THWCS 02

Chapter 02

Twenty-eight days later.

Yeongwon and her maid Sorae were wandering through Jeokbyeok Mountain, renowned even in the nation of Jo Won (趙瑗) for its particularly treacherous terrain.

Tall peaks hidden in clouds, sheer jagged rocks rising sharply.
Trees growing chaotically in every direction, strange plants never seen elsewhere.
The mist, flowing and receding as if alive, brought both a sense of mystery and an eerie unease.

As night fell and darkness swallowed the mountains, the chilling, sinister atmosphere only deepened.

There is nothing more dangerous than walking through mountains at night.
So Yeongwon and Sorae decided to make camp near a nearby valley for the night.

Sorae, carrying a water flask filled from the valley and stepping over rocks, let out a sigh.
It was because Yeongwon sat huddled on the ground, lost in thought.

After being chased by Wi Jeongmun, her uncle, and leaping off a cliff into the river, they had been swept to the riverbank by the current and survived by the skin of their teeth.

Yeongwon stared blankly at the distant ashen sky before suddenly declaring she would head to Jeojado on Jeokbyeok Mountain.

But words are easier than actions. Jeokbyeok Mountain was a thousand-ri journey away.

For a young lady who had grown up only in silken comfort, this path was anything but easy.

Moreover, Yeongwon had been so beautiful that her master had once worried her good looks might bring misfortune.

Her neatly drawn eyebrows seemed inked in soft strokes, her round apricot-colored eyes were gentle and clear, and her lips, like peach petals, were delicate and pure.
Her slender figure, graceful like willow branches, combined with orderly, refined behavior, gave her the presence of a highborn lady, far exceeding that of a mere merchant’s daughter.

Especially when she smiled, it was as if all the flowers of the seasons had bloomed; the crescent-shaped eyes and mischievous curve of her lips made her glow vividly.

In contrast, Sorae was a year younger.
With tanned skin, a compact figure, and single-lidded long eyes, she gave off a spirited impression. Freckles dotted her cheeks and nose, making her appear endearingly cute.

It was naturally dangerous for these two young women to travel unguarded.

Thus, to move safely southward, they scavenged through piles of trash for coarse rags to wear.

Over their exposed fair skin, they smeared mud and soot; their hair was tangled and stuffed with rice grains.
After a month of sleeping outdoors, they smelled indescribably foul—a true image of destitution that even a street dog would avoid.

Though Sorae, being a servant with rough skin and strong bones, did not mind, seeing her beautiful, delicate lady reduced to this state caused her great distress.

Thanks to Yeongwon’s decisive action, they had suffered during the journey but had never been in mortal danger.

Yet there were other worries.

Until recently, Sorae thought Yeongwon was fine: cheerful, talkative, sometimes playful.
But one night, when Yeongwon awoke to relieve herself, she saw her quietly crying without a sound.
Since then, whenever she was alone, Yeongwon’s eyes would glaze over, lost in a vacant stare.
Her heart seemed torn apart, her soul adrift in sadness.

To lighten the mood, Sorae made a show of climbing rocks noisily.

“Lady, the place you mentioned… it really is on this mountain, right? We are really going to… Jeojado?”

Swallowing the bitter pangs of remembering her parents, Yeongwon snapped herself out of her daze.
She held a stick upright between her palms and pressed it onto dry leaves, nodding.

“Yes. It is near this mountain, and we are going there.”

“I don’t understand. How could our master send you to such a dreadful place? Jeojado is supposed to be a paradise for prisoners,” Sorae said.

“Those rumors exist, yes,” Yeongwon replied calmly.

Sorae, finally letting out the curiosity she had been suppressing, continued:

“Lady, everyone in Jo Won knows Jeojado is somewhere on Jeokbyeok Mountain, but no one knows exactly where. Yet how could Master have a map of it?”

Tilting her head, Sorae pondered.

“And if the rumors are true, that the island is full of dangerous prisoners… how can anyone survive there? Even the empire’s finest generals cannot catch someone who flees to Jeojado. They say it’s because the island is a dragon’s lair… Lady, are you listening?”

Receiving no answer from Yeongwon, Sorae glanced at the stick she was rubbing.

“Lady, will this really light a fire?”

“In the book I read, this method produces a flame. You can also strike iron and stone together, but we have no iron. Without fire, we will freeze.”

As night deepened, the wind through the trees grew stronger, and the damp, heavy air pressed down on them.
Yeongwon stared at her reddened palms with frustration.

Why isn’t it working?

The book said this method should easily ignite a fire.

“Shall I try, Lady?”

“Use that stick and rub it. They said even a donation bag needs to be opened to let it catch.”

So the two servants crouched side by side, rubbing sticks together over and over to make fire.

Some time later, the sound of a crow cawing reached them.
Sorae, suddenly remembering something, whispered:

“Lady, did you know this mountain is also called Guimunsan?”

“Guimunsan?”

“Yes. No one who enters this mountain ever comes out alive. Whether they are killed by beasts, fall to their death, or wander lost in the perpetual mist until they die, death is certain. That is why it is called Guimunsan, the ‘Gate to the Underworld.’”

The whispered words sent a chill down Yeongwon’s spine.
Instinctively, she shivered and tightened her grip on the stick.

“In my opinion, no one knows the exact location of Jeojado because it is within Guimunsan. Once you enter, death is almost guaranteed. Who would dare climb this mountain carelessly?”

A cold wind brushed her neck. Yeongwon flinched and looked back.

“Even today, we didn’t see a single human figure while climbing.”

It wasn’t just humans.
They had seen no animals, either. Whether from luck or the mountain’s strange energy, she could not tell.

“But Lady… doesn’t the mist here seem alive? If this is the gate to the underworld, could the spirits be moving it?”

No sooner had Sorae finished speaking than the wind through the bushes sounded like the wailing of a grieving woman.

“Oh my mother!”

Startled, Yeongwon snapped the stick in her hands.
Sorae, also startled, looked around, then laughed quietly at Yeongwon’s reaction.

“Lady, did I scare you? It’s frightening, isn’t it?”

“I-it’s not scary! Where would ghosts be? Stop your nonsense and light the fire.”

Despite her pounding heart and the sweat trickling down her back, Yeongwon forced a serious expression.

But Sorae, having served Yeongwon since childhood, knew her lady’s struggle.
With a mischievous grin, she began focusing on igniting the fire, following Yeongwon’s orders.

Time passed, and Yeongwon worried that soon the fire would catch on her palm instead of the sticks.

Then suddenly, her vision blurred as if something had gotten in her eyes.
In a moment, the surroundings became so white she could barely see two feet ahead.
Even Sorae, just a few steps away, vanished.

“Fog again…?”

Yeongwon let go of the stick and stood up.
During the climb, they had encountered this living, moving fog multiple times.
It appeared suddenly and vanished in the blink of an eye, preventing them from finding Jeojado despite having a map.

“Sorae, are you there? Stay still; the fog will pass soon.”

No answer came, and Yeongwon grew anxious.

The valley was silent except for her own breathing.
No—it wasn’t just breathing.
She could sense a rustling, like a snake crawling through the grass or cloth brushing leaves, both near and far.

—Lady, could this fog be carried by spirits?

Sorae’s earlier words flickered in her mind.