Namgung Clan’s Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal

11. Will You Break Through, or Be Broken?

The man with the sideburns asked,

"How do you even know the way on the river?"

"I'm just following what I can see."

Sideburns swallowed a curse.

'Bullshit.'

See what, exactly?

The fog was thick, the wind and rain relentless. It looked like a storm could hit at any moment.

He'd always been unusually good with water since he was a child. His swimming was unmatched, and his ability to read the currents could put veteran fishermen to shame.

Even so, as he rowed now, Sideburns found himself at a loss.

He couldn't see an inch ahead. Even without the sailing ban, not a single boat would have dared the river today.

'And yet he says he can see?'

He was following directions and rowing hard, but he was skeptical.

There's no way to find anything. This is just one branch of the Yangtze River. How are they supposed to chase down the Blood-Iron Fiend who escaped from here?

'Ugh, what a mess I've landed myself in, getting tangled up with this weirdo.'

If he ever managed to get away from this guy, he'd have to throw himself a celebration.

"Hey, boss!"

Just then, Narrow-Eyed, who was rowing alongside him, shouted in a trembling voice.

Sideburns turned, and his expression twisted in disbelief.

A shape emerged through the fog and rain.

A boat.

'Huh?'

Could it really be the boat with the Blood-Iron Fiend?

"That's the Blood-Iron Fiend."

Sun Wukong, who had been lying down, was suddenly standing at the edge of the boat, arms crossed.

He tapped Sideburns on the shoulder.

"Not bad at riding the current. We caught up pretty quick."

"Well, you know..."

"But I didn't expect there to be another boat."

"What?"

Sideburns only saw one boat.

But Sun Wukong's face was serious, so Sideburns squinted and looked again.

"Oh?"

Sure enough, there was another boat.

A small boat, quietly approaching the one with the Blood-Iron Fiend.

Sideburns looked at Sun Wukong with newfound respect.

Thick fog, pounding rain.

Visibility was almost zero.

It wasn't just about having good eyes.

'He really is a Martial Master.'

Even Sideburns, who prided himself on being up-to-date with the latest rumors in the Murim, couldn't quite understand it.

'How can someone this flashy be so unknown?'

But the thought was fleeting as Sideburns frowned.

"Tsk. Looks like that guy's after the Blood-Iron Fiend too."

"Is it the Murim Alliance?"

"If it were the Murim Alliance, wouldn't there be a whole crowd? There are only two people."

Wait, can he even see who's on board?

"Both of them have sword sheaths with a blue background and a white stripe. They're from the same group."

"Wait, did you say blue background with a white stripe?"

Sideburns jumped.

"You know them?"

"Of course I do! That's the Namgung Clan!"

The Namgung Clan.

Everyone knew them. During the Great War of Righteousness and Evil, a rumor spread: if you saw a sword with a blue background and a white stripe, whether you were from the righteous or unorthodox sects, if you valued your life, you ran.

"Hmm. Their presence is something else. The Namgung Clan, huh."

"The Namgung Clan bears grudges like no other. If someone killed one of their own, they'd hunt them to the ends of the earth. They're here for the Blood-Iron Fiend."

"That's a problem."

"What?"

At Sun Wukong's words, Sideburns felt a chill run down his spine.

He had a sense of déjà vu.

When was it?

'Ah, was it when he grabbed that worthless Sword Fragment and insisted on going after the Blood-Iron Fiend?'

He always insisted on doing things that made no sense.

And Sideburns always got dragged along.

The back of his neck tingled. Looking at Sun Wukong's troubled face made his stomach twist.

"If the Namgung Clan catches the Blood-Iron Fiend first, I can't."

"Well..."

"And if I steal their catch, I'll be their enemy."

That would ruin any chance of becoming a retainer for the Namgung Clan.

So—

"I have to catch the Blood-Iron Fiend before they do."

If the Namgung Clan got him first, it was over.

Sun Wukong made up his mind.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Can you dive?"

"What?"

"Good, glad to hear it."

"I never said I could!"

"Then go put a hole in that boat."

"What? The Blood-Iron Fiend's boat?"

Sun Wukong gave him a strange look.

"Why would you do that? Obviously, the Namgung Clan's boat."

"..."

"Just distract them. Keep them from getting close to the Blood-Iron Fiend. I'll handle the rest. I want to learn a few more things before handing him over to the Namgung Clan."

"...So, you want me to put a hole in the boat carrying the Namgung Clan's warriors?"

"Yup."

"By diving?"

"That's right."

"Me?"

Sun Wukong nodded. Sideburns was so dumbfounded he couldn't speak.

The Namgung Clan.

They paid back grudges tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold. They were sword demons obsessed with blood.

No one ever came out well from crossing the Namgung Clan.

Put a hole in their boat?

Right when they're about to catch their sworn enemy, the Blood-Iron Fiend?

What would they think?

Wouldn't they see him as an accomplice of the Blood-Iron Fiend?

"Don't worry. I'll catch the Blood-Iron Fiend and clear up the misunderstanding."

...Did he even consider that I might get killed by the Namgung Clan before that?

"It's just diving and putting a hole in the boat. It's not like I'm asking you to fight them."

"Come on, seriously..."

No matter how scary Sun Wukong was, no one in the Murim would willingly cross the Namgung Clan—unless they already had a death wish.

As Sideburns desperately searched for a way out, Sun Wukong's expression hardened.

"Hey."

"...Yeah?"

"Will you put a hole in their boat, or do you want a hole put in you?"

Ah.

*

Namgung Jeok held his breath.

Namgung Seon, who had come with him, nodded slowly and sent a Transmission of Sound.

'It's definitely the Blood-Iron Fiend.'

'We've finally found him.'

'Should I signal the Clan Head and elders?'

'Let's catch him first. If we fire the signal now, that slippery bastard might escape again.'

The Namgung Clan had mobilized in force at the news of the Blood-Iron Fiend's appearance.

There were very few with the Namgung surname.

The Great War of Righteousness and Evil had ended not long ago, so it was only natural.

To catch the Blood-Iron Fiend, they had split their already small numbers even further.

Here, only Namgung Jeok and Namgung Seon had managed to get close.

Just two of them, but they felt no fear. The Blood-Iron Fiend was infamous in the Murim, but so what?

'We're the Namgung Clan.'

Survivors of the Great War of Righteousness and Evil.

They had long forgotten fear.

If anything, it was harder to suppress the faint excitement rising within them.

They would finally catch the enemy they'd failed to kill before.

'Once our boat is close enough, we jump in and subdue him.'

'What about his life?'

'The Law Enforcement Hall Leader wants him alive for a proper trial, but if he resists, kill him.'

Namgung Jeok's eyes glinted coldly as he sent the Transmission of Sound.

Blood must be paid for with blood.

That's the law of the martial world, and even the righteous sects accept it.

At least, that's the Namgung Clan's way.

He suppressed his killing intent as much as possible and tried to get closer to the Blood-Iron Fiend's boat.

Creeeeak—

Suddenly, the boat shuddered with a chilling noise.

Namgung Jeok flinched at the cold sensation around his ankles.

"Water?"

Water was sloshing around his ankles. Namgung Jeok's face hardened.

"The boat's taking on water."

Namgung Seon was so shocked he spoke aloud instead of using Transmission of Sound.

The noise was easily drowned out by the storm, but their opponent was the Blood-Iron Fiend.

Perhaps sensing the commotion, the Blood-Iron Fiend's boat changed direction and moved away.

"This hole was made on purpose. Someone used Internal Qi."

They'd made sure to get a sturdy boat. It shouldn't have broken unless there was a major collision. The hole in the bottom was clearly someone's doing.

Namgung Jeok swallowed hard.

"He has an accomplice!"

Namgung Seon quickly leaned over the edge, scanning the river.

His sharp eyes searched the churning water.

Amidst the waves whipped up by the wind, Namgung Jeok spotted something.

Faint bubbles rising to the surface.

"There!"

He quickly threw a dagger from his sleeve.

*

The Blood-Iron Fiend was a man of sharp senses.

"The Namgung Clan?"

A sword sheath with a blue background and a white stripe.

It could only be the Namgung Clan.

"Damn! I finally shook off that lunatic, and now a tiger from the Namgung Clan shows up?!"

Before he ever worried about Sun Wukong, the one he feared most was not even the Murim Alliance, but the Namgung Clan.

At least the Murim Alliance would give you a trial—even if it ended in execution.

The Namgung Clan, though, were infamous even among the unorthodox sects for their brutality.

Especially for the Blood-Iron Fiend, who had killed one of their own, there would be nothing left of him.

He'd die horribly.

There were endless rumors about them tearing out the hearts of unorthodox fighters and kicking them around like balls.

Fortunately, something had happened to the Namgung Clan—they weren't coming after him.

The Blood-Iron Fiend, relieved for a moment, tried to stay calm.

But that effort was wasted.

"Enjoying your boat ride, Snake?"

"...!"

The Blood-Iron Fiend froze. There, standing with a bright, mischievous grin, was the golden-haired man.

Sun Wukong leaned lazily against the boat's edge and waved.

"Why leave without saying goodbye? I thought we were closer than that."

His playful tone made the Blood-Iron Fiend react like lightning.

He grabbed the trembling fisherman's neck and pressed his blade to it.

"Back off. Unless you want to see this old man's throat cut."

"An old-fashioned hostage situation?"

Sun Wukong shrugged.

He figured the guy would at least put up a fight with his sword, but...

"Still as dirty as ever, I see."

The Blood-Iron Fiend pressed the blade closer to the fisherman's neck, his eyes bloodshot.

A hair's breadth.

For a Martial Master like the Blood-Iron Fiend, killing was a matter of seconds.

Sun Wukong looked at the trembling fisherman with a wry smile.

"Do I care?"

"...What?"

"I mean, do I care if that old man dies?"

"..."

The Blood-Iron Fiend's eyes wavered.

'Isn't he from the righteous sects?'

He'd always clashed with the righteous, so he assumed Sun Wukong was one of them. He didn't expect the hostage ploy to work easily, but he never imagined this reaction.

"If that old man dies here, that's just fate. Maybe the Book of Life and Death will say: 'So-and-so, died as a hostage of the Snake. Date, time.'"

"..."

"That's fate. No one born in the Mortal World can escape death."

The Blood-Iron Fiend felt a strange, suffocating pressure.

'What is this?'

He couldn't understand. Sun Wukong wasn't radiating killing intent, nor was he using Internal Qi to dominate the area.

He was just leaning there.

But even that was enough to make the Blood-Iron Fiend feel crushed by an overwhelming force.

"But you know..."

Sun Wukong paused for a moment.

Suddenly, his figure blurred. The Blood-Iron Fiend moved on instinct, slashing with his blade.

A spray of blood.

"Urgh!"

A dying gasp.

"How...?"

His voice trembled. His right arm was gone.

He looked down to see it lying on the deck, steaming.

As if it had been ripped off by a beast.

"Ah..."

It had all happened in an instant, even with distance between them. Was this possible? That he could lose his arm before he could even swing his blade?

With what? Bare hands?

But he didn't have time to think. Sun Wukong's hand closed around his throat, lifting him into the air. He couldn't breathe.

Below him, Sun Wukong's face was expressionless.

"But you know, I always hated the Book of Life and Death."

"Guh..."

"To die exactly as it's written, with the reason and everything. Isn't that unfair? So when I was young, I erased every name from the Book. Even my cute little monkeys."

Sun Wukong smiled faintly, glancing at the unconscious old fisherman.

"Now, I bet the Book says: 'So-and-so, died peacefully at a hundred, surrounded by family. Date, time.'"

His gaze returned to the Blood-Iron Fiend. It wasn't cold. If anything, his eyes burned like molten lava.

He was filled with murderous intent. It had been a long time since he'd wanted to kill someone this badly.

"Guh... guh..."

The crushing grip made the Blood-Iron Fiend's eyes roll back.

Sun Wukong remembered: he had attained Buddhahood, become a Buddha. The title Victorious Fighting Buddha wasn't just a rank—it was proof of what he was.

The Buddhist precepts.

Thou shalt not kill.

Sun Wukong laughed softly.

"You've thrown me onto the path of Asceticism again, just as you please."

His grip tightened.

"So I'll do as I please."

Crunch.

The Blood-Iron Fiend's eyes rolled back. His mouth fell open, tongue lolling out.

"I'll do it."

Snap.

His neck broke.

The Blood-Iron Fiend's limp body, tongue hanging out, face turning blue as the blood stopped flowing.

The Buddhist precept: thou shalt not kill.

"Shove it, Guanyin Bodhisattva."

Not as the Victorious Fighting Buddha Sun Wukong—

But as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who once upended the Heavenly Realm, Sun Wukong grinned mischievously.