The Fragile Elixer of the Fallen Clan

“Well, I guess I should reward you. If there’s anything you want, just let me know.”

“A reward?” I asked, eyes wide with surprise as I looked up at my grandfather. My mind had been thinking about the boy I liked lately, a c to 0lommoner who worked odd jobs for a food merchant. He was an orphan with no one to rely on. I figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring him into our family and have him as my personal servant.

“In that case, can I finally learn martial arts?”

* * *

‘How can I use more and more spiritual energy?’ This had been the biggest question on my mind lately. It wasn’t just a matter of life and death for me, but also for my grandfather, Dan Mok-cheon.

But pouring my spiritual energy into him would be like dumping ocean water into a small, delicate spring he had carefully nurtured. It would ruin everything.

Just when I was struggling to find a solution, my grandfather gave me another lifeline.

‘Tea ceremony!’

To me, the tea ceremony felt like a pathway to something greater, especially after my failed attempt at making sticky rice cakes. I realized that with every step of the tea ceremony—picking the tea leaves, soaking them in warm water, gently swirling the tea bowl—I could infuse spiritual energy. And the best part? We could drink it right away. What could be better than that?

Thanks to the tea ceremony, my mood and complexion have improved a lot. I get to use my spiritual energy, and Grandpa is slowly getting better. Everything seems to be looking up—except for one thing—I still can’t learn martial arts.

I thought he’d let me once he warmed up a bit, but our family’s situation isn’t great. Our estate is huge, but much of it is unused, and there aren’t many people around. They say it takes three generations for a rich family to go broke, and that seems to be the only reason we’re still standing.

The problem is, I’m the last hope. If I don’t revive the family soon, we’ll lose everything. It would be easier to sell this large estate and move to a smaller place to save money, but giving up this place would mean losing our family’s legacy, so that’s not an option.

Aunt Yija is trying something in Henan with the Martial Alliance, but relying on others has its limits. I thought if I asked to learn something, they’d agree immediately.

‘But they told me to learn to read first.’ It’s still something, I guess. Even though I already know how to read… I couldn’t exactly tell them that, so now I’m stuck learning from Uncle Dan Mok-hyeon-woo, who just finished his secluded training.

“The chicken looks weird,” I said.

“It doesn’t look weird, it looks… majestic,” replied Hwa-ryun, crouched next to me, staring at the chicken.

He still looked small and frail, like a little animal, but his complexion had improved since I first met him. It probably helped that every time we met, I made sure he had something to eat, like rice balls or dumplings.

I was nearly in tears when I begged my Nanny to find Hwa-ryun and make sure he was okay, worried he might leave, and I’d never see him again. Even though she thought I was paying too much attention to a boy with unclear origins, she didn’t want to see me cry, so she rushed off to find out where he was staying.

How did he end up from Hangzhou to Tianshan? Maybe if we get closer, I can invite him to join our family.

While I was lost in thought, Hwa-ryun’s voice brought me back. “Isn’t this almost a phoenix?”

I smiled at his words. Sometimes, it gave me chills to think this little boy might one day lead the Demon Cult. But then he’d say something so innocent like calling a chicken a phoenix, and I couldn’t help but find him cute.

“No, it’s a Silkie chicken. Its bones are black, too. Right, Heukwol?” The black chicken, strutting confidently inside the coop, nodded at me. Its eyes sparkled with an unusual intelligence, and the tips of its feathers glowed with a warm red hue.

‘It didn’t look like that before…’

“No matter how I look at it, the chicken still looks strange,” Hwa-ryun said, squinting at the Silkie and then at me. I gently pinched his cheek and pulled out a rice ball from my pocket.

“Here, eat this, little guy.”

“But you’re a little girl too,” he shot back. He’d picked up calling me “little miss” from my Nanny, but his tone was far from respectful. I didn’t mind, though.

Hwa-ryun never ate the rice balls willingly, so I broke them into smaller pieces and popped one into his mouth. As he chewed, I finally brought up what had been on my mind.

“Do you know how to read?” I asked.

“Do you?” he countered.

“You always answer with another question,” I said, a bit annoyed by his evasiveness.

“Where would I have learned to read?” he replied innocently. But I had a feeling he knew more than he let on. The way he spoke, it was as if he’d already mastered the classics.

“Really? Well, do you want to learn with me? I don’t know how to read either,” I offered.

“Why don’t you know how to read…?” His voice trailed off, realizing the question might be rude. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Being the eldest daughter of a prestigious family and not knowing how to read at eight years old was pretty humiliating. But it wasn’t my fault—I’d been sick and bedridden for years before I finally started getting better.

“My uncle is going to teach me. You can join us. He said it’s fine!”

Hwa-ryun looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language, but I didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, I kept trying to push rice balls towards his mouth. He dodged them with a wave of his hand.

“I don’t want to.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“What would I do with that knowledge?” His question left me speechless.

“Well… you’ll need it when you grow up. To read martial arts manuals and stuff. I can teach you everything I know,” I said, hoping to convince him.

Hwa-ryun chewed thoughtfully before responding, “I’m not planning on learning martial arts.”

I stared at him, wide-eyed. “What? Why not?”

“Because no matter how good I get, in a place like this, I’ll only end up serving you and the other noble kids,” he said, sounding resigned.

I wanted to argue, but the words wouldn’t come. Deep down, I knew he wasn’t entirely wrong.

‘Is that why Hwa-Ryun ended up joining the Demon Sect?’ I wondered. It was the one place where the strongest didn’t have to worry about their status. The thought made my heart sink.

‘He might have the personality for it!’ I thought.

“No way!” I blurted out. “Do you know about the Mount Hua Sect in Shaanxi Province? It’s not a family clan but a martial arts sect. If you’re skilled enough, anyone can become the leader, regardless of their background! Isn’t that amazing?”

“But Shaanxi is too far from here,” Hwa-Ryun said, deflating my excitement.

“Hey, come on…” I bit my tongue to stop myself from shouting, ‘The headquarters of the Demon Sect in the Tian Shan mountains is even farther away in the northwest! How did you manage to get there?’ I couldn’t say that out loud.

“Then where would you like to learn martial arts?” I asked, trying a different approach.

“It’s not like I can learn just because I want to,” he replied.

“No, I mean, if you could learn anywhere you wanted.”

When I was younger, I often dreamt of impossible things, like living in a mansion with many rooms. Didn’t all kids have such dreams? But Hwa-Ryun seemed completely uninterested.

“If I learn how to fight, I’ll just end up dead. It’s better to stay far away from that kind of thing,” he said.

I stared at him, incredulous. Who was this cynical person in front of me?

‘Was Hwa-Ryun always like this as a child? How did he go from this to becoming the Vice-Leader of the Demon Sect? Did his talent and a bit of luck just land him that position?’ The thought was frustrating. Hwa-Ryun, oblivious to my thoughts, continued talking.

“You shouldn’t get involved in that kind of stuff either,” Hwa-Ryun said, his voice sounding oddly mature for a boy two years younger than me. I looked at him, flustered, and tried to convince him again.

“But what if those nasty bandits from the Blood Demon Valley attack again? You need to know how to defend yourself, right?”

‘Please, Hwa-Ryun, let’s stay on the righteous path this time!’ I silently pleaded. But instead of taking me seriously, Hwa-Ryun’s face broke into a mischievous grin.

“Well, if that happens, I’m sure some noble martial artists will come and save us,” he said with a hint of sarcasm. I was left speechless, my lips moving but no words coming out.

“Anyway, if you learn to read, you can write letters too,” I said, trying another angle.

“You need paper to write letters,” he replied.

“If you know how to read, you can earn money to buy paper. You could buy food, and eventually, even a house.”

“Why are you so insistent on teaching me how to read?” Hwa-Ryun asked, his eyes curious.

‘Why was I?’ The question caught me off guard.

“Well, it’s because…”