Chapter 18: Nirvana Painting (1)

Chapter 18: Nirvana Painting (1)

Paper, brush, mirror.

These were the tools usually used for summoning ghosts. In a way, they were similar to drawing tools.

Since ancient times, it has been said that a painting has a soul of its own

With that thought in mind, Seol Young left the Moon Palace.

There was nothing special to prepare besides the tools he always used. It was crucial to move quickly because the incident had already happened.

The problem was the one behind him.

High Governor! Are you going to the site right now?

It cannot be helped. I have to go and keep an eye on him.

If Seol Young-rang fails because of that strange incident and there is no one to handle it, what will happen?

Even if there is a possibility, it is a Hwarangs duty to give him a chance because the person himself feels this is unfair. The Governor and I have a plan for getting things done, so dont worry and do your job.

Yes, High Governor. It is quite reassuring to have you come forward like this.

The conversation behind his backthat was what annoyed him. Even the crows began to crow loudly after they left the Moon Palace.

Seol Young stood for a moment, and a voice came from behind.

On high alert?

No, not at all.

I see you are confident. It seems that the painting that kills dozens of people will be solved as soon as we reach there.

Not that

So, did you think of a solution?

As he walked, Zaha asked.

Can you tell me how you are planning to solve it?

The revived painting has to be destroyed completely. And the people caught in the picture

Seol Young went silent for a moment, thinking about what to do about that.

Zaha asked again.

What about the people captured in the painting?

It must be similar to the reason why demons and evil spirits were kidnapping people. Demons need the qi in a human to get stronger.

Then they are already dead. It has been days already.

Even Seol Young, when he thought about it rationally, realized it.

We have to find the bodies. No matter what.

That was the solution.

The weight of the work he had to do was huge. Seol Young kept his mouth shut and quickly walked down the streets of Sorabeol.

Soon, they arrived on the scene.

Red Flower House.

It was the house of the officials neighbor, who reported the incident to the palace. It was a mansion with cherry trees.

But the cherry blossoms were white.

So why was it called the Red Flower House, then?

When he reached the house, he could see why. Each tree bore bright red cherries. It looked as if the trees were covered in blood.

Seol Young looked at it and then at Zaha.

They should have named it Cherry House, but it must have sounded too obvious and not cool. So maybe they renamed it?

Shh.

Seol Young asked him to be silent and put his hand on the ground.

And Zaha asked,

What are you doing?

He ignored it because he had no obligation to answer, and he pulled out a piece of paper to record.

If this means nothing, then it is just an act of

No!

Seol Young said as if it were absurd.

I am trying to see where the ruckus is coming from.

Why?

Usually, in places where the evil spirits do harm, Yin energy can be felt. But there was none of that here. Just like when a tiger appears, the animals in the forest vanish, making the mountain quiet. We can feel how powerful and evil the painting is.

Aha. That is what you meant.

Zaha nodded as he walked closer to the mansion wall. It was noisy inside.

Non-humans are quiet, but humans, on the contrary, are noisy.

Then he looked at Seol Young.

What do we do? As soon as we move in, we will meet a troublesome opponent first.

What are you talking about? The ghosts have vanished?

I would have had to give my intact soul for that.

So how could the soul of a painter be here?

While he was lost in thought, Jong Pung called the landlord.

This is Seol Young-rang, who will be handling the case. Please tell him in detail what happened within.

Yes, yes.

The man nodded.

Was it around a month ago? One day, some of the paintings began to appear on the walls of our house. I have no reason to lie, okay? These are not lies!

He continued.

When someone passes by in the middle of the night, the painting suddenly comes to life and tries to stop or harm them. And a hand reaches out to catch the person and throws water! And the swords that the soldiers were holding keep popping out!

Seol Young asked, not understanding this.

Are you saying you just put up with all of it?

Well, there was a wedding happening in the house

The owners face was worried.

The eldest child was supposed to marry someone from the Royal Palaces troops. I tried to keep it until my daughter got married, but this ended up happening. To prepare for the wedding, the seamstress, furniture maker, and various people came to visit at the same time, and while we got distracted

The landlord looked at the weeping people. It was a face of sadness.

They were moving around, and they sneaked into the large room where the legend was located. Hearing the childrens scream, the families rushed in, but they also screamed, yelling, Please save me, the painting has caught us

You heard that clearly?

Yes. Of course. There was no one around when we arrived. We could only hear the screams from inside the walls asking for help. But then the sound died.

No!

The person who seemed to be the seamstress cried.

They have not vanished! I heard it last night. It was the voice of the granddaughter from the house over there. She yelled for someone to help her!

The others wept too.

He said that since its been four days, we should give up hope. But what if they are alive? I want to know if they are alive or dead!

Why are the walls not moving? My child, where the hell is my child stuck? It is my fault! All my fault! I should have left my child at home, but no, I had to bring my child here!

The wailing, which had stopped for a while, started again. Some even tried to bang their heads against the wall.

It was a sad sight.

Seol Young stared at them blankly and suddenly realized

Why is it so quiet?

When he looked for Zaha, he was alone in the corner. He had a languid expression with his golden eyes.

It strangely feels good.

A black haze rose from behind him. The dark energy in the house reacted to that.

In one moment, when Seol Young took his eyes off of him, Zaha went crazy.

Come out!

When Seol Young said it coldly, everyone looked at them in surprise.

He forgot that there were eyes watching.

I think there is a ghost here.

He quickly turned around and grabbed him.

Zaha made excuses.

I was just standing here because I was in a good mood.

Yeah, I believe that.

Grief, anger, remorse.

This place was flooded with negative emotions that people poured out.

If these bad feelings accumulate here, the Yang qi in the house will be suppressed, and the Yin qi will rise. It is like giving more wings to the evil spirits, so this has to be cleaned up.

Clean?

Before dealing with the evil ones, we need to correct the Yin-Yang flow. If not, nothing will change.

Seol Young looked at the people in despair.

They have to be calmed down first.

That is good to say

Zaha expressed his doubts.

Is that possible? What the other Hwarangs couldnt do even though they tried hard can be done now?

It is because their method was wrong. In a situation like this, will they calm down because we ask them to?

Seol Young said so and went to the people of the Black Tortoise.

Jong Pung-rang, tell everyone to leave. I will calm them down.

The man looked at him with a puzzled face.

How? Everyone is frustrated, as if the sky has fallen on them, and they arent listening to us. Then how can Seol Young-rang do it?

To which Seol Young said,

There is a way.