Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 78

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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 78
The moment Yeon Liang drew his sword, the very air around him transformed.
The playfulness vanished from his face, replaced by the cold precision of a master swordsman.
A palpable killing intent hung thick enough to make my legs tremble. I fumbled for my sleeve when Yeon Liang’s voice cut through, sharp and icy.
“If you’re thinking of fighting inside the inn, I’d rather you didn’t, miss. Come with me.”
I swallowed hard and hurried after him.
He vaulted lightly from the upper floor of the inn, then gestured for me to follow. I scrambled over the railing and landed beside him.
Jeom So-i, who’d been sitting alone in the empty inn, jumped in fright and tumbled backward onto his rump.
“Sorry, friend. We’ll settle this outside. Don’t worry yourself.”
Yeon Liang offered his apology and walked toward the inn’s entrance.
“Y-yes, yes. Great Master……!”
Jeom So-i nodded frantically in delayed comprehension, then covered his mouth as a hiccup escaped him.
He’d clearly been frightened by the sight of Yeon Liang with his sword held loose and ready.
“Miss. We’ll need distance from the inn. See the hillside across the way?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t lose sight of me. Follow.”
He glanced back at me once, then crouched low and shot forward like an arrow.
I lurched into motion, chasing after him in a panic.
My joints screamed and popped from days of bed rest, but there was no time for weakness.
I gritted my teeth and ran, determined not to fall behind.
At the same moment, I felt the ronin tracking me drawing closer.
They made no attempt to hide their presence—as if baring their teeth to announce they’d come to hunt me down.
I took a deep breath, wiping my clammy palms on my robe.
I’d managed to grab onto Yeon Liang, but doubt gnawed at me.
Could he really face four of them alone?
If those demon-like ronin came at him, wouldn’t he be overwhelmed too?
My worries proved groundless. Yeon Liang radiated pure confidence.
The instant we touched down on the hillside, he instinctively placed me behind his back, then spun his sword with a delighted flourish.
“Well, well. Four of you came scurrying along just to catch one little miss? Either she’s remarkably skilled, or you lot are barely competent trash. Which is it?”
As Yeon Liang laughed at the sight before him, one of the ronin’s face flushed crimson.
“Who in blazes are you?”
“Me? I’m the one who’s about to wring your necks.”
“Listen here, boy. You clearly don’t know who you’re dealing with. We are the great masters known throughout this region as the Gwanghon Sagyeon. Don’t interfere with our brothers’ business.”
“What’s that, an alias? The Gwanghon Sagyeon? Even common street thugs wouldn’t pick such a crude name. You made it up yourselves, didn’t you? How utterly provincial.”
“Damn it! Insolent bastard! I’ll teach you a lesson!”
……So this is what a true Provocation Technique looks like.
I found myself genuinely impressed.
With just a few words exchanged, he’d driven a man to rage, eyes bulging and limbs flailing. The skill with which he needled people was nothing short of artistry.
One of the ronin grabbed his companion by the scruff, holding him back, while turning his gaze toward me.
“So you’ve picked up a partner already? Clever little woman.”
He wore an eyepatch over one eye. This was certainly the man Ju Ryeong had clawed days before.
I wanted to needle him back, but my body froze like a mouse cornered by a predator.
The terror I’d felt when he approached me before came rushing back, vivid and suffocating.
As my face drained of color, Ju Ryeong, perched on my shoulder, yanked at my hair to snap me back to awareness.
“Chirp!”
“Right.”
My trembling hands moved to draw the Flying Needles.
These were my pursuers. I couldn’t stand here stupidly and leave everything to Yeon Liang.
As my wavering gaze steadied, the eyepatch-wearing ronin smiled, one corner of his mouth lifting.
“Resisting won’t help. Woman. You’ll die regardless—whether by our hands or another’s. Do you truly believe no one else will come hunting such a prize? A thousand silver taels is no small bounty.”
Yeon Liang’s eyes widened at the figure.
“Wait—a thousand silver taels? That’s your price? I had no idea you were worth that much.”
The admiration in his voice made my stomach shrivel.
I suddenly panicked that knowing the sum might make Yeon Liang reconsider.
The ronin, apparently thinking the same, turned his pitch toward Yeon Liang.
“I don’t know why you’re protecting her, but why not hand her over to us? We’ll split the remuneration—half goes to you.”
I bit at my lip anxiously, searching Yeon Liang’s face.
What if he changed his mind? Could I even escape?
Sensing my uneasy stare, Yeon Liang glanced back and wiggled his fingers reassuringly.
He turned back to the ronin and chuckled before answering.
“It’s a tempting offer, but I’ve already accepted payment elsewhere.”
“……You’re a fool, aren’t you.”
The ronin clicked his tongue and drew his blade.
That eased my mind somewhat. At least he didn’t seem intent on handing me over to the other ronin right now.
What would happen after he dealt with them, though—that was another question.
I shifted the Scattered Air Poison in my sleeve to a position where I could reach it quickly.
If Yeon Liang showed even the slightest sign of treachery, I planned to scatter the poison and flee.
Unless he was immune to all toxins, the Scattered Air Poison would work.
Next, I coated my Flying Needles with Paralysis Poison. If it slowed the ronin down even a little, it would help.
Yeon Liang, noticing what I was doing, whispered urgently.
“Draw their attention. Just don’t aim for the crown of my head, all right? Poison scares me.”
Then he launched himself into the air.
“Hiyaa!”
At his thunderous cry, four ronin rushed toward Yeon Liang. I hurriedly flung my Flying Needles.
The needles traced a thin arc through the air, curved gracefully, and raked across the arm of the blindfolded ronin and the leg of the one wielding the axe.
“That little rat……!”
The ronin clutching his leg spat curses and charged at me.
He moved so fast I didn’t even have time to retrieve the needles.
In panic, just as I was about to throw a Feather Needle, the ronin with the axe held high above his head crumpled like a scarecrow.
Behind the fallen ronin stood Yeon Liang.
He flicked the blood from his blade with a casual gesture, then winked at me.
“One.”
“Wang-pal! You—you dog of a bastard……!”
The shouting ronin rushed forward and swung his blade at Yeon Liang’s back.
In the instant I was about to shout a warning, Yeon Liang moved behind the ronin with impossible speed and cut across his waist.
“Aaaaagh!”
“Two.”
“Nnnngh!”
“Three.”
As Yeon Liang counted, a strange sense of relief bloomed in my chest.
The ronin who had been playing with me like a rat trapped in poison were collapsing one by one.
He was far stronger than I’d imagined.
Soon silence fell over everything.
Wiping the sweat from my brow and looking forward, I saw Yeon Liang with his blade pressed to the throat of the blindfolded ronin.
The ronin gasped, gripping his arm. The Paralysis Poison was beginning to spread.
“I thought I had caught my prey, but it seems I was the one being hunted.”
The ronin laughed bitterly through bloodied teeth. Yeon Liang scratched his head.
“Do you really need to see blood spilled? Why don’t you just walk away from this, friend?”
“My brothers are here. Where would I go?”
The ronin coughed and spat out a clot of blood, then tightened his grip on his blade.
Yeon Liang nodded as if he understood.
“A refusal, then. I bear you no ill will.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
He rasped his reply and fixed his gaze on Yeon Liang. Yeon Liang clicked his tongue and turned to me.
“Close your eyes.”
At Yeon Liang’s commanding voice, I closed them without thinking.
A final scream and the sound of something rolling across the ground.
As I started to open my eyes in shock, Yeon Liang had already moved close and covered my face with his large palm.
“Don’t look. I’ll clean it up.”
“But……”
“A child shouldn’t see such horrors. Here, fur-ball—shield your master’s eyes.”
Yeon Liang held Ju Ryeong up to my face. The soft fur brushed against my eyes, and the world went dark.
With my sight gone, all my senses rushed to my ears. I heard something being dragged across the dirt.
He was clearing away the bodies of the ronin.
“Ju Ryeong. Come down now.”
“Kee.”
“It’s all right. Come down. I have something to find.”
I removed Ju Ryeong and reached into my sleeve to withdraw a small ceramic vial.
I’d hoped there would be no need for the Corrosive Bone Powder, but if it became necessary, there was no reason to hesitate.
I approached Yeon Liang, trying not to look at the blood-stained ground.
“This here.”
“What is it?”
“Corrosive Bone Powder. We can’t leave loose ends, so I’ll pour it.”
“……You really are a daughter of the Dang family, aren’t you? You’ve got a ruthless side.”
Yeon Liang’s expression shifted to something almost intrigued. I answered tersely.
“Not anymore.”
“Ha ha, just four nights sleeping rough and you’ll be itching to go home. Though I suppose that’s the charm of running away—knowing there’s somewhere to return to.”
“I didn’t run away. I was cast out.”
“……What?”
“I was excommunicated. So I’d rather not talk about my family.”
At my hollow reply, Yeon Liang’s face fell.
“Well, I’m sorry. I didn’t know your circumstances were like that.”
He scratched his head and studied my expression. I waved my hand to show it was fine and unstopped my vial.
I had no sense of how much would be needed to dissolve a body.
“How much should I use?”
“Beats me. I’ve only heard rumors about Corrosive Bone Powder—never actually seen it before.”
“This is my first time using it too.”
We exchanged awkward glances and stared at the small ceramic vial, no bigger than two finger joints.
“Let’s just try it.”
“All right.”
As I tilted the vial carefully, the Corrosive Bone Powder dripped onto the corpse in a steady patter.
The moment the black liquid touched blood, the body erupted in pale white smoke and began dissolving in an instant.
Now I understood why Dang Ju-hui had included it.
I marveled at the potency of the poison, but even as I continued cleaning up, doubt crept in.
“Miss. This one didn’t dissolve completely.”
There hadn’t been enough.
“I think I poured too much at first. What now? Should we burn it?”
“No. We’ll bury it. Burning draws too much attention—we’d need a lot of wood, and the smoke would be impossible to miss.”
Yeon Liang shook his head and began prodding the earth with his scabbard, searching for softer ground.
In moments he’d carved out a hole about a foot deep, then dragged the half-dissolved corpse over and threw it in.
The sight wasn’t pleasant—my brow furrowed instinctively—but I couldn’t look away.
I forced myself to watch, eyes wide, as the ronin met his end.
“Surprising. I thought you couldn’t stomach rough work.”
“So did I.”
But I needed to sear it into memory.
What the Martial World truly was.
What blood feuds in that world truly meant.
If I didn’t—if I flinched from this sight—then it wouldn’t be him lying half-dissolved in a grave. It would be me.
Yeon Liang seemed to understand my thoughts. He said nothing more.
He simply covered the grave in silence.

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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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