Chapter 5
Zuhan calmly explained to Yoon Seol.
“Those guys who stole the artifact midway belong to a group called Baekryundang. You’ve heard the name before, right?”
Baekryundang (White Wheel Society).
A smuggling organization that used a white wheel symbol as its emblem. It was known to operate mainly around China, Hong Kong, and Macau. They had clashed with curators several times before, so Yoon Seol had at least heard of them.
“To be precise, they seized the smuggling ship and stole the cargo. And among it was the artifact I was supposed to receive.”
“Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re involved in this incident.”
Wenling replied bluntly.
But Zuhan easily ignored his younger brother and continued speaking as he pleased.
“I originally chased them down to take the artifact back, but just as I got close, the client contacted me and told me to withdraw.”
Then he turned to Yoon Seol and flashed a playful grin.
“Anyway, I came all the way here just to pass on this news. Getting personally involved is troublesome, but I’d rather not see innocent people getting hurt either. It makes it hard for me to sleep.”
Zuhan’s attitude was extremely light, yet somehow that made his words carry even more weight.
Was what he said true?
If it was a lie, then what exactly was he plotting?
Amid all sorts of complicated suspicions, Yoon Seol asked again with doubt in her voice.
“You came all the way here just to tell us that? Then why did you cause such a scene earlier?”
“A warning.”
Zuhan answered briefly.
His eyes, fixed on Yoon Seol, were sharper than ever.
“A warning that even if the two of you attacked together, you wouldn’t be able to do anything to me.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than cracks slowly began to appear across Zuhan’s body.
Soon his figure shattered into small fragments and broke apart into countless characters that scattered into the air.
“Anyway, you foolish little brother and the lovely curator—move quickly before countless people start dying in Jeju Island.”
Even as he disappeared, Zuhan emphasized this one last time.
Wenling hurriedly reached out toward him.
“Hu Zuhan! Where do you think you’re going?!”
“You’re too slow, little brother. If you want to catch me, you’ll have to try harder.”
But Zuhan’s figure had already been swallowed by the void.
Only his mocking laughter and one final taunt were left behind.
“If that’s even possible.”
With those words, Zuhan completely vanished.
All that remained where he had been sitting was red ink.
“This is Wimi Port.”
Yoon Seol stopped the car with a tense expression.
Wenling, seated beside her, kept his lips tightly shut while looking out the window.
Yoon Seol cautiously glanced outside.
“This is as far as we can go by car. If we go any farther, we’ll probably be discovered.”
“This distance is sufficient. By the way, did you prepare a weapon for self-defense?”
Yoon Seol gave an awkward smile and held up a small gas pistol.
“Gun ownership is illegal in Korea. This was the best I could do.”
The gas pistol she had prepared was something anyone could easily buy online—tiny and unimpressive.
Wenling stared at it for a moment before replying firmly.
“Anyway, we only came to confirm what that man Zuhan said. There shouldn’t be any major conflict. Still, just in case, Branch Chief, please wait here.”
Yoon Seol looked incredulous.
“Wait. Are you saying you’ll handle everything by yourself?”
“We don’t know who or what is over there. It’s too dangerous. Besides, you can’t use your power unless you’re in the sea.”
Wenling spoke firmly.
But Yoon Seol refused to back down.
“I’m the branch chief of the Jeju branch! This is my jurisdiction, and I have every right to be involved in what happens here!”
“I’m saying this because I’m concerned about your safety. The people who caused this incident—the Baekryundang—aren’t just ordinary thugs. They’re professional criminals who treat human lives like nothing.”
Yoon Seol’s veins bulged in her neck.
“I never asked for your concern! And I can protect myself. I’m simply taking responsibility as the branch chief for what happens in my jurisdiction. Try stopping me if you want—I’m going.”
No matter how much he tried to persuade her, she was determined to go.
After thinking for a moment, Wenling pulled out his fountain pen.
“Very well. But just in case, may I see your hand for a moment?”
“My hand?”
Yoon Seol instinctively extended her right hand.
Wenling quickly scribbled a character onto the back of it. She looked at the glowing red symbol and asked,
“What character is this? I’ve never seen it before.”
“It’s one of the primordial characters known only to the Hu clan. It’s single-use, but it will help in an emergency.”
“Really? Then could you write one on my left hand too?”
“The ink in this fountain pen contains large amounts of heavy metals, including cinnabar and mercury. Prolonged contact with skin is extremely harmful.”
“…Alright.”
With that said, Yoon Seol and Wenling quietly stepped out of the car.
They slowly walked along the path leading to the harbor. Perhaps because the place was so remote, there wasn’t even a single streetlight.
“Do you think what your brother said was true?”
Yoon Seol asked cautiously.
Wenling replied irritably.
“Please don’t call him my brother. I have no intention of recognizing that man as family.”
“You two must not get along.”
At her question, Wenling frowned.
“That man’s specialty is lying, and his hobby is deceiving others. Honestly, I didn’t want to come here, but it seemed worth verifying.”
Seeing his curt response, Yoon Seol decided not to press further.
She also doubted Zuhan’s words.
But right now, they had no other choice.
Above all, they had to prevent casualties caused by dangerous artifacts.
“I hope they don’t try to use the artifact recklessly.”
Yoon Seol murmured with concern.
Wenling agreed.
“Indeed. The Ring of Solomon can only be used by certain people, so that one isn’t too concerning. But if the imperfect Philosopher’s Stone is used, it won’t end with just a few deaths.”
Yoon Seol glanced at him and asked,
“So how did the Shaanxi branch end up losing such dangerous artifacts?”
Wenling answered defensively.
“There was a flood. Several artifacts were stolen during the chaos. The Philosopher’s Stone we had in storage and the Ring of Solomon we had loaned out for research.”
They had recovered some artifacts afterward through tracking.
But the two most dangerous ones had never been retrieved.
That was why he was now here in Jeju.
“That must be it.”
Wenling lowered his voice.
Just as he said, a worn fishing boat was docked in the distance.
On its bow was the white wheel symbol.
It was clearly a Baekryundang ship.
“Shall we go in?”
Yoon Seol asked nervously.
“Wait a moment.”
Wenling took out his fountain pen.
He wrote glowing red characters in the air and shouted sharply.
“‘Hide!’”
The character hovered briefly above their heads before burning away.
Wenling placed the pen back into his pocket.
“Now, unless we directly make contact with someone, no one will be able to see us. Still, be careful.”
Apparently, his character technique could be used for concealment as well as attack.
Yoon Seol looked fascinated.
“I’ve always wondered—do you have to speak every time you use character magic?”
Wenling answered plainly.
“A character is complete only when its form, meaning, and sound exist in harmony. Character magic works the same way.”
After confirming his spell, Wenling began walking again.
Thanks to the technique, no one appeared as they approached the ship.
They carefully moved closer.
The ship seemed empty. Not even a single breath could be heard.
Wenling surveyed the surroundings and jumped lightly onto the deck.
“H-hey!”
Yoon Seol called out awkwardly.
“What is it?”
Wenling asked.
She looked helplessly at the ship’s railing.
“I don’t think I can climb up there by myself.”
The railing was too high for someone her size to jump over.
After a moment of thought, Wenling shook his head.
“I’ll go from here alone.”
“What?”
Yoon Seol asked in disbelief, but Wenling spoke firmly.
“We don’t know what’s inside. I can’t afford to protect you as well right now. I’ll confirm the situation first and report back.”
Yoon Seol waved her short arms in protest.
“Did you forget? This is my jurisdiction! If I don’t step in when something happens in my area, who will?!”
“In that case, you may send an official complaint to the Shaanxi branch later.”
“What?! Hey! Where do you think you’re going?! Hey!”
Ignoring her protests, Wenling walked across the deck.
After all, they had only come to verify Zuhan’s information.
There was no need for more people to get involved.
More importantly, if something went wrong, having that rookie branch chief beside him would only be troublesome.
“Is anyone here?”
Wenling muttered while searching the ship.
It was definitely a Baekryundang vessel, but it was strangely silent.
Perhaps they had simply been fooled by Zuhan.
Still, since he was already here, he might as well search thoroughly.
Just then, a familiar red glow wrapped around his feet.
“This—!”
Startled, Wenling raised his voice.
A line of writing on the floor had somehow twisted itself around his ankles.
“A foolish monkey can be caught even without a trap.”
It was a trap.
Wenling immediately realized it.
It was Zuhan’s character magic—something he had seen countless times before.
Quickly, Wenling scribbled a character onto his chest.
“‘Disappear!’”
The glowing script around his waist flashed briefly and vanished.
Hearing his voice from below the ship, Yoon Seol shouted,
“What’s going on?!”
Wenling shouted back urgently.
“That bastard lied! It’s a trap!”
—Click!
Suddenly, the fishing boat’s lights burst on.
“Ugh!”
Blinded by the sudden brightness, Wenling shut his eyes tightly.
Soon, loud footsteps and curses echoed from all directions.
He squinted and looked around quickly.
Three… six… no—ten.
Even more.
Suspiciously many people surrounded them, as if they had been hiding all along.
Wenling quickly pulled out his fountain pen and began writing in the air.
Yoon Seol was still alone below the deck—she was in danger.
“‘Faster!’”
Form the shape, recall the meaning, and speak the sound.
That was the fundamental principle of characters created by Cangjie.
Stepping on the character he had written, Wenling dashed down toward the lower deck.
But the Baekryundang members had already surrounded them in a fan-shaped formation.
“Doesn’t look like this is a situation we can resolve through conversation, does it?”
Yoon Seol muttered nervously while glancing around.
