285. The Qualification to Seize Opportunity
After scattering the junior brothers in every direction, I climbed to the peak of Jutang Mountain. Channeling my inner power, I meticulously memorized every detail of the terrain. From one ridge, I took in the full view of Jutang Mountain, then moved to another for a fresh angle. Even moving as quickly as possible, by the time I finished, the sun was already high in the midday sky.
"My head's gonna explode."
Clutching my throbbing skull, I descended Jutang Mountain and returned to the inn. The junior brothers had already arrived.
"Senior Brother, we drew them all."
Eunho stepped forward as representative, handing over a thick stack of papers.
"Good work."
"Senior Brother. What scheme are you plotting this time... No, what exactly are you planning to do with these?"
What am I gonna do? I looked at him and curled my lips into a smirk.
"Sell opportunities."
"Opportunities?"
"Yeah. The ones the Zhongnan Sect has been monopolizing."
They probably thought only they could 'monopolize' them. I planned to slip right through that crack.
Eunho, oblivious to my inner thoughts, wore a puzzled expression. I patted his shoulder.
"Just watch. You'll see soon enough."
"Wait, again...?"
What? Puberty hitting him now? As his lips twitched in protest, I subtly nodded toward the side.
In one corner, iron rings and steel plates were neatly stacked. Eunho immediately clasped his hands together.
"I always trust you, Senior Brother."
Yeah, no way it was rebellion. Of course not.
With crisp efficiency, he began flipping through the maps they'd drawn, one by one. I examined every detail without missing a thing. Just as I'd ordered, they'd excluded all people and focused on the entrance to Cheondong Cave and the surrounding area.
"Bring the Beggar Clan's maps too."
Next up: comparing them to the fake long-maps the Beggar Clan was selling. Their maps covered only about seventy percent of Cheondong Cave. But that didn't matter. I only needed the terrain near the entrance.
I closed my eyes tightly. Using the info I'd seen firsthand, I constructed a miniaturized, realistic model of Jutang Mountain in my mind. Then, overlaying the Beggar Clan's maps and the juniors' drawings, I planned to reconstruct Cheondong Cave in 3D.
To turn their 2D cross-sections into a three-dimensional model, I needed the juniors' maps. Opening my eyes again, I had Eunho start from the beginning, comparing each to the Beggar Clan's as I assembled Cheondong Cave in three dimensions.
The more the cave's true form solidified, the tighter my nape tensed.
Now it was time to merge the two 3D maps—one of Jutang Mountain, one of Cheondong Cave—into one.
"Hmm..."
The mountain's shape gradually blurred.
Right here.
Aligning the realistic Cheondong Cave with the spot on the Jutang Mountain model where the Zhongnan Sect was guarding the entrance. Once the proportions matched, the terrain around the entrance stood out clearly.
Got it!
I rotated the mental model, scrutinizing every inch. Then—
"...S-Senior Brother!"
Eunho's panicked shout snapped my eyes open. His face was right in mine, looking grim. Up close like this, he really was ugl—
"B-Blood... nosebleed..."
Huh? Touching my nose as he said, I felt blood streaming—a decent handful.
"Ah."
Realizing it hit me like a spin; the world whirled. Just like back when I'd force-fed myself the Mantongbu and Simhyeongak archives on orders. But...
Doing it to myself this time.
While I spaced out in a daze, Saryeon freaked, grabbing my nose with a cloth to staunch the flow. Easy there...
"What the hell are you doing?!"
She looked ready to burst into tears. Man, when it came to worrying, no one beat this girl.
I gently peeled her hand away.
"What am I doing?"
Plugging my own nose, I grinned.
"Screwing over the Zhongnan Sect."
The juniors crowding around scowled at me like I was nuts. Hah, daring to look at your sky-high Senior Brother with such irreverence. You brats.
For a second, I considered using those stacked iron rings and plates to straighten them out, but...
Eh, whatever.
Thinking of the Zhongnan fools' shit-eating faces made holding back laughter impossible. Kehehehe.
At the Black Spot branch of the Haomen in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, Point Lord Ho Gyeak couldn't hide his regret watching passersby.
Aigoo, my stomach... If I could sell to just one in ten...
Quick with numbers, Ho Gyeak could price anyone at a glance, clutching his sour gut at the automatic tallies in his head.
"Elssi-gussigu, coming in~ Jeolssigu, coming in! The storyteller from last year~~"
S seeing a Beggar Clan beggar mockingly sing and sneer past only fueled his fury.
"Aigoo~ No customers for this silk merchant, starving to death!"
"Kilkilkilkil!"
At the beggar's taunt, veins bulged on Ho Gyeak's forehead.
"You scam-artist scum mocking customers?!"
Still fuming, he grabbed his favorite salt scatterer, dusting them four times before they bolted. Even fleeing, their mouths didn't stop.
"Heng! We didn't trick 'em—they fell for it!"
"Silk merchant, stick to selling silk! Whether it sells... kilkil."
Ho Gyeak grumbled long after the beggars vanished. But his anger lingered.
Damn it! Three years of prep...
He'd scouted Cheondong Cave since three years before the Oryeong Seonhwa Oil appeared, confident he'd outsell the Beggar Clan this time. He'd marked all past emergence spots and consulted elixir experts for predicted ones.
That was his philosophy: info sellers had to deliver at least that much.
But HQ ordered no Cheondong Cave map sales. He tried convincing them but failed.
Damn...
At first, he couldn't fathom it. He knew Haomen's Mareung Plateau map fiasco, but Cheondong Cave was different—no mysterious natural formations.
Then he learned the reason and deflated. Knowing Zhongnan would block the entrance meant they couldn't sell maps.
Unlike the Beggar Clan claiming ignorance, Haomen's position differed. Victims might not confront beggars easily, but they'd retaliate against Haomen hard. Unlike the stakes-free beggars, Haomen had assets to protect.
Can't do that.
For the sake of other Haomen folk in the trade, no. The Mareung incident had hurt plenty already.
Still...
"Aing..."
With calculations nagging his mind, Ho Gyeak couldn't man the stall longer. Seeing the beggars creep back only boiled his blood more. Time to close early and grab dinner. Then—
"Looking for Teukbyeolhang Cheong."
A weird(?) voice from behind perked his ears. He caught one clear word: special Teuk!
Whirling, Ho Gyeak faced the speaker.
"Eh? Young Master Jin?"
Haomen's sole 'guest', academy rep, Black Flame Dragon, Black Maitreya, Black Dragon Fortress Lord—Jin Sowoon.
"Eh. Point Lord."
...stood there, nostrils plugged weirdly. What the... He knew the guy was unusual, but this was too odd...
"Ahem."
Ho Gyeak snapped to.
"Why the nose...?"
"Point Lord, got time?"
"Time?"
As Ho Gyeak tilted his head, Jin Sowoon pressed his left nostril and blew.
"Yeah. If you've got time."
A paper plug popped from the right. Pressing the other side and blowing again, paper shot from the left.
Utterly baffling...
"Let's do some map business."
"..."
Eh, even more baffling? Ho Gyeak pondered HQ's order versus the 'guest's' request.
"Young Master Jin, you mean... what map?"
"What else? Oryeong Seonhwa Oil."
"..."
He knew, but why suddenly...?
Ho Gyeak ventured cautiously.
"Um... sorry, Young Master Jin, but that's tough."
"Why?"
"Hmm... how to put this."
After a pause, he fetched his map.
"I've made Cheondong Cave maps. But HQ hasn't approved sales."
Jin Sowoon inspected it closely.
"Incredibly detailed. You made this yourself, Point Lord?"
"Yes. Been prepping long."
"Woodblock print?"
"Pardon?"
At the random question, Ho Gyeak blinked. Jin Sowoon, eyes glued to the map, added:
"Didn't seem hand-drawn, this precise."
"Well... know a guy..."
"Perfect."
Huh? Perfect how? Ho Gyeak hummed.
"HQ banned sales 'cause Zhongnan's blocking the entrance. I wanted to badly, but couldn't."
Ugh, still burned thinking of it.
"Ah, no worries."
Huh?
"Our customers won't complain."
"Our customers...?"
Ho Gyeak's puzzled gaze met Jin Sowoon unrolling a huge paper over his map.
"We're selling this."
"Yes...?"
More painting than map, Ho Gyeak's eyes darted between it and Jin Sowoon.
"Th-This is a map?"
Maps needed positional info, standard symbols on a plane.
Too alien.
Jin Sowoon's map was neither flat nor symbolic. Yet...
"Look closely."
At the confident tone, Ho Gyeak scrutinized it, spotting familiars.
"Th-This...!"
Places he'd traversed obsessively for three years—unforgettable.
"Jutang Mountain..."
"Right."
"And you're selling this?"
Jutang wasn't famous beyond the Oryeong Seonhwa Oil rumor. Even famed peaks like the Five Greats or sacred Songshan needed master artists for acclaim. An amateur sketch like this?
Even if he was Haomen guest, academy rep, Black Flame Dragon, Black Maitreya, Black Dragon Lord...
"Um, this might be..."
Despite his fluster, Jin Sowoon's confidence made Ho Gyeak suspect a con.
"Y-Young Master Jin... need money?"
Jin Sowoon nodded knowingly, pointing instead.
"See here. ...And here."
Ho Gyeak's eyes followed eagerly. Cheondong Cave entrances...
But.
"And here."
Following the finger...
"Hm...?"
An extra cave where none existed.
"This..."
"This is the info we're selling."
"W-Wait, Young Master Jin."
Ho Gyeak rechecked. No change. Three years, hundreds of climbs—he knew Jutang like home.
"Young Master, I've climbed Jutang hundreds of times these three years. No third Cheondong entrance..."
"Of course not. It'll appear soon."
"Pardon?"
Did I hear right...? The follow-up was absurd.
"Day after tomorrow, before maoshi at dawn. This entrance opens."
"What...?"
A mischievous yet confident smile spread over Jin Sowoon's face.
"I'm gonna make it."
"...Make it?"
Ho Gyeak gaped, jaw slack.
Ho Gyeak grabbed Jin Sowoon's map and rushed to the print shop.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Mistaking him for a drunk, the owner came out swinging a club, but Ho Gyeak bullied him into carving blocks. Dragging all Haomen hands, they printed maps till dawn.
Just before sunrise, a hundred ready, Ho Gyeak started selling.
"Folks are pissed at Beggar Clan maps already. Will they buy?"
"They're here for Oryeong Seonhwa Oil. Even thinking 'one more scam' they'll bite. Don't worry."
"But HQ said no sales?"
He'd worried too, but brushed it off. HQ banned interior maps, not exterior Jutang overviews—that was branch turf. Plus, source was 'guest' Jin Sowoon. If issues, claiming aid to his plan would smooth HQ.
"Price...?"
Price... Ho Gyeak inhaled deeply.
"Ten nyang silver!"
Low for a long-map, but final. People distrusted free info—value matched trust.
"If they doubt or haggle, pretend to cave."
"Huh?"
Maps were just bait. If Jin Sowoon's plan worked, it'd sting Zhongnan and Beggar Clan. Helping the 'guest'? Ideal.
Laughter bubbled... No, can't ape him too much. Ahem.
"Get to it."
Haomen folk puzzled at the baffling orders but moved fast. By noon, Jin Sowoon's maps spread through Xi'an.
"Believe this crap?"
"Nonsense. I checked—no extra entrance."
"Wait till maoshi! Opens tomorrow dawn."
"Haha, cave mouths opening/closing on schedule? Even with elixir?"
Many scoffed, some cried scam. After Beggar Clan, now Haomen mocking? Some itched to raid. But all paused—maybe it really opened at maoshi.
The 'new entrance' to Cheondong Cave swarmed like mountains of people.
"Eh? You?"
"Ahem...!"
"Told me it was bullshit!"
"What? Just a stroll up Jutang."
"At this hour?"
Awkward run-ins dotted the mountain; chatter hushed as they trickled toward the marked spot. As maoshi neared...
"Hm?"
"What?"
"You feel it too?"
Sensitive ones scanned. Vibrations grew even for dull senses.
Rumble-rumble-rumble.
The earth shook like heaven's wrath, sky collapsing. Rocks tumbled, birds fled treetops in panic.
"Earthquake?"
"Wh-What's happening...!"
Then—
Kaboom-kaboom-kaboom-kaboom!
A massive blast erupted with blinding light. Folks whipped toward the night-sky-piercing glow.
"What? Lightning?"
"Nah, light's off."
Brief panic.
"Wait! That light—on the map!"
Exchanges flew.
"!"
"!!"
No words needed—lightness skills launched them up the mountain. Arriving in a blink...
"Whoa...!"
A yawning cave mouth gaped before them.
"Th-The entrance!"
"Ch-Cheondong Cave really opened!"
"Outta my way! Oryeong Seonhwa Oil's mine!"
At the shout, countless warriors dove in without hesitation.