NOVEL NEXT The Time-Limited Elixir of the Ruined Clan
Chapter 5
“Y, Young Miss. How could you do such a lowly job yourself…”
“There’s no such thing as lowly or noble work in the family! Everything is equally important. And these chickens lay the eggs that grandfather will eat, so I want to take care of them too.” When the little girl mentioned the Patriarch, the nanny also kept her mouth shut. Jeon also felt a little discouraged for some reason. Moreover, the phrase that all tasks are equally valuable stirred something in his heart. “Oh! P, please just a little bit of the sesame seed powder.” “Less than this?” “Yes, yes. If you feed it too much, the egg production will decrease.” “Then just this much?” “Yes, just that much…” As Jeon was at a loss for what to do, the little girl firmly grasped a wooden spatula and diligently mixed various ingredients in a large basin. With sesame seed powder smeared on her cheeks… “Is this enough?” Since she had been bedridden since birth, everyone would often express their sympathy for the clan’s eldest grandchild. When she finally received an incredible treatment and got up from her bed, the commotion was even louder. It was said that a final move, gathering together the last remnants of the crumbling clan, had succeeded. Before the person involved appeared in the kitchen, it was merely a topic of conversation. Carrying a basin of the feed they had made together, Jeon looked toward the chicken coop, pondering how things had come to this, but he couldn’t make sense of it. The girl, with her innocent face, turned to look back at him. “That chicken is very black.” “Oh! You mean the black chicken? From its beak to its bones, it’s completely black. It’s very tasty… I mean, it’s a very healthy one.” Jeon quickly changed the subject. “Really? Then I should call it Blackie.” Blackie… The nanny quickly added. “Th, then, what about the Black Moon? It’s the black chicken from Moon Shadow Hall.” “Black Moon? Is that better?” Jeon quickly nodded at the girl’s question. It seemed too grand for a chicken name, but it seemed better than ‘Blackie.’ “Y, you can just put the feed in the feed container.” The feeder, made by carving a long piece of wood, was clean and empty. Jeon carefully scooped up a ladleful of the feed the girl had made and put it in the feeder. “I fed it a lot in the morning, so it probably won’t react much. It’s not because the food is not tasty…” He was about to say something like, “So don’t be disheartened,” but. Duk! Duk! Duk!As soon as he scooped a large portion of feed and placed it in the feeder, the sight of a dozen or so chickens inside the coop flying up all at once unfolded before his eyes, as if in slow motion. Were chickens also wild animals? At that moment, Jeon thought about that. The chickens rushed fiercely to the feeder and fought fiercely. The feathers fluttered and the sound of the wings flapping loudly as they tried to get at least one more bite of the food resounded loudly. “They must have been… really hungry.” “Y, yes… it seems so…” The chickens, who had eaten all the feed that had been given to them as if they were going to split the feeder, returned to their leisurely state and pecked at the sand as if nothing had happened. A little girl who had been watching them for a moment looked up at him. “Didn’t they say to feed them around the 7th of the 24 periods of the day? From now on, I’ll handle it well!” Jeon nodded, trying to suppress an expression that seemed difficult to accept. ‘What’s going to happen to my fate…’ However, the heavens and earth didn’t answer him. * * * Ryeon’s interest in the chickens began when she heard a chicken’s crow from afar on her way out after greeting Danmok Cheongi. Ryeon knew that the crow came from the chicken coop managed by the kitchen of Moon Shadow Hall, and she thought that was it. While lying down, she had been constantly thinking of ways to use her spiritual energy more effectively. Among them, the most certain and helpful way was to share this spiritual energy with those around her. However, carelessly pouring spiritual energy into an ordinary person was like pouring seawater into a freshwater fish. Wasn’t that the reason her own vessel was precarious? She had to go through several stages to refine it before she could safely transmit it to a person, and recently, Ryeon had discovered that method of refinement. It’s not difficult at all; it just requires going through “several stages”! After purifying the water once, she would infuse it with spiritual energy and then boil it to create something. Although she couldn’t feed a large amount at once, it was safe and would help her use up her spiritual energy. So, in Ryeon’s eyes, how sparkling the chicken feed must have looked! It’s great that she can use her spiritual energy while making the feed, and since Danmok Cheongi will steadily eat the eggs laid by the big chickens fed with this energy-infused feed, it’ll be good for his health. Plus, others will see her as an impressive granddaughter, which is another bonus. However… ‘The chicken…is growing too well.’ In the early dawn, a light rain fell, cooling off the heat. Ryeon thought to herself as she scooped up chicken feed with a ladle and scattered it under the umbrella her nanny had given her, with a blank expression. The chickens that had been madly rushing to eat the feed on the first day became quite calm after a few days. And after a few more days, among the chickens, the black-feathered chicken seemed to grow increasingly intelligent in its gaze. “Hmm, Black Moon, is it delicious?” The chicken nodded its head. Ryeon tried to convince herself that it was just a coincidence that her words aligned with the chicken’s movements, but no matter how she looked at it, it felt as if the chicken was responding to her. “The chickens really seem to love the feed that the Young Miss gives them.” The nanny standing next to Ryeon said happily. “That’s because I’m the one who gives them the food.” “No. Their reactions are completely different from when Jeon gives them.” Ryeon smiled brightly as she looked at the chickens. Hearing Nanny Jang’s words, it did seem that way. “Are you going to drop by Moon Shadow Hall after giving all the chicken feed?” “Mhm!” Despite having reacted sharply when she visited to express her gratitude recently, Danmok Cheongi didn’t refuse Ryeon, who came to see him every morning. ‘I just want to live a long life, but there are so many things to worry about…’ Her own health, the well-being of those around her, the family’s situation. Now, she also had to keep an eye on the neighborhood and the martial world. ‘And what should I do about Blood Faction?’ If she couldn’t deal with Blood Faction, by the time she turned twenty, she would be the one scattering chicken feed while watching the martial world burn. Just as Ryeon was about to turn her steps toward Moon Shadow Hall while worrying like that. Ryeon tilted her head toward the small door at the end of the chicken coop, she sensed someone small entering at that moment. Because of the morning sun rising in the east, she couldn’t even see the child’s face as she entered. However… * 4-Stars Spiritual Vision Achievement (1▲) * You will be able to see weaknesses. This ability additionally consumes spiritual energy 4-Stars Spiritual Vision harmonizes with 4-Stars Harmony. As light spread in her field of vision, familiar characters flashed before her eyes. Ryeon took a moment to collect her thoughts. There were times when her Spiritual Vision would rise like this—specifically when she looked upon her grandfather. At that time, Ryeon had speculated that since the ability known as ‘Spiritual Vision’ involved the power to see, it was likely that the more she witnessed the strong, the powerful, and the magnificent things, the faster her experience would accumulate. However, she had only seen a boy smaller than herself, and yet she had instantly reached 4-stars. ‘What on earth…?’ But she had no time to think about that. She needed to confirm what it meant to have her Spiritual Vision reach 4-stars and how it would allow her to see weakness, as well as what it meant to harmonize with 4-stars harmony. Ryeon hurriedly unfolded the scroll from her sleeve to check her ability related to ‘Harmony.’ 1-Star: You can blend in harmoniously without being discordant. 2-Star: You can maintain good balance. 3-Star: You can embody what you have seen. 4-Star: You can break discord. 5-Star: You can correct discord. 6-Star: You can become noticeable. 7-Star: You can remain inconspicuous. Spiritual Vision at the 4-Star allows the ability to see weakness, while Harmony at the 4-Stars enables the ability to break discord. Ryeon, who had been pondering what it meant for these two abilities to harmonize, suddenly gained a new insight from the last line. 7-Star Harmony. The ability to remain inconspicuous ‘So that’s why no one knows…!’ Some part of her mind kept wondering. If it were a wild ginseng that had aged for about a hundred years, even someone who has cultivated their mind techniques would recognize its extraordinary quality just by looking at it. So why was it that no one could see the true nature of the spiritual energy she possessed? In the past, it was somewhat understandable. Who would be able to sense spiritual energy when a person is collapsing, fainting, and spitting up blood? However, even though she was barely surviving day by day, she was outwardly appearing to regain her health, yet it seemed that no one in the family was noticing her spiritual energy. ‘It was because of the harmony…’ It was also strange that she had achieved the 7-star of Harmony, but Ryeon guessed that it might have been her body’s struggle to survive. What if those who have learned some martial arts could recognize her constitution just by looking at her? Wouldn’t a new storm of blood sweep through the martial world to obtain this living elixir? Hello! Just to note, I will change "balance" to "harmony" from now on. Thank you!
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