Surviving as a Maid of the Sichuan Tang Clan

The next day, and the day after that, Tang Un’s pharmacology lessons kept going.

Cassia bark, mica, poria, stone sweet flag, alum......

By the time I returned to the annex, muttering and memorizing names of ingredients I’d never even heard of in my life, it was late afternoon.

“Ah, my, my lady......! Y-you’re...... back......! I-I...... p-prepped...... a snack.......”

Gyeonga waved happily and trotted over, holding out a small basket filled with fried rice puffs. They still had warmth in them, like they’d just come out of the oil.

“Thanks, Gyeonga. Deokju, you eat too.”

“I’m fi—mmph.”

“Here. Your saliva’s on it now, so chew. Gyeonga, you too. Say ‘ah.’”

I popped one fried puff into each of their mouths, then stuffed my own in and chewed.

Gyeonga swallowed with a bright, goofy grin and said cheerfully, “P-please...... e-eat...... a lot...... You...... need strength...... and...... you s-still...... haven’t...... practiced...... flinging...... coins...... yet.......”

Then she brought out a bundle of coins and handed it to me.

...Today, I was going to try to slide past it. How did she know?

I put on a smile that had absolutely no soul in it and headed for the pond.

In the small pond, the colorful carp Tang Geunmyeong had moved in were gliding lazily through the water.

Sunlight shimmered softly across the surface.

Holding a coin lightly between my fingers, I backed up twenty steps from the pond and took a deep breath.

I held it, threw—

The coin sliced through the air, punched the water, and smacked a carp right on the head.

Oh. Oh! Did I hit it?

My excitement lasted exactly one second.

The coin went TING and bounced right back out of the pond. Gyeonga mumbled with a mournful face.

“S-so...... h-hard-headed.......”

“The fish’s head must be insanely tough. It bounced that off.”

At my grumbling, Deokju spoke up like she was trying to comfort me.

“You’ve improved a lot compared to the beginning. You’re hitting them even from twenty steps away now.”

When I thought about the time I couldn’t hit a fish even with my face right over the water, it really was a huge improvement.

But I didn’t want to be satisfied with this.

Compared to the level Tang Jung had shown, my current skill was worse than a baby who’d only just learned to wobble upright.

Okay. Practice.

I steeled myself and pulled out another coin—then Gyeonga, who’d been watching, tilted her head.

“B-but...... my lady...... do you...... h-have...... to...... hold it...... l-like that......?”

“Huh? Is there another way?”

“Of course...... There is...... Want me...... to s-show you......?”

“Yeah. Show me.”

Her confidence immediately sparked my curiosity.

Could Gyeonga throw hidden weapons?

Or did she have some other way to “use” coins?

As I stared at her, she smiled and pulled something out of her pocket.

“T-this...... is enough.......”

“What is that?”

“S-snowbell...... berries...... If you...... d-do it...... l-like this......”

Gyeonga crushed the berries against a rock and tossed the mashed pulp into the pond.

And the fish in the pond flipped belly-up and floated to the surface.

“Uh...... wait.......”

A lot of them floated up.

Gyeonga’s face flushed bright red in panic.

“Gyeonga. The fish are all dead.”

“I...... p-put...... t-too much.......”

She mumbled and fidgeted her fingers, watching my expression.

...If Grandfather comes back, you’re getting scolded.

I smacked my lips.

“The effect is definitely real. Thanks for telling me. What did you call the berries?”

“S-snowbell...... tree.......”

“The fish won’t come back to life, right?”

“It looks like they died instantly.”

“Yeah, it does. Should we clean it up for now?”

“I-I’ll...... g-go...... g-get...... a dip net......!”

Gyeonga stomped in place, then bolted for the shed in a fluster.

Crouching by the pond, I sank into a very real 고민.

How do we deal with this? Do we have to secretly replace them with new fish?

As I scratched my head and traded a look with Deokju, a familiar voice reached my ears.

“Are you too lazy to train hidden weapons? I told you not to use tricks, and you go and use poison application instead.”

“Grandfather?”

It was Tang Jung.

The second I saw him, my body moved before my brain. I shot up, ran over, wrapped my arms around him, and started hopping in place.

“Grandfather! When did you get back? Did you just arrive?”

At my over-the-top reaction, Tang Jung let out a dry laugh.

“My goodness? Anyone watching would think your grandfather died and came back to life. I was gone for a few days and you’re making this much fuss?”

“A few days can feel like a whole year, you know. I really, really, really missed you.”

Because in this family, you’re the closest thing to normal I’ve got. Everyone else is out of their minds.

“What? Hahaha, you little thing. You’re getting more spoiled by the day.”

Tang Jung laughed like I was saying the funniest nonsense and patted my head.

I quickly inspected him.

His green robes with gold-thread embroidery were as neat as ever, and there wasn’t even a small scratch on his face.

Seeing him perfectly fine loosened something in my chest.

Thank god. It must’ve been nothing.

When I finally let go, Tang Jung exclaimed like he’d just remembered.

“Ah, right. I brought you a gift.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. I tucked it in here, but......”

Muttering, Tang Jung slid a hand into his sleeve and rummaged around. The wide sleeve shifted—then something glossy and sleek popped out.

A black sable.

“SQUEE!”

It flailed wildly, limbs kicking.

...A sable is my gift?

When I blinked in shock, Tang Jung thrust it toward me like, Look carefully.

“Well? Madam Im said children your age want to raise animals. She said you’d probably hate snakes and spiders, so I brought you a furry one.”

“K-KREE! KREEE!”

“Be still. Do you want me to turn you into a scarf?”

Annoyed, Tang Jung flicked the sable on the head.

The sable instantly went quiet, curling itself up with a pitiful, suffering expression.

“Um...... Grandfather? Am I... raising this?”

“Yes. It understands human speech. If you keep it with you, you’ll feel less lonely.”

“Ah......”

A sable. Suddenly. Raise it.

Well. If he tells me to raise it, I raise it. Sure. I raise it.

When my reaction stayed lukewarm, Tang Jung hurriedly added, flustered.

“Ahem—this one isn’t an ordinary sable. It’s a spirit creature trained to track Ten-Thousand-Mile Tracking Scent.”

“What’s Ten-Thousand-Mile Tracking Scent?”

“It’s a medicine made by combining substances that produce a scent humans can’t detect. If you rub it on an enemy, you can track them for at least four months.”

“Ohhh. Yep.”

So... basically GPS tracking. I don’t think I’ll ever need that, though.

“Even if you get the tracking scent on you, this one will alert you. If you tell it to find a path, it’ll find it. It can also serve as a Poison-Avoidance Pearl.”

“Poison-Avoidance Pearl?”

“Yes. You, Sohae, are immune to poisons, so you won’t need it—but it will absorb and neutralize poisons around you. It likes eating poison. So in an emergency, its inner core—”

“SQUEE! SKREEEE!”

The sable howled like, What are you even saying? and tears started dripping down its face.

I was honestly impressed.

“It really understands you.”

“It does, I’m telling you.”

Whether the sable cried or not, Tang Jung didn’t care. He simply handed it to me.

I carefully accepted it.

It sniffed at my hand—then scurried up my arm and perched on my shoulder. Its soft tail tickled the back of my neck.

“H-hey. That tickles. Don’t move your tail.”

“SQUEEK.”

The sable wriggled for a while, like it was trying to find the most comfortable position, then placed its front paws on the top of my head and went limp.

The warmth against my scalp made it feel like I was wearing a fur hat.

“Grandfather. It’s like a plush toy.”

“Don’t underestimate it just because it looks docile. A sable is a fierce beast. Even ordinary ones hunt wild boars in packs—vicious creatures. That one is a spirit creature. It could easily handle a third-rate martial artist on its own.”

“Seriously? What if it jumps me?”

“I already put it in its place.”

At Tang Jung’s words, the sable shuddered all over. Sounds like a lot happened on the way to the Tang estate.

Tang Jung waved a hand like he was telling me not to worry, then crossed his arms.

“That one was born unable to not like you. It’s drawn to poison. Your internal energy will feel like a sweet sachet to it. Anyway, give it a name. It’s yours now.”

A name......

I kneaded the sable’s fur between my fingers and said, “It’s black, so... ‘Blackie’... is a little much, right? What about ‘Black Pup’?”

“That sounds like a dog’s name.”

Tang Jung answered without mercy, shaking his head.

“Then... ‘Midnight’?”

“Do you have to put a color in it?”

Tang Jung frowned.

The sable also seemed to hate my naming sense—it grabbed my hair and yanked hard.

“Hey! Don’t pull. I’ll name you again.”

“SKREE!”

I tapped its paws lightly and fell into deep thought. After a long moment of agonizing, a name finally came to me.

“Cane. What about Cane?”

“A cane?”

“Yeah. You said it can find paths for me. If we’re going far away, it’ll help me like a walking stick would.”

Tang Jung nodded like it wasn’t bad.

“That’s a fine name. Do that.”

“What do you think? You like it?”

“PRRRR.”

As if it liked the new name, the sable rubbed its face against my cheek.

The soft fur made my nose itch like I was about to sneeze. I rubbed my nose and tried to push Cane away.

“Ugh, you’re like a dust mop. It itches. Back up a little.”

“SKREE!”

Even when I scolded it, Cane didn’t run. It clung tighter.

Watching me bicker with Cane, Tang Jung smiled with quiet satisfaction.

“Raise it well. And don’t worry about the pond. Geunmyeong will clean it up.”

The moment he finished speaking, Tang Geunmyeong appeared, expression flat as ever, and took the dip net from Gyeonga.

Tang Jung and Tang Geunmyeong both acted like nothing happened.

But somehow, I still felt self-conscious.

Gyeonga and I exchanged looks and awkwardly rolled our eyes around.

...Sorry, sir.

I smacked my lips, offering an apology no one would hear.