Kneel, Danmok Jun!
* * *
Jeon ssi clutched his head and shouted.
"No, no, you lot! What in the world is going on?! Physician! Physician!
"U-uwweeeek!"
"T-to the outhouse! I'll, I'll be right back!"
"What the hell did you all scavenge and eat?!"
It had been ages since the branch family retainers had been summoned to the main house, so they'd sent staff from Wolyeongjae kitchen to the reception hall for proper hospitality. That staffer was Jeon ssi. Things had seemed fine right up to the last day.
But then, out of nowhere, three or four kitchen hands suddenly turned pale and started vomiting one after another.
Even healthy people get queasy watching someone else puke, but with multiple people going at once? Chaos erupted.
One haggard servant, eyes bloodshot from retching, hesitated before confessing.
"The... the leftovers in the kitchen...."
The children were tense but gave it their all.
Danmok Cheon-gi had revived, the clan was reclaiming its former glory—if they could just catch the main house's eye and stay, their futures were set.
But Danmok Jun alone couldn't focus on the test ahead. It was that piercing gaze from the direct-line girl slicing right through him.
A look that seemed to say she already knew what he'd done—like no child that age should have.
Seo Geuk-rim was a cousin from the next village over. Their grandfathers and grandmothers had lived together once upon a time, so they kept in touch, but Seo Geuk-rim's family was dirt poor.
They'd hand over ingredients or Jun's hand-me-down clothes now and then, out of family ties. Jun had been shocked at first to learn they'd gotten an invitation from the main house, but that was it.
He never imagined Seo Geuk-rim would actually show up. They couldn't even afford to send one kid all the way to Hangzhou.
And yet, scraping together every last coin for travel money, making excuses like "I know it'll end in failure, but I just wanna see it once"—that's how he'd crawled his way here.
To Danmok Jun, the mere fact that Seo Geuk-rim—who'd grown fat on the food and clothes he gave—showed more sword talent than him was an insult. A betrayal.
How dare he dream of surpassing me?
'The meat... it should be taken care of by now, right?'
Jun had only ordered the servant to cook; he didn't know what happened after. And he'd never expected anyone to ask him about Seo Geuk-rim.
Jun had barely acknowledged the boy in the clan grounds, too busy cozying up to the other kids.
'No, it'll be fine. Even if they figure out the stir-fry was off, I can just say I didn't know it was spoiled!'
Jun steadied himself. He hadn't cooked it himself, after all.
'Serves him right, the grandkid of a cousin, running wild like that....'
That side was the great-grandson of Cheon-gi's cousin. This side still bore the Danmok name.
Those without even that weren't true blood anymore, were they? So obviously, they shouldn't have gotten invitations for this branch recruitment in the first place.
'If the Danmok family hadn't sent an invitation to Geuk-rim....'
Resentment bubbled up; he bit his lip and gripped his wooden sword tighter.
Seo Geuk-rim had picked up scraps of knowledge by eavesdropping, forcing Jun to cover his tracks here and there. But Jun knew he was the genius.
A genius who had to take first place here.
His grandfather, who'd taught him the sword, always praised him as a prodigy.
—Not some orphan brat without a dad. You, Jun, you're the one who should be next clan head!
—You won't lose to some branch without the Danmok name, right?
—How can you only do that much? No, you can do better. You've inherited my talent fully!
Danmok Jun shuddered.
Even if he passed and stayed in the clan, anything less than first place was meaningless. He'd heard his grandfather had nearly become the world's greatest and clan head himself.
As that man's eldest grandson, Jun had to pass with flying colors.
That's when Danmok Hyeon-u looked down at him silently.
Suddenly, Jun felt like he couldn't breathe.
'W-what?'
"Draw your sword."
"Y-yes? Y-yes... yes!"
Jun snapped to and fumbled for his wooden sword. He'd been lost in thought, staring blankly at Hyeon-u.
"Come at me, then."
"H-here I go!"
His voice shook unexpectedly; he stuttered in shame, cheeks flushing as he hurried into footwork.
Like this, then swing the wooden sword...!
Clang!
But in one exchange, his sword flew away with a crisp ring.
His hand tingled from the impact. Stunned and bewildered, Jun just gaped at where his sword had landed.
At the same instant, Hyeon-u's weapon touched Jun's throat.
"It may look casual, but this is a bout. You can't let your mind wander midway."
"...!"
Jun was the only one finished so quickly. Rage and humiliation burned his face crimson.
He couldn't comprehend it. How could he—grandson of Cheon-gi himself, son of the youngest son—lose his sword and stand defenseless in one clash?
Hyeon-u met his glare and spoke quietly.
"Passing this test while distracted isn't easy. Settle your mind, train diligently, and then..."
"I-I wasn't focused just now! One more chance, please..."
"When you meet the enemy, will you beg for 'one more' too?"
Jun bit his lip at the question, tears welling up.
"B-but please, just once more..."
"Next!"
"Young master, step back."
"L-let go!"
He even swallowed his pride and begged desperately, but Hyeon-u wouldn't budge. Face twisted in humiliation, Jun violently shook off the hands holding him and stormed down from the platform on his own feet.
That's when he realized his turn was over—next was Seo Geuk-rim.
Jun's face contorted viciously as he glared at the boy.
But Seo Geuk-rim, who always wore his castoffs, glanced back calmly once before ascending the stage.
Ryeon watched Danmok Hyeon-u spar with Seo Geuk-rim, activating her Divine Eye.
Starlight shimmered over her pupils.
His aptitude was upper-low—better than even Danmok Seong.
He'd only learned Falling Star Twelve Swords 1-star and Boundless Step 1-star, but considering his ragged clothes and condition hinting at poverty, mastering that much was pure talent and grit.
Even Hyeon-u seemed genuinely engaged, unlike before, exchanging several passes with evident enjoyment.
"Oh! You thought to move like that?"
"Hngh, hup!"
Hyeon-u got into it at Geuk-rim's clever, unorthodox moves, even pointing out the boy's exposed weakness at the end.
Seo Geuk-rim was too focused on parrying to respond.
But he couldn't go further.
He'd endured vomiting and dizziness right up to the training ground; more was impossible. Ryeon's Purification had only bought him a brief window.
As Seo Geuk-rim staggered hard, Hyeon-u caught him in alarm.
"Whoa! W-what do we do? You okay? Physician! Physician!"
The waiting physician rushed over. Ryeon leaped down too.
This boy was clan material; she couldn't let him be mishandled.
"He ate spoiled meat, kept vomiting, but held it in to finish the test just now," Ryeon told the physician quickly.
Seo Geuk-rim's head jerked up in shock, then lolled from dizziness as the physician nodded pityingly.
"Poor kid, beast-meat poisoning. But he purged it all, so he's in decent shape. I'll give him an antidote and reed root juice, then let him rest. ...How on earth did he eat spoiled meat?"
The physician glanced sideways. Jeon ssi from Wolyeongjae kitchen had handled the food for these branch retainers. The ambitious chef—who dreamed of being Zhejiang's top cook and had poured his soul into everything since losing the prized black chicken—now faced a massive scandal.
'Jeon ssi might cry if he hears.'
The physician, who often got late-night snacks from him, secretly hoped the boy had eaten something outside.
"That was..."
Right then—
Footsteps pounded as a sharp, booming voice no child should have rang out.
"Danmok Jun! Kneel right there!"
"W-what?"
"What's happening?"
"S-Seong?"
Danmok Hyeon-yo shot up first, recognizing her daughter's voice. Ryeon blinked wide-eyed as warriors swiftly grabbed Danmok Jun and forced him to his knees.