Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 298: A Life Well Lived

Though bound, the Nine-Headed Worm remained clear-minded. As for the incident with the two-headed monster fish, there were only two parties involved—aside from the Nine-Headed Worm himself, it was that invisible person. Thus, the Nine-Headed Worm guessed that person to be Wukong.
Wukong said coldly, “Just answer. Don’t ask questions.”
Considering his current situation, the Nine-Headed Worm lowered his head dejectedly and said, “It was Guanyin who told me to go to the Wei River in the netherworld. Initially, I had devoted myself wholeheartedly in the South Sea, where I had grown strong enough to gather nearly ten thousand aquatic creatures and could do quite a bit. But one day, Guanyin told me I no longer needed to do that—just guarding that two-headed monster fish in the Wei River would already be a great achievement.”
“I didn’t know what Guanyin intended to do, but I had no choice but to obey. The Wei River in the netherworld wasn’t as comfortable as the South Sea. It was filled with a gloomy, eerie atmosphere, and there wasn’t even anyone to talk to. That monster fish lay motionless like dead, and I didn’t understand why I had to guard it. But who would have thought that someone would actually come to steal it? That person was extremely powerful; I couldn’t even see his figure before he snatched the fish away.”
“Guanyin scolded me harshly. I thought I would be severely punished this time, but she didn’t make things too difficult for me.”
Wukong asked, “Then Guanyin told you to go to the Wuji Country?”
The Nine-Headed Worm showed slight surprise, but he was used to such things now. With a bitter smile, he said, “You seem to know everything. Why do you still ask me?”
Wukong replied, “Although I know, I can’t see things as clearly as you do. But if you lie even slightly, I’ll detect it.”
The Nine-Headed Worm said, “I’m now a worthless person. How could I not know what’s right? Guanyin told me to go to the Wuji Country to find a few people to hold back the country’s sage and help the monks on their pilgrimage pass safely. I did as she said.”
“Who would have thought that Guanyin also knew about the Great Five Elements Spirit Blood Formation! Only then did I realize that, after all these twists and turns, both Guanyin and I were being manipulated by the same person—the Taoist who once enlightened me on Nieyao Mountain.”
A Taoist? Another Taoist! Wukong thought. Since Guanyin’s approach had changed and she became diligent in handling the pilgrimage, it seemed she only obeyed Buddha. Who was this Taoist who could make Guanyin work for him?
Since this Taoist had enlightened the Nine-Headed Worm in ancient times, he must have a long history. It was unknown whether he was the same person as the Taoist who stole the Creation Furnace. His involvement in the matter of the two-headed monster fish was surely related to the King of the Five Elements, and the Phoenix and Xiangliu were likely also involved. It was possible that the one behind the Phoenix and Xiangliu was also this person. Since he could control Guanyin, his status must be extremely high. But why was this person unknown in the world?

Guanyin was also puzzled. Having heard both the Buddha Tathagata and this Taoist priest, could it be… Wukong suddenly remembered the words spoken to him by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva: “The Buddha is originally Tao.” Could this Taoist priest be someone from Buddhism?
Wukong felt a bit dizzy. How could two mysterious Taoist priests appear out of nowhere? One had taken the Creation Furnace, while the other was secretly plotting to control the Five Kings. The Five Kings! Ah, that must be related to “that person”! Could it be that “that person” wasn’t dead and had transformed into a Taoist priest to secretly orchestrate everything?
So, was the one fighting over the Creation Furnace him? Laojun said they handed the Creation Furnace to the Jade Emperor as soon as they came out. At this point, the Creation Furnace should still be unclaimed, and “that person” should be inside it.
Even if “that person” had left the Creation Furnace early and transformed into a Taoist priest, the fact that the one inside the furnace turned to ashes seemed like an attempt to cover up something or a disguise. This still didn’t make sense! The Creation Furnace originally belonged to him—why would he throw it into the world for others to fight over? Wouldn’t that be unnecessary?
Therefore, Wukong concluded that these two Taoist priests were definitely not the same person! The one controlling Guanyin and the Nine-Headed Worm, who knew the secrets of the Five Kings, must be the teacher of the Three Pure Ones, namely “that person” mentioned by Laojun. As for the other one fighting over the Creation Furnace, after much thought, Wukong could only assume that Wu Zhiqi had misidentified him. This person was probably not really a Taoist priest but just someone with unusual attire who happened to be there at the right time. Whatever happened afterward, it was likely that this person was just an outsider, like the others competing for the Creation Furnace.
Since the Five Kings were related to the quest for the Buddhist scriptures, the one controlling Guanyin was undoubtedly from Buddhism. “The Buddha is originally Tao”—perhaps that was indeed his origin. In that case… “that person” must have intricate connections to the Western Heaven.
After much reasoning, Wukong finally linked “that person” to the Western Heaven. Actually, he had been able to deduce it after hearing Laojun’s account of the Five Kings, but there were too many clues back then, and he didn’t know where to start. It wasn’t until he met the Nine-Headed Worm that he could sort things out and arrive at this conclusion.
Wukong then asked the Nine-Headed Worm, “Do you know what materials are needed for the Great Five Elements Spirit Blood Formation?”
The Nine-Headed Worm replied, “Twenty-five pure Yang entities of the five elements, and also… the blood of a phoenix.”
Wukong asked, “The phoenix is the king of all birds. How can you obtain its blood?”
The Nine-Headed Worm said, “I’ll just focus on finding the pure Yang entities of the five elements. Someone else will handle getting the phoenix’s blood; I don’t need to worry about it.”
The more Wukong listened, the more certain he became that the culprit was still the Western Heaven.

He sought the king of the five categories in the Western Heaven, instructed Phoenix and Xiangliu to set up mysterious formations on the towering jade pillars, and imprisoned Phoenix’s son, the peacock, in an attempt to seize control of the world’s fate with the Divine Ape’s powers. Somehow, he even replicated the Creation Furnace… Buddha, Buddha, I thought he was a regional tyrant, but turns out he’s just a pawn controlled by “that person” as well.

The Nine-Headed Worm wasn’t highly skilled in cultivation, nor was he particularly clever. At best, this was all he knew; there was probably nothing more to extract from him. Wukong turned to leave.

The Nine-Headed Worm cried, “Don’t go! Save me!”

Since Wukong had already been seen by the Nine-Headed Worm, how could he let him go? He ignored him. The Nine-Headed Worm cried again, “I have even bigger secrets!”

Wukong turned back and asked, “What else?”

The Nine-Headed Worm replied, “What good would it be if I told you?”

Wukong asked, “Are you trying to say that Guanyin and the Immortal of the Southern Pole have joined forces to seize control of the South Sea?” The Nine-Headed Worm shook his head. “No, the plan for the South Sea has failed. What I want to say is—promise me that if I tell you, you’ll set me free.”

Wukong laughed and said, “How important is this secret? Is it worth the risk?”

The Nine-Headed Worm urged, “This secret belongs to Guanyin Bodhisattva. Though I don’t know all the details, it might still be useful to you!”

Wukong thought for a moment. Guanyin had indeed changed many times before. If this was the case, it was worth it. What was a worthless life like his worth? So he said, “Fine, tell me. As long as it’s something I don’t know, I’ll set you free!”

The Nine-Headed Worm thought for a while and said, “I’ll trust you this once!”

“Previously, Guanyin was very close to Lingji, Puxian, and others. I overheard their conversation by chance. It turned out that these people were all serving the Buddha of the East, aiming to take over Buddha’s position as the ruler of the world. But later… Buddha cut off Guanyin’s life force, forcing her to change sides and become utterly loyal to him, never daring to have any other intentions again!”

Hearing this, Wukong was intrigued and asked, “How do you know that?”

The Nine-Headed Worm replied, “Guanyin stole the immortal herbs from the Ten Continents and Three Islands, and she also took six ginseng fruits from Zhenyuanzi. At that time, she was confused, and her actions weren’t thorough enough, which allowed me to figure things out. One day, all the gloom disappeared from Guanyin’s face, and joy shone in her eyes. I guess Buddha must have given her an antidote.”

Wukong sneered, “You’re good at guessing. It’s probably just made up.”

The Nine-Headed Worm said, “Before that, Guanyin wrote the words ‘life force’ in willow branches in the lotus pond on Lujia Mountain. By thinking about her subsequent actions, I came up with this guess. It may not be exact, but it’s more or less right.”

Wukong secretly agreed. Many things didn’t need to be experienced firsthand; human behavior was extremely subtle, and the hardest thing to conceal was what one thought. What the Nine-Headed Worm said did have some use. So he nodded and said, “Alright, since I’ve promised you, I’ll surely let you go.” Then he turned to the Qilin and asked, “Uncle, is there any way to make him forget what happened before?”

The Nine-Headed Worm was shocked upon hearing this. “You’re breaking your word!”

Wukong replied, “You’re not stupid. If I just let you go like this, you’ll surely hold a grudge and spread rumors about my identity everywhere. I would never do such a self-destructive thing.”

The Nine-Headed Worm’s face turned pale. He knew Wukong was telling the truth. Only now could he realize that memories, whether good or bad, were truly hard to let go of.

The Qilin said, “I’ll only teach you to forget the past. Your cultivation won’t be harmed. If you can keep your life, that’s already a great fortune.” He placed his hand on the middle of the Nine-Headed Worm’s head and used his divine power. In just an instant, the Nine-Headed Worm collapsed.

Wukong asked, “What happened?”

The Qilin replied, “It’s fine. Mortals have many things in their minds. Once it’s emptied, the shock is immense. It’s strange if they don’t faint.”

Wukong asked, “Are you sure he won’t remember?”

The Qilin said, “Of course!”

Wukong said, “Since he’s like a newborn baby now, let’s find a demon cave and tell him not to leave Qitian Ridge. If we let him go down the mountain, he’ll surely be killed out of revenge!”

The Qilin laughed and said, “You’re quite kind-hearted.”

Wukong replied, “He’s not a villain either. Everything he did was manipulated by others. Let him be himself for once, free from constraints, so his life isn’t in vain.”

After hearing Wukong’s words, the Qilin fell silent for a long time. It wasn’t for him, but rather because he thought of his old friend Phoenix.

Wukong said, “I’ve delayed too long. I should go now.”

The Qilin said, “Go ahead. I’m here.”

Hearing these words from the Qilin, Wukong felt an indescribable sense of happiness. He truly was the luckiest person in the world. Coming here alone, starting as a naive stone monkey, mastering such great skills, meeting such loyal friends, and creating such a vast empire…

This was certainly related to his nature as a wise divine monkey and his thorough knowledge of the Journey to the West. But the world was full of coincidences. People only knew about past lives and events; as for the future, a single thought or action could easily change the outcome.

All of this had been achieved step by step, and at this moment, Wukong still didn’t know how far he still had to go to uncover the true mystery…