When the sun had set and darkness had blanketed the harbor, reducing all signs of human presence, I approached the bow and spoke to Geumdo.

"You remember what we talked about earlier, right? Let’s leave the harbor first, Geumdo."

-Bugururu.

Responding to my request, Geumdo slipped out of the harbor and headed toward the main stream of the Yangtze River.

Perhaps because it had been a while since moving like this, Geumdo seemed to be in a good mood, kicking up the water with powerful strokes of his legs.

Seeing Geumdo stretching his legs so freely in the cover of night made me think it was a good decision to set out at this time.

Of course, he could have moved during the day as well, but then Geumdo would have had to move more slowly to avoid drawing attention, and we wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this refreshing momentum.

Originally, turtles are creatures that tend to stay still in one place, but they also enjoy stretching their limbs while basking in the sun.

When I was young, I used to be so delighted watching turtles stretch their legs during sunbathing, thinking they looked like they were doing ballet.

Smiling at that memory, I noticed Geumdo's tail swaying lightly over the water behind us, as if he too was in a good mood after such a long, satisfying stretch.

"Geumdo, after we head a bit upstream, at the first fork in the river, take the left path. Then we head toward the first village we see. Ah, but don’t get too close to the village itself. Just stop nearby. I’ll let you know once I spot the lights."

-Buguru.

I had brought Geumdo out at night like this to head toward a place called Goaechon, attached to one of the Yangtze River’s tributaries a bit away from here.

Apparently, a Taoist was operating out of there, so I intended to gather some intel and investigate.

Well, rather than calling it a base of operations, it was said the Taoist was loafing around at a giru, indulging himself, so I figured I’d snoop around the area and see what more I could find.

The information Senior Punggae had given me stated that starting from early this year, millipedes had begun appearing in large numbers one after another in the villages around Songshan, where Shaolin Temple is located, and then, out of nowhere, a Taoist appeared, going from village to village, using talismans to exterminate the millipedes... or rather, to do business.

The additional request from Shaolin was simple.

They didn't know about Taoist sects, but even in this era, talismans were considered a kind of juggling trick or superstition in Buddhism. Yet now that these talismans were actually producing results, they wanted me to verify whether something shady was going on.

If the talismans were really effective because of some authentic mystical Taoist magic, that was fine.

But if it was mere deception—confusing and misleading the masses—they wanted me to let them know.

They said they couldn't judge the matter precisely themselves, so they would leave the investigation to a professional like me, but would take care of the punishment personally.

If this had really happened near Shaolin, they said, there was no way they could tolerate it.

Listening to Hwa-eun, Shaolin was like a spiritual home to all martial artists of the Central Plains.

And someone dared to pull a scam near such a sacred place?

Shaolin would never stand for it—they were determined to investigate thoroughly and, if necessary, act.

"So-ryong, what do you think about it?"

While I was lost in thought, staring at Geumdo moving forward at the bow, a voice sounded beside me.

When I turned my head, Hwa-eun was approaching, lightly leaning her body against mine.

"What do I think about what?"

"About the Taoist, I mean. Do you think he really has mystical powers?"

Just as I was about to shake my head, another voice chimed in—this time, Seol Noona’s.

"Ha-eun, what are you even asking? He’s obviously a scammer."

"Why do you say that?"

"They say he eats and sleeps at a giru. No one normal does that."

Somehow, her words had no hard evidence but felt oddly persuasive.

I also nodded in agreement.

"Yes, he’s probably a scammer. Though, for a slightly different reason."

"Right? Anyone eating and sleeping at a giru is definitely a scammer!"

"Well, my reason is a little different..."

"What other reason do you even need if he's sleeping at a giru?"

"But unnie, how do you know these things when you lived in the Southern Barbarians’ lands?"

"Well, I overheard stories too, you know."

Regardless of whether he was living in a giru or not, from my own perspective, this was 100% a scam.

Chasing millipedes away with talismans?

That was absolutely impossible.

To drive millipedes away, you'd either need to use substances they hated or manipulate pheromones.

Even in Joseon, they used talismans more as a prayer than for any actual effect—and besides, millipedes are at the bottom of the food pyramid.

Even modern research hadn't fully revealed how millipedes communicated.

It's only speculated that they use pheromones and hormones to communicate when they're ready to mate.

But with talismans?

Impossible.

There was, however, a slim chance.

Since I could communicate with centipedes, if this Taoist had learned a martial art similar to mine, it might not be entirely impossible.

After all, I could interact with creatures that otherwise couldn't communicate at all.

So if he had mastered something akin to my techniques, it could happen.

Still, even if his abilities were real, it wouldn’t clear him of being a scammer.

"Well, regardless of whether his abilities are real, it’s pretty clear he’s extorting money from people using the millipede outbreaks. You saw the «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» maps Ji-ryong marked earlier, right?"

"Yes, So-ryong. That was definitely suspicious."

Even if his skills weren’t a complete fraud, his actions definitely were.

The mass outbreaks of millipedes in the villages were clearly manipulated.

When I looked at the map Ji-ryong, the master of information organizing, had prepared, marking the villages where millipedes had appeared in large numbers, it was obvious:

The pattern was moving clockwise around Songshan.

The Taoist was said to exorcise the millipedes with talismans and then burn them all at the end, but from what I saw, it felt more like he was simply herding them from one village to another.

‘You just wait, you Joseon-educated Taoist bastard.’

I was certain this guy was a Taoist educated in Joseon.

I was going to dig up every last thing about him.

The reason I suspected he was from Joseon was because the use of charms like "Hyangrang (Perfumed) Lady Thousand-League Swift Move" first appeared in late Joseon records, although it was believed to have been passed down for quite a while before that.

Also, phrases like "Urgent and Immediate Imperial Command Thousand-League Swift Move" existed in the Central Plains, but the specific term "Hyangrang Lady" didn't exist there.

Thus, I thought he must be from the Joseon scholar tradition.

While I was burning with determination, I heard Geumdo’s cry.

-Bugururu.

"Oh, yeah, Geumdo. Let’s stop here."

Looking ahead in response to Geumdo’s call, I saw the lights starting to appear one by one.

Since the village seemed close, I anchored Geumdo in a deep part of the water.

***

After gorging himself on the boiled white chicken and adding a few more characters to his talismans with the chicken’s blood, the Taoist Taiheo.

I thought he would finally set out after confirming the talismans dried, as he began to gather them up, but then Taoist Taiheo suddenly spread out bedding in the room and lay down.

“Aigo. I ate well. Now, shall I take a nap?”

“Huh? Ah, you're not leaving yet?”

Startled, Gu-gil asked, but Taoist Taiheo answered with a reassuring look.

“My good man, it’s dark now, so one must sleep. I’ll move at dawn, so don’t worry. It’s hard to set up a formation with talismans at night, and some could slip through. What would you do if more appeared later?”

“Hmm... Understood.”

Since he said it was to be more thorough, what could be done?

Thus the night passed, and morning came.

Gu-gil, unable to sleep properly, rushed to the detached house the moment the roosters crowed.

He had said they would leave early at dawn, so Gu-gil intended to wake the Taoist.

Although an unknown sense of anxiety weighed on his heart, something kept provoking his unease, but he couldn’t pinpoint the cause.

Drawing water to wash the sword and setting it down in front of the detached house, he called inward, heart pounding.

“Taoist? Taoist Taiheo?”

“Yes, yes. I’m coming out.”

The door opened, and Taoist Taiheo emerged, thankfully fully prepared.

“Let's wash the sword and head out immediately.”

“Yes, Taoist!”

A little later.

The Taoist who had made Gu-gil anxious in various ways—first saying three silver coins, then changing to five, pretending he would move immediately but then falling asleep—finally left Gu-gil’s house at the dim, sunrise-lit dawn.

Dressed neatly in his Taoist robes, holding the talismans firmly in his hand.

Only then did Gu-gil’s heart ease a little.

“Please guide me to the center of the village.”

“Yes, Taoist.”

-Squelch. Squelch.

The red millipedes squelched underfoot along the path leading to the village’s central well.

Fortunately, the dew had fallen, so the stench wasn't too bad. As they reached the well, Taoist Taiheo looked around and finally began sticking talismans here and there by himself.

Hyangrang Lady Thousand-League Swift Move Urgent and Immediate Imperial Command.

Those were the words written on the talismans. After wandering around the village sticking them up, the sun began to rise.

With the sharp sunlight, the dew quickly evaporated, and the stench surged up.

Just when the foul smell seemed ready to consume the village again.

The Taoist, having stuck all the talismans, returned to the well, stomped the ground heavily, and shouted.

“Hyangrang Lady! Thousand-League Swift Move! Urgent and Immediate Imperial Command!”

“Hyangrang Lady! Thousand-League Swift Move! Urgent and Immediate Imperial Command!”

“Hyangrang Lady! Thousand-League Swift Move! Urgent and Immediate Imperial Command!”

Had he shouted about three times?

By then, most of the villagers had come out, drawn by the Taoist’s loud voice, and were watching the scene. Just as his third cry ended, something strange began to happen.

The red millipedes, scattered chaotically, suddenly all turned their heads in one direction at once.

“L-look at that!”

“Ooooh! The millipedes are facing the same way!”

“Isn’t it like a military unit receiving orders?”

Yes, it was just like that.

Like an army receiving commands, the millipedes all turned to face one side of the village in unison.

“Why do you make things so difficult! Hyangrang Lady Thousand-League Swift Move Urgent and Immediate Imperial Command!”

As the Taoist shouted loudly once again, the millipedes began to wriggle and move all together in one direction.

“Oooooooh!”

“They, they’re moving!”

The red-bodied millipedes started crawling in one mass toward one side, twisting along the ground.

From between the roof tiles of houses, cracks around the well’s pillars, and gaps in walls, millipedes poured out, forming a huge current moving toward one side of the village.

While the people stood dumbfounded, staring at the spectacle, the Taoist shouted to the village chief.

“Set fire to straw bundles and follow me!”

“Ah, understood! F-fire and straw bundles. Who, who has the straw bundles...”

“Village chief, I’ll take care of it!”

“Ah, yes, the herb gatherer, I leave it to you.”

As the village chief Gu-gil hesitated at the sudden request, the herb gatherer stepped forward to help.

The herb gatherer said he would bring the straw and burning branches. Soon, his wife and son arrived carrying a bundle of straw and a burning branch, following the Taoist who was leading the way.

Chasing after the wriggling mass of millipedes and the Taoist, they reached a nearby forest area where the ground had turned black, unlike the surroundings.

At the center of the area, piles of rotting leaves, about the size of a small house, were stacked up and decaying.

“Was there ever such a place?”

“This is the first time we've seen it too.”

Had there ever been such a place near the village with so many decaying leaves?

While the villagers were all thinking the same thing, the millipedes began flowing into the piles of leaves.

The crawling millipedes burrowed into the rotting leaf piles and gradually disappeared from sight.

“Straw!”

“H-here it is, Taoist!”

Watching the millipedes forcing their way into the rotten leaf hill, the Taoist shouted for straw. The herb gatherer pointed to the straw bundle his son held, but the Taoist frowned and shook his head.

“That’s not enough. We need more. We have to burn this, and that won’t suffice.”

“A-alright!”

At the Taoist’s words, all the villagers ran back to the village.

Soon after, they returned with enough straw bundles to completely cover the rotting leaf pile.

“Hyangrang Lady Thousand-League Swift Move Urgent and Immediate Imperial Command!”

Then, the Taoist threw the burning branch. The straw and rotting leaves ignited into a massive blaze.

-Fwoooosh.

It was the moment when the villagers, who had been suffering from the stench for over a month, were finally freed from their nightmare.