The sun's halo of light shone in the skies, giving a rejuvenating morning in the woods. The cold breeze of the spring wind caressed every element in the forest. As the chirping of the birds resounded and the boughs bowed down and greeted, Dae Wong and his men woke up. They ate and prepared for their journey.

Traveling in a single line, one nangdo at the front, the minister in the middle, and one nangdo at the back, the group successfully passed through Jinju District. There were only two hours left before they reach the village of Anju.

After passing the last set of green towering canopies from Jinju District, their eyes laid its sights to the sea of grass in a vast prairie. The once sweet chlorophyll flavors of the trees in the forest kissed their nostrils goodbye as they were seduced by the comforting fragrance of the grass. The golden-brown grass army swayed elegantly, following the direction of the wind from a sky-spearing blue mountain from afar.

As they enjoy the magnificent views of the prairie, the horse at the back suddenly twitched its body upward and whinnied loudly, causing the nangdo to fall.

"What happened?"

Dae Wong turned his horse back. The other nangdo pointed his fingers to the tail of a snake slithering away quickly to the tall grasses.

"There! A snake!"

Everyone was startled. The minister ordered the two nangdos to look for any wounds. Unfortunately, one of them had found two small circular holes on the right leg of the horse. Having a hint of an obvious outcome, the minister still ordered the two nangdos to get some cloth to cover the wound of the helpless horse.

It was too late. The horse stumbled completely to the ground, waiting for its pitiful demise. Feeling sorry towards the poor horse, he ordered his men to leave the horse and distribute their things to the two remaining alive horses. The minister sighed out of frustration. With this unfortunate random event, the Heavens truly tested their determination.

As the minister contemplated this mission, the King, back in the palace, was greeted by a rough morning. He did not have a good sleep since the start of the preparations for the solar eclipse. He was always uneasy, pestered by nightmares. He did not perceive the sun's rays as something that gives light to the whole palace, for he had been living in a place full of darkness.

He rose from his bed, making himself ready for another tough day. Slipping his feet to the wool slippers, he heard Yeol's voice, asking for audience early in the morning. He wondered what could that be for it has been a long time since he visited personally.

"Minister Yeol, what can I do for you this morning?"

The old minister bowed, paying his respect, "I came here to talk about the Queen."

Confused with what he heard, the King asked for his purpose. The minister did not come to talk about the kingdom's finances or whatsoever. He came to have a heart to heart talk with his son-in-law. As a father, he was worried about the Queen's sensitive pregnancy. News regarding the twins traveled to him easily, like a blowing wind in the vast ocean.

This made the King extremely worried, for the number of people who knew their secret had increased. "I understand, Minister Yeol. You are concerned for your daughter and for your future grandsons. Worry not. The eclipse will not happen."

"I entrust the lives of my daughter and grandsons to you, Sire. I know that you will do the best for them."

"Certainly, my father-in-law. I love them so much. Trust me. I will protect both of them."

The King smiled, and he held the hands of his father-in-law.

Yeol smiled back, "My deepest gratitude, Sire, for understanding the sentiments of a father."

~~•~~

As the sun's crown of light continued to color the crystal-blue skies, Chil Yook's group was able to pass through Dae Wong's trail. He saw a palace horse lying dead on the prairie ground. One of his nangdos went down and inspected the horse. He reported that the horse just died recently. Scanning through the horse's body, Chil Yook realized that they were not too far behind from Dae Wong's group, fueling his desire to accomplish his missions.

After hours of travel, the mysterious images of Anju village finally revealed itself. It was the least improved place in the kingdom, but the most spectacular in terms of nature. Each color of the trees, the leaves, the mountains, and the streams were vividly crisp and vibrant. Sweet scents of pine trees filled the entire village, tingling their nostrils. If there was one thing exciting in this long travel, it was the exposure to a lot of natural scents. People were very joyful and lively, away from the stress and pressures of the capital.

Dae Wong's group went to the public market, where a lot of people were concentrated in the morning. With a smaller population, the noise was actually lesser as well. Roaming around, they asked where they could find a small temple. People were inconsistent with their directions because of their busy schedules.

Unbeknown to them, Chil Yook's group had managed to get to the marketplace as well. They started asking directions as well about this small temple, where a multi-language literate abbot is allegedly living.

"Excuse me, do you know where to find a small temple in the forest?" one of the nangdo asked.

"Temple? Which temple? I think we have three temples in the forest," a random seller answered.

Scratching his head, the nangdo looked at Chil Yook and shook his head. The Grand Marshal signaled him to continue asking, "So, where are these temples located?"

"My apologies for I have no knowledge. I am just new here. All I know is that there are three."

A sign of displeasure embossed on Chil Yook's entire visage. He ordered to continue asking. If turning the whole place upside down would make him find answers, he would certainly do it.

~~•~~

Meanwhile, Dae Wong's group rested outside a small tavern. They had tied their horses in a wooden post outside. One of his nangdos complained while sitting at a table, waiting for their food, "My Lord, this is very exhausting. These people seemed to have no idea where this temple might be located.

"Enough with your grousing! Remember, we have come this far. We do not want this to end up like nothing," Dae Wong reproached. He drank his water placed in a wooden container and savored it up until the last drop.

The other nangdo, who was standing near the horses, chuckled, chewing his last packed bread. When the two had received their food from the tavern owner, they stood and walked to their horses.

Out of a sudden, a random bearded man, who seemed like an unstable, deranged beggar, walked near the nangdo. Like a falcon, he suddenly snatched their food and dashed away.

"Hey! Thief!"

They untied their horses and mounted quickly to chase the crazy beggar.

"Out of the way, out of the way!"

Everyone in the market panicked with the loud sound of the stomps of the horses. Some exchanged chatters regarding the beggar, who once again stole food from travelers.

From afar, as Chil Yook's group continued asking, one of his nangdos noticed the slight rumpus, "Grand Marshal, there seemed to be a commotion there!"

Chil Yook cocked his head, stretching his neck in curiosity. He was shocked when he saw a palace horse, "Idiot! That's the palace horse. It was them!"

They quickly lashed their horses and chased Dae Wong's group.

~~•~~

The beggar ran quickly to the forest. He was very fast, slick and agile like a monkey. He ran through the pine trails, crossed a flowing stream, and swung on hanging vines. After some time, the horses outrun him, making him run out of luck. One of the nangdos jumped out of the horse and pinned the beggar down, "You knave! How dare you snatch our food?" he yelled.

The beggar just laughed. Then suddenly, an old bald man wearing simple brown robe and beads of necklace saw what they did and approached them quickly.

"Please stop. Spare him please" the old man requested calmly.

"We need to teach this beggar a lesson," the other nangdo contradicted.

"He is my friend. Come. As a sign of apology, I would like to offer you a drink at my house."

They released the beggar, and the man ran to the bald man and clung to his arms. They followed them to their house and discovered that he was living in a small temple hidden in the forest.

"This is my little home," the bald man smiled.

"Wow! I guess this is it... the one that we have been looking for," one of the nangdos said.

They were bewildered at the small yet meticulously-crafted temple. The crazy beggar turned out to be a blessing in disguise on their long trip.

Upon entering the temple, the bald man led them to a small room at the back. The room was dimly lit with red scented candles. There were few ancient furniture and relics. At the center, there was a small table, which the monk offered them to a seat. Without any hesitation, Dae Wong asked if the bald man was a monk.

The bald man just smiled. He gave them water and offered them some food.

Dae Wong was somehow convinced that he might be the monk they were looking for. He stood up and introduced himself, "I am Park Dae Wong, the second rank minister of the Silla Kingdom. I have heard that there is a monk living in a small temple in Anju who is a multi-language literate. The King commanded me to look for him to read this almanac that I have. Is that monk... you?"

The bald man chuckled, "I am amazed that I am quite famous. I guess that was me. I can read and understand many languages. Do you mind if I look into that almanac?"

~~•~~

Chil Yook and his hwarangs lost sight of the minister's company, making him very furious. His two nangdos tried to calm him down and suggested a way to catch them. One of his nangdos was sure that no matter where they were, they would still go back to the marketplace to be on track, returning to the palace. In short, it will be a stealth attack.

As they spoke, they were not aware that Dae Wong had successfully talked to the monk already. Basing on that, he was half-way near the truth regarding the almanac's mystery. The monk read the almanac and, shockingly, he dropped it quickly asking them to leave.

"What did you just say? Are you sure about that? There must be a mistake!" Dae Wong exclaimed in denial.

"Very certain. I will bet my fingers for this."

"Goodness! We are in great trouble!"

Rubbing his fingers on his temples, the minister asked the monk the fastest way to the marketplace. He desperately wanted to return to the palace in an instant.

"Follow the pine trail. When you already passed a stream, turn left. You will be a few paces away from the market."

"This cannot be! We should inform the King before he makes an announcement to the public!"

"Lady Jang, you fooled us!"

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