I Dug My Own Grave (4)
Baek Cheon watched Chung Myung trudge through the mountain gate and lifted his gaze to the sky with a deeply miserable look.
I should’ve stayed dead.
Damn it, why didn’t he just die already?
Yu I-seol, Jo Gul, and Yoon Jong also stared toward the gate, looking as if they’d just swallowed something foul.
"A person’s only a person if he acts like one!"
"At this point he’s even robbing Mount Hua! That bastard, that bastard!"
"Who robs his own house, you insane bastard!"
"Hopeless. A complete and utter mess."
Their stomachs churned.
I can’t say anything, but I also can’t say nothing.
If they ran straight to the Sect Leader and tattled, things would blow up; but if they held it in, they felt like their insides would twist themselves into a knot and give them a fit of rage.
All they could do was grit their teeth and pretend to be blind and mute.
And now that creature was strolling back in with the face of a full-bellied puppy—how could anyone not feel sick?
"Chung Myung!"
The other disciples, unaware of the circumstances, spotted Chung Myung and swarmed toward him.
"Big trouble! A thief got into Mount Hua last night! They stole the thousand-year cold iron cauldron!"
"What?"
Chung Myung’s eyes widened.
"Th.
Is.
Re.
Al.
Ly.
Hap.
Pen.
Ed?"
Don’t act, you punk! You’re so bad at it that I’m embarrassed for you!
Unfortunately, none of the other disciples seemed to notice the awkwardness at all.
"He was unbelievably strong! Senior Brother Yoon Jong went down in one hit."
"Tsk, tsk. That’s what happens when you neglect your training."
That little son of a…
Yoon Jong’s face flushed bright red.
Didn’t a person need to have even a scrap of conscience to count as human? Where the hell had that rotten bastard sold his conscience off to?
"The elders are still searching, but… it doesn’t look like he’ll be easy to catch."
"Hmph. Can’t be helped. If I’d been there, I would’ve caught him."
He would have, would he.
Yeah. Right. Sure you would, you bastard.
Chung Myung shrugged with a brazen grin.
"Well, what’s lost is lost. Nothing we can do about it."
That was when—
"Chung Myung! The Sect Leader said to see him as soon as he got back!"
"Got it."
Chung Myung smirked and went trundling toward the Sect Leader’s quarters. Baek Cheon’s group immediately followed after him, shooting him dark looks all the while.
"Do you have no shame?"
"What?”
At Yoon Jong’s question, Chung Myung turned back with a face that genuinely seemed to ask what he was talking about.
Aaaagh, that look!
If I could just punch that smug face once, I’d die happy. Primordial Heavenly Lord, let me kill him and go to hell!
"Grrrgh."
Yoon Jong groaned and let out a long, tortured sigh.
Beside him, Baek Cheon ground his teeth and threatened, "I’m telling the Sect Leader."
"You keep talking nonsense I don’t understand. Why are you so desperate to devour someone who just came back from convalescing after suffering internal injuries?"
"Internal injuries? Internal injuriiiiiies?"
Was that the face of a man with internal injuries, you bastard? His skin was so smooth and shiny that if you squeezed it, oil would probably come out!
"Anyway, this has nothing to do with me, so stop pestering me. If you keep hounding me like this, I’m going to tell the elders. I’ll say my sasuk and senior brothers keep bullying people."
"…"
Who was bullying whom?
Who was bullying whom?!
"Ugh, ahh!"
"Sasuk!"
"Sasuk, get a grip!"
Unable to hold his temper any longer, Baek Cheon clutched the back of his neck and staggered, and Jo Gul and Yoon Jong hurried over to support him.
Chung Myung simply cackled as he continued toward the Sect Leader’s quarters.
"…Where is Mount Hua going?"
Baek Cheon’s voice, muttered to the departing back, was thick with tears.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Good! Your body has recovered?"
"Yes!"
"Oh, wonderful. We were worried because a vile thief broke in last night. We were thinking perhaps they had targeted you, and I had already begun asking after your whereabouts. But seeing you return unharmed like this, my heart is much lighter."
"Hehe. That little thief? If he runs into me, it’s one shot."
"Yes, yes."
Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung with eyes full of trust.
"Still… hmm, I feel rather ashamed. After all the trouble you went through to get that thousand-year cold iron cauldron, and now it’s been stolen like this. It is all our fault for being so lacking."
"Ah, come on. Why say something like that? It’s a relief no one got hurt. We can always get another cauldron. A thing is less important than a person, isn’t it?"
"Oh."
"As expected of Chung Myung."
"How noble. Truly noble."
"Hehe. It’s nothing. Isn’t that only natural for a disciple of Mount Hua?"
"Indeed, indeed. That’s right, our Chung Myung."
Hyun Young looked at Chung Myung with a pleased expression.
But not everyone watching that scene felt pleased.
Baek Cheon trembled violently, and Yoon Jong quickly grabbed his thigh to hold him in place.
Senior Brother. I know exactly how you feel, but not here.
"Grrrgh."
Baek Cheon let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
He should’ve just stayed away! Why had he come all the way here only to watch this disgusting spectacle?
"However, Sect Leader, this is not something to take lightly."
"Hmm?"
Hyun Sang spoke with a stiff expression.
"For one thing, it is possible someone came to Mount Hua already knowing that the thousand-year cold iron cauldron was here."
"Hmmmmm."
Hyun Young narrowed his eyes.
"Are you saying information about Mount Hua has leaked outside?"
"Not necessarily. They may simply have come to spy on Mount Hua and discovered the cauldron by chance. But even so, that does not change the fact that someone climbed this difficult mountain and snooped around inside our grounds."
"Hmm."
Hyun Young nodded as well, as if in agreement.
"Which means outsiders have started regarding Mount Hua with caution."
"Indeed, that is so."
"Truthfully, the children have done far too well. Mount Hua has allied itself with the Sichuan Dang Family and begun trading with the Beast Palace. Anyone with quick ears would already have noticed that Mount Hua is changing."
"And the Southern Edge matter is still being talked about as well…"
"Yes."
Hyun Jong nodded heavily.
Mount Hua’s growth was a good thing, but once a sect rose higher in the martial world, scrutiny and pressure would naturally follow.
"For now, even if the children find it a little inconvenient, we should once again post sentries from this point on."
"A wise decision, Sect Leader."
Listening to the elders’ conversation, Chung Myung smiled with obvious satisfaction.
What are you talking about?
You idiots aren’t there yet.
Why are your shoulders already going up like that?
My goodness, look at these adorable little things.
He briefly considered telling them how things really were, but since their behavior was kind of cute, he decided to let them be.
For now, being vigilant wasn’t a bad thing. If not now, Mount Hua would certainly become the target of other sects’ caution soon enough.
"Which is why this matter is even more important."
Hyun Sang turned to look at Chung Myung.
"Chung Myung. You said your body has fully recovered?"
"Yes."
"Then can you truly cut the thousand-year cold iron?"
"Yes, of course."
"Hmm."
A trace of pride he hadn’t quite managed to hide colored Hyun Sang’s face.
I knew Chung Myung was strong, but…
From the start, the elders of Mount Hua had long since given up trying to understand the boy’s talent.
Six months after joining Mount Hua, Chung Myung had single-handedly beaten down Jin Geum-ryong, the Southern Edge Sect’s finest junior expert of the day.
And one year after joining, he had forced from Un Geom, the White Plum Hall Leader, the words:
I can’t teach that brat. Leave him alone and he’ll get strong on his own, so either do nothing or have Martial Hall Leader-nim teach him directly. Handle it yourselves.
By the time two years had passed, he was fighting the elder of Wudang to a standstill. Now he had dueled the Dang Family head and even brought down Tang Oe, the Dang Family’s retired great elder.
Was there anyone among Mount Hua’s elders who could confidently say they’d beat Tang Oe?
In other words, no matter what anyone else said, Mount Hua’s strongest expert right now was Chung Myung.
"Your martial prowess is truly fearsome."
"It’s all thanks to Mount Hua’s teachings."
"Hah. And modest too."
Chung Myung smirked.
He hadn’t lied. He really hadn’t.
The reason he was strong was, in fact, because he had learned from Mount Hua. Of course, not this Mount Hua.
Every time he answered, the elders looked more and more pleased, as if he were gently scratching at the right places.
"Sect Leader. Shouldn’t we verify it now?"
"Yes, we should."
Hyun Jong hesitated slightly.
The hidden treasury they had never been able to open, the one that had scorched his heart black for years.
How many times had he stood before that treasury, weeping, every time Mount Hua sank a little deeper into the abyss?
But he had never even dreamed of inviting a master capable of cutting it open. If that expert coveted what lay inside, Mount Hua would have no way to stop him.
It was a bait one could only look at. A treasure visible only in dreams—that was Mount Hua’s hidden treasury.
Yet now that the treasury could finally be opened, he felt more afraid than happy. What if what lay inside wasn’t what they wanted?
But Hyun Sang did not leave room for Hyun Jong’s worries.
"Yes. Then can you do it right now?"
"Of course."
"Good. Then let us do it, Sect Leader!"
"Mm! Very well!"
It was a case of mounting the tiger and riding it.
Hyun Jong leaped to his feet. He moved to one side of the room, pulled aside the hanging scroll on the wall, and pressed lightly against the wall.
Rrrrgh.
With a grinding sound, the portion he touched slid inward.
"S-Should you really be showing us this much?"
"No matter what lies within the treasury, we will bring it all out. Then what meaning would the treasury even have? And I no longer wish to keep secrets from you."
"Sect Leader…"
Without delay, Hyun Jong grabbed the handle inside the mechanism and pulled.
With a clattering sound, the floor slid sideways, revealing an opening barely large enough for one person to squeeze through.
"Now, let us go."
"Yes."
Everyone in the room immediately got to their feet.
But Baek Cheon and the others hesitated, unable to quite bring themselves to follow him inside.
"Come along."
"Sect Leader. We…"
"Did I not say so? I no longer wish to keep secrets from anyone in Mount Hua. Let us go."
At last, Baek Cheon, guessing the Sect Leader’s feelings, silently nodded after a moment’s thought.
"Understood, Sect Leader."
When they descended through the opening, a fairly spacious corridor appeared below, unlike the narrow entrance above.
So this is the place I saw last time.
Chung Myung glanced upward. Seeing the hole no bigger than his fist made his chest ache.
"It’s awfully dark."
"…There used to be many luminous pearls set into this corridor."
"Where did they go?"
"Didn’t we sometimes need money?"
"…"
Hyun Young fell silent, mouth shut tight as if packed with honey.
Ah… so that was the money from selling the luminous pearls in here. If he’d known, he would’ve been a little more careful with it.
"There."
After walking for a bit, a large iron door came into view ahead of them.
"This is it?"
"Yes. The hidden treasury passed down from Mount Hua’s past Sect Leaders."
"Oh…"
Hyun Young stared at the door with a strangely moved expression. The chaotic lines carved across the iron gave it an eerie feeling.
"How was this door originally opened?"
"Hard to say. In my view, it probably required a special martial art passed down only to the Sect Leaders of Mount Hua."
"…Then it must have been lost."
"Who knows? It might be inside there."
At those words, everyone’s gaze turned to Chung Myung.
After all, they couldn’t open that door. Everything now depended on Chung Myung’s hands.
"It’s embarrassing when you all look at me like that."
With words that didn’t suit him at all, Chung Myung made a show of fuss, then slowly drew his sword.
"Hoo."
After a low breath, he raised the blade and pointed it at the door.
Should I pretend it’s a little difficult?
He could slice through that thin so-called thousand-year cold iron in a heartbeat if he wanted to, but if he did, they’d only start expecting even more from him. He should act like it was difficult and cut it in several passes instead.
Hee-hee!
"Step back."
"Right!"
"We’re counting on you!"
The elders hurriedly moved away, and Chung Myung fixed the door with a dark, focused gaze.
I’ll leave those lines alone for now. They might come in handy later. I’ll cut around them.
Chung Myung grinned and drew out Sword Gang.
"Ooh!"
"It’s Sword Gang!"
"Nice! Good, good!"
Without delay, Chung Myung swung the sword wrapped in Sword Gang at the door.
First, a vertical cut!
Kkagak!
"Huh?"
Kkagak?
Not swish, but kkagak?
Chung Myung’s eyes widened as he stared ahead. His sword had gotten stuck against the thousand-year cold iron door.
"What?"
Why wasn’t it cutting?
Straining, he pulled the sword free and stepped closer to inspect the split. His pupils immediately began to shake violently.
"…No! Why the hell did they make the door this thick!"
"What did you say?"
"N-no. Nothing. I mean—never mind."
Chung Myung’s face twisted.
They made the walls and floor so thin, but the door itself this thick? Those sneaky little bastards!
Of course, the front of the treasury had to be thick because of the mechanism inside, but Chung Myung had no time to think about that.
If I cut in from the side, I could get in instantly.
I should’ve come alone!
Too many eyes were on his back.
"Is it difficult?"
Hyun Jong asked with a face that looked less and less alive by the second. Chung Myung, unable to do anything else, just groaned.
"Ugh… no. I can do it!"
"Good. Cheer up, Chung Myung!"
In the end, he let out a heavy sigh and gripped his sword again. Flames flared in his eyes.
"Damn it, for real!"
Why was nothing ever easy? Not one damn thing!
"Uraaaaat!"
Kaaaaang!
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
Kaaaaaaaang!
"I’m seriously about to burst from frustration!"
Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang! Kaang! Kaaaaang!
Chung Myung began swinging his sword wildly. If he couldn’t cut it in one blow, then he’d just hack at it dozens, hundreds of times. Of course, flinging out Sword Gang and swinging a sword hundreds of times was hardly easy.
"What use is any of this! Damn useless old men!"
Just you wait until I find the bastard who made this thing. I’m going to catch him for sure! For sure! What? I can’t go to the Celestial Realm? Then I’ll break out of hell!
With fire pouring from his eyes and mouth, he swung his sword any which way he pleased.
He kept at it for the better part of a quarter hour.
"Kkheuuu…."
Thud.
Kiiiiiing!
As Chung Myung collapsed sideways, the door was neatly sliced into a perfect rectangle and toppled over to the other side.
Crash!
"Oooooooooh!"
"It opened!"
"Chung Myung! Good work! You really went through a lot!"
Soaked through with sweat, Chung Myung simply stared up at the dark cave ceiling and muttered. His ragged breathing echoed down the corridor.
"So this is how you exact revenge, huh, senior brother of the sect… what an awful old bastard."
And don’t laugh.
You little…
- Heeheeheeheehee.
Ah, stop laughing!
You little shit!