Chapter 36
36
The gazes pouring down on me made my face tingle. The entire Council of Elders was looking at Dang Jung and me.
Most of them were old men with grizzled white hair, but their spirit was no less than that of young Martial Artists.
[Stand up straight. You must show a dignified appearance.]
At Dang Jung's telepathic transmission, I stretched my neck and straightened my upper body.
An old man with a long beard greeted Dang Jung with a respectful fist salute.
"Have you arrived, Elder?"
"Wonju."
Dang Jung nodded slightly.
It was a strange sight, an old man treating a child with such courtesy, but no one found it odd.
It was the respect that should naturally be shown to the Tang Clan's oldest member and foremost expert.
"Please, take a seat."
"Come here."
Dang Jung beckoned to me, then wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. As his hand touched me, it became easier to breathe. It felt like he was blocking the Qi pouring down on me.
[Take a deep breath, and don't avoid Wonju's gaze.]
Dang Jung, after giving me a hint, raised his chin with an arrogant expression. Dang Jung slowly looked around the conference hall and opened his mouth.
"It seems everyone is here."
"Yes. Everyone is present as you commanded. If you called us all personally, it must be an important matter."
"Indeed. It concerns the disposition of a Martial prodigy who will elevate the Tang Clan's name."
The gaze of the old man called Wonju reached me. He narrowed his eyes as if assessing my worth, scanning me up and down.
"A Martial prodigy, you say? He looks ordinary."
"This child possesses Immunity to all poisons, Wonju. I found him in the servants' quarters."
At Dang Jung's words, murmurs erupted from all around.
"Immunity to all poisons?"
"I thought it was just a legend. Is such a state possible?"
"Since it is the Poison King's word, there is no need to doubt its truth."
"Hoo. I want to see if it's true with my own eyes. Can I feed that child the Eight deadly poisons? I happen to have an improved Seven treasure soul severing powder."
"Ahem, Third Elder. Please say such things where there are no people."
…I think I heard something strange. Who's the bastard trying to do a live experiment on me?
As Dang Jung's eyebrows twitched, the Council of Elders Chief quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Is that so? I understand your intentions, Elder. But inducting a Maid of unknown origin into the Tang Clan…"
"It seems you didn't hear me properly. This child is the Patriarch's daughter."
"Yes?"
"Then she's that child from the Moon Scent Pavilion."
"Ah, that courtesan… No wonder she's so pretty. She's the spitting image of her mother."
Some people frowned as if remembering past events.
"I heard she died, but she was alive?"
"It's a miracle she survived. I heard she was locked in a detached palace and fed Crane top red."
"If she's really that child, she may have developed resistance due to the poisons her mother ingested. It's worth researching."
It was a conversation close to a whisper, but it was a story I couldn't ignore. I clenched my teeth.
What the hell is this crazy talk?
Dang Mu-hyuk, did that insane bastard try to kill his pregnant woman and the child in her womb with poison?
I felt nauseous with disgust. If what they said was true, my Immunity to all poisons wasn't something I was lucky enough to be born with.
It was the trace of a woman, a mother, enduring to protect her child.
As my fingertips trembled slightly, Dang Jung frowned.
"Noisy."
Everyone shut their mouths at the voice imbued with Inner Energy. Dang Jung looked at the Council of Elders Chief and said slowly.
"I intend to accept this child as my disciple. Therefore, I created this place to formally request her induction to the Patriarch. She inherited the blood of the direct line, and she is a born Martial prodigy, so I believe she is qualified enough."
"Hmm… Of course. We cannot lose an Immunity to all poisons that the Elder has personally guaranteed."
The Council of Elders Chief, who seemed to be agreeing, soon changed his words with a troubled face.
"But if the Council of Elders comes forward to demand her induction, we may be misunderstood as trying to interfere in the succession issue. You must act with caution."
"Even a stray dog pissing on a wall would be better than the current Heir Apparent, so what's there to misunderstand?"
"Pfft."
"Cough!"
Several Elders twitched their faces, suppressing laughter at Dang Jung's blunt assessment.
It seemed Dang Young-ho's reputation was terrible even among the Grand Elders.
The Council of Elders Chief also nodded.
"Of course, that's true… But the Patriarch will resist."
The Council of Elders Chief repeated interjections such as "Heo," "Hmm," and stroked his beard. He seemed to be choosing words that would not offend Dang Jung.
As the Council of Elders Chief's silence grew longer, another Elder interjected.
"We know that you have no impure intentions, Elder. But I'm not sure if others will accept it that way."
"What do you mean?"
"If you induct your direct disciple to the Patriarch, everyone will think that you are trying to establish a successor yourself. So, if you promise not to interfere in the next Patriarch issue…"
"Insolent."
Dang Jung's voice turned cold.
"Elder Dang Gak. Your words sound like this old man is trying to control the family by using a child as an excuse. Do I look like an old man who can't tell the difference?"
"Ah, no. Elder. How dare I have such thoughts."
The Elder called Dang Gak sweated profusely and avoided his gaze.
Despite his excuses, Dang Jung did not hide his anger and raised his voice.
"There's no need to hear more. Promise? What are you presumptuously demanding? Do you think I came here to ask for your permission? Move before I kick your asses! Whether you grill or boil the Patriarch, get her inducted! You bunch of morons!"
Dang Jung, spitting out curses while panting, took me out of the conference hall as it was.
Bang!
The door closed with a loud noise as if it would be smashed.
I knew Dang Jung's personality was bad, but I didn't know it was this bad, so I was taken aback.
…Weren't you holding a meeting? It just seems like you were venting your anger. Isn't this a 'do it if I tell you to'?
Unlike my leisurely thoughts, my body didn't listen. As soon as I left the conference hall, my legs lost strength.
The moment my knees buckled and I was about to fall, Dang Jung quickly caught me.
I leaned on Dang Jung and sighed.
"Well done."
"Wow, I thought I was going to die. My whole body is tingling."
"You won't die from that much."
Unlike his grumpy reply, he carefully readjusted his hold on me. His touch, sending True energy into my body, was delicate.
As the warm Qi spread throughout my body, I felt a little better.
"Haaa."
"...You're making sounds like an old man in a bath."
Dang Jung, making a sullen expression, slung me over his shoulder and crossed the wall.
But even after moving away from the Council of Elders, the trembling in my body didn't stop easily. Dang Jung, who was patting my back, asked worriedly.
"Are your arms and legs numb? You must tell me immediately if you feel uncomfortable."
"I think I'll be fine if I rest a little. But, Grandfather."
"What is it?"
"How do you wear Long robes? The sleeves are so wide that I can't lift my arms."
"..."
Dang Jung frowned as if wondering what nonsense I was talking about.
Now he's cursing with his face.
I mumbled an excuse.
"...It's true. It's really heavy."
"Try to adapt on your own."
"Can I change my clothes as soon as I get to my residence?"
"Yes."
Dang Jung, making a deflated sound, rubbed his forehead as if he was dumbfounded.
* * *
Dang Jung's threat to move before he kicked their asses was definitely effective.
Before long, the Chief Steward came rushing over.
"Have you been well, Elder?"
"Isn't that Suk-kyung? How have you been?"
"I'm always the same. I heard about it through my younger brother, but I was incompetent and couldn't greet you for a long time. Please forgive me."
"It's alright. You wouldn't have the mind to take care of this old man. How's the Chief Steward job going?"
"It's only been twenty years, so there's still a lot I don't know. Please teach me a lot, Elder."
"Has it already been that long? Children grow up so fast. It feels like just yesterday they were crying with snot running down their noses."
Elder. That middle-aged man has a lot of white hair.
Dang Jung, who nonchalantly treated the middle-aged man like a snot-nosed kid, tilted his chin and asked.
"The reason you came to see this old man must be one thing. What did that Mu-hyuk say?"
"He said to do as you wish, Elder."
The Chief Steward answered politely. Dang Jung nodded with a face that said he knew it would be like that.
"What about the detached palace?"
"It's being cleaned. You'll be able to use it tomorrow."
"Have you chosen the maids?"
"Madam Jin said she would send her own maids, but…"
"No. Maids who already have a master are not allowed. Who knows what tricks they might play. Rather, take a Maid and teach her."
"Yes. I will do so."
Dang Jung, who commanded firmly, turned his gaze to me.
"Young Miss. Who was the friend who shared a room with you?"
"Yes? Songji?"
"Did you hear that? Bring her."
"I understand. Elder."
"Is there anyone else you want to bring?"
"I don't have any other friends… Hmm. Kyung-ah?"
"Did you hear that? Bring her."
"I understand."
The Chief Steward wrote down the names of Songji and Kyung-ah with an extremely businesslike expression.
"Is there anything else you want to command?"
"Let's see. I'll send Geun-myeong if I think of anything."
"Yes. Then I will take my leave. Please rest comfortably, Young Miss."
"Yes? Yes."
He bowed to Dang Jung and then bowed to me.
Seeing the Chief Steward being polite to me made me feel dazed.
When I first went to Gwan Ga Won, the Chief Steward and Madam Jin were superiors who were difficult for a Maid like me to talk to.
But now, both of them were treating me as the family's Young Miss.
As I was spacing out, Dang Jung asked.
"Why do you have that face?"
"I feel a little strange. My position has suddenly changed."
"This is just the beginning. Everything around you will change, so adapt."
He replied casually.
As Dang Jung said, everything began to change after that.
