I Became a Servant Against My Fate
I became a servant. Something that was never in my fate.
According to the laws of the gangho, I had knelt before the strong. And so I decided to serve Dan Hyunwoo as my master.
That didn’t mean I had sold my free-spirited Sapa soul along with it.
I could never like Dan Hyunwoo.
In fact, he was my enemy.
Yet because I followed that enemy’s orders, I was now running for my life.
‘Who would’ve thought I’d suffer this much in my lifetime!’
Yu Sucheon had fled across all of Hangzhou, knocking down dozens of pursuers along the way.
Those who couldn’t keep up with his qinggong had already fallen far behind.
Now, only the last of the three guardians and Peng Jinwoo remained on his tail.
Tadadadadot!
Yu Sucheon leaped into a large clearing.
The outermost edge of Hangzhou. A desolate place even the poor avoided.
Once he entered, Yu Sucheon stopped using qinggong.
“Huff! Huff!”
How long had he been running? At least two hours. The sun was already rising.
His internal energy was completely drained from using qinggong, and so was his mental strength.
But he could still smile.
Because his opponents were in the same state.
“Let’s settle this here.”
“Filthy Sapa bastard, using such underhanded tricks.”
“You didn’t follow me out of kindness either, did you? And you call yourself an orthodox practitioner.”
Srrrng.
Yu Sucheon drew his sword.
The guardian and Peng Jinwoo had already drawn theirs.
As dawn broke, the surroundings slowly brightened.
The three stood facing one another, none moving recklessly.
And the moment the sun crested the ridge—
Taang!
As if by agreement, all three moved at once.
The guardian and Peng Jinwoo closed the distance, pressing Yu Sucheon hard.
‘I knew they’d attack like this.’
While running, Yu Sucheon had simulated dozens, even hundreds of battles in his head.
In every one of them, he had lost.
But there had been one single scenario where he seized victory.
That was why he had chosen this clearing as the battlefield.
Yu Sucheon took a step back and smirked.
This clearing had once been a site where shizhi shui—shale oil—was mined. The ground was littered with stone fragments.
Instead of pointing his blade at Peng Jinwoo and the guardian, he swept it across the ground.
Pababak!
Dozens of stones, infused with internal energy, shot forward.
Peng Jinwoo flinched.
Normally, dodging them would have been easy. But there were too many stones scattered around, tangling his footwork.
‘So he lured us here on purpose.’
Pwaak!
“Kugh!”
Stones carrying internal energy slammed into the guardian’s forehead, philtrum, and entire body.
Unable to endure the pain of his body caving in, the guardian collapsed.
Peng Jinwoo, however, knocked the stones away with his sword.
Kang! Kaang!
The flying fragments left a thick cloud of dust.
Peng Jinwoo looked toward where Yu Sucheon had been standing.
But Yu Sucheon was nowhere to be seen.
Frowning, Peng Jinwoo turned his head at the sharp sound of wind being sliced—
Kaang!
Another stone flew at him.
“You damn bastard!”
After deflecting all the stones, Peng Jinwoo heard another coming from the left and thrust his sword in that direction.
Kaang!
The repeated same-style attacks were starting to irritate him.
The bastard was only launching stones in succession and refused to come closer.
In that case, Peng Jinwoo had only one option.
To throw stones back.
Kwagwak!
Peng Jinwoo spun and hurled stones in eight directions.
Thanks to that, the ground around him was swept clean of debris.
“A shallow trick. But this level of scheme won’t defeat me.”
Peng Jinwoo laughed.
The bastard must be bleeding from being hit by the stones.
Or so he thought.
Bwoong!
The sound of another stone flying. From the left.
Peng Jinwoo thrust his sword that way and let out a groan.
“Ugh… Why…”
A sword blade had pierced through his back and protruded from his chest.
His heart throbbed violently. Blood poured from his mouth.
Yu Sucheon’s blade had precisely silenced his heart.
The blade had come from the right, not the left.
More than the fear of death, Peng Jinwoo was curious why the blade had flown from the opposite direction.
His mind replayed the last fight he had with Yu Sucheon.
“I see… So that’s why he threw stones in so many directions… But they weren’t attacks. He was clearing the ground as the stones flew… He was creating a path for qinggong…”
The reason he himself couldn’t move while Yu Sucheon could close in quickly and stab his heart.
He had diligently cleared away the stone fragments that had hindered his steps and made a path.
Come to think of it, the bastard hadn’t used qinggong during the fight at all.
He had made them get used to his speed, then used qinggong at the very last moment.
“You sly fox… This is why people say Sapa bastards are dirty. Kugh!”
Peng Jinwoo collapsed, eyes wide with resentment.
At the same time, Yu Sucheon also fell.
The stones Peng Jinwoo had thrown earlier had struck his chest and legs.
“Huff! Huff! I barely won.”
The sky he looked up at while lying on the ground wasn’t blue.
It looked a different color because he was so exhausted.
Purple.
It must be because he had used up all his internal energy and his vision was darkening.
“Oh, right.”
Even though he felt like he would vomit from exhaustion, Yu Sucheon struggled to his feet.
He approached the guardian who was foaming at the mouth and unconscious, spread both index fingers, and shoved them into the man’s mouth.
Jjuuuk!
Then he ripped the guardian’s mouth apart.
Just as he had promised.
Go get it sewn up at the medical hall later.
Having done that, Yu Sucheon truly flopped onto his back.
He really couldn’t move anymore.
He closed his eyes and focused his internal energy on his dantian to calm the tangled qi.
‘That was close. I was about to draw on my innate true qi.’
Only a single drop of internal energy remained.
It had been a life-or-death gamble.
As he was thinking that, his vision went completely black.
Yu Sucheon opened his eyes, wondering if clouds had covered the sky.
There stood Dan Hyunwoo with his arms crossed, looking down at him.
“Pathetic.”
“Don’t be so harsh. As you can see, I killed Peng Jinwoo and became Hangzhou’s greatest expert.”
Yu Sucheon smiled as he answered.
It seemed Dan Hyunwoo had been watching the entire time.
Was he worried in his own way? Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here.
Dan Hyunwoo said, “Dongpo pork would be good for breakfast.”
“Dongpo pork takes a long time to braise. If I start now, it’ll be late.”
“Then make a simple porridge instead.”
Leaving only those words, Dan Hyunwoo disappeared.
He had probably deliberately chosen an easy dish.
But he still wasn’t going to let him rest.
Yu Sucheon got up and muttered toward where Dan Hyunwoo had been standing.
“I’ll serve the dongpo pork for dinner.”
Dan Hyunwoo looked at Cheon Ilseong’s face as if he had seen something strange.
“Why is your mouth like that?”
“I ripped it. As punishment for talking nonsense.”
Yu Sucheon answered.
Cheon Ilseong’s mouth, which had summoned the assassins, wasn’t torn enough to need medical stitches, but it now had a scratch that hurt sharply whenever he opened it.
Of course, that wasn’t all.
His entire body was covered in bruises from being beaten.
His legs limped, his arms weren’t normal either.
His eyes were so swollen he could barely see, and perhaps his ears were damaged too—Yu Sucheon had to shout every time he gave an order.
Yu Sucheon continued.
“Since I already touched him, I made him like a daughter-in-law suffering under her mother-in-law—deaf for three years, mute for three years, blind for three years.”
Yu Sucheon clenched his fist as if to ensure the man would keep his mouth shut for the next three years.
Whether this bastard realized it was fortunate he hadn’t been killed was unknown.
Yu Sucheon smacked the back of Cheon Ilseong’s head and said, “Can’t you do it properly? Do you think ingredients grow on trees? Hurry up and slice the meat, then go outside and sweep!”
“U… Understood, sir.”
With a tearful face, Cheon Ilseong sliced the meat with trembling hands.
It seemed this bastard still didn’t know how terrifying his mother-in-law, Jin Yeongyeong, could be.
Dan Hyunwoo watched Cheon Ilseong limp out to sweep, then spoke to Yu Sucheon.
“What about the Yongmun Sect’s movements?”
“They’re quiet. Since there’s no martial artist stronger than their patriarch, they can’t even dream of revenge. They won’t do anything for a while.”
“Did Cheon Ilseong spill everything?”
“With Peng Jinwoo dead, he’d be a fool not to talk. He said they planned to monopolize all the fabric in Hangzhou and the Yongmun Sect. They were going to use the name of the Danhwa Silk Shop. The Yongmun Sect invested quite a lot of money, but once the Mokhwa Merchant Group fell into the Dan family’s hands, Peng Jinwoo stepped forward.”
“I’ll leave Cheon Ilseong to you from now on.”
“I’ll also keep a close eye on the Yongmun Sect. They aren’t the type to just take a beating and stay quiet.”
Dan Hyunwoo nodded.
As their conversation ended, Eun Doyun happened to return from the academy.
Perhaps because it was his first time attending, he was grinning from ear to ear.
When Eun Doyun spotted Dan Hyunwoo, he ran over in a single breath.
“Thank you, Uncle. I never dreamed I would get to attend the academy.”
“Study hard. Once you finish learning the Thousand Character Classic, I’ll teach you martial arts.”
“Really? Just give me three months. I’ll master the Thousand Character Classic by then.”
“Hahaha. Word will spread that a genius has been born in the Dan family.”
Dan Hyunwoo habitually ruffled Eun Doyun’s hair.
Eun Doyun smiled brightly.
“I’ll go inside and memorize it right away. You absolutely must not forget your promise to teach me martial arts!”
“I’ll remember it well.”
Eun Doyun grabbed his books and hurried into his room.
His passion for martial arts was no less than Dan Hyunwoo’s had been at that age.
I’ll teach you well, so please don’t run away from home.
“Brother, let’s have some tea.”
Just then, Dan Seoyeon brought tea and sat on the veranda.
Seeing her smile at him, it looked like she had something to say.
When he sat beside her, Dan Seoyeon spoke a little shyly.
“I don’t know how to express my gratitude. I always felt heartbroken that I couldn’t let Doyun study… but you not only enrolled him in the academy…”
“Don’t worry about it. He’s a precious nephew to me too.”
“Nephew is one thing, but Brother, you should also think about getting married, having children, and passing the position of family head.”
“I plan to pass the position of family head to Doyun. I’ve already told Yu Sucheon and the others to call him the young patriarch.”
“To Doyun?”
“I abandoned the Dan family for a long time. It’s only right that you and Doyun, who protected it all this time, inherit the position.”
“Brother…”
Dan Seoyeon’s eyes grew red.
Her brother had always been like this.
Even when they were young, he yielded everything to her and granted whatever she wanted.
The only thing he hadn’t yielded was his desire for martial arts.
Now he was blaming himself for not abandoning that desire and was giving up everything again.
She tried hard to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
But then Dan Hyunwoo suddenly stood up.
“Brother?”
Dan Hyunwoo’s senses had caught a familiar presence.
His one and only childhood friend with whom he had played together.
The presence of the boy who had lived right next door.
Dan Hyunwoo broke into a bright smile like the boy he had been twenty years ago.
“Seoyeon, I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Will it take long?”
“I’ll be right back. Brew one more cup of tea.”
Dan Hyunwoo walked out the gate.
There stood a guy whose face was so ugly that once seen, it was forever burned into one’s memory.
They had lived with only a wall between them. He was the ugliest in the neighborhood, but his heart was as beautiful as the silk produced by the Dan family.
That was why they had always been together.
He was also the only one who had cheered him on when Dan Hyunwoo decided to learn martial arts.
Recalling the past, Dan Hyunwoo approached him.
The other man stared at Dan Hyunwoo’s face for a moment before breaking into a bright smile.
“You… Are you Hyunwoo?”
“Yeah, it’s me. You ugly bastard. How have you not changed at all? No, wait—did you actually get uglier?”
“Hahaha. Where would this face go? But you really came back?”
“I missed home so much I couldn’t stand it.”
“Didn’t you miss me?”
“I missed you enough to see you in my dreams sometimes.”
Dan Hyunwoo pulled his friend into a tight embrace.
He hated something as stiff as a handshake.
He wanted to feel and touch his friend’s back.
That reliable back of his.
Even after so many years, it was still the same.
Old memories came flooding back.
Before he ran away from home, he had asked this guy a favor.
If Seoyeon cried because he was gone, to comfort her well.
He had earnestly asked him to take good care of her.
That friend.
A friend he had trusted that much.
He was grateful that such a friend was still in this place.
That the things that should be in their proper place were still there—this was what he was most grateful for.
He didn’t shed tears.
Instead, he laughed as much as the years they had been apart.
Looking back, he was the only one he could share words with that he couldn’t even say to his family.
He had missed him. He had missed him so much.
“Let’s go inside and have some tea! I told Seoyeon to brew another cup.”
“Shall we?”
Dan Hyunwoo grabbed his friend’s arm and led him into the Dan family manor.
“Seoyeon, did you brew another cup?”
“It’s here, Brother.”
“Do you remember this guy? My friend.”
“Of course.”
At Dan Hyunwoo’s introduction, Dan Seoyeon looked at his friend and blushed.
Shyly, Dan Seoyeon spoke to him.
“You… have you been well?”
“I… I have.”
His friend also blushed as he answered.
Why were these two acting like this? Have you been well?I have. It felt strangely off.
Dan Hyunwoo asked Dan Seoyeon, “Now that I think about it, I don’t remember hearing Doyun’s surname.”
“It’s… Eun Doyun.”
So it was Eun.
And the name of this ugliest friend in all of Hangzhou was Eun Hyeongyeom.
Dan Hyunwoo’s expression instantly hardened.
Thud!
And with a fist as hard as his stiffened expression, Dan Hyunwoo’s punch landed squarely on Eun Hyeongyeom’s face.
“You were Doyun’s father?! I told you to take good care of Seoyeon, not to take responsibility for her! You damn bastard!”