The Time-Limited Elixir of the Ruined Clan - Chapter 22

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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 Collapsing Noble House’s Time-Limited Elixir — Episode 22

Gyeon Wi-un drew a deep breath in the suddenly quiet chamber.
A connection to the Man-song Merchant Guild through the Heuk-cheon-nyeon’s vice-lord was a thread not easily obtained even for a direct line—precisely why she had kept it in reserve—but Gyeon Wi-un recognized with sudden clarity that now was the moment to use it.
‘A hand that doesn’t reach out—clever second child.’
The conversation with that small girl whose eyes gleamed so brilliantly had struck her mind like lightning.
Until now, Gyeon Wi-un had presented herself as more than sufficient—indeed, overflowing with capability—to serve as the family’s heir.
Cold judgment rooted in information, audacious action potent enough to court fortune itself, perseverance, grit, effort, talent, skill…….
Yet what determined the successor to the Merchant Guild was not merely passing an examination whose outcome was already decided.
‘To realize it only now.’
Even if he were a great merchant who commanded Jeolgang Province, he was still a man—and still a father. Gyeon Wi-un understood this now.
The eldest, slightly lacking yet earnest in his efforts; the youngest, isolated on his solitary scholarly path.
And between them, the second—capable of excelling at anything alone.
Truthfully, Gyeon Wi-un had assumed that if she were in her father’s position, she would naturally lavish the most attention on herself among the three.
Between an insufficient firstborn and a youngest who would live far away, wouldn’t a competent second be the only one who truly understood?
‘I was too arrogant. I overestimated myself too much.’
But that logic held only between equals. From above looking down, the calculation changed entirely.
A child who required no intervention needed no attention, and the absence of attention meant affection rarely reached her.
The firstborn, seen for the first time, received both tender love and anxious concern; the third, farther away, was never absent from the heart and never ceased to worry—and between managing them, the thought ‘the second will manage fine on her own’ arose naturally. This was not the mind of a superior, but the mind of a parent.
Gyeon Wi-un desired neither her father’s earnest warmth nor his attention, and so could think of it coldly.
A second child so clever that her hand never reached out—when would he ever truly look back?
Dan Mok-yeon had told her.
‘Gyeon Wi-jeong always takes such good care of both me and Bi-a.’
When he cared for his siblings with that overflowing brilliance.
The moment Gyeon Eon-jo realized it naturally, wouldn’t gratitude rush in—gratitude for the son who had cared for the lacking sibling he had failed to notice, that middle child caught between the others?
‘Even if he culls those foolish friends of his, it won’t make him any smarter.’
And even if he came to his senses, it mattered not. She was more capable than even Gyeon Wi-jeong with his wits about him.
‘Then I suppose I should send something to the youngest as well.’
Whether he resembled his eldest brother or not, in childhood there had been great fuss over his remarkable talent, but since going to Huizhou, he had apparently been indulging himself in wine day after day. So Gyeon Wi-un had withdrawn her interest in him.
“To Baek Ui-myeong…….”
Gyeon Wi-un, about to speak, belatedly realized she had dismissed her attendant and caught herself.
‘But what is that child?’
Dan Mok-yeon.
The little girl had chattered away carelessly about whatever pleased her, yet had aimed so precisely at Gyeon Wi-un’s own situation.
‘Is such a coincidence possible?’
If she were not someone of her own caliber, drawing such a conclusion from the girl’s words would have been difficult—or so it seemed.
‘She said she created the Cheongnyeon-su.’
Gyeon Wi-un was certain it was no mere rumor.

* * *

When Yeon brought up at the new year that she wished to learn martial arts as promised, Dan Mok-cheon-gi hesitated slightly, then had tea brought out.
As the hot water streamed and the aroma of tea enveloped Wol-yeong-jae, Dan Mok-cheon-gi spoke.
“You wish to learn martial arts?”
“Yes!”
Yeon nodded with spirited confidence. Yet Dan Mok-cheon-gi did not end the conversation there.
He breathed in and gazed outward for a long time before turning to look directly at Yeon.
“Even if you cannot become strong?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You cannot become strong.”
Dan Mok-cheon-gi spoke with finality.
“Though you train for tens of years, you will forever remain no more than a disciple newly admitted to our family’s school. Against any disciple of another sect, any member of another house, you will never prevail. This will be eternal. This has been decided. No matter what you do, how much you strive, even if you were to die and be reborn, it cannot be changed. Still you wish to learn martial arts?”
Dan Mok-cheon-gi’s words were calm, yet his eyes burned differently. Not even if he spoke while coughing blood would his face carry such an expression.
Yeon understood why Dan Mok-cheon-gi was saying this.
‘He knew…….’
Dan Mok-cheon-gi knew the truth: she could not cultivate Inner Energy.
He could not bring himself to look at his granddaughter any longer and closed his eyes.
His aging heart seemed to beat in irregular rhythm. Even as his anger and resentment threatened to overwhelm him, he found a bitter clarity emerging.
He would never be able to take refuge in either the way of the Daoists or the Buddhists.
“Your body cannot accumulate Qi. Do you understand what that means?”
“It means I cannot cultivate Inner Energy, doesn’t it?”
……!
His granddaughter’s face remained composed. Dan Mok-cheon-gi saw something ineffable in the young girl’s eyes.
“Without Inner Energy, you can never set foot in Heaven Above Heaven. You know this as well, don’t you?”
Yes.
“Everything you learn will be worthless. You will never defeat anyone, and no one will ever truly understand your sword. A sword without Inner Energy is like this — look at the character ‘person’:

Without the first stroke, it crumbles into nothing. Without the second stroke, it is no character at all. In martial training, External Techniques form the first stroke, but Inner Energy is the second stroke.”
Understanding her grandfather’s wish — to spare her years of fruitless effort and heartbreak later — Dan Mok-yeon smiled softly.
“I’m not learning the sword to defeat others or earn their recognition. I want to learn it to understand the sword of our family.”
……
In her past life, near the moment of her death, a master of External Techniques named Baek Ui-myeong had made a name for himself.
He was a martial artist born with twisted meridians — something had gone wrong in his early training — and thus could not cultivate Inner Energy. Yet through External Techniques alone, he had become a formidable master, if not quite of the highest realm.
She had forgotten about him until recently, when she decided to learn martial arts from Dan Mok-cheon-gi, and the memory resurfaced.
‘If it comes to it, I can always walk that path instead. I’ll do what I can.’
“Bi-a will become the Greatest Master Under Heaven to bring honor to our family, and my mother and uncle will guide the family’s future, so I have no concerns.”
Dan Mok-yeon’s words were logical, decisive, and even cheerful.
In an ordinary household, an eldest grandchild saying such things would have earned applause for her brilliance. But here, in a martial family,

such words could not pass without weight.
“It will be different later.”
What do you mean?
“As your learning deepens and time passes, regret and frustration will surely come. With your keen mind, you will feel them all the more sharply.”
Dan Mok-yeon hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“When that time comes, I will endure it with all my strength and do my very best.”
……
At those words, Dan Mok-cheon-gi clenched his jaw. It was hard to believe such resolve could come from the lips of a child not yet ten years old. Hearing her speak, he was transported back to the voice of his youngest son, who had always sung praises of her brilliance and remarkable spirit.
And so it was Dan Mok-cheon-gi who felt most wronged in that moment.
Though she was so young, his granddaughter had not claimed such hardship would never befall her. She acknowledged that sorrow and frustration might come, yet swore to endure it all the same.
Such a brilliant child. Born with the bones and blood of both her parents. Having already undergone the Eight Meridian Cleansing. And now, when he could give her everything……
“Very well. Since you speak thus, I will teach you the martial arts of our family, step by step, save for the Internal Energy Cultivation Method.”
Yes!
Dan Mok-cheon-gi watched Dan Mok-yeon’s eyes shine with anticipation, let out a long sigh, and spoke.
“Do you know what the most fundamental sword technique of our house is?”
The Falling Star Twelve Swords!

“Yes. The foundation of the Falling Star Twelve Swords is clarity.”
Clarity?
Without a moment’s hesitation, Dan Mok-cheon-gi continued like flowing water.
“When you swing, move swift as starlight but be seen as clear as the stars themselves. Just as when a star falls, not a soul in the world remains ignorant of it, so too must a swordmaster of the Dan Mok family wield his blade with such precision that all who witness it understand his intent. Do you follow?”
Dan Mok-yeon felt uncertain about such words alone, but she quietly nodded.
Dan Mok-cheon-gi studied her for a moment, then drew the sword at his waist and took position before the straw figure.
The very air transformed. A chill as deep as the night sky seemed to flow.
‘He’s changed so much since I first met him.’
Having seen him almost daily, only now did Dan Mok-yeon perceive the transformation. Only now that he held the sword.
The scars that covered Dan Mok-cheon-gi’s face and hands remained, but his posture was unwavering, and the aura radiating from him was flawless and formidable.

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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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