Cheers for the Clan's Steaming Dumplings
"Didn't we share those dumplings last winter, and weren't they just out-of-this-world delicious? That's why they're carrying on like that."
"As good as the dongpo pork we just ate?"
"Exactly why they're cheering like mad over there. We stuffed the soft, chewy dumpling wrappers with a finely minced filling of all sorts of vegetables and meat. When we handed them out fresh from the steamer, hot steam rose up, and people said the juices from the meat and veggies mingled in ecstasy in their mouths."
"No wonder, then. When are they sharing those dumplings again?"
"Next year around this time?"
"What! Why on earth?"
"They say it's because it's the Danmok clan's children's birthdays, and they shared dumplings along the road."
"But all the birthdays have already passed?"
"They have."
Heukdam slumped his shoulders with a deeply dejected expression. Baekdam peered out the window at the lengthening line of people and muttered to himself.
"Looks like that rumor was true after all."
"What rumor?"
"The one we heard on the way to Hangzhou—that the Moonless Sword has recovered his health. Otherwise, why would he, who's been in seclusion all this time, suddenly show up at something like the Kyunghang Yunryeon?"
"Even if the Moonless Sword has reached the Profound Realm, that's none of our business. What matters now is that our Constellation Relic shows no reaction whatsoever!"
Heukdam yanked the relic from his bosom with a voice full of despair, tossing it down like trash.
"Tch..."
Baekdam's spirits had sunk just as low.
"At least it flickered with reactions now and then..."
"It's not like its signal is just barely hanging on by a thread, is it?"
If they went back empty-handed after searching for candidates without finding a single one until they died, who knew how the cult leader would react.
Baekdam shook his head.
"It's more like..."
"More like what?"
"What if this kid knows how to suppress their own energy?"
"What nonsense is that, Baekdam? The kid's barely seven... maybe eight at most."
Last year when they set out, they'd guessed around five or six; a year later, the child would be seven or eight now.
"But Heukdam, otherwise, why would the Constellation Relic react so sporadically?"
"You think a kid who's just been born could suppress their presence like that?"
"If they're seven or eight, they're not a newborn anymore. They've got all their limbs by then. Even tiger cubs hide their ferocity when they're young to look cute."
"Then... if that's true."
Heukdam looked at Baekdam with wavering eyes.
If a child was suppressing their own omen star? If that's why the relic couldn't lock on properly?
"Then how the hell are we supposed to find them now?"
"Ah."
The two elders stared down at the Constellation Relic with profoundly gloomy faces, but it offered no answers.
* * *
A large-sailed boat cleaved through the canal's currents, heading toward Namjikryeong Fortress. And aboard this boat, more crowded than usual, hung an oddly palpable tension.
Danmok Cheon-gi sat with arms crossed, playing go with his daughter Danmok Hyeon-yo, while Danmok Hyeon-u sat beside them, offering commentary on his sister and father's game.
"......"
"......"
"......"
The passengers, strangers to one another, pretended not to notice, feigning ignorance, while subtly rolling their eyes to size each other up. Amid this inexplicable tension on the deck, Ryeon, who had been playfully fanning herself as if at play, quickly scanned the statuses floating above her fan and couldn't help but smile.
So that's what all this is about...
A little ways off, gazing down at the canal waters and trying not to grin too obviously, she was approached by Hwaryun, who had somehow procured a small kumquat.
"Nui, you okay? Not too seasick?"
"I'm fine, fine. I just don't particularly like hanging out with nature like this."
Ryeon's face had suddenly gone pale and she'd seemed dizzy right before boarding, keeping the family worried up until the last moment. Danmok Seong had even skimped on sleep to check on her condition and was now dozing off.
"Don't most people say they love communing with nature? And even if you hate that, the boat's packed with people right now—it's like a total marketplace."
"Still not enough. Needs to be way more crowded."
Ryeon teased playfully.
Since leaving the estate and halting production of Qinglian Water and Baekyakcheong, the rate at which her Spiritual Energy accumulated outpaced her expenditure, and the time-limited warning had popped up again after a long hiatus. She'd thought about dumping it all into purifying the canal waters, but when fish started swarming around the boat and swimming with newfound vigor, she stopped. She couldn't very well spawn spirit beasts right in the middle of a public canal. Moreover, the barnacles clinging to the hull—clearly ones the crew hadn't fully scraped off—only troubled her more.
What if those turn into Millennium Purple Shells?
The pearls from Millennium Purple Shells warded off demons and blocked poisons just by carrying them—a true spirit item. Normally, it took a millennium for a pearl infused with spiritual energy to become one, but after seeing a plain cockatoo transform into a Vermilion Bird and fly off, there was no reason barnacles couldn't do the same.
"Speaking of, where'd you get the kumquat?"
"They say sucking on something sour helps with seasickness."
It wasn't seasickness, so the scent wouldn't help, but Ryeon held the little golden fruit to her nose anyway. Its sharp, bitter-sweet aroma—one that made saliva pool in the mouth all on its own—lifted her spirits nicely.
"Where'd you get the kumquats?"
"People gave them to me when I said you looked seasick."
Ryeon nearly dropped the kumquat at those words.
"People? Who?"
"Dunno. But nothing weird's in them, so it's fine."
She almost lectured him—How do you know? What if it really was something strange from a stranger? Don't talk to strangers, stick right by Nui—but she held back. Over Hwaryun's shoulder, a sturdy martial artist carrying a basket full of kumquats grinned brightly at her. Ryeon gave a quick eye-smile in greeting; the man returned it, only to spill the entire basket in a clatter.
"Yeah, doesn't seem like anything weird... They're all just folks missing Grandpa."
"Oh, that's what it was?"
Groups of three or five, loners off by themselves, people in veiled hats hiding their eyes... All of them with a weapon at their waist, subtly watching one another. Ryeon had just started thinking the whole scene felt suspicious when she fanned harder. At the same moment, the Divine Eye flashed countless names of passengers aboard, their martial arts, aptitudes, and traits.
But one thing remained constant: their worries.
How can I even exchange a single greeting with Moonless Sword Danmok Cheon-gi?
The rumor that the long-secluded Danmok Cheon-gi had set out on the road had drawn all these people to this very boat just to catch a glimpse of him.
"You took something from a stranger without even knowing? If an unfamiliar adult offers you something, or asks for help, don't follow them or do anything for them. Got it?"
"......"
"Uharyun, good kids answer."
"That's all stuff you do, Nui."
"What?"
"You help and save every passing adult or kid who runs up to you—it's chaos."
"No... When did I ever!"
Hwaryun eyed her with utter disbelief.
"'When did I ever'—isn't that the top thing guilty people say in front of the magistrate?"
"You scared of the magistrate? The magistrate's far away, but I'm right here."
"Ah, yeah... You're scarier, Nui. Yes, yes."
"And I only do that stuff for family. Family means..."
Ryeon trailed off.
What if she'd used the ingredients from her Balsa Sesu elsewhere? What if she'd poured that money from the elixirs and formulas into reviving the clan? Or even splurged on luxuries, had some fun? If Danmok Han-so and Cheongyun Jin-in hadn't lost their inner power, maybe they'd have reached higher realms...
Hwaryun, quick to sense her mood sinking, blurted out hastily.
"You try to teach even the branch family kids, too."
Ryeon's eyes widened in surprise before she lightly flicked his nose bridge with her fingertip.
"Of course they're family. And it benefits me if they get stronger. Means 'the Danmok clan's kids are this tough!'"
A clan's warriors' strength was the clan's strength, which bolstered its influence. It was only natural for Ryeon to invest in their training.
"That's not the point. The point is, don't talk to strangers. Don't follow adults who ask for help. Proper adults don't ask kids for help. And don't eat stuff from strangers. Got it?"
"......"
"Answer me, Uharyun."
"Yes, yes."
"What did I say?"
"Listen to Nui."
Ryeon rubbed her forehead but couldn't scold Hwaryun further. That mischievous look said he knew exactly what he was doing and answered that way on purpose.