Chapter 80
It opened.
The vault.
Yoo Daeseung held his breath, staring at the open vault.
The vault was large enough to comfortably fit five people inside.
Yet, surprisingly, it didn’t contain much.
“Still…”
I watched Yoo Jangju stride boldly into the vault.
Like someone entranced, he picked up a single book that lay on the floor of the vault.
“It’s a secret manual.”
Yoo Jangju murmured.
In one corner of the hidden room were stacks upon stacks of Yamyungju.
It seemed even more than the amount that had supposedly been sold when Cheonhwa Mountain Villa’s fortunes had declined.
And thanks to that Yamyungju…
“I can read the letters.”
I could easily read the writing on the cover of the book.
It read: Cheonhwa Baekryu Sword Technique (天花白流劍法).
I had heard of the Cheonhwa Baekryu Sword Technique before.
“The sword technique that Cheonhwa Mountain Villa prides itself on!”
A sword technique said to slice through enemies as smoothly as flowing water.
But…
“If this is the secret manual for the Cheonhwa Baekryu Sword Technique, shouldn’t Cheonhwa Mountain Villa already have it?”
As far as I knew, Yoo Jangju had mastered the Cheonhwa Baekryu Sword Technique.
In a villa of this size, he couldn’t have taught it orally without a manual. That meant the villa had a secret manual.
So what was this then?
“Is it a handwritten copy?”
No… Since it was in this hidden room, perhaps this was the original, and what the villa had was a copy?
I tilted my head in puzzlement as I watched Yoo Jangju, and noticed that his hands trembled slightly as he held the manual.
“Th-this is…!”
What was it?
What could possibly shock him so?
His eyes were wide as if they might pop out, yet I didn’t dare ask.
It was the secret of another family and martial sect.
If I looked carelessly, I might risk my life.
“I should be careful not to stare.”
I deliberately turned my gaze, looking at other things instead.
Although the vault wasn’t filled to the brim, there were still various items inside.
Every one looked precious.
Even my unworldly eyes could tell that their value was considerable.
If sold, the disciples of Cheonhwa Mountain Villa could probably live comfortably for at least two years.
“Huh? What’s that?”
Among them, what caught my attention was a thin garment-like item.
Curious, I stared at it.
“Hahaha! Hahaha-haha!”
A loud, hearty laugh rang from above.
“!”
Startled, I looked up at Yoo Jangju.
He was holding the manual open with one hand, covering his eyes with the other, laughing continuously.
“Hahaha! Ahahaha!!”
…He’s really enjoying himself, huh?
I didn’t know why Yoo Jangju was laughing, so I couldn’t join in.
Nor could the villa lord and his wife, or Yoo Jaheon.
We all silently watched him, but he laughed on, unconcerned.
“I found it! I found it! Finally found it!”
“What on earth are you talking about, Father…?”
“The final move! The ultimate technique of the Cheonhwa Baekryu Sword! It really existed! It was here! Hahaha!!”
“The final move?”
“Yes! The Cheonhwa Baekryu Sword Technique is composed of eleven moves!”
Honestly, I didn’t know much about the Cheonhwa Baekryu Sword Technique.
I understood half of what Yoo Jangju was saying, but half was still unclear.
“So, it means the sword technique can now be fully mastered?”
Until now, it had been an incomplete technique.
For Cheonhwa Mountain Villa, this was truly a good thing.
Yoo Jangju, frantically reading the manual, suddenly looked at me.
He grabbed my shoulder with his chin.
“Master Dang.”
“Huh?”
“You’re my phoenix! Such a precious guest in Cheonhwa Mountain Villa!”
He grasped my hand firmly.
“If you want something, name it. Anything. You can have all the treasures in here if you ask, but what I need is only this.”
He pointed to the secret manual.
I glanced first at the manual, then at him.
The Cheonhwa Baekryu Sword Technique was already highly regarded as a great martial art.
But the fact that it wasn’t actually complete would cause a huge stir in the martial world if it became known.
And that stir was caused by the country…
“Or more precisely, by the serpent.”
If the poisonous creature hadn’t swallowed the key, if the key hadn’t lodged in the serpent’s neck, none of this would have happened.
So, in fact, the real first contributor wasn’t me, but that divine serpent.
I thought for a moment.
Of course, it would be nice to receive treasure.
But…
“Cheonhwa Mountain Villa doesn’t seem wealthier than the Dang family…”
Cheonhwa Mountain Villa wasn’t poor, but it couldn’t compare to the Dang family.
Perhaps that was why the treasures in the vault didn’t tempt me.
After a brief pause, I looked at Yoo Jangju.
“Honestly, I didn’t do it expecting a reward.”
“Then speak up!”
“Will you really grant anything?”
“Of course!”
“Then, Master Jangju, the truth is, I don’t have many friends.”
“……?”
“I’ve heard that friends are those who help when you’re in need and stay by your side when comfort is necessary.”
I quietly clasped my hands in front of me.
“So, it would be wonderful if the lord of Cheonhwa Mountain Villa could be my friend.”
“…….”
“My father says, friends don’t care about age.”
One advantage Dangpaejin had over my father as a candidate for family head was his maternal clan support.
So my father also needed to gain allies. Someone like the lord of Cheonhwa Mountain Villa was more than sufficient.
“I don’t need treasures. Not even rare elixirs or divine weapons.”
Hearing that they had sold Yamyungju when the villa’s fortunes declined made me not want any of it.
“What do you think?”
“…Is that all?”
“Yes?”
“Is that really the only request? Fine! I’ll grant it! A family benefactor and a priceless treasure—what does age matter? Hahaha!”
“Really?”
“Of course! But I can’t just give only that. Let’s see.”
He scrutinized the treasures inside the vault with a hawk-like gaze.
Every item was precious and valuable.
‘Even if their fortunes fell twice more, they’d survive.’
If sold, these treasures could save a declining family three times over.
Then, Yoo Jangju picked something up from the corner.
“That’s…”
It was the thin garment I had been staring at.
Holding it aloft, Yoo Daeseung’s eyes sparkled.
“This! Dragon Scale Armor!”
“!”
“Really! It’s truly Dragon Scale Armor!”
“Dragon Scale Armor?”
“Yes! Who would’ve thought such a thing existed! Hahaha!”
Admiring the armor from all angles, Yoo Jangju placed it in my arms.
“Take it.”
“Huh?”
“This is Dragon Scale Armor, an ancient suit of armor. As light as a sage’s robe, yet as tough and sturdy as dragon scales. When worn, ordinary swords and spears cannot pierce Master Dang’s heart.”
“……!”
Ancient armor?
Then it must be extremely rare!
I looked around, holding the Dragon Scale Armor, bewildered.
Yet no one stopped Yoo Jangju. The villa lord seemed too moved by the discovery of the real Cheonhwa Baekryu Sword Technique manual to notice anything else.
“Now, Master Dang, you are its owner!”
“B-But, Master Jangju…”
“No treasure compares to the final move of the Cheonhwa Baekryu Sword Technique. You wouldn’t have gained any of this if not for you, so you fully deserve it.”
Yoo Jangju carefully placed the secret manual in his chest.
“Beyond this, if there’s anything else you desire, name it. Take whatever you like!”
I turned to look at the others.
My eyes met Pang Simyeong’s.
“I had a good dream last night. I guess I wanted to meet a phoenix.”
She smiled softly.
She didn’t stop Yoo Jangju either.
“Accept Father’s sincerity, Master Dang. This secret manual you recovered for Cheonhwa Mountain Villa is a treasure far beyond something like Dragon Scale Armor.”
The villa lord spoke next, as if waiting for the moment.
“Master Dang, Father always watched over this vault with anguish. Thank you for helping fulfill this old man’s long-cherished wish. This is Cheonhwa Mountain Villa’s secret vault, but that Dragon Scale Armor is naturally yours.”
