Subdued Soul Chronicle

Seol Young was silent.

“…”

Were they mistaken?

Hwa Un had a twisted thought.

However, he had to keep his dignity as the head of a troop until now. Could he get angry against a low-ranking Hwarang in a white robe?

He tried to stop his temper from flaring and forced a smile on his face.

“Seol Young-rang. I served you the chrysanthemum alcohol for guests who come here, but aren’t you just looking down on our people too much?”

“I am not.”

Seol Young responded.

“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have been this honest about my purpose for coming here. I would have deceived you by saying that I came for you or looked for other targets.”

And then he spoke with a serious face.

“Who am I? Wasn’t I the person who brought the greatest humiliation to the Vermillion Bird Troops in the past?”

Hwa Un was suddenly confused, as if someone had slapped him on the cheek. The next moment, he was furious.

How dare this guy bring up the past?contemporary romance

He tolerated it once, but not again.

Recalling the shame they had to face in the past, a glow in his eyes changed to red. Unknowingly, he was trying to use his righteous weapon…

…the fan was gone.

Tak.

Instead, the sound of a fan unfolded from a different direction.

Hwa Un looked at it with wide eyes, as his weapon was in Zaha’s hands before he knew it.

When their eyes met, he smiled.

“What are you doing? No fighting right away.”

Like a person who had been entrusted with something, he confidently said that.

When did his fan even go there?

Zaha must have stolen it when he was pouring the alcohol earlier. The man was always like that. If Hwa Un was about to fight someone, he would take away his fan first.

It had been a long time since he had experienced this. It was so unique.

Hwa Un made an excuse.

“I didn’t mean to fight.”

“Of course. I heard Seol Young-rang didn’t just insult you during his days as the Ghost Demon King, but he made you lose your path too.”

“…”

When Zaha spoke so sneakily, Hwa Un couldn’t answer. He couldn’t bear to say that he was thrown into a pit that was made by demons.

“But…”

Zaha turned to Seol Young.

“Didn’t I tell you not to talk like that? You should talk properly right from the start so as not to surprise them.”

“Yes…”

“Think back on this. Even if Seol Young-rang didn’t have a bad past, if you continue to get under people’s skin, the other person would suddenly become a bad one.”

Hwa Un felt stung by those words.

As Zaha fanned the fan a couple of times, he looked at it.

“You might have a lot to say, but Hwa Un-rang should do it first.”

“Yes.”

Hwa Un turned away from Seol Young and opened his mouth.

“As you know, the one hundred prayers were held at that time, and one hundred high priests were gathered from all over the country. They said that since the tower had been sealed by their chants, Jeok Ryun’s ghost could never come out. And at the mercy of those people, if her ghost wanted to leave, then it was allowed to leave…”

“You don’t seem to have had such a thought, right?”

“Yes.”

Hwa Un sighed.

“Jeok Ryun was already so cruel and tyrannical that she was called the Mad Ghost and a Blood Ghost, even when she was alive. To live with such a person in our backyard, it cannot be anything but a concern for the head.”

Then he glanced back. It seemed to be a habit he wasn’t even aware of.

“If you completely forget about it, suddenly, in one day, a deafening cry would come from the tower. It was the sound of something coming. The screams of enemies being slaughtered on the battlefield and Jeok Ryun-rang’s mad laughter. Those sounds would resonate so loudly, as if she is telling you not to forget her. Of course, if you sit upright and concentrate, it will disappear quickly, but…”

Hwa Un fanned with his hand.

“There is nothing eternal in the world, right? ‘What if the seals of the one hundred priests and monks get exhausted?’ But what if there was no way?”

“Even with prayers?”

“Yes. Nothing else works. Jeok Ryun-rang prevents anyone from entering that place. If you don’t touch it, it won’t act up…”

“Rude moral standards.”

Seol Young suddenly said, and now he finally found the connection.

“That is what I mean. It’s just that everyone overlooked it. What is the fundamental reason why Jeok Ryun-rang behaves so badly? Isn’t it because she hates the Vermillion Bird Troops?”

Seol Young explained.

“I had a big fight with the Vermillion Birds in the past, and Jeok Ryun-rang must have been at the scene. At that time, my call woke her up. My cruel temper awakened her, and she responded to it.”

He didn’t know it then.

He just thought that the Vermillion Bird Troops Hwarangs were just strange in how they suddenly panicked. But now he knew the truth.

They were afraid that Seol Young’s attempt would break her seal.

The young Seol Young took advantage of that fact and made fun of the troops to his heart’s continent.

“In other words, if Jeok Ryun-rang remembers that fact, then she must show a generous attitude toward me.”

Seol Young said as he looked around the troops.

“What was the cause of this situation that had lasted around 200 years? It means that conversations won’t work. You, people, want her to know that her aide didn’t betray her, but there is no way to do it, so I will go and do it instead. I will become a person who will resolve the misunderstanding.”

Silence passed.

The Hwarangs of the Vermillion Birds, including Hwa Un, finally understood Seol Young’s intention.

“After listening to it, it seems like there is some truth to both sides.”

Zaha said,

“I heard of this in the past and tried to investigate it, but even then, everyone told me that I wouldn’t be able to enter it.”

He looked over to Seol Young.

“But isn’t it a good thing that the Ghost Demon King stepped in and decided to open the way? I also want to see what kind of spirit she is.”

“…”

The Hwarangs and Hwa Un exchanged glances with each other.

“Then we will follow the words of the High Governor.”

Hwa Un said.

“As you wish.”

Zaha responded and returned the fan to him, and Hwa Un received it lightly. He even put away the secret assassin’s needles he had.

It meant he would no longer make a fuss.

“Yes.”

Hwa Un bowed his head to show that he understood.

But it was fine to keep their eyes on Seol Young, right?

“Then, Seol Young-rang, follow me.”

Hwa Un took the lead and went out of the main hall.

Seol Young and Zaha followed him.

After that, the Hwarangs from the Vermillion Birds followed. None of them were sure of this, and Seol Young was aware of that.

‘I am sure he is going to try to make it embarrassing for me.’

As expected, they thought of him as a pathetic being, but they didn’t show it, and they silently followed.

The buildings in Namhwa were splendid.

The leader, Hwa Un, liked birds, so even when they went outside, the sound of birds wouldn’t stop. The garden there was neither too clean nor pure like other troops.

But there was this strange atmosphere.

Even without the symbol of the troops, rare birds like white peacocks were roaming around. They got out of the backyard and went to a secluded mountain.

Namhwa was, of course, full of spiritual qi from the Vermillion Birds.

So, when they went inside, they felt this unquenchable flame burning day and night. Usually, this kind of energy could be felt subtly even after leaving the scene and would slowly disappear.

But now it felt different.

At some point, the spiritual qi suddenly disappeared, as if the lid of a large pot had been covered.

“…”

A different silence passed between them.

Even if it were a person who wasn’t trained here, anyone sensitive to energy would be able to feel it. The moment one would walk around without thinking too much, they would suddenly feel chills and look around.

The sense of such a moment was felt by everyone.

Seol Young looked around with sharp eyes as he walked. Even when the wind blew, not a single leaf would rustle, and not even a single visible insect was around.

It was a place where evil spirits lurked.

‘I will have to throw away the idea of Jeok Ryun-rang not being an evil spirit.’

Seol Young thought.

And Zaha asked him,

“There.”

In front of them, a rope made of twisted red thread was blocking the path. It was the rope that forbade one to move any further, on which there was a metal plate with the Chinese character ‘Ban’ written on it.

“Yes, it stops here.”

Hwa Un said.

Under the gloomy look of the trees, the figure of the rope, with its unique energy, stood out clearly.

Even though nearly two hundred years had passed, not a single thread seemed to unravel.

“We have never gone beyond this.”

The Hwarangs and Hwa Un stopped there, as did Zaha.

“Then open it at once.”

“Yes.”

Seol Young stepped forward with everyone staring at him, and he bowed to the ground and spoke loudly to the barrier.

“I am your junior, Seol Young-rang. I came here to resolve the misunderstanding Jeok Ryun-rang has with Mok Yun, the aide, who created the Vermillion Birds.”

A loud voice filled with spiritual qi clearly filled the space. After the echoing voice disappeared, Seol Young got up.

He approached it slowly and put his hand on the rope. At that moment, both of his hands turned black. Then a thick haze rose up to his arm in an instant.

Zaha said,

“Is it telling you to leave?”

“…”

Seol Young removed his hand. The Yin energy immediately disappeared and returned to its original state.

“It’s probably because I have not been acknowledged yet.”

He took a step back, and he whistled this time.

That night, seven years ago, it was the whistle of the Ghost Demon King that resonated around this mountain.

The sound, which had been light, like a bird chirping, grew louder and louder and turned into a cry. As it rose and moved, it spread far and wide.

When this whistle was blown, all the ghosts in the world would gather around it. However, there was a big evil spirit in this place, so they didn’t come into contact with it.

Only the whistling sound spread around the surroundings.

“Oh, God!”

All the Hwarangs couldn’t stand it and eventually covered their ears. After the last lingering sound was gone, Seol Young placed his hand on the rope, and it didn’t turn black this time.

“Done.”

Seol Young strode inside.

“I guess I haven’t been forgotten.”

Then Zaha glanced back.

“It seems so. Seeing that a present has been made for you.”

Something began to brush past him as Zaha’s words ended. Something huge flew from the air, and there were several ghosts whose heads were tied together.

Everyone opened their mouths at what they were seeing attack Seol Young.

“…!”

Seol Young reflexively drew and threw a talisman at the ghosts.

The talisman hit the mass of ghosts.

Flash!

It shone, and then they exploded and perished immediately.

“…?”

Hwa Un and the others who were there looked surprised. Even though the light vanished, the afterimage was still in front of their eyes.

They didn’t know what it was. But they could somehow assess the strength of the spiritual qi.

‘When did Seol Young-rang’s spiritual power increase so much?’

Seol Young himself didn’t feel much change. The reason why Jeok Ryun-rang let him in—it wasn’t because he didn’t think of him as an enemy… rather, it was to give him special treatment…

Seol Young realized that he was mistaken.

‘He wants to kill me!’

done.co