Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 42

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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 42
I must have dozed off across Dang Jung’s lap, because when I opened my eyes, I was in the bedroom.
Reaching for my hairpin, Song Ji hurried over and pressed a cup of water into my hand.
“You’re awake? Here, drink this.”
“Good morning, Song Ji. How did I get here yesterday? I don’t remember a thing.”
“The lord carried you in himself. Miss, what if you’d caught a chill sleeping outside? He nearly gave everyone heart palpitations, he was so worried.”
Song Ji answered matter-of-factly. So that was it—Dang Jung had carried me here.
“Wait—what did you say?”
I spat out the water I’d been drinking and clutched at my head.
I fell asleep during a massage? And Dang Jung carried me back? This is unbearable.
He’d been lenient with me lately, but if I keep taking such liberties……
……is that really all right?
Come to think of it, he’d indulged every whim I’d thrown at him recently. Even when I’d cried and fussed, he’d laughed and coaxed me out of it.
All right then. If he keeps saying yes to everything, I’ll just take it in stride. He’s not going to harm a granddaughter he personally tends to with Spirit Medicine.
I wiped my mouth with resignation, and Song Ji handed me a towel.
“Clean up and get moving. You’ve got dawn training.”
“Yeah, yeah. Right.”
You’ve started treating my pre-dawn practice like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
As I clambered out from under the quilts, Gyeong A appeared with my Martial Uniform, her concerned face barely whispering:
“Miss……you should take some……snacks with you……. You need your strength……!”
“Thank you, Gyeong A.”
That’s right—what kind of life is it if you only train? At least there should be the joy of eating.
I sniffled softly and changed into my Martial Uniform.
* * *
Learning the Heart Technique was only the beginning.
The Footwork Method and Body Movement Technique came next.
“You need softer feet. Such large movements make you clumsy. Watch—like this.”
“Like this? Ow! My leg, my leg’s tangled! Deok Ju, grab me!”
Then the Lightness Martial Art.
“Now, cross the pond like your grandfather. Wrap your Inner Power around your toes……. Tap lightly across the water’s surface like this. Simple enough?”
“What? I’m not a water strider—how am I supposed to cross a pond?”
“I said it’s simple. Just try.”
“This isn’t going to work……. Ahhh!”
Splash!
The Hidden Projectile Technique followed.
“Once a projectile leaves your hand, there’s no taking it back. Don’t throw carelessly—be deliberate and precise……. Yeon Seok, stop dozing off.”
Thwack!
“Ow, that hurts!”
And finally, the Poison Release Technique.
“When you strike with Poison Strike, you must always face away from the wind. If the toxin blows back on you, it’s useless—worse, your own people could be poisoned.”
“Face away from the wind……. This direction, yes?”
Cough! Cough!
“……The other way. Deok Ju, go take an Antidote Pill.”
“Yes, sir! Cough!”
There was so much to learn that even ten bodies would have been exhausted.
I massaged my trembling legs and flopped flat on my back against the ground.
Goodness, I’m worn out!
Dang Jung appeared above me, tsking softly.
“What are you doing lying there?”
“Grandfather, this is what they call Savasana in Cheon Chuk Guk—a yoga pose. It’s excellent for sensing the flow of Inner Power.”
“Nonsense. Get up.”
Tsk. That won’t work.
As I rolled over sluggishly, Dang Jung snorted and lifted me up as easily as pulling a radish from a field.
“You look like a puppy that’s been wallowing in mud. You need a wash.”
That was rich, coming from the man who’d run me ragged into that state.
I stifled a hollow laugh, and the moment my feet touched the ground, Dang Geun Myeong appeared from nowhere, bowing deeply.
“My lord. You have a visitor.”
“I said I wasn’t receiving guests for a while. Send them away.”
Dang Jung waved his hand dismissively, as though the matter needed no further thought. Dang Geun Myeong’s expression turned troubled.
“It is……the Martial Alliance Master himself, sir.”
Wi Ji Gok? What does he want?”
“He said he had an urgent matter to discuss with you, sir.”
Dang Jung’s brow crinkled with displeasure. He pressed the space between his eyes with visible irritation.
“A tiresome fellow. Since he’ll be leaving soon anyway, take him to the guest hall— no, wait. Bring him to my quarters instead. Make sure no one sees him.”
“Understood, sir.”
Dang Geun Myeong bowed respectfully and disappeared. I rolled my eyes.
Why would the leader of the Martial Alliance seek out Dang Jung?
Dang Jung sighed and reached over to ruffle my hair.
“We’ll end training here for today. Prepare to receive a guest.”
“Should I greet him too?”
“Yes. Since he’s the Alliance leader, there’s no harm in making acquaintance. Go wash up and be back within the hour.”
“An hour? It takes that long just to get from the training ground to your quarters.”
“You’ve learned the Lightness Martial Art, haven’t you? What are you dawdling for? Get going.”
…So I’m supposed to forget that you’re my grandfather?
I pulled a face and bolted from the training ground.
* * *
Wi Ji Gok, leader of the Martial Alliance.
The head of the Martial Alliance, which represented the Righteous Martial World, was a white-haired old man.
“I hope you’ve been well, sir?”
I was startled first to realize that the elderly man shuffling forward on a cane was indeed the Martial Alliance leader, and startled again to see that he was far younger than Dang Jung.
From any perspective, Wi Ji Gok appeared to be the senior of the two.
“What brings the Alliance leader all the way from Mu Han to Sa Cheon? The journey must have been arduous.”
Despite the thinly veiled reproach, Wi Ji Gok’s smile never wavered.
“Is a reason needed to pay respects to a great elder of the Jianghu? It is a junior’s duty.”
“You’ve grown old, but it seems you’ve also grown cunning.”
“Ah, you flatter me with your frankness, sir.”
Wi Ji Gok answered while his legs trembled slightly, leaning his weight onto his cane. He clearly hoped someone would offer him a seat.
But Dang Jung regarded him with an expressionless face and made no move to invite him to sit.
Unable to bear it, I tugged at Dang Jung’s sleeve.
“Grandfather? Our guest has arrived—shouldn’t I bring tea?”
“…Very well. Alliance leader, please sit.”
Dang Jung answered with poor grace, flicking his chin. Once permission was granted, Wi Ji Gok chuckled and lowered himself into a chair.
“So this must be the new disciple you’ve recently taken in.”
“How would the Alliance leader know that?”
“Did you not spread the word intentionally? Everyone in Sa Cheon knows of it—so I, too, came to understand this much.”
Wi Ji Gok replied smoothly, stroking his snow-white beard.
…There’s something odd about the way this old man speaks. It’s oddly irritating.
Dang Jung seemed to share the thought, his brow furrowing.
“I didn’t realize the Alliance leader took such keen interest in Sa Cheon’s affairs.”
“This humble Wi Ji has always hoped that you, sir, would remain at peace…”
“Spare me. Does anyone not know that you despise me? The fact that you’ve forced yourself to come means you want something. Stop circling and speak plainly.”
Dang Jung cut him off, stripping even the formal address from his tone.
As I heated the water for tea, I glanced between the two men. Dang Jung’s expression was ominous.
“Tea! Please, let’s discuss matters over tea.”
Before the atmosphere could grow any darker, I set down the tea. The tension in Dang Jung’s brow eased slightly. He exhaled a long sigh, as though resigned to patience because of me.
Then, the sickly old man who had been groaning moments before underwent a sudden transformation.
As if he’d never trembled at all, he straightened his spine and clasped his fists in salute with his weathered hands.
“It concerns a matter of the Alliance. There is somewhere the Poison King must accompany me.”
“I refuse.”
As though he’d expected precisely this, Wi Ji Gok reached into his robe and withdrew an old wooden token. He set it on the table.
Jade Ring.
The moment Dang Jung read the characters carved into the wooden tablet, his pupils shook violently.
“You… this…!”
Dang Jung pointed accusingly, his teeth grinding. His expression turned so sinister one would think he might tear the old man apart on the spot.
Though the churning of his Inner Power made my stomach churn as well, Wi Ji Gok remained composed, sipping his tea.
“Where did you obtain the Jade Ring token?”
“It was given to me by the Venerable Immortal.”
“That cursed old fool Im Seol Yak…!”
Dang Jung swallowed a curse, clamping his lips shut and closing his eyes. His ragged breathing seemed an effort to master his agitation.
He steadied himself with deep breaths, then spoke in a hushed murmur.
“This one time only.”
“There is no other choice, is there.”
“Send word to the Im Clan that we will exact a price from them as well.”
“They said you would speak thus.”
“Ha. I’ve known that old fox far too long.”
Dang Jung laughed with a brittle edge, pressing his fingers to his temple. His gaze turned murky and cold.
The weight of his mood dried my mouth. I shifted my eyes between Dang Jung and Wi Ji Gok, swallowing hard. Dang Jung caught my glance and gestured.
“So Hye. Leave us for a moment. Your grandfather has urgent matters to discuss with our guest.”
His voice held such crystalline cold that I felt my body shrink of its own accord.
I excused myself quietly, slipping away from the room.
* * *
Wi Ji Gok regarded Dang Jung with an odd expression.
He had knocked on the Dang Ga Ta door prepared to lose an arm or more. Yet against all expectation, this King of Poison showed a restrained demeanor.
No hidden projectiles, not even a Poison Strike. Was this truly that eccentric King of Poison?
It seemed he was conscious of his disciple’s presence.
Wi Ji Gok swallowed a hollow laugh and turned his gaze to where the girl had vanished.
“She appears to be a cherished disciple.”
“That is not your concern.”
The sharp reply confirmed Wi Ji Gok’s suspicion.
This was no ordinary disciple.
The King of Poison, who had shut himself away in Dang Ga Ta all these years, had only recently begun moving his network—and it seemed it was all for this girl’s sake.
The older such a fox grew when taking on a disciple, the more possessive he became. So this was the form it took.
He stroked his beard, committing the girl’s features to memory.
So Hye, was it……
If she were brought into the Martial Alliance at the right moment, she would become leverage to move the King of Poison.
“If the Im Clan was willing to produce the Jade Ring as their stake, this is no trivial matter. Tell me—what is the affair?”
Dang Jung’s words called Wi Ji Gok back to himself. He bowed his head.
“Master, I seek your aid. We require your help in crafting an antidote.”
“Explain properly.”
“Of late, the number of Alliance members going missing during assignments has grown. At first, I believed them to be simple desertions. But when the Bi Seon Dang took the matter into their own hands, the truth proved otherwise. All the missing members were found as hollow shells—their memories erased, their bodies ruined.”
“They were abducted?”
“Something near it. From the circumstances, it appeared they were used as experimental subjects and then discarded.”
“This is certainly grave enough to move you personally. But what antidote do you need?”
“The rescued members display symptoms identical to those of opium addiction. The Divine Physician prescribed several antidotes, yet none have taken effect.”
“Did you bring a sample?”
Wi Ji Gok nodded and placed a small medicine vial before Dang Jung.
“This is it. It was extracted from the blood of an afflicted member. The Alliance calls it Demonic Vitality.”
Dang Jung slowly uncorked the vial. As he poured its contents into a teacup, a stench of such ferocity spread through the air that Wi Ji Gok covered his nose with his sleeve, fighting the urge to retch. Dang Jung, unmoved, dipped a finger into the liquid and tasted it.
“Ephedra and aconite—both are in there. Only stimulating compounds. Were they trying to dull pain? What did the Im Clan say?”
“They asked me to determine the formula of the Mineral Poison. And……” Wi Ji Gok met Dang Jung’s gaze steadily. “They said to tell you there are traces of Blood Yin Gu.”
Wi Ji Gok’s eyes remained serene as he met Dang Jung’s stare.
“……What? I wondered why the Im Clan had their fingers in Martial Alliance affairs. Now I see the reason.”
Dang Jung’s eyes glinted with killing intent.
“The Demonic Cult. Those accursed vermin have moved.”

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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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