Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Proof (2)

The Henan Provincial Administration Commissioner, who had been in office for the 10th year this year, had been hearing strange rumors since half a year ago.

“A dog buried with only its head left in the southern street has starved to death.”

“Just-harvested grain rots in a day, and bizarre bugs come out of fruit.”

“A downpour falls from a clear sky, and in the midsummer scorching sun frost forms and all the apple trees die.”

One and all logically inexplicable bizarre incidents, and even sending constables and strengthening patrols the similar incidents did not stop.

“Call a shaman.”

With public sentiment becoming ominous the shaman inevitably sought out examined the capital and said this.

“A vicious evil spirit is playing pranks. It can be sufficiently sealed, so leave it to me. Instead, in place of payment build a shrine here in Jeongju to honor the heavenly god I serve.”

The next day, when the shaman performed a ritual no more bizarre incidents occurred.

At the time of trying to build the shrine as promised, the Provincial Administration Commissioner became suspicious.

‘Was it really the doing of an evil spirit? Could it be that we made a fuss over a coincidentally occurring bizarre incident?’

Because the matter was resolved too easily the shaman looked like a scammer.

In the end the Provincial Administration Commissioner did not keep the promise and the shaman left the capital while laying a curse.

“I will release the captured evil spirit again! You, Provincial Administration Commissioner! Since you called me, the evil spirit will target you!”

From that day the Provincial Administration Commissioner continuously had nightmares.

In the dream a black form chased and strangled the neck, harmed with a sword, and set fire, and even though a dream it hurt and suffered like reality so no matter how long he slept it did not feel like he had slept.

“Find a way not to have nightmares!”

Placing various folk beliefs, spells, and items in the room and calling other shamans, Daoists, and high monks nothing was of any use.

“Heok!”

And some time ago, the Provincial Administration Commissioner who woke after being hacked in the nightmare checked his upper body at the unending sharp pain.

“W-what is this!”

Scars formed on the body equal to the number of times the blade hit in the dream.

* * *

“Do you understand what these scars mean?”

“Death in the dream might become death in reality.”

The Provincial Administration Commissioner who finished the story closed his collar.

“I did not believe in things like strange forces and turbulent spirits but if I turn my eyes away even after coming this far I am merely a fool! However, the newly sought shamans, Daoists, and high monks were all scammers and just as I was about to give up, I heard your rumor!”

How much he had been tormented, the grip that suddenly grasped my hand trembled.

“If it is you who is the disciple of a sword immortal, handles the energy of a dragon, and engraves text on a cliff with a sword, would you not be able to catch the evil spirit too!?”

Looking closely, the faces of the other officials around were also haggard.

“The evil spirit’s power is strengthening day by day and now it even appears in the dreams of other officials besides me, so great hero! Please save us!”

“I cannot give a definite answer, but I will try once.”

“Oh! Thank you!”

Receiving splendid treatment and before going to the Provincial Administration Commissioner’s room, I consulted with the Three-legged Crow.

“What do you think?”

『It is a typical evil spirit. Even an ordinary evil spirit if it grows its power can enter a human’s dream and absorb energy to decline the opponent, and further can inflict damage on the real flesh.』

“Do the bizarre incidents that existed since half a year ago also seem the doing of the evil spirit?”

『If it is an evil spirit that has sufficiently grown its power it is possible.』

“What grade does the Heavenly Net assign to such an evil spirit?”

『No matter how much power is grown an ordinary evil spirit cannot even enter Earth-grade.』

There shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Entering the Provincial Administration Commissioner’s room, I conversed until he fell asleep.

“There are many things in the room. Are these the spiritually efficacious items that subdue evil spirits?”

“That is so. None had any effect but just in case I am keeping them.”

A bizarrely shaped jar with a small bronze Buddha statue, an unidentified dried living thing, various talismans, and wooden dolls modeled after beasts.

‘There are all sorts of things.’

The arrangement is not random and seems to have some rule, so probably it has a spell-like meaning.

“Ugh...”

The Provincial Administration Commissioner who was conversing fell into sleep and soon groaned.

The appearance of the evil spirit was not visible so I expanded qi sense and checked the surroundings.

“Uaaa...”

It is quiet.

Even if the wind does not blow energy always flows, but now it is stagnant like pooled water.

“Huuu...”

The flow of internal energy also slowed very slightly, and the senses are dull and hazy as if just woken from sleep.

“Keuheu...”

Suddenly the body weight seems to have increased dozens of times so the flesh is heavy and an unknown pressure weighs down.

The Three-legged Crow that was on the shoulder could not even scream and fell off.

“Truly amazing. Even if slamming the head it would not be enough, yet still upright.”

“Provincial Administration Commissioner, what is this act?”

The Provincial Administration Commissioner who had somehow risen erased the smile and said with an expressionless face.

“Quiet, from now questions are asked by us.”

Somehow people wearing black clothes had surrounded the surroundings.

Even with qi sense I felt nothing of them coming.

“What did you do to Daoist Mu Gyeong?”

I realized the identity at once.

“The Heavenly Net?”

* * *

“It is three times. If the command is disobeyed three times there will be no further interrogation.”

The Provincial Administration Commissioner raised three fingers and folded one.

“I ask again. What did you do to Daoist Mu Gyeong?”

“If asking about the act I performed it was only waiting, and if asking about his state he passed away.”

“Explain accurately.”

Accordingly I explained in detail.

The story from when Daoist Mu Gyeong came to our village until he passed away.

Also guessing what they were thinking I spoke of the matter of killing the Child-Luring Ghost, whether possessing spiritual power, and even the bet with Taowu.

“There are three flaws in your story.”

The Provincial Administration Commissioner raised the other hand and again raised three fingers and folded them one by one.

“First, even if spiritual power is outstanding enough to feel peach fragrance and taste, without long training it is nothing more than a human with opened spirit eyes.”

“It just worked so it was fine.”

“Second, the Child-Luring Ghost cannot be killed. Can you burn fire and wet water? Its immortality is a rule of the world so it cannot be done anything about, thus your words are false.”

“That also just worked so it was fine.”

“Third, meeting Taowu and surviving itself does not make sense. Strange forces and turbulent spirits as vicious as it are rare and its bet is to toy with the opponent, not to confirm a human’s backbone.”

“I almost died but because I endured it spared me.”

“It seems you guessed how your treatment would be and brought up that story, but did you not anticipate how your own story would sound?”

“I know. It is a story that even I would slap the cheek and curse not to lie.”

The Provincial Administration Commissioner folded the second finger.

“The remaining chance is once.”

“Even pressing like that is useless. The story told now is the truth, and the truth does not change even if threatened.”

The Provincial Administration Commissioner’s face that was originally cold hardened one level more.

“You do not know your situation.”

“I know well.”

Resisting the unknown power I equally spread three fingers.

“First, you all heard the rumor of the Jade-Faced Asura and sent people to confirm whether a strange force and turbulent spirit. However, you discovered that I was using the Three-legged Crow that Daoist Mu Gyeong should have been carrying.”

I confirmed the Three-legged Crow with a sidelong glance.

“Second, the rumor of handling the energy of a dragon and engraving text on a cliff was not exaggeration but truth. Here suspicion arose whether truly human and it would have been concluded like this.”

It foamed at the mouth and fainted but was still alive.

“Third, that one is not human. Such an existence is using the Three-legged Crow. Therefore, it killed Daoist Mu Gyeong and stole it. Since it is imitating a chivalrous hero let us use that point and dig a trap.”

“...”

“Thus disguising as the Provincial Administration Commissioner you lured me and fell into a trap. I knew the Heavenly Net’s ability was amazing but experiencing it directly it lives up to the name.”

It is not empty words but sincerity.

The intuition sharpened after acquiring internal energy too.

The qi sense that detects surrounding energy in real time too.

The five senses that transcended human also felt no sense of incongruity until just before falling into the trap.

“Then you would know well what kind of situation you are in.”

“Even though not completely falling for the trap revealing the identity and talking means the current might is not full power, and since it can be adjusted it means you can kill me at any time, right?”

“Yes, I will ask again. What did you do to Daoist Mu Gyeong?”

“The purpose of the conversation is because there was a sliver of hope in Daoist Mu Gyeong’s survival.”

“The answer?”

From the time of carrying the Three-legged Crow around without hiding I expected to meet the Heavenly Net someday.

I also expected that this kind of situation would occur and knew even that they would not believe my words.

“I have already answered everything.”

But I will neither lie nor hide the truth.

There is not a single point of shame under heaven, so I do not want to do such a thing just so that a misunderstanding does not arise.

“Enough, die.”

Thus the remaining method is only one.

There is no choice but to subdue everyone with force and converse calmly once more.

“If you can then try.”

The stagnant energy runs wild.

The energy raging from all sides like a torrent pouring as a dam collapses becomes a storm in an instant and swallows me.

‘Energy can be moved in this way.’

Like the atmosphere being drawn by a typhoon, my internal energy also showed signs of being swept and running wild.

‘Internal energy is my will, and my will is internal energy so what reason is there to worry?’

If that side influences me, I too will be able to influence that side.

Like a gentle breeze.

Like flowing stream water.

When circulating internal energy calmly rather the raging storm subsided.

“Keuheok!”

One of the black-clothed people vomits blood.

Without even time to think the energy pressing the body strengthens one level more.

‘Until now it roughly worked because internal energy was not used, but no longer.’

Putting strength into the body the pushed-back pressure returns doubled.

‘Shall we try once who falls first?’

Pushing out again it becomes doubled again.

Each time my internal energy was also needed doubled but the welling internal energy showed no bottom, and when repeated five times the pressure completely disappeared.

“Keuk!”

Another black-clothed person vomits blood and kneels.

The body’s senses begin to dull again and when circulating internal energy one level faster it returned to normal.

“Ugh!”

The third black-clothed person collapsed.

With this I confirmed that the culprit of the bizarre phenomenon is the black-clothed people, and recalled Daoist Mu Gyeong’s words.

-Spiritual power is martial strength bestowed upon special ones chosen by heaven.

Another martial strength different from internal energy.

It seems that if going through long training one can display abilities like Daoist techniques or divine powers.

“Ha!”

I thought the next attack would not come and they had given up but a chilly energy filled the room.

Above various miscellaneous items bizarrely shaped ghosts and yokai rose and glared at me.

“There are all sorts of things.”

The Provincial Administration Commissioner who somehow had a flute in his mouth.

Whether it is his ability, or a tool that controls strange forces and turbulent spirits owned by the Heavenly Net I did not particularly distinguish.

“Come.”

Because distinguishing is meaningless.

Embracing the Three-legged Crow in my arms and sitting I beckoned with a hand.

“I will deal with you.”