Dragon Beard Candy Saved for Sis
“My brother Hwaryun and I saved these for you, Sis……”
Ryeon’s face softened with emotion for a moment before she popped one of the dragon beard candies into Danmok Bi’s mouth as he was about to unwrap it.
“Ack! No, these were for you, Sis. I wasn’t gonna eat them……”
Ryeon chuckled a little at Danmok Bi, who was trying so hard to look pitiful even as the sweetness made him grin uncontrollably. She beckoned to Hwaryun.
Hwaryun shook his head. “No, Sis, I’m fine.”
“Hey now! Come here.”
At her coaxing tone, like she was calling over a child, Hwaryun looked like he wanted to recoil in horror. But in the end, he trudged over reluctantly.
Ryeon popped a dragon beard candy into his mouth too, making it fair. “There. Tasty?”
“……”
Hwaryun looked like he had a lot to say, but he swallowed the candy—and his words—with a nod.
In the meantime, Danmok Bi had polished off his piece and now smooshed a sticky kiss against Ryeon’s cheek. A sweet scent wafted from the boy’s breath.
Ryeon burst out laughing at Hwaryun, who was staring at them with utter dismay.
“Doesn’t Hwaryun like sweets?”
Ryeon suddenly understood why there were three candies. Uncle Danmok Hyeon-u must have given two to each boy, but if Danmok Bi had eaten just one and saved the rest, that meant Hwaryun had given up both of his without eating them.
Danmok Bi shot Hwaryun an incredulous look.
Hwaryun rolled his eyes after finishing his candy. “No, uh, I like them. But the last one’s for Sis.”
“Yeah! For Sis!”
The boys chattered on. Ryeon watched the two, who somehow seemed to be getting along surprisingly well.
Danmok Bi was remarkably mature for his age compared to other kids, but next to Hwaryun, he looked like the baby of the family, spoiled and clingy. Not that Hwaryun was acting all that grown-up himself……
“So, you didn’t really come just to give me these dragon beard candies, right?”
“Ehehe……”
Danmok Bi puffed out his cheeks in a spoiled grin.
Ryeon headed to the small basket by the heater. “Ooooh……”
A plump-bellied little white kitten lay curled up in the cozy basket, even with the hot stone warmer inside, sleeping soundly. Completely oblivious to the three kids peering at it.
The kitten’s soft fluff stuck out in fluffy tufts, making it look just like a stuffed toy.
“What’d you name it?”
“I wanted Ha-yang-i, but Mom said Baekryeon……”
Baekryeon just because it’s the white one I brought home? It was such doting parent love, but Ryeon couldn’t exactly object. Even Nanny Jang ssi had clapped in delight, and the kitten itself perked up its ears only when called “Baekryeon” instead of “Ha-yang-i.”
“I like it too!”
Danmok Bi’s excited shout made the kitten twitch its ears. Realizing this, he slapped both hands over his mouth.
“What about you, Hwaryun? You like the name?”
Catching him off guard, Hwaryun flinched, glanced at Ryeon, then nodded with a disinterested expression.
“Better than Ha-yang-i, isn’t it?”
“One word from you, and you’ve racked up a thousand-nyang debt. Yeah, you.”
Hwaryun blinked blankly for a second, then burst into loud laughter. While Ryeon stared at him in exasperation, the baby kitten woke up and started mewling pitifully, kyiing, kyiing.
Ryeon shoved the still-laughing Hwaryun aside, scooped up the kitten, and soothed it. Danmok Bi wiggled his fingers this way and that, trying to help.
“You come pet it too.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
Hwaryun hesitated and stepped back. Ryeon grinned mischievously, grabbed his hand, and yanked him over.
“Pet it gently. Got it? Nice and soft, like touching flower petals.”
Hwaryun made a face like why would I touch flower petals? but couldn’t bring himself to pull away from Ryeon’s grip. He tentatively placed a finger on Baekryeon’s head.
His hand trembled slightly, making Ryeon chuckle. “Why’re you so scared?”
“I’m not scared!”
Hwaryun protested with an indignant pout. “What if I mess up and hurt it? Then you’d……”
“It won’t get hurt. And it’s not like I’d hit you if you did.”
“Who said I’m worried about that?”
Hwaryun gave her an exasperated look, then sighed like an old man and gently stroked the kitten. A strange light flickered across his face—something unfamiliar, maybe bittersweet.
Is the vessel of the future Demon Heavenly Cult leader just built different? Even liking a kitten is this hard for him……
The kitten squeaked and leaned into Hwaryun’s hand, then promptly fell back asleep as if its tantrum had never happened.
“It’s sleeping……”
“Sis, when do we feed it?”
“I fed it a bit before you guys came, so later. Wanna feed it together?”
“Yeah!”
“But you can’t just play with the kitten all day. I’m starting martial arts training now. You need to memorize all your letters quick and train with me, okay?”
“Okay! I’ll go memorize ’em right now!”
Danmok Bi whined eagerly—he wanted to train with Sis. Meanwhile, Hwaryun just picked white fur off his fingers, savoring the lingering sweetness in his mouth, looking utterly uninterested.
A few days after news arrived of the first snow in the north.
“Miss! Miss!”
“Nanny? What’s wrong?”
“The head of the Mansong Merchant Group’s caravan—the Guildmaster herself—is here. The Grand Patriarch wants you brought over right away.”
“Mansong Merchant Group Guildmaster?”
Ryeon’s eyes sparkled at the name. Last week, Uncle Danmok Hyeon-u had sent Qinglian Water to the Mansong Guildmaster, and she’d helped package it up.
While Nanny Jang ssi fetched Ryeon’s outer robe, Danmok Bi asked the steward what a “big wagon boss” was. The steward explained it was the top leader of the merchant house as they went, and Hwaryun sidled up to Ryeon, whispering,
“So, Miss, you’re really starting martial arts now?”
He always called her “Miss” properly around others.
“Yeah. It’s been a whole month since I memorized the Thousand Character Classic. I’ve been training my stamina hard too. I was gonna start today, but with the guest here, probably tomorrow……”
“You sure you’re okay?”
Ryeon’s eyes went wide. “Me?”
Hwaryun nodded. “Even on that mountain trip looking for black moon mushrooms, you were huffing and puffing all by yourself.”
“I’m better than then! And anyway……”
Ryeon mumbled, then blurted it out. “I’m just a kid, y’know? Still…… still a baby.”
“You’re eight.”
“That’s why…… that’s why I gotta learn now, grow up, get stronger……”
“Even the Mansong Merchant Group came looking for you. Why not learn business from her?”
Ryeon narrowed her eyes. Hwaryun’s words always circled back to the same place. He wasn’t really into business itself—he just hated martial arts. She kind of wished he’d learn something else too.
“Hwaryun, why do you hate martial arts so much?”
“What’s the point? It’s all just swinging swords around.”
“But our house is a murim clan. We can’t not learn.”
“Murim clan, tough merchant house—what’s the difference?”
“……”
Honestly, he wasn’t wrong. What made a clan a clan? Not the pursuit of martial enlightenment through training, but chasing personal glory, family honor, wealth, and fame.
But……
“Don’t say that stuff anywhere else. You’ll get in big trouble.”
She could just shake her head because it was her, but say that in another clan, and you might get beaten black and blue.
“Where would I go to say that to anyone?”
Hwaryun shot back peevishly despite her warning, then got dragged off by Danmok Bi, who’d grabbed his wrist—Bi was determined to memorize his letters and start training.
The Mansong Merchant Group was the greatest in Zhejiang Province—so great, they said you couldn’t tour the West Lake without stepping in their shadow.
At the same time, it had once been one of the sturdy pillars letting the Danmok Clan dominate Zhejiang.
The current Guildmaster, back when she was a girl, had nearly died to bandits on the road to Hangzhou. A young Danmok Cheon-gi, happening to be nearby, had saved her—that was the start of their bond.
Even as the Danmok Clan faded through tragedy after tragedy, Mansong spread its wings ever wider.
And that was the limit of a murim clan. A family risen by martial prowess couldn’t uphold its dignity without proving its physical might. When the clan’s strong fell, the whole house crumbled.
Even if a secular murim clan seemed no different from a merchant house, it could never be exactly the same.
Inside Wolyeongjae, two old men sat sipping tea.
“Greet him. This is the head of the Mansong Merchant Group’s caravan and Guildmaster. An old friend of mine.”
Ryeon hurried over and curtsied neatly, dipping her knees.
“I am Danmok Ryeon.”
Ryeon snuck a glance at the Mansong Guildmaster and nearly toppled over in shock.