I Thought the Youngest Daughter of the Sichuan Tang Family Was Hated - Chapter 9

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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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“Pardon? Hehe… tea contains tea leaves, doesn’t it?”
Dang Gyo-gyo stammered, glancing sideways at the teacup.
“Is that so?”
Dang Gui-heon nodded as if hearing something fascinating, then reached toward the tea table the Maid was holding.
“Tea with tea leaves in it.”
The Maid hurriedly stepped back, but the yellow teacup was already in Dang Gui-heon’s grasp.
Dang Gui-heon examined the cup from every angle, wonder evident in his expression, then thrust it toward Dang Gyo-gyo.
“Then go ahead and drink it all down.”
“I… beg your pardon?”
Dang Gyo-gyo’s face drained of color in an instant.
Yet Dang Gui-heon’s gaze remained unwavering.
As if he already knew what lay within.
“You called it tea yourself. There’s nothing you cannot drink.”
“…But…”
Terror flickered in Dang Gyo-gyo’s eyes as though facing poison.
In the frigid silence, Dang Gui-heon’s low voice resonated.
“Shall your elder brother feed it to you himself? Come now… ah…”
The cup was about to touch her lips.
Clack!
A sharp sound rang out.
Tea splashed down Dang Gui-heon’s wrist.
Dark droplets fell to the floor with soft thuds.
Dang Gyo-gyo had frantically knocked the cup from his hand.
“That’s… that’s not what I meant.”
Dang Gyo-gyo looked up at Dang Gui-heon, her mouth agape.
“I was just… startled…”
The gentle smile from moments before had vanished, leaving only Dang Gui-heon’s cold, expressionless face.
Had she realized there was no escape?
Or was she simply terrified of Dang Gui-heon?
Suddenly, Dang Gyo-gyo dropped to her knees.
“I was truly startled… startled, that’s all! Please believe me!”
“Very well. I shall believe you, so calm yourself.”
Dang Gui-heon tilted his brows downward in sympathy and nodded, mirroring her posture.
Cradling Dang Gyo-gyo’s cheek, Dang Gui-heon spoke with magnanimous grace.
“If you were merely startled, then compose yourself and wait until you’ve finished drinking every last drop.”
“…”
Dang Gyo-gyo’s breath caught as her heart sank.
Dang Gui-heon, gazing down at her with darkened eyes, continued.
“Owhun-deung. Gakpyeon. Baekjichcho. These are what lie within this tea.”
“…!”
Dang Gyo-gyo and the Maid’s faces drained of all color.
As expected, Dang Gui-heon already knew everything.
From today’s events alone.
“Those are the very things you burned in my brother’s room every single day.”
Every transgression, past and present.
“You dared to harm a direct bloodline. And on top of that….”
Dang Gui-heon extended his hand toward Dang Gyo-gyo’s head. She shrank back, her shoulders hunching as she squeezed her eyes shut.
“You intercepted every gesture of goodwill I sent to my brother.”
His long, slender fingers gently withdrew the jade hairpin fixed in her hair.
“Thinking about it now, this is what truly vexes me most.”
Deep dimples carved themselves into his cheeks.
Soon, a calm yet weighty voice resonated through the Pavilion.
“Effective immediately, Dang Gyo-gyo and her entire branch are expelled from the Dang Family.”
“What?!”
Dang Gyo-gyo trembled violently, her shoulders quaking in shock.
Dang Gui-heon continued without hesitation, his tone unwavering.
“Henceforth, this branch may no longer bear the Dang surname, and the martial practitioners among you shall have their meridians severed….”
“Who do you think you are!”
In that instant, a thunderous rebuke shattered the air, so forceful it made eardrums ring.
“Huh?!”
Ripples spread across the Lake as another guest materialized before the Pavilion.
Dang Gui-heon showed no surprise, offering the newcomer a respectful bow.
“Seo-o Elder.”
An elderly man leaning on a cane stood hunched, glaring at Dang Gui-heon.
‘An Elder? How did this person even arrive here?’
Could it be they had arranged for him to arrive beforehand, in case I had drunk the tea according to their plan?
I held my breath, studying the old man intently.
Age spots dotted his face, and his mustache gleamed white.
I had never seen him before.
Then again, I couldn’t possibly know everyone within the Family since I was six years old.
“Expulsion? What on earth did the child do to warrant such harsh treatment?!”
The Elder tapped his cane against the ground with sharp thuds as he ascended onto the Pavilion.
“The poor girl, already lonely as a branch member living in Joongyeon Dang!”
The Elder naturally positioned himself in front of the kneeling Dang Gyo-gyo, shielding her.
Dang Gyo-gyo, sensing salvation, pressed herself against the Elder’s side.
“Sob… Grandfather!”
As Dang Gyo-gyo began shedding tears like drops of bird droppings, the Elder gazed down at her with tender affection.
“Yes, Gyo. Your grandfather is here. Do not worry yourself.”
Dang Gyo-gyo rose with the Elder’s support, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
“I was so frightened. I only wanted to become closer to Yeon… that was all!”
Poisoning someone to get close to them—what kind of barbaric method is this?
Even for the Dang Family, we don’t resort to such things.
“If you poison someone to befriend them, what’s the point?”
Huh?
For a moment, I thought I’d blurted out those words myself without thinking.
But I hadn’t. Dang Gui-heon had simply voiced the very words I’d wanted to say.
“Poison? How could Dang Gyo-gyo possibly administer poison? She doesn’t even know toxin cultivation techniques.”
“She had a maid lace the incense burner with poison. This tea contains the same toxin.”
To the Elder’s questioning tone, Dang Gui-heon respectfully offered the teacup forward.
“It’s a rare poison, but I believe you would recognize it, Elder.”
The Elder narrowed his eyes at Dang Gui-heon, then delicately touched the tea with his fingertip and inhaled its scent.
“….”
In an instant, the Elder’s face contorted.
The very air around us seemed to sink with him.
Without thinking, I trembled, and a large hand pulled me backward.
Dang Gui-heon had hidden me behind him.
“Silent Visitor. As difficult as it is to obtain, its effects are equally certain.”
“…Hah.”
At Dang Gui-heon’s words, the Elder exhaled deeply.
“Dang Gyo-gyo.
“Y-yes, yes.”
At the Elder’s call, Dang Gyo-gyo wiped her tears and looked up at him.
“Do you know what this is?”
The Elder thrust the teacup forward as he asked.
Dang Gyo-gyo blinked for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
“…No. I-I thought it was just fragrant grass?”
“And you never touched the incense burner?”
“No, sob.”
Tears streamed down Dang Gyo-gyo’s face once more.
‘Lying without even moistening her lips!’
I glared at Dang Gyo-gyo, whose face was twisted from squeezing out those tears.
“I simply found fragrant grass in the warehouse and thought of Yeon-ah… sob!”
“So that’s what happened.”
The Elder nodded as if he understood the situation.
Something about this felt wrong.
“From our perspective, yes, it could be a poisonous plant. But what would this child know? How can you be certain she did it intentionally?”
“….”
Dang Gui-heon smiled silently.
The Elder, thinking Dang Gui-heon had been left speechless, pressed his advantage and raised his voice.
“In my judgment, this appears to be a trivial matter arising from the child’s simple mistake.”
Insignificant.
Rage surged through me at those words.
‘What did I suffer because of that Hallucination Grass!’
I had spent my entire life misunderstanding and resenting Dang Lim and Dang Gui-heon.
Even if Father had cast me out, I could have found some measure of happiness.
And they stole that opportunity from me entirely, only to call it insignificant?
‘It’s clear. That person is Dang Gyo-gyo’s backer.’
That’s why they’re trying to suppress what could become a major incident.
If the Elder forcibly removes Dang Gyo-gyo from here and destroys the evidence, even Dang Gui-heon would be powerless.
‘What can I do? Is there no way? A way to escalate this into something massive…!’
My foot tapped anxiously against the floor when my eyes met Dang Gyo-gyo’s.
She smirked.
‘Ugh!’
How infuriating. Acting so arrogant just because she had a grandfather.
“Dang Gyo-gyo claims ignorance, yet you press the child without any concrete proof… tsk.”
The Seo-o Elder clicked his tongue disdainfully, pouring fuel on the fire.
Concrete evidence—he held the teacup in his hand while being utterly shameless about it.
“What happens within the Family Clan should be resolved within the Family Clan. Wouldn’t you agree?”
The Elder dropped the teacup to the floor, laughing like an old serpent.
Crash!
The Hallucination Grass-infused liquid seeped into the wooden floorboards.
Shards of the teacup scattered around the Elder’s and Dang Gui-heon’s feet.
Every sharp fragment pointed directly at Dang Gui-heon.
‘A warning.’
Don’t dig any deeper than this.
‘Of all times, Father isn’t here now….’
After Mother passed, Father led his forces to Shibwan Mountain.
The vacant position of Family Head was now occupied by the Elder Council.
This was a time when the Elder’s power was at its peak.
Even Dang Gui-heon would have to concede here.
“You speak wisely, Elder. What occurs within the Family Clan must be resolved within it. Since our accounts differ, it’s difficult to determine right from wrong.”
I heard Dang Gui-heon’s voice, slightly strained as he suppressed his anger.
For no particular reason, my heart ached, and I gripped his finger tightly.
‘That’s right. This is already an enormous gain.’
After all, I’ve discovered who the force behind Dang Gyo-gyo is.
From now on, I can prepare to counter them….
“Then we should convene a Family Council Meeting.”
“What?”
Surprising words tumbled from Dang Gui-heon’s lips.
A Family Council Meeting—a gathering where all the major executives of the Dang Family assemble to discuss significant family matters with the Family Head at the center.
“Isn’t the Family Head’s judgment supposed to be the ultimate authority when settling matters within the Family Clan?”
Without hesitation, as if he’d rehearsed it, Dang Gui-heon spoke smoothly, and I peeked up at his face.
He was smiling. That excited tone—it wasn’t anger after all.
“What…! A Family Council Meeting? You’re going to throw a tantrum in front of the Family elders?”
The Seo-o Elder, who had been listening quietly, swept his beard aside as if exasperated.
“But the Family Head isn’t even at the Dang Household right now. How do you plan to hold one?”
The Elder was right. That’s why I was shocked too.
How could I possibly summon Father from Shibwan Mountain?
‘It would take over a week just for him to arrive.’
Suspicious, I stole another glance at Dang Gui-heon’s face.
He was remarkably composed. No tension, no intimidation in his demeanor.
Just as he had when offering Dang Gyo-gyo a teacup, he smiled with his eyes narrowing slightly.
“I’ve already summoned him, Father.”

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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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