Welcome to the Namgung Clan

"That demon of the Flowing Sand River was the perfect match for this Bajie. I was deliberately playing the loser, doing everything I could to lure him toward the bank — and then, hah! That's when you showed up for no reason at all, swinging that Ruyi Jingu Bang around, and he bolted straight back into the water!"

Zhu Bajie snorted great jets of breath from his enormous frame, pouring out his fury.

Sun Wukong could only stare at him, dumbfounded.

"You were howling that you were about to get beaten to death and begging me to save you. That's why I came running."

"Come now. That was all part of the lure. This Zhu Bajie's deep and far-sighted scheme to drag that Imugi demon onto the riverbank! Honestly, brother. If you can't even understand that, I don't know how I'm supposed to work with you."

Sun Wukong's grip tightened on the Ruyi Jingu Bang.

Ah. Do I kill him, or don't I?

He wanted nothing more than to cave in that pig's head and boil him in a pot until he was done. That he could not quite bring himself to do it made both his hands tremble.

The demon called Sha Wujing, swimming at will through the Flowing Sand River — whose waters ran heavier than sand — was no ordinary foe.

"Nngh. If he'd just come out of the water, I could smash his skull in a single blow."

Unfortunately, Sun Wukong was unaccustomed to fighting underwater. Of course, even in the water, the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven was still the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven. The problem was that the demon of the densely silted Flowing Sand River was no ordinary creature either.

Watching Sun Wukong stand there clutching the Ruyi Jingu Bang, trembling with frustration, Zhu Bajie allowed himself a smug little grin.

"You just sit there and watch, brother. Do you know who this Zhu Bajie is? Up in Heaven I was Marshal Tianpeng, supreme commander of the Heavenly River's entire navy. I'm a different breed from you — a Bimawen who spent his days scraping up horse dung. Heh heh heh."

True to form for a creature whose mouth was a walking disaster, he had just made a catastrophic mistake.

"Bimawen?"

Bimawen. The first office Sun Wukong had ever been given in the Heavenly Court. A rank so low it amounted to nothing more than a stable-hand. Sun Wukong, the Bimawen, scraper of horse dung.

It was the worst memory he possessed. If anyone in Heaven dared throw that title in his face, Sun Wukong never let it pass.

The Ruyi Jingu Bang launched into a dazzling dance.

"Ghk — brother, brother, I'm — I'm dying. Aigoo!"

Die. Just die.

His eyes spun white. Sun Wukong thrashed Zhu Bajie thoroughly, blow after methodical blow. Zhu Bajie could not even fight back. He curled into a ball and shrieked.

"Aigoo, Master! Master Sanzang! Please, save me! Bajie's going to die like this!"

In all of Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld, there were exactly three beings who could stop Sun Wukong once his eyes had gone like that.

The Buddha Shakyamuni. Guanyin. And Tang Sanzang.

Tang Sanzang let out a long, weary sigh.

"Wukong, that is enough. Must I recite the Tightening Fillet Mantra and cinch the Golden Tightening Fillet before you will stop?"

Sun Wukong's face crumpled into the ugliest scowl he could manage, and he withdrew the Ruyi Jingu Bang.

Zhu Bajie groaned, too battered to even hold himself upright. Tang Sanzang looked at him and sighed again.

"What do you intend to do, beating Bajie into that state? You yourself said that this Sha Wujing is unmatched in the water, and that only Bajie — who once commanded a navy and is strong in river combat — could possibly catch him."

Sun Wukong's brow furrowed. He swallowed a low growl.

The plan had been simple. Zhu Bajie would clash with Sha Wujing in the water, drag him onto dry land, and Sun Wukong would smash him to pieces. That was the heart of it.

It was not going well. The creature was cunning. He would not come ashore. In the water, even Zhu Bajie could barely bring his strength to bear. And now the pig was laid out entirely.

"What's to be done, Master? This Teacher Sun will pay a visit to the Southern Sea."

"The Southern Sea?"

"Guanyin gave us this task, and it's stalled here at the Flowing Sand River. So Guanyin can damn well do something about it, don't you think?"

"Good heavens. So we must go and ask Guanyin for help."

At that, Zhu Bajie — still groaning on the ground — pushed out his lower lip.

"Hmph. The demon among demons, and you can't even handle one Imugi, so you're running to Guanyin? Well, well. What happened to the Great Sage who rules the heavens?"

To say a thing like that after a beating like that. Sun Wukong was less angry than simply incredulous; a hollow laugh escaped him. He no longer even had the energy to discipline Bajie. He spoke as if surrendering the point.

"What's a guy to do? This Teacher Sun is the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven — nothing to fear under the sky, on the earth, or even above the heavens themselves, but…"

"But?"

Sun Wukong pointed the Ruyi Jingu Bang at the Flowing Sand River.

Water blacker than pitch. From those depths, a pair of eyes blazing like fire locked onto him.

The boat Sa Hyeol-cheol-gwi had been riding was a small fishing skiff. Once Ojeong, Sparrow-Eyes, the unconscious fisherman, and the two martial artists of the Namgung Clan all climbed aboard, there was barely room to plant a foot.

"Why don't you hop off?"

"Sorry? Me?"

"You're a strong swimmer. Swim for it."

"What am I, a fish?"

"You were something like a fish, I'll give you that."

"I'll have you know, back when I was a lay disciple at Shaolin, so many women were after me I nearly broke my vows."

"They liked you?"

"Because I'm handsome."

This bastard. He swallowed so much water his brain's gone sideways.

Ojeong, exhausted from all the river he'd taken in, was simply saying whatever came out of his mouth.

Namgung Jeok had been watching this bizarre routine, and his thoughts were in some disarray.

What is going on with these people?

He could not make sense of them. The man called Ojeong, who had been dragging them under like a water ghost, had been formidable enough only moments ago to send tension screaming up Namgung Jeok's spine. But now that he was sitting on the boat…

First-class, at best, by the look of him.

In the water, he had displayed power that rivaled a Peak Realm expert. During that brief clash, Namgung Jeok had genuinely wondered whether he would ever make it back to the Namgung Clan at all. And yet the man sitting here now looked no different from someone you might pass in any marketplace. Given that considerable bulk, he had the air of a street thug who put all his faith in his size and carried his shoulders accordingly.

Namgung Jeok's gaze slid to Sun Wukong beside him.

That one said there would be no one who could stand against him in the water.

Which meant he had cultivated a martial art specialized for aquatic combat. The martial world was vast. It held arts of every description, and more than a few of them were outlandish in the extreme.

If that's the case, then at the very least, a fight with that man in the water is something to avoid at all costs.

He had not fully dropped his guard. The Namgung Clan had no shortage of enemies — not only among the Unorthodox factions, but between the Orthodox and Unorthodox worlds, and even along the Righteous Path itself. Those who ground their teeth at the mention of the Namgung Clan were not few.

Especially that golden-haired foreigner.

He was the greater unknown. A Central Plains face paired with golden hair and golden eyes was exotic enough, but that was not what mattered.

This was the man who had killed Sa Hyeol-cheol-gwi. In a single instant, without a sound, without even a whisper of presence. And a cursory look at the corpse showed it had not been done with any blade. The missing arm had not been severed — it looked as though it had been ripped out entire. And the throat had been crushed.

Which means he killed Sa Hyeol-cheol-gwi with his bare hands.

The corner of Namgung Jeok's eye twitched. Great masters who had founded a school upon the fist alone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠certainly existed in the history of the martial world. But they were rare. To achieve greatness with nothing but a pair of fists was extraordinarily difficult. The body required even greater effort, and a purer, more formidable internal power.

And yet…

Namgung Jeok swallowed dryly.

I can't feel so much as a wisp of it.

There were two explanations. Either the man had no internal energy at all, or his realm was so profound it defied perception. He had already proven his ability by striking Sa Hyeol-cheol-gwi dead. The idea that he had no internal energy was absurd.

A realm so exalted I cannot even glimpse it.

Namgung Jeok was not an elder of the Namgung Clan, but he was a Peak Realm martial artist. He had fought on the front lines. He was a battle-hardened veteran who had survived the Orthodox-Unorthodox War. His internal energy alone might not have been the deepest, but his combat experience was thorough — and a man of experience was a man skilled at reading his opponents.

I don't know a single thing. Not one.

What art did he use? What was his realm? Did he fight with fists or feet? What weapon did he favor? Not a single answer presented itself with any clarity. The more closely Namgung Jeok looked, the more it felt as though he were pushing through a murky fog…

"…!"

In that instant, a pair of red eyes opened inside the fog.

Eyes the color of molten lava, set with golden pupils that shone with a terrible brilliance, stared straight through him.

"Well? Get a good look?"

"…!"

Namgung Jeok went rigid. He could not open his mouth. Had it been an illusion? Those bone-chilling red eyes were gone. In their place were the same mischievous, childlike eyes as before.

Sun Wukong smiled, faint and knowing.

"Ah, well. You were staring so hard I could feel the heat. I've got eyes, you know. So? Manage to figure anything out about me?"

"Th-that's…"

Namgung Jeok stammered. He had never imagined the man had been aware of the entire inspection. Sun Wukong had seemed thoroughly occupied with that pointless banter with Ojeong.

"Let me say this plainly. I am no enemy of yours."

"…I apologize. It is an embarrassing thing to admit, but the Namgung Clan has many enemies, and I grew wary without meaning to."

"I understand. I understand completely. Mm. I'm a very generous man, you see. What's there not to understand?"

Sun Wukong chuckled.

"It's true my little brother here attacked you, but that was all a misunderstanding, so let's put the grudges away. I, Teacher Sun, have long held the Namgung Clan in the highest esteem — and now that fate has brought us together like this, I wonder if I might pay the clan a visit?"

At that, Ojeong, who had been slumped in a heap, turned an incredulous look on him.

Since when have you ever esteemed them?

Namgung Jeok exchanged a brief glance with Namgung Seon. Letting in someone whose identity they did not even know… Of course, if one wanted to split hairs, the man was also their benefactor for slaying their nemesis Sa Hyeol-cheol-gwi.

Sun Wukong watched him hesitate, then spoke abruptly.

"Ah. Is it that this Teacher Sun's identity makes you uneasy?"

A blunt question, fired straight at him. Namgung Jeok hesitated, then nodded.

"I am sorry to say it, but yes. I have not heard every rumor in the martial world, but I have never heard of a man like you existing at all…"

Sun Wukong waved a hand as if it were nothing.

"Ahaha. I understand completely. In that case, this Teacher Sun had better tell you who he is."

He rolled his shoulders and flung both arms wide.

Ojeong, who had been watching with what little strength he had left, pressed a hand to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his forehead.

Ah.

Don't tell me.

This shit. Again.

The sudden movement pulled Namgung Jeok's eyes to him. It was as if the very landscape had shifted. The clouds seemed to part, the wind and rain to slacken, and the sunlight to fall on Sun Wukong alone…

Sun Wukong cleared his throat with great ceremony and launched into a full oration.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Ojeong looked at the two Namgung martial artists staring blankly at Sun Wukong, and simply let his head drop.

"See? Even the Namgung Clan hears my name and opens its gates."

Is that… actually what happened?

Ojeong sighed as he watched Namgung Jeok speaking with a woman of healthy, striking beauty before the great gates of the Namgung Clan Estate.

"He is a master who slew Sa Hyeol-cheol-gwi. But the way he carries himself is no different from a madman…"

"He claims to be the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven from Journey to the West, says he came down to the mortal world at Guanyin's request, and so on. This is no ordinary lunatic."

"He is not the harmless kind of crazy, so he may well go berserk. For now, we should keep him under watch as a person of interest…"

"It would be best if the Clan Head examined him personally."

Sun Wukong could surely hear every word of that conversation.

"They would have opened those gates even if I hadn't killed Sa Hyeol-cheol-gwi and had simply given them my name. That is the reputation of the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven. You understand, Ojeong?"

"Yes. Ah — yes."

Worn down by conversation with Sun Wukong, Ojeong simply nodded, limp and defeated.

Whatever the reason, Sun Wukong had arrived at the Namgung Clan.

The woman who had been speaking with Namgung Jeok approached at an unhurried pace. She was a beauty of healthy vigor, firm muscle drawing graceful lines beneath her robes. Calluses showed on her hands. Her physique was packed with compact, finely wrought muscle. Anyone could see she was a martial artist of the highest caliber.

Muhwa, Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, drew near and spoke in a tone of formal courtesy.

Sun Wukong did not answer.

"…?"

He simply stared at Muhwa. A faint smile touched the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠corner of his mouth.

"Well, well. It is good to meet you. Truly good."

A thread of fate, blazing a pure and searing white, every bit as vivid as the ones that bound Ojeong to him. Guanyin had told him that traces of Tang Sanzang would be found at the Namgung Clan.

Sun Wukong's eyes flashed.