I Thought the Youngest Daughter of the Sichuan Tang Family Was Hated - Chapter 64
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Well, perhaps… it would be better to discard it, wouldn’t it?”
Gong Myo asked cautiously, gauging my reaction.
“No, it’s fine.”
I accepted the letter without hesitation.
Then I nervously untied the cord binding the letter and offered a bright smile.
“They took the trouble to send it, after all. I should read it, shouldn’t I? Haha!”
“Is… is that so?”
“Yes! Thank you, Myo.”
After thanking Gong Myo, she laughed awkwardly and stepped back.
Despite my attempt at composure, my anger clearly hadn’t been concealed.
“Let’s see. What nonsense has he written…?”
I unfolded the letter and read through it entirely.
…The word “safe” bothered me for some reason. Was it just my imagination that he was alluding to the kidnapping incident?
‘Now that I think about it, the Nanny…’
She was a spy for the Namgoong Clan.
Before my regression, she extracted me and sent me to Anhui—that was intentional.
When that failed in this life, did she attempt the kidnapping instead?
‘No. Namgoong Do-hwi saved me.’
“Ah, could it be…?”
Only now did I grasp Namgoong Do-hwi’s true intentions.
The best way to extract me from the Dang Household was for me to leave of my own volition.
So at first, he tried to subtly manipulate my mind to make me run away.
But when that failed…
‘He was trying to lure me out with sound judgment instead.’
By arranging an early marriage between me and Namgoong Do-hwi to make me leave through marriage!
“What? This baseless confidence.”
Did he truly believe I would fall for him so easily?
No matter how popular he was among girls my age…
His strength and beauty now seemed utterly insignificant compared to what I’d witnessed.
“Hmph! The most handsome man in the Central Plains, they say…”
I scoffed, recalling the praises of Namgoong Do-hwi I’d heard in my previous life.
In the end, he couldn’t compare to Jin Hwa’s face—that fleeting moment I’d truly seen.
“Miss, shall I tear it up and burn it?”
Dang Dam, who had appeared beside me, asked subtly.
“Mm. Fine. I should send a reply.”
At my casual response, delivered while shaking my head, Gong Myo and Dang Dam’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Hmm—.”
I laid fresh paper on the table and spread it out smoothly.
Then I yanked open a drawer.
It was crammed full of medicinal herbs I’d dried and stored away during idle moments.
From among the precious herbs, I retrieved one.
A dried flower—specifically, a peach blossom variety that had been thoroughly desiccated.
“Hmm—.”
A hum escaped my lips unbidden.
I crushed the flower roughly in my grip, and it crumbled instantly into powder.
I placed it inside the paper and scribbled a reply in the corner.
I folded the paper neatly and handed it to Gong Myo.
“Make sure you deliver it exactly as it is.”
Gong Myo’s eyes trembled slightly as she received the letter.
With a bewildered expression, she nodded and left the room.
From the corridor, I heard her murmuring softly to herself.
“Surely… this won’t start a war….”
***
“Well. You look fine.”
The Jinbeop Commander spoke as he watched the person enter through the door.
“You disappeared without a word, and I thought you’d surely return crippled in some way after being caught by Dok-jon’s hands… but here you are.”
At his words, Seong-ya swallowed hard.
“….”
Seong-ya now stood in the heart of the Jinbeop Order’s main camp, Jinho Camp.
Everyone here wore the stolen faces of the Dang Family’s Jinbeop Order—they were all fakes.
Seong-ya was receiving suspicious glances from all of them.
It was only natural.
He had vanished suddenly, then returned alive from Dok-jon’s grasp.
There wasn’t a single detail that didn’t raise questions.
But Seong-ya was the one who knew best how to dispel suspicion in moments like these.
“…I didn’t fail to send word. I couldn’t send it.”
He opened his mouth carefully.
“Couldn’t?”
The Jinbeop Commander’s eyes gleamed. He was desperate to find inconsistencies in Seong-ya’s account.
The more he did so, the more calmly Seong-ya responded.
“That’s right. Did everyone already know Dok-jon was leaving for the Healing Retreat? And to Yunnan, where headquarters sent assassins?”
At his question, the Jinbeop Commander fell silent.
It was true that no one had anticipated Dok-jon’s sudden action.
Who could have known he’d suddenly leave for Yunnan to recuperate?
“I was able to because I was constantly surveilling the area around the Young Girl.”
Seong-ya struck his chest and raised his voice.
At that, the Jinbeop Order members nodded in understanding.
“Indeed, a thorough one.”
“He’s well-prepared.”
They would never imagine, as they murmured in admiration.
‘Of course, I was surveilling because I wanted to see Gong Myo.’
Such petty and unsavory depths within Seong-ya.
“As soon as I learned the news, I was busy pursuing them. I couldn’t afford to bungle things by following them.”
“Indeed, that makes sense.”
“Remarkable fellow.”
“Of course, I was spotted during the surveillance midway, but my identity wasn’t exposed. Why?! Because I’m a genius at mimicry!”
“Right. That fellow is a genius.”
“You can’t suspect a genius.”
The Jinbeop Order members nodded again.
But the Jinbeop Commander was different. He stepped closer to Seong-ya and stared directly into his eyes with an unwavering gaze.
“You haven’t defected, have you?”
At the Commander’s blunt question, Seong-ya paused briefly before countering.
“What reason would I have?”
There was no soul in his voice or eyes.
They were the eyes of one raised as Gan-ja.
Only then did the Commander set aside his suspicions and tapped Seong-ya on the shoulder.
“…Dok-jon, we cannot let him discover our identities. His perception is uncanny, and if he finds out—especially about you—he’ll ensure we don’t die like human beings.”
“I know.”
The Jinbeop Order members murmured among themselves as they listened to the exchange.
“Who would have thought Dok-jon would begin moving….”
“The only variable.”
Seong-ya withdrew his gaze from them and asked the Commander matter-of-factly.
“I’ve built trust with the young lady. When I made an excuse about following her out of concern, we grew closer. Should I approach further and attempt to abduct her?”
There was a hidden intention behind Seong-ya’s question.
To learn the plan for extracting Hee-yeon afterward.
But the Jinbeop Commander shook his head and spoke.
“No. Let the Namgoong Young Master attempt that alone from now on.”
“…Why?”
At Seong-ya’s question, the Commander smiled wickedly.
“Because I have a better plan.”
Seong-ya’s eyes narrowed.
‘This doesn’t sound good at all.’
His instinct proved correct.
“Our mission was to drain the very souls from those Dang Family wretches. The best method was using the young lady, but since we failed to extract her….”
The Commander bared his yellowed teeth as he continued.
“Let’s kill her.”
Yes. Of course.
Not just bad—a horrific plan.
A plan certain to collapse before execution.
“Yes. Let’s kill her.”
“Now that the Patriarch and Dok-jon are conscious, operating as before will be difficult.”
“I’m sick of this wretched cave. Let’s just kill her.”
The Jinbeop Order members muttered darkly among themselves again.
“You lure her and kill her. Then we make it look like Dok-jon did it. Perfect internal division.”
The Commander grasped Seong-ya’s shoulder and spoke with force.
“Perfect.”
“Absolutely perfect.”
At their tiresome murmuring, Seong-ya closed his eyes tightly for a moment.
“…Such permission—did it perhaps come from above?”
“No!”
The Commander answered with absolute confidence.
“This is our independent decision. Headquarters will praise our decisiveness.”
At his words, Seong-ya inwardly sighed repeatedly.
“…Don’t you know that Dok-jon cherishes Hee-yeon?”
Seong-ya asked while concealing his troubled feelings, and the Commander let out a derisive snort. The men followed suit with their own scoffs.
“Would the legendary Dok-jon truly care for her? He’s just playing with her. A pastime. And then he killed her.”
“Right. That makes perfect sense.”
“Anyone would understand.”
Seong-ya wished he had a long pipe to smoke right then.
‘Was I really part of the same group as these fools?’
They appeared even more like a ragtag mob today than usual.
Perhaps it was inevitable.
They had been raised as puppets capable of nothing but following orders.
But the plan had failed, and suddenly powerful cultivators had begun moving within the Family Clan.
So now they were floundering, veering down strange paths.
“Hehehehe!”
“Excellent. Excellent.”
“Absolutely perfect….”
Something overlapped in my mind as I watched them laugh darkly.
A martial artist who had become completely crippled from just a single gesture from Hee-yeon.
I hadn’t witnessed it directly since I was trapped in the supply carriage at the time….
‘Dang Mu-seon told me about it on purpose.’
As a warning—to know what would happen if I touched Hee-yeon.
“…Yes. I’ll try to lure them out.”
Seong-ya answered while deliberately masking his emotions.
As I left Jinho Camp, I exhaled deeply.
“Sigh. These mindless….”
I swallowed the rest and clicked my tongue softly.
They had no idea.
How much Dok-jon cherished Hee-yeon.
Just how much he cherished her….
“Ugh! I don’t even want to imagine it.”
Countless scenarios flooded my mind, and I shuddered.
No matter how I thought about it, it was an absolute blessing.
That I had defected before executing this plan.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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