Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 53

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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 53
Yet understanding and actually listening were two different things.
Ju Ryeong never heard what she didn’t want to hear. Or rather, she pretended not to understand at all.
“Ju Ryeong. I told you not to dig up the ground. You’re not a mole—why do you keep burrowing?”
“Squeep?”
Watching her tilt her head with feigned innocence, a headache rolled in. She dodged blame only when things went against me, playing dumb whenever convenient. It was enough to drive anyone mad.
I pressed my throbbing temples with my fingertips.
“That’s it. What’s the point of talking to you?”
“Kee.”
“No lunch until you fix this mess. Gyeong A. Don’t give her any food.”
“Squeep-squeep! Squeep-squeep-squeep!”
At the threat of no lunch, Ju Ryeong shrieked and hurriedly began covering the hole.
That little rascal of a badger.
What troubled me most of all was Ju Ryeong’s appetite.
I’d suspected it from the time she tore into centipedes raw, but our furry household member ate just about anything.
She didn’t discriminate among human food, and she’d nibble on poisonous plants from the garden like snacks.
When Song Ji saw her swallow a snake she’d stolen from somewhere whole, she nearly fainted—so it seemed she’d eat anything except what she absolutely couldn’t.
Well, apart from grain-avoidance pills.
The real problem was that she also coveted food from outside.
When Dang Se Ho complained that some flying squirrel had made off with a snack pouch, I thought it unremarkable enough—but then I found an unfamiliar bag of jerky in Ju Ryeong’s nest.
When she reeked of alcohol, I discovered Dang Young Ho’s liquor bottle rolling about.
It seemed she came and went from the kitchen too—she carried snacks I’d never even seen before in her front paws.
At this rate, I’d be the one suspected of theft.
I really had to figure out what to do with her.
I needed to break her of these habits, but no clear solution came to mind.
In the midst of my brooding, I scratched my head—and Dang Ju Hui, passing by, waved.
“Little sister, want to try this? I’ve enhanced toad poison with something special.”
“Oh, yes. Nice to see you. Go on with whatever you were doing.”
I waved back dismissively. By now I understood that Dang Ju Hui’s “Want to try some poison?” was like asking “Have you eaten?”
In that instant, Ju Ryeong bolted forward, drooling, and snatched the bottle from Dang Ju Hui’s hand.
“My, where did this badger come from?”
“I’m sorry. She’s my badger, and she has a taste for poison. Hey! Spit it out! Spit it out!”
Before I could stop her, Ju Ryeong gulped down the poison and licked her mouth contentedly. I felt a surge of frustration and smacked her repeatedly.
“Kee! Kee-kee!”
“Stop picking up random things and eating them! Why do you keep doing this? Are you a beggar? Is that what you are? If you’re going to act like a street urchin, go enlist in the Beggars’ Sect!”
“Krrrgh……”
At my shout, Ju Ryeong cowered and tucked her tail between her legs.
While I burned with exasperation, Dang Ju Hui’s face lit up as if she’d discovered a new toy.
“This is quite potent poison, and she’s fine?”
Dang Ju Hui narrowed her eyes with interest, examining Ju Ryeong from top to bottom, then smiled.
“You eat well. I like you. Want some more poison?”
“Kee-kee!”
Excited by Dang Ju Hui’s offer, Ju Ryeong circled around her. Caught up in the enthusiasm, Dang Ju Hui plopped down on the ground and began rummaging through her sleeves.
“What would you like……. Ah, how about this? It’s called Hwajungbun—a poison I made for my cosmetic case. The effects are still weak since I’m still refining it. Here, try it.”
As Dang Ju Hui pulled out an ornate lacquered mother-of-pearl cosmetic case, Ju Ryeong buried her nose in it and lapped up the powder.
The sight of the badger with her pink nose and snout covered in white powder had an odd charm to it.
……It looked as though she were intoxicated by that strange powder.
As Ju Ryeong grinned happily, drunk on the poison’s effects, Dang Ju Hui produced another bottle.
“You eat well. How about our white one tries this poison? It’s from the White Lotus Snake—the effect is guaranteed. Much better than what you just had.”
Why was she talking like that? It sounded genuinely strange.
“That’s enough now. Let me feed her instead. You had somewhere to be, didn’t you?”
I tried to gently intervene as the atmosphere grew increasingly odd, but Dang Ju Hui simply shrugged as if it were no problem.
“It’s fine. I have time.”
“It’s not about you having time—”
“Wow, she really eats well. You’re quite something, aren’t you? Try Hak Jeong Hong too!”
“Kee-kee!”
“Next up……. I’ve got the Poison of Dokgakwhangmang’s Nerve and the Busjok Poison of Hyeolbansacheop. Which would you like to try first?”
“Kee-yew!”
Before long, the two of them—one woman and one badger—fell into their own world, trading poisons back and forth as if they were sharing them.
The atmosphere was cheerful, like friends toasting fine wine together. Except for the fact that one of the drinkers was a badger.
I wasn’t even in the mood to complain. I stood with my arms crossed, watching the impromptu poison-tasting festival.
“This isn’t strong enough?”
“Squeak-squeak-squeak.”
“What about this one?”
“Squeak.”
“Hmm. Seems you need something stronger. But even I can’t get my hands on the Eight Great Poisons—the Poison King Guild has to approve any export. Things like the Jayobunsim or Gyeonhwonsu are hard enough to make. Still, I did manage to create a knockoff of the Sangrin Namyeong. Want to try it?”
“Kyuuuu…….”
Ju Ryeong accepted the blue poison and drank it down in gulps, then began hiccupping repeatedly.
Over the small marten’s form, I could see a drunk old man with a strawberry nose layered like a ghost.
So the creature got intoxicated on too much poison. Alcohol addiction—or rather, substance addiction.
Ju Ryeong, swaying and licking its tongue, finally couldn’t resist the poison’s strength and collapsed with a thud. Its four short legs trembled violently.
“Oh my. Down already? I thought it would last longer.”
Dang Ju Hui pressed Ju Ryeong’s nose with clear disappointment. She looked at me with longing eyes.
“Little sister. Won’t you lend me that marten for just a day?”
“No. Grandfather gave it to me, so please don’t even think about touching it.”
“Such a shame. If you ever don’t need it, give it to me.”
What are you plotting? I won’t allow it with anyone else, much less you.
“I’ll think about it. Sister, I should go now.”
“All right. Next time you visit, bring it along. I want to feed it more.”
I absolutely cannot let that happen.
I pretended not to hear and lifted the limp Ju Ryeong into my arms.
* * *
Ju Ryeong didn’t wake until a full half hour had passed.
“Squeaky…….”
“What.”
“Kyuuuu…….”
The creature whimpered like a person suffering from a hangover, then scraped its front paws against the floor. It seemed to be signaling that its throat was dry.
In all my days, I’ve now ended up caring for a poison-drunk marten.
I let out a bitter laugh and poured water into a small teacup, offering it to him.
“This is what you deserve. Didn’t I tell you not to eat just anything you find?”
“Groan…… Slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp.”
With its head plunged into the teacup, Ju Ryeong drank the water, then rolled its body over with unfocused eyes.
“Y-you squirrel…… A-are you okay……?”
In the meantime, Gyeong A had brought over a simple meatball soup and blew gently to cool the broth.
“H-here…… Try…… this…….”
Gyeong A lifted a spoonful of broth to Ju Ryeong’s mouth. The marten’s nostrils flared at the savory smell, and it licked its tongue.
Lying flat and eating soup to cure a hangover—the marten’s fortune was truly exceptional.
Seeing the creature eat properly, there seemed no need to watch over it any longer. I lifted my heavy self up.
“Gyeong A. Look after Ju Ryeong for me. I’m going to my studies.”
“Y-yes…… Miss…… D-don’t worry…….”
Gyeong A clenched her fist with a solemn expression.
Having handed off the helpless furry bundle to Gyeong A, I headed toward Dang Un’s Residence.
“It has been long, little sister. I trust you have been well.”
That’s what I intended to do. Until that fox-faced brother of mine blocked my path.
Dang Ju Yeop was dressed in fine garments, apparently about to go out.
He wore a crimson robe and a gold crown, and sizeable red jade earrings hung particularly conspicuously from his ears.
As I gazed intently at the earrings, Dang Ju Yeop smiled thinly.
“Do you find the earrings pleasing? They are made from the solidified poison of the Seven-Colored Red Lotus Snake. If you wish, I shall have new ones made and gift them to you.”
Poison in earrings. Stop. All of you are poison-mad.
“I don’t need…… No, that’s kind of you. What brings you here?”
Despite my lukewarm question, Dang Ju Yeop’s smile never wavered. He opened his narrow, elongated eyes wide as he answered.
“Our second brother mentioned that you wished to visit the Wolhyangru.”
“Ah.”
So Dang Un had said something. The man’s subtle, I’ll grant him that.
As I nodded, Dang Ju Yeop wore an unpleasant smile.
“I understand. It is an age where one wishes to feel connected to one’s birth mother.”
What are you talking about, squirt? I’ve eaten at least ten more bowls of rice cake soup than you have.
I stared at Dang Ju Yeop quietly.
It didn’t seem like he would show me kindness without reason. In fact, I doubted whether this even qualified as kindness.
According to what Dang Ju Hui had said, Father apparently despised his children visiting the Wolhyangru.
Even when my cherished siblings departed, I’d wondered if this was meant to drive me out.
Dang Ju Yeop made a soft sound through his nose, as though my expression had been entirely transparent.
“Hmm. A visit to Wolhyangru won’t crumble my sister’s position. Besides, you don’t have much of one to begin with.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“And your Entry into Registry came about through pressure from the Council of Elders, not Father’s will alone. He cannot undo it by himself. You needn’t worry about being cast out.”
He was right, but it left a bitter taste.
Dang Ju Yeop, who’d been chuckling, waved his hand as though to dispel my concerns.
“If you won’t trust me, then trust our second brother.”
No—that’s hardly reassuring either. Dang Un insisted you couldn’t become poisoned anyway, so he simply let you go on feeding him toxins.
“Taking my sister to Wolhyangru won’t be difficult. I have connections with Ru Ju, so if you’re curious about the room your birth mother used, I’ll ask for that to be shown to you as well. Of course, another gisaeng will be using it by now.”
Dang Ju Yeop dangled these favors as though bestowing gifts, then extended his hand with a honeyed tone.
“But there is a condition.”
In that instant, the air shifted. A nameless dread seized me; every fine hair on my body stood on end.
Deok Ju felt the change too—a subtle alert, a warning not to act rashly with an observer present.
“How troublesome. You won’t even let me speak. Such loyal vigilance. It quite outshines my own security detail.”
“Tell me your condition.”
“Refreshingly direct. I had a feeling we’d understand each other well, my youngest sister.”
Dang Ju Yeop’s thin lips twisted into something vicious.
“My condition is…….”

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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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