The Secret Storehouse
“Doyakju and Jagyagyeon? What’s that?”
Once she confirmed Chu Seo-gong had left, Ju Yu-ryeon kicked the door open and stepped out, eyes sparkling with curiosity at the unfamiliar names.
“……Curious, are you?”
Ju Yu-ryeon nodded so vigorously her hair whipped around her face. Under that relentless stare, Yoo Eunhyeon hesitated a moment, then spun on his heel.
“I needed a porter anyway. Perfect timing. Follow me.”
Without a backward glance he strode off, and Ju Yu-ryeon scrambled after him so as not to lose him.
“I’ve already poked around this whole area. Didn’t look like there was anything worth finding.”
“There’s a storehouse.”
“A storehouse? That one near the mountain peak?”
Ju Yu-ryeon tilted her head, still not following. Yoo Eunhyeon shook his.
“That one’s a storehouse too, but we’re headed somewhere else. More of a cellar, really.”
“A cellar? You had one of those?”
“It’s part of the family fortune. Can’t exactly leave it out in the open. And given what we keep there, you can’t just stash it any old way.”
“Fair enough. Everything that comes out of your place is crops—leave them lying around and they’d spoil in no time. So a secret storehouse, then? Now I’m even more excited.”
Watching Ju Yu-ryeon rub her hands together with clearly different expectations, Yoo Eunhyeon wondered whether bringing her along was such a good idea after all.
But the words were already out; there was no taking them back now.
Resigned, he led her around behind the house and onto a narrow path. At its end lay a small cave crammed with odds and ends.
“Here? Doesn’t look like there’s anything useful.”
“Wouldn’t be. This is where we dump broken tools—basically a junk heap.”
Yoo Eunhyeon nodded in agreement, then cleared away a pile of hay stacked in the far corner beyond the clutter. A blank wall appeared. Without pausing he raised the lantern he had brought and shone it high against the stone.
“Huh?”
A faint shadow flickered across the empty wall. Startled, Ju Yu-ryeon stepped closer and felt along the seam; a cleverly concealed space revealed itself.
An involuntary gasp of admiration escaped her.
“Whoa. This was here the whole time? No wonder the Black Lotus Trading Company never found it.”
“It’s pretty spacious inside. Come on.”
Yoo Eunhyeon stepped over the hay he had moved and led the way. Ju Yu-ryeon followed, eyes widening as she murmured,
“It’s quite cool in here.”
“Has to be, if you want things to keep.”
Inside, Yoo Eunhyeon answered her while beginning to tidy the dust-laden cellar. Ju Yu-ryeon helped and started looking around.
“Most of this is stuff that stores well. What are we taking?”
“Grab those paper-wrapped bundles.”
He handed her ten bundles of Jagyagyeon. Watching him shift a wine jar, she asked curiously,
“Liquor and tobacco? So these are Doyakju and Jagyagyeon?”
“That’s right. Want a taste?”
“Not interested in the tobacco. But the liquor……”
Pretending reluctance, she produced a gourd ladle from her robes. She took a light sip of the Doyakju and her eyes lit up at once.
“Oh. Herb-and-fruit wine? That spicy kick is nice.”
“Drink more if you want. We’re not overflowing with it, but there’s enough for you.”
Her face brightened noticeably. Without hesitation she scooped another ladleful; Yoo Eunhyeon shook his head at the sight.
“In exchange, transfer about three bamboo tubes’ worth. And set one bundle of Jagyagyeon aside.”
“Why? Not selling these?”
“Yeah. Thinking of giving them as gifts.”
“Gifts? For who?”
“The people we’re about to go meet.”
Ju Yu-ryeon’s eyes went wide.
“The Heavenly Demon of a Thousand Years and the Twin Sword Immortals?”
“Mm. They took a liking to these.”
“They summoned you and you’re the one who has to bring presents?”
She openly pouted, clearly displeased.
“Well, I’ve got other reasons too.”
He thought back, a little slyly, to Chu Seo-gong’s advice. Ju Yu-ryeon cocked her head at his enigmatic expression, then shrugged and returned her attention to the Jagyagyeon.
While Yoo Eunhyeon sank into thought, she quickly sorted the Doyakju and Jagyagyeon.
Finished with her task and looking around out of boredom, her gaze suddenly snagged on a gap in a collapsed section of stone.
“What’s wrong with this spot?”
“Ah, that? There was an earthquake before I was even born—part of the corner caved in. Don’t mess with it. If it collapses further we’ll be in real trouble.”
“Got it. I’ll be careful.”
She was about to turn the lantern away when its light swept across the crevice and something glinted inside.
“Wait—there’s something there?”
“Something?”
Ju Yu-ryeon was not one to miss a moment like that.
Glancing at Yoo Eunhyeon for permission, she carefully cleared away the small stones wedged in the gap. With each one removed, the light seeping from within grew stronger.
Sensing something unusual, Yoo Eunhyeon stopped what he was doing and came over. He peered in and his eyes widened.
“Huh? What is this?”
“Still hard to see. What do you think—should we dig it out?”
She asked, eyes sparkling, ready to start tearing at the stones the instant he agreed. Yoo Eunhyeon looked around, murmuring,
“Hmm. If we’re careful it shouldn’t come down……”
Ever since he had begun training in martial arts, he could sense the natural energy around him far more clearly. A few stones wouldn’t bring the place down—he could tell that much at once.
Besides, a hidden object in a cellar he had used his whole life? He was curious himself.
The two of them carefully pried the stones free one by one, working as cautiously as if they were excavating an artifact.
Before long they managed to draw out whatever had been concealed inside.
“Isn’t this…… a rake?”
What they had found was a rake-shaped implement—the kind of farming tool called a pitchfork or iron rake, used for leveling or clearing fields.
Yet it looked far from ordinary. The ten tines were unnervingly sharp, and the entire piece, from handle to tips, was forged of solid metal.
It was far too vicious-looking for fieldwork.
“Why was something like this hidden here?”
“Probably propped it against the wall, forgot about it, and then sealed the wall over it.”
“That aside…… this doesn’t seem like any ordinary tool. Are you sure it’s for farming?”
Examining the rake, Ju Yu-ryeon let out a soft sound of wonder.
She was right—it did not look commonplace. The long handle was no ordinary iron; a subtle black sheen ran through it, and the tines branching from the end were plated in a yellowish gold. Whenever the lantern light struck them, a reddish luster seemed to seep from the surface.
An inexplicable sense of pressure made Yoo Eunhyeon snatch the rake up.
“……Let’s take it outside first. Mother will know something about it.”
They hurriedly gathered only what they needed and left the cellar. Their steps quickened of their own accord.
Emerging from the cellar, the two went straight to find Su Hwa-seon.
“You two…… what is that?”
The moment she saw the rake, Su Hwa-seon’s face filled with surprise, as if she recognized it at once.
After hearing how they had found it, a distant look crossed her eyes for a moment. Then she carefully lifted the rake.
“This is called the Sangbo Heokgeumpa. It was made in imitation of the weapon Zhu Bajie wielded in Journey to the West. The whole thing is forged from Black Lotus Iron, and the tips of the tines are refined with Flame Precious Jade…… Where did you find this?”
“It was wedged in a crack in the cellar wall.”
“It was in the cellar?”
The unexpected source left Su Hwa-seon briefly dumbfounded. Ju Yu-ryeon cut in.
“But isn’t this a bit much for a farming tool? Even at a glance the materials don’t look like something you’d use on a field.”
“Ah. When I married into this family, Eunhyeon’s grandfather had it specially made for me. A sort of wedding gift. After the earthquake collapsed part of the cellar it disappeared, and I thought…… so it was buried there all along.”
Su Hwa-seon gazed at the Heokgeumpa for a moment as if lost in memory, then held it out to Yoo Eunhyeon.
“It belonged to your father. If you want it, take it.”
“Really? I can have it?”
“Now that the headship has passed to you, it’s already yours. It was always too fine a tool to use only for farming—why not use it as a weapon?”
Mudong Hwanmu was never a martial art bound to any particular weapon. And Yoo Eunhyeon had already handled long swords and short swords, axes and hammers—more than a few. There was no reason he couldn’t master one more rake.
More than anything, the solid, weighty look of the Heokgeumpa appealed perfectly to the farmer in him.
Yoo Eunhyeon took the Sangbo Heokgeumpa and gave it a light swing.
Whoosh!
It was certainly heavy for an ordinary person.
It could never weigh the legendary 5,048 jin from the novel, but even at a conservative estimate it was well over fifty jin.
“Not bad.”
A little heavy, yes—but a rake was a farming tool Yoo Eunhyeon had handled his entire life. It felt completely natural in his grip. To someone who had trained in martial arts, that weight was no burden; if anything, it felt more suited to a weapon than a simple farm implement.
“Whoa…… it definitely looks powerful. But…… it’s a little weird to look at, isn’t it?”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“It looks strong enough, sure, but a rake for a weapon…… it just doesn’t have any style.”
“That’s perfect. If I look like a farmer, opponents will let their guard down.”
“And then word spreads and your name is all over the murim? Haha.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Yoo Eunhyeon snorted a laugh at Ju Yu-ryeon’s joke and let it pass.
Having packed the Doyakju and Jagyagyeon as well, he stood ready before Su Hwa-seon.
“I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Don’t worry. Someone from the family will arrive by tomorrow.”
“I’ll send word now and then.”
Leaving the household affairs in Su Hwa-seon’s hands, Yoo Eunhyeon set out with Ju Yu-ryeon. Their destination was Mount Dae.