Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 36

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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 36
The weight of their stares pressed against my face. The entire Elder Council was watching me and Dang Jung.
Most were elderly men with hair white as frost, yet their presence was no less formidable than that of younger martial masters.
[Stand straight. Show confidence.]
At Dang Jung’s whispered instruction, I straightened my posture and lifted my chin.
An elder with a long beard bowed respectfully in greeting.
“Welcome, sir.”
“Won Ju.”
Dang Jung nodded slightly.
It was an odd sight—the elder attending to the child with such deference—yet no one found it strange.
It was only natural courtesy shown to the Dang Clan’s eldest and its greatest master.
“Please, be seated.”
“Come here.”
Dang Jung gestured, and when I obeyed, he drew me close, his arm wrapping around my shoulders. The moment his hand touched me, my breathing eased. He seemed to shield me from the overwhelming pressure of their gazes.
[Take a deep breath, and don’t avoid Won Ju’s gaze.]
Dang Jung’s instruction delivered, he tilted his head with an air of arrogance. He swept his eyes slowly across the conference hall before speaking.
“Everyone seems to be present.”
“Yes. All are assembled as you commanded, sir. For you to summon us directly, this must be a matter of great importance.”
“Indeed. It concerns the disposition of Mu Jae, who shall bring honor to the Dang name.”
The old man called Won Ju’s gaze fell upon me. He narrowed his eyes and looked me up and down, as if taking my measure.
“Mu Jae, you said? She appears ordinary enough.”
“This girl possesses the Immunity to All Poisons Body. Won Ju, I discovered her in the Servants’ Quarters.”
At Dang Jung’s words, murmurs erupted from all sides.
“Immunity to All Poisons?”
“I thought it was merely legend. Is such a realm truly possible?”
“If the Poison King himself speaks of it, there’s no need to doubt its truth.”
“Hmm. I would like to verify this with my own eyes. Might we test the Eight Great Extreme Poisons on this girl? I happen to have recently improved the Seven Treasure Soul-Shattering Powder.”
“Ahem, Elder Sam. Such talk should be reserved for private chambers.”
……Wait. Did I just hear that right? Who’s trying to use me as a guinea pig?
As Dang Jung’s brow twitched, the Elder Council head hastily moved to smooth things over.
“I understand your meaning, sir. However, registering an unknown maidservant into the clan……”
“You didn’t listen properly. This girl is the Clan Master’s daughter.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Then she’s the child from Wol Hyang House.”
“Ah, that courtesan……. No wonder I thought her appearance quite striking. She has her mother’s face entirely.”
Some of them frowned, searching their memories of the past.
“We heard she had died. She was alive?”
“Her survival was a miracle, indeed. We were told the courtesan was confined to the Separate Residence and given Hak Jeong Hong.”
“If this is truly that child, then she may have developed immunity to the poisons her mother ingested. It would be worth investigating.”
The whispered exchange was barely audible, yet too terrible to ignore. My teeth clenched.
What madness is this.
Dang Mu Hyuk—that lunatic—had tried to poison the woman carrying his child and murder the infant in her womb?
Revulsion twisted my stomach. If what they said was true, my Immunity to All Poisons wasn’t some fortunate gift of nature.
It was the mark of a woman—my mother—enduring poison to protect her child.
My hands began to tremble faintly, and Dang Jung’s expression darkened.
“Silence.”
His voice, infused with Inner Energy, cut through the hall. Everyone’s lips sealed. Dang Jung regarded the Elder Council head and spoke with deliberate slowness.
“I wish to take this girl as my disciple. I have called this meeting to formally request her registration with the Clan Master. She carries direct bloodline and possesses natural martial talent—her credentials are sufficient.”
“Yes, of course. We cannot afford to lose the Immunity to All Poisons Body when you yourself vouch for it.”
The Elder Council head had seemed to agree, but his face clouded over just as quickly.
“However, should the Elder Council take the initiative in demanding registration, it may be misunderstood as interference in the matter of succession. We must proceed carefully.”
“If we picked up a mongrel dog pissing on a fence and sat him down, he’d be better than the Junior Clan Master now. What misunderstanding could there possibly be?”
Snort.
Stifled laugh.
Several elders trembled with suppressed laughter at Dang Jung’s blunt assessment.
Dang Young Ho’s reputation seemed utterly worthless among the senior elders.
The Elder Council head nodded in agreement.
“True as that may be……the Clan Master will resist.”
The Elder Council head stroked his beard with repeated sounds of consideration—”ahem,” “hmm,” and the like—as if he were carefully selecting words that wouldn’t provoke Dang Jung’s displeasure.
As his silence stretched on, another elder stepped in.
“I understand that you harbor no ill intent, Elder. But whether the others see it the same way—that I cannot say.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you register your direct disciple with the Clan Master as an official member, everyone will assume you mean to name the successor yourself. So if you would simply promise not to interfere in the matter of the next Clan Master…….”
“Presumptuous.”
Dang Jung’s voice turned cold.
“Elder Dang Gak. Your words suggest that this old man intends to manipulate the clan using the girl as a pretext. Do I truly appear so lacking in judgment?”
“No, no! Elder, I would never presume to think such a thing.”
The elder called Dang Gak averted his gaze, beads of sweat rolling down his temples.
But Dang Jung’s anger remained unmasked, and his voice rose despite the man’s protestations.
“I’ve heard enough. A promise? How dare you make demands? Did you think I came here seeking your permission? Move before I kick your backsides out of here! Register the girl as Clan Master—whether you bake her, boil her, or do whatever else you must! You brainless fools!”
Still sputtering curses, Dang Jung swept me out of the conference chamber just as he was.
Bang!
The door slammed shut with a sound like it might splinter.
I’d known Dang Jung’s temperament was poor, but I hadn’t realized it was this bad. I found myself genuinely taken aback.
……Was that really a meeting? It seemed like he just threw a tantrum and left. Do what he says, no questions asked.
Unlike these idle thoughts, my body had its own ideas. The moment we left the conference chamber, my legs gave way.
Just as my knees buckled and I began to fall, Dang Jung caught me swiftly in his arms.
I leaned against him and let out a shaky breath.
“Well done.”
“Wow, I thought I was going to die. My whole body is tingling.”
“That won’t kill you.”
His gruff reply belied the careful way he adjusted his hold on me, and the gentle flow of True Energy through his hands was precise, almost tender.
As the warmth spread through every corner of my body, I began to feel like I might survive after all.
“Ahhhhh.”
“……You sound like an old man soaking in a hot spring.”
With a wry expression, Dang Jung hoisted me onto his shoulder and vaulted over the wall.
But even as we grew distant from the Elder Council, the trembling in my limbs refused to stop. Dang Jung, still patting my back with concern, asked quietly:
“Your arms and legs—do they feel numb? Tell me at once if anything is uncomfortable.”
“I think I’ll be fine after resting a little. But Grandfather…….”
“What is it?”
“How do you manage to wear this Long Robe? The sleeves are so wide I can’t control my arms.”
“…….”
Dang Jung furrowed his brow as if I were speaking nonsense.
Now he’s scolding me with just his face.
I mumbled an excuse.
“……No, really. It’s incredibly heavy.”
“You’ll adapt soon enough.”
“Can I change clothes once we get to my quarters?”
“Fine.”
Dang Jung let out a deflated sigh and rubbed his forehead as though baffled by the whole exchange.
* * *
Dang Jung’s threat about kicking us out proved remarkably effective.
It wasn’t long before the Steward came hurrying to find us.
“I trust you have been well, Elder.”
“Suk Gyeong? How have you been?”
“I am as always, Elder. I have heard reports through my brother, but I apologize for my negligence in not paying my respects sooner. I beg your forgiveness.”
“No matter. You’ve been occupied—the Steward’s work is demanding enough. How are you managing?”
“I have only been at it for twenty years, so there is still much I do not know. I will rely on you to teach me, Elder.”
“Has it been that long already? Children do grow fast. It feels like only yesterday I saw you wailing with a runny nose.”
Elder, that man’s hair is completely white.
Dang Jung casually treated the middle-aged man like a snot-nosed child, then tilted his jaw to one side with a crooked expression before asking:
“You didn’t come looking for this old man just to exchange pleasantries. What did Mu Hyeok say?”
“He said to proceed according to your wishes, Elder.”
The Steward answered respectfully, and Dang Jung nodded as though he’d expected nothing less.
“And the Separate Residence?”
“It is being cleaned. It should be ready for use by tomorrow.”
“Have you selected maidservants?”
“Lady Sam has offered to send one of her own maidservants…….”
“No. We cannot use a maidservant who already has a master. Who knows what tricks she might pull? Assign a young servant instead and train her yourself.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Dang Jung gave his orders with finality, then turned his gaze toward me.
“Child. Who was your roommate—the one you shared quarters with?”
“Pardon? Song Ji?”
“You heard. Bring her.”
“Understood, Elder.”
“Is there anyone else you’d like brought?”
“Without her… hmm. Well, perhaps Gyeong Ah?”
“You heard. Bring her.”
“Yes, understood.”
The steward noted down Song Ji and Gyeong Ah’s names with an utterly businesslike expression.
“Is there anything further you require, Elder?”
“Not for now. If anything comes to mind, I’ll send for Geun Myeong.”
“Very well. Then I shall take my leave. Young Miss, please rest comfortably.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
He bowed to Dang Jung with a cupped-fist salute, then turned and bowed to me as well.
Seeing the steward treat me with such courtesy left me feeling oddly disoriented.
When I first went to Guan Jia Yuan, both the steward and Lady Jin had been people of such rank that I, as a mere maidservant, could scarcely find a place in their presence.
Yet now, both of them addressed me as a young lady of the Clan.
Lost in thought, I didn’t notice Dang Jung watching until he spoke.
“Why do you make that face?”
“I feel strange somehow. Everything about my position has changed so suddenly.”
“This is only the beginning. Everything around you will be different from now on—you must grow accustomed to it.”
He answered as though it were no great matter.
He was right. From that moment forward, everything began to shift.

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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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