Chapter 145

"I feel hungrier, which makes me miss home even more. Shall we have lunch soon?"

However, they soon found themselves in a predicament. Perhaps due to the hot and humid environment, mold had grown on all their food. But it was strange that it had become like this in just one night, even considering the humidity. After examining the storage, they belatedly discovered a rat hole. It seemed some wild animal had gnawed on the food and left something behind.

They tried to remove the moldy parts, but the stench made it completely inedible. When they gathered what was still good, it was barely enough for one meal. As Cheong-ra sighed, Nam Gang-ryong suggested,

"How about we go sightseeing in the nearby village to have lunch and buy some food, now that the rain has stopped?"

"What? But Monk Gang-ryong..."

Cheong-ra, who had been extremely cautious about going outside while Dang Ran-yeong was away, opened his eyes wide. To the hesitating Cheong-ra, Nam Gang-ryong said,

"If the Blood Cult members are determined to find us, the situation would be similar whether we're here or outside. If I hear anything like a flute sound, I'll let out a loud lion's roar. It's my specialty, so I can keep it up for two hours straight."

Cheong-ra's eyes widened in surprise. Indeed, to think the lion's roar was his specialty...!

The lion's roar was a sound technique from Buddhist traditions, effective in repelling evil and unholy things. Moreover, a skilled martial artist's lion's roar could be powerful enough to burst eardrums, more than enough to drown out any flute sound. No wonder Dang Ran-yeong had left Nam Gang-ryong behind with him. Cheong-ra's face brightened considerably.

"Then I'll be in your care, Monk Gang-ryong."

And so, after three days, Cheong-ra stepped outside. He didn't forget to wear a veil to hide his face.

The place they were staying was a small house located in an isolated area near a small county close to Broken Cloud Valley. The nearby village was small and friendly, with a mysterious air due to the thick fog. The people were kind, even giving them extra dumplings when they bought some for lunch. Cheong-ra stood quietly eating dumplings while having a casual conversation with Nam Gang-ryong.

"Come to think of it, the wind chime sounds in this village are really nice."

"Indeed, Devotee Baek. It's a sound that calms the mind as you listen."

This county was called Maepung-ri, meaning "Village of Constant Wind," as wind blew throughout the four seasons. Perhaps because of this, the faint, clear sound of wind chimes could be heard from somewhere, which was pleasant to the ear. The dumpling vendor, who had been listening to their conversation with pricked ears, sociably joined in,

"Are you gentlemen from out of town? It often gets foggy here too, though not as much as Broken Cloud Valley. There are many times when you can't see a foot in front of you, so we've hung different wind chimes at important intersections to make them easy to distinguish. Otherwise, people would often get lost."

Listening to this, they indeed noticed that each sound was different, adding to the charm. As Cheong-ra was enjoying the wind chime sounds in the cool breeze, his head suddenly spun.

"Hmm..."

Wondering if it was because his body hadn't fully recovered yet, Cheong-ra slightly furrowed his brow at the unprecedented dizziness. Hiding it so as not to worry Nam Gang-ryong, he continued eating dumplings as the fog slowly lifted, revealing the village scenery. As the thick fog that had persisted for days receded, revealing the landscape, a smile appeared on Cheong-ra's face, but it soon stopped.

"What's that...?"

When the fog was thick, he hadn't noticed, but there was something shiny on every roof in the village. Focusing his eyesight, he saw that they were bowls filled with water. It wasn't just in one place. Every house had a water bowl on its roof. Suddenly feeling uneasy, Cheong-ra stood up abruptly.

"Devotee Baek? What's wrong?"

Nam Gang-ryong asked in confusion, but Cheong-ra was so fixated on the water bowls that he didn't answer. He was so preoccupied that he didn't even notice his dizziness. He asked the woman selling dumplings,

"Ma'am, those bowls on the roofs... Are they for welcoming the moon?"

"Oh, you know about moon welcoming? That's right. We put water bowls on the roofs during the full moon to receive the moon's good energy and drink it."

Water bowls on roofs, welcoming the moon... This was a custom he had seen in a small village in Hebei, far from here. Why was there the same custom in this distant village? It felt too unsettling to just ignore. Cheong-ra asked calmly, not showing any sign of his suspicions,

"I'd like to try it too. Could you tell me how it's done?"

"It's not difficult. You put a water bowl on the roof when the full moon rises, and drink it the next morning. You repeat this every day, praying until the moon wanes completely."

"Until the moon wanes completely..."

Cheong-ra murmured, trailing off. The Blood Cult's symbol was a setting moon, so could this really be a coincidence? Wasn't it like an act of trying to eat and eliminate the moon? Moreover, the dumpling vendor added an even stranger explanation,

"If you want to be more devoted, on the day of the new moon, you can add a drop of your blood to the water and drink it. Some woman in our village had a son after doing that."

Nam Gang-ryong, who had been listening silently, also looked like he had realized the suspicious aspects of this custom. He quickly stuffed a dumpling into his mouth, swallowed it, and asked urgently,

"How did you learn about this method?"

"Oh my, I just heard it from somewhere. I don't know anything else about it."

When the well-built, bald-headed monk who looked every bit a martial artist asked with a hardened face, the dumpling vendor became frightened. As the woman tried to hastily pack up her things and leave out of wariness, Cheong-ra stepped forward to stop her.

"Ma'am, this monk is just asking out of curiosity. Although his expression is a bit stern, he's a Buddhist with great compassion, so don't be afraid."

Saying this, Cheong-ra lifted his veil to reveal his face. The dumpling vendor's face went blank upon seeing his beautiful and handsome features. The sight of this unparalleled handsome man made her momentarily forget about the scary monk beside him. Cheong-ra smiled gently and said,

"This monk and I just wanted to know if the moon welcoming prayer really works. Is it troublesome for you to tell us?"

"Ye-yes, no, no..."

The clear voice and straightforward gaze were so appealing that the dumpling vendor unconsciously shook her head in denial. Then she explained how she came to know about moon welcoming. Nam Gang-ryong listened glumly from a short distance away.

According to the dumpling vendor, the moon welcoming custom was a secret method taught by a passing Taoist priest. After a woman who liked to believe in superstitions had a son she wanted after doing the moon welcoming, everyone started doing it.

"Thank you for telling us. We've learned some good information thanks to you."

Cheong-ra bought more dumplings for dinner, said goodbye, and left. When they had gone some distance, Cheong-ra told Nam Gang-ryong about the moon welcoming he had seen in Hubei. After listening to the explanation, Nam Gang-ryong jumped onto the roof of a house to check a water bowl and said,

"Amitabha... This must be the work of the Blood Cult. Dropping one's own blood and drinking it is also a kind of offering. I didn't feel such an evil energy from the water bowl. However..."

"As people get used to this kind of thing, they might escalate to offering parts of human bodies. They'll think it's just a drop of blood."

"That's right. It would also make it easier for the Blood Cult to approach. Even apart from the Blood Cult, human sacrifices happen quite often, especially in rural areas like this."

Cheong-ra sighed deeply. He couldn't believe that the Blood Cult's influence had reached even this friendly and small village. Then again, since Broken Cloud Valley had become a branch of the Blood Cult, it would be stranger if this nearby village wasn't affected.

"But it won't cause much harm to the people, right?"

Even the dumpling vendor said she had been doing this custom for over a year, but she didn't look particularly unwell. However, Nam Gang-ryong shook his head with a dark expression, denying those words.

"We can't be sure of that either, Devotee Baek. Magical practices that require payment always have consequences. It's probably some kind of evil spell that empowers the Blood Cult in some way. And..."

Nam Gang-ryong's words trailed off. He looked worriedly at Cheong-ra's complexion and the hand that had been rubbing his temple for a while.

"Devotee Baek, you don't look well. It seems your body hasn't fully recovered yet. Shall we go back and rest?"

"Hmm, I'm fine. It's just that I've been feeling dizzy since earlier..."

Cheong-ra's words trailed off as his mind suddenly went blank. Chime, chime, chime... As the wind blew stronger, the wind chime sounds became even louder. He had meant to say that his dizziness was a bit severe, but what came out of his mouth was different.

"The wind chime sound..."

"Devotee Baek?"

One particular wind chime sound pierced his ears. As his dizziness intensified, his mind became foggy. Cheong-ra's head turned involuntarily towards the sound. At a distant intersection, a man was holding something that looked like a wind chime. No, it was an instrument that resembled a wind chime. The man tapped metal rods of different lengths with his fingertips. Chime, chime...

"Cheong-ra."

As their eyes met, the man smiled broadly. Cheong-ra thought hazily,

Ah. The type of instrument isn't important. He just chose a flute because it was convenient to carry around.

The moment he realized this, an enormous roar erupted. Nam Gang-ryong's lion's roar reverberated through the village, its shockwave striking in all directions. Cheong-ra, whose mind was completely entranced, fell sideways without being able to brace himself. Even as he fell, his gaze remained fixed on Yeon Jeok-san.

Even as he dropped the instrument in his hand from Nam Gang-ryong's attack, Yeon Jeok-san was still grinning from ear to ear.