Sparring Dilemmas and Sudden Wealth
“Does it make any sense to have a girl who just got out of bed after being sick spar twice in a single month?”
“Then who’s supposed to step up and fight? It can’t be me or you, Aunt.”
Danmok Hyeon-yo furrowed her brow in irritation as she spoke.
“It’s Seong’s sparring match, so Seong has to do it.”
“Will she be okay?”
“Is there any reason Ryeon can do it but Seong can’t? Besides, that matchup with Geum Jongha was meant for Seong from the start—that’s why they came all the way from Henan Province.”
Danmok Hyeon-yo whispered through gritted teeth. Her tightly clenched fist trembled.
Even thinking about it again made her blood boil.
“Damn it, why didn’t you stop it!”
“How many times have we been over this? Kids grow up playing and sparring like that!”
“If kids try to play games with the family name on the line, you stop them...!”
“Enough!”
Danmok Cheon-gi’s low shout silenced the siblings.
Wijicheong, who had been sitting quietly beside them, smiled softly and spoke up.
“Outer Hall Leader, please don’t worry too much. Where else will you find a child with talent like Seong’s? She’ll learn a lot from this.”
Danmok Hyeon-yo stared at her with a look like she might topple backward, then nodded with quivering lips, muttering a thanks for the kind words—before inevitably dragging up another issue to vent her frustration.
“Fine, whatever. And what’s this about signing a contract with this Yak Yeo-cheong person? Herb supply? We’re already getting herbs from Hoseon Medical Pavilion.”
“Ah, that.”
Danmok Hyeon-u jumped in.
“I found this herb gatherer on my last trip out, and her skills are incredible.”
At her younger brother’s intervention, Danmok Hyeon-yo raised an eyebrow.
“How amazing can she be to justify paying this much for a contract? Where’s the money for this in the family budget? And how old is she that you had to write the contract under a guardian’s name? Is the daughter selling out her own mother?”
“No, it’s not the daughter’s name—it’s the grandmother’s...”
“...?”
Danmok Hyeon-yo just blinked.
Danmok Hyeon-u cleared his throat awkwardly and continued.
“The herb gatherer Yak Yeo-cheong isn’t of age yet... so we’re planning to negotiate with her grandmother too.”
“How old?”
Danmok Hyeon-yo asked, figuring she must be at least fifteen. She pushed aside the unease stirring in her heart—probably just not quite of age yet.
“Uh, let’s see... how old was she? Ten? Twelve...?”
“You serious?”
Danmok Hyeon-yo let out a “hoho” laugh before bellowing.
“You’re telling me we’re paying this much for herbs from a ten- or twelve-year-old?!”
“Her herbs are really top-notch. I brought some back—check them at the pharmacy later.”
“Fine, say the herbs are great. But... what? Even if she’s a good gatherer, where’s the money to expand the pharmacy over this?!”
“We’ve got plenty of money.”
“What?”
“Well, precisely, it’s not that the family has a ton of money—it’s that Ryeon has a ton. But anyway, money’s no issue.”
“...?”
Danmok Hyeon-yo shot Danmok Hyeon-u a look like he was spouting nonsense.
Wijicheong smiled faintly.
“You’ve been so upright and straight-laced since you arrived, Outer Hall Leader—taking care of the children and everyone first—that you haven’t had a chance to check yet.”
Her words were so purely complimentary it almost felt like teasing, but everyone there knew Wijicheong always spoke from the heart.
Danmok Hyeon-yo flushed with embarrassment, glaring inwardly at her as Danmok Hyeon-u spoke up.
“Go take a look at Rejing Pavilion.”
“You think I wouldn’t?”
“Everyone here knows you’d go.”
Danmok Hyeon-yo glared at her brother, then shot to her feet.
She half-ran to Rejing Pavilion.
The pavilion master, Seol Gwan-hui, was busily scribbling with his brush when he noticed her and looked puzzled—but welcomed her all the same.
“Oh, Outer Hall Leader... what brings you here?”
It had been over a decade since the family coffers ran dry, and Danmok Hyeon-yo hadn’t set foot in Rejing Pavilion in ages.
Danmok Hyeon-yo first checked if Wijicheong had followed, and seeing she hadn’t, got straight to the point.
“I heard some ridiculous rumor that the family’s suddenly rolling in money. What’s going on?”
“Pardon? Ah... have you really never heard of Qinglian Water?”
Danmok Hyeon-yo scowled.
“I’ve never even seen the stuff in person—am I supposed to believe street gossip?”
Well, it sold out instantly wherever it appeared, so unless you poked your head into every shop, you wouldn’t snag any. From Danmok Hyeon-yo’s perspective, fresh back from Zhejiang Province, it probably sounded like tall tales.
Seeing Seol Gwan-hui’s subtle smile, Danmok Hyeon-yo’s eyes widened.
“No way it’s really...”
“Oh, it’s real, alright.”
“If some clear essential oil blend sells that well, why didn’t the family pharmacy make it ages ago?!”
“It’s not that the pharmacy’s incompetent—Young Lady Ryeon created it. No one else can replicate the effects, so that’s why it sells like hotcakes.”
Fakes were starting to circulate too, apparently, but with noticeably weaker effects, causing headaches for sellers.
“Ryeon made it all by herself, and it’s that amazing... selling that well?”
“Indeed.”
“Then why are the family buildings still in this state?”
Not just the buildings—the family’s clothes and daily meals hadn’t changed much since before she’d left for Henan Province. No wonder she hadn’t noticed.
“The young lady said to keep using the relatively intact areas and repair the most rundown parts first, so we’ve started there.”
“What? Where?”
“The servants’ quarters.”
“Why in the world...”
Danmok Hyeon-yo started to blurt it out but caught Seol Gwan-hui’s calm gaze and clamped her mouth shut.
No matter how dire the finances, would they neglect the main hall leader’s and direct bloodline’s residences? Or delay repairs to the guest halls? No—the most dilapidated spots were the servants’ quarters, hidden from outsiders’ eyes.
“So... we really... have money now? We’re rich?”
“Not we—Young Lady Ryeon has become quite wealthy.”
“!”
Seol Gwan-hui smiled nonchalantly as he replied.
Danmok Hyeon-yo swallowed dryly, glaring at him.
“What, you think I’d covet my niece’s money?”
“No one in the family thinks that.”
“So how much exactly? Give me numbers.”
Seol Gwan-hui pulled out the ledger without batting an eye—a record of the funds Ryeon had set aside for the family’s use.
Danmok Hyeon-yo snatched it and scanned it rapidly.
Her hands shook.
“Th-this... this...”
She hadn’t seen assets like this since she’d come of age.
‘Made this much from selling a few drops of oil?’
“She said since the family’s help made the Balsa Sesu possible, it’s only right to repay it—and she set it aside for the family’s growth.”
Danmok Hyeon-yo’s lips twitched.
It had been so short a time since Danmok Ryeon awoke, and the family was full of unknowns.
“So... that’s funding the herb gatherer hire, pharmacy expansion... and new disciples?”
“Yes.”
Danmok Hyeon-yo’s eyebrow twitched once, then she slammed the ledger shut and shoved it back at Seol Gwan-hui.
“Pavilion Master Seol, you’re head over heels for that girl, aren’t you? She’s the only one in this house who’s shown talent for earning money, not just spending it.”
“How dare I adore her? Serving her is honor enough.”
“...!”
Danmok Hyeon-yo’s face hardened as she stared, but Seol Gwan-hui just inclined his youthful-looking head toward her—his graying hair notwithstanding.
Time to go if you’re done.
Danmok Hyeon-yo turned on her heel without a word.
The lantern swayed in the breeze, and only then did Danmok Seong look up from her book.
Her eyes met Danmok Hyeon-yo’s—her mother wearing an expression of deep hurt.
It seemed she’d only had eyes for her daughter until now.
“Mother.”
“How’s the studying going, my girl?”
Seok Ban-an, who’d been peering at the drawings beside Danmok Seong, also looked up.
Seok Ban-an smiled gently.
“Learning a new martial art, right?”
“Yes, Father. So please don’t be too upset, Mother.”
“Ah, no... do you think I’m upset over what you’re learning?”
Danmok Hyeon-yo waved her hands frantically.
“A true martial artist steps up with spirit when the family name is insulted. You did well, my girl.”
“Yes!”
Danmok Hyeon-yo’s stomach churned, but looking at her daughter’s face, any scolding stayed bottled up.
She took after her—beautiful and refined, brimming with talent, diligent and hardworking. What could she possibly scold?
“So, was playing with Ryeon fun? You didn’t just go to some herb shop, right?”
“Ah...”
Danmok Seong trailed off uncertainly.
Danmok Hyeon-yo’s eyes narrowed.
“Did Ryeon say to just do whatever she wants?”