The Time-Limited Elixir of the Ruined Clan - Chapter 103

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Declining Clan’s Terminal Promise — Episode 103

‘How did someone with only middle-tier talent manage to master the Cheon Roe Ji and the Geum Na Su In Dae Yeon Sip Gu Sik all the way to eighth and seventh grade?’
They said his handiwork was exceptional, and indeed, what he accomplished with his hands belied his age—yet everything else fell short of what one would expect from a direct descendant.
“Father, wouldn’t it be better if I went instead? You must have much to attend to.”
It was then that the boy standing between them spoke softly.
He appeared to be around twelve years old now. Namgung Kyeong Mu seemed almost relieved that his nephew had stepped in, and he took a half-step back.
“Seo Geon.”
“I thought it might be easier for Dan Mok Ryeon and Dan Mok Seong if someone closer to their age were to show them around.”
His voice carried a surprisingly dignified tone—solicitous of both his uncle and their guests.
Namgung Kyeong Hae glanced at his brother, exhaled briefly through his nose, then waved his hand toward his son—a gesture of consent.
Ryeon nodded in greeting to Namgung Seo Geon as he glanced at her, though something struck her as odd.
‘Why does he look at me with such familiarity? We’ve never met before, have we?’
His gaze was the kind reserved for a relative one hadn’t seen in years.

* * *

‘This place really is almost like a palace.’
The Geum Ga Jang was hardly lacking in wealth either, but its shorter history meant there were inevitable gaps.
By contrast, the great manor of the Namgung Seoga bore a resemblance to a decent palace.
Yet Seo Geuk Rim, Mae Shin Yu, and Dan Mok Wan, who had come with her, proved to be composed children, each in their own way, and they maintained their composure even as they took in the sights of the manor.
Namgung Seo Geon seemed slightly surprised by how unimpressed they appeared, but he smiled softly and continued the tour.
“This is the Guest Reception Hall. We’re not receiving visitors at the moment while we prepare for the Gyeong Hang Un Ryeon, but normally the line of people wanting entry stretches clear beyond the outer wall.”
Namgung Seo Geon gestured toward a brilliant pavilion as he spoke.
He smiled gently with his eyes half-closed, then glanced at Ryeon once more—and there was something mysteriously familiar in his manner.
“Ah, and the garden—one mustn’t wander through it carelessly, no matter how beautiful it is. It’s filled with Formation Techniques and mechanical devices. If you’d like to explore the garden, just say the word anytime. I’ll come along with you.”
Formation Technique refers to the arrangement of objects, mechanisms, or people according to mysterious principles to achieve a desired effect.

In the Martial Arts World, the Jeol Gal Seoga ranked first among practitioners of Formation Technique, with the Namgung Seoga close behind.
Had the Sa Cheon Dang Mun, which excelled in small mechanisms and mechanical devices, turned their attention to Formation Technique itself, the competition for rank might have been fierce.
In any case, getting lost within the Formation Techniques deliberately laid out in the garden surrounding the Namgung Seoga’s manor would likely require waiting for the next life to escape.

Namgung Seo Geon
Traits: Two-faced / Pride / Splint on Neck / Sparrow-Step Observation

Talent and Aptitude: Middle-Low
Boundless Azure Sword

: 3rd Grade
Boundless Azure Great Expansion Divine Art

: 1st Grade
Heavenly Wind Body Method

: 2nd Grade
Concern: Must display his finest form at the Gyeong Hang Un Ryeon.
Helpful Hint: The sparrow’s legs will be torn.

Ryeon, who had been pretending to marvel at the Formation Techniques woven into the peaceful garden scenery, cast a sideways glance at her fan and clicked her tongue inwardly.
Two-faced.
‘I’ve seen this before, on Seong too, but with her…’
Dan Mok Seong’s duplicitous nature meant an icy exterior masking a softer interior, didn’t it?
Then what about Namgung Seo Geon’s Two-faced trait?
If his exterior was so gentle—like dandelion seeds drifting on a spring breeze—then his interior must be equally unlike that.
‘And on top of that, Sparrow-Step Observation—’
The Sparrow Learning the Crane’s Gait
You’re learning that?’
It was the old proverb—a sparrow trying to imitate the crane’s walk, and inevitably ending up like the fable’s ending: legs torn to shreds.
‘Then who’s the crane?’
Ryeon turned her fan subtly behind her back, casting a sidelong glance at Namgung Seo Geon.
“By the way, this Gyeong Hang Un Ryeon has lectures from the elders all week long. You’ll be all right with that, won’t you, Ryeon? You were ill not long ago, weren’t you?”
Namgung Seo Geon asked in a warm tone.
He seemed naturally kind to people on the surface, but with Ryeon, the degree felt distinctly exaggerated.
“I was sick before, but I’m fine now!”
“……Really? That’s a relief.”
Something odd lay beneath his words. He didn’t sound as though he truly thought it a relief.
“Ah, this is the pavilion where you’ll stay. If you need anything or something becomes inconvenient, just tell me. I can send servants, or if you want to eat something or go sightseeing outside the compound, just say the word.”
Namgung Seo Geon closed his eyes and smiled brightly, inviting them to feel at ease.
“Hey! I want to see the Formation Technique!”
Hearing this, Dan Mok Bi shot her hand up, and Ryeon laughed, gently pulling it back down.
“You can’t just ask to see things like that, Bi.”
“I can’t?”
“No. If someone asked to see Bi’s treasure, would you show them?”
“If my older sister asked me to…….”
Dan Mok Bi hesitated, then clung to Ryeon. As Ryeon pinched her sister’s cheek and shook it playfully, laughing, Namgung Seo Geon watched them with an almost bewildered expression.
“You two really do get along well…….”
“Hm? Yes, because she’s my younger sister.”
At Ryeon’s reply, Namgung Seo Geon said nothing for a moment, merely staring at her, before his smile returned—though this time it seemed forced.
“I see. It’s pleasant to watch. Ah! I’m afraid I need to go now. Do you mind if I excuse myself?”
The Dan Mok Clan children nodded, and Namgung Seo Geon turned sharply on his heel, his demeanor noticeably colder, and vanished.

Not long after Namgung Seo Geon had left with that strange air about him, children began appearing one by one in the courtyard outside the Namgung Seoga Guest Reception Hall.
They were young martial family members participating in this Gyeong Hang Un Ryeon. Among them, a child with a notably sturdy build approached abruptly and asked them a question.
“They said the Dan Mok Clan arrived today. Was it Dan Mok……Ryeon? Or was it Seong?”
“And who are you?”
Before anyone could answer, Dan Mok Seong stepped forward with a cold voice, blocking Ryeon from view.
The other child flinched at that blunt manner and answered awkwardly.
“Me……? I’m Ak So Hyeong from the Sandong Ak Family. This one’s Paeng Ju Ran from the Hebei Paeng Family.”
“Uh……Ah, hello.”
Both seemed taken aback by Seong’s attitude—they were used to leading wherever they went. The other children merely watched from the sidelines.
Dan Mok Seong finally stepped aside.
“I’m Dan Mok Seong. These are Dan Mok Ryeon, Dan Mok Bi. And behind us are Dan Mok Wan, Seo Geuk Rim, and Mae Shin Yu.”
“Huh? Didn’t they all come from the Dan Mok Clan?”
Paeng Ju Ran muttered the question. As Ryeon moved closer to the three children behind her, Dan Mok Seong answered.
“They’re from a collateral branch. They came with us.”
“You brought a collateral branch? But why do they keep staying with you?”
Ak So Hyeong asked. It was a genuine question, as if wondering why those of unequal standing would associate together.
Ryeon answered in a natural tone.
“We’re family and we study together, so of course we stay together. Right, everyone?”
“Yes, of course!”
The one who answered Ryeon’s words most naturally and quickly was Dan Mok Wan, who had been watching for an opening all along.
Gone was the timid, quiet demeanor he’d shown in the main house—so much so that Mae Shin Yu glanced over in surprise.
At that exchange, Ak So Hyeong seemed to feel oddly as though he were being criticized, and spoke with a slightly bristling expression.
“You can study together? Don’t collateral branches fall short of the standard? They can’t keep up. Even if you teach them, isn’t that just wasting time?”
Ryeon blinked in surprise.
She was taken aback that someone could say such a thing directly in front of the collateral branch members.
“They can’t keep up? Our children do just fine.”
“Hmph, fine or not——”
“Can you walk from here to there without leaving a single footprint?”
Ryeon pointed from her feet to a distant spot with her hand as she spoke.
“What?”
“Our children can.”
As Ryeon spoke with a slight shrug, Ak So Hyeong’s face contorted in confusion.
“Don’t talk nonsense! Even I——”
‘Even I can’t do that,’ the words rose to his throat and then fell away of their own accord.
Ryeon smiled with a slight grin and turned to look at the children standing behind her. They had apparently forgotten they’d been insulted by Ak So Hyeong, their faces flushed with embarrassment.
Ak So Hyeong’s face twisted, as if he’d read her words as a challenge to his capability.
“How? How do you do it?”
“If I tell you, can you do it?”
“Of course! Obviously! If your collateral branch can do it, then I can do it too.”
“What if you can’t?”
“What?”
“What if you can’t do it, even after I’ve told you how?”
As she spoke, Ryeon stepped closer in one quick stride. Ak So Hyeong was startled and stumbled backward.
“I-I couldn’t possibly fail!”
“If you do, you apologize to our children, and you study with us for the duration of your stay at Gyeong Hang Un Ryeon.”
“Wh-what are you saying?”
“No!”
Just as Ak So Hyeong was about to object, a boy dressed in brilliant colors burst forth from between the gathered children like a ball piercing through paper.
“What, what is this?”
“What in the—what is it?”
“Who is that?”
“I don’t know, what is—”
As they all murmured in confusion, Ryeon’s eyes widened in shock.
“Geum… Jong Ha?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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