Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told – Chapter 184: Discussion on the Platform

The noisy Tongming Hall was now utterly silent.
What was Hou Yi planning to do? His arrow was aimed at the Jade Emperor! The ruler of all heavens, the supreme being of the universe!
All the officials present, including Tai Bai Jin Xing, were at a loss. Who knew whether Hou Yi would actually shoot? Everyone in the hall revered the Jade Emperor, but in the eyes of these ancient figures, perhaps the Jade Emperor wasn’t that important after all.
If Hou Yi really shot, could the Jade Emperor block it? It was said that the Jade Emperor had extraordinary cultivation, but no one had ever seen him take action. Wukong simply stood by to protect Chang’e, acting as if he hadn’t seen anything. He knew Hou Yi was not reckless; at most, he was trying to scare the Jade Emperor.
Just as the situation reached a deadlock, someone outside the hall called out, “Great God Hou Yi!”
When everyone looked, it was the Queen Mother of the West, who had rushed here from the Jade Pool upon hearing the news.
Upon seeing her, Hou Yi pondered for a moment before putting down his bow and storing his arrow. The Queen Mother seemed unaware of the conflict in the hall and said smilingly, “Since Great God Hou Yi has come, why not visit my Jade Pool?”
Hou Yi replied, “I originally intended to go to the Jade Pool, but was stopped at Tongming Hall. I thought it would be best to consult the Jade Emperor if there was a problem.”
The Queen Mother said, “Oh, who gave you wrong directions? Other matters are naturally up to the Jade Emperor, but he doesn’t know the full details of this one.”
Hou Yi replied, “It’s fine. Back then, I left in haste and entrusted my wife to you. Now that I’ve returned, I dare not trouble you further. I’ve come to take Chang’e back. I hope to repay your kindness someday.”
The Queen Mother laughed and said, “It’s no big deal.” Then she turned to Chang’e and asked, “Chang’e, you’ve lived in the heavenly court for many years. Has anyone bullied you?”
Chang’e replied respectfully, “Thanks to the care of the Queen Mother and the Jade Emperor, I’ve been very well here.”
The Queen Mother giggled and said, “I’m just being curious. I have to ask, so I won’t complain to you later without any evidence.”
Hou Yi bowed and said, “The Queen Mother is being humorous.”
The Queen Mother continued, “You two have been separated for so long and are now reunited—there must be a lot to talk about. I won’t keep you as a guest any longer.” Then she turned to Wukong and asked, “Who is this?”
Wukong replied, “An ancient being, Zhuanxu.”
Hearing Wukong’s reply, everyone was shocked again. The Queen Mother’s expression changed slightly, and she asked, “I’ve long heard of your fame. How many of these ancient gods have come with you?”
Wukong, intent on scaring her, replied, “Only the two of us have come. The rest, about a dozen or so, are waiting in the lower realms.”
Hearing that there were still a dozen or so people, the Queen Mother was startled, but she pretended to be both surprised and delighted. She said, “What a blessing for the universe! Where exactly do these elders reside in the lower realms?”

Wukong said, “I’m just an idle man from the mountains and fields, with no fixed abode!”
The Queen Mother replied, “What are you saying, sir? If you have free time, come to the Jade Pool for tea.” Upon hearing that there were as many as ten or twenty ancient deities, the Queen Mother was deeply moved. If such power could be brought under the Heavenly Court’s control… Though the idea was exciting, it required careful consideration—after all, no one was a puppet to be manipulated at will.
Fearing that saying too much might offend them, the Queen Mother left room for a future meeting and asked Taibai Jinxing to send the two back to the mortal world.
Hou Yi took Chang’e’s hand and left without even glancing at the Jade Emperor. Wukong bid farewell to the Queen Mother with courtesy, bowing deeply. Taibai Jinxing carefully escorted them to the South Heavenly Gate. Upon returning, his heart was pounding. The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother usually acted in unison, but today their attitude toward Hou Yi was completely different. Would this lead to a major upheaval?
Back in the Tongming Hall, he found neither the Jade Emperor nor the Queen Mother there. After asking around, he learned they had gone to the Jade Pool to discuss matters. Taibai Jinxing felt relieved—so long as the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother didn’t quarrel, the Heavenly Court would remain stable. Marshal Tian Peng was also missing; he had been detained pending the Jade Emperor’s return.
Wukong and the others left through the South Heavenly Gate with a jade rabbit. Hou Yi’s gloom vanished, and he was deeply grateful to Wukong, admiring his clever strategies. He didn’t question Wukong, attributing everything to the special powers of the Divine Ape.
Back at Qitian Ridge, Hou Yi’s first task was to cut down trees to build a house. He had originally lived in a cave, but how could Chang’e settle there?
Hou Yi put down his giant bow and, aside from his upper garment, wore only a shirt. Without using any magical powers, he relied on brute force to chop down the trees. Chang’e stood by, overjoyed. Since meeting Hou Yi, her eyes had been fixed on him alone. Now, seeing his tanned skin, she remembered tens of thousands of years ago—on a sunny day with lush green trees—how he had built a home for her with nothing but an axe…
Seeing this, Wukong thought it was a perfect moment of reunion and affection. How could he stand in the way? So he hurriedly took his leave.
Though Chang’e was back with Hou Yi, she didn’t know what had become of Tian Peng. The matter was only half resolved, but she didn’t need to probe further. If Tian Peng was still alive, they would meet again. But if he was dead… what then?
In “Journey to the West,” Tian Peng seduced Chang’e while drunk and was punished by being thrown into a pigsty in the mortal world to be reborn. Though it seemed like a severe punishment, there was much mystery behind it.

The Jade Emperor treated Chang’e and the ordinary palace maids and fairies very differently. Tian Peng’s teasing of Chang’e clearly angered him, so he punished him severely. Yet, despite the severe punishment, Tian Peng’s extraordinary magical weapon—the ancient Jin-Palmed Spear—was not taken back by the Heavenly Court. The only explanation is that although Tian Peng was banished to the mortal world, he was still useful to the Heavenly Court! What was this usefulness? Tian Peng and Juanlian, both discarded by the Heavenly Court, went to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures. Could the Jade Emperor have predicted that Buddha would send someone to fetch the scriptures, and that Guanyin would surely take in Tian Peng and Juanlian? Laojun once said that the Jade Emperor and the Western Spirit Mountain had some secret dealings—everyone acts for their own gain; rather than being true secrets, they are essentially exchanges of interests. If both Tian Peng and Juanlian were sent by the Jade Emperor to join the scripture-fetching team, then what did he use as an exchange with Buddha? And why did he send these two there in the first place? Wukong pondered above the clouds, unknowingly having traveled two or three thousand li south. Glancing down accidentally, he saw two people chasing and fighting in the forest. Upon closer inspection, one of them was the mighty Bull Demon King, while the other was Hu Yu, the little fox he hadn’t seen in ages! He suddenly remembered that south of the Flaming Mountain was the Mo Yun Cave in Jilei Mountain. Could this fox with a jade-like face really be Hu Yu? These two had finally gotten together again. Suppressing his urge to go down and find out more, he turned his clouds and headed north.
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In the Jade Pool, the Jade Emperor stormed to his throne in the palace, furious. The Queen Mother dismissed everyone around them, poured a cup of wine for the Jade Emperor, and sat beside him, smiling at him. The Jade Emperor downed the wine in one gulp and asked, “Hou Yi, Zhuanxu… and even a dozen or so others. Didn’t you say they were already killed by fate?” The Queen Mother thought for a moment before her smile faded as she murmured, “It’s strange that people who died tens of thousands of years ago can come back to life.” The Jade Emperor asked, “Are you sure that man is really Hou Yi?” The Queen Mother gave him a disdainful look and said, “There are only a few True Golden Immortals in the world—how could there be any deception?” The Jade Emperor suppressed his anger and said, “That damned Hou Yi ruined my plans!” The Queen Mother replied, “She still hasn’t woken up. What else can we do?” At that moment, a fairy bowed from afar outside the door. The Queen Mother snapped, “What is it?” The fairy stepped forward and said, “The Spirit Official Youyi has urgent matters to discuss with the Jade Emperor!”