Volume 1: Unsayable Chapter 57: The Qilin Child

Wukong casually realized that in just over a decade, although he hadn’t actively sought them out, various coincidences and fates had led to the seven great saints from “Journey to the West” gathering together on Flower-Fruit Mountain. Wasn’t this something predetermined all along? Now that the seven great saints were gathered, did it mean the exciting journey to the West was about to truly begin?

Ma Liubengba, the four marshals of Flower-Fruit Mountain, saw that Wukong had made friends with these powerful beings, and naturally understood it would bring great benefits to the mountain. Without Wukong’s orders, various delicacies and fine wines were swiftly brought out and placed on the stone table. As the master of Flower-Fruit Mountain, Wukong sat in the center. Raising his cup, he said, “As the saying goes, all people under heaven are brothers. Today, everyone here is an immortal. Since that’s the case, let’s set aside ranks and drink this cup together—let old friends and new friends rejoice together, how about that?”

Everyone agreed without hesitation and raised their cups to drink them all.

When the second cup was filled, Wukong introduced each person in turn. He walked up to the Bull Demon King and said, “This is my elder brother, the Bull Demon King. We met by chance and have shared a deep friendship over the years.” Wukong drank with the Bull Demon King, then went over to the Sea Submerging Dragon and said with a smile, “This is the Sea Submerging Dragon. He has also practiced for ten thousand years. We met by chance in the Northern Sea and hit it off right away. Now he has become a good neighbor of Flower-Fruit Mountain, so he certainly isn’t an outsider.” Seeing that Wukong avoided mentioning past events, the Sea Submerging Dragon was grateful for Wukong’s respect and quickly drank his wine. Wukong said, “Brother Dragon seems fond of water—apparently, he’s the same with wine too.”

Then, Wukong walked up to the Golden-Winged Roc and said with a smile, “I met this brother, the Golden-Winged Roc, through a fight. Fortunately, nothing serious happened, and any misunderstandings have since dissipated. We should get in touch more often in the future.” Raising his cup, Wukong asked, “I wonder if Brother Roc can do me the honor?”

The Golden-Winged Roc also smiled and said, “Just as Wukong said, all people under heaven are brothers. We’re all immortals. Fighting over trivial matters is pointless.” He raised his eyebrows slightly, as if implying more behind his words. Hearing this, Wukong was overjoyed—this Golden-Winged Roc clearly wasn’t a peaceful person; he was indeed a kindred spirit.

When he reached the Nine Spirits Primordial Sage, the latter stood up first and said, “It is only proper for me to toast you.” The others were still quite unfamiliar with the Nine Spirits Primordial Sage and did not understand his intention. So he briefly recounted how the Taiyi Savior God had captured him a few days earlier. The Golden-Winged Roc was the first to leap up, shouting in anger, “I have indeed met that Eastern Extreme Emperor once; he seems like an honest man. How could he do such a thing?”
The Sea-Submerging Dragon also said, “Once things here are settled, we brothers will go after him together. Even if we don’t kill him, we’ll make him kowtow and apologize to you!” The Bull Demon King said, “Enough, enough. With your large numbers, do you think you’re useless even in the Heavenly Court? We need to plan this carefully.”
Wukong said, “Brother Niu is right. Brother Primordial Sage, don’t take this to heart. If you mention ‘benefactor’ again, don’t say I turn my back on those who help me.”
Then he went over to Wu Zhiqi, Feng Tong, and Wang Yu, saying, “These three are my kin from my own clan; we share the same roots, so they are certainly not outsiders.”
After introducing the seven, Wukong said, “I have no parents. I was born from a magical stone on Flower-Fruit Mountain. Therefore, I regard the creation of heaven and earth as my father and Flower-Fruit Mountain as my mother. All the monkeys, lions, tigers, birds, and beasts here are like my own brothers.” “Last New Year, the Heavenly Court sent six stars to capture me with their heavenly troops, but in a fit of anger, I killed them all!”
“Ah!” The Nine Spirits Primordial Sage and the Golden-Winged Roc, unaware of this, both opened their mouths wide in shock. Only the Sea-Submerging Dragon smiled and praised, “Well done!”
Wukong continued, “Living in chaotic times, one must find ways to protect oneself. If I don’t kill them, they will kill me. How can I allow them to oppress me? Whether it’s the Heavenly Court or the Netherworld, anyone who dares to threaten Flower-Fruit Mountain will face battle.”
The Golden-Winged Roc was thrilled and clapped his hands, laughing heartily. “Well said! That’s bold! Do they think only the Heavenly Court can plunder and oppress the good people? Do we demons have to just suffer passively? If such things happen again, count me in!”
The Nine Spirits Primordial Sage fell silent. Seizing the opportunity, the Golden-Winged Roc said, “You lion are quite skilled, but your courage isn’t as great as mine. Are you scared?”
The Nine Spirits Primordial Sage replied, “I have a deep grudge against that Eastern Extreme Qinghua Emperor, and Wukong has done me a favor. How could I let the Heavenly Court go unpunished? Just now, I was wondering why the Heavenly Court acts so recklessly—sending six stars to the mortal world without investigating the situation first. Do they really think all heroes in the world are insignificant?”

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, “As Brother Yuan Sheng said, the Heavenly Court has always acted in this manner. Since its establishment, when have you ever heard of the Heavenly soldiers being completely wiped out when they descend to the mortal world? One day in heaven equals one year on earth. I reckon in another year, the Heavenly soldiers will surely launch a massive attack. By then, it’ll be quite interesting.”

Hearing this, the Golden-Winged Roc looked eager and said, “If that’s the case, I won’t leave for a year. It was not easy for me to get away; this time, I must establish my reputation!”

Wukong already knew the Golden-Winged Roc had ulterior motives but didn’t expose him. Instead, he pretended to be surprised and said, “Brother Roc has been renowned for so many years—what more reputation does he need? Who in heaven or on earth doesn’t know of you?”

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, “To be honest, I, the old ox, only know of the Golden-Winged Roc as a legend and thought it was just a rumor. I didn’t know such a being actually existed.” The Golden-Winged Roc replied coldly, “Old ox, are you trying to provoke me on purpose?”

The Bull Demon King waved his hand and said, “Don’t misunderstand. That’s not the case at all. I only know that the phoenix, the ruler of all birds, gives birth to two kinds: the peacock and the roc. I know nothing else.”

Upon hearing the word “phoenix,” the Golden-Winged Roc’s golden face turned purplish-red. He clenched his fists tightly, making a grinding sound. Seeing this, Wukong quickly gave the Bull Demon King a signal to stop talking.

The Nine-Spirit Yuan Sheng acted as if he hadn’t heard anything and mused, “Speaking of the phoenix, I have seen it once.”

Suddenly, the Golden-Winged Roc leaped high into the air. His wings stretched out from his sides as he flapped them nonstop. “What! Impossible!” he shouted from the sky.

The Nine-Spirit Yuan Sheng said, “Why would I lie to you? Eight hundred years ago, while wandering the world, I happened to see someone teaching Buddhist teachings in the markets of Xiniuhe Continent. I faintly saw that person surrounded by colorful light. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the phoenix, the ruler of all birds!”

The Roc said, “Nonsense! If the phoenix can change its form, how could you possibly recognize it?”

The Nine-Spirit Yuan Sheng replied, “The phoenix is the ruler of all birds, while I am the king of all beasts. How could I not recognize it?”

The Golden-Winged Roc was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. He landed on the ground and said, “You’ve exposed yourself with just a few words. Everyone knows that the king of all beasts is the qilin. What kind of king are you then?”

A sad expression appeared on the Nine-Spirit Yuan Sheng’s face as he slowly said, “A country cannot go without a ruler even for a day. If the qilin were gone, how could the beasts have no leader?”

Seeing the sorrow in the Nine Spirits Sacred One’s heart, the Golden-Winged Roc seemed to empathize with him. He stood there motionless, tears streaming down his face. With a bitter laugh, he said, “So it turns out we share the same pain. You don’t even know where the Qilin is, while I know exactly where she is but am utterly unable to see her—my suffering is ten times greater than yours.”

Wukong felt dizzy. What riddles were these two playing? The Roc was indeed the son of the phoenix, but could the Nine Spirits Sacred One really be the son of the Qilin? The Qilin was also a rare divine beast in the world—how could it just disappear without a trace? Was it dead or lost? The Roc was even more strange—since the Nine Spirits Sacred One had clearly told him that the phoenix was in Xiniuhe Continent, why didn’t he go look for his mother?

Seeing the awkward situation, Wukong cleared his throat and said, “You two, stop talking about sad things. It’s not easy to meet today. Let’s drink heartily first, and tomorrow we can talk in detail about our feelings. Those with grudges can seek revenge, and those wronged can seek justice. With these eight of us here, isn’t there any mountain or obstacle in the world we can’t overcome?”

The Golden-Winged Roc sighed and said, “This matter… is very difficult.”

The Bull Demon King glared at him and said, “You usually seem so mighty. How can something be so difficult for you?”

The Golden-Winged Roc replied, “My enemy is ten times more cruel than the Eastern Extreme Qinghua Emperor, that’s why it’s difficult.”

Wukong blurted out, “Could it be the Buddha in the Western Heaven?”

The Golden-Winged Roc was shocked and said, “How do you know?” Everyone turned their surprised gazes toward Wukong, as if they were seeing a truly rare creature.