The Fragile Elixer of the Fallen Clan

I opened my eyes slowly. Nearby, I heard wailing that suddenly quieted, as if startled by its own noise.

“Dear! Dear, are you awake?”

“Mother…”

I realized I was in my mother’s arms. Her face was covered in tears. The doctor had come and gone, saying I was doing well now, but Mother, Wi Ji-chung, couldn’t let go of my hand.

Dan Mok-cheon-gi and Dan Mok-hyeon-woo also visited, and after my younger brother, Dan Mok-bi, who had fallen asleep at my feet, was taken away by Nurse Jang, I finally understood what had happened.

I had been working hard on making Cheongryeonsu since early morning, but during breakfast, I suddenly fainted and had been in and out of a high fever for three days.

‘Ah…’

I knew why I had collapsed.

[Tip: Maintain your energy level at 10 or above.]

‘This is maddening. First, they tell me to keep it below 50, and now they say to keep it above 10?’

I had used up all my energy making the Cheongryeonsu, thinking it was a good thing, and this was the result! At least waking up wasn’t as painful as when I first came out of my seven-year coma.

While I silently sighed in relief, the doctor smiled kindly at my mother.

“It’s a blessing that such a bright child managed to find black stone grass in this season. It shows that good deeds come back to you.”

It was indeed a good deed to take in an orphaned boy with nowhere to go and raise him as a brother to her children.

“Black stone… grass?”

My mother nodded tearfully, stroking my cheek over and over.

“If you lose a lot of blood or your energy is drained, you need to replenish it. But in a weakened state, you mustn’t have too little or too much,” the doctor said, examining me closely. 

“Black stone grass helps restore energy without letting it overflow. It’s perfect for situations like this, but it’s hard to find because it only grows in late winter and early spring.”

“Hwa-ryun found it for you. We owe him so much…” my mother said.

“Hwa-ryun?”

I widened my eyes, realizing he wasn’t nearby. The doctor noticed who I was looking for and smiled gently.

“He spent the entire day climbing the mountains in this chilly autumn weather and caught a cold. Now that you’re awake, I’ll go check on him.”

I tried to get up and follow the doctor, but dizziness overwhelmed me, and I stumbled. Mother and Nurse Jang quickly rushed to my side.

Hwa-ryun lay in bed, feeling the discomfort of a fever and sore muscles, but he didn’t miss the faint conversations outside.

“They say the young miss drank the decoction made from that herb, but she only managed to drink half. I hope she’s okay.” 

The conversation shifted.

‘She’s awake now. Thank goodness. This might be it,’ Hwa-ryun thought to himself.

“Now the doctor is going to check on him, and the young miss is coming too…”

“What?”

Hwa-ryun tried to rub his hot eyes, but another hand reached him first. It was a small, cool hand. The owner of the hand murmured,

“You fool…”

‘Who’s calling who a fool?’ Hwa-ryun thought, but his throat was too dry to speak.

Warm liquid touched his lips. The bitter taste jolted him awake, and he tried to spit it out, but the hand’s owner coaxed him gently.

“It’s medicine. You have to drink it all to be good, okay?” As if he’d fall for such words!

Hwa-ryun grumbled inwardly but had no choice but to swallow the medicine. As he gulped it down and slowly opened his eyes, he saw me through the haze.

My dark eyes, which he once said sparkled like stars in the night sky, must have been the first thing he noticed. He looked at me, my face now thinner than he remembered, and I saw the recognition slowly settle in his eyes.

“Hwa-ryun, you’re awake!”

He nodded slowly, and I adjusted his blanket, carefully wiping the sweat from his forehead. I applied ointment to the small cuts on his hands.

“Who wanders around the mountains in late winter looking for herbs?” I gently scolded, trying to mask my worry with a stern tone.

Hwa-ryun burrowed deeper into the blanket, watching me.

“Yeah, I know. And giving the herb to the fabric shop owner to get ice… If I’d known, I would’ve saved it. Finding black stone grass now was a real struggle.”

Talking about the past few months with his cracked voice, I felt tears welling up in my eyes, and I tried to blink them away. Seeing that, he seemed to regret his words.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he woke again, it was night. He must have fallen asleep. Lying in bed, he touched his forehead and gave a bitter smile. He found a slightly warm cloth, left by me. The thought of me being there and then gone made his heart feel strangely empty. He couldn’t believe he felt that way and clicked his tongue as he sat up. Just then, he heard a click.

“Hwa-ryun, you’re awake!”

Halfway up, Hwa-ryun stared at me, eyes wide in surprise. I had a towel over my arm and a small tray in my hands as I marched over to his bedside.

“…Sister?”

“You’re thirsty, right? Here, drink this.”

I wiped his forehead with the damp cloth and then poured lukewarm water from the pitcher.

“Even if you’re hot from the fever, you shouldn’t drink cold water all at once.”

“Why are you still here…?”

“What do you mean, why? Because you’re sick, of course.”

I held the cup to his lips, asking someone outside to bring some porridge. I checked the small cuts on his knees and then tucked the blanket back around him.

“Why are you…?”

“I just told you. You’re sick, so I need to take care of you.”

“Take care of… me?”

“Who else would I take care of?”

His pouty expression appeared whenever he was concentrating. What was he focusing on now? ‘Wiping my forehead?’ The small, damp cloth brushed over his eyes.

“If this is how it is…”

“If this is how what is?” Hwa-ryun trailed off and burrowed back under the blanket.

“Hwa-ryun? Even if you’re sleepy, you need to eat some porridge first. It’ll help you get better.”

“Ugh…”

“Hwa-ryun, be good, okay?”

“Ugh…”

“There you go, good boy.” Hwa-ryun squirmed a bit, but eventually, my coaxing got him to sit up.

“I’ll eat, just stop that.”

“You’re still shaky, and your hands are covered in cuts. You shouldn’t.”

“You’re not completely better either.”

“I’m fine now. I’ve had plenty of sleep. Come on, eat up.”

“I’m really embarrassed…”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about being sick?”

“Really…”

“Come on, eat up!”

***

‘How did this happen…’ I sighed, standing in front of the chicken coop belonging to the Moonlight Abode kitchen.

One side of the coop was completely occupied by an enormous Silkie chicken, while the other chickens huddled together in the corner, looking scared. This Silkie was definitely more than just a chicken now. It was as big as a turkey.

‘Why? Are you worried?’ Its pitch-black eyes seemed to glisten with concern, noticing my thinner appearance from being bedridden.

“But why are you like this?” I muttered, slipping my hand through the bars to gently pet the Silkie. Its feathers shimmered with a mysterious red hue.

“Doesn’t it look like a phoenix? Or maybe a Vermilion Bird? They’re similar, right?” I turned to see Hwa-ryun, now looking quite the young gentleman, frowning as he examined the chicken.

We both got sick and recovered, but Hwa-ryun seemed even healthier and more spirited than before.

“Isn’t it…?”

I couldn’t bring myself to finish the thought that it might not be just an ordinary chicken. The Silkie’s red-tinted black eyes blinked gently at me, so different from the aggressive way it bullied the other chickens and stole all the feed.

“Yeah, it really does look like one, doesn’t it?”

“So you really think it’s just a normal chicken?”

“No…”

‘Could it be that it’s turning into a spirit beast from eating energy?’ The idea of a chicken becoming a Vermilion Bird seemed ridiculous. Yet, the Silkie did seem to radiate a mysterious aura typical of spirit creatures. ‘But isn’t the Vermilion Bird supposed to have flaming feathers? This one is black, with just a hint of red.’

As I tried to rationalize, Hwa-ryun spoke up.

“If you raise this Silkie into a phoenix, the magistrate will come and take you away.”

“What?”

I nearly choked on a laugh. Future leader of the Demon Sect, Hwa-ryun, who would later view officials like the magistrate as insignificant, was now speaking earnestly about them.

It was endearing to hear him talk about phoenixes and magistrates with the same level of seriousness.

“He’ll lock you up in a coop and make you raise phoenixes all day long,” he added, completely serious.