Chapter 10 Strange Phenomena (4)

“Try what you just mentioned earlier.”

“Wh-what are you talking about…?”

“You said you could control the demon and get what you want from the Manor Master’s mouth.”

Diviner Myo-sin was momentarily dumbfounded.

Judging by the atmosphere, he naturally assumed they would tell him to save the Manor Master’s life.

But he never expected these words to spill out.

‘Ha!’

Guard Go Chan was equally speechless.

To avoid making an enemy of the Madam, he thought they would somehow make the diviner save the Manor Master’s life. But to think the Madam would make the same request…

Go Chan approached Mok Gyeong-un and whispered,

“Young master, what exactly are you trying to do?”

“You heard him, didn’t you?”

“What?”

“We can hear what the Madam wants from the Manor Master’s mouth.”

At those words, Guard Go Chan frowned and opened his mouth slightly.

That wasn’t what he was asking about.

“But young master, what will you do after finding that out?”

In response, Mok Gyeong-un let out a faint sneer.

Instead, he asked back,

“What will you do after finding out?”

Being asked in return, Guard Go Chan was momentarily at a loss for words.

The meaning of this question was simple.

It meant don’t comment on or question what he was doing.

‘That crazy bastard. what the .... is he trying to do?’

Is he trying to intercept what the Madam was after?

Troubled, Guard Go Chan tried to say something but soon closed his mouth.

It wasn’t like this guy would listen to his opinion anyway.

But he was worried that if things got twisted, some incident might occur.

Regardless of that, Mok Gyeong-un urged the diviner to do it.

“Hurry up and do it.”

“…A-alright.”

diviner Myo-sin hesitated for a moment, but there was no other choice.

If he refused here, who knew what this bloodthirsty young master would do to him?

Myo-sin took something out from a boxwood case in the corner.

Smaller than a fist, it was a wooden doll.

Abruptly bringing out a doll carved from wood, Mok Gyeong-un asked suspiciously,

“What are you going to do with that?”

“This wooden doll will serve as the medium.”

“Medium?”

“…If the Manor Master directly comes into contact with the demon again like this, not only his spirit, but even his life may be endangered.”

This was true.

Once a demon or evil spirit separates from the body,

if it comes into contact again, it could lead to a dangerous situation.

For a diviner who knows demons well, it was something that should never be done.

“I see. I understand.”

Mok Gyeong-un’s reaction was utterly indifferent.

Seeing his attitude, diviner Myo-sin clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘These people in this household don’t care at all whether the Manor Master lives or dies. But if this fails, it’ll be a big problem.’

Myo-sin looked at the severed arm of the Manor Master on the floor with tense eyes.

Although the demon was suppressed by the talisman, fundamentally it was an evil born from murder, in other words, a curse.

One small mistake and not only the Manor Master but even the diviner himself could be in danger.

‘shit.’

Swallowing dry saliva, Myo-sin took out a talisman.

And stuck it to his own chest.

[Seven Stars  Talisman]

On the talisman were three sevens (七), then another three inside a boundary, and another three inside that.

Seven Stars Talisman.

This talisman offers the protection of the Seven Stars.

It was to prevent any curses from accidentally rebounding onto himself while performing divi-ation techniques.

-Shk shk!

He took out another talisman and wrote on it with red ink.

 (代), (通).

Along with mysterious symbols, those characters were written.

With a tense expression, Myo-sin attached the talisman with “代” written on it to the wooden doll, then wrapped red thread around its head several times.

“It may be dangerous, so please step back.”

At first, nothing changed.

But when Myo-sin directed the hand making seals towards the Manor Master,

-Tremble tremble!

Strangely, the Manor Master’s body began to convulse.

In that state, Myo-sin slowly directed the hand seals towards the wooden doll.

Then,

-Wooooo!

The characters “dae” written on the talisman attached to the wooden doll darkened and began emitting an uncanny energy.

It felt as if the wooden doll was Moving.

‘Gives me the creeps.’

Watching this, Guard Go Chan frowned.

He had experienced all sorts of things, but matters related to demons and divi-ation techniques were utterly unpleasant.

What the … was he trying to do?

He watched nervously to see what would unfold.

-Tak!

diviner Myo-sin gripped the wooden doll and carefully moved it towards the arm that was consumed by the demon.

Then he placed the wooden doll right in front of the arm.

At that, the Manor Master’s severed arm that had the “suppress” talisman attached began to react.

Although suppressed by the talisman, the blood vessels wriggled as if about to bulge out like before.

Right then,

-Pak!

Myo-sin removed the talisman with “suppress” written on it.

The moment he did, blood vessels hideously bulged out from the Manor Master’s severed right arm and moved as if alive, gripping the wooden doll.

-Kwak!

“Ugh!”

The instant it gripped the wooden doll, a groan escaped from the Manor Master’s mouth.

“Eh?”

It was a bizarre occurrence.

To think the Manor Master would react when the wooden doll was grabbed…

-Kwaaaak!

“Eughhhh…”

As strength entered the hand gripping the wooden doll, the Manor Master let out an agonized groan as if in pain.

‘I-isn’t this going to be a big problem?’

Guard Go Chan glanced at Mok Gyeong-un.

However, Mok Gyeong-un was expressionlessly observing this without taking his eyes off it.

It was amazing how he could remain unfazed even seeing something like this.

-Sss…

Just then, the sinister something in the Manor Master’s severed right arm flowed into the wooden doll it was gripping.

‘It worked.’

diviner Myo-sin, who had been chanting the incantation, had a look of relief.

Fortunately, the demon accepted the medium as the Manor Master.

This was a kind of deception.

If the demon did not accept the wooden doll as the Manor Master, it would have gone berserk and caused an incident.

But luckily, the trick worked.

However,

-Crack! Crack!

Small cracks appeared in the wooden doll that the demon had completely transferred into.

‘!?’

Seeing this, diviner Myo-sin’s eyes wavered.

The wooden doll was made of refined birch wood and was very sturdy.

But for cracks to appear as soon as the demon entered…

‘…The killing intent is too strong.’

Myo-sin gulped down dry saliva.

Although it was interrupted midway, it had possessed a body and some of its power should have weakened during the exorcism process.

But that assumption was completely off the mark.

‘This is…’

Come to think of it, it made sense.

It wasn’t an ordinary person, but a demon that possessed a martial artist who cultivated ki, threatening even his life.

Its level was different from typical evil spirits.

‘It’s dangerous.’

In an instant, diviner Myo-sin’s lips went dry.

This demon with strong killing intent didn’t seem like something that could be controlled.

If he tried to forcefully do so here, the wooden doll might shatter and the suppressed demon could be released.

“Young master, I don’t think…”

Diviner Myo-sin couldn’t finish his words.

Because his eyes met Mok Gyeong-un’s.

-Flinch!

No matter how he thought about it, it was uncanny.

How could a living human have such eyes like a dead person?

Just looking at them sent shivers down his spine.

-Shk!

Just then, Mok Gyeong-un was seen fiddling with a sharp blade.

Seeing this, Myo-sin closed his mouth.

This crazy young master probably wouldn’t believe his words unless he saw it with his own eyes.

No, anyone would be the same.

‘Ah!’

At that moment, an ingenious idea flashed through diviner Myo-sin’s mind.

He felt regretful for not thinking of this sooner, as it was practically a lifeline in this situation.

Myo-sin spoke,

“Young master, I will control the demon. But it seems quite important, so is it alright if that person also hears it?”

The one Myo-sin pointed to with a nod was none other than Guard Go Chan.

“What? Ah…”

For a moment, Go Chan, who wondered what he meant, understood.

What they were trying to hear from the Manor Master’s mouth right now was the location of the secret martial arts manual and the Manor Master’s seal.

So he was asking if it was okay for a subordinate to hear it as well.

“I will step out for a moment.”

Although not truly a subordinate, Go Chan thought it was better to tactfully avoid displeasing Mok Gyeong-un.

Mok Gyeong-un also seemed to think the same, as he lightly nodded his head.

-Creak!

As Go Chan obediently went out the door, Myo-sin chanted the Roaming  Incantation again.

-Tremble tremble!

“Eughhhhhh!”

The wooden doll shook violently and a pained groan flowed from the Manor Master’s mouth.

-Crack!

Another crack appeared in the wooden doll.

It still couldn’t endure it.

Myo-sin knew this but paid no heed and made the Tiger Hand Seal with one hand, saying,

“Hurry as I command, answer the call!”

“Ugh… W-who… c-calls… m-me…?”

A hoarse voice flowed from the Manor Master’s mouth.

The way the voice echoed was as if it came from the noting.

-Crack!

A line cracked in the chest of the wooden doll.

Watching this, beads of sweat formed on Myo-sin’s forehead.

“Hurry as I command. , answer the question!”

“Wh-what… a-are… y-you… s-saying…?”

“Hurry as I command. Answer where the Manor Master’s secret manual and seal are located!”

-Tremble tremble!

As soon as that question was asked, convulsions occurred in the Manor Master’s head, just like the wooden doll.

Shaking violently, his eyelids moved uncontrollably.

-Crack! Crack!

Along with that, cracks appeared in the eyes and neck of the wooden doll.

It seemed like it would shatter at any moment.

Right then, the Manor Master opened his mouth.

“Medicinal… Hall… Underground… (丁, jeong)… stone… door… inside…”

‘Medicinal Hall… underground (丁, jeong)… stone door?’

That was clearly what he heard.

He was about to continue saying something.

-Kwajik!

At that moment, the wooden doll crumpled and shattered into a grotesque shape.

Then the turbulent, eerie something tried to flow along the red thread towards the connected Manor Master.

Myo-sin hastily shouted,

“Young master! You must cut the thread!”

‘Thread?’

He immediately realized something had gone wrong when the wooden doll shattered.

Mok Gyeong-un hurriedly swung his sword down towards the thread along which the turbulent something flowed.

-Snip!

The turbulent, eerie something lost its way as the thread was exquisitely cut.

‘Did it work?’

Just as he thought it was blocked,

-Wooooo!

The turbulent something rapidly climbed up the sword with tremendous speed.

Realizing this, Mok Gyeong-un tried to let go of the sword hilt.

But unlike the red thread that was tied in a long, complex maze, the length of the sword was woefully short.

-Pak!

A chilling sensation flowed in through his hand.

That sensation rapidly penetrated into his body through his arm.

Mok Gyeong-un’s body shook as if struck by lightning.

‘It worked!’

Seeing this, the corners of diviner Myo-sin’s mouth curled up.

It went as intended.

The wooden doll couldn’t endure that killing intent-filled demon from the start.

So he had predicted that it would eventually be released from the suppression during the Six People Roaming Technique.

Thus, Myo-sin deliberately made the demon transfer to Mok Gyeong-un.

And it succeeded.

-Pak!

Diviner Myo-sin took out a talisman with “suppress” written on it from his bosom and attached it to the convulsing Mok Gyeong-un’s forehead.

‘Killing two birds with one stone.’

The Manor Master’s mouth roughly revealed the location of the secret manual and seal.

And he even passed the demon to this bastard.

Demons also have a will, so they learn.

Since it experienced the exorcism technique and even endured the Six People Roaming Technique, there was no longer any way to remove the demon through divi-ation techniques.

‘It’s unfortunate, but it happened because you pressured me.’

If the demon was forcibly removed, the possessed person could lose their life or become disabled.

But either way, it didn’t matter.

As long as he completed the Madam’s request, that was enough for him.

***

The scene before his eyes turned white.

Jeong looked around.

The sound of water trickling and birds chirping could be heard simultaneously.

This spring, which gave a refreshing feeling, was the place he always went to fetch water with every morning.

‘What is it?’

It felt like something had happened just before.

But he couldn’t remember what it was.

It seemed like he had a momentary dream or had spaced out for a bit.

‘It’s bothering me.’

It felt like he was forgetting something, but he couldn’t recall it.

After pondering while sitting on a rock, Jeong eventually stood up.

Then he shouldered the water frame he had put down.

‘I need to hurry.’

If he’s late, his grandfather will nag him.

Jeong ran up the steep mountain path with the water frame on his back.

This mountain path he ran on every day was so familiar he could traverse it with his eyes closed.

-Splash splash!

The water in the water containers hanging on the frame sloshed.

Nevertheless, not a single drop of water spilled out.

Following his grandfather’s nagging to never let the water overflow, at some point, he became able to carry it without spilling a single drop.

Like that, Jeong ran.

After running for a while, as he was about to reach the mountain top,

‘!?’

Jeong frowned.

Black smoke was visible there.

The place where the smoke was rising from was where his house was located.

Seeing this, Jeong threw down the water frame and ran like crazy towards that place.

Soon, he arrived there.

-Crackle crackle!

The scorching heat reached him.

The house was burning fiercely.

Jeong’s face stiffened terribly.

Hurriedly looking around, Jeong ran to the back of the burning house.

There was a small vegetable garden in the backyard.

It was because medicinal herbs that could be cultivated were grown directly.

Usually, his grandfather would wake up early in the morning and pick herbs from the garden.

‘Please… please…’

Jeong, who ran to the garden, stopped in his tracks.

Through his eyes that widened as if about to burst, he saw something stained with blood.

Things that should have been inside the body were strewn across the vegetable garden.

-Grit!

Jeong gritted his teeth.

And he followed the trail of blood and pieces.

Looking down the hill, Jeong shouted,

“Grandfather!”

His grandfather was there.

The sight of his grandfather with only his upper body remaining, the lower half torn away, was utterly horrible.

Even in that state, his grandfather’s face could be seen, barely clinging to life, struggling to lift his head.

The moment he saw that, it felt like his sanity would fly away.

Someone was standing next to him.

It was a being with black eyes devoid of whites and a pale face.

Jeong could not recognize him at all.

‘Is that what you desire most?’

Jeong’s pain could be felt.

The black-eyed being who was looking at him like that snapped his fingers.

-Tak!

At that moment, a bizarre thing happened.

Jeong, who had been enraged, couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

‘What the… what is this?’

The image of his grandfather at the bottom of the hill disappeared without a trace.

Turning his head, wondering where he had disappeared to, the house that had been burning was standing there as usual, as if nothing had happened.

Moreover, the vegetable garden that had been a mess was intact.

In that garden, his grandfather could be seen picking herbs while rubbing his back.

“Grandfather?”

Then his grandfather turned his head and said,

“If you’re here, why are you just standing there blankly instead of helping?”

The moment he heard his grandfather’s voice like that, his heart swelled with emotion.

He didn’t know what had happened just now, but he realized how precious his grandfather was.

He would never lose his grandfather again.

Because he was the only reason he, who should have died, was able to live on.

Someone with black eyes was watching Jeong from behind like this.

He couldn’t hide his satisfaction.

‘Yes. Stay with your grandfather forever. Never lose what’s precious to you again…’

Right then.

Jeong, who had been trembling with overwhelming emotion, suddenly whipped his head around.

‘!?’

The black-eyed being frowned.

Jeong was staring straight at him with baleful eyes like a dead person.

That shouldn’t have been possible.

That bastard absolutely couldn’t recognize him…

-Puk!

At that moment, Jeong’s two fingers dug into the black eyes.

‘Aaaaargh!’

Jeong’s fingers gouged and plucked out his eyeballs.

The black-eyed being, whose eyes were abruptly torn out, writhed in agony.

To him, Jeong spoke in a chilling voice,

“I don’t know what you are, but you’re quite annoying. To play tricks using my deceased grandfather…”