Volume 2: The Path That Can Be Told, Chapter 186: The Little White Dragon

Wukong left the mortal world and flew to Qitian Ridge, seeking someone idle enough to descend to the mortal realm on his behalf to monitor the seasons. Once King Tang passed away, this person would immediately report back.
The person had to be reliable, capable of protecting themselves, and able to find Wukong again. After some thought, Wukong ruled out all demons—only a human would do. Otherwise, someone like the Bull Demon King descending to the realm might scare the people of Chang’an to death.
After much consideration, Wukong decided that Dayu was the most suitable candidate. He found Dayu and explained the situation. Dayu was surprised and said, “The King Tang you speak of probably hasn’t even been born yet. How do you know he’ll die?”
Wukong grew anxious, having forgotten this detail. He couldn’t possibly claim to have prophetic powers. Then he had an idea and said, “This method was taught to me by the Primordial Supreme Lord. I don’t know the reasons behind it, but surely the Lord had his reasons.”
Dayu responded with an “Oh.” Since it was the Primordial Supreme Lord’s ingenious plan, there was some possibility. He said, “I have nothing to do anyway, so I’ll go in your place. A few decades isn’t much of a time.”
Wukong replied, “It’s not too late to descend in another ten or twenty years.”
Dayu said, “Good, then I’ll descend in ten years.”
Wukong said, “Having this entrusted to you, Senior Dayu, puts my mind at ease.” After completing this important task, he hurried back to the Northern Sea to continue practicing his water-control powers.
By now, apart from earth elements, Wukong had mastered all five elements. He was just one step away from mastering metal, wood, water, and fire. He could also sense that his “Mystical Void Secret Technique” had seemingly reached the third volume, “Preserving Truth.”
Volume “Preserving Truth” clearly explains the method of discarding falsehoods and retaining truth, serving as a means to distinguish the authenticity of all things in the world. Everything in the world, whether alive or dead, is divided into yin and yang and the five elements. Ordinary people can only distinguish between male and female, but these yin-yang and elemental energies must be identified through subtle observation. Yin and yang energies complement and blend with each other, sustaining life, while the five elements interact in cycles of generation and restraint, governing the growth, acceptance, nourishment, and ascent of all things in the world. One must thoroughly understand the principles of all things and their habits to master this skill.
At this point, Wukong had not yet mastered all five elements and still needed to understand yin and yang. He knew that practicing the Mystical Void Secret Technique was essentially cultivating “fiery golden eyes.” But these eyes would be far more powerful than those in Journey to the West.
In Journey to the West, although Wukong claimed to have acquired fiery golden eyes through refinement in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, they often failed to work. But once the Mystical Void Secret Technique was mastered, it would allow him to discern the authenticity of all things. By then, no deception could escape his eyes—these would truly be fiery golden eyes.

Dayu said again that the “Mystical Void Technique Secrets” created by the Nine Heavens’ Mysterious Lady were truly extraordinary skills, with unknown mysteries hidden within. After walking for a while, they arrived at the sea eye of the Northern Sea. As soon as they entered the water, they felt the turbulent currents, and battles were taking place on the seabed. Who could be so powerful as to cause trouble here? Their water combat skills must be extremely formidable. Wukong reverted to his monkey form and swam urgently toward the swirling currents. There, he saw two giant dragons fighting fiercely—one was the Sea Devouring Dragon, while the other was pure white as snow, its silver glow dazzling as it rolled around. After a short fight, the white dragon ran out of strength and fell behind. The Sea Devouring Dragon laughed and said, “You lost again!” The two dragons stopped fighting; it turned out they weren’t truly battling but were just competing in skill. The white dragon said, “The Giant Dragon of the Northern Sea truly lives up to its reputation. I’m afraid even my father isn’t a match for you.” The Sea Devouring Dragon replied, “Please, please. I’ve also heard of the Third Prince of the Western Sea’s Jade Dragon. It’s rare for someone so young to possess such skills.” The Third Prince of the Western Sea? Could that not be the Little White Dragon? Hearing this name, Wukong felt a stir in his heart. What was the Little White Dragon doing here? Could it be to seek a match? He concealed himself and listened to their conversation. The Little White Dragon said with a laugh, “A few days ago, I got drunk at home and burned the precious pearl in the palace, violating heavenly laws, so I came to my ninth uncle to avoid punishment.” The Sea Devouring Dragon laughed and asked, “There are only four seas in the world—why do you have a ninth uncle?” The Little White Dragon replied, “I don’t know either. I only know that the Dragon King of the Northern Sea, Ao Shun, is the ninth in line. I guess there are five more uncles, but I don’t know where they are.” Wukong thought to himself, Those five have been trapped in the three realms for tens of thousands of years—where could you possibly meet them? The Sea Devouring Dragon added, “The Dragon Palace is full of treasures. What’s the big deal about just one pearl and heavenly laws?” The Little White Dragon explained, “The pearl I burned was a luminous wall bestowed by the Jade Emperor—a truly rare treasure in the world, with one in each of the four seas. Without it, the Crystal Palace of the Western Sea would be pitch black. Even a thousand ordinary night pearls can’t compare to its brightness.” The Sea Devouring Dragon said, “Since you’ve violated heavenly laws, why not go to heaven to confess? Hiding here just makes your crime worse, doesn’t it?” The Little White Dragon replied, “The heavenly rules are extremely strict. If I go to confess, I’m likely to die. My father sent me here to avoid punishment; he’s already gone to heaven to intercede.” Hearing this, Wukong was astonished. There was another discrepancy here. Clearly, according to “Journey to the West,” it was the Dragon King of the Western Sea, Ao Run, who reported the Little White Dragon to heaven, and it was only after Guanyin interceded that he was saved. How could Ao Run suddenly turn into someone who covered up a crime?

After chatting a few words with the Little White Dragon and the Sea Dragon, he left with a carefree expression, showing no sign of guilt at all. Wukong thought to himself that the Heavenly Court wasn’t as strict and harsh as the legends suggested; at least the Little White Dragon believed the Dragon King of the Western Sea could handle this situation.

Burning the Night-Bright Wall deserved the death penalty by law, but since it happened inside the Dragon King’s palace in the Western Sea, how could outsiders know the truth? If the Dragon King of the Western Sea really wanted to save the Little White Dragon’s life, it would be easy enough for him to find someone else to take the blame. When water is too clear, there are no fish. The Dragon Kings of the four seas could reach such positions; they surely weren’t fools.

As for the Little White Dragon, swallowing Tang Seng’s white horse and sneaking into the pilgrimage group wasn’t accidental but the result of careful planning. The Dragon King of the Western Sea had secured a backdoor through Guanyin—preferring to let the Little White Dragon endure humiliation and serve as a mount rather than letting him stay out. But how did he learn about the pilgrimage? What was his purpose in doing this?

Although Wukong couldn’t figure out why the Dragon King of the Western Sea did this, this alone suggested that the Dragon Kings of the four seas probably weren’t just hiding their strength but were instead acting subtly and making quiet plans. He couldn’t help but become wary.

Wukong then considered the five members of the pilgrimage group. He himself was the Divine Ape of Fate, and Tang Seng was the second disciple of Buddha. Both were of great use to Buddha, so it made sense for them to be part of the pilgrimage.

Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng—one was the reincarnation of Feng Meng, and the other was a high-ranking general. Though they had some status, in terms of cultivation and status, Buddha surely wouldn’t take them seriously.

Relying on his own status, Buddha didn’t need to handle the selection personally and instead entrusted it to Guanyin Bodhisattva. He also gave her three powerful magical artifacts—those three collars—specifically to help her subdue unruly demons.

The Tightening Collar was given to the Monkey King, while the Golden Collar and the Restraining Collar weren’t given to Bajie or Sha Seng but to the Black Bear Spirit and the Red Boy. This clearly didn’t match Buddha’s original intention. And the fates of the Black Bear Spirit and the Red Boy were similar—they both went to the Southern Sea to serve Guanyin, which was quite thought-provoking.

Did Guanyin dare to openly use Buddha’s magical artifacts to strengthen her own power? What did she have to back it up with?

Wukong thought about it alone in the sea for a while, then gave up the idea of going to the bottom of the sea to practice water control skills. Right now, his top priority wasn’t that—he needed to figure out how to join the pilgrimage to the West. Many secrets could only be understood through personal experience; only by embarking on the Journey to the West could things become clearer.

The Monkey King of Flower Fruit Mountain was infamous among the Heavenly Court for his rebellion, and in the end, he was suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain by Buddha for five hundred years to wear down his spirit. To put it bluntly, it was to make him submit.

In this life, having missed the process of being tamed by Tathagata, it will likely be difficult to join the pilgrimage team again. There’s no way he can cause trouble in heaven once more; even if he did, Tathagata probably wouldn’t intervene again.
Wukong scratched his head and flew out of the sea, unknowingly arriving at Flower-Fruit Mountain.
Looking down from above, Wukong was greatly surprised—Flower-Fruit Mountain was covered in blooming flowers, presenting a scene of great joy. It turned out that the three thousand little demons he had brought back from Guanjiangkou had already arrived and made the mountain look absolutely beautiful.
Wukong was deeply moved; even demons had their own concept of home.