Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 247: Deciding Three Matters

Wukong said little. Tang Seng, seeing him absent for so long, must have been worried already. So he briefly recounted his journey to the netherworld and his chance encounter with the King of Qin being replaced, ending by saying, “Uncle, I’ve captured the two-headed monster fish that possessed the king’s soul.”
Qilin stood up, looked at the two-headed monster fish in Wukong’s hands, and said with a serious expression, “Put it down and take a closer look.”
With a wave of his hand, a square stone basin appeared on the stone table. Wukong removed the water-controlling spell, and both the water and the fish fell into the basin. The two-headed carp remained lifeless, floating motionless on the surface.
After observing for a while, Qilin said, “This fish is indeed strange. Do you intend to keep it here temporarily?”
Wukong replied, “Exactly! Someone wants to gather the kings of the five categories—this can’t be a good thing. How could I not interfere?”
Qilin smiled and said, “Wukong, you’re quite cunning. But the Dragon God has already reached an agreement with me. We can coordinate from afar, so we’re no longer alone. Even if the Phoenix and Xiangliu show up, we needn’t fear them at all.”
Wukong said, “Uncle, the Phoenix and Xiangliu are just surface enemies. Those behind them who manipulate them are likely even more vicious.” Thinking of the three thousand Buddhas in the Western Heaven and the eight or nine golden immortals in the heavenly court, Wukong felt a bit intimidated. In contrast, Qitianling’s strength was only superficial, with nothing hidden.
Speaking of the three thousand Buddhas, he naturally thought of the Boundless Bodhisattva. Wukong then asked, “Uncle, have you seen the person whom Great Yu went to the Western Heaven to retrieve earlier?”
Qilin was taken aback and said, “Oh, you mean Great Yu’s descendant. He has forgotten everything from the past. Why ask him?”
“Forgotten everything?” Wukong exclaimed in shock. “How is that possible?”
Qilin replied, “His vital energy and bloodline seem normal, but he can’t remember the past and only recognizes Great Yu.”
Wukong felt somewhat disappointed. It seemed the Western Heaven must have used some trick. Since Qitianling wanted that person, they would give it to them—but obtaining the secrets of the Spirit Mountain from him was impossible. Yet the Western Heaven’s actions seemed like a feint, indicating that the Spirit Mountain had something secret to hide, likely related to the three thousand Buddhas.
After thinking for a while, Wukong asked, “Uncle, could you summon Great Yu? I have some questions for him, but it’s not convenient to meet in front of many people.” Qilin said, “That’s easy.” He first moved the stone table to another room, then silently sent a message. In a short while, Great Yu came in from outside.
Seeing Great Yu, Wukong thought of Hou Tu and couldn’t help but laugh.

Dayu said, “Wukong, why are you smiling?”
Wukong waved his hand and said, “We can talk about it later. I came here to inquire about the Great Sage National Teacher, King Bodhisattva.”
Dayu replied, “He possesses great magical powers and supernatural abilities, but he can’t remember anything from the past thousand years.”
Wukong nodded. It was fortunate that King Bodhisattva hadn’t lost all his memories. Wukong asked further, “Did Senior Dayu ask him in detail about what happened?”
Dayu said, “Of course.” Then he recounted everything King Bodhisattva had said to Wukong in detail.
It turned out that when Dayu captured Wu Zhiqi back then, he used the Ruyi Lock Demon Sword to trap Wu Zhiqi and handed him over to his descendants, who passed it down through generations until it reached King Bodhisattva. King Bodhisattva was originally an ordinary person. He first lived in Jambudvipa. As a child, he was enlightened by an old monk and began to practice cultivation. He had considerable talent, but without a stroke of luck, he might not have been able to extend his lifespan. During that time, the old monk gave him an elixir of longevity that could grant immortality. Thanks to this, King Bodhisattva was able to cultivate without interruption for nearly ten thousand years before attaining the rank of Taiyi Golden Immortal. Following the old monk’s guidance, he moved to the land of Kubera and there practiced in solitude, free from worldly distractions. Gradually, he figured out a way to draw power from Wu Zhiqi…
King Bodhisattva’s memories stopped here; he couldn’t remember anything else.
Wukong said, “It seems the key lies in those later years.”
Dayu replied, “It’s strange why that old monk would deliberately promote him.” Wukong nodded. “Is there any way to make him remember something?”
Dayu shook his head. Since even Dayu and the others were at a loss, Wukong thought that with his limited powers, he probably couldn’t do much either. But it wasn’t urgent; they could find a solution gradually.
Dayu said, “When I entered just now, your strange smile made me uneasy. What else is going on?”
Wukong asked, “Does Dayu know about the Goddess of Earth?”
Upon hearing Wukong mention the Goddess of Earth, Dayu’s face turned red instantly, his expression extremely unnatural. “Have you met the Goddess of Earth?” Wukong nodded with a smile. “Of course. Senior Goddess of Earth will be coming to see you soon. I came here to inform you.”

Dayu took a deep breath, hesitating to speak. He tapped Wu Kong’s finger twice before letting it go. Wu Kong smiled and asked, “Why, does the elder not wish to see her?” Dayu shook his head and sighed, “It’s not that I don’t want to; I truly feel guilty! Back then, she stopped me from fighting against the divine ape clan, using every possible means—both gentle and forceful. Yet I was stubborn to the extreme, ultimately causing a great mistake. Now that I think about it, how can I face her?”
Seeing how naive these ancient people were in matters of emotion, Wu Kong said, “Well, if that’s the case, it’s fine not to see her. I’ll go to Hou Tu right away and tell her not to come.” With that, he got up to leave.
While Dayu was still hesitating, the Qilin grabbed Wu Kong back and said, “Wu Kong, don’t be reckless.”
Wu Kong turned to Dayu and asked, “You can hide for a while, but not forever. Elder Hou Tu doesn’t intend to blame you. If your heart is so narrow, you’re far inferior to Hou Tu—what a shame for a man.”
Stung by Wu Kong’s words, Dayu’s face turned blue and red alternately. He said, “Fine, I’ll go. At worst, I’ll admit my mistake to her.”
Wu Kong replied, “Who hasn’t made mistakes? Persisting in them is the real mistake!” In his heart, he thought, This Dayu cares too much about face; in later times, he would be a perfect example of machismo.
In fact, Dayu did want to see Hou Tu. He had long resolved to achieve great things to make amends for his past mistakes before he could reunite with her. Wu Kong’s words gave him an out.
Seeing that Dayu had agreed, Wu Kong added, “In my opinion, don’t let her come to find you. It’s better if you go to her instead. Elder Hou Tu is currently at the bottom of the Nine Nether Abyss. Even if I don’t say anything, I’m sure you can find her.”
Dayu said, “I naturally know that.”
Putting that concern aside, Wu Kong continued, “There’s one more thing. I really can’t get involved in this one; it will trouble everyone else.” The Qilin said, “If you’re being polite, then there’s no need to say anything.”
Wu Kong replied, “Politeness is necessary, but I still have to say it. In the three realms, I once encountered the Nineteen-Headed Worm from the Realm of Destruction. I wasn’t careful enough, and he learned about my dual identity—he’s seen me in my monkey form and also knows me as the white-robed scholar. It was he who was guarding the two-headed monster fish when I went to find it. Luckily, I concealed myself, so he didn’t see through me. This man is undoubtedly our enemy. If we don’t get rid of him, I won’t be at ease.”
The Qilin said, “Getting rid of him is easy. But I don’t understand—does it matter if he knows your identity or not?”

Wukong said, “Uncle, you’re confused. At this moment, I should ostensibly be devoted to Buddhism, while Zhuanxu is the leader of the demons in Qitianling. If these two identities were combined, wouldn’t it be exposed?”
The Qilin replied, “Why go on this pilgrimage at all? When Qitianling becomes powerful, we can simply march straight to the Western Heaven.”
Wukong thought to himself, “I might have believed such words before, but now that I know about the three thousand Buddhas and the countless Bodhisattvas, there’s not the slightest chance of it. Forcing things won’t work; I must keep moving forward and think, perhaps I can find some clues. If the Tathagata had known I was a wise divine ape, if I had gone to the West earnestly, he would have just watched quietly. But if I joined Qitianling, I’d likely put myself in danger.” Wukong kept these thoughts to himself and didn’t elaborate further.
Dayu said, “I don’t quite understand Wukong’s plan, but he’s never done anything pointless. We’d better follow his lead.”
The Qilin asked, “Good! What does that Nine-Headed Worm look like, and where can we find it?”
Wukong replied, “Elder Dayu knows him. He used to haunt the Zizai Palace at the bottom of the South Sea, and now he’s in the Wei River in the netherworld. He’s probably connected to Guanyin.”
Dayu said, “Don’t worry, Wukong. Your brother Houyi and I will assist Elder Qilin in capturing him. This mission must succeed.”
Wukong said, “Then thank you very much!”
Wukong was concerned about protecting Tang Seng on his pilgrimage, so he quickly bid farewell to the Qilin and Dayu and headed east to search for Sanzang and the others.
After parting with Wukong, Tang Seng and his companions continued westward. The mountains were winding, and after half a day, they finally saw a mottled stone stele on the ridge, with the three characters “White Tiger Ridge” written on it.
Tang Seng said, “So this place is called White Tiger Ridge. What a creepy name.”
Wuhui said, “Master, don’t be alarmed. As the saying goes, ‘One mountain cannot hold two tigers.’ The demon has already been led away by the eldest disciple, so this place should be safe now.”
The three descended from White Tiger Ridge. Although Tang Seng was still on his horse, he felt hungry and exhausted.
So he said, “My two disciples, since my eldest disciple isn’t here, who will go and fetch some food?”
Bajie suggested, “Let Wuhui go.”
Wuhui replied, “It’s better if the second disciple goes.”
Bajie said, “I’m ugly, and I’m afraid I’ll scare people. You go instead.”
Wuhui said, “I’ll go next time. It’s your turn this time.”
Before Bajie could say more, Tang Seng said, “Stop arguing. Do you expect me to go?” Bajie didn’t dare say anything more and took his alms bowl, flying off to fetch food.
Wuhui thought to himself, “The eldest disciple has already warned me to stay close to the master whenever he’s not around. You old pig clearly have your mind half on something else besides the pilgrimage. Do you think I can’t see that?”

As Wu Kong rushed toward the east, upon approaching White Tiger Ridge, he saw Zhu Bajie rising into the clouds to collect alms. Thinking of something, Wu Kong used his invisibility spell and followed behind Zhu Bajie. He heard the fool muttering, “Collecting alms, collecting alms… It’s always you who’re hungry. I, Old Pig, still haven’t felt hungry. If only I had known the journey to obtain the scriptures would be so miserable… Alas, you Jade Emperor, you’ve deceived people…”