Surviving as the Villainess’s Servant in a Martial Arts Novel - Chapter 96

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 96

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Things went smoothly.

From somewhere, the bandits brought horses and a cart, loaded us who were tightly bound onto the cart, drove the horses to pull the cart and headed somewhere.

What was surprising was that the Mountain Hideout wasn’t that far away.

No wonder they came rushing all at once. We must have been closer to the Mountain Hideout than we thought.

‘Would it have been better to find it directly…?’

Still, they were taking us inside the Mountain Hideout themselves. I leaned back comfortably against the cart.

Before long, we arrived at the Mountain Hideout. A high wooden fence surrounded the Mountain Hideout, and when a bandit got off his horse and said something, one side of the fence opened and the cart entered.

Even after entering the Mountain Hideout, the cart continued for quite a while longer.

I pretended to lower my head while glancing around. After a while, the cart stopped.

Soon after, the rough shouts of bandits could be heard.

“Drag them down!”

The bandits held swords to our necks, grabbed the backs of our necks, and dragged us down from the cart. Then they dragged us forward.

There was a stone prison there.

Unlike the wooden houses around it, the prison was built with sturdy stone. Seeing the thick bricks stacked without gaps, it looked like it wouldn’t budge against most attacks.

When we entered through the iron gate, a corridor appeared. There were several more iron gates on both sides of the corridor, and the bandit took us to the iron gate at the end of the corridor.

The bandit opened the iron gate and threw us inside. While doing so, he threatened us.

“If you stay quiet, I’ll bring you food. But if you cause trouble and annoy this gentleman, know that you’ll starve!”

Bang-!

At the same time, the iron gate closed with a click.

They had firmly locked the door from outside. Soon the sound of the bandit walking down the corridor could be heard, followed by the sound of the outer iron gate opening.

Thud.

Even the outer iron gate was closed.

Darkness descended.

We were completely trapped.

“…”

I looked around without saying anything. Suddenly, someone’s long sigh could be heard.

“Our weapons were taken, we’re tied with rope… That iron gate doesn’t look like it can be opened easily, so there’s no way to escape. We can only hope that rescue comes quickly…”

“Rescue? Are you referring to the colleagues you mentioned before?”

At my question, Jegal-ye nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. Before coming here, I sent a messenger hawk just in case. I told them I would go to Yongcheok Fortress first, so please come quickly…”

“Tch, what a pointless thing to do.”

“Oh my, Peng! How is this pointless? What would have happened if I hadn’t sent the messenger hawk? We would have been restless and endured not knowing when they would release us!”

“…”

Normally Peng-ga would have shouted back angrily, but surprisingly he quietly kept his mouth shut. He seemed to know that the situation was serious too.

Only Jegal-ye was frustrated and kept sighing repeatedly. Jegal-ye soon spoke to me.

“I’m sorry to Jin-hyeong. We came expecting even this kind of situation, but for Jin-hyeong, isn’t this like a bolt from the blue? It would be good if we could at least get Jin-hyeong released safely…”

“I’m fine. Thanks to this, I got a good opportunity.”

“What?”

Jegal-ye blinked his eyes wondering what I meant. I just smiled brightly.

Then I suddenly took off the shoes I was wearing.

I leaned my body toward the shoes and felt inside, and a small dagger hidden at the bottom came into my hand. When I took out the dagger, Jegal-ye’s already round eyes became even rounder.

“No, no, Jin-hyeong. How did you…?”

“It’s truly fortunate that the bandits didn’t properly search my body, isn’t it?”

I muttered lightly and turned the dagger to start cutting the rope that bound my body. If it had been chains, it would have been troublesome, but I was really grateful that they only tied us with rope.

‘They probably trusted the stone prison.’

Before long, I quickly became free. When I went ahead and cut the ropes of the two people as well, both showed surprised expressions.

However, Peng-ga soon sent a suspicious look and asked in a prickly tone.

“You, what’s your identity?”

I smiled and didn’t answer. Instead, I brought up something else.

“So-hyeop, now that our arms and legs are free, can’t we go outside?”

“That’s true, but…”

Jegal-ye answered while looking flustered.

“Only our arms and legs are free, but we probably can’t get out of the stone prison. We can’t even put our heads through the small opening, and there’s a window on the side but it’s blocked with iron bars so we can’t do anything.”

“Ah, so you’re saying we just need to do something about the iron bars?”

“That’s right… Yes, yes?”

I approached the iron window without saying much.

Indeed, the window was large enough for an adult to pass through comfortably, but thick iron bars were embedded in it, making it seem impossible to do anything about.

But if I could bend those iron bars, it would be possible.

I firmly grasped the iron bars with both hands. I took a deep breath and drew up my internal energy. Internal energy circulated through my entire body and my arm muscles swelled tightly. I slowly pushed the iron bars.

Creak, creeak.

With the sound of scraping metal, the iron bars began to bend gradually. Surprised exclamations burst out from behind.

“Uh, uh…!”

Before long, the iron bars were wide open.

It was large enough for a body to fit through.

I looked back at the two people who had their mouths wide open and said.

“Honestly, I could bring down this stone wall by striking it with my palm force, but that would make a loud noise and all the bandits in the area might come running, so let’s end it at this level.”

“…”

“Come on, let’s quickly go over the window. The outer iron gate is locked, but the bandit said earlier that he would come to give us food, so we can take the opportunity to ambush him.”

“…”

The two people couldn’t say anything. When Jegal-ye finally opened his mouth.

“Who, who, who are you…”

Clank.

We all closed our mouths at the same time.

Creak- Thud.

A bandit had entered the stone prison.

Since he said he would give us food, I thought he would come much later, but the opportunity came faster than expected. In the distance, I could see the figure of a bandit holding bowls.

I exchanged glances with Jegal-ye and nodded. Instantly, Jegal-ye shouted.

“Hey there, who’s that?!”

“What, you’re still lively?”

“I have something to say! Please listen to me for a moment!”

The bandit hesitated in place. Perhaps because of the distance, or because the surroundings were dark, he didn’t seem to notice the state of the iron window yet.

It was an opportunity.

“You’re planning to take us as prisoners and make a deal with our family, right? Then please quickly contact our family! My family is the Jegal Family, you must have heard of it!”

“What? The Jegal Family?”

“That’s right, our Jegal Family is famous for being wealthy and rich. We can match whatever amount you want. I can’t stay in this dirty prison any longer!”

“Huh, really. I knew you were some noble Young Master, but to think you were a Young Master from such a big shot family. Wait, let me first discuss with my brothers… Huh?”

Only then did the bandit’s eyes widen as he approached the prison. It was because the iron chains attached to the iron window next to the iron gate were wide open.

When the bandit opened his mouth in shock.

“What, what’s this? Why is that… Ugh!”

Smack!

While the bandit was distracted, I had already come out through the iron window and struck the back of his head. I quickly pressed the bandit’s pressure points and said.

“Good, good. Young Master Jegal, I’ve thought this before, but your social skills are pretty good, aren’t they?”

“Thank you for the compliment… Jin-hyeong, why are you suddenly speaking informally?”

“Because there’s no need to do it anymore? And call me Dan-hyeong, not Jin-hyeong.”

“What?”

I chattered idly while searching the bandit’s belongings and pulled out a key. Then I put the key into the hole of the iron gate and turned it.

Click.

The key turned and the iron gate opened.

Two people with bewildered expressions came out through the iron gate. Especially Jegal-ye, who had been talking quite familiarly with me, had a confused look on his face.

I pretended not to notice that expression and continued speaking.

“Now, let’s go out through that iron gate over there. By the way, there will be bandits guarding the front too, so we need to handle them quickly. I caught a glimpse when we came in earlier – there were about two of them, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“….”

“That doesn’t mean we should fight recklessly outside though. As soon as we open the iron gate, let’s grab those two people and drag them into the stone prison to deal with them.”

“….”

“After we’re done, it would be best to switch clothes with the guys we caught and pretend to be bandits. You saw it earlier, right? The place is crawling with bandits. In situations like this, infiltration is better than a frontal assault….”

“The bandits.”

I was carefully explaining everything step by step for these pampered young masters when suddenly someone’s voice reached my ears. A rough, low voice.

It was Peng-ga with a frowning face.

“They were talking about Greedy Flower Bird. They said that Greedy Flower Bird, who has a weakness for women, would soon come to Yongcheok Fortress. He would surely covet Master Chae’s woman, so they needed to prepare thoroughly to prevent him from even getting close.”

“….”

“I wondered who they were talking about, but I didn’t realize he was right in front of me. Did you come to steal the beauty?”

Peng-ga said.

“Greedy Flower Bird.”

I grinned wickedly.

“You only figured that out now?”

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