Chapter 11: Unwelcome
Lady Bang and the two babies stopped one step away, brandishing their blades. It was likely because people with vigorous blood energy had wounded such yin ghosts before. The three ghosts halted there. A moment later, Seokheon sensed a faintly drifting aura flying from the bodies of the twin blade-wielders toward them. And the spectral form became slightly clearer in Seokheon's sensory organs.
Seokheon appeared largely uninterested, but he was carefully observing Lady Bang and the two children as they inhaled yang energy. He hoped to determine, based on the finest details of their actions, whether they had truly not lost their lives. Although he could see this from the outside rumors and Lady Bang's bearing, Seokheon was no child. He did not believe people blindly. Therefore, he intended to form his judgment by combining rumor and bearing after observing for himself. It was not something to compare with his previous life. Blind belief and following might leave most people unharmed, some with financial losses, and in extreme situations, one could lose one's life. In this world now, to deal with ghosts and blindly follow superstition was, for the most part, to gamble with one's life as a joke.
Within a few breaths, Lady Bang and the two children stopped and put on satisfied expressions. At this point, combining the absence of killing intent and bloodlust before him with the rumors and her bearing, Seokheon could be basically certain that they had inhaled only a small amount of yang energy and remained in a realm harmless to people.
Lady Bang signaled the two children and bowed deeply to Seokheon. The two children innocently imitated their mother from behind and also bowed to him.
Seeing Deokrin bow like a grown woman, the corners of Seokheon's mouth moved of their own accord.
Seokheon said, "Now then, the two of them have also, in a manner of speaking, atoned for themselves. So now, can you tell me why you cannot leave this place?"
Lady Bang used an illusion art to manifest a chair and sat down as if she were still among the living, then began to recall what followed.
"When the fire broke out, my only son had gone out to conduct business, and there was a shortage of working hands in the courtyard. In the small kitchen of Maple Garden, where this concubine, Deokrin, and Hamnyeong were, flames broke out in the middle of the night, and because the weather was dry, it caught and burned quickly. By the time this concubine woke, great flames filled the surroundings. That night, Deokrin and Hamnyeong slept with this concubine. This concubine and a maidservant each tried to run out carrying a child, but in the end a main beam fell. It collapsed and was completely blocked. This concubine saw the two of them waking and gasping in the smoke, and even though they wanted to call me Mother, they could not cry out. The fire burned my body with pain beyond compare, but my heart hurt more. This is unwelcome. Our two children were only three years old."
Such pain was truly unimaginable. Seokheon did not interrupt, but raised his hand to signal Lady Bang to continue.
Pausing briefly, Lady Bang calmed her heart and opened her mouth.
"When I regained my senses, I found myself in the small courtyard well, with Deokrin and Hamnyeong beside me. Seeing that I had awoken, they wept and complained that it hurt so much. I wanted to get out, but I discovered that I instinctively feared sunlight, and realized that I and the two children were already ghosts. Coming out in the middle of the night, I discovered many ghosts of maidservants and servants wandering throughout the house. But as days passed, those maidservants' and servants' ghosts began to fade from memory. The frightening thing was that Deokrin and Hamnyeong were fading too. This concubine did not know what to do. I suddenly realized many of the world's rules. After seven days, ghosts slowly lose their memories. Moreover, after existing for ten days or so, they gradually begin to disappear."
"Yes, I have read that in books as well." Seokheon nodded clearly.
"But this concubine could not accept it. This concubine never once saw my husband. Deokrin and Hamnyeong could not call out 'Father' even once more. This concubine was displeased, but I also knew the path of ghosts. Yet what this concubine found most unwelcome was that Deokrin and Hamnyeong were three years old and had experienced nothing. They had never painted red pictures, never caught birds, never plucked flowers, never chattered here and there, never tasted tea, never tasted all manner of delicious food, never made friends, never known scholarly advancement, never ridden a horse through the streets, never worn a red veil over their heads and whispered among the flowers, never borne children and enjoyed the joys of natural bonds." Lady Bang was already speaking to herself, unable to overcome her sorrow, her words cascading out in such a torrent that they could no longer be made out.
Seokheon silently calmed his mind; even as he maintained a clear spiritual platform, a feeling of pity arose in his heart.
This time, Lady Bang stopped for a long while, only coming to her senses when Deokrin and Hamnyeong, who were behind her, poked their heads forward curiously to see why their mother was acting that way.
"As these unwelcome thoughts grew deeper, my body began to stiffen, and even Deokrin and Hamnyeong in my arms began to disappear. As the days passed, I later became able to instinctively absorb yin energy. However, Deokrin and Hamnyeong's own souls were not strong. Though they had faded, many memories were lost, and the speed at which they absorbed yin energy also increased—but it was still considerably slow. More than ten years have passed. Even though this concubine remained and always taught them, as you, Master Seok, also saw, they are merely children of about four or five years old. Yes, at first they could not leave this concubine's side by even a single step." Lady Bang's tone was both joyful and sorrowful.
"Later, someone built a new house here. Since a ghost's role is to haunt, this concubine tried to frighten people so that they would not disturb us. Hehe, at first the builders all came during the day and left in the evening. Only people at the house gate remained to guard against thieves. This concubine was confined to places with yin energy and could not come out during the day; at night I could not go very far. I could almost not even reach the front yard, so I could not find opportunities to scare people. When the house was repaired and someone moved in, this concubine began to come out at midnight to scare them. Later, that house found many monks who came to catch ghosts. Hehe, but they were all frauds; there was not a single person with dharma power like you, Master Seok. This concubine was light and insubstantial and startled them into fleeing. But from the mouths of those monks and Taoist priests, this concubine learned that my only son died because he was angry about the family's secret treasure. The servants who had followed him divided the money and scattered, so it was no wonder there was no one holding ancestral rites for us."
"Yes. Then when did you all start inhaling yang energy?" Seokheon asked the question he was relatively interested in.
"Having absorbed yin energy to cultivate, as time went on, about a year after someone moved into that house, this concubine began to grow hungry. I did not know what I wanted to eat. Once, a person came in drunk. This concubine was dizzy with hunger and somehow began to inhale yang energy. Three years ago, Deokrin and Hamnyeong also began to feel hunger. One inhalation can sustain us for several months, but here it is hard for even a few people to come in a year. Hehe, if I had known it would be like this, I would not have startled that family in the first place." Lady Bang covered her mouth and laughed as she spoke.
Seokheon thought that this ghost, too, had a sense of humor.
"After cultivating to a certain degree, one must even consume blood food to maintain oneself."
Lady Bang asked doubtfully, "Is blood food similar to pig heads or sheep's heads used for ancestral rites?"
"Yes. Ghosts who receive ancestral rites are mainly sustained by the power of those rites, so they consume a great deal of blood. They must hold grand rites every year. If you cultivate until you must eat blood food, as you all do now, you can use livestock in the initial stage. To develop further, you must use humans or demon beasts." Seokheon answered with a stern expression.
When Lady Bang heard these words and remained silent for a while, the two siblings behind her made mischievous faces at Seokheon out of boredom. Sometimes there were only eyes, sometimes only a mouth, sometimes they turned into blue faces with fangs, and sometimes they took on Seokheon's appearance.
"Master, there is no other way? Is there no other path?" Lady Bang looked at Seokheon with tears welling up.
Seokheon sighed and spoke.
"The way of heaven and earth is that you must quickly advance your human vessel, absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and yin energy, and practice a dharma method that does not rely on devouring human blood, flesh, and souls to raise your cultivation level. Unfortunately, this requires progression. I also do not think that after entering the cultivation realm where you must eat humans or demon beasts, you will be able to break through your human vessel within half a year to a year."
Lady Bang remained silent, then stood up and said in a slightly hysterical manner, "Then the other way is to borrow corpses to retrieve souls. The soul could reincarnate. Even if Deokrin and Hamnyeong do not know me later, as long as they have a chance to come again!"
The two siblings, hearing their mother mention their names, hurriedly put on mischievous expressions.
She had clearly watched too many plays; in this world, there was no such thing as the reincarnation of souls. Although he had borrowed a corpse to retrieve his own soul, the cultivation required to help her little ones do the same was still far off. Seokheon could not find it in himself to crush Lady Bang's hopes, yet he opened his mouth.
"Unfortunately, my cultivation is too shallow, so I cannot help you, Lady Bang."
Lady Bang sat down dejected, but before long she bowed her head, stared at the floor, and spoke in a firm tone.
"Back then, all I needed to placate Deokrin and Hamnyeong was pork and lamb."
The two siblings, hearing their mother mention their names again, looked at Lady Bang without understanding.
After she finished speaking, Lady Bang slowly raised her head, met Seokheon's eyes, and spoke word by word.
"Master, is it that you intend to eliminate harm for the people and exterminate this evil ghost?"