Chapter 25

Chapter 24. Did You Come from Zhongnan? (4)

“Grrr.”

Qingming slumped to the ground.

“...Oh, I’m going to die.”

This is not an easy task. Even if it’s a small hill, it’s still a mountain. It’s not easy to search through a mountain.

Moreover, sneaking around at night to avoid the eyes of his senior masters and grandmasters made him feel like a thief.

‘Damn this body.’

This body is just not adapting. If it were the old Qingming, he could have used lightness kung fu for four days and nights without his breathing becoming even slightly labored. But this weak body gasps for air with the slightest movement.

It was the same when he went down to Huayin to interrogate You Zhongshan. Dealing with that loud-mouthed swordsman was nothing compared to the difficulty of going down and up the mountain, which was ten times harder. What’s the point of talking about it?

Moreover, what Qingming is doing now is not an easy task either.

“Hooooo.”

Qingming, who had his hand on the ground, took a deep breath and pushed his energy into the earth.

What are you doing in the middle of the night?

“Yeah, damn it.”

The warehouse must be below here. But the problem is that he doesn’t know exactly where below.

There’s only one way. Check each spot one by one.

As a result, Qingming is now crawling around the mountain, pushing his energy into each spot to find an empty space. If there’s an empty space below the mountain, it must be the warehouse.

It’s easy to say.

It’s easy to say, but...

“This is like looking for a needle in a desert.”

Qingming sighed deeply.

If it were the old him, he could have covered the entire small mountain with his energy by just moving his hand. But now, he can barely extend a finger's worth of energy.

“Ouch! I’m going to die!”

Moreover, he can’t keep shooting out that much energy. His dantian, which he calls his brother, was drained after just a few uses. He has to gather and shoot out his energy again, repeating this process a dozen times.

‘If I keep this up, I’ll just be wasting my time, won’t I?’

With his body tired, his mind is filled with杂念. Qingming shook off the杂念 that were invading his mind.

Come on. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

“It must be there!”

Considering Zhang Wenshi’s personality and everything else, the ledger must be stored in a safe place. And the only safe place is here.

It’s a situation where you have to grab even a straw. But if this is the best hope, it’s more like a log floating in the water. There’s no choice but to grab it!

One more time!

“Ouch!”

One more time!

“I’m dying!”

One more time!

“What’s empty? I don’t care. Ouch.”

One more...

No. Wait a moment.

“What’s empty?”

Qingming’s eyes widened. To confirm, he squeezed out his energy and shot it out again.

‘There it is!’

He felt something foreign. There’s an empty space below. Although his internal energy is still weak, he can’t determine if it’s a man-made space or a naturally occurring one.

But he’s certain that something is empty.

Then?

“Spit!”

Qingming spat on the ground and stood up. He then grabbed the pickaxe next to him.

“I have to see it with my own eyes!”

Now it’s a test of perseverance.

“Grrr!”

One shovel.

“Grrrr!”

Two shovels.

“Gaaaaah!”

Three shovels.

Thud.

Qingming collapsed into the hole. Dirt rushed into his mouth, but he no longer had the strength to spit it out.

“I’m dying, I’m dying.”

Damn this body.

Just digging five feet is enough to make his arms tremble and his legs wobble. His back aches as if he’s been stabbed with a knife.

Those who practice martial arts are accustomed to pain.

But the pain from hard labor is different from the pain of training and injuries. Unfortunately, Qingming is not very familiar with the pain of labor.

Even if he were familiar with the pain of labor, this is not something a child’s body can handle.

Digging through solid ground is a difficult task even for a strong adult male. Moreover, there’s no trick to it. It has to be done purely with strength and perseverance.

“Spit!”

Qingming spat out the dirt in his mouth and glared.

“Alright. Let’s see who wins, you or me!”

But if he were to give up here, the name Plum Sword Immortal would be disgraced!

“Yah!”

Qingming started digging with renewed vigor.

If there’s a space below, he will definitely reach it!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Yah!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Huh?”

Thud?

Qingming quickly lowered his posture and started to dig away the dirt with both hands. After a few scoops, he felt something hard at his fingertips.

‘Bricks?’

Qingming’s face contorted. The feeling at his fingertips was strange. He could feel cracks in the middle. Bricks.

The presence of bricks under the mountain might be a good sign. It suggests that someone has created an artificial space.

But Qingming thought differently.

If this is Huashan’s secret cave, it wouldn’t be protected by mere bricks. It would be more securely fortified to prevent intruders.

But bricks...

‘Let’s keep digging.’

Qingming suppressed his disappointment. He couldn’t be sure until he saw it with his own eyes. The priority is to confirm it visually.

Swoosh.

After clearing away the remaining dirt, the pattern of the bricks became visible. Although his martial arts skills were still low and it was dark, he was certain that there was something below.

‘Let’s see.’

Qingming carefully grabbed one of the bricks.

The bricks had been tightly interlocked for a long time. He pulled the brick with force, being careful not to cause a collapse.

Squeak.

One brick came loose.

‘Yes!’

Qingming carefully inserted his face into the hole that was revealed.

‘Alright, here...’

Qingming, who had focused his vision, slightly frowned.

There’s nothing below. All he could see was...

‘This can’t be... Ah! A corridor?’

His fists clenched involuntarily.

He didn’t find the wrong spot. He found the right spot, but he was a little off to the side. What he found was not the secret cave but the passage leading to it. His abilities were not yet sufficient to distinguish between the passage and the cave.

But finding the corridor means he has found the way to the cave!

‘Great!’

Just as Qingming was about to lift his head and remove the rest of the bricks...

Thud.

A low sound of footsteps came from inside.

‘Huh!’

Qingming almost shouted in surprise. Someone was walking through the corridor toward him.

‘Zhang Wen?’

He pulled back his head and quickly covered the hole with the brick he had removed. But there was a bigger problem.

‘Oh no!’

Light was seeping through the gap where the brick had been removed. Qingming quickly covered the brick with his body and lowered his breathing, using the technique to suppress his breathing.

‘Why now!’

He might be discovered at any moment. If Zhang Wen discovers him after all the effort of searching the mountain and digging to this point, what would he say?

He must not be discovered.

Thud. Thud.

The footsteps in the dark corridor grew closer. They were not fast.

‘It’s Zhang Wen.’

He could clearly tell it was Zhang Wen just by the silhouette in the darkness.

Zhang Wen, fortunately, did not seem to notice anything unusual and passed by where Qingming was looking down. But he couldn’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. Zhang Wen soon stopped walking.

‘There’s a wall...?’

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, the interior became clearer. In front of where Zhang Wen stopped, a large wall was visible.

No. It’s not a wall.

It might look like a wall at first glance, but it’s not. The end of the long corridor is not a wall but a door. Zhang Wen stood still, looking at the door.

‘He knew.’

He had expected this.

Others might not have known about the secret cave, but Zhang Wen had a high probability of knowing. Zhang Wenshi might have passed it on to the future leader of Huashan as a precaution, or he might have discovered it by chance while using the place.

But the strange thing is, if he knew about the secret cave, why is Huashan in such a state?

The secret cave must have contained the ledger and treasures that Zhang Wenshi had created and stored.

At that moment.

Zhang Wen slowly raised his hand and felt the wall, or rather, the door. He touched it for a long time, as if caressing something precious.

‘What’s he doing?’

It was a meaningless gesture.

But he couldn’t help but feel uneasy because Zhang Wen’s demeanor was different from usual.

Zhang Wen slowly bowed his head and remained still in that position.

Only then did he realize.

He’s not trying to do something.

This is the posture of someone who can’t do anything.

Qingming bit his lip without realizing it as he looked at his back.

It’s small.

And pitiful.

The back of the leader of Huashan should always be broad and warm. But now, it felt bent and pitiful, like that of an old villager worn down by time.

A back that no one could see. He could only show this back here, where no one else was.

Zhang Wen’s back, leaning against the wall, was trembling slightly.

‘Ah...’

He understood.

‘He couldn’t open it.’

Qingming bit his lip tightly.

That back hurts. It’s so cold and painful.

The collapsing Huashan Sect.

Martial arts are declining, and wealth is dwindling. The creditors are becoming more aggressive, and the enemies’ blades are becoming sharper.

How desperate must it be to lead Huashan alone in such a situation?

How tragic must it be to watch Huashan, to which he has devoted his entire life, collapse and be unable to do anything about it?

Yet, he can’t open his heart to anyone. As the leader, he must be a pillar of support for his disciples. He can’t rely on others.

Even if everyone else collapses, he must remain a sturdy tree with deep roots, firmly holding up the ground.

So...

So, he’s here, alone, comforting his pain and sorrow.

Holding onto the door of the secret cave that won’t open.

Qingming looked at Zhang Wen’s back with a heavy heart, as if trying to engrave the image in his mind.

After a long time, Zhang Wen slowly lifted his head.

He stared at the door for a