Chapter 35: Looking for the Hint (3)
I dropped to my knees, staring blankly up at the tree in front of me.
“What the hell…?”
It was one thing for the cliff to have vanished and for a tree to just appear out of nowhere, but to think this was actually a white maple tree, as in, literally white!
Every part of it, from the leaves to the trunk, was completely white.
It even seemed to shimmer a bit.
As the leaves fell from the tree, astonishingly, they actually radiated light.
I cautiously picked one up, but the moment it touched my hand, it crumbled away.
“What on earth is going on?”
Is it some sort of spell?
Even the famous Zhuge clan, known for their mastery of spatial magic, had no records of such a phenomenon after their downfall during the blood disaster.
Then how on earth should I explain what I’m seeing right now?
“Young Master! Look, it’s so pretty!”
Wi Seol-ah approached, arms full of fallen leaves.
‘…But they crumbled when I picked them up?’
Those leaves looked perfectly intact in her hands, almost like they were favoring her.
I gently took one of the leaves from Wi Seol-ah’s grasp.
Crunch!
It crumbled again, just like before.
“…What the heck, is it actually discriminating against me?”
This feels rather unpleasant.
I glanced around. Looking closely, I noticed that this area appeared much more natural than it did when it was a cliff.
So is this what it really looks like?
“Well, it seems like I’ve found the secret vault after all…”
It matched the descriptions given by the Tang clan to a tee. It truly was white…
Perhaps even too white.
The falling leaves resembled snowflakes, almost giving the impression that it was snowing.
To think such an eye-catching thing could have been hidden for hundreds of years. How on earth is that possible?
From what I understand, locational magic doesn’t last too long, and periodic check-ups are necessary.
So, does that mean someone was keeping watch here consistently?
That didn’t seem very likely.
“Young Master! There’s something here!”
“…When did you even get that far?”
While I sat there stunned, Wi Seol-ah was already exploring and touching the tree.
I moved closer to her, and behind the tree, I spotted a staircase going downwards.
Hold on, shouldn’t a secret vault be kept a bit more… secret?
“Maybe they didn’t worry too much because the spatial magic was already doing a good job of hiding it?”
I imagined the kind of fear one would feel while approaching the edge of a cliff. The shiver down my spine was real.
But then, how come Wi Seol-ah seemed completely fine?
She even managed to break through the magic and view the tree as it was.
‘It’s great for me, but how do I even explain this?’
I sighed, trying to shake off my confusing thoughts.
I needed to focus on the secret vault first.
“It’s dangerous, so maybe you should wait here—”
As I was about to say that, Wi Seol-ah had already dashed off.
I heard her voice echoing from the bottom of the stairs.
“Young Master! Hurry up!”
“…Fine.”
How does she always manage to act before thinking?
Thanks to her, my aching headache showed no signs of going away anytime soon.
I hurriedly followed Wi Seol-ah down the staircase.
The stairs were unexpectedly narrow, and I was left wondering how far they went down.
I thought about running back to grab a light source, but amusingly enough, the white leaves Wi Seol-ah carried served perfectly as torches.
Those sparkling leaves illuminated the area surprisingly well, allowing us to descend safely.
The only issue was…
How deep did they make this thing?
How long had we been going down?
Had it been ages yet?
The leaves seemed to give me light as we walked down further, and yet still, the stairs showed no end.
Something feels off here.
Is it even possible for it to be this deep?
Is this all part of the locational magic?
I couldn’t shake off the thought—perhaps it might be true.
Looking at how they managed to conceal this enormous landscape and transformed it into a cliff… it didn’t seem impossible, did it?
I really just jumped in headfirst without any plan, didn’t I?
I was bedazzled, as deep inside I knew about the secret vault.
They say greed blinds people, and I was standing as a perfect example.
Turning to Wi Seol-ah, I said,
“I think we should go back up first—”
“Young Master, there’s another route here.”
“What?”
Where on earth?
Before Wi Seol-ah stood nothing but stairs leading downwards—the seemingly infinite staircase.
“What do you mean? There’s only these stairs!”
In response, she began to touch the wall next to her.
As she dropped the leaves she was holding, she seemed completely unaffected.
I then asked, “There’s only a wall, what can possibly be—”
Craaaack.
“Huh?”
The wall that Wi Seol-ah was touching suddenly creaked and crumbled into dust, revealing a hidden passage.
“Ta-da!”
Wi Seol-ah posed proudly as she beamed at the newly revealed route.
It was definitely impressive, but I couldn’t shake off a slight feeling of annoyance.
“See? There’s a path here!”
“Yes… But why is there a path here? Seriously?”
I mean, why is it even here?
After descending through the hidden corridor, it became clear that to discover this passage, one would’ve likely needed to spend an extensive amount of time investigating with professionals.
But here we have Wi Seol-ah uncovering it as if it was nothing.
What on earth is going on here?
Is this just a skill she naturally possesses?
Living in a world destined for greatness, Wi Seol-ah seems to see the world differently, but could that difference lead her to such discoveries?
I was stumped—I really had no idea.
Wi Seol-ah was about to rush into the passage, but I stopped her.
“Don’t go barging in carelessly; I’ll take the lead from here.”
I genuinely felt that perhaps it wasn’t my place to say that since, until now, she had been the one leading the way down those stairs.
But frankly, it felt like we were headed into danger.
In response to my instruction, Wi Seol-ah flashed a strange smile.
Faced with that bewildering grin, I asked, “What’s so funny?”
“You’re worried about me, Young Master!”
“Well, isn’t that expected?”
“I don’t know why, but it makes me happy!”
For some strange reason, I felt embarrassed by her response and lightly flicked her forehead.
“Ouch! Why did you hit me?!”
“For no reason, I just felt like it.”
“So mean…”
As I walked into the hidden passage, it was surprisingly bright, unlike the staircase. I ventured in, following the light, and came to a halt after several steps.
Now that I thought of it, it was the things embedded in the walls that were emitting the light.
“Wait, are these all moonlight marbles?”
The stones lighting up the path.
During these times, they were so precious that even the wealthiest couldn’t acquire them easily.
But here they were, embedded in the walls without a care…
“Good heavens… I knew the Golden Nature had vast wealth, but this is a bit excessive, isn’t it?”
I was stunned by the sight before me.
If I managed to gather all of these, what kind of fortune would that yield?
…Should I sneak some on my way back?
I felt a pang of guilt shoot through me, but then again, why would there be any guilt? I was the one who stumbled upon them.
Yeah, I wasn’t someone who led a morally pure life in my past life either, after all—
“Young Master?”
“It’s nothing, let’s keep moving.”
I pushed aside the thought, continuing along the passage.
Remaining vigilant, anticipating any attacks,
But I felt no hint of danger lurking nearby.
We walked for what seemed like a while. It wasn’t quite as long as when we descended the staircase, but it felt extensive.
Just as I was beginning to suspect the passage might be a trap, we finally reached the end.
There stood an enormous door, easily twice the size of my body.
I approached the door gradually and carefully grasped the knob.
I had concerns about potential consequences the moment I touched it, but fortunately, nothing catastrophic occurred.
I exerted some strength to pull it open.
Creaaaak.
I had predicted it would feel significantly heavy due to its size, yet it opened surprisingly smoothly.
Upon entering, I was met with nothing but darkness.
It appeared no moonlight marbles graced this room.
“It’s a bit too dark in here…”
As I struggled to gauge the size of the room or see if it led to another passage, something swooped past me.
A white light.
One of the white leaves Wi Seol-ah had been holding.
Was it fluttering in the wind? But there was no breeze here.
-…Child.
Upon hearing the sudden voice, I immediately concentrated my Qi.
It sounded as though it emerged directly before me.
The voice came from the dark.
-…How did you arrive here, child?
The leaf that had been floating in air came to a stop.
Then it crumbled into dust, just as when I touched it before.
-You are not a child of the Golden Nature, so how did you come to this place?
Gradually, light began to pierce the enveloping darkness.
It was the same white light that radiated from the leaf.
I positioned myself in front of Wi Seol-ah, guarding her as I channeled my fire Qi.
This feels dangerously suspicious; should we make a run for it?
No matter how much Qi I drew upon, I couldn’t sense anything in front of me.
Without a doubt, something was present, but it remained nothing more than a blurry image, as if obscured by thick fog.
-…You carry something peculiar within you.
In the moment the voice spoke, a bright light suddenly enveloped the room.
It was blindingly bright, prompting me to shut my eyes tightly to shield Wi Seol-ah.
When I finally dared to open my eyes after the light faded,
I gasped at the surprising sight before me.
The room that had been cloaked in profound darkness was now brilliant with illumination.
Though the source of this light raised concerns.
The chamber was vast, stretching at least thirty meters high, and at its center lay a monstrous snake, completely out of place.
A gigantic serpent that filled the entirety of the room.
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