Chapter 139. Maengho Secret Vault (2)
Cheolno glared at Han Bin with a slightly annoyed expression, not bothering to close the door.
"Ah, Young Master! You should've come find me first when you got back."
"Sorry, Cheolno. I got summoned by the family head and only just made it here."
"But you're still not calling the family head 'Father,' huh?"
Cheolno tilted his head, and Han Bin shrugged with a grin.
"Well, you've got to separate public and private matters."
Han Bin flashed a toothy smile.
Someday, there was bound to be a time when the family's interests clashed with his own.
What choice would he make then?
Han Bin chuckled involuntarily.
He found it ridiculous that he was pondering something so far off.
Seeing Han Bin's laugh, Cheolno spoke up.
"Ah, Young Master, you're too much. A simple 'I was worried' wouldn't hurt, you know? Laughing like that just makes me feel neglected."
"Come on, of course I was worried. How could I sleep thinking about you slaving away, going back and forth between Cheonsu Manor and here all by yourself? Where'd you even go? I came to your room and searched everywhere—no sign of you. Had me worried sick."
"I'm grateful for the concern, but... it kinda feels like you're patting me on the head from above."
Cheolno trailed off as he set some snacks on the table.
Thud!
Cheolno opened a large bamboo container on the table.
Steaming hot dumplings immediately revealed themselves amid rising vapors.
Seolhwa, watching from the side, glanced at Han Bin. When he nodded, she swiftly snatched one.
"Ah, these are delicious."
"Seolhwa, I made those myself."
"Whoa, Uncle Cheolno, you could open an inn with these. They're as good as tanghwa candy."
"Thanks. But that doesn't sound much like praise."
"It is praise, Uncle."
Seolhwa gave a thumbs-up, her mouth stuffed with dumpling.
As the two chatted, Han Bin's eyes sharpened while scanning Cheolno.
He'd spotted a tear in the hem of Cheolno's robe.
"Cheolno, who messed with you this time? What's wrong with your clothes?"
At Han Bin's words, Seolhwa, who was munching on tanghwa, widened her eyes.
"Uncle Cheolno, who hit you? Want me to beat them up for you?"
Offended, Cheolno shot to his feet at Seolhwa's remark.
"Whoa, Seolhwa. Do I look like the type who goes around getting beat up?"
"A little..."
"Whoa, that's too much. How low do you think of me, Seolhwa?"
"Well..."
Seolhwa trailed off, gazing at Cheolno.
Come to think of it, he was an excellent snack supplier for her.
She quickly continued.
"I know—if you recover your old martial prowess, they'd all be done for. That's why I'm worried; you haven't gotten it back yet."
"Yeah, thanks for understanding."
Then Han Bin asked with a serious look.
"Cheolno, so what's with the clothes? Who exactly messed with you? From what I heard, Lady Jeonghwa's side got completely purged."
"Well, 'purged' might be strong—they mostly just walked out on their own."
"Walked out on their own?"
Han Bin rubbed his chin and tilted his head.
Han Bin had already looted the wealth Lady Jeonghwa had hidden away.
But that didn't mean she'd leave empty-handed.
Reading Han Bin's expression, Cheolno explained.
"That day was total chaos."
"That day?"
"Yeah, that day—I mean..."
Cheolno spat as he recounted what he'd witnessed.
The story was simple.
While Family Head Paeng Kangwi remained in secluded training, Lady Jeonghwa had tried to ransack the Hebei Paeng Family's stores and flee in the night.
Just as she loaded the carriages and attempted to leave, Paeng Kangwi emerged from seclusion and blocked her.
Here, Cheolno paused to bite into a dumpling. Han Bin, chin propped like he was hearing an old tale, urged him on.
"And?"
"Well, in the end, she handed over even her hairpins and left."
"Ah, so that's why the mood was off earlier."
"Of course it was. The second young master left with her too."
"So the third brother stayed behind?"
"Yes, Third Young Master stayed."
Han Bin smacked his lips subtly. He hadn't expected Lady Jeonghwa to leave so soon.
If he'd known, he'd have tailed her with someone.
Was the plot to topple the Henan Jeong Family and Hebei Paeng Family just Lady Jeonghwa and Jeong Hwiji's scheme?
Han Bin was convinced others were involved.
This wasn't based on past-life memories but his gut feeling.
Didn't the saying go that ominous premonitions always hit the mark in the jianghu?
Just then, the sun set, and faint moonlight appeared in the distance. Han Bin rose.
"I'll step out for a bit."
"Where to at this late hour?"
"Come on, Cheolno, it's not that late."
"Is it? Where are you headed?"
"Just taking a stroll to the Maengho Secret Vault."
"The Maengho Secret Vault?"
"I got permission from the family head, so no worries. Hang out with Seolhwa here."
"Got it. I'll keep an eye on Seolhwa."
Cheolno thumped his chest, and Han Bin grinned.
"By the way, know where Jeong is?"
"Jeong's probably by the training grounds. But why Jeong all of a sudden? No need for a hammer?"
"No hammer needed. Thanks, Cheolno."
With that, Han Bin bolted from the room like lightning.
The Maengho Secret Vault was a seven-story pavilion.
As the tallest structure in the Hebei Paeng Family, it looked like a tower from outside the estate.
That was why northern murim folk sometimes called it the Hebei Pagoda.
A tower stacked with rare treasures.
That was how the family and jianghu viewed the Maengho Secret Vault.
Of course, only from the fifth floor up.
When Han Bin arrived at the Maengho Secret Vault, one of the guards rushed over.
The tense guard eyed him suspiciously.
"Fourth Young Master, you're here?"
"You heard?"
"Yes. But I'm not sure if it's right to open only the basement."
Han Bin nodded at the guard's words.
"That's correct."
"Then we'll open the basement now."
"Thanks."
"And I have a request."
"Shoot."
"Absolutely no other floors. My orders specify only the basement."
"Don't worry. Just open the basement."
"You're sure, Young Master?"
"I said yes."
"The basement hasn't been cleaned. You're really okay with that? No complaints later."
"Just open it—no worries."
"Understood, Young Master."
The guard double- and triple-checked before opening the basement.
The process was more complex than expected.
First, the guard pulled out a oil-paper-wrapped ledger and flipped to the page detailing the basement-opening method.
Then, following the instructions, he rotated the circular door handle in a specific sequence to unlock it.
The rotation pattern determined which floor opened.
Screeech—clank!
A sound like scraping stairs echoed.
When it stopped, the four guards dashed forward and heaved the vault door open.
Rumble!
With a groan like dislocated joints, the massive door swung wide.
Han Bin entered, and the guards shut it, resetting the handle.
One guard remarked after closing the door.
"Fourth Young Master's lost it, huh?"
"What're you on about?"
"Out of all the requests, why ask to see the basement? Makes no sense. Asking for an elixir would've been a win."
"Maybe there's hidden treasure down there."
"Treasure? We haven't opened the basement in ten years."
"Exactly."
"That's my point. Ten years—any treasure would've rotted."
"Yeah, you're right."
"Watching from the side, I feel bad for him. Wasted a golden opportunity."
"Haha, his call. Remember the Henan Jeong Family thing? Turns out Fourth Young Master did nothing—Qingyun Sasin handled it all."
"Haha, yeah, Fourth Young Master's lucky, that's for sure."
The guards shared a laugh.
Han Bin proceeded slowly.
The stairs to the basement were brighter than expected.
Lanterns fueled by fish oil burned at intervals, filling the air with their scent.
They must have lit automatically for whoever descended.
Rumor had it the Zhuge Family, experts in formations and mechanisms, designed the Maengho Secret Vault.
Jianghu folk often said, "South Zhuge, North Moyong" for strategy and scholarship.
Why skip the nearby Moyong Family for the slightly farther Zhuge?
Relations among the Northern Five Great Families were uncomfortably close—hence the distance.
In a blink, Han Bin reached the basement.
It was better kept than the guard implied.
Though haphazardly placed weapons against the walls and occasional cobwebs raised questions about its purpose.
But Han Bin sought not the surface—what lay within.
He was after the spark that would drag the Hebei Paeng Family down.
Their ties to the Demonic Cult.
This would surface right after the Orthodox-Demonic War erupted.
Soon after the war began, half a Heavenly Demon Divine Pill was found in their vault.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Pill—bestowed by the Demonic Cult only on the Heavenly Demon's heirs.
Its discovery in the vault meant one thing.
The Hebei Paeng Family poured everything into covering it up, but their power halved as a result.
Past-life memory.
He'd planned to handle it slowly, but with time slightly off-kilter, now was best to check.
Besides, the family's history had already changed.
The second young master had been ousted with Lady Jeonghwa.
Others might call it minor, but to Han Bin, with his memories intact, it was huge.
In his past life, that young master became successor, then family head.
His absence meant the family's path would diverge.
But today mattered most.
'If I find the Heavenly Demon Divine Pill here today?'
Of course, he'd take it.
A Demonic Cult pill wasn't much different from an Orthodox one.
Its main ingredient was the Snow Mountain Blood Wolf's neidan—from recently acquired stock.
A real Heavenly Demon Divine Pill?
He could start the first stage of Cheonji Il Yeon Gong today.
Recalling what he'd heard before, Han Bin struck a floor seam with Jeong.
Thud!
Infusing inner power, Jeong slipped into the crack.
Using it like a lever, Han Bin pried up the floor.
A forearm-sized chunk of azure steel stone lifted.
Starting there, he began dismantling the floor.
Clunk. Clunk.
Azure steel chunks piled in the corner.
Clunk. Clunk.
Han Bin kept removing slabs.
Realizing this was inefficient, he recalled a Yongrin Sword Art technique.
'Jeon-gwang-seok-hwa.'
Inner power or sword?
It depended on the user—that was Han Bin's view.
Surprisingly, it worked.
Even for this task, his speed increased.
As azure steel piled up, basement dampness rose.
Han Bin tilted his head.
No sign of a Heavenly Demon Divine Pill hiding spot.
Then—
Mingling with the musty odor came a faintly familiar scent.