A Far Cry from Thievery

"Aaaagh! I swear I'm going to burn it all!"

A piercing shriek rattled the hall. The staff of the Law Enforcement Hall flinched — for about a second. Then, as if long accustomed to this, they went right back to whatever they'd been doing.

"Haaah."

Only after shouting herself hoarse did Muhwa seem to settle. She let out a long sigh.

"Work, work, finish that and there's more work, and after that? Still more work."

The tower of documents stacked across her desk had not shrunk with the passing hours. If anything, it had grown. Dark circles hung beneath Muhwa's eyes, and exhaustion was carved deep into her face.

"Why does everything always pile up at once?"

She stared gloomily at the small tray a maidservant had set down. It was heaped with sweet pastries. She picked one up, hesitated, then squeezed her eyes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shut and popped it into her mouth.

The irritation melted from her face. After chewing through a few, color returned to her cheeks. Then the worry crept back in.

"I'm a martial artist, and here I sit all day reading papers and snacking..."

Hadn't Liu Bei, King of Hanzhong, lamented the flesh that had gathered on his thighs from too long out of the saddle? Muhwa looked down at her own belly and heaved another sigh. It seemed just a little rounder than before, and her mood sank with it. She wanted nothing more than to walk out to the training grounds and swing a sword until she felt human again, but she could not spare even a moment.

"The Golden Hall Master will handle taking over the Azure Chivalry Guild's businesses at a fair price."

As Law Enforcement Hall Master, she was supposed to oversee the deal — watch for illegalities, for personal embezzlement. She did not bother.

"The Golden Hall Master isn't that kind of person. No, not at all."

It was absolutely not because she was busy, or lazy, or exhausted. She simply trusted her clan elder.

"Right? Little one?"

Muhwa grinned at the white owl that had perched on her shoulder. The owl blinked its enormous eyes and cocked its head sideways.

It was adorable. Clever, too — as if it understood every word. It had flown in one day and never left her side. Muhwa found it wonderfully strange and endearing, and kept it close, stroking its feathers. When other martial artists tried to touch it out of curiosity, it would spread its wings wide and peck at them in warning. The fact that it only acted sweet with her was deeply satisfying. Even when work piled up and her temper frayed, one look at the owl and it all melted away.

Muhwa broke a pastry into crumbs and held them out on her palm.

"These are Unnie's favorite treats. I don't just give them to anyone, you know. Here. Eat up."

She watched, dazed, as the owl pecked at the crumbs for a while — then frowned at the next item on her agenda.

This is...

It was not Law Enforcement Hall business. But it was something Muhwa had no choice but to handle herself.

"From the Wulin Alliance."

A missive stamped with the Alliance's seal.

Muhwa was displeased from the opening lines. Since when did the Wulin Alliance — dominated by the Nine Sects and One Gang — congratulate the Five Great Clans on their gathering? And that last bit, tacked on at the end, as if anyone had invited them.

She sneered. Just as she'd thought — an excuse. All shine and no substance, a glossy apricot with nothing inside.

"They want to get a look inside the Namgung Clan."

The Namgung Clan Estate forbade outsiders with iron strictness. It rivaled even the famously insular Sichuan Tang Clan. The Namgung Clan had maintained the barest of relations with the other Five Great Clans, and with the Wulin Alliance they had gone from distant to severed entirely. Even the Beggars' Gang, who prided themselves on knowing every scrap of news under heaven, had thrown up their hands when it came to the Namgung Clan.

And now a convenient pretext had appeared — unrest among the unorthodox sects — giving them the perfect excuse to step inside.

"What a headache."

Muhwa sighed, her hand drifting toward the pastries of its own accord.

"What's there to worry about?"

"Hyaah!"

Muhwa jumped out of her skin. The pastries she'd been holding scattered through the air.

Sun Wukong was leaning in the doorway as if he had always been there. He looked so natural that for a split second Muhwa wondered if she had wandered into his room by mistake. She asked, in a dazed voice:

"...When did you get here?"

"Around the time you started stuffing your face."

"So you've been standing there this whole time?!"

Muhwa flushed, remembering how greedily she'd been eating. Sun Wukong pulled out a chair and sat down as if it were nothing.

"How did you not make a single sound...?"

"You were too buried in work to notice, I guess."

"..."

Muhwa's eyes narrowed. That couldn't be right. A martial artist always kept their ears open, their senses honed. You had to, if you wanted to react to a spear or a hidden weapon flying out of nowhere. Which meant Sun Wukong had deliberately hidden his presence.

"You're not secretly a disciple of the Heavenly Shadow Divine Thief or something, are you?"

"The Heavenly Shadow Divine Thief?"

"A legendary thief."

"Please. Thievery and I are a long way apart."

The Queen Mother of the West, Lord Laozi, and the Jade Emperor — all of whom had been robbed of peaches, elixirs, and wine — would have hurled a double helping of curses if they'd heard that. Muhwa shook her head.

If he doesn't have some specialized stealth art, how did I not sense him at all?

If Sun Wukong had been, say, an assassin sent by the Sama Order? She would have given up her life without even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reacting. A chill ran down Muhwa's spine. She felt a fresh wave of relief that Sun Wukong was on the Namgung Clan's side.

Just then, the owl that had been frantically pecking at pastry crumbs fluttered over to Sun Wukong.

"Huh?"

Muhwa's voice went slack. The owl tried to burrow into his robes — then a cat's head popped out and hissed, and the owl drooped its wings and settled meekly at Sun Wukong's side. She never would have guessed it would abandon the treats she'd given it and fly to him instead.

"I've never seen that owl act friendly with anyone."

Sun Wukong looked at the owl with complete indifference.

"You raise a cat, too. You must just be good with animals."

"Comes with the territory."

"Pardon?"

Sun Wukong snickered. A monkey was always going to get along better with animals than with humans, after all.

"Alright. What brings you here?"

"I took care of the Hoga Manor business."

Muhwa's eyes narrowed.

"How? In the Manor Lord's current state, reclaiming his lost authority wouldn't have been easy."

"Eh, the old man put up a decent fight."

"Hmm..."

Even if the Anhui underworld had collapsed, it hadn't vanished. As long as they kept Hoga Manor in the Namgung Clan's palm and controlled it properly, that was enough. It didn't matter who became Manor Lord. Of course, it never occurred to her that the Hoga Manor Lord had bowed not to the Namgung Clan, but to Sun Wukong.

"Thank you for the help. It must have been a nuisance."

She was simply grateful he'd taken a burden off the already-overworked Namgung Clan.

"I just went out for some air. Nothing to thank me for. And those kids from the Five Great Clans showed up, plus the Namgung brats. Something about a Dragon-Phoenix whatever."

"Muyoung and Seowol?"

Muhwa's eyes lit up. A look of genuine delight crossed her face.

"Ah, they've been like siblings since they were little."

They're about the only ones I can call peers, she muttered under her breath, then tilted her head.

"But why haven't they come to the estate yet...?"

"They're hanging out at a wine house."

"Ah."

Muhwa nodded, understanding. Once they entered the estate, they'd have to conduct themselves as representatives of their houses. They wanted to catch up properly first. Kids. Young enough to still be children, really...

Muhwa was actually grateful. If they'd arrived today, she would have lost her mind trying to receive them on top of everything else.

"I hear the Wulin Alliance is sending people too?"

"Ah..."

Muhwa hesitated. Was it right to discuss internal Namgung Clan matters with a guest? Then she remembered that Sun Wukong was no ordinary guest. He was already acting like a member of the clan.

"Yes, that's right."

"Is that a problem?"

"Well... we don't exactly get along. The excuse is one thing, but the people they're sending are mainly Wudang martial artists."

"Wudang."

"Yes. Those, you know. The Taoists who act like they're the only righteous ones. People say the Namgung Clan doesn't get along with any of the Nine Sects, but Wudang is a special case. There was... an incident."

There was a thorn in her voice. Sun Wukong chuckled.

"Planning to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stop them? Keep them from coming?"

"That's..."

Honestly, the Five Great Clans' Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was already a mountain of headaches. They called it a gathering, but the power struggles between the Five Great Clans were as predictable as sunrise. If a Wulin Alliance delegation showed up on top of that, Muhwa would probably collapse from exhaustion trying to handle it all.

They're not actually trying to grind the Namgung Clan down with fatigue until we drop, are they?

She was tired enough to entertain thoughts that absurd. Her hand drifted toward the pastries again without her noticing. Whenever her body and mind wore down, she reached for food. That was her habit. They said childhood habits were terrifying, and even now, grown as she was, it held true.

She picked up a pastry, glanced at Sun Wukong, and offered him one.

"Here."

"You've got a sweet tooth, huh."

His gaze swept over the pastries covering every surface.

"Just a habit from when I was little."

Something in Sun Wukong's look made her feel oddly embarrassed. She wasn't a child. Snacks, of all things. Is that what he's thinking? What is that look?

Sun Wukong took the pastry and said, "When the Alliance delegation arrives, will the Hall Master be the one to receive them and talk?"

"...Probably. I can't leave it to anyone else."

If another elder or Namgung Jinbaek stepped in...

"We'll be lucky if nobody draws ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a sword."

Muhwa sighed. Sun Wukong snorted a laugh.

"Then I'll give you a hand."

"You'll help?"

Muhwa's eyes went round. Sun Wukong smiled a smile that gave nothing away.

The next day, Namgung Muyoung and Namgung Seowol returned to the Namgung Clan Estate.

The estate buzzed with excitement. Elders whose faces had been lined with exhaustion from overwork greeted them with open delight. Namgung Jinbaek abandoned all dignity, sweeping Namgung Muyoung and Seowol into his arms and practically bouncing. There was not a trace of a great clan patriarch's usual gravitas.

Sun Wukong watched from a distance.

Four... four of them.

His darkened gaze settled on Namgung Muyoung, looking awkward in his father's embrace, and Namgung Seowol, who wore a blank, faintly annoyed expression. That made four threads of fate tying him to the Namgung Clan. Namgung Jinbaek, Muyoung, Seowol, and Muhwa.

Sun Wukong clutched his throbbing head.

Leaving the suddenly noisy estate behind, he stood motionless, waiting for night. Ojeong passed by and asked what he was moping about, but the words didn't register. For a long time, Sun Wukong stood as if rooted to the spot.

How much time passed?

When everything around him had fallen silent and still — one star among the countless lights of the night sky blazed with a brilliance all its own. A beautiful light. The morning star.

Mrow.

Timed perfectly with the star's flare, a cat popped out of his robes, stretched its front paws forward, and shoved its rump up in a long, luxurious stretch. Sun Wukong grinned and waved.

"You've come, Master Changgeng?"

The cat meowed, then spoke.

"I trust these days have found you in good health, Master Sun."

"Health? At my age, working this body like I did in my youth — I'm dying, I tell you. Dying."

"Hahaha. Overexerted yourself, have you. Thanks to that, Heaven is in an uproar."

"An uproar?"

Had he done something that would affect Heaven? Impossible. He'd been faithfully searching for Sanzang, just as Guanyin had ordered. He hadn't gone around beating the gods of Heaven to a pulp like in the old days. Sun Wukong had nothing to feel guilty about, and it showed.

Then Master Changgeng's next words made even the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, falter.

"A complaint? Yama? Against me?"

...Has he lost his mind.