Namgung Clan’s Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal

3. Sword God, huh? That’s bold.

There was one thing Sun Wukong felt keenly on his journey to Tianzhu.

The ways of the world are strange beyond belief, and things always turn out to be more troublesome than expected.

He thought everything would go smoothly once he reached the Namgung Clan.

He never imagined there would be so many humans. He’d been given the location and destination down to the last detail, so he figured it would all be over quickly.

…But judging by how things were unfolding, it was clear this wouldn’t be easy. He knew all too well how troublesome Guanyin Bodhisattva could be. Since it was a task given by him, there was no way it would be simple—Sun Wukong’s instincts told him as much.

“What kind of place is the Namgung Clan?”

Sun Wukong decided to take a more proactive approach.

“Weren’t you heading to the Namgung Clan because you had business there?”

“That’s right. Why?”

“But you don’t know what kind of place the Namgung Clan is?”

“Does the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong himself, really need to know about the petty games of mere mortals?”

“Ah.”

Sideburns couldn’t help but squeeze his eyes shut. He’d realized after only a few hours that reacting to every little thing would only wear him out. So he ignored it.

“The Great Namgung Clan. The overlords of Anhui Province, descendants of dragons, heroes of Murim, or blood-crazed sword demons. Take your pick.”

Sun Wukong blinked.

“The absolute rulers of Murim? Sword God? That’s odd. I heard there are no gods in the Mortal World. Do they have gods here too?”

“…It’s just a nickname. Namgung Jin-cheon is said to be the strongest in Murim, and because he’s reached the level of a god with the sword, they call him the Sword God.”

Sun Wukong stroked his chin.

“Oh ho, that’s quite something. Well, I did name myself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven once. Gotta admire his confidence.”

Sword God, huh.

A bit arrogant, but a man should have guts like that.

‘The absolute ruler of Murim, and the place where the strongest human is.’

Why was Tripitaka there of all places?

‘Does that mean Tripitaka is a Martial Artist too?’

Sun Wukong tilted his head.

Tripitaka was a staunch follower of the Non-killing Principle. The very embodiment of mercy and forgiveness. When Sun Wukong brutally killed a demon who tried to eat him, Tripitaka scolded him harshly instead.

He was so frustrating that he constantly tested Sun Wukong’s patience and killing intent.

If it weren’t for the Golden Headband, Tripitaka would have died at Sun Wukong’s hands hundreds of times over.

He nearly died of frustration because of him, honestly.

And now that guy is a Martial Artist?

He’d heard that even Shaolin Temple, where the Buddhist monks are, and the Emei Sect of nuns, were all part of Murim. Each had their own ideals, but…

For Sun Wukong, who had no interest or expectations for humans—and was even a bit cynical about them—no matter how he looked at it…

‘They all just seem like people gathering to swing swords and kill each other.’

And that Internal Qi of theirs. It’s not normal.

Mere humans wielding power on par with demons—maybe even surpassing them.

Humans have always been creatures of greater desire than demons.

Sun Wukong remembered clearly.

‘There were even those who tried to trick Tripitaka and offer him to demons.’

How many humans sought power and immortality by becoming servants of demons?

Humans, whose greed rivaled that of demons, gained monstrous power and split into factions—how could the world ever be peaceful?

‘But Tripitaka, a Martial Artist?’

No matter how he imagined it, it didn’t fit. He couldn’t even guess what form Tripitaka had reincarnated into, let alone how to find him.

But it wasn’t impossible.

‘So that’s what Guanyin Bodhisattva meant. I think I get it now.’

He’d naturally be able to recognize Tripitaka.

Sun Wukong’s gaze landed on Sideburns.

“…”

Invisible to human eyes, the world of the mind.

In Sun Wukong’s vision, a pure white thread connected him and Sideburns.

The bond spoken of in Buddhism, and the string that ties it together.

A faint smile appeared on Sun Wukong’s lips.

That guy’s past life.

‘Who could he have been?’

He had a vague suspicion.

But he couldn’t be sure.

If Tripitaka’s body was at the Namgung Clan, he’d see that thread.

The only problem was, he couldn’t be certain it was Tripitaka.

‘Well, still… there’s no way I wouldn’t recognize Tripitaka.’

No way.

He’d know at a glance.

…He would.

While Sun Wukong was lost in thought, Sideburns and Narrow-Eyed were having a quiet conversation a little ways off.

“Brother, doesn’t he seem completely out of his mind?”

“Not just a little. I think he genuinely believes he’s the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Seriously.”

“Ugh. What bad luck. Why’d you even pick up a guy like that? You weren’t really planning to sell him to the Namsaek Family, were you?”

“He just looked like some rich young master with that golden hair, so I thought I could squeeze some money out of him. Never imagined he’d be broke. And crazy, to boot.”

They’d really gotten themselves into a mess. Most of all, every conversation felt off. At first, he thought it was just because he didn’t look like a typical Central Plains native.

“Doesn’t he seem completely out of touch with common sense, Brother?”

“Am I the crazy one? Talking to him doesn’t even feel like talking to a person.”

“Are we really going all the way to the Namgung Clan with him? I have a bad feeling about this.”

Sideburns swallowed hard. If it were anywhere else, he would have just shown the way and left. But as Narrow-Eyed feared…

“That Namgung Clan is full of sword-crazed demons, right? Descendants of dragons? Wasn’t that dragon the insane Bright Dragon?”

“Mhm!”

“After what the Namgung Clan did during the Great War of Righteousness and Evil, I almost want to root for the Evil Faction. They’re completely out of control. And you want to go there?”

“Sigh. Who’d want to go anywhere near that place? We could get killed.”

“And look at that guy. He doesn’t even know what the Namgung Clan is, and with that personality…”

Sun Wukong’s personality, huh.

“Anyone can see he’s just itching for a fight if he goes to the Namgung Clan.”

“Yeah, if that lunatic snaps in the Namgung Clan… Ugh.”

“So let’s run for it. Whatever happens to him at the Namgung Clan isn’t our problem, right?”

“And how are we supposed to do that? He keeps watching me.”

Sideburns was more sensitive than he looked. Every time he felt Sun Wukong’s gaze, a chill ran down his spine. For some reason, that guy was paying close attention to him. Could they really escape?

“Let’s take a boat.”

“Huh?”

“The fastest way to Anhui Province is by boat anyway.”

“True. The waterways are all connected.”

“And at night, we just quietly jump off the boat when no one’s looking.”

“Swim for it, you mean?”

“Brother, didn’t you live as a bandit before climbing the mountain? You’re a great swimmer, aren’t you?”

“Oh ho!”

Sideburns nodded. Not a bad plan. If they slipped away at night, there’s no way he’d know.

Would he really turn the boat around and chase after them? He was the one who wanted to go to the Namgung Clan anyway.

“Alright. Let’s head to the dock first.”

“Yes, Brother. I miss Hayeon Mountain already.”

*

“This way, Great Hero! If we take a boat, we’ll get there in three days!”

Sideburns and Narrow-Eyed led Sun Wukong toward the dock.

The roads in this area weren’t well developed, but the city had grown thanks to the river trade.

The branch of the Yangtze River that ran through the city was the main artery of transportation. In short, lots of people gathered there.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“You’re awfully motivated all of a sudden.”

“I’m just a positive person by nature.”

Sun Wukong crossed his arms and studied the two bandits.

“…”

Sideburns swallowed nervously. It was strange.

‘He doesn’t seem special at all.’

He didn’t glare like a local thug. He didn’t radiate powerful Internal Qi like a Martial Master. He didn’t have the murderous aura of someone from the Unorthodox sects.

He just stared quietly.

But why did it feel like…

‘It’s like he’s seeing right through me.’

Was this what it felt like to stand naked? Like every secret, every flaw was exposed. Eyes that seemed to know everything.

Those golden pupils didn’t look human.

For a brief moment, Sideburns almost believed this crazy man really was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

The mysterious light in his eyes didn’t seem of this world.

As Sideburns began to sweat under the pressure—

Sun Wukong’s eyes curved in a sly arc. That familiar mischief appeared. And just like that, the pressure vanished, as if it had all been a lie. All it took was a playful smile.

“What are you so scared of? Where’s that guts you had when you swung your fist at my head?”

“Ah, th-that was… I made a terrible mistake…”

As Sideburns flinched, Sun Wukong burst out laughing.

“Enough. We’ve got time before the boat leaves, right? Let’s eat.”

“Eat? Ah, right. We should eat.”

“But, uh, Brother? I mean, Great Hero? Do you have any money? I checked your pockets back in the forest, and you didn’t have a single coin.”

At Narrow-Eyed’s words, Sun Wukong tilted his head.

“Why do we need money?”

“Excuse me?”

Sideburns and Narrow-Eyed blinked in confusion. What kind of nonsense was this?

Sun Wukong looked at them as if they were the strange ones.

“Can’t we just go to a house and ask for a meal, saying we’re travelers passing through?”

If Tripitaka said he was hungry, people would give up their entire pantry for him.

“What, are we beggars or monks, asking for food?”

“Beggars? Monks?”

“Ahem. Well, these days, people aren’t as generous as they used to be.”

“Ha! What’s Tripitaka even doing? He reincarnated to reform humanity, but they’ve only gotten worse.”

“…”

There he goes again.

‘Does he really believe he’s the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?’

He’s completely nuts. Living in his own world.

The problem was, this lunatic was terrifyingly strong.

“Then you two can pay.”

“Our money?”

Sideburns and Narrow-Eyed let out hollow laughs. Now he was shaking down bandits.

“Uh, actually, we don’t have any money either.”

“You’re bandits, and you don’t have money?”

“There are… reasons for that…”

“Pfft. You guys don’t even bother to lie well…”

Just then—

“Hey, you there! Finally found you!”

A thunderous shout cut through the air.

The cry echoed through the surroundings.

Sun Wukong, who had only seen Sideburns so far in the Mortal World, turned his curious gaze toward the source of the commotion.

There, a group of sword-wielding men radiated a menacing aura.

“To think you’d show yourself so brazenly—are you insane?”

Huh?

Why are they pointing at us?

Who are those guys?

“Today, I’ll make sure you don’t leave here alive!”

…Wait, why us?