Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 59

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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 59
Dang Ju Hee scratched his head at my blank stare.
“What’s wrong, youngest? Didn’t you hear anything? I thought you understood.”
“I don’t know anything, so could you explain? What’s this about a Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and what does Assignment mean?”
“The main house has a Family Law that when you undergo the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, you must fulfill your responsibilities as a clan member. You choose a place to affiliate with—either remain in the house or enter a Martial Force Unit and work there.”
I’d thought things just rolled along, but there was actual law to it. Though I suppose, for all appearances, we are a martial sect.
“Do I absolutely have to choose an assignment?”
“Of course. We raised you until adulthood—you have to earn your keep. What’s the difference between loitering with no affiliation and being a useless mouth to feed?”
Dang Ju Hee answered sharply.
……That “useless mouth” bit was a little harsh.
I understood the intent behind the law, though. If they were going to run this sprawling estate with blood relatives alone, every pair of hands would be precious.
Dang Ju Hee, reading my expression, whispered soothingly.
“Your grandfather said to go help out at the Medicinal Herb Hall, didn’t he? He’s probably planning to send you there.”
Absolutely not.
I pretended not to hear and brushed wood dust from my clothes.
“Can I stop sharpening now?”
“Sure. That should cover the decoction cost.”
You made the damage—I shouldn’t be the one paying for it.
His brazen answer left me speechless, and I was too weary to argue. I set down the Short Sword with a grumble.
Shim Hong, finishing up his own work, called for Deok Ju.
“Come here and lie down. Let me check your pulse.”
After examining Deok Ju’s pulse, he shrugged as if it were nothing serious.
“Your Qi and blood are merely stagnant. It’s nothing severe—I’ll place some needles for you.”
“What about her face? The bruising is quite severe.”
“A Martial Cultivator getting bruised is hardly worth fussing over.”
Shim Hong drove Large Acupuncture Needles deep into Deok Ju’s body, and she became a quivering porcupine, trembling violently.
……That must hurt.
I tried not to look at the needles as I spoke again.
“Still, it’s her face—if she’s left with a scar, what then?”
Our girl’s too stubborn to even apply medicine anyway.
“If you’re truly concerned, I’ll prepare a decoction to reduce the swelling. Have her drink it and be on your way.”
Shim Hong, as if annoyed by the fussing, jerked his chin toward the back. Dang Ju Hee, as if he’d been waiting for exactly this, thrust forward a Medicine Decoction Pot.
“Here. Brew it.”
……Medicine prep is self-service too?
I let out a hollow laugh and accepted the pot.
* * *
Dang Ju Hee hadn’t forgotten Dang Jung’s instruction to send me back before the Hour of the Sheep. Right as mid-afternoon ended, he pushed my back.
“Alright, youngest, time for you to go. Your grandfather will be looking for you.”
Unlike Dang Ju Hee, who saw me off cleanly, Shim Hong looked reluctant to see me leave.
He followed me to the gate to bid me farewell.
“You worked hard. I do hope you’ll come again tomorrow and help me out.”
What kind of send-off is that.
Dang Ju Hee chimed in as well.
“That’s right. Will you come tomorrow too? We should sort through the old medicinal materials soon. If you help, I’ll teach you how to blend ingredients. Don’t you want to know how to make Detoxification Pills?”
Shim Hong nodded as if in agreement, his eyes shining like he’d set stars inside them.
“If time permits. I should head in now. Deok Ju, let’s go.”
I mumbled an evasive answer and stepped away quietly. The weight of their gaze prickled against my back.
Who can send someone else to the Medicinal Herb Hall instead.
Thanks to the needles Shim Hong had placed, much of Deok Ju’s bruising had already faded.
“Deok Ju, are you alright? The swelling’s gone down a lot.”
“I’m fine. Thank you for your concern, Miss.”
Deok Ju answered with a faint smile—the first one I’d ever seen from her. My eyes went wide.
“Wait—did Deok Ju just smile?”
“…….”
“You did smile, didn’t you? Admit it.”
At my theatrics, Deok Ju’s expression went blank again.
Ah, but I saw it anyway.
“Look at our Deok Ju, learning to smile now. You’re all grown up, all grown up.”
“…….”
I teased Deok Ju as we headed toward Dang Jung’s Quarters.
Contrary to my expectation that Dang Un would be waiting, only Dang Jung sat in the quarters.
He perched before a desk cluttered with papers, brush held firmly in hand.
His brow furrowed deep as he scrawled something with evident purpose—the work of composing an important letter.
The room had become a pigsty. Tomorrow I’d have to tidy it for him.
Just as I turned to slip out without disturbing him, Dang Jung called to me.
“Don’t stand there. Come sit here.”
His eyes remained fixed on the brush’s tip. Without even looking, how could he have known? I asked, puzzled.
“How did you know it was me?”
“When someone comes to this old man’s quarters and walks about like a butterfly fluttering through a meadow, it can only be you. There’s no mistaking it.”
Somehow it didn’t feel like a compliment.
I clicked my tongue and dragged a chair over to sit beside Dang Jung. He set down his brush and looked at me with a question.
“So, how was the Medicinal Herb Hall?”
“They seemed short-handed. When I helped with preparing the medicinal plants, the Master was absolutely delighted.”
“They’ve all scattered running from Dang Ju Hee’s pressure—that’s what it is. It takes a certain temperament to endure that.”
……So it really was them running from Dang Ju Hee. At that rate, shouldn’t he be removed?
“Did the work suit you well enough?”
“It was passable.”
At my answer, Dang Jung chuckled softly.
“Since you weren’t scolded, you must have done it properly. If you’re bored, visit once in a while to learn the preparation work. It will serve you well.”
“The Master of the Medicinal Herb Hall already told me to come back tomorrow and work hard.”
“Shim Hong, eh? Hah, that fellow does enjoy his jokes.”
It wasn’t a joke. His eyes held the look of someone who wanted to lock me away in the Medicinal Herb Hall.
Goosebumps prickled across my shoulders as I rubbed them, and something strange caught my eye.
A large bird sat perched in the corner of the desk, dipping its beak in water.
“Grandfather, what is that? A hawk? An eagle?”
“A carrier falcon. It’s trained to fetch responses, so it’s been staying put until now.”
A hawk, then. I’ve seen plenty of strange creatures since arriving here.
Once Dang Jung spoke, I noticed the thin bamboo tube bound to the bird’s ankle. It seemed that when a letter was placed inside, it would carry the message away.
“In any case, that fellow Wi Ji Gok is driving me to madness. Pestering this old man relentlessly.”
Dang Jung ruffled his hair irritably, glancing at the letter he’d been writing.
At that, the hawk clicked its beak sharply against itself and cried out in a piercing shriek.
“Screee-screee!”
“Now even the winged beasts are tormenting this old man. Don’t rush me. I’m writing, aren’t I?”
As Dang Jung picked up his brush with irritation, the hawk flinched and hunched down nervously.
If this was a letter to the Martial Alliance leader, it couldn’t be anything ordinary. I ventured to ask carefully.
“Grandfather, it seems like an important letter. Should I leave?”
“It’s just a simple prescription. You can read it. I’m nearly finished, so wait and we’ll eat supper together before you go.”
There’s still quite a bit of time before supper. So this will take a while.
I moved my chair closer and craned my neck to peer at the desk. The letter was densely filled with names of medicinal plants I recognized.
All were ingredients I’d learned were used in compounding the Detoxification Pill.
Only then did I understand the Martial Alliance leader’s reason for visiting. He seemed to have come to Dang Jung seeking a remedy for Extreme Poison.
As Dang Jung continued writing the prescription, he paused, dissatisfied with something, and hummed pensively.
He stood abruptly and began rummaging through medicinal plants scattered about the room, then turned to look at me.
“Child, run an errand for your grandfather.”
“Of course. Where should I go?”
“Go to the Poison King Hall and get some Castor Bean Seeds from On Jeong. Take this access pass.”
“On Jeong?”
“The Master of the Poison King Hall. Your aunt.”
Ah. So I have an aunt as well.
Well, I have seven siblings, so Father must have had brothers and sisters too.
“Yes, I’ll be right back.”
Just as I was about to set off on the errand obediently, I stopped dead.
“But where is the Poison King Hall?”
“……Deok Ju will know.”
Dang Jung replied with a suppressed sigh.
* * *
The Dang Clan is a sect that guards Poison and Concealment as their secret teachings. Naturally, poison research flourishes among them.
Yet one cannot simply manufacture and test poison anywhere. The Extreme Poison that the Dang Clan prides itself on can only be handled by a tiny minority within the family.
Therefore, the clan established a poison research facility on the Back Mountain that adjoins the estate and restricted access to it.
“So that’s what the Poison King Hall is?”
“Yes, Miss.”
“So to run errands, I’d have to climb that mountain?”
“Yes, Miss.”
Deok Ju answered slowly.
Seeing the passage that connected secretly to the Back Mountain, I couldn’t help but laugh under my breath.
I’d wondered if there might be some kind of storage facility for poison, but I’d never imagined they’d actually hide poison in the mountains.
They said poison was only manufactured in the inner chambers. When did the Back Mountain become part of the inner compound?
I smacked my lips and began climbing the Back Mountain with Deok Ju.
The mountain’s lower slopes had been turned into terraced fields, each section neatly divided and planted with poison plants.
When we reached the middle of the mountain, a fork in the path appeared—the left branch seemed to lead to the Poison King Hall’s pavilion, while the right wound into a forest.
Before the eerie forest hung a black flag that forbade entry.
When I glanced at the forest, Deok Ju stepped forward to block my way.
“The Heavenly Poison Forest is a forbidden zone, Miss. You cannot enter.”
“Really? What’s inside?”
“I don’t know what’s there either. I’ve heard it’s a place no one can enter without the Patriarch’s permission.”
Why is it forbidden? I’d never heard stories of any spiritual creatures living in the Dang Clan. Maybe they’ve hidden a secluded cultivation chamber there.
I scratched my cheek awkwardly and turned left.
Thanks to the neat staircase leading all the way to the pavilion, climbing to the middle of the mountain was quick.
But something felt wrong. A sickly yellow haze hung suspiciously thick around the Poison King Hall.
There was also an unpleasant smell, like rotted leaves piled together. It wasn’t a welcoming scent at all.
“Deok Ju, that’s definitely poison vapor… Wait. Are you all right?”
I’d spoken to Deok Ju without thinking, but I froze. Her eyes were a violent red with burst blood vessels, tears and snot streaming soundlessly down her face.
If something’s wrong with your body, you say so. Why are you stubbornly suffering alone like this?
I pushed our foolish girl behind me.
“This won’t do. You stay here. Actually, go down below and wait.”
“No, Miss. Let me come with you—”
“Would you rather wait outside? Or should I carry your poisoned body out of here? I just came from the Medicinal Herb Hall—you want to go back again?”
“…….”
“You’ll wait down there, won’t you?”
“…….”
“You. Will. Wait. Down. There?”
Forced by my insistence, Deok Ju slowly nodded her head.
“I’ll wait, Miss. If things don’t look good, you must come straight back out.”
“Okay. Don’t worry.”
I’m immune to all poisons.
I waved to Deok Ju and stepped forward into the mustard-colored poison mist.

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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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