Chapter 26

Chapter 026. The Twins of Light and Darkness

After leaving the capital, Hongyang, and passing through several villages on the way south, the greenery gradually disappeared.

In its place appeared dry, desertified land.

A hot, dry wind blew over the sand dunes. Under the blazing sun, Cheongyeon felt as though her entire body was burning.

Far in the distance, the sacred shamanic grounds of the Hae family seemed to beckon visitors like a shimmering mirage.

Dressed in shabby clothes, Cheongyeon slipped into a line of travelers walking in single file.

Only one thought filled her mind.

She had to receive the seals of Hui Kingdom's religious leaders and return to Beopsindang.

"You want us to visit the sacred sites separately?"

Cheongyeon had spent a long time persuading the puzzled Manwoo.

"It'll be impossible for us to visit every sacred site in Hui Kingdom before the Sibojeol ceremony. If we split up, we'll save that much more time."

"That's true, but..."

"Besides, if we all travel together as an official delegation from Beopsindang, wouldn't that make it even easier for the people targeting the Heavenly Maiden to find us?"

More than anything, Manwoo eventually gave in because there was simply no way to change Cheongyeon's mind.

"If I keep staying inside Beopsindang under the protection of the priests, I'll never learn what's actually happening in the outside world."

Then Cheongyeon added,

"While Priest Son visits the smaller sacred sites in the other regions, I'll go to Pasa, the sacred land of the Hae family."

"You're going to the Hae family alone? You do realize how dangerous that is, don't you? The people of the Hae family are secretive and closed off. It'll probably be difficult to persuade them..."

Manwoo trailed off.

Cheongyeon spoke firmly.

"You said there are rumors spreading through the marketplace, didn't you? That the Hae family's black sorcery has blinded the king's eyes and ears. That the king performed a ritual to summon ghosts, causing darkness to fall over the world."

"Where did you hear something like that?"

"One of the maids at Cheonsingak told me about a village where darkness had fallen. I think the Hae family might hold a clue that can help us solve that mystery."

"You're interested in something like the village covered in darkness..."

At the unexpected words from Cheongyeon, Manwoo's expression grew serious.

"As the Heavenly Maiden of Beopsindang, I can't ignore the suffering of the people."

"That doesn't mean you should charge into enemy territory alone. I can't tell whether you're fearless or simply reckless..."

"Don't worry. I'm stronger than I look."

More than anything else, Cheongyeon wanted to use this journey to discover the true nature of the dark power inside her.

"Good grief..."

As though deciding to change his approach, Manwoo spoke in a pleading tone.

"Have you thought about how Priest Jin will react when he finds out I sent the Heavenly Maiden to the Hae family alone? If he comes after me with that icy face of his and starts interrogating me..."

As though feeling a chill just imagining it, Manwoo quietly wrapped both arms around his broad shoulders.

"He entrusted your safety to me. I can't betray his trust."

Cheongyeon grabbed Manwoo's sleeve and urgently pleaded with him.

"Please keep it a secret from Priest Jin that we decided to travel separately."

"And what if that secret gets exposed?"

"Then I'll take responsibility and explain everything."

"...I tried my best to stop you. You're the one who insisted on this, Heavenly Maiden. Make sure you don't leave that part out when you explain it to Priest Jin."

Manwoo finally shook his head as though he had given up on everything.

"When you reach the Hae family, please give Lady Eunseong my regards."

"All right."

Only then did Cheongyeon smile brightly.

"Our final destination is the Buddhist sacred site of Namwan Guksa. Once we've finished visiting the sacred sites assigned to us, let's meet there again."

And so, Cheongyeon left Beopsindang alone and headed toward Pasa, the city of the Hae family.

"Sandstorm!"

At the people's shouts, Cheongyeon covered her face with a piece of plain cloth and held her breath for a moment.

Sand slipped into her eyes and nose, leaving them stinging and gritty.

After enduring several sandstorms, a massive rocky mountain finally appeared in the middle of the desert.

"So that's the Hae family's rocky mountain cave."

Cheongyeon murmured in awe.

The moment the mysterious mountain came into view, the travelers walking beside her instinctively dropped to the ground and bowed toward it.

Long ago, a spirit beast named Gusa had lived inside the rocky mountain cave.

Gusa was an auspicious beast with the head of a snake and the body of a turtle. It possessed tremendous power over nature.

For generations, the heads of the Hae family had served as mediums of the rocky mountain and conducted rituals for Gusa.

They also gathered medicinal herbs that grew from Gusa's saliva and used them to create medicine said to grant longevity.

However, as the family's traditional faith gradually became corrupted, Gusa eventually disappeared.

The previous heads of the Hae family combined their old traditional beliefs with an esoteric religion spread by outsiders.

That mixture eventually developed into black sorcery.

Although black sorcery brought prosperity to the Hae family, it also placed heavy shackles upon the lives of the people of Pasa.

When Cheongyeon entered the settlement, she found tent-like houses scattered across the barren land.

At several key locations stood strangely shaped sotdae poles.

Even though the sun was high in the sky, the city still seemed trapped beneath the shadow of night.

Rather than going about their daily lives, the residents were busy cleaning up the traces of whatever had happened the previous night.

They carefully passed one another as though avoiding something invisible.

The laughter of children had disappeared from the streets.

Only hushed whispers could be heard.

Women covered their entire bodies with black cloth as they carried bowls filled with cold food and various ritual tools.

Their faces looked exhausted and lifeless.

Along the road were piles of broken glass bottles, along with traces left behind by enormous bonfires.

"What happened here last night?"

Still puzzled, Cheongyeon headed toward a cave at the western foot of the rocky mountain.

A long line of people in all kinds of clothing stood outside the cave entrance.

Whenever they presented offerings such as grain or cloth, workers hurriedly carried the goods behind the tents.

"So I have to pay for a fortune reading if I want to enter the mountain."

After thinking about it for a while, Cheongyeon joined the line.

The fee alone cost half of her travel money.

She couldn't tell whether it only seemed expensive because she didn't understand much about the outside world, or whether that was simply the price of black sorcery.

"Do you think this is some village shaman's hut where we summon petty spirits for anyone who walks in?"

Hae family guards were driving away poorly dressed visitors from several places around the entrance.

Some of them cried and begged to be allowed inside.

"My life has become unbearable. Please, just give me a single talisman!"

"I heard the Rock Mountain Medium can even bring the dead back to life!"

The people had traveled from distant places just to meet the powerful Rock Mountain Medium.

Were they so desperate that they were willing to rely even on the power of darkness?

Seeing people who seemed to be clinging to the edge of a cliff made Cheongyeon uncomfortable.

"There is one way."

The Hae family guards spoke arrogantly.

"If you want to meet the Medium, climb that cliff and bring back one of those red flowers. Ghosts love the blood of sacrifices, after all."

At the promise that they could meet the Medium, everyone's eyes turned toward the steep cliff.

Near the top, where the rocks sharply jutted outward, clusters of beautiful flowers with layers of crimson petals were blooming.

There was something strangely sinister about the flowers growing from the rough stone.

"Surely none of you are actually thinking about picking those flowers?"

An old man sitting beneath the shade of the rock wall, fanning himself, addressed the crowd.

"Not a single person has ever succeeded. Every one of them lost their footing and fell into the cave below. No one ever heard whether they lived or died afterward."

Red flowers...

Cheongyeon stared at them for a long time.

Without realizing it, she began to feel strangely drawn toward their energy.

She suddenly flinched and snapped out of it.

"Form a single line! Stay close to the person in front of you and follow carefully."

Those who had been granted entry were given black blindfolds and lined up beside one another.

Then, guided by the Hae family guards, they walked down a long passage deep into the cave.

A terrifying energy leaked from the cracks between the rocks.

Without the others noticing, Cheongyeon lowered her blindfold slightly and looked around.

Deep within the cave was a fairly spacious stone chamber.

At its center stood a small shrine with a red roof.

Through a narrow opening in the door, barely the width of a hand, Cheongyeon could see a woman sitting inside.

She seemed to be the Rock Mountain Medium.

[Na-gu-sip-go-ju-hae-mal-myeon-da-in-bo-ga-nae-ge-e-dae-geu.]

A thin voice echoed throughout the cave.

It was the Reverse-Sound Incantation, an art passed down through generations of Hae family women.

The incantation made spoken words sound as though they were being heard backward.

It was often used when summoning spirits or establishing taboos.

To ordinary people, it could sound like a voice from another dimension, or like someone quietly weeping.

The people who had come for fortune readings began trembling.

They had entered after gathering their courage, but now that they were inside the dark cave and about to face a ghost, fear and unease seemed to overwhelm them.

[Ra-ri-ha-ge-rop-yu-ja-reul-dae-geu-i-him-ui-heuk-am.]

One by one, the visitors stepped before the shrine, bowed to the Medium, and received the voice of the spirits.

[The god has arrived. I shall open the path for each of you, one at a time.]

The message sounded frightening, but the Medium herself had a young, clear voice.

And strangely enough...

The more Cheongyeon listened, the more familiar that voice became.

[Burn fat as an offering, then bow toward the southeast and welcome your guest. The influence of the shop competing with yours will weaken.]

[Every day at the Hour of the Horse, throw a lump of rice onto your roof. The ghost that eats it will help you pass your examination. In exchange, you will walk with a limp in your later years.]

[Tear apart the wooden floor of the inner quarters and bury a doll beneath it. The child will be miscarried.]

Many of the visitors' desperate wishes were not simply prayers for good fortune.

A surprising number wanted to curse others or take revenge.

And perhaps because they were hearing secrets of fate, none of the solutions were peaceful.

Something always had to be sacrificed.

Or the person receiving the blessing would eventually have to pay for it through their own karma.

Cheongyeon found it difficult to believe that these ordinary-looking people had traveled all the way to this distant rocky mountain while carrying such dark grudges within them.

At last, it was Cheongyeon's turn.

She stepped before the shrine and lowered herself onto the straw mat, bowing with her back bent.

At the same time, she secretly glanced inside the shrine where the Rock Mountain Medium was sitting.

[Traveler, you have come from the high heavens.]

The evil spirit's gaze began searching through Cheongyeon.

A powerful chill crawled across the back of her neck and down her spine.

Cheongyeon clenched her teeth and firmly held onto her consciousness.

But unlike the ordinary people who had entered before her, Cheongyeon's spirit was as clear and untouched as that of a newborn child.

There was no past for the spirit to see.

Meeting fierce resistance, the ghostly energy surrounding the evil spirit was violently thrown back.

[You are neither human nor ghost. What in the world are you?]

Startled, the Rock Mountain Medium dropped something from her hand.

There was the sharp sound of a ceramic bottle shattering, followed by a brief scream.

This was her chance.

Cheongyeon swiftly slipped between the guards protecting the shrine and rushed inside.

"Rock Mountain Medium!"

Cheongyeon pulled aside the hanging curtain.

The Rock Mountain Medium raised her head and looked directly at her.

Cheongyeon's eyes widened.

"You're Lady Eunseong, aren't you?"