Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told, Chapter 103: The Three Strange Ones

The three were stunned, as if terrified into silence. It was the Deer Strength Immortal who reacted fastest, kneeling down first and begging for mercy, “Pardon me, great immortal! Pardon me…” The Tiger Strength and Sheep Strength Immortals followed suit, kneeling and pleading repeatedly. The Sheep Strength Immortal spoke indistinctly, fearing he might say less than the other two, repeating “Pardon me, great immortal—” “Pardon me, great immortal—” but unable to utter the word “life” itself.

Wukong found these three amusing but had no intention of killing them. The Tiger Strength, Deer Strength, and Sheep Strength Immortals were quite comical, and since he did not know why the Supreme Lord Laozi had brought them to this realm, he feared killing them might displease Laozi.

Since killing them was pointless, and he currently had a task that required considerable effort to find someone to carry out, it was perfect timing that these three were in his hands. He could make them work hard as a light punishment.

Wukong waved his hand and said, “Get up. Killing you three is as easy as flipping my hand, but I fear it would soil my hands.”

The Deer Strength Immortal quickly added, “The great immortal is right. We are like ants. If you treat us as equals, it might harm your reputation.”

Wukong nodded and said, “That’s true. I have a task for you three. Do you have time?”

The three were overjoyed. As long as Wukong wouldn’t kill them, they would agree to anything—even facing death—first. They hurriedly nodded and said, “Please give us your orders, great immortal. Even if it costs us our lives, we will complete the task.”

Wukong asked, “I want to ask you—since the land in this realm is poor and unable to produce crops, how did you three accumulate so much food?”

The Tiger Strength Immortal replied quickly, “To report to the great immortal, it was also by chance. We have been practicing cultivation since childhood and know nothing about farming. The condition of the land here originally had nothing to do with us. Once, while practicing magic, we summoned wind and rain over a field. A few months later, we found that the crops there were abundant. We thought it might be related to our magic, so we began farming there and used our magic to control the weather during the growing season. Over the years, we accumulated a lot of food.”

Wukong nodded. What the Tiger Strength Immortal said made sense. Though it was accidental, it was similar to his own methods. Thinking Wukong might still want more food, the Tiger Strength Immortal took out two more Qi Bag from his bosom and said, “All our remaining food is here. If the great immortal desires it, please accept it.”

Wukong waved his hand and said, “If I want you to do something, it must be related to this land.”

The three of them pricked up their ears to listen carefully, fearing they might miss a single word and fail in their task, thus angering the immortal. Wukong continued, “From now on, you three must travel throughout the sixty-four kingdoms in this realm. When the crops bloom, have the people shake each plant several times. It would be even better if someone nearby used a fan to fan the air. Do you understand?”
Although they didn’t understand why Wukong wanted them to do this, the three nodded repeatedly. Though the task was somewhat troublesome, it was still better than losing their lives. Wukong added, “Don’t miss a single village or town with fields—can you do that?”
“We will strictly follow the immortal’s orders!” the three replied in unison.
“Good. Begin immediately. I’ll inspect each village and town carefully over the course of a month. If anything is overlooked, I won’t spare you this time!”
The three nodded and turned to leave. Wukong called them back and asked, “Do you still remember that old man named Meng Ke in that small town in the Country of Deception?”
After they confirmed they did, Wukong said, “In the Country of Deception, take Meng Ke with you. Just say that this technique was taught by him to boost his prestige. Can you do that?”
The three naturally agreed and then took their leave to get started. Now, they dared not play any tricks anymore and decided the fastest way was for them to split up and work separately. Having spent long time in this realm, they were very familiar with the geography, which turned out to be useful now. In the past, they had gone there to accumulate their own merits, but this time they were being ordered by someone else.
Wukong had no ulterior motives; he simply wanted to ensure the people had enough food and clothing, doing a good deed while also helping to establish Meng Ke’s reputation in the Country of Deception, paving the way for him to teach the people in the future.
Having settled this matter, Wukong did not return to the Country of Deception. Assuming the three of them would obey his orders, he found a quiet place to focus on studying the Tao Te Ching.
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In the heavens, above the Great Luo Heaven, a grand banquet was held on the Jade Pool Island of Kunlun to celebrate Laozi’s achievements.
Everyone in heaven and on earth knew that the demons on Flower-Fruit Mountain had killed celestial generals and resisted the siege. Their three leaders had even dared to attack the heavenly court, and even the Buddha of the West failed to capture that cunning monkey. Fortunately, Laozi, who resided in the thirty-third heaven, arrived in time. Though he had been drunk for seven days, he still threw his Vajra Axe to capture the demon monkey and brought it back to the Douluo Palace…
Since the establishment of the heavenly realm, there had never been a precedent of demons attacking the heavenly court. By suppressing these demons, a major threat to the heavenly court was removed, and Laozi naturally took great credit for this.
At the Jade Pool banquet, the Three Pure Ones, the Four Emperors, various immortals and sages, star deities, and heavenly kings were all present to congratulate the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother were naturally overjoyed, attributing this to Laozi’s merits.

The Jade Emperor raised his cup and said, “On such a joyous occasion, let’s name this gathering the ‘Extermination of Demons Festival’—what do you think?” Everyone took their seats, cups were passed around, and music played on zithers and drums; indeed, it was a splendid gathering. Here is a poem to prove it:

In Flower-Fruit Mountain, demonic energy roars,
Yet now the Daoist path shines ever more.
Dragon banners and phoenix carriages emit auspicious light,
Treasure standards and flags carry divine aura.
Celestial music and mystical songs are beautifully tuned,
Phoenix flutes and jade pipes sound resoundingly.
Sweet scents surround the gathered immortals,
As the universe celebrates the holy dynasty.

As the wine made everyone more animated, the Jade Emperor took the opportunity to say, “Though the leader of the bandits on Flower-Fruit Mountain has been punished, it is said that the demons there, sensing danger, have scattered in all directions. With them spread like stars across the sky, the situation could easily escalate into chaos…” The Jade Emperor deliberately paused here.

With these words, everyone present began to wonder what his intention was. Someone then said, “Your Majesty need not worry. Since those demons have scattered, they are no different from ordinary beasts. They no longer pose a threat and cannot cause trouble again.”

Another person added, “If even the entire Flower-Fruit Mountain has fallen apart, then even if they try to reunite, they will simply be destroyed by our Heavenly Court. There’s no need to fear them.” The speaker was a wandering immortal known as the Barefoot Immortal. He possessed extremely powerful iron feet and was said to have rare treasures, making his cultivation strength far from negligible.

Upon hearing the Barefoot Immortal’s words, everyone in the hall burst into laughter. Only Li Jing and his son looked displeased. Since the Tower-Bearing Heavenly King had failed to subdue the demons, sitting there was truly uncomfortable for them.

Li Jing cleared his throat, stepped into the hall, bowed to the Jade Emperor first, then to Laojun, and asked, “I dare to ask, Lord Laojun, where is that demon monkey now?”

Laojun was about to drink from his cup when he heard Li Jing’s question. He put down the cup and said, “Does the Heavenly King still fear he might escape?”

Li Jing quickly replied, “How could I dare? Who could possibly escape from Lord Laojun’s Pure Land Palace? I’m just worried that if word gets out, his fellow demons might come to rescue him. Of course, they wouldn’t be able to rescue him, but I fear it might disturb Lord Laojun’s peace.” Li Jing spoke very carefully. Since Laojun had captured Sun Wukong, he had begun to reassess the immense power of the Three Pure Ones. Over the years, the Three Pure Ones in Taoism had kept a low profile, and some immortals even regarded them merely as symbols of Taoism, forgetting that these were three truly powerful figures in the celestial realm. Li Jing naturally knew how formidable the Three Pure Ones were and wouldn’t treat them lightly, but over time, he had become indifferent to the fact that they were the founders of Taoism, prioritizing only the Heavenly Court.

Laojun laughed heartily and said, “That demon monkey isn’t very capable. Put him in my Eight Trigrams Furnace, and in just an hour or so, he’ll turn into ashes.”