Surviving as the Villainess’s Servant in a Martial Arts Novel - Chapter 69

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 69

What happened after that flowed similarly to what I had told Seo Dan.

Following a man who said he would help find Grandmother, getting kidnapped, being locked in some strange room, being transferred by carriage several times, and finally shooting paralyzing needles to escape.

The only thing Sa-hyeon had overlooked was that the world wasn’t as novel-like as he had thought.

At first, Sa-hyeon had hope.

According to novels, there are many good people in the world. Even though he was currently captured by bad people, if someone discovered him, they would surely help.

However, hope was just hope.

In reality, Sa-hyeon was discovered by several people.

It was when they were switching carriages or when those men briefly got off to handle business, and Sa-hyeon, tears streaming down his face, clearly looked like he was being dragged away.

But no one stepped forward for Sa-hyeon.

Rather, they would startle upon seeing Sa-hyeon and the men, then quickly leave the area, or they would pretend not to notice, avoiding eye contact altogether.

Just once, he made eye contact with someone different. But that person stared intently at Sa-hyeon’s desperate eyes, then slowly turned his head away and muttered.

“Tch, how unlucky.”

Sa-hyeon could never forget those words.

As such situations repeated, Sa-hyeon gradually lost hope and finally realized.

‘Heroes are just illusions…’

There was no one in this world who would save him.

At the same time, Eom Father’s advice came to mind.

“There are hardly any people in the world who would risk danger for others. When you’re in danger, there won’t be anyone to help you. So you must protect yourself. Here are some hidden weapons I’ll give you…”

In the end, Sa-hyeon had no choice but to shoot paralyzing needles when they let their guard down and run away.

But they quickly noticed Sa-hyeon’s escape and closed the distance in an instant. Just when he thought he would be caught, his foot slipped and he fell down the mountain slope.

Fortunately, heaven didn’t abandon Sa-hyeon either, as there was a small rabbit burrow next to where he had fallen. Sa-hyeon hurriedly crawled into the burrow.

Sa-hyeon spent a full day inside the burrow.

Originally, he had planned to hide in the burrow for just a moment, but he had no choice but to stay still as he could hear the men’s voices nearby. He seemed to have fainted briefly as well.

When he came out of the burrow, the men had disappeared.

His whole body ached and his ankle especially hurt as if stabbed by a knife, but he had to escape quickly. Sa-hyeon limped and continuously went deeper into the mountain forest.

Then, when he finally couldn’t walk anymore.

Sa-hyeon collapsed under a tree.

Tears came.

‘Why did I do that?’

Why couldn’t he be suspicious?

Hadn’t Eom Father clearly said so? That outside was dangerous. That there were many bad people outside, so he shouldn’t trust people easily.

It was he himself who didn’t listen to that advice. It was also he who kept trying to go outside despite being told it was dangerous.

“Sniff…”

Only then did Sa-hyeon feel regret.

If this was how it would be, he shouldn’t have followed Eom Father. He shouldn’t have thrown tantrums about wanting to go outside.

No, if only he hadn’t had fantasies…

While sobbing and dwelling on regrets like that.

Rustle-.

“…!”

There, Sa-hyeon met.

That person.

“Are you… okay?”

That person’s first impression was ambiguous.

By build, they seemed three or four years older than Sa-hyeon, but looking at the face alone, they seemed like a man, yet seeing the skirt they wore, they also seemed like a woman.

Just like Sa-hyeon himself…

He realized in an instant.

‘Could that hyung also be cross-dressing due to unavoidable circumstances like me?’

Even while thinking such thoughts, that hyung kept talking to Sa-hyeon.

“A lost person?”

“I had an accident while traveling with family. I got swept away by the river and ended up drifting…”

“What about your parents? Who did you come with?”

At the last words, Sa-hyeon finally came to his senses.

Sa-hyeon was about to tell his situation without realizing it, but quickly shut his mouth. He remembered the people who had pretended not to see him being dragged away by the men.

‘What should I do? Should I tell the truth? But then that hyung will be scared too… What if I’m ignored again? Who can I ask for help? I can’t even walk now.’

When Sa-hyeon didn’t know what to do. Unexpectedly, it was hyung who changed the subject first.

“You’re injured!”

Really, it was an unexpected remark.

Having noticed it in the meantime, hyung was looking at Sa-hyeon’s ankle. Not only that, but he suddenly lifted the ankle and examined it from various angles.

Sa-hyeon was flustered. But something even more bewildering happened. Hyung began tearing his own clothes into long strips and started binding Sa-hyeon’s ankle.

‘What, what is this? Why…’

Hyung was even skilled with his hands. Somehow, as he carefully wrapped it around like a bandage, the pain really decreased like magic.

After tying a firm knot, hyung carefully lowered Sa-hyeon’s foot. Then he smiled brightly and said.

“How is it? Does it hurt less?”

For the first time, Sa-hyeon learned that a person’s smile could be so dazzling.

At the same time, he had this thought.

‘Can I trust this person?’

Wouldn’t they help if I asked for help?

Just once, just once more… if I place my hope.

“Please, help me!”

In the end, Sa-hyeon asked for help.

However, Sa-hyeon was cowardly. Having asked for help, he was afraid to tell the truth, so he left out important parts and made excuses.

The problem was that Sa-hyeon was bad at lying.

Sa-hyeon had lived his whole life in the mountains with little occasion to lie. So the more he lied, the more tangled his words became, and the expression of hyung listening to him became increasingly ambiguous.

When he finally couldn’t answer any questions as hyung sensed something strange, Sa-hyeon felt shame as if he had been stripped naked in front of others.

‘I’m screwed.’

Why did he lie when he couldn’t even do it properly? Wouldn’t it have been better to tell the truth?

But he was still too afraid to tell the truth. If hyung also turned away from him like other people, if he left him here and went away…

‘I’m a coward.’

When he finally mumbled words that were either excuses or pleas.

“That’s because I… huk.”

Hyung, who was about to answer, suddenly collapsed forward.

Sa-hyeon was very surprised. The hyung who had been perfectly fine just moments ago suddenly began writhing while clutching his chest.

Sa-hyeon called out to hyung in confusion, not knowing what to do, but soon learned the reason. There was a bluish handprint stamped on hyung’s disheveled chest.

Suddenly, content he had read in books flashed through his mind. Sa-hyeon shouted.

“Frostbite Palm!”

While doing so, he hurriedly searched his belongings and pulled out the Baedog Seokhaehwan that Eom Father had prepared for him.

Originally, this medicine was something Eom Father had prepared along with various hidden weapons in the beginning. It was in case Sa-hyeon accidentally stabbed himself while using hidden weapons, or conversely, got poisoned by an enemy.

However, Sa-hyeon had left those hidden weapons behind one by one while following villages several times, and eventually only carried the paralyzing needles in his sleeve and the Baedog Seokhaehwan.

‘I never thought I’d use it like this…’

Of course, hyung’s cold poison couldn’t be resolved with Baedog Seokhaehwan. To remove the cold poison that had seeped into his meridians, he had no choice but to receive proper treatment from a physician.

Fortunately, Eom Father was not only knowledgeable about poisons but also excellent in medical arts. Sa-hyeon’s expression brightened.

‘I might be able to help too.’

“That would be difficult.”

However, hyung declined Sa-hyeon’s proposal.

He said he had urgent business, that he could only take Sa-hyeon to a nearby village, and apologized repeatedly.

Actually, Sa-hyeon was grateful even for that. He hadn’t even dared to think of finding Eom Father who would be in Guangxi Province, and just thought anywhere would be good if he could escape from those men.

But hyung would have a hard time if he didn’t get treatment right away…

‘Does he have some circumstances?’

He said he was attacked by bandits, but actually, masters who use Frostbite Palm are very rare. Eom Father said that master was a demon who had spread infamy in the martial world and had hidden himself long ago.

But how did he end up getting hurt by a Frostbite Palm master? Perhaps this older brother also has circumstances he can’t speak of.

“I’ll give it to you.”

Instead of asking his older brother, Sa-hyeon offered the medicine.

Since he was also hiding his own circumstances, he had no face to ask. However, Sa-hyeon hoped that his older brother would no longer be in pain.

Because his older brother was a good person.

Because he was the one who recognized the injured Sa-hyeon and treated him first.

“Thank you for saying you’d help me. I was really happy.”

That first hand extended to him was truly…

Did his sincerity get through? His older brother looked dazed for a moment, then spoke with a gentle smile.

“This kid is making me shameless…”

It was fortunate that his older brother seemed happy too.

* * *

After that, his older brother carried Sa-hyeon on his back and set out on the road.

While walking the mountain path with his older brother, they shared various stories.

Sa-hyeon lied about his name, saying it was ‘Pyeong Hyeon’.

Since he was being pursued anyway, even if he revealed that fact, this name absolutely could not be discovered. He had roughly made it up from the meaning of being ordinary.

Still, his older brother affectionately called Sa-hyeon ‘Pyeong Hyeon’. Thinking that sound was pleasant to hear, Sa-hyeon secretly hoped.

‘I hope I can tell him my real name later…’

And there was one more fact he learned about his older brother—

“I’m a woman!”

His older brother… wasn’t an older brother but an older sister!

Sa-hyeon was more flustered than ever before.

Until then, Sa-hyeon had firmly believed that his older brother… no, older sister was a man.

Her behavior was uninhibited and bold, and even her hair was short, making it difficult to think of her as a woman.

Rather, because he thought she was an older brother, he had clung to her back so carelessly. Thinking she was the same gender, he had comfortably leaned against her back and even hugged her neck…

‘Wh-what should I do…!’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————