Eternal Flame of the Past - 5
Following Kkieak as it dashed into the rear garden, I was greeted by the usual bizarre spectacle.
Kkieak, kkie-e-eak!
Booooooong!
Do-ro-ro-rong!
Kkieak, with a small chicken perched on its head, was swinging its long legs at a tiny tiger. It was a sentence I'd thought up myself, but one I couldn't possibly comprehend. Who knew how many expressions in a single line begged for correction? 'Are those Bonghwang and Do-ol?'
Seeing what I presumed were the resurrected Bonghwang and Do-ol, a hollow laugh escaped me. The Do-ol we'd found in the tomb had been the size of a house. The Bonghwang that had challenged its soul had been human-sized. Yet these revived versions were pathetically small compared to their pre-death forms. The house-sized Do-ol was now kitten-sized, and the human-sized Bonghwang was oddly smaller than an adult chicken.
'Why are they crying like that?'
Of course, the most striking part was their cries. Do-ro-ro-rong, boooooong—what kind of sounds were those? They made even Kki-ing sound dignified by comparison.
Kkieek! Kkieak! Kkie-eak!
"Kkieak, that's enough. Killing it won't stick anyway—it'll just revive again."
I'd been blankly watching the chaos of spirit beasts, the Four Auspicious Beasts, and the Four Evils when I finally stepped in to restrain Kkieak. I could understand why its eyes were rolled back. Bonghwang had struck first, but Do-ol had ultimately sent it to the afterlife. From Kkieak's perspective, Do-ol was the arch-enemy, the traitor who murdered its king. Seeing that foe reduced to such a small, pitiful size must have made it irresistible to pummel.
Boong! Boooooong!
"You stop too..."
Moreover, Bonghwang—revived at the exact same time and place as Do-ol—had climbed onto Kkieak's head and was flapping its wings incessantly, as if begging for vengeance on its behalf. Rage and hatred toward the traitor, joy at reuniting with its fallen king, the honor of receiving direct orders for revenge. All these emotions had driven Kkieak into a frenzy. So, to calm Kkieak, I had to start with Boong—no, Bonghwang.
"It won't do any good trying to stop them. Good terms between the Four Evils and Four Auspicious Beasts? Fat chance, but those two are especially bad."
I let out a sigh at Do-cheol's words as it sidled up beside me. Do-cheol and the Qilin had fought like they wanted to kill each other, and this was even worse. Can that really be stopped?
"Why are they fighting like that?"
"A foolish question. Why do they fight? Because the opponent's right there."
I stared blankly down at the deranged fool. Come to think of it, the Qilin, Bonghwang, and Do-ol could only make cries, yet Do-cheol spoke human language. Wasn't that unfair? Maybe I should kill it once more and make it do-ro-ro-rong fairly?
"...Do-ol and Bonghwang have bad compatibility. Bonghwang's power is the weakest among us, so it lost nine out of ten fights against Do-ol. To close the gap, Bonghwang actively used human help. That's why Do-ol suffered more from humans than from Bonghwang itself. Their relationship is worse than the usual squabbles among the Four Evils and Auspicious Beasts."
Perhaps sensing its own future in my glare, Do-cheol cleared its throat awkwardly and gave a proper answer. It made sense. A straight clash of raw power could clear the air cleanly, but scheming with every trick in the book deepened the grudge. Bonghwang's fury at never beating Do-ol one-on-one, Do-ol's frustration at being tormented by what should have been a non-threat in a fair fight.
'Vicious bastards.'
The emotional chasm was deeper than I'd imagined; I rubbed my forehead. "Heavens, look at those two fighting even in the palace?"
"They've been at it nonstop since reviving. Even when we separated them briefly, they somehow found each other again."
"Good grief. At that point, it's love-hate, isn't it?"
Grandfather and the Emperor, following behind me, sighed at Bonghwang and Do-ol's absurd bickering.
'They reunite even when separated.'
A terrifying tale. When incompatible beings are left together, fighting is natural. The fault lies more with whoever put them there than with them. Technically, humans hadn't—they'd revived in the same spot on their own—but anyway. Yet even when separated and kept out of sight, they stubbornly sought each other out to fight? No solution there. We'd have to seal Bonghwang and Do-ol away or ship them to opposite ends of the Central Plains.
'They'd probably still meet and fight.'
Bonghwang had endured 1,600 years imprisoned just to kill Do-ol. A madness beyond human comprehension. Even at the edges of the realm, they'd likely reunite. Insanity.
Should I just let them keep fighting? As long as they didn't harm humans, I didn't care.
"Give up—it's easier. Those two squabbling like brats is a law of nature spanning millennia."
"Quiet."
Do-cheol murmured as if reading my mind, and I snapped curtly. I'd been on the verge of giving up myself, but hearing it from one of the Four Evils made my hackles rise. This was like the Eastern devil's whisper. Surrender, and you'd fall completely.
"Bonghwang, Do-ol. Fighting in front of guests is unseemly, isn't it? Call it a day."
Booooooong...
Do-ro-rong...
'Huh?'
As I pondered how to handle this mess, the Emperor's gentle mediation silenced them. More precisely, Bonghwang—perched on Kkieak's head like a ghost Go player issuing commands—went quiet. Do-ol had just been getting pummeled unilaterally, so it had no say anyway.
"There, good children. Surely you can't just bully someone who can't fight back?"
Booooooong!
Bonghwang spread its wings with a puff, did a short flight, and dove straight into the Emperor's arms. It was such an awe-inspiring sight that I was speechless. The Central Plains Emperor was often called the Son of Heaven, and seeing the Four Auspicious Beasts obey so readily made it feel literal.
'I'm just a mortal, then.'
I could finally make an objective self-assessment. Sure, I had six spirit beasts following me, and with my past-life memories as a reincarnator, I'd smugly thought I was heaven's chosen. If not, why else would I scramble around like a dog in the Central Plains? But it was delusion. Here was someone with two Four Auspicious Beasts that even made my spirit beasts bow their heads, plus two of their nemeses, the Four Evils. Four beasts in total under one person's care. The true heaven's favorite was someone else.
'What if one of the Four Divine Beasts pops out next?'
The thought crossed my mind. With the Qilin, Bonghwang, Do-cheol, and Do-ol, the rear garden had become a respawn point for the Four Auspicious Beasts and Four Evils. The remaining four would revive here if they died. Eventually, all eight might reside here. Fulfilling some hidden condition, and then... a Four Divine Beast appears?
'A beast master who commands all Four Auspicious and Evils qualifies to handle a Divine Beast.'
'Plausible.'
Vermilion Bird resting on that pavilion, Black Tortoise sleeping in the lake, Azure Dragon coiled in the tree, White Tiger sprawled belly-up on the lawn. Just imagining it swelled my chest with grandeur.
"Do-ol, stick with Do-cheol for a while. Alone, you'll just get beaten again."
Do-ro-rong...!
The current sight was grand enough, though. After showing the revived king to Kkieak to soothe it and mediating Bonghwang and Do-ol's fight...
"So this is the supreme martial art of the ages."
Since we'd come to the rear garden, Grandfather presented the martial arts manual of the King of Western Chu to the Emperor.
"Yes, Your Majesty. It's the art passed down in the Xiang family since the days when Chu thrived. Not only the King of Western Chu, but his grandfather Xiang Yan wielded it as well."
"Oh? Xiang Yan too?"
The Emperor's smile deepened at Grandfather's explanation.
"More than 'supreme martial art of the ages' or 'King of Western Chu's art,' I prefer hearing it as Xiang Yan's."
"I agree, Your Majesty. The King of Western Chu... well, strip away his martial prowess, and there's nothing left."
"Haha, that prowess was enough to upend the world—that was the problem."
The Emperor chuckled softly, gazing long at the manual. Xiang Yan, whom Grandfather and the Emperor valued over the King of Western Chu: Chu's final great general among the Warring States, a loyalist who fought to the bitter end against Qin's invasion as his homeland fell. His grandson, the King of Western Chu, had assassinated King Yi of Chu—grandson worse than the dog, really. How did such a traitorous spawn come from a loyalist?
"Old master."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Speak."
"I wish this manual to be not the cruel, ruthless art of the King of Western Chu, but that of the loyalist who struggled for his country."
"Your Majesty's will is as deep and vast as the sea—truly splendid."
Grandfather bowed to the Emperor, whose gaze then turned to me.
"Deputy Censor-in-Chief."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Entrust this manual to the Hanlin Academy and convey my will. I seek to revive the Xiang family's art, overshadowed by the King of Western Chu."
"I shall obey."
"And I shall bestow the newly illuminated Xiang arts upon the Deputy Censor-in-Chief. I believe you lack nothing compared to Xiang Yan."
Granting a minister—even a copy—the martial arts used by the King of Western Chu. I'd vaguely anticipated it before excavation, but with the Emperor's firm word, I hastily bowed.
"Your Majesty's excessive grace! I am filled with gratitude to my bones!"
The Emperor quietly patted my shoulder at my cry. Honestly, I'd probably never practice the Xiang arts or whatever, but who knew about my future children.