Still Sticking to That Story, I See

Ojeong caught Sun Wukong before he could bolt out the door.

"We need to think this through a little more carefully. Honestly, there isn't much of a play here. If the Cheonghyeop Guild digs in and refuses to deal, what exactly are we supposed to do about it?"

"Fair point."

"This is Murim. The Orthodox factions talk a big game about justification, but they don't hesitate for a second when it comes to using force. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠A blade is the finest pretext there is. And the Cheonghyeop Guild has plenty of dirt of its own. They run a few pleasure houses, and let me tell you — they're worse than the unorthodox path. They chain destitute women with debts that make no sense and work them to the bone. Makes the black path look downright charitable."

Sun Wukong's eyes narrowed.

"And how would you know the courtesans are bound by debt?"

"Ah, you know. Just rumors."

"You went to a pleasure house and asked a courtesan yourself?"

Ojeong's face stayed perfectly blank as he changed the subject.

"Ahem. The point is, the Cheonghyeop Guild has done enough filthy business that if the Namgung Clan stormed in, took the whole place, and reclaimed every last interest, nobody would have grounds to complain. Other Orthodox sects have been doing it that way for years. The problem is that this is the Namgung Clan. There's this idea that even if another sect can get away with it, the Namgung Clan absolutely cannot."

"So why dump it on me?"

"They're borrowing your name and your face, that's all."

"Figures."

"Word that the Great Hero is a guest retainer here hasn't spread far yet. It'll come out eventually, of course. But if they hang you out as the figurehead, they can at least slip out from under the other sects' scrutiny for now."

Ojeong had a point.

"And even if it does come out that you're a guest retainer — well, you just say the guest retainer had a personal grudge and went after the Cheonghyeop Guild on his own. What's anyone going to say to that? Settling a score is about the cleanest justification the martial world has to offer."

"So I lend them my face, and the Namgung Clan handles the actual work?"

"That's the idea. The problem is, if it goes that way, the Cheonghyeop Guild's grudge — and the Hoseong Sect's, for that matter — lands on you."

"They used their heads."

"Yes. Whoever it was over at the Namgung Clan, they worked that angle beautifully. Probably the Intelligence Hall Master, or maybe the Law Enforcement Hall Master."

Sun Wukong looked at Ojeong with a peculiar glint in his eye. Ojeong, who had been holding forth with considerable enthusiasm, faltered.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Just thinking you've got more brains than that face of yours would suggest."

"Hey now. I may not look it, but I'm a Shaolin lay disciple, you know? I've got what you'd call insight."

One compliment and his shoulders shot up to his ears. Sun Wukong snorted a laugh.

Some things never change.

In their past life, too, this one had always been colder and more calculating than Bajie. There were times he'd felt more like the second brother than Bajie ever had.

Sun Wukong had trusted Sha Wujing. Whenever trouble came, he left the precious Sanzang in Ojeong's care and went off to hunt demons. Bajie, who couldn't be trusted with a single damn thing, had to be glued to his side or Sun Wukong couldn't rest easy.

"...Great Hero? What's the matter?"

"What?"

"You're looking at me with this weirdly affectionate expression that does not suit you at all."

"..."

"It's a little frightening."

Sun Wukong rapped Ojeong on the head and looked away.

A figurehead, huh.

"So you don't have to take this job. It's not as if they go around making requests like this directly to the other guest retainers, either."

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

That said, turning it down would make it considerably harder to stay on as a guest retainer. And honestly, Sun Wukong found the whole thing a pain.

But I need more time.

He hadn't spent the last fortnight just inventing a new inner art. He had been trying to track even the faintest trace of Sanzang.

He had nothing to show for it. The only evidence he had was two people bound to him by threads of fate.

Namgung Jinbaek, and Muhwa.

Whether those two were Sanzang, or whether they were merely connected to him...

Finding Sanzang isn't something that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠happens just because it's urgent.

Fate was always like that.

...Come to think of it, that guy never even walked. He'd ridden the White Dragon the whole way.

In any case, the threads of fate were tangled. They could not be undone in a single pull. To recognize someone the way Ojeong had, you needed heaven's own luck on your side.

Sun Wukong decided to handle other matters first.

For now, I get closer to the Namgung Clan.

Accepting this job so readily had been Sun Wukong's own choice. Even before Ojeong laid it out, he had already guessed at their scheme. He had fully expected that the grudges of the Cheonghyeop Guild and the Hoseong Sect would come swinging his way.

He took it anyway. He had already run the numbers in his head.

So what if their grudges land on me? What are a bunch of humans going to do with a grudge? I'm still a guest retainer either way. It just means I end up in the same boat as the Namgung Clan.

Sun Wukong was a guest retainer of the Namgung Clan. Unless the clan cut him loose, the world would have no choice but to see them as allies.

If I'm going to do this, I might as well make it so the Namgung Clan has no choice but to need me.

On his own terms. From the front.

Finding Sanzang. Finding the ones who had stolen Sanzang's soul. All of it.

It was his first time leaving the estate since he had arrived.

Ojeong sighed and fell in behind Sun Wukong. When people plotted something, they instinctively did it at night.

Wonderful. If anything happens, the rumors will be everywhere before sundown.

The streets were loud in the full light of day. The crowds coming and going were as thick as ever, and Sun Wukong's appearance drew more than a few stares. Not that there was anything to be done about it. They couldn't turn back now — and this was not a man who turned back in the first place. Ojeong did his best to unload every scrap of information he had.

"Yangha Ironworks is famous as the finest ironworks in Anhui. If it hadn't been for the Orthodox-Unorthodox War, the Namgung Clan never would have sold off that interest."

Running a martial house took a staggering amount of money. The Namgung Clan was no exception. The problem was that they were still a long way from recovering from the wounds of the war — a grim, shrunken, and still-shrinking financial situation, all while they had to hold onto their seat at the head of the Five Great Clans.

"The reason they haven't taken in any guest retainers these past few years is probably the same thing — trying to pinch every last coin. From what I've seen of the atmosphere inside the estate, they're a lot poorer than I expected."

Which meant they had no choice but to reclaim the interests they had surrendered during the war.

"And that's not easy. They've made enemies left and right, so there aren't many merchant houses, trading companies, or escort agencies willing to do business with the Namgung Clan. Everyone's washed their hands of them."

The money had dried up. The inflow of funds had simply stopped.

"In that state, Yangha Ironworks is something they absolutely have to have. For a martial clan, an ironworks is indispensable — and this one is the finest in Anhui, a business that rakes in money hand over fist? Yeah. They can't just sit on their hands."

"When did you even look all that up?"

"I had Semo do a little digging."

"That guy?"

"He's not much of a martial artist, but he's got sharp ears. He's good at wandering around and picking things up."

An unexpected talent, that one.

By the time Ojeong had talked himself out, they were nearly at Yangha Ironworks. He asked, a little carefully:

"The Namgung Clan said they'd assign us martial artists. Today's just reconnaissance, right?"

"No."

"What?"

"We finish it today."

"...What?"

"If this drags on, the Hoseong Sect will get involved. That's a given. Why waste time? We hit hard and we hit fast."

Ojeong shut his mouth. So they were going to settle the whole thing before anyone else even had a chance to step in?

Ah, that bastard Semo.

He should have brought him. No wonder the guy had been making excuses about his shoulder still not being healed.

Sharp little bastard. Lucky little bastard...

"You brought your sword, right?"

"...Yes."

Ojeong's face tightened as he gripped the scabbard at his waist. Sun Wukong watched him with an odd look, then muttered as if he had just made up his mind.

"Yangha Ironworks has quite the reputation, so I might as well pick one up for myself while I'm at it."

"What's your main weapon? A sword, I assume?"

Everything Sun Wukong had shown so far had been overwhelming even without a weapon in his hands. Ojeong had assumed he was a master of unarmed combat. How else did you beat a Peak Realm expert like Sa Hyeol-cheol-gwi to death with your bare hands?

And it hadn't been an ordinary beating, either. That had just been violence, plain and simple.

After the sparring match, though, he had changed his mind.

He's no slouch with a sword, either.

Even that was an arrogant assessment. Ojeong had essentially received a lesson. Sun Wukong had merely watched the forms and copied them — and in ten exchanges, they had been perfect. The memory still sent a chill down Ojeong's spine. A realm he himself had spent more than a decade reaching, surpassed in a single instant.

The man was a sword master. That much was certain.

"A staff suits me better, really."

"A staff?"

"Hey now, you brat. Don't you know the beloved weapon of Teacher Sun, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?"

Ah.

"...The Ruyi Jingu Bang?"

Still sticking to that story, I see.

He'd been quiet about it lately, too. Ojeong let out a sigh before he could stop himself. The man always slipped away like this without ever explaining the actual details, and it left Ojeong feeling oddly put out.

I really do want to know about his past.

How did someone maintain, without a single break, the claim that he was Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven? The world was full of lunatics, but this was the first time Ojeong had ever seen someone this inventively out of his mind.

"Then why doesn't the Great Sage Equal to Heaven have the Ruyi Jingu Bang with him right now?"

At that, Sun Wukong heaved a sigh so deep it could have sunk the ground.

"Hah. It's a long story. But since you're so curious, I suppose I have no choice but to explain."

"You don't hear people saying you love explaining things, usually?"

"Never heard that once in my life."

"I have a feeling you're going to hear it a lot from now on."

"The short version is, I threw it away."

"That's an absurdly short version."

I think his story just sprang a leak.

Ojeong was speechless.

"When people say Journey to the West, they think Sun Wukong. When they say Sun Wukong, they think the Ruyi Jingu Bang. You know. 'Grow, Ruyi Jingu Bang.' That."

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

"You really do know me well. See? There's not a soul in the world who doesn't know Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven."

He actually shrugged. Ojeong's words died in his throat.

"So why did you throw it away?"

"The pilgrimage to India was over. I didn't need it anymore."

"I mean, even so — you threw away the Ruyi Jingu Bang?"

"I had my reasons."

"Just give it up. Adding a new twist where you threw away the Ruyi Jingu Bang because you couldn't keep the Sun Wukong story going is a stretch."

"Listen."

"Go on, then."

"Say you're at the marketplace, and you find a truly rare, incredible, magnificent, one-of-a-kind, gasp-out-loud..."

"Gasp-out-loud...?"

"Erotic picture book."

"An erotic picture book?"

Ojeong's brow furrowed. Why, of all things, an erotic picture book?

"Right. And it's so extraordinary that the moment you see it, you swear you wouldn't trade it for its own weight in gold."

"Oh..."

"So what happens once a picture book like that falls into your hands?"

"Well. You'd have a good time, I suppose."

"Exactly. And then, once you're done — you know, once you're done — how do you feel?"

"Empty?"

A bashful look crossed Ojeong's fierce face, a mismatch so jarring that anyone else would have found it terrifying. Sun Wukong just cackled.

In their past life, Zhu Bajie had been notoriously obsessed with lust. This one, though, had been like a block of wood.

"Empty, yes — but more than that, doesn't it feel like you suddenly attained Buddhahood? Like you've grasped some great enlightenment. Like you've become a Buddha yourself. And then you look at the picture book again, and it just looks filthy."

"Ah..."

Ojeong let out a sigh despite himself. He had gotten completely absorbed in the story.

"It even starts to feel repulsive. So you burn the picture book."

"Ah!"

"And then you sit there weeping, clutching the ashes, wailing over what's already gone."

"Ah."

"That's where I am right now. I actually did attain Buddhahood at the end of that pilgrimage."

"That clicked in a single blow. You're a one-hit lecturer, I swear. The persuasiveness is insane."

Ojeong nodded with an enthusiasm he hadn't intended.

"So you're saying all worldly attachments vanished and you just hurled the Ruyi Jingu Bang away?"

"That's right."

Sun Wukong let out a long, heavy breath.

How could he have known there would come a day when he would need his old power again, down here in the mortal world?

After the pilgrimage ended, much of the savagery had gone out of him. He had just been recognized by the Tathagata and named the Victorious Fighting Buddha, and his spirits had been soaring. So he had taken the Ruyi Jingu Bang and flung it down through the clouds, into the world below.

I do feel a little bad about it.

The Ruyi Jingu Bang was a divine relic. It even had a will of its own. As its master, he owed it something of an apology.

Unlike the Somersault Cloud, it couldn't move on its own. He would have to go find it himself.

I should pay a visit to Mt. Wudang and Mt. Song before long.

If Myodu-eung was right, the mountain gods of Wudang and Song might know where the Ruyi Jingu Bang had gone.

While Sun Wukong was lost in thought, Ojeong spoke up out of nowhere.

"So what's with the cat?"

Ojeong narrowed his eyes. A black cat was nuzzling its face into that cascade of golden hair.

"Mrow."

Really, now. It did not suit the man at all.

"It is pretty cute, though."

Ojeong reached out a hand — and Sun Wukong barked at him.

"Hey! That is Teacher Janggyeong. Show some respect."

"What?"

"This is not someone you can treat so casually. You will offer a greeting every time you meet."

"To a cat?"

"To Teacher Janggyeong."

Ah.

Another new piece of lore, then.

Hah...

Ojeong let out a hollow laugh. If he hadn't gotten tangled up with Sa Hyeol-cheol-gwi, he really would have just gone back to Hayeon Mountain. How much longer was he supposed to play along with this bluster?

The road ahead looked very, very dark.