Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 82

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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 82
20. First Disciple of Mount Wudang
Rumble! Crack!
The world seemed to split in two with the sound.
The Farmer, ears plugged against the deafening thunder and lightning, climbed the slope with a scowl.
“Damn it all.”
He cursed under his breath, gripping a tree that swayed violently, and drew rough, ragged breaths.
The ground had become nothing but mud, and his shoes squelched with each step, making it nearly impossible to move forward.
He’d come out because he was worried the barley he’d just sown would be washed away in the downpour, but now it seemed he himself might be the one swept away.
He regretted venturing out on such a wretched day and fell into anxious deliberation.
Should he turn back now?
But he’d come too far to return home. Just a little higher, and he’d be able to see his scrap of a field.
That’s it. Close his eyes, replant the barley, and head back.
Having steeled himself, the Farmer took a deep breath and moved his heavy legs forward.
Rumble!
In that instant, the sky flashed brilliantly, and a blazing bolt of lightning struck down directly in front of him.
“Ahhhhh!”
The Farmer shrieked and fell backward, landing hard on his backside.
A massive old tree that had been standing proud mere moments before now lay broken and burning miserably.
He’d nearly been struck by lightning.
The Farmer pressed his trembling hand to his chest and steadied himself against the ground.
To hell with barley—life was what mattered. What good is survival if you starve anyway?
It seemed wiser to abandon his foolish stubbornness and return home quietly.
Then something hard touched his hand.
Thinking the rain had exposed tree roots, he turned his head—and his face went pale.
A long, rigid shape resembling a human hand lay beneath his fingertips.
The Farmer’s eyes rolled in panic, and his body began to shake violently.
Rumble-rumble-rumble! Bang!
In the flash of brilliant white lightning, he saw it clearly.
Washed by rain and emerging from the mud was half a face—melted into decay.
A corpse with hollow sockets for eyes and a gaping hole where its mouth should be stared down at him.
“Ah—ahhhhh! No, no, NO!”
Screaming, the Farmer scrambled backward and tumbled down the mountainside as though the earth itself were swallowing him.
* * *
“Duck.”
“Chicken.”
“Duck.”
“Chicken, I said. Honestly, you don’t know how to eat, do you?”
I tapped the table irritably, locked in a dispute with Yeon Ryang.
On a rainy day, didn’t it follow that one ought to eat something with broth?
Here we were, needing to warm our bellies with steaming chicken soup, and he wanted roasted duck. The man truly didn’t know quality.
“If you’re going to exert yourself, you’ve got to fortify your stomach. Roasted duck is what you need, brother.”
“Doesn’t chicken have fat in it?”
“Nothing compares to duck fat.”
As our bickering showed no sign of ending, Jeom So Yi, who’d been watching nervously, ventured to interject.
“Perhaps, honored guests… wouldn’t you consider ordering both duck and chicken dishes?”
At Jeom So Yi’s suggestion, Yeon Ryang clapped his hands together approvingly.
“Ah, there’s an idea. Then let’s do that.”
Yeon Ryang answered with a chuckle, and Jeom So Yi, bowing, hurried toward the kitchen.
“But there will be leftovers…”
“There won’t be any, so don’t worry. And even if there is, so what? My sister here squeezed every last coin out of those fellows.”
Yeon Ryang shrugged as if entirely unconcerned.
“Besides, this inn is our last stop before we cross into Hubei. We’ll be sleeping rough after this, sister, so you might as well eat well now.”
“In that case, why didn’t you say so? Should I order another plate of dumplings?”
The moment I switched my tone, Yeon Ryang broke into laughter.
“Hah! Our sister truly is entertaining.”
“Another plate of dumplings, please!”
“Of course, my lady. I’ll have them ready in a moment!”
Yeon Ryang cupped his chin, still chuckling, and tilted his head as he asked.
“So, what’s the plan once we reach Wuhan?”
“I haven’t thought about it yet.”
“There’s a large inn near the Martial Alliance headquarters. I’d really like you to stay there for a night. It’s a gathering place for people from all the different sects, so you’ll have plenty to see.”
“What’s the inn called?”
“Yongmun Inn. You must visit. Their dumplings are excellent.”
“……Do you remember what kind of meat was in those dumplings?”
“Hmm? Of course it was pork.”
“Ah, yes. Next time, don’t drink at that establishment. I’m saying this for your sake.”
“Huh? All of a sudden? You know, you do say the strangest things sometimes.”
It’s because the inn’s owner is beautiful, and she looks like the type who might sell suspicious dumplings. Drinking there feels like it could end badly.
I resolved to avoid that inn no matter what.
“And be sure to visit the Yellow Crane Tower. When people think of Wuhan, they think of the Yellow Crane Tower. Since you’ve set out on this Jianghu journey, you ought to see the famous sites.”
“I will.”
“Ah, and the largest trading company in Wuhan is the Namjeong Trading Company……”
Yeon Ryang spent a long while telling me what to eat in Wuhan, what to see, where to go.
His kindness made me sense that our parting was drawing near.
Once I crossed into Hubei and reached Wuhan, I would truly be alone.
……I felt oddly wistful about saying goodbye.
Even though I couldn’t trust him completely, even though I kept my guard up, I realized I’d come to rely on Yeon Ryang.
“Your dishes have arrived, sir. Please be careful—they’re hot!”
“Here they are. Gyeong A, let’s eat.”
Jeom So Yi brought out the food, but I had no appetite.
I watched Yeon Ryang gnaw contentedly at a duck leg, then mechanically nibbled on a cold dumpling.
* * *
Unlike Dang Un’s casual attitude about leaving food on the plate, Yeon Ryang cleaned three bowls completely.
In the end, he seemed reluctant to waste the meat.
After finishing his meal and heading up to his room, he patted his belly with satisfaction—then promptly lay down on the bed, groaning.
“Gyeong A. Just bring me a cup of water.”
“Are you all right? Your face has turned pale.”
“Ugh, I ate far too much.”
Unbelievable. The man ate like something wasn’t quite human.
“What kind of martial artist gets sick from overeating?”
I chided him while rubbing his back. Yeon Ryang laughed sheepishly and scratched his head.
“You’re right. I’m embarrassed to say it, but sometimes I can’t control myself.”
The casual words bothered me more than I expected.
He couldn’t control how much he ate.
There had been mention that as a child in the Demonic Sect, if he fell out of favor with the sect leader, he’d have to go hungry for days. I suppose eating ravenously whenever food was available had become a habit.
Swallowing a sigh, I reached out my hand to him.
“Let me have your hand.”
“My hand? Why?”
“I’ll press the Heegu Acupoint. Once I do your thumb, everything should go right down.”
“Press my hand?”
Yeon Ryang looked puzzled, as if he didn’t understand what I was saying. Instead of answering, I drew a needle from my pouch.
His eyebrows twitched at the sight of the sharp needle.
“……Are you planning to sew me up? I’ll pass, thank you.”
“Surely you know the Dang Family is skilled in the Medical Arts?”
“The Dang Family may be skilled, but you certainly don’t seem to be.”
“Consider it a risk. Just trust me this once.”
“The needle isn’t poisoned, I hope?”
“It’s not. What kind of person do you think I am?”
When I silently gestured for him to give me his hand, Yeon Ryang hesitantly extended it.
I rubbed down his back and arm, then grasped his wrist.
I warmed his chilled hand, and as I pricked the base of his thumbnail with the needle, a bead of dark blood welled up.
Yeon Ryang’s eyes widened.
“The blood is black? Was I actually poisoned?”
“No. It’s just indigestion.”
“Fascinating—drawing out stagnant blood with a needle. Is this a Dang Family secret technique?”
“Something like that.”
Not exactly a family secret. Just folk medicine.
I brushed away the bead of blood from his thumb. As a bright red drop formed in its place, Yeon Ryang marveled.
“Ah, the color has turned red! I really do feel like whatever was stuck has come loose. Remarkable.”
“Press here for now.”
I pressed firmly on the Heegu Acupoint between his thumb and forefinger, and Yeon Ryang nodded, then rubbed the same point on his left hand with his right.
His complexion had brightened noticeably, so it seemed I wouldn’t need to treat the other hand.
After sterilizing the needle and tucking it away, Yeon Ryang gazed at me with wonder in his eyes.
“You could run a physician’s clinic.”
“It’s not quite that level.”
“Of course it is. Just word spreading that you’re effective with indigestion would bring people rushing to your door. How many physicians tend to common folk’s stomach troubles, truly?”
If he kept talking like that, Grandfather would have a fit when he heard.
‘Does he think anyone can be a physician? You’re only worthy of the title when you can reattach severed limbs as cleanly as if they’d never been cut.’
‘Even Hua Tuo couldn’t reattach severed limbs, Grandfather.’
……I wondered how Grandfather was faring. I missed him.
A sudden melancholy swept over me, and I brushed my hair back as I opened the window.
“Get some fresh air while you digest. Once the rain stops, we’ll set out……. Oh, it’s already stopped.”
“So it has. It’s stopped.”
Yeon Ryang rose and approached, shading his eyes with his hand as he peered outside.
The clouds parted, and brilliant sunlight poured through in a dazzling cascade. The rain that had poured since dawn had ceased sometime during our work.
“The ground won’t freeze, will it?”
“With the weather turning warm, it shouldn’t. We’d do well to set out while there’s daylight, though—the days are still short.”
“Yes. Let’s go at once.”
I answered and tidied the items in my sleeves, while Yeon Ryang, his backpack secured across his shoulders, clapped his hands lightly together.
“Well then, shall we be off?”
And with that, he lifted me straight up into his arms.
“What—no, what are you doing……!”
I flailed my arms in alarm, but he simply settled me onto his shoulders as if to say sit still.
“I’d rather not have you catching cold dew. If I waited for your Lightness Skill to carry you, we’d be sleeping on the road every night. Every night of rough sleeping we can spare is worth it.”
Yeon Ryang chuckled softly, showing no sign of setting me down.
I smacked my lips and resigned myself to gripping his neck. Extended nights in the open didn’t appeal to me either.
“Then let’s head into Hubei.”
“Kee-kee!”
Ju Ryeong answered in my stead, poking its head out from between my sleeves.
“That’s right. Hold on tight, you little furball.”
Yeon Ryang’s lips curved upward, and he leaped out through the window in one smooth motion.

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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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