Bang!
Returning to her residence, Radiant Blossoms Hall, Great Madam Seok kicked a chair violently. The kick, imbued with internal energy, split the chair in two. Her face flushed red, she seethed.
“How dare he!”
Back at the Medicine Hall, she had suppressed her anger as much as she could. But now that things had turned out this way, it was hard to contain her fury.
“Madam, please calm yourself.”
Her guard, Ho-aeng, carefully tried to dissuade her. She then spoke in an annoyed tone.
“Calm down? Do I look like I can calm down? I went to all the trouble of finding and bringing a renowned Occultist, only for some other brat to take the seal... Aah!”
“Madam!”
Madam Seok clutched the back of her neck. She closed her eyes, perhaps feeling dizzy from her rising blood pressure. Truth be told, among the Mok family's children, while she kept an eye on the cunning second son and the youngest son favored by the Manor Lord, the third son, Mok Gyeong-un, was never on her radar.
He had no talent for martial arts, and it was no exaggeration to say that his maternal family was all but ruined. That's why she paid him no mind at all. But who would have thought that this brat she never gave a second thought to would become such an unexpected obstacle.
Gnash!
Madam Seok ground her teeth. She had not expected the brat to bargain like this with the Manor Lord's seal. She had thought that just a little intimidation would make him cough it up.
‘... Was he always like this?’
The Mok Gyeong-un she knew had no such cunning side. On the contrary, he was closer to being a coward and a craven. There were many anecdotes to support this.
‘Was he hiding his true nature?’
Indeed, before his mother died, he had always been known to be quite brilliant, if not a martial genius.
‘Perhaps he did it to protect himself after that.’
If that was the case, he might be someone she needed to be even more wary of. He himself had drawn a line, saying he wasn't interested in the position of Manor Lord, but those who knew how to hide themselves and had great patience were always the most terrifying.
‘And that power...’
That strange power bothered her. She suddenly recalled the maid So-hwa, how veins had popped out on her as she struggled to breathe. Watching that had reminded her of the dead Occultist Myo Shin.
So-hwa's appearance was very similar. Which meant, “... The brat must have killed Occultist Myo Shin too.”
“You mean that brat, Mok Gyeong-un?”
“Yes.”
That certainly made all the pieces fall into place. She had brought him because he was rumored to be quite skilled, so it made no sense for such an Occultist to suddenly be possessed by an anomaly and go berserk. It had to be that brat Mok Gyeong-un's doing.
At Madam Seok's conviction, Guard Ho-aeng flew into a rage.
“How dare he kill someone the Madam summoned? Please leave it to me. Before he can use his Demonic Arts, I will take care of him without a trace...”
“Stop.”
“But...”
“If the Manor Lord's seal truly ends up in the hands of the second son, Mok Eun-pyeong, or the youngest, Mok Yu-cheon, my son will have to bear the consequences.”
“Even so, if we let him lead us by the nose...”
“Who said I would let him lead me by the nose?”
“Pardon?”
Madam Seok took something out of a white porcelain vase in a cabinet on one side of the room. It was a small jade bead. A unique pattern was carved onto the bead, and she handed it to Guard Ho-aeng.
“This is?”
“Take this to the Ghost Shadow Pavilion in Dream City. And inform the pavilion master that Occultist Myo Shin has been murdered.”
“Ah!”
Understanding her intentions, Guard Ho-aeng nodded. Ghost Shadow Pavilion. It was the group of Occultists to which the deceased Myo Shin belonged.
Slap!
Guard Go Chan's head snapped to the side from the slap. Guard Gam looked at him, clicking his tongue in disappointment.
“Tsk, tsk, is watching a single brat so difficult?”
“N-no, sir.”
“I told you that you were permitted to restrain him, yet you took him to the main hall? Were you out of your mind to do such a thing?”
Go Chan couldn't say a word in response to Guard Gam's scolding. In truth, he wanted to reveal everything that had happened while Guard Gam was away. No, he had originally planned to do so.
But now, he hesitated.
‘... Why do I feel so uneasy?’
In terms of martial arts alone, his senior brother could take care of the brat anytime he wished. And yet, after experiencing the fake Mok Gyeong-un, he had grown to fear the brat. The poison in his blood and his bizarre Demonic Arts were concerning, but what bothered him more was that the brat didn't feel human.
It seemed that antagonizing him would not end well.
‘Damn it.’
I don't know what kind of mess this is. Things were great when they had just found someone to act as Mok Gyeong-un's double, but now he was in a position where he had to do whatever that double commanded.
[I trust you'll keep your mouth shut.]
‘...’
Those words were quite unsettling. Though the brat was outside the Medicine Hall and shouldn't be able to hear, he strangely felt watched. It was a strange feeling, as if someone was watching him.
Just why was this happening? While he was caught up in this strange feeling, Guard Gam, who had been clicking his tongue, spoke.
“If you let that brat wander around again, I won't let you off easy.”
“... His thigh was pierced, so he'll have trouble walking for a while anyway.”
“Thigh or not, don't let him stand out.”
“Understood.”
“Anyway, you're sure the great madam didn't find out, right?”
“Yes. I'm sure. I was right next to him. However, the great madam was displeased because we stopped by the main hall.”
‘To be precise, it was because the brat held all the cards and bargained with the great madam.’
Go Chan's mouth went dry. The line of whose side he was on had blurred. To think he had to hide half the truth from the very senior brother he should be reporting to.
“Tsk, tsk.”
Guard Gam shook his head. As expected, that brat is not suited to be a double. I should have known when he killed the real Mok Gyeong-un on the spot, but as time goes on, he will become even harder to control.
‘I must hurry.’
If he continues to act on his own like this despite my warning, things could go wrong later. A quick decision was needed on who to switch to.
“Watch him and don't take your eyes off him for a second.”
“Aren't you going to warn him yourself?”
“There are too many watching eyes.”
Inside the Medicine Hall, there were physicians and servants. Although they were just household servants, they themselves were guards, so they couldn't boss them around, and even if he was a fake, they couldn't recklessly scold him in front of others. And, ‘He’s cunning.
Nothing good will come from talking with that brat for too long.’ It was better to keep him in the dark about how things were progressing. That way, it would be easier to dispose of him after switching sides.
Regardless of the conversation happening outside, Mok Gyeong-un was leaning back comfortably, flipping through a book. It was the Yin-Yang Fundamental Scripture. As he flipped through the book, a particular passage caught Mok Gyeong-un's eye.
‘When the dead become vengeful spirits and turn into anomalies, their rank changes depending on various conditions.’
The Yin-Yang Fundamental Scripture described anomalies in more detail than he had expected. According to this, the Demonic Monk could be called a type of specter or ghost, a vengeful spirit that had become an anomaly.
‘A low-ranking, weak vengeful spirit takes the form of an earthbound spirit and can only affect the living to the extent of stimulating their sixth sense. Hmm.’
According to the Yin-Yang Fundamental Scripture, the ranks of vengeful spirits were divided into seven stages. Setting aside the various conditions and simply dividing the ranks, The first is the Red Spirit... an earthbound spirit that can cause goosebumps or a slight chill in living beings.
The second is the Vermilion Spirit... it can possess others, making their bodies feel heavy or sick enough to have body aches. The third is the Yellow Spirit... from this point on, they were described as being dangerous enough to require exorcism.
In terms of rank, a Yellow Spirit-level being becomes a killing curse, capable of not just weakening its possessed target but even leading them to death.
‘... In terms of rank, is the Demonic Monk a Yellow Spirit?’
Even Yellow Spirits themselves are divided into three sub-levels based on their danger. The low-level can reveal its form and directly instill fear in humans. The mid-level can directly affect or inflict pain on living beings.
The high-level can kill its possessed target.
Swoosh!
Just then, someone appeared like smoke, passing through the wall near the entrance of the Medicine Hall. It was the Demonic Monk. He hadn't realized it, but the Demonic Monk seemed to be a higher-ranking anomaly than he thought.
‘So that's what it meant to affect a living being.’
He now understood why the Demonic Monk couldn't touch the dead body of Occultist Myo Shin. It was because he was already dead. A dead body, having no life, could not be affected.
‘I see.’
But there were also things he had learned that were not described in the Yin-Yang Fundamental Scripture. He had the Demonic Monk target the great madam, Madam Seok. However, the great madam reacted instantly the moment the Demonic Monk touched her slightly, pushing it away.
‘Did they say that woman was a first-rate master?’
On the other hand, the great madam's maid was completely unaware and helplessly overpowered until the Demonic Monk directly threatened her life. What was the difference between them? Was it because the maid hadn't learned martial arts?
‘Could it be that anomalies are ineffective against those who have learned martial arts?’
The Yin-Yang Fundamental Scripture did not mention anything about that.
Creeak!
Just then, Guard Go Chan opened the door to the Medicine Hall and entered. At this, the corners of Mok Gyeong-un's mouth lifted slightly as he muttered.
“A good test subject.”
“Pardon?”
Go Chan asked, wondering what he meant.
“Ah. I wasn't talking to you, Guard Go Chan. Shall we try lifting an arm lightly?”
“Young Master, what do you mean by that?”
It was at that very moment.
Flinch!
Go Chan suddenly felt a chill run down his entire body. It was something strange that went beyond the realm of the five senses, beyond physical sensation.
Whoosh!
“Huh?”
Go Chan's arm was suddenly forced upwards.
'Nngh!'
Startled, Go Chan sent his internal power to resist it. However, his arm, trembling as he resisted, couldn't hold out for long and was forcibly lifted upwards.
‘What in the world...’
Go Chan was utterly bewildered, unable to understand what was happening. But he soon understood why it was happening.
“Y-Young Master?”
At that, Mok Gyeong-un gently waved his hand. Then, as if someone released their grip on his wrist, he was able to lower the arm that had been forcibly raised. Though his wrist was lowered, Go Chan, clearly startled, said to Mok Gyeong-un.
“What on earth did you just do?”
“I just needed to confirm something.”
“Confirm?”
“Yes.”
“Why would you do that to me...”
“You were just right for it. Did you say you were a second-rate martial artist, Guard Go Chan?”
“I am. But what is it you're trying to confirm...”
“You don't need to know.”
“...”
Right, as if you would tell me nicely. Go Chan stood before the bed with an expression of unease he could not hide.
‘Damn brat.’
He slightly regretted not telling his senior brother, Guard Gam, exactly what had happened. Regardless, Mok Gyeong-un nodded to himself as if he had learned something.
‘It works on someone like Guard Go Chan.’
Go Chan had also noticed it the moment the Demonic Monk grabbed his wrist. Perhaps because he had learned internal energy, his senses were certainly sharper than those of ordinary people. However, though he resisted for a bit, he couldn't overcome the Demonic Monk's power.
‘So, the Demonic Monk's power works without issue on ordinary people and up to second-rate martial artists.’
That was the standard for it to work reliably. It wasn't confirmed yet, but perhaps the power of a Yellow Spirit-level anomaly might not be very effective against a first-rate master. If that was the case, it would be a bit disappointing.
‘Well, it's not like it's useless, though.’
The anomaly, the Demonic Monk, was useful in many ways. Just like how he had it eavesdrop on the conversation between Go Chan and Guard Gam a moment ago, he could have it conduct surveillance at close range, and it was also good for scouting ahead in blocked-off areas. How useful it was.
Suddenly, as Mok Gyeong-un read the following passages of the Yin-Yang Fundamental Scripture, a thought occurred to him.
‘It wouldn't be bad to obtain a stronger anomaly.’
The fourth is the Green Spirit...
Extremely dangerous.
Exorcism is essential. A vengeful spirit that has existed for over several decades. It can confuse living beings to the point of affecting surrounding objects and causing auditory hallucinations.