The Time-Limited Elixir of the Ruined Clan - Chapter 58

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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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A Declining Clan’s Limited Elixir — Episode 58

“How can you possibly speak of having her spar twice within a month when she’s only just risen from her sickbed?”
“Then who’s supposed to learn and face the opponent? Neither I nor my sister can do it.”
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo spoke with an irritated expression, her brow furrowed.
“If it’s a sparring match that Seong brought, then Seong should be the one to do it.”
“Are you certain about this?”
“Why would Ryeon be suitable but not Seong? And to begin with, we came all the way from Ha Nan Province to here precisely so Seong could face that Jin Jong Ha in the first place.”
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo ground her teeth and spoke in a low whisper. Her clenched fist trembled visibly.
Even now, thinking back on it made her blood boil.
“Damn it all, why didn’t you stop her!”
“How many times are you going to bring this up? Children play rough as they grow—it’s natural!”
“If children start playing with the family’s name on the line, someone has to put a stop to it……!”
“Enough.”
At Dan Mok Cheon Gi’s quiet command, the siblings fell silent.
Wi Ji Cheong, who had been sitting quietly beside them, spoke with a gentle smile.
“External branch leader, there’s no need to worry so much. Where else would you find a child with talent as extraordinary as Seong’s? She will learn greatly from this.”
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo looked at Wi Ji Cheong as though she might topple backward, her lips trembling, and she nodded gratefully for his kind words—before, seeking an outlet for her frustration, she seized upon another matter entirely.
“Fine, let’s set that aside. But this Yak Yeo Cheong—why on earth did you draw up a contract with this person? Herb supply? We’re already receiving herbs from Ho Seon Ui Pavilion.”
“Ah, well.”
Dan Mok Hyeon U spoke up.
“We found this herbalist while we were out, and their skill is exceptional.”
As her younger brother took the lead, Dan Mok Hyeon Yo raised an eyebrow.
“And just how exceptional is this skill that you’d spend this much money on a contract? Where would the clan have funds for such an expense? Besides, how old can this person possibly be if you’re signing the contract under a guardian’s name? This isn’t the daughter selling off her own mother, is it?”
“No, it’s not the daughter’s name—it’s the grandmother’s name…….”
“……?”
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo blinked. Dan Mok Hyeon U cleared his throat and continued.
“This herbalist Yak Yeo Cheong hasn’t come of age yet…… so we’re planning to negotiate together with the grandmother.”
“How old?”
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo asked, assuming the child must be at least fifteen. Surely they weren’t below that age, she told herself, suppressing the unease stirring within her.
“Ah, what was the age again? Ten? Twelve……?”
“Are you speaking in earnest?”
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo laughed with a hollow sound and then let out a sharp cry.
“How can you possibly give this much money to a child barely into their teens and expect to receive herbs in return!”
“The herbs this herbalist produces are genuinely excellent. We got herbs from them, so you can verify it yourself at the Herb Medicine Hall later.”
“Even if those herbs are truly good—these herbs, what is it—even if this child is a decent herbalist, where would you find the funds to expand all the way to a Herb Medicine Hall!”
“We have plenty of money.”
“What?”
“To be precise, the clan doesn’t have much money, but Ryeon does. Either way, we have the funds.”
“……?”
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo stared at Dan Mok Hyeon U as though he were speaking nonsense. Wi Ji Cheong let out a soft laugh.
“Your sister has such an upright nature that upon arrival, she’s been occupied looking after the children and the people—so there simply hasn’t been time to confirm these matters.”
His words were so kind they almost seemed sarcastic, but everyone in the room knew that Wi Ji Cheong was a man who spoke only the truth.
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo felt embarrassed instead, her cheeks flushing red, and while she glared at Wi Ji Cheong only in her mind, Dan Mok Hyeon U spoke.
“Why don’t you go check the Jae Gyeong Pavilion yourself?”
“As if I wouldn’t?”
“Everyone here knows you’re the type to go.”
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo shot a look at her younger brother, then shot to her feet.
And from there she half-ran toward the Jae Gyeong Pavilion.
The pavilion keeper was busily wielding his brush when he saw her arrive; he wore a puzzled expression but welcomed her nonetheless.
“Oh, external branch leader…… you’ve come?”
It had been over a decade since the clan had any money flowing through these accounts, and Dan Mok Hyeon Yo hadn’t set foot in the Jae Gyeong Pavilion in just as long.
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo first checked to see if Wi Ji Cheong had followed her, and seeing that she hadn’t, she spoke directly.
“I heard some nonsense about the clan having plenty of money—what’s going on here?”
“Pardon? Ah…… you’ve never heard the rumors about Clear Lotus Water?”
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo furrowed her brow.
“I’ve never actually seen the thing with my own eyes. Am I supposed to believe in gossip that drifts through the marketplace?”
True, the product sold out the moment it hit shelves, and you couldn’t possibly obtain it with just a passing glance as you hurried past the shop—so it made sense that Dan Mok Hyeon Yo, who had only recently returned to Zhe Jiang Province, might feel as though the whole affair were nothing but baseless rumor.
When Dan Mok Hyeon Yo saw the subtle smile crossing Seol Gwan Hui’s face, her pupils dilated.
“Surely you don’t mean…….”
“I do indeed.”
“If a combination of Clear Essential Oil were so profitable, why didn’t the declining clan’s Herb Medicine Hall make it long ago?”
“The Hall’s failure is not a matter of incompetence, but rather that Miss Ryeon created it herself. No one else can replicate its efficacy, which is precisely why sales have been so brisk.”
It seemed counterfeit versions had already begun circulating, though the difference in potency was substantial enough to cause considerable frustration.
“Ryeon made this all on her own? That something she created alone is selling so extraordinarily well?”
“Indeed.”
“Then why do the clan’s buildings still look exactly as they did before?”
Not just the buildings, but the clothing of the clan’s residents, their meals, and everything else remained much unchanged from how things had been before she left for Ha Nan Province. That was why she hadn’t noticed.
“Miss has instructed us to leave the relatively sound structures as they are and to begin repairs from the most dilapidated sections first, so construction has commenced in that area.”
“What? In which area?”
“The servants’ quarters.”
“Why on earth would she…….”
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo had been about to speak rashly, but catching the composed gaze in Seol Gwan Hui’s eyes, she promptly closed her mouth.
No matter how straitened a clan’s circumstances became, one would never neglect the maintenance of the clan head’s chambers or the direct bloodline’s residences—nor would one defer repairs to the guest hall where visitors were received.
Thus the most dilapidated and shabby structure was the servants’ quarters, invisible from beyond the clan grounds.
“So truly…… what…… we have money now? We’re wealthy?”
“Not ‘we’—rather, Miss Ryeon has become prosperous.”
“!”
Seol Gwan Hui answered with an utterly unflustered smile. Dan Mok Hyeon Yo swallowed dryly, glowering at him.
“Is that it? You’re worried I’ll covet my niece’s wealth?”
“Everyone in this household knows that such a thing is not in your nature.”
“Then exactly how much has she earned? Give me the figures.”
Seol Gwan Hui produced a ledger without any hesitation.
It was a record of the funds Ryeon had set aside for the clan’s development.
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo snatched the ledger and scanned it rapidly. Her hands trembled.
“This…… this…… this is…….”
Since her own youth had passed, she had never laid eyes on assets of such magnitude.
‘She earned all this just from selling a few drops of oil?’
“She said that because the clan helped her obtain the composition for the formula, repaying that debt was only right, and that she would use these funds for the clan’s advancement.”
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo’s lips moved wordlessly. So much had changed in the clan since Dan Mok Ryeon had awakened—there was scarcely anything she recognized.
“So with this…… you’re hiring herbalists, expanding the Herb Medicine Hall…… and taking on new disciples?”
“Yes.”
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo’s eyebrows trembled slightly, then she closed the ledger with a sharp snap and handed it back to Seol Gwan Hui.
“You must adore that girl. In this entire household, she’s the only one who’s shown talent for earning money rather than spending it.”
“How could I presume to adore her? I merely have the honor of serving her.”
“……!”
For a moment Dan Mok Hyeon Yo’s face hardened as she stared at him, but Seol Gwan Hui, his face appearing youthful despite his graying hair, simply gave her a slight nod.
It was his way of saying the audience was over. Without another word, Dan Mok Hyeon Yo turned sharply on her heel.

* * *

When the lantern swayed in the breeze, Dan Mok Seong finally lifted her eyes from her book.
She met the gaze of Dan Mok Hyeon Yo, whose expression seemed rather troubled. It appeared her mother had been staring at her the entire time.
“Mother.”
“How is your studying coming along, my daughter?”
Seok Ban An, who had been looking down at a painting beside Dan Mok Seong, raised his head as well. He smiled gently.
“I hear you’re learning a new martial art?”
“Yes, Father. So please don’t be too upset with me, Mother.”
“Ah, no…… it’s not because of what you’re learning that I…….”
Dan Mok Hyeon Yo hastily waved her hand.
“A martial artist ought to have the mettle to stand up when her family’s name is insulted. You did well.”
“Thank you!”
Though it pained Dan Mok Hyeon Yo to say it, looking at her daughter’s face, her bitter words remained unspoken.
With a daughter as lovely and refined as herself, blessed with talent and diligent in her efforts, there was simply no room for reproach.
“So your outing with Ryeon—you had fun? It wasn’t just a trip to some herb shop, was it?”
“Ah…….”
Dan Mok Seong’s voice trailed away. Dan Mok Hyeon Yo’s eyes widened.
“Aren’t you the one who said you’d only do what you wanted to do?”

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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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