Chapter 19: Shadows in the Tranquil Realm

Moo walked slowly toward the flat rock so the other wouldn’t be frightened. He stopped two steps away, crouched down, and looked toward the shade.

“Hmm… hmm… You, come out here.”

The other didn’t move at Moo’s words. Moo sat down comfortably on the ground.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just curious.”

Moo spoke again. This time a small sound came from the shade. The hissing was clearly a snake’s threat. Moo smiled and said:

“Geuma? Geuma went to the Heavenly Palace. They’ll probably be back soon. Until then, I’m watching this place for a bit. Not that there’s much to watch. I’ll just sit here, sleep a little, walk a little, and leave when Geuma and Azure Dragon return.”

Moo stretched his legs out and closed his eyes lightly as if enjoying the wind, perhaps truly intending to do nothing. He whistled a tune he must have learned somewhere, and a small snake poked its head out of the shade. The snake swayed its head left and right slightly to the sound.

Moo whistled for a while, then turned his head. The snake quickly hid itself back in the shade as if it had never appeared. At that, Moo lay flat on the ground to meet the snake’s eye level. Between the shade, he could see black jewel-like eyes glinting.

“You don’t have to be afraid. If you think about it, I’m part of your clan too.”

Moo said that, closed his eyes, and opened them. When they opened, his eyes clearly showed black vertical pupils within golden irises.

“So, won’t you come out to me?”

After a moment, flicking its tongue rapidly, the snake slid out of the shade and stopped a little away from Moo.

“A tall, warm human? Ah. Do you mean the Azure Dragon, by any chance?”

Moo tilted his head and reached out. The snake quietly climbed onto Moo’s hand.

“Azure Dragon, warm? That’s an unexpected assessment.”

Moo gently scratched under the chin of the snake on his hand. From where he touched, the snake’s memories seeped into Moo. Snakes didn’t have good eyesight to begin with, so in its memories appeared a small red human and a large white or blue human. The small red human was often frightening, but recently wasn’t scary. The large white human had healed it from the first day they met, so it didn’t dislike him. Because it liked watching him move on the water, the snake had once stared at him, entranced, not even noticing its own body temperature rising under the sun. If only it could see him a little closer…

Reading the memory touched by a small breeze, Moo smiled.

“You like the Azure Dragon, don’t you?”

The snake, which had briefly closed its eyes, suddenly came to its senses, raised its head with a start, and without baring its fangs, lightly bit Moo’s fingertip as a warning.

“Ah, okay. I won’t pet you. Instead, let me check you a little.”

Moo held the bitten finger up a little away from its head. The snake quietly looked between the finger and Moo, then as if telling him to do as he pleased, fully flattened itself on Moo’s hand. Moo carefully placed his finger on the snake’s head. Moo’s black energy seeped into the snake’s body and spread slowly.

“Hmm… You’re not Azure Dragon’s seed. How is Azure Dragon’s energy soaked into you so deeply?”

Moo narrowed his eyes and looked at the snake.

“Half of your soul seems to be made of Azure Dragon’s energy. And you also hold Black Tortoise’s energy. How strange. How can the energy of the Four Symbols be layered so thickly in a being that has just gained reason?”

The snake slowly shook its head left and right as if it couldn’t understand Moo’s words.

“It’s fine if you don’t understand. I’m just talking to myself anyway.”

Moo lightly tapped the snake’s head. The snake closed and opened its eyes and flicked its tongue. Moo lowered his hand to the ground. The snake slid down to the floor.

“Since you already have reason, there’s no turning back… When Geuma becomes a dragon and leaves this place, Azure Dragon will be left alone, and that’s pitiful. It would be good to have you by his side.”

After muttering to himself and organizing his thoughts, Moo reached out toward the snake. Moo’s energy stretched out and began to wrap around the snake. As it slowly rose into the air, the snake twisted its body in confusion, but Moo’s energy did not fall away. Very slowly, Moo’s energy seeped into the snake’s body and disappeared. When all the energy vanished, the body floating in the air settled lightly on the ground.

As soon as it landed, the startled snake hissed and hid itself back in the shade, baring its fangs at Moo.

“You don’t even know what I did for you. You ungrateful thing.”

Moo’s face was smiling as he said that. He erased the smile and spoke seriously to the snake, which was still baring its fangs at him:

“If you want to live as a mere creature and leave like that, you may. But if you want to stay by Azure Dragon’s side, learn to control the energy I gave you. It will help you greatly.”

The snake blinked and then completely disappeared into the shade. The sound of grass brushing faded as it passed through the bushes. Moo pouted once, then looked back at Cheonryeongji.

“Peaceful.”

No matter the chaos in the heavens, Cheonryeongji on earth was bathed in warm spring sunlight.

Gonggi was sealed ten days later by the human realm’s time. The story passed down was that while Erlang Shen drew water with the Gamhacheok, the Lord of Cheonryeongji held Gonggi back.

The battle that lasted ten days and nights was terrible. At the end of ten days, when the Lord of Cheonryeongji cut off Gonggi’s wings, Erlang Shen pushed Gonggi into the water drawn by the Gamhacheok. Trapped where it could not fly or run, Gonggi truly went into a frenzy. Until Erlang Shen finished the seal by chanting the incantation, the Lord of Cheonryeongji used the Gamhacheok he had received to protect him from Gonggi’s attacks. But even trapped in water, Gonggi released poison outside, and where the poison touched, the Lord of Cheonryeongji’s limbs rotted.

Because of the poison, he briefly lost hold of the Gamhacheok. Gonggi took that chance to thrust one foot out of the water. Then, to cut down Erlang Shen who was chanting outside to seal it, Gonggi swung its claws with all its strength. With no time to use a technique, the Lord of Cheonryeongji blocked the claws with his own body. By the time Erlang Shen completed the incantation, there was not a single uninjured place on the Lord of Cheonryeongji’s body.

“Go and return.”

Neungso spoke in the same tone as always. The hem of her red clothes wrapped and unwrapped around her playfully swinging leg. Jawoon shook his head. He couldn’t know what might happen while he was gone. Neungso might not know, but he had already sent back envoys from the underworld three times. What if envoys came while I was in the heavenly realm?

Jawoon knew that humans belonged to reincarnation and could leave at any time. Even when he first formed a connection with Neungso, hadn’t Vermilion Bird warned him that such a thing would happen someday? Jawoon was never foolish. It was just that he still couldn’t, still couldn’t let Neungso go.

A little more. He wanted to be with Neungso just a little more. He wanted to hold her hand and walk under warm sunlight, to press lips under blooming flowers. He wanted to run on water holding Neungso’s hand, to play splashing water, and to hold each other tightly while watching snow fall onto the water. There were still so many things he wanted to do with Neungso. So many things he had to do. Not yet. He couldn’t let Neungso go.

“I don’t have to go.”

At Jawoon’s words, Neungso took his hand.

“They are waiting outside. The Heavenly Emperor summoned you.”

“But…”

As if soothing him, Neungso kissed the back of his hand.

“If you keep not going because of me when the Heavenly Emperor calls, what will the Heavenly Emperor think of me? Won’t he hate me as a wicked being who blinded you?”

“You are not wicked.”

At his slightly furrowed brow, Neungso laughed cheerfully.

“Yes. Of course. I am not wicked. Still, I am truly afraid of the Heavenly Emperor hating me, so please go quickly.”

Her playful eyes were lovely. Jawoon carefully, and a little awkwardly, kissed the corner of her eye.

“I’ll be back, so wait.”

“Yes. I’ll wait, so please come back quickly.”

Jawoon held Neungso’s hand until the last moment, then moved all at once. If he had to go anyway, it was better to return as quickly as possible.

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