Namgung Clan’s Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal

2. Now This Is Just Ridiculous.

Treasure Inventory

Name: Nimbus Cloud

Category: Divine Artifact

Owner: Sun Wukong

Storage Location: Somewhere in the Purple Star Palace Treasury.

*

The most precious treasure in both the Heavenly Realm and the Mortal World was kept in the Jade Emperor’s palace, in the Purple Star Palace Treasury.

Even the name alone made it clear—this was no ordinary place.

The inside of the Purple Star Palace Treasury was vaster than the entire Mortal World. The ceiling was the sky, and the floor was the earth itself—truly, a world unto itself.

Some even said that after the Underworld, the Heavens, and the Mortal World, there was the Purple Star Palace Treasury. There were even immortals who entered and got so lost they never found their way out for the rest of their lives.

Squeak?

“What's wrong, Nimbus Cloud?”

An immortal, who had gotten lost in the Purple Star Palace Treasury centuries ago and now simply lived there, opened his eyes wide.

Nimbus Cloud was tilting its head, lifting its front as if confused.

—It was a bit funny, really, to see a cloud—just a mass of pure white fluff—tilt its head.

But that’s what happened.

For the immortal, Nimbus Cloud was his only friend in this lonely place, so he couldn’t help but worry.

“Is something the matter?”

Nimbus Cloud kept tilting its head for a while, then shook it side to side.

Something felt off.

“Is it something important?”

Squeak, squeak.

Nimbus Cloud shook its head more vigorously.

“Really? It’s not your master calling you?”

Squeak, squeak!

This time, it was almost frantic.

“…Isn’t your master Sun Wukong?”

Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak!

Nimbus Cloud shook so violently, it looked like it was about to go berserk.

Startled, the immortal raised both hands to calm it down.

“Ah, I get it. All right, nothing’s happening here. Let’s just recite poetry and pass the time together.”

Squeak!

Nimbus Cloud let out a sigh of relief.

…Why is that crazy monkey suddenly calling for you, anyway?

*

Meanwhile, Sun Wukong had no idea what was going on with Nimbus Cloud.

He never imagined that Nimbus Cloud would refuse its master’s call.

His thoughts raced on their own.

“Damn it all!”

Boom!

Sun Wukong stomped the ground so hard it shook, shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Is this really how it’s going to be, Guanyin Bodhisattva? Heartless, aren’t you! I’m so done with this!”

Oh? You just toss me into the Mortal World, and what, you won’t even let me use Nimbus Cloud?

Sun Wukong’s clenched fists trembled with rage.

Well, she was always a bit off anyway. Instead of helping me get to Tianzhu quickly when she sent me to fetch the scriptures, she just slapped the Golden Headband on me and made things harder.

“I swear, I will—Guanyin Bodhisattva, you’re not getting away with this. I’ll burn Mount Potalaka to the ground.”

What, you think I’m still the Sun Wukong who was trapped in Buddha’s palm?

As he ranted, Sun Wukong’s sharp ears caught whispers nearby.

“Hey, boss.”

“Yeah?”

“Is that guy all right?”

“His head’s not screwed on straight, if you ask me.”

“I mean, I’ve never seen a lunatic like this. Nimbus Cloud, seriously?”

“Did you hear? He called himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Isn’t that the Sun Wukong from Journey to the West?”

“Yeah, the one who traveled west with Master Tripitaka. Used to hear those stories as a kid.”

Sun Wukong’s ears perked up.

‘Wait, my story’s become a folk tale?’

That was kind of fascinating. He almost got offended at being called a lunatic, but for now, he just listened.

“He can’t be the real Sun Wukong, right?”

“Come on, boss, does that make sense? Sun Wukong? He’s just some crazy guy with mud-colored hair.”

“Right, just a nutjob.”

“Why pretend to be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven? Why not claim to be the emperor? At least that’d be useful.”

“Yeah, what’s the point of pretending to be a monkey?”

“If you ask me, he’s even crazier than the stories. That muddy-haired guy looks like a real maniac. We should get out of here while we can.”

“Run away?”

“Yeah, boss. I’ll distract him, and when I give the signal—”

“We did it.”

“Huh? Did it—hiiieek!”

The distraction worked perfectly.

Sun Wukong glared at them with blazing eyes.

“You know something?”

“…Gulp.”

“That so-called crazy Great Sage? He’s actually a lot calmer thanks to the Golden Headband.”

“Uh, Great Hero!”

“And right now, I don’t have the Golden Headband on.”

What was that? Muddy-haired freak? Hah.

“F-Forgive us!”

Watching them grovel and crawl on the ground, Sun Wukong let out a sigh.

He almost felt like teaching them a lesson, but the energy just drained out of him.

‘What’s the Great Sage Equal to Heaven doing, getting worked up over some bandits?’

It was almost laughable. The great Sun Wukong, losing his temper over a bunch of mountain bandits. Feeling fed up, Sun Wukong waved his hand dismissively.

“Forget it. Hey, Sideburns.”

“Yes, Great Hero!”

“You know the way to the Namgung Clan?”

“Uh… yes, I do.”

“Well? Lead the way.”

“…”

No answer. Sun Wukong crossed his arms and stared him down.

Sideburns hesitated, glancing around nervously before finally speaking up.

“Um, well, I’m the bandit chief of Hayeon Mountain.”

“Wow, impressive. Should I be jealous?”

“Still, I have my pride. How can a bandit chief just abandon his base? A real boss is supposed to stay put and look dignified, you know.”

Sun Wukong narrowed his eyes.

“Of course, these days, a boss should take the lead and work hard! Besides, it’s just me and Narrow-Eyed here, so I’ll guide you to the Namgung Clan right away!”

He changed his tune almost as fast as Nimbus Cloud.

Sun Wukong chuckled and looked up at the sky.

“Just wait, Guanyin Bodhisattva. I’ll find Tripitaka and be back up there in no time. You’d better be ready.”

*

Sideburns and Narrow-Eyed glanced at Sun Wukong and subtly put some distance between themselves and him.

The way Sun Wukong kept whipping his head around—was it even possible for neck muscles to be that flexible? It was impressive.

Honestly, the way he looked around was exactly like a country bumpkin visiting the big city for the first time…

‘This is kind of embarrassing, boss.’

‘Shh! That guy’s got sharp ears.’

‘But everyone’s staring at us. It’s even more embarrassing.’

‘Wouldn’t you stare if you saw a yellow-haired foreigner with gold-flecked eyes walking around like that?’

‘Should we pretend we’re not with him?’

‘Good idea.’

Sun Wukong heard every whisper behind him, but he didn’t care.

What really caught his attention was the scenery around him.

“There are so damn many people. Seriously, it’s packed.”

Wow. Humans here, humans there—

Sun Wukong clicked his tongue.

There wasn’t a single spot without people. Back in the day, it was rare to see a person. There just weren’t that many.

‘Well, I guess there were more humans when I traveled to Tianzhu with Tripitaka.’

Even then, he’d thought there were a lot. But now…

‘With all the demons gone, humans really have it easy.’

A Mortal World without demons was a world ruled by humans.

“No predators, so they just keep multiplying like crazy.”

Seriously, when there’s nothing to fear, and your belly’s full and your back is warm, that’s all people think about. Tsk.

“It’s absolutely crawling with people.”

“It’s actually less crowded than usual.”

“This?”

Sideburns nodded.

“Is this the capital where the emperor lives or something?”

“The emperor? Oh, it’s prosperous here, sure, but it’s nothing compared to the imperial capital.”

Then, Sideburns lowered his voice and muttered,

‘Though, to be honest, you’re acting just like a country bumpkin visiting the capital for the first time.’

“Hey, keep those comments in your head, not out loud.”

“Sorry. I’ll make sure to insult you silently from now on.”

When Sun Wukong raised his fist, Sideburns quickly stepped forward.

“Right this way, sir. I’m a local here. I’ll get you there fast and comfortably, the quickest route.”

“I thought you were a Shaolin lay disciple?”

“Once you settle down somewhere, that place becomes your home.”

He sure had a silver tongue. Maybe he was just fearless. Guess being a bandit chief gives you some guts.

Sun Wukong smirked and shook his head.

Well, what does it matter if there are more humans now?

All he needed to do was find Tripitaka’s soul as soon as possible…

“Wait…?”

Hold on.

A sudden, uneasy thought crossed his mind.

Right, I need to find Tripitaka’s soul…

No, actually, I need to find his body first. If his body dies before I find the soul, that’s a disaster. I have to protect it until I get the soul back.

And the soul probably didn’t just slip out on its own—someone must have stolen it with some strange spell technique. So, to find the soul, I’ll have to catch the culprit, too.

—Which means

“…Out of all these damn people, I have to find him?”

What the hell…!

A cold sweat ran down Sun Wukong’s back. He shivered.

“Hey. How many people live in this country, anyway?”

“How would I know… Narrow-Eyed, you got any idea?”

“I’m not sure, but I’ve heard people say it’s sixty or seventy million.”

“…”

Oh.

“Guanyin Bodhisattva, you really…”

Did you really have to go this far to make your point?

Wow, I’m so frustrated I can’t even speak.

Sun Wukong just opened and closed his mouth, then hung his head.

I really might have to burn Mount Potalaka to the ground.

This is not going to be easy. First, I need to focus on finding Tripitaka’s body.

‘The Bodhisattva said that even if the soul is missing, outwardly there’s no difference.’

It’s not like he’s in a coma, just lying there like a corpse.

‘Tripitaka’s soul is so exalted that even its remnants can move his body.’

Remnants, or maybe “traces” is a better word.

Even with just those traces, his body can move and live as normal. That’s how noble Tripitaka is. The problem is time. If the soul doesn’t return soon, he’ll lose his emotions, his body will become just a lump of flesh, and eventually…

‘He’ll rot away.’

Same goes for the soul. Without a body, it has no protection.

It’ll keep wearing away until…

‘It disappears.’

Not reincarnation—just complete erasure from the world.

Gone. Every trace, every record built up over countless cycles of reincarnation.

Sun Wukong rubbed his face.

“Hah. It’s not like this is the first time.”

Tripitaka was always getting kidnapped. Demons would use transformation techniques, tricks, all sorts of bizarre spell techniques.

Every time, Sun Wukong managed to find and rescue him.

After it happened so many times, even Tripitaka stopped being afraid.

—Wukong. Hardship and adversity are part of life. Trials are what life is made of, and suffering is just something to pass through. So steel your heart, study hard, and cultivate deeply.

—…Is that really something a kidnapped man should be saying, Master?

—Hahaha. This too is just a form of asceticism, so don’t lose heart.

—No, Master, you’re literally sitting in a cauldron right now. The fire’s already started.

—It’s fine. Didn’t the Buddha attain enlightenment after enduring countless fasts and harsh asceticism? This doesn’t even count as real hardship.

He never cared that it was his own fault for falling for a demon’s trick. That shameless smile drove Sun Wukong crazy. Once, he got so fed up he just told Tripitaka to get out on his own.

Then Tripitaka’s big eyes would fill with tears again…

—W-Wukong? Save me! Oh, Wukong! If you don’t hurry, I’ll recite the Restraining Spell and crush your head!

Hah.

That tear-streaked, pale face flashed before his eyes.

‘Tripitaka…’

Now, on top of being kidnapped, you’ve lost your soul?

Feeling sorry for himself, Sun Wukong’s shoulders slumped.

But what could he do?

The image of his master, bawling in terror, popped into his head.

“I swear, I’ll find you and tan your hide when I do.”

Sun Wukong ground his teeth in determination.