Gwiungok (2)
Dang Sobaek returned after hiding the spring picture book beneath a large boulder near Gwiungok.
He could have kept it inside the gokok, but he wanted to keep it as far away from himself as possible.
Yet, he couldn't bring himself to burn it either, fearing what kind of curse or calamity might befall him if he did.
It was only right to call that thing a ghost-relic.
Normally, anyone who cultivated the Mandok-gwigong would possess a decent resistance to heterodox sorcery, yet he hadn't been able to muster even a shred of resistance against it.
If he conceded slightly and chalked it up to the ghost-relic's power being overwhelmingly strong, it might make sense. However, what puzzled him was...
'Jim-i and that monkey seem perfectly fine, though...'
It seemed he was the only one who had undergone that bizarre experience.
He couldn't remember any of the details. Yet, the sheer terror he felt remained vividly etched in his mind. That realization chilled him to the bone.
Dang Sobaek shook his head, trying to banish the thoughts. He felt that if he kept obsessing over it, he would fall into a mental demon.
'Still, this is quite useful.'
The method to control the gokok given to him by the monkey beast-king was simpler than he had expected.
Swoosh.
Even without physically entering the gokok, simply channeling his beast qi into it shared his vision with its interior, allowing him to clearly perceive what lay inside.
The inside of the gokok was lined with so many books that it could easily be called a Scripture Pavilion.
Retrieving what he wanted was also easy; all it took was a mere thought.
Out of curiosity, he pulled out one book to examine it.
'As expected, this is not the Central Plains.'
Though the characters resembled Hanja, they were written in a distinctly different script.
Since he couldn't examine all the books right now, he tucked the gokok inside his beak.
It was a bit unhygienic, but he had no choice. With the body of a bird, there was no other practical way to carry it.
Before heading toward Gwiungok, he glanced around his surroundings.
"Cheep! Cheep-cheep!"
"Oook."
"L-Let me down."
Jim-i was currently performing acrobatics in the air with the monkey beast-king riding on her back. It was only possible because she had grown significantly larger in the meantime.
Jim-i looked incredibly amused, but the monkey beast-king's face was pale with fright.
'Well, whatever. As long as she's having fun.'
In any case, he had no intention of bringing Jim-i to Gwiungok. If she were to be consumed by the ghost fog, things would become highly problematic.
Leaving Jim-i to her play, Dang Sobaek flapped his wings and took flight.
Although Gwiungok wasn't terribly far, it would take at least two hours to reach the specific spot Sobaek had scouted out.
By now, Sobaek's flight skills were quite formidable, and the surrounding scenery whipped past him in a blur.
Gradually, the distance closed. Below him, ghost qi surged and billowed like waves.
An ordinary person would lose their mind in less than fifteen minutes, and even a first-class martial artist would struggle to endure it for an hour.
Dang Sobaek circulated his Mandok-gwigong as he slowly descended.
The atmosphere was entirely different from how it looked from above. The dense canopy of trees blocked out even the slightest sliver of sunlight.
It truly lived up to the name Gwiungok—the Valley of Ghostly Clouds.
Even though he had wrapped his entire body in beast qi for protection, his skin pricked. And this was the area where the concentration of ghost qi was at its thinnest.
It was definitely not a place to linger.
Whoosh—
A bleak, chilly wind blew past.
Dang Sobaek sharpened his senses to a razor's edge, scanning his surroundings to prepare for any unexpected danger.
'Indeed. They didn't sweep all the way out here.'
It must have been too much of a burden even for them. The dense ghost qi shrouding the entire mountain was not something just anyone could withstand.
It had nothing to do with physical strength.
A 'ghost' referred to a soul, carrying all kinds of negative emotions, obsessions, and grudges from its past life. Thus, regardless of how robust one's physical body was, it slowly ate away at the mind.
Wasn't Gwiungok a place avoided even by the mighty Demonic Cult?
Only sects like the Ghost Dao Sect or the Blood Cult, which dabbled in heterodox sorcery outside of standard martial arts, showed any interest in such places. Among the orthodox factions, the Sichuan Tang Clan was the sole exception.
The reason was simple. Due to the unique environment of Gwiungok, it was teeming with mutated organisms that could never be found under normal conditions.
Occasionally, things that could be classified as herbs came into view. However, they had been contaminated by the ghost qi, their shapes warped into grotesque forms.
Normally, such plants would be useless as medicine. Nevertheless, Sobaek dug up several of the herbs he spotted and stored them inside the gokok.
Herbs steeped in ghost qi had their own unique uses.
Dang Sobaek scoured every nook and cranny of Gwiungok like a wild ginseng digger, harvesting the mutated herbs.
In the Central Plains, valleys like Gwiungok were exceedingly rare, and even when they existed, most were artificially created, making it difficult to obtain proper specimens.
'But here...'
This place was practically a gold mine.
If he could utilize these properly, he would be able to create something entirely different from the conventional systems of poison.
'Are there no ghost-beasts around?'
He had hoped to hunt a suitable one and store it in the gokok. It was a bit of a shame.
'Still, this is more tolerable than I expected.'
If he stayed too long, even Sobaek would eventually lose his mind, but for now, he was perfectly fine.
He ventured a bit deeper. Soon, faint, whitish shapes began to appear.
They were so blurry that it was hard to make them out clearly, but they generally resembled the shapes of beasts.
They were what people commonly referred to as ghosts. They bared their hostility openly and rushed toward Sobaek.
Sobaek gained more altitude and flew straight past them.
As he flew through the ravine between the mountains toward the center,
Swoooosh!
Tentacle-like appendages shot toward him. He quickly rolled his body to dodge them and soared vertically upward.
Only after securing a safe distance did he look down.
'A ghost-tree?'
A massive tree was scattering a dismal, eerie energy, thrashing its branches in all directions.
"Squeeeal! Squeal! Squeeeeeeal!"
A shrill scream echoed.
A wild boar that had turned into a ghost-beast was wrapped in branches, being dragged toward the trunk.
It thrashed violently in an attempt to break free, but the tree didn't budge. Instead, the branches tightened their grip even further around the boar's body.
Splat!
Its internal organs ruptured, and it coughed up a torrent of blood before its body went completely limp.
A moment later, the ground near the ghost-tree bubbled, and thick roots burst forth to wrap around the boar.
'My word...'
Dang Sobaek let out a soft exclamation of awe.
The boar slowly sank beneath the soft earth.
'So it absorbs nutrients in this manner.'
It seemed a plant that was originally a 'beast-tree' had been corrupted by ghost qi, growing even stronger.
Grotesque and terrifying. It was a sight that would easily evoke such feelings in anyone.
An ordinary person would certainly have thought so. But Sobaek was different.
Though he frowned, he observed the phenomenon with keen interest, keeping a safe distance.
Thump, thump.
The inside of the ghost-tree's trunk pulsed and surged repeatedly, looking remarkably like blood vessels.
'The branches are for hunting, while the roots are for draining bodily fluids and absorbing nutrients.'
Even so, it hadn't escaped the fundamental limitations of being a plant.
While its ability to move its roots and branches at will with such elasticity was impressive,
'It seems it cannot move from its spot.'
In the end, it was merely a tree, rooted firmly in place.
Sobaek considered taking a specimen but decided against it. The risks far outweighed the benefits. There was no need to court unnecessary danger.
Just as he lost interest and prepared to head back,
"!"
A fruit sprouted from between the branches of the ghost-tree.
It resembled a peach, and not only did a sweet fragrance waft in all directions,
'Beast qi?'
But it also contained an energy so dense it could easily be called a spiritual fruit.
This was highly tempting.
He didn't know how it was possible, but the ghost qi within it was remarkably faint.
He would have to run experiments to be absolutely sure, but this was certainly worth taking a risk for.
Currently, the number of beast-kings on this island had drastically decreased.
If he could mass-produce such spiritual fruits, they would serve as an excellent alternative.
Dang Sobaek circulated his Mandok-gwigong to make his body as light as possible.
He intended to perform the body-lightening art with his Jimjo body.
While complex aerial maneuvers were difficult, it was perfect for generating a burst of maximum speed.
He concentrated his beast qi into his wings, preparing to launch himself forward. But right at that moment—
Whoosh!
A split second before him, a bird with ink-colored feathers plummeted from above.
Its speed was terrifying.
Dang Sobaek's eyes quickly tracked its movement.
—*Screeech!*
The ghost-tree's wail echoed across the entire mountain. It was a spine-chilling, ghostly shriek.
Immediately after, its branches lashed out in all directions.
The ink-colored bird snatched the spiritual fruit in its talons, dodging the branches with peerless agility as it soared back into the sky.
Somehow, the sight was familiar. Though the color of its feathers was different,
It was the wild bird that had reportedly attacked the monkey troop.
It was Jim-il.
Jim-i was curious about everything.
Sometimes she would quietly watch insects,
and other times she would refrain from eating captured prey immediately, instead observing their reactions for amusement.
Depending on the observer's perspective, one might call it cruel,
but it was simply the 'innocence' of her youth.
However, these guys were a bit different.
Not only did they present her with delicious fruits, but they also brought her water that made her feel wonderful when she drank it.
They were good fellows.
During her time by Dang Sobaek's side, Jim-i had learned one important lesson.
"Cheep!"
Those who caused harm must be thoroughly punished, and those who showed kindness must be repaid in kind.
Children, after all, were like blank canvases, easily dyed by their surroundings.
Without even realizing it, she had been influenced by Sobaek, firmly adopting the mindset of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Thus, Jim-i repaid the monkeys in her own way.
She took them flying through the sky on her back, and even plucked her own feathers to give them as gifts.
Of course, this was entirely from Jim-i's perspective. There was no telling if the monkeys felt the same way.
In any case, through her interactions with the monkey troop, Jim-i had finally grasped the concept of 'friends' outside of her family.
They were not prey to be hunted,
"P-Please let me down now."
but companions she could hang out and play with.
Jim-i landed gracefully on the ground and looked around.
"Cheep?"
Dang Sobaek was nowhere to be seen. He had gone out earlier and had yet to return.
Usually, whenever Sobaek went outside, Jim-i would follow him without exception, even if she was playing with the monkeys.
Yet, today she hadn't followed him.
"Hehehe."
It was because she had a plan of her own.
He would likely return around dusk today as well. Before then, there was a place she wanted to take the monkey beast-king.
"Cheep! Cheep-cheep!"
That place was none other than...
"I-I don't want to. Go by yourself."
"Cheep!"
The spot where Dang Sobaek had hidden the spring picture book.
Beneath the square boulder.
It wasn't something to eat, nor could it move, but looking at it strangely made her feel good. It gave her a mysterious, warm feeling in her chest.
Since it was such a wonderful item, Sobaek must have hidden it for himself.
Whenever she quietly watched Sobaek, she felt that while he was a great younger brother, he was far too greedy.
If there was something good, shouldn't they share it?
"...Fine. But are we going to fly again?"
"Cheep!"
"..."
The monkey chief, seemingly pleased with her suggestion, spun around in circles.
Without a second thought, Jim-i took the monkey chief on her back and headed toward the spot where Sobaek had hidden the spring picture book.
It was near the entrance of the mountain, where a chilly energy lingered.
An ominous energy billowed and flowed out.
Of all places, why did he have to hide it here?
Jim-i let out a deep sigh as she descended.
'Cheep...?'
But no matter how thoroughly she searched beneath the boulder, the spring picture book was nowhere to be found.
Had he caught wind of her perfect plan and hidden it somewhere else?
It was a shame, but there was nothing she could do. Just as she was about to give up and head back,
"..."
The monkey chief was walking toward the cliff with unfocused, vacant eyes.
He was muttering incomprehensible words.
It was creepy. She didn't know why, but it gave her a bad feeling.
Jim-i frowned and smacked the monkey chief on the back of his head with her wing.
"Cheep!!!"
"Gah!!! Uh..."
Only then did his pupils focus again.
The monkey, Sobaek... every single one of them was so immature.