Volume 1: Unsayable Chapter 62: Verbal Battle

Hearing Tai Bai Jin Xing’s words, Fu Hai Jiao sneered and said, “The Heavenly Court has always been arbitrary and reckless, never caring about the lives of all beings in the world.”
Tai Bai Jin Xing did not reply. Behind him, Wu Qu Xing Jun could no longer hold back. He had high standards—few people, even in the heavens, met his expectations, though his low rank forced him to conceal his true feelings most of the time. Now, seeing a mere demon act so boldly and speak rudely to Tai Bai Jin Xing, a favored figure before the Jade Emperor, he stepped forward and said sarcastically, “Don’t be ungrateful. The Jade Emperor is offering amnesty out of concern for your lives. If you refuse, well, when war breaks out, I’ll turn your Flower-Fruit Mountain to dust in an instant!”
“Haha!” Fu Hai Jiao laughed wildly. Wu Qu Xing Jun’s words suited his wishes perfectly. He wanted the amnesty talks to fail, so he added fuel to the fire, saying, “Revealing your true nature after just three words—what else is this but arbitrariness? Go back and report that—”
At that moment, the Bull Demon King let out a deep “Hmph” and shouted, “Brother Jiao, could you let me speak?” Unhappy to see Fu Hai Jiao’s ambitions, the Bull Demon King used magic in his voice. Sure enough, Fu Hai Jiao felt as if a drum had been struck inside his head, causing great discomfort. He was shocked—he hadn’t realized the Bull Demon King possessed such profound powers. It seemed he hadn’t given his best during their usual contests.
Feeling aggrieved, Fu Hai Jiao stepped back. The Bull Demon King said, “My brother is always straightforward, sorry for any embarrassment caused to Jin Xing.” He spoke only to Tai Bai Jin Xing, ignoring Wu Qu Xing Jun.
Tai Bai Jin Xing smiled and said, “Heroes are often outspoken. I’ve seen many like them; there’s no need for embarrassment.”
The Bull Demon King continued, “The Heavenly Court sending angels to offer amnesty really frightens us brothers. I wonder whom they intend to recruit. They can’t possibly move all the tens of thousands of elite soldiers from Flower-Fruit Mountain to the heavens.”
Seeing that the Bull Demon King ignored him completely and chatted amiably with Tai Bai Jin Xing, Wu Qu Xing Jun felt left out and left quietly when no one was looking.
When he left, Fu Hai Jiao sneered, drawing another angry glare from Wu Qu Xing Jun, but Fu Hai Jiao pretended not to notice.
After hearing the Bull Demon King’s question, Tai Bai Jin Xing replied, “This fellow asks a good question. Though the Heavenly Court is vast, it still has limits. Naturally, they select the best among humans and elite demons for amnesty. If those chosen have low powers, poor morals, or mixed qualities, I wouldn’t be able to account for it when I return.”

The Bull Demon King said again, “This… I’m afraid it might not be appropriate. My eight brothers and I have always been as close as siblings, and it’s hard for us to part. If we don’t gather to drink and enjoy ourselves together every day, we feel uneasy. If only one or two of us are summoned to heaven and frequent each other, I’m worried it might disturb the tranquility of the heavenly court. What should we do?”
When Tai Bai Jin Xing heard this, he too was troubled. The Jade Emperor had explicitly ordered him to summon the monkey demons and bull demons from Flower Fruit Mountain to heaven—his words were divine; who would dare to change them? Yet having spent countless years in the imperial court, he quickly replied, “I see no reason for concern. If that’s all, it’s a trivial matter. The heavenly court is just like the mortal world—each heavenly soldier and general has their own duties. If brothers visit each other in their free time, it’s only natural and nothing wrong with it.”
The Bull Demon King nodded, thinking to himself, “You’re trying to deceive those who haven’t seen the world. There are many rules in the heavenly court, and even experienced elders can make mistakes. Newcomers would surely suffer within days.” He kept these thoughts to himself and asked no further questions.
At that moment, Wukong said, “An angel who has long been in heaven rarely gets a chance to descend to the mortal world. Why not try the fresh fruits from my Flower Fruit Mountain first? How do they compare to those in your heavenly court?”
Tai Bai Jin Xing asked with a smile, “May I ask if you are the master of Flower Fruit Mountain? What is your name?”
Wukong replied, “We are mere people from the countryside; our names are not worth mentioning. How could they reach your ears, honorable angel?”
Wu Qu Xing Jun, seeing that Wukong was very polite in his speech, had a good impression of him and said carelessly, “Jin Xing told you to state your name—go ahead and do so.”
Wukong glanced at him and asked, “May I ask this angel… what position do you hold in the heavenly court?”
Wu Qu Xing Jun puffed out his chest and said, “I am Wu Qu Xing Jun, one of the seven stars of the Big Dipper.”
Wukong was stunned. Wu Qu Xing Jun? Wasn’t he the one who recommended Wukong as a Horse Guardian? He hadn’t expected to meet him so soon. Pretending to be confused, Wukong asked, “The seven stars of the Big Dipper? What kind of position is that? I wonder if it’s higher or lower than the twenty-eight constellations.”
Wu Qu Xing Jun replied proudly, “The seven stars of the Big Dipper are beneath the Purple Micro Emperor, so naturally they are one rank higher than the twenty-eight constellations.”
Wukong said slowly, “Indeed impressive. A few days ago, there were some demons causing trouble in the mortal world. They had strange appearances but claimed to be stars in the sky. I found it despicable that they pretended to be heavenly soldiers, so in a fit of anger, I killed them all!” As he spoke, he saw the expressions of Wen Qu and Wu Qu Xing Jun change drastically, but Tai Bai Jin Xing still waited smilingly for the rest. Wukong continued, “If I go to the heavenly court, could I perhaps be credited with a great merit first?”

Wuqu Star Lord was horrified. He only knew that six celestial beings had died in the mortal world, but he had no idea that the murderers were the demons from Flower-Fruit Mountain. He pointed at Wukong, stammering, “You, you, you…” unable to think of what to say.

Tai Bai Jin Xing waved his dust brush backward, knocking Wuqu Star Lord’s arm aside, and said with a smile, “The Heavenly Court has always been fair in rewards and punishments—those who merit rewards are rewarded, and those who deserve punishment are punished. Please rest assured, fellow cultivator. I will surely request credit for you and submit it to the Jade Emperor for judgment.”

Wukong bowed and said, “Thank you in advance, immortal elder.” He knew that although he could hide the fact of killing the heavenly general for now, he couldn’t hide it forever. By confessing now, he was testing whether the Heavenly Court was already aware of it. Indeed, Wuqu and the others were unaware, but Tai Bai Jin Xing seemed confident. It seemed that the Heavenly Court wasn’t monolithic; there were indeed gaps to exploit.

Wukong certainly didn’t intend to seek credit through this. He was merely testing Tai Bai Jin Xing to see how the Heavenly Court would react to the killing of the heavenly general. But Tai Bai Jin Xing gave an ambiguous response, making things more complicated.

To be fair, Wukong really wanted to be recruited by the Heavenly Court to experience its splendor and learn more about human affairs. In “Journey to the West,” it was mentioned that during leisure time, he would meet friends and travel around the palaces, forming friendships. He would address the Three Pure Ones as “elders” and the Four Emperors as “Your Majesty.” He treated the Nine Bright Stars, the Five Directional Generals, the Twenty-Eight Mansions, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Twelve Earthly Branches, the Five Elders of the Five Directions, all the celestial beings, and the gods of the Milky Way as brothers, addressing each other accordingly. Without mentioning other advantages, such connections alone were a tremendous asset.

But now that things had come to this, he wasn’t sure if the Heavenly Court truly intended to recruit him. If they tried to trap him, what could he do? Thinking this, Wukong said, “In that case, I have an unfriendly request. I hope the immortal can forgive me.”

Tai Bai Jin Xing replied, “Fellow cultivator, feel free to speak your mind. There’s no need to be polite.”

Wukong said, “Since the immortal says the Heavenly Court rewards those who merit it, why not first report my act of killing and pretending to be a celestial being to the Jade Emperor? Let’s see how he rewards me. If the rewards and punishments are indeed fair, I’ll willingly serve the Heavenly Court without hesitation! But if the rewards and punishments are unfair… then we need to discuss this further.”

Tai Bai Jin Xing smiled inwardly. This monkey, though a demon, was extremely clever. But since Wukong had spoken thus, he couldn’t press further. He simply agreed with a smile, “Fellow cultivator, you’re truly strategic. Very well. I’ll go report this to the Heavenly Court. Please wait for good news, fellow cultivators.”

Wukong bowed in thanks. Tai Bai Jin Xing stood up, took a fresh fruit from the desk, took a bite, and nodded in approval. “Good, good! Without good reasons, how could such wonderful fruit arise?”

After speaking, he bid farewell to Wukong. Wukong and the eight others watched as the three Golden Stars flew away on clouds, their figures disappearing into the distance.
The Bull Demon King said to Wukong, “Wukong, your tactic of buying time is truly ingenious. But this Tai Bai Jin Xing is truly a brilliant strategist in the Heavenly Court—by no means an ordinary person. I still have some questions.”
Wukong smiled and said, “How could it be buying time? It might actually be a tactic to hasten action. Brother, go ahead and ask.”
The Bull Demon King asked, “What if the Jade Emperor casually grants you a reward and tells you to go to heaven? What would you do then?”
Wukong replied, “He may grant rewards at will, but I cannot go to heaven at will. My own safety is secondary; my foundation on Flower Fruit Mountain has just been established—I can’t bear to give it up so easily. I’ll just adapt as the situation unfolds. There’s always a perfect plan.”
The Bull Demon King was confused. Turning around, he saw the Sea Submerging Dragon pretending to be deep in thought, which made him furious. He shouted, “You brat! What nonsense are you talking about? Don’t you trust Wukong?”