The hall was crowded with people. On the boulevard lined with three-story buildings, vendors calling for torches to buy things, young children buying and eating taffy, gyusu dressed in silk and women in cotton robes were all mixed together.

Kiru and the inn are prosperous. On the spacious parquet floor, drunk men sat in their high-haired prostitutes and were busy enjoying themselves, and among the bustling guests, drunken slaves were busily passing by. The smell of women's dung and oil vibrates in all directions.

Contrary to the ghastly rumors, Yangwu, the capital of Heiran Province, was full of vitality.

Ashita changed her hat and turned her head back and forth.

Even with the song called Den of Yokai by his side, he has prospered as much as this. It's weird. Is it really going to be an unprecedented disaster in this city?

He raised his eyes like that of a fox and opened them as thin as threads. It wasn't that he doubted the teacher's words, but for an instant he felt a sense of disparity in the appearance of the country of Heeran, which was different from what he had imagined.

'… I expected it to have a more gloomy energy.'

Aren't youkai people who disturb people's minds? When ghosts come near, people's nerves become sensitive, their spirits are disturbed, and natural quarrels become frequent. However, the faces of the people of Heiran were bright.

'I've just arrived... We'll have to stay a little longer to find out what the reality is.'

On the day of the original event, it is not bound to be noisy anywhere. Ashita put aside her doubts and hurried her steps, exhausted from the long journey. You need to decide where to stay before the sun goes down. He crossed the main road and entered a street with bars close together.

As he wanders through the crowds to find the inn, he suddenly sees a group of people gathered together. Ashita turned to it with the rising curiosity. Then, a shrill voice pierced right into my ears.

"Today! Let me tell you a bizarre story for those who have seen Hee-ran-yeon.”

are you a jokester In a crowded place, on the podium of a liquor store, a skinnyman, who sat on his head in a cheeky posture, held out a yellowed fan and shoutedloudly.

As Ashita hesitates about what to do, the gossip begins to spit out the clear running water.

“This is a story that everyone who lives in the country of Heeran knows! However,it is a strange story that will not get tired no matter how many times you listen to it! This is a story about Princess Soru, the main character of the song that comes from that deep valley. Those who are interested can stop, and those who are not interested can pass.”

The gossips, some of the gathered people muttering, wondering if it's okay to talkabout it with a hard face. Ashita, who narrowed her eyes, soon carefully intervened between them.

The gossip guy drank a bowl full of alcohol and started talking in a shrill voice like a spear.

“There were three princes living in that deep and deep valley where ghosts live,the palace of Heiran Kingdom, which rose from the back of the music. The first prince, Se-ryun, who is intelligent and benevolent, the second prince, Garyun, whois good at martial arts. And they are the third prince, Shin-ryul, who has the most outstanding appearance. He deserves to be the king of a country. Unlike the above two princes recognized by all the people, the third prince is playful and frivolous, so the only thing he does with his flamboyant speech is to flirt with courtesans. When will that prince grow old, the groaning of this country is as deep as that valley of ghosts.”

Then oh shit! Then, add chuimsae, and the gossip folds the fan. It was a brilliant move. The man who checked the intriguing faces of the onlookers immediatelycontinued.

“Anyway, it is either Se-ryun or Garyun who will ascend to the throne. In the kings heart, the first prince is ill, so he wants a strong and dignified second prince to take over the throne. This prince, who is famous for being savvy, has an older brother. How dare he decline the position of the crown prince, old king. . Inthe meantime, would you have been able to take care of the third prince who likes to enjoy the wind? With no interference from anyone, this young prince is busy enjoying his life!”

Wow! And a drunken man added Chuimsae.

“To tell you more about this character Shin-yul, he has a face that is beautiful enough to attract even ghosts. Even a woman was embarrassed and bowed her head in a bewitching figure, as tall as a crane, and as tall as a pine tree. It's not a person to sit on the throne anyway, it's a big mistake, and whoever dares to say something against his face that he's enchanted by both men and women! As if all the people in the palace were going to drain the gallbladder that left me, this prince ate it all in the first place. Prince Shin-yul was so beautiful. where is that As much oil as the smooth face, the oil on the tongue is dripping with oil, and with his smooth speech, even the king roasts and boils them, and my brothers also play with them. What I really don't know is what kind of strange sound it will make when it's lips are wide open, but when you hear it, you fall for it. What a bizarre harmony. The third prince, he was a man of terrifying talents!”

Some of the older people slap their knees in a huh. Excitement rose and the gossiper's shoulders shook.

“However, what would you do if you had excellent speaking skills and a handsome appearance? Heeran-guk is the best in terms of immatureness. The only thing this prince does is play tantrums. Do you know where to enjoy it in moderation? They play so violently that their arrogant games are so promiscuous that even the Confucians who say they play are blushing, and the rich people who say they live luxuriously are so luxurious that they get bored. When will the third prince become a human? La!"

The people who had been buzzing gradually became quiet as if they were absorbed inthe story. More and more people flocked in. Despite being hit to and fro by the crowd, Ashita listened to the gossip.

“There is no one who criticizes anyone greatly, so his arrogance reached the heavens, and the third prince struck a chord on one day. When it comes to the youngest prince, even the smiling king would change his complexion and issue a command of disrespect.

Wasn't this prince seduced by the king's most beloved concubine to give birth to bloodstains? What kind of bullshit is this? The king was very angry and ordered to throw away his beloved son, and never show his face in front of him again. And to put the illegitimate child born in the deepest and most humble place in the center of the Palace.

'It's not up to me to know, but how could my father be like this to me?' The third prince weeping. He is only complaining without thinking about his fault, so it's probably not too late for this prince to come to his senses. A woman who fell in love with him and left an unclean seed even though she knew it was profane, he did not blink an eye after hearing the news that she died after taking the drug. 'When the wrath of my father is relieved, I will be freed, then let his resentment go away '. He shouted such a white voice all the way to the outside of the city.”

“Is there anyone in the world who is not as good as that?” This one, who looked like a tourist, exclaimed in indignation. As if in sympathy with him, the gossiper shook his head greatly.

“But the king, freed from the whispers of his son, there is nothing so wicked and venomous stayed afar . It's all because of him or not. When the king realized that he had to strict with him, the prince knew neither humanity nor law. Then he commanded him to learn it for the rest of his life. It's been ten years since that happened, and we can't even see the prince's nose, whether he's dead or alive. Ah! Finally, our Heiran-guk has relieved of one of our troubles!”

The crowd burst into laughter at the action of the gossip who sweeps the chest with an exaggerated face. Ashita smiled bitterly.

Aren't you afraid that you'll get implicate for talking about the royal family?

The story of the gossiper is unstoppable.

“But it is too early to be happy. There is still one problem left! Let's come To princess Soru, the true protagonist of this story, the blood left by that Same prince Shin-yul."

Ashita narrowed his eyes. It was a name he was familiar with. It was also the reason he stopped walking.

There was tension again on the faces of those who laughed happily after hearing the name. Only those who did not know anything had curious faces.

“On the day Princess Soru was born, the king of Heiran was livid and said, The king’s woman gave birth to a child of his son, which is evidence of corruption. Give it to the lowest servant, so that she may not die. And give the lowly daughter a name, she was born with tears, and it is only a concern, so call it Soru! Thus, Princess Soru, who was raised by the oldest and weakest stuttering slave and let her die. But the female servant died in an unfortunate accident, and the shrine maidens took care of her. It is said that it was like What a pity to be a princess!”

The gossiper's voice resounds everywhere. Feeling a gloomy presence, Ashita turned his head.

Heuksan Disastrous child rises like a folding screen behind the palace. The sun was slowly setting over it and it was getting reddish.

It was the color the ghosts liked. Is it time for the ghosts to wake up? It's not that it's not, but in that lively intestine, there is a small, creepy spirit.

It was hard to listen to the story of the gossiper .

“Do you know that she is called a ghost princess for what reason? Thousands of millions of people will die! The princess's eccentricity did not stop there. This girl, who was unusual from birth, grew up so slowly that she was so small and dwarf that she suffered from severe pain every day. It's so tough to be alive evern now and then even though she thinks she is going to die soon. By the time what she had been struggling with began to speak, she mumbled even nonsense. It is not uncommon to her stare into empty space, and on a fictitious day, ghosts came to eat her and even started a game. Do you know that's not at all? This girl also talked with trees, blades of grass, and animals, but the scary thing is that when the little bloodsuckers tell them to bloom, a dead tree blooms; If you say go, she is not going!

'It's really strange, this strange thing, I'm afraid I'm going to die,' the servants ran away from the castle trembling, and rumors spread all over the city that Princess Soru was possessed as a ghost. When the situation became out of hand, the king's patience was worn out. He said, "I can't stand the fortress anymore," and ordered her to lock him up in the palace shrine, and to starve to death without giving her food or water.

A day passed and two days passed... The night after ten days have passed! Thunder and lightning strike all over the heavens and the sky turns black, an ominous sign. A thunderbolt fell from the sky, and the royal palace was engulfed in flames. The shadow of the fire trembled as if the monsters were tangled and writhing! I could clearly see the flames soaring up to the roof of that high palace with my own two eyes!” The gossiper looks at them with a smirk in his eyes. But no one laughed.

“The fire that did not go out even when all the workers in the palace rushed in and poured water on it. It went out like a lie after a strange scream rang out from the sky, and to everyone's surprise the little princess was still alive in the pile of coals! The skinny girl who didn't swallowed a sip of water and a grain of rice for ten days was only blind with two eyes, and everything else was fine.

When the king saw it,, hewas so terrified and said, Wonderful and ominous.. " Wasn't the heaven angry that I tried to cut off my own bloodline ? Let's build a new shrine, let the princess live there, and offer sacrifices to relieve the oars of heaven.'

From that day on, a strange song began to resound in the valley of Heiran-guk, and the content of the song is as follows.

”The gossip cleared his throat and sang.

“If you eat Princess Soru,

Because you can gain a new body and become a person,

Heeran Kingdom Ghosts

they fought over the princess.

The ugliest of them all

It swallowed up all the precious things that came

It's stomach was full, and so could not eat the princess.

the monster eventually

stealing the princess's eyes

ran away.”

The lyrics echoed for a long time in the hall, leaving a strange aftertaste.

“Until the death of the old king, the death of the sickly first prince, and the second prince ascending to the throne, the singing from that valley did not stop, and it still resounds at dusk in that valley of ghosts."

The story is over. The crowd looked towards the valley as if they had promised. As if to prove his words, even more in the reddish sunset light, the shadows of the mountains appear gloomy like the shadows of Youkai. It sounded like a buzzing wind from the black valley that swallowed the sun. The yo-yo lyrics floating in it make my ears dizzy.

“If you eat Princess Soru,

Because it can get a new body and become a human... .”

Ashita, who was quietly looking at the valley, soon began to move through the crowd. In this crowded streets the shadows of people are strangely dark.

Strange and ominous things continued to happen around Princess Soru. The stuttering female servant who nursed her and raised her was bitten by a ghost tiger who came down one day and died horribly, and after that, the female servants who served her also fell ill or died in horrific way . Some went up the mountain behind the palace after suffering from madness and jumped or hanged themselves, while others lost their only child.

Under these circumstances, the slaves clashed and cried out loudly, saying that they would rather die than serve the ghost princess. Some even risked their lives to run away. The person who did not have the guts to do so committed suicide, stating that a ghost might attack to them and even harm their blood.

To them staying with Princess Soru was such a terrible thing, even for the lowly slaves. In the end, there were no visitors to Princess Soru's shrine except for the shamans who brought food.

King Ga-ryun did not paid any attention to his reluctant niece , and he did not even turn his head toward the shrine as if he was afraid that those who came in and out of the castle might get corrupted.

It's been six years since that happened. Little is known about her other than that she is breathing.

The man who was sitting at the table and looked at the report frowned.

"I wanted to hear something from the shaman, so I planted someone to investigate, but all I got was what the princess had to eat for three meals. The shamans who serves food, drinks and clothes into the shrine, even they don't seem to get close to the princess."

 The man sighed. Even so, isn't that too much? No one even knows the face... .

“If you look into it so intently , will you come up with a solution? Fold it. It's disgusts me.”

As he was stroking his chin seriously, another man sitting across from him, drinking alcohol, exhaled coldly.

He looked up and looked at the man. Two eyes that gleam like a madman with messy hair like a maniac. There were no other ghosts as he distorted the cold-hearted face so terribly.

“Isn’t this all laboring for you?”

Laying down the scroll and grunting, the man snorts.

“Who asked for it?”

“Aren’t you curious? What kind of woman will the wife of yours be? There are only rumors, and nothing is clear, so I am investigating this for my dear close friend. Maybe you'll die suddenly on the first night after the marriage ... .”

“Do not scratch.”

The man gritted his teeth and put the glass he was holding down as if tossing it on the table. The small glass of wine could not withstand its strength and ripped apart.

“Thousands of fires are burning inside even if you don’t scratch. It’s just one step before the eyes turn over.”

The man who smiled brightly at the bloody momentum also lowered the corners of his mouth. With a face like a tyrant , the man drank the strong liquor completely in a gulp.

“What does all these means to ghost princesses ? I fought for my life... . Trusting only the King's promise, I rolled the battlefield like a mad dog! Fir the price that is only... !”

He was so angry that he couldn't even keep up with the conversation. The man gulped down the drink as if was drinking cold water. He seemed to have been caught off guard by his anger at being insulted rather than fearful that he might lose his life under a demon curse. The man let out a deep sigh.

'Hagi is a great person who can't be afraid of ghosts.'

This man's name is Jahyun. He was not a high-ranking aristocrat, but he was the eldest son of a well-established samurai family and was said to be the greatest general of the country. He was also praised as a national hero.

However, in the eyes of Ja-hyeon's deputy and close friend, Bi-ryeong, the title of "hero" didn't really suit him. The noble side of this demon-like man was nowhere to be found. However, it is not that he have ambitions to make a name for Himself in the world, nor do he have an unusual heartfelt emotion for the country.

There was only one reason why he volunteered to be at the forefront of the battlefield. It was because of the promise that the King Ga-yrun would give his beloved daughter Princess Garan to him if he made a remarkable achievement.

“He promised to give it to me. He promised to give me Princess Garan if I cut off the head of the enemy chief Lee Hul!”

Ja-hyun was so upset and angry that he screamed as if his blood was boiling. He saw the king's youngest daughter Princess Garan at the palace three years ago and fell in love at first sight and proposed to the king.

However, all nobles and some aristocrats also proposed it . Still, he did not give in and continued to propose several times.

The king, who was shaking his head, put forward one condition.

" If you want to get prince Garan too, bring the head of Lee Hyul, the famous commander of the enemy country. If you did that, you will be fit to become the hero who saved the country, and I will give you the princess."

Ja-hyun believed in that promise and went to war.

After a long war, he returned to the country with great achievements and asked him to hand over the princess as promised. But not to take Soru, the ghost princess, known to all the people Of hairan.

“Ugh, Ga-ryun… How could he do this to me! The king of a country, has one mouth... .”

The tantrum was so intense that the blood flowed out of his mouth. The host was terrified and tried to stop it, but he vehemently shook off the host's hand and drank only alcohol in succession.

Jahyun was born with a strong spirit and a temper that didn't like to lose pride. Because of his arrogant temper, he was able to organize a troop the size of two country. For the first time in his life, such a person bowed his head and asked if he would beg, and it was for Princess Garan. He have endured the voices that dared to speak against him, and even endured the humiliation.