The Reformed Genius of the Sichuan Tang Clan - Chapter 37

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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 37
‘Danger is danger, but there’s work to be done.’
Dang Yu-hyeon scattered neutralizing medicine over the spot where the poison had been deployed, his companions helping.
The aftermath of using the Dang Clan’s poison was just as crucial as the poison itself.
If he’d simply thrown it around without bothering to neutralize it personally, the Ancient Merit Record and the Martial World Merit Record would both have fallen into the Dang Clan’s hands.
That’s why, tedious as it was, he made a point of neutralizing what he could.
Dang Yu-hyeon tapped the medicine bottle empty and slipped it into his sleeve.
“Just grab the two bodies and let’s move.”
“Yes……? Oh, yes!”
While Dang Yong-myeong and Dang Rui gathered up what appeared to be intact corpses, Dang San-ho grinned and spoke.
“You’re really going to take them?”
“That’s right.”
“I’d recommend reconsidering. Or at least preparing yourself mentally.”
“Prepare myself mentally?”
Dang Yu-hyeon tilted his head.
They’d hide the corpses as luggage, conceal every trace that might suggest the Dang Clan, mask their identities—on the surface, there should be no problem.
What could possibly go wrong?
* * *
Everything.
Dang Yu-hyeon collected the unfriendly stares directed at him as he thought it through.
“They came back again? Same people as before?”
“No. Along with the ones who came before. You know, those people from that company—what was it, Geumsan or something?”
“The Geumsan Trading Company.”
“Asking to see corpses that haven’t even rotted yet. Lower than beasts, they are. Tsk tsk.”
“Those bundles they’re carrying—those are all bodies too, aren’t they?”
“Everyone who comes looking for us asks to be taken to the same place. I swear. In a land laid waste by war, what is there to see?”
They muttered among themselves, quietly enough, but Dang Yu-hyeon’s party caught every word.
From what they were murmuring, the picture of what had happened before became perfectly clear.
Even hiding their identities to escape Jeomp’chang’s notice, visitors kept returning, asking if they could see the bodies, inspect the ground—who would welcome that?
Anyone with a shred of sense would have felt something amiss long ago and taken measures.
For better or worse.
‘So that’s what he meant by preparing myself mentally?’
Dang Yu-hyeon glanced sideways at Dang San-ho, communicating with a look.
Dang San-ho nodded slightly in response.
An affirmation.
‘That’s why there was always a threat every time we came.’
The ambush just moments ago was evidence enough—finding proof mattered, but getting back safely was what truly counted.
What choice did he have?
These were his descendants; he had to look after them.
Not a single straggler left behind—he’d see them all home safely.
Dang Yu-hyeon approached the villagers with a warm, genial smile.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Shin Ho-yun of the Geumsan Trading Company.”
At that, the village women who’d been craning their necks to watch gasped.
“My goodness, he’s handsome.”
“If I were twenty years younger, I’d remarry in a heartbeat. Such a pity.”
“A handsome man in a mountain village like this. Please, speak at ease. Hehe.”
Brushing aside their effusive compliments, Village Chief Seok Man-su stepped forward with obvious reluctance.
“Yes…… pleased to meet you.”
It was an instinctive move to protect the villagers, but for Dang Yu-hyeon it was an opportunity.
Found you.
So you’re the real authority here?
Dang Yu-hyeon smiled with the kind of warmth that dissolved anyone’s guard and moved slowly toward Seok Man-su.
How to make someone move as you wish?
Three principles would suffice.
“Chief.”
“Yes?”
“I won’t presume to say I understand how much hardship all those visitors have caused you. But because I too know that suffering, I’m deeply sorry about it.”
First principle: disarm them emotionally.
“Still, to be rejected so forcefully—I can’t help but feel wounded. I’m not denying that I’m a stranger. I know it all too well, which is precisely why I’m being so cautious. It’s only right to be wary of an outsider with no connections and unknown intentions.”
“No, no. It’s not that…….”
Second: instilling guilt.
“That’s precisely why I feel I must say this before we proceed to the main point.”
And finally: an offer too tempting to refuse.
“The truth is, I’ve come today to tell you something — this will be our last visit.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“We’ve already concluded our discussions with the other groups that have been troubling you. We’re the last.”
“I’m sor— what?”
Without a shred of explanation, the moment Dang Yu-hyeon declared it their “last visit,” the faces of Dang Rui, Dang Yong-myeong, and Dang San-ho showed more shock than Seok Man-su’s.
“I— wait— no— I mean— uh…….”
“Isn’t that so?”
What was he doing? Why weren’t they answering yes?
Dang Yu-hyeon rolled his eyes, commanding them with a glance.
‘What unilateral presumption!’
‘Young Master! Have you lost your mind!?’
‘Did he eat poison before and lose his wits?’
‘No, wait. What if what he ate before wasn’t poison at all, but actual madness medicine?’
A thousand thoughts flitted through their heads.
But they had grown up in the Dang Clan since childhood, had served it all their lives.
When a superior gave an order, you obeyed — it was only natural.
They understood that complaints could wait.
“Y-yes, that’s right!”
“We were just about to bring that up ourselves!”
Color bloomed across the villagers’ faces.
Even Seok Man-su, who had stood at the front as their protector, released the tension in his arms.
Their guard had visibly lowered.
“Truly?”
“I swear it by the name of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable.”
The back of his head burned.
No doubt they were eyeing him with wry smiles now, mocking that he’d sold out the gods themselves.
But he did not believe in gods, and his promise about this being the last visit would certainly come to pass.
‘Because I’ll make it so.’
If there had been no results before, there would be no better prospects going forward.
So there would be no next time.
This journey would restore the Dang Clan’s honor.
“……I suppose I’ll have faith in you.”
“A wise choice.”
Dang Yu-hyeon smiled and spread his hand wide.
“Then could we see the testimony or records from the Jungma Great War?”
Let’s see how much those Jeomp’chang bastards had altered things.
* * *
“Wow. This almost feels like a betrayal.”
Dang Yong-myeong muttered as he sorted through the materials the villagers had given them.
“When we came before, they wouldn’t give us anything like this.”
Every time they’d shown up in disguise with altered appearances, the villagers had merely cast wary glances and offered a few terse words before sending them away.
But the moment Dang Yu-hyeon flashed them a smile, they’d laughed and handed over every record they had.
Even if they’d had no time to think it through, when someone shows up with that kind of face, well — he’d certainly come prepared with looks that would turn heads.
Dang Yong-myeong sighed deeply, irked by the injustice of it all.
Seeing this, Dang San-ho set down the bamboo strip he was reading and patted his back sharply.
“Are we the same sort of men as Young Master? Instead of lamenting, why not read the testimony?”
“My stomach’s upset, that’s all. My stomach’s upset. I hate to admit it, but Young Master is rather handsome, you know.”
“And it’s thanks to that handsome face that this has become our last chance. Now hurry up and read.”
“Tch.”
Even though Dang San-ho had jabbed him deliberately, Dang Yu-hyeon returned with a cheerful expression, offering his thanks to the villagers before departing.
“Keep your voice down. Save the chatter for telepathy or keep it quiet.”
“Young Master, did you perhaps receive some kind of hint from the Clan Patriarch without telling us?”
“I did.”
“What!?”
Dang Yu-hyeon squinted slightly and smiled.
“He told me to do well and return.”
“That’s not what I meant at all.”
Dang San-ho whined like a child begging for a toy.
“There’s still so much to investigate, and we don’t know when we’ll be back here next. How can you say this is the last time so definitively?”
Dang Yu-hyeon maintained a faint smile, holding San-ho’s gaze before nodding in acknowledgment and sweeping his eyes across the others who had shown their assent.
He knew it well enough.
That there was considerable discontent with his unilateral decisions, but that Dang San-ho had raised the matter playfully.
But the thing was,
“Dang San-ho.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t push me.”
……!
There was a limit to indulging a descendant’s complaints, no matter how endearing.
“Have you forgotten who I am?”
Dang Yu-hyeon’s smile vanished in an instant.
It was a change so abrupt that even Dang San-ho, who’d been evasive with Dang Jong-cheon of the Thirteen Elders, went visibly pale.
“……No, sir.”
“Must I remind you of facts you know so well?”
“That’s not necessary.”
“Or is it that you can’t trust me unless I explain every detail one by one? That your loyalty lies with your father, your older brothers, your younger siblings—but not with me?”
“Not at all, sir.”
“Or is it that you’re refusing to accept the results of an emergency council convened at the Elder Council’s request and approved by the Clan Patriarch? Should I interpret this as treason against the Dang Clan?”
“Absolutely not!”
With each word from Dang Yu-hyeon, the others broke into a cold sweat.
Though he’d released no inner energy, his voice alone seemed to press down upon them.
As if they were not standing before the son of Dang Gang-heon, the Tyrant King who had ruled Sichuan.
There was an oppressive weight that demanded bowed heads and lowered bodies.
No need for displays of dominance or calculation.
The Tyrant King’s son. The Second Young Master of the Sichuan Dang Clan. A Latent Dragon who had sacrificed himself to recover the clan’s lost legacy.
Having touched one who should not be touched, they had no choice but to bow completely.
Especially Dang San-ho, who had prodded at him playfully yet deliberately, couldn’t even meet his eyes.
Dang Yu-hyeon observed the sudden transformation in silence, then spoke quietly.
“Do you think we’ll have another opportunity like this?”
“That’s—”
“The answer is no. You all know it, don’t you? We’ve found nothing until now. There’s no reason it will suddenly appear today or tomorrow.”
…….
“Or have I been away so long that only the incompetent remain in the Dang Clan?”
“Second Young Master!”
“Then act properly. No matter what happens, I will recover what belongs to the Dang Clan. So none of you will bring shame upon the name of Sichuan Dang.”
Eyes sharp as frost swept across the group once more.
“Is that understood?”
Beginning with Dang San-ho, the others immediately bowed their heads.
“Yes……!”
Only after hearing their resounding affirmation did Dang Yu-hyeon soften his expression and nod.
“What about the testimonies and records?”
At his now-gentler voice, the group began paging through the bamboo strips and books.
“She was wearing a Jade Green Silk Cord. A jade ornament resembling Hwa’s Jade Amulet hung from it.”
Dang Yong-myeong, who had been reading the testimony, shook his head.
“It’s all identical. The evidence should be easy enough to find, but this way it’s useless, isn’t it?”
“No—it’s useful precisely because it’s all identical.”
Dang Yu-hyeon clenched his fist, then extended his fingers one by one.
“Jade Green Silk Cord. Hwa’s Jade Amulet. Jade.”
“The same words repeated, yes? As though someone had coordinated the story.”
……!
“And normally, people would say blue or white silk more often than jade green. But if everyone said jade green, then there’s something there.”
It’s not unusual for witness testimonies to align.
In fact, consistency often strengthens the credibility of a statement.
Yet if uncommonly used expressions were mentioned without exception by everyone from children to adults, it was certainly worth suspicion.
“There’s definitely something being hidden.”
“Then we should dig deeper into the testimonies……?”
“What’s the use of scrutinizing already-manipulated evidence? It’s faster to find new evidence.”
Dang Yu-hyeon flipped through the book that Dang Yong-myeong had handed him, then passed it back.
“Where did you put the corpses from earlier?”
“They’re hidden behind the baggage, sir.”
“Bring them out.”
“Yes.”
Dang Yong-myeong and Dang San-ho carried over two bodies, each marked by a long, straight scar running across the forehead.
The high temperature had accelerated decay, and their condition was far from pristine.
“Tsk. We’ve wasted time.”
Dang Yu-hyeon clicked his tongue softly and drew a sword he’d brought to conceal their identities.
“You said you wanted to examine the wounds more closely?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Without so much as a glance, Dang San-ho stepped forward and replied.
His characteristic languid voice remained unchanged, yet his movements were noticeably quicker and more precise.
‘That’s more like it.’
Dang Yu-hyeon smiled faintly and began swinging the sword in broad arcs to get a feel for its balance.
“Watch carefully.”
The Four Sun Sword Technique and the Self-Mind Sword Net operate on entirely different planes.
Sichuan Dang Clan: Prodigal Returns, Saint Ascends
Author |
Lee Il-young
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(주) Samyang C&C
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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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