Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 31: Seeking to Catch the Cicada

The Golden-Winged Roc hid among the clouds below, filled with deep frustration. Of extraordinary origin, he was the younger brother of the Peacock Great Brightness King Bodhisattva from the Western Heaven. Born with wings of wind and thunder, when he manifested in his true form, his left wing carried the wind and his right wing summoned thunder—utterly formidable. With each flap of his wings, he could travel ninety thousand li.

Since birth, aside from the Buddha of the Western Heaven, he had never encountered a rival. Out of curiosity, he came to the Eastern Divine Continent for a visit. Hearing of Flower-Fruit Mountain, he went there out of admiration. In his eyes, though Flower-Fruit Mountain had beautiful scenery, it still paled in comparison to the splendor of the Western Heaven. The Golden-Winged Roc was proud and unrestrained; he would speak his thoughts aloud, only to anger that brute ox, leading to a fierce battle.

To his utter surprise, he found it difficult to gain the upper hand despite his own strength. He could only fight while retreating, suffering a great loss of face—a shame unmatched in a thousand years. Seeing that the monkey above was no ordinary opponent, he realized it would be hard to achieve justice this time.

Wukong and the Ox King exchanged superficial words, but Wukong remained on high alert. Coming from a later era, he knew the Golden-Winged Roc was a cunning and ruthless foe who would never give up easily. Sure enough, after just a few words, Wukong felt a chilling coldness below. A giant, sharp beak emerged from the clouds, charging straight at them. Wukong swung his staff to strike.

At that moment, the Ox King shouted, “Let me, the old ox, take care of this!” The Ox King also harbored resentment toward the Golden-Winged Roc. He dived downward, his two horns gleaming as he met the roc’s sharp beak.

Wukong was terrified—the head was a vital area. If he missed, both sides could be destroyed. Indeed, the Golden-Winged Roc, seeing the Ox King descend, showed disbelief in his eyes and quickly turned to dodge. In his haste, one of the Ox King’s horns got caught on the roc’s right wing.

With a loud crack, thunder shook the sky, and both cried out in pain. The Ox King’s right side of his face was burned black by the thunderous wing, while the Golden-Winged Roc’s wing drooped, rendering it unable to fly anymore.

“Great brute ox! I won’t return to the Western Heaven until I reduce you to ashes!” the Golden-Winged Roc snarled.

The Ox King secretly used his mystical powers to heal himself, laughing, “With your wing broken, where can you run, you bird-man?”

Wukong was awestruck by the intensity of this battle. Comparing himself, he was just joking around, never having endured fierce fights. The Ox King, on the other hand, was born for battle—the stronger his opponent, the more he gained. Wukong couldn’t help but feel ashamed.

The Golden-Winged Roc was severely injured, yet it seemed unconcerned; injuries like these could be healed with a little effort. But this Old Ox was extremely strong, and it truly had no way to harm him. The Golden-Winged Roc remained silent, actually plotting how to gain an advantage. Sure enough, it had an idea—instead of attacking head-on, it would use cunning. Recalling the encounter from the previous year, it thought, “I’ll use a strategy to divide them, so they can’t help each other, and then I’ll have a chance to strike.”

Unbeknownst to it, at that moment, Wukong was also secretly astonished upon seeing the true form of the Golden-Winged Roc. Its massive body was five hundred zhang long, and its wings, when spread, exceeded a thousand zhang in length. Its sharp beak and claws were dark and shiny, as if made of cast iron. On its head glowed a precious pearl, and it had a pair of golden round eyes—its left eye reflecting the light of the sun, its right eye shimmering with the glow of the moon. Its feathers were like golden blades, terrifying to behold.

The Golden-Winged Roc opened its huge mouth and said, “You’re a worthy opponent. Today, I’ll fight you both. Do you dare accept?”
The Ox King laughed and said, “Why not?”
The Golden-Winged Roc said, “Not far from here is a manor called Wuzhuang Temple. Behind it grows a ginseng fruit tree with many ginseng fruits. How about the three of us go and fetch those fruits?”
Before the Ox King could speak, Wukong interjected, “Wait!”
The Golden-Winged Roc asked, “Are you afraid?”
Wukong chuckled inwardly, thinking, “What a cunning Golden-Winged Roc! It’s truly despicable. Others may not know about Wuzhuang Temple, but I know it’s the residence of Zhenyuanzi, the ancestor of the earth immortals. If he weren’t capable, how could he protect that tree? It seems the Golden-Winged Roc suffered a setback there and is using this trick to kill with someone else’s hand.”
At that moment, the Ox King sent a message, “Brother, don’t agree. The master of Wuzhuang Temple is very powerful; even I can’t deal with him.” Wukong replied, “It’s fine. I’ll take care of everything.”
Wukong said to the Golden-Winged Roc, “You only mentioned fetching fruits but didn’t specify—how many do we need? What happens to the one who fetches them first? And what about the loser?”
Seeing that Wukong seemed to agree, the Golden-Winged Roc said, “The one who fetches them first wins. If you lose, give me Flower Fruit Mountain. It may not satisfy me fully, but I can build a palace there.”
The Ox King said, “Stop boasting. What if you lose?”
The Golden-Winged Roc replied arrogantly, “If I lose, let them kill or torture me however they want.”
Wukong said, “Indeed, you’re quite bold. By your words, it seems we need hundreds of fruits?”
The Ox King replied awkwardly, “Brother, you don’t know—those ginseng fruits are the essence of heaven and earth. There are at most thirty on the tree. Where would we get hundreds?”
The Golden-Winged Roc said, “You Old Ox do have some insight.”

The Bull Demon King said, “I, the old ox, have been practicing cultivation for thousands of years. How could I not know such trivial matters?”
The Golden-Winged Roc glanced at him sideways and said, “Even after thousands of years, you still show off. I’ve been cultivating for ten thousand years as well.”
Wukong laughed and said, “By this logic, Brother Ox must have a much greater natural talent than you.” Those words silenced the Golden-Winged Roc.
Wukong continued, “No matter who gets there first, we’ll take four ginseng fruits—one each for me, my brother, and my sister-in-law. What do you say?”
The Golden-Winged Roc replied, “It’s settled!”
Wukong added, “Though this bet is of great significance, I won’t take advantage of you. Let’s wait until you’ve healed your wounds before going to the Five Farms Temple, how about that?”
The Golden-Winged Roc was slightly surprised but reverted to his human form and sat down to heal.
Wukong and the Bull Demon King communicated telepathically: “Brother, this roc definitely wants us to lead the way so he can profit from behind. What do you think we should do?”
The Bull Demon King thought for a while and said, “It’s simple. We just follow behind him.”
Wukong replied, “Wouldn’t that seem like we’re afraid to fight, thus damaging Brother’s reputation?”
The Bull Demon King asked, “Then what should we do?”
Wukong chuckled and said, “Just watch the situation and act accordingly if it’s advantageous.”
In less than half an hour, the Golden-Winged Roc finished healing. His wings were once again bright and golden. He stood up and said to Wukong, “Let’s go!”
Wukong replied, “Wait!”
The Golden-Winged Roc asked in surprise, “What, are you scared?”
Wukong laughed and said, “Where is the Five Farms Temple, and how far is it? If you don’t tell me, won’t that be taking advantage of me?”
The Golden-Winged Roc replied, “It’s six thousand li to the northwest from here. I’ll fly slowly so as not to give you any advantage.”
Wukong said, “Good. Then lead the way!”
The Golden-Winged Roc flew slowly ahead, with Wukong and the Bull Demon King following behind. The Bull Demon King, not understanding Wukong’s intentions, kept asking questions, but Wukong refused to answer, only telling him not to take action.
Along the way, Wukong saw that the auspicious clouds beneath the Golden-Winged Roc’s feet had transformed into the shape of a mighty dragon, looking extremely majestic. He remembered an old legend that said the roc had eaten dragons since childhood—though he wasn’t sure if it was true or not. The dragon beneath the roc’s feet kept changing forms, sometimes raising its head to the sky, sometimes transforming into clouds and rain, enjoying itself greatly.
Meanwhile, beneath the Bull Demon King’s feet, it was always just the shape of a large ox. The old ox wondered what the point was of riding himself. Wukong smirked, then had an idea—he transformed the clouds beneath his feet into the shape of a roc and moved ahead of the Golden-Winged Roc.
As soon as he overtook him, the Golden-Winged Roc said, “We’re here. Get down!” Without even glancing at Wukong.
Wukong wore a blank expression as he slowly descended from the clouds.

Before them lay a truly magnificent mountain: towering and steep, with a majestic presence. The sun shone on the clear forests, casting layers of red mist; the wind stirred the shaded ravines, sending countless colorful clouds floating by. The stream meandered affectionately, winding back and forth; the peaks rose one after another, overlapping in endless layers. On the mountain tops, flowers bloomed and withered, while clouds came and went over the ridges. It was indeed a fairy mountain, a true land of blessings—just like Penglai or Langyuan.

The three walked in the mountains. Before long, they came across a cluster of pines and bamboos, along with several layers of pavilions. Upon reaching the entrance, they saw a cool pine slope and a serene bamboo path. White cranes flew among the clouds, while monkeys brought fruits from time to time. The profound aura of virtue was overwhelming—truly the abode of immortals. To the left of the mountain gate, there was a stele with ten large characters inscribed: “Land of Blessings of Wanshou Mountain, Cave Heaven of Wuzhuang Temple.”

Wukong felt an inexplicable excitement. Lord Zhenyuan was a master among masters. In “Journey to the West,” Sun Wukong couldn’t use any of his powers in front of him and could only rely on his thick skin to withstand the blows.