By Zephyria 
“I am told that something has escaped noisily from the underground. They say the surrounding area is vibrating with yin energy and the smell of burning, and the ground has caved in.”
Hwasun replied while examining the mirror held out by the attendant.
“Black Tortoise has a peculiar hobby of collecting broken things. However, I wonder how a prisoner in Ji Seo-gu’s grasp managed to escape.”
“I do not know. Rumor has it that they slaughtered the group that was in the snake cave.”
“Single-handedly?”
“Yes. It seems they are no ordinary fellow.”
The tiger added, its whiskers flared wide.
“They say they are currently heading toward Sabi.”
Hwasun frowned slightly between his straight brows and gazed out the window at the wilderness.
“Are you certain?”
“It is certain that there are suspicious movements. More than a few birds have seen them.”
“I hope it is merely a baseless rumor. If it is a bloodthirsty monster… the villagers will be in danger.”
With a worried expression, Hwasun asked the tiger.
“Does White Tiger also know of this rumor?”
“Yes. They said they would leave this matter to Noble Immortal Flower.”
“I see.”
As the attendant placed the shining silver crown upon his head, Hwasun seemed to radiate light. He rose without hesitation and descended the stairs.
“I shall move immediately.”
Leaving those words behind, Hwasun fixed his gaze in the direction of Sabi. With a movement as fast as lightning, he became a small dot and vanished beyond the wilderness shortly thereafter.
A Suspicious Man
Two people were running across the lush green mountains. They moved at a speed so great that their feet were invisible, kicking up a storm of dust that startled a cuckoo dozing on a tree branch, forcing it to lift its head.
“I said we would arrive before the sun sets.”
The one leading the way was a human man, Young-pa. He had a lithe build and a fierce impression. He wore a worn, dirty jeogori and pants, his hair was disheveled, and he walked barefoot.
If one looked closely at his face, his eyes shone like morning stars and his cheeks were as bright as plum blossoms. However, that handsome appearance was hidden by his shabby attire and a savage expression that could put a tiger to shame.
“Yes, Brother. We will likely arrive in two or three sijin.”
The lackey answering him had an extremely servile attitude. It was Lee Shim, a lesser dragon disguised as a human.
“Normally, we would have arrived by now… if only you hadn’t insisted on suddenly diverting our path toward Mount Geumo.”
He grumbled in a voice so small that no one else could hear.
“I’m starving to death. I’m also looking forward to seeing the humans.”
As Young-pa laughed lowly, Lee Shim trembled in fear.
Their footwork was as light as feathers, allowing them to traverse a distance that would take ordinary humans half a day in just a quarter-hour.
Eventually, as the groves thinned and a wide river appeared, they did not stop. As Young-pa ran atop the river water, droplets scattered over the weeping willows with their drooping branches. Lee Shim struggled to keep up behind him.
By the time a human village appeared on the distant horizon, it was evening and the outlines of the ridges had blurred. The sun, which had been hanging over the green mountains, had retired, and in its place, the moon floated low, supported by a throne of mist.
“The… large-scale human… village… Brother was looking for… is right… here.”
Lee Shim leaned his hands on his knees and gasped for air. Having run a hundred li without a single break, he was utterly exhausted. In contrast, Young-pa did not look tired in the least.
Beyond the silver-glittering rice paddies, a cluster of dugout houses and thatched-roof houses were visible. Humans moved inside and outside the village, which was surrounded by a low wall. The tranquil scene felt familiar to Young-pa, as if it were a place he had always known.
“I like this place. But why is there a wall?”
“Do you mean that crude fence? The humans built it to prevent the intrusion of serpents.”
“Because of fellows like you, then.”
As Young-pa glared, Lee Shim trembled, unable to bring himself to deny it.
Not far away, an old man with a basket on his head was holding the hand of a young child. Since these were the first humans he had seen since leaving the underground, Young-pa felt curious. Despite the old man’s hunched back, he walked well, and the short child looked cheerful.
“Is your appetite whetted, Brother? Shall I go snatch them up?”
Instead of answering, Young-pa smacked Lee Shim on the forehead.
“Aigoo, I have committed a mortal sin! You were staring so intently that I thought you intended to eat them!”
‘I suppose I was.’
Young-pa found it strange within himself. While anger and murderous intent surged the moment he saw a serpent, he felt no desire to harm humans at all. It seemed he had gotten along warmly with humans before being dragged to the snake cave.
“Then let us hurry into the village and eat, Brother.”
A rumble echoed from Lee Shim’s stomach. They had been starving for half a day. Just then, the savory scent of steaming rice wafted from the village, and Young-pa also felt hunger.
Behind the old man and child followed a man who looked like a peddler. Young-pa quickly checked to see if he was selling food. However, he sensed yin energy coming from the man. Looking closely, the man’s staggering gait was highly suspicious.
“Earthworm, isn’t that fellow strange?”
Lee Shim narrowed his eyes and scanned the man.
“Strange indeed. He is a serpent with poor disguise skills.”
Lee Shim pointed to the man’s hem. A tail was poking out slightly.
“It is only natural for a serpent to eat humans, Brother. If we interfere for no reason, we’ll only draw attention….”
Lee Shim turned back toward where Young-pa had been, but no one was there anymore.
The moment Young-pa realized there was a serpent before him, he had charged like a storm. He stepped between the man and the humans. As Young-pa shoved him, the old man and child cried out and fell on their backs.
Up close, the peddler’s cheeks were cracked. What was visible between the skin was not human flesh, but scales.
“If you’re going to disguise yourself, you should have done it properly.”
Young-pa grinned, showing his teeth in anticipation of killing him. As the serpent opened its lips, a forked tongue flickered.
—What a fearless human. Well, you look tasty, so that’s fine.
The serpent’s disguise vanished in an instant. Its long limbs shortened, and the human clothes peeled off onto the ground like a slough. Where the peddler had stood, there was now an anaconda with a waist as thick as a log. As it reared up, it was taller than Young-pa.
“Kyaaaaaak!”
The moment the old man and child screamed behind them, the anaconda lunged with its maw wide open. It was then that Young-pa dodged and aimed for the monster’s neck. In that same instant, a bright radiance flashed, and something dove between them.
The one who appeared in the blink of an eye was a human. He drew a brilliantly white sword, and the anaconda’s neck was sliced clean off. The man chopped the monster into several pieces before sheathing his sword.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Young-pa stared, dumbfounded, at the butchered serpent carcass and the pool of blood.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
The man asked in a warm tone. As he bent his waist and reached out to the fallen old man and child, his silver-tinted hair flowed down.
He was a fellow so pretty that he hardly seemed like a man. His hair was white, his eyes a pale gray, and his cheeks lacked color, making him look like a stark white doll. Dressed in a refined white robe with an incredibly ornate jodae, earrings in his ears, and a silver crown on his head, he sparkled so intensely it was almost painful to look at.
That person also had a mole on his chin. Young-pa touched his own left chin, considering it a strange coincidence.
“Thank you, Noble Immortal Flower. Thank you for saving us.”
The old man bowed repeatedly with a face full of emotion. The child had a similar expression.
“If Noble Immortal Flower hadn’t helped, Grandma and I would have surely met with disaster! Please, take these dried persimmons.”
“Thank you.”
Hwasun smiled and took the two dried persimmons offered by the child.
“Noble Immortal Flower defeated the monster! He saved Granny Yong-hee!”
A man pulling an ox cart a short distance away shouted.
“It is a blessing that Noble Immortal Flower protected our village.”
“Indeed. He is as strong as he is beautiful… How wonderful it would be to see him every day.”
The chatter of women could be heard in front of the village gate. Seeing the villagers admire and praise the man so deeply, Young-pa’s mood soured.
‘Even if that fellow hadn’t intervened, I could have handled it.’
As Hwasun’s head whipped around, Lee Shim froze with one leg raised, like someone who had been caught. Hwasun’s gaze passed over Lee Shim and landed on Young-pa. As their eyes met, Hwasun’s brow furrowed.
“Who are you?”
Just as Young-pa was about to answer, Lee Shim stepped in front of him. Rubbing his hands together with a servile attitude, he spoke.
“Noble Immortal Flower, we are merchants from Wansan. We have just arrived in Sabi after passing through Hyangryeong.”
“For merchants, you have no luggage,” Hwasun said, scanning Lee Shim up and down. His tone was wary, unlike when he dealt with the villagers.
“Until the day before yesterday, we had bundles full of goods. They were piled like a mountain on my porter’s back.”
Lee Shim pointed to Young-pa standing behind him.
“Two days ago, when we stopped by Nonmoe, we were lucky enough to sell off everything, even the A-frame carrier.”
“A porter, huh.”
As Hwasun muttered, the child who had offered the persimmons chimed in.
“Noble Immortal Flower, that beggar tried to help me and Grandma. He pushed us, but it was to protect us from the serpent!”
“Is that so? I see.”
Hwasun answered the child kindly and then glanced at Young-pa. As Hwasun reached toward him, Young-pa instinctively clenched his fist. However, Hwasun merely plucked a leaf that had been clinging to Young-pa’s shoulder and examined it.
“There is a fir forest in Hyangryeong. It seems the claim of coming from Nonmoe is not a lie.”
Young-pa’s body itched with the desire to punch that pretty face, but he endured it because there were suspicious points. First, he was bothered by the unfamiliar yet familiar feeling emanating from the man. Second, he figured there must be a reason why Lee Shim was pulling his sleeve frantically.
“Hey, do you know me?”
Young-pa spat the words at the back of Hwasun’s head. Hwasun turned his face slightly to look at Young-pa.
“Impossible. I have never seen a beggar like you.”
Without taking his eyes off Young-pa, Hwasun asked, “Did you see any monsters or suspicious persons on your journey?”
“No, milord? Everything was as usual. The anaconda you just dealt with is the first monster I’ve seen in months,” Lee Shim interjected naturally.
“I see. Then that is a relief.”
Hwasun was surrounded by a bright radiant light, just as he had been when he appeared. He vanished toward the village in an instant. Young-pa glared at the remaining trace of light.
“Earthworm, who is that appetite-killing fellow?”
“Brother, do you truly not know Hwasun?” Lee Shim whispered in a low voice.
“That man is the favored right hand of White Tiger. He is usually gentle, but he has a righteous personality, so if you cross him, you’ll get nothing. To think he would appear here; we must be careful.”
“White Tiger’s right hand,” Young-pa muttered darkly. He had been thinking it was strange that he felt an uncomfortable emotion the moment he saw the man.
Seeing Young-pa clench his fist, Lee Shim was startled and pulled his wrist.
“You must not pick a fight with Hwasun, Brother! Absolutely not.”
“Do you think I would lose?”
“No? With your skills, Brother, you could certainly handle a hundred of those scraps at once, of course. But if you harm Hwasun even slightly, White Tiger will appear.”
Young-pa’s teeth gnashed. Seeing his expression, Lee Shim trembled like an aspen tree and cast his gaze to the ground.
‘I’ll have business with that damn tiger too. But now is not the time.’
Young-pa was seized by a strange emotion as he looked at the nearly vanished trace of light. A sensation that was both loathsome and nostalgic. He didn’t know why he felt this bizarre emotion, but he was certain of one thing.
‘I will meet you again someday, Hwasun.’
Young-pa chuckled, anticipating the day they would clash.
As they reached the village gate, many men holding clubs were standing there.
“By order of Noble Immortal Flower! From this moment on, everyone entering Sabi must be thoroughly checked to ensure they are indeed human!”
Young-pa glared sharply at Lee Shim.
“Just try getting caught. I’ll leave you behind.”
He whispered irritably, but Lee Shim instead smiled and waved his hand.
“Do not worry, Brother. This is a common occurrence.”
Sure enough, the men with clubs checked the people with an exhausting level of detail before letting them in. They checked fingers and toes, pulled on hair, inspected the inside of mouths and ear canals, and even flipped eyelids. Finally, they tried to filter out disguises using branches of peach trees, which were said to block yin energy with divine power, but Lee Shim passed the test with a nonchalant face. Instead, a merchant from Hasla, who was clearly human and standing behind them, was dragged away after sneezing.
“Not bad, Earthworm.”
“Do you think I’ve only done this once or twice? My nose itches when I smell the peach branches, but I have my tricks for holding my breath.”
“What a boast.”
They entered the village and headed toward where the smell of food was coming from.
“But now that I look… Brother, you seem slightly similar to Noble Immortal Flower.”
“What did you say?”
“Of course, Brother is far more robust, powerful, and looks more vicious.”
“Where do I look like that white doll-like fellow? Do you want to die?”
“M-m-my mistake! No, I’m sorry! Aaaagh!”
Young-pa struck the back of Lee Shim’s head with all his might, unaware that from atop the highest wall, someone was looking down at them with cold eyes.
≋ ≋ ≋
As the night deepened, the tavern street became lively. Talismans praying for auspiciousness, cloud-luck, the warding off of evil, and the protection of the four directional gods were pasted on every wall. Children sang while begging for food, and generous people scooped food into their bowls.
Sabi was a waypoint along the Bear River where travelers stopped to rest. The merchants there didn’t blink even at the strangest eccentrics, but today, they were busy gossiping about the peculiar men who had taken seats in the tavern around sunset.
“They seem incredibly wealthy; what on earth do they do?”
“How should I know? They’re rich, but their appetite is amazing! Just how many sijin have they been eating for?”
Young-pa had been eating for two sijin. Lee Shim had joined him for up to three bowls of rice, but from the fourth bowl onward, he put down his utensils, feeling as if his stomach would burst.
‘What is this human’s identity that food goes in without end?’
Lee Shim looked with wonder at the human who tilted the bowl and gulped down the soup. Rice, soup, stew, grilled meat and wraps, vegetables seasoned in paste, alcohol—he ate everything without discrimination. The way he devoured rice soaked in soup made it hard to believe this was his eighth bowl.
“Aigoo, young master. You’ve finished already? Shall I catch another chicken for you?”
“Yes.”
“There is just one small problem… the fact is, the only two chickens left in my house are precious breeding stock.”
At a jerk of Young-pa’s chin, Lee Shim reluctantly took out a jade belt from his robe. It was a high-value item with detailed craftsmanship, but there was no choice but to give it up. Young-pa snatched it and tossed it to the landlady.
“Wonderful young master, thank you! Thank you so much! I’ll prepare it and bring it up immediately.”
‘Young master, my foot! As expected, humans are untrustworthy creatures.’
Lee Shim glared at the landlady’s retreating back. At first, she had sprinkled salt on them, saying they brought bad luck, but the moment jewelry like jade hairpins and silver bracelets started pouring out of their robes, she treated them with the utmost devotion, as if they were the four directional gods.
When his eyes met Young-pa’s, Lee Shim forced a smile.
“Your appetite is tremendous, Brother.”
“It’s the first real meal I’ve had in a long time.”
Young-pa said only that and buried his face in the bowl again. Lee Shim frowned at the sight, which looked like he was possessed by a starving ghost.
‘Is he haunted by a ghost that died of hunger? He’s so lacking in class that I can’t be seen with him.’
In terms of skill, he was no ordinary human, but in terms of behavior, he was an unlearned rogue. He had never seen such an ill-mannered and barbaric human, even through the eyes of a lesser dragon.
Lee Shim had more than a few questions about the human he had superficially decided to serve, but he recalled the time he almost died after asking various things on the way here.
‘Brother, why were you imprisoned in the lower dungeon?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Really? Where is your hometown?’