NOVEL NEXT The Time-Limited Elixir of the Ruined Clan
Chapter 6
Ryeon, still feeling a wave of relief, decided to first verify what she could about the boy in front of her.
Name: Synchronization Failed. Martial Arts: Synchronization Failed. Talent and Wisdom: Synchronization Failed. Concerns: Synchronization Failed. ‘Huh? This…What is this?’ Why isn’t anything displaying properly? Ryeon felt flustered. Synchronization failed? However, since her Spiritual Vision had increased after seeing the boy, it was clear that he was no ordinary talent. At a time when the family was in decline and each person was precious, talent was even more precious. If the family survives, then Ryeon can live comfortably as well. Ryeon decided not to hesitate and whispered to her nurse. “Nanny, wait here. Just a moment.” “Yes? Y, Young Miss?” Ryeon pushed the nanny behind the chicken coop and ran over to the boy, grabbing his arm. The drizzle began to fall and water droplets began to form on her eyebrows, but she didn’t care. “That, kid!” The boy turned to look at Ryeon without showing any signs of surprise at her presence. “….” “….” At that moment, Ryeon completely forgot what she was about to say. He was a boy who seemed to be a year or two younger than her. His skinny body and worn-out clothes made him look more like a small animal than a person, but his facial features were as clear as if drawn with ink. Moreover, there was a tear mark beneath his left eye, making his face memorable at first glance. It felt as if a gentle light was swirling around the boy. ‘But where…have I seen this face before?’ The person who came to mind in her memory was also clearly the owner of an extremely beautiful face. He had a tear mark just below his left eye, just like this boy, but who was he? At that moment, a scene from her future flashed before her eyes. On a day when the scent of the forest was buried under the stench of blood and the clear sunlight cruelly filtered through the leaves. When her spiritual energy surged back, causing her to violently cough up blood and stagger, there was a hand that had casually caught her. As she got older, her health continued to decline, and it was when Ryeon left Hangzhou for rest that she intended to stay in a small hermitage. Unfortunately, remnants of the Blood Faction had invaded the nearby village. At that time, Ryeon was in no position to do anything. Her spiritual energy would backfire daily—on good days, she would stagger, and on bad days, she would cough up blood. She didn’t know how to use martial arts either… Then, by chance, a group of martial artists happened to pass by near her hermitage. The leader of the group had caught her as she staggered, and without any shame, Ryeon had begged for help. If that was too difficult, she asked them to at least send word to the nearby Jegal family. But… ─I-I’ll give you this norigae. In return, please, just pass word to the great family beyond this mountain… She tried to bend down with her sick body and beg, but the man’s eyes that were staring at her from afar were clear. ─This side also has a long way to go. ‘And then he just left.’ He looked down at her as if watching a dog bark, then walked away without looking back even once. Before she had the chance to stop him, she fainted. When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a wooden veranda, with the villagers taking care of her. Fortunately, the patrol from the Jegal family had recognized the remnants of the Blood Faction and arrived just in time to defeat them without delay. At that moment, it was as if lightning struck, and the man who had glanced at her briefly seemed to overlap with the face of the child. ‘Th, th, the young master of the Demon Heavenly Cult! Cheon Hwaryun!’ “…Who?” The boy’s young voice didn’t suit him at all. Ryeon just stared at the boy with a bewildered face. “Uh, well, you see…so, it’s just that…” ‘Was he here at that time? He was in Hangzhou? Was it before he went to the Demon Heavenly Cult?’ She learned from the people of the Jegal family that the man she had tried to hold onto was the Young Master of the Demon Heavenly Cult. At that time, she had been relieved that he had simply passed by quietly. As Ryeon continued to hesitate with her lips moving silently, the boy suddenly spoke up. “I have a different temple that I attend.” Ryeon, who was so surprised by the unexpected encounter that she was dumbfounded, opened her eyes wide at the boy’s words. Why are you suddenly talking about the temple you go to… At that moment, Ryeon’s face turned red. “I, I’m not trying to recruit you into a cult!” How dare he accuse someone of being a pseudo-religious person when he himself will become the Young Master of the Demon Heavenly Cult in the future! “Really, really not! It’s not like that, that thing is..” Her mind was confused. If she considered that the other person wasn’t just a child but the Young Master of the Demon Heavenly Cult… ‘Wait? The Demon Heavenly Cult… Young Master?’ Who is the Young Master of the Demon Heavenly Cult? He was someone who rose to the position of Young Master before even reaching adulthood, taking charge of all matters of the Demon Heavenly Cult in place of the leader, and making a name for himself in the martial world. Due to his overwhelming prowess, he was known simply as the ‘Young Cult Master,’ without any name or title, making him the most unpredictable man in the future that Ryeon had seen. About 30 years ago, to confront the Blood Faction, the Black Heaven Alliance, Demon Heavenly Cult, and White Path Alliance united to form the Martial Alliance, and he stood as a formidable pillar among them. Even after The Blood Incident of Dongting, while acting as the representative for the leader who retreated to their stronghold, he was said to be on par with the elders of both the Black Heaven Alliance and White Path Alliance…. And now, compared to that time when he was much younger, what does the intensity of just making eye contact mean, to the point where it can immediately elevate Ryeon’s Spiritual Vision by a level? Ryeon was certain. This was true talent. A genius that promises dazzling achievements, whether wielding a sword, a saber, a spear, a bow, or anything else! Ryeon’s eyes sparkled like stars as she thought that far. “What’s your name?” “Then what’s your name?” The skinny, small boy was secretly bold and spirited. Ryeon’s eyes narrowed. “I’m…Ryeon. And you?” The boy slowly closed and opened his lips, examining her face before answering. “Hwaryun.” “Um, Hwaryun? Just Hwaryun?” Since the leader of the Demon Heavenly Cult was named Cheon Hyedam, it seemed that the surname Cheon was likely received from the cult. Up until now, she had expected him to be the future Young Cult Master, but hearing the name sent a chill to a corner of her heart. He really was the Young Cult Master. The boy’s eyes glanced up at her. He had a suspicious expression, as if he found something suspicious. Ryeon quickly waved her hand. “Ryun-ah, how old are you? I’m eight now.” “…Maybe six years old.” At that moment, Ryeon stopped. Six? She had never even imagined that the Young Cult Master could be so young that she could count his age with one hand. Six years old, six years old, six years old… ‘The Young Cult Master of the Demon Heavenly Cult… is two years younger than me…’ She had no idea because she had never talked to him in private. ‘He was two years younger, but he had achieved so much.’ His martial arts were so exceptional that she thought he was ten years older. Ryeon glanced down at his sleeve, where the words were swirling chaotically Hwaryun Martial Arts: Partial Synchronization Failed. Talent and Wisdom: Partial Synchronization Failed. Concerns: Partial Synchronization Failed. Perhaps because she heard the name, only the name ‘Hwaryun’ appeared, while the rest remained in a ‘Partial Synchronization Failed’ state. ‘Does that mean his talent is so exceptional that it doesn’t even show up on the status window? Even more than my grandfather?’ When she died and splashed around in the Samdo River, Ryeon had seen and experienced many things A place that people have long called paradise, the celestial realm, nirvana, heaven, and hell. And things referred to as the future, revelation, and foresight. There, Ryeon was able to understand everything. The memories of the time she had spent lying down, the reasons for her pain, the future after she thought she had died, her life before this one, how this world was created, beginnings and endings, light and darkness, yesterday and tomorrow, and everything about death and life. The reason Ryeon can intuitively understand and interpret the information about the world is that her soul ‘knows’ it. However, the reason she was able to return to life was that she had forgotten most of those things. She erased what she could not bear. The information she saw was showing her what she had obtained at the end of the world in a form that was easy for her to digest, in a way that was easy for her to accept. ‘Does the fact that it doesn’t appear here mean it’s information I can’t handle?’ Moreover, a faint but subtle golden light flickered around Hwaryun. Ryeon, who had been thinking about this and that alone, came to her senses and looked at him again after meeting Hwaryun’s eyes that were staring at her. Ryeon thought that the shabby basket Hwaryun was holding did not suit him at all. It was as if he had picked it up just for disguise. ‘Surely he won’t come at me to kill me just because he saw me as a child later, right?’ Aren’t there some people who hate to recall their own powerless days? To break the awkward silence, Ryeon quickly took out what she had brought with her. “Ah! Do you want to try this?” It was an unexpected and random change of topic, but the boy seemed to ponder for a moment before deciding to agree. “What’s that?” “It’s yakgwa. I got it because I took the herbal medicine well today.” Ryeon made an excuse and took out the package of yakgwa wrapped in oiled paper. At that moment, Hwaryun raised both hands holding the basket, revealing hands covered in dirt and dust. Seeing his hesitation to hold the yakgwa, Ryeon willingly brought the yakgwa to his lips.
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