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I didn’t feel comfortable with the Goryeo language until about a year and a half later. By then, I had officially started working as a guard for the Jeong Clan and could understand most vocabulary, provided it wasn’t too complicated. I could hold a decent conversation not just with Lee Joo-hee, but also with others around me.

At that point, I was practically fluent in Goryeo, and Jeong Cheol-wook began assigning various tasks to me.

One day, I was assigned to escort Jeong Clan’s maternal uncle outside the capital. He was another pampered noble who looked at me—a young guy from the Central Plains—like I was a bug under his shoe. But when two huge tigers jumped out on the mountain path, his face went pale.

Grrrr!

“Whoa!”

“It’s a tiger!”

Even the nobles and the four guardian warriors accompanying him looked like they were about to faint. Yes, they were trained warriors, but mastering martial arts doesn’t magically turn you into a superhuman. A tiger that big was no joke! Even a first-class expert would have to risk their life to confront it. And with two of them? Major trouble!

But as soon as I saw the tigers, I glared at them and asserted my dominance. My aura spread out massively.

Woong!

Both tigers hesitated, then bolted away over the mountain. I figured they must have been a male and female pair. Still, they couldn’t have been starving if they dared to charge at me like that. Jeong’s maternal uncle was stunned and shouted,

“A-amazing!”

I was okay with that part, but then he totally lost it.

“Now, go catch that tiger!”

“Huh?”

“What are you waiting for? Go!”

What the heck was he talking about? Why do I have to catch a tiger?

Completely dumbfounded, I argued in Goryeo, “Why should I catch a tiger? Aren’t we supposed to head for Suwon?”

“A bunch of bandits is good enough for the guards besides you. Hurry and bring back that tiger!”

“So why should I catch it? Didn’t we run it off?”

“We need the skin!”

“…”

There it was; the near-death experience had been completely forgotten, and all he could think of was getting that precious tiger skin. Tiger pelts were dangerously expensive! But asking a guard out of the blue to catch a tiger was messed up—in every way possible! I wasn’t even one of his direct servants!

When I couldn’t hide my displeasure and exuded killing intent, the head of the guardian warriors seemed to catch on. He hurriedly pulled me aside and whispered.

“Baek Woong, I get that you’re mad, but could you do me a favor? It shouldn’t be too hard for your martial skills.”

“Why should I listen to such nonsense? My current master is Jeong Cheol-wook, not you!”

“Well, that’s true, but he’s also the king’s maternal uncle. He’s high-born, with royal blood. Ignoring him might not bode well for your future.”

I scowled. “That’s besides the point. Those tigers were so hungry they showed up even feeling my aura. Should I really go catch those poor things? And you think facing two cornered tigers is an easy job? Even a hundred soldiers would have a hard time managing!”

The warrior had a pleading look and knelt down. “Ugh… I have no words. But please, consider my situation. A hungry tiger might attack someone later, right? This counts as doing a good deed!”

“Hmm…”

I felt an annoying sense of obligation creeping in. I reluctantly said, “Fine, I’ll try it, but don’t expect miracles. If I somehow get the tiger skin, linking it to Jeong Cheol-wook’s honor will be the real issue.”

Upon my answer, the warrior’s face lit up.

“Oh, thank you!”

He probably feared I’d outright rebel! No matter if I captured that tiger or not, as long as I went along with orders, that was a win-win situation for him.

So I followed the tiger’s trail into the hills. But hunting a tiger in the hills wasn’t easy, and when I came across dense thickets, I halted.

Without any proper tracking skills, I’d have to rely on my Qi sense and just hope I’d get lucky. It felt incredibly annoying, and I sighed.

“Haa…”

Suddenly, I felt sympathy for the tiger. Having lived in the Huang Mountains for so long, I knew wild animals fought daily just to survive. Tigers were no exception. The struggles of searching for food while fighting hunger and fear alone was something a city dweller could hardly grasp. So seeing a tiger show up despite being desperate to escape being hunted struck me as pitiful.

Shouldn’t I just leave that maternal uncle to be tiger food instead?

That thought even crossed my mind.

This led me to question why I was even standing here, aimlessly wandering through the mountains hunting starving tigers only to skin them. But like the head guardian said, a hungry tiger could definitely threaten pedestrians. I sighed again and stepped into the thicket.

After about an hour of stumbling through the undergrowth and sensing my surroundings, I spotted a large creature wandering nearby. I sprinted over, thinking it was a tiger.

Whirring!

But it was something entirely different. As soon as I laid eyes on it, I screamed.

“Yuk?!”

It looked straight out of a book. A creature resembling a cow that lived on a high hill, with a snake-like tail and wings under its arms, it was just like Liuniu! They called it Yuk, and it died in winter but lived again in summer. Eating it cured skin diseases.

This was a genuine monster from the Classic of Mountains and Seas right in front of me! There was no mistaking it for anything else; it looked exactly like the illustrations from the book.

Kuuwuu

As if to confirm my thoughts, the cow-like creature howled upon spotting me. It seemed to have no intention of attacking, as it raised its front paw and fixed itself to a tree, starting to nibble on the bark. It seemed as if it just came to munch on some bark.

I never thought I’d actually see a monster from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. To me, the book was more of a creative fantasy novel. But now, standing in front of a Yuk, I felt like I was going nuts. Why on earth did I have to see this in the desolate hills of Goryeo?

‘Maybe the tigers couldn’t hunt because of this Yuk?’

It didn’t seem to eat meat, but it was massive. Its size was that of a monster. Standing vertically, it could look down on the mountains. If a beast like that was roaming nearby, it was no surprise the tigers were too overwhelmed to hunt properly. I was lost in thought staring at the Yuk when I heard a voice.

“So, you know about the Classic of Mountains and Seas.”

It was a human voice. When I turned around, I saw a monk draped in robes. I stared, and sure enough, he was a considerable expert with impressive skills. He didn’t seem like someone who would fear a tiger. I said to him,

“I am Baek Woong, a guardian warrior of the Jeong Clan. I’m here to confront hungry tigers that might harm people.”

“Ah, I see. I’m Ji-yul from the Twelve Joules sect.”

“Do you know about this Yuk?”

“Of course. I came here because of it.”

Whirring!

As Ji-yul spoke, he threw some beads he was holding toward the Yuk. The Yuk, previously nibbling on bark, contorted in pain upon being hit by radiant energy from the beads. After that, it cringed in agony and vanished, leaving behind a small jade. Suddenly witnessing such a miracle, I couldn’t hide my awe. This was something that couldn’t be done with mere martial arts.

“Is this sorcery?” I asked.

Ji-yul picked up the jade and said, “In the Daoist community, it’s called sorcery, but in Buddhism, we refer to it as magical power. I’ve heard that the balance of heaven and earth is disturbed, leading to a surge of monsters from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and I’ve been sent by the Twelve Joules to help.”

Ji-yul seemed to be adept in both martial arts and sorcery. He showed me the jade and said, “Look at this black jade, it’s filled with strange evil energy. It’s clear evidence that someone has been summoning the monsters from the Classic of Mountains and Seas into Goryeo.”

“What? Who would do such a thing?”

“I still don’t know. However, during my journey from the main temple, I’ve driven off seven monsters. Goryeo will probably face turmoil soon.”

“Hmm…”

I muttered under my breath. The Yuk I just saw, though not a carnivore, was overwhelming enough, but the monsters from the Classic of Mountains and Seas all had tremendous strength. If even one of them rampaged through a village, the damage would be beyond imagination. Ji-yul and the Twelve Joules seemed to be preparing for this chaos.

Ji-yul said to me, “I’ve heard of Bin-seung, a renowned figure comparable to the leader of the Twelve Joules. People say he belongs to the Jeong Clan.”

“Too kind.”

“So I’d like to ask for your help. I can’t deal with these monsters alone.”

I shook my head. “I want to, but I’m tied to the Jeong Clan, so I can’t act outside of my missions.”

“Hmm… That’s unfortunate.”

“With your skills, you could handle the monsters without issues, right?”

“No. It’s not the monsters that concern me; it’s the mastermind behind them. A wizard capable of summoning dozens or hundreds of monsters could easily be formidable.”

Now that made sense. As Ji-yul collected the jade and searched for the source of the evil energy, he would eventually reach the root of the problem. Yet that wizard’s abilities would probably be tremendous.

I pondered then asked, “Are you from Haeinsa Temple?”

“Unfortunately, Haeinsa is a temple of the Jogye Order, and I have no connection to Bin-seung.”

“I really need to stop by Haeinsa for something. Can you help me with that?”

It seemed Ji-yul sensed something in my tone and contemplated for a moment, then replied, “Perhaps we could ask Great Master Daejeong, the abbot of Haeinsa, to help with that. He’s a close friend of my master, so maybe it’ll work out. However, it might feel a bit awkward since we belong to different sects.”

I came straight to the point. “I have something to discuss privately with Great Master Daejeong. If you could facilitate that, I will do my utmost to assist you, Ji-yul.”

“Hmm… Alright. I think we can help each other out.”

After that small agreement, I located a tiger den nearby and took care of it. Killing it felt a bit wrong, so instead, I caught a couple of wild boars and tossed them to the tigers. Watching the tigers gorge themselves, Ji-yul frowned.

“Why are you sparing the tigers?”

“It’s just my preference. Besides, if they’re full, they won’t bother people for a while.”

“…”

From the tigers’ perspective, I must have seemed like an inexplicable alien. It didn’t feel right to brutally capture them just because it didn’t benefit me. I also didn’t like the idea of helping the maternal uncle’s cause.

Plus, I felt I’d taught the tigers a lesson, and they’d likely avoid humans for a while now.

So, instead of returning to the maternal uncle, I decided to stick with Ji-yul. I could easily make an excuse that hunting the tiger took forever. This was far more important: the sudden turmoil caused by the monsters and the private meeting with the abbot of Haeinsa.

Besides, I was not planning on advancing through the Jeong Clan. Jeong Cheol-wook thought highly of me at present, so I could rise through the ranks, but my ultimate goal was to seek clues regarding the Seven Luminaries hidden somewhere in Goryeo. Whether nobles or Jeong Cheol-wook disparaged my abilities, it wouldn’t matter in the end.

Tydaht!

About ten days later, Ji-yul and I had reached Songak and were hunting the monsters from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Ji-yul used his magical power to set up barriers to sense the presence of the monsters, and once he did, we would hunt them down one-by-one.

[Kiiiyiiik…]

A monster called Seongseong dissolved into smoke and turned into black jade. It looked a bit brutal, but since it was an artificial monster, it was merely reverting back to its original state. Ji-yul stuffed the black jade into his big pouch and exclaimed, “That’s already 17 monsters!”

“Can’t you feel the aura of the sorcerer?”

“Actually, as we gather the black jade, I can sense where the sorcerer originates from.”

“Where is it?”

“We need to go to the Western Capital.”

I gasped at those words. ‘Western Capital!’ That place was rumored to have had a phoenix appear per the instructions of the Lord of Seogung Escort Agency. Seeing my expression, Ji-yul seemed to understand, saying, “You heard about the phoenix two years ago, didn’t you?”

“I’ve heard it from an acquaintance.”

“While I don’t know the details, it was quite the uproar back then in the Western Capital. There might be some connection between the sorcerous calamity we’re investigating and that.”

“Hmmm…”

I felt an involuntary shiver. I had planned to visit the Western Capital when I could, but why was it now directly related? The connection couldn’t be mere coincidence, as Ji-yul implied. I pondered, ‘Is this fate or destiny?’

I was currently acting outside my predetermined path, following the whims of fate. Yet, given that I was seeking a destination, it was akin to my own will. The future was as unpredictable as the wind.

Finally, Ji-yul and I arrived at the Western Capital about twenty days later. If I’d been solo, I would’ve reached it in three days easily, but I took my time to ride and adjust our pace. On the way, I had to slay a few monsters, so sprinting was out of the question.

As soon as we reached the inn in the Western Capital, Ji-yul laid out the black jade on a large table, then began chanting a spell.

“Not born, not perished, unblemished and pure, everlasting, not extinguished, not one, not two…”

Paat!

Moments later, several black jades shuddered and coalesced like liquid into a massive singular black jade. A powerful evil energy radiated from it. Ji-yul watched the black jade and struck it with his beads, calling out, “Reveal yourself, evil one!”

Suuuu

At that moment, a woman in bizarre attire appeared on the surface of the enormous black jade. I called it bizarre because I had never seen such clothing, with layers resembling Yin-Yang and Eight Trigrams, draped all around her, and she was breathtakingly beautiful with generous… assets.

The image flickered out quickly. After confirming the form of the evil presence, Ji-yul whispered, “It’s a Yin-Yang Master from Dongyoung…”

“Yin-Yang Master?”

“That woman is a sorcerer known as a Yin-Yang Master, belonging to the sect of sorcerers operating in Dongyoung. They utilize their own unique magic called Yin-Yang Dao, but I’ve never heard of a female one before.”

I listened closely to this newfound knowledge, crossing my arms in curiosity. “Is she strong?”

With a serious expression, Ji-yul nodded. “She’s probably very powerful. The magical power radiating from that black jade feels quite formidable. A master like that could rank among the very top tier of Grand Sorcerers in Dongyoung.”

“Can we handle this alone?”

“It might be difficult…”

Normally, I would’ve charged in without hesitation. After all, it was just a sorcerer — my idea was to take her down before she could cast a spell. But having faced death too often, and feeling a bad premonition this time, I chose caution. After some deliberation, I asked, “Do you know its location?”

“Yes.”

I replied, “If so, let’s summon the members of the Twelve Joules along with other sorcerers to accompany us.”

“We should do that.”

Ji-yul began sending out rallying edicts to the Twelve Joules sect in Western Capital regarding the sorcerer who was summoning monsters from the Classic of Mountains and Seas to wreak havoc in Goryeo. Gathering the subjugation squad took roughly five days.

The subjugation squad consisted of warriors and sorcerers from the Twelve Joules, plus me, totaling 23 members. Ji-yul, the de facto leader, lifted his beads triumphantly and shouted, “Let’s defeat this evil!”

“Wooohhh!”

I stood aside watching, managing a chuckle. ‘Sometimes, I’d love to see a mobbing in action.’

So perhaps that’s why, at that moment, I felt good inside. I had always been the one getting mobbed; watching others catch a beatdown felt satisfying.

 

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