By Zephyria 
Young-pa did not miss the slight change in the man’s expression. Ripples stirred in his pupils, like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
‘As expected, it really is a precious item.’
Young-pa murmured to himself that he was glad he brought the ring.
“Offer that item to me.”
Seeing how hastily the man acted, it seemed he desperately needed that ring.
Young-pa crossed his arms and looked the man straight in the eye. A suspicious individual whose name and identity were unknown. A clever man who had recognized who Young-pa was at a single glance. Whoever he was, as long as he wasn’t a subordinate of Black Tortoise, they could ally. Furthermore, he had a premonition, bordering on certainty, that the man would be useful.
“I don’t even know the value of that treasure. I only brought it because it belonged to Ji Seo-gu. Still, seeing how anxious you are, it must be quite the object. You’ll have to pay a fair price, won’t you?”
The man looked down at Young-pa with eyes full of wariness, then spoke as if he had no other choice.
“What do you want?”
“You.”
Even his frowning face was handsome. Young-pa continued with a wide smile on his face.
“I don’t need anything else. If you become my lackey, I’ll give you the ring. How about it?”
The man snorted as if he found the proposal absurd. The gaze he cast down at Young-pa was utterly cold.
“There is also the method of killing you and taking it.”
The way he spoke so nonchalantly made it confusing whether he was joking or not.
“It’s useless to kill me. I’ve hidden it in a secluded place.”
When Young-pa replied with a dark laugh, the eyes hidden behind the shadow of the bamboo hat narrowed in suspicion.
“Do you really think you can kill me, when you rely on something like a necklace?”
A gust of aggressive wind blew, fluttering the bangs over Young-pa’s wide-open eyes.
“I spent my time in a rotten cave and lost all my memories. I know nothing—who I am, why I was trapped there, or how to catch and crush Ji Seo-gu.”
He clenched both fists and spoke as if spitting the words out.
“I will kill Black Tortoise. To do that, I must first recover my memories. You seem like a useful fellow, so help me get my hands on the changjingyeong. Then that piece of junk is yours.”
The man, who had been listening silently, crossed his arms and leaned his upper body forward. The cool dawn light poured over his arrogant profile.
“You intend to kill a deity?”
For a moment, the pressure he had felt at the gambling game crushed Young-pa. The man was testing him. Instead of avoiding his gaze, Young-pa leaned in and grinned.
“Yes. I will.”
“Your conceit is severe.”
“I have lost many things. Conceit is one of the few things I have left to be proud of.”
Before their foreheads could touch, the man stepped back. His face, which piqued curiosity, was hidden by the bamboo hat again, but a low laugh could be heard.
“I was just getting bored… this is interesting.”
The crimson sun caught on the tree branches, scattering light in all directions. Young-pa’s eyes stung, but he forced them wide open. By the time Young-pa’s vision became blurry, the man answered.
“Fine. I will help you obtain the divine artifact of the Vermilion Bird. I happen to have a debt to settle with Black Tortoise as well.”
Perhaps because he had been nervous internally, a sigh escaped his lips. Young-pa approached the man as much as he had stepped back. Then, he reached out his hand toward him.
“I am Young-pa. What is your name?”
Instead of answering, the man tilted his head crookedly.
“You brat, you said you’d be my lackey and now you won’t even introduce yourself? Are you so unwilling to tell me your fancy name!”
The man, who had been brazen until now, hesitated for the first time. But it was only for an instant. He returned to his silk-smooth composure as if nothing had happened.
“There is no reason I cannot tell you. I am Biryoo.”
Biryoo. Young-pa rolled the name around in his mouth. He felt that it suited the man very well.
In the distance, a rooster crowed. After a few dogs barked, the village was enveloped in silence again. No matter how long he waited, the man did not shake his hand. When Young-pa tried to force a handshake, the man frowned and dodged backward.
“Brother! Brother!”
From afar, Lee Shim came running through the mist. He looked at Biryoo with suspicious eyes and hid behind Young-pa.
“This person… did he follow us?”
“Yes. He decided to act as my second lackey starting today.”
“Eh? What did you say?”
“Greet each other. This fellow is Biryoo. This fellow is Earthworm. Get along well as fellow lackeys.”
Biryoo expressed his displeasure by frowning. On the other hand, Lee Shim gaped, looking back and forth between Young-pa and Biryoo.
“Do you have a complaint, Earthworm?”
“If it is something you have decided, Brother, what use would my complaints be?”
“As long as you know.”
As Young-pa turned his back, Lee Shim grabbed his arm. He pulled Young-pa slightly away and whispered.
“Can we really trust that fellow, Brother?”
“Trust him?”
“I am worried about being close to a suspicious person whose identity we don’t even know. Could he not be a dangerous person?”
Young-pa let out a loud snort.
“That fellow had several opportunities but didn’t harm me. Besides, is there a law that says you must trust someone to travel with them? Do you think I keep you around because I trust you?”
“Eh? You don’t trust me?”
“Would you trust someone like you?”
Lee Shim double-checked that Biryoo was far away and lowered his voice.
“Brother, I just… don’t like that fellow Biryoo.”
“What about him?”
“I don’t know… it’s hard to explain, but I’ve had a bad feeling from the start. Should I say it feels like we shouldn’t get entangled with him? I have an ominous feeling. Isn’t that attitude of his, acting as if he’s some kind of king, also suspicious?”
Young-pa ignored Lee Shim’s words as if they weren’t worth answering.
“We have to set off, so hurry up and bring the luggage.”
Lee Shim let out a deep sigh. He seemed to find Biryoo repulsive, but as long as Young-pa liked him, he had no choice but to travel together.
A small blue bird flew over Biryoo’s head. When he raised his hand, the bird perched on his finger and chirped. After Biryoo whispered a few words, the bird flew far away. Young-pa watched the scene carefully.
“By the way, Brother, are you departing dressed like that? The wind is cold, yet you are practically naked….”
“My clothes were soaked in dew, so I hung them to dry.”
Since the topic had come up, Young-pa brought the jacket he had hung on a stake. When he tried to put it on, it was so torn in various places that it was hard to tell where the sleeves were.
As Young-pa walked over looking as if he were draped in a straw mat, Lee Shim murmured awkwardly.
“Where did the cloth you bought yesterday go?”
“I don’t know. I woke up and it was gone.”
“I think you left it somewhere and it was stolen… You squandered your jewelry at the tavern yesterday, so you won’t be able to buy such nice clothes again.”
“Now that you mention it, the clinking sound has decreased.”
Young-pa raised the corners of his mouth while saying something trivial.
“What is he smiling about, having returned to the state of a beggar….”
Lee Shim murmured so softly it could barely be heard.
“We must do something about those clothes first, Brother. You don’t look like an ordinary beggar; you look like the king of beggars.”
“I have a good idea. I’ll take Biryoo’s and wear them. I was already eyeing them because they fit him so well.”
Young-pa looked toward Biryoo, but he had already disappeared.
“Brother! That guy has vanished!”
“He probably ran away fearing his clothes would be stolen.”
Young-pa answered nonchalantly, but he was thinking something else internally.
‘Earthworm’s words make sense. I don’t know who that fellow is conspiring with through the blue bird.’
Young-pa trusted no one—neither Lee Shim nor Biryoo. However, as long as he held the ring he had stolen from the snake cave, Biryoo would not be able to act as he pleased. Young-pa felt that was enough.
≋ ≋ ≋
“Report on the prisoner of the snake cave.”
A piercing voice shook the interior of the ivory fortress. A tiger who had received the order reported.
“We have increased security in the vicinity following rumors that he moved toward Sabi, but the situation remains quiet, Great White Tiger.”
The king of tigers sat on a massive throne befitting his stature. His thick white hair was tied high, and he was dressed in white. In a body that glowed entirely white, only his pupils flashed with a deep blue light.
“He is a quieter fellow than I thought.”
As Po Ui smiled, his canines were revealed between his gums.
The duty of the White Tiger was to protect the order of the mortal realm. No matter how great a villain released from the underground, if they remained quiet, there was no need to intervene.
“Noble Immortal Flower, what should I do?”
When White Tiger asked, the human standing beside him spoke.
“The best course of action is to capture the prisoner in advance to prevent him from causing chaos. However, he is the property of Black Tortoise; I fear that touching him might lead to a conflict with the underground.”
At that answer, Po Ui nodded with satisfaction.
“You are correct, wise one. Black Tortoise never forgets a grudge, no matter how old. I do not wish for a situation where divine beasts clash as they did in the past. Surely there is a reason why Ji Seo-gu has not yet stepped forward….”
As long as that prisoner doesn’t disrupt the order of the mortal realm, White Tiger murmured. Then, Immortal Flower spoke again.
“There is something that caught my attention during the investigation.”
“Speak.”
“I encountered a peculiar person in Sabi. He was a human man dressed like a beggar, but his gaze was arrogant and his behavior so insolent that it made me frown. It is said he started a fight in the marketplace and ate ten servings of soup.”
“Ten servings? What a monstrous being! But what about him?”
“I left him be as he behaved reasonably enough, but it is clear he is no ordinary person. The problem is that he….”
Immortal Flower approached Po Ui and whispered into his ear, covering his mouth with his hand. Upon hearing those words, Po Ui’s expression stiffened. He fell into thought for a moment and then answered.
“I have a suspicion. From now on, do not involve yourself in this matter, my human.”
“I shall follow my master’s will.”
Po Ui turned his head to look at the tigers. Then, he commanded in a booming voice.
“Find the monstrous being mentioned by Noble Immortal Flower, investigate him, and report his every move.”
“We obey your command!”
The tigers rushed out of the palace like a storm. They leaped into the open wilderness and soon vanished from sight. White Tiger tracked their trail to the end with his deep blue eyes.
Changjingyeong
After Lee Shim inquired from the villagers and obtained clean clothes, they set out on their journey. Although he had lost his fancy outer robe, once dressed in a neat jacket and trousers, Young-pa no longer looked like a beggar.
Their destination was the Pacheondang headquarters located in the center of Nazgol. The clan head, Woo-pyeong, was a figure who had received national honors in his youth; it was said that the treasure vault was filled with mysterious treasures collected over generations, and he employed dozens of masters, such that even the king could not treat him lightly.
He was also known as the thirteenth-generation descendant of Wubaek, who had been the right hand of the hero of the past, Yeongparang. According to a salt merchant passing by, Woo-pyeong had been ill and had not left his house for a long time, so his only son managed the affairs of the clan.
Young-pa and Lee Shim traveled for half a day. They crossed fields, plains, and valleys, and traversed mountains and rivers. They ran incessantly, watching the sun rise in the east, reach the zenith, and pass over the western ridge. They covered a distance that would normally take a human five days, barely resting. They only stopped occasionally to gather information when they encountered people passing by.
Biryoo did not show himself, but his blue bird remained constantly in sight. Since the bird flew ahead like a guide, Young-pa found it strange internally.
Then, upon entering a certain mountain path, the blue bird flew in an unexpected direction and perched on a branch. When Young-pa stopped walking, Lee Shim murmured discontentedly.
“That bird is grating on my nerves; I think I should just eat it.”
“There must be a reason it went that way.”
“Brother! That is not the way to Nazgol!”
Lee Shim complained that Young-pa was trying to follow a mere creature while ignoring him, a magnificent guide. Young-pa ignored him and entered the byeoksan. The blue bird would fly away when Young-pa followed, and repeat the same behavior when he followed again.
“Isn’t this a mountain valley? How far do you intend to go following that bird-brain?”
“Shut up, you’re being noisy.”
As he followed the blue bird deeper into the mountains, Young-pa felt a strange sensation. It seemed this was no ordinary mountain. A mysterious energy, feeling ominous yet auspicious at the same time, permeated the air.
Upon entering a forest so dense that light could not properly penetrate, Young-pa stopped.
“Did you hear that, Earthworm?”
“Eh? Hear what, Brother?”
Young-pa silently pointed to the ground. Several anacondas were tangled together, writhing beneath a rock.
—You must not go close. The fire does not go out.
—It is a fire that does not go out. No matter how hungry we are, we will not go near.
Young-pa crossed his arms and glared at the anacondas.
“The snakes around here have been talking about fire for a while now. Isn’t that strange?”
“Snakes are a breed that babbles nonsense so much that there’s no need to pay attention—Ow!”
Lee Shim got hit for talking back.
“I don’t know how to speak snake, so you ask about the forest fire.”
He crouched down, grumbling softly about why he had to speak snake when he wasn’t a snake himself.
—Listen here, I have something to ask.
When Lee Shim spoke, the anacondas were startled and burrowed their heads into every visible hole.
—Wh-wh-who are you?
—I am an omniscient and omnipotent being. However, if you tell only the truth, I might spare your lives.
Lee Shim was swaggering excitedly, but upon seeing Young-pa’s expression, he got to the point.
—What is this fire you are talking about?
—O Omniscient One, there is a terrifying fire at the peak of this mountain.
—Explain in detail.
—A mouth-watering human lives there, and for years, many snakes have gone to eat him. But we cannot approach because of the fire. Every snake that approached was burned to death.
—Doesn’t fire go out when it rains? And how can a human live in a place where a forest fire has been raging for years?
—That fire does not go out even when it rains. We want to eat the human! Will you help us, Omniscient One?
Lee Shim looked at Young-pa as if wondering what kind of bizarre story this was. Young-pa had a thoughtful expression.
“Tell them to guide us there, Earthworm.”
“Eh? Weren’t we heading for Nazgol?”
“If you talk back again, know that another finger will disappear.”
Lee Shim immediately translated Young-pa’s demand into the language of snakes. The group of snakes did not like the content.
—It’s scary, it’s scary!
—I’m scared! The fire is scary! I don’t want to go near!
The situation changed when Young-pa sliced one of the anacondas in half. The remaining anacondas immediately turned their heads and writhed with all their might.
Young-pa gestured for Lee Shim to follow and followed them. The anacondas entered a mountain path so rugged that an ordinary human would not have been able to climb it.
“Ugh, these tedious snakes. I hate snakes more than anything in the world.”
“And yet you managed to live in the underground so well.”
“What wouldn’t one do to survive?”
Lee Shim replied while leaping over a high tree stump. Then he asked Young-pa.
“Brother, what do you hate most in the world?”
“Ji Seo-gu.”
“I figured as much. What do you hate second most?”
“Po Ui.”
“And after that?”
Young-pa opened his mouth, but no answer came. He realized he didn’t know what he liked or hated. His heart was so full of hatred and desire for revenge that there was nothing left once those were removed.
Feeling upset, Young-pa crushed a large rock into powder. Consequently, the anacondas’ crawling speed increased.
“Brother, then between the Vermilion Bird and the Azure Dragon, who is better?”
“I have no interest in those two.”
“Aw, still, think about it. Now that I think about it, I hate dragons more than snakes. I’ll have to push snakes to second place.”
“Shut up.”
“I didn’t say anything I shouldn’t have; you’re too harsh!”
“I told you to shut your mouth and look ahead.”
Lee Shim turned his head and his mouth fell open. A low-burning flame was blocking their path like a wall. Beneath their feet, the anacondas writhed as if going mad.
—Scary, scary!
—We can’t go any closer from here. It’s hot!