The Big Book of Classic Fantasy

by The Big Book of Classic Fantasy (retail) (epub)

  “I am a respectable woman from a noble family who was accompanying her husband on his way to take up the position of magistrate in Jangyang District. But we were waylaid by bandits who killed everyone in our household and stole all our things. Only I survived and managed to run away. I hid in the mountains during the day and traveled homeward by night, but then I saw the light from this window and thought there must be people living here. From the outside, I could hear the sound of a man reading, but I am in such a pitiful state at the moment that I abandoned all sense of propriety and came in. If you would please save me, I promise to never forget what you did for me.”

  “Fortune and misfortune are things that are beyond our control. You were beset by bandits, but you managed to escape. Under the circumstances, it is fortunate that you came upon this place. Where is your home, and how old are you?”

  “Our house is outside the South Gate of Gyeongseong,*6 and I am seventeen years old.”

  “We are of the same age. Gyeongseong is about three hundred ri*7 from here. It worries me that it’s too far for a woman to travel by herself.”

  The woman replied in a plaintive voice. “Please take pity on me and allow me to stay the night here.”

  “Because I am from a poor family, I couldn’t get myself a wife. I thought that if I am fortunate enough to pass the final civil examination next spring, I would be able to get married. But meeting you on this night, I think that this must be fate. How about we pledge to spend the rest of our lives in each other’s company?”

  When the woman heard those words, she bowed her head and did not say anything. In the candlelight, her modesty made her look even more beautiful.

  Unchi pushed aside his reading table and spoke to her. “I see that I have upset you with my words, which shames me. I bid you to think deeply and make a proper decision about your future.”

  The woman thought for a while before she replied. “I may be in a precarious situation now, but I am still a member of a noble family. I would rather die than allow myself to be dishonored. But your words have filled me with such gratitude that I cannot fully express it in words. If you promise to someday avenge the wrong I have suffered, how could I not follow your will?”

  Unchi thought their minds were in agreement, so he lay with her.

  “This is a wonderful day, so let us share liquor like a groom and bride and pledge our union to the gods of heaven and earth.”

  Unchi poured some liquor from a bamboo bottle into a cup and drank it, and then poured some for the woman. When Unchi tried to give her more, she firmly refused.

  “Why don’t you drink some more?” Unchi said.

  As he insisted, she drank another. But when Unchi took some more and tried to give her another, she refused again. Unchi made an upset expression.

  “A woman should obey a man, so why are you acting in such an improper manner?”

  The woman saw how upset Unchi was, so she forced herself to drink until she became disoriented. When she finally lay down and began to snore, Unchi took her clothes off and wrote a magic spell on her chest with red ink. No trace of the writing appeared on her, so he became certain that she was a fox demon in disguise. He used the rope he was given to bind her hands and feet together, and then put a pick to the crown of her head and pounded it down with a hammer.

  The woman woke up in fright and exclaimed, “Noble sir, what are you doing?”

  “You evil fox demon! I know you committed heinous acts in this temple and murdered people. To prevent you from causing further mischief, I have been waiting here to kill you!”

  Unchi hammered the pick into her head again until the demon could not stand the pain and revealed its true form.

  When the golden-furred fox with nine tails begged Unchi for its life, he addressed her. “If you give me your fox soul, I will let you live.”

  “But my soul is in my belly. If you spare me, I will give you three books of Heavenly Wisdom, which is much better than a fox soul.”

  Since Unchi was a scholar first and foremost, he became glad at the mention of such books.

  “Where are they?”

  “They are in my cave, so if you release me, I’ll go get them.”

  Unchi angrily hammered at the pick again.

  “If you unbind my feet, I’ll take you there and give you the books.”

  Unchi thought that would work, so he unbound the fox demon’s feet and followed it to its cave. It was at the side of a great mountain, below a massive rock. Inside, he found a place full of blue-green pine and bamboo trees, as well as a calmly flowing stream illuminated by a fair light that also revealed countless shimmering dwellings.

  As Unchi forced the fox demon to walk in front of him, maidens dressed in colorful clothing came out.

  “Our young lady has returned from her hunt, so we are sure to eat well today.”

  Overcome with rage, Unchi beat those demons to death before hammering the nine-tailed fox with his pick yet again. The creature could not bear it, so it called out to others.

  “Go quickly to my box of precious objects and bring three books that are in it.”

  A demon hurriedly brought the books.

  When Unchi examined them, he could tell that they indeed contained Heavenly Wisdom, but he could not read their characters. He told the nine-tailed fox to teach him.

  “I will teach you only if you unbind my hands.”

  When he raised his hammer, the nine-tailed fox relented.

  Unchi spoke to her without unbinding her hands. “We will go back to the temple.”

  They returned to Segeum Temple, where Unchi drank some liquor and learned to read the book of Heavenly Wisdom, the first volume of which he mastered in a single night. Not even a supernatural spirit could fathom such an ability. It was only then that he unbound the fox demon’s hands. He also attached to the first volume the paper with a talismanic symbol he was given.

  “I was going to kill you to rid the world of your evil, but you have done me a favor, so I will let you live. Do not engage in unseemly acts ever again.”

  The nine-tailed fox bowed to him before leaving.

  After some time had passed, a powerful wind suddenly blew open the door, and a voice came shouting from a blue cloud.

  “Gusipja! Take the rope with you, but leave the talismanic paper behind.”

  Unchi hurried out as the blue cloud flew away. He expressed his gratitude toward the sky and returned to his room. Sometime later, a gentleman arrived outside the temple on a donkey and ascended the stone steps to the building. It was none other than Yun Gong.

  After Unchi hurriedly informed him of all that had happened, Yun Gong addressed him. “This is not a book that a scholar should read, so how dare you even look at it?”

  Unchi did not know how to reply to that. He then realized that Yun Gong had disappeared without a trace. He looked around in shock and found that one of the books was missing. As he wondered where it could be, he heard the sound of a wailing woman. When he went outside, he saw his former nanny coming with her hair undone.

  She spoke to him while weeping. “Your mother was perfectly fine yesterday, but she passed away in the night. You must hurry home.”

  Unchi, in great shock, looked for his books so that he could take them with him, but then he realized that both the nanny and another volume had disappeared.

  Unchi spoke out in rage. “Those evil demons thought me so low as to trick me like this, so I will go to their cave, retrieve my books, and get rid of them all.”

  He went forth with his pick and hammer, but he found the mountains and valleys so rough and the road so long that he could not find the cave. He went back and thought to himself. “I don’t know the full extent of those demons’ magical powers, so I shouldn’t stay here.”

  So he gathered his things and returned home. Because he had put the talismanic pape
r on the first volume of the book of Heavenly Wisdom, the demons could not steal it back as they did with the others.

  * * *

  —

  Once Unchi studied the book of Heavenly Wisdom, he became the master of all forms of magic. He also lost interest in taking the final civil examination.

  “It will take too long to provide my mother with a comfortable life by becoming a government official.”

  And he came up with an alternative plan.

  With one shake of his body, he gave himself the appearance of a divine official of the Heavenly Realm. He then summoned many-colored clouds and rode them all the way to the royal residence of Daemyeong Palace, where he set himself down while spreading an air that filled the place with a sense of holiness. The palace servants ran about in panic, not knowing what to do, until some of them finally informed the king.

  “An event of extreme rarity has occurred.”

  The king, in great surprise, questioned the servants about what they had seen.

  Out of the thick clouds, Unchi sent forth a heavenly servant boy in a blue suit to announce his coming.

  “King of Goryeo, receive the command of the Great Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Realm.”

  The king ordered that a carpet be laid out and a table with an incense burner placed on it. He then proceeded out to meet the heavenly official who was standing upright in the midst of many-colored clouds, dressed in a red robe, wearing a golden crown, and accompanied by servant boys at his sides.

  After the king bowed down to him four times and then prostrated himself on the ground, Unchi spoke to him. “A palace in the Heavenly Realm has become old and worn. In order to make repairs, I came down to the world of humans and visited many countries to inform people of the upcoming work. I have received from them all the tributes that are needed for the construction, except for a girder of gold. The Great Jade Emperor knows that your kingdom is rich in gold, so he commands that you submit a golden girder by the seventh day of the seventh month, on the Hour of the Horse.*8 It has to be ten cheok*9 and five chon*10 long, and three cheok and two chon thick. If you do not submit it by that time, a great calamity will fall upon you.”

  When he finished speaking, a serene tune was heard as the many-colored clouds flew away to the south. The king bowed down four times in the direction, then summoned all his officials to discuss the matter.

  They spoke to him. “Official pronouncements should be sent out to all eight provinces of the land, ordering the gathering of gold to fulfill heaven’s commandment. We think that is the right course.”

  The king agreed and immediately sent out orders to the provinces to collect gold. When all the necessary metal was brought to the capital, a master craftsman was tasked to fashion the girder in the required dimensions. After it was completed, the king kept his mind and body pure for three days while waiting for the heavenly official to return.

  At the end of the three days, in the Hour of the Dragon,*11 many-colored clouds came and filled the palace with a fragrant air before the heavenly official appeared. From either side of him boy servants in blue robes came riding on cranes, picked up the golden girder with metal hooks, and placed it inside the clouds. The clouds then dissipated to the east and the west.

  The king went up to the incense table and bowed down four times before returning to his residence. There, his officials congratulated him for concluding the matter successfully.

  Because Unchi tricked the king into giving him a golden girder, there was a shortage of gold in the kingdom. He knew that if he tried to sell the precious object, it would draw attention, so he came up with a plan. He cut off just the top part of the girder and took it to a city.

  When a police officer saw it, he became suspicious. “Where did you get that gold, and how much is it?”

  “It came from a legitimate source, and it is worth five hundred gold pieces.”

  “If you tell me where you live, I’ll bring the money to you.”

  “I live in the southwestern side of Songak Mountain, and my name is Jeon Unchi.”

  After the police officer agreed to meet with Unchi, he went to the government office and reported everything to the governor.

  “There has to be some story behind this. We should investigate this matter before arresting the wretch.”

  He then gave the police officer five hundred coins and told him to go and buy the gold. The officer immediately went to the southwest and met with Unchi, who sold the gold to him.

  The officer returned to the governor, who examined it before exclaiming in surprise, “This is the top part of the golden girder for certain. We’ll arrest the culprit and get the truth out of him before reporting the matter to the king.”

  The governor sent a team of policemen led by ten or so officers to the southwest to arrest Unchi. When they came, Unchi served them a sumptuous meal.

  “I know you’ve exerted yourself coming all the way here, but I won’t be going with you. Your governor is not powerful enough to bring me in. But if the king himself orders my arrest, then I’ll surrender myself.”

  As Unchi sat stock-still, for some reason the officers could not bring themselves to lay their hands on him. So they ended up returning to the city and reporting everything to the governor, who became alarmed. He dispatched five hundred policemen to surround Unchi’s house and sent a report to the king. The governor’s story enraged the monarch, who gathered his officials to discuss the matter before ordering the Office of the State Tribunal to take charge of the case.

  Unchi was serving his mother a plentiful meal that he was able to provide with the money he had made, when he heard of the order from the capital city to put him under arrest. He thought a great deal and came up with a stratagem.

  When soldiers led by an officer of the State Tribunal arrived, Unchi picked up a water bottle and spoke to his mother. “Quickly, mother, get inside this bottle.”

  His mother somehow went in, followed by Unchi himself.

  The officer thought it very strange, but he put a plug in the bottle’s opening. As he then traveled to the capital night and day, he could hear a voice coming from inside the container.

  “I went in here to avoid all the chaos outside. But someone plugged up the opening, so I’m suffocating. Remove the plug!”

  The officer ignored the voice as he finally went before the king and reported everything that had occurred.

  The king spoke out. “I’ve heard that Unchi knows magic, but how could he possibly get inside a bottle?”

  Unchi’s voice came from the bottle. “It’s so stuffy in here. Please remove the plug.”

  When the king realized that Unchi was indeed inside, he asked his officials what he should do.

  They answered him. “We don’t know what kind of magic this wretch is capable of, so if we are not careful, he is liable to escape.”

  The king ordered oil to be boiled in an iron pot and had the water bottle placed in it.

  Unchi spoke out from inside. “Because I was so poor, I have been shivering night and day from the cold. But now that I am in a hot place where I can warm my body, my gratitude knows no end.”

  The oil boiled from morning to night until it all dissipated. The king then ordered the bottle to be broken, but when it shattered on the ground, no one appeared. Instead, all the broken pieces hurriedly went before the king. “I am here, your lowly subject Jeon Unchi.”

  The alarmed king ordered that the pieces be gathered and boiled in oil once more. He also commanded that Jeon Unchi’s house be destroyed and his land turned into a pond.

  Upon his order to arrest Unchi again, his officials spoke up. “This wicked criminal seems hard to catch, so perhaps the best way to avoid further trouble is to put up a notice on all four gates of the city announcing that if Unchi surrenders on his own accord, his crime will be forgiven and he will be given an official position in the
government. Once he appears, you could give him a very difficult task. And when he fails to carry it out, you could have him executed then. We believe that this is the right course.”

  After the king heard them out, he immediately ordered notices to be put up on the four gates, which read as follows.

  “Jeon Unchi committed a great crime against the country, but given his special talents, he will be pardoned and given an official position. So come forth on your own accord.”

  * * *

  —

  Unchi took his mother into a mountain, where he spent his days riding on a cloud and wandering around as it pleased him. One day, he came to a place where a white-haired old man was weeping sadly. Unchi asked him why he was so sad.

  “I am seventy years old and I have a son, but I am lamenting because he has been falsely accused of murder.”

  Unchi asked for details of the situation.

  “In our village, there is a man named Wang whose wife is very beautiful. My son came to share his affection with her, so he went in and out of their house. But the wife, being a licentious woman, also shared affection with a man named Jo. One day, Wang caught his wife with Jo and the two of them ended up fighting. My son happened to come by and separated the two before sending Jo away, but Wang ended up dying of his wounds. Wang’s cousin reported the death to the government office, turning it into a murder case. Jo is a houseguest of the magistrate Yang Mungi, so he was able to escape prosecution, so it was my son who ended up becoming written up as a murderous criminal. That’s why I am so sad.”

  “If that is the truth, I will make sure that your son is safe.”

  After Unchi left the old man, he shook his body and turned himself into pure wind before flying to the house of Yang Mungi. There, he found Yang in the main chamber, looking at himself in a mirror. Unchi gave himself the appearance of Wang and stood next to Yang, who, surprised by the uncanny appearance, put down the mirror and looked around. But he saw no one else in the chamber.