Centuries ago, this family was both a martial clan and the wealthiest merchant family in the Central Plains.
During the time when the Demon Realm Gate first appeared in the Central Plains, the Iron Fist Golden King, Jin Il-cheon, who was the head of the Jincheon Yeon Family, was famous for leading the charge against the Demon Realm Gate, demonstrating his power.
This family, which produced the greatest martial artist of the era and controlled the flow of money in the Central Plains, was the most powerful family at the time.
Despite expectations that they would remain firmly rooted in their position for generations, the history of the Jincheon Yeon Family came to an abrupt end.
The Blood Catastrophe.
The sudden collapse of the Jincheon Yeon Family was due to the Blood Catastrophe.
The Blood Demon, Zhang Xian, of the Blood Heaven Sect, caused chaos, and at the time, the Central Plains were swept by a storm of blood.
Although they eventually managed to kill the Blood Demon and end the Blood Catastrophe, countless families and sects were destroyed in the process.
The Jincheon Yeon Family was one of them.
A family that was once revered as the greatest in the land vanished without a trace.
How it happened, what the Blood Demon did to cause such a complete disappearance, remains unknown.
There may not be enough records left, and I have never really studied the process in detail.
'What good would it do to know what happened hundreds of years ago?'
The important thing is that they didn't disappear completely.
The secret chamber of the Jincheon Yeon Family, which the Tang Clan found in my previous life, is proof of this.
Given that it was the secret chamber of the most powerful family at the time, many people expected it to contain a vast amount of gold and spirit medicines.
The Jitian Sect, which eventually succeeded in claiming the secret chamber after a fierce battle, kept silent about its contents, but it was speculated that the sect leader, who was at the peak of his power, suddenly reached the Transformation Realm.
What if there was nothing inside?
'Well, then it's just empty, what can you do?'
While I believe there must be something inside, if it turns out to be empty, there's nothing I can do.
In the first place, it's questionable whether I can even find it.
I have only about three days left.
I managed to avoid being delayed by the Tang Clan's martial arts competition, but that doesn't mean I have plenty of time to search.
"...Damn, it's so wide."
The day before, I used the excuse that I had caused trouble at the martial arts competition and couldn't show my face, and managed to avoid going.
I left a note for the others in the morning and fled.
I told them I would return in 3-4 days and to go to the village we visited before, as I was leaving the Tang Clan.
Wu Lian would be devastated when he sees this, but there's nothing I can do. We agreed to get scolded together.
Of course, it's my own agreement...
After running and walking for over an hour, I arrived at the mountain where the Jincheon Yeon Family once stood.
Given its location between the Tang Clan and the Jitian Sect, I can understand why they fought over it.
It may be a small mountain, but it's too wide to search alone for a secret chamber.
"Phew... I can't do it in a few days."
"Right! It's really wide!"
"Exactly, are you crazy? How can I search all of this?"
"Right! I'm also hungry!"
"Right... I might as well go back and eat some dumplings..."
Huh...?
I turned around when I heard a voice that shouldn't be there.
There, standing with leaves all over her, was Wei Xuelian.
She tilted her head, looking at me with a puzzled expression.
Thud.
A leaf fell from her hair.
"You... you... why are you here!?"
The echo of my voice reverberated through the mountains.
******************
Dumplings are delicious.
I've felt this way since my previous life. They are cheap, filled with meat, and the skin is soft and fluffy.
Of course, there are thin and chewy ones, but I prefer the fluffy ones. They are delicious whether hot or cold.
They are also delicious when dipped in soup or fried.
What a perfect food.
I have never thought dumplings were bad in my life.
"Master, aren't you going to eat?"
Except for now.
"....How did you follow me?"
I came down from the mountain and visited a nearby village.
I thought I should eat something first since I was hungry.
Looking at the pile of bowls Wei Xuelian was eating, my head started to hurt.
'...How many bowls of noodles is she eating?'
I was eating about three dumplings, but how many bowls... one, two, three, four... stop.
'Let's stop here.'
I gave up counting after a while.
"How long have you been following me?"
Wei Xuelian, who was eating noodles vigorously, answered.
"Just now... leaving... the town..."
"Sorry, you can finish eating and then tell me..."
Her cheeks looked like they were about to burst.
How does she manage to hold all that in her mouth?
Finally, Wei Xuelian swallowed all the food in her mouth.
"When Master quietly left this morning, I followed you!"
"...How did you manage to follow me?"
I avoided the guards' eyes early in the morning, walked and ran for hours, and even used my qi to run faster.
I didn't even notice Wei Xuelian following me.
...How did she manage to follow me?
Even if I have weak internal energy and lack physical training...
I am a martial artist with qi.
Wei Xuelian, who is currently just an ordinary person, shouldn't be able to follow me.
But how?
Of course, I have never seen her look tired while doing housework.
I have also seen her carry things that even male servants find difficult.
'...But, that's a different issue, isn't it?'
Is the future greatest martial artist different from the start?
This is just too strange.
"Really, you followed me all the way here?"
Wei Xuelian slightly turned her head to look behind her.
I followed her gaze, but there was only an empty table and chairs.
"I just followed you!"
She turned back and answered, and I rubbed my aching forehead.
How do I send her back?
If I tell her to go back the way she came, I don't know if she will arrive safely, and if I tell her to go back to the Tang Clan, I don't know if the others are still there.
If I take her back and come again, it would be too time-consuming.
Sending her back alone is also risky due to her striking appearance.
Sichuan is not a peaceful place, after all.
'I didn't think about this when I ran away alone.'
"Hey, how dangerous is it to follow me like this!"
Wei Xuelian flinched at my shout.
"I'm sorry... Master seemed to be going far away... I was worried, so I followed you."
I feel the same way.
How could I not notice Wei Xuelian following me, even with my qi?
'I was in a perfect position to get stabbed from behind.'
I had let my guard down, thinking the world was still peaceful.
I thought I was being cautious, given that I was in Sichuan.
What should I do, with so little time left?
Should I take her with me? That seems too difficult, as I can barely take care of myself, let alone drag Wei Xuelian around.
...Should I go back to the Tang Clan and come again? It might be better to say I 'accidentally' obtained information about the secret chamber and bring Wu Lian with me.
They might not believe me, though...
'Ah, what should I do?'
While I was thinking, Wei Xuelian asked.
"Master, why did you come here?"
"To find something."
"Delicious dumplings?"
"Why are you suddenly talking about dumplings?"
"But, Master only eats dumplings every day."
"Really...?"
Lately, I have been eating mostly dumplings.
But dumplings are delicious...
I sighed.
Can I really find the secret chamber in this situation?
I heard about the environment where the Jincheon Yeon Family's secret chamber is supposed to be, but it's probably not accurate.
"A white maple tree in the middle of summer... What a ridiculous story."
Under a white maple tree, they found the entrance to the secret chamber.
That's what the Tang Clan said. It's a ridiculous story.
In my previous life, the Tang Clan found the secret chamber in the summer.
Maple leaves don't even grow in the summer, let alone white ones.
"Was the information deliberately vague, or did it get distorted?"
It's probably the latter.
Given that the Jincheon Yeon Family was once the greatest family in the land, it's possible that the story was embellished and spread differently.
The biggest problem is that I came here based on that information.
'...Ah, what an idiot.'
I suddenly feel like giving up and going back.
As I was getting a bit tired, Wei Xuelian spoke.
"A white maple tree?"
"Yes, a white maple tree... I came here to find it."
Wei Xuelian would find it strange.
Actually, it's more strange that no one has found such a distinctive tree in centuries.
"Maple leaves in the summer? That's a bit strange, isn't it?"
"Right, I saw a really beautiful one earlier!"
"...Right, even you think it's a bit..."
Huh?
What did Wei Xuelian just say?
"What did you just say?"
I asked, confused, and Wei Xuelian looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"Why, Master?"
"No, you said you saw a white maple tree."
"Yep."
"...Where did you see it?"
Wei Xuelian tilted her head.
"We saw it together just now!"
"What...?"
"The tree!"
"I... with you?"
"Yep!"
When?
I was puzzled, and Wei Xuelian looked at me as if I was the one who was confused.
Wei Xuelian, looking frustrated, took one of my dumplings and slapped my hand.
"Ouch!"
"...We saw it together, that tree."
I asked, rubbing my hand, and Wei Xuelian looked at me.
"Yes, yes."
"Do you remember where it was?"
I carefully handed her the bowl of dumplings and asked.
******************
*Crack*
The sun had set, and night had fallen.
After climbing and descending the mountain several times, night came...
'Time really flies.'
I just climbed and descended without finding anything.
No matter how strong a martial artist becomes, they can't control time.
This might be a presumptuous thing to say, given that I have experienced regression.
"Yell!"
I looked at Wei Xuelian, who was following me with a determined shout.
The path was full of trees and rocks, and her neatly ironed clothes were covered in dust and leaves.
Despite this, Wei Xuelian had a bright smile on her face.
"What's so fun?"
"Everything is fun when I'm with Master!"
I shouldn't have asked.
My chest kept tingling, so I turned my head forward.
It's a rough path for an ordinary girl, but Wei Xuelian followed without any trouble.
'...She has too much stamina, doesn't she?'
The boneless sword, destined to become a divine sword, is indeed different.
"We're almost at the place we climbed earlier."
The mountain slope we climbed during the day. Wei Xuelian said she saw a white maple tree there.
To me, it was just a cliff full of ordinary trees and rocks.
What did Wei Xuelian see there?
I hope it was worth the risk of coming here at night.
'Fortunately, there don't seem to be any monsters around.'
Strangely, there is no sign of monsters or even wild animals.
Only the sound of insects filled the air.
We soon reached the place we arrived at earlier.
As expected, I saw nothing.
"Where is it, exactly?"
"Um?"
Wei Xuelian looked at me as if I was strange.
"It's right there!"
She pointed, but I saw nothing.
It's a cliff, after all.
"What are you talking about? There's only a cliff."
It feels like something bad will happen if I go there.
I tried to check, but my feet wouldn't move.
"That's strange... It's really there?"
Wei Xuelian walked towards the cliff as if there was nothing there.
"It's... dangerous!"
I shouted, but my feet stayed in place.
Why is this happening...?
Wei Xuelian gestured in the air as if there was something there.
It was a dangerous position; one step and she would fall.
"...Damn... Move!"
I clenched my teeth and gathered my qi.
A burst of heat escaped from my body.
I used the Nine Yang Fire Wheel Technique to the fullest.
I forced my legs, which were as stiff as stone, to move with my qi.
Finally, my body started to listen. I ignored my hesitation and ran to grab Wei Xuelian.
"Ah!"
Wei Xuelian, who was in my arms, let out a short scream, but I didn't care.
"Are you crazy!? If you fall, you'll die..."
I stopped shouting at her reckless behavior.
Something was strange.
*Crack* *Crack*
A crack appeared in the air.
It spread quickly, gradually expanding.
This is like...
'The Demon Realm Gate...?'
I quickly took out the Demon Detection Talisman I brought just in case.
The talisman, which I took out from my chest, remained calm.
There was no sign of anything wrong with the talisman... but why?
The current phenomenon is similar to the Demon Realm Gate tearing through the air.
The thought made my spine shiver.
If it's really a Demon Realm Gate, it's too late to run.
"I should have left her behind..."
The situation became urgent.
Even if it's a low-level Green Rank, I can't protect Wei Xuelian and survive at my current level.
Should I send Wei Xuelian away and deal with it alone? In an emergency, I need to act first and think later.
"It's dangerous now, so quickly..."
"See? I was right, Master!"
"What?"
Wei Xuelian was still smiling in this situation.
"I'm not lying! Right!?"
"It's dangerous now, what are you talking about?"
Wei Xuelian, ignoring my urgency, kept pointing somewhere.
From the edge of the cliff, a crack started to appear in the air, and now it was breaking apart.
'What is this?'
Could it be an array? I've never seen an array like this.
Moreover, can it be made to look so real?
Finally, a bright light burst from the cracks that spread like a spider web.
I held Wei Xuelian to protect her, not knowing what would happen.
"Ugh!"
Wei Xuelian made a muffled sound.
After about 30 seconds, the light seemed to fade, and I slowly opened my eyes.
"...What is this?"
The light faded, and I let out a surprised sound at the scene before me.
Where the cliff should have been, there was now a flat ground.