Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told, Chapter 166: Unquenchable Resentment

Hou Yi’s expression changed instantly. He hadn’t expected Wu Kong to react in such a way. Chi Songzi also looked displeased and asked, “Wu Kong, why say that?”
Wu Kong sneered, “Poor Chang’e is utterly infatuated with you, yet she doesn’t even realize it. Do you really think Chang’e craves immortality?” Having come from modern society, he had little personal experience with such matters between men and women, but had seen plenty in historical records and on TV and the internet. Such melodramatic plots were often just misunderstandings. It was too hasty for Hou Yi to conclude that Chang’e had an affair with Feng Meng just by seeing them holding hands.
You should know that a woman in love always desires only one thing: to have her beloved by her side. Hou Yi often left home for decades, leaving Chang’e behind. How could she not harbor resentment? And when Hou Yi returned, he remained furious the whole time, not even giving Chang’e a chance to explain. How could she not hate him?
Although Wu Kong didn’t know if there was really something improper between Feng Meng and Chang’e, he also thought Hou Yi was acting too rashly. Such matters needed careful investigation to find the truth.
Hou Yi’s face turned red as he tried to lower his voice. “Wu Kong, are you saying I’ve done wrong?”
Seeing how upset Hou Yi was, Wu Kong sighed and said, “Enough, enough. I hope I’m wrong.”
Wu Kong patted Hou Yi’s shoulder and said, “From what I see, if you go to see Chang’e openly, you probably won’t get what you want.”
Hou Yi murmured, “What do I want… I probably don’t even know myself.”
Wu Kong whispered to Chi Songzi, “To be honest, Senior Hou Yi is now in a state of chaos. Heaven today is different from before—there are many rules. This could cause unnecessary trouble.”
Chi Songzi asked, “So what do you suggest?”
Wu Kong replied, “Apart from you, I doubt anyone here can persuade him. I think I should go first and find out Chang’e’s thoughts. How about that?” Chi Songzi hesitated and said, “To be frank, Hou Yi is stubborn and easily frustrated. If he’s sent to the South Heavenly Gate and then forced to turn back, he probably won’t agree.”
After thinking for a while, Wu Kong said, “Senior Hou Yi, now that you’re here, how do you plan to proceed?”
Hou Yi replied, “I have an old relationship with the Queen Mother of the West. She promised to take care of Chang’e for me. I’m sure she won’t break her word.”
Wu Kong said, “Times have changed. Do you still think the Queen Mother had good intentions back then?”
Hou Yi asked in shock, “Could it be that the Queen Mother still has ulterior motives?”

Wukong said, “Human hearts are hard to fathom. I believe there is no such thing as a free feast in this world. If what the Queen Mother of the West did back then hadn’t brought her great benefits, why would she act contrary to her usual behavior?”
Chi Songzi asked, “Wukong, please explain in detail. I don’t see any flaw here.”
Wukong replied, “You stole the peaches. Logically, the Queen Mother of the West should see you as a thorn in her side. Her demand for the peaches was a perfectly legitimate action. Even if she had sent people to attack you, it would have been a normal way for her to vent her anger, right?”
Hou Yi recalled the events of that day and nodded. He claimed it was robbery, but in reality it was an attempted theft that was discovered, so it was only natural for the victim to hate him.
Wukong continued, “Not only did the Queen Mother of the West not blame you, but she also treated you kindly and gave you immortal pills to prolong your life. There’s definitely something suspicious about this.”
Hou Yi said, “I’ve thought about it later too, but I still don’t know why. I thought she was just being kind.”
Wukong sneered, “Kind? That was a strategy to gain your trust!”
“Why would she want to gain my trust?” Hou Yi asked.
Wukong replied, “It’s not you they’re trying to gain trust with—it’s your people! If you continued to travel alone, without any backing, you would likely be dead by now.”
Hou Yi thought for a moment and said, “Even if what you say makes sense, the Queen Mother fears my ancient clan. But we’ve always kept to ourselves—how could there be any need to gain our trust?”
Wukong asked, “Think carefully. What happened after that?”
Hou Yi replied without hesitation, “Naturally, we entered the belly of the Kunpeng… Ah! She can’t have—”
“That’s right!” Wukong said firmly. “The Queen Mother of the West must know the consequences of killing the Divine Ape of Creation, which is why she let you go. Since you, Hou Yi, Dayu, Chi Songzi, and others will die sooner or later, why would she go to the trouble of killing you herself?”
Seeing that Hou Yi was still skeptical, Wukong continued, “The Queen Mother of the West isn’t completely at odds with the Divine Ape. They stole the peach tree with a clear purpose, yet they didn’t harm a single one of the apes. If it weren’t for uncovering the secrets of creation, do you think this is possible? After that, most of those who fought against the Divine Ape were from your clan—was there even one from the Taoist sect?”
Hou Yi grabbed Wukong’s arm anxiously and said, “Then the Queen Mother of the West took Chang’e to heaven and gave her peaches to grant immortality. Could this be a trick to deceive me? Is Chang’e still alive?”
Wukong thought to himself, You really think I don’t know everything? But I do know about this. If Chang’e weren’t alive, who would General Tian Peng be teasing? But I can’t say that outright.
After thinking for a while, Wukong replied, “It’s very likely that Chang’e is still alive. Besides everything else, the Queen Mother of the West said those words in front of dozens of people. If she didn’t keep her word, it would be like slapping herself in the face. How could she gain their trust again?”

Hou Yi felt relieved upon hearing Wu Kong’s words. Yet he asked again, “Wu Kong, what should I do now?”
Wu Kong replied, “If you trust me, I can investigate the truth for you and uncover the real facts behind this matter.”
Hou Yi remained hesitant. At that moment, the Bull Demon King said, “If Wu Kong says it can be done, then it surely can be done.” Seeing Hou Yi’s indecision, Chi Songzi said, “Tens of thousands of years have passed—do you still care about such a trivial matter?”
Wu Kong said, “If I dare say this, it’s because I’m confident. But before taking action, I need to verify two things, which will take some time. Also, my second brother’s help is necessary for this!”
“Me?” asked the Bull Demon King.
“Yes, you’re the perfect person for this task. Do you refuse?” asked Wu Kong.
The Bull Demon King laughed and said, “What am I, an old ox, afraid of? I’m just a bit confused.”
Then Wu Kong said, “Everything is ready then.” After saying that, he bowed to Hou Yi and said, “It’s not that Wu Kong is being presumptuous, but this matter seems like a love affair between an elder and Chang’e. However, I think it’s not that simple. Please give me some time, and I will reveal the truth to you.”
Hou Yi solemnly clasped his fists in front of Wu Kong, then left without saying another word. Chi Songzi glanced at Wu Kong and hurried after him. Wu Kong sighed and said, “Let’s go!”
The Bull Demon King asked in surprise, “Not going to the Heavenly Court?”
Wu Kong replied, “You go ahead.” Then he took Wind King Yu to chase after Hou Yi and the others.
Wu Kong knew Hou Yi was anxious, but this matter couldn’t be rushed. He needed to verify a few things with the Bull Demon King first before drawing any conclusions. If Hou Yi went straight to seek Chang’e, it might end in failure. In this world, nothing is that simple; planning carefully is the right approach.
Judging from Hou Yi’s expression, he clearly trusted Wu Kong, and Wu Kong must not disappoint him. If his judgment was correct, there was a high chance he could reunite Hou Yi and Chang’e.
The most crucial factor here was undoubtedly the “third party”—Feng Meng. If they could find him, everything would become clear. But the most urgent task at the moment wasn’t that. First, he needed to return to the world of gods and demons, gather the demons, and rebuild Flower-Fruit Mountain.
After catching up with Hou Yi, the six of them headed straight for Eastern Victory Continent. Before long, they reached the territory of Flower-Fruit Mountain in Aolai Country.
Everything looked as it had been. When Wu Kong reached the eastern coast, he heard the loud sound of water. Looking up from mid-air, he saw it was the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks in the Eastern Ocean. He recalled the time when he discussed tides with the Bull Demon King—it seemed like just yesterday. Time had passed swiftly; it had been over four hundred years since he last took this path.

Everyone watched the sea: misty waves rolling gently, huge waves drifting slowly; the tide came surging, flooding the bays. The surging tide was like thunder roaring in spring, yet as fierce as a gale in summer.

The six of them, seeing the might of the sea, immediately felt invigorated. When Wukong arrived here, an idea struck him. He had long taken the form of a scholar in white, and now that he returned to Flower-Fruit Mountain, he felt his appearance was extremely awkward, so he transformed back into the Monkey King. King Yu of the Wind, upon seeing Wukong return to his true form, was overjoyed. He grabbed Wukong’s arms from both sides, his eyes filled with delight.

Wukong, looking at them, couldn’t help but feel guilty. Since he had acquired his second form, he had always traveled among the three realms in human guise, and had never seen King Yu of the Wind treat him so closely before. It turned out they had disapproved all along but had suppressed their feelings out of concern for him, while he had ignored their emotions.

Wukong patted their arms and said, “From now on, unless necessary, I will only appear in front of people in this form. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven is my spiritual and divine ape! Not some other person!” King Yu of the Wind understood immediately; no further words were needed. Silence spoke louder than words at that moment.

Wukong leaped and crossed the Eastern Ocean, landing on Flower-Fruit Mountain. He took a close look and saw only desolation everywhere. There were no flowers or plants on the mountain, no mist or clouds; peaks and rocks had collapsed, and trees were withered. He couldn’t help but curse, “What a hypocritical Heavenly Court, such despicable wretches who drop stones on those already in trouble!” King Bull Demon and the others were also furious, shouting, “This must be because the Heavenly Court keeps losing battles, so they burn the mountains to vent their anger!”

How could one suppress anger in the face of such ruined landscapes? The mountains were devoid of mist and clouds, the winds and storms scattered. No roars of tigers could be heard on the eastern ridges, no cries of apes on the western mountains. Foxes and rabbits were nowhere to be seen in the northern streams, and deer and antelopes had vanished from the southern valleys. Green stones had turned into piles of dirt, and blue sands had become mounds of mud. The tall pines outside the caves were all fallen, and the green cypresses in front of the cliffs were scarce. Trees like toon, fir, locust, cypress, chestnut, and sandalwood were burned to ashes; peaches, apricots, plums, plums, pears, and jujubes were gone. Without mulberry trees, how could silkworms be raised? With few willows and bamboo, it was hard for birds to nest. The clever stones on the peaks had turned to dust, and the springs at the bottom of the ravines were dry, covered only with grass. The soil in front of the cliffs was black, devoid of orchids, and the mud by the paths was red, overgrown with vines. Where could the birds fly now? Which mountains could the beasts wander in?

In the heyday of Flower-Fruit Mountain, there must have been at least forty to fifty thousand soldiers, not to mention countless beasts and birds. Later, at Wukong’s command, the demons migrated. But what did those battles between immortals and demons have to do with the ordinary beasts and birds in the mountains?

Seeing traces of scorched land everywhere, if it weren’t for the celestial fire, how could such destruction have occurred? What a wretched Jade Emperor! Since I drove the demons away, I naturally intended to avoid conflict, but do you think I fear you? Once I have time, I’ll destroy your Celestial Palace and ensure you never find peace again!