Chapter 317: The Dragon’s Secret Grounds (7)
A room dyed pitch black in the dead of night.
A single handful of flickering flame barely illuminated the room.
Trickle, trickle—
Two teacups sat before me.
Under the old man’s careful hands, an empty cup was filled with fragrant tea.
What kind of tea was it?
It was a scent I had never smelled before.
It carried a sweeter fragrance than the plum tea Maehwaseon had brewed for me on Mount Hua.
As the aroma of tea lingered at the tip of my nose,
suddenly, a voice reached my ears.
—…In all my life, this is the first time I’ve seen someone so petty.
It was the voice of Jamryong, who sat beside me.
A voice brimming with dissatisfaction, you might say.
—What.
—To think you’d even be this brazen. Don’t you think that’s a bit much?
It seemed this was because I had sold Jamryong out the moment I woke up earlier.
I merely snorted, my face betraying not an ounce of guilt.
—If you were in that situation, wouldn’t you have done the same?
—How long have you even known me to say something so scary? I’m not that kind of person.
Fat chance.
‘With how much I’ve suffered in my past life, as if you’re not that kind of person.’
A lethal secret technique.
Selling out a friend was something I had learned from none other than Jamryong himself.
Back when the two of us were scheming and got caught by Moyong Huia.
How many times did Jamryong sell me out and run away back then?
When Sogeomseong was angry, how many times did he throw me as bait and flee alone?
That bastard was exactly that kind of guy.
—Anyway, it didn’t work out, so what does it matter? You narrow-minded bastard.
—…Sure enough, you’re a crazy bastard.
—Yeah, right back at you.
…
Click.
The sound of Jamryong gnashing his teeth could be heard.
No matter how much it was Jamryong, just when he seemed unable to endure my taunting and was about to lose his temper—
“You two seem to have much to talk about.”
At the words of Cheonghae Il-geom, who sat before us, Jamryong and I had to stop the voice transmission we were engaged in.
It seemed Cheonghae Il-geom had caught on that the two of us were bickering via voice transmission.
Cheonghae Il-geom took a sip of the tea he himself had poured.
And let out a small sigh.
Ha.
“Now, this is… I cannot tell whether I should be surprised that Gwandosaeng is conversing via voice transmission, or scold him for it.”
Voice transmission utilizes internal energy and sound.
It requires delicate application.
This is undeniably the domain of the Peak.
For Gwandosaeng to be using such a thing so casually to converse—
it was indeed rather surprising.
Though for me, it wasn’t something I could feel excited about anymore.
“The tea placed before you, Gwandosaeng, is a tea made from Yuseol leaves. It is something this Hall Master personally cultivates.”
So that was it. It seemed Cheonghae Il-geom’s personal hobby.
“Drink up. It should be fine.”
Slurp.
At Cheonghae Il-geom’s suggestion, I took a sip of the tea.
It was hot, but—
‘This much is nothing.’
Given that I could conjure fire from my hand, something like this was nothing.
The taste that lingered on the tip of my tongue wasn’t bad.
Slightly tart yet sweet.
Similar to plum tea, yet sweeter.
Warming my insides with tea amidst the cold wind.
Clack.
Cheonghae Il-geom set down his teacup.
“I shall ask directly.”
Just when I thought the tension might ease, it felt like a noose tightening again.
“What were you doing in that place?”
Creak…
Truly direct.
Skipping the preamble and cutting straight to the main point.
Befitting one of the Five Great Swordsmen Under Heaven, it was quite sharp.
‘Damn it.’
I hadn’t expected things to get this tangled.
If only that will hadn’t done such a dog-like thing, I could have run away moderately and it would have been fine.
Ha.
I felt dizzy.
Anyway, whenever I tried to do something, it never worked out well.
If Noya hadn’t appeared and saved me in that situation, what would have happened?
‘It wouldn’t have been good.’
I couldn’t properly know what he was trying to do, but—
the fact that space itself was distorting at the time and the power I felt then—
I suspected that if Noya hadn’t helped, something terrible would have happened.
‘And amidst all this, why is this old man saying nothing?’
Right after Noya saved me with an unknown power, until I was dragged to the Hall Master’s chamber in Cheonghae Il-geom’s hands.
I kept calling for Noya, who should have awakened again, but
Noya gave no answer.
Could he have fallen asleep again?
Then had he been sleep-talking until just now or what?
‘As for Cheonghae Il-geom…’
Tch.
…
As I observed Cheonghae Il-geom, wondering what to do,
he was looking at me with his signature white eyes.
It seemed he had no intention of letting this pass.
Well, given the situation, how could he let it pass?
After gathering my breath for a moment,
I looked at Cheonghae Il-geom and spoke.
“I was looking for the secret grounds.”
I excluded useless excuses.
Nothing would work anyway.
Telling a lie in this situation would be a losing move.
Since it had come to this anyway,
I had to break through head-on.
“Secret grounds?”
“Yes.”
Cheonghae Il-geom’s expression turned subtle.
Of course it would be—suddenly saying that secret grounds existed beneath Sinryong Hall,
and that I, a mere late-stage expert, knew of it.
‘I had anticipated this much, but…’
I had asked Geommu, but
since I didn’t know how the situation would turn out,
I had prepared countermeasures for unforeseen circumstances.
It was just that I didn’t know whether they would work or not.
While I was rolling my eyes this way and that,
Cheonghae Il-geom asked me.
“If there were secret grounds, how did you know of them?”
As expected, at the question that came,
I carefully took out a plaque from my bosom.
“This is…?”
Seeing the plaque I took out, Cheonghae Il-geom widened his eyes in surprise.
The plaque Cheonghae Il-geom was looking at was none other than the Ilgeol Plaque.
It was like the symbol of the Beggars’ Sect Leader that I had received from Shinui in the past.
I had shown it to Geolwang as well.
It was something I carried around wondering when I should use it.
‘…Will it work?’
Showing this to Cheonghae Il-geom held no other meaning.
A very simple indication.
The information that there were secret grounds beneath Sinryong Hall
was given to me by the Beggars’ Sect Leader.
That was the implicit message.
Of course, it wasn’t actually given by the Beggars’ Sect Leader.
Even if Cheonghae Il-geom had a means to contact the Sect Leader,
if the Sect Leader denied it,
I could pass it off as having heard it from someone in the Beggars’ Sect.
It could be glossed over with the same meaning.
If this doesn’t work?
Then I’m screwed, so what.
If I had thought about the worst of the worst from the beginning,
I wouldn’t have even thought of looking for the secret grounds.
“…So it is the Ilgeol Plaque.”
“That’s correct.”
“Did the Sect Leader give it to you directly?”
“I cannot say.”
“Do you not know that this is not a matter of whether you can or cannot speak?”
“I know. But I cannot say.”
“……”
It was a ‘do whatever you want’ attitude.
I was afraid he might really beat me up, but if I explained more here, I’d be screwed, so I had no choice.
“Very well. Even if we set aside for now where you obtained such information—what did you see in the secret grounds you found?”
“There was nothing.”
“Ha… There was nothing?”
It was a lie, of course.
After going through all that and coming out, there was no way there was nothing.
I hadn’t even been able to check the items contained within one by one,
and the fact that I couldn’t bring them out either made my blood boil, but
I couldn’t show it outwardly.
‘The secret grounds have closed.’
I checked afterward, but
the entrance Jamryong and I had entered was gone.
Even the formation I had thought was there seemed to have vanished as if it had never existed.
‘The power of the will?’
Connecting it to his attempt to distort space entirely,
had he erased the room I thought was the secret grounds?
If so—
‘Then it’s possible that the secret grounds were a created space to begin with.’
The entrance had been real.
Jamryong had also seen what was in his memory, so it wasn’t fiction.
Not only creating a single space,
it was as if time had been twisted, freezing the flow of time with the outside.
Could this even be called ‘martial arts’?
‘Divine Noya said that was the power of Yeonilcheon.’
Even when I met Hwang Abyeolyeong.
Now too, he said everything I experienced was the power of Yeonilcheon.
If it had reached that extent,
wasn’t this a level beyond human to begin with?
‘Besides, how did I get out?’
According to Jamryong,
not long after I disappeared, he was sitting in the passage yawning.
The moment he opened his eyes, he was outside.
…!
…
He said I was already lying behind him.
‘In terms of time, it couldn’t have been more than ten seconds at most.’
Thinking of the time I spent talking with the will, that was absolutely impossible.
In the end, it meant the difference in time between that space and the outside was clear.
‘If what I experienced wasn’t an illusion, that is.’
Should I call it fortunate?
The proof that it wasn’t an illusion was bound to my hand.
It was hidden by my sleeve so it wouldn’t be visible to Cheonghae Il-geom’s eyes.
“As you must have heard from Jamryong, it wasn’t a situation where I could search for anything inside.”
I decided to use this.
The time difference was something only I felt. This could be used as an excuse of sorts.
Of course, whether to believe Jamryong’s words was Cheonghae Il-geom’s judgment.
For reference, if it were me, I wouldn’t believe it.
I would have beaten it out of him if necessary.
But that’s because my personality is fucked up.
“…So in the end, you’re saying you lost consciousness the moment you entered the room.”
“Yes.”
It wasn’t something easily believed. Of course, who would believe this?
“Then, Gwandosaeng, are you saying you entered the hall knowing that there were secret grounds beneath Sinryong Hall?”
“Yes.”
Since I had already brought up the secret grounds together with the Ilgeol Plaque,
up to here, it couldn’t be helped.
Cheonghae Il-geom seemed to fall into silent thought for a moment.
“…Since this involves secret grounds that were unknown, I shall report this matter to the Alliance.”
He brought up this subject to me with a sigh-laden voice.
“Gwandosaeng’s treatment as well will be decided after speaking with the Alliance.”
If this goes wrong, would I be expelled from the hall?
Not only that, I might be investigated by the Alliance.
‘Probably won’t go that far.’
Since the fact that secret grounds existed beneath Sinryong Hall itself—
the Martial Alliance wouldn’t want this matter to be widely publicized either.
The important thing is what was inside.
Even if they investigate,
I brought nothing out from the secret grounds,
and if I say I couldn’t even discover the existence of the secret grounds themselves,
they won’t make a big fuss out of it.
“Regarding this part, I intend to send a letter to the Gu family.”
‘…Damn.’
That’s a bit of a problem.
If Father finds out I caused trouble even at Sinryong Hall…
‘I’m screwed.’
He won’t let it pass easily.
Given my record of causing trouble every time I went somewhere,
there was a high possibility I’d get a severe scolding this time.
Getting scolded by Father is a bit of a problem. It’s a very big problem.
Because an angry father is truly terrifying.
“…It is late at night, so I shall call you separately once more to verify this matter.”
As it was nearly dawn,
Cheonghae Il-geom seemed intent on sending us back for now.
He warned us not to speak of there being secret grounds, and that was all.
Since he said he would call Jamryong and me again later,
it meant he had no intention of letting this slide.
‘Am I going to get expelled?’
The chances were high.
Honestly, from my standpoint, expulsion would be something to welcome.
Even if the matter of the secret grounds was over,
the most important business for me still remained.
I had to settle the matters regarding Jang Seon-yeon and Cheoljiseon, no matter what.
Meanwhile—
‘There’s something strange about his hand.’
I felt something alien about Cheonghae Il-geom’s hand.
He was covering it with his sleeve so it wasn’t easily visible.
Something was off, but I couldn’t tell what.
“You may leave now.”
While I was examining Cheonghae Il-geom’s hand, the order to leave fell.
I had expected to be interrogated while detained.
I had prepared more words, but
it passed more easily than I thought.
‘How should I put it… He doesn’t look well.’
In a voice laced with exhaustion—
wasn’t it because Cheonghae Il-geom’s expression seemed somewhat exhausted?
His energy was the same as ever, and it wasn’t very obvious outwardly, but
there was definitely a difference.
I rose from my seat, leaving such a Cheonghae Il-geom behind.
For now, it was better to place meaning in having gotten past this first hurdle.
After exchanging courtesies with Jamryong simultaneously,
we exited the building.
‘He’s here.’
The one I faced the moment I came out was Geommu.
She had probably been waiting outside the whole time.
Jamryong looked at her and was slightly surprised, then
soon sent a strange gaze my way.
“I shall take my leave first.”
This was Jamryong speaking to Geommu.
He seemed to realize Geommu had business with me.
To avoid being caught having a connection with me given the situation—
I could have tried to stop him, but
Geommu did not stop Jamryong from leaving.
This person…? What is she thinking, acting like this when we could get caught?
After Jamryong left,
Geommu quietly moved, and I followed suit.
For some reason, Geommu’s steps seemed a bit hasty.
The place we arrived at was the promenade where we had met before.
“Um…”
“We still have something to settle between us, don’t we?”
“But, it’s dawn. Can’t we talk later?”
At my words, Geommu looked at me with an expressionless face.
It was an expression saying that was impossible.
Instead of detaining Cheonghae Il-geom,
she had asked me for a favor.
To bring back a precious item called Maehwaseok from the secret grounds.
Accordingly, I had answered that if such a precious item existed, I would bring it, but—
“As I told you earlier, I didn’t have time to bring anything out from the secret grounds.”
Maehwaseok, my ass.
The space vanished entirely along with everything inside; I nearly died.
“I apologize to you, Geommu, but—”
“Arm.”
Geommu spat out shortly.
I flinched without realizing it.
“Roll up your sleeve.”
‘Tch.’
At her words spat with certainty, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
It seemed I had been found out after all.
“Geommu-nim—”
“You may deceive Cheonghae Il-geom, but you cannot deceive me. It is none other than I; the eyes of one who has already bloomed the plum blossom cannot be deceived even more so.”
The thick plum blossom scent emanating from my arm—
Geommu seemed to be sensing it.
I had tried to hide it.
Ah, I guess this won’t work.
“…This isn’t Maehwaseok.”
“Roll it up.”
At Geommu’s resolute words,
I finally sighed and rolled up my sleeve.
Then, the object tied to my forearm revealed its identity.
“……”
Geommu, having checked my arm, lost her words for a moment.
I had told Geommu as well.
This was not Maehwaseok.
It was not a texture or form worthy of the name seok.
The object had a pinkish-red hue.
Wrapped tightly around my arm with a texture similar to thin cloth.
‘It didn’t feel like this originally, I think.’
The item I had picked up in the secret grounds, drawn by Noya’s power, was definitely this.
The sensation when I grabbed it then had been like a round jade bead, fist-sized.
When I came to my senses, it was wrapped around my left arm in the form of a bandage.
I’m right-handed, so why did it have to be the left arm?
Somehow, that pissed me off.