Chapter 56
The Zirong Palace was a place that had been renovated and expanded from a manor that had existed since ancient times.
There were more secret passages and underground spaces than expected, and there were also places that were as complicated as a maze.
Thanks to that, there were also places that had been discovered but whose interiors had not been properly examined.
He didn't know who the previous owner was, but there was even a passage where a mechanism was installed.
Cheongun also received such a report and entered the secret passage.
The mechanism alone was not enough to hold his footsteps.
The thick blue steel stone door that had been blocking the front was smashed.
As he strode inside, a wide space appeared.
The fairly large space, which seemed to be over ten zhang, was used as a warehouse, and there were quite a few boxes and weapons.
On a shelf on one wall, small boxes were lined up, and on another wall, large boxes were piled up.
Cheongun opened the lid of the box in the very front. Although it was locked, it could not block Cheongun's hand.
"This is a safe."
[He has accumulated quite a bit of wealth.]
The silver ingots that were neatly piled up in the box were shining.
Cheongun also opened the other boxes.
The boxes were full of silver ingots.
It was a huge amount of money that was hard to estimate.
Cheongun walked over to the other wall. There, too, large boxes were piled up.
"I don't know if there are gold ingots or gold bars here."
The Blood Emperor glanced at the shelf that was filling one wall. But as if he had no interest in gold, he averted his gaze.
Unlike the Blood Emperor, Cheongun turned his steps and went to the place where the boxes were. Then he chose one of the long-lined boxes and opened it.
As expected, the gold ingots were sleeping neatly, emitting a yellow light.
Cheongun moved here and there and opened the boxes.
In addition to the gold ingots, he also saw golden toads and animals made of gold, and there was also a golden Buddha statue, and there were also gold bars.
Cheongun, who had confirmed everything, looked around once with an indifferent face.
"There's nothing much to see."
[What else is there to see in a safe besides money? Only merchant bastards like money. If you show them this place, they'll go crazy and run wild.]
Cheongun turned his steps and left the safe. He walked down the long passage and said to the Blood Emperor.
"They say they can't enter the other places because of the mechanism. Let's go that way."
[Let's do that.]
A thick iron door was blocking the front.
It was a magnificent iron door with a sculpture of the four divine beasts intertwined.
About a dozen people were hitting the iron door with various weapons.
Kwaang, kwaang, kwaang!
He didn't know what the material was, but it didn't budge even when he hit it with a weapon.
The person who was commanding them was the sixth group leader, Ha Man.
As there was no progress, Ha Man asked his subordinate.
"Can't you break through the side?"
"It's difficult right now. This is a rocky area. The entire wall is a hard rock, and we don't know how thick it is, so it seems it will take a considerable amount of time."
If he couldn't even scratch the iron door, he could make a hole in the wall and break through. But the wall was also made of hard granite, so it was difficult to break through easily.
As they were blocked without progress, a voice was heard from behind.
"Is it not going well?"
Everyone's gaze turned to the back where the voice had come from.
There, Cheongun, who was wearing white clothes, was standing.
"You've come."
Cheongun received Ha Man's greeting and said to the subordinates who were in a difficult situation.
"You can't just break in. If there is a mechanism, you could be in a predicament."
"Yes, Your Excellency, stop and step back."
The Jinyiwei stepped back, and Cheongun stepped forward.
He slowly examined the iron door.
-Can you take a look inside?
[I will.]
The Blood Emperor's body seeped through the fine gap of the iron door.
After a while, the Blood Emperor showed his figure.
[It's clearly an armory. There are also manuals, and there are also quite a few good weapons.]
Cheongun, who had heard the Blood Emperor's words, turned his head and asked Ha Man, who was looking at him.
"Who knows about this place?"
"Only us."
"Then keep it a secret for now."
"As you command!"
Ha Man answered immediately without questioning Cheongun's order.
The time he had been with Cheongun was only about two months. But he had watched Cheongun's actions during that time. He was following him with his heart because he knew well his ability to handle things that seemed impossible and his heart to cherish his subordinates.
He thought there must be a reason for this order as well.
Looking at such a Ha Man, Cheongun ordered again.
"Don't tell anyone about this place and the place I just went to. And stop and look at other places."
"As you command!"
Ha Man led his subordinates and left this place.
Although he must have had various questions, he followed the order without saying anything. It was a very contrasting appearance to Song In-ho.
Cheongun, who was left alone, looked at the Blood Emperor.
"Do I need a key?"
[The mechanism is complicated, so it's hard to say. It seems they are manipulating the four divine beast sculptures here... but I'm not sure.]
If they had made an iron door of this level, it seemed the mechanism would not be simple.
The Blood Emperor went in and out of the iron door, looked here and there, and then said to Cheongun.
[There are two pillars fixed here and here. It's a structure that is pushed in if you use a key.]
It was difficult to open the iron door with just the facts he had found out after looking for a long time. But Cheongun looked at the place the Blood Emperor had pointed to and said.
"Blood Emperor. Are there no other devices?"
[There are various devices. There are also ones that spray poison and ones that pour out hidden weapons.]
It was as he had thought. It wasn't that they were simply blocking the entrance with a hard iron door.
Although the hidden weapons were a problem, the poison was more concerning.
Since he had not learned poison arts, it was his most vulnerable part.
As Cheongun was hesitating and worrying about something, the Blood Emperor said.
[If it's because of the poison, you can drive it out with the Blood Emperor Divine Art.]
"Can I do that?"
[If poison enters the body, the most basic thing is to drive it out using internal energy. Don't you have the Blood Emperor Divine Art and the Heavenly Mandate Divine Art? You can't be poisoned by any ordinary poison.]
At the Blood Emperor's words, Cheongun's two eyes lit up, and he looked at the iron door.
He drew the sword that was tied to his waist.
He composed his breath and brought up the Heavenly Mandate Divine Art.
Internal energy began to gather on the sword. He assumed the ready position of the Universe Nine Swords and glared at the iron door.
The first attack hit the iron door.
A black smoke was emitted from the iron door. Something sharp poured out from within the smoke.
Cheongun swung his sword and deflected the hidden weapons that were being shot at him. The hidden weapons, which were like small and thin needles, fell at Cheongun's feet with a thud.
Although he had deflected the hidden weapons, the poison he was most worried about remained.
The poison smoke was emitted in all directions and instantly filled the wide stone chamber.
Cheongun brought up the Heavenly Mandate Divine Art to its maximum and formed a round barrier around his body.
Although he could not yet use the protective energy smoothly, it was possible for a short moment.
The poison smoke covered Cheongun. But it was blocked by the protective energy and could not approach Cheongun.
'If I drag it out like this, the poison will not disappear. Is there no way?'
He had only thought about being poisoned, but he had not thought about the poison that would be spread in the air.
He was worried whether he should absorb it and then drive it out as the Blood Emperor had said.
At that moment, the Blood Emperor looked around and then said to Cheongun.
[Poison contains the energy of water. So since ancient times, it has also been controlled with fire. Try to burn the poison that has spread here using the hot yang true energy.]
Cheongun understood the meaning of the Blood Emperor's words and immediately changed his divine art.
Blazing Heaven Hot Fire Divine Art.
It was a hot fire art that contained the essence of the yang and strong martial arts obtained from the Imperial Palace Armory.
Hwareureuk.
A hot energy like a flame soared around Cheongun's body.
The overflowing energy flickered its tongue.
Cheongun withdrew his protective energy and unfolded the Blazing Heaven Hot Fire Divine Art.
The hot energy that had started from Cheongun's two hands was emitted with a long tail according to his hand gestures.
Hwareuk.
A pungent smell spread. It was the smell of poison burning. Cheongun held his breath and continued to pour out the hot energy.
In an instant, the stone chamber was filled with hot heat.
The Blood Emperor said to Cheongun, who had been operating the Blazing Heaven Hot Fire Divine Art for a long time.
[That's enough. It seems all the poison has burned.]
Cheongun stopped the Blazing Heaven Hot Fire Divine Art and slowly raised his sword towards the iron door.
Cheongun's single sword pierced the iron door and then cut the two pillars that were fixing the inside.
He pulled the sword to his chest, stepped on the ground strongly, and then swung his sword again.
The opposite latch was also cut like a piece of tofu.
A black smoke soared. It seemed there was still poison to be emitted.
Cheongun hurriedly brought up the Blazing Heaven Hot Fire Divine Art and burned the black smoke.
The fishy smell of poison burning was full in all directions. The poison smoke was so strong that a part of the clothes Cheongun was wearing was about to melt.
Cheongun brought up a little more internal energy and burned all the smoke made of poison.
After a while, as the poison smoke stopped, Cheongun pushed the iron door with all his might.
With a roar, the iron door was pushed in.
A wider stone chamber was revealed.
On the ceiling and walls, there were night-luminescent pearls installed to drive out the darkness.
In the stone chamber, a desk and a weapon rack were decorated quite plausibly.
Cheongun looked around and nodded his head.
"There are quite a few."
[That's right. If all the books here are manuals, he has collected quite a few.]
Third-rate manuals can be obtained even in the marketplace. If you just go to a used bookstore or a regular bookstore, they sell them by type, saying they are martial arts manuals.
But this was the Zirong Palace.
The Zirong Palace would not manage third-rate manuals in a place like this.
"Shall we take a look?"
[Let's do that. Since we've done it once, we'll be able to grasp it all in a few days.]
Cheongun and the Blood Emperor began to look through the armory and find the manuals and weapons they liked.
* * *
Around a table, Cheongun and the Baihu Zhangs of the Jinyiwei were sitting around.
On the table, a map of the Zirong Palace was placed.
Xiong Tian reported to Cheongun.
"Your Excellency, the inspectors have come within a day's distance. It is reported that they have arrived in Danxian, Shandong, and have unpacked. They are scheduled to arrive at noon tomorrow."
The city next to Tangshan, Anhui, was Danxian in Shandong. Even if you went slowly, since the road was well-paved, it was a distance that could be traveled in half a day.
"We don't have enough time. We have to find Hyeokryeon Hui's whereabouts within today. Otherwise, the inspectors will raise a problem."
Hyeokryeon Hui and the martial arts teacher's whereabouts were still unknown. Although he had searched the Zirong Palace thoroughly, he had not found the secret passage they had escaped through.
As Cheongun was lost in thought, Xiong Tian stopped his report.
Cheongun, who had been lost in thought for a while, looked at the Baihu Zhangs and said.
"What they are really interested in is not Hyeokryeon Hui."
"Then...?"
"Don't you know well? They will only care about what they can get from the Zirong Palace, what they can take."
Xiong Tian also could not raise an objection to that.
Hadn't he seen their behavior once or twice?
"So, I'm thinking of keeping the secret safe that was discovered in the underground passage of the Zirong Palace a secret from the inspectors."
"What?"
"It's as I said. I will not report on the vast amount of money in the secret safe."
"Y-Your Excellency, then that money...?"
"I have no intention of putting that money into the mouths of greedy pigs. It's better to use it for you guys who are risking your lives and carrying out the order. Haven't many people already died or been injured? And a part of it will be used as the basic fund to investigate this incident."
The Baihus understood the meaning of Cheongun's words and said with a worried expression.
In particular, Xiong Tian, who knew that Cheongun was trying to take the money, made a displeased expression.
"I understand what you're saying, but please don't tarnish your integrity because of us."
"We are fine. I am afraid that you will get hurt if you take the money for no reason, Your Excellency."
(End of Chapter)