45. I’m Not Zhu Bajie.
There’s no way Sun Wukong was the only one suspicious of the courtesans.
Muhwa looked at Sun Wukong with a disgruntled expression.
“At this hour of the night, isn’t it a bit strange for you to be standing in front of the courtesans’ annex, Master Sun?”
“Isn’t it only natural to visit courtesans at night?”
Sun Wukong’s shameless reply left Muhwa speechless.
Could he really be the kind of scoundrel who sneaks around at night to lay hands on the courtesans?
‘…If that’s the case, I’ll just have to throw him out.’
Muhwa spoke firmly, his voice cold.
“If that’s what you’re here for, please restrain yourself. You may be a Retainer, but this is the Namgung Clan.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about the custom of seeking out courtesans at night.”
Her retort was sharp as a blade.
Sun Wukong just chuckled and waved his hand.
“Aren’t you here because you found those courtesans suspicious too?”
“…So you noticed something odd as well, Master Sun.”
For a moment, Muhwa’s face visibly brightened. He even let out a small sigh of relief.
“That’s a relief.”
“What is?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just worried you might be up to something inappropriate.”
“I’m not Zhu Bajie, you know.”
As if he’d sneak around at night to do something lecherous.
‘That guy tried that a few times and always got what was coming to him.’
Strangely enough, the ones he got caught up with were always Demons. Usually, they’d disguise themselves as beautiful women to seduce him, and Bajie would fall for it every time.
Thanks to that, he always ended up in some kind of trouble.
“Fine. Let’s go in and check together.”
“No.”
“What?”
“I’m going in alone.”
Muhwa blinked his large eyes several times, confusion flickering in his gaze.
“Do you know what could happen inside? The courtesans’ performance earlier… it was definitely a kind of Seduction Art.”
“I know. Do you really think I’d fall for that just because I’m a man?”
“Well… with your level of cultivation, that’s unlikely, Master Sun.”
“And if it’s Seduction Art, it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman. I saw you blushing earlier too, you know.”
“…!”
Sun Wukong burst out laughing at her shocked expression.
“T-that was just…”
“It’s fine, you noticed it. That’s impressive. Or maybe you’re just sensitive.”
“Sensitive?”
She looked a bit guilty. Sun Wukong didn’t seem to care.
“The Clan Leader asked me through Transmission of Sound. He wanted me to check things out.”
“The Clan Leader… Ah, I see.”
Muhwa truly was sharp. Just knowing that Namgung Jin-Baek had asked was enough for her to grasp the situation.
“If things go wrong, there could be serious conflict with the Hwangbo Clan… That’s what this is about, isn’t it?”
Nodding, Muhwa looked at Sun Wukong for a moment before bowing deeply with a Tiger Fist salute.
“Our family has relied on your help so much lately, Master Sun. The Namgung Clan will never forget this favor.”
Sun Wukong nodded cheerfully at her earnest attitude.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be collecting on that favor many times over.”
Muhwa laughed lightly.
She probably thought he was just being modest.
Unfortunately, she was mistaken.
‘With this, there’s no way the Namgung Clan will ever kick me out. Later, I can ask for favors and get them to do all sorts of things for me.’
The Namgung Clan might be busy now, but Sun Wukong fully intended to make use of them.
When he said he’d collect the favor many times over, he wasn’t joking.
Back in Tianzhu, all sorts of Earth Gods had run themselves ragged at his command.
Before entering the annex, Sun Wukong said,
“Oh, someone inside might try to run.”
“Understood. You want me to catch them if they do?”
“No, let them go.”
“What?”
Muhwa tilted her head in confusion but didn’t press further.
Whenever Sun Wukong spoke cryptically, there was always a deeper reason behind it.
After thinking it over, Muhwa nodded as if she understood.
“I’ll follow them from behind.”
Sun Wukong smiled. They really were on the same wavelength.
* * *
There was nothing inherently wrong with the Hwangbo Clan bringing courtesans.
The Dragon Phoenix Assembly was a social gathering for the Five Great Families.
With banquets happening one after another, it was only natural for the most famous entertainers from Anhui and elsewhere to be invited.
Bringing the Seven Flowers of Shandong, the most renowned courtesans in all of Shandong, only served to show off the Hwangbo Clan’s prestige.
The Shandong Seven Shadows were not prostitutes, but highly skilled entertainers.
They weren’t courtesans in the vulgar sense, so the Hwangbo Clan wouldn’t openly consort with them, and even if they were, the Hwangbo Clan’s members weren’t foolish enough to behave that way.
“If they were just talented, ordinary courtesans, that would be the end of it.”
Sun Wukong muttered coldly.
The moment he stepped into the annex—
The heavy scent of powder stung his nose, making him frown.
Perhaps it was because Sun Wukong’s senses far surpassed those of a normal human.
It was so strong, it felt like he might break out in hives.
There was no way Sun Wukong would react so sensitively to a mere scent.
After all, the streets were always filled with all sorts of smells.
Having learned Immovable Mind from Tripitaka, Sun Wukong had clear likes and dislikes, but his mind never wavered.
This scent was anything but ordinary.
A powerful sense of déjà vu washed over Sun Wukong.
“This is just like the scent those spiders released back then.”
A fragrance stronger than the harshest liquor.
Sun Wukong’s lips curled slightly. Even Tripitaka had been shaken by it.
There was no way the Hwangbo Clan’s martial artists could withstand it.
The annex wasn’t just filled with courtesans.
The Hwangbo Clan’s martial artists were there too. Hwangbo Yong among them.
“What’s going on?”
As Sun Wukong opened the door and entered, a group of martial artists stared at him with wide eyes.
Whether they were drunk on alcohol or the scent, they could barely sit upright.
Sun Wukong clicked his tongue.
“So, I thought the Hwangbo Clan was using the courtesans for some scheme. Turns out, it’s the other way around.”
Still, not everyone was completely incapacitated.
Hwangbo Yong stood up, eyes wide, and gave a Tiger Fist salute.
“Master Sun! What brings you here…?”
He glanced around nervously.
Drinking with the courtesans he’d brought—there was no way this looked good.
Sun Wukong didn’t bother responding to Hwangbo Yong’s greeting. He simply fixed a cold gaze on the courtesans nearby.
As Sun Wukong fell silent, an odd tension filled the room.
Unlike usual, Sun Wukong wasn’t hiding his presence.
His natural aura instantly dominated the entire hall.
The seven courtesans—the Shandong Seven Shadows—looked at him with frightened, uneasy eyes.
Suddenly, Sun Wukong smiled.
“Some things never change. You sly little things.”
At his words, the courtesans averted their eyes in fear.
On the surface, they looked like delicate flowers with no Martial Art Skill, enough to set any man’s heart ablaze. Hwangbo Yong, his face stiff, stepped in front of Sun Wukong.
“Master Sun, I’m embarrassed to be seen like this, but this is the Shandong Seven Shadows’ annex. They were invited here by the Hwangbo Clan. Why have you come here secretly at this hour?”
Sun Wukong clicked his tongue at him.
His pupils were slightly unfocused, his face flushed.
Hwangbo Yong was a clever man. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be the heir. Even at the Ten Thousand Scents Pavilion, he’d quickly realized he couldn’t match Sun Wukong and had withdrawn.
But now, he was different. He didn’t back down. The typical hot-blooded youth.
Sun Wukong found it amusing.
His suspicions were turning into certainty with every passing moment.
The scent was growing stronger.
Hwangbo Yong, who had been relatively composed, was now visibly excited, his face reddening.
He looked ready to draw his sword at any moment.
Sun Wukong sighed as he looked at him.
“Tsk tsk. For someone who’s supposed to be good with a sword, you’re letting yourself be controlled by a woman’s laughter? Letting your lower half do the thinking, are you?”
“Master Sun, that’s enough!”
Unable to hold back, Hwangbo Yong stepped forward.
In that instant, Sun Wukong reached out his hand.
Even in his dazed state, his hand instinctively went to his sword hilt—a testament to his reputation as a late-stage master.
But that was as far as he got.
Smack—!
With a crisp sound, Hwangbo Yong collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
The Hwangbo Clan’s martial artists jumped up in alarm.
Sun Wukong smirked. His keen sense of smell told him exactly how the scent’s intensity changed with their movements.
“To think you could manipulate a human’s will so easily. Despicable creatures.”
His voice dripped with contempt.
For a brief moment, one of the courtesans’ faces twisted in anger. At the same time, the Hwangbo Clan’s martial artists rushed at him. Sun Wukong kicked the table in the center.
Crash! Thud! Crack!
Six swords were blocked by the table. Sun Wukong slipped nimbly under it as it flipped.
The martial artists were startled as Sun Wukong shot out from under the table.
Before they could react, his hand swept from right to left.
Slap! Slap! Slap! Six crisp smacks rang out, and six faces turned red.
Just like Hwangbo Yong, they all collapsed, dazed and powerless.
It wasn’t just a matter of losing a fight—being rendered helpless by a single slap was something else entirely. The Shandong Seven Shadows’ faces turned ghostly pale.
Sun Wukong dusted off his hands and muttered,
“As I thought, breaking the spell is no different from last time. Except for the lack of Martial Art Skill.”
They hadn’t just lost consciousness.
Whatever had been subtly controlling their wills was now completely severed.
Sun Wukong smiled at the courtesans, who stared at him in terror.
“What’s wrong? Wondering why I’m not affected?”
“…Great Hero, I don’t understand what you mean. We’re just courtesans who sell our talents and laughter.”
Sun Wukong chuckled. Seeing them all trembling in fear would have made even the most stoic man flinch.
“You really are the same Demons who managed to shake even Tripitaka’s will. Do you think I’m Zhu Bajie? You think I’d fall for a cheap trick like that?”
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. We only came here because the Hwangbo Clan invited us. Why are you treating us like this?”
Sun Wukong laughed and clicked his tongue. Even after countless cycles of Reincarnation, it seemed their true nature never changed. Even in a human body, they were as powerful—if not more so—than in their previous lives.
He was briefly impressed, but then his expression turned icy.
“Shut your mouths.”
When someone who’s always smiling suddenly turns serious, it’s all the more terrifying.
The atmosphere froze as Sun Wukong, who’d been laughing moments ago, now wore a grim face.
The courtesans trembled in fear, quickly exchanging glances with their heads bowed. Sun Wukong sighed and stabbed a fallen sword into the floor in front of them.
“Move a single finger, and I’ll cut off all your limbs.”
At that, the one with braided hair in the center glared at Sun Wukong with murderous intent.
“Who do you think you are?”
“Shut up before I rip your mouth open.”
“…!”
“Only answer my questions if you want to keep your limbs and your mouth intact. You damned spiders.”