Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 39: Investigating Yang Jian

Wukong was full of confidence, eager to fight against Erlang Shen. Yet he noticed that the Bull Demon King looked extremely uneasy, as if he had done something shameful. Wukong thought the Bull Demon King might feel guilty for not helping him and said, “Brother, you have a past with Erlang Shen; perhaps you should stay away for now to avoid embarrassment.”
The Bull Demon King ignored Wukong’s suggestion and said, “I’ve heard that Yang Jian is very arrogant. If you challenge him like this, I’m afraid he won’t even pay you attention.”
Tongfeng also agreed, “Brother Niu is right. If you challenge him without reason, you’ll be at a disadvantage.”
Wukong thought for a moment and said, “In that case, let’s divide up and act separately. Let’s see what these demons are up to by gathering here in these mountains.”
The three of them then transformed and silently descended into the high mountains.
Wukong turned into a black crow, flew in front of a cave, and perched on a branch, cawing a few times. Pleased with himself, he recalled that in the past using invisibility magic required a great deal of energy. Now, by transforming into a bird, he felt his mastery of transformation magic had improved. The hardest part of transformation magic, he realized, was blending in with the environment so well that one seemed invisible.
For example, if you turned into a tree in a forest, it would be hard for others to see through you. But if someone was very familiar with the area, they might notice something odd. Turning into a green leaf on a branch was even better. Now, as a bird, unless Erlang Shen also had Fiery Golden Eyes, it would be impossible to spot any flaw.
Wukong recalled that in “Journey to the West,” when the two competed in transformation skills, he had finally turned into a temple, and Erlang Shen hadn’t realized it was Wukong in disguise. Instead, he found the flaw in the flagpole. Thus, Wukong was confident that Erlang Shen didn’t possess Fiery Golden Eyes and was merely guessing. The current Erlang Shen surely had no idea that someone was approaching, let alone that a Taiyi Golden Immortal named Sun Wukong had emerged on Flower-Fruit Mountain. How would he pay close attention to just a crow?
As Wukong was thinking, he saw a group of small demons coming out of the cave. The leader among them strode ahead arrogantly, shouting, “Hurry up! If we miss Marshal Kang’s banquet, we’ll both get punished.” The dozen or so small demons carried sheep’s milk wine on their shoulders and fresh fruits in their hands. They all had strange, grotesque appearances and vacant expressions, seemingly lost.

Wukong had also seen such scenes on Flower-Fruit Mountain. The monkeys there were better—each one clever and intelligent. But in those seventy-two caves, half of the little demons only knew to eat when hungry and sleep when tired. They would follow whoever led them, or sit idle all day if no one gave orders. He had once asked the Bull Demon King, who merely gave a brief explanation that they lacked wisdom, so he didn’t take it seriously. Now, seeing that the demons of Meishan were the same, he pondered that if he ever found a way to cultivate cultivation, it would likely be the leading demons who learned quickly, while those dull-looking ones would face great difficulties even just starting out. If they lacked wisdom… how could one help them develop it?

The group of little demons moved very slowly. The one at the front, with empty hands, would kick those who were lazy or slack, forcing them to work harder. Those demons only knew to endure labor without complaint, responding mechanically, with no trace of fear in their eyes. Watching this, Wukong shook his head in secret—such a sad situation indeed.

Wukong followed them for a long distance, curious to see what kind of banquet Marshal Kang had prepared. He guessed that Marshal Kang must be one of the seven brothers of Meishan—likely Admiral Kang among Kang, Zhang, Li, and Yao—and wondered why he was addressed as a marshal here.

After crossing another mountain pass, something unexpected happened. The last cat demon in the group, after being kicked a few times by the one at the front, let out a fierce howl and swung its claw at the leading demon’s face. The leading demon was a jackal demon, whose face was covered in blood from the cat’s claw. Yet instead of fighting back, it also howled loudly, its cry seeming to convey some signal.

A moment later, a white-eared eagle flew out of a cave in the distance and arrived quickly, taking human form in front of the group. The jackal demon stepped forward and reported, “I report to the cave master—this cat demon scratched me.”

Wukong smiled secretly. This jackal demon was quite amusing—complaining to the cave master over such a trivial matter.

The cave master went over to the cat demon and examined it carefully before saying to the jackal demon, “Indeed, its animal instincts have awakened. You have done well in reporting this; I will reward you when we return.” The jackal demon quickly bowed in thanks.

The cave master then reverted to eagle form, grabbed the cat demon with one claw, and flew back.

After observing the whole incident, Wukong realized it wasn’t as simple as he had thought. As he watched, the ordinary little demons didn’t know how to resist. As the cave master said, the emergence of a will to resist meant animal instincts had awakened—probably a sign of developing wisdom.

With one cat demon missing, the group continued on without further trouble. Half an hour later, they stopped at the foot of a mountain. This mountain was quite different from the others nearby—blue stone steps started from the base of the mountain and led upward, disappearing into the clouds. Halfway up, there was a huge stone tablet with no inscriptions on it.

Six people stood on either side of the stone steps at the foot of the mountain, all wearing bright helmets and armor, holding weapons. The jackal demon stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, “The master of Cangying Cave sent me to present a gift for Marshal Kang’s birthday. I beg the divine general to accept it on his behalf.” His words were proper and polite, likely taught by the cave master in advance.

One of the six stepped forward, used a spell to take away the loads from the hands of the dozen or so minor demons, and said, “Go back and tell your master that Marshal Kang has received it.” The minor demons then bowed respectfully and left.

Wukong saw that these six had some magical power, but their demonic aura was not very strong, leaving him unsure of their origins. The technique they used earlier was merely a crude version of the “Sumeru Containing a Mustard Seed” spell.

Wukong waited on a nearby branch for another half hour. Soon, two more groups of minor demons arrived with gifts, suggesting that Marshal Kang must be quite influential, able to subdue the surrounding caves.

Seeing nothing extraordinary here, Wukong flew up the stone steps, which were thousands of feet high. At the peak of the mountain, there was a large, neatly arranged plain—clearly man-made, not natural. In the center of the plain stood a rather large palace. Though not as magnificent as the Heavenly Courts or Dragon Palaces, it still had carved beams, painted rafters, and various pavilions.

Just as Wukong reached the area in front of the palace, he heard someone on the ground shout, “Strange! Crowses are flying here—how bold!” Another person said, “I wonder which family lacks discipline. Let me shoot them down.” With a “bang,” a bowstring snapped. Wukong quickly pretended to dodge, but used a spell to drop two black feathers, which made cawing noises, pretending to be hit by the slingshot, before fluttering down the mountain.

The place was heavily guarded, clearly well-organized. It was no longer possible for him to transform into a bird. Wukong chanted a spell and turned into an invisible fly, flying toward the palace, and indeed, he passed unimpeded.

Inside the palace, there was a scene of drinking, singing, and dancing. At the center sat a general with an imposing presence, though his appearance was extremely ugly. Wukong couldn’t tell what kind of monster he was transformed into and could only resent not having learned the Fire Eyes yet.

Various demons below frequently raised their cups in toast, saying things like “Long life to Marshal Kang!” It seemed that this man was indeed Marshal Kang. Wukong flew up to the beams and counted carefully. There were seven people in the palace, including Marshal Kang. Five of them had strange appearances, while only the man at the head of the guests seat looked dignified and majestic. Most strangely, he had an upright eye between his eyebrows, adding to his solemn and awe-inspiring appearance.

Wukong felt a surge of excitement. If he wasn’t mistaken, this person must be the God of War, Yang Jian. He secretly rejoiced at his good fortune—just by chance, he had ended up at Marshal Kang’s birthday celebration, with Yang Jian also in attendance.

After several rounds of drinking, everyone was slightly tipsy. Suddenly, Marshal Kang stood up, raised his cup, and walked over to Yang Jian before kneeling down with a thud! Yang Jian was startled and quickly stood up to help him up, asking, “Brother Kang, what is the meaning of this?”

When Marshal Kang stood again, his face was covered in tears. He said solemnly, “Although I, Kang Anyu, am an animal, I still possess a heart that knows gratitude. If it weren’t for Brother Yang’s generosity back then, I would have long been reduced to dust. To be seated here now fills me with shame. Please, Brother Yang, drink this cup to understand what lies in my heart.”

Yang Jian slammed the cup down on the table and said, “Brother Kang, what kind of person do you think I am? Among these seven brothers here, each is someone I respect deeply. I saw with my own eyes how you sacrificed yourself to save the people back then, and I hold you in the highest regard. Regardless of the differences between humans and beasts, how many gods and immortals in the heavens could have done the same?”