Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 105

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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 105
“Right then. Now let’s deal with this cursed thing. My brother’s body won’t hold much longer—we need to end this today.”
I clapped my hands to change the subject, and Yeon Liang gazed out of the Cave, murmuring to himself.
“Strange. The weather’s rather nice today. Is this the day I cross over to the afterlife……?”
“It’s not.”
“Well then, finish it in one blow if you can, Sister. I don’t fancy lingering illness.”
“Gods, stop it! You’re not going to die! Don’t say such ominous things—just roll up your sleeve. I need to take your pulse.”
“Ow, ow, ow. I know, I know.”
I swatted his forearm in reproach, and Yeon Liang whined theatrically, extending his wrist toward me.
Seeing him grin in that irritating way, I realized it had been meant as a joke of sorts.
I glanced at him sidelong and took his pulse.
The blood stasis that had been blocking the flow of Qi had nearly vanished, but the black Qi suspected to be poison was still shredding through Yeon Liang’s meridians, leaving wounds in its wake.
The unpleasant sensation of it gnawing away at his vital force was so acute I could feel it through my fingertips.
I frowned and withdrew my hand from his wrist.
“I need to shift where the poison is. One wrong move and I’ll damage your Dantian.”
“It’s not the sort of thing that moves easily.”
“We’ll force it to move then. Lie down. I’m going to place needles along your meridians to block your Qi and Blood from flowing to your lower body. You gather your internal power toward your chest instead—draw it upward into the stomach region.”
“Understood.”
Yeon Liang complied without complaint and lay back. I pulled my needle case from my sleeve and called out.
“Ju Ryeong! Come inside now!”
At that, Ju Ryeong, who had been outside the Cave, let out a reluctant, strange whine.
“Growwwl.”
“Don’t sulk—get in here. Are you going to let Yeon Liang die?”
“Grrrrrowl.”
“You, come on! Hurry up!”
At my shout, Ju Ryeong padded slowly into the Cave, fur bristling on end.
His nose twitching and his expression soured, it was clear he found Yeon Liang’s Demonic Qi absolutely repulsive.
Yeon Liang’s face fell.
“You fleabag. Are you shunning me now? Because my appearance has changed a bit? And here I thought we had history. You’re hurting my feelings.”
“You think he’s offended by a beard? It’s the Demonic Qi, you dolt.”
“That’s odd. That creature usually loves poison. Why does he hate Demonic Qi?”
“Because it’s not something Ju Ryeong can consume. And poison and Demonic Qi aren’t the same thing.”
“People hate them both equally though.”
……
Hmm. I couldn’t seem to find a counter to that.
I settled Ju Ryeong at Yeon Liang’s head and opened my needle case.
As I began inserting needles into each meridian, Yeon Liang’s eyebrows twitched. The discomfort of his Qi and Blood being blocked was written plainly across his face.
“Bear with it a moment, even if it’s uncomfortable. Have you gathered your internal power?”
“Not fully, but I’m managing.”
“All right. Let’s just watch and see.”
Yeon Liang nodded and closed his eyes. We held our breath, waiting for the poison to move.
Lying still and focusing on the flow of Qi, he whispered softly.
“It’s rising.”
“Take the Parasite Expulsion Pill.”
I quickly pressed the pill into Yeon Liang’s mouth, and his face contorted.
“Ugh. What does this taste like……?”
With his eyes squeezed shut, his throat worked in a hard swallow. I bit my lip anxiously, monitoring his condition.
Before long, Yeon Liang’s breathing grew ragged. At the same moment, the poison convulsed and began to thrash.
A creature the size of a child’s forearm, the parasite writhed so violently it was visible rippling beneath the skin of his belly.
It’s too large. Do I need to use more poison?
I fought to keep my composure, but my heart hammered against my ribs in rising panic.
I forced my eyes harder, refusing to let weakness show.
Yeon Liang’s teeth began to chatter as he trembled through the agony. I placed a clean cloth between his teeth and added more needles to the points, increasing their number.
By artificially redirecting the flow of his Qi and Blood, I meant to slow the spread of the poison and drive the Poison Qi toward the creature itself.
As the parasite thrashed and expelled its Poison Qi, every vein in his body swelled grotesquely and began to pulse, and the skin around his eyes darkened to black.
“Aaaahhh!”
Yeon Liang clawed at the stone floor, clenching the cloth between his teeth. Everywhere his nails scraped, the stone crumbled to dust and powder.
Cold sweat streamed down my forehead as I watched. Ju Ryeong, too, grew anxious, whimpering and scratching nervously at the straw.
Then, after a long bout of violence, the parasite began to claw its way toward Yeon Liang’s heart.
If the poison reached his heart and began to devour it, there truly would be no saving him. I moved without thinking, throwing a Poison Needle at his chest.
“Kch!”
The surging Poison Qi forced Yeon Liang to cough up black blood in a violent gush.
The creature took a direct hit from the Poison Saber and seemed to leap downward, but then its body convulsed violently as it clawed at Yeon Liang’s stomach.
The thing thrashed and struggled even soaked in Extreme Poison—it was disturbingly tenacious.
Should I feed it another poison pill? Could Yeon Liang endure it?
While I hesitated and fingered the poison in my pocket, the savage scraping that had been tearing at his flesh suddenly stopped dead.
Yeon Liang exhaled a pained groan and spat out cloth drenched in blood and saliva.
The blackened skin around his eyes was already returning to its natural color.
“The seizure’s stopped, ugh!”
“What? Really? Is it dead? Brother, let me check your pulse.”
I pressed my fingers to Yeon Liang’s wrist—no sign of the creature’s Qi at all.
But the Extreme Poison was seeping rapidly into the meridians the creature had opened.
“The poisoning’s spreading too fast. I have to detoxify him right now—”
“Cough, cough! Retch!”
Before I could finish speaking, Yeon Liang began vomiting up black, putrid blood in an endless stream.
Tangled in the clots was the creature’s dissolved corpse.
At the sight of his face turning violet, I screamed.
“No! Ju Ryeong, draw out the Poison Qi!”
“Squeal!”
“Blood-Letting Needle! No, Detoxification Pill first, no—where is it? Take this! Brother, cultivate now! Hurry!”
I shoved a Detoxification Pill into Yeon Liang’s mouth while swiftly pulling out the needles embedded in his body.
I helped him sit upright and placed Ju Ryeong on his lap; sitting cross-legged, Yeon Liang began forcing the Poison Qi to one side.
He spat up black blood without stopping, his lips drawn back in a rictus grin—a look of strange relief on his face.
I managed a smile to match his, but only for a moment—
“Retch, Sohye… I can’t… cough! I’m really going to die, brother…”
“No! Don’t pass out! Detoxify first, then pass out! Stay with me!”
I leaped up and drove the Blood-Letting Needles into all ten of his fingers.
25. The Life Given, The Life Chosen
After the creature vanished, Yeon Liang grew healthier with each passing day.
I’d expected the back muscles to take another month to fully recover, but they knitted clean in just five days—and he showed no lingering effects from the Extreme Poison poisoning.
It was nothing short of monstrous regeneration.
“That thing was sucking the life out of his back like a leech. I can’t believe he’s bouncing back this fast now that it’s gone.”
I shook my head as I withdrew the needles, and Yeon Liang let out a soft chuckle.
“Tell me about it. I thought when that was gone, I’d feel relieved like a bad tooth finally pulled… but there’s nothing. It’s strange, like I don’t feel anything at all.”
“No feeling is better than pain, isn’t it?”
“Fair point. So I’m fully recovered now, right? Can I start training again?”
“Only half a double hour today. No more than that.”
“Got it!”
Yeon Liang answered eagerly and sprang from the bed, seizing his sword.
Watching him dash out of the room with unbridled excitement, I laughed aloud.
A proper sword in hand at last, his back healed, his body itching for movement—I could only imagine.
I tidied my Needle Case and stepped outside the Hermitage.
On the oppressive summer breeze drifted the sweet scent of apricots.
In the Courtyard, Yeon Liang and the Deposed Queen were conversing. I laughed at the sight of him, who’d sprinted out sword in hand mere moments ago, now standing there with affected propriety.
“Yeon, where are you heading?”
“Just limbering up. Your Majesty, is there anything you’d like for dinner? How about fish?”
His casual tone made the monks around us exchange uncomfortable smiles. I hurried over and pinched Yeon Liang.
“Brother, you should speak more formally to her.”
“Should I? Her Majesty doesn’t seem to mind. Your Majesty, does it bother you?”
“Not at all. It’s actually pleasant to be spoken to so naturally.”
The Deposed Queen waved her hand dismissively, as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
As the Deposed Queen’s health improved and she ventured out more often, the two of them naturally began crossing paths more frequently.
The Deposed Queen, who’d had no interaction with men save the Emperor and his attendants, had seemed deeply uncomfortable being alone with Yeon Liang at first. But when he treated her without reservation, she adapted quickly—and soon enough, she was the one initiating conversation.
She seemed quite taken with his easy way of talking.
Though it was possible she was taken with his face instead.
In any case, the Deposed Queen wanted to belong with us—to be part of our family.
“Fish sounds lovely. Are you going to the Riverside? May I join you?”
“Of course. Your Majesty, do you fish?”
“Ha. I’ve tried it as amusement at the palace. Though my attendants always caught everything for me.”
“Don’t worry. Your Majesty, my sister catches far better than any of those attendants.”
“My, truly? Is Yeon Liang skilled at fishing?”
“Indeed. Wait until you see my sister’s talent — you’ll be astounded.”
Yeon Liang laughed at me, a low, teasing chuckle. I jabbed him in the ribs and turned to the Deposed Queen with an apologetic gesture.
“He’s only joking. My skills are hardly worth mentioning. Your Majesty, the riverside is rather far — would you be comfortable with the walk? Should I pack lunch provisions beforehand?”
“That sounds wonderful. An outing with you both — I’m already delighted.”
The Deposed Queen’s cheeks flushed a becoming shade as she smiled shyly.
Her recovered beauty struck admiration like flowers in full bloom.
Her glossy hair fell soft as silk, and her skin gleamed like jade — clear and flawless.
No wonder an emperor’s consort possessed such grace.
Knowing that I had restored her beauty to her gave me an unwarranted swell of pride.
Grandfather’s standards are impossibly high, but perhaps I’m a rather capable physician after all.
As I let that smugness show on my face, Yeon Liang pressed down on the crown of my head.
“Stop those strange thoughts and bring a pot and seasonings. We’ll prepare lunch right there by the water.”
“Really? What are we eating?”
I wanted a fiery stew — loaded with red pepper powder and sliced hot peppers boiled down thick. Though Yeon Liang probably doesn’t know how to make it.
I smacked my lips at the thought, and he chuckled before answering.
“We’ll see what you catch. Your Majesty, what do you prefer? Steamed? Fried?”
“How do you two usually prepare it?”
“When we’re on the road, proper cooking is difficult, so we just clean it and roast it over the fire. A bit of salt, that’s all.”
“I’d like to try it that way too.”
“Would you? Then I’ll roast it over the flames for you.”
“Yes!”
The Deposed Queen nodded eagerly, her eyes bright. Clearly she wanted to taste the simple life of the Martial World.
Listening to their exchange, I smiled and gathered the provisions.
I’d stick with rice for myself.

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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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