50. Maybe This Name Feels More Natural?
His thoughts were brief.
Sun Wukong focused his senses on the approaching Many-Eyed Centipede.
Many-Eyed Centipede.
A grotesque demon with an obscene number of legs, each one studded with eyeballs—a truly repulsive creature.
A tricky opponent. Chillingly fast, stealthy, venomous, and with a field of vision that seemed to see everything.
Those red eyes.
Sun Wukong looked at the bulging, glistening eyes with indifference and let out a faint smile.
"Many-Eyed Centipede, Many-Eyed Centipede. Just because you have many eyes doesn't mean you see everything, or that you can see it all."
Whoosh!
Without warning, Sun Wukong threw a punch at the eyes. A flash of crimson Demonic Power flared from his fist. The White-Eyed Demon Lord reacted instantly, raising his sword like lightning. But something—an intense force—halted him in his tracks.
True Emptiness.
A single point of nothingness.
"W-what is this...?!"
The White-Eyed Demon Lord was aghast. It felt as if his Internal Qi had suddenly vanished.
The surging power within him was sucked away, as if caught in a vortex.
His face turned deathly pale. The latent power, even more destructive than pure, refined internal energy, was disappearing without a trace.
"Impossible!"
It was pure terror.
The sensation of all your strength being drained away.
True Emptiness grew ever larger. What started as a single point at the tip of Sun Wukong's outstretched fist soon began to devour the entire space.
A golden light surged, dazzling in every direction. Amidst it, streaks of blood-red mingled like spilled blood.
Standing in that space, the White-Eyed Demon Lord shuddered as if his very soul was being sucked out.
'I... I have to get out...'
True Emptiness was like a giant antlion pit.
It greedily tried to consume everything, like a monstrous Demonic Beast, threatening to devour the White-Eyed Demon Lord whole.
Demon-Slaying Skill.
A Mental Cultivation technique forged from Demonic Power, paradoxically designed to devour demons themselves—far too powerful for the White-Eyed Demon Lord to escape.
He bit down hard on his tongue. Blood gushed out.
He squeezed out every last drop of Internal Qi from his dantian. His frozen sword moved once more.
The sword pierced through True Emptiness, its tip thrusting forward.
His bulging eyes stared straight at everything.
Sun Wukong smiled lightly.
'Impressive technique.'
A willpower distinctly different from the Blood-Iron Fiend or the Demon King of Chaos.
He stared directly into those protruding eyes. The boiling red energy reflected in their pupils.
Sun Wukong thought,
'I don't like it.'
He hated those eyes. With a casual motion, he deflected the incoming sword.
The sword's tip barely grazed the back of his hand. Sun Wukong's fingers slipped past the blade.
His fingers struck at an unexpected, precise spot—thrusting straight into both of the White-Eyed Demon Lord's eyes.
Squelch!
"Ah! Aaaaargh!"
The sword, once so fierce, fell limply to the ground.
Clutching his bleeding eyes, the White-Eyed Demon Lord writhed and rolled on the floor.
"Don't glare at me with those disgusting eyes."
Sun Wukong flicked the blood from his fingertips.
"Master Sun..."
Muhwa approached Sun Wukong, her expression unreadable.
Sun Wukong waved a hand in greeting.
"Good work. You fought well."
"Thanks to you."
She looked like she had a lot to say.
But the more urgent matter was the White-Eyed Demon Lord, still screaming and rolling on the ground, so Muhwa held her tongue.
Sun Wukong could easily guess what she was thinking, but didn't bring it up.
Muhwa, her face pale—perhaps from the surging Internal Qi—asked,
"Do you know him?"
"Well, we were acquainted in a past life."
"What? A past life?"
Muhwa looked taken aback.
Sun Wukong chuckled.
Unlike the Blood-Iron Fiend or the Demon King of Chaos, the White-Eyed Demon Lord wasn't from the Evil Faction Alliance.
Not only had she never heard of such a greeting during the Great War of Righteousness and Evil, but at least to Muhwa, this was a first.
Yet Sun Wukong acted as if he knew him well.
She was curious about the truth behind it, but his answer was disappointingly vague.
'He really is full of secrets.'
His Martial Art Skill was honestly shocking. She'd known Sun Wukong was extraordinary ever since he drove off the invaders on Honam Island. But she'd fought the White-Eyed Demon Lord herself and knew just how formidable he was.
Yet Sun Wukong had toyed with him, subduing him effortlessly without even using any special moves.
He'd poked out the eyes of a sword-wielding Martial Master with his bare hands.
She couldn't even begin to guess the difference in their abilities.
'And the advice in my head...'
Movements that fit her body perfectly, ones she hadn't even realized she could do.
The fist and footwork she'd practiced all her life suddenly felt like trash compared to these new, natural movements.
It was advice so brilliant it was almost incomprehensible.
To be able to push a Martial Master to the edge with just a few words of guidance...
She'd never felt her Martial Art Skill become so instinctive just from someone talking her through it.
"Hmm."
But her thoughts didn't last long.
Muhwa grimaced and staggered. Her body swayed as if she could barely stand. Sun Wukong caught her just as she was about to collapse.
"Law Enforcement Hall Leader?"
"…Ugh."
She could only manage a short groan, her face white as a sheet.
Her body, as he supported her, was drenched in cold sweat. Sun Wukong clicked his tongue.
"Poison, huh..."
He stomped hard on the White-Eyed Demon Lord, who was still writhing on the ground.
The groan that followed was unpleasant to hear.
"He poisoned you during the fight."
Sun Wukong sighed.
The Many-Eyed Centipede was a centipede demon. There was no poison more potent than centipede venom. Even in a new reincarnation, every one of these creatures he'd met so far had used their past life's skills in the form of Martial Art Skills.
The Many-Eyed Centipede was surely a master of poison as well.
"Ugh..."
Sun Wukong quickly pressed on her pressure points to slow the spread of the poison.
Just blocking it from reaching vital organs like the brain and heart was enough to halt its progress.
'Demonic Power... will it be okay?'
The temporary measure to block the poison was to use Internal Qi to seal the meridians.
Sun Wukong had learned this method from Wu Neng.
The problem was, Sun Wukong didn't have Internal Qi.
'Can I infuse Demonic Power into a human body?'
He furrowed his brow. Even Sun Wukong, who feared nothing, hesitated. Demonic Power belonged solely to demons. No human could withstand it. Even if Internal Qi originated from Demonic Power, it had been refined by nature over eons, and then further purified by humans through Mental Cultivation.
What swirled in Sun Wukong's dantian was pure, unrefined Demonic Power.
The very essence that led demons to their savage nature.
He clicked his tongue.
'If it comes to it, I have other ways.'
It would be a hassle, but he could always retrieve the Demonic Power later. His control over it was the main reason he could rule as king of the demons.
Above all, if it were just any ordinary human, Sun Wukong wouldn't have cared if they lived or died.
That was their fate as written in the Book of Life and Death.
But not now.
"Tch, I can't just let this happen."
Sun Wukong carefully infused Demonic Power into her.
Fortunately, there was no adverse reaction. The spreading poison seemed to subside, and a bit of color returned to her face.
Just as Sun Wukong finished his emergency treatment, a noble crane-like figure descended from the sky—Namgung Jin-Baek, landing with dignified grace.
Anyone else would have been startled by his silent arrival, but Sun Wukong responded nonchalantly.
"You're late."
"Oh dear, is the Law Enforcement Hall Leader...?"
"She was poisoned. I've given her some emergency treatment."
"Hmm. That's a relief. She doesn't seem to be in mortal danger, but we should get her back to the main house for proper treatment."
"By the way, what happened to the guest you were chasing?"
Sun Wukong nodded toward Namgung Jin-Baek, noting the snowy white owl perched on his shoulder—Owl Demon.
There was no way Namgung Jin-Baek would be napping while Sun Wukong was handling things. The moment he saw Owl Demon flying, he must have realized what was happening and rushed over.
Sun Wukong's guess was spot on.
"I tried to capture him, but he resisted fiercely. I had no choice."
Namgung Jin-Baek awkwardly raised his hand.
It was the severed head of an old man, eyes wide open, with a lump by his nose.
"Well, it's fine. We caught one of them, at least."
Sun Wukong pointed at the White-Eyed Demon Lord and relayed what he'd learned. The warriors recruited from the Hwangbo Clan were actually underlings of these monsters, and it seemed they were being used by them.
Namgung Jin-Baek's expression grew grave as he listened.
"Something unusual is happening here."
"Well, we'll just have to dig into it one by one. Clan Leader, please handle the Hwangbo Clan side."
"Hmm... Then what about this one?"
"I'll take care of him."
Namgung Jin-Baek looked at Sun Wukong for a moment, then nodded.
Sun Wukong turned his gaze.
'What should I do with this one?'
His cold eyes swept over the demon.
The White-Eyed Demon Lord.
Also known as the Many-Eyed Centipede.
A centipede demon who had formed a sworn sibling pact with the Seven Pillars of Bansadong.
He usually disguised himself as a Taoist and fed centipede venom to Tripitaka, Wu Neng, and Bajie.
A true monster, with a thousand legs and a thousand eyes.
'I'll keep him alive for now.'
He was on a different level than the Blood-Iron Fiend or even the Demon King of Chaos.
His status in the shadowy organization was surely much higher.
"Let's seal his pressure points and take him with us."
With that, Sun Wukong pressed the White-Eyed Demon Lord's pressure points.
"Argh!"
The demon arched his back with a strangled cry.
"Hmm?"
"Oh, was that not the right spot?"
Sun Wukong, voice flat, poked another pressure point.
"Urk!"
The demon's limbs twisted grotesquely, foam bubbling from his mouth.
"Whoa, what's going on here?"
Sun Wukong kept poking different pressure points. Each time, the demon's body convulsed violently.
"Master Sun..."
"Haha, I'm just not used to this Pressure Point Sealing Technique."
Namgung Jin-Baek instantly saw through his awkward smile.
'He's just poking the most painful spots, not actually sealing the points...'
That was something you couldn't do even if you tried.
How much time passed? Eventually, the demon stopped screaming and fell silent. Drool dripped from his mouth. Even when prodded, he didn't move.
Sun Wukong smiled in satisfaction.
"Mm. Looks like the points are sealed."
"..."
He just fainted.
Namgung Jin-Baek barely swallowed the words that almost slipped out.
It was hard to argue with that satisfied look on Sun Wukong's face.
* * *
Flames roared. The building burned and collapsed. Screams of those who couldn't escape pierced the sky.
'A dream.'
Muhwa instantly recognized it as a dream, feeling her body sway.
She'd had this dream since childhood—since the moment she could form thoughts.
Despite the screams, the pain, the burning village, the blood-soaked shadows—despite all that tormented her, she liked this dream.
'Mother...'
Only in this dream could she feel the warmth of her mother's embrace—a face she couldn't even remember.
But it never lasted long.
Her mother, clutching little Muhwa, fell to the ground. The screams and groans drew closer. She couldn't see her mother's face, but she imagined a look of fierce determination.
She'd dreamed this dream countless times, but imagining that expression was never easy.
"You have to go. You must run, no matter what. Run far, far away! Don't get caught, go far, as far as you can!"
Muhwa felt a wave of sadness. The dream was ending.
She gazed at the unseen face.
"Don't get caught... Love you... Ah."
The last words were lost, drowned out by noise.
Muhwa instinctively knew that word was her real, forgotten name.
But the dream never allowed her to go further.
She would wake up here, as always.
'...Huh?'
But she didn't wake up. The horrific scene blurred like ink in water, and suddenly a snowy mountain appeared before her eyes.
Boom! Crash!
Muhwa's eyes widened. Atop the snowy mountain, a massive yeti-like creature bellowed, swinging its arms wildly. The sky shook and the ground trembled with its power.
'What is this...?'
She was dumbfounded. The yeti was ferocious. Even knowing it was a dream, her heart sank.
"Are you just going to stand there spacing out?!"
A thunderous shout, and a golden beam of light crashed down like a bolt from the heavens.
The yeti screamed in agony.
Muhwa's pupils trembled. The golden light engulfed the snowy mountain. Wearing radiant armor, riding on clouds, a long staff spinning in hand—the golden-armored figure chased the yeti, who fled in terror.
"You idiot! Where's your head at?! Move, now!"
The cloud-riding figure shouted. Muhwa realized the words were meant for her.
But her body wouldn't move.
This was a battle beyond Martial Artists—a clash of the inhuman. Even for Muhwa, it was hard to move, frozen in place.
The fight continued, the yeti fleeing in her direction. Naturally, the golden figure drew closer as well.
'Huh?'
Only then did Muhwa see the figure clearly.
Radiant armor... golden fur... a monkey.
He roared at her.
"Wake up!"
Their eyes met.
He shouted something.
At that moment, her mother's face overlapped with his—beautiful, but filled with worry.
Her mother shouted. The golden monkey shouted too.
"Love you... Wu Neng!"
"Wake up, Wu Neng!"
* * *
Muhwa's eyes snapped open. Her mother's gentle face, the golden monkey's scolding expression—both vanished, replaced by a cheerful face.
"Master Sun...?"
"Finally awake."
Muhwa felt the clammy sensation of sweat on her heavy body.
A strange feeling lingered inside her.
'Poison...'
She'd been poisoned. She smiled bitterly. To think she'd fallen to poison—what a disgrace for a Namgung Clan warrior.
"Rest for a bit. That centipede poison is nasty. Luckily, our friends from the Sichuan Tang Clan made some medicine, so you're out of danger. It was a close call."
"..."
Muhwa stared blankly at Sun Wukong. The realization that he'd cared for her left her mind in turmoil. Seeing her expression, Sun Wukong chuckled knowingly.
"Isn't it obvious?"
"Obvious?"
"That I'd look after you."
"Excuse me?"
Muhwa's face flushed. Sun Wukong laughed outright.
"Isn't it normal for an elder brother to care for his younger sibling's health? Wu Neng."
"...!"
Muhwa's body jolted as if struck by lightning.
The name she'd heard at the end of her dream.
The name her mother called her, the golden monkey shouted.
How? How did he know the name from her dream?
As Muhwa stared at him in shock, Sun Wukong gave a wry smile.
"Ah, does the name sound strange? Well, it was your Dharma name, after all. Hmm. Maybe this one feels more natural?"
He paused, then smiled warmly, genuine affection in his eyes.
"This feels more familiar, doesn't it? Isn't that right, Bajie?"