Chapter 123
“Informing the Martial Alliance might lead to the news reaching the Dang Clan that we suspect them.”
“That’s true, but…”
Yang Gun trailed off, finding it hard to counter such a reasonable point.
Hyuk Min-woo continued, trying to reassure them.
“Above all, we still don’t know what that formation is hiding.”
“Hyuk Min-woo, sir.”
“The Palace Lord and the matriarch said they would investigate first, so for now, I plan to prepare the warriors and have them stand by.”
Hyuk Min-woo smiled gently as if to calm their fears.
“When I said we might need to prepare for battle, please understand that it was to be prepared for any eventuality.”
“Well, if that’s the case…”
“I understand.”
The two men nodded in agreement, but Yang Gun still seemed uneasy.
“However…”
Yang Gun, with a worried tone, raised his concern again.
“It’s good that you two are conducting an investigation, but what if you find yourselves in danger?”
“Danger?”
“Of course, I’m not doubting your abilities. But there could be unexpected circumstances, right?”
Yang Gun’s voice trailed off, filled with skepticism.
“To prevent such situations, I think we should maintain close contact with you two…”
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that.”
Hyuk Min-woo shook his head and pointed to the Somi sitting quietly in a chair nearby.
“That creature will guide you two on your way.”
“What? That puppy?”
The two men exclaimed in shock, nearly in unison.
‘That damned beast?!’
The Somi bristled at being called a puppy but held back, sensing the atmosphere.
Looking proudly at the wagging-tailed creature, Hyuk Min-woo continued.
“Despite its appearance, it is a spirit beast. Until now, it has also been the communication link between you two.”
“Really?”
“A spirit beast? It looks just like an ordinary puppy.”
…Should I just bite them once?
Somi, boiling with indignation, finally furrowed its brow and turned its gaze out the window.
Its blue eyes focused on a point in the darkness.
The direction of the Dang Clan.
‘Please be careful.
Not only the contractor but even the unlucky palace lord.
As long as both of them return safely, it might be possible to endure being called a puppy for a day.
The blue eyes sank deeply, filled with unease.
—
The next day.
Yerin visited the residence of the Dang Clan leader early in the morning.
“I came to see if you slept well last night and to offer my greetings.”
Of course, that was just an excuse.
To be precise, she was checking if the Dang Clan leader was out…
“The Dang Clan leader is not in.”
The servant bowed deeply towards Yerin.
“He went out last night.”
Good.
Yerin suppressed a smile that threatened to break out.
Then, she feigned a disappointed expression.
“Oh, really? When will he be back?”
“That, we do not know.”
“Well, I see.”
Yerin nodded and turned away without hesitation.
When she returned to her quarters, Doyul was waiting for her.
“Let’s go.”
It was a brief statement, but Doyul understood its meaning.
He nodded with a tense expression.
“Let’s do it.”
It was time to uncover the secrets of Goamjeong.
—
The two of them headed straight for Goamjeong.
“…Something doesn’t feel right.”
Doyul muttered as they entered the courtyard, narrowing his brow.
Yerin felt the same.
Even though it was early morning, the sun was already up.
Still, the courtyard felt devoid of sunlight, as if it were completely shaded.
A damp, unsettling sensation crawled up her body like a creeping shadow.
After moving for a while, they finally arrived at the suspicious pavillion.
At first glance, it looked fresh and new, like a recently built structure, but there was an unsettling aura lingering around it.
“Let’s check inside the pavilion first…”
“Wait a moment.”
Yerin gestured to stop Doyul from approaching the pavilion.
Stepping forward, she focused her senses on the pavilion.
At the same time, she narrowed her eyes.
‘This feels off.’
The entire structure felt shrouded in a thick, dark shadow.
As she carefully surveyed her surroundings, Yerin’s attention was drawn to the stairs leading up to the pavilion.
Specifically, it was the ornate lotus-shaped carvings adorning the stair pillars.
It felt as if darkness was pooling particularly thickly around that ornament.
“There’s something strange here.”
Yerin tapped on the ornament with a skeptical look.
It produced a hollow sound.
That meant it was empty inside.
‘Then there might be something hidden within.’
Perhaps a medium that maintained the formation.
After contemplating for a moment, Yerin wrapped her energy around her hands and carefully touched the lotus ornament.
If there really was a medium for the formation hidden within…
‘It would surely be designed to be disassembled without damaging the ornament in case it needed to be adjusted or replaced.’
Then suddenly—
‘Huh?’
Yerin’s eyes widened in surprise.
As her finger touched a specific point, she felt her energy being absorbed in that spot.
Click.
At the same time, the lotus ornament, which had been tightly fastened to the pillar, loosened.
Yerin swallowed nervously as she pulled the lotus ornament out completely.
An item hidden inside the ornament was revealed.
“…Is this the medium?”
The medium of the formation was a long bundle of hair.
However, what was unusual was that the hair itself was of various colors.
Looking at the messy mixture of brown, black, and white hair intertwined…
“It seems like they collected hair from several people.”
Yerin carefully picked up the bundle of hair.
At that moment—
‘What is this?’
She noticed the yellow cord that tightly bound the hair.
It was a cord made from twisted paper, and for some reason, it gave off an unsettling feeling.
‘…First, let’s deactivate the formation.’
Yerin untied the cord.
As the hair cascaded down to the floor, a loud *bang* echoed.
A soundless tremor spread through the air.
As the atmosphere shook violently, a warmth suddenly surged within the oddly chilly air.
The formation had been dismantled.
“Madam, look over there!”
Doyul pointed at a part of the structure with a shocked expression.
A large door leading down into the ground had revealed itself on the floor of the pavilion.
It was a door that hadn’t been there when they first arrived.
“That door…!”
At that moment, Doyul noticed that Yerin was strangely silent.
“Madam?”
Yerin was staring intently at the long yellow piece of paper in her hand.
“What is that?”
Doyul approached Yerin and asked.
With gritted teeth, Yerin replied, “It’s the cord that was tying up the bundle of hair.”
“The cord? But this is…”
“It was used as a substitute for the cord by twisting talismans together.”
Yerin showed Doyul the talisman.
The talisman was densely covered with pictures and writings, discolored brown from dye.
And the identity of that dye was…
“It’s blood.”
Doyul froze in place.
“…This can’t be.”
The wicked sorceries that used blood and corpses were all symbols and characteristics of the Blood Sect.
And the fact that a formation using blood and human bodies was being employed by the Dang Clan meant…
“This confirms it.”
Yerin spoke in a cold voice.
“The Blood Sect has infiltrated the Dang Clan. Moreover, in the worst-case scenario…”
With a swift motion, Yerin tore the talisman apart.
As she brushed the torn pieces of the talisman off her hands, she concluded, “The Dang Clan and the Blood Sect may be collaborating.”
“…”
Doyul didn’t add any further comments.
He simply gestured toward the door on the floor of the pavilion.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
Without hesitation, the two of them stepped through the door.
—
Inside the door was a secret passage leading underground.
The steep slope that descended sharply gradually flattened out into a level surface.
“It seems someone has been coming and going periodically.”
Yerin looked around.
Lanterns were hanging sporadically on the walls, and the ground was well-packed for walking.
Such a well-maintained path wouldn’t exist unless someone were regularly taking care of it.
“Indeed, it would have required a considerable amount of manpower to create and maintain a path like this.”
Nodding in agreement with Yerin, Doyul trailed off uncertainly.
“However, what could possibly warrant the effort put into this?”
In truth, Yerin felt the same.
What could possibly exist at the end of this path that would justify the creation and maintenance of such a massive secret passage?
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Doyul tried to sound cheerful as he spoke.
“More importantly, I wonder if Somi arrived safely with Hyuk Min-woo.”
Yerin smiled reassuringly as if to say not to worry.
“I’m sure they met without any problems. Even if he seems laid-back, he’s someone who responsibly carries out what he’s been entrusted with.”
