Chapter 40. About Faith (4)
As Seongha and Cheongyeon watched Buhuk disappear into ashes, they both felt strangely empty.
They had clearly seen him die, yet it somehow felt as if he had escaped right before their eyes.
“I always thought he was nothing more than a shadow who moved according to his master Seopjun’s orders.”
Seongha carefully examined the place where Buhuk had died.
He fell into thought.
“But after seeing him today, I think his past may be far more complicated than we believed.”
Seongha brushed his hand over the dirt on the ground.
His expression darkened.
Cheongyeon smiled as if trying to reassure him.
“At least we survived the danger for now. That’s what matters.”
Seongha gave her a sidelong glance.
“This isn’t something you should smile and brush aside.”
Then he stepped closer.
“Come here for a moment.”
Seongha carefully looked over Cheongyeon’s body.
His eyes narrowed.
Buhuk’s hook had torn a long line through her sleeve, and a thin red cut remained across her shoulder.
Thinking that she might have died if he had arrived only a little later made Seongha’s heart sink.
Fortunately, it was only a shallow scratch.
A simple healing technique would be enough.
Seongha raised his hand near her shoulder and sent warm light into the wound.
Then, almost casually, he said,
“Heavenly Maiden, you’re much more heartless than you look.”
Cheongyeon had secretly traveled around the sacred sites with Priest Son without telling him.
And throughout that long journey, she had not sent Seongha even a single letter.
It was only natural that he would complain.
“I didn’t want to make you worry.”
Cheongyeon lowered her voice.
“I’m sorry.”
She quietly glanced at Seongha’s expression.
He was looking down at her without saying anything.
Cheongyeon asked carefully,
“You’re not angry because I acted on my own, are you?”
That question left Seongha speechless.
He had difficulty expressing what he truly felt.
Calling it simple disappointment or annoyance could never describe everything he had suffered during those long nights.
It had felt as though someone were squeezing his heart.
There had been nights when he simply stared into the sky at the Cheonhui Kingdom floating beside the sun and moon.
“It isn’t like that.”
Even though he denied it, the stiffness in Seongha’s face did not disappear.
Cheongyeon narrowed her eyes.
“Liar.”
She smiled faintly.
“You’re making exactly the same face you had when we first met.”
Seongha tilted his head.
“What kind of face is that?”
Cheongyeon shrugged helplessly.
How could he know?
He did not walk around carrying a mirror.
He probably had no idea how cold and distant his unconscious expressions looked to other people.
“I’m not telling you.”
Cheongyeon said it playfully.
But Seongha actually felt troubled.
The truth was that he simply had not known how to behave after seeing her again after so long.
Cheongyeon played with the edge of her sleeve.
Then she said quietly,
“I’m happy you came to see me.”
She had assumed Seongha would be waiting at Beopsindang.
The fact that he had come all the way to the Buddhist Holy Land surprised her.
And she was grateful.
Then she smiled even brighter.
“I missed you.”
Seongha’s gaze froze on her clear, smiling face.
What was he supposed to do with this person?
She was a little irritating.
And also very pretty.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the tips of his ears turned red.
“That’s enough.”
Seongha cleared his throat and turned his head slightly.
“What’s already happened can’t be changed...”
Then he added,
“But promise me one thing.”
“What kind of promise?”
Seongha lowered his voice.
“Never disappear again without saying anything.”
There was sincerity in those words.
A promise between only the two of them.
A promise they needed if they were going to remain beside each other in this dangerous world.
Cheongyeon nodded.
“I promise.”
Seongha seemed to deliberately change the subject.
He gestured forward.
“Priest Son seems to be late. Should we go meet him near the entrance of the Buddhist Holy Land?”
“Sounds good.”
Seongha began walking first.
Cheongyeon followed beside him.
As they adjusted their pace to match each other, they walked close enough that their sleeves and fingertips sometimes brushed.
The two walked side by side through the wide, fresh tea fields.
Seongha’s hawk slowly followed them through the sky.
Warm sunlight spread across the entire world.
Grass swayed in the wind.
Something green and bright seemed to spread through Cheongyeon’s heart as well.
I’m glad I came down from Heaven.
Cheongyeon closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
She wanted to fully feel this beautiful moment of life.
After a while, Seongha asked,
“Aren’t you going to tell me what happened while you were away?”
The last time he had seen Cheongyeon, she had leaned against his shoulder in the Beopsindang office with tears in her eyes.
And now she had safely returned with the Hae family’s seal.
Of course he wanted to know what had happened.
Cheongyeon smiled mischievously.
“A lot happened.”
Then she added,
“You might be shocked when you hear it.”
Seongha listened carefully.
Without realizing it, he leaned slightly closer toward her.
A little later, they saw white Beopsindang carriages entering the Buddhist Holy Land through an entrance lined with enormous stone statues.
Cheongyeon immediately waved both arms.
“Priest Son!”
Her sleeves fluttered.
“Why are you so late? I thought my neck was going to stretch from waiting so long!”
“My goodness! How long has it been?”
Manwoo came toward her with a huge smile.
“Heavenly Maiden, thank goodness you’re safe.”
Nuchin followed behind him and politely bowed.
Cheongyeon looked Manwoo over.
“Have you been eating properly? Why does your face look so thin?”
Manwoo pointed at himself in disbelief.
“This is all because Priest Son didn’t pack my snack bundles for me.”
Cheongyeon grabbed her stomach dramatically as if starving.
Manwoo spread his hands wide as though he had expected exactly this reaction.
“I actually bought snacks from famous shops in every region while we visited the sacred sites.”
“When we unpack, let’s all eat them together.”
Cheongyeon’s eyes lit up.
“I knew I could count on Priest Son!”
She looked at the snack bundles with the excitement of a child.
Perhaps because they had reunited after so many hardships, their happiness felt twice as strong.
Then Manwoo suddenly became serious.
“But Heavenly Maiden, you remember the schedule for the Fifteenth-Day Festival, right?”
“We won’t have much time after returning to Beopsindang.”
“You’ll have to perform almost immediately.”
As expected from the person who practically managed all of Beopsindang, Manwoo had not forgotten to nag her.
Cheongyeon’s eyes widened.
“Oh no.”
“I think I’ve forgotten almost all of the Dance of the Heavenly Gods.”
She awkwardly raised her arms.
“Was the movement like this?”
Manwoo stuck out his lips and copied her pose.
Laughter spread among the people around them.
The entrance to the Buddhist Holy Land grew lively thanks to the Beopsindang group.
Cheongyeon suddenly felt as though Beopsindang were truly the home she was supposed to return to.
It was a feeling she had never known when living alone in the Cheonhui Kingdom.
Then a cold voice came from behind them.
“Priest Son.”
Manwoo froze.
Seongha had been standing behind the group this entire time.
He was staring at Manwoo as if he wanted to devour him alive.
“You seem to have forgotten something rather important.”
He clearly intended to question Manwoo about deceiving him and secretly traveling separately with Cheongyeon.
“Wait, wait!”
Manwoo hurried behind Cheongyeon.
He bent his tall body and hid behind her.
Then he whispered urgently,
“Please explain everything quickly.”
“You said you’d take responsibility!”
“Priest Jin holds grudges forever if you make him angry.”
Cheongyeon poked Manwoo in the ribs with her elbow.
Then she spoke up for him.
“He’s right.”
“I was the one who dragged Priest Son into this.”
Then she smiled.
“But because of that, we collected the seals much faster, didn’t we?”
Manwoo and Cheongyeon searched inside their clothes.
Then they placed several seals on their palms.
They were the seals they had collected from the sacred sites throughout the Hui Kingdom, including the seal of the Hae family.
Cheongyeon said,
“Now we only need the seal of the Buddhist Holy Land.”
The two worked together perfectly, using their good results as an excuse to avoid punishment.
Seongha shook his head helplessly.
“You two have already done enough.”
His expression became cold.
“Now it’s my turn.”
Then he added,
“I’ll take care of the Buddhist Holy Land’s seal.”
It seemed Seongha already had something planned.
At that moment, the hawk circling overhead smoothly descended in front of the group.
Manwoo’s eyes widened at the sight of its massive body and silver-gray feathers.
“Wow.”
“That’s incredible.”
“How did you manage to tame something this impressive?”
Cheongyeon could not look away either.
“I’ve never seen a bird this large even in the Cheonhui Kingdom.”
Cheongyeon gently held the hawk’s beak before stroking its feathers.
The hawk quietly allowed her to touch it.
Watching Cheongyeon naturally connect with the bird, Seongha looked pleased.
Manwoo grinned.
“So when is the test ride?”
“You brought back a heavenly steed of the skies.”
“You have to let your dear friend ride it too, don’t you?”
Seongha immediately rejected him.
“You tremble whenever you stand somewhere even slightly high.”
“Why are you suddenly pretending to be brave?”
Manwoo’s lips stuck out dramatically.
Cheongyeon smiled as she watched the two bicker.
Then Manwoo asked,
“By the way, Heavenly Maiden.”
“Nothing terrible happened in Pasa, did it?”
It was obvious that he was also secretly wondering about Eunseong.
“As expected, the elders were uncooperative.”
Cheongyeon smiled.
“But thanks to Lady Eunseong, I safely obtained the seal.”
“...”
“And you wouldn’t believe how deeply she treasures her friendship with the two of you.”
Cheongyeon continued.
She told them about how Gusa, the ancient divine beast, had helped them save the people.
And how Eunseong had stood proudly before everyone as the future Family Head of the Hae family.
Manwoo lowered his eyes.
He remembered a girl from long ago.
A wounded girl who had run to Beopsindang because she wanted to escape the chains of her family.
He was deeply thankful that she had finally overcome her fear and found courage.
Cheongyeon’s expression became serious.
“But that wasn’t everything I saw in the Hae family.”
She looked toward the two priests.
“Have either of you ever heard of another realm called the Road of Ghosts?”
It was finally time to tell them what she had experienced.
The rituals performed by the Rock Mountain Medium.
The Road of Ghosts opening at midnight.
The procession of ghosts arriving in Pasa.
The people trapped in the Web of Karma and used as sacrifices.
And even worse...
Family Head Haemora was moving an army of ghost soldiers under King Nampyeong’s command.
There had long been rumors that the Hae family gained power through black magic.
But very few people knew the truth behind those rumors.
Manwoo’s usual cheerful expression disappeared.
“Just hearing about it makes my skin crawl.”
He frowned.
“I don’t even know what we, as priests of Beopsindang, can do against something like that.”
As Cheongyeon spoke, Seongha remembered the Nameless Taoist’s words.
[This world is divided into four cycles called kalpas: the Formation Kalpa, Continuance Kalpa, Destruction Kalpa, and Emptiness Kalpa.]
[The Destruction Kalpa is when the world approaches ruin. The gates of Hell open, evil spirits appear, plagues spread, and natural disasters never end.]
[I cannot say which kalpa the current world is experiencing, but it certainly resembles the time when the previous world was destroyed.]
The evil spirits that had rushed toward Seongha during the trial were still vivid in his memory.
He quietly wrapped his fingers around the Nine-Light Fan.
And fell deep into thought.
