Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 110

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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 110
26. Seeking the Remedy Across Ten Thousand Li
Jin Seong, his robes fastened with meticulous care, knelt and unfolded the sacred texts before him.
His quiet, slate-colored eyes moved slowly across the characters.
With both hands resting on his knees, he began to read aloud.
“The Dao is truly present, formless and actionless, transmissible through the heart yet not through words, comprehensible to the mind yet invisible to the eye…….”
But even after more than an hour of reading, his unsettled mind would not settle.
“What has form and appears clearly emerges from the chaos that is distant and unseen……. What has form and appears clearly……. Ah.”
Jin Seong read the same passage three times in succession, his dark brows growing sharper with each repetition.
He exhaled softly and closed the scripture.
Instead, he withdrew the Three Treasures and arranged them carefully before his eyes.
The Copper Mirror, the Seal, and the Song Wen Sword—all received on the day Jin Seong formally took his name as a disciple of Wudang.
On each of the three ritual implements was engraved Jin Seong’s dharma name.
Jin Seong, the eighteenth transmitting master of the Wudang Sect.
As he gazed down at the implements, his fingers traced the dharma name carved in relief, and his resolve hardened.
He carried the name of Wudang in this place. Thus he must execute the task assigned to him flawlessly.
Having settled his mind, Jin Seong placed the implements in his breast and secured his sword at his waist. Then he left the Guest Hall where he had been staying.
Song Hwa and Song Gwang, who had been training in the Training Ground adjoining the Guest Hall, lowered their swords at an angle as Jin Seong appeared.
“Grand Uncle.”
“Where are you going, Grand Uncle?”
“Song Hwa. Where is Peng Ji Yun?”
“He’s at the Chief’s Office in Yong Bong Dan. He went to meet Chief Jegal.”
“I see.”
Jin Seong turned and made his way to the Chief’s Office.
As he stood before the door and made his presence known, Peng Ji Yun’s voice called from within.
“Jin Seong. Come in!”
“Then I shall enter.”
Jin Seong opened the door.
Gathered in the Chief’s Office were Jegal Hyo Gang, Dam Cheon the Red Moon chief, Heon Won So the Blue Moon chief, and Peng Ji Yun the Black Moon chief.
When Jin Seong offered a proper salute, Jegal Hyo Gang nodded, and Dam Cheon returned the gesture in kind.
Heon Won So furrowed his brow, while Peng Ji Yun laughed cheerfully and waved his hand.
“Perfect timing. Jin Seong. We were just discussing you.”
“Please, sit here, Jin Seong.”
Jegal Hyo Gang gestured toward the empty chair with a slight movement of his chin.
“Yes, Chief.”
Jin Seong answered respectfully and took his seat. At that moment, Heon Won So, who sat to his left,’s eyes sharpened.
Peng Ji Yun, whose eyes danced with mischief, looked back and forth between Jin Seong and Heon Won So, then tapped Heon Won So’s shoulder repeatedly.
“Heon Won. Lighten up. Are you really so upset about losing to Jin Seong?”
“Losing? It was a draw!”
When Heon Won So bristled, Peng Ji Yun chuckled teasingly.
“A draw against a young martial artist more than a generation your junior? That’s a loss. Jin Seong, when you reach his age, he’ll be washed up, completely washed up.”
“Peng Ji Yun!”
“So the Blue Moon chief lost to some boy barely past his coming of age? Don’t go around saying you’re from Yong Bong Dan. I’m embarrassed enough as it is.”
Heon Won So’s face flushed at Peng Ji Yun’s mockery, and his words grew halting.
“J-Jin Seong’s case is different! Besides! By lineage rank, he outranks me!”
“Stop. You’re making yourself look pathetic. Why drag seniority into it? Pathetic excuse-making.”
Peng Ji Yun’s expression turned stern, and he crossed his legs, leaning back against his chair.
Throughout their bickering, Jin Seong’s expression did not waver; he maintained perfect composure.
Jegal Hyo Gang, who had been fanning himself with an elegant gesture, poured tea into the cup before Jin Seong and asked.
“Jin Seong, you’ll be returning to Wudang soon, will you not?”
“Yes. Which is why I have something to say.”
“What is that?”
“……I wish to extend my assignment.”
Dam Cheon, who had been listening quietly, looked at Jin Seong with visible surprise, propping his chin on his hand.
“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d want to return to Wudang.”
“Is there a particular reason?”
“When I came on this assignment, I failed to complete the task entrusted to me. I wish to finish it with my own hands before I leave.”
Jin Seong answered in an even tone, his gaze turning to his teacup.
Over the transparent tea, the image of Dang So Hye’s face appeared—her eyes shot through with red veins, tears streaming down in torrents.
……It had been a clear mistake. A cornered mouse will bite a cat. He should have handled it with greater flexibility.
At Jin Seong’s reply, Jegal Hyo Gang lifted his shoulders with evident satisfaction.
“Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing difficult about it. That’s precisely why I summoned you, after all.”
“Exactly. This works out well. I was about to ask whether you could stay with us even after sending your three disciples back—whether that would be possible.”
“What do you mean…”
“We’re planning to organize a new martial force under Yong Bong Dan. I’d like you to serve as its commander.”
But Jin Seong shook his head without hesitation.
“I’m grateful for the offer, but I’m afraid I cannot accept.”
“A flat refusal, then. Why?”
“The orders I received from my sect were to lead my three disciples and complete the alliance’s mission. I cannot send them back alone. As their senior martial uncle, it is my duty to see them safely returned to our main temple.”
“A loyal hound if I’ve ever seen one. Mount Wudang has trained its disciples well. Then again, what would a young martial artist know? An age when the master’s words fall like heaven itself.”
As Heon Won So spoke with mockery, Peng Ji Yun muttered under his breath.
“Childish bastard…”
“What? Peng Ji Yun, what did you just say?”
“Say it again? Childish. I’ve never seen a childish fool like you, Heon Won So. So you like to pick fights with kids now? Idiot.”
“You really—!”
“If you’re going to fight, take it outside. You’re making my ears ring.”
Dam Cheon covered his ears in annoyance.
Despite Jin Seong’s refusal, Jegal Hyo Gang showed no displeasure. He waved his fan with an expressionless face.
“Very well. If that is the seal-holder’s will, I shall request the matter of your disposition through Mount Wudang directly. Feel free to extend your assignment period as long as you wish.”
“Thank you.”
“You may go now, seal-holder.”
“Yes. And Commander Peng, there is something I would like to ask you. Could you spare me a moment this afternoon?”
“Is it urgent?”
“It is not urgent. It’s just…”
Jin Seong hesitated, then fell silent as all eyes turned toward him.
“…Never mind. Please forget I said anything. I’ll take my leave now.”
Rising abruptly, Jin Seong left the Chief’s Office with quick strides.
Buying information at the Open House would be faster and more reliable than questioning Commander Peng anyway.
* * *
Dang So Hye.
Sixteen years old.
Illegitimate daughter of Dang Clan Head Dang Mu Hyeok.
Disciple of the Poison King, Dang Jung. Studied under the Poison King’s Martial Arts.
Disappeared from her home at the tail end of winter.
Last sighted in Wuhan.
Being searched for by Dang Geun Myeong, seventh elder of the Dang Clan.
The information Jin Seong obtained at the Open House differed little from what he already knew. Yet something subtle troubled him.
‘She couldn’t have poisoned a man she was nearly betrothed to, could she?’
‘I didn’t kill him. And he wasn’t my betrothed. Someone else killed him and pinned it on me.’
There was no mention of the man Dang So Hye had spoken of—the one she’d nearly been betrothed to.
Had the Dang Clan deliberately withheld this information?
A marriage arrangement for a daughter of a prominent family was a sensitive matter; it was plausible they would hide it.
After all, anyone would conceal a flaw in merchandise meant to command the highest price.
Her running away also seemed hard to believe.
When Jin Seong first offered to travel with her, Dang So Hye had looked frightened.
A headstrong young woman who had fled out of discontent with her family would have no reason to be afraid. She would more likely have bragged about never returning.
Dang So Hye’s reaction was…that of someone being hunted. When he said it had nothing to do with her family, hadn’t she then accepted his invitation to travel with him?
Thinking it through, Jin Seong reached his own conclusion.
‘She got caught up in a power struggle within her own family…’
In households with multiple wives, trouble was inevitable.
If Jin Seong’s suspicion was correct, the Identity Talisman said to belong to Dang So Hye might have belonged to someone else.
Or perhaps someone had stolen Dang So Hye’s talisman and deliberately left it near a carelessly disposed corpse.
An accusation of collusion with the Demonic Cult would certainly eliminate a rival decisively.
‘Can a Daoist accept an offer of alcohol? They said spirits aren’t allowed in Ja So Palace.’
Aside from such baffling remarks, Dang So Hye did not seem to possess a nature capable of taking a life.
The poison she had used against Jin Seong’s party was merely the Paralysis Poison, which left no aftereffects. Had she intended to kill, she would have used the Lethal Poison instead.
Nor would she have wept profusely and collapsed at the sight of her companions’ wounds.
Though Geom Su, who had been with Dang So Hye, seemed suspicious, if he were truly a member of the Demonic Cult, he would not have fallen so helplessly to Peng Ji Yun’s blade.
The Demonic Cult planted only first-rate martial artists as agents in Zhongyuan, and his skill was nothing more nor less than that of a third-rate drifter.
As Jin Seong untangled these knotted threads of thought, he clenched his fist and pressed his lips firmly together.
Jin Seong’s speculation alone meant nothing. To lay bare the truth plainly, she needed a direct account from the person involved.
Which meant he had to see Dang So Hye again.
* * *
After exchanging farewells with Hwang Gui Bi, we departed the Hermitage.
Having grown accustomed to mountain travel over the past few months, reaching Cheon Ju Mountain proved swift. Finding Bi Rae Peak was no great difficulty either.
But the moment we stepped into the valley west of Bi Rae Peak, I realized I’d been far too cavalier about the workings of fate.
The entire valley was a cave.
Caves within caves, and within those, still more caves.
I’d been complacent, thinking there might be a few dozen at most—
But there were hundreds.
As the headache washed over me, I rubbed my temples hard.
How was I supposed to find Precious Stone Oil in this place?
I’m going mad.

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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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