43. Isn’t This Negligence, Tripitaka?
Sun Wukong watched the courtesans’ dance with a serious expression.
Beside him, Oh-jeong shrugged his shoulders.
“Wow. That’s some incredible dancing. Such poise and grace. Don’t you think so?”
Oh-jeong let out a sigh of admiration.
Sun Wukong glanced around the room.
The beautiful dance moves captivated everyone’s attention.
He clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘The dance is certainly impressive…’
Having been attended by heavenly maidens in the Heavenly Realm, how could human courtesans possibly satisfy Sun Wukong’s standards? Still, even by his standards, he could tell this was a performance of considerable skill.
Nearly everyone in the hall was staring, as if entranced.
Of course, “nearly” meant there were a few exceptions.
—It’s quite a captivating dance, isn’t it, Master Sun?
Sun Wukong’s gaze shifted to the seat of honor. There, Namgung Jin-Baek was clapping with a genial smile, their eyes meeting.
Sun Wukong snorted.
‘What a sly fox.’
Behind that drunken smile, his eyes remained cold and calculating.
—Those courtesans were brought here from Shandong by the Hwangbo Clan. They’re said to be the finest in Shandong, nearly impossible to book. The Hwangbo Clan went to great lengths to bring them here—no wonder their performance is so superb, don’t you think?
Sun Wukong’s gaze moved to Hwangbo Yong.
He, too, looked utterly entranced.
His mouth hung slightly open, as if he might start drooling at any moment.
‘So, among humans, the Namgung Clan really is the best, huh?’
Namgung Jin-Baek wasn’t the only one who remained unmoved. A few elders from the Namgung Clan wore uncomfortable expressions, sensing something off.
Some of the retainers seemed to have caught on as well.
‘That swordsman known as the Black-Faced Iron Sword…’
The old man with the dark face glared at the courtesans as if he might kill them on the spot.
Nearby, the scholar who had been quietly conversing with Jegal Seo-seo—
‘Chae Gong, the former Grand Scholar of the Hanlin Academy.’
He was blind. Sun Wukong smirked. It wasn’t that the blind man was uninterested; it was simply that the real cause of the crowd’s trance wasn’t the dance itself.
‘And Muhwa… hmm.’
His face was a bit flushed, but he seemed to sense something odd, tilting his head in confusion.
Sun Wukong’s gaze naturally drifted toward Mu-yeong and Seo-wol.
‘That’s unexpected.’
He’d once sparred briefly with Namgung Seo-wol. Her attacks, laced with killing intent, were sharp, but Sun Wukong had assessed her coolly.
‘She’s about on par with the Demon King of Chaos from Honam Island.’
Namgung Mu-yeong, sitting beside her, likely wasn’t much different.
‘Strangely unaffected.’
Namgung Seo-wol, seemingly uninterested, glanced at Sun Wukong now and then, almost as if she were keeping an eye on him.
Sun Wukong gave her a casual wave.
She turned away, looking annoyed. Following her gaze, Sun Wukong saw Namgung Mu-yeong sitting upright, his expression calm as he watched the courtesans.
Sun Wukong found it curious.
‘His internal energy isn’t particularly deep. He should be susceptible to this, but his mental defenses must be strong.’
And where does mental fortitude come from? From the soul.
And where does the soul reside?
The Upper Dantian.
In other words, the brain.
The gateway to communicate with the heavens.
All renowned Taoist masters and high Buddhist monks have a well-developed Upper Dantian.
Those with noble souls.
Like Tripitaka, for example…
Sun Wukong shook his head. Unfortunately, the fact that Namgung Jin-Baek, Mu-yeong, Seo-wol, and even Muhwa weren’t entranced wasn’t enough proof. This wasn’t something that could be determined by willpower alone.
—It’s a kind of seduction art. Haha, I’ve heard those famous courtesans use a technique similar to seduction art, and it seems these are the ones.
Sun Wukong looked at Namgung Jin-Baek.
Why was he sending him this transmission of sound?
Namgung Jin-Baek, understanding the look, met Sun Wukong’s gaze and smiled.
—You don’t seem the least bit surprised, Master Sun. It’s as if you already know something.
Honestly, Sun Wukong raised his internal assessment of Namgung Jin-Baek by a notch.
‘He’s got sharp observation skills. Sly fox.’
He’d been observing Sun Wukong without him even noticing.
Sun Wukong gave a wry smile.
‘Like a Great Demon.’
If the String of Karma between them wasn’t pure white but tinged red, Sun Wukong would have suspected Namgung Jin-Baek was a Great Demon in a past life.
Sun Wukong sent his intention to Namgung Jin-Baek.
—What gave me away?
Namgung Jin-Baek’s eyes widened. The hearty smile he’d been wearing faltered, replaced by a look of confusion.
After a moment, Namgung Jin-Baek managed to send a transmission of sound.
—That wasn’t a transmission of sound… How did you communicate your intention?
—Doesn’t everyone have a hidden talent or two?
When Sun Wukong deflected the question, Namgung Jin-Baek didn’t press further.
He simply assumed it was some secret martial art skill Sun Wukong didn’t want to reveal.
—You have quite a few mysterious talents. Then, do you have any guesses about those courtesans?
—Why do you ask?
—Others only sensed something odd, but you seemed to know exactly what was going on. I doubt you even knew they were from Shandong.
Sun Wukong didn’t answer.
He could see the Red Thread of Fate between himself and the courtesans.
It wasn’t as thick or as ominous as the one he’d seen between himself and the snake or the Demon King of Chaos.
—Well…
As Sun Wukong trailed off, Namgung Jin-Baek chuckled lightly.
—So you’re not certain yet.
Sun Wukong smiled inwardly.
Not yet, huh.
It was as if Namgung Jin-Baek could predict exactly what he was going to do.
Sun Wukong decided to be wary of Namgung Jin-Baek’s keen observation.
‘Tripitaka was sharp like that, too.’
More precisely, he was only sharp when it came to Sun Wukong.
He could read Sun Wukong’s mood just by looking at his face.
Whenever Sun Wukong was up to something, Tripitaka would catch on instantly and scold him.
—Then, if you do become certain, will you let me know?
Hmm. He wants to share information?
—Of course, any trouble that arises in the process, the Namgung Clan will handle.
Sun Wukong grinned. Namgung Jin-Baek was certainly an extraordinary man.
‘He’s figured out that I’ve noticed something about those courtesans and wants to use me to investigate further.’
It wasn’t an order or a command. He’d simply deduced, through observation, that Sun Wukong intended to approach the courtesans. And he’d offered terms that suited Sun Wukong’s style.
It was only natural that trouble might arise during the investigation.
Just like when he’d reclaimed interests from the Azure Hero Society, things had gotten noisy.
Everyone’s attention had been drawn. Handling things quietly wasn’t Sun Wukong’s way.
Since the courtesans were brought by the Hwangbo Clan, it was reasonable to suspect they had a special purpose. There was a strong possibility of conflict with the Hwangbo Clan.
If Namgung Jin-Baek got directly involved, it would escalate into a major incident.
Given the need for the Five Great Families to unite, that would be troublesome.
Instead, Sun Wukong would investigate, and if any problems arose, the Namgung Clan would cover for him.
It was a win-win for Sun Wukong.
And even if he did investigate—
‘I don’t have to tell him everything, do I?’
What if I just don’t tell him? What’s he going to do about it?
Sun Wukong nodded with a sly grin.
As Sun Wukong and Namgung Jin-Baek finished their secret conversation amidst the courtesans’ dazzling dance, the performance came to an end.
A subtle silence settled over the banquet hall.
Many still seemed lost in the afterglow.
In that silence, Hwangbo Yong suddenly stood up, performed a Tiger Fist salute before Namgung Jin-Baek, and spoke.
“This was a performance prepared by the Hwangbo Clan to celebrate the friendship between the Dragon Phoenix Assembly and the Five Great Families.”
“It was excellent.”
“They’re called the Seven Flowers of Shandong, or the Shandong Seven Shadows. Their fame is such that all the brothel houses in Anhui had to close their doors.”
Compliments poured in from all around.
Of course, quite a few people shot Hwangbo Yong suspicious looks.
Sun Wukong made sure to memorize their faces.
They were the most skilled people here.
Meanwhile, Sun Wukong sighed as he watched Oh-jeong, who was cheering enthusiastically, drool at the mouth.
‘Man, you’re hopeless outside the water.’
Maybe he should splash some cold water on his face. He’d tried giving him some advice, but who knew if it had sunk in.
Hwangbo Yong continued.
“Though it may not be as beautiful as a lady’s dance, the Hwangbo Clan has also prepared a Sword Dance. May we have the honor of presenting it here?”
The mention of the Sword Dance caused a slight stir.
Not a courtesan’s art, but a martial performance by warriors.
Sun Wukong guessed at the meaning behind it.
‘A blatant show of force?’
He chuckled inwardly.
‘Humans… Why not just have a good brawl and get it over with?’
It wasn’t the right atmosphere to refuse.
Hwangbo Yong and a group of young warriors took the stage.
The courtesans stepped aside and began playing instruments as the Sword Dance began.
“Haa! Ha!”
The warriors’ shouts were full of vigor.
The Hwangbo Clan’s swordsmanship, famous for its boldness and speed, was on full display.
It was certainly high-level.
But to Sun Wukong, who had a rough idea of the Namgung Clan elders’ skills, it wasn’t all that impressive.
Most of the performers were young warriors with potential…
‘Ah. So that’s it.’
Sun Wukong clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘The Namgung Clan barely has any young blood left.’
Strictly speaking, Muhwa wasn’t a blood relative of the Namgung Clan.
That left only Namgung Seo-wol and Namgung Mu-yeong. Namgung Cheon-Young, the Master of Myeong’i Hall, was relatively young, but he was still older than those two—more like a young uncle.
‘Maybe the Namgung Clan is strong for now, but the Hwangbo Clan has a bright future with all these young warriors.’
Sun Wukong wasn’t the only one who caught the hidden message in the Sword Dance.
The Namgung Clan elders’ faces gradually hardened.
Sun Wukong found it all amusing.
‘Humans. Every last one of them is sly.’
Honestly, their antics were almost cute.
As an outsider, Sun Wukong found the spectacle quite entertaining. Watching a fight was always fun, after all. It was refreshing. As he watched the Sword Dance with a smile, his brow furrowed slightly.
‘What’s this?’
The courtesans’ music pricked at his ears.
With his sharp senses, Sun Wukong detected something strange in the flow.
The moment he noticed—
“Haa! Ha!”
The warriors shouted, thrusting their swords. Suddenly, someone leaped to their feet and shouted.
“Watch out—!”
“—!”
One of the warriors lost his grip on his sword. Propelled by momentum, the blade shot straight toward Namgung Mu-yeong.
Clang!
A chill fell over the hall.
Namgung Mu-yeong, his face resolute, deflected the sword.
“…”
A heavy silence, as if the air itself had died.
In the eye of the storm, Sun Wukong’s gaze landed on the courtesans, who wore frightened, innocent expressions.
‘It’s their doing.’
The Sword Dance had been performed to music. At some point, it wasn’t the dance leading the music, but the music controlling the dance.
The rhythm and tempo were guiding the warriors’ movements.
And at the moment the sword flew—
The music shifted abruptly.
Sun Wukong caught it all.
They were trying to provoke conflict between the Hwangbo and Namgung Clans.
‘I thought the Hwangbo Clan was using the courtesans to seduce or corrupt the Namgung Clan.’
But it seemed the Hwangbo Clan had also fallen under the courtesans’ spell without realizing it.
Sun Wukong let out a silent, bitter laugh at the cunning of it all.
‘Humans have gotten even craftier than before, Tripitaka.’
You set out on the path of reincarnation to guide the masses.
But why is it that humans have only grown more cunning and sly?
‘Isn’t this negligence, Tripitaka?’
Tsk. I told you, you should’ve just stayed with me in the Heavenly Realm.