The Incoming Tide Can't Be Stopped
Just as you can tell the sea is rising from the incoming tide but have no way to stop it if someone tells you to try, Ryeon's current situation was exactly like that.
She had figured out the true identity of Jeong Yeong, the warrior guarding her quarters. He was destined to claim one of the elite positions in the family's Yuseong Sibalsuk, but with manpower so short, he was filling in the gaps however he could...
"Money? Is it money?"
Was it really money after all? Ryeon admitted she'd been too complacent in her thinking.
She was a living elixir, and Danmok Bi had the potential to become the world's greatest. Reviving the family shouldn't be that hard. The Danmok clan's decline stemmed from Great-grandfather Danmok Cheon-gi's unhealing injuries and the death of young master Danmok Hyeon-seong. Once Danmok Bi made his name in the martial world, it would all sort itself out naturally.
It would be hard for any clan or sect boasting a sturdy, young, living "world's greatest" not to prosper. But looking at the family's state now, they wouldn't last until Danmok Bi grew up.
Right... that's it. Even in the future I saw, they didn't hold out that long... Even if my "medicine price" was a bit steep.
Danmok Bi had done his best to care for his frail sister, never letting on about the hardships inside or outside the home. But looking back now...
Ryeon wrung out her hazy memories as best she could, then let her body go limp with a thud. Dwelling on the past future was pointless now.
She sprang to her feet.
"I need to... make money."
There was a reason other clans, without a master on Danmok Cheon-gi's level, still ranked higher than the current Danmok family. They had sound-limbed experts of decent caliber without chronic ailments—and money! With money, they could do it all!
So what the Danmok family needed right now was money. With money, they could take in disciples, train them, and grow the household!
Ryeon sighed, her face glum. How was a little girl like her supposed to earn money? It felt utterly hopeless.
* * *
Every martial clan maintained its own pharmacy. With grueling daily training and sparring, the demand for medicine was naturally high. That's why renowned medical halls or pavilions might be famous, but clans and sects prized their own remedies—gold sore salves especially—above all else. Proven through millions of trials, how could they not be?
The Danmok family had a pharmacy too. It had split off from the medical pavilion decades ago when the decline began. Even Pharmacy Master Danmok Hyeon-u, who'd neglected everything for closed-door training until recently, was letting it languish.
"How can you come out dressed so thinly!"
Danmok Hyeon-u had been inspecting the herb storage room since before dawn, driven by guilt over his neglect. Then a servant announced a visitor, and there was his young niece, waiting in nothing but a thin sleeping robe topped with a single fur vest—her nose red from the cold dawn wind.
The guard standing beside her looked at a loss, so the vest was probably his. Danmok Hyeon-u startled, quickly shrugging off his own windbreaker robe to wrap her up snugly before scooping her into his arms.
"Wandering around so thinly dressed at this hour—if you catch a cold, what then! And if I hadn't been here..."
"Achoo!"
Before he could say more, Ryeon sneezed, and Danmok Hyeon-u shut his mouth, hurrying inside. The storage room wasn't exactly warm, being for herbs, but it beat the outdoors.
"What brings you here so early? Is something wrong? You didn't have a nightmare, did you?"
Danmok Hyeon-u asked in a slightly anxious voice. Ryeon shook her head vigorously.
"The sneeze was from the fur on the vest. And I came because I've memorized the entire Thousand Character Classic. You said you'd give me a reward if I did, Uncle."
"What? Even so, you could've come during daytime lessons."
"I didn't want Bi or Ryeon-a to feel bad if I was the only one getting a reward..."
Danmok Hyeon-u blinked at her words for a moment, then nodded in understanding. He wrapped the windbreaker more tightly, covering even her forehead, before heading to his quarters. He ordered a servant to stoke the brazier high with fresh charcoal, scanned the room anxiously, shut all the open windows, slipped a hand warmer into her arms once a quick-witted servant brought one, and only then sat across from her.
"A promise is a promise, so let's see if you've memorized all thousand characters."
He quietly wrote out a few random passages from the classic and held them out. Ryeon read them calmly.
"Gwajin-nae chaejung-gae-gang—among fruits, the tasty ones are apricots and pears; among vegetables, the important ones are mustard and ginger. Jigo-bi gae deutneung-mangwang—know your faults and correct them, gain ability and never forget. Mangdam-pi dan mi-si gi-jang—never speak of others' shortcomings, nor rely on your own strengths."
"..."
Danmok Hyeon-u stared alternately at Ryeon and his writing, astonishment plain on his face. Since they'd been random selections, her claim rang true. He wrote a few more just to be sure, but his niece recited them flawlessly without hesitation.
"Ah... already, incredible... truly incredible. Amazing. Splendid. Yes, what is your wish? Anything at all."
What wish couldn't he grant from a niece who'd only been awake less than a year? Besides, her brilliance was his greatest joy.
Ryeon looked up at him with a beaming smile.
"I want to make something small in the pharmacy."
"What? In the pharmacy?"
"Yes!"
* * *
She'd made the excuse about the other kids feeling left out, but even Ryeon didn't fully believe herself. As a big sister, Danmok Bi would be thrilled—probably more excited than her that she'd memorized the text and earned Uncle's praise. And Hwaryun...
He's definitely not interested in stuff like this at all.
What was wrong with that boy? Ryeon groaned inwardly but shook it off.
So she'd rushed to Danmok Hyeon-u in the pre-dawn chill claiming she'd memorized the classic to sneak a peek at the pharmacy's materials when no one else was around.
Danmok Hyeon-u stood behind her, looking bemused and puzzled, but he granted her wish.
I need to make money. Right now.
How? The simplest way was to make something here and sell it. The market was already there. This was Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province—where they said "Heaven above, Suzhou and Hangzhou below." A beautiful, bustling city teeming with people. So many rich folk that there was even a saying against flaunting wealth here. Plenty of buyers for good goods.
So what to sell? Ryeon racked her brains until her head hurt.
Something small, for easy distribution. Easy to make, to keep labor costs low. Readily available raw materials. And superior in effect...
Then it hit her like a flash—her own power.
No need for an elixir to make an immortal marvel. Just something a bit better than what's on the market would do. Better yet, something folk remedies used widely, not true medicine. So she first thought of platycodon syrup.
Platycodon was also called baekyak—white medicine—so why not call it Baekyakcheong and sell it? She wasn't much of a cook, but who complained about medicine tasting bad? And with the Danmok family favoring white robes, the name fit perfectly.
But following Danmok Hyeon-u into the herb storage, Ryeon had to shelve the idea.
"Ah..."
She'd deliberately used her Divine Eye to scan the shelves, and crisp info popped up amid the sorted herbs. Names and grades: rare clear blues, mostly average or below, and platycodon glowing an ominous red.
'Low-grade'...
"Uncle, where do these herbs come from?"
"We get them from Hoseon Medical Pavilion. It was part of the deal when we split from their clinic."
Hoseon Medical Pavilion? Is that the problem? Or is it that we're stuck with their leftovers?
Either way, these wilted platycodons were worthless. As Ryeon's face fell, Danmok Hyeon-u floundered.
"N-next time, shall we visit the outer herb shop?"
"Really?"
If it was a supplier issue, she'd fix it—by force if needed. That was Ryeon's inner thought when her eyes caught small sealed jars on a shelf.
"Oh? Those..."
"Essential oils? Want to see? Here."
Seeing her interest shift from the wilted platycodon, Danmok Hyeon-u eagerly fetched one down.