Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 74

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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 74
“Your expression is fierce. Put away the Bi Dao.”
“Uncle Geun Myeong?”
At the familiar voice, my nerve abandoned me. The one who had followed me was Dang Geun Myeong.
“Not knowing who your enemy is, yet drawing the Bi Dao first—reckless. In your place, I would have prepared the San Gong Dok.”
Dang Geun Myeong, having made his point, stared hard at me. I hesitantly sheathed the Bi Dao, and he let out a small laugh.
“I’ll guide you until you leave Seongdo. Where were you headed?”
“I was trying to get to Nangzhong.”
“You shouldn’t reveal your destination so readily either. Next time, tell no one.”
Dang Geun Myeong warned me in a cold voice.
Well, what else could I do?
“Going to Nangzhong is a good choice. Continue from there through Zhongjing all the way to Zhongyuan. That’s where you can hide yourself until your grandfather’s seclusion ends.”
“Will grandfather’s seclusion take long?”
“I’d say five years. Let’s head to the wharf. I’ll find you a boat to Nangzhong. Come on!”
I followed along behind Dang Geun Myeong and asked him,
“How did you get here?”
“If I just watched while you were cast out, your grandfather would throw me out too. I don’t fancy that prospect either.”
Despite his blunt joke, I found myself laughing. He was going out of his way to make jokes he wouldn’t normally make, trying to ease my mind.
We arrived at the wharf just as dawn began to settle in.
The wharf, still asleep, held only the sound of flowing river water and insect calls.
Each time wind stirred, the lamp hanging before the inn swayed, flickering dimly, and cargo sat piled on the wharf as though the porters had abandoned it mid-load.
After dismounting, Dang Geun Myeong approached the nearest hut near the wharf and rapped loudly on the door. A man who opened it complained in a sleep-drunk voice.
“What time do you think it is…!”
“Is there a boat going to Nangzhong?”
“…The hour is too early.”
Frightened by Dang Geun Myeong’s size, the man quickly lowered his voice. Dang Geun Myeong pressed on without concern.
“An urgent message has arrived—I must depart for Nangzhong at once. How can this not be possible?”
“R-right now, you say? Even so, the sun must rise before we can prepare…”
“I must leave immediately. My nephew will send word once she arrives safely—I’ll give you another Won Bo then.”
As Dang Geun Myeong produced a Won Bo, color bloomed across the man’s face.
“Ah, of course! Please, wait just a moment, sir.”
The man, his attitude reversed in an instant, began preparing the boat for departure.
Once the boatman had moved away, Dang Geun Myeong whispered low.
“If you encounter rogues, don’t fight them—run. The methods of rogues who crawl in the depths are beyond what you can handle. They’re different from the martial forms you’ve practiced with the household.”
“Yes. I’ll be careful.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you further. The head of the clan has taken the position that you, having been banished from the Dang Clan, have nothing to do with us. Once I wear the Nok Po, I cannot protect you.”
“Guiding me this far is more than enough. Thank you, Uncle.”
With Dang Jung gone, Dang Geun Myeong’s standing was uncertain too. The fact that he’d helped me this much was already a reckless choice on his part.
If Dang Geun Myeong helped me further and defied the head of the clan, he might lose the Dang surname he’d earned through a lifetime of devotion.
Dang Geun Myeong, his breath caught, quietly extended his hand to me. I took his help to dismount.
Watching my expression, he added awkwardly.
“The head of the clan won’t leave you abandoned for long. Once circumstances change, he’ll come fetch you right away.”
Recalling Dang Mu Hyeok’s cold gaze, I smiled bitterly. It didn’t seem like the head of the clan would change his mind, not as he’d said.
Ju Ryeong, waking groggily, crawled out and burrowed into the crook of my sleeve.
“Ju Ryeong. Stay hidden—don’t come out.”
“Squeak…”
Ju Ryeong answered as if half-asleep, settling into the hollow beside my ribs.
As I arranged my belongings, the boatman finished his preparations and pushed the boat into the inlet.
“Young lady. Come aboard here.”
“I’m going, Uncle.”
“Go safely, then.”
Dang Geun Myeong nodded, took hold of the reins, and stepped back.
With the boatman’s help, I climbed aboard.
“We’re departing.”
The boatman gathered the rope and rowed; the small ferry, which had swayed with uncertainty, began to move forward. Dang Geun Myeong’s figure grew smaller and smaller in the distance.
He didn’t move from where he stood until I became nothing but a tiny speck.
It truly was a farewell.
* * *
Day was breaking dimly.
I drew my knees up to my chest and huddled myself small. Whether my body trembled from cold or from fear of this situation, I couldn’t tell.
Ju Ryeong responded to my trembling by brushing her soft fur against the back of my hand in a soothing gesture. As the warm fluff touched my skin, I felt a little better.
I stared blankly into empty space when the boatman spoke carefully to me.
“Why don’t you rest your eyes for a moment, miss? At this hour, we won’t encounter water bandits. You’ll be safe.”
“All right.”
I gave my assent, but sleep wouldn’t come. Not only couldn’t I fully trust the boatman, but my mind churned like a tangled ball of thread.
If Dang Geun Myeong spoke truly, then the clan head had sanctioned my vengeance, which meant the Yuzhou Trading Company would send pursuers after me.
How could I evade them? Was there anywhere safe to hide?
Only then did it dawn on me: I knew nothing of the world beyond the Dang Clan.
I was a frog in a well.
I laughed hollowly and lifted my head, then felt something wet brush my cheek.
Half-frozen raindrops were drumming against the river’s surface.
“Oh, miss. You should wear this. Rain’s come on rather suddenly.”
The boatman fished a Do Rong Yi from the pile of luggage and handed it to me. It reeked of damp straw, but I was hardly in a position to be choosy.
“The weather’s turned foul—ah, no offense meant, miss.”
The boatman was right; the weather had indeed gone foul. I threw the Do Rong Yi over myself—it was twice my size.
The sleet grew fierce, the water’s surface began to churn, and then thunder cracked overhead.
Crack!
The boom was so violent it made the boat itself vibrate, and the boatman let loose a string of curses. The small ferry pitched and heaved as though the downpour might swallow it whole.
“How much further do we have?”
“Another five hours at least!”
The boatman bellowed his reply.
Five more hours in this? I found myself genuinely fearing the boat might break apart.
Fortunately, the boatman earned his Won Bo many times over. With the skill of a professional, he drove through the downpour and merged into the main channel of the great river.
By the time I spotted other boats crossing the wider waters, the boatman spoke up again.
“Nangzhong appears ahead.”
I craned my neck between folds of the Do Rong Yi.
Beyond the murky haze, Nangzhong revealed itself as a magnificent city.
A city where cargo collected along the Galung River bore opulent inns lining the wharf at every corner.
Even the Baekpung Trading Company, which Lady Lim’s family was said to own, caught my eye—a glittering structure.
Yet none of it stirred my heart. With my life hanging by a thread, I had no leisure for sightseeing.
Soon the boatman tied up at the wharf and helped me step out onto solid ground.
“You can come ashore now, miss.”
“Thank you.”
I nodded and the moment my feet touched earth, I began searching for another boat. I had to leave for Zhongjing at once.
“I’m trying to get to Zhongjing.”
“No boats leave today. Spend the night at an inn and come back tomorrow.”
“But I need to reach Zhongjing—”
“No vessel can depart until this storm passes. Once the rain stops, the river will freeze. In weather like this, boats splinter too easily.”
I hurried from boat to boat along the wharf, but every captain shook his head.
The rain grew fiercer still. The downpour was so dense I couldn’t see more than an arm’s length ahead, and the river churned violently beneath it.
I rubbed my body against the cold that was creeping into my bones and turned back. The boatman was right—tonight I’d have to lodge at an inn.
I wandered the main road, then selected a modest inn that wouldn’t draw attention and stepped inside.
“Welcome, welcome, traveler! Goodness, you’re soaked through. Shall I prepare hot water for you to wash?”
“Yes, please.”
“Hot water costs two silver pieces.”
The innkeeper who hurried out wrung his hands as he spoke. It seemed dear, but I lacked the spirit to haggle.
“Bring my meal to my room. Something simple will do.”
I counted out payment for the water and food, then climbed the stairs.
I washed, ate the meal the innkeeper brought, and lay down on the bed.
The Do Rong Yi reeked of wet straw, but I couldn’t muster the energy to move it far away.
After maintaining such tension all day, sleep crashed down on me the moment I lay down.
“Ju Ryeong. You slept plenty earlier. Let me know if anyone approaches.”
“Chirp.”
Ju Ryeong huffed with indignation and rolled over, but I lacked even the strength to protest.
I sank into oblivion like a stone.
* * *
The next day, the rain still hadn’t stopped.
If anything, the wind had grown more violent, and the windows rattled in their frames.
Seeing all the boats at the wharf tied up tight, it seemed there would be no passage to Zhongjing today either.
I couldn’t linger in Nangzhong much longer. If no boat would take me to Zhongjing, I had to find another way forward.
I’d been wrestling with the problem since breakfast when I managed to borrow a wide-brimmed hat from the innkeeper. My plan was to scout the Wharf area and see if I could find a horse.
“Damn it, why post notices on a rainy day like this?”
“His son is dead, isn’t he? He’d want to catch her right away.”
I lifted my head at the voices and saw soldiers in rain cloaks plastering notices on every wall nearby.
They’d all wash away once the rain soaked through — what was the point?
Puzzled, I stepped closer and nearly bit my tongue.
[Treacherous woman who murdered her betrothed and fled. Rewards offered by Yuzhou Trading Company for information.]
Though the facial description was nothing like me, the wanted notice was unmistakably for me.
I pressed the hat lower over my head and quickly turned away.
The notice meant Yuzhou Trading Company had started hunting me.
The Dang Clan seemed to have deliberately given me a false description, but it was only a matter of time before they learned my real face.
I had no time to linger in Nangzhong. I needed to flee now.
But where?
Just then, Ju Ryeong raked her claws across my arm.
“Ju Ryeong. What’s wrong?”
“Kee!”
She let out a sharp warning cry and burrowed into my sleeve.
Only then did I sense it — someone was following me.
The moment I realized it, the salt-water scent mixed with blood. A rogue, someone seasoned in murder.
‘When you meet a rogue, don’t stand your ground — run.’
Dang Geun Myeong’s warning flashed through my mind.
I held my breath and stopped walking. Immediately, my pursuer did the same.
Splash.
The rainwater pooled on the ground betrayed the sound of their footsteps — a stroke of luck for me.
“Ju Ryeong. Hold tight.”
“Chirp?”
I pushed off the ground and began to run.

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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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