I'm the Most Well-Behaved One, You Know?
Sun Wukong snorted. The news that he'd been sued had given him a start, but he wasn't afraid. He'd been through this more times than he could count. The solution was simple.
Just don't show up in court.
If the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, Sun Wukong, dug in his heels and refused to set foot in a courtroom, what could they possibly do about it? And if they went ahead and handed down a verdict in his absence — then what? Who alive could enforce the law against Sun Wukong?
He wiped the trial from his mind entirely. He was simply curious.
Has King Yama lost his mind? Why would he sue this Teacher Sun?
"On what charges?"
"Did you truly extinguish two souls?"
Ah. So that was it.
Sun Wukong cleared his throat.
It was because he'd destroyed the souls of the python from Mount Chiljeol and Honse-mawang.
And they called that a problem worth making a fuss over? Sun Wukong's conscience was clear.
"Those bastards were supposed to rot in hell for all eternity, yet they reincarnated as humans and went right back to their evil ways. How could this Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, this true Buddha, the Victorious Fighting Buddha Sun Wukong, simply stand by and watch?"
"Judging the sins of a soul is the authority of the Underworld's magistrates. That would be the issue, would it not?"
"Hmph. It was a bad verdict, so I corrected it. That's all."
Sun Wukong said it without a shred of shame. The golden radiance spilling from his pupils never wavered.
It was the sheer, unshakable confidence of a being who harbored not a grain of doubt about his own actions. Master Janggyeong had expected as much; he merely smiled wryly, unsurprised.
Still, the fact that he'd been sued rankled. Sun Wukong's face crumpled. Give me a break. This isn't even a real offense. They're just picking a fight.
"Ah, once I get back to Heaven, they're going to hound me about this from every direction."
"Fortunately, that will not be the case, Great Sage."
"Why not?"
"Guanyin has vigorously explained and endorsed your actions, Great Sage."
"Huh?"
Sun Wukong uncrossed his arms and leaned toward Master Janggyeong.
Guanyin? That one?
He'd figured if anyone was going to put the brakes on this, it would be her...
"The Great Sage's descent to the mortal realm was carried out by the will of Guanyin and the Tathagata. She has declared that whatever the Great Sage does is the Tathagata's will."
"Wait. What?"
This time he was genuinely shocked.
He'd never dreamed they would throw their weight behind him to that extent.
The surprise lasted only a moment. His eyes sharpened. Instinctively, wariness seeped through his entire body.
"Damn it, what the hell are those baldies thinking?"
"..."
Master Janggyeong found himself closing his mouth of his own accord at the sight of Sun Wukong casually dismissing Guanyin — and even the Tathagata himself — as mere baldies.
"What exactly are they looking at?"
Sun Wukong was far from pleased.
A being of Guanyin's caliber could foresee the future.
If even the Tathagata was throwing his support behind this, it meant the road ahead was no bed of roses.
Hadn't Guanyin been the one who'd deliberately manufactured trials and hardships along the pilgrimage to India?
Forcing the Gold Horn and Silver Horn brothers into his path, for instance...
He'd thought that simply finding Sanzang's soul would be the end of it...
Then again, even that much was hardly easy.
Sun Wukong complained to Master Janggyeong.
"Ah, I don't know what those sneaky bastards are plotting, not yet. But this business of finding Sanzang — you got any ideas? Two more kids have shown up bound to me by threads of fate."
"Then that means there are four people in this land tied to you by those threads?"
"That's right, Master Janggyeong. I'm going out of my mind here."
"A difficult matter indeed. Uncovering their past lives one by one, carefully and in order, seems to be the only answer."
It was sound reasoning. There was nothing for it but to identify each soul, one at a time.
That was why Sun Wukong had offered to help Muhwa with his affairs.
It had started with Namgung Jinbaek and Muhwa — two of them — and now two more kids, Namgung Muyoung and Namgung Seowol, had appeared. Of the lot, Muhwa was the one who overlapped most with Sanzang, so he came first.
To figure it out, Sun Wukong would have to stay close, the way he had with Ojeong, and break down the walls between them.
"Set your heart at ease. Did Sanzang not say so himself? Only when the heart is always at peace does life in this world become a comfortable thing."
"Heh. Yeah, he did say that..."
Sun Wukong nodded. Master Janggyeong, who could barely speak by borrowing a cat's body, was in no position to offer more help than this.
Even so, simply passing along news from Heaven was a great help.
"And last time, I spoke with Taeshang Laojun about the Seven Star Sword."
"Ah. What'd he have to say?"
"He was quite distraught. He has no idea why the Seven Star Sword is circulating in pieces."
"Hmph. Can't even keep an eye on his own belongings?"
"He said he entrusted it to Geumgak."
"...!"
Sun Wukong's brow furrowed.
Geumgak. It had been a long time since he'd heard that name.
On the pilgrimage to India, there had been a handful of creatures who'd made his life a living hell.
Geumgak had been one of them.
"That bastard — I beat the stuffing out of him, and then Taeshang Laojun took him back in, didn't he?"
Originally, Geumgak had been Taeshang Laojun's attendant.
But he'd stolen his master's treasures, fled, and become a notorious demon. Later, after Sun Wukong had thoroughly thrashed him and sealed him away, Taeshang Laojun had pardoned his crimes and taken him back into service.
Truth be told, Geumgak's own martial prowess was nothing special.
It was how ridiculously well he wielded Taeshang Laojun's treasures that made him such a pain to deal with.
And one of those treasures was the Seven Star Sword.
Sun Wukong tilted his head.
"Why was Geumgak in the mortal realm in the first place — and with the Seven Star Sword, no less?"
"I do not know the full particulars, but Taeshang Laojun left the Seven Star Sword in the mortal world."
"And then?"
"And then, as it happened, Heaven and the mortal realm were completely severed, leaving even the great Taeshang Laojun unable to descend as he pleased."
Master Janggyeong said this while looking at Sun Wukong.
Just what is this monkey...
Even Taeshang Laojun, one of Heaven's highest gods, was extremely reluctant to manifest in the mortal realm.
And yet Sun Wukong, for all that much of his power was sealed, moved freely through the human world...
Master Janggyeong was reminded, all over again, of just how shocking a presence the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, had been to the celestial court.
"So that's why he sent Geumgak down?"
"He reincarnated him as a human and sent him forth. Using a spell, he engraved an imprint in his mind that he must find the Seven Star Sword."
"Then are all the reincarnated demons hunting for the fragments Geumgak's doing?"
"He says that is absolutely not the case."
Master Janggyeong meowed, licked a front paw, and continued.
"He says the thread of consciousness connecting him to Geumgak has been severed."
"...Someone got to Geumgak, then."
"Most likely the ones Teacher Sun already dealt with did so in their search for the Seven Star Sword."
"Honestly, Taeshang Laojun is such a sloppy old man. How does someone like that even become a high god?"
Sun Wukong clicked his tongue.
"So?"
"He hopes that Teacher Sun will recover the Seven Star Sword for him."
Sun Wukong let out a short laugh and nodded. He'd been planning to do that anyway. Hadn't he learned firsthand just how much of a headache Taeshang Laojun's treasures became once they fell into the hands of Geumgak and Silver Horn?
If the ones suspected of stealing Sanzang's soul got their hands on them...
That would be a serious pain even for Sun Wukong.
Of course, he wasn't doing it for free.
"Fine. I'll do it. But the Seven Star Sword I find is mine."
Sun Wukong fully intended to swallow the Seven Star Sword whole.
More precisely, until he found the Ruyi Jingu Bang, he planned to melt it down and coat the surface of his steel staff with it.
"Ah... well. I shall pass that along for now. And he also hopes you will find Geumgak."
"Geumgak? That's a bit of a hassle."
"...In truth, he says the Seven Star Sword was not the only thing he entrusted to Geumgak."
Sun Wukong's expression twitched. Not just the Seven Star Sword? Then what else was there?
"Then what?"
"Finding the Seven Star Sword was likely to be difficult, so he sent Geumgak down with the Golden Cord as well..."
"The Golden Cord?"
Sun Wukong's mouth fell open. His face twisted.
"That vicious binding rope?"
"That's right."
Sun Wukong pressed a hand to his forehead. The Seven Star Sword was already a headache — if the Golden Cord fell into the wrong hands...
He found himself grinding his teeth at the gods of Heaven all over again.
Those celestial types, honestly. They make a mess and then act so shameless they don't even know how high the sky is.
Master Janggyeong smiled awkwardly.
Is this karma?
He wondered if this was coming back around because he'd stolen and eaten a few of Taeshang Laojun's elixir pills.
The lament lasted only a moment. Sun Wukong shook it off cleanly. Nothing was dumber than clinging to regrets.
"Where's Geumgak?"
"He is said to be at Mt. Wudang, one of the places of strongest Taoist power in this land."
"Mt. Wudang?"
Sun Wukong's expression turned peculiar.
There was another reason he'd agreed to help with the matter of the Wudang Sect's envoy.
The Wudang Sect itself.
Or rather, Mt. Wudang.
The Earth Deity of Mt. Wudang.
Someday he would have to visit Mt. Wudang, meet that fellow, and wring out of him the whereabouts of the Ruyi Jingu Bang.
Sun Wukong nodded.
"I'll take care of it soon enough. But pass this along to Taeshang Laojun."
"What shall I tell him?"
"The Golden Cord too — if I find it, I'm using it."
Master Janggyeong nodded, looking somewhat sheepish.
"I will deliver the message, though I cannot say how it will be received."
How Taeshang Laojun would react once he heard was obvious.
Sun Wukong sneered.
"If he's got a problem with that, he can come down here and find it himself."
"Taeshang Laojun has been thoroughly had. Heh heh."
Master Janggyeong laughed, clearly amused.
Ah, watching those rigid immortals squirm in front of this stone monkey really was a delight.
Sun Wukong laughed along with him, but the laughter gradually faded.
"We'll have to leave it there, Master Janggyeong."
Master Janggyeong seemed to have already noticed; he nodded slowly.
"Someone has come looking for you. I understand. I shall continue to pass along Heaven's news."
"Rest well, Master."
Mrow.
The cat's body trembled, then nestled tightly into Sun Wukong's arms.
When he held out a hand, it rubbed its face against his palm. He watched the cat's affectionate display for a moment, then spoke.
"What is it?"
"...!"
The figure approaching from behind flinched.
Sun Wukong turned his head.
Namgung Muyoung and Namgung Seowol. The two of them.
It wasn't their faces that caught his eye first. It was the two pure-white threads stretching toward him.
...Aigoo. How am I supposed to get close to these two kids?
Right. No need to rush.
Once I pin down Muhwa's identity for certain, I can approach them then. It won't be too late.
And if Muhwa really is Sanzang, I won't even need to bother trying.
"Ah, Great Hero..."
"Call me Teacher Sun."
"Yes, Teacher Sun. We've come to offer our thanks, actually."
Sun Wukong glanced at Namgung Muyoung.
His head was slightly bowed in a courteous attitude, but his eyes were studying Sun Wukong with careful precision. There was a clear wariness in that gaze. A cautious demeanor showed through.
Hmmm.
Sun Wukong crossed his arms and regarded him in silence.
Courteous, upright bearing. He looked frail on the outside... but there was a solid fullness underneath.
Looking at him like this, he might actually be the one who resembles Sanzang the most.
Neither Namgung Jinbaek nor Muhwa ever acted in ways that made one think of Sanzang.
And Namgung Seowol beside him, with that sullen face... she didn't particularly seem like Sanzang either.
Judging by appearance and demeanor alone, Namgung Muyoung was the one most similar to Sanzang.
"Thanks?"
"Yes. After we returned home, it was thanks to your help, Teacher Sun, that the Azure Hero Hall matter, as well as Sa Hyeol-cheol-gwi and Hon-am-do, were all resolved so smoothly."
Sending the heir, Namgung Muyoung, and the former patriarch's daughter to deliver thanks...
Sun Wukong pondered why Namgung Jinbaek had specifically sent these two.
"So there's something else you want to ask of me, huh?"
"...!"
Namgung Muyoung's eyes widened slightly. He hurriedly bowed his head, looking embarrassed.
"We would never presume to force anything upon you or issue you commands, Teacher Sun."
Sun Wukong filled Namgung Muyoung's field of vision.
Beneath golden hair, golden eyes were laid bare, bright and unobstructed.
The corner of Sun Wukong's mouth curled in a peculiar way.
Whether it was a carefree laugh, a sneer, or a mischievous sliver of a smile was impossible to tell.
Sun Wukong crossed his arms and asked,
"So what is it?"
Namgung Muyoung thought that face looked utterly uninterested — as if he already knew everything.