The Time-Limited Elixir of the Ruined Clan - Chapter 85

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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 Great Family’s Limited-Time Spirit Medicine — Episode 85

“…….”
“…….”
His expression was already severe by nature, and now he was frowning besides, which made Seo Geuk Rim hesitant to approach. He stood quietly, wavering slightly, when Mae Sin Yu — who had been scanning the letter from top to bottom — suddenly spoke.
“Aren’t you going to read yours?”
“Ah…… I was planning to read it when I got back.”
“Let me see yours for a moment.”
“What? Why?”
When Mae Sin Yu suddenly reached for his letter, Seo Geuk Rim reacted defensively. Before he could help himself, he’d crumpled it in his fist, and winced at the damage to the paper.
“I’ll show you mine too.”
“No, I’m not really…… interested in yours.”
He’d meant to say flatly that he wasn’t curious, but something deep in his chest stirred faintly.
What had Dan Mok Ryeon written to Mae Sin Yu? And what had she written to him?
“Let me read mine first.”
“Open it already.”
“Fine…….”
Seo Geuk Rim looked at Mae Sin Yu with a hint of displeasure, then unfolded his letter.

— Seo Geuk Rim.
— Be mindful of your tendency to bear weight heavily on the outer edge of your right foot. Pay close attention to treating the injury on your left foot.

Seo Geuk Rim stopped reading there and looked down at his left foot in surprise.
Once, long ago, he’d stepped on a piece of broken ceramic wrongly and hurt it badly. He’d limped for quite a while, but he’d thought it was fully healed by now…….

— You have a habit of glancing to your left when swinging a sword. Stop being self-conscious and focus only on your opponent.
— When a falling star strikes the earth, it knows no hesitation and destroys everything.
— Strengths: Your shoulders are well-developed, so good progress in the Boxing Art is expected. You have quick reflexes and excellent adaptability. With a bit more dedication to foundational training, you should see good results.

He’d thought it would be a proper letter, but the tone was far more terse and businesslike, laid out in neat itemized points.
“Oh…….”
“Let’s trade, since you insist.”
Before Seo Geuk Rim could say anything, Mae Sin Yu snatched his letter. In the same moment, Mae Sin Yu thrust his own letter at him.
The two boys read in silence. After a moment, Mae Sin Yu asked,
“…… Did you hurt your left foot?”
“Yeah, uh-huh. Long ago…… What about your waist?”
“Yeah, me too, a long time back.”
“…….”
“…….”
After the silence, Mae Sin Yu returned the letter to Seo Geuk Rim. Seo Geuk Rim gave his back in turn.
When Mae Sin Yu had unfolded the letter, his movements had been forceful, but now as he tucked it away, he was rather careful.
“I’m heading in then. See you tomorrow.”
Seo Geuk Rim had thought Mae Sin Yu would disappear without a word, but instead he left a brief goodnight, then turned on his heel.
“Oh…… yeah…….”
Seo Geuk Rim returned the greeting to empty air long after Mae Sin Yu had gone, then made his way back to his quarters, turning over the words from the letter in his mind.

* * *

The children were given roughly a week to acclimate.
And now that they’d all learned each other’s names, and some had grown closer while others remained distant, training had begun.
“Seo Geuk Rim!”
“Here!”
“Dan Mok Wan!”
“Here!”
“Dan Mok Gyu!”
“Yes!”
Seven more names were called out after that. Gong So Ok, Dan Mok Pung, Dan Mok Gwon, Dan Mok Ban, Yeo Seon Hwon, Dan Mok Hae, Mae Sin Yu.
Dan Mok Hyeon U, standing before them to announce the names, wore an expression that was somewhat awkward, but he glanced down at Ryeon standing beside him, gathered his resolve, and opened his mouth.
“We are family and friends to one another. When we face hardship, we stand and fight together. When we encounter joy, we call even others to gather and celebrate as one. Do you understand what this means?”
“Yes!”
Ten boys and girls shouted in unison. Dan Mok Hyeon U, attempting to mask his discomfort, rubbed the back of his head and added, “This week we train the fundamentals only. Starting next week, Dan Mok Ryeon will also join the morning sessions. Any questions?”

A murmur rippled through the group instantly. They had never imagined that someone of the Direct Bloodline would train alongside them.
Dan Mok Hyeon U clapped his hands together sharply to shift the atmosphere and called out, “All right then, warm up and let’s start running!”

“Yes!”
“Yes!”
The training regimen had been created long ago by the instructors of the Dan Mok Clan, and Ryeon and Dan Mok Hyeon U had put their heads together to refine the process little by little.
The Branch Family children who had just arrived in Hang Zhou came from varied nutritional backgrounds, so before subjecting them to harsh training, the priority was to feed them well, let them sleep properly, and build their capacity—arranging various movements to help them master their bodies’ functions while keeping things from becoming tedious.
And the idea of joining the children’s morning sessions was Ryeon’s own. Dan Mok Cheon Gi had felt somewhat disappointed, but he came to accept that Ryeon’s reasoning had merit.
— In the afternoons I’ll take lessons from grandfather, and during the day, spending time with the children while watching right beside them to see how they’re progressing—I think it would be good for me to gain inspiration from them too.
The implication was that an instructor like Dan Mok Hyeon U might develop the children differently when viewed through eyes other than his own.
Knowing Ryeon’s discernment, Dan Mok Cheon Gi had no choice but to consent without further argument.
As Ryeon watched the children running diligently, she checked the time, then brought out what she had prepared.
‘There’s no way to build a body without controlling diet!’
Moreover, some of these children had lived in hardship and poverty from birth. If you failed to nourish them well in childhood, they would suffer even as adults. And if they were injured on top of that, ten years of cultivation could collapse in an instant.
As the children followed Dan Mok Hyeon U’s movements, they cast curious glances at Ryeon, who seemed to be bustling about with preparations beside them.
Finally, after they finished running on the training grounds and were panting heavily, Ryeon distributed warm water and small rice cakes she had prepared, one to each child.
“What… what is this……?”
Round in shape, everyone initially thought, ‘Could these be Spirit Pills?’ but the sweetly fragrant aroma of confectionery soon made it clear they were not.
Moreover, if you looked closely, you could make out what they were—some kind of cooked grain, crisped and formed into a ball.
“A Dan Mok Clan specialty…….”
Ryeon, about to announce this proudly, suddenly glanced at Dan Mok Hyeon U in alarm. It occurred to her that they hadn’t actually decided on a name yet.
“A specialty…….”
“The Hei Gu Dan—the special Hei Gu Dan!”
Dan Mok Hyeon U’s eyes darted about rapidly, and he produced the answer with quick thinking.
Since it was made from Black Stone Herb and several other medicinal plants mixed with grains, it was a reasonably fitting name. Ryeon sent him a grateful look and quickly explained, “The special Hei Gu Dan. It’s made by blending various medicinal herbs and grains in a way that’s good for your body, and from now on you’ll eat one of these once a week.”

The children, hearing the name Hei Gu Dan for the first time, didn’t ask what it was, but rather stirred with a sense of moved excitement.
“There’s a lot of good things in it, but eating it too often isn’t good for your body, so you get one only once a week. Eat this and gather your strength—you’re all going to become the Greatest Martial Artist Under Heaven!”
“Yes!”
At the mention of the Greatest Martial Artist Under Heaven—a name every martial practitioner dreams of at least once—the children huddled close and received the Hei Gu Dan that Ryeon offered.
“Thank you, Miss!”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you…….”
“Even if the taste is strange, you have to chew it carefully and eat it all.”
And once all ten children had received theirs, Ryeon spoke with some concern.
When she had first made this Hei Gu Dan and held a tasting, she couldn’t forget the expression Hwa Ryun had made at that time.
— After all that effort, you’re trying to poison the children like this……?
Of course she had denied it several times over.
Even after making several more batches of prototypes, she found herself unable to improve upon the curiously cool mint flavor intertwined with sourness and bitterness, all clinging to the sweetness of the grain dumpling.
‘If I made it without putting Spiritual Energy in it… at least… at least it would be somewhat palatable.’
It was a Spirit Pill made exclusively for childhood, crafted by pulling Harmony and Purification all the way through.
She had blended it with Black Stone Herb, which had the property of balancing life force, and mixed beans and grains with honey to compensate for sweetness and texture, which had gone well enough.
In fact, the prototype made by Jeon from the kitchens had even received praise worthy of selling it as a snack.
But the moment Spiritual Energy went into it, the taste changed. Yet what good was it without Spiritual Energy?
‘You children, there’s no help for it. Bear it and eat it. I’m doing all this for your sake.’
Ryeon looked around at the children with a sorrowful gaze.
The children who had taken a bite, deceived by the sweet and savory aroma, began to contort their faces in the oddest way.
Still, no one dared to spit it out right in front of Ryeon. Dan Mok Wan, who had chewed only half and swallowed the rest, carefully approached her.
“Thank you for… for thinking of us…… I’m grateful…… truly grateful.”
‘He’s not crying because it tastes so bad, is he?’
Dan Mok Wan’s eyes seemed slightly wet, though it didn’t seem to be purely from being moved by a single dumpling. Ryeon felt even more apologetic and added, as if making an excuse, “I really only put things that are good for your body in it…….”

Really…….

* * *

‘Did I really volunteer to sit in on this?’
“Come now, Dan Mok Ryeon! Show us the form!”
“But Uncle…….”
“Ah, you should address me as Instructor.”
“Instructor…….”
Dan Mok Hyeon U was…… in his element.
There was no other way to describe it.
With a grin spread wide as if he were having the time of his life, the Hero’s Headband wound around his forehead, teaching the children the Elementary Techniques and being called “Instructor” seemed to be bringing him more joy than he could possibly contain.

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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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