Shaking Heaven and Earth (1)
A short while later.
Their cart came to a stop in front of an abandoned house.
Gong Son Myeonghu pointed toward the interior.
"This way."
"The atmosphere feels ominous. You're saying the warehouse is around here?"
"The warehouse is below."
Gong Son Myeonghu pointed at the ground with his finger.
Without stopping, he continued walking into the abandoned house.
So Daeseop, who had entered the derelict building, stood with the members of the Aekhyeolmaengho-dae at the entrance to the secret passage that Gong Son Myeonghu was guiding them to.
It was a passage with a strange vibe.
A massive stele stood at the entrance, giving it the feel of a tomb.
Confirming the entrance, So Daeseop shouted to his men.
"Everyone, move out!"
That was when the trials of the Aekhyeolmaengho-dae truly began.
The members each carried a wooden barrel and had to navigate the narrow passage to some destination, a grueling task.
Sweat beaded on everyone's foreheads.
The passage twisted irregularly, forcing them at times to hunch over with the barrels on their backs and waddle through like ducks.
As everyone panted heavily, Jo Ho spoke up.
"Huff huff... You don't think he dragged us here on purpose for training, do you...?"
"Shh, the young master said this is a secret mission, Jo Ho."
Jangsan winked, signaling him to be quiet.
"Oh, got it, Uncle Jangsan."
"If you get it, why are you still talking so loud? Lower your voice, Jo Ho."
"It's so deep down here, my voice won't leak out anyway, Uncle Jangsan."
"True enough, Jo Ho."
Jangsan nodded in agreement.
The Aekhyeolmaengho-dae followed Gong Son Myeonghu's lead, minus Sim Miho and a few others who were exempted.
How far had they gone?
Gong Son Myeonghu, leading the way, halted.
"This is the place."
"Thank you, Young Master Gong Son."
So Daeseop cupped his fists and looked ahead.
Where Gong Son Myeonghu had stopped was a fairly large space.
It felt like a secret chamber hidden within the secret passage itself.
So Daeseop shouted.
"Everyone, unload your cargo here and take a short break!"
"Understood."
They responded in low voices in unison, setting down their wooden barrels.
So Daeseop pulled a letter from his bosom.
He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing it.
The letter resembled a blueprint for some intricate mechanism.
The break was brief. Wiping the sweat from his brow, So Daeseop began stacking the barrels according to the diagram.
He didn't know what Hanbin was thinking, but the order was to stack them as per the blueprint.
Once all the brought barrels were stacked, So Daeseop called out.
"Five more times to go!"
Sighs erupted from here and there at his words.
"Sigh..."
"Captain, we're gonna die."
But So Daeseop's expression remained impassive.
"Everyone, follow Young Master Gong Son."
Jo Ho, trailing behind So Daeseop, panted heavily while rubbing his eyes.
Noticing this, Jangsan asked.
"What's wrong, Jo Ho?"
"Uncle Jangsan, for some reason, I keep seeing the young master's shadow in the captain's figure."
"Me too. A subordinate naturally takes after his master, right?"
"Does that mean I'm starting to resemble him too?"
"Maybe you're already a bit like him."
Jangsan chuckled softly and nodded.
Their task finally wrapped up after a full five hours.
Emerging after completing everything, they exited through a different entrance than where they'd come in.
This was a small temple tucked away in a remote corner of the village.
As So Daeseop looked around in a daze, a familiar face caught his eye.
He rushed over in a few strides and cupped his fists.
"Young master, Aekhyeolmaengho-dae Captain So Daeseop and fifteen men have completed the mission."
"Good work, Captain So Daeseop. Thanks to you, we've secured the important item in a safe place. Now get some rest."
"Thank you, young master."
So Daeseop tilted his head.
It felt like he'd been told to keep it secret, yet here they were, practically announcing their position to others.
Hanbin gazed at So Daeseop while extending his senses to their maximum.
Suddenly, a sticky, unpleasant presence prickled his senses.
Hanbin had deliberately shown his tail to lure them in.
He'd decided to eliminate any enemies likely still lurking in Jangun-hyeon.
Hanbin and the remaining foes were playing a game of go right now.
Hanbin still had plenty of pieces left.
The enemies would surely try to minimize Hanbin's remaining pieces as much as possible.
They'd likely judge the treasure he'd hidden as one of those pieces.
They'd probably scour day and night to find what he'd hidden.
Could they find it?
They'd probably start coveting the item after Hanbin left Jangun-hyeon.
That was the gap Hanbin aimed to exploit.
A short while later.
Hanbin and the Aekhyeolmaengho-dae arrived at the inn.
Hanbin snapped his fingers.
Snap.
At the sound, Seol-hwa appeared silently.
In her hands was a birdcage.
Of course, inside the cage were pigeons.
Seol-hwa said.
"Shall I take one out?"
"The world's a dangerous place, so release two, Seol-hwa."
"Yes."
"And this..."
Hanbin handed her a tightly rolled note.
Seol-hwa wordlessly slipped the note into a slender tube and tied it to a pigeon's leg.
Seol-hwa asked.
"Should I send them now?"
"Send them now, then we rest."
"Got it."
Seol-hwa released the two pigeons from her hands.
The pigeons flapped their wings vigorously and soared into the night sky.
Flap flap.
Watching them go, Hanbin yawned as if everything was settled and headed back into the inn.
Seeing this, So Daeseop asked.
"Young master, where exactly are those messenger pigeons headed?"
"Hebei Paeng Family?"
"Hebei Paeng Family?"
"Why the face, Captain So Daeseop? Don't we at least need to send a status update along with our greetings?"
"Ah, I see."
So Daeseop nodded with a soulless expression, then glanced at the pigeons still visible in the distance.
Would they make it safely to the Hebei Paeng Family?
Just as the pigeons vanished from everyone's sight.
Whoosh!
A hidden weapon sliced through the air from somewhere, and one pigeon plummeted.
Thud.
Someone dashed out hastily and snatched the fallen pigeon.
* * *
The next morning.
The patriarch's quarters in the Hebei Paeng Family were noisier than ever.
Because the pigeon Hanbin had sent had arrived.
Paeng Kangwi and Paeng Daewi, the head of law enforcement, faced each other with the unfolded note.
Paeng Kangwi spoke first.
"Looks like our youngest has pulled off something unexpected."
"Brother, it's not exactly unexpected. But is the youngest safe?"
"No issues reported. Though he escaped a crisis with help from some expert."
"Who is this expert? Could it be that hidden master, the Azure Cloud Immortal, who aided him from the Henan Jeong Family?"
"Seems like it. But..."
Paeng Kangwi furrowed his brow and pointed to a part of the small note.
At this, Paeng Daewi hurriedly asked.
"What's wrong? Did he catch the plague or something?"
"No, it's this phrasing—I can't make sense of it."
"May I take a look?"
"Please do."
Paeng Kangwi tossed the note to his younger brother Paeng Daewi.
Whoosh.
Catching the flying note, Paeng Daewi narrowed his eyes and examined the text.
Paeng Daewi immediately spotted the line Paeng Kangwi couldn't understand.
The content was simple.
In fact, if it were complex, Paeng Daewi, who suffered from dyslexia, might not have read it at all.
It claimed that a treasure capable of dominating the murim had been hidden deep within Jangun-hyeon by the Hebei Paeng Family.
This was like a riddle.
Because no such treasure existed for the Hebei Paeng Family to dominate the murim.
Fifty years ago, their supreme secret art, the Honyeon Byeokryeokdo, had become incomplete.
With the generation of Paeng Kangwi's grandfather, the last patriarch, the perfect forms of the Honyeon Byeokryeokdo had vanished.
All transmitted forms and manuals were strangely half-finished.
Not half in volume, but oddly mismatched in the final conclusions, where the movements and inner power operation didn't align.
Paeng Kangwi frequented the ancestral hall lately to restore the Honyeon Byeokryeokdo.
If even their greatest secret art was flawed, what treasure could possibly dominate the murim?
"Sigh..."
Paeng Daewi sighed soon after.
Seeing this, Paeng Kangwi smiled as if he'd expected it.
"Haha, probably a slip-up in haste while sending the message."
At that moment.
Someone interjected into their conversation.
"I think differently, Father."
Paeng Kangwi turned to see his eldest son, Paeng Hyeokbin, who looked just like him.
Having arrived late, Paeng Hyeokbin had been silently observing without interrupting.
Paeng Kangwi said.
"Speak."
"I suspect the 'treasure that dominates the murim' refers to the hearts of Jangun-hyeon's people. A family's power comes from force, but recognition comes from public sentiment, doesn't it?"
Though better than the dream itself, everyone nodded as if Paeng Hyeokbin's interpretation made sense.
"Oh ho, that's a valid point."
As Paeng Kangwi nodded, Paeng Daewi chimed in.
"As expected of the Paeng Family's heir."
Then Paeng Hyeokbin spoke with meaningful eyes.
"If the events in Jangun-hyeon are true, then surely..."
Unlike his burly build, Paeng Hyeokbin trailed off vaguely.
Paeng Kangwi prompted him.
"What are you trying to say?"
"It seems right for Hanbin to take the successor candidate position."
"Hm. Why do you think so?"
"I've looked into our youngest a bit. In my view, managing a family is entirely different from executing techniques."
"And?"
"I lack the strategy to manage the family and elevate it to the top."
"Mm."
Paeng Kangwi let out a deep hum, his expression turning serious.
This self-deprecating stance was unlike his usual firstborn.
Did the eldest truly acknowledge the youngest?
Or was there another reason?
Then Paeng Hyeokbin cupped his fists to Family Head Paeng Kangwi.
"I'll head to Jangun-hyeon."
"What's the occasion?"
"I should personally welcome our merit-earning youngest."
"Very well, go ahead."
With Paeng Kangwi's permission, Paeng Hyeokbin withdrew.
Watching his departing figure, Paeng Kangwi let out a faint, pleased smile.
Paeng Daewi asked at his silent laughter.
"Pleased?"
"Of course. It's been ages since I've felt this family harmony."
As he smiled, sunlight gradually brightened through the windows of the patriarch's quarters.
* * *
Half a month later.
Hanbin's group arrived at the checkpoint at the entrance to the quarantined village.
Kang Yu-chan, having heard of Hanbin's arrival, rushed out from his tent.
Like a red hare steed, Kang Yu-chan charged toward Hanbin.
He tossed his helmet to the ground, then embraced Hanbin.
"Well done, Young Master Paeng."
"......"
Caught off guard, Hanbin was speechless, buried in Kang Yu-chan's arms for a moment.
After a few blinks, Kang Yu-chan quickly pulled away.
"Ahem, sorry. Got carried away in joy—my mistake. Truly grateful, Young Master Paeng."
"No need. It was just my duty for king and country."
"Nonsense. Once this is over, I'll inform His Majesty of your loyalty."
Finishing, Kang Yu-chan turned his gaze to Se Jaeo.
With a calm look, he quietly approached Se Jaeo.
As the burly Kang Yu-chan drew near, Se Jaeo flinched and stepped back.
Contrary to Se Jaeo's expectations, Kang Yu-chan spoke softly.
"Come with me for a bit."
"Yes, understood, Uncle."
Se Jaeo nodded, and Kang Yu-chan led the way behind the tent.
Watching them go, Hanbin sighed.
"Phew... This isn't easy."
The reason for Hanbin's sigh was simple.
Right now, he wasn't Hanbin—he was Yi Mu-myeong.
Impersonating Hanbin was fine in general, but running into someone who knew the real Hanbin, like this, was awkward.
Considering he'd navigated the situation well, Yi Mu-myeong suddenly recalled Hanbin's parting words.
Hanbin had said he was staying at the inn for final settlements in Jangun-hyeon.
No matter how he pondered what "final settlements" meant, an ominous feeling lingered without clarity.
Ignoring Se Jaeo and Kang Yu-chan who had left to talk, Yi Mu-myeong turned his head.
Toward Jangun-hyeon, where Hanbin remained.
As Yi Mu-myeong gazed worriedly at the distant village.
Suddenly, a roar like a mountain collapsing echoed from the village.
Rumble!
Boom!
A shockwave that could startle the heavens and shake the earth reverberated to everyone.