The Time-Limited Elixir of the Ruined Clan - Chapter 69

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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 Great House’s Limited Time Romance — Episode 69

“The Inner House Master didn’t treat her that way, did he?”
“That’s right. If it were a clan matter, the external branch leader—who stakes his life on such things—wouldn’t have silently accepted Lady Wi Ji, would he? An orphan girl with nothing as a dowry but herself, and someone who was living hand-to-mouth even before bearing the first child.”
By any measure, she was an unsuitable wife for a great house’s heir.
“I thought he did it so that her child would become the clan’s next successor.”
“But wasn’t she someone who believed with absolute conviction that her brother would become the Premier Martial Artist Under Heaven and revive the clan?”
“Human desire is not so simple, is it?”
“But he was a person who only found his family—people who didn’t worship him, didn’t try to control him, and didn’t feel inferior to him.”
Song Yeong Rang chattered away as she removed her hair ornaments.
“And besides, he knew his own abilities better than anyone else.”
With a talented older brother and a younger brother, she had spent her life constantly comparing herself to them, measuring where she stood—few knew their own worth as clearly as she did.
Song Yeong Rang almost said, “If she could have died in place of her brother, perhaps she would have.” But she stopped herself.
“In any case, for her, Lady Wi Ji is both family and her only true friend. If Lady Wi Ji chooses to be gentle about it, there’s nothing to worry about, is there?”
“If they’re truly friends, then when the external branch leader says he dislikes something, the Inner House Master will follow his wishes too, I imagine.”
“Well, yes, that might happen if it comes to actual war. But then it would be a situation where war has become necessary—for us and for them alike.”
Geum Jeok Geol nodded quietly at Song Yeong Rang’s conclusion.

* * *

The small boy sitting beside the little lantern in front of Wol Yeong Jae felt a presence and rose from his seat, brushing the dust from his clothes.
“Oh? Hwa Ryun, were you waiting here?”
“I stepped out for a bit.”
On today’s trip to the Gold House, Hwa Ryun had not come along. When asked if he wanted to go—Dan Mok Ryeon had fully expected him to say yes, of course—he asked if it was all right if he didn’t, leaving her with no choice but to respond, “Oh? Well, um….”
As Dan Mok Ryeon approached, Hwa Ryun began to stretch lazily, then stopped, tilting his head slightly to glance at Dan Mok Seong standing behind her.
“Seong brought me this far.”
Dan Mok Seong hesitated briefly before speaking to Dan Mok Ryeon in a hurried voice.
“Today… you worked hard today. I’m going back now.”
With that, he only nodded at Hwa Ryun before walking away with long strides.
“It seemed like he had something he wanted to tell his sister.”
Dan Mok Seong appeared to be shy around Hwa Ryun.
‘Though it seems like Hwa Ryun is shy around everyone.’
He barely wanted to meet anyone except his mother, Wi Ji Chung, or Nurse Jang.
He deliberately avoided encounters not only with Dan Mok Cheon Gi but also with Dan Mok Han So recently.
“Do you think Seong will come again tomorrow?”
“How did the match at the Gold House go?”
“They drew! Both of them! That’s amazing—they did incredibly well!”
Dan Mok Ryeon waved her arms about, describing the martial match between Dan Mok Seong and Geum Jong Ha that she’d witnessed today in vivid detail.
Hwa Ryun listened silently as she vividly recreated the scene.
“He’s only been training for a month, but if he’s already at that level, he certainly seems to have real talent.”
“Right? I wish he’d keep going, but Aunt seems to want Seong to focus on the blade instead, so I’m not sure what will happen.”
“What about you, sister?”
“What about me?”
“The Dao.

Will you continue?”
“I don’t know….”
Dan Mok Ryeon trailed off and scratched her cheek. When she returned from the Gold House after finishing the martial match, Dan Mok Han So had looked at her with what seemed almost like a look of exhaustion.
‘She told me to just do whatever I want…’
There was something weary in the way she’d looked at Dan Mok Ryeon.
“I think I’ll keep practicing with the sword.”
“Why? Don’t you have talent for the Dao too?”
“You little thing. How would you know that?”
Dan Mok Ryeon stroked Hwa Ryun’s cheek gently, then noticed it was cold and opened her eyes wide.
“How would I know? People….”
“How long were you outside?”
“What? Just a moment ago…….”
“Don’t tell me that — your cheeks are frozen!”
“I had something on my mind.”
“What could that little head of yours possibly be thinking about? Never mind — what were you doing alone in the house all day?”
“Just… being there.”
Ryeon seized Hwa Ryun’s hand and pulled him inside the residence.
The nursemaid who had been tidying Ryeon’s sleeping quarters startled at her sudden arrival, but Ryeon spoke first, hurrying her words.
“Nursemaid! Bring me a lantern and bellflower tea. You know that Baek Yak Cheong I made before? Dissolve it in hot water.”
“Pardon?”
“Hwa Ryun’s going to catch a cold. He must have been outside the whole time.”
“Oh dear… that remedy you made, miss?”
“Yes, that one. We have several jars left at home.”
The day she had met Geum Jong Ha, she’d brought back bellflowers, which the household medicinal workshop had turned into a syrup. The first batch had been sent to the Man Song Merchant Guild as usual, and what remained she’d kept for the household staff to take.
Urged on by Ryeon, the nursemaid who had been pushed outside returned with the Baek Yak Cheong dissolved in hot water as instructed.
“Oh dear…”
She gazed at Hwa Ryun with unmistakable sympathy in her expression.
Hwa Ryun, wrapped in the blanket Ryeon had draped over him, tilted his head at the nursemaid’s look, then took a sip of the bellflower tea and froze.
“It… it’s good for the body, they say, or rather, it is good…… so drink it quickly, dear.”
The nursemaid’s voice carried such pity that this time Ryeon was the one taken aback.
“What’s wrong? Why are you like that?”
Hwa Ryun’s eyes glistened slightly as he barely managed to swallow what was in his mouth. Then he held his mouth open, breathing shallowly.
“I thought it was poison…….”
“What! Don’t say such things!”
“Have you tasted it yourself?”
“Your uncle sampled it.”
“He didn’t lose consciousness?”
Ryeon swallowed hard. Though she recalled that Dan Mok Hyeon U’s expression had been slightly pale at the time.
“Well…… but it’s good for the body.”
Ryeon added quietly, as if to reassure herself. Hwa Ryun stared at the cup with eyes that held seven years of regret before wiping the corners of his eyes and finishing the remaining bellflower tea.

* * *

The next morning at dawn, when Ryeon stepped outside Wol Yeong Jae to draw water, Dan Mok Seong stood before the gate with a flushed face.
His nursemaid seemed intent on draping a wind-blocking robe over him, but as Dan Mok Seong walked with such energy, she couldn’t find the opportunity and stood a little behind him, fretting nervously.
“Um, did you sleep?”
Ryeon asked, startled, but Dan Mok Seong answered as if speaking of something entirely different.
“I’ve decided to walk the Path of the Dao from now on.”
‘You’re telling me this at this hour?’
Ryeon was surprised but hid it, simply offering congratulations.
“Really? That’s wonderful! But did you sleep?”
“I spent all night thinking about it, and I decided I want to learn the Dao, so I told Mother as much. I have talent too, so I’ll soon reach the heights of the Dao and take up the sword to walk the path your uncle took.”
‘Spent the whole night thinking, told Aunt, and came here? The sun’s barely risen.’
Wasn’t this Dan Mok Seong’s plan to catch Dan Mok Hyeon Yo while she was still half-asleep? Ryeon harbored a moment’s suspicion.
“You didn’t sleep at all.”
At first, Dan Mok Seong had meant only to tell her plainly that he’d decided to walk the Path of the Dao and leave, but when he saw Ryeon listening intently with eyes like starlight, he found himself rambling on.
As he detailed his conversation with his mother Dan Mok Hyeon Yo and the response he’d received, only his nursemaid’s face grew sadder and sadder.
Ryeon led the animated girl back inside the residence, listening quietly to her words.
“That’s right, that’s right. Didn’t I tell you that you have talent for the Dao?”
Dan Mok Seong proudly tapped the practice dao at her waist, the one she’d used in yesterday’s match.
“Right. That’s why I swore to Mother that I would become the Premier Martial Artist Under Heaven with this one blade.”
“……!”
Suddenly the Premier Martial Artist Under Heaven? But Ryeon didn’t hesitate or falter here — she quickly boosted her spirits.
“Yes! Let’s do our best! You’ll be the only one in the Dan Mok Clan to rise as the Premier Martial Artist Under Heaven through the Dao!”
Though Dan Mok Han So is indeed a great master, she is hardly the Premier Martial Artist Under Heaven.
“Right. Once I… once I become the Premier Martial Artist Under Heaven, I’ll take good care of you too. Just as I said yesterday, you only need to trust me.”
Dan Mok Seong’s eyes held seriousness tinged with a hint of embarrassment.
She who normally carried herself with cool pride seemed flustered by her own words.
Ryeon showed no embarrassment, nodding and pulling Dan Mok Seong along.
“Then you need to drink this bellflower tea first and build up your strength — starting with sleep.”
“What? No, I need to train right now…….”
“You can’t train well without proper sleep.”
Ryeon smoothly guided Dan Mok Seong to her own bedside, gave him a cup of Bellflower Tea diluted in water—he coughed in genuine surprise at the taste—then laid him down and tucked the blanket around him before coaxing him softly with patting strokes, “Sleep now, wake up, and become the Premier Martial Artist Under Heaven.”
It wasn’t long before Dan Mok Seong, who had stayed awake the entire night, drifted into sleep without difficulty.

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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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