Chapter 16
16
Dang Jung, noticing my trembling, hid me in his sleeves. He seemed to mutter that I was a weak child.
I wanted to retort that it wasn't weakness but my body trembling against my will, but I couldn't bring myself to speak. I was genuinely terrified.
My body, having fainted once yesterday, was sending constant signals to flee from the renewed crisis. My heart pounded wildly, as if trying to escape my chest.
Dang Jung cut off the conversation, seeing my pathetic state.
"I don't care about the direct lineage nonsense, do as you please. I'll raise So-hye."
"Grandfather!"
"I won't say it twice."
Dang Mu-hyeok shouted, but Dang Jung ignored him and turned his back. The enraged Dang Mu-hyeok unleashed his fury at Dang Jung's back.
"I told you I couldn't allow it either. I was merely following the rules. Are you going to take her in, even if it means trampling on my authority as the Patriarch?"
Calling a person 'that thing', how rude.
Suddenly labeled 'that thing', I buried my face in Dang Jung's robes.
I wanted to unleash a torrent of curses, but Dang Mu-hyeok's sharp Qi made it difficult to even twitch a finger.
Dang Jung, patting my back soothingly, said in a low voice.
"Is this a matter of authority? How absurd. Mu-hyeok, remember where your authority comes from. The Council of Elders can take away the authority they gave you at any time."
"What does that mean!"
Enraged by the blatant threat, Dang Mu-hyeok slammed his desk.
Dang Jung's words were a warning that he could be removed from the position of Patriarch at any moment.
I heard the sound of the sturdy wooden desk shattering. However, Dang Jung left the Clan Head Hall without batting an eye.
The oppressive feeling that had been weighing me down gradually dissipated as we moved further away from the Clan Head Hall.
My skin tingled and felt numb, as if electricity was coursing through my body.
Dang Jung soothed me in a gentle voice.
"Breathe. That's right. Breathe, child."
When I still couldn't breathe properly, he quickly pressed on my head, back, and waist. It felt like he was pressing on pressure points.
Only then could I breathe. I coughed and gasped for air.
"Are you alright?"
"Haa, yes."
I'm fine, except for the feeling of pent-up frustration.
Wiping my mouth, I glared in the direction of the Clan Head Hall and gritted my teeth.
To treat his own daughter like that. He was a bastard with no sense of responsibility.
My fist clenched so hard that the veins stood out on the back of my hand. Dang Jung smiled contentedly as I gnashed my teeth in anger.
"That's right. A Dang Clan member should vent their anger when they're upset. Only the ruthless survive in this world, child."
His words, so far removed from common sense, drained my energy.
Why are you so pleased? Telling me to vent my anger when I'm upset, this family's education is a mess.
But having someone take my side felt pretty good. I smiled faintly, following his lead.
Dang Jung seemed relieved by my smile. He suggested,
"Shall we go see the flowers?"
"Flowers?"
"Yes. Training is out of the question today, so let's go for a stroll. Ms. Im... Ah, that old hag must have already gone to the Infinite. How about a trip to the back mountain?"
"Sounds good."
Anywhere outside the Tang Clan was fine with me.
I was grateful for Dang Jung's thoughtfulness in trying to lift my spirits.
Dang Jung readjusted me in his arms and lightly leaped over the wall.
I felt nauseous from the rapidly changing scenery. Closing my eyes helped a little.
Although I felt dizzy and queasy, my mood was fantastic. The sound of the wind rushing past my ears made my stuffy chest feel like it was bursting open.
"You can open your eyes now."
When I opened my eyes at Dang Jung's words, we were in a tranquil forest. I slowly looked around.
Wildflowers bloomed here and there among the trees that soared as if piercing the sky. Birdsong filled the air, and warm sunlight poured down.
Lifting my head, I saw a squirrel scurrying up a fir tree sprouting light green buds.
I touched the branches of a tree covered in flower buds. Spring had already arrived in full force.
"Do you like it?"
"Yes."
While I was looking around the forest, Dang Jung, sitting on a tree stump, rummaged in his sleeve and took out something. It was a pure white Gaiwan and a water bottle.
He roughly poured tea leaves and water into the Gaiwan, covered it, and wrapped his hands around it. Then, hot steam rose from the Gaiwan.
My curiosity, along with the rich aroma of tea, blossomed.
How did he do that?
I heard that Samadhi Fire is used to ignite Internal Martial Arts, but can you boil water if you use less power?
If you can delicately control your Internal Martial Arts, you don't need a kettle.
"Drink up."
"Grandfather, no, Grandfather."
"What is it?"
"Did you boil the water with your Internal Martial Arts?"
"Yes."
"Then can you freeze water too? Like Ice skill?"
"Are you making fun of this old man? You can do that without learning Ice skill."
Dang Jung shrugged and lifted a new Gaiwan. Then, a layer of white frost formed on the surface of the porcelain.
"Wow."
I want that. I wouldn't need an ice purifier.
Dang Jung chuckled at my admiration and stroked my head.
"I'll teach you later. You'll be able to do it soon."
His voice was kind, but the content was absurd.
Isn't this something only masters can do? In novels, people run away from masters who can only light a match at their fingertips.
Dang Jung's 'soon' and my 'soon' seem to be on different scales. About ten years.
Dang Jung, looking at me with an inscrutable expression, said,
"So-hye, listen carefully to what I'm about to say."
"Yes."
"I am serious about teaching you. I decided to do so even when I didn't know you were of the Tang Clan bloodline. Now that I know you have Tang Clan blood, I cannot let your talent go to waste."
His heavy voice made me straighten my back. I had a feeling that what Dang Jung was about to say was directly related to my life and death.
"You have Immunity to all poisons. You were born with a body that everyone in the Tang Clan dreams of. A perfect body that is impervious to any poison."
I quietly waited for Dang Jung to continue.
To a clan that raises its members on poison from childhood to build resistance, innate Immunity to all poisons seemed to be a talent.
Dang Jung, having brewed his own tea, opened the lid of the Gaiwan. He took a refined sniff of the tea and said in a low voice.
"From now on, I will teach you Poison skill. You are starting later than your siblings, but there is no need to worry. You won't have to roll around after eating poison like those brats, so it will be much faster."
"Yes."
"But maintain your status as a Maid. Don't attract attention until you can protect yourself. Be especially careful of Mu-hyeok's third Madam. Her methods are quite ruthless."
My mouth dropped open at the mention of the third Madam. I asked, almost protesting,
"Does my fath-, no, does the Patriarch have three Madams?"
Is this bastard crazy? He has three Madams and made an illegitimate child outside?
"Yes. Three. Haven't you met them?"
"No. I haven't."
So-hye may not have, but I certainly haven't, Grandfather. Dang Jung nodded as if understanding.
"It's alright. You lived quietly and lost your memories, so you may not know. Then let's consider this the first lesson."
Dang Jung put down the Gaiwan and picked up a stray branch. He drew a large circle on the dirt floor.
"We are the overlords of Sichuan. But we are not the only ones who reign in Sichuan. There are also Qingcheng and Emei. What must we do to not be pushed back by these two forces of the Nine Sects and One Gang?"
"I don't know. Increase the army?"
"The army? Haha, you speak as if you've read a book on military strategy. That's also correct. Having martial prowess that everyone fears is also an excellent method. But the most important thing is to increase our influence in Sichuan."
Only then did I understand why Dang Jung had mentioned the word 'lesson'.
He was explaining that the reason the Tang Clan Patriarch had three Madams was not because he was promiscuous, but for the benefit of the family.
"You mean they formed alliances with powerful forces through arranged marriages to increase their influence."
"Yes. You're clever."
Dang Jung said with satisfaction.
Grandfather, you called me stupid yesterday.
He continued his explanation, drawing on the ground.
"The current Patriarch's first Madam, Jegal Moran, is the precious daughter of the Jegal Clan. The second Madam, Ms. Im, is the esteemed daughter of the White Wind Merchant Guild, a prominent merchant guild in Sichuan, and the third Madam, Ms. Jo, is the youngest daughter of Jo Kwon, a wealthy man from Hunan. Most of the grain and cotton produced in Hunan belong to the Jo Clan. Tell me, what do you see?"
I pondered and fiddled with the Gaiwan. The daughter of the Five Great Families, the daughter of a merchant guild, and the daughter of a wealthy man.
Not everyone bound by the Five Great Families is equal. The marriage with the Jegal Clan was a kind of alliance. A political transaction to balance power.
And the reason for marrying the other two Madams was...
"Was it a marriage to secure funds and food and control the flow of goods?"
"You know ten things when I tell you one. That's right. Tang Clan marriages are like that. Calculating, and always seeking profit."
...So, am I supposed to understand why I became an illegitimate child? So-hye's mother, a courtesan, did not provide any benefit to the Tang Clan.
I bit my lip.
It wasn't Dang Jung's fault, but I couldn't help but feel disgusted by their way of thinking.
"Do you think they will only have their interests taken away? The three families are just as calculating. The current Patriarch's three Madams' lifelong goal will be to put their own children in the position of Patriarch and seize the power of the Tang Clan. So, be careful."
What does making their children the Patriarch have to do with me?
As I pondered, I realized. I wasn't the problem, Dang Jung was.
If the rumor spread that the reclusive Grand Elder was teaching an illegitimate child, they would see me as a thorn in their side. They might even try to eliminate me.
I was now in the middle of the power struggle of the Three Great Families.
