“The balance of the five elements is collapsing, and the geomancy is getting strange?”
The master slightly frowned at the man’s words.
It was as if they were staying in a land they wouldn’t even want under other circumstances.
“That’s how I see it.”
“Hmm.”
The master silently urged him to continue.
“As you well know, master, the five elements inevitably influence each other. Earth (土), Wood (木), and Metal (金) are no different.”
“Hmm.”
The man began to elaborate on the five elements.
“There’s a phrase: Earth creates Metal. Earth helps generate Metal’s Qi, like how metal forms from the soil beneath the ground. And then there’s ‘Wood overcomes Earth’ and ‘Metal overcomes Wood’! Trees penetrate the earth with their roots, suppressing its energy; and metal, like sharp blades, cuts down wood, hindering its growth. This is the cycle of mutual growth (相生) and mutual conquest (相剋)!”
“So what does that have to do with here?”
“It’s relevant.”
The man smiled faintly, pointing to the ground and the trees.
“With so much earth here and over 10,000 trees – countless in number, that is.”
“Then there’s only Earth (土) and Wood (木), right?”
“No. There’s Metal (金) as well. This mountain itself is rich in Metal Qi.”
“This mountain?”
The next Shinto priest pointed far away at a peak.
Sharp and serrated, a black peak stood tall.
“Isn’t this mountain called Kurotsurugi Mine (Black Sword Peak)? The name itself implies a sword, which represents Metal (金). The shape of the mountain resembles the form of a sharp blade, again suggesting Metal (金). And since it points upward as if piercing the heavens, this aligns with the Metal (金) element as well. Moreover, the mountain’s location in the west also corresponds to Metal. And there are even warriors from the Shiheng Style practicing with swords inside it. This is undeniably the essence of Metal (金).”
“That’s quite logical.”
The master nodded, understanding the man’s explanation.
“This mountain has embraced the three elements, Metal, Wood, Earth, and maintained balance without disruption. The strong Metal (金) Qi might have helped Water (水), encouraging its presence, and with so many trees, the Fire (火) Qi would have settled in proportion. It’s precarious, but not bad overall.”
However, precariously balanced systems can easily collapse with the smallest disturbance.
“But for some reason, this balance was disrupted. The precarious equilibrium broke down, leading everything into chaos. Only mutual augmentation (相乘) and mutual insult (相侮) remained!”
Mutual augmentation (相乘).
The repressing force in a conquering relationship becomes excessively strong.
Mutual insult (相侮).
The repressing force in a conquering relationship doesn’t work effectively.
“Countless trees have rooted themselves, depleting the soil’s nutrients, meaning Wood overcomes Earth. The excessive force of the trees has made it impossible for any ordinary piece of metal to cut them, meaning Wood humiliates Metal. The shadows of the trees block the sun, suppressing Yang energy and monopolizing its dominance, leading to the proliferation of Yin Qi. Meanwhile, the Metal Qi (金氣) lures people with its dazzling appearance… this is the perfect environment for spirits to thrive in.”
His explanation was detailed and easy to follow.
But ironically, because it was so understandable, the master couldn’t say anything.
“And, with such an environment, even spirits that haven’t become evil spirits can exert their power. Of course, they won’t have the strength of real evil spirits, but they can mimic their form convincingly.”
“Spirit?”
“Everything fits if you think about it this way. Why didn’t the security system detect anything? Of course not, it’s made to detect evil spirits, not spirits that haven’t become evil. The mold-related mischief? In such a Yin Qi-rich environment, it’s easy for mold to grow and cause such disturbances. Why were there no human traces? If it wasn’t human, that’s normal, isn’t it?”
“…Indeed.”
“One of your warriors was possessed, right? That’s natural too. Even if the spirit hasn’t turned into an evil spirit, it still carries its temperament, doesn’t it? It probably tried to instill fear and possess him despite its limited power, unaware of the valiant warrior’s abilities.”
“That’s true. Our warriors would never be scared by such trivial things.”
“And not being possessed turned out to be disadvantageous. Possession would have left some trace, helping to identify the cause of the problem. So, when you think about it, everything falls into place.”
The master smiled, as if the man’s words had pierced through his thoughts.
“Hahaha! This is incredible! To solve something that has troubled so many people so quickly, just after arriving here!”
“You flatter me. Anyone could do this.”
“Hmm, the others who visited earlier were completely different. You’re truly skilled.”
“Even the previous visitors could have figured this out with a different perspective. They might have noticed it easily.”
“Hahaha. That’s the hard part. Creativity isn’t something everyone can have!”
The master looked at the next Shinto priest with great interest.
“It’s not certain yet. To confirm my hypothesis, let’s see… Could we perhaps hear the story from the warrior who witnessed some strange occurrences?”
“The story? Sure… Ah! That’s right! That warrior heard an urban legend from a college student who’d broken in on the day of the incident. We even created a composite sketch of the college student. I forgot about it in the heat of the moment, but I’ll fetch it quickly.”
The master darted off to the training ground using light-footed techniques, and soon returned to Jinseong with a rolled-up stack of paper.
“This is the composite sketch of the college student. I haven’t looked at it yet, but shall we review it together?”
“An urban legend? That’s intriguing.”
The next Shinto priest took the paper eagerly and unfolded it slowly.
He grinned the moment he unfolded it.
“This is surprising.”
The person depicted on the paper had no face.
It was as though the face of an egg ghost – featureless, entirely devoid of eyes, nose, or mouth.
“Why is the face like this?”
The master muttered with confusion as he flipped to the next page.
The next page showed a face with only a mouth drawn upon it.
A face with just one mouth hanging there, looking like a child had drawn it with a fist gripping a pencil, creating a bizarre and grotesque visage.
“Ho…?”
The master swiftly turned the next page.
On the next page was a face with many curved eye shapes, as if it were laughing, dotted all over.
Flip.
On the following page, the face had eyes, nose, and mouth stuck on haphazardly, as if in a game of Fukurou Warai (random placement).
Flip.
Another face with only the mouth floating above the neck, no face whatsoever.
Flip.
A face with multiple attached mouths, as if questioning what to draw.
Flip.
A face whose image had been smudged with charcoal, barely recognizable as a human head.
Flip.
Flip.
Flip.
Eyes.
Curved with laughter.
Eyes filled with derision, lacking any vitality.
Eyes with pupils so heavily shaded by pencils that the paper was worn thin.
Mouths.
Crooked and disheveled.
Mouths unable to keep their form, stretching or expanding endlessly, as though they existed only to tell stories.
Misplaced noses.
Ears that moved between the forehead and the face.
Clothes and colors that changed on every drawing.
The composite sketches on every paper were definitely not of any human.
“The warrior wasn’t possessed… he was partially possessed. Neither fully possessed nor completely free, so it left no traces.”
“This is really…”
Is this the work of a spirit?
The master swallowed the question rising to his lips. Instead, he looked at the man asking if it could be resolved, and the man smiled confidently in return.
“Don’t worry. Even if this were an evil spirit, our shrine can easily dispel it. But this is just a spirit that hasn’t become an evil spirit, so there’s no problem.”
“Will it be alright?”
“The issue wasn’t resolved earlier because the cause wasn’t identified. Now we know the source and see that it’s nothing extraordinary. There shouldn’t be a problem. However… yes, the proper spirit-subduing operation will take place at midnight, and I would be grateful if you could personally witness its resolution.”
“I will gladly attend.”
The next Shinto priest beamed with confidence and extended a hand toward the Shamaness behind him. She handed him a stack of paper talismans and a bundle of thin threads.
“Are those talismans?”
“Yes. Just in case, we’ll use the talismans and gold threads to create a simple shrine and fill it with divine power. Even though this is just a spirit, we must proceed cautiously.”
“Excellent work.”
The master nodded approvingly and smiled, admiring the meticulous way things were being handled.
Chink.
Chink.
The man attached the talismans to various trees and stretched the gold threads across the ground. At intervals along the threads, he folded and hung talismans while murmuring tiny prayers while in meditative pose.
Once repeated several times, a rather impressive area was formed.
“This is pretty impressive. Just being inside gives the feeling of divine protection.”
“Hahaha, you’re clearly a warrior with sharp senses. This has become a simple shrine, and thus divine eyes watch over it.”
“Good. But….”
The master tilted his head slightly.
“There’s a slightly musty smell, doesn’t there?”
Hearing this, the man awkwardly coughed.
“It’s been stored in the divine storehouse for a long time…there is a bit of moldiness, but its efficacy isn’t impaired at all.”
“I see….”
The master looked at the next Shinto priest and the Shamaness sympathetically for a moment.
“Over time, the smell will fade, I suppose. Hmm. So, should we meet here again at dawn?”
“Yes, it would be preferable to arrive before midnight.”
“Understood. Ah, by the way, if you’re planning to stay here, would you like any food brought to you?”
“It’s unnecessary. We must keep our bodies clean before the spirit-subduing ritual, so we’ll fast until the ritual is complete and eat after it.”
“Hmm. Understood. In that case, I’ll prepare some food to be served after the ritual.”
“Ah, thank you for your generosity.”
The next Shinto priest thanked him and saw the master off as he returned to the training ground.
The master’s footsteps seemed surprisingly light.
As though a great burden had been lifted.
As if a significant worry had been alleviated.
The next Shinto priest and the Shamaness watched his figure for a while before unfolding their instant tent and entering it. Inside, they quickly closed the zipper, settling down in the silence created by the bull buffalo ring dangling from the tent’s ceiling.
In that silence, the Shamaness spoke.
“What will you do?”
The sound, amplified by the bull buffalo ring’s power, lingered soundlessly in the stillness before dissolving into the air.
Jinseong replied to Rise’s question.
“Abra Cadabra (אברא כדברא), let it be as spoken. The balance of the five elements will be broken, nature will collapse, and disasters will occur.”
He chuckled lightly.
“The scapegoat will become another, who will bear the enemy’s enmity, defeating the foe without shedding a drop of blood, compelling them to pay the price.”
Jinseong’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Mana, Mana, it is indeed promising.”
—
