Chapter 4

Sookbi (2)

"Doesn't seem like there's a problem with the formation itself, right?"

While being guided by a mid-level maid from Cheonryongjae, I inspected the talismans attached to various parts of the palace. The skills of Elder Baekseon are indeed reliable. Despite the passage of time since the formation was installed in the palace, the protective formation that blocks evil energy and dangerous Taoist techniques remains intact.

"..."

Everywhere I went, the maids and servants crowded around, making it quite uncomfortable, but it was a necessary task.

The inner palace of Cheongdo Palace is as large as a small village.

There are the Four Great Palaces and the central Cheonryongjae, as well as Seongung, where the maids and servants live, and Inseongung, where the doctors and record-keepers reside...

Just inspecting the talismans attached everywhere takes a considerable amount of time, and by the time I finished the inspection, the sun was already setting.

"It seems that Sookbi's illness is not related to the formation."

"Yes... Since it's what the warrior from Baekseon Palace said, it must be true."

The mid-level maid spoke with a regretful tone.

Although I am just a young apprentice warrior, mentioning Elder Baekseon's name made them accept my words.

It was a moment that made me realize Elder Baekseon's authority once again.

"Sookbi must be very ill."

"Every night is a critical moment. I only hear secondhand from the Cheonryongjae maids, but I see the expressions of the Cheongryong Palace maids growing darker day by day."

Judging from what the guard said, Elder Baekseon seemed to want me to check on Sookbi's condition.

The old man usually has his reasons for his actions.

"Then I will just check on Sookbi's condition and head to Cheongryong Palace."

*

In fact, there weren't many good rumors about Sookbi's illness.

It's because of the timing.

Gwi-bi, Hyun-bi, Sook-bi, Deok-bi.

The four mistresses of the inner palace are among the highest positions a woman can achieve in this palace.

The positions of Hyun-bi and Deok-bi are still vacant because the selection process has not been completed.

Currently, only Gwi-bi and Sook-bi, as the Crown Princess, are the mistresses of their respective palaces.

"Yeonri."

I casually said as we headed to Cheongryong Palace.

"Since it doesn't feel right, just go back."

"..."

Yeonri flinched but shook her head. It would be a bit awkward to turn back after coming this far.

Such an ominous reaction usually means it's a situation that's better not to get involved in.

Sookbi was selected as the Crown Princess and took her place in Cheongryong Palace, but she hasn't fulfilled her role as a consort.

This is because the Crown Prince is still too young.

The next emperor, Crown Prince Hyunwon, is currently thirteen and will turn fourteen this winter.

At thirteen, he is definitely too young to understand women. However, things start to change when he turns fourteen.

Considering the era where late teens are considered the appropriate age for marriage, it's the age when he might start to look at the Crown Princess.

Well, in the story, the Crown Prince falls deeply in love with Seol, the female protagonist, and doesn't even look at other women. However, the people of Cheongdo Palace couldn't have predicted that.

The Crown Prince's favor ultimately means power within the inner palace.

As the Crown Prince grows older, the competition among the consorts to gain his favor begins.

If it were a competition to beautify their appearance, learn poetry, calligraphy, and painting, and become virtuous and wise, it would be something to encourage.

However, is any competition always beautiful and virtuous?

Despite the beautiful scenery of the inner palace of Cheongdo Palace, which looks like a picturesque landscape painting, it is a battlefield of women filled with all kinds of plots and intrigues.

In such a time, Sookbi's illness.

Those who like conspiracy theories might make bold speculations.

Someone might be after Sookbi's position.

Or someone might want to keep Sookbi in check.

These are dangerous thoughts that could lead to execution if spoken aloud, but they are likely the kind of rumors circulating among the maids.

Since it seems like a situation that's better not to get involved in, I wondered if it was necessary to bring Yeonri.

In the end, Yeonri didn't turn back until we reached the main gate of Cheongryong Palace.

"I have come to check on Sookbi's condition as per Elder Baekseon's orders."

As I said and entered, the head maid of Cheongryong Palace came out to greet me.

The head maid of each palace.

It's a significant position that wouldn't be entrusted to anyone but a daughter of a well-known local noble family or a woman who has held a minor official position.

I was surprised that the head maid would come out herself, but it wasn't that strange when I considered the situation.

"You are a warrior from Baekseon Palace. I was informed that you would come, but I was surprised by your youth."

"I am here only to assess the situation. What does the doctor say?"

"...You will understand the situation when you see it."

From her words, it seems the doctor hasn't come for quite some time.

Why not, when every night is a critical moment?

It would be normal for the doctor to be constantly by her side.

I thought something was off and followed the head maid deeper into Cheongryong Palace.

*

Sookbi is a position that upholds the energy of the Blue Dragon among the Four Deities, emphasizing a clear and virtuous disposition.

In "Cheonryong Yeonja," she is known for her proficiency in mystical techniques and is depicted as a master of Taoist techniques.

She was particularly skilled in enchantment techniques that control people's thoughts but used her great abilities for the greater good rather than for self-preservation.

The Sookbi I saw in the novel was beautiful, wise, and had a strong aura of a fairy, unafraid even in the presence of a great divine beast.

Of course, that's a story from a few years later. This is a time much earlier than the events of "Cheonryong Yeonja."

At most, only the first meeting between Wangrae and Seol, which is a flashback in the original, has taken place.

Currently, Sookbi is just a thirteen-year-old girl who has been recently selected as the Crown Princess.

- 'Look... It's a warrior from Baekseon Palace...'

- 'She must be here to see Sookbi...'

- 'She looks young... C, carrying a sword...'

- 'T, then...'

The maids were murmuring.

However, the energy of their murmurs was different from the other maids I had encountered in the inner palace.

It felt like they were sharing a big secret.

The central building of Cheongryong Palace appeared. This must be where the ill Sookbi is resting.

The closer we got, the more strangely quiet it became.

It was an unusual situation, considering the many maids who should be busy attending to the patient.

"Once you enter, you will find Sookbi lying on the bed when you open the inner door."

After saying this, the head maid took a few steps back and bowed. It seemed her guidance ended here.

I was about to ask if she would come in with us, but I decided against it, thinking there must be a reason for her actions.

"I'll go in first, Taepyeong."

Yeonri, who had been standing quietly beside me, spoke. Although she is young, it was better for her to go in first to assess the situation, as it was a woman's private quarters.

As Yeonri was about to push open the ornately decorated sliding door, a voice called out.

"Wait!"

A young and sharp voice rang out.

A young servant girl rushed out onto the veranda of the central building.

Judging by the cloud and lightning embroidery on her servant's uniform, she belonged to Cheongryong Palace.

She stood in front of Yeonri and me, who were about to enter, and trembled as she spoke, raising her arms.

"You... You mustn't go in there!"

"..."

I was taken aback by the sudden situation.

"I... I know how presumptuous I am."

"Who are you...?"

"I am a trainee servant of Cheongryong Palace. I am so insignificant that you don't need to know my name. But..."

It takes considerable courage for a low-ranking trainee servant to stop a warrior on official duty.

She was trembling and holding back tears, but she spoke in a trembling voice.

"P, please...! This is my humble request. Can't you just... just turn back..."

"..."

"I am fully aware of how presumptuous I am. If you order me to be beaten, I will accept it... If you order me to cut out my tongue... I will do it... Please... Just once... Just once, turn back..."

I had never seen a young servant girl plead so desperately.

Before I could turn to the head maid, the mid-level maids who had been watching from the garden rushed over and grabbed the servant girl.

"Byeongnyeong! What are you doing! Come out quickly!"

"You're making the warrior uncomfortable! She's just here to assess the situation!"

"That's right! If you report to Elder Baekseon, the situation might change!"

"Then... At least the sword on your waist! Please give me the sword! I beg you...!"

"That's enough! Are you in your right mind?! Asking a warrior for a sword is a grave insult!"

"Please forgive her, warrior! Byeongnyeong is young and inexperienced...! Come on, let's go! Byeongnyeong!"

After a long struggle, the servant girl was led away by the mid-level maids.

When I glanced at the head maid, she lowered her gaze even further.

After staring at the head maid for a while, I turned my attention back to Yeonri.

Yeonri nodded and pushed open the sliding door.

A more luxurious inner room came into view. I entered the central building, closed the outer door, and looked at the inner room for a moment before speaking to Yeonri.

"This is your last chance to avoid getting involved, Yeonri. It doesn't look good, does it?"

"Taepyeong, if we turn back now, we'll just get scolded by Elder Baekseon."

That was very much like Yeonri.

Elder Baekseon must have kept Yeonri at Baekseon Palace because of this courage.

- Creak

As we opened the inner door and entered, a pungent odor assaulted our noses.

*

What kind of people are the four Crown Princesses residing in the inner palace?

They are the flowers of the palace, the objects of respect for all women.

They should always be beautiful, clean, wise, and exemplary.

However, the woman lying on the bed looked more like a ghost than a human.

Despite the many maids in Cheongryong Palace, it seemed that even basic hygiene was not maintained.

Vomit was scattered on the bed, and the stench suggested it had not been cleaned for days.

Her once beautiful, silken black hair was now a tangled mess, like a thorn bush, enveloping her body.

Her emaciated arms looked no different from the bodies of the starving dead in the slums.

"This... This is..."

Yeonri's eyes widened at the sight. What were the maids of Cheongryong Palace doing to let someone get to this state?

Yeonri covered her mouth, overwhelmed by the nauseating stench.

I was so shocked that I couldn't even think about getting closer to the bed.

The woman's voice, a mix of coughing and groaning, was the only sound in the room, driven by the heat.

At that moment, it seemed she realized we had entered the room, and her demeanor changed.

At the same time, an unknown Taoist energy enveloped my body.

'Ugh...!'

I also felt a wave of nausea.

- Painful, painful, painful, painful, painful.

A voice, as if someone was whispering, echoed in my ears.

- It hurts, it's painful, it's hard. I can't even move a finger. It's hard, it's painful, it's painful, it's painful, I have no strength in my body. It's hard, it's hard, it's hard.

I struggled to maintain my balance.

At that moment, a single word pierced my brain like a dagger.

- Kill me.

My vision wavered.

- Kill me, kill me, kill me, kill me, kill me.

- It's hard, it's hard, I don't want to suffer anymore, kill me, kill me, kill me, kill me, kill me.

This is... among the Taoist techniques... it's an enchantment.

A power that taints a person's heart and manipulates them to do as it wishes.

- Kill me, kill me, end this pain, kill me, kill me.

- Kill me, kill me.

"Phew...!"

I realized I was about to place my hand on the sword hilt.

I bit the inside of my cheek to regain my senses. The sharp taste of blood filled my mouth.

I had learned the basics of resisting enchantment from Elder Baekseon. It was fortunate.

I clenched my teeth, regained my strength, and examined Sookbi's condition.

I couldn't help but widen my eyes. The dark red spots on her skin were clearly visible.

"This... This is divine fever..."

- 'Considering the state of Sookbi, who is said to be ill... You might be more helpful than I am.'

I finally understood what Elder Baekseon meant.

I had suffered from divine fever when I was young.

Out of those who suffer from divine fever, nine out of ten... no, ninety-nine out of a hundred die.

Those who survive sometimes awaken to mysterious and extraordinary abilities they never had before. Now I understood why Sookbi was skilled in Taoist techniques in "Cheonryong Yeonja."

She must have suffered from divine fever around the time she was selected as the Crown Princess.

There is a fact that many people don't know.

Most people who suffer from divine fever die, and half of those deaths are by suicide.

The divine fever, which relentlessly torments people for months until they die, ultimately makes them give up on life.

The human spirit is not strong enough to endure this relentless pain for the mere one percent chance of survival.

The spirit, slowly worn down over months, eventually seeks a way to die more comfortably.

To use such a powerful enchantment even before the divine fever has fully subsided... It seems there was a reason for the fairy-like aura Sookbi exuded in "Cheonryong Yeonja."

Jin Cheongrang, the wise and mysterious sage who sat in the inner quarters of Cheongryong Palace, her elegant sleeves covering her mouth as she observed the world, had overcome a fever that almost always led to death.

Those who overcome divine fever often have a unique divine aura.

Sookbi was one of those people.

The pain of divine fever is something that can never be understood or empathized with by those who have not experienced it.

It feels like the demons of hell are constantly whispering in your ear.

Death is the only escape.

Hurry, escape from this endless inferno of pain.

- Kill me, kill me, kill me, kill me, kill me.

"Ugh."

I shook my head and stood up.

At that moment,

- Swish!

The sword at my waist was drawn.

Not by me, but by Yeonri.

"I found the blade... I finally found it..."

I finally realized the strange absence of any potential weapons in the room. The maids had removed everything that could be used as a weapon.

"Hey, snap out of it!"

I quickly grabbed Yeonri's arm.

The sword fell from Yeonri's hand and rolled on the floor.

"I have to kill her. I have to put her out of her misery."

At that moment, our eyes met. A chill ran down my spine.

There was no trace of reason in her bloodshot eyes.

The red veins in her white eyes were like those of a madman, making me swallow hard just by looking at them.

"I have to kill her, Taepyeong. Listen to me... Listen to me... I'm right..."

"Seems like you've lost it."

"Kill her, kill her, kill her. End this pain. Kill her. Yes? Kill her, kill her. Come on, pick up the sword. We have to kill her. Kill her. Let's kill her."

Yeonri has no resistance to such Taoist techniques.

Even as a member of Baekseon Palace, it would have been difficult for a mere maid to learn resistance to Taoist techniques.

It didn't take long for her to be influenced by the madness.

"Thinking about it, Sookbi is my parents' enemy. She's the one who tore them apart and killed them. This is our chance, let's kill her."

"Snap out of it! Both your parents are alive and well!"

"What are you talking about? Even Elder Baekseon, who took us in, was killed by Sookbi. The Crown Prince, Seol, and even you were killed by Sookbi. Let's kill this woman. We have to kill her now. Kill her, tear her apart. Let's rip open her belly and cut out her insides."

I closed my eyes tightly and lifted Yeonri by her waist, carrying her out.

First, we needed to get out of the room and away from the range of the enchantment.