“Try what you just said.”
“W-what are you…”
“You said you could control the anomaly and get what you want from the Manor Lord's mouth.”
Occultist Myo Shin was momentarily dumbfounded. Judging by the atmosphere, he had expected to be told to save the Manor Lord. But he never imagined such words would come out.
‘Ha!’
Guard Go Chan was just as dumbfounded. He thought he would be told to have the occultist save the Manor Lord somehow, if only to avoid antagonizing the great madam, but he never expected him to make the same demand as her. Go Chan approached Mok Gyeong-un and whispered.
“Young Master. What on earth are you planning?”
“You heard him.”
“Pardon?”
“He said we can hear what the great madam wants from the Manor Lord's mouth.”
At those words, Guard Go Chan frowned and moved his lips. That was not what he was asking about.
“No, Young Master. What are you going to do by finding that out now?”
At that question, Mok Gyeong-un let out a faint scoff. Then, he asked in return.
“What are you going to do once you know?”
The reversed question left Guard Go Chan speechless for a moment. The meaning of the question was simple. It was a warning not to question or object to what he was doing.
‘Crazy bastard. What is he thinking.’
What did he intend to do by snatching what the great madam was after? The troubled Guard Go Chan was about to say something but then closed his mouth. It wasn't like the man would listen to his opinion anyway.
He was just worried that if things went wrong, some disaster might occur. Regardless, Mok Gyeong-un urged the occultist.
“Hurry up.”
“... Y-yes, I understand.”
Though he hesitated for a moment, Occultist Myo Shin had no choice. If he refused, there was no telling what this murderous young master would do to him. Myo Shin took something out of a book chest he had placed in the corner.
Smaller than a fist, it was a wooden doll. Seeing him bring out a randomly carved wooden doll, Mok Gyeong-un asked with curiosity.
“What are you going to do with that?”
“This wooden doll will be the medium.”
“A medium?”
“…If the Manor Lord comes into direct contact with the anomaly again like this, his life could be in danger, let alone performing an exorcism.”
This was true. An anomaly or an impurity, once separated from the body. Contacting it again could lead to a dangerous situation.
It was something an occultist who knew about anomalies should never do.
“I see. I understand.”
Mok Gyeong-un’s reaction was dry as could be. At his attitude, Occultist Myo Shin inwardly clicked his tongue.
‘The people of this family don't seem to care at all whether the Manor Lord lives or dies. Anyway, it'll be a big problem if I fail.’
Myo Shin looked at the Manor Lord’s severed arm on the floor with tense eyes. Although the talisman suppressed the anomaly, it was fundamentally an impurity derived from a killing curse. The slightest mistake could put not only the Manor Lord but also the occultist himself in danger.
‘Damn it.’
Swallowing dryly, Myo Shin finally took out a talisman. And he placed it on his own chest.
[Talisman of the Seven Stars' Descent] On the talisman were three ‘七’s, another three within a boundary, and yet another three within that boundary.
The Talisman of the Seven Stars' Descent. This was a talisman that received the protection of the Seven Stars. It was to prevent any killing curse from splattering onto himself while performing the occult arts. -Ssk ssk!
Then he took another talisman and began to write on it with red ink. 代 (Substitute), 通 (Connect). Along with strange symbols, those characters were written. With a tense face, Myo Shin attached the talisman with the character ‘代’ to the wooden doll, then wrapped its head with a red string.
Next, he attached the ‘通’ talisman to the sleeping Manor Lord's head and brought the other end of the red string from the wooden doll, wrapping it around the Manor Lord’s head as well.
‘It’s connected. Lastly, the Six-Person Soul-Wandering Talisman.’
Myo Shin took out a talisman longer than any he had used so far. This was the Six-Person Soul-Wandering Talisman, used for a technique where one creates a doll, infuses it with a soul, and controls it at will.
“It could be dangerous, so please step back.”
At his words, Mok Gyeong-un and Guard Go Chan retreated to the edge of the room. Then, Myo Shin formed a hand seal with his left hand, held the talisman with his right, and chanted the Wandering Soul Incantation.
“Goeroebyeonhwa cheonjibyeonbok yeoahaehaeng sinilyukchim ojisoyu singwibulcheuk geupgeubyeoyullyeong.”
At first, there was no change. But as Myo Shin pointed his hand seal toward the Manor Lord, -Parrrrr! The Manor Lord's body began to convulse strangely.
In that state, Myo Shin slowly moved his hand seal toward the wooden doll.
Then, -Wooooo!
The character ‘代’ on the talisman attached to the wooden doll darkened and began to emit a strange energy. It felt as if the wooden doll was alive.
‘This is creepy.’
Watching this, Guard Go Chan scrunched up his face in disgust. He had been through all sorts of things, but matters related to anomalies and occult arts were utterly unpleasant. What on earth were they trying to do?
He was watching with bated breath. -Tak! Occultist Myo Shin grasped the wooden doll and carefully moved it toward the arm consumed by the anomaly. He then placed the wooden doll right in front of the arm.
At that moment, the Manor Lord’s severed arm, which had the Suppression talisman on it, began to react. Though suppressed by the talisman, the veins twitched and looked ready to bulge out as they had before. Just then, -Pak!
Myo Shin ripped off the talisman with the character ‘Suppression’ written on it. As soon as he did, the veins on the Manor Lord’s severed right arm bulged out hideously, and it began to move as if alive, grabbing the wooden doll. -Gwak!
“Heok!”
The moment the arm grabbed the wooden doll, a groan escaped the Manor Lord’s lips.
“Huh?”
It was a strange thing. The arm grabbed the doll, yet the Manor Lord reacted. -Gwaaaak!
“Keeeuk.”
As the hand gripping the wooden doll tightened, the Manor Lord let out a pained groan, as if he could feel the agony.
‘Is-is this going to be a disaster?’
Guard Go Chan glanced at Mok Gyeong-un. But Mok Gyeong-un was watching intently with an expressionless face, not taking his eyes off the scene. It was amazing how unfazed he was by such a sight. -Smeul smeul!
Just then, the sinister something on the Manor Lord’s severed right arm flowed through the wooden doll.
“…Sinilyukchim ojisoyu singwibulcheuk geupgeubyeoyullyeong.”
‘It worked.’
Occultist Myo Shin, who was chanting, had a look of relief in his eyes. Fortunately, the anomaly accepted the medium as the Manor Lord. This was a kind of deception.
If the anomaly had not accepted the wooden doll as the Manor Lord, it would have gone berserk and caused a disaster. But thankfully, the trick had worked.
However, -Pakak! Pakak!
Small cracks began to appear on the wooden doll, which was now completely possessed by the anomaly.
‘!?’
Seeing this, Occultist Myo Shin’s eyes wavered. The wooden doll was made of refined willow wood, making it very resilient against the aura of death. But for cracks to appear as soon as the anomaly entered meant…
‘…The killing curse is too strong.’
Myo Shin swallowed dryly. He had thought that since it was interrupted, came out of the body it had possessed, and was weakened somewhat during the exorcism, its power would be diminished. But it had completely defied his expectations.
‘This is…’
On second thought, it made sense. An anomaly that could possess not an ordinary person, but a martial artist who cultivates qi, and threaten his very life, would naturally be on a different level from common impurities.
‘This is dangerous.’
For a moment, Occultist Myo Shin’s lips went dry. This anomaly, strong with a killing curse, did not seem like something he could control. If he tried to force it here, the wooden doll might shatter, and the suppressed anomaly could be unleashed.
“Young Master, it seems…”
Occultist Myo Shin could not finish his sentence. His eyes had met Mok Gyeong-un’s. -Flinch! No matter how he thought about it, it was utterly bizarre.
How could a living human have eyes like those of a dead person? Just looking at them was chilling. -Ssk! Just then, he saw Mok Gyeong-un fiddling with the sharp edge of his blade.
Seeing this, Myo Shin closed his mouth. It seemed this crazy young master would not believe his words unless he saw it for himself. No, anyone would be the same.
‘Ah!’
At that moment, a clever idea flashed through Occultist Myo Shin’s mind. It was practically a way out of this situation, and he wondered why he hadn't thought of it sooner. Myo Shin spoke.
“Young Master, I will control the anomaly. But since this seems quite important, is it alright for him to listen as well?”
The person Myo Shin gestured to was none other than Guard Go Chan.
“What? Ah…”
Go Chan, who was momentarily confused, understood. What they were trying to hear from the Manor Lord's mouth was the location of the secret manual and the Manor Lord’s seal. So he was asking if it was alright for a subordinate to hear it too.
“I will step outside for a moment.”
Although he wasn't truly a subordinate, Go Chan thought it was better to get out of the way himself rather than needlessly displease Mok Gyeong-un. Mok Gyeong-un seemed to agree, giving a slight nod. -Dureureuk! As Go Chan voluntarily exited the room, Myo Shin chanted the Wandering Soul Incantation again.
“Goeroebyeonhwa cheonjibyeonbok yeoahaehaeng sinilyukchim ojisoyu singwibulcheuk geupgeubyeoyullyeong!” -Parrrrrrrr!
“Keeeueuuuh!”
The wooden doll shook violently, and a groan of pain escaped the Manor Lord's lips. -Pagak! Another crack appeared on the wooden doll. As expected, it couldn't hold.
Knowing this, Myo Shin paid it no mind and formed the Tiger's Grasp hand seal with one hand, saying.
“By my command, act with haste! Wandering soul, answer my call!”
“Keeeueu… Who… who… is… call…ing… me?”
A coarse voice flowed from the suffering Manor Lord’s lips. The voice echoed strangely, as if it came from the other world. -Pagak! A crack ran down the chest of the wooden doll.
Watching this, beads of sweat formed on Myo Shin’s forehead.
“By my command, act with haste! Wandering soul, answer my question!”
“Wh…at… are… you… ask…ing?”
“By my command, act with haste! Answer where the Manor Lord's secret manual and seal are!” -Parrrrrr!
As the question was asked, the Manor Lord’s head convulsed just like the wooden doll. It shook violently, his eyelids moving on their own. -Pagak!
Pagak!
At the same time, cracks appeared on the wooden doll's eyes and neck. It looked as if it would shatter at any moment. Just then, the Manor Lord opened his mouth.
“Med…icine… Hall… un…der…ground… Jeong… stone… gate… in…side…”
‘Medicine Hall… underground Jeong… stone gate?’
That was definitely what he heard. He was about to continue speaking when, -Kwajik! At that moment, the wooden doll crumpled and shattered into a hideous shape.
Then, a sickening, shimmering something began to move along the red string towards the Manor Lord it was connected to. Myo Shin hurriedly shouted.
“Young Master! You must cut the string!”
‘The string?’
He knew something had gone wrong the moment the wooden doll shattered. Mok Gyeong-un hastily swung his sword at the string, along which the shimmering something was flowing. -Chwak! Just in time, the shimmering, sinister something lost its path as the string was cut.
‘Did it work?’
He was wondering if he had stopped it when, -Wooooong! The shimmering something shot up the sword at an incredible speed. Realizing this, Mok Gyeong-un tried to let go of the sword hilt.
But unlike the long, complexly tangled red string, the length of the sword was all too short. -Paak! A cold sensation flowed through his hand. The sensation traveled up his arm and rapidly penetrated his body.
His body lurched, and Mok Gyeong-un shook as if struck by lightning.
‘It worked!’
Seeing this, the corners of Occultist Myo Shin’s mouth turned up. It had gone according to his intention. The wooden doll was never going to withstand the anomaly filled with a killing curse.
Therefore, he had guessed that it would eventually break free from the Suppression during the Six-Person Soul-Wandering technique. So, Myo Shin had intentionally guided the anomaly to transfer to Mok Gyeong-un. And he had succeeded. -Pak!
Occultist Myo Shin took a talisman with ‘Suppression’ written on it from his robes and placed it on the convulsing Mok Gyeong-un’s forehead.
‘Two birds with one stone.’
The location of the secret manual and seal had roughly come from the Manor Lord’s mouth. Moreover, he had passed the anomaly onto this bastard. Anomalies have a will, so they learn.
This one had experienced an exorcism art and endured the Six-Person Soul-Wandering technique, so there was no longer any way to remove it with occult arts.
‘It’s a pity, but this happened because you pushed me.’
If one tried to forcibly remove the anomaly, the possessed person could lose their life or become a cripple. But either way was fine. His only job was to complete the great madam’s request.
His vision brightened. Jeong looked around. The sound of trickling water and chirping birds reached his ears at the same time.
This refreshing spring was where he came every morning to fetch water.
‘What was that?’
It felt like something had just happened. But he couldn’t remember what. It felt like he had a fleeting dream, or perhaps he had just spaced out for a moment.
‘It feels unsettling.’
He felt like he had forgotten something, but he couldn't recall it. Jeong, who had been sitting on a rock pondering, finally stood up. He then shouldered the water carrier he had set down.
‘I should hurry.’
If he was late, his grandfather would nag him. Jeong shouldered the water carrier and ran up the steep mountain path. This was a path he ran every day, so familiar he could navigate it with his eyes closed. -Cheolseok cheolseok!
The water in the buckets hanging from the carrier sloshed around. Despite that, not a single drop of water spilled out. By following his grandfather’s nagging to never spill any water, he had eventually learned not to spill a single drop.
And so, Jeong ran. After running for a while, as he neared the top of the mountain, ‘!?’
Jeong frowned.
He saw black smoke there. The smoke was rising from where his house was. Seeing this, Jeong threw down the water carrier and ran like mad towards the smoke.
Soon, he arrived. -Hwareureureuk! A wave of intense heat washed over him. The house was engulfed in flames.
Jeong’s face hardened terrifyingly. Frantically looking around, Jeong ran to the back of the burning house. In the backyard was a small vegetable patch.
It was because they grew whatever medicinal herbs they could themselves. Normally, his grandfather would be up early in the morning, pulling herbs from the patch.
‘Please… please…’
Jeong ran to the patch and stopped in his tracks. Through his eyes, which widened as if to burst, he saw something stained with blood. Things that should have been inside a body were scattered across the patch. -Eudeuk!
Jeong gritted his teeth. He then followed the trail of blood and pieces. Looking down the hill, Jeong shouted.
“Grandfather!”
His grandfather was there. The sight of his grandfather, his lower body torn away with only his torso remaining, was beyond gruesome. Even in that state, he was barely breathing, and Jeong could see his grandfather's face as he struggled to lift his head.
The moment he saw it, it felt like his sanity would shatter. Someone was standing beside him. It was a being with pupils so black there were no whites, and a pale face.
Jeong was completely unaware of him.
‘Is that what you desire most?’
He could feel Jeong’s pain. The being with black eyes, watching him, snapped its fingers. -Ttak! At that moment, a strange thing happened.
Jeong, who had been furious, could not hide his bewilderment.
‘What… is this?’
The sight of his grandfather at the bottom of the hill had vanished without a trace. Wondering where he had gone, he turned his head, and the burning house was standing there peacefully, as if nothing had happened. Moreover, the messy vegetable patch was perfectly fine.
He could see his grandfather in that patch, patting his back as he picked herbs.
“Grandfather?”
Then, his grandfather turned his head and said.
“Now that you’re here, why are you just standing there blankly instead of helping?”
The moment he heard his grandfather’s voice, a wave of emotion washed over him. He didn't know what had just happened, but he realized how precious his grandfather was. He would never lose his grandfather again.
He was the only reason he, who should have died, was alive. Behind this Jeong, someone with black eyes watched. He could not hide his satisfaction.
‘Yes. Live with your grandfather forever. Never lose what is precious to you again…’
It was at that very moment. Jeong, who had been trembling with emotion, suddenly whipped his head around.
‘!?’
The black-eyed being frowned. Jeong was staring straight at him with ominous eyes, like those of a dead person. It couldn't be.
The boy should never be able to perceive him… -Puk! In that instant, Jeong’s two fingers dug into the black eyes.
‘Kuaaaaaak!’
Jeong’s fingers gouged out his eyeballs and plucked them from their sockets. The black-eyed being, whose eyes were suddenly ripped out, writhed in agony. To him, Jeong spoke in an icy voice.
“I don’t know what you are, but you’re quite annoying. To think you’d play games with my deceased grandfather.”