I Became the Owner of the Heavenly Flower Palace-Chapter 2: Escape

The drain was vile.

A disgusting mix of food waste and filth coated the tunnel. Under normal circumstances, Jincheon wouldn’t have even considered going near it.

But he had no choice.

Crash!

“Aaargh!”

A scream rang out behind him, pushing Jincheon into action. He quickly shoved his bundle of goods into the tunnel first.

The merchandise would be filthy by the time this was over, but he could clean it later. What mattered was that he couldn’t afford to lose it—this was everything he and his friends had.

Ugh.

With his hands braced against the ground, Jincheon forced his upper body into the drain.

The stench was overwhelming. Rotten, putrid, suffocating. His entire body was instantly covered in filth.

Damn it...

Gritting his teeth, he pushed forward, shoving his bundle ahead of him as he crawled deeper.

Behind him, the well-dressed man followed suit.

Splat.

The man slid into the drain without hesitation.

Jincheon caught a glimpse of his face twisting in pain as he reached back and pulled the stone cover shut.

Grnnk.

With a heavy scraping noise, the drain was sealed.

The man then turned and followed Jincheon into the darkness.

His extravagant clothing was ruined, smeared with filth and waste, but he showed no concern.

Neither the overwhelming stench nor the sheer indignity of the situation seemed to faze him.

And just like that, the two of them quietly slipped away, leaving behind the bloodshed and chaos in the tavern.

The kitchen—now empty—fell into eerie silence, as if nothing had happened.

The tunnel stretched on endlessly.

Or at least, it felt that way.

The putrid stench never faded, only growing thicker with every breath. Every time Jincheon’s hands, chest, or legs touched something soft and slimy, his stomach churned.

But he couldn’t afford to throw up. If he did, it would end up all over himself.

Just keep going.

Crawling in total darkness, he pushed his bundle forward, inch by inch.

They would be discovered soon—there was no doubt about it. And once the attackers realized they had escaped, they would figure out where.

Which meant he had to move. Fast.

A faint shuffling noise came from behind him.

Jincheon didn’t look back.

He didn’t need to.

The man was still following.

Of course, by now, his once-luxurious robes must have been completely ruined.

‘Not that I should be worrying about him.’

Jincheon was just as covered in filth.

So was his bundle—his entire fortune.

But at least it was still with him. That was what mattered.

He could clean it later.

As long as they got out of here safely.

The endless crawling continued.

His arms burned. His legs ached. His lungs strained against the stench.

How long had it been?

At some point, he began to wonder if the tunnel would ever end.

And then—

A sound.

A new sound.

Jincheon froze.

Water.

Not a small trickle, but the steady rush of a river.

A river!

He had no idea if there was supposed to be a river near the tavern.

But he didn’t care.

If there was water ahead, that meant an exit.

His heart pounded with renewed energy.

He picked up the pace.

Crawl, crawl, crawl.

The end was near. He was sure of it.

But so was danger.

What if the enemy was waiting for them?

If it was the bodyguards, they might let him go.

But if it was the attackers...

Then he was as good as dead.

Move.

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Don’t stop.

He forced himself forward, ignoring the filth scraping against his skin.

And then—

Thunk.

The bundle he was pushing suddenly fell.

‘Huh?’

Jincheon instinctively lunged forward, reaching out—

Grab!

He caught the bundle.

But his upper body was now hanging in midair.

There was nothing beneath him.

His stomach lurched.

“Ugh—!”

He was falling.

But then—

A firm grip seized his ankle and yanked him backward.

Jincheon gasped, barely regaining balance.

He exhaled shakily.

“T-thank you...”

He turned to look back.

No response.

The grip on his ankle loosened.

And that was it.

He let out another breath.

He took a moment to survey the situation.

The tunnel had ended.

Below them, water flowed—dark, shimmering under the faint light of the moon.

A river.

They had made it.

Now, how do I get down?

Jincheon carefully scanned the area.

There.

A tree root, sticking out just above the tunnel’s exit.

Carefully, he grabbed hold and hoisted himself up.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, fresh air filled his lungs.

The drain was behind him.

Finally, he was free.

He crouched low, eyes sweeping the surroundings.

No one was there.

Even when he looked back toward the tavern, he saw no movement—only the faint glow of lanterns in the distance.

‘Hah... we really did get far.’

He hadn’t expected the drain to stretch this long.

Who the hell builds something like that?

Now that he thought about it, the tunnel was built with solid stone.

No ordinary tavern needed such an elaborate drainage system.

But that was a question for later.

He turned back toward the drain and whispered,

“It’s clear. You can come out.”

No response.

Not even a sound.

Jincheon frowned.

“Hurry u—”

A faint noise.

A groan.

His body tensed.

He leaned forward, peering into the darkness.

The faint moonlight revealed the man’s face.

Twisted in pain.

‘Damn it.’

Something was wrong.

He was hurt.

Or worse.

Jincheon hesitated.

What do I do?

If we are being precise, Jincheon knew that the right thing to do was to leave the man behind and get out of here immediately.

After all, wasn’t this entire disaster caused by that middle-aged man in the first place?

But...

Jincheon couldn’t deny that the middle-aged man had helped him.

Thanks to him, he had discovered the escape route through the drainage tunnel, and just now, the man had saved him from falling.

...Ugh. Guess I have no choice.

Leaving an injured person behind in the drainage tunnel weighed on his conscience.

Clack.

Setting his bundle of goods beside him, Jincheon bent his body and reached toward the drainage tunnel.

But his hand fell far short of reaching the middle-aged man.

"Stretch out your arm! Your arm, quickly!"

Jincheon spoke in a hushed voice.

Perhaps hearing his words, the middle-aged man stirred slightly before slowly extending his hand.

Jincheon grasped it.

Clack.

The man’s hand, surprisingly smooth without a trace of calluses, slipped into Jincheon’s grip, and he tightened his hold.

"Heave!"

Swish.

The middle-aged man’s body slid out of the drainage tunnel more easily than expected. The real problem came next.

"Grab something! Anything, hurry!"

Jincheon shouted urgently, unable to bear the man’s weight.

Fortunately, the middle-aged man came to his senses and reached out with his other hand, grabbing onto a tree root.

Thanks to that, the two of them narrowly avoided tumbling into the river together. Not that the river seemed particularly deep, anyway.

"Huff, huff..."

Pulling the man up, Jincheon gasped for breath.

His entire body was drenched in sweat. Caked in grime and filth, he was an absolute mess.

"Are you alright?"

Jincheon asked the man.

The middle-aged man slowly lifted his head, his movements strained.

It was then—

Boom!

"Whoa!"

Startled by the sudden sound, Jincheon instinctively ducked down. Looking around frantically, he spotted flames rising in the distance, beyond the bushes—at the inn.

Hah. What the...

The inn was on fire.

Jincheon had no idea why, but one thing was certain.

Sitting here hesitating was dangerous.

"Let's go."

Jincheon spoke.

The middle-aged man looked at him with mild surprise, as if the words were unexpected.

Jincheon continued bluntly.

"Or do you plan to just sit here?"

Despite his disheveled state, the middle-aged man still looked strangely dignified. He let out a small chuckle.

"I suppose not."

"Then get up."

Jincheon extended his hand. The man took it, but rising to his feet wasn’t easy.

In the end, Jincheon had to half-support him as they began to move.

Splash, splash.

There was no destination in mind.

The only goal was to put as much distance between themselves and the burning inn as possible.

The flames rising from the inn grew larger and larger, but they were too far away to illuminate their path.

And for that, Jincheon was actually grateful.

The riverbank at night was not an easy terrain to traverse.

Jincheon nearly stumbled multiple times as he supported the middle-aged man, yet he pressed forward.

Who knew how long they walked?

Eventually, behind a hill that ran alongside the river, Jincheon spotted a hollowed-out area.

It wasn’t exactly a cave, but it would at least provide shelter from the night mist.

"Let's rest there for a bit."

Soaked in sweat, Jincheon spoke. He couldn't walk any farther.

"...Alright."

The middle-aged man agreed. He, too, had been suppressing groans of pain with every step.

The moment they entered the hollow, both of them collapsed onto the ground.

Neither took the initiative—it simply happened naturally.

There was no energy left to find a proper resting position. They merely sat wherever they landed, focusing only on catching their breath.

Then, suddenly, Jincheon wrinkled his nose.

Ugh, the smell.

The breeze while walking had masked it, but now that he was still, the stench was overwhelming.

It was, of course, coming from him and the middle-aged man.

After all, they had practically scrubbed the entire drainage tunnel with their bodies. No, they had scrubbed it.

Urgh...

Unable to endure it, Jincheon rose to his feet.

He walked toward the river and, still fully clothed, began washing himself.

Splash, splash.

What kind of miserable fate is this?

As he poured water over himself, frustration surged within him.

Failing the government exams had been bad enough, but who would have thought his first attempt at trade would turn into such a disaster?

At this rate, he might as well seek out a shaman to perform an exorcism.

...Not that I would.

As someone who had once studied Confucianism, he couldn’t bring himself to believe in superstitions.

After roughly scrubbing himself clean, Jincheon returned to the hollow and sat down, still dripping wet.

Clack.

"...Hah."

He let out a deep sigh. At the very least, he hadn’t lost his bundle of goods. That was something to be thankful for.

"You seem deep in thought."

The middle-aged man’s voice suddenly reached him.

Jincheon turned his head to see the man smiling faintly.

His once-elegant hair was now disheveled, and his neatly trimmed beard was in ruins, yet he still looked striking.

Not overwhelmingly masculine, nor feminine—just the kind of appearance that even other men might find likable.

"A lot on my mind."

Perhaps in defiance, Jincheon responded curtly.

"I'm debating whether to leave you here or not."

His words were sharp, but the middle-aged man merely smiled.

"Is that so? Then I suppose I can't just sit idly by."

"If you don’t sit idly, then what?"

"I'll have to do my best ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) not to be abandoned."

Jincheon was momentarily speechless. Then, he let out a dry chuckle.

"I'm joking. No need to worry about useless things—"

"I’d like to make a request."

The middle-aged man interrupted.

Jincheon blinked, momentarily thrown off by the sudden statement.

But the man's gaze was completely serious.