The man’s words were deeply significant.
At a glance, it seemed to imply that “if it’s Shiheng Style’s ability, recognizing a ritual of magic should be a piece of cake,” and “rituals of magic are so noisy and leave so many traces that they’re bound to be caught.”
But perhaps due to the peculiar tone?
It didn’t seem entirely that simple.
“Let’s see. So if it’s not a curse, it means there’s another issue at hand… you mentioned that almost all the visitors beforehand were likely to be evil spirits or evil ghosts, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“I think I agree. If it weren’t magic, there would be no need to create such faces on every single tree… only evil spirits or evil ghosts would engage in such inefficient acts. Ah, of course.”
The man said with a sly smile.
“There’s also the possibility of some psychopath doing it. But to sneak into a place filled with Shiheng Style warriors and pull off such antics… hahaha, unless they have some serious guts, I think it’s impossible.”
“Is that so?”
He expressed something that seemed to raise the profile of Shiheng Style. It was too genuine to merely be flattery, slightly awkward to take at face value, but if asked whether it was unpleasant to hear, the answer would also be no.
Each word tasted sweet, and since it elevated not the individual but the group known as Shiheng Style, it was a compliment that didn’t elicit any disgust.
This was what they call a “statement that saves face.”
For a warrior obsessed with face, Jinseong’s praise for Shiheng Style was sweeter than honey, and he could feel the frustration that had been building-up die away as he listened to the man.
Moreover, there was another point that made him like the guy; it was his wealth of professional knowledge.
“I see now why the visitors before had such a hard time. It’s clearly the work of a ghost, yet no traces of a ghost can be found, and it closely resembles the deeds typical of ghosts, making it impossible to say definitively that it’s not a ghost.”
“So, what will you do?”
“In situations like this, it’s best to use the process of elimination. When there are too many choices and you have no idea what’s what, it’s important to narrow down the options, maximizing the likelihood of discovering the truth. Eventually, clarity will emerge. Let’s see, the previous professionals couldn’t find any physical traces, and the Shiheng Style warriors who trained for eons in these mountains also couldn’t find any signs of other people? Then it would be best to exclude the possibility of physically empowered evil spirits.”
“Then should we exclude humans too?”
“The possibility of it being a human… can’t be entirely ruled out, but for now, I’ll toss that out. There are too few clues to even entertain that thought. So what remains… hmm. It seems a bit hard to consider it the work of evil spirits…”
“Not the work of evil spirits?”
“Yes. That’s how it seems.”
“Why do you think that?”
The man pulled out a triangular-shaped necklace from within his clothes.
Gleaming as if made of silver, the necklace had an inverted triangle shape and bizarrely resembled a funnel. The surface was covered in squiggly letters as if scrawled carelessly.
A B R A C A D A B R A
A B R A C A D A B R
A B R A C A D A B
A B R A C A D A
A B R A C A D
A B R A C A
A B R A C
A B R A
A B R
A B
A
The word “abracadabra,” written in a creepy handwriting that seemed to twist, tapered off as it descended. Its strange appearance, combined with the funnel-like body, created a mysterious ambiance, as if a spell containing storm-like power was swirling down. Or it could be seen as the storm beginning with the letter “A” and finally completing the spell.
“Abra? Cadabra! Oh! Abracadabra! Isn’t that a famous spell?”
“Yes. It’s a mystic incantation used by ancient Western wizards, and it’s also used when creating talismans.”
“And what does that talisman have to do with the absence of evil spirits?”
“This talisman fundamentally possesses the forces of healing and blessing. Furthermore, it’s made from silver that has absorbed sunlight, enhancing its power.”
The man smiled as he looked at the necklace sparkling in the sunlight.
“Healing and blessing. That’s the exact opposite of the detestable powers possessed by evil spirits. Most things that are neither here nor there can be banished with just this talisman, and evil spirits… well, while it might not be able to chase them away, it should at least serve as an alarm. It will protect the user from the detestable energy possessed by the evil spirits and change its form to warn of dangers.”
“Hmmm. If the necklace remains unchanged, does that mean there are no evil spirits?”
“That’s right. It’s certain. If there had been evil spirits or traces left behind, this necklace wouldn’t be in such a perfect state. It would have darkened, the letters would have been erased, the surface would have been scratched, or the necklace itself would have been bent. But look. It’s perfectly intact, isn’t it?”
“Hmmm.”
“It seems a bit more of the outline is emerging. Not the work of evil spirits, but something similar to their deeds…”
The man held the necklace as he observed the surroundings with sharp eyes.
He leaned against a tree, stroking his chin as if deep in thought, and eventually tossed a question at the master.
“Master, do you happen to know how many trees are on this mountain?”
“Trees? I don’t know either.”
“Hmmm. I’m okay with an estimate.”
“I can’t answer that even if you ask….”
The master’s expression turned perplexed upon hearing the question.
Naturally so.
Mountains are mountains, water is water, and trees are trees…
Trees have just been haphazardly planted since ancient times, merely forming part of the everyday landscape.
There was no thought of management, nor any intention to manage them.
Yet suddenly, to ask how many of them there were? How on Earth could he answer that?
The next Shinto Priest changed his question, seeing the master’s awkwardness.
“Then, Master. Are there more than 10,000 trees on this mountain?”
“That… would probably be the case?”
The master pictured the trees densely filling the mountain in response to that question.
Trees crowded so thickly that not even sunlight could reach the ground below, creating shade. It wasn’t just near the training ground; the entire mountain was like that.
Naturally, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were more than 10,000.
“Hmmm. Ten thousand, huh?”
“Is there a problem with that?”
“That figure has a magical meaning attached to it. The number ten thousand has traditionally been used in the East to express ‘countless.'”
“What’s the problem with that?”
The master appeared puzzled, not understanding the reason.
But instead of answering that question, the man carelessly tossed a remark.
“I think I’ve figured out the source of the issue.”
“Really?!”
It was a throwaway comment, yet it was precisely what the warrior wanted to hear most.
The man beamed brightly, smiling at the master running toward him.
He looked as though he was glad to have solved the problem that had been troubling him, bursting into a big grin, his expression full of the relief that comes from solving a difficult problem.
He pointed to the ground with his finger and said, “Are you knowledgeable about Feng Shui and the Five Elements?”
“I don’t know much about Feng Shui, but I know a bit about the Five Elements.”
“Then this will be easy to explain. I think the bizarre phenomenon happening right now is due to the combination of Feng Shui, the Five Elements, and the spirits that couldn’t quite become evil spirits.”
The man began his explanation.
“Sometimes, nature can spontaneously create places imbued with magical powers without human intervention. Naturally, formations can be created in such a way that they trap people like a labyrinth, causing them to starve to death, or they can pile on defilements layer after layer without resolution, leading to terrible calamities, or they can manifest as environments that become ideal habitats for certain insects and empower them.”
“Hmmm.”
“Experts in formations from China say this happens because the balance of the Five Elements is broken. They perceive that this imbalance causes extreme tendencies to one side and that these situations arise as a means to maintain that balance.”
An extreme deviation indicates that an extreme phenomenon occurs.
“In Venezuela, the Rio Catatumbo sees a tremendous amount of lightning due to the overwhelming Yang energy and heat, whereas in Oklahoma, USA, exceptional amounts of wood energy give rise to frequent tornadoes. This occurs when the Five Elements are disrupted and tilted to one side. It’s an extreme example, but it leads to natural disasters.”
And being insufficient means that it needs to be filled.
“And when there’s adequate destruction, a deficit state occurs, leading the environment to spontaneously adapt to fill that gap.”
The man spoke resolutely, like an expert.
“It’s precisely what’s happening here.”
