The Reformed Genius of the Sichuan Tang Clan - Chapter 13

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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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Episode 13
Dang Youxuan sat in the guesthouse and drank deeply from his cup.
Beside him, a man with bruises darkening the corners of his eyes kept his head bowed to the ground, hands clasped behind his back, his rear end raised in submission.
“Hey.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Who’s your sir?”
“My apologies, young master!”
“Your posture’s slipping.”
“I’ll correct it at once!”
The man didn’t dare protest against Dang Youxuan, who was far younger than himself.
He was furious, but the places where Dang Youxuan had struck him ached too much to risk further defiance.
Better to endure this humiliating position than take another beating.
“I’m going to ask you some questions. Answer me properly.”
“Understood!”
“What’s this about me borrowing money?”
“A month ago you ate and drank at our Baekwhara without paying the bill!”
“Don’t most places extend credit?”
“We thought so too. But you said you’d left your money behind, and since you had a name and family backing, we let it pass. Then you never paid and you kept avoiding us!”
“That’s not borrowing money—that’s theft through deception.”
“Well, that’s true, but……”
And you’re proud of this?
The man looked up, his voice turning ingratiating.
“Hmph?”
At that single sound, the man’s eyes went soft and submissive.
“So seven or eight days later, you came back and borrowed money from us again.”
Dang Youxuan set down his cup at this unexpected revelation.
“Who did?”
“……”
“Me?”
“…… Yes.”
“Tch!”
Dang Youxuan tilted his head back and squeezed his eyes shut.
His neck throbbed trying to contain his anger.
He grabbed the wine bottle and drank straight from it.
He needed to drink something, anything, to keep from exploding.
‘What kind of mad bastard is this?’
The Dang Family’s own heir going around borrowing money?
How did such a creature emerge from our household?
Dang Youxuan ran through the family tree in his mind.
Even accounting for the chaos of war, he’d never heard of anyone living so recklessly.
‘What’s wrong with his head?’
Hearing the story, he could guess the reasoning.
The fool probably didn’t want it reaching the family if he ran up a tab, so he tried to hide it.
He’d snuck out money meant for his parents and squandered it, and when that ran dry, he borrowed more—the whole sordid picture was clear.
‘And I can see just how stupid you are.’
This waste of flesh was his descendant?
Dang Youxuan clicked his tongue in disgust.
“So how much am I supposed to repay?”
At the mention of money, color flooded back into the man’s face.
“One thousand silver taels!”
“And the principal?”
“Fifty taels, sir.”
“Listen.”
“Yes?”
“Beat him more. You’re getting off easy.”
Crack! Crack!
Into the deathly silence of the guesthouse came the brutal sound of impact once again.
“Ahh.”
Only after reducing the man to pulp did Dang Youxuan wipe the sweat from his brow with a satisfied air.
“Innkeeper.”
“Yes, yes!”
“For the meal and damages. Apologies for disrupting your business.”
Dang Youxuan pressed several silver coins into the innkeeper’s hands, who received them with both palms.
“Oh, no, please! Safe travels!”
“Right then.”
Dang Youxuan hoisted the man onto his shoulder and made for Baekwhara.
* * *
The third floor of Baekwhara.
Yeo Hong-ran’s chamber.
Yeo Hong-ran, the proprietress of Baekwhara, hummed to herself as she adorned her hair with a hairpin.
“Proprietress! Disaster!”
“What’s all this commotion?”
“The second son of the Dang Family has arrived!”
“Is that so remarkable? Whether you squeeze money from him or sink him deeper into debt, handle it yourself.”
“That’s not it—he’s come to our Baekwhara and is causing a scene!”
“What?”
“All the people stationed downstairs have been taken down!”
Her hand stilled amid arranging her hair.
The people stationed downstairs meant the security forces holding the first floor.
All of them were martial artists of first rank or higher.
Not easily overcome.
‘Could he have caught on?’
Yeo Hong-ran bit her lip.
Slipping him the Charm Drug and skimming money?
Lacing wine with poison to test its potency?
Snowballing his interest?
Seducing him with beauty to steal the Dang Family’s poisons and medicinal herbs?
‘Who tipped him off?’
Impossible. Baekwhara was operated too meticulously for that.
Betrayal meant death.
Once someone set foot here, there was no leaving except in a coffin.
Yeo Hong-ran pondered for a moment, then rose from her seat.
“I’ll go down myself.”
Whatever had changed, she couldn’t let her subordinates see her rattled.
She descended the stairs with practiced grace.
Her mask of composure cracked as she reached the final steps.
At the bottom of the stairs overlooking the first floor, Dang Youxuan stood pristine among martial artists reduced to pulp.
The guests had long since fled.
Whew!
The proprietress of Baekwhara summoned martial artists from the other floors with a whistle.
When Dang Youxuan lifted his head, Yeo Hong-ran spoke sharply.
“What manner of rudeness is this, sir?”
“Rudeness? That wasn’t me—your people started it.”
A pang of recognition.
Yeo Hong-ran crossed her arms and played innocent.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand your meaning.”
“If you want to hide things properly, start by controlling that twitch at the corner of your eye. And stop fidgeting with that ring.”
Whoosh.
Yeo Hong-ran drew her sleeve down to conceal her hand.
As if hiding it changed anything.
Dang Youxuan let out a soft chuckle.
“That’s not the real issue. Do you know how much you’ve lent the young master? I’ll be collecting reparations for this disturbance as well!”
“Reparations? Ah, this?”
Dang Youxuan lifted the man he’d been holding by the collar.
His face was covered in bruises—he’d been beaten down with nothing but fists, no secret weapons or poison.
Looking at the pitiful state, she noticed specks of blood dotting his other fist.
“I never knew the young master possessed such strength.”
“I’m curious just how much you’ve underestimated me.”
“If the young master had applied that strength to repaying his debt from the start, how much better it would’ve been. Why not inquire with the Guidepost Bureau? They might have lucrative commissions available.”
“Kahahahaha!”
The martial artists surrounding Yeo Hong-ran like a shield burst into loud laughter at her words.
Work from the Guidepost Bureau was something ronins took on.
To tell Dang Youxuan, a young master of a great house, to accept a commission personally rather than through his family was as good as an insult.
“Quite the tongue on you.”
Thud.
Dang Youxuan flung the martial artist in his grip away from him.
“If I’m paying damages anyway, I might as well do some real damage.”
At his arrogant tone, Yeo Hong-ran snorted.
“Come on, then.”
“Yes!”
With a thunderous shout, dozens of strong men rushed at him in unison.
“Bandits?”
At a glance, it was clear they were a mixed lot of low-ranked swordsmen and cutthroats.
How careless to let the connection show so openly.
“If I keep still, I seem to forget I’m part of the Dang Family.”
Dang Youxuan slipped his hand into his sleeve.
His eyes narrowed, targeting like a bowman drawing a bead.
There was only one target.
Their throats.
Thread-thin threads of energy extended from his fingertips.
He felt the Poison Needles in his sleeve resonate with his energy.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
The footsteps drew closer.
It wasn’t time yet.
Just a little closer.
When their weaknesses lay completely exposed.
‘Now!’
Whish-whish-whish-whish-crack!
His robe fluttered as hundreds of needles burst outward from within.
“Gahhh!”
“Arrrrgh!”
Those who had rushed at him collapsed, hands clutching their throats.
Poison Needles embedded in the exact same spot, without a hair’s breadth of error.
“Gasp! Gasp!”
All that remained were Yeo Hong-ran at the back and her two guards.
Overwhelmed by such martial prowess, Yeo Hong-ran stepped backward.
‘Dang Youxuan was this skilled?’
Then what had all of that been until now?
It was chilling.
Crash!
As she retreated, her hand caught a decorative vase, and it shattered.
With it, Yeo Hong-ran’s heart dropped.
Dang Youxuan watched her pale face and smiled coldly.
“Well. I suppose I have been living somewhat squalidly.”
Though he wasn’t the one in question—this bastard was.
“Now then, shall we settle this? Young Master.”
Yeo Hong-ran breathed heavily.
She wasn’t exuding killing intent or suppressing him with her power, yet she looked utterly terrified.
Just over what had happened to a few guards and some needles.
“Settle what. Come down here. We have things to discuss, don’t we?”
“No! There’s nothing! You can just leave!”
“Why are your words changing again?”
“I—I’m sorry.”
“Apologies are done with. You said you’d collect the money I borrowed.”
“I won’t collect it! It’s fine, please just go!”
“You said you’d definitely collect it. So I’m asking: how much?”
“A thousand silver taels!”
A soft chuckle.
From a thousand taels down to a thousand silver.
A dramatic discount.
“You certainly have a generous spirit.”
“Thank you! I’ll live quietly from now on, I promise!”
Yeo Hong-ran bowed deeply at the waist.
Her upper body seemed about to touch her knees.
Dang Youxuan climbed the stairs with a cheerful smile.
Tap. Tap.
As his footsteps drew closer, Yeo Hong-ran’s eyes widened.
“Why, why are you coming closer……?”
“Well, that aside. We have more than one thing to discuss, don’t we?”
“You mustn’t approach her like that……!”
Splash!
The bodyguard who lunged at him sprayed blood as he fell.
The other guard, a Flying Blade lodged in his throat, died without uttering a sound.
“Gggahhh!”
Thud.
Yeo Hong-ran collapsed in a heap and trembled violently.
“I’ve been retracing my memories, and you’ve done quite a lot, haven’t you?”
Dang Youxuan extended his fingers one by one.
“Stealing poisons and medicines from the Dang Family, administering Charm Drug, testing potency by lacing it into wine.”
“……!”
“Those aren’t things you could have done entirely alone.”
Dang Youxuan, silhouetted against the light, looked down at her.
“I’m curious who’s backing you, and how deep this involvement runs.”
“As if I’d tell you!?”
“Keep your mouth shut? That’s not a wise choice.”
Poison Needles sprang from his hand.
Each time Dang Youxuan rolled them, a sickly-colored liquid dripped away.
“I wonder how many times you can endure this.”
Thwick.
A Poison Needle pierced the back of her hand.
In an instant, the surrounding skin turned black and necrotic.
“Aaaaahhhhh!”
“How deep does this involvement run?”
“I, I don’t know anything. They just told me to seduce you and steal some poison……!”
“So. Who?”
“Ugh…….”
“Won’t say? Then there’s nothing for it.”
Thwick.
Another Poison Needle drove into the back of her hand.
A scream like a death wail followed.
* * *
“Listen.”
Dang Youxuan shook Yeo Hong-ran’s body.
“Mmm…….”
“Stay conscious. We still have a reckoning.”
“The wealth, ugh, the hidden estates—I’ve already told you where they are……!”
“Ah. Red Tiger Estate? What use is knowing the location of some estate to me? How much could wretches like you possibly have amassed?”
Anyone else would have gasped at such words, but to Dang Youxuan, who had lived through the Sichuan Dang Family’s most glorious era, mere wealth was pocket change.
“Considering the damage you’ve inflicted on the Dang Family, you can’t think this settles it. There are limits to how much profit one can squeeze from selling out one’s comrades, little one.”
“Ahhh…… no, please…… show me mercy…….”
“You’re begging the wrong person. Not me—you should pray to heaven. Beg for your life.”
Dang Youxuan smiled lazily and drew from his robe a carefully folded document.
“See this?”
“……?”
“What is it. I thought you’d done all manner of things, but you’re so innocent. Though admittedly, quite a few of your people have died.”
At words that didn’t suit the situation at all, Yeo Hong-ran’s eyes trembled and blinked rapidly.
Dang Youxuan brought the document before her eyes and tapped the right corner sharply.
“Your other hand is fine, isn’t it? Press.”
Sichuan Dang Family Confession and Rebirth Genius
Author|
Yi Il-yeong
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(주) Samyang C&C
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Editorial Department
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G720:N+A063-20260615052
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No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of (주) Samyang C&C – Dream Books.

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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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