35. Far From a Thief
“Argh! Should I just burn it all down?!”
A sharp shout rattled the entire hall.
The Law Enforcement Hall staff flinched for a moment, but quickly went back to their work as if they were used to it.
“Hoo…”
Only after letting out a loud yell did Muhwa seem to calm down, exhaling a deep sigh.
“Work, work, always work. Even after finishing one thing, there’s more, and then more after that.”
The mountain of documents piled on her desk never seemed to shrink, no matter how much time passed.
In fact, it only seemed to grow.
Shadows hung under Muhwa’s eyes, and exhaustion was written all over her face.
“Why does everything always pile up at once?”
With a heavy heart, Muhwa stared at the small tray Si-bi had brought her.
It was piled high with sweets.
She picked one up with her fingers, hesitated, then squeezed her eyes shut and popped it into her mouth.
The irritation melted from her face.
After chewing a few more, a bit of color returned to her cheeks.
But worry crept in.
“I’m a martial artist, yet here I am, sitting all day reading documents and snacking…”
Didn’t King Liu Bei of Han lament that his thighs grew fat because he never rode a horse?
Muhwa looked down at her stomach and sighed deeply. It seemed a little rounder than before, and that dampened her mood.
She wanted nothing more than to head out to the training grounds and swing her sword freely, but she didn’t even have a moment to spare.
“First, the Golden Clan Lord will handle acquiring the Azure Hero Society’s businesses at a fair price.”
As Law Enforcement Hall Leader, she was supposed to oversee and monitor the deals for any illegalities or personal gain, but Muhwa didn’t care.
“The Golden Clan Lord isn’t the type to do anything shady. Of course not.”
It was absolutely not because she was busy, or bothered, or tired.
She simply trusted her clan’s elders.
“Right? Little one?”
Muhwa smiled at the white owl perched on her shoulder.
The owl blinked its big eyes and tilted its head.
The owl was adorable, almost as if it understood human speech. One day, it had flown in and never left Muhwa’s side. She found it so clever and cute that she kept it close, often stroking its feathers.
Whenever other martial artists tried to touch it out of curiosity, it would spread its wings and peck at them with its beak, never letting its guard down.
The way it only acted affectionate toward her was especially endearing.
Even when she was overwhelmed with work and frustration, just looking at the owl would calm her down.
Muhwa broke a sweet into small pieces and placed them on her palm.
“These are my favorite, you know. I don’t share them with just anyone. Here, have some.”
She watched in a daze as the owl pecked at the treats, then frowned at the next document.
‘This…’
It wasn’t official Law Enforcement Hall business. But it was something Muhwa had to handle personally.
“It’s from the Murim Alliance.”
A letter stamped with the Murim Alliance’s seal.
“Wishing for the successful hosting of the Dragon Phoenix Assembly, the Alliance will send a delegation… Who asked for that, I wonder.”
Muhwa didn’t like the tone from the very start.
Since when did the Murim Alliance, dominated by the Nine Great Sects, ever celebrate an exchange meeting of the Five Great Families?
There was an addendum at the end.
“With the recent activity of the Blood-Iron Fiend and on Honam Island, we are concerned about the Evil Faction’s movements, and would like to have an open conversation with the Namgung Clan, heroes of the Orthodox Faction…”
Muhwa smirked coldly.
As expected, it was just an excuse. All show and no substance.
“They just want to get a look inside the Namgung Clan.”
The Namgung Clan was notorious for strictly forbidding outsiders from entering—almost as closed off as the Sichuan Tang Clan.
At best, they barely interacted with the other Five Great Families, and had all but severed ties with the Murim Alliance.
Even the Beggar’s Sect, which prided itself on knowing everything about the world, had given up on the Namgung Clan.
Now, with the Evil Faction’s recent stirrings as the perfect excuse, the Alliance wanted to get a foot in the door.
“What a headache.”
Muhwa sighed and automatically reached for another sweet.
“What’s got you so worried?”
“Eek!”
Muhwa jumped in surprise, sending the sweets flying.
Sun Wukong was leaning casually against the door. He was so natural that, for a moment, Muhwa wondered if she was in Sun Wukong’s room instead of her own. She asked in a dazed voice,
“…When did you get here?”
“Since you started munching on those sweets.”
“So you’ve been here for ages!”
Muhwa blushed, recalling how greedily she’d been eating. Sun Wukong nonchalantly pulled out a chair and sat down.
“How did you sneak in so quietly…?”
“Maybe you were too focused on your work to notice.”
“…”
Muhwa pouted.
That couldn’t be. As a martial artist, she always kept her ears open and her senses sharp.
It was essential for reacting to sudden attacks.
Which meant Sun Wukong had deliberately hidden his presence.
“Don’t tell me… you’re a disciple of the Heavenly Shadow Divine Thief or something?”
“Heavenly Shadow Divine Thief?”
“A legendary thief.”
“Come on, I’m nothing like a thief.”
If the Queen Mother of the West, Grand Marshal Tai Shang, or the Jade Emperor heard that, after having their peaches, elixirs, and wine stolen, they’d be cursing up a storm.
Muhwa shook her head.
‘Unless he’s mastered a martial art skill specialized in hiding presence, how could I not have noticed at all?’
If Sun Wukong had been an assassin sent by Sama Ryeon, she wouldn’t have even had a chance to react before losing her life.
A chill ran down Muhwa’s spine. She felt a fresh wave of relief that Sun Wukong was on the Namgung Clan’s side.
Just then, the owl that had been pecking at the sweets suddenly fluttered over to Sun Wukong.
Muhwa let out a dumbfounded sound.
“Huh?”
The owl tried to nestle into his arms, but when a cat poked its head out and hissed, the owl drooped its wings and sat meekly beside Sun Wukong.
She never imagined the owl would abandon her treats and fly to Sun Wukong.
“I’ve never seen that owl act so friendly with anyone before.”
Sun Wukong looked at the owl with mild indifference.
“You keep a cat too? You must be good with animals.”
“It’s just in my nature.”
“Sorry?”
Sun Wukong chuckled. Of course, a monkey would get along better with animals than with people.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I took care of the Ho Family Fortress situation.”
Muhwa’s eyes narrowed.
“How did you manage that? With the Ho Family Head’s current state, it should’ve been impossible to restore his authority.”
“Well, that old man put up quite a fight.”
“Hmmm…”
Even if the Anhui Underworld Faction had collapsed, it wouldn’t just disappear.
As long as the Ho Family Fortress was in the Namgung Clan’s grasp and under proper control, it didn’t matter who became the head. Of course, she never imagined that the Ho Family Head had bowed not to the Namgung Clan, but to Sun Wukong.
“Thank you for your help. It must’ve been a hassle.”
She was simply grateful that he had helped lighten the Namgung Clan’s burdens.
“I just went out for some fresh air. No need to thank me. Oh, and the kids from the Five Great Families and the Namgung kids have arrived for that Dragon Phoenix Assembly or whatever.”
“Mu-yeong and Seo-wol?”
Muhwa’s eyes sparkled, her face lighting up with delight.
“Ah, we’ve been like siblings since we were little.”
They were the only ones close to her age.
Muttering to herself, Muhwa tilted her head.
“But why haven’t they come to the clan yet…?”
“They’re hanging out at a tavern.”
“Oh.”
Muhwa nodded, understanding. Once they entered the clan, they’d have to act as representatives of their families, so they were probably enjoying themselves while they still could.
Ah, youth…
Muhwa was actually grateful. If they’d arrived today, she would’ve been overwhelmed with even more to do.
“I heard the Murim Alliance is sending people too?”
“Ah…”
Muhwa hesitated. Was it right to discuss internal clan matters with a retainer?
But then she remembered—Sun Wukong wasn’t like the other retainers.
He was already acting as if he were a member of the Namgung Clan.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Well, our relationship with them isn’t great. And to make matters worse, the delegation is mainly from the Wudang Sect.”
“Wudang Sect.”
“Yes. Those so-called righteous Taoists. Of all the Nine Great Sects, we get along worst with Wudang. There’s some bad blood…”
There was a hint of thorns in her voice.
Sun Wukong smirked.
“Are you planning to block them? Not let them in?”
“Well…”
Honestly, the Dragon Phoenix Assembly of the Five Great Families was already a headache.
They called it an exchange, but everyone knew it was just a power struggle.
If the Murim Alliance delegation showed up too, Muhwa would probably collapse from exhaustion.
‘Could it be the Murim Alliance’s plan is to wear the Namgung Clan down with fatigue?’
Muhwa was so tired that even such absurd thoughts crossed her mind.
Unconsciously, her hand reached for another sweet.
Whenever she was worn out, she always turned to food. Old habits die hard, and even now, she was the same.
As she picked up another sweet, she glanced at Sun Wukong and offered him one.
“Here, have one.”
“You must really like snacks.”
Sun Wukong’s gaze swept over the mountain of treats around her.
“It’s just a habit from childhood.”
Under his odd stare, Muhwa felt a bit embarrassed.
She wasn’t a child anymore, yet here she was, snacking away.
What must he think of her?
Sun Wukong took the sweet and spoke.
“When the Murim Alliance delegation arrives, will you be the one to greet them and negotiate?”
“…Probably. I can’t really leave it to anyone else.”
If another elder or Namgung Jin-Baek handled it…
“Let’s just hope it doesn’t turn into a sword fight.”
Muhwa sighed. Sun Wukong chuckled.
“In that case, I’ll help you.”
“You’ll help?”
Muhwa’s eyes widened. Sun Wukong smiled mysteriously.
*
The next day, Namgung Mu-yeong and Namgung Seo-wol returned to the Namgung Clan.
The whole clan was abuzz.
Even the elders, usually worn out from work, greeted them with joy.
Namgung Jin-Baek even threw aside his dignity, hugging Mu-yeong and Seo-wol and jumping up and down. There was no sign of the usual sternness of a prestigious clan.
Sun Wukong watched from a distance.
‘Four… There are four now.’
His gaze settled on Mu-yeong, looking awkward in Jin-Baek’s arms, and Seo-wol, sulking as if she found the fuss annoying.
Now, the String of Karma in the Namgung Clan connected four people:
Namgung Jin-Baek, Mu-yeong, Seo-wol, and Muhwa.
Sun Wukong rubbed his aching head.
Leaving the noisy Namgung Clan behind, Sun Wukong stood alone, waiting for nightfall.
O-jeong passed by, muttering about how pitiful he looked, but Sun Wukong didn’t even hear.
For a long time, he stood there, unmoving.
How much time passed?
When the world had fallen asleep and silence reigned,
One star among the countless in the night sky shone especially bright.
A beautiful light—the morning star.
Meow.
As the star shone, a cat popped out of his arms, stretched its front legs, and arched its back.
Sun Wukong grinned and waved.
“You’re here, Master Jangkyung?”
The cat meowed, then spoke.
“It’s been a while. Have you been well, Master Sun?”
“Well? At my age, running around like I’m young is killing me, honestly.”
“Hahaha. You must have overexerted yourself. Thanks to you, the Heavenly Realm is in chaos.”
“Chaos?”
Had he done something to cause trouble in the Heavenly Realm?
No way. Sun Wukong had only followed Guanyin Bodhisattva’s orders and searched for Tripitaka.
He hadn’t gone around beating up the gods like in the old days.
He had nothing to be ashamed of.
But at Master Jangkyung’s next words, even the great Sun Wukong’s expression faltered.
“King Yama has filed a complaint against you with the Jade Warehouse.”
“What? King Yama? Complained about me?”
…Is he out of his mind?