Chapter 124
“Well, that’s true.”
Doyul nodded, albeit with a reluctant expression.
Of course, he thought of Somi as an annoying spirit who meddled in everything. However, he acknowledged that the feelings Somi had for Yerin were sincere.
“Then disciple Hyuk Min-woo must be on the move by now.”
“Exactly. He’s quick-witted, so he’ll try to persuade the people of the Jongnam faction and the Sinchang Yang family as much as possible.”
Yerin continued as she picked up her pace.
“Even if he fails to persuade them, he’ll definitely bring all our troops in case of an emergency.”
“True, Somi can sense your location…”
As Doyul was speaking, he suddenly shut his lips tightly.
“Huh? Why did it get quiet all of a sudden?”
Yerin tilted her head in confusion.
A moment later, Doyul continued with a sulky voice.
“I can’t believe I’m actually acknowledging that annoying spirit’s usefulness.”
The surprise and irritation were palpable on his face, and Yerin couldn’t help but smile a little.
The two continued to traverse the secret passage.
—
How long had they been walking?
The path gradually turned into an uphill climb before a large door blocked their way.
Yerin frowned.
“If that’s locked from the outside, we’re in trouble…”
“Let’s just try to open it.”
With a tense expression, Doyul pushed the door open.
Fortunately, contrary to their worries, the door opened easily.
“Where is this…?”
The two stepped outside and were met with astonished expressions.
They had emerged into a room.
To be more precise, it was an ordinary house where civilians might live.
Looking at the worn but simple furniture, one can see that someone had actually lived there at some point.
However, the peculiar thing was that the room was filled with all sorts of trivial items piled up like a mountain.
There were clothes, shoes, and even farming tools like hoes.
Yerin suggested with a puzzled expression, “Should we go outside?”
“Let’s do that.”
Doyul moved ahead, and Yerin followed closely behind him.
Carefully stepping over the scattered items on the floor, Yerin asked, “What do you think these things are?”
“Well, they look like items people would wear or use…”
As Doyul shrugged his shoulders and continued walking, he suddenly stopped.
“Oh no.”
He had tripped over some clothes lying on the floor.
He instinctively looked down.
And then—
‘Wait, what’s that?’
A look of confusion spread across Doyul’s face.
Yerin, who had been puzzled, turned her gaze toward where Doyul was looking.
“What’s wrong?”
At the same time, Yerin realized why Doyul wore such a dubious expression.
It couldn’t be helped.
Because…
‘My husband had a large mole on his chin… Ah, that’s right! The sleeve is frayed, and they’ve patched it with a piece of plain fabric.’
Suddenly, the tear-streaked face of a woman appeared in her mind.
And the voice of the woman desperately describing her husband echoed in her ears.
‘Which sleeve was it?’
‘The left one. The color of the patched fabric is different, so it’ll stand out quickly.’
The very description fits perfectly with the clothing lying on the floor.
“No way.”
Doyul bent down and hurriedly picked up the garment.
The faded beige garment had a patch of differently colored fabric sewn onto the left sleeve.
The white bones of his knuckles were starkly visible on the back of Doyul’s hand gripping the fabric.
A sense of foreboding washed over him.
“This clothing is…”
Doyul immediately turned to Yerin.
As their trembling eyes met, Yerin forced herself to act calm and pointed toward the door.
“Let’s go find the people.”
“Madam.”
“Maybe… just maybe, there could still be someone alive.”
The sound of her voice felt strange.
It was only natural.
Yerin herself didn’t even believe her own speculation.
‘The owner of these items is probably…’
Dead.
Her instincts whispered to her.
It felt like her heart was being squeezed in pain.
As if trying to escape from that suspicion, Yerin abruptly turned and kicked the door open, rushing outside.
—
Doyul and Yerin arrived at a small village located on a rarely traveled mountainside.
It didn’t seem to be a place with many houses, to begin with.
Perhaps due to the mountain’s shadow, even though the sun was high in the sky, very little sunlight reached the village.
The sight of dilapidated houses scattered around felt eerie.
The two searched the village thoroughly.
Their conclusion was:
“…There’s not a single person here.”
Yerin gritted her teeth as she spoke.
“No, it’s not just people. There’s not a single living creature.”
It was, quite literally, true.
There were no people, and not even animals could be found.
No matter how small the village might be, there would be some livestock like rabbits or chickens.
If not, there should be at least some insects or small critters that live off humans.
The village was completely empty.
There weren’t even many weeds growing, revealing the red soil underneath.
Then, suddenly, Yerin flinched.
‘Wait a minute, what’s this energy…?’
Out of nowhere, a disturbingly unpleasant energy surged from one direction as if it were emanating from the dead—a chilling presence.
Doyul, sensing that energy as well, quickly turned to look in that direction.
Behind the village, a low hill connected to the mountains came into view.
“Madam, over there!”
“Yes!”
Yerin nodded and kicked off the ground, sprinting ahead.
How long had they been running?
The ground gradually began to turn pitch black beneath her feet.
Yerin stiffened her shoulders.
‘…No way.’
Although she thought the energy she felt was quite toxic, she didn’t expect it to taint the entire hill.
The parched, crispy grass withered helplessly as it blew in the wind.
Dust rose thickly from the cracked earth as if it had suffered a drought.
The dry trees cast eerie shadows without a trace of moisture.
‘This cannot be; this is…’
Yerin clenched her teeth, bracing her legs.
As they went deeper, the color of the ground darkened further.
Doyul, who was closely following her, restrained Yerin.
“It’s dangerous to go any further!”
“But…!”
Yerin bit her lip as she gazed at the hill.
Before they knew it, the ground they had stepped onto had turned a grim, dark color.
It was no longer solid ground but a squishy, muddy surface.
Every spot her foot touched felt eerie with its squelching sensation.
“It’s like… a swamp.”
Doyul murmured with a trembling voice.
From where the two stood, the hill had transformed into something that could no longer be called “ground.”
It was so saturated with toxins that the earth itself had begun to melt away.
A wide open space was marked with yellow lines.
Scattered along the yellow lines were talismans inscribed with words in blood, fluttering ominously.
Beyond the yellow line lay a jar sealed with talismans.
It was an enormous jar, large enough to hold an adult comfortably.
In front of the jar stood a man with his hands clasped behind his back.
‘He must have noticed our approach…’
The man didn’t stir even slightly.
Instead, he simply stared intently into the jar, where “something” was inside.
That man was none other than…
“Father.”
Yerin bit her lip and called out to Dang So-cheol.
At her voice, Dang So-cheol turned around with a serious expression.
“Shh.”
Additionally, he raised a finger to his lips and grinned widely.
“We need to be quiet; it’s a very important moment, you know.”
“A very… important moment?”
“Yes.”
Dang So-cheol nodded his head exaggeratedly.
Then he widened his eyes and leaned toward the jar.
“Oh, right. I can’t keep exposing this precious thing to the outside.”
Contrary to his theatrical demeanor, Dang So-cheol’s hands moved carefully as he closed the lid of the jar.
Only after checking the safety of the jar did he spin around to face Yerin.
“You’ve waited too long.”
At the same time, Dang So-cheol opened his arms wide.
His exaggerated gesture resembled that of a child proudly displaying an achievement.
“What does that mean…?”
“Finally, the new vision of the Dang clan is being completed!”
Dang So-cheol shouted with a voice full of joy.
‘Is the vision of the Dang clan inside that jar?’
Yerin watched the jar behind Dang So-cheol with wary eyes.
However, Dang So-cheol paid no mind to Yerin’s feelings at all.
And it was understandable, as he was completely enraptured by the monumental achievement he had made.
“I’m so happy. I’ve never been this happy in my life.”
“…Are you talking about the completion of the vision?”
“Of course, that makes me happy!”
Dang So-cheol nodded vigorously, a wide smile spreading across his lips.
It was a smile filled with madness.
“But besides that, I’m also delighted that you’ve made it this far.”
“…”
“Excellent; you truly are my daughter, following in my bloodline.”
Yerin instinctively took a step back.
Looking at Dang So-cheol’s beaming face sent a shiver down her spine as if cold water had been splashed on her back.
With a grin still on his face, Dang So-cheol asked Yerin a question.
