Chapter 39. About Faith (3)
Dawn arrived.
Brilliant morning sunlight spread across the world.
Rows of tea plants stood in a cool, deep forest.
Their rich green color made the entire landscape feel fresh.
Cheongyeon walked through the quiet waves of the tea plantation.
Light shone in her clear black eyes.
Her footsteps were so light that she almost seemed to be floating on the breeze.
Behind the tea field stood an enormous old tree.
This was where Cheongyeon had agreed to meet Manwoo and the others.
It stood beside one of several roads leading into the Buddhist Holy Land.
Compared to the places filled with magnificent temple buildings, there were far fewer people around.
It was perfect for a secret meeting.
The ancient tree was over a thousand years old.
Its height rivaled a three-story building.
Cheongyeon sat beneath its shade and rested for a moment.
Her heart beat with excitement at the thought of seeing the people of Beopsindang again.
Most of all...
she wondered what Priest Son would say if she proudly told him she had arrived first.
Then...
she noticed the branches moving.
The smile slowly disappeared from her face.
The movement felt too heavy to have been caused by a light breeze.
Cheongyeon turned around.
Her eyes widened in shock.
A man was hanging upside down from a branch on the opposite side.
Rope had been tied around his ankles.
It was the kind of method used to hang the bodies of prisoners of war or criminals.
Cheongyeon carefully approached.
The man was still alive.
His eyes were closed, and his face twisted as though he were enduring terrible pain.
She did not know why...
but it looked almost as if he were undergoing some cruel punishment.
Sensing Cheongyeon's presence, the man opened his eyes.
He stared at her.
There was no focus in his empty gaze.
His open mouth looked like a large hole in the middle of his face.
His features were stiff like hardened lead.
Combined with his worn clothing, he looked almost like a walking corpse.
Cheongyeon had never encountered someone hanging upside down like this.
Fear entered her heart.
Then...
she suddenly recognized him.
“I've seen you at Beopsindang before.”
Her expression darkened.
“You tried to harm Priest Jin with some strange technique.”
He had been standing beside Seongha's half-brother Seopjun during the Beopsindang fundraising event.
He had created a space of darkness that disturbed Seongha's mind.
And long ago...
he had even attempted to harm the young Seongha inside the Jin family's great estate.
It was strange.
This man had left such a strong impression on Cheongyeon.
Yet his face now seemed strangely blurry...
almost as though he had been erased from her memory.
Cheongyeon asked cautiously,
“Who tied you up like this?”
Buhuk answered.
“Tied. My body. Myself. I did.”
He spoke by dropping words one at a time from his open mouth.
His broken speech sounded deeply unnatural.
Cheongyeon instinctively stepped backward.
Buhuk continued.
“Woman. Here. Appears. I knew.”
Somehow...
Buhuk already knew the Beopsindang group would reunite at the Buddhist Holy Land.
He even knew Cheongyeon would arrive before everyone else.
Cheongyeon asked,
“What exactly are you?”
Buhuk's mouth opened.
“I. Kill people.”
“Keep killing.”
“Thousands.”
“Tens of thousands.”
“Drink blood.”
“...”
Then he said,
“God. Chose. Name. Buhuk.”
His body slowly began moving beneath the tree.
He threw a small blade.
It cut the rope around his ankles.
At the same time, he twisted once in the air and landed upright on the ground.
Standing there, Buhuk looked like an ordinary middle-aged man.
He was short and stocky.
His face was plain.
A huge scar stretched from his left wrist to his elbow, as though something had torn deeply through his arm.
Buhuk muttered to himself.
“Forgot.”
“Memories.”
“Return.”
“Lightning.”
“Pain begins.”
Even while speaking, his face remained twisted with suffering.
The mysterious dark energy surrounding Buhuk moved toward Cheongyeon.
It collided with the darkness within her and resonated.
An unpleasant feeling spread through Cheongyeon.
Something about him felt deeply wrong.
Buhuk spoke again.
“Fire.”
“Newborn baby.”
“Blood.”
“Hoeryeon.”
His voice turned cold.
Then he warned,
“Eliminate. Woman.”
Cheongyeon's face lost all color.
“You tried to harm Priest Jin before, and now you're after me?”
She stared at him.
“What terrible connection do you have with us?”
“Are you following your master's orders?”
Buhuk gave no answer.
Running away would have been the safest choice.
But Cheongyeon could not bring herself to leave.
She had agreed to meet the people of Beopsindang here.
In the end...
she decided she would somehow deal with this man until the others arrived.
The instant Cheongyeon made her decision...
Buhuk attacked.
He scattered black powder into the air.
Thick, acrid smoke spread around Cheongyeon and blocked her vision.
Buhuk disappeared among the dense branches.
Cheongyeon avoided the poisonous smoke by leaping toward the top of the tree.
Leaves rustled.
Several sharp hooks immediately flew after her.
One hook caught Cheongyeon's shoulder.
It tore through her flesh and threw off her balance.
She fell into a pile of sedge beside the tree trunk.
The impact shook the tree.
Leaves trembled violently.
Frightened birds all flew away together.
Buhuk did not use elaborate techniques.
His skills were designed for only one purpose.
Kill the target as quickly as possible.
That made his movements even more direct and dangerous.
Blades as sharp as animal claws slid from between his fingers.
Buhuk approached the pile of grass.
Without hesitation...
he repeatedly stabbed his blades into it.
Cut grass flew everywhere.
After stabbing again and again...
he heard nothing.
Buhuk reached out to pull the pile apart.
Then...
Boom!
A sound like a small explosion erupted.
Cheongyeon walked out from the grass.
A blue spherical barrier surrounded her.
Powerful energy from her necklace blasted Buhuk backward.
