The Mark of Doubt
Whoooo!
A scorching hot wind swept across everything around us.
Inside the youkai market of Bongmyeong-ju, the headquarters of the Jinryong-maeng.
Countless youkai had gathered there to trade and exchange goods. Many of them moved about in their true forms, spewing forth the scorching heat.
The entire market was thick with heat.
‘It’s difficult to find those youkai who have transformed into human forms.’
True. This was no land of the heavens or the mortals, so there was no need to maintain their human shapes.
Occasionally, only the youkai who were far too large, or those whose size made transformation impractical, bothered to do so.
“Come now, come now! Fresh spirit pills straight from the heavens!”
“How many blood-refining techniques have been created over the years to condense our blood into lotus flowers within our bodies? Our techniques are on a completely different level from those produced before….”
“The spatial law artifact of the O-gwang tribe we obtained after defeating them last time! Let’s auction it off!”
The voices of the youkai were loud. They strained their throats to be heard over one another.
But since the youkai language relied on vibrating spiritual energy to convey meaning, the market remained rather quiet for those without the youkai’s sensory abilities.
‘Even the youkai’s market is not that different from the mortals’.
In fact, on some levels it looked even more refined.
I wandered briefly through the youkai market, observing the reactions of the surrounding youkai, and eventually found the place selling cultivation manuals.
After a while, I stepped into the street lined with stalls selling youkai cultivation manuals.
‘How many….’
The sheer number of youkai cultivation manuals was staggering. There were entire streets dedicated to them.
Unlike human cultivation manuals recorded on books or jade slips, most youkai manuals were carved into bones, leather, or even teeth.
‘Is it because of the characteristics of the youkai language? The very method of recording is different.’
The youkai writing system fundamentally recorded the flow of yin and yang qi flowing through heaven and earth, endowing it with meaning.
As a result, their language system was vastly different from that of the mortals.
Therefore, the method of recording it also differed. They carved the yin-yang flow, infused with spiritual energy, into bones or stones, along with their own intentions. Later, by blowing their spiritual power into the bone, the engraved flow would vibrate with qi, revealing its contents.
Because of this, many youkai carved cultivation manuals into their own bodies or bones and carried them everywhere.
Among them, quite a few would come to the street selling youkai manuals, cut out a piece of their own body containing the manual’s content, and sell it.
Crack.
“Kyuhaa! This horn contains our Gaogu black yuan bone! How much will you pay?”
“Hm, I’ve never heard of the Gaogu tribe before….”
“No! Are you insulting my entire tribe!?”
“No, it’s not like that… Uh, don’t get angry. If you pay this much, will you be satisfied?”
“Hm….”
Watching the two-legged black bovine-like youkai, with its nose flaring, extract its own horn and hand it over to a youkai merchant while receiving spiritual stones in return was quite a cultural shock.
After pocketing the spiritual stones, the Gaogu youkai snorted and wandered off to another stall.
The moment it took a few steps, a new horn began to grow back at the spot where the old one had been.
Since it was a youkai of at least Core Formation level, regeneration of that extent was entirely possible.
The merchant who looked like a sea slug chuckled as he received the horn and happily accepted it.
“Recently, among mercenary tribes, the Gaogu tribe has gained enormous popularity. If their cultivation manual is sold this way, it will be expensive.”
I manipulated the spiritual energy that had turned my body into a slime sheath. Scales appeared on my cheek, and a red deer-like antler sprouted on my forehead. Then I released the Wansuigungmurok before him.
“Excuse me. Since this is my first time in a youkai market after a defeat, I have one question….”
Uuuung!
As I poured my dan qi outward, the sea-slug merchant shot up from his seat in surprise.
“What? You’re a dragon clan master who would come to a market like this?”
“As I said, it’s only been a short time since I defeated Gwang-han and entered the Gwanghan Realm… so there are a few things I’d like to ask.”
“Of course, of course. Please, ask.”
“First, is it common for youkai to come to sell youkai manuals like the one I saw earlier?”
“Of course. Actually, the youkai manuals sold by those kinds of youkai are, in fact, the primary specialty of our youkai.”
The merchant’s explanation continued.
“As you already know, our youkai are bound by one characteristic—‘sight’—but in reality, they are all different tribes. That most youkai were originally wild beasts roaming the mountains and rivers is far too obvious. Because of that, classifying them is nearly impossible. But precisely because of that! The variety of youkai manuals is enormous.”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“What do you mean ‘what do I mean’?”
The merchant looked at me as if he couldn’t understand.
It was the look of someone who couldn’t fathom why I didn’t understand such a simple thing.
“Heh. It’s because the environment of the lower realm I lived in was too different from the Gwanghan Realm.”
I offered an appropriate excuse about the lower realm, and the merchant nodded.
“Ah, right, you said you defeated him. After all, the lower realm has countless such places, so that makes sense. Since I don’t know the situation in the lower realm where you came from, let me explain the youkai of the Gwanghan Realm. First, our ‘youkai manuals’ are, excluding those belonging to the dragon clan or phoenix tribe that you belong to, generally not uniform. You already know that, don’t you?”
“…That’s right.”
I didn’t know it well, but if I said I didn’t, he would suspect me even more. So I answered that I did.
‘Well, I may not know it perfectly, but I have a rough idea.’
Youkai were youkai. Unlike the heavens, who passed down and gradually developed their cultivation manuals for later generations, most youkai were wild beasts that rolled around in the wild. They could not inherit manuals from their predecessors.
Therefore, youkai who accumulated power had to create their own manuals individually and grow from there. The absence of uniform manuals made sense in that light.
“Yes, as you know, since the day our youkai awakened spiritual energy in our bodies and obtained true intent, we have constantly relied on instinct to ‘create’ the suitable manual for ourselves. And because of that, each tribe and each individual creates a completely different manual. Those youkai manuals are crafted by countless youkai based on their instinct and body. That’s why qi flows engrave themselves onto the bodies of the youkai who create them, and the carved body parts are cut out and sold in this market. There are enormously many such youkai.”
“Hm, that makes sense.”
It seemed there was indeed a reason why youkai carved cultivation manuals into their bones.
“And the market where such varied youkai manuals are opened and activated becomes an opportunity for many other youkai who have already obtained true intent to search for a manual suitable for themselves. If the sellers are there, so are the buyers. For example, if someone creates a manual according to their instinct and it turns out to be a terrible one, they can come to the market and buy a suitable manual. Furthermore, even from the side of the heavens, there are many who desire our youkai manuals.”
The merchant chuckled and scratched his head.
“The mortals who want to study our youkai manuals always buy large quantities of these manuals in bulk every certain period. That’s why this youkai manual market has become so active. I don’t know about the situation in the lower realm where you came from, but it seems they didn’t have this system.”
“Hm. Indeed, the unique system of the Gwanghan Realm.”
After asking a few more questions about the youkai from the merchant, I handed him over the spiritual stones I had brought from the lower realm.
‘The youkai market is ultimately tied to the very nature of the youkai.’
Once a manual is mastered, according to its characteristics, spiritual energy flows leave footprints everywhere on the body.
The youkai manual market that sells the body parts with those remaining footprints.
That was the unique characteristic only of the youkai.
After looking through the goods at the merchant’s stall, I moved on to other shops.
While wandering the stalls, I realized that several shops shared common manuals they sold.
“Excuse me. This manual is seen quite often in other shops too. What kind of manual is it? Since it’s only been a short time since I defeated him, could you explain it to me?”
Fortunately, when I imitated the appearance of a dragon clan master and asked the merchants, they explained calmly, as if it were an honor.
“Ah, you are the defeated dragon clan master. These manuals are among the most basic of the youkai manuals in the Gwanghan Realm. They can be considered a kind of foundational manual.”
The youkai merchant, shaped like a clam but with limbs attached to it, lifted a small spiritual stone and continued explaining.
The stone was filled with dense youkai characters that formed a complete text.
“Countless youkai possess different manuals, but we are all youkai, so there are overlapping parts. The manual that combines those overlapping parts is the very basic of the youkai’s basics.”
“Oh… What is the name?”
“It is called Gwanghan-gyeol.”
“Gwanghan-gyeol….”
I purchased the Gwanghan-gyeol and tucked it into my bosom.
After buying one more basic manual of the youkai manuals and a couple of others that seemed appropriate, I returned to the stone building where Seo Hyoel was.
‘Is Seo Hyoel still not coming out?’
He probably had a lot of work to process inside.
I had been waiting for Seo Hyoel for several hours.
As the heavenly and earthly qi rotated, just when it was time to signal the evening.
Seo Hyoel emerged from the stone building.
“Did I keep you waiting long? Was it not boring?”
“No, how could waiting for Seo Hyoel-nim be boring? Furthermore, waiting is originally a virtue when trying to cultivate.”
“What good words. Has the Wolpung-jin-hyeoljeon you gave me been practicing?”
“Yes.”
“Haha… I see.”
Seo Hyoel smiled with his eyes and patted my shoulder.
But at that moment, I suddenly felt his suspicion surge.
‘…? What? He didn’t do anything, why is he suddenly suspicious?’
This fellow had never had mortal vision; how could he see through my thoughts?
But Seo Hyoel was cunning, yet rational.
‘There’s no reason for him to suddenly suspect me like this without cause. There must be some basis….’
I used the Wansuigungmurok so that even if he extended his consciousness from inside the stone building, he could not detect it. I went out and came back.
I had secretly left a clone of Gang-hwan there, so even if he occasionally extended his consciousness to check, he would not know.
But why all of a sudden?
“For now, since today’s matters have been mostly handled satisfactorily, I’ll head back. By now, even if I can’t subdue the Mun-sim-ho yet, the elders of my clan must have built a new Sea Dragon Palace.”
“Yes, understood.”
Chuchuchut!
Seo Hyoel transformed back into his main body, and I rode on his neck.
As I hung from Seo Hyoel’s neck and flew, I thought.
‘Even now, if I ignite the Jeong-won-jin-qi and unleash the Muhyeong-gom, I could cut off this fellow’s neck.’
His suspicion of me had surged enormously.
Perhaps it would be better in the long run to kill him right now and escape.
At that moment.
“Ah, and I heard a good piece of information while handling work at the Jinryong-maeng office today. It will be carried out on a large scale within the youkai.”
“May I know what that is?”
“No problem, it’s not such a great secret. The ‘Naming Task for All Youkai’. From now on, to understand the movements of all existing youkai, the Mortal Total Federation will do what the ‘Fate Record’ system does to grasp the lives of the mortals. From now on, the Jinryong-maeng will name all youkai ‘names’ and manage them.”
“…Names?”
I was startled by the sudden irrelevant question.
‘Why is there suddenly talk of names here?’
“Name (myeong) contains a portion of destiny (myeong). We youkai do not feel the heavens’ destiny like the heavens. That is why we have always lagged behind in information warfare with the heavens, and I heard that the power of the youkai has been greatly diminished recently. Therefore, from now on, the Jinryong-maeng will manage the names of all youkai, and those without names will have them directly named in a large plan.”
“…That is most improper, but what use does it have….”
“Ah, if you don’t understand destiny, it may be a bit difficult… But if all youkai’s names are managed, the Jinryong-maeng’s highest council has decided that the power of destiny contained in a youkai’s name can be indirectly read, allowing the overall trend of youkai destiny to be read in the future.”
“Why tell me this decision?”
“It’s simple. From now on, the Naming Task for All Youkai will send one or two people from each youkai tribe for self-management. In my opinion, our Haeryong tribe plans to send several, including you.”
“…Thank you for giving me a good opportunity.”
‘What is this fellow’s scheme?’
I furrowed my brow.
When we arrived at the Mun-sim-ho, the sun had already set.
Seo Hyoel and I entered beneath the lake and entered the newly built Sea Dragon Palace.
“We’ll discuss the details tomorrow. For now, rest well today.”
I entered the room assigned to me and sat down.
What should I do?
What scheme was Seo Hyoel devising?
As I pondered that, I unconsciously picked up the identity badge he had given me.
“…Eh?”
Why was there spiritual intent melted into the identity badge?
I felt a chill run down my spine as I examined it.
And I learned the chilling fact.
‘This is crazy.’
During the time I went to the market today.
I had been under constant surveillance by Seo Hyoel.