Episode 5 of *The Murky Stream* erupts with a visceral clash between Deok-gae and Si-yul. Si-yul’s defeat comes not from a lack of skill, but from the lingering wound of a prior stab—a vulnerability that Deok-gae exploits ruthlessly. By tradition, the loser faces crippling punishment, a fate Deok-gae coldly enforces. Yet as he prepares to maim Si-yul, claiming it’s “nothing personal,” Mu-deok intervenes with a sudden, desperate lunge, driving a blade into Deok-gae’s leg. Horrified by his own act, Mu-deok flees, whispering frantically to his wife that disaster looms.
Deok-gae, now crippled, declares Mu-deok his successor—the new “thumb” of the Mapo bandits. The move stuns everyone, who assume Yoon will seize power. Mu-deok, trembling, reproaches Si-yul for shielding him, arguing that Si-yul’s death would have freed them both. But Si-yul, his voice steady, reveals a vow: never to flee again. “I just want to live,” he says, offering to stay by Mu-deok’s side willingly.
Deok-gae, in a cryptic twist, advises Mu-deok to cling to Si-yul, framing the betrayal as fate. As he departs, the bandits whisper that Si-yul is the true thumb, though they doubt anything will change. That night, Mu-deok’s wife confronts Si-yul, blaming him for endangering her husband. “Mu-deok saved me when I was dying,” she pleads, her voice breaking. “He’s a good man. Protect him.” Si-yul nods silently, his resolve hardening.
Dawn breaks, and the hierarchy shifts: Mu-deok as the thumb, Si-yul as the forefinger—the bandits’ de facto leader. Si-yul wastes no time, erecting shade for laborers and abolishing the hated “toilet tax.” The bandits scoff at his reforms, but Mu-deok’s attempts to rebuke him are drowned out by indifference.
Meanwhile, Choi smuggles in forbidden maps of the region, currying favor with the Guardian General, who holds sway over the throne. Choi’s loyalty is rewarded with a cryptic tip: the Police Bureau is sabotaging his salt trade.
In the same breath, Jung Chun arrives, demanding answers about missing horses. Bureau records trace them to the Guardian General—none other than Lord Yu Tae-seok, Princess So-ho’s uncle. Tae-seok, amused by Jung’s moral fervor, dismisses the ledgers as fabrications. “Your captains sent you on a fool’s errand,” he chuckles, revealing the truth: the records were falsified to derail Jung.
The episode closes on a knife’s edge—power shifting, loyalties fraying, and the shadow of the throne looming over all.
That fateful night, the Mapo bandits erupted into raucous celebration, their revelry filling the air with an infectious energy. Si-yul, swept up in the moment, found the entire spectacle irresistibly charming. His usually reserved demeanor gave way to a newfound vivacity; he engaged more animatedly in the conversations swirling around him and even made a bold promise to teach everyone the art of combat.
In a symbolic gesture to signify the shifting power dynamics, Mu-deok prostrated herself before Dol-gae, bowing low in submission. This act set off a chain reaction, and soon the merchants, one after another, followed suit, groveling before Mu-deok in a display of newfound allegiance. Among them was Eun, whose irritation at the entire spectacle was palpable. As she stormed off in frustration, Jung made a dramatic entrance, flanked by a legion of soldiers. Without hesitation, he began rounding up every bandit in the clan, his shock evident when his eyes landed on Si-yul among the captured.
A flashback revealed the underlying motive behind Tae-seok's actions. He was, in fact, conducting a clandestine investigation into the widespread corruption, convinced that a figure of royal stature was orchestrating the entire corrupt system. He cautioned Jung that the path ahead would be arduous, but that by arresting the bandits, they could ignite a chain reaction. This bold move, he explained, would force those vested in maintaining the status quo to scramble in their efforts to protect it.
Back in the present, as anticipated, Dol-gae orchestrated the bandits' release, expecting a hefty bribe from Mu-deok in return. When Jung confronted him, challenging his actions, Dol-gae issued a final, ominous warning, which Jung blithely ignored. Seizing the moment, Dol-gae declared Jung to be corrupt and had him arrested on trumped-up charges, boasting with pride about his ability to fabricate incriminating evidence at will.
Si-yul watched these developments with growing trepidation, his concern mounting with each passing moment. Mu-deok, sensing the gravity of their situation, warned him that they were all now at Dol-gae's mercy, their fates hanging in the balance. The episode drew to a close with the bandits trudging back to their familiar haunt at the docks, their futures uncertain and clouded by the looming shadow of Dol-gae's influence.
