Volume 1: Unsayable Chapter 81: Better to Forget

Upon hearing the mention of the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors, the Jade Emperor showed displeasure. He thought to himself, “These old men who rely on their age to act tough. They just frolic around in normal times, but when it comes to real action, they vanish without a trace. You want to put on an act with me? Fine, I’ll give you a way out.”
So the Jade Emperor praised, “The Tower-Bearing Heavenly King makes a good point. Do any of you have better suggestions?” After giving such praise, even if others had different opinions, who would dare speak up?
The Jade Emperor slammed his palm on the dragon throne and said, “The Four Great Celestial Masters, Li Jing, the Third Prince Nezha, and Tai Bai Jin Xing—you seven must set out immediately to invite the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors to the Jade Pool for a banquet.”
After the seven left the hall, the Jade Emperor raised his hand, covering his mouth as if yawning. An immortal official had seen this clearly and shouted, “Dismissed!” All the immortals rushed out of the hall, except Tai Bai Jin Xing, who remained standing still.
After everyone left, the Jade Emperor asked, “Minister Li, is there anything you’d like to report?” Tai Bai Jin Xing replied, “I have a question I cannot understand. I dare to ask Your Majesty.” The Jade Emperor nodded, signaling him to continue. “The demons on Flower-Fruit Mountain are fierce, but they are still no match for our Heavenly Court. Yet if we attack with all our might, we risk weakening our own forces. Therefore, we should seek the help of experts. But what I don’t understand is, why not divert the disaster to the West?”
The Jade Emperor laughed and said, “Minister, you are indeed superior to others. To be honest, I do want to find a scapegoat. But if our Heavenly Court does not pretend to be exhausted, do you think the Buddha in the West would be willing to intervene so easily?”
Tai Bai Jin Xing was shocked. It seemed all the tactics used before were feints. And sending a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers to Flower-Fruit Mountain—the Jade Emperor showed no hesitation at all. The cost was simply too high. Truly, a king’s thoughts are profound; he could never have figured this out, no matter how clever he was, simply because of the difference in status.
Jin Xing asked again, “What if… the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors win—”
The Jade Emperor laughed heartily. “Li Changgeng, even you are trying to test me. When it comes to pretending to be weak, those old men are far better at it than I am.”
Tai Bai Jin Xing had actually thought of this too, but as a subject, sometimes what matters more than loyalty or wisdom is the timing of speech. If he spoke these words before the Jade Emperor, how could he still appear to be a man with flawless strategies and great wisdom?
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At Guanjiangkou, in the Hall of the Manifest Holy Lord, Yang Jian sat on the throne, his face filled with anger. He cursed, “That Li Jing! I thought only that demon monkey was strong, not realizing about his two accomplices. They made me underestimate them, and I was caught off guard by the enemy!”

Kang Anyu said, “During the battle just now, the soldiers of the Heavenly Court merely watched from the sidelines; not a single one came to help us. With such limited strength, how could we possibly win?” In truth, Yang Jian had always disdained to work with those from the Heavenly Court. Though their numbers were large, none of them caught his attention. The people of the Heavenly Court also knew of his nature, so they simply intended to watch the fight and would never take the initiative to assist Yang Jian.

Guo Shen had almost been captured by the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage just now and was still shaken, saying, “That nine-headed lion was truly terrifying. If it weren’t for the Howling Heaven Dog distracting it, I would likely have been captured.”

Yang Jian said, “These demons cannot be defeated by force; we must use strategy.”

Kang Anyu asked, “Brother, do you mean…?”

Yang Jian replied, “You all stay and guard your homes. I will go alone this time. I’ll first scout the enemy situation before deciding what to do.”

The Six Brothers of Meishan knew that Yang Jian possessed seventy-three forms of transformation, so even if he encountered danger, he would have a way to escape. Still, they did not try to stop him.

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In the Flower-Fruit Mountain, in front of the Water Curtain Cave, Wukong said angrily, “I just started fighting him, and now they come to launch a sneak attack. Such behavior surely undermines our reputation!”

The Golden-Winged Roc laughed and said, “Wukong, don’t be angry. When I saw those six coming to help, I couldn’t hold back.”

The Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage declared solemnly, “How could I stand by while my brothers are beaten up right in front of me?” Wukong was speechless for a moment.

Fighting Erlang Shen had been something he longed for—he just wanted to see who was stronger. But he didn’t expect that the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage and the Golden-Winged Roc would quickly defeat the Seven Saints of Meishan along with their Howling Heaven Dog, forcing them to flee in disarray. Since Yang Jian had lost, it was likely the Jade Emperor would never ask him to fight again, making it difficult to have another duel.

With the kind intentions of the Nine-Spirit Primordial Sage and the Golden-Winged Roc, Wukong didn’t dare say much. He asked, “If the Heavenly Court loses again, what will happen next?” The Bull Demon King chuckled and said, “If the weak are defeated, the strong will naturally step in. That’s only natural.”

Wukong asked, “Hm? Who are the strong then?”

The Bull Demon King replied, “Is that all the Heavenly Court has? Those Four Great Heavenly Kings, the Nine Bright Stars, and the Tower-Bearing Heavenly King are barely considered mid-tier figures there. The only one who appears frequently and has some skills is Nezha. The truly powerful ones are under the Three Pure Ones—even a mere servant there shouldn’t be underestimated.”

The Golden-Winged Roc nodded but snorted, “During my years traveling in the West, I also saw many people as formidable as arhats andVajras, willing to serve as slaves to bodhisattvas and Buddhas. I don’t know what they’re after.”

The Bull Demon King said thoughtfully, “Those who have reached the level of arhat or Vajra are undoubtedly among the best in the world. If they’re willing to serve as slaves, there must be a reason behind it.”

Wukong fell into deep thought. The Bull Demon King’s words made sense—since the Heavenly Court had been defeated and there was no one left to send, they must seek out an expert to step in. Could this expert be Guanyin? Laojun? Or Tathagata?
Regardless of who it was, it meant there was a chance. He should discuss this matter with Fengtong right away; delaying would only risk complications.
Wukong informed the Nine Spirits Sage, then, along with Fengtong and the others, flew on clouds toward Beiju Luzhou.
In his memory, the Great Sage Zen Temple was simple yet solemn, with every scene and object exquisitely elegant—a rare place for peaceful cultivation. When Wukong and his companions arrived, they looked down and couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.
The once-majestic stone gates of the Great Sage Zen Temple had collapsed, two stone pillars lay askew, and the plaque was shattered into three pieces—clearly having suffered severe damage.
Looking at the buildings inside, nine out of ten were reduced to ruins, blackened from fire, as if they had been burned to the ground. The nine-story tower had also broken in half, its peak piercing into a small lake.
Wukong was horrified. He dived in and searched throughout the temple, but found not a single soul. What kind of disaster had befallen the Great Sage Zen Temple? Had the Great Sage National Advisor, King Bodhisattva, and Prince Zhang disappeared—alive or dead—perhaps captured?
Since they were called bodhisattvas, they should be under the jurisdiction of the Western Heaven. If someone destroyed their temple, the Western Heaven ought to take action. But seeing the desolate state of things, it seemed the Great Sage Zen Temple would never recover.
Wukong went to the courtyard where he had once lived. The rooms there had long collapsed, the ornate decorations on the eaves were covered in dust, and all the luxurious items inside had been burned beyond recognition.
The peach tree in the courtyard was also blackened by fire. Recalling the night he spent under that tree, Wukong sighed inwardly. In life, just as with plants and flowers, all glory is but fleeting.
Wuzhiji, who was extremely familiar with this place, also sighed at the ruined state of the Great Sage Zen Temple. He regretted not being able to capture King Bodhisattva and humiliate him thoroughly to satisfy his hatred.
Seeing Wuzhiji’s twisted expression—clearly a reflection of his inner feelings—Wukong asked, “Do you still hate him?” Wuzhiji hesitated before nodding. Wukong said, “Look at this peach tree. How is it different from before?”
Wuzhiji examined it carefully and said, “Though its bark is damaged, it can still live.”
Wukong said, “I want to transplant it to Flower-Fruit Mountain. Can it survive?”
Wuzhiji replied, “That’s easy.” He used his water control magic, injecting a drop of pure water, and soon tender green buds appeared on the tree’s withered branches—a truly pleasing sight.

Wukong cast a spell, dug up the peach tree along with the soil, and mounted the clouds, saying, “Let’s go!”
Wuzhiji hurried after him and asked, “Why move it away?”
Wukong replied as they walked, “This peach tree still has life. If left here, facing a desolate land, it would only hate the fire that burned it day after day—what good is that?”
Wuzhiji seemed to understand. Wukong added, “That fire vanished in an instant. Even if it resents it, it can’t find it. Its hatred ultimately leads to nothing.”
Wuzhiji’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he held back.
Wukong continued, “I’ll take it to Flower-Fruit Mountain. There, it can watch the tides rise and fall in the East Sea every day, and see the rocks of Flower-Fruit Mountain being washed by the sea all day long without complaint. I believe it will eventually understand too.”
“Understand what?” Wuzhiji asked.
“That rather than hating each other, it’s better to forget.”