Chapter 85
Chapter 85
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was about a year and a half later that I felt somewhat accustomed to the Goryeo tongue.
By then, I had begun handling bodyguard duties for the Jeong family in earnest, and I could understand most vocabulary unless it was extremely difficult. I was no longer limited to conversations with Yi Ju-hee; I could engage substantially with the people around me as well.
At that point, one could say I had nearly mastered the Goryeo language. Around then, Jeong Cheol-uk began assigning me various missions.
One day, I was tasked with escorting the Jeong family's maternal uncle beyond the capital. He was a powerful noble as well, eyeing me—a young-looking native of the Central Plains—with clear displeasure.
But midway, when two massive tigers burst onto the mountain path, he panicked.
Grrrrowl!!
"Whoa!"
"Tigers!"
The noble and his four accompanying guards were terrified, legs trembling.
They were all trained in martial arts, but mastering martial arts doesn't turn one into a superhuman overnight. Tigers that size—nearly a zhang in length—were foes even a First-Class Expert had to risk life and limb against. Two of them posed a tremendous threat.
But the moment I spotted the tigers, I glared them down, subduing them with my aura. My presence spread with solemn weight.
Woooong
Grrrowl...
The tigers faltered, then fled beyond the mountain.
I figured they were a mated pair. Even so, they had charged despite sensing my qi, so they must have been desperately hungry.
The Jeong family's uncle, seeing me repel the tigers with a mere glance, cried out in shock.
"Am... amazing!"
That much was tolerable.
But his follow-up left me utterly dumbfounded.
"Go on, hurry and catch those tigers!"
"......"
"What are you waiting for? Go!"
What nonsense was this? Why on earth should I catch tigers?
I was so baffled that I demanded an explanation in Goryeo.
"Why catch the tigers? Aren't we pressed for time to reach Suwon?"
"The mere bandits can be handled by your fellow escorts. Fetch those tigers at once."
"So why catch the tigers? Chasing them off should've sufficed, no?"
"We must skin them!"
"......"
Only now did I realize he had completely forgotten the brush with death, his eyes gleaming at the prospect of precious tiger pelts.
Tiger skins fetched exorbitant prices.
But springing such a demand on a bodyguard was unethical, no matter how one sliced it. Above all, I was no direct servant or slave of his.
As I failed to conceal my displeasure, leaking faint killing intent, the lead guard among the escorts seemed to catch on. He hurriedly pulled me aside and spoke.
"Baek Woong warrior. I understand your anger, but could you grant this favor? It should be no trouble with your martial prowess."
"Why must I indulge such absurdity? My current master is Jeong Cheol-uk, not that man."
"Th-that's true, but he is also the King's Uncle. A royal in-law with blood ties to the throne—his influence is immense. Brushing him off lightly won't bode well for your future."
I scowled.
"Leaving that aside, those tigers charged despite sensing my qi out of sheer starvation. Must I hunt such pitiful beasts? And does battling two cornered tigers seem like child's play? It's no easy task even mobilizing a hundred soldiers, yet you're asking me?"
His face crumpled nearly to tears as he dropped to his knees, pleading.
"Ugh... You've left me speechless. Still, please consider my position. A starving tiger might strike again, harming more innocents. This could be deemed a righteous act."
"Hmm."
It felt like an utterly tedious bother had cropped up out of nowhere. With no choice, I spat out grudgingly.
"Fine. I'll give it a shot, but curb your expectations. Whether I return with tiger skins or not, if you link this to Jeong Cheol-uk's honor, you'll answer for it."
The guard captain's face brightened.
"Ah, naturally!"
From his perspective, my outright defiance here terrified him most. Success or failure mattered little so long as I obeyed the order.
I pursued the tigers' tracks into the wild hills. Tracking them through the hills wasn't simple, however, and I halted upon reaching dense underbrush midway.
Lacking professional hunting and tracking skills, from here on, heightening my qi sense and combing the entire range by feel was my only recourse—and even then, encountering the tigers was no guarantee.
The sheer hassle drew a deep sigh from me.
"Haa..."
Sympathy welled for the tigers. Having spent long years living off the land in Yellow Mountain, I knew wild beasts waged daily battles for survival. Tigers were no exception. The torment of scrounging alone in trackless wilderness against hunger and fear was incomprehensible to city dwellers. Thus, the tigers struck me as pitiful for forcing themselves to appear despite my overwhelming qi.
Perhaps I should've simply let that uncle become tiger chow?
The thought crossed my mind.
Such notions bred doubt about my very presence here. Did I truly need to scour trackless mountains aimlessly, bludgeoning starving tigers and flaying their hides in some wretched errand?
Yet as the guard captain noted, famished tigers menaced travelers—a fact.
Sighing inwardly, I plunged into the brush.
After roughly two shichen fumbling through the thicket, probing the area with qi sense, I spotted a massive beast lumbering about. Assuming tiger, I charged.
Swoosh
"......!!"
It wasn't.
The instant I glimpsed its form, I cried out as if in scream.
"Lu(陸)?!"
It matched the descriptions from the book perfectly. Cow-like in appearance, dwelling on high hills. Snake-tailed with wings beneath its armpits, bellowing like 'yuu'. Named Lu(陸), it dies in winter and revives in summer; consuming it cures boils.
The very monster from the Classic of Mountains and Seas stood before me—indistinguishable from its illustrations.
Moooo
True to form, the cow-bodied, snake-tailed, winged creature let out a prolonged bellow upon spotting me. Yet showing no hostility, it raised its forepaws to brace against a tree, then began stripping and devouring nearby bark. It seemed to have come here peaceably for its meal.
I had never imagined encountering a Classic of Mountains and Seas monster in the flesh. The book was pure fanciful invention, after all. But beholding the Lu drove me to the brink of madness. Why encounter such a thing in some remote Goryeo hillside?
'Perhaps the tigers couldn't hunt properly because of this Lu?'
The Lu appeared herbivorous, yet its bulk was immense—nearly two zhang when rearing upright, looming over the slopes. Small wonder tigers steered clear of hunting nearby. I stood there dumbfounded, staring, when a voice sounded.
"Donor, you seem familiar with the Classic of Mountains and Seas."
It was a human voice. Turning, I saw a single robed monk standing there. Upon appraising him, I noted he possessed profound inner arts—a true expert, unperturbed by tigers. I addressed him.
"I am Baek Woong, bodyguard of Goryeo's Jeong family. I came to subdue starving tigers lest they harm people."
"Hm, I see. I am Jilwol(志律) of the Twelve Precepts Tiantai Sect."
"Jilwol monk, do you know this Lu?"
"Of course. That is why I came to this land."
Swoosh
With that, Jilwol hurled the rosary from his hand toward the Lu. The creature, mid-bark stripping, convulsed in agony as radiant energy erupted from the beads. In moments, its colossal frame shriveled unimposingly, leaving only a small jade behind before vanishing.
I could scarce contain my astonishment at the miracle unfolding before me. This was no feat of martial arts.
"Sorcery?"
Jilwol scooped up the jade and replied.
"Taoists term it sorcery, but we Buddhists call it dharma power. I received word that imbalances in heaven and earth had unleashed Classic of Mountains and Seas monsters everywhere, so by Tiantai Sect command, I am handling them."
Jilwol appeared versed in both martial arts and sorcery. He displayed the jade to me and said.
"Behold. Ominous evil qi swirls within this black jade. It is clear proof that someone has artificially summoned these Classic of Mountains and Seas monsters across Goryeo."
"What? Who would do such a thing?"
"That, even I do not yet know. Yet from headquarters to here—a three hundred li journey—I have exorcised seven such beasts. Chaos will soon engulf Goryeo."
"Hmm..."
I let out a low groan. The Lu just now was no carnivore, but the Classic of Mountains and Seas monsters each wielded power to trample wild beasts effortlessly. Should even one rampage near settlements, the casualties would be incalculable. Evidently, Jilwol and the Twelve Precepts were mobilizing to quell the disturbance.
Jilwol addressed me.
"As a disciple of the Twelve Precepts, I have long heard of donor's fame. The Central Plains prodigy rivaling our sect leader now serves the Jeong family—your reputation is well-earned. Rather, I am awed by donor's vital energy."
"You overpraise me."
"Thus, I beseech your aid. Subduing these Classic of Mountains and Seas monsters alone proves difficult. Would you lend a hand?"
I shook my head.
"I wish to, but I am bound to the Jeong family and cannot act freely outside my duties."
"Alas, a pity."
"With Jilwol monk's martial prowess, subduing monsters should suffice, no?"
"Nay. The monsters are not the issue; the summoner's prowess eludes me. A sorcerer capable of invoking dozens or hundreds such— I alone may not suffice."
I see.
Indeed, by gathering jades and tracing the evil aura, Jilwol would eventually reach the culprit. Yet that one's sorcery must be formidable. Hence, his bid to recruit allies.
After some thought, I said.
"Perchance, is Jilwol monk from Haeinsa Temple?"
"Regrettably, Haeinsa belongs to the Cay Stream Sect; we share no ties."
"I have urgent business requiring a visit to Haeinsa. Might that prove impossible?"
Jilwol seemed to grasp the implication from my tone, pondering before replying.
"Haeinsa's abbot, the Great Correct Dharma Master Daejeong Beopsa, is a close friend of my master—persuasion might work. Though different sects pose some burden."
I laid out my proposal.
"I require a private audience with Daejeong Beopsa for a certain matter. Bridge that for me, and I shall aid you to the utmost."
"Hm... Very well. Donor and I can assist one another."
With the pact sealed, I located the nearby tiger den and subdued them. Yet killing felt off, so I caught a few wild boars and tossed them over. Watching the tigers devour them contentedly, Jilwol standing beside me scowled.
"Donor, why spare the tigers?"
"My prerogative. Bellies full, they shan't target folk for a time."
"......"
From the tigers' vantage, I was some intruding otherworldly monster. Slaughtering them merely for human gain felt amiss—especially benefiting that blasted uncle.
Moreover, this drubbing would deter them from human prey awhile.
Rather than return to the uncle, I opted to trail Jilwol. A simple excuse of "hunting took ages" would suffice. Far weightier were the Classic of Mountains and Seas anomalies and my audience with Haeinsa's abbot.
Truth be told, I harbored no ambitions of advancement in the Jeong family. Jeong Cheol-uk currently viewed me favorably, affording ample prospects, but my ultimate aim lay in unearthing clues to the Seven Luminaries somewhere in this Goryeo land. Scorn from the uncle or Jeong Cheol-uk over my "incompetence" signified little.
Clop clop
Thus, some ten days passed. Jilwol and I had reached the vicinity of Songak Mountain, slaying Classic of Mountains and Seas monsters. Jilwol deployed dharma barriers to detect their auras, then we sought and smashed them.
[Kiiieeeek...]
The monster dubbed Xingxing(成成) spewed smoke as it melted into black jade. A gruesome sight, yet as artificial spawn, it merely reverted to form. Jilwol stowed the jade in his large pouch and remarked.
"Already our seventeenth quarry..."
"No trace of the summoner's aura?"
"On the contrary, the accumulating black jades have revealed the sorcery's origin."
"Where?"
"We head to the Western Capital."
I startled at his words.
'Western Capital!'
The site of the phoenix rumor, per the Sa Gong Escort Agency master's account. Noting my expression, Jilwol divined.
"Donor heard the phoenix tale from two years past as well?"
"From an acquaintance."
"'Tis old tidings, but the Western Capital buzzed then. Perchance linked to the sorcerer we pursue."
"Hmm."
An ill foreboding stirred. I had intended to visit in due time; why thus perfectly entwined? As Jilwol surmised, correlation loomed likely. A thought arose.
'Is this fortune or fate?'
I now strayed from prescribed paths, acting by my will—fortune's whim. Yet toward my destined goal, thus also fate. The future lay utterly unforeseeable.
Jilwol and I reached the Western Capital some twenty days hence. Alone, I would have arrived in three or four; pacing ourselves on horseback, plus en route monster hunts, precluded pure lightness skill traversal.
Rustle
At a Western Capital inn, Jilwol arrayed the black jades across a large table. He then began chanting an incantation.
"Not born, not extinct; not pure, not defiled; not increasing, not decreasing; not coming, not going; not one, not two; not constant, not discontinuous; not here, not there..."
Flash
Ere long, the jades writhed, fusing like liquid into one massive black jade radiating fierce evil qi. Jilwol gazed upon it, then struck its face with his rosary, shouting.
"Ha! Wicked one, reveal thyself!"
Hiss
Whereupon the great black jade's surface manifested a woman in bizarre garb. Bizarre, for I had never beheld such attire: flowing white robes emblazoned with yin-yang and bagua motifs. Moreover, she was a woman of exceptional beauty, notably ample-bosomed.
The image faded moments later. Having identified the culprit, Jilwol groaned.
"A Dongyeong Onmyoji..."
"Onmyoji?"
"Yin-yang sorceress of sorts. From the eastern land of Dongyeong, practitioners of their proprietary Yin-Yang Tao sorcery. Yet I have heard naught of female Onmyoji."
I attended his novel lore raptly, then queried arms crossed.
"Formidable?"
Jilwol nodded gravely.
"Exceedingly so. The sorcery power sensed through the black jade was immense. One of her caliber ranks among Dongyeong's premier sorcerers."
"Can we two prevail?"
"'Twould prove arduous..."
Under ordinary straits, I would charge mute and silent, snapping her neck ere spells flew—sorcerers posed no threat thus. Yet from myriad deaths and this baleful premonition, I opted caution. After deliberation, I said.
"Her location known?"
"Aye."
"Then summon the Twelve Precepts' experts and sorcerers; we strike together."
"Wise counsel."
Jilwol forthwith dispatched edicts to the Twelve Precepts branches and outposts in the Western Capital. Detailing a Dongyeong sorcerer's summoning of Classic of Mountains and Seas monsters to sow chaos in Goryeo lands, it took some five days to assemble the subjugation party.
The party numbered twenty-three: Twelve Precepts warriors and sorcerers, plus myself. Jilwol, de facto commander, hoisted his rosary high and bellowed.
"Exterminate the Japanese fiend!!"
"Wooooahhh!!"
I watched from the sidelines, chuckling softly.
'Sometimes, I crave joining the dogpile.'
It lifted my spirits. Ever taking beatings myself, witnessing others get theirs promised catharsis.