Episode 108

A man who had barged into someone else’s home and started a fight, and the guards who surrounded and pressed him.

It seemed the situation would be resolved soon.

“I don’t think it’s anything we should worry about.”

Yu Seol also nodded, as if she agreed with what he said.

“Yes, I think he will get caught soon.”

There was no way this one-against-many fight would be easy without strength.

The intruder quickly became exhausted and seemed likely to collapse before long.

About ten disciples of the shrine gathered around him and began to strike.

From the main hall, a person who appeared to be the head of the family watched the scene with his arms behind his back.

It had been a reckless act from the start.

Was it pity for the pitiful sight of the man that darkened Yu Seol’s expression?

“That guy looks sad.”

“Why are you feeling bad? Earlier, you said he was bad.”

“…I don’t know either.”

As soon as she finished speaking, he lost his balance and fell down. The warriors began to kick him.

Puak! Kwak!

Although his body was turning to mush, the man didn’t even groan.

It was, perhaps, a predictable outcome. After all, he had set fire to someone’s home and caused this uproar.

“We should leave now.”

Yu Jinsan was determined not to get involved any further.

That was until he heard the enraged cry of the man.

“You cursed beings deserving of divine punishment! Give me back my child!!”

His body went limp while his cry ended.

As the warriors stepped back, one of the disciples approached him and then touched his blood point.

“Insane bastard! Why are you looking for your child here who went missing more than 10 years ago?!”

“Do you think I don’t know? I am also one who serves a God!”

At that time, the disciples of the shrine widened the circle. This was because an old man, who seemed like the family head, approached.

He scolded the shaman with a solemn look.

“You bastard! How dare you act this foolishly? Didn’t that proud God tell you that you would end up like this?”

His eyes, red and glaring, fixed on the old man. The shaman’s eyes brimmed with resentment and anger, potent enough to make even Yu Jinsan flinch.

“…Fine, if you insist, I’ll tell you.

“…?”

“Today the great God came and said that he would tear off all the evil beings clinging to you.”

At that moment, anger flashed across the family head’s face, likely because the God they worshipped had just been insulted.

At that time, the disciple next to him leaned in and whispered.

“Elder, there’s no need to bother with such lowliness. I’ll have him taken to the officials for proper handling.”

“There is no need for that. God has become angry with his misbehavior at the shrine, and he should be punished here as well.”

“Then…?”

The family head’s gaze shifted to the warriors standing next to him.

Even though he didn’t command it verbally, his intention was clear.

And Yu Jinsan, who had been observing, stood up.

“Whatever they are talking about, it seems we’ve stumbled upon this by fate, so we might as well take a closer look.”

“Am I coming too?”

“No, if you get too close, all the shamans will start having seizures, won’t they? I’ll go check it out alone, and you stay here and watch.”

“…Okay.”

Yu Jinsan placed his spear and baggage on the tree branch and rose from his spot.

Taat!

Landing on the ground, he headed for the manor.

It was the moment when the sword of a warrior, filled with killing intent, was raised…

“Is anyone there?!”

Everyone in the courtyard turned towards the entrance.

“…?”

A child, appearing to be a Buddhist monk, stood at the entrance with his hands together.

“Can I get some donations?”

One of the disciples hurriedly approached and blocked Yu Jinsan’s path. Because the woman was large, her body blocked the view.

“As you can see, we have some internal matters today, so please come back another time.”

“I haven’t eaten anything for two days. They say meeting anyone is a form of fate, so could you spare me some alms?”

Was it annoyance at being pestered?

Yu Jinsan noticed the woman’s gaze falter for a moment.

“Which temple have you come from?”

If he was a disciple of a monk with a main temple, they wouldn’t treat a monk carelessly. That was why she asked.

The answer was decided right from the start.

“I am just a disciple offering Buddhist prayers at a small temple on an unnamed mountain.”

At that moment, the woman’s expression turned cold. Soon, her fat palm began to push Yu Jinsan on the shoulder.

“Leave now. I have nothing to offer.”

Although Yu Jinsan wasn’t going to be pushed back by this woman, who was not trained in Murim, he just swayed his body a little. But his legs didn’t move.

“Just a handful of rice, and I will head back.”

She lowered her head and whispered in a voice so low that only he could hear.

“I don’t have a single grain of rice to give now, so leave.”

Despite not having come for alms, being so rudely dismissed hurt his pride, for he, too, was human.

Yu Jinsan, walking inside, said,

“Aren’t those stacked over there bags of rice? The Buddha said that giving is the greatest virtue.”

The woman grabbed him by the collar, but how could she stop a warrior?

As Yu Jinsan approached the scene of the incident, everyone was shocked.

The warriors, who were trying to behead the lying shaman, hesitated, not knowing what to do.

In that cold atmosphere, someone went to the head of the family and whispered.

“I have this ominous feeling about the monk, so it would be best to chase him away.”

The head of the family was already concerned.

“Even though he is a monk, I don’t feel the qi of Buddhism. Moreover, even though the gates are open, not a single evil spirit has dared to approach. Is he carrying some powerful talisman? It doesn’t seem like it, given the complete absence of any spiritual qi on him.”

“There are more than a couple of strange things, Family Head. All those wandering around the village fled. It felt like they were startled by something.”

“I know. Something’s happening in our household.”

“Then shouldn’t we at least offer a sacrifice to the God and burn off the impurity?”

“…hmm.”

While they were thinking, Yu Jinsan approached the fallen shaman and squatted beside him.

“Why would someone who worships a god cause harm to someone else’s family?”

“Do you call saving my innocent and pitiful child causing harm?”

Looking at the way he was screaming in anger, it didn’t seem like it was a lie.

Yet, the situation felt off. If someone were imprisoned here, it would not have escaped his senses.

Except for those in the yard, there was no sign of anyone.

“I heard at the gate that it has been ten years already. Are you sure the child is being kept here?”

“My child appears to me in dreams and cries for help. There is no doubt that they captured my son and turned him into a vengeful spirit.”

When Yu Jinsan was young, he also learned about hateful spirits from elders in his family.

The method was to starve the kids, kill them, turn them into hateful spirits, and bring misfortune to wealthy families.

Afterward, when the saddened ones would come to visit, they would receive offerings and then summon the spirits to solve the disaster.

Could it be possible that such a scary thing was practiced here?

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t believe it because it was just a myth.

“Is there any way you can prove that to me?”

The middle-aged man raised his face with difficulty and looked around.

He then surveyed the magnificent yard and pointed somewhere with a bloody finger.

Somewhere in the corner of the yard. There was a jar sealed with something—a talisman.

It seemed like the child’s previous items, and it looked like it had been fenced off with a rope so that no one could touch it.

“First, we need to check what’s in there.”

As Yu Jinsan was about to stand up…

Bang!

The sound of the manor gates closing was heard.

With his seasoned instincts, Yu Jinsan immediately sensed their intentions.

Just as expected.

The family head, who was in the hall, stretched out his index finger and shouted.

“That man is possessed by an evil spirit, bind him at once!”

Yu Jinsan was so shocked that he couldn’t even speak. The warriors came running to catch him, but they couldn’t.

Hands reached out from all around and tried to grab him, but each time, his form slipped away. And his steps were moving towards the jar.

Once he reached his destination, the warriors hesitated to approach, seemingly forbidden from entering the roped-off area.

Yu Jinsan pulled the lid off the jar with a talisman.

Puak!!

With a peek inside, he carefully closed it again.

The fallen shaman watched Yu Jinsan with a puzzled gaze.

“…?”

Without a word, Yu Jinsan launched himself towards the family head, who stood with his arms behind his back.

Pang!

It was this unwritten rule in Kangho not to use Murim against normal people, and Yu Jinsan never violated that rule.

Until then…

Kwak!

When he broke the knee of the family head with a step, he tried to sit down.

At that moment, Yu Jinsan’s palm rose like lightning and slapped him.

Slam!!

Then, his angry shout came into the ears of the family head, who collapsed awkwardly.

“Do you even deserve to be called human?!”

A shout of qi which made the walls shake.

Everyone was in a daze, as if they were shocked. Only a handful of things could make Yu Jinsan angry.

No, one could say it was the first time. Even when his family was in trouble, he didn’t react like this. Because, at that time, his anger was buried in sadness.

“……”

Even though their family head was lying on the ground and struggling, everyone could only look.

At that time, the shout of the young monk echoed loudly.

“Aren’t you ashamed to be guarding such madness as warriors?”

What on earth did he see in the jar?

It wasn’t known, but the six warriors couldn’t just stay still.

“Surround him.”

They were, at best, a mix of second and first-rate warriors.

It seemed like they had even learned the basics of formation, although it looked clumsy to Yu Jinsan.

“Murim people should do things the Murim way.”

After finishing speaking, Yu Jinsan went straight to them.

It seemed like he didn’t care about the rules or anything.

What followed was truly a one-sided massacre.

Whenever the young monk passed by, warriors with broken limbs and necks fell like leaves in the wind.

Tsk! Kwak! Crack!

It was the first time in Yu Jinsan’s life he had treated someone this cruelly.

In the blink of an eye, all of the family’s warriors fell, and those who watched were shocked.

What is happening?

They didn’t understand why, but survival was the most important thing for them at this moment.

“…W-we did wrong.”

“S-spare us, please.”

Yu Jinsan only had cold eyes.

Except for the family head and a couple more, most of them were middle-aged women who served God.

“I have no intention of killing you either. I feel like my hands will get dirty from this.”

The expressions of the family members brightened at Yu Jinsan’s words.

“Th-thank you, monk.”

“From now on, I will live by being kind and offering donations.”

But there was one thing they overlooked.

Yu Jinsan only said he wouldn’t kill them with his own hands; he didn’t speak about forgiveness.

He turned to the trees outside the manor and signaled to someone.

And soon after, the tightly closed gate was smashed.

Kwaang!!!

It wasn’t just Yu Jinsan who was angry. There was a child who saw and heard everything that happened here with her senses.

Yu Seol stepped through the shattered gate.

At that moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded.

About ten disciples, weak in divine power, coughed up blood and collapsed.

The rest were not spared either.

“Kuak!”

“Auk!!”

As Yu Seol entered, all, without exception, began to convulse.

“…Why did you do it?”

The family head, who finally came to his senses, kneeled down in front of Yu Seol and began to pray.

“Oh my, general. I have committed a horrible sin. Please spare me just this once. Oh…”

At that moment, Yu Seol’s eyebrows furrowed, and a roar of anger came out.

“Why did you do that?!”

The reprimand, though not infused with any qi but purely vocal, was like a divine punishment to the shamans.

The family head was the first to bleed from the ears.

Strangely, the only unharmed person was the middle-aged shaman who had invaded this place.