Chapter 313

Worried that the attention of all three might make Cheongmu uncomfortable, Jin Cheongha quickly spoke up.

“Chief Secretary Kwak, we searched every inch around here, but there was not a single gap. I even struck the iron wall with sword aura, yet it did not leave so much as a scratch.”

Seeing her darkened expression, Kwak said,

“Lady Jin, the situation is difficult, but this may also be a good sign.”

“...?”

“The hidden mastermind used an enormous quantity of precious ten-thousand-year cold iron to build this wall. Does that not mean they feared the Eight Demonic Venerables emerging from within? It is also evidence that the Eight Demonic Venerables remain safe inside this cave.”

“Ah!”

Jin Cheongha’s face brightened somewhat.

“Brother Kwak, that is a fine way to put a hopeful spin on things, but what good does it do us? We have no way to break through this wall of ten-thousand-year cold iron.”

Hu Gae, who had never known how to conceal what he was thinking, promptly ruined the mood.

“I am only saying this to be safe, but unless you intend to throw away that Blue-Steel Sword, do not even draw it. No matter how much sword aura you wrap around the blade, it will never withstand ten-thousand-year cold iron.”

“...!”

Jin Cheongha’s expression darkened again.

At that moment, Kwak drew a dagger from his sleeve.

SHING!

A bitter chill poured from its blade.

“Brother, what about this?”

“Wha...!”

Hu Gae’s eyes bulged.

Seeing streams of cold air radiating from the crimson blade, he could not help asking,

“Brother Kwak, what—what is that?”

“The Dragon-Severing Dagger.”

Hu Gae recoiled in shock.

“The Dragon-Severing Dagger is a sacred treasure of the Jegal Family... Why do you have it?”

His eyes grew even wider.

“Brother Kwak, did you perhaps...?”

“Please be at ease. It is nothing like what you are imagining.”

“...?”

“Forgive me, but there are circumstances that prevent me from explaining the details.”

Kwak could say no more about how he had obtained the Dragon-Severing Dagger. The matter involved what could be considered a disgrace to the Jegal Family, and he had to keep their secret.

Hu Gae understood that Kwak would not remain silent without good reason, so he nodded readily.

“What is there to forgive between you and me? If anything, this proves that you managed to clear up your misunderstanding with the Jegal Family. This elder brother is glad.”

Living up to his position as Sub-Branch Master of the Beggar Clan, Hu Gae inferred ten things from one and continued as he studied the dagger.

“The Dragon-Severing Dagger is one of the finest blades under heaven, so I doubt its edge will be damaged. But I do not know whether even it can pierce such a thick wall of solid ten-thousand-year cold iron.”

“That is precisely why I believe it will be easier than expected.”

“Hm?”

Hu Gae stared at him in bafflement, and Kwak explained,

“When Taoist Cheongmu struck the wall just now, the resonance varied slightly from place to place.”

Hu Gae’s eyes flashed.

“Ah! You mean the wall is not uniformly thick.”

He let out an exclamation and continued,

“If we find the thinnest section, we may be able to pierce it more easily than expected. Once we make an opening, it should also be easier to widen the crack and tear the wall apart.”

“Beggar Clan Leader Yongdu did not give you your epithet for nothing.”

“Why are you suddenly bringing up that old man?”

Kwak had long since realized that Hu Gae’s constant irritation toward his master, Beggar Clan Leader Yongdu, did not reflect his true feelings.

Instead of answering, he merely smiled.

“In any case, we will need your experience and seasoned judgment again.”

Hu Gae shook his head at Kwak’s effort to preserve his dignity.

“I am a beggar, not a master thief. Still, I will concentrate and do my best. It will not be easy to judge the thickness from the resonance alone.”

“You need not worry about that. We have an expert in precisely that field.”

“Hm?”

Kwak called to Cheongmu, who was crouched in a corner, fiddling with something.

“Brother Cheongmu.”

“Hm?”

Cheongmu hurriedly set down the scorpion he was holding and stood.

“Little Martial Uncle, I was only looking this time.”

“I see.”

When Kwak nodded without reproach, Cheongmu’s face lit up.

“Little Martial Uncle, why did you call me?”

“There is something I need your help with.”

His face brightened even further.

“What is it?”

“We need to find the thinnest part of this iron wall. You can measure anything with your fingers, can you not?”

Cheongmu possessed a supernatural faculty that allowed him to judge weight with perfect accuracy. His mastery of Plucking Force was exceptional, but Kwak knew the true reason was the extraordinary sharpness of his five senses.

“Hehe! That sounds fun.”

Kwak had Cheongmu place one hand against the middle of the wall.

“Brother Cheongmu, Hu Gae and I will strike the wall from opposite sides, taking turns. Each time, tell us how thick you think that section is.”

“All right, Little Martial Uncle.”

Kwak turned to Jin Cheongha.

“Lady Jin, please remember each measurement and mark the locations.”

“I will make sure not to miss any.”

Kwak then called to Hu Gae, who stood at the far left end of the wall.

“Brother, strike the iron plate at regular intervals and with consistent force.”

“Understood.”

Hu Gae drew a deep breath and struck the wall with a palm.

BOOOOM!

HUMMMMM!

Once the resonance faded, Cheongmu said,

“Little Martial Uncle, it is as thick as the railing post at the waterside pavilion.”

At Cheongmu’s comparison to an object he could easily remember, the image of the waterside pavilion at Samryeong Palace suddenly rose in Kwak’s mind.

He quickly steadied himself and struck the right side of the wall.

BOOOOM!

HUMMMMMM!

“That one is about as thick as a piece of firewood.”

The sound of metal being struck and Cheongmu’s voice continued to echo through the cavern.

BOOOOM!

HUMMM!

Kwak delivered the final palm strike, and the metallic clang and resonance at last fell silent.

“Little Martial Uncle, that one is about as thick as the kitchen shutters.”

Thanks to Cheongmu, Kwak had wandered through every corner of Samryeong Palace in his mind.

He turned to Jin Cheongha.

“Lady Jin, would you mark the thinner sections?”

“Yes.”

Using the end of the torch, she placed more than ten marks on the iron wall.

“These are the relatively thin places. Accounting for Taoist Cheongmu’s comparisons as best I can, they seem to be about three feet thick.”

Hu Gae frowned.

“The thinnest section is still three feet? Just how much of that outrageously expensive ten-thousand-year cold iron did they pour into this thing? How rich are those bastards behind the hidden mastermind...?”

Kwak abruptly said,

“Brother, that may prove to be an important clue as well.”

“Hm?”

“The hidden mastermind possesses immense financial resources. To sustain such wealth, they must be engaged in some form of commerce.”

“That is true, but...”

Hu Gae nodded, then continued,

“There are countless kinds of commerce in this world...”

He left unspoken the obvious question of how that could possibly count as a meaningful clue.

“Brother, I may know little of worldly affairs, but to spend this much money without hesitation, their enterprise must be enormous.”

Jin Cheongha also nodded.

“Chief Secretary Kwak has a point. A hidden mastermind spreading chaos across the entire realm would hardly be involved in some minor trade.”

“If we narrow it to enterprises of that scale, then yes, it may provide a trail we can follow. In any case, that investigation will have to wait until we leave this place... Haa.”

Hu Gae nodded and released a low sigh.

“Our immediate problem comes first. Can we truly pierce a wall of ten-thousand-year cold iron three feet thick?”

“Even a boulder weighing a thousand geun can eventually be pierced by drops of water. Time is the only concern. For all practical purposes, this wall is already breached.”

Kwak drew the Dragon-Severing Dagger.

HUMMMMM!

A powerful sword cry rang out as sword aura surged from the blade.

EEEEEEE!

The sword aura rose nearly two zhang before gradually contracting with a resonant whine, transforming into dazzling White Astral Qi.

“Everyone, stand back.”

Hu Gae, Jin Cheongha, and Cheongmu retreated to a safe distance. Kwak then drove the Dragon-Severing Dagger, blazing with White Astral Qi, into the wall of ten-thousand-year cold iron.

KRAAAANG!

With a sound like metal shattering, the White Astral Qi struck precisely into one of the points Jin Cheongha had marked.

*****

“You have come.”

In the ornate office aboard the dragon ship, Grand Merchant Lord Ho Yeonwon welcomed Hocheon Unit Lord Myung Jincheon.

“Grand Merchant Lord, I was delayed while completing my duties for the day.”

At Myung Jincheon’s concise greeting, Ho Yeonwon nodded.

“Martial Supreme Venerable Cheol Gun-ak is hardly an ordinary man. Naturally, you had to conduct yourself exactly as you always do.”

“...”

Seeing the rigid expression on Unit Lord Myung’s face, Ho Yeonwon continued,

“I am well aware that today has felt longer to you than any other. But after a long and arduous day, the reward is deep sleep. Put your heart at ease.”

“I would like to, but I cannot help wondering whether I will truly sleep soundly without dreams.”

“Some people dream even in the deepest sleep.”

Grand Merchant Lord Ho nodded before continuing.

“And what of it? A dream is only a dream. Unit Lord Myung need only regard it as an unpleasant one. Any guilt you feel within the dream can be blamed upon the dream itself and forgotten once you wake.”

“...”

“In any case, I am delighted that after tonight, you and I will no longer be mere comrades, but family beneath our lord’s roof.”

Smiling, Grand Merchant Lord Ho poured tea into a blue cup and slid it toward Myung Jincheon.

“This blue jade from Persia is said to calm both mind and body. It makes the tea taste all the better. Please, try it.”

When Hocheon Unit Lord Myung had nearly finished the tea, a woman’s voice came from outside the office.

“Grand Merchant Lord, the guest you ordered us to receive has arrived.”

Ho Yeonwon set down his teacup and looked at Myung Jincheon.

“The longer the night, the more dreams it brings. Let us be on our way.”

Myung Jincheon followed Grand Merchant Lord Ho through the dragon ship’s corridors until they reached the cabin at the very end.

“Unit Lord Myung, once you pass through this door, not even the faintest trace of doubt may remain in your heart.”

“I understand.”

As though waiting for his answer, the cabin door opened.

The two men stepped into a chamber filled with dense darkness, and the door closed behind them.

Silence flowed through the cabin as if time itself had stopped.

Then a flame slowly rose in its center.

Suspended in midair, the blood-red fire sent a chill through anyone who looked upon it.

Its glow revealed the interior of the cabin.

At the far end, a woman dressed in red sat upon a jade throne, the lower half of her face concealed behind a crimson veil. Her eyes were blue as jadeite.

Beside the throne stood an old woman dressed in an unusual robe divided evenly between black and white.

To the left stood women clad entirely in white, while women dressed entirely in black stood to the right. They formed two semicircles, all with their eyes closed, deeply focused upon something unseen.

Grand Merchant Lord Ho crossed his palms over one another, clasped his hands, and bowed at the waist.

“True Radiance of the Sacred Flame, the Enlightened Lord manifests in this world! I pay homage to the Divine Maiden.”

HUM!

A brief wave rippled through the air. The black-and-white-clad old woman beside the throne spoke.

“His Grace commands you to end your salute and step back.”

Grand Merchant Lord Ho retreated one step.

Another wave stirred through the air.

HUMMMMM!

The old woman in black and white spoke again.

“Unit Lord Myung, offer nine bows to the Sacred Flame Spirit and receive the Divine Will.”

Myung Jincheon bowed nine times toward the wavering crimson flame in the center of the cabin, then prostrated himself.

The black-and-white-clad old woman lifted a golden tray bearing a blue-jade cup and a blue-jade knife, then knelt before the woman in red.

SLICE!

The woman in red cut her finger with the blue-jade knife and let her blood drip into the blue-jade cup.

DRIP. DRIP. DRIP.

The sound of blood falling drop by drop spread through the silence.