The Qi Arts Master Chapter 32
Tian Ailang calmly scanned their surroundings from atop Chanho's shoulder. It looked like a sheer cliffside crevice with no foothold in sight. Far below, structures that might once have been stairs were crumbling away in chunks.
Then Tian Ailang spotted jagged rocks protruding haphazardly from the cliff face about fifty feet down on the right—just wide enough for a single foot.
"Chanho! Down there! Right side, fifty feet! Rocks!"
Even as they plummeted, Chanho confirmed the rocks Tian Ailang pointed out.
"I'll signal and launch you onto them—land clean! Now!"
"Whaaat?! Gyaaah!"
Song Sogeol flailed in panic as his body suddenly launched through the air.
"Grab on, Sogeol!"
Tian Ailang had landed lightly first and reached out a hand.
"Eeeek!"
Seeing Tian Ailang's palm as his sole lifeline, Song Sogeol stretched desperately for it. With astonishing balance and focus on the narrow perch, Tian Ailang snatched his arm.
"Hup!"
The strain was immense—pure muscle power to arrest a falling man on such a tiny ledge. But Tian Ailang effortlessly hoisted Song Sogeol up, helping him plant his feet on the rock. Terrified, Song Sogeol clung tightly to Tian Ailang's body.
"Guys! There's a cave opening down here we can squeeze into!"
Chanho's voice echoed from below their position. Tian Ailang soothed Song Sogeol and peered down, spotting Chanho waving from about thirty feet lower.
With everyone confirmed safe, the surroundings sharpened into focus. Looking up, the spot they'd fallen from had collapsed, hard to make out now. The dizzyingly high ceiling connected to the outside cave somehow—a faint shaft of light beamed straight down. Following it downward revealed a bottomless pit, as if the earth had sunk in a perfect circle. So deep that even the debris from earlier had vanished.
Tian Ailang swallowed hard, gauging the distance to Chanho against the abyssal backdrop. Just as he wondered if he'd have to jump, those haphazard rocks suddenly seemed like a staircase leading right to Chanho.
Grinning with relief, Tian Ailang called out. "I'll be right down!"
Chanho waved even harder at the shout. Tian Ailang chuckled, then checked on Song Sogeol.
"Sogeol, you're good now. You don't have to squeeze so tight. We'll step across these rocks like stairs."
Song Sogeol, who'd been clutching Tian Ailang's collar and torso, cracked open one glued-shut eye and peered up.
"Ugh... Big bro. Sorry. I've got a bit of a fear of heights."
"Haha! That explains it?"
Tian Ailang found his little brother's reaction endearing. After a moment's thought, he said, "Hop on my back then."
"Huh?"
"Your legs are shaking so bad it's worrying me. Better if I carry you down quick."
Song Sogeol peeked down while still gripping tight. Staring into the hellish maw of the abyss, he nodded frantically.
"Ugh... Yeah, do that. Please."
In the cramped space, Tian Ailang twisted smoothly and hoisted Song Sogeol onto his back. It was neither hard nor heavy. Qi arts training emphasized bare-handed combat, so they'd drilled endlessly on physical conditioning—horse stance basics, single-leg walking, finger-only traversal, even crossing ponds on scattered lotus leaves. Strength, flexibility, balance—all honed to perfection. Balancing heavy stones on flower petals over water? This was child's play.
"Here we go."
Song Sogeol's hands clenched tight on Tian Ailang's shoulders. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Even with the load, Tian Ailang descended the rocks like stairs with light, agile steps.
Thud.
Reaching Chanho's ledge, Tian Ailang tried to set Song Sogeol down—but the kid wouldn't let go, clutching his clothes. Tian Ailang let out an amused snort.
"Haha! Sogeol, we're here. No more scaredy-cat—get down."
Chanho stared in disbelief.
"What the—this guy's fine climbing trees and roofs, but this freaks him out?"
At the jab, Song Sogeol stretched his neck out like a giraffe from Tian Ailang's back to check the ground, then carefully slid off.
"Ahem."
Tian Ailang laughed at his embarrassed fidgeting.
"Hahaha! Even our maknae has his fears, huh."
He eyed Song Sogeol with fresh surprise. The kid usually nailed everything effortlessly, even faking scares while pranking Chanho. Genuine terror like this was a first—and oddly charming.
"Ugh... It's that endless abyss vibe. Unknowable drops freak me out. Let's move, bros."
The sworn brothers wriggled into the small cave mouth Chanho had found. Spacious enough for a person. They groped along the dark walls, advancing for a short while until reaching an odd chamber.
Fsssh! Fsssh! Fsssh!
Torches suddenly ignited around them, flooding the space with light. They had no idea what they'd touched or triggered, but they took in the revealed surroundings.
"A tomb?"
Tian Ailang murmured his first impression. Grand for a grave, but the arched ceiling and central coffin screamed it. Evenly spaced holes dotted the walls.
"Hmm... Brick tomb, yeah."
Song Sogeol backed him up, then scrutinized part of the wall. Squinting, he read the inscription aloud.
"'For any contingency, I leave this ingenious safeguard. The sword in the coffin is one of His Late Majesty's twin dark swords, infused with mystical power to commune with the great forces of nature. Should an unworthy hand claim it, this tomb and cave will collapse, unleashing the trapped earth dragon of the lake to sweep away Cao Cao's army.'"
Finishing, Song Sogeol locked wide eyes with Tian Ailang.
"Big bro! You hear that? We cannot touch that sword in the coffin!"
He shrieked mid-sentence—because over Tian Ailang's shoulder, Chanho was yanking a blade from the coffin.
"Hey! Sword here besides the corpse. It's beat to hell—probably worthless."
Chanho swung it experimentally, appraising it.
"Oh. We're screwed."
Song Sogeol's quiet mutter preceded ominous rumbles from all sides. Water began gushing from the wall holes.
Rumble...
A roaring waterfall erupted from their entry tunnel. Chanho sheepishly lowered the sword; Song Sogeol kept screaming. Tian Ailang swiftly scanned—one hole wasn't flooding. Peering in, he saw a distant speck of light. It curved gently upward. Too narrow to stand in, but crawlable.
"Ugh! You useless Chanho bro!"
"What? 'Useless'? You little brat?!"
Tian Ailang yelled over their bickering.
"Guys! This way—escape route!"
At his urgent shout, Chanho and Song Sogeol scrambled while still snapping at each other. Tian Ailang—sans inner power—led, Song Sogeol next, Chanho last. They crawled single-file into the hole.
"Big bro Ailang! Hurry hurry!"
"Shut it and crawl faster yourself! Water's rising behind!"
Tian Ailang glanced back—water lapping at Chanho's feet. The hole angled diagonally up from the tomb, so the chamber was likely submerged by now.
"Hup! Go go go!"
Tian Ailang powered forward with ferocious vigor. His cockroach-like flexibility and speed were unreal.
"Whoa."
Song Sogeol let slip a quiet admire.
"Hey! Song Sogeol! Water's at your feet—move it!"
Snapped from his awe by Chanho, Song Sogeol channeled inner power into fingers and toes, clawing the floor like a doggy-paddle sprint.
Chanho ditched crawling—the two swords snagged too much. He lay supine, cradling them to his chest. His own black sword stayed sheathed at his waist, fine—but the tomb's rusty one kept slipping amid the crawl. He propelled supine with powerful inner power blasts from his soles.
Cockroach, dog, mystery slide— all three rocketed ahead.
Crunch!
Tian Ailang reached the exit and muscled aside the loose soil plug.
"Hoo!"
He burst out, swiftly followed by Song Sogeol and Chanho. Water bubbled right to the hole's mouth but stopped rising with a gurgle. Confirming it, the trio sighed in relief and sprawled starfish-style, staring at the sky.
Tian Ailang felt muscle aches he hadn't even gotten from recent martial arts—then laughed absurdly at the clear blue above.
"Heh heh heh heh."
His chuckle sparked Chanho and Song Sogeol.
"Kuhahaha!"
"Uhahahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
After guffawing till their sides hurt, they chatted lying down.
"No injuries?"
Tian Ailang craned his neck to check.
"Nah, Big bro Ailang. Midway, some worm tried sneaking up from behind—startled me a bit, but fine. You good?"
"You punk Song Sogeol! That 'worm' me?!"
"Who? What're you on about?"
More bickering. Tian Ailang smiled. Perils and absurdities aside, it'd been fun. Life sparkled since meeting these two.
"Oh yeah—falling earlier, all the night pearls dropped, and all we snagged is this junk sword I'm holding?"
"Yeah, bro. But it's one of Liu Bei's twin dark swords."
"Pfft, so what? Still a rusty relic."
Listening, Tian Ailang grinned and sat up.
"Sogeol. Chanho."
They rolled eyes his way.
"Huh? Bro... your chest?"
Song Sogeol gawked at Tian Ailang's bulging pecs.
"Hahaha!"
Tian Ailang pulled two fist-sized objects from his robe.
"Gasp! Night pearls!"
Song Sogeol's eyes bulged. The pearls gleamed brighter in sunlight.
"Hoo!"
Chanho whooped. Their reactions set Tian Ailang roaring with laughter.
"We're rich now!"