Chapter 82: Mujin, You’re the Best

Early the next morning, Dan Woobin entered Lee Jaseung’s room.

“I think I’ve found something.”

Lee Jaseung sat up in bed and asked. He yawned as he got up, looking as if he were in a good mood.

“Did something good happen?”

Of course, there was something good enough for it to show so clearly. The night walk with Baek Seolyoung yesterday was wonderful. Even after arriving at the inner court, they didn’t want to part with each other, so they circled the garden several more times.

When they had gone around the garden about four times, she had smiled shyly and said this.

“If someone saw us, they would think we just started dating.”

She thought that it might be a kind of luck to be able to feel this freshness even after marriage.

Lee Jaseung also felt a strange excitement and was in a good mood.

When it was time to part ways and return to their respective rooms, Lee Jaseung had hesitated. He wondered whether he should go into her room.

But he did not. That brief moment of hesitation had made him miss the right timing to act. In the time it took, he could have cut down ten enemies.

Still, he did not feel very regretful or displeased. The opportunity would come again.

Every time he saw her striving to improve herself, it put him in a good mood. Now she was starting to influence him as well. And in a very good way.

“What is your report?”

“Ah, yes. It seems The Bear Tyrant once opened a private vault in the Central Plains Treasury.”

Lee Jaseung’s gaze sharpened. Of course, a martial artist could open a private vault in the Treasury if they had something important to store.

But the reason this was an important report was that it was the Central Plains Treasury.

“As you know, the private vaults of the Central Plains Treasury are extremely expensive. It is practically impossible for an individual to store something there.”

But in return, they were absolutely secure. It was said that the private vault of the Central Plains Treasury had never been robbed since the Treasury’s establishment.

“There is definitely something in there.”

“Which branch holds the vault?”

Dan Woobin let out a sigh.

“The Murim Alliance Branch here.”

The corner of Lee Jaseung’s eye twitched slightly.

The main building of the Central Plains Treasury had originally been located elsewhere.

But the most well-known branch in the world was the Murim Alliance Branch. It boasted the best security, allowed no thieves, and was renowned for it.

Lee Jaseung turned toward the window again and spoke.

“Call Mujin and Ma Young-gi.”

A short while later, Mujin and Ma Young-gi entered the room.

Feeling the heavy atmosphere, Mujin and Ma Young-gi exchanged glances.

“You are not going to beat us up again, are you?”

Dan Woobin quietly said,

“It might actually be better if he did beat you up…”

At Dan Woobin’s joke, Mujin took a step back.

“What are you worried about? We have the Captain of the Iron Cavalry here.”

But Lee Jaseung’s eyes were on Mujin.

“I think this is a job suited to you.”

Quick-witted, Mujin quickly understood the situation.

“There is no such thing. If you try, you can do anything. You grow by gaining experience.”

“Not for this matter.”

“What exactly are you trying to make me do?”

“You have to go get an item.”

“Then why make it sound so ominous? I thought you were about to tell me to sneak into the Demonic Cult Leader’s bedchamber.”

“It’s probably easier than that.”

Mujin’s eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean, probably easier? You should have said, ‘Of course it is easy.’”

Lee Jaseung glanced at Dan Woobin as if to ask his opinion, and Dan Woobin fell deep into thought.

Seeing that, Mujin smirked.

“Hehe, trying to play an awkward act to tease me? Not a chance.”

Dan Woobin gave an awkward smile.

“Haha, you are quick. Yes, the secret vault of the Central Plains Treasury is obviously easier than the Demonic Cult Leader’s bedchamber.”

“I knew it… wait, what? Where did you just say it was?”

“The secret vault of the Central Plains Treasury.”

“Say that again.”

“The Central Plains…”

“You crazy bastard!”

Mujin shouted. Doing such a thing in front of Lee Jaseung was not proper, but neither Lee Jaseung nor Dan Woobin said anything.

Ma Young-gi quietly stepped back with relief.

Mujin looked at Lee Jaseung and spoke.

“You know this is impossible, right?”

“I don’t know?”

At his reply, Mujin laughed and responded.

“Haha, why are you being like this? If one gets caught robbing the Treasury, they will never leave prison for the rest of their life. You know that robbing the Treasury is an absolute taboo for martial artists, right?”

As Mujin said, robbing the Treasury was strictly forbidden in the world of Jianghu. Most of the Treasury’s funds belonged to commoners and merchants, so the punishment was severe.

Dan Woobin interjected sneakily.

“He is not telling you to rob the Treasury. Just take one thing from the secret vault. Plus, it belongs to a bad guy anyway.”

“And if I get caught? Then what do I say? Oh, I was only trying to take that bad guy’s stuff. I never intended to touch the millions of silver coins sitting next to it. Please believe me. That is what I would have to beg?”

“The truth always comes through.”

Mujin snorted.

“Do you know where the prison run by the Treasury Alliance is? You do not, do you? Of course not. That is the one thing they guard more than anything else.”

This time he complained to Lee Jaseung.

“You cannot even escape from there. No one knows the location, so no one can come rescue you. Oh, but you would not rescue me anyway since you tend to discard people when they are no longer useful, right?”

No matter how much he complained, Mujin was the right person for this job. He had a special talent for infiltrations as well as martial skill.

Also, his Divine Sword Regiment had subordinates who specialized in dismantling mechanisms. Important infiltration missions usually went to them.

If this could be solved by force, Lee Jaseung would have gone himself. But this was not a matter of force.

It required skilled experts working in perfect coordination without a single mistake. Mujin could do this better than Lee Jaseung himself.

Mujin knew he was the one who had to do it. Since even he thought it impossible, there was no alternative. He was just resisting out of stubbornness.

“My Lord, If I could’ve pulled off something like this, I would already be the richest man in the world.”

“You can, you didn’t do it.”

“You overestimate me. I would sell my soul for money!”

At that moment, Dan Woobin slipped in.

“Not money, more like women.”

“Hey!”

When Mujin shouted, Dan Woobin shut his mouth.

“You are the only one for this job.”

“That is the kind of line villains use when driving someone to ruin!”

“As you know, we are all villains, aren’t we?”

“No! Absolutely not! If you want it done so badly, do it yourself!”

“There is a banquet hosted by the Alliance Leader tonight. I have to attend.”

“Wait, you give me an impossible mission while you go to a banquet? Hold on, do you mean I have to do it tonight? That’s not what you’re saying, right? It would take half a day just to get the blueprint. You do not mean tonight, right?”

When Lee Jaseung did not answer, Mujin looked shocked.

Dan Woobin explained,

“As you know, we have hidden Yang Jeong and Yang Seokwon. In this situation, if the Bear Tyrant suspects something and moves or destroys the evidence, this golden opportunity will be lost. And if we drag things out, Yang Seokwon might change his mind. By chance, the Murim Alliance is hosting a banquet today. If our Lord attends, he will clear suspicion from today’s events. Even if we gave more time, it would only be a few days. We might as well do it today.”

“You mean to say, get torn to shreds by traps or spend life in prison! Why say it in such a long way!”

Dan Woobin scratched his head. Ma Young-gi pretended to look away, avoiding eye contact.

Lee Jaseung repeated what he had said earlier.

“You are the only one who could do it.”

“There is one more! We have Captain Ma over there.”

Mujin looked at Ma Young-gi, who was avoiding his gaze.

“Look at that dependable Captain Ma. He is a hundred times better than troublesome me.”

Then, Ma Young-gi spoke.  

“I have claustrophobia.”

“What?”

“Riding across open plains on horseback gave me this wretched illness.”

“What a ridiculous excuse!”

Mujin grabbed his hair in frustration, then finally gave up.

“Fine, I will be the first to go into the boiling pot. Be careful though! You are next.”

Dan Woobin smirked and spoke.

“I am the one who controls the fire. Even if I go in the pot, it will be last.”

Mujin turned to Ma Young-gi.

“Then you are next!”

Ma Young-gi replied calmly,

“I cannot go into pots because of my claustrophobia.”

“Shut up!”

Mujin’s roar echoed through the room.

“Shut up, all of you!”

* * *

That afternoon Mujin and Yaso entered the Central Plains’s Murim Alliance Branch. Yaso was one of the swordsmen of the Divine Sword Regiment and the most skilled among them in dismantling mechanical devices.

Once inside, the two walked naturally while talking. The place was so large and filled with people that no one paid particular attention to them.

“There’s only one thing we can rely on.”

“What is it?”

“Complacency. The complacency that comes from pride in never having allowed an intrusion. Even if we went right up to that guard over there and told him we were going to rob this place, he would just laugh it off.”

Of course, they had no intention of doing anything that foolish. This was not the time to attract attention. Still, this enormous field was certainly letting its guard down.

“Well, that’s because they’re confident.”

Yaso was right. Whether it was complacency or arrogance, this place was a fortress that could not be breached.

The two continued talking while inspecting every corner. They already had the basic blueprint of the place, but it was from several years ago that was hastily obtained. Many changes could have been made since then.

Yaso sent a voice transmission.

— As expected, there are eight visible guards. Four inside the iron bars, four outside. All of them are First-rate martial artists.

Given the nature of the information, Mujin also replied with a voice transmission.

— Behind the left and right walls inside the bars are hidden rooms.

— There seems to be five in each room.

— There are more.

— More?

— The walls are thick, so it’s hard to sense clearly, but I’d say at least ten in each.

— That means twenty ready to come out immediately, plus the eight outside. That’s quite the number.

Those on standby would be as skilled as, or perhaps even better than, the outside guards.

— And that’s not all. If the emergency bell rings, those waiting nearby will rush in. I’ve heard that before a single stick of incense burns out, two hundred First-rate warriors will swarm in and surround the area. Among them are five supreme masters. After another half an incense, martial artists from the Murim Alliance will arrive in droves like ants.

— That’s seriously incredible. Shouldn’t we bring the Regiment and overwhelm them in a swift strike before escaping?

— That’s impossible.

It sounded like the simplest and most reliable method, but it was absolutely impossible.

Mujin’s gaze went beyond the iron bars.

Past the rows of clerks seated at their desks, he saw a massive iron door. It was the entrance to the secret vault.

Not only the bars, but the door itself was made of a special metal that could not be cut even with Sword Qi. If attacked directly, the vault would be completely sealed.

It was said to withstand dozens of Thunderclap Bombs without budging. Even if it could be broken, martial artists from the Murim Alliance would pour in before it happened, and the situation would become utterly hopeless.

To open it properly, both the branch master and vice branch master had to be present.

Mujin examined the device attached to the door. It was an input device made from a modified abacus.

The branch master and vice branch master each had to input different numbers into the device. If even one of them entered the wrong number, the vault would lock completely for forty hours.

The numbers changed every ten days and were managed at the main branch of the Central Plains Treasury, with a separate department solely in charge of them.

That was not all.

Even if the correct numbers were entered by the two of them, there was still another verification step which was checking the branch master’s inner Qi.

Every individual’s inner Qi was unique. Even if two people learned the same cultivation method, the inner Qi they produced would always differ, if only slightly. It was the same as how faces or palm lines differed from person to person.

And even if the door was opened, there would still be numerous traps inside to guard against intruders.

From Mujin’s assessment, opening the vault from inside the building was impossible.

— What about the roof?

— That’s also impossible. All four walls and the entire roof floor are rigged with mechanisms, so the moment anyone steps on it, the emergency bell will ring. The door from the roof to the lower floors is also trapped, as are all subsequent passages. If you tried to reach the vault, you’d probably encounter every dangerous device known to exist.

— But it can be breached, right?

— It would become a race against time. The problem is we can’t even get onto that damned roof. You’d have to be able to get up there to break or force the door.

The whining Mujin had shown earlier to Lee Jaseung had not been an act. This mission was genuinely impossible.

But Mujin’s eyes began to shine as he looked up at the ceiling.

“There will be a way. There has to be.”

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