Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 55

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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 55
His eyes, which moments before had been as clouded as a frozen fish’s, now burned with fury directed at Deok Ju.
I’d asked Dang Jung whether taking a beating would be acceptable if we clashed, but I never thought I’d actually meet Dang Young Ho—and the room tilted sickeningly around me.
Though Dang Young Ho was said to hear the word “half-master” without shame, I was nowhere near his level.
Throwing myself at Dang Young Ho outside of Muwi would be a terrible move.
Yet he didn’t look like the sort to back down meekly now that his rage was kindled.
My heart hammered against my ribs as the moment teetered on a knife’s edge.
What do I do?
What do I do?
Even Dang Joo Yeop seemed caught off guard, his composure slipping.
“Elder brother, she’s merely my younger sister’s escort. Let her pass, won’t you?”
“Don’t interfere.”
“I heard that Jong Hyeon Jo personally engaged her as an escort. Would you really invite his displeasure?”
“I said don’t interfere.”
Dang Young Ho spat out a curse, his bloodshot eyes flashing with menace.
Despite his aggressive tone, Deok Ju’s expression remained unmoved. Her gaze was steady and knowing—as if she’d expected exactly this.
“Young miss, if you’ll excuse me. Please step back.”
Deok Ju politely drew me behind her and positioned herself in front of me, her hand sliding into her sleeve as she drew her momentum upward.
Her posture screamed: go ahead and try.
Oh gods, Deok Ju! Don’t provoke him!
I bit back an internal scream and nearly tore out my own hair.
“Impudent wench.”
Dang Young Ho snarled through bared teeth, his own hand sliding into the sleeve of his long robe.
The subtle motion told me he was about to scatter poison throughout the room.
This is all Dang Joo Yeop’s fault. I should have insisted he not follow me. Too late for regrets now—they always come after.
I bit my lip hard and cried out sharply.
“Don’t you dare lay a hand on my escort!”
In that instant, Deok Ju unleashed a volley of hidden needles.
Strike first, win first—or so the saying goes. But no, if Deok Ju attacked the Minor Clan Head first, that was all wrong! He might be a contemptible bastard, but he’s still the Minor Clan Head!
My body reacted faster than my mind as the needles traced their graceful arcs through the air.
I threw myself upward, drew the Flying Leaf Technique, and swept all eight hidden needles toward the far wall. In the same breath, I seized Dang Young Ho’s raised right hand to stop him from dispensing the poison.
I’d moved on pure instinct—the need to stop this from escalating.
A sharp, cold silence fell over the room in the wake of my reckless action.
Deok Ju was the first to move.
“Oh! Young miss, are you hurt?”
Deok Ju rushed toward me in alarm, checking me over for injuries, while Dang Joo Yeop whistled as if enjoying a fine spectacle.
Dang Young Ho’s escort wavered, caught between watching me and his master, clearly uncertain which way to turn.
Dang Young Ho’s face had gone terrifyingly dark.
“…What exactly did you just do?”
Right. What exactly had I just done?
“Can’t you see? I subdued the Minor Clan Head. Phew! Now I understand why Jong Hyeon Jo took you as a disciple. Your ability to adapt on the fly is extraordinary!”
Don’t add fuel to the fire, you wretch.
Dang Joo Yeop’s cheerful admiration sent a deep flush crawling up Dang Young Ho’s neck. He glared at me as though he might tear me to pieces, then drew his internal energy and wrenched his hand free from my grip.
Yet the force behind it wasn’t truly menacing. His internal energy was thick with impurities, and his drunken state had robbed the current of strength and cohesion.
…This might actually be manageable.
As the atmosphere shifted, Dang Young Ho’s escort stepped forward to restrain him.
“Minor Clan Head, please compose yourself. She is a disciple of the Poison Master. You cannot afford such a transgression.”
“Am I supposed to overlook this upstart climbing over her own brother? I’ll teach her a lesson she won’t forget!”
Dang Joo Yeop smiled wickedly and cut in.
“A senior teaching a junior is hardly cause for concern, is it? But if the Minor Clan Head were to strike a younger sister who’s barely awakened her Dantian, can that truly be called teaching? Or would it simply be cruelty?”
“Shut your mouth.”
“The rumor would be most amusing—the Minor Clan Head of the Dang Clan raising his fists against a lanky fifteen-year-old girl. I’m positively curious how Father would manage to contain it. Wouldn’t you be?”
“What the hell, you little—”
“And do remember, elder brother, that Jong Hyeon Jo commands real influence in the Council of Elders. Our father bows to their wishes, which means snuffing out a Minor Clan Head would be child’s play for them. You ought to be more careful, don’t you think?”
“This bastard really—!”
Dang Young Ho seized Dang Joo Yeop by the collar and hoisted him bodily into the air.
Suspended like a stuffed doll, Dang Joo Yeop gave me a reassuring wink as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
Apparently he’d been trying in his own way to prevent things from spiraling further out of control.
That bastard sure knows how to draw aggression. I’m grateful, but also—not grateful.
In the next instant, Dang Young Ho’s fist came down hard across Dang Joo Yeop’s left cheek.
Crack!
With a sharp sound, the corner of Dang Joo Yeop’s mouth split open. He wiped away the blood beading on his lip and sneered.
“At least you’re the Dang Clan’s finest when it comes to throwing a punch. I’ll wait for the day you become the best at other things too, brother.”
“Insolent brat. That mouth of yours will be your ruin.”
“Then I suppose I’ll outlive you, brother.”
“Hell, I’m the fool for engaging with you.”
Dang Young Ho, jaw clenched, released his grip on Dang Joo Yeop’s collar.
With a heavy thud, Dang Joo Yeop rolled across the floor, clutching his throat and coughing.
Dang Young Ho shot a look in my direction, then kicked the door open with exaggerated force, his footsteps thundering down the stairs.
Dang Young Ho’s attendant, left behind with a vacant expression, stammered an apology.
“I-I beg your pardon. I’ll take my leave now.”
As I watched him scurry away, I surveyed the wreckage of the room.
The Liquor Table overturned. Porcelain shards scattered everywhere. Dang Joo Yeop rolling across the floor, his split lip bleeding.
“Cough—you needn’t thank me. Just let me hear you play for another half hour, would you?”
“No.”
At least I’d managed to keep this from spiraling further. Hadn’t I?
* * *
When word spread that the young master who’d gone to the privy returned with a split lip, the courtesans wailed as if the world had ended.
“Young Master Dang….”
“What shall we do? My heart is being torn to pieces.”
“Are there any other injuries? Let me apply medicine for you.”
As Ja Gyeon dabbed medicine on his torn lip, tears streamed down her face—she was an Academy Award-worthy actress.
“My wounds are nothing. I’m simply troubled that my brother seems distressed. I do hope he won’t dwell on it.”
You scratched his nerves yourself, after all.
“My, how gracefully you speak….”
“Truly generous. What fortune your sister has, with such a kind brother.”
One of the courtesans spoke with envy lacing her words.
I don’t want him. Take him.
When I smiled hollowly, Ja Gyeon looked at me with concern.
“Does the food not suit your palate? You haven’t touched your chopsticks, and I’m worried…. If there’s something you’d like to eat, please tell me. I’ll have the kitchen prepare it.”
“Ah, it’s fine. I’m just not hungry.”
In truth, I was a bit hungry. But I had no desire to share a meal with Dang Joo Yeop.
Not only was there the earlier incident, but after being thoroughly scolded by my grandfather, I feared that if I put unfamiliar food in my mouth, I’d truly be taken for an idiot.
Dang Joo Yeop shrugged as if it were nothing.
“Why are you so guarded? Sister could swallow the Eight Great Deadly Poisons and be perfectly fine.”
“Looking at your face kills my appetite anyway.”
“…….”
At that, Dang Joo Yeop’s expression sobered.
“…… That truly hurt just now. Sister.”
“Ah. Yes.”
“I mean it. I didn’t choose to look like this.”
Dang Joo Yeop mumbled, curling his body in on itself pitifully.
Seeing him wounded by a comment about his appearance, I had to admit—he really was just a adolescent boy.
After a moment of composing himself, he swept his hair back and spoke.
“Then how about you have some tea with Hwa Hong? You must have questions. Hwa Hong seemed to have much she wanted to tell you as well.”
“I’ll show you the way, my lady.”
Ja Gyeon smiled warmly as she looked at me.
I nodded and rose, when Dang Joo Yeop made a request.
“Don’t leave the moment the tea is finished. The half hour hasn’t passed yet.”
“I understand.”
“You do, yes? You must come back. If you don’t, I’m poisoning your next meal with the Eight Great Deadly Poisons.”
“I said I understand.”
Don’t say that so casually—poisoning, I mean. And if you’re so worried I might run away, why are you making me come back for tea anyway?
I turned away with a weary expression, and Ja Gyeon fell into step beside me.
“Hwa Hong has been waiting since earlier. She’s been hoping only for you to come looking for her.”
It was a different tone than the one she’d used with Dang Joo Yeop—calm and measured.
For someone speaking with such restraint to turn around and deploy that bright, affectionate voice seemed a matter of professional dedication.
Ja Gyeon led me to a secluded garden.
As I stepped into the garden, so quiet that even the singing from Giru faded away, I saw Hwa Hong sitting alone before a pavilion table.
Hearing my footsteps, Hwa Hong lifted her head and welcomed me.
“Welcome, miss. Ja Gyeon, you may go now. You’ve done well.”
“Yes, Hwa Hong.”
After sending Ja Gyeon away, he gestured to me.
“Please, sit here. And you, my protector, do sit as well.”
“I’m fine as I am.”
Deok Ju, declining the offer, stood rigid behind me.
“Does the young lady have a preference in tea? I’ve prepared several varieties of Five Dragon Tea.”
Hwa Hong opened several tea canisters, and something in her manner seemed almost playful.
Looking at the leaves, they were all Wuyi Rock Tea. I pointed to the leftmost canister.
“Cinnamon Tea would be lovely.”
“Ah, so the young lady favors Cinnamon Tea as well? How delightful when tastes align. The sweet floral note of cinnamon is quite exquisite, you know.”
It was a simple remark, yet I understood what Hwa Hong was truly saying. Cho Ryeon had apparently been fond of Cinnamon Tea too.
The instant Hwa Hong reached toward the tea canister, a translucent barrier enveloped the space around the table.
The unfamiliar presence made my feet tense instinctively.
What Hwa Hong had deployed was an Energy Barrier—and a vast one at that, large enough to encircle both of us.
My skin prickled with unease.
Had I known nothing, I might have dismissed it without concern. But I had once witnessed Dang Jung unfold an Energy Barrier.
An Energy Barrier was no parlor trick a courtesan could perform. It was a secret art only a master capable of bending Internal Energy at will could execute.
There was no doubt—he was an unknown master.
“Now we can speak freely.”
Hwa Hong smiled, fresh as a flower, as she placed the tea leaves into the pot.

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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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