I Became the Owner of the Heavenly Flower Palace-Chapter 1: What is This Chaos?

The tavern was noisy.

But not because it was crowded.

“Haha! That’s right, bring more! No, bring everything! Let’s have a real feast tonight!”

Under the glow of the lanterns, a middle-aged man in an extravagant robe raised his voice.

Jincheon frowned.

‘What’s he trying to do, turn this place into some high-end banquet hall?’

This was nothing more than a run-down roadside inn, the kind traders stopped at to rest for the night.

It was large but old, a cheap and forgettable place where travelers came and went without fanfare.

So when the man declared that he was going to “enjoy himself properly,” Jincheon couldn’t help but find it ridiculous.

“Oh, is this the famous Shaoxing wine? The one they say was enjoyed by countless great warriors in the past?”

The middle-aged man, his beard meticulously groomed, examined the wine bottle with a sparkle in his eyes.

The innkeeper grinned widely and spoke in a lively tone.

“Oh, absolutely! This one’s the real deal, straight from the source. Not something we serve just anyone.”

The man was practically throwing silver around—of course the innkeeper was delighted. How often did a guest like this appear in a place like this?

Without hesitation, the man uncorked the bottle and took in the aroma.

“Ahh, now this is what I call real wine.”

He let out a satisfied sigh, loud enough for the entire tavern to hear.

It was an obvious nuisance, but no one complained.

“If we have fine wine, we must have fine food to ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) go with it. Innkeeper, bring out more dishes. Ah, and make sure the other guests get something nice as well.”

Jincheon couldn’t help but smirk.

This man wasn’t just drinking—he was showing off.

But no one was about to complain, not when he was treating everyone to expensive food and drink.

Especially not someone like Jincheon, who barely had enough money for a decent meal.

As he raised his cup, his gaze met the middle-aged man’s.

Jincheon gave a polite nod of gratitude.

The man smiled in return, casually gesturing for him to enjoy himself.

‘Not a bad guy.’

That thought had barely crossed his mind when he felt a chill.

The man's bodyguards were staring at him.

They were all women, tall and strikingly beautiful, dressed in dark robes with swords and bows strapped to their backs.

But no one in the tavern was admiring their beauty.

Their eyes were sharp, their presence overwhelming. These weren’t mere attendants—they were warriors.

Jincheon quickly looked away, clearing his throat.

And at that moment, a wave of self-loathing hit him.

The sight of the confident, wealthy man surrounded by powerful bodyguards was a stark contrast to his own pathetic situation.

‘I wasted all that money on studying for the government exams, and I couldn’t even pass the first stage...’

Like many others, Jincheon had once dreamed of becoming a high-ranking official.

To do that, he had to pass the national civil service exams.

But he had failed the preliminary test. Twice.

The exam was only held once every three years. That meant he had wasted six years of his life.

‘Six years wouldn’t have been so bad... if I had actually passed.’

Passing the first stage would have given him the title of a qualified scholar and possibly even financial support from the state.

But failure meant nothing. No money, no status—just a man who had studied for years with nothing to show for it.

A nobody.

Society had little patience for people like him.

‘Tired of being treated like a failure, I ran off to become a traveling merchant...’

But without money, he couldn’t buy land.

Without skills, no one would hire him.

His only option was to take whatever little knowledge he had and use it to trade—buying goods in one place and selling them in another.

It wasn’t a prestigious job, but at least it put food on the table.

“Phew.”

Jincheon let out a quiet sigh.

The bundle beside him contained everything he owned, including money he had borrowed from friends.

His plan was to take these goods to a major city like Hangzhou or Nanjing and sell them at a good price.

‘It’ll be fine.’

He pushed his worries aside.

‘Hard work never betrays you. If I keep at it, eventually... eventually, things will get better, right?’

But after so many failures, even he wasn’t convinced.

As he drowned his thoughts in a sip of wine, a rough voice cut through the air.

“Hey, if you’re being so generous, why not share the women too?”

The tavern fell silent in an instant.

Jincheon looked up.

The speaker was a burly, scar-faced man with a sneer on his lips.

His tone was mocking.

“Some people get to drink with beautiful women at their side, while the rest of us are stuck sipping our drinks alone. That doesn’t seem fair, does it?”

It was an outright provocation.

The bodyguards’ eyes turned murderous, but the man didn’t flinch.

The middle-aged man chuckled.

“I don’t mind sharing my wine. But as for the women... shouldn’t a man earn that for himself?”

With a soft clink, he set his cup down on the table.

“If you think you’re up for it, go ahead and try.”

The burly man let out a cold laugh.

“You might regret that.”

“Who knows? I’ve never been one for regrets.”

The middle-aged man remained completely at ease.

But the tension in the air was suffocating.

The female bodyguards were moments away from drawing their swords.

The scar-faced man showed no sign of backing down.

Jincheon discreetly tightened his grip on his bundle.

If things went south, he would bolt without hesitation.

And then—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted from all sides.

Countless warriors shattered the tavern windows and stormed in.

Their target was clear—the man in the extravagant robe.

“Enemies!”

A sharp cry from one of the female guards rang out.

Light flared as she drew her blade.

Before the patrons could even process what was happening, chaos consumed the tavern.

‘Dammit, what kind of mess is this?!’

Jincheon ducked under a table, pressing himself to the ground.

Screams, the clash of steel, and the sound of furniture being smashed filled the air.

Lamps were knocked over, plunging parts of the room into darkness.

And then—

Splurt!

A sickening wet noise.

A sharp scream.

Blood sprayed into the air.

Jincheon’s face turned ghostly pale.

The scene before Jincheon was horrifying.

A man’s back split open, blood gushing like a fountain.

And yet, what shocked him even more was the eerie glow surrounding the swords.

The bodyguards’ blades shimmered with blue and red light—each one radiating a deadly aura.

Their attackers weren’t any different. They, too, wielded weapons that glowed ominously, their swords and sabers pulsing with raw energy.

Jincheon felt as if he had stumbled into a dream, or perhaps a nightmare.

But one thing was certain.

If he stayed here, he would die.

Those glowing blades didn’t just cut—they severed flesh like a hot knife through butter.

Jincheon’s eyes darted around, searching for an escape.

Unfortunately, he was deep inside the tavern.

‘The front door’s no good.’

It was too far, too risky. Someone had already been cut down trying to flee that way.

‘...The back door! Where’s the back door?!’

His frantic gaze swept the room until he spotted a narrow passage leading to the kitchen.

There had to be a back door there.

Hugging his bundle of goods to his chest, Jincheon kept his body low and rolled toward the kitchen.

Screams and the sound of breaking furniture filled his ears.

Crash! Crack!

“Aaargh!”

Luckily, no one was paying attention to him.

Somehow, he reached the kitchen. He hurriedly tried to stand—

“Shh.”

A sudden whisper made him freeze.

He whipped his head around.

Someone was already in the kitchen.

The well-dressed man. The same one who had been drinking and enjoying his meal just moments ago.

‘When did he...?’

Hadn’t he been surrounded by his bodyguards just a second ago? How had he slipped away?

Jincheon didn’t have time to dwell on it.

He quickly scanned the kitchen—

And his expression twisted in disbelief.

‘There’s no door?!’

The back exit—the one that was supposed to lead outside—was nowhere to be found.

The only opening was a small, high-set window, barely large enough to let in a sliver of moonlight.

The kitchen was bigger than expected, but eerily dark.

For some reason, the tavern’s owner hadn’t thought to build an exit here. There weren’t even proper windows.

In other words, they were trapped.

Tap.

Something nudged his shoulder.

Jincheon jumped.

The well-dressed man was standing right beside him.

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He gestured toward something.

Jincheon followed his hand—

‘...A drainage hole?’

A rare sight, especially in a shabby old tavern like this.

Yet there it was—a series of small openings, unmistakably designed for draining water.

‘Who the hell designed this place?’

Jincheon clicked his tongue.

With no proper exit, the only way to dispose of waste water must have been through these drains.

Most taverns would have their workers haul the waste outside instead of installing something like this.

The man tapped Jincheon’s shoulder again.

Jincheon turned and frowned.

‘Huh?’

The man gestured toward the drain, then mimed crawling.

‘...You want me to go in there?’

That was insane.

Drains were for water, not people.

The openings were no bigger than a fist—there was no way a person could fit.

But the man only gave him an expectant look, silently urging him to check.

Jincheon scowled.

“AAARGH!”

CRASH!

Another scream. More destruction.

The situation was getting worse by the second.

The man tapped his shoulder again, more urgently this time.

‘Dammit!’

Jincheon hurried to the drain.

‘Ugh!’

A foul stench hit him immediately.

And then—he noticed it.

A faint gap around the drain’s stone cover.

It looked like it could be removed.

He hesitated, just for a moment—

Then reached out.

Ignoring the slick, disgusting texture beneath his fingers, he grabbed the edges and pulled.

Ungh...!

The stone was heavy, slick with grime.

But the sounds of battle raging outside gave him strength.

Grnnnk!

With a grinding noise, the stone lid lifted.

And just as he had guessed—beneath it was a narrow tunnel.

It wasn’t much, but if he crawled, he could just barely squeeze through.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me...’

Jincheon turned back, glaring at the well-dressed man.

But the man simply shrugged.

As if to say, What other choice do you have?

‘Damn it.’

Jincheon clenched his teeth.

The man was right. There was no other way out.

Suppressing his disgust, Jincheon lowered himself into the tunnel.

Splsh.

The foul, murky water welcomed him with open arms.