Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 88

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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 88
“No, I wasn’t crying.”
“Right. I believe you.”
“I really wasn’t crying.”
“I said I believe you.”
I smacked Yeon Ryang’s forearm repeatedly as he grinned wickedly, mocking me.
Of course, he didn’t flinch. Instead, he mimicked my expression, his mouth twisting into an exaggerated smirk.
“I thought you were some orphaned child. Standing there with that look on your face like your whole world had just collapsed……”
“Oh, stop it. Please!”
Infuriating. It wasn’t anywhere near that bad.
Heat crept up my face at his teasing.
Yeon Ryang laughed and ruffled my hair vigorously. I knocked his hand away and fixed my hair, shooting him a glare.
Since when was he acting so mature? He was exactly the same as always.
“Besides, I don’t have your wages anymore. I spent it all on your meals.”
He ate so voraciously that every coin I’d scraped together—even what I’d taken from Ju Ryeong—went straight to food. ……Or was it someone else’s name? Anyway.
All that remained were two or three silver coins.
Yeon Ryang took my honest confession in stride.
“Who cares? Your sister’s got a talent for something, doesn’t she? When we run short, we’ll go take what we need from the mountain bandits.”
“What? Have you left money with the bandits?”
His absurd answer made me laugh in spite of myself. It was exactly the kind of thinking you’d expect from the underworld.
……Somehow, it felt like he was spitting in my face.
I glanced around, then whispered low.
“Once we leave Wuhan, we’ll rob the wealthy and weak.”
“Understood. Understood.”
Yeon Ryang shrugged and chuckled. Ju Ryeong chirped happily and bounded onto his shoulder.
“Eek!”
“That’s right, you furry bundle. My shoulder’s got a better view of the world than your sister’s, doesn’t it?”
“Chirrup!”
Yeon Ryang stroked Ju Ryeong’s head while laughing, then turned to look at me.
“Well then, sister—shall we head out?”
That familiar phrase somehow sounded unusually welcome, probably because he was the one saying it.
Yeon Ryang knew Wuhan’s layout well, as though he’d been here before.
He naturally led me toward a street lined with food stalls, where he bought some Jeon Byeong to eat.
“The Jeon Byeong here is excellent. Sister, try it.”
Watching Yeon Ryang point at the pastry with his cheeks puffed out, my mouth watered too. We walked through the streets side by side, both of us munching on Jeon Byeong.
“Ah, sister. The Yongmun Inn is right over there. Behind it is the Martial Alliance headquarters.”
Yeon Ryang pointed to the side and spoke. When I turned my head, a grand inn with an imposing wooden plaque revealed itself in all its splendor.
The Yongmun Inn.
The inn had dozens of scarlet pillars soaring high. At that size, shouldn’t it have hundreds of rooms?
As I gazed up at the inn in wonder, Yeon Ryang flashed his white teeth in a smile.
“Well. Let’s stay here tonight.”
“Um, brother. Do we really have to stay at this inn? Wouldn’t another place be fine?”
“Worried about the cost? The prices are reasonable here. Don’t fret, sister. I’ll pay.”
No. It’s the name that bothers me.
But we weren’t in the middle of a desert, and we weren’t the only guests, so it seemed petty to insist otherwise.
The facilities looked better than any of the other inns we’d stayed at recently.
I nodded hesitantly and followed Yeon Ryang inside.
The spacious first floor of the inn was crowded and noisy with diners.
The second and third floors seemed to be used as dining areas too—private rooms for guests who wanted to eat in quiet. The guest rooms appeared to start from the fourth floor.
I hoped they’d give us a higher floor. The view would be nice.
After my brief observation, I looked at Yeon Ryang.
“Are you going to eat?”
“Of course. Shall we have a drink too? We’ve come all the way to Wuhan.”
Yeon Ryang made a drinking gesture and winked playfully.
Is this man Korean or something?
I let out a hollow laugh before responding.
“Fine. Just one bottle though. I’m not very hungry. Is there anything light they can make?”
“Let’s ask Jeom So Yi. First, let’s sit—oof!”
Just as Yeon Ryang stepped toward a table, a tremendous crash erupted and someone fell from above onto this floor.
Crash! Bang! Snap-crack-crackle!
“Ugh……!”
A man crashed through the table, splitting it clean in half, and clutched his ribs with a groan.
When I poked Yeon Ryang, asking with my eyes what that was all about, he answered with perfect nonchalance.
“I told you so. Whenever Jianghu novices gather, chaos breaks out without fail.”
“You bastard……!”
“Eat your meal with some decorum. Stop bothering the other patrons. Worms.”
“Insolent dog! I’ll teach you a lesson——. Gaack!”
Another man went flying.
Wow. Watching genre clichés unfold in real time. All we’d need is for someone to order plain noodles and we’d have the whole scene.
Looking up at the upper floor with dull eyes, I caught sight of a man in a jade-colored robe fanning himself with a fan.
Something about his face was familiar, and I tilted my head, trying to place where I’d seen him.
Oh. That’s the bastard who grabbed Dang Young Ho by the collar at the Jegal Clan gathering. What was his name again?
Jegal Hyoggang? Yes, that’s it.
I hastily covered my face.
Jegal Hyoggang probably wouldn’t recognize who I was, but the sight of a familiar face made me uneasy all the same.
Come to think of it, the Jegal Clan has operations here in Hubei too. This whole region is a den of orthodox sects.
As I knitted my brows, Yeon Ryang asked.
“What’s wrong, sister? Is it another doppelgänger?”
“This time it’s someone only I know.”
“Well, well. So many men occupying that heart of yours, sister. Though I still say that young master of Gyun-hyeon’s small training hall holds the most promise——.”
This fellow’s spouting nonsense again.
I stepped firmly on his foot and then navigated around the fallen men to take a seat at a table.
I’m not sure how the dispute started, but judging by the way they’d rushed Jegal Hyoggang—the young master of the Jegal Clan—Yeon Ryang was probably right that they were Jianghu novices.
Jegal Hyoggang, waving his fan with visible displeasure, slowly made his way down to the ground floor of the inn.
Jeom So Yi, mistaking his intention to leave, hurried after him with bowing and scraping.
“S-sir. If you’ll just wait a moment, I’ll clear out the private room on the third floor. Just a moment——.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll sit here on the ground floor—just prepare seating for six.”
“Yes, yes! Of course!”
Jeom So Yi’s face brightened as he hurried to arrange the tables.
“Shall we sit too, sister?”
“Yes.”
Still stealing glances at Jegal Hyoggang, I took my seat.
As Jegal Hyoggang sat down, his entourage filed in from the upper floor and arranged themselves in a circle around him.
One of the martial cultivators beside him spoke up.
“Chief. When do you expect the three disciples from Mount Wudang to arrive?”
“I rather thought it was your job to investigate such matters and report back to me. Vice Chief.”
The man who’d asked the question flushed crimson at Jegal Hyoggang’s cool reply.
“……I beg your pardon.”
“This concerns the Martial Alliance. I advise you to refrain from discussing it openly in public.”
“Yes, Chief.”
Ah, that one’s still his old sharp-tongued self.
Judging by the title of Chief, it appeared Jegal Hyoggang held a fairly high position within the Martial Alliance.
Jegal Hyoggang, his gaze lowered without interest, opened his mouth.
“The messenger arrived this morning, so they should be here by tomorrow or the day after.”
“Thank you. Next time I’ll make sure to investigate and report first.”
“See that you do.”
……Are all the people from the Jegal Clan like that?
If they are, no wonder Dang Un dislikes his maternal relatives.
I was about to click my tongue in disapproval when my eyes shifted to the table and widened at the sight of the teacup placed before Yeon Ryang.
The way he’d set down the teacup and chopsticks matched exactly the secret signal for the Hao Gate that Hwa Hong had once shown me.
As Yeon Ryang tapped the table lightly, Jeom So Yi hurried over and bowed.
“Oh my, honored guest. What do you need?”
“This teacup has a broken rim. Replace it, would you? And I won’t need water.”
“My apologies. I’ll bring you a new one right away. What shall I take your order for?”
“Sister, what would you like to eat?”
“What light noodle dishes do you have?”
“We have Yeolgan Noodles, miss. Boiled noodles lightly stir-fried in oil and dressed with sesame oil.”
“I’ll have that.”
“Two orders of Yeolgan Noodles. One bottle of spirits to go with Wuchang Fish Stew. And prepare two rooms—we’ll be staying the night.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll prepare everything at once.”
Jeom So Yi, having taken the order, carried away Yeon Ryang’s teacup.
“Sister, have you ever tried Wuchang fish stew? The freshwater dishes around here are exceptional.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“The marinated flesh is supposed to be wonderfully tender. You should look forward to it.”
Yeon Ryang chattered on with a gleaming smile, but I couldn’t bring myself to follow the conversation.
‘Send the signal and wait a moment. Then Jeom So Yi or one of the courtesans will approach and ask if you need anything. Answer that the teacup is chipped and you’d like it replaced. Then they’ll escort you to a private room.’
Hwa Hong had told me this herself, so it had to be reliable. Yeon Ryang sent the signal to Hao Gate.
Why was Yeon Ryang making contact with Hao Gate?
The unease gnawed at me, and I couldn’t taste the food.
I picked at my meal while watching him carefully. It seemed I’d stumbled upon yet another of his secrets.
* * *
After we finished eating and had been shown to our room, Yeon Ryang pressed a bundle of silver coins into my hand.
“Sister, here’s some spending money. Buy yourself some sweets and enjoy yourself. I’ll be gone for about two hours.”
“Really now, brother. Do you think I’m a child?”
“Of course you are.”
“Fine, have it your way. Where are you going?”
“At my age, a man needs his own time to himself. I’ll be back soon.”
Yeon Ryang left those cryptic words, gave my shoulder a pat, and turned to go.
Where could he possibly be heading?
I followed him quietly, dampening my presence, and when I saw which building he entered, I couldn’t help but frown.
What was that old fool spouting about when he walked into a pleasure house?
If I hadn’t known the truth, I would have kicked him for this.
Given that he’d summoned someone from Hao Gate at the inn and then went straight to this place, it seemed he was making contact with that Hao Gate member here, in this very building.
No matter how I thought about it, there was only one reason Yeon Ryang would meet with Hao Gate.
The Antidote of Solitude.
He’d said the antidote could only be obtained by reporting to the Cult. Those two hours he’d mentioned—weren’t they the time it would take to make that report?
But what connection did Hao Gate have with the Demonic Cult?
Were they simply couriers? Or had the Cult already embedded its agents within Hao Gate itself?
Given the composition of Hao Gate’s members, it seemed entirely plausible that someone could pose as a Hao Gate operative and slip in as a spy.
After all, who bothered to thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of courtesans, stable hands, or serving staff?
I swallowed hard, my eyes never leaving the pleasure house. I desperately wanted to know what Yeon Ryang was doing with that Hao Gate contact.
The moment I crept toward the rear entrance, someone grabbed me by the nape of the neck.

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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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