

“Take good care of this child.”

“Yes, my lord!”

That was the end.

Chae-ju told Yu-gang to leave, and Yu-gang held Hwa-rin’s hand and left.

Maeng Deung-ho’s gaze lingered on Seol-hwa, who was behind him, for a moment, but he soon turned his attention away.

The three of them left the barracks immediately after their brief meeting with Maeng Deung-ho.

puck!

The enemy’s fist struck Yu Kang’s head.

“You idiot! Why did you go out there? It’s fortunate that Chae-ju didn’t care! Be thankful that you’re still alive!”

“Ouch! It hurts!”

Yoo Kang ran away, holding his head where he had been hit.

“I went out because my brother told me to, so why are you saying that?!”

“Was that supposed to tell you to get out? Oh! Slap this!”

He pounded his chest as if he was frustrated with the numbers.

“Follow me! All three of you!”

The place the enemy took them to was a place where small barracks were crowded together.

It had a different atmosphere from the place where Chaeju’s barracks were located. Judging from the fact that most of the people there were women and they were carrying things like laundry and buckets of water, it seemed like they were in charge of the vegetation of this waterway.

The location was also the safest in Surochae. It was a place where one could escape to the river or mountains if necessary.

‘Are they the families of the enemies?’

The bandits who had taken the three people caught one of the women and explained something to her. Then they returned to Seolhwa and Yugang and said.

“You guys just need to help out here. As you probably heard from Master Chae earlier, managing that guy is also your job.”

The number pointed to Hwarin.

“Master Chae told me to take special care of him, so don’t starve him. Make sure he sleeps well. Well, he probably has nowhere to run away from here, but just in case, take good care of him so he doesn’t run away. Until I come back to get him. Do you understand?”

“Yes, bro!”

“Hey, big brother.”

After tapping Yu Kang on the back, the water thief quickly disappeared.

“… You really went?”

Yoo Kang scratched his head as he watched the water droplets disappear into the distance.

“Are you really that trustworthy? You entrust the child you kidnapped with difficulty to guys like us.”

“It’s not because we are trustworthy.”

Seolhwa turned her gaze and examined the entire waterway.

“That’s because I know that even if I let you go, you won’t be able to escape.”

Just a moment ago, the words of the crowd that there was nowhere to run were not empty words.

Surochae was surrounded by rivers and mountains, so it was a structure that was truly impossible to escape. It had a fence made of thick, large logs, and there were two doors on the east and west sides for entry and exit.

There were watchtowers erected at regular intervals around the fence, and there were guards above and below the watchtowers, so it seemed difficult to escape the waterway without being noticed.

Even if you somehow manage to escape, it’s a dense forest, so it’s easy to get lost.

In the first place, since it was a waterway, people would use the waterway, not the land, to enter and exit the main building, and the land route was likely not even properly paved.

‘There’s no way they would kidnap Namgung’s child and just leave him alone.’

They are confident that the child will not be able to get out of here alone.

‘Maeng Deung Ho.’

He didn’t recognize the story.

From the moment he entered Chaeju’s barracks, Seolhwa secretly watched him, but Maeng Deung-ho showed no interest in her at all.

Rather, he showed interest in Yoo Kang, who had the inner strength of a political faction.

‘It’s fortunate that you didn’t recognize me.’

Thanks to that, I thought it would be a good idea to find a way out while I had some free time.

– Small dojo. Let’s find a way to get out of here before it gets dark… .

That was when.

“You guys over there!”

A young voice shouted from behind a nearby barracks.

Yoo Kang and Seol Hwa looked at it at the same time.

Behind a pile of straw erected next to the barracks, a boy who looked as young as Hwarin was standing and pointing his finger in this direction.