<Chapter 7>
The Yeouiju.
It was the very jewel the dragon had held in its mouth when it first appeared before humans.
Sigh…
Gahwa swallowed a breath internally. Somehow, things seemed to be going too smoothly.
Yi-hyul had said that he took the Yeouiju from the dragon and placed it here.
That meant the dragon itself didn’t even know where the Yeouiju was.
“Is it really necessary?”
“To nullify an already granted wish, an even greater power is required.”
“So you mean that I need the Yeouiju to make my own wish?”
“Exactly. And it’s also an item needed for ascension.”
So, in other words, she had to gather the Yeouiju if she wanted to make a wish.
Gahwa let out a hollow laugh inside. She had thought she had taken a step closer to Yi-hyul, but suddenly the distance had grown again.
At the same time, a sense of disappointment surfaced. People were so petty. Wasn’t it already enough that she had survived and gained an opportunity?
Contrary to Yi-hyul’s expectations, now that she had survived, she would be a variable in his plans.
And Gahwa had all the time she could ask for.
Gahwa nodded.
“Do you, by any chance, know where it is?”
“When I was sealed, it was said to have been split into nine pieces and distributed among nine families.”
The nine families.
These had to be the ones mentioned in the myths. Those who had made wishes to the dragon at the time gained power and founded families with the king’s aid.
In order, they were the I family, Nam family, Jin family, Ryu family, Jae family, Moon family, Seo family, Hwang family, and Sook family.
But only about half of these families still held prestige. Some had even disappeared, so the road ahead was clearly going to be difficult.
Still, that was fine.
Starting from the very bottom and slowly tightening the noose around Yi-hyul’s neck was rather satisfying.
He wouldn’t even realize his own neck was being squeezed until the very end.
Gahwa gripped the hairpin in her hand tightly. Then, with a voice full of determination, she spoke:
“I have conditions as well.”
“Puhah!”
Gahwa opened her eyes at the time when dawn had begun to tinge the sky. Fortunately, the moon was up today, and the sky was bright enough to make out her surroundings.
It was a small crescent moon, but it was enough to see clearly.
First, she checked her surroundings. Something heavy lay on top of her.
“Ugh…”
She pushed it away with effort and rose to her feet. Looking around, she saw the rugged mountains stretching out, covered in thick undergrowth.
Beneath her lay a mound of corpses.
She flinched.
At the disturbing and nauseating sight, she let go of the body she had been supporting. Fortunately, the darkness made the details hard to see.
Even though she had voluntarily allowed herself to be left here, a sense of fear still lingered.
She had always been weak against utter darkness, corpses, and creatures resembling monsters.
Chorru. Chorrrru.
The sound of a bird chirping reached her ears. Startled, she focused on the source. A large bamboo tree had a bird perched atop it.
Just as the dragon had said, Gahwa recalled their conversation before leaving the palace.
“First, you’ll be left in this place, Shindangsan. Anyone the palace claims is tainted and leaves will be dumped there.”
She nodded, and the dragon raised his arm. A sword was in his hand, but it didn’t feel sharp.
Then, with a snap of his fingers, drowsiness washed over her.
“When you wake, come to me at Yeonhwalu in the city.”
With his voice echoing in her ears, she fell asleep—and awoke here, at Shindangsan.
Originally, bamboo trees were divine creatures meant to ward off evil spirits and repel malevolent energy.
They only grew where heaven and earth meet, and in the city, Shindangsan was the only such place.
To think there would be so many corpses in such a place…
Gahwa looked down at the spot where she sat. All of them were surely those unfairly discarded.
She silently prayed for their souls and carefully stepped down onto the ground from the pile of bodies.
It was a secluded area; no one else could be seen.
First, I should get out of here.
Gahwa raised her arms to take off the heavy clothing. She was still dressed in her elaborate ceremonial outfit.
Among the corpses, it smelled strongly of blood. It hadn’t even been a full day, but the stench of iron and decay was overwhelming.
She could not go down to the village in this state.
Gahwa checked herself.
The ceremonial outfit remained intact, but all the valuables—hairpins, necklaces, rings—were gone.
Furthermore, the clothes and her hair were smeared with a sticky substance. Even without seeing it, she knew by the smell—it was certainly blood.
“Ha…”
Gahwa let out a bitter laugh.
They claimed to discard the corpses at Shindangsan for being tainted, but apparently expensive items were exempt.
First, she removed the heavy ceremonial outfit. Underneath, she was wearing lighter clothing—a jeogori and pants given to her by the dragon.
Fortunately, the inner clothes were completely clean, without a single bloodstain. However, they were thin.
Though the weather was cold, wearing them thickly could draw suspicion.
Still, she managed to salvage a few things. She took out her mother’s hairpin and a few rings she had hidden inside her clothes. She planned to use these to fund her journey.
After preparing to leave, she picked up the ceremonial clothes she had placed by her feet.
Turning back, she looked over the pile of corpses and spotted one with a similar build to hers.
“Ugh.”
She placed the ceremonial clothes on it briefly and offered a silent prayer, just in case.
Yet, she felt a pang of guilt.
I’m sorry. May you rest in peace and find a better place.
After finishing her prayer, she closed her eyes and sharpened her ears.
Among the chirping birds and rustling leaves, she also heard the flow of water. And, unexpectedly, one more sound: human breathing.
It was very faint, but her heightened senses picked it up clearly.
Gahwa’s hair stood on end.
Someone else was alive here.
Whisk.
She turned her head quickly. All she saw were corpses.
Could it be… among all these discarded bodies, there’s someone else alive?
She hurried toward the source of the sound. It was definitely coming from somewhere buried among the corpses.
Pushing aside two bodies, she found a child buried beneath.
Placing a finger to the child’s nose, she realized it was still breathing.
Alive!
Gahwa checked the child carefully. There were no visible wounds, no bubbles, no spots or signs of disease.
From the surface, it seemed as if the child were merely sleeping.
Why is there no sign of death?
She suddenly thought it could be Yi-hyul’s trap. He was meticulous, after all. Perhaps he left her here to see if she would fall for his scheme again.
Bam. Gahwa sprang to her feet.
If that’s the case, I won’t fall into his ploy.
With that determination, she closed her eyes and tried to locate the sound of the water.
She recalled reading that, if one gets lost in the mountains, they should first find a stream.
Following the water downstream would eventually lead to the mountain’s exit.
Gahwa wanted to quench her thirst and wash the grime from her face and hair.
Thanks to her inner clothes, her outfit was clean, but other parts of her body were stained with blood. The dragon must have smeared it on her to fake a death.
She removed the dried blood from her hair.
She couldn’t go down to the village in such a blood-covered state.
She planned to disguise herself as an ordinary man to gather information about the palace. First, she needed to find out about her mother.
Yi-hyul, the baron, liked to push people to the brink.
He would cunningly manipulate the situation with lies to control people.
Yes.
Her mother’s death might have been just one of his lies. Perhaps it was simply that she hadn’t given up hope. But she needed to confirm it. That came first.
Gahwa forced herself to ignore the child’s soft breathing and began walking along the stream.
Soon, she felt wet earth beneath her feet. Bending down, she confirmed that the grass was soaked.
She stepped back onto dry ground, picked up a branch, and continued walking.
The scent of damp wood and moss filled her nose. The valley was nearby. She ran quickly and reached the water.
Looking up, the morning had already arrived. If she moved efficiently, she could reach the city by noon.
Gahwa washed her hands, quenched her dry throat, and cleaned the blood from her face and hair.
The reflection on the water showed her face, now clean. Her expression was still neutral, though the furrow of her brow betrayed her inner thoughts.
The child still concerned her.
Why does it have to be a child?
If Yi-hyul had set this trap, it was truly malicious.
Gahwa bit her lips. Her mind and heart were at war.
After much internal struggle, her resolve finally tipped toward one side.
“Damn it!”
If her mother had been there, she would have scolded her immediately. With that, she sprang to her feet.
