Blessing Curse (Curse of Blessing)
38. Loss of Village Residents

I decided to go with Chu Yi in our quest. Chu Yi and I walked through this charred village towards the West, while the others scattered towards their respective choices.

"Isn't Mizhawa right, Chu Yi. There is no sign of the remaining inhabitants here." I said breaking the silence between me and him.

Tired I could not avoid, with both hands on my waist, I continued to sigh while looking at the state of the village that no longer had hope.

I actually totally agree with Mizhawa. It's just a waste of time.

"Stop fussing..we haven't even done the search as long as you imagine...!" concluded Chu Yi coldly by placing emphasis on the old word.

He constantly opened several piles of wood that had blackened. Who would survive in such a situation? Maybe he's hoping to find someone's charred body.

"Don't you know that now I'm more sensitive to the energy around me? I can sense that there is currently nothing left of this tragedy!" I rebutted him a little bit. Why was he so stubborn, his tenacity could be a disease to him.

"If what remains is an ordinary human, then you will indeed not feel their energy being an idiot!" he said indifferently.

"Brongha...!!"

Several piles of charred wood were reopened and flipped by it.

"By, hhhhh...! it's hard to talk to people who don't understand the situation" somehow I feel like I don't want to lose our debate.

I also continued the search behind the blackened wooden ruins.

If the heat was so hot before, but this time the heat has disappeared. Even the charcoal wood that we went back and forth from earlier also did not feel as hot as before.

"Why does this energy work so fast? what magic is this?" I murmured softly while staring at the charcoal wood I was currently holding.

Chongsu Village, located on the outskirts of this hill, is still very far from downtown Cho Gu, but close to the border of Hira.

Actually, what is the perpetrator targeting from this village?

--

The warm sun is getting more and more pronounced. As per the agreement, we re-assembled at common ground.

"Did you guys get anything?" ji-hyeon asks after sitting down and downing her wooden drink bottle.

We were sheltering under a shady tree on the edge of the village, which was still left from the scorching of Chongsu village.

"This is all I've found..." Dayeon shows a feather that looks like the feather of a Phoenix bird in their midst.

I can say, that at this time all the eyes that were fixed on the large feather began to wonder. No other animal has such beautiful fur, right?

"Isn't this Phoenix feather?" said Na Yeong as he picked up and observed the fur closely. That's what I'm thinking too.

"Where did you get it?" ji-hyeon asks Dayeon.

"From the west of this village." he answered briefly.

"Wait... West side? i and Chu Yi were also in the west, but how could we not see it?" I was amazed at Dayeon.

"That's because you always complain...! therefore your focus is disturbed...!" sahut Chu Yi with her sarcastic tone.

"If you're also focused you should find it too, right?" my argument does not accept.

"Ckckck...not because you lack focus on search, but you are too focused to look at each other.." again Jeong Ra issued a sentence that makes us lazy to hear it.

"Watching that horrible idiot's face? it's impossible..." Chu Yi defended herself by shaking her head at me lightly.

I only replied to Chu Yi with a sharp glance and clenched my jaws.

"That's not important, the most important thing now is that we find one of the clues to this incident" Ji-hyeon tells us to stop our argument "is this all?" he added with eyes that explore us one by one.

After looking at each other, it seemed like that was the only clue we got.

It's okay, at least we still have hope of finding the bright spot behind this Chongsu village scorching.

I'm sure the residents are still safe. And right now they must be somewhere, because there's not a single human skeleton we've found here.

--

POVS. Third person

In the palace of black fog there was a group of humans whimpering for help from iron bars.

They range from old men, mothers, young men and girls, to small children dressed in shabby clothes and filled with charcoal filth. All are divided into three large square cells.

"Look at those stupid humans...!" said the master of black magic with an echoing voice when he saw Gi Tae's entourage from his throne "HAHAHA!!! They did something useless!"

Laughter sounded in the black fog palace. The black magic ruler was amused by what he was seeing from his world. He witnesses Gi Tae's entourage who has no clue whatsoever about the abduction of the Chongsu villagers.

"With this gathering of humans here, it will increase the number of troops of black fog!! Ahaha! and I. will easily master them!" the black magic ruler clenched his fingers furiously "Daegun.wait! soon I will take my oath! Ahahahahahah! yahoo!!!" by stretching out both of his arms, the black magic ruler filled the entire palace with his oath of ambition.

--

After discussing the problems of Chongsu village, Ji-hyeon decides to make a temporary camp on the outskirts of the village, making their trip to Jang Gu delayed.

They will not give up on finding the bright spot behind this event. Especially Ji-hyeon, because this concerns the territory of her administration.

Night had arrived, after half a day of discussing about the link of the Phoenix feathers to the charred Chongsu village, they finally gathered some theories.

In a simple tent that is only wrapped in a few sticks of wood and wrapped in cloth as a protector from the outside air, they are seriously discussing in the dim light of candles.

Hyujin guards outside and is responsible for keeping the fireplace burning.

"From what I know, the Phoenix is a sacred animal that represents honor. But why is the fur here?"

While still observing the golden-colored fur that was on the simple table, Jeong Ra expressed his curiosity.

Not only him, everything inside the tent was also thinking, how could that be.

"Could it be the Phoenix that did it?" sazhawa asked the other princess.

"I don't think the Phoenix would do something like that. He was quite famous in maintaining his honor." Dayeon replied after thinking for quite a while "after all, the Phoenix bird was also very rare in showing itself to earth. If that happens, then it should be the blessing we receive, not the destruction." he added, continuing to frown.

They were silent for quite a while after hearing Dayeon's explanation.

"Is this a trick?" muttered Gi Tae Lirih while rubbing his chin slowly. Making the princesses turn her eyes towards Gi Tae. "Do you think Chongsu villagers are somewhere else?" he broke the silence of the night.

"From what I've noticed it looks like they've indeed been moved. Otherwise, there should be traces of them left behind in this condition." Mozhawa spoke up and expressed her theory.

"And for the reason of the scorching of Chongsu village, it might indeed be a trick" Chu Yi looked at them one by one "this between the Phoenixes was enraged and then scorched this village, scorching it, or someone left a trail for us to think that the Phoenix did it." he added steadily.

"But... who has the ability to control a Phoenix until he has his feathers?" back Na Yeong wondered.

"That's what we need to find out right now."