Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Proof (4)

While playing with the children I heard a ghost story.

It was a ghost story about the hideout of the persecuted hidden in Suri Mountain.

‘Who told the story?’

Clearly there was no sense of incongruity when hearing the story but after hearing it all a sense of déjà vu arose, and I do not remember who the child who told the story was.

‘Gender, age, voice, nothing is remembered.’

What is remembered is only the information about the ghost story.

The same thing happened with the Child-Luring Ghost and at that time I thought it was the Child-Luring Ghost’s bad hobby.

‘I thought it was a dog-like bad hobby of telling its own ghost story to children to scare them and then kidnapping.’

Today, I realized it is another strange force and turbulent spirit not the Child-Luring Ghost.

“Hey, is there a strange force and turbulent spirit that goes around telling ghost stories?”

『Abandon the hope that the Heavenly Net has grasped all strange forces and turbulent spirits.』

“Aigoo, useless fellow!”

『What is useless is not this seat but the boss’s conscience.』

Anyway I am convinced it is not false.

Not because of the sharpened intuition, but thinking of the precedent with the Child-Luring Ghost a strange force and turbulent spirit that lies is not it.

“Here, I want to buy some ritual tools. I have to move them alone to the mountain so please in a size that can be wrapped in a bundle.”

Thus soothing the souls might be the weakness of the ruin, so finishing preparations I climbed Suri Mountain carrying a large bundle on my back.

Recalling the Provincial Administration Commissioner’s story as heard in the village while hopping up the rugged and steep mountain.

-Midway up Suri Mountain, three small peaks, if examining the cliff of the middle peak there will be a small gap.

I found the entrance quickly.

‘This is the ruin the Heavenly Net spoke of.’

After entry, returnees 0.

Danger grade assessment impossible.

No information.

Licking the lips from tension and putting a hand into the gap, the wall in front of the eyes disappeared like an illusion.

“So this is why it is a ruin?”

The revealed entrance was a staircase that anyone could see was artificially made.

“Now, shall we go? Don’t faint this time.”

『Hmph! Do not ignore this seat!』

The moment stepping on the staircase, darkness cast in front of the eyes. Turning back the entrance had disappeared, and also a staircase with no end visible continued to the back.

“I knew that if entering one cannot go out, but the temper is quite impatient.”

Concentrating eye force, I moved through the darkness with not a single bit of light.

The more descending the feeling of throwing the body into endless darkness arose, and actually an impulse to throw the body in there arose.

‘Mental control from the start.’

Raising internal power overall I resist the whisper of the darkness.

‘Even without urging I am going down now so wait.’

Descending like that for a long while.

In the darkness a small light was seen, and heading there the screams greeted me.

『Aaaagh!』

『Please! Please kill me!』

『Stop, stop! Please stop!』

In a prison full of blood color numerous prisoners are being tortured.

Someone tied to a chair, fingernails and toenails pulled and teeth broken by a hammer.

Someone put into a mortar and crushed by a giant pestle.

Someone hung upside down and the entire body branded with a branding iron, and beside that a cloth wet with water covered the face and struggled.

‘Horrific.’

However those being tortured regenerated to a fine appearance in not even a few seconds, and even the clothes regenerated and one and all were pure white Daoist robes.

‘The ones torturing are black in contrast.’

The black-clothed people covered the entire body and even passing right beside them only silently did their own work.

“Can you hear my words?”

Neither the black-clothed nor the white-clothed answer.

Extending a hand purely without using internal energy and as expected like a ghost it passed through as is.

‘The screams are clear and the blood scent stings the nose yet one cannot touch.’

Examining the prison there were hunters and herbalists besides the white-clothed and black-clothed.

『Please! Please forgive me! I believe nothing!』

『Please stop! Aaaagh! I did not say I do not know such things!』

『I said I do not know other hideouts!』

And there were also those wearing ordinary clothes or martial clothes.

『Cannot win, cannot win!』

『I do not believe in Maitreya! I do not even know what a Ming King is!』

Thinking that among them there might be Heavenly Net agents the inside of the mouth was bitter.

“The teacher said, if there is an opportunity to pay for the crime one should do so.”

Sitting down on the spot I unpacked the bundle.

“Killing you all is not difficult for me, but I do not know whether one can attain Buddhahood with that method. So I will soothe the souls, so if going to the underworld receive judgment from King Yama.”

Unfolding a small ritual table and putting the packed food into the ritual vessels and offering.

“If reincarnating like me, forget the resentment and live ordinarily or something.”

Exactly once.

I will soothe the souls only once.

If it does not work whether it collapses or not, I will massacre them all.

‘No, why won’t this stick?’

But the most important incense cannot be lit.

Opening the fire-seizing tool several times but the sparks keep going out.

‘Daoist Mu Gyeong’s fire-seizing tool is a special tool so there is no reason for the flame to go out.’

Is it because of the resentment emitted by the resentful spirits of the prison?

Certainly the air as well as the coiling energy is cold and chilly.

‘Will it work without incense?’

Raising the wine cup and bowing twice.

The moment finishing the half bow by lowering the waist last, the screams of the prison stopped.

‘Attained Buddhahood!’

The white-clothed too.

The black-clothed too.

All other resentful spirits look at me.

“...Not?”

『A living person!』

『How is a living person here!?』

The white-clothed shout.

『That one must be killed!』

『Do not suffer while alive!』

『Sometimes death is salvation!』

The black-clothed also shout.

『What is your rank?』

『When did you enter the cult?』

『Tell all the safe houses of the cult you know.』

The other ones also shout.

『Why are only you fine!』

『Only you are comfortable! Cannot forgive!』

『Come here, come here! Let us be together!』

Ghosts flock from all sides.

“Quite, even when saying I will soothe the souls it is like this.”

Drawing the sword and raising it high.

“This is pure bullshit season.”

* * *

Putting intention into the raised sword.

Containing the feeling of one giant azure dragon arrogantly looking down on the world and loftily reigning I struck down vigorously.

‘Heavenly Dragon Descending to the World!’

The surrounding energy is all pressed down.

The ghosts also cannot dare raise their heads and prostrate flat on the floor screaming as if about to tear.

‘Light the incense and try again.’

The problem is there is no method to light the incense.

The fire-seizing tool goes out immediately upon lighting so I tried lighting the fire in a state stuck right against it but even so the fire stuck to the incense also went out immediately.

『The surrounding cold energy is strong so the fire cannot be sustained. Something must be done about the cold energy.』

“Or if making a fire that does not go out even in cold energy it would be fine.”

A good method came to mind and just as trying to attempt it, the Three-legged Crow screamed.

『Gyaaak! What is that!』

The direction the Three-legged Crow is looking is a corridor with nothing.

I was about to snap why the fuss in a corridor of only darkness, but I also felt it.

『It is death! That is the incarnation of death! There is no explanation other than that!』

Something bizarre and ominous that cannot be expressed in words slowly approaching this way.

The slow steps as if having come out for a leisurely stroll are not a situation of arriving immediately, but it has definitely gotten closer to this place.

‘It seems like I cannot win?’

The energy is not gigantic, nor has the form been revealed.

However the ominousness alone is the highest among energies felt in a lifetime so I had no confidence to fight and win.

‘Quickly light the incense and try the soul-soothing. If failing then at that time, fight risking life.’

Raising internal energy to the fullest I recall the ability of the ghost the Provincial Administration Commissioner used.

-Anger the more it is harbored the more it burns, so the world also becomes karmic fire to my anger and swallows itself.

That thing handled wind, fire, soil, water but did not create them from the body but made the surrounding energy so.

‘Energy is the form of all things under heaven and earth, so if strongly wishing like intention one can also create flame.’

However strongly wishing like intention is not an easy matter.

『Gyaaak! Boss! Quickly do something! It keeps getting closer! This seat does not want to die!』

Merely thinking of fire alone cannot create it.

Then if projecting the desired wish into the energy through strong emotion like the Provincial Administration Commissioner’s ghost?

‘Emotion does not have a clear form fixed, so cannot one project the meaning by comparing to other things as much as wanted?’

Joy as wind.

Anger as flame.

Sorrow as sea.

Pleasure as earth.

‘I don’t know about others but anger one is certain for me.’

I am angry that those who were persecuted while alive cannot escape such a state even after dying.

I am angry that those who became resentful spirits bewitch those with no sin at all, and make them the same situation.

I am angry at the situation of those who are also victims themselves yet want me to become a victim the same way.

‘And I am extremely pissed at this world that does not let one rest peacefully even after dying.’

A thousand fires boil in the chest.

Containing in internal energy and drawing out, a flame that wants to burn the entire world flickers in the air.

“Samadhi True Fire, you are Samadhi True Fire from now on.”

『Boss! Quickly do it! It arrives soon!』

Beyond the corridor covered in darkness.

The sound of footsteps approaches.

Manipulating energy I transferred Samadhi True Fire and lit the incense.

‘Good, it stuck!’

Smelling the incense scent covering the blood scent I raised a bow again.

“Please attain rebirth in paradise.”

『Oh...』

『Finally...』

The forms of the white-clothed blurred and soon disappeared.

『Ah, escaping the curse.』

『Now, now...』

『In the next life I will absolutely not do official work.』

The black-clothed also disappeared.

『The Heavenly Net did it.』

『Now I can rest.』

『Thank you, thank you.』

The other resentful spirits also disappeared.

When all disappeared the prison also gradually blurred and began to disappear.

『...』

However, the ominous existence still did not disappear and finally revealed its form.

The existence in black official robes had completely black eyes, and except for having no whites was no different from an ordinary person.

‘What is that!’

But the moment facing directly, I realized.

That cannot be won.

At least with the current me even giving full power I will only die and disappear.

‘A trembling similar to when first meeting Taowu.’

The Three-legged Crow has already foamed at the mouth and fainted long ago.

‘Huh? Wait, that fellow, is disappearing?’

A fellow strong enough to be compared to Taowu was no different from the other resentful spirits?

‘Strange forces and turbulent spirits can be won if stabbing the weakness separate from strength!’

The disappearing fellow smiled faintly with a face that seemed not even a drop of blood would come out even if stabbed.

『Who are you.』

“I am Lee Shin a civil service exam aspirant and official hopeful.”

Not knowing what to say, I roughly made it up.

『It is the great fortune of the country.』

The thing completely disappeared along with a single word.

『Be sure to pass.』

Did I just receive a pass cheer from a ghost now?

‘What kind of ghost is this?’

The prison disappeared and a bright cavity revealed itself.

This must be the original appearance of the ruin.

‘If investigating here one will be able to know.’