Chapter 79

"You have all worked hard to get here."

Though he didn’t shout, his voice filled the training ground. All the collateral descendants straightened their bodies and listened intently to his words.

"Only ten of you remain today, but if you continue to train diligently even after you return, I will call you back soon!"

It was a message to not be disheartened even if they were eliminated. After saying this briefly, Dan Mukeunji nodded to the side.

Jang Rip struck the gong, and at the same time, twenty children lined up in front and back.

Although they had never practiced lining up together and were still young, they eventually managed to align themselves.

Then,

"Huh? One person is missing?"

Dan Mukhyonyo, who had been leaning on his chin and looking down, muttered. Hearing this, Dan Mukhyunwoo counted the people.

"That’s right. There are nineteen people? One person is missing."

Murmurs spread from above and below. Ryeon pretended to cover her mouth with a round fan and checked the names and documents of the children.

"Seo Geurim? Seo Geurim is missing."

‘He was the one I had my eye on.’

Seo Geurim was the grandson of Dan Mukeunji’s cousin, known for his outstanding talent and being eleven years old. She had sent a summons after hearing about him.

Among the children Ryeon had seen, he had the best potential. Although he wasn’t from a wealthy family, he had a strong will and had learned the Naksung Twelve Swords from his grandmother, mastering the first level on his own.

The next most talented was Dan Mukwan. Dan Mukwan stood in a corner, looking uneasy and hunching his shoulders.

"Seo Geurim? How do you know the missing child is him? Have you memorized everyone’s faces already?"

Dan Mukhoso leaned in and spoke.

"Ah, Master."

"Master? Speak freely, young master."

"Yes? How is that... Rather, does anyone know where this child has gone?"

Ryeon looked around and asked. She also asked the children below, but they only murmured.

It seemed that the children who were closer in lineage had become friends, but no one seemed to have formed a bond with Seo Geurim.

At that moment, something else appeared on Ryeon’s fan.

Dan Jun

Traits: Rotten tangerine / Kicking over the rice bowl / Under the dark shadow / Overgrown branch

Potential: Medium-Low (中-下)

Concern: Surely he didn’t notice that I fed him rotten meat?

Advice: Pruning is needed.

Ryeon wanted to hit her forehead with the fan.

Dan Jun!

When she checked Seo Geurim’s documents, there were a few reference notes at the bottom, and Dan Jun’s name was among them.

— Lived in the same village and interacted with Dan Jun.

They already knew each other, so Dan Jun must have known about Seo Geurim’s abilities.

‘Scary to think I told myself not to hate a child who hasn’t done anything yet!’

Ryeon narrowed her eyes and stared at Dan Jun.

"Dan Jun!"

Though his voice was young, it was icy, and everyone looked at Ryeon, then at Dan Jun.

"You said you came from your hometown to Hangzhou with Seo Geurim? You don’t know where he is now?"

"Yes... Yes?"

The boy, Dan Jun, who had mocked, ‘He’s a genius, so he’s probably sitting somewhere. You’re a collateral descendant, so you’re here,’ was startled and stammered.

His excessive surprise at being asked about Seo Geurim’s whereabouts seemed suspicious to others.

Ryeon’s fingertips trembled. If he had eaten something rotten, he would be sick. He would probably be in a state of vomiting and diarrhea and wouldn’t have made it to the training ground.

‘If he ate a lot of rotten food, it could be really dangerous!’

Eating rotten meat could lead to death.

"About Seo Geurim, I... I don’t really know. I’m sorry."

‘I saw you rolling your eyes!’

"Didn’t you find it strange that your companion for the journey didn’t show up for the final test?"

"Ah, no, that’s... That’s because Seo Geurim is very timid... He kept saying he was afraid of the final test!"

Ryeon thought it wasn’t the time to interrogate Dan Jun without any evidence and turned to the elder beside her.

"Grandfather, send a doctor and some people to the guest hall immediately, or I’ll go...!"

Just then,

"Seo, Seo Geurim, I... I’m here! I’m sorry for being late!"

A pale, thin boy half-ran in.

It was a chilly autumn day, but his forehead and chin were drenched in cold sweat, and his limbs trembled, clearly showing he was unwell.

Seo Geurim

Naksung Twelve Swords: 1st Level

Muyeongbo: 1st Level

Potential and Five Elements: Upper-Lower (上-下)

Advice: This is food poisoning from eating rotten chicken. Purification will help.

As soon as Ryeon confirmed the situation, she jumped up and ran to Seo Geurim.

"Y-Young master...?"

Seo Geurim, though young, had a serious personality and had rarely left the guest hall, so he had never directly greeted Ryeon, but he had seen her from a distance a few times.

At those times, he had immediately recognized, ‘That young master is Dan Ryeon.’

With delicate features and sparkling eyes, she was often seen busily moving around, sometimes with her younger brother or cousin, and sometimes talking with a servant boy while looking at a cluster of flowers.

When he saw her caring for even a single withered petal, he thought she must be a good person.

Now, the girl he had only thought about was right in front of him, and Seo Geurim, in a panic, tried to bow but couldn’t move properly due to his trembling legs and the urge to vomit. His lips were dry and bleeding.

"Are you okay? Are you sick?"

"I’m fine, I’m fine!"

Thinking he might be expelled for being late, Seo Geurim shouted desperately.

At that moment, Ryeon grabbed his wrist. It was a smooth motion, like a carp swimming in a stream, similar to when Dan Mukeunji had tried to check her inner strength through her wrist.

"What... What is it...?"

"Just a moment."

At the same time, Ryeon infused purification.

Seo Geurim’s body was weak, so she couldn’t do much, and she only aimed to treat the current food poisoning.

‘I can use purification directly on people. Maybe this could help my uncle...’

Caution!

Purification that requires a sudden change in condition consumes a large amount of spirit energy.

Spirit Energy: 13 / 100 (-30)

‘What?! No, that! You should have told me beforehand!’

Her spirit energy dropped sharply, making her feel dizzy. If the value had dropped by 3 more, it would have been a serious situation.

It would have been Ryeon, not Seo Geurim, who would have been staggering and vomiting.

‘I’ll postpone the purification plan for my uncle for now.’

Ryeon wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and thought. She had used 30 spirit energy just to make him feel a bit better, not to cure the food poisoning. How much would it take to purify a person’s mind?

‘Would it take about 200, 300 spirit energy? I would die doing that.’

As the nausea and dizziness subsided, Seo Geurim blinked in surprise.

"Wh... What... What is this...?"

"Are you okay? Can you do it?"

"Yes? Yes! Yes, I can do it!"

To others, it seemed that Seo Geurim had become more spirited after Ryeon supported him.

Only Dan Mukeunji on the dais watched Ryeon return to her seat with a sharp gaze.

When Ryeon sat down, Dan Mukeunji covered her hand with his, warming her cold hand.

"Does that child seem okay?"

"Yes, Grandfather. He can do it."

Meanwhile, Ryeon’s mind was racing. Dan Jun, who would later ruin the family, was still just a child in his early teens.

Though it was chilling to think a child could do such a thing, it didn’t seem like he had handled the situation with much forethought.

‘There must be some evidence somewhere...’

She thought that searching the guest hall might yield something. Ryeon quickly wrote a message with a brush and passed it to Jeong Yeong behind her.

Jeong Yeong glanced at the message, bowed to Ryeon, and quietly left the training ground.

With one person staggering in late and a direct descendant sending someone out, it was a clear signal that something was happening.

Dan Jun’s gaze, which had been nervous, darted around the dais.

However, the examination proceeded without further delay.

"Assistant Chief."

At Dan Mukeunji’s call, Dan Mukhyunwoo stood up.

"Each of you will come forward and face me."

The children looked at Dan Mukhyunwoo with tense faces.

Some shrank back at the sight of the tall Dan Mukhyunwoo, but others clenched their lips and glared, determined to prove something.

Dan Mukhyunwoo, seeing the tense children, scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and glanced at the dais.

Ryeon met his gaze and nodded with a smile.