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Chapter 19
“This brat!”
Dang-yeong shoved me hard in the back.
My body lurched forward, my vision tilting violently.
‘W-wait, what?’
This was bad.
There was a pond right in front of me—
the same pond where I’d just been watching the koi fish swim peacefully!
And he pushed me there? That jerk!
I flailed, reaching out for something to grab, but of course the very person who’d pushed me—Dang-yeong—made no move to help.
‘I-I’m gonna fall!’
I flapped helplessly, squeezing my eyes shut in reflex.
But then—
‘…Huh?’
Why wasn’t I falling?
Cautiously, I opened my eyes.
Someone was holding onto me, suspending me above the pond.
I twisted my head around to see who it was.
“Good grief.”
“Huh…?”
“Don’t shove your little sister, Dang-yeong.”
Blinking in confusion, I stared at the man holding me.
The one who’d saved me from falling into the pond was none other than—
“…Brother Ho?”
“Oh! You even know my name?”
He was Dang Ho, the second son of the great lady Dang Soyong and the head of the Medical Hall, Dang Sayuk—
and my cousin, just like Dang-yeong.
It was the first time I’d ever seen him this close, so I flailed a little, embarrassed.
“Up you go.”
He gently set me down beside the pond, far enough away that I couldn’t slip in again.
The careful distance made it clear—he was being considerate.
“B-Brother!”
Dang-yeong looked at him, his face pale.
Dang Ho let out a long sigh and strode toward him.
“Why did you push your sister?”
“T-that’s…”
“You must have a reason?”
“T-that girl—!”
That was as far as he got before Dang Ho’s gloved fist came crashing down on his head.
“Argh!”
“Watch your mouth in front of your brother. Speak without those vulgar words.”
Dang-yeong rubbed his head, eyes tearing up.
From behind Dang Ho, I stuck my tongue out at him.
Serves you right.
“Y-you little—!”
“Oh? Another outburst?”
Dang Ho narrowed his eyes.
Dang-yeong shrank back, rubbing his sore head.
“That brat Dang Bi—she killed my pet centipede!”
“Dang Bi did? How?”
“She took a snake out of her sleeve and made it eat him! I raised him carefully! I searched all through the Thousand Poison Forest to find him!”
The Thousand Poison Forest belonged to the Tang family; it was where they cultivated countless poisonous herbs, plants, and creatures.
Only direct members of the Tang clan were allowed to enter freely—so Dang-yeong, being one of them, could come and go as he pleased.
So that’s where he got all that creepy stuff from.
Diligent, sure—but disgusting. I clicked my tongue.
He immediately noticed and yelled,
“Hey!”
“Don’t raise your voice.”
“B-but—!”
“Quiet. So in summary—
you brought your pet centipede to bully a younger sister who’s a head shorter than you,
and she killed it, so you decided to push her into a pond?”
“It wasn’t Dang Bi, it was her snake!”
“So you got mad and tried to drown her. That’s your excuse?”
“……”
“Unbelievable. I’ll report this to Uncle. Grandfather will hear about it too.”
“B-Brother!”
“Enough. Go reflect on what you’ve done. Be grateful it ends here.”
At Dang Ho’s stern tone, Dang-yeong scowled but lowered his head.
Dang Ho stepped closer, eyes glinting.
“What’s this? You’re still glaring?”
“N-no, sir.”
Dang-yeong scrubbed at his eyes with his sleeve.
I couldn’t help admiring how Dang Ho turned the wild, unruly Dang-yeong into an obedient puppy in mere seconds.
Come to think of it, there are only three people he’s afraid of—
Tang Rip, Tang Ho, and Grandfather.
For some reason, Dang-yeong feared the twins Tang Rip and Tang Ho far more than our father, aunts, or any other adult.
Maybe they established dominance when they were kids.
But Tang Rip was busy managing the Venom Dragon Pavilion,
and Tang Ho rarely stayed in the Tang estate,
so neither had time to discipline him.
If Brother Ho had been around to straighten him out more often, Dang-yeong wouldn’t have turned out this bad…
I sighed, watching Dang-yeong slink away.
He glanced back repeatedly, making a gesture—pointing at his own eyes with two fingers, then at me.
What’s that supposed to mean?
“See you next time?”
“You mean, see you next time?”
“……!”
“Hey, hurry up and get moving.”
When Dang Ho scolded him, Dang-yeong stopped looking back and ran off like his tail was on fire.
Now, only Dang Ho and I were left by the pond.
An awkward silence settled between us.
“……”
As I mentioned, it was my first time seeing the Tang twins this close—
and probably their first time seeing me, too.
I rarely left my quarters,
and at only eight years old, I mostly stayed indoors.
Still, he’d helped me, so I had to thank him!
I looked up quickly.
“!”
“Oh.”
Our eyes met—his bright with amusement.
“Hello.”
“Ah, h-hello!”
Startled, I opened my eyes wide.
He laughed softly, tucking a strand of brown hair behind his ear.
“I heard Grandfather gave you the Ten-Blood Serpent.”
He smiled.
“Judging by how upset Dang-yeong was, I suppose it’s true?”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
I nodded, trying to calm my pounding heart.
Inside my sleeve, I could feel the serpent shifting faintly.
I pointed to it.
“It’s here—it usually stays inside.”
“Can I see it?”
“Of course! Just a moment.”
I coaxed the snake gently out of my sleeve.
It slithered up my wrist and peeked out.
But for some reason, it seemed irritated.
Huh?
Why does it look upset?
I didn’t have time to think—Dang Ho suddenly leaned in, eyes shining.
“Incredible! It really is the Ten-Blood Serpent! I thought that venomous creature would never leave the Eight-Poison Vault!”
“I never dreamed it would, either.”
“Does it obey you?”
“A little.”
“Have you studied venom-handling yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“And yet it listens to you… So Grandfather was right—your constitution really has changed.”
He laughed for a while, then set his gloved hand gently atop my head.
“That’s a relief, Dang Bi.”
Then he removed his glove.
The tips of his fingers were blackened—stained with poison.
He rubbed them awkwardly and smiled.
“It’s truly a relief. I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time, but I couldn’t.”
I stared at his blackened fingertips and asked,
“Because I might get hurt?”
“Yes. When you were very small, even getting near you made your uncle panic…”
There was real relief in his voice.
That was when I noticed how stiff and pristine his gloves looked—
as if he didn’t usually wear them.
I gazed at them and asked,
“Brother Ho, about those gloves—do you always wear them?”
“Of course.”
He smiled faintly.
“Though not inside the estate. But when I grabbed you, I put them on—just in case.”
He tucked the gloves back into his wide sleeves, casual and composed.
I watched, my mouth slightly open.
Amazing.
Dang-yeong had pushed me in an instant—
and in that same instant, Dang Ho had managed to put on gloves and catch me before I hit the water?
That kind of reflex was incredible!
“Anyway!”
He rested a hand on his hip.
“Your snake is magnificent—dangerous, but magnificent. Grandfather must have had a very good reason for entrusting you with such a venomous creature.”
He grinned.
“No need to be nervous. Unlike Dang-yeong, I don’t envy you. Still, I admit I’m impressed. The Ten-Blood Serpent! If word spreads that someone has tamed it, the martial world will—”
“That’s enough.”
Another voice cut in suddenly.
Startled, I hurriedly tucked the serpent back into my sleeve and turned toward the sound.
