Tale of the Black Tortoise

Synopsis

Hyeonhwaguk. A nation that achieved thousands of years of prosperity under the joint rule of the human king and the Four Guardian Deity Hyeonmu. Jinheon, seated on the throne at court, seeks to steal the power of the divine beast Mukhyun and establish a country ruled solely by humans. However, at the very moment he could have taken Mukhyun’s power, he is thwarted by the existence of Jahyeon.

Yeonhwi is a talented young man who placed first in the state examination. Yet because he is a son born of a concubine, his excellence displeases his father, who ultimately poisons him to death. Having lived his entire life yearning for his father’s approval, Yeonhwi stands at the brink of death filled with resentment just as powerful as his desire to be loved.

That resentment reaches Mukhyun.

Mukhyun finds Yeonhwi and brings him to the palace. Stripping him of his human name, Mukhyun grants him the name of a divine beast, Jahyeon, and intends to keep him by his side.