"Ughhh…"
Chung Myung collapsed onto the ground.
"...I'm going to die."
This wasn't easy. Even though it was a small hill, a hill was still a hill. Digging through it wasn't a simple task.
Moreover, sneaking around in the dark to avoid the eyes of the sect members made him feel like a thief.
'Damn this body.'
This body just wouldn't adapt. If it were his past self, he could have used his light-foot technique for three days and nights without even breaking a sweat. But this weak body was gasping for breath after just a little movement.
It was the same when he went down to Hwaeum to interrogate Yu Jong-san. Going up and down the mountain was ten times harder than dealing with that loud swordsman. What more needed to be said?
And what Chung Myung was doing now wasn't easy either.
"Huuuuu…"
Chung Myung placed his hands on the ground, took a deep breath, and pushed his energy into the earth.
What was he doing in the middle of the night?
"Exactly, damn it."
The warehouse must be down there. But the problem was that he didn't know exactly where.
There was only one way: to check every spot.
So now, Chung Myung was crawling around the hill, pushing his energy into various points to find any hollow spaces. If there was a hollow space under the hill, it had to be the warehouse.
It sounded simple.
It sounded simple, but…
"This is like looking for a needle in a desert."
Chung Myung let out a deep sigh.
In his past life, he could have covered this small hill with his energy with just a flick of his hand. But now, the most he could do was extend a finger's worth of energy.
"Ahhh! I'm going to die!"
And even that small amount of energy couldn't be used continuously. His internal energy, which could barely be called a "peanut," was already running low after just a few uses. Each time, he had to gather his energy again and repeat the process over a dozen times.
'If there's nothing here, I'm just wasting my time.'
His body was tired, and random thoughts kept creeping into his mind. Chung Myung shook off the distracting thoughts.
Enough. Where there's a will, there's a way.
"It must be there!"
Considering Elder Brother Jangmun's personality and everything else, the records must be stored in a safe place. And the only safe place was here.
This was like grasping at straws. But this hope was more like a floating log than a straw. How could he not grab it?
One more time!
"Ahhh!"
One more time!
"I'm dying!"
One more time!
"Something's hollow. That's not my problem. Ahhh."
One more…
Wait. Hold on.
"Something's hollow?"
Chung Myung's eyes widened. He squeezed out his energy and sent it down again to confirm.
'There's something!'
He felt something different. There was a hollow space down there. With his current low level of internal energy, he couldn't tell if the space was man-made or naturally formed.
But it was certain that something was hollow.
So then?
"Ptoo!"
Chung Myung spat on the ground and stood up. He grabbed the pickaxe he had brought with him.
"I need to see it with my own eyes!"
Now it was a battle of endurance.
"Ughhh!"
One swing.
"Ughhhhh!"
Two swings.
"Ughhhhhhh!"
Three swings.
Thud.
Chung Myung collapsed into the hole he had dug. Dirt poured into his mouth, but he didn't even have the strength to spit it out.
"I'm dying, I'm dying."
Damn this body.
Just digging five feet made his arms tremble and his legs shake. His back hurt as if it had been struck by a sword.
Those who practice martial arts are usually accustomed to pain.
But the pain from hard training and injuries is different from the pain of labor. Unfortunately, Chung Myung wasn't very familiar with the pain of labor.
Even if he were, this wasn't something a child's body could handle.
Digging through solid ground was hard even for a grown man. And there were no tricks to it. It was purely a matter of strength and endurance.
"Ptoo!"
Chung Myung spat out the dirt in his mouth and glared.
"Alright. Let's see who wins, you or me!"
But if he gave up here, the name Plum Blossom Sword Saint would be disgraced!
"Hyaa!"
Chung Myung began swinging the pickaxe with renewed vigor.
If there's a space down there, I'll definitely reach it!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Hyaaaah!"
Thud! Thud! Clang!
"Huh?"
Clang?
Chung Myung quickly crouched down and began brushing away the dirt with his hands. After a few swipes, his fingers touched something hard.
'Bricks?'
Chung Myung's face twisted. The texture felt strange. There were cracks here and there. It was definitely bricks.
Finding something made of bricks under this hill might be a good sign. It meant someone had created an artificial space.
But Chung Myung thought differently.
If this were Mount Hua's secret vault, they wouldn't have used something as flimsy as bricks for defense. They would have fortified it more securely to prevent intruders.
But bricks…?
'Let's keep digging.'
Chung Myung suppressed his disappointment. He couldn't be sure of anything until he saw it with his own eyes. Confirming it visually was the priority.
Swish, swish.
As he brushed away more dirt, the clear pattern of bricks emerged. His martial arts level was still low, and it was dark, so he couldn't see clearly, but it was certain that something was down there.
'Let's see.'
Chung Myung carefully grabbed one of the bricks.
It seemed a lot of time had passed, as the bricks were tightly fitted together. He pulled on the brick with force, being careful not to cause a collapse.
Sssk.
One brick came loose.
'Nice!'
Chung Myung carefully removed the brick and stuck his face into the hole.
'Now, here…'
He focused his vision to see below and frowned slightly.
There was nothing below. All he could see was…
'This can't be… Ah! A passageway?'
His fists clenched involuntarily.
He hadn't found the wrong place. He had found the right place, but he was slightly off. What he had found wasn't the vault but the passageway leading to it. His current abilities weren't enough to accurately distinguish between the passageway and the vault.
But finding the passageway meant he had found the path to the vault!
'Great!'
Just as Chung Myung lifted his head to remove more bricks…
Thud.
A low sound of footsteps came from inside.
'Huh!'
Chung Myung almost gasped in surprise. Someone was walking through the passageway toward him.
'The sect leader?'
He quickly pulled his head back and hurriedly covered the hole with the brick. But there was a bigger problem.
'Oh no!'
Light was leaking through the gap created by the removed brick. Chung Myung hastily covered the brick with his body and lowered his breathing, using the Art of Concealment.
'Why now of all times!'
If he was caught, it would be trouble. If the sect leader discovered him digging through the hill and reaching this point, what could he even say?
He absolutely couldn't be caught.
Thud. Thud.
The sound of footsteps in the dark passageway grew closer. The steps weren't fast.
'It's definitely the sect leader.'
Even in the darkness, he could clearly tell it was the sect leader.
Fortunately, the sect leader didn't seem to notice anything unusual and passed by the spot where Chung Myung was watching. But there was no time to breathe a sigh of relief. The sect leader soon stopped walking.
'Is there a wall…?'
As his eyes adjusted to the complete darkness, the scene inside became clearer. In front of where the sect leader had stopped, there was a large wall.
No. It wasn't a wall.
At first glance, it might seem like one, but it couldn't be a wall. The end of a long passageway wasn't called a wall but a door. The sect leader stood still, staring at the door.
'So he knew.'
He had expected this.
While others might not have known about the existence of the vault, it was highly likely that the sect leader did. Elder Brother Jangmun might have passed it down to the next sect leader, or he might have discovered it while using the quarters.
But the strange thing was, if he knew about the vault, why had Mount Hua fallen into such a state?
The vault must have contained the records and treasures Elder Brother Jangmun had prepared. So why?
Just then.
The sect leader slowly raised his hand and touched the wall—no, the door. He touched it as if caressing something precious, staying like that for a long time.
'What is he doing?'
It was a movement without any clear meaning.
But he couldn't bring himself to criticize it because the sect leader's demeanor was different from usual.
The sect leader, who had been touching the door, slowly lowered his head. Then he remained motionless in that position.
Only then did Chung Myung realize.
He wasn't trying to do something.
He was unable to do something.
Chung Myung bit his lip unconsciously as he watched the sect leader's back.
It was small.
And pitiful.
The back of Mount Hua's sect leader should always be broad and warm. But now, his back seemed bent and worn by time, like that of an old villager.
A back that couldn't be shown to anyone. Only in this place, where no one was around, could he show such a back.
The sect leader's back, leaning against the wall, trembled slightly.
'Ah…'
He understood.
'He couldn't open it.'
Chung Myung bit his lip firmly.
That back looked painful. So cold and painful.
Mount Hua was crumbling.
Martial arts were declining, and resources were dwindling. The creditors were becoming more aggressive, and the enemies' blades were growing sharper.
How despairing must it be to lead Mount Hua alone in such a situation?
How heartbreaking must it be to watch the sect he had devoted his life to crumble while being unable to do anything?
Yet, he couldn't confide in anyone. The sect leader was someone the disciples relied on. He couldn't rely on others.
Even if everything was falling apart, he had to stand firm like a great tree with deep roots, supporting this place.
So…
So he was here alone, soothing his pain and sorrow.
Clutching the door of the vault that wouldn't open.
Chung Myung stared at the sect leader's back with sunken eyes, as if engraving that image into his mind.
After standing still for a long time, clutching the door, the sect leader slowly raised his head.
After staring at the door for a while, he finally let out a low sigh and turned around. Then he slowly walked back through the passageway.
Chung Myung held his breath until the sect leader's presence completely disappeared. Then he removed the brick and jumped down into the passageway.
"...Tsk."
He had seen something he didn't want to see.
'I've made a big mistake.'
Not just him, but the elders too. The future of the martial world was important, but so was the future of Mount Hua. While it was crucial to solve the immediate crisis, they should have also thought about the children who would be left behind.
"It's not too late yet."
If there was a mistake, it could be corrected. Chung Myung would now restore the lost years for them.
"Now, then…"
He turned his head and looked at the door.
"Let's see if we can open this damn door."