Chapter 30. Twins of Light and Darkness (5)
As time passed, Cheongyeon’s consciousness began to fade as she remained alone.
Her entire body had gone stiff as if paralyzed. She did not even have enough strength to bend the tips of her fingers.
It seemed the poison in the spiderweb was gradually weakening her.
If Cheongyeon had been an ordinary person, she would have fallen into a deathlike state long ago.
[Unfortunately, you were caught in the Web of Karma because of your own karma. You have no choice but to free yourself.]
“Why did he call it the Web of Karma?”
Cheongyeon thought over Geumdo’s words as she stared into the depths of the cave.
Suddenly, the spiderweb began to tremble and hum.
From somewhere along the cave walls came the commanding voice of Family Head Haemora.
Soon after, screams rang out as people collapsed.
At that moment, a powerful shock traveled through the spiderweb.
Her heart seemed to burn as if consumed by hatred, and at the same time, it felt as though a blade were cutting through her.
The pain came through so vividly that it felt as if Cheongyeon herself were the one suffering.
Why did the people trapped in these webs have to endure such pain?
Where had the pain begun, and how had it been passed on to them?
Cheongyeon remembered something her Senior Brother had told her when she first began learning mystical arts.
[Every living thing in this world is connected to one another, and all of them affect one another.]
[Whether the power is good or evil, there will always be a backlash upon the one who uses it. The greater the power, the greater the consequences. That is why you must always be careful when using such strength.]
[Once the balance is broken, you may destroy not only yourself but also bring harm to the entire world.]
Cheongyeon suddenly seemed to understand.
“The pain and suffering I felt just now... it was the backlash from their black magic.”
The Hae family had been able to use such powerful black magic because the sacrifices trapped in the webs had been forced to pay the price in their place.
Cheongyeon frowned.
“That makes no sense. The people who committed the wrongdoing are somewhere else, yet innocent people are being beaten in their place.”
She fell into thought.
To the people of the Hui Kingdom, spiders had traditionally been regarded as creatures that wove the threads of destiny.
They were believed to spread the Heavenly Net, the path of Heaven, through their webs.
The countless spiderwebs stretching through the darkness seemed as though they contained the mysteries of the entire world.
Glowing insects flew between them, scattering faint light.
Because of that light, Cheongyeon finally noticed something strange about the spiderweb before her.
Whenever the light passed through it, the tough and sticky sensation of the thread vanished, and its shape became faint.
Cheongyeon slowly moved her hand.
Her hand passed straight through the spiderweb.
A smile appeared on her face, like someone who had just discovered the trick behind a fake Taoist performance in the marketplace.
“Your little trick ends here.”
The instant she realized that the black magic was nothing more than deception, the spiderweb could no longer bind her.
The threads wrapped around her body slowly loosened.
Cheongyeon descended to the ground.
The webs gradually became transparent before disappearing completely.
But she did not look relieved.
“It isn't over yet. What am I supposed to do now?”
Cheongyeon looked around worriedly.
She had escaped, but countless people were still hanging helplessly from the spiderwebs.
“Heavenly Maiden! Where are you?”
A lantern swayed somewhere in the cave, scattering light across one of the walls.
Someone was calling for Cheongyeon.
A moment later, Eunseong appeared.
Her entire body was wrapped in pieces of silk cloth.
When Eunseong removed the cloth covering her face, Cheongyeon saw that she was deathly pale. One of her earrings was also missing.
She clearly had escaped in great haste.
“I heard that you fell into the cave inside the rocky mountain, Heavenly Maiden. Thank goodness you're safe.”
Eunseong let out a sigh of relief after finding her.
“I know a secret passage that leads out of this cave. Please follow me. And... take this.”
Eunseong pulled something from inside her clothes.
It was a peculiar object made from roasted tortoiseshell, with red patterns carved across its surface.
“It's the Hae family's seal. Take it and return with it.”
Eunseong's expression looked much more relaxed.
It seemed she had already made her decision.
Cheongyeon, however, was worried about her safety.
She had no idea how the Hae family's elders would react.
“Lady Eunseong, will you really be all right? Are you sure you can give this seal to me?”
Eunseong smiled gently.
“I thought about what you said earlier. I made this decision for my friends at Beopsindang... and for myself. Of course, I'll probably be punished according to the Hae family's rules.”
The time she had spent with Seongha and Manwoo remained as a precious memory deep inside Eunseong's heart.
When she was younger, Eunseong had once escaped from Pasa and wandered through the streets of Hongyang.
She had hated being oppressed by the traditions and rules of the Hae family.
She wanted to leave the Hui Kingdom, travel somewhere new, and live freely.
[We have to bring the medium back before the ritual begins! Hurry!]
Before long, Hae family guards began searching for Eunseong.
Soldiers dressed in scarlet stopped travelers throughout the streets.
Terrified and nervously looking around, Eunseong happened to encounter Seongha and Manwoo, who were transporting a cart as apprentice priests of Beopsindang.
They were all young members of great noble families and had exchanged polite greetings from a distance before.
But this was their first time meeting face-to-face.
[Lady Hae? What in the world happened?]
[Priests, I'm sorry. I know this is terribly rude, but could you please help me just this once?]
Before the bewildered pair could even agree, Eunseong hid herself inside Beopsindang's supply cart, which was filled with offerings.
Seongha glanced around.
The streets had been unusually noisy for some time.
It seemed troublesome business was approaching.
Seongha and Manwoo quietly exchanged looks.
For now, they intended to get through the situation first.
A short while later, guards from the Hae family approached the Beopsindang cart.
They held out a portrait of Eunseong.
[We're looking for someone. Priests of Beopsindang, cooperate with our search.]
Seongha replied sharply.
[You speak of cooperation while holding drawn swords. How dare you interfere with official duties over an internal matter of your family?]
Unfortunately, reasoning with people from the Hae family, who acted almost like outlaws, was useless.
[You're only apprentice priests, yet you dare talk back to us? Such an excessive reaction only makes you more suspicious.]
