The Grudges of Haewondang (4)
The Grudges of Haewondang (4)
To think he would approach that Sochang filled with the curse of the Majok.
I thought it was insane.
It had been decades.
The time she had lived as a shaman of this temple hall.
And she knew all too well how vicious the grudges of the dead were.
How much the shamans had suffered from the evil spirits that poured out after the vengeful dead made contracts with the Majok.
Many disciples had been lost that way.
But in Kim Jinsoo's eyes, there was an irresistible power.
-Shinmo-nim, what I am trying to handle is not Demonic Energy, but the grudges of the dead.
The grudges of the dead, you say.
Does he not know that those are what called the Demonic Energy and the Majok?
This Demonic Energy that has polluted not only the basement of the temple hall but also its surroundings started from those very grudges of the dead.
Right now, it was also an obstacle preventing the purification of the Demonic Energy.
I couldn't understand it.
How could one wash away a grudge that could not be fulfilled, a plea to be saved?
But she could not stop Kim Jinsoo.
She remembered how her disciple had spoken of this man with a fluttering face every time she returned from an adventure.
-Jinsoo-oppa is an amazing person. He may lack combat power, but he possesses a stronger will than anyone else.
-Oppa is the best at removing contaminants. Master, please trust me. He will definitely be able to do it.
Right.
She had decided to trust her disciple, to trust her until the end.
It was true that she had invited him to ask for help.
She was displeased that a man had entered near the main hall, a forbidden zone for men, but it couldn't be helped.
Getting rid of that monstrous Demonic Energy was more important than such old-fashioned traditions.
-I will follow Oppa too.
Cheongyeon Shinmo could not bear to stop Seo Yerin from going with Kim Jinsoo.
Her most cherished disciple.
The shaman with the greatest potential among all the disciples she had raised.
No, perhaps a child with the qualities to become a priestess who serves the gods directly, like herself.
All she could do was give guidance so she wouldn't get lost in that space filled with Demonic Energy.
Never had she felt such helplessness.
She had exorcised countless evil spirits and killed monsters pouring out of gates, but now, she couldn't even properly utilize the Godly Power that was her pride.
She had no choice but to watch her disciple enter that place.
If she were to enter as well, the barrier sealing that Demonic Energy would weaken, and the temple hall would become a dungeon.
Had it been about 30 minutes since Kim Jinsoo entered?
Seuseu-.
The terrible Demonic Energy and cold air that had been crushing the underground stone chamber vanished as if washed away.
"No way......."
The other shamans who had been helping Shinmo maintain the barrier were stirred.
It was a change clear enough even for those who could not feel Godly Power.
The gravitational pull and Demonic Energy that had been crushing the space disappeared, and the scent of incense, unique to the temple hall, filled the air.
"Shinmo-nim, didn't that man really do it?"
"The man that Yerin-hubae brought did it!"
"The Demonic Energy has disappeared!"
"I can't feel the grudges either."
"The dead have resolved their grudges and left!"
Cheers erupted from the shamans here and there at the unbelievable sight.
Who would have thought?
A man, an outsider, had done what even Cheongyeon Shinmo could not solve, and what could not be removed even after gathering all the strength of her junior disciples.
Some stood there with blank faces as if shocked by that fact.
But Cheongyeon Shinmo stood still, as if shocked for a different reason.
-I'm alive.
-I'm finally free.
-Ah, I can go back.......
Her two eyes were blankly following the empty air of the stone chamber, the spot where the resentful souls of tens of thousands had become clear orbs of light and ascended.
The clear sounds of the dead, freed from the Majok's Demonic Energy, tickled her ears.
She saw the gods she served guiding the dead who had been liberated from the Majok.
"Ah."
If they had become minions of the Majok, this would never have happened.
They were merely victims.
Not having sold themselves to the Majok, but merely deceived and captured by them.
Her disciples, who had not yet become priestesses, could not see that sight.
A phenomenon that only a priestess serving the gods could face.
The Shinjangdae (divination wand) fell helplessly from Cheongyeon Shinmo's hand to the floor.
Until now, she had thought the dead possessed by the Majok had offered themselves.
She had thought evil spirits had called the Majok.
So she had thought they were enemies that must be exorcised unconditionally.
But.
What was this sight?
A scene that could never exist if they were merely minions of the Majok.
It was a disaster that she, along with the notable shamans of Haewondang, had barely managed to suppress by risking their lives to cast a barrier.
But that young man had seen the same thing but interpreted it differently.
-I came to wash the grudges.
After Kim Jinsoo poured a bottle of potion, the ear-piercing screams of the vengeful spirits turned into peaceful rest.
As if washing away all the filth of this world.
"I have devoted my whole life to serving the spirits and practicing Taoist arts....... With an old woman's stubbornness and narrow-minded eyes, I failed to recognize a True Being (Jinin)."
She couldn't even think to pick up the fallen Shinjangdae.
The Demonic Energy that had settled around the Sochang disappeared.
The characters of the barrier that had finished their role vanished, and Kim Jinsoo's figure appeared in front of the pile of Sochang.
Because Seo Yerin was supporting him, Cheongyeon Shinmo rushed to him.
"Are you alright!"
She ran to the True Being who had solved all of this before her cherished disciple.
She made eye contact with Kim Jinsoo, who had barely managed to stand up.
In his half-closed eyes, which seemed a bit exhausted, there was full of relief.
To think he could have such an expression even after facing that Demonic Energy, and even after seeing her mistake of treating him carelessly.
Cheongyeon Shinmo, who made eye contact with him, bowed her waist deeply.
This was a courtesy to the True Being who had solved all the worries of the temple hall.
At her action, the eyes of all the shamans present widened.
The fact that Cheongyeon Shinmo, who had not bowed even to the President of this country who treated them strictly, nor to the head of the Guild Association, had bowed her waist.
Everyone was surprised by a sight they had never seen before.
"......Master!"
A surprised Seo Yerin tried to approach, but Cheongyeon Shinmo raised her trembling hand to stop her.
"This old woman failed to recognize the True Being and spoke carelessly. Please forgive me."
True Being (Jinin).
A title that could only be called to those who had mastered the Tao flowed from the mouth of that upright Grand Shaman.
"Thank you sincerely for saving this Haewondang, no, the tens of thousands of poor souls who were unfairly trapped, True Being."
True Being, huh.
I looked at her while organizing the container that had held the Dye Restoration Agent.
"That's too grand of a title."
"Please, release your anger and accept this divine object passed down through generations in our Haewondang. If the True Being uses it, it will surely be of great help."
As I replied calmly, Cheongyeon Shinmo hurriedly lifted her head and carefully took something out from her bosom.
It was a box made of ebony, splendidly decorated with gold leaf.
When she opened the box, a pure white thread with a luster like soft moonlight revealed itself.
Tiring-!
[Legendary-grade material - 'Thousand-Year Jade Silkworm Silk Thread' discovered!]
[Effect: Spiritual thread (Yeongsa) spun by a jade-colored silkworm that lived for a thousand years. It is the world's best repair material capable of stitching and connecting not only physical cloth but also torn souls or even broken legendary-grade equipment.]
Oh.
This is a good item.
For a laundry owner and repairman, a legendary-grade thread that can perfectly restore torn fabric.
If it's a material that can connect souls, and even legendary-grade equipment.
'This is truly an item where you can name your price.'
To give something like this all at once.
It was a difficult request.
Honestly, it was a big deal that I couldn't even imagine would go this well.
But an S-grade material like this.
"Thank you. I will use it usefully when repairing."
As I accepted the box with a satisfied face, a faint light of relief finally brushed across Cheongyeon Shinmo's wrinkled face.
"Th, then True Being....... Are you forgiving this old woman's rudeness?"
I packed the silk thread box into my bag and smiled broadly at the Grand Shaman.
"Forgiveness, what are you talking about. I was never offended in the first place."
"Ah......."
"Instead, aside from this tip you just gave me."
I flicked my fingers lightly and nailed it down clearly to her.
"I will be charging a very hefty laundry fee for processing this vicious special malignant contaminant, so please prepare the Haewondang budget generously. VIP customer."
Gotta do what you gotta do.
The silk thread I just received is the price of forgiveness for the rudeness she first showed.
"Elena."
"Yes, Boss!"
"Calculate it properly."
"Understood!"
Our miserly Saintess will make sure the price is paid properly.
"Ahem, first of all, there is something I will tell you in advance. The business trip fee is added separately."
Elena, who cleared her throat and adjusted her voice, continued.
"First, the basic service fee, starting from S-grade 3 million won. On top of that, adding the laundry shop boss's business trip fee, the Saintess's business trip fee, the High-Grade Spirit addition, 5 uses of Godly Power, use of Dye Restoration Agent, 3 uses of Spirit's Light, the cost of dealing with the Majok encountered during the process of recovering the Sochang's contamination, plus washing the dirt embedded in the soul's heart, and adding 30% life allowance, these are all contents to be added to the estimate."
Elena spat out words like a machine gun without even resting.
Cheongyeon Shinmo and the shamans stared at her blankly.
Seo Yerin also listened to her words, which continued without a hitch, as if surprised.
She wouldn't speak like that even when recruiting believers.
"Calculating it, it goes well over 100 million won. Still, since Yerin-ssi is affiliated with the Hunters Guild, a 10% discount will be applied. Good news, right?"
When Elena's recitation of the estimate ended, I pointed to the huge pile of Sochang placed in the center of the basement and said.
"Oh, and that Sochang will not burn in fire from now on."
"Is that true? Does that mean by any chance the Majok is still......?"
"That is not it."
Burning with fire to connect the path between this world and the afterlife is the final role of the Sochang.
"Since all the souls that originally resided in the Sochang have ascended separately, there are no souls left to go even if you connect the path, so the Sochang will not burn."
Even that Sochang was an object that tens of thousands of souls had resided in.
It had already become a spiritual object just by itself.
"If you manage it well from now on, it will become a new divine object that will protect Haewondang for a long time."
"...Thank you, True Being."
The eyes of Cheongyeon Shinmo looking at me were filled with reverence.
"Escort the True Being to the annex. Since he is a VIP that Haewondang will receive, there must be no inconvenience in serving him."
She said to the lined-up shamans in a strict voice.
VIP, huh.
Not bad.
"He's not here."
Garun, standing in front of the laundry, sighed while looking at the 'CLOSED' sign hanging on the door.
"I came after completing a masterpiece, but Eungong is absent."
He let out a sigh.
"I'll have to wait."
He muttered while looking at the silver scissors he had carefully placed in a leather case.
He moved his hands according to the will of the steel.
It was the first time for something like this.
He had always listened to the cry of the steel and made weapons according to his intuition.
This was the first time he had made an item while listening only to the voice of the steel like this.
Because it had such a clear voice, a tool superior to any equipment he had made so far was completed, even though he made it by following the voice.
"If he sees this, Eungong will be really happy."
Garun sat down in front of the laundry with a thud.
Since he had nothing to do anyway, he thought he would just wait until Eungong came.
At that time, Kim Jinsoo was being treated with the utmost hospitality at Haewondang.
