Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 58: Reestablishing Families

As soon as Wu Kong spoke those words, he regretted them, but it was too late to undo them. He saw that the others were either shocked or skeptical, with only Wu Zhiqi, Wang Yu, and Feng Tong remaining calm. Knowing that these three trusted him deeply and that he was a wise and divine ape, he realized it was not strange for him to do something astonishing.

Wu Kong calmed down and smiled, saying, “Brother Dapeng knows very little about the Heavenly Court. Clearly, you come from the West. How many people in the West could surpass the Four Emperors? I’m ashamed to admit it, but I only knew there was a Buddha in the West, so I guessed randomly—and surprisingly, it turned out to be correct.”

The Golden-Winged Roc found Wu Kong’s explanation reasonable and changed his tone, saying, “I have a deep connection with the Buddha of the Western Heaven. In fact, we are even relatives. How could it be him?”

The Bull Demon King asked, “The Buddha in Western Ox-Happy Continent is the greatest. Who else could it be?”

The Golden-Winged Roc replied, “You underestimate the Buddhas of the Western Heaven too much. Those who achieve Buddhahood are none ordinary. Don’t ask who it is; those who are meant to appear will show up.”

Suddenly, Wu Kong remembered something and said, “Gentlemen, earlier I had a whimsical idea—to teach all the demons in these mountains, regardless of rank, a simple method of cultivation to save their lives. It would help them in battle against the heavenly troops someday. But I’m ashamed to say that among the countless wolves, tigers, leopards, birds, and beasts here, there isn’t a single suitable method. I wonder if any of you brothers have a basic cultivation technique to share. I would be extremely grateful.”

Jiuling Yuansheng was the first to speak, “Wu Kong, you’re thoughtful. I don’t have other methods, but for beasts like lions, tigers, cats, lynxes, dogs, and leopards, I can ask my disciples, the Yellow Lion and Snow Lion, to teach them something. It’s perfect—like kin helping each other.” Jiuling Yuansheng cherished his kin greatly, treating them like his own descendants. Wu Kong’s proposal suited his wishes perfectly—teaching cultivation techniques would also strengthen his clan. Why not do it?

Wu Kong was overjoyed. On Flower-Fruit Mountain, lions, tigers, cats, lynxes, dogs, and leopards made up more than a tenth of the population. He said, “If that’s the case, I’ll assign these beasts to Brother Yuansheng tomorrow. Along with the demon kings of various caves, they’ll all be under Brother Yuansheng’s control. This will make things easier for us.” Jiuling Yuansheng wasn’t expecting Wu Kong to be so quick to agree and trust him so much. His gratitude grew even deeper.

The Sea-Dwelling Dragon said, “I can’t help with this task; I only know skills related to water.” Wukong replied, “Brother Dragon, you’re wrong. There are countless aquatic creatures, so you can start anew. The Eastern Sea is vast, and I doubt even the Dragon King would dare to mess with my Flower-Fruit Mountain.” The Sea-Dwelling Dragon was pleased and said, “That’s true.” But after a moment, he added, “Yet in this Eastern Sea, all dragons are under the rule of the Four Seas Dragon Kings. Over the years, we’ve shared bloodlines and ties. Even if I wanted to start anew, I’d only have mere shrimp and crabs—useless at best.”

Wukong thought for a while and said, “What you say is true. But aside from the Four Seas, there are many waters in the world. Perhaps in rivers and streams, there might be hidden dragons. You might as well search around in your free time. It just means you’ll have to put in more effort.”

The Sea-Dwelling Dragon’s eyes lit up. “That’s indeed a good idea! Starting tomorrow, I’ll search for my kin and ensure that our Northern Sea Dragon clan rises again. I won’t let the dragon clan perish at my hands.” Like the Nine Spirit Sage, he also desired the prosperity of his clan. But being proud and aloof, he never thought of such a method. Wukong, coming from a later era, knew that wherever there was water, dragons ruled. He didn’t believe all these dragons were loyal to the Four Seas Dragon Kings. With the Sea-Dwelling Dragon’s skills and status, this plan was highly feasible now.

At that moment, the Ox Demon King said, “I, the old ox, have a master, so I can’t reveal those supernatural powers. I only practiced a few things on my own before becoming a disciple. I can teach them to creatures like rhinos and elephants, whose thick skin makes them resistant to harm.” Wukong also thanked him.

While these people were talking, the Golden-Winged Roc was laughing nearby. The Ox Demon King asked, “Bird, why are you laughing?” The Golden-Winged Roc glared at him and said, “I’m laughing at Wukong. What good fortune he has!” Wukong, puzzled, asked, “What fortune?”

The Golden-Winged Roc shook his left wing and took out a Ruyi Bag of the Universe. He opened it, and hundreds of books spilled out. Wukong didn’t recognize the ancient characters and asked in confusion, “What are these books?”

The Golden-Winged Roc replied, “To be honest, I’ve long wanted to establish my own school. So I’ve collected these books over the years—basic skills for birds and beasts. Now I’m giving them to you.”

Overjoyed, Wukong scratched his head and said, “I don’t even recognize the characters here. How many of those little demons can understand them?” The Golden-Winged Roc casually opened one of the books and said, “I anticipated this. Most of these pages are illustrations. All that’s needed is one person who knows how to read and explain, while the others can follow the pictures.”

Wukong praised, “Brother Dapeng truly has a far-reaching vision. You must have put in quite a bit of effort.” Yet in his heart, he knew that in Journey to the West, Dapeng had also established his own kingdom named Shituo, where the evil forces were considered the most formidable along the journey.

The Golden-Winged Dapeng said, “Back then, I captured many Taoists. They were skilled in painting and knew Taoist arts. I kept them in caves to paint pictures for me—indeed, it took a lot of effort.”

The Bull Demon King laughed and said, “After painting, those Taoists could even serve as food. What a clever plan!” Dapeng laughed heartily and said, “Of course. Are we only allowed to eat humans and beasts, but not allow beasts and humans to eat each other?”

Hearing them talk about eating people as if it were ordinary, Wukong felt quite uncomfortable. He laughed and said, “What’s so delicious about human flesh?” Dapeng replied seriously, “Wukong, you’re wrong. In the whole world, nothing is more delicious than human flesh. You see, with a thousand kinds of people, there are a thousand kinds of flavors. Let me explain in detail: if the person is a learned scholar, their flesh has a refined taste. It needs to be stewed slowly over low heat with little oil or salt to preserve its original flavor, making it as delightful as drinking sweet spring water. If it’s a rough man, it must be stir-fried over high heat with spices like pepper and salt. It’s best served half-cooked, paired with strong liquor—truly delightful. If it’s a beautiful woman, one must distinguish different parts—use some wild vegetables to make a cold dish from the skin and tendons, and steam only the fatty parts without any seasonings. Add seasonings according to personal taste when serving. As for the muscles in the limbs, they make the most delicious meat paste. And if it’s a child—”

Wukong felt his stomach churn as he hurriedly stopped Dapeng, saying, “Stop talking. It takes too much effort.” Seeing Wukong’s helplessness, Dapeng burst into laughter.

The Nine-Spirit Sage said, “Nonsense! Humans eat grains and engage in constant scheming. Not to mention the flesh, even their brains are sour—the worst kind of food!”

The Bull Demon King said, “Not at all. Human flesh also comes in different grades. Those who are beautiful and fair-skinned are definitely good, while those with extremely ugly appearances have a bitter taste. Though not tasty, it can reduce internal heat…”

Seeing the three of them talking so enthusiastically, Wukong could no longer bear it. He sent Fengtong to browse through Dapeng’s pile of books. Fengtong, who knew classical Chinese, flipped through them briefly and couldn’t help but secretly praise Dapeng. There were nearly a hundred types of books, categorized into winged creatures, scaled creatures, climbing beasts, long-nosed creatures, rodents, hairy creatures, bear-like beasts, donkey and horse-like creatures, rat and weasel-like creatures, giant elephants, running sheep, and so on. In this way, all the demons on Flower-Fruit Mountain could practice according to these books. As for how far they could progress, it would depend on their individual talents and fate.

Fengtong organized these books and explained the situation to Wukong. Wukong was overjoyed and thanked the Golden-Winged Roc repeatedly. The Golden-Winged Roc smirked and said, “Such a trivial matter. Do you think I’m a stingy person?”
Wukong told everyone to continue drinking, while he, Fengtong, Wu Zhiqi, and Wang Yu went out to handle matters. The demons in the Seventy-Two Caves were of various kinds and hard to distinguish. Wukong had been thinking about this for a long time and had already made plans. He summoned the demon kings of the Seventy-Two Caves—wild elephants, white rhinos, green wolves, black tigers, leopards, boar deer, spirit deer, snow foxes, orangutans, grizzly bears, green antelopes, divine mastiffs… These demon kings gathered together, feeling uneasy. They had been training every day lately, but the lesser demons in each cave were of uneven quality. Their formations were merely superficial, with no real progress, and they feared Wukong’s disapproval.
When talking to these demon kings whose powers were far inferior to his own, Wukong chose to be straightforward and explained his purpose right away. Training was suspended, and the demon kings sorted the demons into groups according to their species. Those numbering over a thousand were grouped into one cave, while those with fewer than a thousand were grouped into two or three, or five or six groups, with those of similar size combined into one cave.