Yin Qi is an energy that contrasts with Yang Qi and refers to a dark and damp force. It is also associated with death and is known to slow down life activities while extending them, influencing permanence.
While similar to death energy, it has a broader scope and is mainly used by those who delve into the mysteries of death.
Since it can be easily obtained from various places, such as human internal organs or muscles and bones, it doesn’t depend on location or timing. Due to its cold, damp nature and relation to death, it’s also easy to command ghosts and is associated with the afterlife, making it useful for magic rituals.
Moreover, with proper control over its quantity, one can use Yin Qi to either improve health or harm others. It can be used to create talismans, and while one can fill their internal organs or muscles with it, this comes with the understanding that it would harm the body in the process.
“Of course, there are very few who would actually do such a thing.”
However, storing Yin Qi is rarely seen.
Is the issue about one’s health?
That’s not really the significant problem.
Health, after all, has its good times and its bad times, doesn’t it?
The real issue lies in the nature of magic itself.
Each time it’s used, a price is paid, the body twists, and the soul undergoes changes. The nature of magic continuously distorts and transforms a person’s body, preventing the stable accumulation of energy and making it impossible to use stable special powers.
Consider martial arts, which involves gathering energy in one place?
Not only would the energy point known as the lower dantian be twisted or destroyed, but other parts of the body like the heart or brain will also be affected frequently.
As for blood vessels and bones?
It’s commonplace to see waste accumulating in the blood vessels, or for them to rupture or change flow. Bones can rot away while alive or develop holes through absurd circumstances, even turning to dust in some cases.
For practitioners experiencing these issues regularly, learning martial arts means they inevitably face either “spiritual possession” or internal injuries.
It’s not just martial arts—any skills involving storing energy in the body are impossible.
If the body has shattered, how can one accumulate energy, let alone safely use that energy?
Thus, even for those dealing with Yin Qi, storing it in their bodies is uncommon.
They might create talismans to store Yin Qi and carry them around or use special containers referred to as energy vessels to store the energy. Even these methods are limited by the energy’s loss and instability, meaning carrying large amounts is rare.
“An extraordinary amount of Yin Qi.”
Jinseong observed an amount of Yin Qi so vast that it seemed impossible that it was stored in any conventional talisman. The Yin Qi was so potent that it made him suspect it was unleashed energy from an expert in the art of Yin Qi manipulation. But what truly astonished him was how the immense Yin Qi in the sky seemed unnoticed by everyone.
“The dampness of the Yin Qi blends into the damp sea breeze and masks itself. The darkness of the Yin Qi hides within the ambient darkness. The overwhelming scent of death gathers malevolent spirits to cloak the body. Cold and gloomy, it resides within the cooling air and the moon’s shadow. Truly a meticulously concealed deployment.”
It was subtle and, at the same time, strange.
Despite its overwhelming presence, how could it remain unnoticed even when it should be obvious?
Jinseong quietly gazed at the sky, then slowly lowered his head. Silently, he stood up and walked toward a specific location.
His destination was the lodging of the ability wielders from Japan.
“—!”
“–!”
At the Japanese ability wielders’ lodging, a ruckus could be heard. The noisy sounds carried with them a lot of emotion, resembling the drunken complaints at a heavy drinking session.
Taking this racket as a guide, Jinseong gradually approached.
As he moved, the creak of a tent zipper was heard, as one of the ability wielders noticed his approach and stepped out from a large tent.
“What… is the matter?”
Emerging partially from the tent, a wizard asked Jinseong a question in the rigid tone typical of translation machines. The emotionless Korean translated by the machine flowed out, but Jinseong smiled as he responded.
“I have someone to meet.”
“Someone to meet?”
The wizard’s face shifted with concern, recalling the earlier incident. To see a Korean ability wielder suddenly visiting their lodging meant that it likely wasn’t for pleasant reasons.
“Could someone have caused trouble?”
The first thought was that one of the warriors might have caused an issue. In the mind of the wizard, it wouldn’t be surprising if a “emotionally driven, aggressive, and ignorant” warrior had secretly slipped out and started a fight at the Korean lodging.
Worrying about that worst-case scenario, the wizard quickly recalled who was inside the large tent.
“Hold on. Everyone’s here?”
Realizing that all the members were present within the tent, the wizard relaxed momentarily.
“What is the business, and who do you wish to meet?”
“Hmm. I wish to meet… ah, there you are.”
Jinseong smiled as he saw the person who appeared from behind the wizard.
“Wait? Oh, Shinto priest?”
The person who appeared was a Shinto priest, wearing a fox mask with various talismans dangling from their body.
“Why on earth is the priest…?”
The fox mask, talismans dangling from their body, and even after entering the lodging, this strange person never relaxed but spent their time attaching even more talismans and charms.
Why did this person come out of the tent right after the Korean shaman said, “I have come to find someone”?
“Besides, no one announced a visitor?”
Even more bizarre was that the Korean shaman had not specified who they were searching for, nor notified anyone inside.
Why did this Shinto priest know to come out so promptly?
Additionally, it was unsettling.
For some reason, the presence of the Korean shaman and the priest together gave an odd feeling of coldness.
“Their hearing might be sharp. Perhaps they are just curious.”
The wizard observed the shaman and priest with a puzzled expression.
The shaman was smiling, and the fox mask on the priest’s face also appeared to smile.
“Based on the heavens, an unusual phenomenon has drawn me here. Would you join me for a brief tour?”
Jinseong said this, looking directly at the fox mask.
In Japanese.
The priest responded accordingly.
“Having observed divine power stirring, and it resembles the qi of the great deity Chishikinoookami. This certainly requires confirmation through direct observation. Being a priest entails responsibility. Thus, armed with the blessings of Dairyumeno Mochinokami in my left eye and the tensioned arrow of a sacred bow in my right, I shall scrutinize the darkness inside the cave.”
The priest replied, speaking in Korean.
Thus, their unconventional banter ensued.
“Let’s go.”
With a decisive statement to move, both began to leave.
“Hey, wait a moment. Where are you going?”
Seeing this, the wizard asked in confusion.
Their sudden appearance was unexpected, and now they were exchanging strange chatter and leaving together?
It was completely incomprehensible.
“It’s the middle of the night. Where could you possibly be going?”
Especially since it wasn’t daylight.
A deep darkness had descended.
A time when malevolent spirits are active.
And they were simply going out without telling anyone?
What exactly was happening?
Furthermore, the wizard was more baffled because these individuals were the ones who had seemed reliable earlier that day.
The Shinto priest who first stepped forward to defuse the tense situation between Korea and Japan.
The shaman who supported the priest, enabling cooperation between Korea and Japan.
Contrary to the unpredictable warriors, these two were thought to be much more dependable. Yet, why were they now acting impulsively?
“Don’t worry. It’s not dangerous. I noticed something unusual in the sky and intend to investigate. I’ve also prepared talismans to avoid detection by spirits, so it’s not very risky.”
“The divine power tells us this is urgent and there’s no time to inform others. Please, Mr. Takeda, relay this message: the Korean shaman and I will inspect the surroundings and return.”
Whether aware of the wizard’s inner turmoil or not, the shaman and priest left this almost declarative message and moved into the darkness without hesitation.
*
The Yin Qi in the sky naturally flows.
Whoever enters the flow leaves some trace.
As water moves, it creates ripples, thus marking a path that reveals a visitor.
If the start and end of the flow are the same, the destination can be gauged, revealing an inviter.
Soon, the shamans will meet.
