I'm The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain - Chapter 67
The Heavenly Devil’s Secret Vault.
A place where all the treasures of the Devil Sect, with a history of thousands of years, are gathered.
It is said that gold and jewels are strewn about underfoot, and legendary treasures are piled up like mountains. The location of this place is none other than underground.
“I never imagined there would be a place like this beneath the palace.”
Not only Na Rin, but most people would be unaware.
The moat that surrounds the entire palace like a pond to defend against enemy attacks.
The fact that there are several dams installed invisibly under the drawbridge crossing the moat, and that there is an entrance leading to the underground of the palace between those dams.
Dokgo Cheon said.
“Every element of the palace is designed to be in even numbers. Not only the pillars and eaves, but even the roof tiles are not left alone. This is because it is the principle that if there is light, there must be shadow.”
“Huh…? Ah, yes. Well.”
I understand what he’s saying, but why is he suddenly talking about that?
Dokgo Cheon immediately gave an answer to Na Rin, who looked uninterested.
“Therefore, the palace itself is also built to be an even number. Mirrored in the same shape across the horizon.”
What is he talking about?
‘Symmetrical on both sides of the horizon?’
Na Rin tilted her head, trying to imagine it, then asked with a start.
“Are you saying there’s another palace underground?”
“It’s called the Shadow Palace.”
Na Rin’s mouth fell open.
‘Those crazy Devil Sect bastards.’
It was a rough expression, but by no means an exaggeration.
One would have to be insane to build a magnificent palace on a scale of 2 li (800m) from east to west and 3 li (1200m) from north to south, and then think, ‘Alright, shall we build the same palace underground?’
‘No wonder the righteous sects can’t win the war.’
Na Rin shook her head.
Dokgo Cheon stood in front of the gate engraved with an eagle with its wings spread wide and said.
“This gate is made with a mechanical device. If you don’t open it in the designated order, traps will activate and it can be very dangerous, so watch carefully and do the same.”
“Yes. Dad.”
Dokgo Cheon showed Na Rin how to open the gate safely and they entered the Shadow Palace together.
“Wow…”
What would it feel like if one day a giant rice bowl descended from the sky and covered the palace?
This massive building, as if an entire city had been brought underground, closely resembled the palace like twins, befitting its name, the Shadow Palace.
“Doesn’t it seem like the underworld?”
Na Rin looked around at the Shadow Palace, devoid of any human presence, and agreed.
“It does.”
“My life for the past 5 years without you has been this desolate.”
Startled by his sudden words, Na Rin turned around to see Dokgo Cheon smiling slightly at her.
“Follow me. The Secret Vault is this way.”
“…”
Looking at Dokgo Cheon’s receding back, Na Rin felt like something was different from usual.
‘Come to think of it, we’ve never been alone without attendants or guards.’
Realizing that what she just heard might be Dokgo Cheon’s hidden true feelings, Na Rin somehow felt happy.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“Coming now!”
Na Rin ran over and quickly clung to Dokgo Cheon’s side.
How long did they walk like that?
The two arrived at the Secret Vault.
As Na Rin took out the key, Dokgo Cheon said.
“Only one person can enter at a time.”
“We can’t go in together?”
Dokgo Cheon nodded.
“It was originally a place for only one person.”
“…!”
Na Rin gulped and gripped the key tightly.
It meant that until she returned the key, Na Rin was the only one who could access the Secret Vault.
“I won’t wait, so take your time and look around. I informed Jiguk Cheon that you’ll be late.”
“Thank you.”
Na Rin bid farewell and opened the Secret Vault.
Click.
The door opened by itself without being pushed or pulled when she turned the key. As Na Rin cautiously took a step inside, the door closed by itself this time.
Ding!
[*A major branch point has been updated. The ‘Wheel of Fate’ opens.]“Huh?”
It was the major branch point notification that she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Isn’t this the first time since deciding to come to the Devil Sect?
Back then it was ‘The Devil Sect Leader’s Lost Youngest Daughter’, but this time it’s the ‘Wheel of Fate’.
“Somehow it doesn’t really resonate with me…”
At that moment, an unfamiliar sensation overwhelmed Na Rin.
“Ugh!”
Na Rin crouched down, collapsing and clutching her lower abdomen.
It was an unpleasant feeling, as if thousands of snakes were simultaneously attaching to Na Rin’s skin and sucking out her internal energy.
‘What is this?’
As her dantian rapidly depleted, her mind went blank and her vision blurred, then unconsciously, her upper dantian opened.
Like a floodgate bursting open, internal energy filled her dantian and meridians, and the next moment, everything lit up brightly with a ‘flash!’.
“Haa. Haa. Haa…”
Na Rin looked around and saw that the warehouse interior, which had been so dark she couldn’t see in front of her until just now, was brightly lit, and the sound of flowing water could be heard from somewhere.
“Could it be… from my internal energy?”
It was.
The dormant Secret Vault had used Na Rin’s internal energy as fuel to stretch and activate itself.
“Unbelievable!”
It was ridiculous that it took someone’s internal energy without permission, but Dokgo Cheon was also too much for not giving a single hint.
Since it was Na Rin whose upper dantian was open, she was fine, but if it had been someone else, they would have already died.
‘…Someone else?’
Thinking about it, something seems strange.
The Secret Vault was originally only for the Heavenly Devils in the first place.
Unless there was someone else who borrowed the key like Dokgo Cheon, the ‘someone else’ who entered here would have all been Heavenly Devils.
Given the nature of the Devil Sect that values the strong, just having earned the title of Heavenly Devil is proof that they are a master above the realm of divine techniques.
In other words…
‘In the Secret Vault, with my 4th stage internal energy and Rebirth, I’m the weakest?!’
No way.
Na Rin sank down, overwhelmed by the immense shock.
It’s no wonder Dokgo Cheon didn’t think to inform her beforehand. He probably didn’t feel any discomfort at all.
‘Ugh, I was so arrogant!’
She felt like the previous Heavenly Devils were snickering and pointing fingers at Na Rin. How funny must it have been to see her acting all superior with just 4th stage internal energy, saying “Everyone would have died if not for me”?
“Haa. My energy is drained.”
Na Rin staggered and walked further inside.
It had been a long time since she felt so humbled.
[This is the timeline separator]The Secret Vault is largely divided into three areas.
Among them, the place that captured Na Rin’s attention the most was the Treasure Hill, where gold and jewels were piled up like a hill, just as the name suggested. The sight was breathtaking.
It seemed they just threw any treasures they acquired here without organizing them at all.
“The rumors weren’t exaggerated.”
Na Rin muttered as she kicked aside a bejeweled incense burner rolling on the floor.
They said there were so many treasures in the Secret Vault that you trip over them.
It looked like it would take years to go through all of this.
“Whew. It’s a good thing I’m not greedy. I almost wasted my life counting treasures.”
Gong Son Wu would have said it was nonsense if he heard, but Na Rin truly had no greed. To be precise, she had no desire for possession.
‘If you die a few times, you realize there’s no need to hoard money like a squirrel.’
Money is good, but it’s good because you spend it.
Treasuring and cherishing treasures that can’t even be exchanged for money wasn’t Na Rin’s concern.
‘What’s important are stats and information. Not things like treasures.’
Na Rin treated the treasures filling the Treasure Hill like pebbles and walked unhesitatingly to the next area.
The Divine Armory.
Although smaller in scale than the Treasure Hill, the value of the items inside would be much higher for the Divine Armory.
This was because the Divine Armory housed all the divine weapons and extraordinary armaments possessed by the Devil Sect.
‘Should I pick one from here later?’
After reading all the secret manuals she wants to read and learning all the martial arts she wants to learn, what she’ll need next are weapons.
‘It would be perfect if I could use the Asura Sword… but probably not.’
Although she never said it outright, Na Rin quite liked the Asura Sword. Because the feeling of it fitting perfectly in her hand during that brief moment she held it was incomparable to any other sword.
“I wonder if all famous swords are like that?”
Na Rin tilted her head.
She would have to hold a famous sword to know.
‘Back in the Bloody Plum Blossom days, finding a decent sword was like trying to pluck stars from the sky.’
It was wartime so resources were scarce, and decent swordsmiths were either dead or had fled, so she couldn’t exactly go around demanding famous swords.
“Alright. This time, I’ll hold some famous swords and pick one that suits me perfectly!”
With that resolve, Na Rin spent a joyful few hours touching and swinging the weapons in the Divine Armory one by one.
Growl.
“I didn’t realize how much time passed being underground.”
Clank, clank.
Na Rin patted her stomach, covered in all sorts of armor from head to toe. She had tried on every eye-catching helmet and armor just for fun.
“I’ll have to come back tomorrow.”
The moment Na Rin hastily took off her helmet.
Suddenly, the third area that she hadn’t set foot in caught her eye.
A door finished with stone walls stood open like a cave, waiting for someone’s footsteps, and an inscription was written above it.
“Hall of Remembrance…?”
Unlike the intuitive names of the Treasure Hill and Divine Armory, an odd name was written there.
‘What the heck is this place for?’
As she took a curious step inside, the hundreds of lamps inside instantly lit up. The flickering flames illuminated countless bookshelves.
“So it was a library.”
She had forgotten, captivated by the wondrous items in the Divine Armory. They said there were a tremendous number of books in the Secret Vault.
‘That’s why it’s called the Hall of Remembrance.’
Because all the knowledge in books exists to not be forgotten.
Na Rin picked up a random book and opened it. The paper, in good condition despite its age, flipped with a rustle.
“I wonder if there’s the Plum Blossom Sword Art too?”
Na Rin readily moved forward.
Na Rin’s original reason for wanting to become a librarian at the Armory was simple. So that when someone asks where she learned the Plum Blossom Sword Art, she can answer that she self-studied from books.
That was the only way for Na Rin, now a member of the Devil Sect, to legally showcase her specialty, the Plum Blossom Sword Art.
“Martial arts… Which section are the martial arts in…?”
Swish!
Na Rin’s steps abruptly halted.
‘There’s something here.’
Round, dark eyes swiftly scanned between the bookshelves, and a sharp energy spread out wide. Judging by the good condition of the books, it didn’t seem to be mice or insects.
‘And definitely not a person.’
Gulp.
Then there was only one possibility left.
G-g-ghost…!
Na Rin, her thoughts reaching there, vigorously shook her head.
“What kind of fool would believe in that, unless they’re Bi Cha? Alright! The mighty Bloody Plum Blossom Girl doesn’t yield to monsters!”
Steeling herself by pretending to beat up Bi Cha, who was minding his own business, Na Rin clenched her fists and slowly moved towards the direction of the sound.
It’s probably nothing, but it’ll put her mind at ease to check.
The moment her footsteps, hushed to the utmost, were gradually expanding the blind spot hidden by the bookshelves.
Swish!
“Aaaah! Dad! Daddy!”
As if her earlier brave advance never happened, Na Rin crouched down right there, curling up like a pill bug.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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