The Fragile Elixer of the Fallen Clan

I took a deep breath and decided to focus on the boy in front of me.

Name: Synchronization failed.  

Martial Arts: Synchronization failed.  

Aptitude and Skills: Synchronization failed.  

Concerns: Synchronization failed.

‘What? Why isn’t anything showing up?’ I was puzzled. Synchronization failed? Yet, my Mind’s Eye had increased just by looking at him, which meant he was extraordinary.

In these trying times, every talented person was crucial. The survival of my family meant a secure future for myself. Determined, I whispered to my nanny.

“Nanny, wait here for a moment.”

“What? Young Miss?” she asked, clearly confused.

Ignoring her confusion, I ran to the boy and grabbed his arm. The drizzle had started to collect on my eyelashes, but I didn’t care.

“Hey, you!”

The boy turned to me, completely unfazed by my sudden approach.

“…”

“…”

In that moment, I forgot what I wanted to say. The boy looked a year or two younger than me, with a thin frame and worn-out clothes that made him resemble a small animal more than a person. His features were strikingly clear, as if drawn with ink, and a teardrop mole under his left eye made his face unforgettable.

A soft light seemed to glow around him.

‘Why does his face look so familiar?’ I thought, trying to place him. I remembered someone with a strikingly beautiful face and a teardrop mole under their left eye. But who was it?

Suddenly, a memory from my future flashed before my eyes. It was a day when the scent of the forest was overpowered by the stench of blood, and the sunlight filtered mockingly through the leaves. My energy had backfired, causing me to vomit blood and stagger. A hand had caught me in that moment.

As I grew older, my health deteriorated. I had left Hangzhou to recuperate and stayed in a small hermitage, only to have remnants of Blood Demon Valley attack the nearby village.

I was in no condition to fight. My energy frequently backfired, causing me to stagger on good days and cough up blood on bad ones. I knew no martial arts… Then, a group of martial artists passed by my hermitage.

The leader had caught me as I staggered, and I had shamelessly begged for help. If they couldn’t assist me, I asked them to at least inform the nearby Zhegal family.

“I’ll give you this ornament. Just please send a message to the Zhegal family beyond the mountain…”

I had pleaded, bowing my sickly body, but his indifferent gaze remained vivid in my memory.

“We have our own journey to continue.”

‘And then he just left,’ I recalled bitterly.

He had looked at me as if I were a barking dog, then walked away without a second glance.

Before I could grab him, I fainted. When I woke up, I was lying in a village house, with the villagers caring for me. The Zhegal family’s patrol had recognized the Blood Demon Valley remnants and arrived in time to drive them away.

It was then, like a bolt of lightning, that I realized the man who had looked at me so indifferently was the same as this boy.

‘The young master of the Demon Sect! Chun Hwa-ryun!’

“…Who?” 

The boy’s youthful voice felt completely out of place. I could only stare at him, bewildered.

“Oh, um, I mean… you… um…” 

‘Was he here in Hangzhou at this time? Before he joined the Demon Sect?’ I wondered, trying to make sense of it all.

I had learned from the Zhegal family that the man I had begged for help was the future leader of the Demon Sect. At the time, I had been relieved he had just passed by.

As I struggled to form words, the boy suddenly spoke.

“I have a temple I visit.”

Still in shock from our unexpected meeting, my eyes widened. Why was he suddenly talking about visiting a temple? My face turned bright red.

“I’m not trying to convert you to some cult!”

Here I was, accusing him of being in a cult when he was destined to become the leader of the Demon Sect!

“No, really, I’m not! It’s just that…”

My mind was in turmoil. Thinking of him as the future leader of the Demon Sect made the situation feel surreal.

***

‘Wait, the young master of the Demon Sect?’

Who was the young master of the Demon Sect? He was the person who, before even reaching adulthood, had taken control of the sect, handling all its affairs with such authority that he was simply known as the “young master.” In the future I had seen, he was the most unpredictable figure.

About thirty years ago, the Demon Sect, along with the Black Lotus Sect and the White Alliance, formed the Martial Alliance to combat the Blood Demon Valley. Despite representing the reclusive sect leader, the young master held his own against the elders of both the Black Lotus Sect and the White Alliance.

If this boy, with just a glance, could elevate my Mind’s Eye by a whole level, it meant something significant. I was sure: this boy was exceptionally talented.

Whether with a sword, a spear, a bow, or any weapon, his potential was limitless.

My eyes sparkled like stars at the thought.

“What’s your name?”

“What’s yours?” 

The skinny, small boy had a bold and confident demeanor. I raised an eyebrow.

“I’m Ryeon. What about you?”

The boy hesitated, observing my face before answering.

“Hwa-ryun.”

“Hwa-ryun? Just Hwa-ryun?”

The sect leader’s name was Chun Hye-dam, so Hwa-ryun must have been his name before joining the Demon Sect.

Even though I had guessed his future role, hearing his name still sent a chill down my spine. He really was the young master.

The boy looked at me suspiciously, as if doubting my intentions. I quickly waved my hands.

“I’m not trying to convert you to a cult!”

“Hwa-ryun, how old are you? I’m eight,” I asked, trying to sound casual.

“I think I’m six.”

I paused. Six years old? I had never imagined the young master of the Demon Sect being so young.

‘Six… six… he’s two years younger than me?’ I thought, trying to wrap my mind around it. I had always assumed he was much older because of his exceptional martial arts skills.

I glanced at my sleeve, where the words were still jumbled.

Hwa-ryun

– Martial Arts: Partial synchronization failed.

– Aptitude and Skills: Partial synchronization failed.

– Concerns: Partial synchronization failed.

His name appeared because I had learned it, but everything else remained “partial synchronization failed.”

‘Does this mean his talent is so great it can’t even display properly? Greater than Grandfather’s?’

When I had died and crossed the River Styx, I had seen and learned many things. I saw what people called heaven, nirvana, and hell, and I glimpsed the future, prophecy, and foresight.

In that state, I understood my past pain, the reasons for my suffering, and the nature of the world. I learned about the beginning and the end, light and darkness, yesterday and tomorrow, life and death.

My soul retained this knowledge, but I had to forget most of it to return to life. Only the information I could handle was shown to me in a way I could understand.

‘If I can’t see it, does that mean it’s information I can’t handle?’

Moreover, a faint golden aura shimmered around Hwa-ryun.

Lost in thought, I snapped back to reality when I met Hwa-ryun’s gaze. I noticed that the shabby basket he carried seemed completely out of place, as if it was just a disguise.

‘Will he come after me later because I saw him in his childhood?’ I wondered. Some people despised being reminded of their weaker days.

To break the awkward silence, I quickly pulled out something from my pocket.

“Hey! Want to try this?”

My sudden and random offer made the boy hesitate, but he eventually nodded.

“What is it?”

“It’s a sweet treat. I got it for taking my medicine well today.”

I produced a bundle of a sweet treat wrapped in oiled paper. Hwa-ryun showed his dusty hands, indicating he couldn’t take it. Understanding, I took a sweet treat to his mouth for him to eat.