The Time-Limited Elixir of the Ruined Clan - Chapter 33

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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 Household’s Limited Time 33

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“You don’t like Yeop Un?”
Dan Mok Bi had been drowsy, but under the gentle touch of her sister’s hand, she couldn’t resist and fell asleep as if collapsing.
Ryeon had tried to lead Hwa Ryun to the bedroom and do the same for her, but Hwa Ryun proved difficult, so she’d dropped the idea and moved on to other questions.
Hwa Ryun flinched slightly, then shrugged.
“What if you take in that fellow as a brother without thinking it through?”
“He’s Tae Heo Jin In’s disciple—how could I do that? Besides, Yeop Un is two years older than me. He’s four years older than you.”
“Ah, that’s right…….”
“That’s right?”
“No, it’s not. I don’t dislike him, so don’t worry.”
“Then why do you avoid his eyes like that and act so cold?”
“……It’s not just him. Apart from those people from the merchant house, this is the first time we’ve had a visitor here.”
“You’re not used to meeting people? We’ll have plenty of guests coming in the future.”
Hwa Ryun wore a troubled expression as she considered her answer, then finally nodded with the look of someone giving up.
At the same moment, before Ryeon could say anything, she spoke quickly.
“That doesn’t mean I need another friend.”
“A friend…… Oh.”
Since Ryeon had been about to bring up exactly that, she closed her lips slightly.
“Still, wouldn’t it be nice to have some friends? Aren’t you lonely?”
“With you and Bi A around, there’s no time to be lonely. I have to memorize characters, and Baek Ryeon keeps giving me meals, and I have to stop you from playing with the Daoist at night.”
“Sounds awfully busy…….”
“Exactly.”

* * *

Ryeon took a deep breath and lifted the Fan.
At first, she had simply been delighted at having found a sparring partner, but now that she thought about actually fighting Yeop Un this very afternoon, her mind was not at ease.
‘I can’t lose to the Gold Chamber—but I certainly can’t lose to the Konlun Faction either.’
Of course, the degree of affection was entirely different, but that didn’t mean the Konlun Faction was like family.
Even if they were considered family, the firstborn shouldn’t lose easily—and as for someone of the same generation from outside, there was no question about it.
As a result, the moment she opened her eyes at dawn, she had devoured every single text related to the Konlun Faction in the Danmok Household’s collection.
‘I was supposed to be preparing for the Gold Chamber, and now this.’
She felt the priorities had become inverted, but she couldn’t stop.
And now, for the first time, she would attempt the Sword Discussion that the Fan had taught her.

[Beginning the Sword Discussion. Are you prepared?]

‘Prepared? Do I need to be that ready? I’ve studied some…….’

[Focus your attention.]

Ryeon pondered briefly, then sat down in a cross-legged position.

[Focus your attention.]

‘What am I supposed to do?’
Was it telling her to close her eyes? But then she wouldn’t be able to see the Fan. Ryeon stared at the Fan for a moment, then gathered her breath and tightly shut her eyes.

[By employing a Heart Method that allows you to concentrate your spirit, you can enhance the effectiveness of the Sword Discussion.]

And there in the darkening expanse of her vision, bluish characters began to emerge. Hwa Ryun’s eyes flew open in shock, then quickly shut again.
‘A Heart Method for focusing the mind? Is it different from the Mental Cultivation Method that builds Internal Power?’

[The Yu Seong Hwan Gyeol of the Danmok Household is available.]

‘I haven’t learned that yet, so let me start with Lon Geom first.’

[Lon Geom begins.]

As the characters faded, a crude human figure appeared as if sketched in ink—one resembling Hwa Ryun herself, the other bearing Yeop Un’s likeness.
‘Wait, they called it Lon Geom, but this is almost like a live simulation?’

[How would you like to move?]

But there was no time to indulge her surprise. Hwa Ryun quickly refocused her concentration.
‘I’ll go first? All right… let me open with the first form of Nak Seong Sip I Geom…’
No sooner had the thought formed than the tiny figure of Hwa Ryun drew a sword and moved. Simultaneously, the small figure of Yeop Un began to respond.

[Blocks with a variation of the first form of Tae Cheong Geom, then obstructs vision with the left hand]

‘Third form of Nak Seong Sip I Geom to secure distance first, then fourth form to thrust.’

[Leaps up with the first form of Woon Ryong Dae Pal Sik to evade the thrust, then descends with an eighth form strike of Tae Cheong Geom]

‘Ah, again—again. Thrust with the fourth form while creating distance to anticipate Woon Ryong Dae Pal Sik, and disrupt the landing.’
Though Hwa Ryun’s eyes remained closed, had they been open they would have gleamed. The ink-painted figures moved fluidly at her command, and to her surprise, it was genuinely exhilarating. She found herself sinking deeper into Lon Geom with each exchange.

[With the second form of Woon Ryong Dae Pal Sik, leaps upward and then…]

* * *

“Did you stay up all night? Your eyes are red.”
“Well… I got caught up studying sparring techniques.”
The first time she’d tried Lon Geom, something had clicked in her mind. The real thing wouldn’t be identical to this, of course, but practicing alone and sparring with another person couldn’t possibly be the same.
‘If I can already do this well, imagine what I could accomplish while wielding Yu Seong Hwan Gyeol.’
The fact that running Lon Geom through a Heart Method like Yu Seong Hwan Gyeol would amplify its effects had been confirmed by Master Tae Heo Jin In himself.
Since there was no one suitable to seek instruction from at dawn, Hwa Ryun had made her way to the Library with Jeong Young.
A Heart Method for focusing concentration—lacking the obvious efficacy of other techniques—didn’t seem particularly popular. Finding a book on it in the Danmok Household’s Library had taken considerable searching.
‘I’m grateful Jeong Young was allowed into the deeper sections.’
It wasn’t the very deepest vault, reserved only for the household head and his successor, but Jeong Young had authority to access the next tier of archives.
When Hwa Ryun had expressed surprise at this, Jeong Young had looked rather embarrassed.
Thanks to his access, the two of them had managed to locate a manual containing the incantation for Yu Seong Hwan Gyeol.
After learning it together with Jeong Young, she’d spent the entire night running Lon Geom while wielding Yu Seong Hwan Gyeol. Just a little more and she’d be able to achieve flawless victory—one more round, just one more—until daylight came.
In that hazy state between sleep and waking, her Luck increased by one point.
There had been a time when she’d taught Jeong Young about footwork techniques; now that he’d learned Yu Seong Hwan Gyeol, he was clearly reaping the benefits.
“What good is all that if you lose?”
Hwa Ryun gave her a sidelong glance. Hwa Ryun rubbed her tired eyes sheepishly, feeling as embarrassed as a child caught playing an engrossing game late into the night.
After a moment’s thought, Hwa Ryun slowly activated Yu Seong Hwan Gyeol and drew up her Spirit Energy.
‘Until now, this power has only ravaged my body…’
But having wielded Yu Seong Hwan Gyeol throughout the night, a sudden insight arrived—perhaps she could direct this Spirit Energy toward healing rather than harm.
As the threads of her mind aligned, her Spirit Energy flowed through her with crystalline clarity. Where the Spirit Energy had struck and wounded, it now retreated; where her body was fatigued and depleted, it gently filled the gaps.
‘It’s working! It actually works!’
By channeling a modest amount of Spirit Energy, her exhausted body unraveled like a knotted cord. She felt as refreshed as after a deep, restorative sleep. Though the excess Spirit Energy itself would remain a problem she couldn’t solve.
“Just watch—your sister is going to show you something truly impressive.”
Hwa Ryun’s newfound confidence kindled a spark in her words. Hwa Ryun’s eyes narrowed to slits, but she offered no further commentary.
In the meantime, Wi Ji Cheong approached with an expression etched in worry, grasping both of Hwa Ryun’s hands tightly.
“Mother, don’t worry! I’ve prepared thoroughly.”
“Victory and Defeat are Common in War, they say, but if you were to get hurt…”
Wi Ji Cheong’s voice, thick with emotion, trailed off. In a Martial Household, it would be shameful for the household head to fret and shed tears over the eldest daughter’s injuries.
“I won’t get hurt. So when the match is over, will you play Go with me?”
“That’s something you can ask of me anytime you wish.”
Before giving birth to Hwa Ryun, Wi Ji Cheong had always been frail, and her only hobby was playing Go.
Perhaps it was because she had never properly learned martial arts and never participated in combat—a lifetime regret—that Wi Ji Cheong possessed an aggressive spirit beneath her refined exterior.
For the longest time she’d had no worthy opponent, but recently she’d rediscovered joy, playing at a handicap of one or two stones against her daughter.
“Then I’ll be on my way!”

* * *

“Yeop Un. You mustn’t use your Internal Power, understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
Yeop Un, unable to call Tae Heo Jin In his master, nodded his head.
“Are you ready?”
Hwa Ryun nodded at the hand settling on her shoulder from her grandfather.
“Don’t be nervous. Approach this as a chance to learn, step by step.”
“Yes, Grandfather!”
Hwa Ryun stood before Yeop Un, wooden sword in hand. Yeop Un too wore an expression of light tension.
“Then I’ll begin!”
Yeop Un nodded at Hwa Ryun’s spirited cry.
Hwa Ryun’s feet slid smoothly forward. Though without Internal Power she couldn’t fully capture the deepest Subtle Principles, had the household elders seen it, they would have widened their eyes at how the stance seemed pulled straight from a Sword Manual.
The moment Hwa Ryun’s wooden sword traced an arc and glided smoothly, Yeop Un’s hand moved.
Crack!
Wooden sword met wooden sword with a sharp report that sent vibrations through their gripping hands. In the same instant, Yeop Un’s sleeve fluttered roughly.
Tap-tap-tap!
Yeop Un lightly worked his feet and launched himself upward off the ground.
Whoosh!
‘This is more manageable than I thought.’
It was a movement she’d seen several times in Lon Geom.
Crack!
Hwa Ryun twisted and deflected Yeop Un’s wooden sword as it came down from above.
In that moment, as Yeop Un failed to maintain perfect balance in midair and staggered toward a landing, Hwa Ryun’s wooden sword flicked nimbly toward his ankle.
Tap! Tap-tap!
Yeop Un barely moved his wooden sword in time to block, then used the momentum to spin his body in a full rotation.
Hwa Ryun smoothly deflected the boy’s sword as it came flying where she’d anticipated, and tilted her head slightly with curiosity.
‘Yeop Un seems unable to fully control his Internal Power.’

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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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