𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗥 𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗦, Go Won

𝟬𝟬𝟵. 𝗨𝗸 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗺

100 flogging meant getting hit on the back 100 times.  Da-hye looked away, she could not watch.  She was mean but she was not heartless. Dang-gu stepped forward, he also could not stand seeing his friend getting hit like that. But, Yul stopped him.

"He has Master Heo's torrent of energy, so he will be all right." Yul said. "If you get involved, it will only make it worse for him."

After Uk getting flogged 100 times, it was finally over.

"Jang Uk, leave Songrim and do not ever come back again." The leader said. Even Da-hye knew her uncle was being too harsh on Uk. Mu-deok looked at Yul, Dang-gu and Da-hye. "Leave." The leader said. said.

"No." Uk said. "No. I cannot leave like this. I was only flogged 99 times." Uk said, breathing heavly. "There is one more left. As for the last one, you should do it yourself." He told the leader.

The leader walked down the steps and took the wooden stick from one of the mages.  He hit him so hard that he threw Uk to the ground. Uk could barely get up, but he managed to stand up. He gasped for air.  Uk started smiling. Was he going crazy?

"Mu-deok." Uk said. "Get the sword." Mu-deok took the sword from Sang-ho.

"Let us go." Uk said. He and Mu-deok left Songrim.

--

After that, Yul, Dang-gu and Da-hye spent the whole evening trying to convince the leader into letting Uk back into Songrim.

"Uncle,  Yul, Da-hye and I are the only friends Uk has." Dang-gu said. "He has nowhere but Songrim to call home. Please let him return to Songrim." The three of them followed the leader around.

"He will not be able to train anyway." Yul said. "No one will take him in once they find out he has been ousted from Songrim."

The leader stopped walking. "Stop talking about Uk. I want you to focus on the soul shifter case from now on." The leader continued walking. The four of them walked into Jeongjingak's secret room where the soul shifter's body was in Jeongjingak. Sang-ho and Master Heo were already there.

"He has completely hardened like stone." Yul said.

"He has been petrified." The leader said. " A soul shifter who has run wild replaces their energy by absorbing that of a human."

"He is no different from an evil spirit." Yul said. "I can see why you forbid this sorcery."

"The alchemy of souls was not a type of sorcery from the start." Master Heo said. "You can only perform this once you have mastered Jipsu, Ryusu, Chisu, and ultimately, Hwansu."

"Hwansu is the godlike powers of changing water to fire and vice versa. Is it not?" Dang-gu asked. "Humans cannot reach that level."

"Right. But Master Seo Gyeong, the founder of Songrim, did." Master Heo said. "There was also someone else."

"Who?" Dang-gu asked.

"As if you would know his name." Master Heo replied.

"Hemp Master Lee?" Da-hye blurted it out. She had read about him on books.

"So you know your history." Master Heo smiled. "Who dared perform the alchemy of souls on this poor Songrim pupil?" Master Heo asked.

"He was meant to work at Cheonbugwan and record the constellations." Sang-ho said. Da-hye had always had a weird feeling about Cheonbugwan and Jin Mu. Something about him creeped her out. She didn't know how the Crown Prince could accept him as his master. But, maybe Da-hye was being quick to judge.