Chapter 79
Cheonhwa Mountain Villa
The Cheonhwa Mountain Villa, located in Akju, was by no means a weak faction.
Although it could never be compared to the Mudang Sect in Mudang Mountain, also in Hubei, no one living near Akju dared to disregard Cheonhwa Mountain Villa.
Among its many assets, the Cheonhwa White Flow Sword Technique (天花白流劍法) was a highly refined swordsmanship style that subdued opponents with fluid grace, comparable to the martial arts of the Five Great Families.
However…
“There’s a missing form in the Cheonhwa White Flow Sword Technique.”
The technique consisted of ten sword forms.
Yet, according to the ancestral scrolls passed down to the head of Cheonhwa Mountain Villa, the original Cheonhwa White Flow Sword Technique was composed of eleven forms.
In other words, one form had completely vanished.
But Yu Dae‑Seung could not discern what that missing form was.
If the secret manual of the technique were torn, he could have inferred it by examining the surrounding text. But the manual was intact, without any missing sections.
So the supposed “eleventh form” seemed as if it had never existed at all.
Yet the ancestral scrolls clearly stated that the technique was complete with eleven forms.
What, then, was the truth?
Ever since becoming the head of the villa, Yu Dae‑Seung devoted himself to uncovering the secret of the missing form.
If he could truly find it, the Cheonhwa White Flow Sword Technique would reach its final perfection, taking it to an unprecedented level.
Even now, the technique was considered formidable, but if completed, its strength would surpass all expectations.
The problem was that even after eighty years, he had found no information about the missing form.
Had it ever really existed?
Yu Dae‑Seung had meticulously examined every secret manual in Cheonhwa Mountain Villa.
He had combed through all records, reading everything carefully to see if any trace remained.
That had been twenty years ago.
He had searched not only the villa itself but every place associated with it.
“There was only one place I couldn’t investigate back then.”
It was the vault in the underground chamber of Cheonhwa Mountain Villa.
The vault was made of eternal iron, impossible to open by force.
Moreover, it was intricately designed so that anything other than the proper key would lock it completely.
“But there was no key.”
The previous head could not pass the key on to Yu Dae‑Seung—he himself could not open the vault.
When had the key disappeared?
Had someone taken it?
What could possibly be inside?
Yu Dae‑Seung had thought of the vault constantly since becoming head.
But he never found the key. Now, the time had come to pass the task to his son and heir, Yu Pyeong‑Hyeok.
Then…
“The key.”
There was an inexplicable pull emanating from it.
He dashed toward the underground chamber, clutching the key tightly.
The old, worn key felt as though it would guide him into the vault he had long sought.
Without hesitation, he stepped down the underground stairs.
However…
“We will wait here.”
Dang Jin‑Hyun stopped, holding his daughter Dang Bi’s hand.
“There may be some hidden secrets in the Cheonhwa Mountain Villa vault. As outsiders, we cannot accompany you. We will wait here until you return.”
Dang Bi held her father’s hand tightly, standing at the entrance.
“No, but…”
Muttered Yu Pyeong‑Hyeok, the heir.
Shouldn’t we go with him?
But Dang Jin‑Hyun’s reasoning was sound. No one could accompany him into a family vault that had been closed for centuries.
Yu Pyeong‑Hyeok hesitated, unsure of what to do.
“If that is your wish, just let the child go.”
Yu Dae‑Seung reappeared from the darkness of the underground stairs, the key in hand.
He looked at Dang Jin‑Hyun as he climbed up the steps.
“This key was found by Master Dang. Allow him to see inside.”
“But Head of the Villa…”
“Master Yu.”
Yu Dae‑Seung, head of Cheonhwa Mountain Villa, spoke.
“Though this key was discovered within our villa, the finder was Master Dang. By right, he could claim ownership of it.”
Of course, it wasn’t a matter of principle, but not everyone in the world follows such ethics.
“He could have hidden it, but he returned it to me, trusting me as its rightful owner.”
“Y‑Yes!”
Yu Ja‑Heon interjected.
“Moreover, he found the key while checking the health of the villa’s prized solitary horned eagle. Thanks to him, the bird has recovered—it is as if he saved a life.”
Paeng Sim‑Young nodded.
“I want to see it with the person who saved it. Whatever is inside, your daughter has a stake in it too.”
Dang Jin‑Hyun was astonished at Yu Dae‑Seung’s words.
A stake meant that whatever was inside would be shared with Dang Bi.
What could possibly be in there?
But he stopped speaking, sensing Yu Dae‑Seung’s intent.
Dang Jin‑Hyun looked down at his daughter after a moment of hesitation.
“Do you want to go?”
Dang Bi looked back and forth at Yu Dae‑Seung and her father, nodding timidly.
Her father gave her shoulder a gentle push.
“Go ahead. I will wait here.”
“Thank you.”
“Please take care.”
Nodding, Yu Dae‑Seung led Dang Bi into the underground chamber.
Dang Jin‑Hyun watched from above as his daughter descended.
The head held my hand, preventing me from stumbling in the darkness.
“Be careful.”
“There seems to be a groove in the wall—was this the previous location of the night‑light pillar? Why isn’t it here now?”
“You noticed that immediately? Clever. When the villa’s fortunes declined long ago, my father removed it.”
Ah… a painful history.
Fortunately, one remained in the center of the hallway.
I relied on the faint light to move forward.
But Yu Dae‑Seung, being a master, probably did not need the light at all.
Carefully walking so as not to fall, I suddenly heard a crash from behind.
“Ugh!”
“I told you not to be clumsy…”
Yu Pyeong‑Hyeok helped Yu Ja‑Heon up while she sniffled.
Yu Dae‑Seung waited a moment, then proceeded ahead.
Soon, the underground chamber of Cheonhwa Mountain Villa came into view.
Creak!
He took a large key from the bundle he carried and inserted it into the stone door.
I looked up at him.
“This is the deepest chamber of Cheonhwa Mountain Villa. And the key found by Master Dang is probably…”
Yu Dae‑Seung held my hand as he stepped inside.
He pointed to a massive, square, iron vault in the corner.
“This must be the vault this key opens.”
“What if… it doesn’t?”
I asked nervously, staring at the enormous iron safe.
“What if the key I found doesn’t fit and is completely useless?”
“Then today will simply serve as a good opportunity for me, as head, to recall my resolve and初心,” he said calmly.
He inserted the key into the lock—the same one I had retrieved from the throat of the solitary horned eagle.
“I have lived over eighty years, and experienced countless failures.”
“!”
“Would one more failure change anything?”
But as he turned the key with force—
Click.
The vault’s lock disengaged.
Rrrrr… click! Rrrrr… click!
The mechanism of the long-dormant vault stirred, echoing metal sounds throughout the underground chamber.
A tremendous vibration and noise reverberated inside the chamber.
