If there was one thing Shim Changmin could pride in himself, it would be his ability to pull a poker-face.  A vein popped in his forehead as he struggles to maintain his composure while several yelp and squeak echoed from behind.  Now, most of the people he had with him were the best kind of people from the empire.  Having been in the battlefield for years, from severed heads to broken legs there was nothing they hadn’t seen.  It’s the newbies that were problematic.

To their defense though, not everybody could manoeuvre through the sharp, sword-like rock formations on the cave as though they were born on it.  Much less new recruits who weren’t accustomed to harsh terrain like them. 

But Shim Changmin didn’t really have a choice.  This expedition was huge and huge meant a lot things to carry with them which also meant more manpower.

He stopped for a while to re-examine the map, uncaring of neither the droplets of water that dripped from the ceiling to his head nor of the suffering of the people behind him.

The phrase ‘Immortal Red’ was written right on the place they were at, but so far Chang Min could see nothing in particular that might suggests of the presence of the elixir of life.  He originally expected a fountain, much of the folklore surrounding the fabled elixir suggested that it existed as a never-ending stream of water after all.  But after walking almost 5 li into the cave, no such fountains could be seen.  Could it be that it’s the ‘Pellet of Life’ instead of the ‘Elixir of Life’?  Though not as prevalent as the theory that it was a fountain, there were also rumors that the potion for immortality was made into small pellets. 

For now, that was actually very likely.  The Taoist immortals who made them probably produced them in the form of small pellets, so it would be easier for them to conceal the pills.  The look on Chang Min’s face hardened.  If so, the pellets could be anywhere.  The immortals could’ve put them away in a small box and bury them underneath the cave floor.

He tested the sturdiness of the cave floor with his feet before he visibly sighed in relief.  The floor was made of rock, it was virtually impossible for anyone to bury anything underneath.  There were also stalactites and stalagmites around, turning this whole place into a virtual maze, so unless the immortals planned on confusing themselves, they should not have the plan to bury anything underneath.  Tracing it underground was more difficult than tracing it above grounds after all.  But then again, those people were the immortals, not mortal being.  Chang Min frowned in mild distress.

“General, what is the matter?” his right-hand man asked from behind.

“Nothing, keep on walking,” he dismissed.

“Um, sir, do you think we should rest a bit?” his trusted aide hesitantly glanced at a couple of wheezing young men behind them.

Chang Min exhaled heavily.  Troublesome, they all were! 

“Let them be, Li Jun.  They can follow us if they want.  If not, they can just stay here and wait for the snakes to accompany them,” he said before he turned around and left.

Li Jun smirked lightly when some of the youngsters behind them gasped and immediately hastened upon hearing the word ‘snake’.  Honestly, snakes should be the least of their worry right now.  If they failed again this time, they might as well dig their own grave and bury their own body here.  The emperor would not spare them.


As they traveled deeper into the cave, more droplets of water trickled from the ceiling.   Whilst most of the elite soldiers were usually unaffected by external factor, the water was ice cold, the kind that stabbed you like needles.  That coupled with the fact that they had been travelling non-stop for weeks makes them want to just drop down and sleep.

Seeing the composed General Shim leading the way in front makes them respect him even more.  As expected of General Shim, the emperor’s most trusted subject.  Even though a lot of people hated him, nobody could deny his capabilities.  Out of all the wars their country had waged upon, not a single one had been lost under his command.  Him with his brute strength along with the emperor with his brilliant strategy makes an undefeatable team.

General Shim suddenly stopped in front, prompting the rest of the people to stop as well. 

A complicated expression played in Chang Min’s face as he stood in front of an entrance while Li Jun behind him gasped in awe. 

“It’s a maze,” Hwayeon, one of their best female warriors muttered in astonishment. 

On the other side of the entrance were a series of walls, dividing the space into 3 different routes, each looked as complicated as the next. 

Changmin revised the map.  The map ended there, nothing in the map suggested the existence of a maze inside the cave. 

On top of the entrance, there was an old plat, mouldy and decaying.  The writing on the plat was in some kind of a language none of them had ever seen before.

General Shim’s face visibly hardened.  The most feasible thing to do  right on situations like this would be to split up.  It’d make the chances of finding the treasure higher, after all.  But Shim Changmin didn’t know why, something within him warned him against doing that. 

He heaved a heavy sigh.

“Everyone follows me.  Do not get separated from the group.  I shall not dispatch people to find you if you goes missing!”



Out of all new recruits, Siwon liked to believe he was most rebellious out of the lot.  He was after all the precious son of Minister Choi, any wrongs he committed would always be overlooked by his superiors.  So naturally, after repeated warnings from General Shim to not get split up, he did what all rebellious folks out there would’ve done.  He got separated from the group.  Though he didn’t really did that on purpose, if that actually helped. 

“Help!  Can anybody hear me?!” he yelled for help.  The only voice coming back to him was his own echo.

The pit of his stomach turned at that realization.  This was bad, he really had gotten lost.

He was just bending down to tie his boots, but once he looked back up, everybody was gone.

“General Shim?  Senior Li Jun?  Anyone?”

No one.

Siwon froze in his steps when he suddenly heard the sound of a bird singing.  No, more like belting it’s throat out like it was going to die.  He had never heard that kind sound before, it was blood-curdling and eerie. 

That was no nightingale for sure.

The bird screeched again, it sounded like it was in utter agony.  The singing conveyed sorrows and pains that no language could ever express.  As someone with an irrational fear for birds, Siwon prepared to bolt. Why a bird?  He’d rather deal with a giant snake!

 A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, could the others hear that sound as well?  General Shim was a thorough person, if he heard it, he would definitely check it out for the sake of checking.

Does that means he had a chance to be reunited with his group if he followed the source of the sound?

With that thought in mind, Siwon steeled himself and marched closer to the source of the sound.  It's okay, he’ll just stop once he was close enough to whatever bird that was making that sound.  Besides, it was just a bird, right?  And his sword was just right there on his waist.  If that satan with wings decided to get to know him, he’ll kill it with this sword for sure!

With the occasional singing playing in the background, Choi Siwon walked around the tall walls to where he thought the noise came from.  What he saw makes his jaw drop open!

It wa another gate, just like the entrance!  There was another plat on top of the gate with writings indiscernible to Siwon’s eyes.  Siwon almost jumped in joy!  He had a good feeling about this!  It was either the exit or the place where the supposed elixir was.  Why else would there be a gate in this place unless to signify something special?

Just imagine, Choi Siwon attaining the long desired elixir instead of the capable General Shim!  He’d jump straight through the ranking!

He immediately walked past the gate, and into what appeared to be a chamber.  The sound of the bird sounded like it came from this room, but at this rate, that bird bedamned!  He’d jostle with a giant spider if he had to!

As his eyes fell on something, the excited smile on his face wavered, replaced by a look of awe.  It was a heap of gold, on top of a rock bed.  The gold was shining in a blinding way.  This had got to be the gold-est gold he had ever seen!

It was only when the ‘gold’ started to move that Siwon realized it was actually a living thing.  Siwon maintained eye contact with that goldly being for a good five minutes, Siwon’s face a look of astonishment while the golden creature’s, bored and haughty.

Uh-oh. 

Upon realizing what it was, he took a step back, his shaky hand resting on the handle of his sword, preparing to take it out if there was a need to because that my friend was not a heap of gold, it was a giant-GIANT freaking bird!

“Oh, hello,” he suddenly heard a friendly voice from behind him.

Siwon jumped and turned around in shock, brandishing his sword while at that.  What he saw was a pretty looking thing looking at him prettily while latching upside down on the ceiling like a spider.

“Argh!” Siwon screamed with all his might while brandishing his sword blindly.

His scream startled the giant golden bird that in turn flied out of the chamber while singing it’s throat out.

The spider person’s face changed from being pleasant to frightened at Siwon’s reaction and before long, he too, “Ah!!!”