Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told Chapter 146: The White-Clothed Dream
“This is…” Wukong looked at Zhurong, recalling what Chi Songzi had said: “…The eyes of the Spirit Ape are filled with stars…” Could this be a sign of awakening?
Zhurong said, “You resemble the Spirit Ape I’ve seen more and more.” With a smile, he added, “In fact, it’s the same person—how could you not resemble him?”
At that moment, Wukong thought of something. The star-like dots in his eyes were now quite visible. If he returned to that world, many people might recognize him as the Spirit Ape, which could cause inconvenience in the future.
So Wukong silently recited a spell and transformed. In an instant, a graceful scholar in white stood before Zhurong.
“From now on, I’ll present myself in this guise. How does that sound?” Wukong asked with a smile.
Seeing Wukong transformed into a scholar in white, Zhurong stepped back several times in shock—even more surprised than when he saw the star-like dots in Wukong’s eyes. He placed a hand on his chest, eyes wide with terror.
Noticing Zhurong’s unusual reaction, Wukong asked, “What’s wrong?”
Zhurong stared at Wukong for a long time before answering, “You… you’ve mastered your second form?”
Wukong nodded. Was the second form really that astonishing?
Zhurong exclaimed in admiration, “How amazing! None of us can achieve this. How did you learn it? Could you teach me?”
Wukong thought to himself, “My true self is my original heart. You have only one such heart, but I have two. This isn’t something that can be learned.” He replied, “I don’t know either. It just happened somehow.”
Zhurong pouted and said, “Never mind. I’m not interested.”
Wukong asked, “Can you still see those star-like dots in my eyes?”
Zhurong fixed his beautiful eyes on Wukong, tilting his head back and forth. “Sure enough, they’re gone! That’s impossible!” He grabbed Wukong and rushed to find Dayu.
“What? The star-like dots in his eyes are gone!” Dayu exclaimed. “That’s impossible! You two must have misseen it!”
Zhurong and Wukong exchanged a glance. Wukong transformed back into his monkey form. Dayu looked closely and saw a glimmer of starlight in Wukong’s left eye. Though not very clear, it was identical to the stars in the eyes of the Spirit Ape he had seen before.
“Could these star-like dots also be hidden?” Dayu frowned in thought, then sighed. “Alas, we can only guess about the strange traits of the Spirit Ape based on experience. Once your innate powers are fully awakened, you’ll understand. Although the Spirit Ape has fought us countless times, he’s never used his innate powers. If you master this ability now, you can broaden our horizons,” said Dayu.
Wukong took on the appearance of a scholar and said, “From now on, I’ll appear in this form—it will make traveling much easier.” Dayu replied, “That makes sense. But ever since people learned that killing the divine ape would bring retribution, no one dares to lay a hand on you anymore.”
Wukong was shaken. Though Dayu’s words were simple, he hadn’t thought of this reasoning. He finally understood why the monkey that had caused chaos in heaven could still escape unharmed, even when subdued by Buddha—perhaps there were other unexplainable reasons, but most likely, people already knew he was a divine ape, so no one dared kill him.
Although the divine ape couldn’t be killed, it was extremely useful. Otherwise, why would Wu Zhiqi be trapped in the Great Sage’s Temple for tens of thousands of years? What was the real reason behind the journey to the Western Mountain to obtain the scriptures? Did Buddha want to bring back his second disciple, Jinchanzi, or was it for his own divine ape?
This matter would be resolved soon. Once he returned to that realm, few people in the world would know the true identity of the divine ape. It remained to be seen whether the quest for the scriptures could still succeed.
Dayu asked, “After ten years of cultivation, have you made any progress?” Before Wukong could answer, Zhurong exclaimed, “This monkey—Wukong is truly strange! When I met him, all the ghostly flames in the mountains were sucked away by him; his fire-based powers have already reached perfection!”
Dayu clapped his hands and laughed, “Good. In that case, Jiumang can teach him the art of controlling wood.” Zhurong said, “No!” Dayu asked, “Why not?”
Zhurong replied, “I think Wukong has incredible talent for fire-based techniques. It would be a shame if he didn’t strive to improve further.” Dayu looked at Wukong and asked, “What do you think, Wukong?”
Zhurong pleaded with Wukong, “I haven’t even taught you anything yet. Please agree to this.”
At this point, Wukong was already in human form, and his state of mind had changed as well. Seeing Zhurong’s stunning beauty, his heart stirred again, and he nodded, saying, “Alright, but don’t put me in dangerous situations again. I’m afraid I won’t have such good luck again.”
Zhurong smiled and said, “That won’t happen.” Seeing that Dayu wanted to ask more details, she quickly pulled Wukong away, saying to Dayu, “In a hundred years, I’ll show you how amazing my disciple is, haha!”
Inside the Kunpeng’s belly lay a world with nine volcanoes, all created by Zhurong. This time, she took Wukong to the third volcano and began to teach him in detail the powers of controlling fire.
As the God of Fire, Zhu Rong was naturally extremely skilled in the art of controlling fire. As she talked at length about fire-based spells, Wukong realized that the secret to many spells lay solely in the incantations. As long as one possessed the essence of fire and sufficient magical power, along with knowledge of the incantations, those spells could be cast. Dozens of strange characters combined could even shake the earth and mountains—truly remarkable.
“There are thousands of types of fire in the world, each with different uses. Common fires like those from stoves, candles, or firewood are all red-flamed and the most ordinary; slightly superior to red flames are the thunder-fire from the sky and the true sun-fire, known as white flames, which can ignite earth and stones. These two types of flames are also quite common and not worth mentioning. The most common in spells, however, are the latter three true flames. The first is the green flame, which can only be cultivated through spiritual meditation. In one’s mind’s sea, one imagines the universe as a furnace, the sun and moon as water and fire, yin and yang as the forces of transformation… Using mental focus to control the flame and breath to nurture it, with the mind, body, and will as the three key elements, one can eventually achieve it.”
Wukong laughed and said, “You’ve said so much—how can I remember it all?” Zhu Rong replied, “I find it troublesome too. If you can understand it, that’s fine; if not, just remember the incantations. Though you possess the essence of fire, you’ve only reached the level of white flames. Once you reach the level of ghost flames, you’ll be able to wield any fire-based spell effortlessly.”
“The second is the purple flame. One must use the void as the furnace, the Supreme Ultimate as the stove, purity as the foundation for the elixir, non-action as the core of the elixir, concentration and wisdom as water and fire, and discipline, concentration, and wisdom as the three key elements—this is the profound threshold…”
“The third is the ghost flame. This flame has no shape or color and targets the mind above all else. If mixed with the previous four types of flames, its temperature becomes extremely high. The ghost flame is the utmost yin fire born from the netherworlds. To cultivate it, one must first obtain it from the depths of the netherworlds; only after it takes root can one gradually refine it.”
Wukong asked, “Where are the netherworlds?”
Zhu Rong replied, “The netherworlds are deep within the earth, where souls and spirits go after death.” Wukong thought, Could it be the Hall of Yama? But he kept his thoughts to himself.
Zhu Rong laughed and said, “I’m lucky to be your teacher. Once you reach the level of the purple flame, I’ll give you a portion of the netherworld fire.” With that, she reached out to touch Wukong’s head again. Clearly accustomed to touching the monkey’s head before, she extended her hand halfway but then remembered that Wukong was now dressed as a young man. Blushing, she withdrew her hand.
From that day on, Wukong practiced fire-based powers at the bottom of the third volcanic mountain. Memorizing the many incantations was quite troublesome, but fortunately, Zhu Rong stayed by his side at all times, guiding him carefully through every move.
In his spare time from practicing magic, Wukong drew on the demonic flames from the volcanic magma. All the essence from the immortal peaches had already been exhausted, but now that his body was infused with the power of fire, those flames could no longer harm him in the slightest—though the speed at which he could absorb them was much slower than before.
Zhu Rong, who had always been straightforward and willful, seemed to have changed his attitude, becoming extremely patient and meticulous. Whenever Wukong had questions, Zhu Rong would personally demonstrate the solutions without showing the slightest sign of annoyance.
A month later, the third volcano gradually cooled down as all the demonic flames inside were absorbed by Wukong. One day, Wukong and Zhu Rong flew out of the cave, their destination being the second volcano.
“Why are you so kind to me?” Wukong asked during their flight.
Zhu Rong smiled and said, “Am I really kind to you? Don’t say that too soon.”
Wukong nodded solemnly, “Your kindness is real. I certainly know that.”
Zhu Rong then stopped smiling and said, “I’ve always thought of myself as the most unfortunate person in the world. It was only when I saw you sitting on the ground, crying silently, that I realized I wasn’t alone in this world.”
“You?” Wukong was surprised. He could never have imagined that Zhu Rong, with his supreme powers, beautiful appearance, and high status, could also be unfortunate.
“Could it be because… Gonggong?” Wukong asked tentatively.
Zhu Rong glanced at Wukong and said, “Who told you about Gonggong? Was it Dayu?” Wukong nodded.
Zhu Rong sighed bitterly and said, “Gonggong and I are siblings. People think we’re husband and wife simply because one is fire and the other is water, and we spend our time together day and night, which led to such misunderstandings.”
Wukong asked, “Then why does Dayu say the same?”
Zhu Rong replied, “We were… betrothed as children, but ever since we met, we end up fighting whenever we see each other. The person in his heart isn’t me, and I don’t care about him. It’s all so confusing. What does that even count as?”
By now, the two had reached the second volcano. They descended from the sky straight into its interior. After landing, Wukong asked, “So… where lies your unhappiness?”
Zhu Rong replied, “In this world, it’s hard to compare hearts. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”
Wukong said, “If you don’t explain, how do you know I won’t understand?”
Zhu Rong sighed, glanced at Wukong with his big eyes, then lowered his gaze and remained silent.
Seeing that Zhu Rong had no intention of continuing the conversation, Wukong went back to practicing his magic.
The second volcano was much more formidable than the first two, with demonic flames making up more than half of its contents. The magma underground had turned blue, with a faint purple glow. Wukong paid no attention to the passage of time, focusing only on mastering more skills—knowing that greater strength would bring him more security in this world. Whether one was a divine ape or an ordinary immortal, the principle that the strong prevail remained unchanged through the ages.
Zhu Rong sat cross-legged in the fire, clad in red, looking desolate, yet her beautiful eyes never left Wu Kong. That day, amidst the green flames and red robes like fire, her wandering gaze could not be averted. The image of the man in white in countless dreams—was it fate playing tricks? After such profound changes, who would forget, and who would remember?