Chapter 84: Chapter 84

Jang Geon and Red Wind walked across the tribe to head toward One-Eyed Cloud’s tent.

The tribe members who encountered Jang Geon along the way all bowed lightly to greet him. A few even clasped their hands in a fist-and-palm salute as Central Plains people did. Jang Geon responded to those greetings with the same gesture as he walked slowly forward.

Watching him respond like that, Red Wind chuckled *pisi-k* beside him and said,

“It seems your opinion worked quite well on our tribe members. At least among our valley tribe, the opinion toward Central Plains people has improved greatly.”

At Red Wind’s horse leading slightly ahead, Jang Geon looked at him with inquiring eyes. Looking back briefly, Red Wind continued.

“In the sense that there are decent people among Central Plains people too. Of course, not everyone will be good, but since they have a large population, they simply have that many unsatisfactory people. At least the opinion that we must unconditionally push them out has subsided.”

Speaking thus, Red Wind chuckled softly.

“Rather, the opinion that we should learn their society and methods well and use them to strip them clean has grown. The argument was that we should use the wealth earned that way to make the tribe prosper further. What do you think?”

Jang Geon merely gave a light shrug of his shoulders.

He could not carelessly share his thoughts. Though Red Wind seemed to ask lightly, in the end what Jang Geon said would become his opinion regarding the entire tribe. Then, as seen in the greetings of the tribe members just now, that opinion would hold considerable weight as the stance of the tribe’s sole Central Plains friend.

Jang Geon hoped it would not turn out like that. He did not want them to be bound by an awkwardly offered answer and completely lose their identity, nor did he want them to hide back in the forests and mountains to stray far from civilization. Ultimately, the ones who had lived here and had to keep living here were them. As a passing mere wanderer, he could help with swordwork, but he could not decide the tribe’s destiny.

Whether knowing or not knowing his thoughts, Red Wind wore a subtle smile toward the silent Jang Geon and continued leading the way.

The two soon arrived before One-Eyed Cloud’s tent. Strangely, One-Eyed Cloud was standing outside the tent waiting for them.

“You have come now. Why were you moving so slowly, what were you doing?”

“I sweat a little.”

One-Eyed Cloud strained to straighten his bent back and looked at him with only his red eye open.

“You sweat?”

“From practicing martial arts.”

“Then wash up simply and go in. The water bucket is right here.”

Jang Geon first washed off his sweat roughly with water from that bucket as instructed. Wiping off the moisture with a cloth handed over by One-Eyed Cloud, he asked,

“What is this? Why are you standing outside?”

“What else? Did I not say preparation was needed? Once you go in, you will learn everything. Ah, hand over your sword and go in.”

At One-Eyed Cloud’s words, Jang Geon tilted his head for a moment. According to his senses, someone was inside the tent. He wondered what they were planning to do. He had merely hoped to find the origin of that black spearhead and traces of the demonic palace.

At any rate, he could not ignore One-Eyed Cloud’s extended hand, so he unbuckled his sword together with its scabbard, entrusted it to him, and slowly entered the tent. Once he stepped inside, the entrance flap of the tent was let down behind him. Now this tent was completely sealed, except for a small hole pierced in the ceiling. Even if its walls were merely hides and cloth.

And stepping inside, Jang Geon froze for a moment. Inside the tent was only a campfire with faint embers flickering, and Bi-rang sitting beyond it.

“…Bi-rang?”

She was kneeling neatly with both eyes closed. The clothing she wore was colorful and ornate with intricate patterns and decorations, and the white smoke rising from the faint embers surrounded her body, blurring her contours in a haze.

Jang Geon raised his head and looked up. Through the hole pierced in the ceiling, while smoke from the embers escaped, the moon and starlight of the night sky were smoothly flowing in. Considering that before entering this tent, a reddish sunset was still glowing on the far horizon, it was a bizarre occurrence. It was a bit early for the moon and stars to be shining.

At that moment, Bi-rang opened her mouth.

“We meet again, wanderer.”

Without a trace of panic, Jang Geon slowly lowered his eyes and looked at her. The moment his gaze touched her, Bi-rang also slowly opened her eyes. Golden eyes unique to the valley tribe. Yet what was contained within them was the passion of a mayfly and the wisdom of a thousand-year mountain range.

Seemingly impossible to coexist, yet at the same time a natural appearance in mother nature. Jang Geon could guess who she was. She was the spirit of this valley.

“…Did you borrow Bi-rang’s body?”

“Because this time we must share a longer conversation.”

Unlike when they faced each other in the child’s form last time, perhaps because she now had Bi-rang’s appearance, a calm and mature atmosphere flowed around her. Combined with her mysterious eyes, she looked like an ancient shamaness whose origins were unknown.

“A long conversation.”

“Yes, a long conversation. To trace through this remnant left by the prairie, a full night will be required.”

Unsure when she had pulled it out, she very naturally held up the black spearhead Jang Geon had brought with both hands. She enveloped in faint starlight and smoke, and those golden eyes looking straight over here.

“Come closer here.”

Jang Geon did as she said for now. He approached the campfire with faint embers and sat down. However, the spirit shook her head.

“Closer.”

If he moved closer from here, it would be a distance where their knees touched. So as Jang Geon hesitated for a moment, she actually began to slink closer herself.

“No need to be flustered. Just accept it, you will not be harmed.”

Approaching so close that their breaths could be felt, the spirit looked at Jang Geon with a lightly smiling face. And at that moment, Jang Geon felt the wispy smoke flowing around her body envelop his own body and attempt to flow into his nose, mouth, and ears.

Reflexively moving his internal energy to block it, the spirit’s hand stroked his chest.

“It is alright, I am not trying to harm you.”

She, with Bi-rang’s face, naturally laid Jang Geon down backward with that gentle touch. Lying on his back and looking at the round hole pierced in the tent, Jang Geon calmed his internal energy. Come to think of it, he was the one who had come to seek help. He had to trust Bi-rang, One-Eyed Cloud, and the spirit of this valley.

The smoke began to permeate into his inner self. Jang Geon felt his entire body’s qi channels heat up as that smoke soaked into his lungs and heart. Along with that, inside the dark tent, he saw something of yellow light flash across his sight every now and then like a sparking electric current. That light filled his entire vision moments later.

The world seen by the eyes is not flat. It is a complex and colorful three-dimensional scene through changes in brightness and resulting color variations. However, at that moment, Jang Geon came to see the sight of flashing yellow light clearly delineating the contours of everything visible to the eye, transforming the world into a flat painting.

In a scene like a landscape in some painter’s painting, the spirit borrowing Bi-rang’s body came up and sat atop Jang Geon who was lying on his back. In her shining features, Jang Geon saw Bi-rang’s face, the face of the child he had seen before, the face of an overly aged crone, and countless other faces.

Being one person yet possessing multiple faces, she was looking down at Jang Geon with a soft smile. At that smile, Jang Geon unconsciously showed a similar smile back.

Just then, she held the black spearhead backward with both hands and began to raise it high. Everything in the world was glowing, yet only that spearhead remained black as it was, standing out.

And the spirit raised that spearhead high as if telling him to watch closely, then thrust it straight down into Jang Geon’s chest.

Along with the throbbing pain of flesh tearing, it brightened before his two eyes as if a yellow bomb had exploded.

[We must drive out all those Central Plains people! This field, mountain, and valley are all our land passed down from our ancestors! There is no need to converse or trade with them!]

A warrior shouted thus toward his tribe members. However, the tribe members listening to that shout seemed to think a bit differently.

[Do you speak like that knowing how much cloth, tools, and food we can obtain from those Central Plains people with just a few hides? And this land is our land? This earth, mountain, water, and cloud simply exist as they are, not belonging to anyone. If they come in and want to live like that, by what right could we stop them?]

The warrior shouted again as if frustrated.

[They are not Central Plains people who simply trade hides! They are not such ordinary people; someone strange has slipped in! At that place called the “Guild” where they traded fine with us until last time, are they not demanding strange pieces of paper like rights certificates or land deeds!]

[Do we not already have kinsmen working in their city? We can find someone on that side to properly look into what the situation is. Rather than trying to drive them out recklessly like that. How long are you going to only think of pushing outsiders away? When a hundred years have already passed since they crossed the sea and built cities!]

The warrior was disappointed in the tribe members who did not believe his words, and the tribe members found the warrior untrustworthy for only talking about driving them out recklessly. Distrust of each other sprouted.

At that moment, watching from a place that could not be specifically pinpointed, Jang Geon could hear a breath and whisper brushing past his ear.

—To the next.

The scenery changed, and the ones looking at each other changed to tribe people and Central Plains people. Someone well-dressed among those Central Plains people stepped forward and shouted.

[The river and plain here are now my property! And here, this is that very deed! So do not illegally occupy this place any longer and all of you leave!]

When he spoke in Central Plains language like that, a native of the New Continent in Central Plains attire beside him stepped forward and spoke in native language.

[All of you get lost! This is now Merchant Guild Leader Go’s land!]

At that excessively abbreviated shout, none of the tribe people could conceal their bewilderment. Gathering their opinions for a moment, an elder stepped forward and spoke.

[There seems to be some misunderstanding. This is land where we have lived for a long time since our ancient ancestors. Of course, if your people come in and want to live here, we will not stop you, but why must we leave?]

The native on the Central Plains side approached beside the man called Merchant Guild Leader Go. Standing in an unidentifiable place, Jang Geon could hear their conversation as well.

[They say they don’t want to go.]

[Did they clearly say they don’t want to?]

[Yes, well. Similar.]

He answered like that with a smirk. Neither that smirk nor those glossed-over words were a situation that anyone would see as resolving simply, yet the Central Plains merchant guild leader wore a similar smirk, then shouted loudly and turned around.

[Then it cannot be helped! Though I am driven out right now by you who illegally occupy my land, I shall return soon to reclaim my land!]

[All of you wash your necks and wait!]

At that abbreviation performed once more, all the tribe people were confused. However, the Central Plains people withdrew without further explanation. Even those who knew how to speak Central Plains language to some extent were flustered and at a loss for what to do. There was no one who could grasp what the situation was from what they had just heard.

Jang Geon quietly watched that scene with sunken eyes. The valley tribe had experienced a similar situation. However, they had Jang Geon, and it seemed these people had no such person.

—To the next. Do not be surprised.

After the breath and voice brushed past his ear once more, the scene changed. The tribe was burning.

Tribe people were dying. Merciless Central Plains people, regardless of age, were slaughtering the tribe members wholesale and setting fire to every house. As the bewildered native people ran around frantically in those flames and smoke, the Central Plains people smirked and stabbed them to death.

There were also many tribe members fleeing outside the village. However, the Central Plains people who had divided into three groups to encircle the tribe did not allow a single person to escape. Even if someone managed to break through that encirclement and run far, the merchant guild leader riding a horse quickly chased them down and plunged a sword into their back.

The tribe people did not all suffer helplessly. They were warriors who ran the plains and plateaus. And like the warriors of the valley tribe, there were warriors whose chests were opened by the power of the spirits they served.

However, the number of Central Plains people was far greater than the number of warriors. Furthermore, the one called merchant guild leader among them crushed their morale by lightly severing and throwing away the head of the tribe’s top warrior. The resistance did not last long.

Having slaughtered the tribe people like that, the Central Plains people soon gathered things that seemed valuable from inside their half-burned houses or houses before being lit, bringing them to the center of the village. It seemed they intended to gather everything in one place and distribute it.

Looking around at those gathered on horseback, the merchant guild leader soon stepped down to the ground with a smile. And he asked,

[Has everyone arrived?]

[Five foolishly died at the hands of those savages. Except for them, everyone has come.]

The merchant guild leader nodded at the swordsman’s words, then suddenly drew his sword and severed the head of the horse he had been riding until just now. While the Central Plains swordsmen were all flustered, yellow paper came out from his chest fold. He tossed that paper onto the fallen horse carcass, and surprisingly, the moment those paper scraps touched the horse’s blood, they burned with black flames and turned to ash.

[Wh-what? A Taoist? Are you a Taoist?]

The merchant guild leader did not answer. He merely formed a sword mudra gesture with his left hand, held it up before his lips, closed both eyes, and silently moved his lips alone. All the swordsmen were confused by that sight. Just as the natives had, they too could not understand the situation.

And the next moment, the horse’s blood soaking the ground boiled up *bugeul-bugeul*, then stood up as if becoming a living entity on its own. As all the swordsmen gaped upon seeing that, the Blood Horse pounced on them.

The horse made of blood swallowed the swordsmen one by one. The terrified swordsmen quickly snapped to their senses and fled, but their running speed could not be faster than a galloping horse.

After a moment, all the swordsmen were swallowed by the Blood Horse, and what remained was only the merchant guild leader still chanting with closed eyes and the native wearing Central Plains attire.

And at that moment, gloomy dark clouds overcast the sky, and from the ground in the middle of the still-burning village, something whitish began to ooze up *seumeol-seumeol*. At the same time, the incantation sound echoing from the merchant guild leader’s mouth grew louder and louder, echoing louder than a person with a loud voice shouting.

Just then, the Blood Horse that had swallowed the last swordsman leaped forward and charged toward the something rising high in the center of the village.

The mist that had risen white uttered a scream as indistinct as its hazy body the moment the Blood Horse entered inside it, then was sucked into the Blood Horse in a flash *shuruk*. The merchant guild leader, who had only been chanting incantations until then, pointed his left hand holding the sword mudra straight at the Blood Horse the moment the mist vanished.

Whether an invisible arrow was contained in that hand gesture, the Blood Horse uttered a loud painful scream, vomited something up with a *walkak*, and collapsed sideways with a *teok*.

The gloomy sky and the incantation sound rattling heaven and earth also subsided the moment the Blood Horse collapsed. The merchant guild leader lightly flicked his sword, approached the horse, and picked up what it had vomited. It was a marble soft yet shiny like glass at the same time, just like what Jang Geon had received from the spirit the previous day. Of course, the one held in the merchant guild leader’s hand was pitch-black in color compared to Jang Geon’s, and about three times larger in size.

Examining it closely, the merchant guild leader soon tossed it to the native who had approached near.

[It came out properly. Wrap it well in something like silk and take it to the Palace.]

[…Is this the Origin Spirit Elixir?]

[Yes. The most important thing in the grand plan.]

The native carefully held the received marble and bowed his waist.

[I will protect it with my life all the way to the Palace… However, is Green Snake not returning together?]

[I have a place to go. The lines I established in Gamsan have all been ruined. To organize that and reconnect them, it seems I won’t be able to return for quite a while.]

The merchant guild leader called Green Snake spoke thus and waved his hand dismissively as if telling him to get lost quickly. Thereupon, the native bowed deeply once more and turned around.

Green Snake, who had sent him off, was also about to turn around and leave, but froze short. His eyes looked at one of the fallen native warriors. That warrior was not dead yet and was crawling *eong-geum-eong-geum* toward him. Both eyes bloodshot red and lifted were eerie.

[Hahaha! Well now. What a splendid bug’s figure!]

Yet Green Snake laughed like that even upon seeing those eyes and grabbed his sword hilt. However, he soon released his sword upon seeing the crawling warrior’s condition. Behind the warrior, not only an irrecoverable amount of blood but also spilled internal organs were messily laid out.

Although moving like that in such a state could be called impressive, Green Snake gently shook his head.

[No need to spend energy. Just crawl like that and die. While reflecting on your helplessness.]

He spoke thus and simply turned around to leave.

Even while dying, the warrior stretched out a hand to catch him, but that hand did not reach. A hand covered in wounds and blood fell to the ground with a *tuk*. Only eyes filled with sorrow and wrath for his dead tribe members and family glared at the receding Central Plains person. Yet even those soon lost their light and began to cool cold.

Just then, blood that had poured from the Blood Horse’s mouth flowed *srrk* toward his outstretched hand. The blood touching the corpse’s hand covered the warrior’s body in an instant like a cracking ice floor. And it dragged the Blood Horse fallen to one side and the warrior into one spot.

A moment later, only a large dark red cocoon remained in that spot.

Jang Geon, who had been continuously watching, knew the entity that would tear open that cocoon and pop out. He knew his wrath, and knew his sorrow. Standing in a place that could not be specified, Jang Geon turned back to look. There, unlike his appearance inside that cocoon, a warrior in neat attire was looking at him.

The two looked at each other for a moment without saying a word. There were no words promising to take revenge on his behalf, nor words thanking him. Between the two was only a silent gaze.

—Now let us return. You have learned everything you needed to know.

At that moment, a breath and whisper sounded in Jang Geon’s ear once more. At the same time, an explosion of light like the one seen when this scene began occurred once more, covering his eyes.

“…”

Jang Geon blinked both eyes and looked to his side. Bi-rang, who was naked like himself, was lying with her head on his arm. Bright morning sunshine came through the hole in the ceiling, and that light was half-covering her face.

As he watched that for a moment, she too gently opened her eyes. She spoke casually,

“If Jang Geon had not helped, we too would have suffered a similar fate.”

“…The spirit seems to be more powerless than expected.”

“You must not try to understand their power simply within the human realm. Furthermore, those Central Plains people slaughtered all the tribe members first. What great resistance could someone who lost both hands and feet have put up?”

At her answer, Jang Geon hesitated for a moment before asking the question he was truly curious about.

“…We are taking off our clothes.”

Bi-rang smiled brightly.

“Because it was a bit stifling.”

Saying that, she smoothly got up and naturally began putting on her clothes. Watching that blankly, Jang Geon realized that his chest where the spearhead had pierced was completely fine. From which moment was it an illusion, and up to which moment was it real?

“Put on your clothes and come out. We must eat.”

Bi-rang spoke while adjusting her belt and left the tent first. Raising his upper body halfway and watching that, Jang Geon let out a soft sigh, *pu-*, and lay back down.

“…Did you not say playing with fire was over?”