Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 106

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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 106
Perhaps it was the unfamiliar touch of open air.
The Deposed Queen seemed elated.
She laughed at the grass brushing her ankles, marveled at the mushrooms sprouting from rotting wood.
“Is this a flower?”
“A mushroom.”
“Good heavens, so mushrooms grow like this? I’ve only ever seen them in food. I never knew.”
“Your Majesty, don’t touch that one. It’s poisonous.”
“Oh my.”
The startled Deposed Queen stepped back from the mushroom, and Yeon Liang chuckled as he plucked a wild peach from a nearby branch to give her.
“Here, eat this instead, Your Majesty. Not much to look at, but it’s edible.”
“Thank you, Yeon.”
“And here’s one for my little sister too. This fuzzy one’s for you.”
“Chirp!”
Ju Ryeong answered brightly, accepting the wild peach with her front paws.
“Your Majesty, you should wash it in water first. If you eat it as is, the fuzz will tickle your throat.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The Deposed Queen carefully wrapped the wild peach in her sleeve, studying it as though seeing one for the first time.
Walking at the Deposed Queen’s pace, we didn’t reach the stream until well past noon.
Once Yeon Liang found a suitable spot, he took out a fire starter and skillfully kindled a flame, while I threw acorns into the water to catch fish.
When the Deposed Queen saw the fish bobbing on the water’s surface, her eyes went wide.
“How—how did you do that, Miss Yeon?”
“Ah, it’s just a small trick.”
The Deposed Queen bit her lip and approached me, grasping my hand and exclaiming with barely contained excitement.
“Catching fish with acorns? I’ve never even heard of such a thing. You must be a master of the Martial World!”
That’s not quite right.
“They say true masters can fly through the air and walk on water without sinking. Is that really true?”
“Ah, my… hmm, my Master says so. But I have much to learn yet.”
“You must have an extraordinary martial cultivator as your teacher!”
Extraordinary indeed… in strength and temperament both.
The Deposed Queen pressed further, eager to know more about my Master.
Seeing my discomfort, Yeon Liang smoothly changed the subject.
“Didn’t I tell you I’d surprise you, Your Majesty? Thanks to my sister’s skill, we needn’t worry about going hungry. Your Majesty, have you ever seen a fish cleaned?”
“No, never.”
“I’ll show you. Come closer, Your Majesty.”
Yeon Liang took my basket and seated the Deposed Queen, launching into an explanation of the differences between freshwater and saltwater fish.
The Deposed Queen nodded attentively, listening intently, when her stomach made a loud rumbling sound.
“Oh dear.”
Her face flushed as she covered her belly, and I smiled, extending my hand.
“Your Majesty, perhaps you should eat the peach first. Let me have it. I’ll wash it for you.”
“Thank you, Miss.”
I quickly washed the wild peach and handed it to her; the Deposed Queen bit into it with a bashful expression, the flesh crunching between her teeth.
Ju Ryeong, watching us, waded her short front legs into the stream and splashed about.
“Ju Ryeong, come here.”
While I laughed and washed her peach, Yeon Liang finished preparing the fish and placed skewers over the fire.
“How much longer should we cook them?”
“Almost done, Your Majesty.”
“The smell is wonderful.”
The Deposed Queen, resting her chin on her hand and watching the campfire, looked as carefree as a child on an outing.
Beside her, Ju Ryeong crouched low, drooling steadily.
While Ju Ryeong eyed the sizzling fish greedily, she snatched one skewer when Yeon Liang glanced away.
“Ju Ryeong! That’s not done yet!”
“Leave her be. She eats raw fish anyway—what’s the harm? Your Majesty, try this one. It’s cooked through perfectly.”
“Thank you, Yeon.”
The Deposed Queen accepted the cooked fish, looking uncertain how to eat it.
After hesitating for a long moment, she timidly bit into the fish flesh.
Color bloomed in her cheeks as she chewed, her mouth working.
“It’s delicious!”
Then she sucked the bones clean, devouring the fish in moments, oblivious to the soot smudged across her mouth.
She seemed well pleased indeed.
“Eat slowly, Your Majesty. If you want more, I’ll grill it for you.”
At Yeon Liang’s gentle voice, the Deposed Queen flushed and quickly set down her skewer.
“Are the two of you sightseeing through Zhongyuan?”
“More or less.”
“Where were you before coming to the hermitage?”
“We’ve visited most of the major cities. Wuhan, for instance.”
“Oh my! I’ve heard the Martial Alliance has its headquarters in Wuhan. Were there truly so many martial artists? And they say the Yellow Crane Tower is so beautiful. How was the food?”
Despite the endless stream of questions, Yeon Liang answered without the slightest hint of annoyance, taking in every word the Deposed Queen offered.
The Deposed Queen seemed utterly captivated by his tales, her eyes bright with longing as she spoke.
“The life of a wanderer of the martial world sounds wonderful. I wish I could take a sightseeing journey like that someday.”
“You can do it right now, Your Majesty. What’s so grand about a sightseeing journey? It’s simply seeing places you haven’t been before. Even a walk around this mountain counts as one.”
“You’re quite right, Master Yeon.”
The Deposed Queen smiled shyly, covering her lips with her hand. I spoke brightly.
“Your Majesty, why don’t we take a short sightseeing journey together today? We can see the magnificent cliffs and eat snacks high in the trees.”
“That’s kind of you, miss. But with my stamina as it is…….”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Here’s what we’ll do.”
Without waiting for the Deposed Queen to finish, I scooped her into my arms.
“My goodness!”
The Deposed Queen gasped in surprise as her feet left the ground, clutching my neck tightly.
Despite having gained some weight lately, she was remarkably light—like holding a paper doll that might blow away in the wind.
“M-miss! You’re crushing me! Put me down!”
“Crushing? You’re light as a feather, Your Majesty. I think you need to eat more meat.”
At my words, the Deposed Queen’s face flushed crimson. Yeon Liang chuckled softly.
“She understands, Your Majesty. My sister just happens to be quite strong.”
“Where should we go first? Is there somewhere you’d like to visit?”
“Like this? Carried like this the whole way?”
“If that’s uncomfortable, I could carry you on my back instead.”
At my question, the Deposed Queen shook her head vigorously.
“No, no. This is fine. I… I’ve always wanted to see the highest peak.”
“The highest peak?”
“Yes. The one that’s visible straight ahead from the cliff above the hermitage. I’ve always been curious what’s at the very top.”
The Deposed Queen pointed toward the peak as she spoke. I glanced back over my shoulder.
“You heard her, brother? Come along with Ju Ryeong. Shall we go first?”
“Of course. I’ll follow shortly.”
Yeon Liang nodded and scattered the campfire with his foot to extinguish it. Still holding the Deposed Queen, I bounded up the mountainside.
“Ahhh!”
Startled by the speed, the Deposed Queen cried out and gripped my neck even tighter.
“We’re here, Your Majesty.”
The Deposed Queen, who had kept her eyes squeezed shut and trembling, slowly opened them and gasped at the view before her.
Crepe myrtle blossoms bloomed on all sides, enveloping the hermitage.
Below the hermitage, clouds of mist rolled like an otherworldly veil.
“So this is what Chilbong Hermitage looks like from a distance…….”
The Deposed Queen murmured softly, unable to tear her eyes from the landscape.
I set her down gently with a broad smile, and she began looking around with keen curiosity.
I followed her as she made her way down from the peak.
“Your Majesty, mind the tree roots!”
“Where— oh my!”
The Deposed Queen, who had been walking slowly, stopped before a tall apricot tree. Her eyes glistened as she gazed up at the ripened fruit.
“At the Summer Palace, there’s a large apricot tree. My child loved apricots so, and whenever we took walks together, they would always lead me beneath that tree.”
The Deposed Queen’s nose reddened as she reached toward the tree. But the branches were too high, and her hand couldn’t reach.
“Ah, let me pick some for you, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you, miss.”
The Deposed Queen stepped back and wiped her eyes, composing herself. Yet when I tried, my reach fell short as well.
As I struggled, Yeon Liang arrived a moment later and asked.
“What are you doing, little sister?”
“Brother, you’re here? Pick some apricots for me. I can’t reach.”
“The way to grow tall is to have your limbs stretched and pulled. Reach your arm out more. Ah, this spot is perfect for lying down, isn’t it?”
Yeon Liang answered with an insufferable grin and lay down beneath the apricot tree, gazing up at me leisurely. I pouted.
“Stop joking and just pick them for me. You can reach it without even trying.”
“This is a chance for our little sprout to grow taller. How could your brother rob you of that opportunity?”
“Your brother has abnormally big hands, doesn’t he? But he never thinks about his own size, does he?”
Grumbling, I climbed into the tree and began picking apricots.
Yeon Liang, who’d been lying there humming softly with a blade of grass between his lips, stretched out his hand without moving.
“Are they ripe? Give me one too, brother.”
His laziness annoyed me so much that I glared at Yeon Liang and stamped my foot on the branch.
The branch trembled and shook, and a cascade of perfectly ripe apricots came tumbling down onto Yeon Liang.
“Ugh! Ow! Aagh!”
Yeon Liang spit out the grass blade and muttered, covered in sticky apricot juice.
“…I deserve that. Just tell me what you want next time.”
“My, the two of you do get along well.”
“Much more of this ‘getting along’ and I’ll end up in a grave.”
When the Deposed Queen laughed, Yeon Liang shuddered and wiped his face clean.
I pretended not to hear, gathered an armful of apricots, and jumped lightly down from the tree.
* * *
After that outing, the Deposed Queen spent most of her days with us.
She cooked with Yeon Liang, and she learned from me how to identify and prepare medicinal herbs.
Watching the Deposed Queen brim with vitality, I wondered if what she had truly been missing was people.
People she could talk to freely, without standing on ceremony, without worrying about palace intrigues and the schemes of concubines.
It wasn’t easy telling her that we would leave soon.
But we couldn’t stay in the hermitage forever.
We had to leave before the Summer Buddhist Retreat ended, before people began coming and going on the mountain.
As I was cleaning my dagger, Yeon Liang tilted his head.
“Why the sigh, sister?”
“Brother. Baekjung is coming soon.”
“Is that when the retreat ends? The time to go, then. But why? You’re worried about mother?”
“Yes. She’s gotten healthier now, but once we leave, her meals will become sparse. What if her health suffers again?”
“You have too much heart, sister, and that’s your weakness. You’ve done your part by saving her. She’ll understand.”
Yeon Liang stroked my head gently, as if to comfort me.
I nodded slowly, and he spoke again.
“What matters now isn’t mother’s health. It’s clearing your name.”
“Hmm? You mean the Martial Alliance?”
“Yes. Once we leave the mountain, we’ll go to the Martial Alliance and prove that you have no connection to the cult.”

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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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