My Granddaughter Is Popular. (1)

“There’s a way to get into Sea Dragon Island? What on earth is that?”

A young martial artist with a dark complexion stepped forward.

“Some of us were fishermen before we became martial artists. I’m saying we can actually steer a boat.”

“Are you saying you can take us close to it?”

“Yes. Finding a sea route won’t be difficult, so we only need to rent a boat.”

To think things would go this smoothly. Yu Jinsan’s previously dark face brightened at once.

“Thank you. I don’t know how to repay you.”

He said it awkwardly, but the martial artists waved him off one after another.

“Repayment? That’s out of the question.”

“Jeon Sa-ryong is no different from an enemy to all of us.”

“You came from afar to take the lead; we should be the ones thanking you.”

Sincerity showed on their faces. That was how much everyone in the region resented that man.

“Then we’ll ask a favor. We’ll cover the expenses.”

“Yes. Please wait a moment. It won’t take long.”

Soon a few martial artists moved to negotiate with the fishermen. The rest gathered and waited.

All that remained was to wait.

Yu Jinsan walked alone along the shore with his hands behind his back to get some air and sort his thoughts.

‘Sea Dragon Island is not an ordinary island. What on earth is happening there?’

Something wicked had to be happening; his intuition told him so. He couldn’t say exactly what, but the premonition was grim. His eyes, fixed on the horizon, darkened.

‘Soon I’ll know. Why that place is called Hell Island.’

He slowly turned his head to the right and saw the martial artists negotiating with the fishermen. From their expressions, it seemed to be going well. He turned back left with a lighter heart and saw his granddaughter laughing and playing among the martial artists.

‘That kid. Popular no matter where she goes.’

She was surrounded, laughing as if something very amusing had happened. Curious, he approached and listened.

“You’re truly amazing, Yin Monster, Great Warrior.”

“How is your martial skill so high?”

Yu Seol’s mouth slowly curled. Being praised made her glow.

“Hehe. I trained hard.”

At that moment, a sharp-featured martial artist clasped his hands and spoke cautiously.

“Great Warrior. I haven’t progressed in two years. No matter how much I train, nothing changes. Why is that?”

Yu Seol looked him over, then swiftly snatched his wrist.

Tug-!

“……?”

The others were momentarily bewildered by the sudden move. Yu Seol pushed qi into his wrist to check his condition. After a moment she spoke.

“You’ve had internal injuries before, haven’t you?”

“Yes, yes. I was badly injured a few years ago.”

Now understanding, Yu Seol smiled slightly.

“It’s because your meridians are badly damaged. Your circulation isn’t proper, so internal qi doesn’t accumulate in the dantian.”

“Th-then what should I do?”

“Stay still. I’ll help you.”

“……Yes?”

She swung both hands left and right with a whoosh. The man before her spun half a turn.

“Gasp!”

Everyone stepped back in surprise as Yu Seol’s hands began tapping his back in rapid rhythm—pitter-pat, patter-patter—moving so fast they were almost invisible.

The strange method didn’t take long. After a short time, Yu Seol finished and waved one hand. The martial artist spun another half turn, staring in disbelief.

“How do you feel?”

“My body feels so much lighter!”

“I’ve widened your meridians a bit, so you’ll be fine now.”

It wasn’t just healing: widening the meridians smoothed qi flow, making techniques easier to execute. Such a fortunate encounter couldn’t have come at a better time.

The treated man was moved to tears.

“Thank you. Truly, thank you!”

Puffed with pride, Yu Seol shrugged.

At that moment a gaunt martial artist watching from the side awkwardly approached.

“Gr-Great Warrior. I’m sorry, but could you take a look at me too?”

Yu Seol sized him up and replied reflexively.

“You don’t look hurt. Your bones and muscles are fine. It’s just that you haven’t put in the effort.”

Praised for his aptitude by a peerless master, he soared with joy.

“Really? Hahaha! Thank you for noticing, Great Warrior.”

The other martial artists glanced at one another. Who would miss such an opportunity? One sturdy-looking man quickly jumped in.

“I’ve trained harder than anyone. Yet my progression is slower than my sworn brothers. Could you see if there’s something wrong with me?”

Judging by the developed small muscles across his body, his claim sounded plausible. But martial art wasn’t only about muscle; inner cultivation mattered more.

Yu Seol nodded and grabbed his wrist. After a brief pulse diagnosis she suddenly tilted her head with a serious expression.

“Hmm. It’s ambiguous……”

“Eh? Ambiguous? I also want to be strong like you. Please, I beg you……”

He pleaded desperately, almost clinging.

Yu Seol sighed and released his wrist, then spoke solemnly.

“You’d have to be reborn. It won’t work in this life.”

That meant his aptitude was essentially hopeless—a congenital problem effort couldn’t fix. The surrounding martial artists burst into laughter.

“Puhat!”

“Hahaha!”

“Puhahaha!”

Behind their giggles, Yu Jinsan chuckled, clutching his belly.

After a moment of laughter, a group returned briskly—the ones who had gone to check the sea route and boats.

The dark-skinned martial artist asked with a curious expression.

“Is there any good news?”

While everyone still stared, Yu Jinsan approached, suppressing a smile.

“Grr. It’s nothing. But how did it go?”

“We checked the route, but there’s a problem.”

“Hmm. What kind of problem?”

“The current to Sea Dragon Island is so strong that a small ferry is out of the question. We barely managed to find a slightly larger boat, but……”

He trailed off as if embarrassed.

“Is it the cost?”

“No. They’re willing to rent it for a pittance, but its condition is very poor.”

The fishermen here were shrewd. They surely knew the destination and, fearing they might not get the boat back, intended to hand over something worthless.

“Is it unusable to the point we can’t board it?”

“Not to that extent, but if the weather turns bad there’s a risk of it taking on water.”

“Hmm.”

It wasn’t fatal, but far from appealing. Yu Seol, however, was delighted—they would save money.

“Great! Let’s take that one!”

Even if something happened, couldn’t they manage it with a bit of lightness skill? There was no reason to stop her, so Yu Jinsan tacitly agreed.

“All right. Then we’ll take that deal.”

There were minor problems, but overall things were proceeding smoothly.

Looking at the gathered martial artists, Yu Jinsan spoke happily.

“You’ve all worked hard. How about sharing a meal before we depart?”

Everyone lit up at the suggestion.

“Sounds good!”

“Let’s go!”

The next dawn, a group at the dock hurried with departure preparations. The boat was a small-to-medium cargo vessel that could hold about twenty people.

“Why are you all like this? I told you there’s no need to follow.”

Yu Jinsan looked at the nearby martial artists with a baffled expression—they insisted on riding the boat to see them off.

“Please allow us to go only as far as nearby.”

“It’ll put our hearts at ease, elder.”

“We beg you.”

Their tone had become more polite after drinking and bonding at the inn.

“Are you still saying that after seeing the state of that boat? It could sink and we’d die on the way.”

The vessel was riddled with rot and severe cracks from age. If something happened, he and his granddaughter might escape, but he couldn’t guarantee anyone’s survival.

No matter how he tried to stop them, they stood firm.

“Isn’t this loyalty!”

“Don’t worry. Men from our south are all good swimmers.”

“We can swim for two days!”

From what he heard at the inn last night, countless southern martial artists had been killed by Jeon Sa-ryong—sworn brothers, masters, even sect heads.