Entomologist in Sichuan Tang Clan Chapter 377

377
“You smell something? Yong, you’ve always been the type to be meticulous. Isn’t this a premature decision?”

Seol-niu looked questioning at the mention of her smell.

Until now, I never believed anything until there was definitive evidence, but this time, I just heard the story and thought it seemed like a spirit, so it seemed that way.

“There’s a reason for that, Sister Seol.

Whirlpools usually form where fast water meets fast water. But it’s strange that they form in a calm lake, so isn’t it even stranger that they capsize a boat?

And even if it is created, it must be created in one place. If it were to be created here and there, it would never have been created just like that.”

Whirlpools are found in places with fast currents or where rivers and lakes meet, where the water bends, not in lakes.

So, if there is a whirlpool in the lake, it is either because the Zhongyuan people saw the schools of fish moving and added Zhongyuan-style popcorn, or it is because of an underground sinkhole.

But do such vortices appear here and there?

It was impossible not to suspect that it was the work of a spirit.

But even in a situation where it was clear that he was a spirit, I couldn’t just be happy.

Because if there was a whirlpool in the water, there was a high probability that it was a fish, even if it was a spirit.

First of all, the most suspicious one is Hwari, best known as the fish spirit.

It is a carp spirit known as Golden Flower, Baeknyeon Flower, Cheonnyeon Flower, and Myeonnyeon Flower.

Since this was fresh water and a lake, there was a high chance that it would be a sacred fish like a carp or a goldfish, and if things went really well, a water snake would be the best option.

‘Isn’t it a bit exciting because it’s underwater?’

Before Ja-he finished talking to the men, he asked Ja-he for one thing.

I want to ask one thing to the men who continue to criticize Taesu.

[Monk Jaheo, could you please ask why you think it was the Dragon King who caused this strange event? Is it because he saw something, or is it just because it happened underwater for no particular reason?]

[All right.]

People claim that it is the wrath of the Dragon King, but I asked them to first ask if it was because they saw something that really looked like the Dragon King, or if they simply thought it was the Dragon King because of the whirlpool that arose in the water due to the sensibilities of the people of this era.

It was to get a glimpse of the identity.

“···What on earth is Taesu thinking?”

“But I understand that there was a whirlpool and the boat capsized, but how can you believe that it was because of the Dragon King?”

After a while, Jaheo’s voice is heard.

After listening to the men’s complaints, Ja-Heo started asking them questions as I requested.

“Well···.”

“That’s it···.”

One of the men who were looking at each other in response to Ja-heo’s question answered.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Of course?”

“Oh, the monk was a guest.”

‘Of course? What do you mean?’

The man nodded with an expression of understanding, and pointed to one side of the mountain.

“If you go that way, you will come across a place called Yuijeong (柳毅井).”

“Yoo Ui-jeong?”

“Yu-ui-jeong is a well, located on the east side of Yong-ok Mountain. It is a place that everyone visits when they visit Ak-yang, so it would be a good idea to visit there later. It is a wonderful place.”

“Aha. I see. But what is the relationship between Yoo Ui-jeong and the Dragon King?”

“Oh, I should say that. This is all legend.

According to legend, there was a scholar named Liu Yi in Hubei during the Tang Dynasty.

It is said that on his way back from Chang’an after failing the civil service examination, he met a woman being abused by a man in Gyeongyang.

Yoo-ui, a fair and just man, felt sorry for the woman’s situation and decided to help her. However, it turned out that the abuser was the woman’s husband, and that the woman was the third princess of the Dragon King of Dongjeongho.

You may help her for now, but once the attention is gone, the woman will be abused again.

Yui decides to inform her parents about this fact.

So, Yoo-ui knocked on the tangerine tree growing next to the spring where Yoo-ui-jeong is now, and went into the Dragon Palace to report that the third daughter of the Dragon King was being abused.

After that, the princess was rescued and fell in love with Yui and lived happily ever after. That’s why fishermen like us say that when the wind blows and the waves rise in Dongjeongho, the Dragon King is angry.”

“Ah. So that’s why?”

‘Hey. Do I have some big reason or did someone see something?’

I thought there was some great reason or witness, but it feels like it’s just a legend.

The sailors would offer sacrifices to the Dragon King, so it seems they called him the Dragon King because the ships kept sinking.

There is a legend that there is a dragon palace in Dongjeongho Lake.

It was a time when I thought I would have to go and sell it myself or wait for information from Oryongsambong, who had gone to the author’s office and the coffin.

One of the group of sailors sitting at another table joined in the conversation, saying:

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but I heard yesterday that it was because of a big snake?”

‘What!? A snake!?’

My ears perked up at the word snake.

Because I heard from Lady Cheongyu that there were five great snake generals guarding the Golden and Silver King.

It was said that there were three more besides Bicheon Shrine and Jiyeong Shrine.

The man’s words made me feel a surge of anticipation that I might be able to find it here.

A state of anticipation where your palms are sweaty and you feel dizzy.

He quickly sent a message to Ja-heo.

[Monk, please ask in detail what is going on!]

[Okay, I understand.]

Then, Ja-heo immediately questions the man who said it was a snake.

Master Jaheo asked me questions briskly, acting as if he were my game avatar.

“Are you talking about a snake? A donation?”

“Yes, monk.

Originally, the old name of this Akyang was Baling. During the reign of Yao and Shun, there was a large snake called Ba-sa (巴蛇) living along the valley of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. It was said that it was so big that it could swallow an elephant.”

“Oh, I’ve heard that too. I heard that the king sent Hou Yi to shoot arrows and kill snakes. Is that true?”

“That’s right, monk. There is a legend that the body of the dead monk turned into eight hills, which became the eight mountains surrounding Dongjeong Lake.

So, some people say that this time, the energy from the corpse of that monk accumulated and a large snake was born under Dongjeongho Lake, and that the snake created a whirlpool and sank the ship.”

From the middle of the story, Ja-Heo started pretending to know.

How long ago was the Yao and Shun era?

Isn’t it older than the oldest country, Xia?

‘No, is that all?’

The anticipation quickly cools down.

No matter how old the times are, are you talking about a folktale from the days when bears ate garlic and mugwort?

Then I tried to check where the whirlpools mainly appeared, but when I heard the story, the area was too large.

[Could you please tell me where the vortices mostly appear?]

[Okay, okay.]

“Do you happen to know where these whirlpools usually form?”

“Mostly? They appear here and there from time to time, so I’m not sure?” “We mostly see them around Dongdongjeongho, near Akyang.”

“I don’t know much about the Namdongjeongho or Seodongjeongho stories.”

“Is the water blocked on your side too?”

“Have you heard?”

“Well, wouldn’t it be difficult to block it that far?”

Dongjeongho Lake is quite a large place, so I don’t really know much about it except for the area around Akyang.

It seemed right to wait for Oryongsambong, who had gone to the author’s office and the coffin to find out information, as I had thought earlier.

***

“Hey, where did everyone go?”

“I see? Did we get mixed up?”

“Huh? Little Dragon, over there.”

It was when I was wandering around looking for the Oryongsambong that had disappeared inside the author’s house and arrived back in front of the street stall.

The sight of Oryongsambong eating delicious food from a street stall caught my eye.

“older brother?”

“Ah, Little Dragon. Come here. You came to the right place.”

“Come here, So So Hyup.”

Oryongsambong eating a very well-prepared meal of roasted duck meat.

“No, brother, I searched for a long time and searched for it···.”

We wandered around for a long time, and here we are, eating and drinking.

When I made a sad expression, my brother asked me.

“I told you to tell the ship that we are waiting here, didn’t you hear?”

“Yes, we were looking inside the author.”

“It was late at night and there were no people around so I couldn’t hear much and came back. Since you weren’t here, I came here to buy something to eat. But maybe our paths crossed?”

If that was the reason, I could forgive him, so I sat between the three dragons and bit into the duck’s leg.

“Brother, do you have any information?

We also heard from the sailors who were drinking here that the whirlpool was the reason the ship couldn’t go out to Dongjing Lake.”

“Yes, I heard that too. They say that the whirlpool capsized the boats going to Dongjing Lake, and that the governor of Akyang forbade anyone to go to Dongjing Lake.”

I don’t know where you heard the story and what you heard, but I think you heard the same thing as me.

At that moment, Ji-ryong’s voice was heard from the side.

“Yes, I heard that too. I heard that the governor of Akyang said that anyone who sets sail on Dongjeongho Lake for the time being will be beheaded.”

“You’re going to cut my neck?”

The back of my neck feels creepy for no reason.

Then Ji-ryong smiled and said.

“But that’s a story unique to Dongdongjeong Lake.”

“Just Dong Dong Jeong Ho Man?”

“Yes, Dongjeongho Lake is as wide as the ocean and is divided into east, west, and south, but it is said that boats are prohibited only on Dongdongjeongho Lake near Akyang, not on South or West Dongjeongho Lake?

In the first place, it would have been impossible to prohibit the entire Dongjeongho from sailing. If you go inside, aren’t there the large cities of Sangdeok and Ikyang? If you had blocked them all the way there, the governors there wouldn’t have been able to stay still.”

After hearing the detailed story from Ji-ryong, it turns out that Dong-Jeong-Ho is a lake that looks like a rainforest.

However, the left side is much smaller than the right, and it was said that only the largest Dongdongjeongho, which has Akyang as its entrance, is prohibited from launching boats.

“But what do we do then? The entrance is blocked.”

But then what do you do?

The entrance is blocked.

If we go inside, wouldn’t we be able to search the lake?

Of course, I could have taken Yeondoo and Cho to search, but if it was an aquatic spirit, I had to take Geumdo.

It must have been a fairly large creature that could create a whirlpool, so I was worried that it would be the only one that could enter the water.

Even though the squirrel is good at swimming, it can get caught in a whirlpool.

Then Hwa-eun spoke from the side.

“Little Dragon, there is more than one entrance to Dongting Lake.”

“Not one?”

“yes.”

No, if it’s not one, then you can just say let’s go somewhere else.

Why didn’t you stop me from finding out information?

When I made a slightly embarrassed expression, Ji-ryong nodded and said.

“That’s right. There are relatively narrow rivers that flow into Dongting Lake, such as Songzigu, Wujigu, and Taipinggu.

“It is a place where you have to pass through reed fields and wetlands.”

The answer is that there are three more along the way.

He bit the duck leg he had been eating and jumped up, saying to everyone.

“No, you should have told me that earlier. What are you doing? Let’s go right away!”

Then Ji-ryong makes an awkward expression.

When I tilted my head, Ji-ryong explained the reason for his embarrassed expression.

“There is a road, but it is in the Dongting 18 Villages area.”

“Sympathy 18?”

A name I feel like I’ve heard before.

When I tilted my head, Hwa-eun told me where she heard it, but I couldn’t remember it well.

“Little Dragon, I told you before. You are a force similar to that of the Jang River Surochae.”

“Was it so?”

“yes.”

Honestly, if I had more brain capacity, I would have used it to memorize the names of the other poisonous spirits, along with the teenage poisons and the twenty-four poisons. Would I be memorizing the names of those who are single and seem to be wizards until they are in their forties?

What on earth does the Eighteenth Sympathy mean?

‘Is this some kind of group of guys who only have feelings for each other?’

Anyway, the story is that you have to pass through the enemy’s territory.

Then there were two ways.

Either throw it away like last time, or pay the toll.

“Then, I guess we can either throw it away like last time or pay the toll.”

If we were going to turn it over, we had to make some noise.

The kids had to step up too.

“Should I just pay and go?”

My sister-in-law suggested that we just pay and go.

Everyone nodded, but I felt very uncomfortable because it felt like I was being ripped off.

People in this day and age don’t think much of paying tolls to bandits, but having lived in a safe country in my previous life, I found this very annoying.

Especially since it feels like it’s being taken away by some worthless guy.

I was thinking that I should also take this opportunity to take care of Dongjeongshippalchae.

A voice heard from the side.

“Are you perhaps the little dragon of Sacheondangga?”

As everyone turned their heads, two men cautiously walked out of a shady alley and offered me a winning ticket.

“Is that right? Who are you?”

These two bandits pretend to know me, but I’m seeing them for the first time.

When I tilted my head, the two of them spoke with very polite expressions.

“We are the ones who serve Lee Tae-chae. We have heard a lot of stories!”

“You’re Lee Tae’s subordinate? Is this the first time you’ve seen me? And how did you recognize me?”

He is said to be Lee Tae’s subordinate, but his face is something I have never seen before.

When I said that it was the first time they were seeing each other, one of them scratched his head and said.

“We are the guys who have just recently become subordinates of Itae Chae-ju. I was listening quietly from the side, and the names of Itae Chae-ju and So-ryong came up, so I asked about them···.”

“Ah, I see. Nice to meet you. But how are you two here?”

I asked them if it was okay for them to roam around freely in such a splendid city, and they gave me an unexpected answer.

“I came to investigate the whirlpool of Dongjeongho Lake at the direction of Lee Tae-chae.”

“A whirlwind?”

“That… Last time, you said that Mr. So-ryong wasn’t doing his job properly. Isn’t this place close to the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River? So this time, go and check it out for yourself… Since our faces aren’t well known, the two of us came.”

“aha···.”

I definitely said I wasn’t going to work last time.

He gave me a hard time because I was late and only took the money and didn’t do any work.

‘Now you’re moving a bit more intelligently.’

Just when I thought he had come to his senses a little, thinking that he had even thought of sending someone to check for them himself, the two asked in cautious voices.

“That… We didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but from what I heard, it sounds like you’re trying to enter Dongjeongho.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s true, isn’t it?”

“You were talking about money, but you’re giving money? There’s no need to do that, Little Dragon. The owner of Dongjeongshippalchae is Lee Tae-hyung’s sworn brother.”

“is it so?”

It’s said that even dog poop can be useful as medicine, but there are times when a bunch of collected trash cans can be of help like this.

If Lee Tae is my sworn brother, then Lee Tae is my subordinate, so wouldn’t he be my subordinate too?

He spoke to them both with a smile.

“Then would you like some guidance?”