Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told, Chapter 139: Meeting the Rain Master

This monster was also seven or eight zhang tall, with a huge, pale human-like face. Below its neck, it resembled the back of a jackal or dog. Further down, it had a long snake tail that it used as a leg to stand on. Behind it were two bat-like flesh wings, and each of its long arms held a green long sword.

Wukong felt a sense of familiarity when he saw this monster—it resembled the little demons under the Black Bear Monster, though its size was over ten times larger.

When the monster saw Wukong approaching, it struck without saying a word. Wukong met its attack with his staff, sending one of the long swords flying. The monster was shocked and quickly stepped back, reaching out to retrieve the sword. Then it placed both swords behind it and waved his arms, signaling Wukong to enter.

This monster’s name was Hua She, and it was tasked with guarding this place. If any monster wanted to enter the Kunpeng’s belly, it had to withstand three strikes from Hua She first. This rule was set by the Kunpeng, as its belly was a dangerous place—those with insufficient cultivation power who entered were simply seeking death.

Hua She had been guarding here for tens of thousands of years. To date, only a few had managed to withstand its three strikes, and none had surpassed him. How could he not be surprised when a mere half-force strike from him was deflected?

Wukong, seeing that Hua She was polite, smiled in return and stepped forward, asking, “Do you have any descendants in the world?” Hua She looked surprised and replied, “What do you mean?” Wukong said, “I just saw something outside that resembles you greatly, that’s why I asked.” With that, he continued walking, leaving Hua She confused as he murmured, “Outside… That child has gone outside?”

When he looked again at Wukong, who had taken a few steps further, he spotted the Golden Cudgel in Wukong’s hand and was shocked once more. How could this monkey possess such an object?

Wukong, of course, was unaware of Hua She’s reaction. He kept moving forward. The seawater grew shallower, and the path became wider. After climbing a steep slope, the view suddenly cleared, revealing another realm.

Wukong was puzzled. There was no water here—yet the Kunpeng’s throat was filled with raging currents. Where did this water come from? He had no idea. It turned out that Hua She’s power could summon water.

What a wonderful place! The spiritual energy in this realm was extremely rich. Practicing here would likely be ten times more effective than in the original world of Journey to the West. Though it was inside the Kunpeng’s belly, not a trace of fishy smell could be sensed. The ceiling was covered with countless luminous pearls, illuminating the place like daylight. Mountains, rivers, and plants were clearly arranged, and the ground was actually real soil.

This Kunpeng is quite interesting—inside its body, there’s even a paradise. It seems lonely on the surface, but actually quite lively inside, thought Wukong. Wukong took a few deep breaths of fresh air, feeling extremely relaxed, then used his flying skills to soar through the air. But after a short while, he found it awkward; though the sky was clear and cloudless, it was difficult to use his cloud-jumping technique. He could only move swiftly with a golden glow, passing by countless beautiful sights along the way—strange flowers and plants he had never seen before, as well as rare birds and beasts whose names he didn’t know. As he traveled, he wondered how these plants could grow without rain, since there were no clouds in the sky. Just as he was thinking about this, raindrops began to fall from the sky. Puzzled, he stopped moving and landed on the ground. He saw a village with tall, orderly houses and headed there. Along the way, he encountered various fierce birds and beasts, but they were unusually gentle and showed no signs of fighting among themselves. As he walked further, he saw a man working in the fields by the road. He called out, “Brother, I have a question for you.” The man turned to look at Wukong and said, “Huh, are you an ape?” Wukong replied with a smile, “Whatever you say, that’s me.” The man said, “You look like an ape, but your behavior is no different from that of humans. I’m not sure.” Wukong said, “Brother, you seem to have broad knowledge.” The man laughed and said, “You must be new here. Who among us here doesn’t have broad knowledge?” Wukong thought to himself that this was quite an impressive claim and said, “I indeed am new here. I didn’t know there were apes in this place too.” The man shook his head and said, “There aren’t any here.” Wukong was surprised and asked, “Then where did you see them?” “Of course, I saw them outside Kunpeng’s belly. To be precise, I haven’t been out there for tens of thousands of years,” the man replied calmly, though a hint of melancholy appeared in his eyes. Wukong was shocked—tens of thousands of years? The man seemed only in his thirties, yet he was actually an ancient demon! He quickly steadied himself and said with a smile, “Brother, you’re joking. If it were tens of thousands of years, even stones would have melted by now.” The man said, “Why would I lie to you? Back then, among the Seven Chaos Apes in the world, who didn’t know me? I even had some interactions with them.” Wukong felt dizzy—this man was definitely not ordinary; otherwise, how could he speak so confidently? He immediately asked seriously, “May I ask your name?” “Oh, my name is Chi Songzi,” the man replied. Chi Songzi? “Wow!” Wukong exclaimed, “You’re the Rain God Chi Songzi!” Chi Songzi calmly asked, “Hmm, how do you know that?” Wukong mentioned his origin, but Chi Songzi wasn’t surprised at all, as if nothing in the world could perturb him.

A thunderstorm raged in Wukong’s heart. In “Journey to the West,” there was no such figure as Chi Songzi, yet his name was already well-known. “Chi Songzi, an ancient divine being, said to have been the Rain God during the era of Shennong. Later, during the conflict between Yan and Huang, he withdrew from the world and hid away…” No wonder, no wonder there were Wind Lord and Wind Lady in “Journey to the West,” and Thunder God and Lightning Goddess as well, but it was only the Four Seas Dragon Kings who brought rain. It turned out there was no Rain God in the world—only had he abandoned his great responsibility and hidden inside the belly of the Kunpeng. But why?

As they spoke, the rain intensified in the sky, with white mist rising in the distance. Yet not a single drop of rain fell within a few zhang around Chi Songzi. Wukong asked, “Since you are the Rain God, did you bring this rain?”

Chi Songzi replied calmly, “Since I arrived here, I have never interfered with matters related to rain.”

“Then—” Wukong pointed at the heavy raindrops in the sky, “who did this?”

Chi Songzi waved his hand, and a giant bird flew gracefully over from afar. The bird was three zhang long, completely black, with a large head and a sharp beak. Its head alone was as big as a square, and it had a rather pleasant appearance.

“This bird is mine. Its name is Shangyang. Whenever I need rain, I send it,” said Chi Songzi.

Wukong searched his memories carefully. Shangyang seemed to be another ancient divine bird related to rain, but he couldn’t recall any specific stories about it.

Shangyang glanced at Wukong, then at Chi Songzi, and suddenly said, “Monkey, silly monkey.”

Chi Songzi quickly stopped Shangyang, saying, “It has a childlike mind. Don’t pay attention to it.”

Wukong naturally didn’t take it personally, but he harbored a thought—this Shangyang must have seen the Seven Divine Apes. Moreover, from the words “silly monkey,” it seemed to know something about the past. Otherwise, where did the word “silly” come from?

Seeing that Wukong remained silent, Chi Songzi put down his farming tools and said, “You’ve come from afar. How about coming to my humble abode for a chat?” Wukong looked up at Chi Songzi.

Although Chi Songzi was speaking to him, his gaze remained fixed on the sky. If it were anyone else, they might think he was arrogant, but for Chi Songzi, such behavior seemed entirely normal. It was normal for nothing in the world to catch his attention. Chi Songzi was no ordinary person.

Wukong said, “Good. Then I’ll trouble you.”

The two men and the bird walked slowly along the ridges. The path was muddy, but Chi Songzi didn’t avoid it, letting his shoes get soaked in the mud. Wukong followed behind him, also stepping carefully through the mud pits, his lotus-thread cloud-step shoes, obtained from the Eastern Sea, getting muddy for the first time.

At the back, Shangyang called out sharply again, “Monkey imitates humans, monkey imitates humans.”

※　※　※

It is said that Wang Yu, the King of Wind, waited on the sea surface for a long time without seeing Wukong appear. At first, the two could sense Wukong’s presence underwater through their telepathic connection as divine apes, so they waited patiently. After some time, Wukong’s presence suddenly vanished.
Wang Yu frowned and asked, “Could something have happened?” Feng Tong replied with a smile, “If Wukong were to set sail now, I would be disappointed. His disappearance must mean he has encountered the Kunpeng. It may bring fortune or misfortune; if misfortune comes, it cannot be avoided, but there’s no need to worry.”
Wang Yu said, “I hope it turns out to be a blessing.”
Feng Tong said, “If that’s the case, we needn’t wait here any longer.” The two flew on clouds to Cuntian Cave to find the black bear demon they had just subdued, to continue working on their great cause in this realm.