‘What in the world...’
Occultist Sak could not hide her bewilderment. If what she had just felt was not a mistake, it had surely surpassed the rank of a Yellow Spirit. This was more unexpected than the pain of the reverse killing curse being thrown back at her.
A vengeful spirit of Yellow Spirit-rank or higher?
“Occultist Sak? Are you alright?”
Great Madam Seok asked as she helped her up. To this question, Sak nodded her head. Although the reverse killing curse had been thrown back, she had been protecting her body with a Guardian Talisman, so she avoided any fatal internal injuries.
“Cough, cough...”
“What on earth happened?”
“It repelled the reverse killing curse I sent.”
“Repelled the reverse killing curse? What in the world does that mean?”
“It's exactly as it sounds. My junior, Myo Shin, lost her life to the vengeful spirit's killing curse. With the help of the Northern Emperor, I sent that curse back to the vengeful spirit that cast it.”
“But you're saying it deflected it?”
“Yes.”
At her answer, Madam Seok furrowed her brow. What kind of situation was this? An Occultist more skilled than Myo Shin had her reverse killing curse deflected.
She did not know what to make of it.
“... Then, can this matter not be resolved?”
To Madam Seok's question, Occultist Sak wiped the black blood from the corner of her mouth and said.
“It's not a matter of resolving it.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The situation has become far more dangerous than anticipated.”
Hearing the grave tone in Sak's voice, Madam Seok asked back with a worried look.
“Dangerous?”
“If its rank was around a Yellow Spirit, I could have sent a reverse killing curse and exorcised the weakened vengeful spirit with talisman arts. But that plan has gone awry.”
“Gone awry...”
“It is a wicked vengeful spirit of a much higher rank than that.”
At Sak's words, Madam Seok asked in a tone of incomprehension.
“Do vengeful spirits have ranks?”
“Yes. You can think of it as a measure of their danger level.”
“Then just now, Yellow Spirit? Did you say Yellow Spirit? Anyway, you said it's a vengeful spirit of a higher rank than a Yellow Spirit, so just how much more dangerous is it?”
At those words, she pushed back her disheveled hair and answered.
“Truthfully, even a Yellow Spirit-rank is very dangerous, as it can directly cast a killing curse on a person and take their life. But anything above that, even Occultists who have dealt with anomalies cannot help but be tense.”
“Even Occultists?”
“Yes. Vengeful spirits of Green Spirit-rank and above are quite rare.”
“Why is that?”
“To become a vengeful spirit of Green Spirit-rank or higher, its grudge must persist for decades, or it must have suffered immense pain. Most vengeful spirits' grudges naturally fade over time, and they are exorcised on their own.”
“... So, these Green Spirits are vengeful spirits that have survived through long years?”
“Yes. A vengeful spirit that has existed for decades. That is a Green Spirit. A high-rank vengeful spirit of that level is not easy even for Occultists who specialize in this work. In most cases, it takes five or more Spirit Couriers, the lowest title, risking their lives to exorcise one.”
A Green Spirit was an existence that those with the title of Spirit Courier, like Occultist Myo Shin, could never handle. Hearing Sak's words, Madam Seok carefully asked.
“Then, is the vengeful spirit possessing him that decades-old Green Spirit?”
“Perhaps.”
Sak surmised as much. A rank higher than that, even she had only seen twice. It would not be an exaggeration to call them calamities, but she believed it wasn't that severe.
In the first place, if it were a vengeful spirit of that rank, this Lotuswood Sword Manor would already be stained with blood. Its effective radius simply could not be compared to those below a Green Spirit. That was why she was certain it was a Green Spirit.
“Occultist Sak... it's that dangerous, can you handle it alone?”
To Madam Seok's question, Sak held out her hand.
“... What is the meaning of this?”
“You will have to pay an additional fee in silver coins.”
“What?”
“For a Green Spirit-rank, five hundred silver coins are not enough. You must raise it to a thousand.”
“...”
To think she would haggle in a situation like this. At Sak's words, it was not Madam Seok but Guard Ho-aeng who, dumbfounded, interjected.
“A thousand silver coins? No matter how you look at it, you can buy so many sacks of rice with just five hundred silver coins. Do you think that makes any sense?”
“Silver coins and a life cannot be compared.”
“A life? Ha! Just because the Madam hired you, you seem to be misunderstanding something. This is a martial family. This is not a place with ordinary people...”
“In that case, the Guard can resolve it herself.”
With those words, Occultist Sak turned to leave the warehouse.
‘This wench, really!’
Unable to tolerate her actions any longer, Guard Ho-aeng blocked her path.
“Who said you could just leave?”
“Please step aside.”
“Unless you spit back out what you received...”
“No. It's alright.”
“What?”
Guard Ho-aeng was puzzled by the sudden words, but Sak glanced at the shoulder perch on her shoulder and muttered soothingly.
“Calm down. Guyeo.”
‘!?’
There was nothing on the shoulder perch. But why was she muttering to herself like that, making one nervous for no reason? Annoyed by this, Guard Ho-aeng asked.
“What's on the shoulder perch that you're saying such things? Just like before, you keep talking as if something is there...”
Before her words could even finish. A faint rustling sound reached her ears. At this, Ho-aeng looked towards the source.
‘Huh?’
There were sacks piled up, and nothing else. But once again, the rustling sound reached her ears. And this time, from all over.
Rustle-rustle! Rustle-rustle!
Ho-aeng, with a tense face, moved her hand to the hilt of the sword at her waist. It was an unpleasant sound. It came from all directions, and it was extremely unsettling.
Then, Sak waved her hand and spoke in a firm voice.
“Guyeo. Stop.”
As soon as she said that, the rustling sounds that had been coming from everywhere instantly ceased. Feeling an ominous premonition, Ho-aeng asked in a somewhat subdued voice.
“Wh-what was that just now?”
To her question, Sak shook her head left and right and said.
“Do not provoke Guyeo.”
With those words, Sak reached out her hand to the empty space above the shoulder perch and made a stroking motion. She had done the same thing earlier, and it was impossible to tell what she was doing.
“There's nothing there, what on earth...”
“Guyeo is very shy.”
“No. What in the world is a Guyeo that you keep...”
“Guyeo is an indigenous evil spirit monster from Maiden Mountain at the end of Reed Mountain.”
“Evil spirits and monsters? Don't tell me, a demon?”
“Something like that.”
Evil spirits and monsters. To be precise, goblins or demons in the mountains are called 'Imae', and demons that live in rivers or seas are called 'Mangryang'. From ancient times, people have combined these terms to call them evil spirit monsters.
“Guyeo is one such evil spirit monster that has become my Spirit Guardian. Of course, even if it is shy, it will never forgive anyone who harms its master.”
As soon as those words were finished, the torch flickered, casting a peculiar shadow behind the shoulder perch.
‘Wh-what is this?’
Seeing the shadow, Ho-aeng took a step back with a terrified face. There was clearly nothing visible on the shoulder perch, but a large, flickering shadow with a body coiled like a snail, the beak of a bird, and the tail of a snake was visible. The sight was utterly bizarre.
“If you have no further business, please step aside.”
Sak tried to walk past the terrified Ho-aeng. At that moment, Madam Seok spoke.
“Wait!”
“...”
“Can you truly handle that vengeful spirit, the Green Spirit or whatever it's called?”
At that question, the corners of Sak's mouth, who had her back turned, crept up slightly. She had expected they wouldn't be able to refuse anyway. A Green Spirit-rank was indeed very dangerous, but as a Spirit Adept who could command a Spirit Guardian, she could handle it one way or another.
Sak erased the smile from her lips, turned her head with a serious expression, and said.
“Since it repelled the reverse killing curse, the vengeful spirit must be very angry. If we don't deal with it immediately, a greater disaster could occur.”
Madam Seok looked at Sak with sharp eyes. Then, she quickly made a decision.
“Fine. One thousand silver coins. I will pay it.”
“Upfront.”
“...”
This Occultist wench. She seems to be secretly crazy for money.
Mok Gyeong-un slowly opened his closed eyes. Everything was different from when he had absorbed life-nurturing energy with a normal energy circulation technique. Rather, this cold yin energy absorbed through the Reverse Energy Circulation Technique could be circulated as freely as if he were wearing clothes tailored to his body.
It didn't even disappear after entering the pit of his stomach.
‘Was this the answer?’
This was better than forcing himself to absorb the ill-fitting life-nurturing energy. Moreover, he could even circulate this energy. But there was one problem.
‘It's too little.’
This death energy was significantly scarcer than the life-nurturing energy. It wasn't even one-tenth of the amount. It was like a dried-up spring; no matter how much he circulated it, it never felt properly filled.
‘What a shame.’
If he could secure more energy, it seemed he could even form a dantian with this death energy. Would it be faster to just kill someone and absorb their death energy with the Binding technique?
‘Hmm.’
For a moment, Mok Gyeong-un considered it. But that seemed difficult for now. The more people he killed recklessly, the more restrictions would appear, so even if he were to kill someone, a certain degree of careful calculation was necessary.
Otherwise, he could end up in a difficult situation like before.
‘Should I just ask them?’
The Demonic Monk or Blue Spirit, being vengeful spirits, might know where this death energy was most abundant. So he looked for the Demonic Monk, but, ‘Hm?’ The Demonic Monk's condition looked quite poor.
He was slumped on the floor, leaning against something, with wounds all over his body, and a grey, haze-like substance was rising from him. He didn't know why he was like this. Furthermore, Guard Go Chan was asleep on the Medicine Hall's bed in a strange posture, as if he had fainted.
‘What is it?’
Did something happen while he was circulating his energy? As he was wondering, someone's voice echoed. -Hmph. You're quite a handful, mortal.
The owner of the voice was Blue Spirit. Puffing out thick smoke with a long pipe in her mouth, she sat on the bed. She lifted Mok Gyeong-un's chin with the end of her long pipe and said. -Are you really a living human?
“You think I might be dead? My heart is beating just fine.” -Hmph.
If you were a perfectly living being, you should have been drawing in life-nurturing energy and performing a proper energy circulation technique, not death energy.
“Was there something wrong with that?”
To Mok Gyeong-un's question, Blue Spirit snorted. It wasn't a matter of it being wrong. She was simply curious about something that defied logic. -Do you not feel like your heart is about to burst or your head is about to split open?
“No, I don't.” -Strange.
Very strange.
I've never seen a mortal like you.
“Is that so? By the way, may I ask you something?”
To Mok Gyeong-un's question, Blue Spirit put the long pipe back in her mouth, took a deep drag, exhaled, and spoke in an annoyed tone. -Haaa. What is it you want to know?
“It's nothing much. How can I gather more of this death energy?” -What are you going to do with it?
Are you truly planning to form a dantian with that energy?
“Precisely.”
At Mok Gyeong-un's words, Blue Spirit's red lips twitched. She intensely disliked this mortal who had bound her, but on the other hand, she was curious. What form of power would be unleashed if he formed a dantian not with life-nurturing energy, but with death energy, and wielded it.
‘Death energy in the body of a living human...’
It's quite intriguing. Tapping the long pipe with her finger, she spoke. -Fine. I'll tell you.
There is a very easy way.
“What is it?” -You just have to kill.
“... Killing, you say?” -Whether human or anything else, when living things die, their life-nurturing energy transforms into death energy.
What you absorbed must have been something like that. At first, even Blue Spirit had thought it was impossible. After all, a living human should not be able to absorb death energy.
Hearing her words, Mok Gyeong-un licked his lips slightly and said.
“That's a shame. I also think that way would be faster, but it would become quite troublesome. So it seems difficult to just go around killing for now. Is there another way?”
‘A shame...’
The more she learned about this guy, the more certain she was that he was different from any ordinary human. Should she say his way of thinking was completely different? -If that's difficult, then change the place and time.
“Place and time?” -A place like this Medicine Hall is, in the first place, a place that saves people.
How much death energy do you think you can gather in a place overflowing with life-nurturing energy?
“Hoh.”
Mok Gyeong-un nodded his head as if he understood. Seeing this, Blue Spirit shook her head and continued speaking. -The time when life-nurturing energy is at its peak is the dawn before the sun rises. It is a time when life awakens, so life-nurturing energy is abundant.
When do you think the opposite is?
“Around sunset?”
At those words, Blue Spirit let out a small laugh. -No. “No?” -One might think so, but there is a specific time when the aura of death is most abundant.
“When is that?” -From the hour of the rat to the middle of the hour of the tiger.
This is called the hour of the dead.
“The hour of the dead? That sounds plausible.” -The absolute peak is in the middle of that, at the beginning of the hour of the ox.
At that time, death energy becomes most abundant.
“Then I should aim for that time. And as for the place, somewhere overflowing with yin energy would be good. A graveyard, for instance.” -So your head works that much, mortal.
Blue Spirit raised the corners of her red lips. But then, as if conscious of her expression, she quickly put on a straight face. Seeing this side of Blue Spirit, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled inwardly but didn't let it show, and spoke.
“Thank you for telling me. By the way, about Guard Go Chan, and also the Demonic Monk, could you tell me why he is like that?”
This was another thing he was curious about. -You're curious so soon. That mortal was... she was about to say he was trying to stop you from committing suicide with your reverse energy circulation, but she caught herself and quickly changed the subject. She was about to point at the Demonic Monk with her long pipe and speak, when, -Guyeo-o-o-o-o-o-o...
A strange sound came from outside. It sounded somewhat like a bird's cry, but from another angle, it also sounded like a fox's cry. As he was wondering about this, a rustling sound came from somewhere.
Mok Gyeong-un looked toward the source.
‘What is it?’
It seemed to be near the left side of the bed, but there was nothing there.
Rustle-rustle!
But this time, the sound came from the right side. So he looked there again, but this time too, there seemed to be nothing. Just as he was finding this strange.
Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!
Rustle! Sssssssssssssssssss!
The sounds came rampantly from all directions. When he turned his gaze there, something black was already crawling and covering the floor. They were none other than bugs.
Bugs of all kinds, and their number was too great to count.
“... What is this?” -Something more annoying than I thought has gotten involved, mortal.
“Pardon?” -It's a Guyeo.
In the Classic of Mountains and Seas, one of the Three Great Forbidden Books of the Central Plains, it is written: In the deep mountains of Maiden Mountain, there lives a lesser beast called the Guyeo. It has the beak of a bird, eyes like an owl, and a tail like a snake. The Guyeo avoids people.
The cry of the Guyeo sounds like it is calling its own name. Wherever the Guyeo appears, bugs will inevitably swarm, and not a single grain of rice can be harvested, eventually turning the land into a wasteland.