Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told Chapter 164: Seeking a Beauty

A hundred years of effort to create the Ruyi Tianji Stick was truly beyond Wukong’s expectations.
Dayu asked, “Wukong, since this stick naturally belongs to you, please give it a name.”
Without hesitation, Wukong replied, “How about calling it Ruyi Tianji Stick?”
Dayu pondered for a moment and said, “‘Ruyi’ is fitting, but where does ‘Tianji’ come from?”
Seeing Dayu’s expression, Wukong realized he had never seen the Book of Instruments. As for its origin, it was found among the books of Patriarch Subhuti—whether on purpose or by chance, there would likely never be an answer.
Just then, Zhurong said, “What a good name!”
Encouraged by Zhurong’s praise, Dayu asked, “Since you praise it, what’s so good about it?”
Zhurong smiled and said, “‘Ruyi’ is indeed appropriate, and the word ‘stick’ fits perfectly too. As for ‘Tianji’…” He lowered his head in thought before saying playfully, “Of course, the secrets of Tianji must not be revealed.”
Dayu said, “With your smooth talk, fine! Then let’s call it Tianji—once one understands its meaning, the path will become clear. No need to think further about it.”
Wukong put away the Ruyi Tianji Stick and said, “This time, crafting the weapon was much faster than expected. With another hundred years left, you two can take some time to rest before undertaking that great task.”
Dayu replied, “The magic power required to craft the weapon is minimal; there’s no need to rest.”
Wukong was delighted and said, “That’s even better!”
The three flew out of the underground realm, back into the sunlight, and headed straight for the Cuntian Cave.
Seeing the Bull Demon King, as well as Fengtong and Wang Yu, whose cultivation had greatly improved, Wukong was once again overjoyed. Seeing that everything here was largely settled, he asked the Bull Demon King to convey a message to the Three Pure Ones, saying that the grand formation could be constructed right away. The Bull Demon King rushed off to inform Fengtong.
Wukong then went to find Dayu, Qilin, and the others. Dayu had already explained the plan to assist the Three Pure Ones and save the beings of the three realms, and everyone agreed. Since only eight people were needed to set up the formation, two of them were left idle.
At that moment, the Bull Demon King came to find Wukong and said, “I’ve reported this to our master. He said that only five people are needed to set up the Eight Directions Universe Formation, so the others can leave now.”
Wukong asked, “Can I leave too?”
The Bull Demon King replied, “Our master said you definitely can’t stay here.”
Wukong wondered, “Why?”
The Bull Demon King said, “Our master only said, ‘You’ll understand once you go.’ I didn’t dare ask further.”
After thinking it over, Wukong realized that since the Old Lord had said so, it must be because of his profound wisdom or knowledge of many secrets—there was surely a reason. So he went to find Dayu and said he intended to leave the realm.

Dayu was also somewhat surprised. After some thought, he said, “If that’s the case, I’ll send Hou Yi and Chi Songzi with you. In case anything happens, they can be a help.”

It turned out that Hou Yi’s wife, Chang’e, was right there in that realm. Dayu urged Hou Yi several times to break through the boundary, but Hou Yi refused stubbornly, saying, “Everything is determined by fate. Tens of thousands of years have passed—why rush? Since Wukong isn’t leaving, the will of fate must be unfathomable. I’ll leave when it’s time.”

In ancient times, Hou Yi was known for his fierce temper and love of fighting. After spending tens of thousands of years inside the Kunpeng’s belly, his nature gradually softened, and his patience improved greatly. After Wukong saved him, he was extremely grateful to Wukong, along with a sense of guilt. From then on, he firmly believed in the caprices of fate and dared not defy it anymore.

Hearing that Wukong wanted to leave the realm and that Dayu had sent him to accompany him, Hou Yi readily agreed. Chi Songzi noticed Zhu Rong’s displeased expression and wanted to exchange places with him, but Dayu stopped him with a glance.

Although Wukong had concerns—such as the Nine-Headed Worm, the Six-Eared Monkey, Hong Haier, and the Ghosts of the Desert—he believed the Three Pure Ones would have a plan, so he didn’t need to worry and could go look for them later.

The Bull Demon King said, “Our master said that at most ten people can leave this time. You can choose whoever you want.”

Wukong laughed and said, “Why ten? Six will be enough.” Feng Tong, Wang Yu, the Bull Demon King, Hou Yi, Chi Songzi, and himself—wasn’t that six?

The Bull Demon King said, “Then let’s set off right away!”

The six of them, led by the Bull Demon King, headed straight into the celestial formation. This time, it was Feng Tong who led them through the mist. He was very skilled in the art of formations, far surpassing the Bull Demon King. But magic couldn’t be used inside the formation, so they still took almost half a day to get through.

Suddenly, a green glow appeared ahead, growing brighter as they moved forward. Feng Tong shouted, “Let’s go!” and leaped through it.

The five others followed. When Wukong stopped, he found himself standing on clouds, with a magnificent palace beside him. The Bull Demon King said, “This is the Jade Pure Palace of the Primordial Great Heavenly Venerable.” He led them around the palace, and after flying for a while, they left the Jade Pure Palace’s territory, facing an endless sea of clouds.

Wukong had been inside the realm for four hundred years. Coming out now gave him a sense of being in a different world. He thought to himself, “I’m back!”

At that moment, Hou Yi said to Wukong, “I have some personal matters to attend to in the Great Luo Heaven.”

Wukong thought for a moment. Heaven! How could he have forgotten this? Chang’e in the Guanghan Palace was Hou Yi’s wife! He had been so focused on studying the Five Elements that he hadn’t even spoken much with Hou Yi. He felt ashamed. As for Chang’e, it was fine—after being apart for so long, if nothing went wrong, they must be filled with deep longing for each other.

But among these stories, there’s particularly that absurd plot of Marshal Tianpeng teasing Chang’e. The ruler of the Moon Palace is naturally the Lord of the Moon among the Nine Bright Stars, and since Chang’e resides there, she is under his command. Yet her status is far lower compared to Marshal Tianpeng, who oversees the 80,000 celestial river troops. I’ve fought against Marshal Tianpeng before; although his martial skills are somewhat inferior, his techniques are honorable and he embodies the spirit of a gentleman. How could such a high-ranking immortal in heaven ruin his life for women? It’s hard to believe. Zhu Bajie once said he “teased Chang’e while drunk on peach wine,” which must have happened during the Peach Festival. I wonder how often this festival takes place, so I can prepare accordingly. When Wukong saw that Hou Yi was going to the Great Luo Heaven, he couldn’t miss out on the excitement and said, “If it doesn’t cause any trouble, I can go with you.” Hou Yi thought for a moment and replied, “To be honest, my wife is in the Great Luo Heaven. I’m going to find her now. After tens of thousands of years, I don’t know if everything will still be the same; it might cause problems.” At that moment, the Bull Demon King laughed loudly and said, “You don’t know that! My brothers and I are the kind of people who prefer chaos in the world. We’re not afraid of trouble—we just can’t stand boredom when nothing happens!” Chi Songzi said, “Then let’s go together!” Feng Tong suddenly said, “There’s another important matter we need to discuss first before leaving.” Everyone turned their attention to Feng Tong, who looked at Wukong and said, “People say that Sun Wukong was thrown into the Eight Trigrams Furnace by Laojun for refinement. Now that you’ve changed your appearance, you should also change your name. Otherwise, if others find out, it could cause many difficulties.” Wukong thought carefully and realized there was some truth to Feng Tong’s words, so he asked, “I wonder if there are any rules regarding choosing a new name?” The Bull Demon King laughed and said, “Just call him Niu Er.” Feng Tong shook his head and said, “No! Wukong’s name must match his status. Otherwise, it will arouse suspicion.” After looking at Hou Yi and Chi Songzi, he slowly said, “It would be best if these two ancient gods help you choose a name.” Chi Songzi gave Feng Tong a meaningful look, suddenly understood, and said, “Feng Tong the Divine Ape is absolutely right. Let me think…” At this point, Wukong also understood Feng Tong’s intention and secretly praised his sharpness and caution. If he chose a trivial name like something belonging to an ordinary cat or dog, it might seem unremarkable at first, but since he spent time with Feng Tong, Wang Yu, and others, a discerning person would surely notice something odd. How could such a skilled person appear out of nowhere? It would be too suspicious.

Now that ancient deities like Dayu and Houyi have reappeared, I can mix among them by pretending to be one as well, thus creating an airtight cover. But aside from Houyi and Chisongzi, who else could know these ancient deities so well?
Houyi also pondered deeply before suddenly raising his eyes and saying, “I recall someone—if Wukong appears under his identity, there will surely be no flaw!” Chisongzi added, “That’s right, it must be him!” Then he looked at Wukong and asked, “Have you heard of Zhuanxu?”
“Zhuanxu? The one who defeated the water god Gonggong?” Wukong had heard about him from Dayu.
Chisongzi nodded. “Exactly, Zhuanxu! Like us, he too was greatly harmed by fate. One day, he fought Gonggong to the point of exhaustion and died. Aside from us old folks, few people know this. Coincidentally, Zhuanxu also favored using an iron rod as a weapon. If you disguise yourself as him, surely no one will recognize you!”
Houyi said, “Although Zhuanxu was once an emperor, he rarely appeared in public. In terms of seniority, he is far above Dayu. Those who knew him are likely long dead.”
Wukong suddenly remembered something and asked, “In ancient times… were there any Buddhas?”
Chisongzi was surprised. “What is a Buddha?”
Wukong was at a loss for words for a moment and said, “Someone who shaves their head and recites scriptures.” He assumed that if Chisongzi didn’t know about Buddhas, he surely didn’t know about scriptures, so he added, “Have you heard of Mount Ling?”
Chisongzi shook his head again. Wukong then felt relieved—since there was no Western Paradise in ancient times, naturally no one knew Zhuanxu.
Zhuanxu… From now on, shall I go around under this name, Wukong?
Chisongzi then said, “But there’s one thing Wukong must keep in mind.”
Wukong asked, “What is it?”
Chisongzi said worriedly, “When Zhuanxu was emperor, he was at odds with the Jiuli tribe from start to finish. Tracing back, aside from Dayu, we were all once part of the Jiuli tribe and thus enemies of Zhuanxu. Think about this…”
Wukong thought carefully and said, “This is simple—just say I lost all memory after fighting Gonggong. But no matter how I think about it, it still seems wrong. A true man stands tall and upright; hiding like this would make me seem like a fraud.”
Chisongzi was stunned for a moment before saying, “That’s a minor detail; the bigger picture matters.”
Wukong smiled and said, “In the end, it’s just unnecessary worry. Looking back, it was Laojun who claimed to have refined Wukong in the Eight Trigrams Furnace. Since he said so, there might be deeper reasons. Even if not, I don’t need to go to such lengths to cover up for him!”
“I see!” Chisongzi said. “Laojun has practiced for tens of thousands of years—he wouldn’t reveal flaws over such a trivial matter. Let it be.”

Wukong thought of Zhuanxu, and suddenly an idea struck him—a plan to turn the situation to his advantage. Yet now was not the right time, so he decided to use it later.
Tongfengdao said, “Since Wukong thinks it’s not appropriate, let’s drop it then.”
Wukong replied, “It’s not entirely useless after all. We might need it in the future, so it’s better not to reveal anything yet.” The others, unaware of Wukong’s intentions, agreed.
With that settled, the six of them soared up on the azure clouds to the Great Luo Heaven, arriving right at the South Heaven Gate.