It is the nature of humans to be incapable of tolerating when someone they once looked down upon surpasses them.
The world refers to this as envy, and it is also called jealousy.
This principle applies not only to individuals but also to groups formed by people, and even to nations that are formed by the gathering of these groups.
Thus, Japan’s reaction in this situation can be regarded as following the natural order of the world.
What Jinseong and Rise need to do here is to fan the flames of this envy and jealousy.
It’s like adding wind and firewood to an almost extinguished ember to make it burn fiercely, and not sparing any effort to ensure the fire spreads easily.
However, as mentioned earlier, envy and jealousy are part of human nature and the natural order, so the help they provide should not be direct but rather indirect. A slight push, like gently nudging the back of someone who lacks the courage to move forward, would suffice.
“I’ve made sure the people under my supervision do not act rashly, just as the Deity instructed.”
Rise reported to Jinseong about the work she had done, her eyes shining as if expecting praise.
“There were many council members who thought they could use this incident to boost their support rates, but when the Deity said he would pick the day and explain everything, they seemed to agree.”
After saying this, Rise looked at Jinseong.
Her gaze carried the hope that Jinseong might visit the shrine.
However, regrettably, Jinseong had no intention of going there.
No, it would be unwise for him to go there now.
Because things were different from the past when the government was unaware of his existence. Now, the government was deeply interested in native Shaman “Park Jinseong” and was anxious to hire him to resolve matters and reassure the public.
So if he suddenly boarded a plane and left the country?
It would inevitably draw attention.
In the worst case, he might end up in the sights of operatives abroad who could spot his illegal entry into Japan.
Though it might be possible to hide with magic, unfortunately, in the modern era, simply hiding one’s body isn’t enough to avoid detection. Information must be concealed and manipulated.
‘There’s no need to go that far.’
Jinseong didn’t find it pleasant that he needed to exert such effort just to visit Japan.
If it were something that truly required his personal intervention, it might be worth it.
But this wasn’t such a case, was it?
Japan’s government or groups hadn’t requested a ritual, he couldn’t participate in the Great Ritual of Magic, couldn’t observe the process of the Great Ritual, nor had any opportunities to meet with key figures. Neither could he access directly the records and divine objects of the Onmyoji.
Was there really any reason for him to go there himself?
“How many of the dissenters belong to the Club?”
“There were none from the Club.”
“Old man Murata Ryuunosuke is managing things well.”
Murata Ryuunosuke was an eccentric old man obsessed with pleasures, yet his abilities were undeniable.
Just as his title as an elder in the Japanese political world wasn’t without reason, Ryuunosuke skillfully maneuvered behind the scenes, manipulating others to do his bidding. He gave enough “bait” to suppress resentment and plunged them into the deep waters of obsession, preventing any mischievous thoughts.
Thanks to this, dissent arose from places outside of the Club.
People who burned with hatred rather than indulging in pleasures.
People like Saigo Kenji, who wished for others to fall into the same abyss as himself.
Perhaps this was a natural phenomenon.
Their actions of dragging others down to their level.
And the irritation Japan felt while observing Korea.
These two things weren’t very different.
“Though I won’t visit in person, I will send my spirit indirectly through special magic. Help me with the preparations for this.”
It is said there was once a great warrior in ancient China.
He was the son of a peasant who farmed in an unnamed mountainous region, and from the day he was born, his strength was extraordinary. Though he had learned no special techniques, he could easily lift a boulder as big as his own body.
Having heard tales of his prowess, a Taoist examined the boy’s physique and found it eerily similar to that of an immortal.
“This child, if he attains the Dao, possesses the qualities to transcend his human form and become an immortal. Please allow me to take him under my wing,” said the Taoist to the boy’s parents.
However, the child’s mental faculties were not remarkable. He was far too dull to comprehend the Dao easily and could merely imitate the Sword Immortals due to his physical abilities.
“Truly a pity. Though dull of mind, his physical abilities are enough to mimic the Pure Yang Immortal,” lamented the Taoist.
Thus, the Taoist often felt sorry for the child, who despite his efforts, could not grasp the Dao. As the years went by, the boy’s intellect did not improve. Even when the Taoist passed away without breaking the laws of the heavens, the boy hadn’t even caught a glimpse of the Dao.
The Taoist left only a single message for the child before passing.
“You are too dull to ever grasp the Dao through meditation. Swing your sword, again and again, until it reaches the heavens.”
Thus, following his revered master’s words, the child, who grew into a youth and then an adult and eventually an old man, did nothing but swing his sword. Rather than striving for Daoist enlightenment, he aspired to make his sword reach the heavens.
One day, during this routine, something extraordinary happened.
After swinging his sword and pausing for a rest, he noticed a peculiar energy flowing out of his body. This energy did not disperse like he expected but gathered together, forming the shape of a sword. From there, hands and arms grew, eventually taking on the form of his own body, though composed entirely of Qi.
Seeing this, the boy realized he had forged his celestial sword and named the form before him his ‘Original Spirit.’
In Taoism, there exists the concept of an external body, the Yang Spirit.
The Yang Spirit refers to the attainment of immortality after transcending one’s mortal form through enlightenment and cultivation. It was said that everything fades with time, except for the Yang Spirit, which remained timeless, truly making it an immortal form.
‘What, then, is the Yang Spirit?’
The Yang Spirit represents the steps toward immortality and is the ultimate state of transcendence. Whoever realizes the Yang Spirit attains immortality, resists the decay of their mortal body, and can reconstitute their true form even where there is nothing. Possessing the Yang Spirit places one beyond the constraints of the earthly and immortalizes them as entities immune to the cycles of life and death. They can create forms outside of their body and imbue presence into the absence of it.
‘What if one constructs a physical form not from the original body but from other elements, then injects consciousness into it? If the soul, which permeates from head to toe, could also inhabit the imagined form, how is it different from the Yang Spirit?’
Then consider this.
If one crafts a physical form from other elements akin to the Yang Spirit formed from Qi.
If one relocates a solid, unyielding spirit into this form and moves it at will.
If one tricks others into perceiving it as corporeal and then instills a soul into it.
How is it different from the Yang Spirit?
“Aaaah—”
In a dark room filled with the vibrations of a specially-made incense created by Jinseong himself, he sat cross-legged, quietly emitting sounds.
The sound, which made his throat and palate tremble, resembled both the eerie whistling winds inside a cave and the chilling roar emerging from the gaping mouth of a monster.
With his back straight and eyes closed, he continued making the sound until his lungs were entirely empty of air.
“Aaaaahh—”
His lungs were completely empty of air.
Still, Jinseong did not stop. Like wringing the last drops out of a dry cloth, he squeezed the final bits of air out of his lungs. Despite the lack of remaining breath, his body refused to take in new air as he continued emitting sound repeatedly.
Only when his head began spinning did he finally inhale deeply, filling his lungs with air.
“Aaaahhh—”
As he pressed down on his full lungs, he resumed making the sound, this time until every last bit of air escaped them.
Jinseong repeated the process.
He continued doing so until his head spun, his sense of body became ambiguous, and his consciousness blurred.
Lack of oxygen.
The components in the specially-made incense.
The vibrations of sound aiding the immersion deep within his spirit.
These three combined to lead Jinseong’s spirit into deeper realms, where the embers of meditation danced faintly in the sky.
Penetrating these embers and immersing his spirit within them, he started examining the countless lives and the threads connecting each life.
And then.
‘There it is.’
A filament, almost imperceptible, of the life thread.
He located a thread undoubtedly tied to his karma.
Without hesitation, he grabbed it with his hand.
And then he believed.
With unwavering conviction, he believed.
This thread originated from him.
It stemmed from his body.
It connected to him.
It was a part of his body.
Thus, the thread connected, and he was able to send his spirit and soul through the delicate thread’s end.
Plop.
With a soft sound, he had created his Original Spirit made of insects.
*
