Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 30

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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 30
“Now then. Tell me—where did Grandfather say the Pressure Points are?”
“The shoulder is the Giant Bone Point, the back of the neck is the Heavenly Pillar Point, and the arm is the Arm Confucian Point, you said.”
“That’s right. And?”
“The palm is the Tiger’s Mouth Point, the back of the knee is the Committee’s Center Point, and… um… the foot is the Duke’s Grandson Point, isn’t it?”
“Correct. It will be difficult for you to target the Blood Meridians just yet, so if anyone bothers you, kick their Pressure Points with all your strength. After that, Grandfather will handle them.”
If I kicked with all my strength, wouldn’t an ordinary person be in serious trouble? Apparently I broke someone’s wrist today.
Dang Jung spoke these extraordinary words as though nothing were amiss, his expression gradually softening as he patted my shoulder. His irritation seemed to have melted away along with his scolding.
“That settles it. You must have had quite a shock—skip the evening banquet. Dang Geun Myeong will handle everything.”
“Aren’t you going, Grandfather?”
“What good is an old man attending banquets? I’ve shown my face for a few days—that’s enough. Now I’m tired of it.”
Dang Jung spoke with a furrow between his brows.
True enough, it was unusual for someone who wasn’t the current Supreme Elder but a Former Supreme Elder—retired from the front lines—to receive guests at all.
Since apart from Peng Luo, no other great family had a Former Family Head or Former Supreme Elder visit, I assumed the other clans were in the same position.
When you thought about it, the man simply did his duty faithfully and then pretended not to care about anything else.
Dang Jung, regarding me with a blank expression, muttered something under his breath.
“Now that I think about it, that thing should be somewhere.”
“That thing?”
“Yes. That thing.”
What thing, exactly?
“It wouldn’t be walking around anymore if you had it.”
He kept saying I’d gotten rid of it already.
Dang Jung, still speaking in riddles, left without a word of explanation. I could hear rustling from the adjacent room—it sounded as though he were searching for something.
When he returned a moment later, Dang Jung extended his open palm toward me.
“Hand.”
The command was delivered like he was training a puppy, and I nearly laughed. I obediently placed my hand on his, and he slipped something onto my wrist.
It was a pale jade bracelet with a milky sheen.
“Grandfather? What is this?”
“You’ll understand when you see.”
Dang Jung grasped my arm and rotated the bracelet. A needle shot forth from it, flying through the air.
“That’s how it works. What do you think?”
Using Void Grasping, Dang Jung retrieved the needle and refitted it into the bracelet, then gazed at me with eager anticipation. He was clearly waiting for my reaction.
But I didn’t know how to respond. I blinked awkwardly.
Over time, Dang Jung had given me snacks and writing supplies. But this was the first time he’d presented me with something so precious.
A pale jade bracelet concealing Concealed Needles? I couldn’t help but think it must be worth the price of a small house.
When I said nothing, Dang Jung scratched his cheek self-consciously.
“…Mm. Does it not please you? It’s Yangzi white jade, you know.”
“I… well…”
“Even so, take it. Grandfather will search for something even finer.”
Stroking my bewildered head, Dang Jung spoke in a gentle voice, coaxing me forward.
Something had changed. Where once he had seemed to expect gratitude for his kindness, today he was gauging my feelings.
As though he had become my protector.
I drew a long breath and managed to squeeze out words.
“No, I love it. It’s just… I was just so surprised. Thank you. Grandfather.”
Dang Jung cleared his throat and replied primly.
“Ahem, well then. That’s good.”
His relieved expression made it real.
We had drawn a little closer. We were truly beginning to see each other.
As my lips curved upward unbidden, Dang Jung added with satisfaction,
“It carries a mild poison, so you won’t die from it, but it should serve as a warning not to be reckless. Always wear it.”
A warning? It sounded more like a one-way ticket to the afterlife. But the effectiveness is certainly clear.
I wondered whether a mere handmaid should be wandering about with a white jade bracelet, but I had no desire to spoil Dang Jung’s satisfaction with foolish questions.
I’d find a way to slip it off later.
“Will you stay for dinner?”
“Of course. I’m starving, Grandfather.”
Dang Jung let out a soft chuckle at my flattery and jerked his chin toward the outside.
“Should I call in the girl out there as well? She’s been lurking about since earlier.”
“A girl?”
“The Nam Gung girl. Tell her to come in already. It’s nerve-wracking.”
“What? Just a moment. Let me go check.”
Why is Nam Gung Hui here?
Startled, I rushed out of Jeon Gak and spotted a small young master standing in front of the main gate. Nam Gung Hui’s eyes lit up the moment he saw me.
“So Hye!”
“Young Master Nam Gung? What brings you here?”
“I thought you might be around, so I came by. You said you’d be back soon but you didn’t show, and I got worried that something happened…….”
Nam Gung Hui rushed toward me, tumbling out words in a breathless cascade, when his eyes went wide as saucers.
“You—are you all right? There’s a cut on your face!”
“It’s nothing serious. Grandfather—I mean, the Elder asked me to invite you to dinner. Would you like to join us?”
“I, I’m fine.”
Nam Gung Hui shook his head hurriedly. The way his face drained of color made it clear he had no intention of sharing a meal with Dang Jung.
“Then I’ll see you to Gaek Cheong.”
“No, I can go alone. I know the way now. But……would you like to go to the Night Market with me tomorrow?”
“The Night Market?”
“I heard the largest Night Market in Sa Cheon opens in Seong Do. I’d like to see it before heading back to An Hui.”
Nam Gung Hui swallowed hard, speaking somewhat hesitantly.
So that was why he’d asked what I was doing tomorrow.
But I couldn’t bring myself to agree at once. After today’s accident, I thought I should be more careful.
I dodged the question.
“Well, I need to ask for permission first…….”
“Go. You have my word.”
Goodness. What a fright.
I turned at the voice that had come from nowhere, and there stood Dang Jung, appearing as silently as a ghost.
Nam Gung Hui hadn’t noticed him approaching either, and he caught his breath sharply.
“Grandfather?”
“Go and enjoy yourself. You deserve a chance to rest. Tomorrow you can play freely.”
With that, he smoothly inserted himself between Nam Gung Hui and me, putting distance between us. He glanced at Nam Gung Hui sidelong and issued the Order to Dismiss Guest.
“If your business is concluded, be on your way. I need to feed So Hye.”
“Yes? Yes, I understand, Elder.”
A flustered Nam Gung Hui broke into a cold sweat and began backing away awkwardly.
Wait, just a moment. We need to set a time.
I caught hold of Nam Gung Hui’s sleeve as he retreated.
“The Dog Hour! Shall we meet in front of Oe Seong at the Dog Hour tomorrow?”
“Sounds good. Then I’ll see you at the Dog Hour tomorrow. What will you wear? I was thinking…….”
“Ahem!”
At Dang Jung’s sharp look, Nam Gung Hui fell silent.
“……Never mind. I was just talking. Go eat your supper. I should be going inside now, Elder.”
“Very well.”
“Yes. Then tomorrow…….”
“The food is getting cold. Come inside now.”
Dang Jung cut him off and pushed me inside Jeon Gak, slamming the door shut right in front of Nam Gung Hui as he muttered to himself.
“Look at those eyes. The boy’s young and already knows a good match when he sees one…….”
Well, Elder, I don’t think that’s quite it.
I let Dang Jung’s grumbling pass over me, but I found myself wondering what Nam Gung Hui had been about to say.
Was he asking me to wear something other than my servant’s clothes so it wouldn’t be embarrassing to be seen together? But I don’t have anything else.
I thought I’d need to ask Song Ji if I could borrow some of her clothes tomorrow.
* * *
A pale dawn was breaking. Dang Jung, roused by the chirping of birds, gazed expressionlessly at the lamp.
The wick of the light that had burned through the night had grown short.
With a light gesture, Dang Jung extinguished the lamp and turned his gaze to the book he’d been reading.
Some time had passed—perhaps the better part of an hour—when someone made a sound outside.
“Elder, may I enter?”
“You may.”
Dang Jung turned a page without even lifting his head.
Dang Geun Myeong slipped through the door silently and bowed formally.
“I have completed all that you commanded.”
“Good. And the cleanup—was it thorough?”
“Yes.”
“As I have said before, there is no mercy for those who challenge the Dang Clan’s authority. See to it that they find no peace even in death.”
At the cutting edge in Dang Jung’s voice, Dang Geun Myeong lowered himself further.
“Yes. I have disposed of the servant Shim Yang and her entire family. The parents were of poor character as well. They had been trading on the Dang Clan’s name to line their own pockets.”
“Selling the Dang Family name? How dare you?”
Anger hardened Dang Jung’s voice. He set down his book and fixed Dang Geun Myeong with a look that invited him to continue.
“The woman promised to secure work for her son within the Dang Family. She paid over two hundred silver taels in bribes to the servants. Apparently, she’s from a distant branch of the clan.”
“Tsk. When the Family Head grows lax, even the servants lose discipline. That entire family should be made an example of…….”
Dang Jung furrowed his brow and shook his head.
“No. Have it spread that they fled in the night out of fear. And make sure word doesn’t reach So Hye’s ears—guard your tongues well. The child mustn’t be troubled. A bloodline of the Dang Family shouldn’t be so weak of spirit.”
He muttered the words with evident concern, clicking his tongue. Yet when he spoke So Hye’s name, his eyes softened with unmistakable tenderness.
Dang Geun Myeong’s brows rose sharply.
In twenty years of serving Dang Jung, never had he seen the old man show such consideration for another.
Dang Geun Myeong recalled the small girl—So Hye—who scarcely reached his chest. The child whose parentage as the Family Head’s illegitimate daughter had only recently come to light had become Dang Jung’s consuming preoccupation.
Was the girl truly so extraordinary?
Dang Geun Myeong found it difficult to comprehend such favoritism. Yet it was not his place to question such matters. He bowed deeply without protest.
“Yes, Elder.”
“You may go. Rest yourself as well. And on your way, tell the Council of Elders to get that ponderous authority of theirs to stir.”
“Forgive me, but what does that mean……?”
“Concealment alone is not the answer.”
“You mean to bring the girl into the open, then?”
“Yes. I intend to reshape the board entirely. I shall step forth myself.”
He replied in a flat tone and crossed his legs.
Dang Jung’s narrowed eyes glinted with a predator’s terrible light.

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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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