The Time-Limited Elixir of the Ruined Clan - Chapter 134

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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 Decline of a Family with Limited Lifespan — Episode 134

After Ryeon woke, while her mother was unconscious for a brief moment, Dan Mok Seong also stirred from sleep as though she’d been dead to the world.
In her dreams, Dan Mok Seong watched Ryeon burn to ash and scatter away, again and again.
The Ryeon in her dreams turned to ash and drifted away, speaking to her: “Are you all right?” Every version of Dan Mok Ryeon she had ever seen.
When Dan Mok Seong woke from her sleep, she was cradled in her worried mother’s arms, weeping bitterly, swearing that she would never leave that girl to be hurt again, that she would walk barefoot through flame itself for her sake—but now…
To say such a thing to Ryeon’s face felt far too shameful. Her lips wouldn’t obey.
And a girl her age crying in her mother’s arms didn’t seem particularly trustworthy either.
At that thought, Dan Mok Seong’s eyes reddened. Her expression turned fierce as she fought back tears.
“Seong! I’m truly all right. I really am. I’m so glad that all of you made it out safely. I’m sorry for worrying you. I’m truly sorry, all of you. I’ve made a terrible mistake. All of you? All of you……”
“Waaah, Young Miss~!”
“Sniffle……”
“Ugh…… Please stop that now.”
The three collateral branch children who had been hiding burst out, Dan Mok Wan sobbing wretchedly, Seo Geuk Rim wiping only at his eyes, while even Mae Sin Yu gave a small sniff and managed to say, “Please stop that now.”
There Ryeon and Seong sat side by side, and the children wept and stammered out solemn vows.
A new rule was born in the Dan Mok Clan: no one was allowed to fall alone, for they would all protect one another with all their strength.

* * *

The journey home from the Gyeong Hang Un Ryeon was far more grand. Undoubtedly, because of the unexpected accident, everyone made a fuss so as to bury the tragedy beneath ceremony and exaggeration.
The adults’ fussing mattered little to the children, who clustered together like beans in a dustpan, grasping each other’s hands tightly and sniffling all the while.
“Our friendship…… we promised not to forget it.”
“For a traitor, there is only death. You understand?”
“Even a thousand years from now, our friendship will remain unbroken. It’ll be carved in stone, so you’d better hold true.”
“Yes, I understand……”
They all made their fervent, tear-soaked vows and scattered to their respective guardians. Even as they parted, they kept turning back, their faces full of longing, which drew laughter from every adult present.
Namgung Seo Geon’s expression was subtle. He seemed both reluctant to say farewell and, at the same time, relieved to be parting from pain.
Yet his face was far more honest and improved than when they had first met.
“Take care…… until next time.”
Namgung Seo Geon hesitated for a moment, then spoke his farewell and turned back toward his parents.
Namgung Seo Jin and Dan Mok Bi were bickering back and forth, both their cheeks wet with tears, exchanging words like “Want to come to our house?” and “Want to stay at our place?”
And in their midst, Ryeon was taking pains to hide her discomfort.
It was because Dan Mok Seong had fixed her with such a serious and stern gaze after the children scattered.
“Ryeon, however good a friend may be, they are still others.”
“……No…… I mean…… Friends are friends, but…… we’re…… family.”
“Right, you understand?”
“Y-yes.”
Couldn’t she just say it quietly? Ryeon thought desperately to herself.
A few paces behind them, Moyong Seol Ho’s eyes gleamed so brightly that it felt as though her skull might be pierced from behind.
And when every other family had chosen their path home, Moyong Seol Ho alone remained, approaching stealthily at last.
“Haven’t you heard the saying that family can be worse than strangers?”
“Are you cursing that Ryeon’s family will make her unhappy?”
“……!”
Moyong Seol Ho flinched.
“No, I meant that friends matter too—deeply!”
“Then you should say it that way.”
“But you’re the one who said friends are inferior to family first!”
“That’s the truth. They don’t share blood, so how are they not strangers?”
“A sincere friend is family with a soul joined to yours.”
“So the final goal of friendship is to become family. Family must be better, which is why you say such things.”
In that moment, Moyong Seol Ho’s face flushed crimson. For someone who had seldom tasted defeat, whether by words or sword, it was a rare experience.
Ryeon broke into a cold sweat and quickly stepped between the two of them.
“My family and my friends, human relationships aren’t determined by a single value, are they…… One can’t live on rice alone. Right? One must eat noodles too, and braised pork belly too. My uncle says even song-style fish is delicious……”
Dan Mok Seong, who had been quietly listening to Ryeon’s words, pointed behind Moyong Seol Ho with a glance and spoke.
“Noodles, your grandmother is waiting for you. Go on now.”
Noodles are, one might say, a delicacy—something special. Rice, after all, is what we share every day, and so it carries greater weight.
“Well then, farewell to you, White Rice. Ryeon, I’ll see you next time. I’ll send word.”
“Thank you for calling me that, Meat Noodles. Take care on your way.”
“……!”
Moyong Seol Ho bit his lip hard and shot a glare at Dan Mok Seong, then spun on his heel. Dan Mok Seong looked at Hwa Ryun and wore a small, victorious smile.
“What about me? What am I?”
“Hmm?”
“If Sister Seong is White Rice, what am I?”
Dan Mok Bi asked in a wheedling tone. Hwa Ryun smiled with a resigned expression.
“You, Bi… you’re millet rice…….”
“Millet rice?”
“Millet grains are small and cute, you see.”
“But I’m this big already?”
“You’re still smaller than your sister.”
“I’ve grown quite a lot though.”
“If you grow more…… you’ll be Job’s tears rice.”
“Job’s tears is bigger?”
“Yes, bigger than white rice. Twice as much.”
“Then shouldn’t I be Job’s tears rice already?”
“Seong, you too…….”
Hwa Ryun looked at Dan Mok Seong with an expression of disbelief, and only then did the girl grow a little embarrassed, her cheeks flushing as she turned her head away.
“So when I grow up, that’ll be my rice, won’t it?”
“Yes, yes, it will.”
“When I become Job’s tears rice, I’ll pass millet rice down to Seo Jin.”
Being the youngest and having never before had anything to pass down, Dan Mok Bi chattered excitedly.
“Seo Jin might not want that, but…… do as you wish, Bi.”
Hwa Ryun replied in a half-resigned tone.
Watching this exchange, Hwa Ryun standing behind them let out a soft laugh—a distant smile, as if amused by a child’s antics.
“You need a rice too.”
Hwa Ryun’s eyes rolled.
“What rice am I supposed to be?”
“You’re…… well, you’re young too…… how about Job’s tears?”
“…….”
“……No, Job’s tears is small too…….”
“…….”
“You don’t like Job’s tears?”
“No…… I understand. Please don’t say any more.”
Hwa Ryun’s expression suddenly turned serious, and as Ryeon observed it carefully, she tilted her head.
“Don’t tell me that’s also a curse like ■■?”
“No, it’s not. Why would you think such a thing?”
“When I said ■■, your expression was exactly the same as it is now…….”
“No! Don’t say it. Really, don’t say that word. I told you I don’t use it either.”
“Still, I was just giving you a rice name as family…….”
“I’m grateful, truly. That’s fine. I mean it sincerely.”
Hwa Ryun waved her hand earnestly in refusal. Ryeon pursed her lips.
“Then…… would you like to be sweet rice cake?”
“The one where you have to eat a thousand if you don’t listen?”
“…….”
The two fell silent for a moment.
“……Then, glutinous rice ball.”
“Is there really a difference between those two?”
“Glutinous rice balls are smaller and cuter.”
“I know I’m bigger than you now, don’t I?”
“Even so, you’ll always be my younger sister—small and cute.”
“Seriously…….”
“Seriously what?”
“I swear I’ll speak only proper, beautiful words from now on. This isn’t even karma—what is this…….”
Hwa Ryun trailed off with a grumble. Ryeon grinned widely.
“All right, my cute glutinous rice ball.”
“Don’t call people by food names.”
“I understand, Hwa Ryun.”
“…….”
Hwa Ryun’s expression turned oddly twisted. Ryeon burst into laughter, even clapping her hands as she did.
“Puh-haha! See? Glutinous rice ball really is better, isn’t it? Come here. We can’t have you getting lost on the way. My little glutinous rice ball.”
Ryeon’s laughter spilled out as she seized Hwa Ryun’s hand and pulled her along. For once, Hwa Ryun offered no complaint, letting herself be drawn forward in silence.

* * *

The same people who had greeted the Dan Mok Clan upon their arrival at the Namgung Family Estate saw them off on the day the Gyeong Hang Un Ryeon ended.
When they returned to Hang Zhou, there were others waiting to welcome them—with unmistakable fervor.
“Did we fight a war without knowing it ourselves?”
Dan Mok Hyeon U, driving the horses outside the carriage, muttered in bewilderment, his eyes wide.
The confrontation with Blood Coral Valley had been serious enough, but calling it a war seemed to stretch the truth—yet the welcoming crowd was far from ordinary.
Petals swirled without end as unfamiliar Hang Zhou citizens whistled and clapped, some beating drums and dancing, their procession escorting the Dan Mok Clan’s carriage through the streets.
Inside the carriage, Ryeon poked her head through the small window, watching the spectacle in confusion.
“Are they confusing us with someone else? As if the Emperor himself were visiting, and somehow we ended up taking the credit…….”
“……!”

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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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