The Reformed Genius of the Sichuan Tang Clan - Chapter 22

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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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Chapter 22
Crack―!
Third floor of Gwawol-ru. Gwak Hwaran’s room.
Gwak Hwaran, the Moonlit Orchid Courtesan, struck Seon-u Yun across the cheek.
Her face remained cold, even as her lips trembled with fury.
“Yun.”
“Yes, Gwak Hwaran.”
Seon-u Yun clutched his swollen cheek and lay flat on the ground before her.
“You dare lay hands on the swordsmen of Gwawol-ru? You’ve lost your mind.”
He had lost his mind.
She was right.
Moments ago, Seon-u Yun had recognized that something had gone wrong inside him, that his reason had abandoned him.
Otherwise, with his own survival hanging by a thread and his sister’s care consuming every waking moment, he would never have interfered on behalf of Jeong Chun-sam.
‘If I knew this would happen, why did I ask him for help?’
His cheek throbbed.
But what hurt more was recognizing that this choice didn’t feel wrong to him.
Giving help and receiving it—wasn’t that a privilege reserved only for children?
Everything else, the kind of help that belongs to no child, always demanded a price.
That was why Seon-u Yun could never leave Gwawol-ru, even under Gwak Hwaran’s hand.
He had to repay his sister’s medicine.
He had to keep her safe under Gwawol-ru’s protection.
Yet Dang Yu-hyeon had helped a stranger with no connection to him, and Seon-u Yun had accepted it.
How was that possible?
The pain came not just from admitting the question he’d long harbored, but from dragging up what he’d buried.
‘Damn it……!’
Seon-u Yun clenched his teeth.
‘Get yourself together.’
Right now, the only thing that mattered was evading Gwak Hwaran’s suspicion and staying alive.
Every choice carried a price.
But in this place, there was no adult who could offer help without one.
So he couldn’t accept any more help here.
“Forgive me, Gwak Hwaran. But that was the only way to deceive Dang Yu-hyeon.”
“The only way?”
“Yes. I’m not sure what wind blew through him lately, but he said he wanted to help people.”
“That reckless fool? Ha! That’s absurd.”
“Precisely. He must have read some hero’s tale somewhere and gotten a foolish notion. So I tried to flatter him appropriately and extract him smoothly.”
“Hmm.”
“However, I didn’t expect him to kill one of Gwawol-ru’s swordsmen in the process. That was clearly my error. I fell short compared to you and made a mistake. Please forgive me.”
Gwak Hwaran tapped her foot.
Killing two of her people certainly deserved anger, but thinking back on it, Seon-u Yun’s judgment wasn’t poor.
It was easy to bait a young master lost in the fantasy that he could save anyone with a mere gesture.
Exaggerate his abilities, disguise it as work for a righteous cause, extract wealth—simple as that.
If the source of money had changed for whatever reason, the person receiving it should adapt accordingly.
“Fine. Since you’ve acknowledged your crime, I won’t pursue it further.”
“I’m grateful for your generosity, Gwak Hwaran.”
Gwak Hwaran looked down at Seon-u Yun, then abruptly rose and drew a precious sword from the wall.
A black blade and jade-blue ribbon.
The Wol-yeong Sword.
“What I want isn’t some sword like this. I want the Dang Family’s wealth, and more than that—the Dang Family itself.”
Gwak Hwaran released her grip on the blade and adjusted her hair ornament.
“Yun, you’re a clever boy, aren’t you? Use that tiny head of yours well. Otherwise, I’ll have to sell your sister, won’t I?”
Seon-u Yun’s fists clenched.
Making someone aware of what they held and how vulnerable it made them—that was Gwak Hwaran’s specialty.
“……I’ll be careful.”
“Now get out.”
Gwak Hwaran waved her hand, and Seon-u Yun bowed and left the room quickly.
Click.
Fire kindled in the eyes hidden behind the closed door.
* * *
The next day.
As if they had made an appointment, Dang Yu-hyeon frowned the moment he saw Seon-u Yun seated across from him.
The man’s cheeks were badly swollen, and thin cuts scored his skin.
“Who hit you?”
“If I tell you, will you take revenge on my behalf?”
“If you wished it.”
“Ha. Never mind. There’s no one who works here who hasn’t been struck at least once.”
“I’m not ignorant of that.”
He had long since heard what life was like beyond the estate walls.
If he said he knew, someone would surely lash out—accusing a man who lived in comfort and plenty within those gentle walls of having no right to speak of such things—but Dang Yu-hyeon simply could not turn his back on them.
And so, knowing it would be called hypocrisy, he found he could not help but reach out.
“I am merely concerned, that is all.”
Dang Yu-hyeon drew a small amount of Gold Wound Salve from his pouch and dabbed it gently onto Seon-u Yun’s cheeks.
“You’ll need to apply this for several days.”
Dang Yu-hyeon set the salve down before him.
“I have no need of it. Take it and use it yourself.”
“No—if you say such a thing, how could I possibly accept it?”
“And?”
“…Of course I’ll accept it gratefully.”
Seon-u Yun received the Gold Wound Salve into both palms as if it were precious, then tucked it carefully into his robe.
Dang Yu-hyeon exhaled in disbelief.
There was no contradiction quite like this one.
Yet for all his playful back-and-forth, Seon-u Yun’s expression was peculiar—like a child receiving something treasured from a stranger.
Dang Yu-hyeon chose not to press the matter and let it pass.
Soon after, Seon-u Yun composed himself and picked at his food with his chopsticks. “Why did you come to Cheongwha-ru today, anyway? I thought you preferred the place we went to before.”
“Did I say that? I came because it was quiet and the food was decent—nothing more. Besides, how could a man who has already caused a disturbance return to the same place?”
“Fair point.”
Seon-u Yun nodded in understanding.
But Dang Yu-hyeon knew the truth: had he not avoided the giru that belonged to Gwawol-ru, Seon-u Yun would have taken him to the establishment they had visited before.
“Well, let’s simply enjoy some wine.”
The moment he raised his cup, song poured forth from the platform at the center of the room.
On either side, a pipa and a guqin were played; in the middle, girls with their faces hidden behind paper flowers danced to the music.
“…It seems I’ve wandered into a giru rather than a restaurant establishment.”
“That appears to be the sort of place this is. Let’s finish this drink and move elsewhere.”
Dang Yu-hyeon nodded and turned his gaze back to the dancers.
They spun in unison, and the fabric wound around their arms billowed outward.
As the paper flowers, spread wide like fans, lowered away, the girls’ faces were revealed.
Jeong So-hui stood among the lovely dancers.
“Why is she…?”
Seon-u Yun murmured, dazed.
Why was the daughter of the man to whom he had given money yesterday dancing in a giru under Gwawol-ru?
Dancing with a forced smile—as if she were weeping.
“Waaaaah—!”
“Whoa! She dances so well for her age!”
Amid applause and shouts, only two remained silent.
At that moment, Geum Yu-sang, the master of Cheongwha-ru, climbed onto the platform and began to bow and scrape.
“Thank you for enjoying the dance of our dancers. For today only, each dancer shall be courted by the highest bidder, and that patron shall be served directly by her hand.”
Geum Yu-sang seized Jeong So-hui’s arm and pulled her roughly forward.
“Ugh!”
“Our first dancer is Jeong So-hui!”
“Twenty taels!”
“Fifty taels!”
“One hundred taels!”
“Two hundred taels!”
“Five hundred taels.”
Dang Yu-hyeon cut through the excited voices in a single, measured tone.
Either Geum Yu-sang did not perceive the glacial calm in that voice, or he chose to ignore it—he shook Jeong So-hui violently, spittle flying from his mouth.
“Five hundred taels! Five hundred taels has been offered! Will no one bid higher?”
“……”
“I shall call three times and then conclude. Five hundred taels, five hundred taels, five hundred taels! Congratulations!”

Dang Yu-hyeon ignored all the words Geum Yu-sang was drawing out and handed over the purse of money as if tossing it across.
Though five hundred *nyang* had been mentioned, Dang Yu-hyeon always kept seven hundred in his possession.
What he gave to Jeong Chun-sam was also seven hundred *nyang*, which meant there was money left over even by Gwawol-ru’s accounting.
But Jeong Chun-sam’s daughter, Jeong So-hui, was dancing as a dancer in a Giru establishment under Gwawol-ru.
This meant only one thing: something had happened to Jeong Chun-sam.
“Did you… did you call for me?”
Jeong So-hui approached Dang Yu-hyeon with trembling hands, bottle in grip.
“Don’t pour yet. I’d like it if you answered a few questions.”
“Y-yes…? What… what questions?”
“I gave your father money yesterday. He said he’d leave at once to settle his debts, to protect you. You saw that, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I saw it myself.”
“Then why are you here?”
“That is… Father passed away, and the debt came to me. *Sobs*! But I have no money to repay it, so I came here instead……”
Dang Yu-hyeon believed what Seon-u Yun had told him.
Jeong Chun-sam was not the sort of man who would flee with money, abandoning his daughter.
Then who had killed him and thrust the debt upon Jeong So-hui?
‘Gwawol-ru.’
His mind cooled with fury.
‘Those creatures deserve to be wiped out with poison.’
Dang Yu-hyeon felt for his dagger, searching through his sleeves.
Click.
But Seon-u Yun stopped him.
The hand gripping his arm trembled.
“I want to ask something—before you came here, weren’t you locked away somewhere? Some small storage room or something?”
“Oh… yes! It was cramped, and there was someone who seemed ill, and not many people around, and there was this strange smell, and it frightened me!”
“Was the sick person a girl about your age?”
“Yes! She had her hair braided about here, with a red ribbon tied in!”
Jeong So-hui pointed to her shoulder with a finger.
At that, Seon-u Yun’s face grew grave.
“Did the girl seem very ill?”
“Terribly! Her breathing was wheezy, and she had fever, and I was so worried—there was only a cloth dampened with water laid on her forehead!”
“Those insane bastards……”
Seon-u Yun cursed quietly.
Dang Yu-hyeon understood.
What he wanted to confirm—even as he extended the lives of those who deserved immediate death—was the safety of his sister.
The safety of his sister that Gwawol-ru had promised him in exchange for exploitation.
“They said they were taking good care of her…!”
Seon-u Yun hung his head low and clenched his clothes in his fists.
Though he kept his voice as quiet as possible, the rage seeping through his gritted teeth could not be hidden.
Seon-u Yun’s fury, now that he had confirmed his sister’s safety was not being kept, turned entirely toward Gwawol-ru.
‘Now we face the same enemy.’
Dang Yu-hyeon placed a hand on Seon-u Yun’s shoulder.
“It seems we need to have a rather thorough ‘conversation’ with them.”
He would have liked to smile with ease, but fury kept the corners of his mouth from rising.
“All this time it wasn’t even a conversation, was it?”
No answer came back.
But truly, no answer was needed.
“Can you kill them?”
“Of course.”
Dang Yu-hyeon concealed Jeong So-hui behind him and spoke gently.
“Child. Close your eyes for a moment and cover your ears. What’s about to happen is not a pleasant sight for children.”
Dang Family Estate’s Redemption Through Talent
Author |
Lee Il-yeong
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Inc.
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Editorial Department
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Samyang C&C Inc. – Dream Books
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UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260615052
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Submissions |
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(주) Samyang C&C – The contents of this book may not be used in any form or by any means without prior written consent from 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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