By Zephyria 
Lee Shim could not believe his ears. Was this not a man who could run a hundred li in a single breath without breaking a sweat? Young-pa finally flopped down onto the forest floor, where fallen leaves had piled up.
“I can’t go on. Let’s rest.”
Judging by Young-pa’s appearance and vitality, it was impossible to believe he was exhausted. Moreover, they were in a dense forest, hardly a safe place to rest.
“Brother! Did something happen with Biryoo? Why are you acting so unlike yourself… Ow!”
After taking a hit, Lee Shim obediently sat down opposite Young-pa.
“Earthworm, things have been hard lately, haven’t they?”
Young-pa spoke softly, but then glared at Lee Shim with a vicious look in his eyes. Only then did Lee Shim realize his intention and let out a loud laugh.
“Well, isn’t that just how life is? There are good days and bad days.”
“Since we’re on the subject, why don’t you tell me the story of your life.”
Young-pa picked up a long twig and rolled it between his fingers. Lee Shim tried his best to ignore the way Young-pa’s eyes gleamed with an ominous anticipation.
“I was born as one of seven sons and three daughters by a pleasant waterfront in the southern region.”
Lee Shim began his tale. The days spent with his siblings, the time he had to stand on his own while hunting mice, the period of blood-sweating training to become a dragon, and the happy memories shared with the lesser dragon he loved….
At first, he had just been rambling, but as he spoke, he felt a surge of sorrow and heartache, and tears began to fall. Young-pa scoffed at the sobbing man as if he were utterly absurd.
“Just what kind of creature was this lesser dragon of yours?”
“He was as smooth as silk and as graceful as a willow branch. His voice was like jade beads rolling on a silver tray, and his eyes were as clear as the stars in the sky. Whenever our eyes met, we would enter the river together and not emerge for a long time… There was never another period in my life as beautiful as that. Young-no, my longing partner….”
“Where is he now?”
“He took the wish-fulfilling orb and ascended to become a dragon, and I… as you know, Brother….”
Lee Shim’s tightly bitten lips trembled.
“If it weren’t for that mad dragon, we would be living together in the heavenly realm by now, osundosun, raising children.”
“That’s why I asked who told you to go bathe in the divine dragon’s lake.”
“Brother! Are you taking the side of my enemy?”
“Your logic is flawed. It seems Young-no didn’t love you all that much. If he did, he wouldn’t have just abandoned you and bolted for the heavenly realm.”
“You are too much, truly! How can you pick only the most cruel words to say!”
Lee Shim wanted to grab Young-pa by the collar. However, since his fear was far greater than his resentment, he had no choice but to endure. Young-pa continued speaking with an expression that showed he didn’t care one bit about Lee Shim’s emotions.
“I think you were just unlucky. The Azure Dragon is not a being one encounters easily. In my youth, I once hid in the lake of Asadal Mountain to catch that fellow. But no matter how long I waited, he never appeared, so I gave up.”
“A human… trying to catch the Azure Dragon?”
“I told you, back then I possessed the skill to split mountains and part seas.”
Lee Shim was so stunned that his tears vanished.
“Consider yourself lucky, Brother! If you had lingered in the Azure Dragon’s bathing place and encountered him, that day would have been the day of your funeral. Do you not know that the Azure Dragon loathes humans to death?”
“Is that so? I didn’t know.”
“He is a twisted dragon who regards all beings in the world as insects, and among them, he is said to despise humans the most. What did I tell you, Brother? He is the most ferocious of the four symbols. Long ago, due to some incident, he unleashed his tyranny on an innocent place and massacred a third of humanity.”
Young-pa gave a long stretch and scanned the surroundings with a sidelong glance. Then, he nonchalantly returned to the conversation with Lee Shim.
“Azure Dragon or whatever, the most sinister and ferocious among the four symbols is the Black Tortoise. There is no room for debate, so don’t even try talking nonsense.”
“That is absurd, Brother! In terms of a foul temper, no one in the world can match the Azure Dragon. Compared to that mad dragon, Lord Ji Seo-gu is a benevolent and warm person!”
“Has your mind gone completely haywire? You dare defend that hybrid serpent in front of me!”
Young-pa sprang up and grabbed Lee Shim by the collar, shaking him.
“Say that again. I’ll tear off whatever fingers you have left, so say it again!”
“No, no, I was wrong! I only meant that if one were to compare them!”
As Young-pa shook him, he sent a meaningful look, and Lee Shim nodded slightly.
“Even in this state, do you still want to flatter Lord Ji Seo-gu, Lord Ji Seo-gu? I almost pity you lot who follow him just because he claims to be the deity of the underground.”
“N-no one follows him voluntarily. It is because of fear… because we don’t know when we might die…. Moreover, since the White Tiger disregards the underground so much, serpents are persecuted on the mortal realm. To represent the things of the underground is, regardless, still….”
“Shut your mouth!”
Young-pa pretended to hit Lee Shim with the twig, but instead swung his arm wide, sending a sharp storm wind flying horizontally. When Lee Shim looked up, all the nearby trees had been sliced clean. Those who had been hiding among them were now exposed like plucked chickens.
“Found you, you bastards.”
There were three people tailing Young-pa. One was close, and two were far. The one nearby gritted his teeth and drew a sword, while the other two transformed into tigers and leaped away in opposite directions.
“Earthworm, take that one.”
“Yes, sir!”
As Lee Shim released his disguise and chased the tiger fleeing east, Young-pa charged at the nearby man, swinging the twig infused with spiritual energy. The battle between the sword and the twig was decided in three clashes. The man became a corpse with a slit belly, his breath extinguished. Young-pa leaped high from the ground and pursued the tiger fleeing west.
In the forest, there was no way for a human to beat a tiger in speed. Young-pa gauged the direction and distance of the tiger’s flight and hurled a fallen tree toward it.
Boom! Boom! Boom-boom!
As the trees fell from above, the tiger slowed down out of hesitation. Young-pa caught up to him in that gap.
The tiger gave up on fleeing and turned around to face Young-pa. It was a fellow who was slightly small, not yet a full adult. He lowered his posture and growled.
“They say a tiger is all about spirit.”
Young-pa chuckled lowly and swung the twig in the air. As the tiger roared and leaped, Young-pa also jumped high. Spinning once in mid-air to avoid the tiger’s teeth, he slashed the tiger’s back in a single strike. He slung the limp body over his shoulder and ran back to where Lee Shim was.
Meanwhile, Lee Shim had created walls and mirrors in all directions to confuse the last tiger. His goal was to stall for time until Young-pa arrived.
Young-pa walked slowly toward Lee Shim, who had pinned the man down with his own body. The prisoner stared with wide eyes, as if he feared nothing.
Thud.
However, he turned pale when Young-pa threw the tiger he was carrying in front of him.
“You are as sinister as they say!”
“And what you’ve done is noble?”
Young-pa crouched in front of him. When he grabbed the man’s hair and yanked his head back, the man’s yellow eyes flickered and he revealed sharp fangs.
“The one who sent you, let’s see…. I know who it is.”
Young-pa spoke while stroking the tail the man had failed to hide.
“Does Po Ui also have such a pretty tail?”
“Do not insult my master!”
Slap!
Young-pa slapped him, sending the prisoner’s head spinning.
“Seeing as you’ve sent underlings, the White Tiger must be keeping an eye on me.”
“Who wouldn’t keep an eye on someone who acts out without knowing the fear of the world?”
“And what did that voyeuristic tiger call me?”
“Shut that filthy mouth of yours!”
Young-pa felt a surge of irritation seeing how conventional the prisoner was. He changed his mind and kicked the tiger sprawled on the ground to flip it over. As the tiger groaned, the man held by Lee Shim distorted his face and shook his head.
“T-that fellow is a tiger who hasn’t reached adulthood. If you have even a shred of mercy, kill me and let him live.”
“You’re mistaken about something. You are both dead men. If you want to bargain, do it properly.”
A look of conflict crossed the man’s face. When Young-pa placed his foot on the head of the creature writhing on the ground, it bared its teeth and growled.
“Evil creature! Stop this at once!”
“How stupid. Do you think screaming changes anything?”
When Young-pa stepped on the young beast’s temple, a groan shook the forest. The man tried to ignore the sight before him, but as the tiger’s body began to jerk violently, he closed his eyes, unable to watch any longer.
“L-Lord White Tiger is!”
Young-pa’s foot stopped in mid-air.
“Lord White Tiger… is watching you. But he is leaving you be because he fears that capturing you would cause conflict with the underground world.”
“Now we’re finally speaking the same language.”
“If you continue to cause trouble, he will not leave you alone!”
Young-pa laughed wickedly and sat back down.
“Where is Po Ui?”
“Do you think I would reveal my master’s affairs!”
“I recall he was busy interfering with the mountain gods in the past. I wonder which mountain he went to today… Perhaps Mount Bangtae? Or Mount Yeonbang?”
As Young-pa murmured casually, the prisoner growled, baring his teeth.
“It is useless to try and fish for information! He has gone to a place you cannot even reach today with your slow pace, so give up!”
‘Tigers really are so easy to handle.’
Having confirmed that Po Ui was away from his residence, there was nothing more to stop him. Young-pa leaned forward and spoke.
“I heard there is someone who looks like me in the White Tiger’s fortress.”
“To say he resembles you is an insult to him.”
“That person… is the one you serve?”
“Noble Immortal Flower is a human among humans, a sage who received a noble life from my master. He is not someone I dare to look in the eye as an equal.”
Immortal Flower. Another being split from Yeongparang.
If Young-pa was darkness, he was light. While Young-pa was being tortured in the underground, he was called by a new name and revered as a noble sage. Young-pa already knew this fact, yet he felt nauseous.
The man glared at Young-pa and spoke solemnly.
“Even being mentioned in the same breath as someone like you would be a shame for him. You are a human belonging to the underground. Stop your tyranny and go back home quietly.”
Young-pa almost killed the prisoner on the spot. He barely restrained himself because there was still information to extract, but his mood was severely soured. He glared at the man with cold eyes.
“Where does Immortal Flower usually stay? It’s been a long time since we met, so I miss him.”
“Reckless, just as I heard. A vagabond like you will be executed before you can even set foot in the fortress.”
“Heh, he’s in the fortress? But why is that fellow a noble sage and I a vagabond? We have the same face and the same body. Do you think I can’t play the role of White Tiger’s lover too?”
Ptooey!
The man spat in Young-pa’s face. Young-pa let the sticky liquid slide down his cheek, but sparks flew from his eyes.
“You’d better be careful. If you want to live to see me kill your master.”
“Shut up! You doll of Ji Seo-gu, you toy worse than trash!”
Bloodlust flared in Young-pa’s eyes, and a fierce wind blew. He grabbed the neck of the young tiger sprawled on the ground and slammed it down onto a tree stump. The tiger died instantly, but Young-pa crushed him onto the stump several times, eventually trampling him into a pulp.
“Evil, such evil… you should not be alive….”
The man gritted his teeth and gasped for air.
At a gesture from Young-pa, Lee Shim slowly released the man and stepped back. Young-pa grabbed the man by the collar and shook him.
“Say it again. Ji Seo-gu’s… what?”
“Ugh, ugh-huuuu….”
“Say it again, you son of a bitch.”
“Ji… Seo-gu’s d-doll…. Aaaaagh!”
As Young-pa drove the twig down into his neck, blood spurted. Unconcerned that blood splashed onto his face, Young-pa dragged the twig upward, ripping the man’s lips open. Young-pa pulled out the twig and tapped the man’s chin with the tip.
“Tell your master. The doll of Ji Seo-gu will visit soon, so he should look forward to it.”
“Ugh, ugh-huuuu!”
“I told you to go and deliver the message. What are you doing?”
“Aaaaagh!”
Blood bubbles formed in the man’s flickering mouth. A moment later, Young-pa pierced his heart with the twig.
As the fading breath stopped, the human form vanished, and the corpse of a tiger appeared, torn from mouth to neck. Young-pa tossed it beneath his feet.
While Young-pa caught his breath, Lee Shim, unable to bear the sight, lay prostrate and trembled. The crimson-stained top and the menacing face. It wasn’t just because he looked like a bloodthirsty demon. There was another reason why Lee Shim was afraid.
“I wonder if Po Ui was the one who gave him the name Immortal Flower.”
Young-pa muttered, looking at the blood that was not just soaking his palms but dripping off them. As he clenched his fist, the clotted blood flowed down his wrist.
“Did you hear, Earthworm? My stolen half is in the wilderness.”
Lee Shim sprang up. He replied without letting on that his heart was pounding from fear.
“Yes, sir. Then shall we head to the fortress where the White Tiger lives?”
“Yes. Since that tiger is away, I will have a word with Immortal Flower.”
“I… understand. Um, Brother…. If, by any chance, just by any chance, things go wrong and you are captured by the White Tiger, w-what happens?”
As Young-pa glared at him, Lee Shim’s knees shook, and he felt like kneeling again.
“Why do you think that? Looking at you, you also think I’m reckless.”
As he walked toward him with heavy steps, Lee Shim stepped back and ended up falling. Dark eyes shrouded in shadow glinted threateningly.
“Do you agree with that mad tiger? That I’ll be captured without even meeting Immortal Flower?”
“B-Brother…. That’s not what I meant….”
“What are you so afraid of, Earthworm? That I’ll kill you like those fellows?”
Young-pa spoke with feigned softness, but his cold gaze remained. Lee Shim shook his head and spoke.
“How could I not know your abilities, Brother? However, heading toward the Fortress of Light is like trying to find the wish-fulfilling jewel in a dragon’s maw. It would be a blessing if things went well, but if they go wrong… I heard Po Ui has a cold and stern nature and does not compromise. We will be d-dragged to the underground. No, you would be dragged there intact, but I probably….”
Lee Shim closed his eyes tight.
Young-pa was a possession of the Black Tortoise, a person whose life held great weight. In contrast, Lee Shim was a mere creature with no reason to be kept alive. He had lived desperately, like walking a tightrope, just to maintain his insignificant life, but in the future before him, there was only a sheer cliff and no rope in sight.
“I have no way of surviving. Whether it’s the Black Tortoise, the White Tiger, or their lackeys, if I fall into someone’s grasp, it’s the end. So… how could I not be afraid?”
Lee Shim snapped his eyes open and grabbed Young-pa’s leg.
“Brother, I beg you to think about it one more time. Surely there must be another way. Biryoo, isn’t there Biryoo? He is f-far stronger than you know. We must bring him back and make him our ally.”
Young-pa frowned and looked into the distance.
“Don’t even bring up Biryoo. That fellow had not the slightest intention of helping me from the start.”
“T-then… Baemttong! Isn’t there Baemttong? How about asking the Vermilion Bird to help us?”
“That would mean making an enemy of the Black Tortoise. Why would Yeon Mu-geum, who has only just regained his power, do such a thing for me?”
“A-ah…. Please wait. I will rack my brain and think of a good way.”
“Earthworm, there is no time.”
As Young-pa spoke lowly, Lee Shim looked up with eyes full of fear.
“If we leave now, you’ll make excuses halfway through—saying you need to relieve yourself or that your legs hurt and you need a short rest—and then you’ll disappear. Won’t you?”
“Eh? What do you mean by that?”
“Stop playing innocent. You’ve already concluded that I’ll be captured by the White Tiger.”
As Young-pa spoke as if he could see right through him, Lee Shim’s face turned pale. Young-pa looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh.
“You are a clever lesser dragon. Just seeing how you’ve survived until now with such shallow special abilities proves you’re no ordinary fellow; you’re resourceful and cunning, the type who rarely suffers a loss.”
He muttered darkly.
“That is why I’ve kept you around until now… but this time, I’m not even curious about what trick you might come up with. My mind is already made up, and I have no leisure to waste on you.”
Only Lee Shim’s ragged breathing echoed through the secluded forest.
“Originally, I intended to kill you in the most painful way possible the moment we left the underground. The reason I didn’t wasn’t out of mercy, but simply because I wasn’t in the mood.”
Lee Shim was trembling so violently it was pitiful.
“This time, I think I’ll try showing some mercy.”
“Hyung… nim?”
“Leave before I change my mind. In exchange, never let yourself be seen by me again.”
Young-pa spun around and vanished like the wind. In the place where he left without a single backward glance, only Lee Shim remained, stranded.
Realizing he had narrowly escaped the brink of death, Lee Shim remained prostrate on the ground for a long time. However, this was not the end. When he finally stood on his own two feet again, Lee Shim stood at a crossroads where he had to make the choice of a lifetime.
≋ ≋ ≋
Now alone, Young-pa set out once more. After traversing a forest of nut pine, he reached a plain where houses were scattered sparsely. After quenching his thirst there and moving on, an endless wilderness unfolded before him.
Though there were no fences or signposts, this was the territory of the White Tiger. The most valiant and strong of the four symbols. An incarnation of order who raced across the earth at dazzling speeds, armed with teeth and claws harder than metal.
In the world of light ruled by Po Ui, there was no place for shadows to stand. The wide-open fields were scorched by a merciless sun, leaving the earth cracked and preventing trees from growing higher than a person’s knee.
Since the visibility was open in all directions, Young-pa moved with extreme caution. He kept himself low, almost clinging to the ground, and whenever he found a rock, he hid behind it to observe the surroundings before proceeding.
Perhaps because Po Ui believed no one would dare raid his land, there weren’t many tigers on patrol. Young-pa ambushed two from behind, killed them silently, and rubbed his entire body against their hides to erase the scent of a human.
The White Tiger’s residence was a tall, magnificent white building. It was called the ‘fortress of light,’ and its imposing silhouette, bathed in the dim sunset, radiated authority.
Having reached a distance where the fortress was visible, Young-pa moved even more discreetly, waiting for nightfall. For as twilight descended upon the wilderness, the tigers began to prowl in search of prey.
Just as the tigers he had killed earlier had been, the White Tiger was nowhere in sight. Hiding behind a large boulder, Young-pa clenched and unclenched his fists in impatience.
‘Immortal Flower said he was in the fortress.’
Young-pa sank into thought as he looked up at the massive building.
No matter if Po Ui was out, infiltrating the fortress was a perilously dangerous task. Since he didn’t know where Immortal Flower stayed, searching the vast space would take an eternity, and if the White Tiger returned in the meantime, he would undoubtedly be captured.
Just as he was debating whether he should return another day, the gates of the fortress opened. Two people walked out.
“The wind is blowing today.”
Young-pa’s fingers, gripping the edge of the rock, turned white. Why hadn’t he realized it before? The voice flowing from another’s lips was none other than his own.
Immortal Flower wore a silver crown on his head and elegant white robes. As he walked with light steps, another person dressed in white followed, attending to him.
“Go back inside. I shall remain in the flower garden until the Master returns.”
After sending the servant away, Immortal Flower disappeared down a path leading beside the fortress.
What had Young-pa imagined the life of the White Tiger’s subordinate to be? While all Young-pa had known for three hundred years were every kind of brutal torture that existed in the world, Immortal Flower was being treated like a prince, living in luxury.
Young-pa slowly emerged from behind the rock. With tigers roaming around, infiltration was impossible. Instead, Young-pa walked slowly, mimicking their gait.
Tigers are creatures with poor eyesight; as Young-pa wandered while emitting their scent, they passed by him without suspicion. Upon reaching the flower garden, Young-pa stood boldly before the entrance as if he were one of the guards. Then, when no one was looking, he slipped inside.
Walking along a modest wall, an interior appeared that was lush and green, contrary to the desolate wilderness. In a space that could be called a small forest, pine trees cast serene shadows. The interior was decorated with strangely shaped stones and rare flowers.
With clenched fists, Young-pa walked further inside. As he approached the center, a familiar scent grew stronger. He passed a small pond and saw several chairs with floral cushions. Soon, he reached the center of the garden.
It was a space decorated according to Yeongparang’s taste. Around a low pavilion, red fragrant flowers bloomed so densely they were almost blinding. They were the rose of sharon, the protagonist of the garden.
In the center of the pavilion sat a chair as ornate as a throne, its grandeur on a completely different level from anything a human could create. The man sitting in that chair reading a book did not look surprised to see Young-pa.
From head to toe, there was nothing human about Immortal Flower. The hair cascading from beneath the crown shone white, and his transparent skin was as white as polished jade. His eyes, looking down loftily, were a pale silver, and even his eyelashes were pure white. Had he not been dressed in men’s clothing, his appearance would have been easily mistaken for a woman’s.
Though he had stormed in with confidence, facing him now made Young-pa feel as if he were suffocating. Even if they had once been one person, they were now as different as heaven and earth. The only commonality was a mole on the jaw, identical in size and position.
‘You are the villain of the century, a trickster who betrays as naturally as eating, a demon obsessed with power, an unforgivable teacher-slayer, a vicious god-killer… the dark side of Yeongparang!’
None of the characteristics Young-pa possessed applied to Immortal Flower. A kind, gentle, and righteous man. Looking at the half of himself that had been torn away, Young-pa felt a distant envy and a fire-like jealousy.
“I didn’t expect you to find your way here… how reckless.”
Immortal Flower muttered, closing the book. His silver-grey eyes scanned Young-pa without a hint of panic.
Young-pa spoke haltingly.
“Do you… know who I am?”
“When I told the Master that I had seen someone who looked exactly like me from head to toe but had black hair, he realized.”
“Is that so?”
“He said you are my hideous byproduct. Do you yourself know that you should not exist in this world?”
Even knowing that, knowing he had been split by the hands of the deities three hundred years ago, he had stayed with the White Tiger? Young-pa gritted his teeth and glared at Immortal Flower.
“Of course I know. But I exist nonetheless, don’t I?”
“Go back. This is no place for you.”
“I don’t want to.”
Young-pa glared at Immortal Flower, and Immortal Flower glared back. Two people who had lost each other, the most dissimilar pair in the world. They were the light and dark of human existence, the reason humans should exist on the mortal realm and the reason they should vanish.
“Looking at you makes me wonder what it would feel like to fuck myself.”
As Young-pa curled one corner of his mouth, Immortal Flower’s brow furrowed.
“You must have shoved your cock into that sacred place every time, so why not try using the hole this time? Surely, as the one who possesses ‘lewdness,’ I’d be better at it than you?”
Young-pa blurted out whatever came to mind, wanting to provoke Immortal Flower. He knew it was a manifestation of his inferiority complex, but he couldn’t stop. Immortal Flower looked down at him as if he were pitiful.
“You are… surprisingly a mess.”
Seeing that he pitied him, far from being offended, Young-pa grew even more emboldened.
“Doesn’t it thrill you that we were once one body? Young-pa—that is our name.”
Immortal Flower shook his head with a face full of conviction.
“My name is Immortal Flower.”
“No. Since my name is Young-pa, your name is also Young-pa.”
“I was given a new life long ago, so I am unrelated to that name.”
Immortal Flower was a calm man who did not easily lose his temper, no matter how much he was poked. What would Biryoo have said if he had seen him? He probably would have drawn a line, saying he was a human on a completely different level from Young-pa, who was always grinding his teeth, consumed by rage and resentment, unable to control his emotions and breaking things.
“Did you come all this way just to tell me that name?”
Young-pa clenched his fists. He had risked his life coming here to ally with Immortal Flower to deal with Ji Seo-gu. He couldn’t afford to waste the opportunity on a trivial war of nerves.
“I saw our past in the changjingyeong.”
No matter what Immortal Flower said, they were two branches split from the same tree. Even Immortal Flower, who currently clung to the White Tiger in ignorance, would change his attitude once he learned the whole truth.
“It was an era when monsters ran rampant. At first, we tried to protect our loved ones and our village, then we helped the surrounding regions, and eventually, we came to pursue the safety and peace of humanity.”
This naturally led to the goal of eradicating the four directional gods. Young-pa explained the process of how they established the salcheondang with like-minded people. Immortal Flower simply listened without interrupting.
“Those beasts called the four spirits looked down on us and tried to suppress us. So we showed them. We showed them what happens when you underestimate humans.”
The death of Yeogo and the revenge against the Vermilion Bird, the act of wounding the White Tiger, and the final battle at manisan. Young-pa’s breathing grew heavy.
“Do you understand now? Every single one of them is our enemy. Not only the Black Tortoise who split us in half, but also the White Tiger you’ve served as a master until now.”
As he spoke, Young-pa’s conviction grew stronger. He was an incomplete being, so he needed Immortal Flower’s help. Since the two of them had accomplished everything in the past, he felt they should naturally do the same in the future.
“An impressive story.”
Immortal Flower, who had been lost in thought, looked up. His expression upon learning the truth was more indifferent than Young-pa had expected.
“The safety and peace of humanity… I see. Who do you think did that work while you were in the underground?”
Young-pa was speechless. It was true that the human world had become peaceful beyond recognition. That was Immortal Flower’s achievement.
Immortal Flower’s brow narrowed, and he spoke coldly.
“I asked who among the two of us achieved the grand dream of Yeongparang.”
“You bastard, are you taking credit for it?”
“I only asked because I was curious about what meaning your old story holds.”
“That is… our truth….”
“Ah, truth.”
As Immortal Flower let out a sneer, Young-pa glared at him with an anxious expression.
“I understand that such things happened in the past. But currently, the mortal realm is in balance. Because the White Tiger protects humans, those in the underground cannot hunt humans recklessly as they did before. And yet, you are still shouting for the eradication of the four symbols.”
“Think about what those bastards did to us!”
“No. Don’t bring up things like truth or peace. It is nothing but your own greed.”
Young-pa shook his head. Immortal Flower had only heard of these events as if they happened to someone else. If he could only show him the changjingyeong, he would understand instantly, just as he had.
‘It’s not impossible.’
Though Young-pa’s spirit was slightly dampened by Immortal Flower’s stubbornness, he gathered his courage and approached him.
“You don’t know yet. I am on speaking terms with the Vermilion Bird, so I will ask them to show you the changjingyeong as well. Once you see it for yourself, you’ll change.”
Immortal Flower looked down at Young-pa with a wary expression. Young-pa took one step closer.
“You can’t possibly love living as the White Tiger’s lackey. We are people who cannot live as someone’s servant.”
A flicker of conflict crossed Immortal Flower’s face. Young-pa thought he had finally been persuaded. Thus, he took another step forward and reached out his hand.
“There is no time. Let’s leave together before Po Ui returns.”
“Did you… just say let’s leave?”
“Then did you intend to live here forever?”
Immortal Flower leaned back as if bewildered. Young-pa saw hesitation, wariness, and anxiety storming in his eyes.
However, before long, a soft smile spread across Immortal Flower’s lips. It was a radiant smile, like the rose of sharon in full bloom.
“I was confused for a moment because you were spouting strange nonsense, but now I understand.”
“Understand what?”
“I am Immortal Flower… the noble and flawless one.”
Immortal Flower’s pupils dilated, and he muttered as if dreaming. It didn’t take long for his expression to be filled with hatred and malice.
“The reason I became flawless is that you were removed. Such a version of me established perfect order on the mortal realm together with the Master.”
“What?”
“You must not exist.”
Young-pa looked at Immortal Flower with vacant eyes. At his face, stained with conviction and hostility.
“Farewell. You will regret crawling out of that den.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Immortal Flower raised his head high and roared. As a low howl spread from his mouth, Young-pa instinctively knew what was coming. Without a second thought, he leaped over the garden fence in a single bound.
The wilderness unfolded before him once again. As Young-pa sprinted, kicking up dust, the tigers began their pursuit. Young-pa ran, sweeping away those who drew too close with whirlwind.
Before he had gone far, an earthquake struck. The ground, which had been trembling lightly, soon shook so violently that he could barely stand. There was nowhere to hide in all directions. For Young-pa was upon the territory of Po Ui, the wilderness where not a single spot escaped the gaze of the august tiger.
K-boom!
As the earth split and dust soared, Young-pa lowered his center of gravity to avoid falling. Looking closely, the earth was bubbling up, centered around where he stood. Young-pa sharpened his senses to scan the surroundings.
‘Dammit, they’re coming from all sides.’
Young-pa leaped with all his might. By a hair’s breadth, a pointed rock shot up from where he had been standing. Another sharp stone surged from where he was about to land. As soon as he leaped high by stepping on the tip, another long, strange rock appeared in mid-air, and Young-pa used it to climb higher.
‘This time it’s from above!’
Young-pa leaped as far as possible from the rock and performed a somersault. A rock, sharpened like a blade, fell from the sky. Twisting his body, Young-pa pushed it away with a strong wind and landed.
Just as he narrowly avoided having his head crushed, a giant boulder surged from the ground with a thunderous roar. Young-pa stepped on the surface and ran blindly, but because the ground was moving, he remained in place no matter how much he ran.
He jumped down and summoned a dust devil to push the obstacles in one direction. The giant rocks collapsed one by one, and the earth shook.
“I hope you didn’t come here just to play hide-and-seek!”
A piercing growl. Young-pa had heard this chilling voice before.
As he leaped over the boulders emerging from the ground and rolled to avoid the stones falling from the sky, a massive strange rock appeared before him and struck his body.
Young-pa was sent flying and rolled away. The hair that Biryoo had braided for him the day before came undone, and disheveled locks covered his vision.
“Haah, haah….”
When he regained his senses and opened his eyes, he saw someone’s feet at the edge of his vision. Young-pa propped himself up on his elbows and looked up at the being blocking his path.
It was a person of imposing stature with the terrifying eyes of a beast. He wore dazzling white robes, with voluminous white hair flowing long. Seeing Immortal Flower standing quietly by his side, Young-pa wore a twisted smile.
“What’s with calling your mother to a place where we’re just hanging out, you pathetic brat?”
The White Tiger’s stern face distorted, and rage flared up.
“How dare you set foot in this place!”
As he roared, his frost-like voice shook the earth. Young-pa steadied his trembling breath and gritted his teeth.
“I came to see the half of me that you stole; is there a problem?”
“Filthy creature. Even in that state, you only have your mouth.”
Po Ui glared as if he were shuddering with disgust.
“I do not know what Black Tortoise was thinking when he left you alive, but this commotion ends now.”
“What commotion do you say I’ve caused?”
“Your very existence is profane, and your breathing is a sin.”
Young-pa chuckled lowly while still lying prostrate.
“You’re being quite sensitive just because I had a little chat with Immortal Flower.”
“Do not dare utter that name. I will rip your maw apart before sending you to Ji Seo-gu.”
The moment he heard Black Tortoise’s name, Young-pa’s eyes turned fierce.
“Go ahead and try. That hybrid serpent will die by my hand.”
The White Tiger glared at Young-pa with cold eyes, as if even anger were a waste.