Surviving as the Sacheon Dang Clan’s Servant - Chapter 99

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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 99
Only then did I understand the murderous fury blazing in Grandfather’s eyes—the way he’d wanted to rend the Cult Leader limb from limb.
To manipulate people by invoking a beloved name carved so deeply into one’s heart—of course he raged.
This Cult Leader was absolute garbage. No wonder his manner had felt off from the start.
‘He was kind, thoughtful, beautiful as a person. I learned much from him.’
Recalling Dang Jung’s reflection, I felt my chest grow heavy.
I couldn’t even fathom how much anguish his youth must have held—losing his sister, losing Jeong-in both.
So that was why. That’s why you told me never to go before you…….
Seeing my expression darken, Yeon Ryang steered the conversation elsewhere.
“Never mind that—how did your sister end up a wanderer anyway? When her own disciple was being driven out, the Poison King just watched?”
“There are circumstances.”
“Hmm. So the Poison King went into seclusion or something?”
I jerked back from Yeon Ryang, putting distance between us.
“Wait—brother. Has the Demonic Cult planted spies in the Dang Clan too?”
“……So now you’re treating me as nothing but a Cult dog, Sohye.”
“That’s exactly what you are. A Cult dog.”
“Fair point. No defense there.”
Yeon Ryang shrugged and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“Who framed your sister for murder, anyway? It’s obvious—the Poison King stepped back, and they saw their chance. Out she goes.”
“You’ve got it figured out. He’s in seclusion, just as you guessed. And I think we can drop the subject of Grandfather now—tell me more about the Cult. Why are you out here in Zhongyuan anyway?”
“I can’t talk about that. Sister. There’s a Restriction Seal on me.”
“A Restriction Seal?”
“Yes. If I breathe a word of the Cult’s secrets, my head will explode. Not exactly the prettiest sight for you to witness, is it?”
“What?”
Yeon Ryang laughed as if he’d told the funniest joke, but I couldn’t laugh along. I grabbed his sleeve and pressed him.
“What do you mean by that? How do you remove it? You can remove it, can’t you?”
“Well, the Patriarch who placed it on me said it would break if he died. But he’s still spry—looks good for another fifty years at least. These old fellows have strong life spans.”
“So there is a way, then?”
“Right. Just kill the Patriarch. Simple, yes?”
Killing a Cult Patriarch was anything but simple, but it was better than no path at all.
I folded my arms and grumbled teasingly.
“Who is this old man anyway? Bring him to me now. I’ll shove a dose of the Eight Great Poisons down his throat. One basket’s worth should wrap this up cleanly. Brother.”
“Hah! There’s nothing sweeter than hearing that! Sister. But it won’t matter. Even if the Seal breaks, the Poison remains in this body. Until death, I’ll wear this collar like a dog on a leash.”
He smiled bitterly, indulging in self-mockery. Yeon Ryang harbored no illusions about escaping the Cult’s snare.
Sensing his resignation, I ventured carefully.
“Is there no way to cure the Poison?”
“Even that mighty Martial Alliance can’t solve it—they’re all frantic about it. What’s a bumbling fool like me supposed to do? Beop Gong did manage to dig through the Shaolin Abbot’s archives for information, but it was useless. Use the wrong Antidote and the flare-ups only come faster.”
“Wait—brother. That friend of yours, the monk……. Is he really the previous Shaolin Abbot’s direct disciple?”
“So they say. Strangest fellow I’ve ever met.”
“……What is Zhongyuan coming to.”
I sighed and pressed my palm to my forehead.
There was no guarantee that man would become the next Shaolin Abbot, but if things played out a certain way, I might actually witness a Demonic Cult disciple and the Shaolin Abbot sharing wine and idle gossip together.
The thought alone made my stomach twist.
“Ha, and that monk hasn’t even shaved his head. Keeps it in a topknot, claims it looks better that way. Says his head would look wrong shaved.”
“Is that allowed?”
“Of course not. He’s apparently running around trying to avoid being dragged to Songshan Mountain, where they’ll shave it the moment he arrives.”
“Well, the world certainly contains all manner of people.”
Not my concern, but the Shaolin Abbot must be tearing his hair out…….
At my murmur, Yeon Ryang laughed quietly and looked at me.
“You’re not exactly ordinary either. A girl traveling around with a black mink—that draws plenty of attention.”
“Even ten Ju Ryeongs would be less conspicuous than you, brother.”
“What? Where else will you find a Martial Cultivator who looks as virtuous and kind as I do? Mix me in with commoners and they’d never know I was anything but ordinary.”
“Please. You’re already a problem just for being six feet four.”
Despite my stern look, Yeon Ryang continued grinning and began tidying the basket.
Watching him quietly, I ventured to ask.
“Does it hurt?”
“What?”
“That thing. Inside you.”
“Ah. Usually I don’t feel much. But when the time to take the Antidote draws near, it writhes. I’m used to it now though—manageable.”
“Ugh—it writhes? Inside your body?”
“Right. Now that I think about it, it’s about time the thing made itself known. Strange that it’s been so quiet.”
He rubbed his belly absently. I furrowed my brow before answering.
“Isn’t it because your body’s in poor condition? If the host dies, it dies too, so it’s probably conserving strength.”
“That’s true. It wouldn’t drain my Vital Energy if I weren’t alive to feed it.”
“Don’t talk about it like you’re keeping a pet. How much time do we have left? You’re in no state to go fetch an Antidote yourself.”
“About a month? I have to get down the mountain before then, ugh—”
Yeon Ryang tried to push himself up, but let out a groan and hunched forward instead.
His body trembled like aspen leaves—muscular convulsions, from the look of it.
“Give me the Basket. Let’s go inside and get you some acupuncture.”
He handed it over with a taut face, cold sweat dripping steadily from his body.
I swallowed a sigh and supported Yeon Ryang.
He was used to enduring pain and kept wandering outside, but his recovery was slow enough that his weakened body needed rest—there was no way he could leave the mountain within a month.
Just repairing the torn muscle would take two months alone.
I was lowering Yeon Ryang onto the bed, keeping my gloomy thoughts hidden, when a sudden thought pierced through my mind like lightning.
Wait. The parasite weakened along with him?
Then isn’t this the perfect opportunity to eliminate it? If its Vital Energy is drained, it’ll die from even a small shock, won’t it?
Though it’s a sorcery designed to control people, at its core the parasite is still a parasite.
If done right, I might be able to kill it the way you’d kill any worm.
Dang Un and I had read medical texts that covered parasites…
Lost in thought, I jabbed needles in one after another until Yeon Ryang, turned into a porcupine, let out a hollow laugh and spoke.
“Sister. You’re using a lot of needles.”
“No, no, it’s fine. They’re all acupoints.”
“Something’s dripping down my forehead.”
“Sweat, that’s all. Not blood, so don’t worry about it.”
I wiped his sweat away casually while running through the medical texts in my mind.
I remembered clearly how to make a Parasite-Killing Elixir. There were several prescriptions using the toxicity of medicinal materials to kill parasites.
If Yeon Ryang had no Poison Resistance, then the parasite lodged inside him would have none either—the logic held.
If the parasite had weakened, couldn’t it be removed without using extreme poisons?
This might actually work.
Yeon Ryang, lying quietly, asked in an odd tone.
“Sohye. Why are you smiling like that? It’s making me uneasy.”
I pulled my lips up into a grin and began.
“When wild animals get infected with parasites, what do they do?”
“Hm? Wild animals? I haven’t a clue.”
“They eat poisonous plants.”
“Eat poisonous plants?”
“Yes. They instinctively know that poison can kill parasites.”
“That’s remarkable. Animals really are clever when you think about it. But why are you telling me this?”
Yeon Ryang blinked, as if wondering why I was suddenly spouting nonsense.
“Because it’s a method nature itself has verified. Why don’t we try using poison?”
“What?”
“We use poison to melt the parasite to death, and before the toxin spreads through your body, Ju Ryeong draws out the poison.”
“So my dear sister is planning to kill me before the parasite does. How thoughtful.”
“I’m serious. If we control how fast the poison spreads, I think it could work.”
“So you’re controlling the speed of my journey to the underworld too?”
Yeon Ryang twisted his mouth as if telling me to stop joking, but when he saw my expression, his eyes narrowed.
“You’re serious, aren’t you? I’ve never heard of eliminating a parasite with poison.”
“I’ve never heard of it either, but poison is used to treat parasites. When you think about it, a parasite is a parasite.”
“This one is different from an ordinary parasite.”
“I know. But it still feeds off your body, and it can’t survive outside your body. Those things are the same.”
“That’s shoddy logic, but somehow it sounds convincing.”
“Can you suppress the poison for about half an hour so it doesn’t spread through your bloodstream? It’d be even better if we could gather the poison around where the parasite sleeps.”
“No. A few breaths, maybe, but not that long. I already told you—I have no Poison Resistance.”
“Then we need to finish it fast.”
My brow creased despite myself.
Grandfather could have known Yeon Ryang’s condition just by channeling his Inner Power through him, but I can’t.
Finding the right concentration that would be endurable for him yet lethal to the parasite would take time.
As my expression grew serious, Yeon Ryang spoke up in alarm.
“Are you serious? You’re really going to use poison on me?”
“Let’s try it. Whether they know it or not, the Martial Alliance or those monks, I’m far better with poison. I was the student the Poison King took under his wing after seventy years.”
“Your master is the Poison King, not you…….”
Yeon Ryang muttered under his breath. I pretended not to hear and asked instead.
“Do you know what ingredients go into the antidote your brother takes?”
“No idea. The antidote’s formula is a sect secret—even the Cult Patriarchs don’t know it, or so I’ve heard.”
“Then there’s no way around it. We’ll have to test them one by one.”
“……Test what?”
“Poisons. What else?”
“……Hold on. Wait just a moment, Sohye. Your brother hates anything to do with poison. He can barely stomach taking an antidote once every three months, and you want him to sample different poisons without knowing what they are?”
“Let’s try it. Come on, brother. We can’t spend the rest of our lives dancing to the tune of thugs who kidnap people and poison them into submission.”
“That’s not really something you should be saying, Sohye.”
I ignored Yeon Ryang’s mumbling and shot to my feet.
If I was going to restore Yeon Ryang and the Deposed Concubine’s bodies while also brewing poisons, I’d need to work fast.
“Call for me when you’re ready. I’ll come draw blood.”
“Sohye? I think you’d be better off just accepting the antidote than stirring up trouble. Sohye, are you listening to me? Sohye!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make it as painless as I can.”
With that, I strode out of the room.
Controlling people with parasites? That’s pathetic.
Let’s see who wins this time. You bastards of the Demonic Cult.

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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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