Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 112

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 112
27. The Hidden Chamber of Gwisushin-ui
“Who are you?”
Dang Jung’s expression hardened. He stepped backward, sliding his hand into his sleeve.
It was a familiar motion, but far slower than I remembered it.
I stood there, mouth agape, staring at him.
The Dang Jung I knew was beautiful too, but he paled against the perfection before me now.
Eyebrows drawn fine as ink, a nose straight as a carved blade—something dignified emanated from his features.
His frame, undiminished even beneath the long robe, was lean and corded; he must have towered well over six feet.
So his talk about long limbs being better for wielding weapons had been from lived experience.
There was one difference, though. His eyes—those irises held no trace of blue.
It seemed this was how he’d looked before he created his Unique Internal Cultivation Method.
Dang Jung’s brow twitched as I stared unblinking at his face, clearly displeased by the scrutiny.
It was a habit he fell into when his mood soured, and I nearly laughed aloud despite myself.
Wow. Grandfather really was like that.
I pressed my nose, struggling to suppress the smile tugging at my lips.
I wanted to run to him, to tell him how much I’d missed him, how hard things had been.
I wanted to complain that my father had driven me from the house, to beg him to punish that wretch.
But if I did, I was certain a saber would find its way into the crown of my head.
His expression was far too cold.
That icy gaze was sharper than when he’d suspected me of being a spy. The joy of reunion crumbled to dust.
Whatever was happening, one thing was certain: this was not the Dang Jung I knew.
What was young grandfather doing here?
“Answer me. Who are you?”
As Dang Jung’s voice rose, a woman approached and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Cheoncheon, who’s come? It’s not Seol-yak, is it?”
Cheoncheon?
I was startled by the unfamiliar epithet. I turned to scrutinize the young Dang Jung again, but it was undoubtedly him.
There was no mistaking grandfather—his characteristic pouting mouth, his cadence, were unmistakably his own.
Dang Jung answered the woman’s question.
“A stranger. Go inside, Hwan.”
Hwan?
……No. Surely not. It couldn’t be who I’m thinking of. Ha ha.
I turned around, trying to make sense of this bizarre situation. Then I realized Yeon Liang was gone.
“Brother? Ju Ryeong?”
I called out for them in alarm, but no answer came from anywhere.
The stone door I’d touched moments before was gone, and the ceiling studded with Night Pearls had vanished as well.
They’d said Sorcery was at work here—was I trapped alone in an Illusion Magic?
As panic flickered across my face, the woman asked gently.
“Have you taken a wrong turn, miss?”
“It seems so. Where is this place?”
“This is……”
As she answered, the woman stepped closer and her eyes widened.
“My goodness, you look just like Hwa Yeon.”
Then a boy’s youthful voice cut in.
“Who looks like Sister Hwa Yeon? I want to see too.”
“Lak, come on out. It’s the first time anyone besides Seol-yak has ever made it inside here.”
Watching the boy stride out with a massive saber slung across his back, I felt the world tilt beneath me.
……Who is that? Lak? Could it be…Peng Lak?
* * *
The boy was nothing like the Peng Lak I knew.
For one thing, he was smaller than Dang Jung.
Truly. Peng Lak was smaller than Dang Jung.
I wasn’t sure whether to say Dang Jung was unusually tall or Peng Lak unusually small.
There was no beard, and his eyes didn’t gleam yellow like a hunting beast’s.
This boy’s eyes were bright and alert, his face alight with youthful mischief appropriate to his age.
As my mouth hung open, the woman asked.
“Miss, do you know Lak? You look quite startled.”
“I……Peng Lak, you’re……aren’t you?”
“Master? I’m Peng Lak, sure, but am I already an age to be called that out there? Sister, it seems I lived quite long.”
Peng Lak chuckled, boasting to the woman.
You’ve lived long. After burying your son and grandson, you remained healthy until your great-grandson became clan master.
Unlike the two who had taken kindly to me, Dang Jung did not lower his guard. He scrutinized me with sharp eyes.
“Who are you to the Dang Clan?”
“Your granddaughter, sir.”
“Cough, cough!”
Dang Jung, choking on my answer, began to cough. At the same time, surprise bloomed across Peng Lak’s and the woman’s faces.
“Brother married? To whom? Surely not to our sister?”
“My goodness. Really? I married that Dang Jung?”
“Who would marry such a reckless oaf!”
Seeing the three of them clearly indulging their imaginations, I hastened to clarify our relationship.
“To be precise, I’m his granddaughter. He is my paternal grandfather.”
“Not a direct granddaughter, then? Ha, our Dang Jung. It seems he never did marry.”
“Hah!”
“Miss, have you heard any stories about that ill-tempered man’s wife?”
“No. Grandfather never married.”
“See? He couldn’t. Dang Jung.”
The woman laughed brightly, gazing at Dang Jung. He seemed taken aback, his lips parting before he glanced at her sideways.
“There was no one of my caliber.”
“Of course not. Given your temperament, brother, no woman would come to marry you…. Ow!”
Mid-sentence, Peng Lak dodged a Feather Needle streaking through the air and landed hard on his backside.
“Ah, brother! Words, please! Just words!”
It seemed that throwing daggers before speaking had been his habit even in youth.
Dang Jung, dismissing Peng Lak lightly, turned to me with a question.
“So that’s why you resemble Hwa Yeon. How old are you?”
Perhaps because I had mentioned being his granddaughter, Dang Jung’s voice had softened considerably. He was unmistakably the sort of grandfather to warm at the mention of Dang Clan blood, so I answered with a smile.
“Sixteen.”
“The same age as Sister Hwa Yeon. That explains the resemblance even more.”
Peng Lak blinked in wonder. From the fact that Hwa Yeon was sixteen, it seemed this was the time before Dang Jung lost his sister.
“But where is this place? How did you three come to be here? And Grandfather was…so young. I was quite surprised.”
To my question, Dang Jung answered flatly, arms crossed.
“We are thoughts manifested by Seol-yak.”
“Thoughts manifested?”
“Yes. Thoughts created from Seol-yak’s memories. We’re manifestations of how she remembers us. We can only exist within this cave.”
“The Mosanpa created us using sorcery, I believe?”
“Probably. I don’t know much about it. Never cared for sorcery.”
We’ve been here a long time. Fifty years? Perhaps longer. No, wait—if he has a granddaughter now, hasn’t a hundred years passed? Wouldn’t you say, brother?”
Peng Lak scratched the back of his neck as he looked to Dang Jung, who nodded.
“About that. What in the world is that woman thinking….”
For the first time, I heard Dang Jung speak of Gwisushin-ui without calling her an old hag or a madwoman, and I blinked in confusion.
‘Were they on good terms back then?’
As I could not tear my gaze from Dang Jung, the woman covered her mouth and laughed.
“Miss, is Grandfather’s young face such a marvel? You look so startled—it seems the Dang Jung outside is a grandfather with a full beard.”
“Oh, no. No beard. He doesn’t have a beard, but…he performs the Banro Hwandong. He looks like a child.”
“Like a child? Dang Jung? Could you tell me more about that? I’m curious.”
The woman’s eyes sparkled as she asked. I answered earnestly from what I knew.
He’s about this tall, wears his hair tied like this, has that same sullen expression you see now, enjoys tea, often sits atop a willow tree smoking a Long Pipe….
The woman seemed delighted to hear stories of a side of Dang Jung she did not know.
Young Dang Jung snorted as if dismissing the notion, but did not interrupt my words.
He simply gazed at the woman with tender eyes.
Seeing that look—not the hollow gaze of a solitary old man, but eyes brimming with affection—certainty washed over me.
The woman was undoubtedly Ok Hwan, the Fairy Beneath the Moon, Grandfather’s beloved.
My chest tightened.
‘Grandfather can make that expression too. Those enchanted eyes of a man in love.’
“Does Dang Jung treat you well? Does he give you spending money? Even though he’s stubborn and difficult, don’t dislike him too much. He’s very shy, so he often acts contrary to his true feelings.”
“Yes, he treats me well.”
‘He’s always treated me well.’
Fearing my eyes would redden if I said more, I hastily changed the subject.
“Why do you call Grandfather Dang Jung?”
“Because Jung (重) contains Cheon (千) and Li (里). He couldn’t stand Li-li sounding like a girl’s name, so it became Dang Jung. Though I always thought Li-li was rather cute.”
……Ah, I see. No need to have asked.
“What about me, then? Me?”
Peng Lak tilted his head with curious eyes, inquiring after my welfare.
Afraid he’d be disappointed to learn I hadn’t mastered Banro Hwandong, I glossed over it instead, mentioning the splendid epithet he’d earned: Fierce Tiger Path Master.
“Have you heard, brother? Fierce Tiger Path Master, they’re calling me. I must have been the one who pacified Zhongyuan with the Saber Technique!”
Peng Lak seemed pleased with the epithet, puffing out his chest with satisfaction.
Ok Hwan, watching me with eyes narrowed in amusement, asked her question.
“But how did you find your way here? Gwisushin-ui’s hidden refuge must be extremely difficult to locate.”
I couldn’t very well tell these companions of Gwisushin-ui that I’d come to steal his precious item. My smile turned awkward.
“Well……”
“Obvious enough. You came to steal Gwisushin-ui’s precious item.”
Dang Jung stated it bluntly.
Grandfather, you’re uncanny.
As my eyes darted about, Peng Lak broke into a chuckle.
“Judging by the lady’s reaction, it’s true then? Gwisushin-ui’s hideaway does have quite a few precious items. If I weren’t just a念 form, I’d have pocketed something myself.”
I pretended not to hear and looked away.
“Actually, I had a question. How would I go about leaving this place……”
The moment I began to ask, an enormous power pressed down on me without mercy or reprieve.
As if someone were strangling my throat, my breath caught, and my knees buckled of their own accord.
I wanted to lift my head, but my body, seized by terror, remained frozen as stone.
“Who dares set foot uninvited in the domain of Gwisushin-ui?”
A voice weighted with inner force crashed into my ears like thunder. The wrathful tone sent a chill racing down my spine.
“You have seen what you ought not have seen.”
The Ho Tang held in Gwisushin-ui’s hand rang with a harsh, rattling sound as it crushed my throat.
I gasped and struggled to pry his hand away, but the overwhelming disparity in strength left me powerless—not a single finger could move.
Gwisushin-ui looked down at me, unable even to thrash, and spoke with cold precision.
“For that, you’ll have to die here.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————