Episode 251: Return to the Demonic Sect
The interior of the Baekho Hall was impeccably tidy.
Having visited this place once before, Sabigang remembered the location of most items with ease.
Stretching his arms wide, Sabigang turned to Hongyeom.
“Shall we begin?”
“Yes.”
Hongyeom nodded and strode forward. His steps were confident, yet when he reached a corner of the room, he meticulously examined his surroundings.
He ran his hand gently along the wall, sniffed the air, and scrutinized every nook and cranny, as if he wouldn’t miss even a needle-sized hole.
To an observer, it might have seemed as if he was trying to catch something invisible, so thorough and precise was his inspection.
Yet, what was truly remarkable was the speed with which he moved. His swift yet precise observational skills were one of his specialties.
After thoroughly sweeping one wall with his hand, Hongyeom moved to the bed. He carefully examined the pillow and blanket, running his fingers along the seams with great attention to detail.
Even though it was unlikely that any mechanism would be hidden in something like a blanket, his thoroughness was a matter of principle. He believed that no mechanism would be in a predictable place.
In his many infiltration missions, he had encountered all sorts of traps and devices. This caution and keen observation had become second nature to him.
Meanwhile, Sabigang casually surveyed the room, then cast a search spell with his palm facing the floor.
In an instant, a soft glow emanated from his palm and spread throughout the room.
Whoooosh!
The range was kept narrow, so even if there were guards outside, they wouldn’t have sensed the energy from a moment ago.
The strange light waves swept over the floor, walls, and ceiling, but no further reactions occurred.
“Hmm.”
Sabigang murmured, scanning the surroundings.
Nothing had been detected.
In such cases, there were two possibilities: either the magical artifact wasn’t hidden in Baekho Hall, or it was blocked by something very thick.
The effectiveness of a search spell improves with the caster’s level. For instance, a second-circle search spell can’t detect objects if something obstructs the view. It can find a needle on a beach but not one buried in the sand—unless the needle contains mana.
However, at the fourth circle, the spell can penetrate a thickness of about half a sheet of paper. So, if the needle is buried within that depth, it will appear as a light shape to the caster.
At the seventh circle, it can penetrate a full sheet’s thickness, provided no barriers or other magical devices interfere.
Yet, Sabigang’s search spell had found nothing.
“If it’s hidden underground, it must be deeper than a sheet’s thickness.”
This meant it was stored in a rather deep underground location. Otherwise, it simply wasn’t here.
“Something about this bothers me.”
He had observed Chu Hee-ryong closely, but there was no separate place he visited regularly. Precious and mysterious items are usually kept close rather than far away.
“I’ll have to rely on Yeom.”
Sabigang turned his gaze to Hongyeom.
Having finished inspecting the bed, Hongyeom was now examining the shelves. His focus was so intense it seemed he intended to discover how even a speck of dust had settled.
As he meticulously scanned the area, Hongyeom’s eyes suddenly gleamed.
What caught his attention was a finely carved diorama depicting the battle between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu. The craftsmanship was so exquisite that each figure was no larger than a fingertip.
Despite their size, the figures included both horses and people, making it clear at a glance that this was a valuable piece.
As Hongyeom remained transfixed by the diorama, Sabigang, intrigued, approached.
“A scene of being surrounded on all sides. This is an incredible sculpture. The dance of the beauty with the sword feels so vivid.”
Hongyeom couldn’t disagree with Sabigang’s assessment.
The diorama, with its thousands of fingertip-sized figures, depicted the Han army surrounding Xiang Yu and the beauty, Wu Meiren.
At that time, the Han army sang the traditional songs of Chu to demoralize the Chu soldiers, leading Wu Meiren to dance with a sword before taking her own life.
This sculpture captured that iconic moment, which gave rise to the saying “besieged on all sides.”
But…
“Something feels off. And that feeling is likely connected to a mechanism.”
This thought crossed Hongyeom’s mind.
With a subtle smile, he looked at Sabigang.
“Do you notice anything strange about this diorama, my lord?”
“Not really. I can’t see what’s wrong.”
“But I found the answer to the problem in your words.”
“What is it?”
“The scene of being surrounded.”
“Surrounded?”
“Yes. This diorama depicts being surrounded. But look at the Han soldiers.”
Sabigang studied the Han soldiers and, realizing something, nodded.
“They’re not singing the songs of Chu.”
“Exactly. Yet Wu Meiren’s dance is full of life, indicating she’s hearing the songs. So who is singing them?”
“Is it Xiang Yu?”
But Xiang Yu’s mouth was firmly closed. Shifting his gaze to Liu Bang yielded no clues either. It was difficult to examine each tiny figure’s face.
As Sabigang furrowed his brow, Hongyeom smiled faintly and pointed.
“To the east of Wu Meiren.”
Then, moving his gaze to the right, Hongyeom precisely traced the line of soldiers standing to the east.
“Ah…!”
Sabigang exclaimed.
Among the soldiers to the east of Wu Meiren, one had his mouth open.
He was singing the songs of Chu!
“The soldier to the east is singing the songs.”
Finishing his explanation, Hongyeom carefully reached out and pulled the spear from the soldier’s hand. Remarkably, the needle-thin spear came free.
“Next is the west.”
Hongyeom’s finger glided along the line, moving directly opposite Wu Meiren.
There, too, was a soldier with an open mouth, singing.
“The soldier to the west is singing the songs.”
This soldier held a sword. When Hongyeom carefully picked it up, the blade came free.
“Now, to the south.”
Hongyeom continued to carefully extract the weapons from the soldiers singing in the four cardinal directions. Each weapon was a mix of swords, spears, and other arms, all needle-thin.
Yet, inside, no mechanism activated.
“Why isn’t anything happening?”
In response to Sabigang’s question, Hongyeom smiled.
“Think of it as a key.”
“A key?”
“We’ve obtained a key from the diorama depicting being surrounded. Now, if there’s anything in this room related to it…”
“The Four Symbols.”
At Sabigang’s answer, Hongyeom nodded.
“Exactly.”
Without further prompting, Hongyeom and Sabigang walked to one wall.
There hung a painting of the Four Symbols, but with a unique twist: a black dragon replaced the Azure Dragon. The White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise seemed to support the black dragon from below.
This was the painting Hongyeom had examined so meticulously earlier.
Hongyeom approached the black dragon first.
“With the Azure Dragon gone and the black dragon in its place, this must be the east.”
Finishing his thought, Hongyeom inserted the needle-thin spear into the black dragon’s eye.
“Ah!”
Sabigang exclaimed again.
He hadn’t noticed that detail. Who would have thought there’d be a hole in the painting?
It was a gap as small as a needle’s eye.
Yet Hongyeom had found it.
Continuing, Hongyeom inserted the sword into the claw of the White Tiger, which represented the west.
There was also a needle-sized hole in the White Tiger’s claw, where the sword from the western soldier fit perfectly.
“The mechanism will only activate if everything aligns correctly. If it’s a storage mechanism, it’s unlikely to have traps. It’s a place visited frequently, and disabling the mechanism each time would be quite laborious. Plus, the more complex the mechanism, the more prone it is to malfunction.”
“So they focused on hiding the entrance.”
“Exactly. If someone can dismantle a mechanism of this level, traps would likely be ineffective.”
“True.”
Sabigang nodded, watching Hongyeom’s actions closely.
Finally, Hongyeom inserted the last needle-thin weapon into the back of the Black Tortoise, which represented the north.
Then,
Clunk. Sssssss.
A section of the wall slid open, revealing a staircase leading deep underground.
“Looks like you were right about something being hidden below.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Be careful.”
Sabigang strode forward with determined steps.
Behind him, Hongyeom quietly erased his presence, disappearing without a trace.
“Hmm.”
Churyang let out a sigh as he watched the shadows stretch across the ground.
“About an hour left, maybe?”
It was almost time for Baekho’s leader to return home.
Chu Heeryong, the leader of Baekho, was expected to return around sunset after attending to some business outside.
“Ugh, why is he taking so long?”
It had been nearly three hours since Sabigang had infiltrated Baekho’s headquarters.
Two hours ago, Churyang had received a secret message.
It was from Hongyeom.
He informed Churyang that he had dismantled the mechanism, allowing Sabigang to enter the hidden chamber alone.
Now, all Churyang had to do was keep watch until Sabigang emerged.
And if Sabigang was delayed or if Chu Heeryong returned early, Churyang’s job was to stall for as much time as possible.
Of course, the best-case scenario would be for Sabigang to come out before any of that happened.
As about half an hour passed, the shadows grew even longer.
With each passing moment, Churyang’s heart pounded harder.
“Ugh… this is nerve-wracking! It’d be great if he came out soon… there’s less than an hour left!”
Just as he was fretting over the situation, the worst-case scenario unfolded.
“What the—! Why now of all times…!”
Churyang, who had been pacing near the main gate of Baekho, turned pale as he spotted Chu Heeryong approaching from a distance.
He was returning much earlier than expected.
“Damn it! We’re screwed!”