Chapter 386: Chapter 386

‘It’s not here.’

Mu Cheon-pung secretly spit out a curse as he looked around.

During the day, he had to work, and at night, he had to secretly wander around the estate to dig up the buried treasures, so it was only natural that his physical strength was severely depleted.

Although he had been fed well by the people of the estate, physical fatigue was something that could not be easily relieved by food alone.

‘If I get caught, it’s over.’

From the look in Dan Woo-hyun’s eyes, he had no intention of keeping him alive.

He was sure that the moment he found out what he was up to, his head would fly off without him even realizing it.

Therefore, he had to be cautious and meticulous.

‘My money…’

He couldn’t even remember how much money he had buried here.

A massive treasure accumulated through hundreds of years of savings and plundering the world.

In the first place, wasn’t the very reason he became the Golden Lion and stood at the pinnacle of the Unorthodox Faction so that he could freely accumulate money?

If he could find it, he would immediately leave this place and live in luxury for the rest of his days.

Of course, he couldn’t leave behind Dan So-mi, who treated him kindly, but finding the money came first.

‘It’s not here either…’

Mu Cheon-pung shook his head as he examined the ground he had lightly dug.

Even though twenty years had passed, the terrain hadn’t changed that much.

However, due to the construction of new buildings and walls, some of the landmarks had disappeared, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact location.

‘Is it over there?’

His eyes turned toward a secluded storehouse.

It was located quite far from the main residence, so as long as he didn’t make loud noises, he wouldn’t be easily discovered.

‘Let’s check it tomorrow night.’

Having made his decision, Mu Cheon-pung quietly returned to his quarters.

The night was deep, and he still had to shovel dirt tomorrow.

His body was recovered to some extent.

In the meantime, he had checked several suspected places and actually dug them up. Although due to that it had turned into a terrible situation where he had to go out to work every single day without even sleeping, he could reduce the suspected places to some extent.

The remaining place was at most one.

If he just dug that place, the treasure would appear.

‘If only that happens, I must leave right away!’

Mu Cheon-pung smiled with a thread of hope. Even if he was caught by someone while digging the ground, it didn’t matter. With his strength recovered to more than half, no matter who saw him, he would easily be able to subdue them.

Mu Cheon-pung made a new resolution and clenched his fist.

* * *

“You look… quite tired…”

Namgung So-hye looked at Mu Cheon-pung with a pitiful gaze. This old man, who returned after working all day long, was so pitiful that sympathy naturally arose.

“Hahaha, this level is nothing.”

Whether Mu Cheon-pung genuinely thought so, he showed his muscles and made his health known. Although he had no greed about being a martial artist, receiving sympathy from someone younger than him was not that pleasant.

“I’m glad. Have some of this. They say that after doing hard work, eating properly is the best.”

“Th-Thank you.”

What Namgung So-hye handed him was none other than the sweets served for dinner today. To Mu Cheon-pung, who did not even have time to eat dinner, they would be an exceptionally good snack.

‘She is kind…’

As Mu Cheon-pung wore an awkward smile and looked at the departing Namgung So-hye, he had such thoughts. How could there be such a kind lady in the world?

If he were only ten years younger, he might have tried to entice her by any means.

He thought in his head.

Of a life like an emperor, spending money leisurely with Namgung So-hye and himself along with countless treasures.

Of course, this was entirely his own thought.

Shaking his head, Mu Cheon-pung snapped out of it.

“Huh? Is it not Elder Mu? Are you entering now after finishing work?”

At that moment, another person approached.

It was Gwon Mu-jin, who was wet with sweat as if he had just finished training. For whatever reason, he held a bottle of Xiaohong wine in his hand, and judging by how the lid was not opened, he looked to have just bought it.

“Y… Yes, indeed.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Gwon Mu-jin smacked his lips as if feeling somewhat regretful.

However, soon taking in Mu Cheon-pung’s disastrous appearance, he let out a small sigh. Although it was a pity, thinking it was not for him to drink, he soon handed the Xiaohong wine to Mu Cheon-pung.

“It is wine bought in Changsha. It is quite famous there and not easy to obtain, so drink it secretly by yourself.”

“Is… is it alright to give such a thing to me?”

“Ah…”

Gwon Mu-jin hesitated for a moment.

Thinking for a long time about what to say, he let out a sigh once again. Although all kinds of sympathetic gazes filled his eyes, perhaps unable to voice them, he shook his head and spoke.

“It’s fine. It is something you must drink rather than me, Elder. Isn’t that so? I am full of energy, but you…”

“Ahem… I… I am also full of energy, though?”

“Hahaha, then that is fortunate. Work… hard.”

The words heard afterward felt slightly grating. Mu Cheon-pung tilted his head, not knowing the reason, thinking merely that because an old man went out to work, he had gained sympathy.

Tears blurred Mu Cheon-pung’s eyes at the consecutive waves of sympathy.

From birth until now, no one had treated him this way. Because he was alone from the moment he was born, and was still alone now.

The only thing that did not betray was money.

Therefore, Mu Cheon-pung gathered money more stubbornly than anyone.

He felt that if he had met such people from the beginning, he might have lived a different life than now. Of course, it was a vain thought occurring only now.

Carrying the Xiaohong wine and sweets in his hand, Mu Cheon-pung entered his quarters.

He set the sweets and Xiaohong wine down on the table.

For some reason, his hands did not reach for them.

In his childhood, there was a time he made such a fuss wanting to buy and eat just one of these sweets. However, having no money, he could only look, and he could not be more envious of the children who were eating.

Xiaohong wine.

Wherever one went, it was quite expensive wine.

It was burdensome to give to another readily. Since the price per bottle was about one tael of silver, it could be called wine that even wanderers could not drink easily.

Such things were in front of his eyes.

Emptying a cup of Xiaohong wine into his mouth, he chewed the sweets.

There would surely be no other taste like this in the world.

It was a fantastic taste, to the extent that all the worries and anxieties in his head until now vanished. He did not know if he simply felt that way, or if it was truly delicious.

However, even if it was not delicious, to Mu Cheon-pung now, it was like the ultimate delicacy, even better than a feast eaten by an emperor.

“Whew…”

Mu Cheon-pung let out a sigh and looked up at the ceiling.

Taking at most one sip and one bite was all, but he soon stood up and looked out the window. Since it was a considerably late hour, not even a bit of human presence was felt.

No, even if there were people, they would mostly remain inside their rooms, by no means wandering outside.

‘For myself as well, I must find it!’

With such thoughts, Mu Cheon-pung sneaked outside.

Thanks to his quite nimble body movements, not even the sound of the wind was heard properly. It was lightness technique that clearly proved he was a person once called one of the Five Emperors.

‘The remaining place is only one.’

With such thoughts, Mu Cheon-pung narrowed his eyes slightly. The place that came to mind was indeed where the treasure was hidden. Thinking that, his pace naturally quickened.

He approached slowly.

While killing even the sound of the wind or the sound of brushing against the soil. Moving with such stealth that no one could detect his movements.

Before long, arriving at his destination, Mu Cheon-pung exhaled softly.

“Here it is.”

His voice spread faintly.

The storehouse inside the Hunan Dan Family.

Since it was quite far from the main pavilion, as long as he didn’t make loud noises, whatever he did wouldn’t be discovered. Mu Cheon-pung smiled and approached a certain spot.

The place where the pillar was buried.

Although it was not exact, comparing it with the location in his memory, it was undoubtedly around here.

Mu Cheon-pung was already unable to control his throbbing heart. After finding the money first, should he kidnap Namgung So-hye and take her away?

No, Mae-hyang might be fine too?

Or, although she was slightly lacking in manners, Zhuge Yeon might be good as well.

Do they not say that the loftier a woman is, the more satisfying it is to conquer her?

“Come to think of it, every single one of them has the surname of the Eight Great Families.”

Thinking of it, indeed.

The Namgung Family and the Zhuge Family were clans that had long sustained the Orthodox Faction.

Especially, since the Namgung Family was the central pillar of the Eight Great Families that gave birth to the Sword Emperor, no matter how long Mu Cheon-pung had been imprisoned, he knew their names.

‘There is no way such fellows would be in a place like this.’

Mu Cheon-pung shook his head, considering it an absurd thought. The two clans that could be called the core of the Eight Great Families—there was no way the young ladies of such prestigious families would stay in a place like this.

Mu Cheon-pung, who wore a grin, took a hoe and began to dig the ground vigorously.

He dug for about fifteen minutes.

Since Mu Cheon-pung’s internal energy had returned to some extent, digging just that much was enough to create a hole deep enough for the hidden items to emerge.

“H-How did this happen?”

No matter how much he overturned and searched the surroundings, nothing was seen. The things that should have naturally appeared were gone. Having been buried for so long, there should at least be traces, yet no matter how much he dug around, there was nothing.

Is it not here, but somewhere else?

Wondering if he had mistaken it, he also dug around the pillar next to it. Another fifteen minutes passed, and despite digging considerably deep, nothing was seen.

This happened in the same way even when he dug other spots.

“Keh…”

Mu Cheon-pung sat down as if struck by a massive shock.

Until now, he had lived believing only in this one thing, but seeing none of it, the shock shook him to his very core, threatening his sanity.

Thinking, ‘No way,’ when he dug the ground once again.

“Th-This is it!”

A small cloth was touched. Looking old at a single glance, it was unmistakably the cloth Mu Cheon-pung had buried twenty years ago.

“Yes, of course! Th-There is no way anyone would have taken it.”

It was at a considerable depth.

Since it was buried so deep that it could not be easily discovered, if someone had taken it, it would be no exaggeration to say they were blessed with heavenly luck. Even with the passage of time, the probability of it being discovered was extremely low.

Of course, twenty years of time was by no means short, but there was meaning in pinning a thread of hope on it.

Mu Cheon-pung smiled and slowly pulled the cloth up.

“Huh?”

The cloth that contained the treasure came out all too easily.

What he slowly raised was merely a tattered piece of cloth. Even the money and treasure that should have been inside were nowhere to be seen.

He shook it slowly, but it only looked like a single cloth fluttering in the wind.

“…?”

Mu Cheon-pung stared blankly at it, speechless. His bewilderment went beyond bounds, to the extent that he could not even keep his senses straight.

He let out a small sigh and tossed the cloth away.

At that moment, simultaneously with the cloth fluttering, something inside popped out. A sheet of somewhat decayed paper fell blankly at Mu Cheon-pung’s feet.

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