Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 118

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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 118
I instinctively put distance between myself and Beop Gong, letting out a sharp cry.
“What are you doing!”
“Throwing a punch.”
“No, I mean why are you suddenly swinging at me after drinking so peacefully? You crazy man!”
“Yeon Liang over there is your brother, but I’m a man? That bothers me for some reason.”
“Well, I’m even more bothered, thank you very much. Is your drinking habit to throw punches?”
Beop Gong didn’t even flinch at my outburst.
With surprising nimbleness for someone his size, he vaulted over the table.
I ducked my head in panic, and his right foot whistled past my ear.
The force of the wind was so fierce it snapped me fully awake.
If that had connected, I’d really be dead.
“Whoa, whoa. Hold on. Monk. Calm down, please…….”
“Tsk. Little one. When someone throws a punch at you, you don’t try to talk them down—you throw one back.”
Beop Gong clicked his tongue and twisted his body, driving his other leg down at me.
“That’s complete nonsense!”
“You’re good at dodging, I’ll give you that. But stop running and counterattack. What are you keeping those Hidden Projectile Needles for?”
“How am I supposed to throw needles here! Brother! Please wake up and get this man to stop!”
At my cry, Yeon Liang’s eyes fluttered open and he pushed himself up, rumpled with sleep.
“……What’s going on?”
“Playing with your little sister.”
“Ah……. Keep it reasonable.”
Yeon Liang blinked languidly, yawned, and dropped his head back onto the table. He didn’t seem fully sober yet.
I cried out urgently.
“Brother, do you call that reasonable? Stop him!”
“Beop Gong……. Take it easy…….”
“I am taking it easy. Your sister’s whining, and she hasn’t been hit once—just fluttering around like a flying squirrel.”
“That’s enough, please!”
“You won’t even try to counterattack? Is it too cramped in here? Should we go outside?”
At that, Jeom So Yi, who’d been trembling in fear of a stray blow, rushed over and threw open the inn door. Apparently, we were supposed to take this outside.
I bolted out of the inn like I was fleeing, and Beop Gong chased after me with a maniacal laugh.
The madness reminded me of Dang Ju Hui, and my breath came faster on its own.
All these martial artists are insane!
Swallowing a curse, I unleashed a Whip Attack, but it was useless. Beop Gong flicked the lash away from his body without even using his hands, then clicked his tongue dismissively.
“That’s a pathetic way to throw Hidden Projectile Needles.”
“What—what do you mean? How did you deflect it?”
“Want me to show you?”
Beop Gong grinned wickedly at me and began casually peeling off his upper garment.
Flustered, I rolled my eyes wide and started backing away uneasily.
“No, no! Why are you taking your clothes off?”
“Look closely.”
“I’m sorry?”
What does he want me to look at? This old man’s lost it.
I was covering my eyes in alarm when Yeon Liang’s voice came from behind me.
“He’s telling you to watch how his Protective Body Qi deflects the needles.”
He must have woken fully from the commotion. He walked out of the inn, scratching his head.
“You should explain properly, you fool. You’re scaring our sister. Why are you stripping in the middle of the night?”
“You’re up?”
“I told you to keep it reasonable, but you’re having the time of your life. You lunatic.”
“The little one’s movements are impressive—way better than most new recruits from the Yong Bong Dan. Those guys couldn’t even hold their ground. One punch and they’d fly backward.”
Beop Gong waved his hand dismissively at Yeon Liang, then turned his gaze back to me.
“Little one. Throw more. You have plenty of needles.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yeah. Treat me like I’m your enemy and throw them.”
Beop Gong grinned wickedly and flexed his fingers. In the moonlight, his golden eyes curved with an eerie gleam.
It was clear he wouldn’t let me go until I matched his rhythm.
I exhaled sharply and reached into my sleeve when Beop Gong lowered his stance and drew his power up from within.
The oppressive pressure felt like his hand was choking my throat, and my fingertips began to tremble.
Sensing that I was losing the initiative, I gritted my teeth and gripped the Feather Needles, scattering them in a spray.
Even as the Feather Needles poured down on him, Beop Gong remained perfectly composed.
Agh!
I was the one who cried out, stumbling backward instead—the needles that his Protective Body Qi had deflected came hurtling back at me.
Was this a cheat, or what?
Alarmed, I knocked aside the Hidden Projectile Needles with my Whip Blade, and Beop Gong cackled wickedly as he hurled a punch.
The movement was so fast it left afterimages; it felt as if multiple people were striking me at once.
I’d meant to grip the Whip Blade in reverse and drive it downward, but I hesitated and changed my trajectory.
I’d almost buried the blade in Beop Gong’s shoulder.
Alarmed, I retreated and threw a Flying Dart, which he caught with ease before speaking.
“Little one. How much longer are you going to keep running? Stop that—strike me once.”
“But you deflect everything! What am I supposed to do?”
“Then use your fists!”
“How could I ever use my fists against you? What kind of madman trades blows with a Shaolin disciple? Brother! Do something about this man!”
“……I’m sorry. My drink hasn’t worn off yet.”
“Ugh, please!”
I shrieked and rolled across the ground to escape him. Each time he swept his arm, enormous palm-shaped impressions gouged into the earth.
When I failed to counterattack, Beop Gong seemed to lose interest and hooked my ankle, sending me tumbling down.
He sat across my back as I lay sprawled on the ground, then bore down with his full weight.
“Argh! Why are you so heavy!”
“Enduring the Thousand-Jin Weight—not bad. You’re tougher than you look, little one.”
“Stop! Stop pressing down!”
“Hmph. Even this doesn’t break you.”
Beop Gong chuckled as he pinned me, then spoke quietly.
“Child of the Dang Clan.”
“What?”
“Why did you change your strike? You could have pierced me. What made you hesitate?”
Beop Gong asked as if he couldn’t understand. I turned my head to look at him, bewildered by the strange question.
“If I’d driven it down like that, the monk would be injured.”
“Do I look like someone who’d be hurt by your clumsy attack?”
“Well… no.”
“If I weren’t your brother’s friend—if I were after your life—would you really move like this, all soft and hesitant?”
“Of course not.”
“Truly? You’re telling me that if I became your enemy, you’d strike without hesitation?”
Beop Gong’s voice turned serious. He rose to his feet while I rubbed my aching back, meeting his gaze.
Something in his eyes felt like a reproach, and my shoulders shrank instinctively.
“Let me reframe this. What if it wasn’t me, but Yeon Liang? If he betrayed you, could you strike him down? You couldn’t, could you?”
“That’s not—”
“There. You haven’t been tested enough yet. To hesitate over this…”
Yeon Liang stepped in front of me at Beop Gong’s mockery.
“Beop Gong. That’s enough.”
“I’ve seen plenty like you. Talented, good bones, sharp mind—they learn well. But the moment you ask them to strike another person, they falter.”
“I said that’s enough.”
Ignoring Yeon Liang’s protest, Beop Gong continued.
“You know why? It’s not lack of skill—it’s fear. The sight of blood and flesh gets too vivid in their mind. So they quit altogether.”
“I just—”
My lips moved uselessly, and I turned away from his gaze.
……How could hurting someone ever sit right with me?
“And that’s your problem. If you’re too squeamish to kill, you only accumulate karmic debts and enemies. That’s the foolishest thing of all.”
“Beop Gong!”
“Keep quiet. I’m talking to your sister. Little one, I won’t lecture you about morality. But you’d do better to be less virtuous. No need to overthink it.”
Beop Gong paused for a moment, then held up his fist.
“First, crush them with force. If you overwhelm your opponent so completely they can’t even think of revenge, everything falls into place.”
“Crush them?”
“Right. Martial artists are all stubborn brutes who speak only through strength. They don’t care who you are. The only thing they care about is whether you’re stronger or weaker.”
He spoke with utter conviction.
“If you want a rational conversation, beat them first. Once you’ve beaten them down enough, they’ll listen to every word you say.”
“Don’t teach the girl such things……”
Yeon Liang pressed his forehead as if he’d heard enough.
I stroked my chin, mulling over Beop Gong’s advice. Crude as the words were, they weren’t wrong.
Yeon Liang had said the same thing about breaking a weapon first—it was the same reasoning, wasn’t it? Destroy the will to fight, and dialogue becomes possible.
“Sohye. Don’t even think about it. Stop looking interested.”
“Not what?”
“Right. It’s not.”
Yeon Liang shook his head firmly, then glanced at Beop Gong.
“Monk. Mind your words.”
“There’s nothing to mind. I’ve been plenty gentle as it is. Anyway, I’m not saying the girl’s temperament is rotten. The fact that she knows exactly what power she has and what she can do with it—that’s an advantage. It’s far better than swaggering around without knowing your station.”
……
“You’re not the only one who loses your head in real combat. All the Orthodox Sect children do it. They only know how to perform those predictable spars on the stage their elders set for them. The moment they get scratched, they shriek and run to the medical pavilion, drowning themselves in Gold Wound Medicine before they can develop any real combat instinct. You’re younger than they are, so you’ve got better odds.”
Beop Gong patted my shoulder in a soothing gesture, then laughed playfully.
“Don’t worry. Your problem is something I can fix. This is my specialty, after all.”
“Fix it? How?”
“First, recover your Hidden Projectile Needles. There’s somewhere we need to be.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“Yes. Come along. You too, Yeon Liang.”
“Beop Gong. Stop it. The child needs her sleep.”
“……Hah. When was I last looking, this one went and became a proper father. One night without sleep won’t kill her.”
At Yeon Liang’s objection, Beop Gong twitched his chin dismissively.
While I gathered my Hidden Projectile Needles, Yeon Liang whispered something to Beop Gong with an uneasy expression. As I approached them, Beop Gong gestured.
“Let’s go.”
Beop Gong moved forward through the dark path with long strides, clearly well-acquainted with the surrounding terrain.
Just as anxiety began to creep in about where we were headed, Beop Gong stopped before a path that led into a narrow gorge and opened his mouth.
“Girl. You know the saying—strike while the iron is hot?”
“I do.”
“This is exactly that moment.”
“Pardon?”
As I blinked in confusion, Beop Gong gestured toward the gorge across from us.
“That’s Gwirelyeong Valley. A den where Heterodox Sect vermin swarm and breed.”
“Ah. Yes. But why a Heterodox Sect hideout at this hour……?”
“Once you tangle with those bastards, you’ll get a feel for what you need to do. Now go! Move, girl!”
And with that, he lifted my body clean off the ground and hurled me into the gorge.
As my body floated weightless through the air, a scream tore from my throat unbidden.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
Is this man actually insane?

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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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