Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 43

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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 43
10. Thorns in My Own House
Half a double-hour had passed since I was chased from the Reception Room, and I circled the Pond again and again, waiting for the guest to leave.
Why had the Murim Alliance Lord come looking for Dang Jung? Who was the owner of that wooden token that had set him into such a frenzy?
Neither Wi Ji-gok nor Og Hwan had ever been mentioned in the novel.
During the era when Namgung Hwi was active, the Murim Alliance Lord was not Wi Ji-gok, but the Abbot of Shaolin.
And Og Hwan was…….
“Return to the Annex and wait. This is not a conversation that will end quickly.”
“Gasp!”
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
I spun around with a start, and there stood Dang Geun-myeong, his face utterly expressionless. I pressed a hand to my racing chest and bowed in greeting.
“Good afternoon, Elder.”
But Dang Geun-myeong’s reaction was cold. His brow furrowed sharply as he spoke.
“Are you mocking me?”
“Pardon? I’m sorry—what do you mean?”
Why was he suddenly angry?
As I stumbled over my words, Dang Geun-myeong, who had been watching me intently, spoke tersely.
“I am no elder.”
“But sir, everyone calls you—”
I trailed off uncertainly, and noticing I meant no harm, Dang Geun-myeong’s expression softened.
“It was only Dang Jung who granted me this impressive title. No one truly regards me as an elder. I am merely the fortunate son of a gatekeeper who happened to receive the Dang surname.”
“Ah…….”
So he wasn’t of the Dang Family’s blood. I had no idea.
I stood there opening and closing my mouth, then offered an awkward laugh.
“Well, if we’re being honest, I’m just the lucky daughter of a courtesan who happened to survive.”
“……That’s one way to put it.”
A soft chuckle escaped him, and his voice gentled.
I’d never noticed it before, hidden behind that perpetual scowl, but when he smiled, his face was unexpectedly pleasant. I smiled back and asked him.
“Then what should I call you?”
“Simply call me uncle.”
“Is that all right?”
“Better than ‘Elder,’ surely. Now, return to the Annex. I’ll let you know when your grandfather asks for you.”
With the matter of titles settled, he reverted instantly to his usual stern demeanor, as if he’d never smiled at all.
“Yes, un—. He was gone.”
It seemed rudeness was the fashion in this household—no one here waited to hear the end of a sentence.
Left alone, I scratched my head and started toward the Annex.
The moment I arrived, I found Song Ji and Gyeong-a seated side by side on a wooden platform, sharing cinnamon cakes.
“Oh my! Young Miss! Whatever brings you back so early? I thought you wouldn’t return until after sunset.”
Song Ji chewed on her cake without a care,
“Oh, Miss……! Have some cake…….”
Gyeong-a jumped to her feet and thrust a basket of cakes toward me.
I seemed to have become an unwanted third party.
“It’s fine for me. Deok-ju, would you like some cake?”
“No thank you.”
“B-but the cake is so delicious…….”
When no one took any, Gyeong-a wrung her fingers nervously, then popped a piece straight into her own mouth.
I bit back a smile and settled onto the platform.
“All right then. Enjoy plenty of it, Gyeong-a. Song Ji, do you know anything about the Murim Alliance?”
“Pardon? The Murim Alliance? Young Miss, surely you don’t think I’d know something like that?”
Song Ji opened her eyes wide as though I’d just asked her something ridiculous.
Well, you could know. You’ve prattled on about plenty of things I never even asked about before.
“Even small matters are fine. Have you ever heard anything—like people from the Murim Alliance visiting, or members of the Dang Family belonging to it?”
Song Ji shook her head, having no knowledge of such things. Instead, Gyeong-a gulped down her cake and spoke.
“T-the Sichuan branch……!”
“Mm? The Sichuan branch?”
“The M-Murim Alliance’s…… S-Sichuan branch…… c-comes here…… once every…… three m-months……. The K-Kitchen does the reception…….”
Gyeong-a paused, breathless, took a deep breath, and continued.
“They…… w-warned us……. About h-how im-important…… the guests are…… and g-gave us guidance…….”
“Really? I never heard a thing. Were there any particularly handsome officials among them?”
“Th-that is…… n-not yet…….”
Gyeong-a shook her head at Song Ji’s question. Song Ji made a small disappointed sound.
“If a charming young nobleman comes around, call me too. Let me feast my eyes a little.”
“Yes…….”
At Song Ji’s ridiculous remark, Gyeong-a’s expression turned odd—the look of someone who regretted saying something. I pretended not to hear and pressed on with my own question.
“Do you know why he comes every three months?”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure, but……. There’s something called the Inspection Team of the Alliance…….”
That was when Deok-ju, who had been listening quietly, interjected.
“You might think of it as regular information sharing. In Sichuan, nothing can move without the Dang Family’s cooperation.”
“Information sharing?”
“More precisely, it’s closer to a request for assistance. Things like: be aware that the Murim Alliance will move their forces on such-and-such a day, or can you help us search for a Murim Fugitive hiding in Sichuan?”
When I looked at him as if to ask how he knew all this, Deok-ju offered an awkward explanation.
“I’ve had contact with the martial artists of the Sichuan branch.”
“I see.”
The way he said it sounded suspiciously like a fistfight, but that was probably just my imagination.
After hearing the explanation, the current situation felt even stranger.
The fact that the Murim Alliance Master had come in place of the usual Inspection Team was proof that this was anything but ordinary.
Surely nothing dangerous was happening to Grandfather.
Deok-ju, watching my expression shift by the second, carefully opened his mouth.
“Young miss. Sometimes ignorance is a kindness. It would be better to keep quiet about today’s guest.”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“I know. It’s just that you seem eager to learn more about our visitor.”
Worry flickered across Deok-ju’s face. He seemed afraid I might poke my nose into a hornets’ nest.
“I understand what you’re saying. Don’t worry.”
I nodded and stretched out on the wooden platform, smacking my lips. The image of Dang Jung’s face—furrowed with irritation against the bright white clouds—kept returning to my mind.
I hoped it was nothing serious.
Noticing my unease, Song Ji tried to brighten the mood.
“Young miss. Is your training done for today then?”
“I suppose so?”
“Then shall we grill some tofu? Gyeong-a brought some along with the cinnamon cake she was eating.”
“Hehe.”
Gyeong-a’s lips curved upward shyly as she held out the bowl of tofu.
“Yes. Let’s eat.”
I laughed softly and sat up.
* * *
I heard the news that Dang Jung had left with the Murim Alliance Master in the early hours of the next morning.
Dang Geun-myeong, who came to my Annex, relayed what Dang Jung had left behind in a gruff voice.
“Don’t slack off—keep training properly. I’ll check when I return. ……That’s what he said.”
“Yes. Did he go far away?”
“It’ll take seven days and nights.”
“That long? It’s nothing dangerous, is it?”
“That’s not for you to worry about.”
A granddaughter can worry about her grandfather, can’t she? He was being stiff.
When I thrust out my lips in a sulk, Dang Geun-myeong awkwardly added something more.
“Geun-myeong, be good. I’ll bring you a gift. ……He said that too.”
“You’re not going with him?”
“If your martial skill were stronger, I would have gone. But he was worried about you getting ambushed somewhere.”
“…….”
What on earth does Grandfather think of me?
I forced a smile and waved my hand.
“Deok-ju is here anyway.”
“That boy isn’t first-class either. Do your morning training on your own. I’ll come check in the afternoon.”
Dang Geun-myeong, his expression stern, said his piece and vanished. I grumbled.
“That man is so cold.”
“All the Dang Family elders are like that. Well.”
Song Ji chimed in and changed the subject.
“More importantly, you know about dinner at the Family Head’s Dining Hall today, don’t you?”
“The Family Head’s Dining Hall? Is that today?”
“Yes. It’s the first day of the month, so it’s today.”
A sigh escaped me as I realized I’d completely forgotten about the schedule.
Apparently, the Family Head’s children gathered once a month to share a meal.
It seems Dang Mu-hyeok ordered everyone to stay in their quarters and not come out.
Apparently this gathering was meant to strengthen the bonds between brothers, and since I’ve been registered as direct lineage, I was included.
The problem was clothes. I had nothing but martial robes!
Grandfather, you could’ve had some everyday clothes made for me too.
I couldn’t decide whether to admire Dang Jung for his thoroughness in having ten sets of martial robes tailored, or marvel at his indifference in caring about nothing else.
But I couldn’t exactly show up in shabby clothes either. As the Family Head’s daughter attending this gathering, I needed to maintain at least a minimum of propriety.
……Though really, did I need to bother with propriety? It seemed unlikely anyone would show me much respect anyway.
My father wouldn’t care whether I wore martial robes or sleeping clothes.
“Can’t I just wear the martial robes?”
Song Ji shook her head firmly at my question.
“No, miss. You’re meeting the other brothers for the first time. There’s already enough talk because of your birth—if you show up looking shabby, they’ll dismiss you outright.”
Song Ji. I’m your young mistress. Are you really allowed to call me illegitimate right to my face?
But it wasn’t wrong, so I left it alone. Watching Song Ji rummage through the empty wardrobe with a worried expression on her face, I felt a pang of guilt.
That’s when Deok-ju crouched low, keeping watch outside.
“What is it?”
“A young lady has come to call, miss.”
What lady?
Listening with curiosity, I heard Gyeong-a’s voice reaching me as well.
“Ah, ah, miss……! P-please don’t just go in like that……!”
“It’s fine. I won’t bite.”
“W-wait…… y-you’re…… resting…… right now……! M-maybe later…… we could…… v-visit another time…….”
“It’s fine, she said.”
“B-but……!”
Ignoring Gyeong-a’s protests, someone pushed right past her and entered the Annex.
Who was making such a commotion? My brow furrowed without thinking.
Soon the door to the Annex swung open with a bang.
“Hey.”
For someone who’d barged in unannounced, it was a cheerful greeting.
Song Ji, recognizing the uninvited guest’s face, quickly bowed at the waist.
“Miss Dang Ju-hee, welcome.”
My eyes widened at the unexpected visitor.
The one who’d come looking for me was my half-sister, Dang Ju-hee—the one who’d been glued to Dang Un’s side at the banquet hall.
Why on earth was she here?
I felt a sudden chill of unease.
Dang Ju-hee’s nickname was…….
“So you’re my new little sister?”
The Dang Family’s mad dog.

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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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