Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told, Chapter 99: On the Brink of Revelation

Wukong was secretly relieved. It was thanks to his momentary curiosity in returning to look for Meng Ke that he hadn’t missed the three great immortals—Huli, Luli, and Yangli—and avoided taking many detours.
He had arrived in this realm in a daze, with no sight of the sun, moon, or stars, no sense of time passing, and no idea of where he was. The only way to uncover the mysteries of this realm was to be extremely cautious and pay attention to every detail.
It seemed that Huli, Luli, and Yangli had been in this realm for a long time and must know many things he didn’t. Wukong resolved to extract every secret they knew.
These three lowly demons, who practiced unorthodox methods, had no way of guessing Wukong’s intentions. They could only hope to serve this mysterious immortal who had appeared out of nowhere and be set free soon.
When asked, Huli glanced secretly at Luli, the most cunning of the three. Luli understood his meaning and thought hard about finding a way to escape quickly. He then retreated into his cave, believing Wukong would never find him again. He planned to fabricate a story claiming they came from a prestigious sect, hoping that if the scholar was frightened, he might release them.
So Luli said, “To be honest, we three are true immortals from the heavens. We violated heavenly laws, so the Jade Emperor sent us here to atone through trials. There were thousands of us who came together, each with extraordinary abilities.” He made this up on the spot, not realizing that the man before him had just destroyed the Tongming Hall of the Jade Emperor.
Wukong glanced at Luli and asked, “Is that really the case?”
Seeing Wukong’s skeptical expression, Luli thought he should act more convincingly. He stood up with a calm demeanor and said, “Of course. We are the Thunder Gods from the Nine Heavens’ Yingyuan Palace. If you don’t believe me, watch my thunder magic.” With that, he rolled up his sleeves, ready to display his powers.
Wukong laughed and said, “You foolish Taoist from Zhongnan Mountain! You only know a little five-thunder technique. How dare you try to deceive your master?” His expression darkened instantly, and he growled, “Speak the truth quickly! If what you say is useful, it’s fine. But if not, I’ll kill you right away and be done with it.”
Hearing this, Luli was terrified. He sat down on the ground in fear—genuine fear, not pretense. He and his companions indeed came from Zhongnan Mountain, but how could this scholar know? Could he have prophetic powers? Seeing the scholar’s refined demeanor and his fierce temper, Luli didn’t dare lie. He confessed everything about their origins without reservation.

The three were originally beasts, born to practice in Zhongnan Mountain. Weak by nature, they merely struggled to survive. One day, they happened to meet each other and, seeking to strengthen their power, became brothers. Later, they stumbled upon a remaining Taoist text from Zhongnan Mountain and learned skills such as the Five Thunder Techniques and the ability to control wind and rain, which greatly accelerated their cultivation. Eventually, the three beasts took on human forms and descended from the mountain to showcase their powers, winning over some naive men and women and amassing wealth.

One day, they arrived at a small kingdom where it had not rained for months. The three used their Taoist arts to summon a heavy rainstorm. The king treated them as honored guests, and they lived comfortably for several years.

Hou Kong thought to himself, “So controlling wind and rain is your specialty after all—truly effective every time.”

As the saying goes, greed knows no bounds. Over time, despite their high status, the three still resented having a king above them and began to plot to kill him and seize power. To conceal their plans, they lied, claiming they could create elixirs of immortality. Since the king had already seen their powers, he believed them without hesitation.

“Just as we were full of confidence and ready to carry out our plan, one day we met a disheveled old Taoist who scolded us and abandoned us in a desolate place,” they said.

Hou Kong stopped the Deer Strength Immortal and asked, “A desolate place? Not here?”

The Deer Strength Immortal replied, “Your Excellency is truly astute—it’s not here.”

Hou Kong asked further, “What did that old Taoist look like? Do you still remember?”

The Deer Strength Immortal frowned and said, “That old Taoist was extremely powerful. I only caught a glimpse of a figure that seemed to be that of a Taoist priest. After that, I heard his voice but couldn’t see him.”

Hou Kong asked again, “Are you sure it was a Taoist priest, not a monk?”

The Deer Strength Immortal nodded. “It was indeed a Taoist priest, with hair tied in a bun.”

Hou Kong waved his hand, telling him to continue.

The Deer Strength Immortal continued, “That desolate place had few inhabitants. Even when we encountered one or two people, they had repulsive faces.”

“You should know that the three of us have always relied on… wisdom to succeed. But here, strangely enough, everyone avoided us as soon as they saw us and refused to speak a word. After staying there for some time and finding it unbearable, we waited for the day when the ‘Gate of Seizure’ would open and then broke in.” Fear appeared on the Deer Strength Immortal’s face as he spoke.

Hou Kong pressed further, “What is the ‘Gate of Seizure,’ and where did you end up?”

The Tiger Strength Immortal took over, “Hmph. We arrived in a realm filled with slaughter and bloodshed. Everyone was greedy, fighting for trivial gains at the cost of their lives. That’s why a great gate was created between that realm and this one—called the ‘Gate of Seizure’.”

The Immortal Luli continued, “Yes, the people here are cruel. The three of us are recluses, so naturally… we’re not used to it.” Seeing Wukong’s displeased expression, he quickly brought the conversation back on track, “We only walk in places where no one is around. Although we encountered some dangers along the way, my brothers and I stayed united… and everything went well.”

Wukong asked, “Wait, you mean that land of slaughter isn’t part of this area?”

The Immortal Luli replied, “Of course not. We hid in the deep mountains for a few days until the ‘Gate of Life’ finally opened, and we rushed in.” He was clever too; seemingly knowing Wukong would ask, he explained, “The Gate of Life is the only passage between that land of slaughter and this place. It opens every so often. Once you enter it, you arrive here.”

Wukong murmured. So this place didn’t exist independently but was connected to the other two realms. The creator of these worlds must have been quite ambitious. What purpose did he serve in creating these three strange worlds?

The Immortal Luli continued, “This place is quite good. It’s much more peaceful compared to the first two realms. That’s why we decided to settle here permanently.” Wukong asked, “What are the advantages of this place?”

The Immortal Luli replied, “There are many kingdoms here, with a dense population. Most of them are ordinary mortals. We can practice cultivation in peace without being disturbed.”

Wukong smiled and said, “It seems convenient for deceiving people here.” Then he asked, “Is there no killing in this place?”

At that moment, Meng Ke, who had remained silent throughout, spoke up, “This realm is a place for enlightenment. There is absolutely no senseless killing.”

Wukong was surprised. “How do you know that?”

Meng Ke gave a bitter smile and said, “I’m different from those three. They were captured by that old Taoist, but I entered this place willingly after making a bet with him.”

“A bet?” That was truly incredible. As expected, a sage’s actions are different from those of ordinary people. When Wukong asked for details, Meng Ke said, “At that time, I was teaching in Pinglu. I once told my disciples, ‘All things in the world cannot be brought to order without rules, and no one in the world can find joy except through benevolence.’”

Wukong nodded. Only Mencius could say such things. Mencius was highly learned and once proposed benevolent governance to rulers, but during the Warring States period, with constant wars, who would listen? Thus, he remained frustrated. It seemed that even though he was later honored as the “Second Sage,” his life could still be considered tragic. Thinking of this, Wukong felt pity for Mencius. The saying “The benevolent are invincible” probably only holds true when facing a benevolent person. If a learned scholar encounters ruffians, no matter how much knowledge he has, what use is it?

Meng Ke continued, “That day, I was lecturing in the hall when a Taoist priest came in from outside. After listening for a while, he began to debate with me earnestly. That Taoist was no ordinary person; his discussions on the classics and philosophy were quite insightful. However, his judgment of people and matters was biased, so naturally, I had to teach him a lesson.”
“We debated for a long time, neither of us willing to yield. Then the Taoist came up with an idea. He said my ‘benevolent governance’ was not sufficient to rule the world. If I didn’t believe it, he said there was a country where I could practice Taoist teachings, and if I could turn all its people into benevolent beings, he would be convinced. I, being stubborn, agreed to his proposal. But I never expected him to bring me here, isolated from the world.”
Wukong couldn’t help but laugh. Old Meng was truly stubborn, clinging to his own views and falling for the immortal’s trick. As he laughed, he suddenly remembered something, and his laughter stopped abruptly. With concern, he asked, “Old Meng, may I ask if that Taoist followed the principle of ‘following the way of nature’?”
Meng Ke’s eyes showed shock: “How did you know?!”