BRDM 148

chapter 148

The reason Wuyongwang devoured immortals and buddhas wasn’t simply because of gourmet taste.

I thought he might like it if I showed him a holy relic infused with the Jade Emperor’s divine power—
and it seems I really hit a home run this time.

[Sky Furnace]

A divine relic belonging to the Jade Emperor, the main deity of the <Heavenly Church>.

It contains ever-burning flames, said to feed on the fate and karma that humans send forth.

• Type: Relic. Talisman.

• Origin: Myth “Jade Emperor’s Scripture”

The Sky Furnace that Xu Changyou originally used had been mostly destroyed, but luckily, the inner brazier remained intact.

“I was originally going to use this to restore Taotie’s tooth, but… maybe this is a better use.”

If feeding this to Wuyongwang could help him recover, all the better.

Sun Wukong, as if reading my mind, chuckled dryly.

“Sky Furnace… Jade Emperor’s stuff, eh. Looks tasty… but… that’s not wine, you know…”

“There’s a way.”

Fortunately, I had collected quite a few spoils of war from fighting with the gods of the <Heavenly Church>.

One of them:

[Du Kang’s Wine Jar]

A jar imbued with the touch of Du Kang, said to have first brewed ancient liquor.

No matter whether water, blood, or poison is placed inside, the moment it enters the jar it ferments into flawless wine, with unique effects for the drinker.

• Type: Relic. Spatial item.

• Origin: Folklore “Compendium of Wonders”

When I first discovered this in my inventory, I couldn’t stop laughing.

I wondered if I’d ever find a use for it—and here it was.

“If we put it in here, it’ll turn into takju (rice wine) that the two of you will absolutely love.”

“Good idea. Been a while since I’ve enjoyed proper drink.”

Wukong stretched out his hand toward it.

Suddenly—

Craack!!

The Sky Furnace’s brazier was compressed by an invisible hand and sucked straight into the huge wine jar.

“Did I… always like takju…?”

Drool was already dripping from the corners of Wuyongwang’s mouth.

“From now on… I guess I’ll make it something I like…”

I glanced sideways at Wukong, silently asking—didn’t Wuyongwang always like makgeolli before?

He just shrugged.

Even he didn’t know.

So when did that preference start, then?

Flash!!

A pillar of light shot up from the jar and vanished.

Wukong slowly withdrew his hand.

“I accelerated time inside only the jar. Take a look.”

I peeked inside and nodded.

“It’s very clear and rich.”

“Quickly… hurry…”

“Yes, I’ll serve it right away.”

Watching the anxious Wuyongwang made me laugh under my breath.

For all his ferocity, at times he looked almost childishly pure.

How could such a demon have become the one all Seven Stars called Sage?

Three skull goblets were placed before us.

“Let’s drink… take turns…”

“Much obliged.”

“Enjoy it.”

The Sky Furnace brew was refreshing, its sacred energy so strong it erased the skull goblets’ stench.

The corpse-wine was tolerable—sweet enough to mask the reek. But the blood-brew was torment, as if my body was marinated in cadavers.

Still, I didn’t show it, and drained every drop. After a while, I even grew accustomed to it.

Clink!

When I set down the goblet—

Whoosh!!

I felt a surge of power race through me.

Each of the three sacred liquors was brewed through special infusion.
Naturally, they synergized within, greatly enhancing both magic and flesh.

[You’ve consumed various elixirs! Attributes rise dramatically!]
[Magic +3]
[Intelligence +2]

…

Considering my stats were already so high they barely rose anymore, these gains were outrageous.

And then—

For the first time, I saw Wuyongwang’s eyes curve into a smile.

“Feels good… it’s been so long since I’ve had guests… I’d love more times like this…”

Slow, but heartfelt words.

Hearing them made even the listener feel clear and light.

At last I understood why all Seven Stars loved and missed Wuyongwang, why they called him Sage.

His purity itself was his charm.

“Yes. I’d love to share more times like this too.”

His smile deepened.

At the same time—

Flaash!

[Wuyongwang acknowledges you as a friend. Second condition achieved.]
[You have successfully completed the Earthly Friendship Pact!]

Light faded, and I returned to reality.

I realized my magic within had grown more ferocious yet more profound.

The spirituality I had awakened through the Ruyi Jingu Bang had deepened greatly.

At the same time—

Crack!!

A great wound tore open across my left chest, then healed at once. But the scar remained.

[Congratulations! You are now the sworn friend of the Great Sage Wuyongwang. You can now borrow some of his divine power and authority.]
[You have obtained the qualification to use the Nine-Sage Token.]
…
[Wuyongwang’s Scar has been engraved upon your soul. It is a fissure left in your fate and being.]
[Warning! Seal the fissure soon. Delay may cause collapse of fate itself.]
[Warning! The scar may occasionally inflict severe pain. Beware…]

…

I felt both spiritual exaltation and pain.

“The old geezer Taishang Laojun used to say this often: ‘He who is rich in virtue is like an infant.’”

The little monkey gave me a wry smile.

“I never paid much heed to his or Shakyamuni’s old sayings, but when it comes to Sixth Brother, I think that line was right.”

“He truly was… a charming person.”

“Right?”

Wukong gazed at the ceiling.

“The reason he started devouring immortals and buddhas wasn’t just taste. It was more like locking up the bullies of his friends inside his own belly.”

I could still feel the touch of the goblet I had held moments ago.

“After meeting Eldest Brother and the rest of us, he stopped doing that altogether. You could call him a ‘pure demon.’”

Wukong smiled faintly.

“Still, thanks to you, Brother’s recovery will be faster now. Who’d have thought you’d sacrifice the Jade Emperor’s relic… But are you really okay with it? The Sky Furnace was valuable—you were going to use it for your weapon, weren’t you?”

He knew I’d been planning to forge a new weapon.

But I shook my head without hesitation.

“Not at all. We had a joyful time together, didn’t we? That’s enough for me.”

Wukong’s gaze softened.

“…Thank you.”

“Yes. Which is why, to have another time like that, I’ll have to hurry to see Wuyongwang again—before this scar worsens.”

I looked at the jar tucked in a corner of my inventory and smiled.

“There’s still plenty of wine left.”

[Sky Furnace Brew (60%)]

Wukong stared at me.

In his pupils, I was grinning brightly.

“Wine’s always better when shared.”

* * *

The next day—

I was discharged from the hospital.

The doctors recommended further tests after such a rough operation, but—

“With the Ruyi Jingu Bang’s super-recovery, why bother?”

“I think so too.”

Wukong was clinging to my head, busy munching something.

Nom nom nom.

“But where did you get that snack again?”

“This? Found it in the package your boss sent.”

His arms cradled a paper bag full of delimanjus (stuffed cakes). His cheeks puffed up like a squirrel’s.

Didn’t she only give me fruit?

“There was a note too.”

“A note?”

Feeling uneasy, I took the slip from him.

A handwritten memo:

―Since you seem to like snacks, I left these for you. They’re from a famous shop, wasn’t easy to get them. Warm them up before eating. But be careful—too many sweets can raise your blood sugar.”

“….”

For a moment, I felt an odd warmth inside.

“Wow, you’re really careless—getting this kind of warning from your boss already? Young guy, and she’s telling you to watch your blood sugar. Tsk tsk.”

Chomp chomp chomp.

I suddenly wanted to smack Wukong on the back of the head.

Every time I went near the office pantry, the snacks disappeared—no wonder she stocked them up for me.

But hearing the main culprit spout this nonsense was just too much.

“…If even Manager Im—who hardly ever uses the pantry—knows, just how far has this rumor spread?”

Was my image… okay?

I sighed unconsciously.

Then—

Screech!

A car stopped right in front of me as I exited the hospital gate. The passenger window slid down.

“Hop in, sunbae.”

It was Kim Min-jung.

We had already agreed to go somewhere together today.

I buckled into the passenger seat. She handed me something.

A familiar paper package.

“Ooooh, what’s this!?”

“…What is it?”

“Chrysanthemum cakes. I figured you’ve been into sweets lately, so I picked some up. Had to wait 30 minutes in line.”

“….”

“Don’t you like these kinds of things?”

“I saw this on Instagram too! Was gonna make you go fetch them, but this young lady did it first! Splendid girl! Hand them over!”

Wukong’s eyes sparkled like Wuyongwang’s at the Sky Furnace.

“…So my image these days is… this?”

“Don’t you go around conquering every dessert shop? Plenty of coworkers said they spotted you at that shaved-ice café near the office.”

“….”

“Ah, you mean the injeolmi bingsu place? Mmm! That was good. This old monkey officially approves. Let’s go again soon, hahahaha!”

“But when did you start liking desserts? Back during Qinglei, you could chew rocks.”

“…Not long ago.”

Min-jung smirked mischievously.

“I even heard you go to those cutesy shops alone? That’s tough for a guy to do, you know.”

“…Enough. Why aren’t we leaving yet? Cars are piling up behind us.”

“Hehe, changing the subject.”

“….”

My temples began to ache.

I’d gone out of my way to hide my face whenever I went—but apparently, it hadn’t worked at all.

For reference: Zhu Bajie loved browsing online forums, Wukong loved exploring dessert shops via Instagram, and Bull Demon King enjoyed ASMR.

Naturally, I was the only one paying for it.

“…Seriously, what’s become of my image?”

I almost wanted to give up.

I looked at Min-jung’s smiling face and casually shifted the topic.

“But why did you suddenly decide to tag along to see the old master today? Need to buy something?”

Our destination was the Taotie Workshop.

During my vacation, I planned to focus on finding the Somersault Cloud. But I also needed weapons—so I intended to commission a new one from old master Taotie.

My stats had skyrocketed compared to four years ago, so I’d also ask him to tune my other gear.

But Min-jung had already been to Taotie Workshop before the Crevasse Operation. No need for her to go again.

“I want to buy a gift.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. Something like that.”

This time she avoided my eyes, staring only straight ahead.

I narrowed mine.

“Don’t tell me… for Assistant Manager Um?”

“…No. Nothing like that.”

“Three seconds late answering. So it is?”

I smirked slyly.

“It’s not.”

“It is. Heh, heh heh. So you two are really—”

“It’s NOT!!”

Min-jung’s face turned red as she yelled back.