31. Wait, Are You a Beast?
“The unorthodox sects will be wiped from the Murim forever!”
That was the furious declaration the Namgung Clan spat out, coughing up blood, more than a decade ago.
Even after the Great War of Righteousness and Evil ended, the Namgung Clan continued to bleed.
They hunted down and annihilated the remnants of the Evil Faction Alliance to the very ends of the Murim.
They crushed and burned, as if determined to ensure that evil would never rise again.
But the Murim is never that simple.
Even a minor sect that had been annihilated would, sooner or later, find someone to carry on its legacy.
Let alone the Evil Faction Alliance, which was a coalition of all the unorthodox sects—its complete end was impossible.
Still, they were optimistic. They burned the Evil Faction Alliance to the ground and severed the lineages of all unorthodox martial arts. They destroyed every secret manual. It would be decades before the unorthodox sects could ever rise again.
Unfortunately, such optimism is always destined to be shattered.
Honam Island appeared.
A former executive of the Evil Faction Alliance.
A notorious villain, infamous for his ruthlessness. His reappearance alone was shocking. He attacked the righteous Azure Hero Society and nearly destroyed it single-handedly.
It was, in effect, an attack on the righteous sects. The thought that the Great War of Righteousness and Evil might not truly be over sent a chill through the minds of everyone in the Namgung Clan.
“The remnants of the Evil Faction Alliance are still active!”
“If they’re using the Black Path, shouldn’t we wipe out the Black Path first?”
“Let’s not act rashly! He might have been acting alone!”
“Still haven’t made him talk? Use torture if you have to!”
The Namgung Clan took this matter extremely seriously. They squeezed every bit of manpower and time they had to interrogate the prisoner.
But then, in the Heavenly Prison, he suddenly died.
“Why did Master Son do it?”
“Well, he was the one who caught him, but still…”
The situation became even more complicated.
From the Blood-Iron Fiend, to the Azure Hero Society, and now a former executive of the Evil Faction Alliance.
Sun Wukong was undoubtedly a benefactor to the Namgung Clan.
Moreover, Muhwa had shared what she’d heard from Sun Wukong, making it clear they had a common enemy.
He was an unusually proactive and assertive retainer. An ally with the same enemies as the Namgung Clan. Someone who, despite hiding suspicious motives, clearly held goodwill toward the clan.
That was how Sun Wukong was perceived by the Namgung Clan.
But killing someone in the Namgung Clan’s Heavenly Prison without permission was a serious issue, so Muhwa stepped forward to represent them.
“Why did you kill him?”
“Because he deserved to die.”
Sun Wukong replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He acted as if it was only right.
Muhwa hesitated for a moment.
‘He said it was a personal grudge, didn’t he?’
She could guess easily enough.
This was the Murim, where countless grudges and vendettas intertwined.
‘He was a former executive of the Evil Faction Alliance, after all.’
Muhwa’s gaze grew strange. Sun Wukong’s face was unusually serious, so different from his usual cheerful expression. Suddenly, she felt a sense of kinship.
‘Was he your enemy…?’
Muhwa was the same. Long ago, she lost her parents to the Evil Faction Alliance.
‘Why did it happen?’
In her hazy, foggy memories, her family had been ordinary civilians. Yet the Evil Faction Alliance specifically targeted and hunted them down. Even when they barely escaped, they were pursued again and again.
She remembered, just barely.
The scent of her mother as she clung to her while fleeing.
Her mother’s feet, never stopping until they reached the Namgung Clan in Anhui Province, desperate to save at least her child.
Grudges don’t fade or dilute with time.
“Was it revenge?”
“It was. They killed my family.”
Muhwa let out a sigh. In the Murim, revenge is the ultimate justification. Avenging a grudge—there’s no stronger motivation to draw a sword.
‘There’s no need to hold him accountable for this. At least, not now.’
Setting aside personal feelings, Muhwa coolly considered the power dynamics of the Murim.
‘Honestly, I can’t even gauge how strong he really is.’
He toyed with the Black Path leaders, and even took down Honam Island single-handedly.
‘He’s a different type from the other retainers.’
Most of the Namgung Clan’s retainers are eccentric hermits who want nothing to do with the world, disillusioned with society.
But Sun Wukong is different.
‘He didn’t hesitate to step up, even when we made unreasonable demands to help recover the Azure Hero Society’s assets.’
He said he was looking for someone.
He came here with a purpose, so he should be watched. But if that purpose can be used, that’s another story.
‘For now, our goals align.’
Blood-Iron Fiend, and even Honam Island.
All enemies of the Namgung Clan. All enemies of Sun Wukong. Their interests matched. If some shadowy organization was lurking, the Namgung Clan—desperately short on manpower—couldn’t ask for a better asset than Sun Wukong.
‘Rather than rebuke him here, it’s better to make him feel indebted.’
Sun Wukong surely knew he’d crossed a line by killing Honam Island on his own.
Muhwa decided to act boldly.
“Good. You did well.”
“Huh?”
Sun Wukong’s eyes widened at the unexpected response.
“I wouldn’t have been able to hold back either. You said it was personal revenge, right? I don’t need to ask for details—I can guess. I lost my family to the Evil Faction Alliance too. Honestly, by killing Honam Island, you saved others from suffering.”
“……”
Sun Wukong fell silent. Not because he had nothing to say.
A brief confusion flickered across his face. Suddenly, his head throbbed.
He is a being who does not forget.
In his distant past, every memory remains vivid, never fading.
So when a powerful sense of déjà vu struck him, even his breath trembled.
Before long, a voice from the distant past echoed in his ears.
—If I were you, I wouldn’t have been able to hold back either. After what they did to your family, how could you let it go? In fact, by killing the Demon King of Chaos, you saved countless others from suffering.
“Ah…”
It was a completely different situation, a different person.
The solemn, noble voice of Tripitaka, and the calm, gentle voice of Muhwa.
They should have been completely different.
But Sun Wukong felt the two voices overlap in his ears.
The warmth and compassion that shone through those gentle eyes.
A familiar, long-missed feeling. He saw it now in Muhwa’s gaze.
‘How…?’
The pale face of Tripitaka, who spoke as if he understood the beast raging inside Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong stared blankly at Muhwa.
Muhwa smiled lightly and added,
“We’re not Buddhas. There’s no need to act like one.”
—We’re not Buddhas. Why act like one?
“…I’ll explain everything to the elders. But please, don’t let this happen again.”
Muhwa trailed off as she spoke. At some point, Sun Wukong had stopped responding entirely. Only then did she realize he was staring at her, deeply, almost piercingly.
“…Master Son?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“What do you mean?”
“That line—about not needing to act like a Buddha if you’re not one.”
Muhwa tilted her head.
“I just… thought of it, I guess.”
Sun Wukong’s face grew complicated. His expression was so troubled that Muhwa couldn’t bring herself to say anything more.
*
<Well? Other than being ridiculously strong, I don’t know much.>
Sun Wukong bit his lip at Owl Demon’s words.
<Unlike you, Great Sage, I don’t have Fate Vision to see past lives…>
“Yeah, I know. I get it.”
He hadn’t expected an answer. No one in the Mortal World could answer his question about Muhwa’s past life.
No one with Fate Vision could exist here.
“Tripitaka…”
The words were almost identical to what Tripitaka had said in his distant memories.
Of course, it was a common phrase. Nothing special or profound.
But the timing was uncanny.
Someone connected to him by the String of Karma had said those words.
“…But for Tripitaka, she’s a bit…”
Isn’t she a little rough?
He remembered her beating up the Black Path leader right in front of him.
…No, she really doesn’t seem like Tripitaka.
After thinking for a while, Sun Wukong scratched his chin, annoyed.
“Ugh, Tripitaka, seriously. Even in reincarnation, you make it so hard to recognize you. Why can’t you ever make it easy?”
He sighed and spoke to Owl Demon.
“Stay close to her.”
<Is this surveillance?>
“Not exactly…”
Well, not wrong either.
Sun Wukong looked at Owl Demon. The white owl blinked its big eyes and tilted its head. At a glance, it was just an adorable animal.
“You do have some power, right?”
Owl Demon stretched its short neck as long as it could.
He could almost hear it clearing its throat.
<At least in my territory, I’m a Mountain Spirit!>
“Uh… sure.”
Not exactly intimidating, but still, a Mountain Spirit is a Mountain Spirit…
Sun Wukong hesitated, wondering if he could really trust this one with the job.
‘Still, as long as the Earth God doesn’t leave his territory…’
Earth Gods are incredibly powerful within their domains.
This little guy, flapping its wings and turning its head, was, in its own territory, almost like an Immortal.
He’s just young, but an old enough Earth God is someone even Great Demons wouldn’t mess with.
‘Even the Peng of Kunlun or the Turtle of the Southern Sea are tough to deal with.’
At least around the Namgung Clan, Owl Demon was a reliable card.
More so than Wujing, who was powerless outside the water.
“If she really is Tripitaka’s reincarnation, something’s bound to happen.”
<Something?>
“If it’s Tripitaka, it means a body without a soul. You never know when it’ll collapse.”
The problem is time.
No matter how noble the soul, if it’s separated from the body for too long, the body will eventually fail.
When that happens, Owl Demon has the ability to respond quickly.
<Aha, leave it to me, Great Sage!>
Owl Demon spread its wings wide, then thumped its chest in salute.
<But, could you do me a favor?>
“A favor?”
Owl Demon twisted its neck from side to side, cautiously.
<Um, could I… maybe snuggle in your arms like that other creature?>
“……”
What a weird…
Meow.
Just then, a cat poked its head out from Sun Wukong’s robe and hissed. The owl glared at the cat, and a sudden standoff broke out.
Watching the two Mountain Spirits and the animals, Sun Wukong let out a deep sigh.
“If you do a good job, I’ll even let you build a nest on my head.”
<Understood!>
Owl Demon bounced up and down on its skinny legs.
As their conversation wrapped up, Sun Wukong looked at Wujing, who was staring at him.
“…Are you talking to the owl now?”
A look as if she was witnessing something bizarre.
First he talked to a cat, now an owl?
“Seriously, are you some kind of beast?”
Sun Wukong replied without batting an eye.
“Say hello. This is Owl Demon, an Earth God.”
“…So the cat is Master Jangkyung, and the owl is an Earth God.”
Ah.
Another addition to the lore, huh.
Wujing still couldn’t figure out how to react to Sun Wukong, who had been showing her these bizarre scenes since noon.
After thinking for a while, she gave up.
‘Fine. If he wants to keep up the act, I’ll play along.’
Wujing let out a deep sigh and bowed deeply.
She bowed in the direction of Owl Demon.
“Earth God, this unworthy human greets you.”
If she was going to play along, it wasn’t humiliating.
But when the owl nodded as if it understood, a wave of humiliation washed over her.
Wujing sighed inwardly and greeted the cat, too.
“Did you sleep well last night, Master Jangkyung?”
Meow.
The cat responded as if accepting the greeting. For some reason, it felt strange.
“…Okay, I’ve greeted everyone. Now, can you tell me why you called me?”
“We’re going to Ho Family Fortress.”
“Ho Family Fortress? That’s the surviving Black Path Faction, right?”
“That’s right.”
The only Black Path leader Muhwa had insisted on sparing.
“He was the one who had direct contact with Honam Island and took orders from him. We need to find the connection.”
“Why do we have to do that… Oh, right. The Namgung Clan must be swamped.”
Wujing was right.
All their manpower was tied up recovering the Azure Hero Society’s assets and restoring order.
“And the Dragon Phoenix Assembly is about to start, too.”
“Dragon Phoenix Assembly?”
“It’s a social gathering for the heirs of the Five Great Families. This time, it’s being held at the Namgung Clan. That’s why the clan leader’s son and niece, who were out in the Murim, are coming back.”
“What a hassle.”
“It’s actually a pretty important event. It’s a gathering of the next leaders of the Five Great Families. Plus, the Young Clan Master’s Azure Dragon Rite of Passage will be held during it.”
“They must be busy.”
“Yes. It’s not far off, so everyone will be gathering at the clan soon, but there’s been no news yet. I’d like to see the heirs from the other families at least once.”
“Not interested.”
No need to worry about a bunch of kids playing house.