The Time-Limited Elixir of the Ruined Clan - Chapter 27

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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 House’s Destined Covenant — Episode 27

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Inside Woryeong-jae, the quiet was so profound that even ghosts would have held their breath, yet outside its walls, barely suppressed anticipation and excitement rippled through the air.
Danmok Cheongi had been a man of his age—a colossus. In his prime, the saying went that even passing birds would halt before the gates of the Danmok Clan, and such tales were whispered as though they were gospel truth.
Though his encounter with Hyeolragok had dealt him wounds that had bent him slightly from his former heights, the fact that the master of the Moonless Sword remained a titan of this era remained unshaken.
And yet—a roc’s stride and a sparrow’s stride are not of the same measure. Everyone here was eager to foresee what new heights he would attain this time.
“How could it be like this…?”
“Surely this time calls for a grand celebration, doesn’t it?”
The entire clan was alight with fervor, and Jaegyeong-gak was no exception. Choil sorted through documents sent from the Mansong Trading Company, his words tumbling out in excitement.
“When did things change like this?”
“Pardon? Change in what, sir?”
The transformation was slow, yet swift.
You don’t notice the tide as it ebbs, but when you come to your senses, it’s as though all the ocean’s water has vanished overnight.
Seol Gwanhui traced back when the spirit had returned to Jaegyeong-gak.
He remembered with clarity the moment when shadow had descended upon the clan.
The day he saw the healer Dang Yubbyeok’s wretched expression as he spoke of having no way to heal Danmok Cheongi’s wounds.
The day he learned that Danmok Ryeon had become like a living corpse—neither weeping nor laughing, her gaze fixed on no one.
The day of Danmok Hyeonseong’s funeral, when torrential rain chilled the faces and garments of all who mourned, and steam rose from their grief.
So when had the light begun to return?
This, too, was unmistakable. From the moment Danmok Ryeon awakened after receiving the Bulmo Ritual.
Seol Gwanhui’s mind crystallized. There were such people in the world—rare souls who remade everything by the force of their own existence.
Whether through their own strength, or the turn of fortune’s wheel, or the very direction the age itself was bending toward—such people changed all around them.
“So it was the young lady after all…”
“Are you saying we should arrange a celebration, sir?”
Choil asked, his face alight with hope. Seol Gwanhui’s brow furrowed sharply, and he shook his head.
“What nonsense is this? Dream no such dreams. But what’s all that commotion outside? Hasn’t everyone been told that the Head of House is in the midst of a breakthrough? Go at once and tell those servants to keep quiet.”
Sent away, Choil emerged and spoke in hushed tones with the servants, but returned moments later with an expression of astonishment.
“It seems the officials are posting notices here and there, sir.”
“What manner of notices?”
“The State Examination took place, didn’t it? They’re posting the list of those who passed!”
“And what concern is that of our clan’s people…?”
The instant the words left his lips, Seol Gwanhui understood. Jaegyeong-gak had no shortage of servants who could read.
They had seen a familiar name on one of those notices, and that was why the commotion had arisen.
A name among those they knew that would be written on such a notice…
Choil’s innocent mouth fell open.
“Well, you see—the Mansong Trading Company’s master’s third son has apparently achieved First Place in the Examination! That’s why everyone’s been whispering about it… Master Seol? Are you all right?”
Seol Gwanhui stumbled slightly, and Choil rushed forward in alarm.
Seol Gwanhui let the fireworks explode madly inside his skull and simply gazed outward in a daze, his lips moving soundlessly.
“…That girl.”
“Pardon? What did you say, sir?”
“Bring me that notice! The one that says the Mansong’s third son achieved First Place—tear it down and bring it here!”
Choil jumped in surprise, covered his ears, and bolted outside. Within moments, he returned bearing a notice whose reverse side was somewhat worn and tattered.
“Well…”
Choil had spoken true. It was not difficult to find the third son’s name—Gyeon Wihak’s. It stood at the very top of the list.
‘Did Gyeon Wihak truly achieve First Place in the Examination?’
Seol Gwanhui’s hands trembled as he held the notice. As the one who managed the clan’s finances, he had heard of how the Cheongryeonsoo was selling.
Danmok Ryeon had chosen Gyeon Eonjo’s third son, the Mansong Trading Company’s great steward, to oversee the Cheongryeonsoo, and once he passed the examination, the Cheongryeonsoo he had used would sell like hotcakes—there would be nothing more to wish for, or so the whisper had gone.
Even hearing that had been remarkable. The words were enough to win Gyeon Eonjo’s heart, and besides, his third son had no choice but to take the examination regardless, so the Cheongryeonsoo would ultimately be managed directly by Gyeon Eonjo himself. One could not entrust a transaction with the direct line of the Danmok Clan to just anyone.
He had thought that sufficient, but now this third son had actually achieved First Place in the Examination? Then the Cheongryeonsoo he had used was now truly…
“Where is the young lady?”
“Sir?”
“The young lady Ryeon—where is she?”
“The young lady is, well, today she’s with the medicinal herb master…”
But Seol Gwanhui couldn’t rush straight to Ryeon. The people from the Mansong Trading Company came flooding in. They bore the appearance of men whose very souls had departed their bodies.
They too had never imagined that their third young master could achieve such a result.

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“All gifts sent to you from the Mansong Trading Company, it seems.”
“To me?”
Ryeon tilted her head with a bewildered expression. Seol Gwanhui, the master of Jaegyeong-gak who had been supervising the goods stacking up in the warehouse, hurried over when he saw Ryeon and Danmok Hyeonwoo arrive.
“Young lady! Master Danmok, welcome.”
“Ryeon, I heard gifts had arrived, so I came to see them. Where are the people from the Mansong Trading Company?”
“They didn’t realize there was good news for the family head, and apologized profusely before hurrying back, saying they would bring the gifts later.”
“There was no need for all that.”
Even as Danmok Hyeonwoo said this, a smile played at his lips beneath his raised sleeve—he was clearly pleased.
Ryeon gazed at the mountain of items and asked.
“But shouldn’t your uncle, the one who placed First in the Examination, receive the gifts? Why did they send them to me?”
Surely the giver and recipient had gotten mixed up somehow?
The master of Jaegyeong-gak straightened his shoulders and smiled faintly.
“Well, since the young lady created the Cheongryeonsoo, and your uncle benefited so greatly from it, isn’t it only natural? They said this batch was sent hastily as thanks upon hearing the news, and they promised to send proper gifts later.”
It seemed they too had been shocked and flustered by the young master’s news, fumbling about before sending their thanks first to the creator of the Cheongryeonsoo. But the truly important thing was something else entirely.
Ryeon stared at the stacking boxes and treasures with a dazed expression before slowly regaining her composure.
‘First Place in the Examination…!’
He had truly placed First. Someone had actually used the Cheongryeonsoo and placed First in the Examination.
The price of the Cheongryeonsoo she made herself would double, triple, or more. Demand for it through the medicinal pavilion would grow dramatically. At last, it felt as though the family could breathe freely again, financially speaking.
“The Cheongryeonsoo you created is truly remarkable. How did it bring about such a sudden success?”
“It’s not really the Cheongryeonsoo’s doing, but rather… your uncle is simply so brilliant.”
“You mean Gyeon Wihak, don’t you?”
“Pardon?”
Danmok Hyeonwoo gently pressed down Ryeon’s pouting lip as she paused mid-thought, his words coming without warning.
Ryeon lifted her head from the mother-of-pearl box she’d been examining.
Speaking in a matter-of-fact tone, as though correcting an obvious mistake, Danmok Hyeonwoo withdrew the object from her sight and handed it to her.
“Your uncle is me. He’s the son of the Gyeon family, so you should call him by his proper name—Gyeon Wihak. And my, what a lovely white jade flute this is.”
It wasn’t so much that the topic had shifted as though Danmok Hyeonwoo had personally lifted the fence and moved it himself.
He seemed piqued that Ryeon had called someone other than him by that title.
Ryeon smiled to herself and nodded.
“Yes, yes!”
“Why don’t you hold this flute for a moment?”
The cool touch of white jade settled against her palm, and words appeared before her eyes.

Spirit Energy : 33/100 (12▼)
A flute carved from white jade by a master craftsman : Spirit Capacity 12

‘Wow. Does any gemstone work to increase capacity?’
The master of Jaegyeong-gak standing nearby cleared his throat and proceeded to explain the flute.
“The young lady’s eye for quality is as sharp as ever. Among what arrived, this is by far the most valuable—the Hyangrindaek,

a flute carved from white jade. There’s a legend that when you blow into it, even the Moon Goddess would fall entranced. It seems such a treasure was in the Mansong Trading Company’s possession after all.”
Ryeon was about to ask what such a thing might be worth, but caught herself. Danmok Hyeonwoo standing nearby wore a contented smile.
“Do you know that the magnolia tree has another name—Hyangnin, the fragrant one? The magnolia is called such because every petal releases fragrance. When you play melodies on this flute, it will be as though the notes themselves carry scent.”
Something like anticipation colored Danmok Hyeonwoo’s voice. Ryeon, who had been gazing contentedly at how the flute absorbed Spirit Energy, lifted her head a moment too late—Danmok Hyeonwoo couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Though I’m not quite as skilled as my older brother, I know how to play the flute. I could teach you—it would be perfect! Now that we have such a fine flute.”
As Danmok Hyeonwoo spoke, his face broke into a broad smile.
Ryeon gazed quietly at Danmok Hyeonwoo, who at last could speak of his late father, and nodded.

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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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