Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 21: Journey to the Eastern Sea

Wukong rode on a turtle and played with whales in the sea, having a great time. Just then, a Yaksha swam up from the side, holding three steel spears and shouting, “Where did you come from, outsider? How dare you cause trouble here?” Wukong was startled. The Yaksha had a dark face and sharp fangs, looking extremely ugly. He got off the turtle’s back and said with a laugh, “You beast are quite ugly too. Has this whole sea become your domain?”
The Yaksha snapped, “I’m here to patrol the sea by the Dragon King’s orders. How dare you call me a beast?” With that, he thrust his spears at Wukong.
Just as Wukong tried to block them, he felt a jolt in his heart—this scene seemed familiar. After recalling briefly, he burst into laughter. Wasn’t this the same scene from Nezha’s rampage in the sea? “I’m here to fetch treasures. I don’t have time to waste on you.” He used his invisibility spell and vanished without a trace.
The Yaksha, unable to vent his anger, smashed the turtle shell Wukong had ridden on with his spear. “You good-for-nothing! Others ride you without saying a word!”
The turtle thought to itself, “You’re not good-for-nothing, yet you still let them go. But I can only think, not speak, out of fear.”
Wukong used his water-dodging technique and vanished in a flash. Ahead, he saw more sea creatures, all wearing bright armor and marching in neat ranks. He guessed he was near the Dragon Palace. Seeing the strict defenses, he realized that if he tried to break in forcefully, he’d have to fight off each weapon one by one. Since he was only after the Ruyi Jingu Bang, there was no need for such trouble.
Then he had an idea—the Sea Stabilizing Rod was in the sea. Why not steal it secretly? Why waste words with the Dragon King and risk being accused of force? Even if the Dragon King had no choice but to give it to him, it would still be a debt owed. It was better to take it quietly, without anyone knowing.
Great! Wukong decided to do just that. But then he faced another problem—how to find the Sea Stabilizing Rod in such a vast Eastern Sea?
After reaching a secluded area, he thought for a moment and came up with a plan.
At that moment, a hermit crab swam by through a crack in the rocks. Wukong reappeared and grabbed it.
Crabs are tough on the outside but soft inside, and extremely timid. With his sudden move, the crab fainted. Wukong was speechless. He waited for a long time, but the crab didn’t wake up. He thought to himself, “I hope I didn’t scare it to death. That would be a sin.” After waiting a while, he saw a plump seahorse swimming slowly in the distance. An idea struck him—he transformed into a seahorse and wandered nearby. When the seahorse got closer, he approached and asked, “Sister, where are you going?”
The seahorse replied softly, “I’m male.”
“Ah… Brother, where are you going?”
“Home.”

“…I heard there are certain divine needles in the sea. Shall we go and take a look?”
“Never mind. I need to hurry home to give birth.”
Wukong vanished from his spot immediately and swam far away before stopping. He laughed to himself for a while, thinking to himself how he could have forgotten that seahorses are male-reproducing. This embarrassing incident must not get out—it would be a huge shame.
Just then, a clear and bright voice came to his ears: “Since the immortal has come here, why not visit the Dragon Palace?”
Wukong thought, Well, since my identity has been revealed, I might as well be straightforward. If necessary, I’ll just use force—after all, I must get that Ruyi Jingu Bang no matter what.
He followed the sound and soon saw aquatic soldiers lined up in two rows, as if to welcome a distinguished guest. At the end of the line stood a magnificent, crystal-clear palace, glittering with jewels and dazzling in beauty—nothing short of the Crystal Palace.
On the steps in front of the palace stood a tall figure with golden horns shining on its head. Seeing Wukong swimming from afar, it greeted him with a warm smile and said, “The immortal has come here, but I failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive me.”
Wukong thought, This must be the Eastern Sea Dragon King, Ao Guang. He knew they would have to deal with each other often in the future, so he returned the courtesy: “May I ask if you are the Eastern Sea Dragon King? It’s an honor to be welcomed personally by you.”
Ao Guang was impressed by Wukong’s polite manner and said, “An immortal with such great powers surely deserves to be welcomed by me.” Wukong glanced around the Dragon Palace and praised, “Indeed, it lives up to being the foremost among the four seas. This palace is truly rare in the world.”
The two exchanged polite remarks as they entered the palace, sat down, and drank tea while chatting. Ao Guang asked, “What brings the immortal to my Eastern Sea?”
Wukong got straight to the point: “Forget the title of ‘immortal.’ I’m a spiritual monkey born on Flower-Fruit Mountain. After attaining enlightenment, I lacked a weapon. Having heard that the Dragon Palace is full of treasures, I’ve come to ask for a few. As the saying goes, it’s better to have neighbors close by. If you have any unwanted items, could you give them to me?”
Ao Guang smiled and said, “What a simple request! I don’t have what you need here, but I have hundreds of weapons stored away. This is no trouble at all. Someone, go!”
Two black fish stepped forward. “Bring over a few suitable weapons for the immortal to choose from,” Ao Guang ordered.
After they left, soon dozens of aquatic beings returned, panting, carrying a square halberd, a three-pronged steel fork, and two oil hammers the size of mills. Wukong used his immense strength to wield the long weapons with great skill, leaving everyone in the Dragon Palace in awe. Still full of energy, he lifted the heavy hammers one by one with a single kick, preferring the shorter ones despite their weight, showing his ease with them.

After the training, Wukong was still breathless-free and smiled, saying, “The design is good, but it’s too light.”
Aoguang was also quite surprised: “The immortal possesses great powers. Although our Dragon Palace has many weapons, none are truly heavy. This Fangtian Painting Halberd weighs a full 7,200 taels—it’s the heaviest one.”
Wukong said, “If we say the Sea Dragon King has no treasures, wouldn’t that be laughable if it got out?”
Aoguang said with a troubled expression, “Well… there really is nothing. The immortal may not know, but though the Dragon Palace is said to be full of treasures, most of them are pearls and corals. It’s difficult to forge weapons in water, so these blades were all obtained from elsewhere.”
Wukong said, “I don’t care whether it’s a weapon or not. As long as it’s heavy enough, that’s fine.” While speaking gently, he thought to himself, Dragon King, if you’re sensible, it would be best if you voluntarily handed over the Sea Stabilizing Rod.
Sure enough, after thinking for a long time, Aoguang suddenly had an idea. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “There is indeed a treasure. No one has been able to lift it since ancient times. I’m not sure if it can be used as a weapon.”
Wukong smiled and said, “As long as it’s heavier, it’s fine. Let’s give it a try.”
Aoguang said, “This thing is extremely huge. Please follow me, immortal.”
Aoguang led Wukong to the treasure hoard, which turned out to be a deep sea ravine flanked by high mountain ridges, as if someone had split the seabed with an axe, creating a deep gully.
In the middle of this gully, a glow of rosy light shone, and auspicious energy rose. Aoguang exclaimed in amazement, “This thing has lain dormant here for years. How come it’s now glowing?” He was secretly amazed—indeed, the ancestral dragon’s powers were beyond ordinary. It seemed the Sea Stabilizing Rod was showing its wonders only when it met its true master.
Wukong could no longer hold back. He leaped into the gully and saw a long piece of divine iron standing upright in the water, with golden rings at both ends encircling a section of black iron—just as described in the books.
Wukong simply waved his hand, and the divine iron flew straight toward him. He held it in his hand and muttered “small, small, small” several times. Instantly, it shrunk to the size of a staff at shoulder height. He was overjoyed. With the Golden Cudgel now in his possession, his trip to the Dragon Palace would be flawless. As for those few sets of armor, it didn’t matter if he didn’t have them.
He carried the Golden Cudgel back to the entrance of the treasure hoard. Aoguang and the other sea creatures were still waiting there. Seeing Wukong control the size of the Cudgel at will, they cheered repeatedly, “Congratulations, immortal, on obtaining this extraordinary treasure!”
Wukong laughed heartily, “This iron is perfect for me. Thank you, my neighbors!” With that, he prepared to leave.
Aoguang hurriedly stopped him, saying, “With just this one weapon, it won’t look good if you leave. How about I gather a set of armor for you as well?”
Wukong was taken aback. I hadn’t even asked for it, yet he offered it on his own. What did this mean?
He replied calmly, “I’m already satisfied with having this weapon. I wouldn’t dare ask for anything else.”

Aoguang said, “It’s no problem at all. My three brothers and I are in charge of the four seas, so such a trivial matter is nothing for us.” With that, he secretly signaled the other three Dragon Kings, and he took Wukong back to the palace to drink tea.

After a while, all three Sea Dragon Kings arrived. Aoguang explained the situation, and the three Dragon Kings smiled while taking out their treasures. Upon closer inspection, Wukong saw a pair of lotus-thread cloud-step shoes, a set of golden armor with interlocking plates, and a purple-gold crown with phoenix wings—all radiating precious light.

Once dressed, he appeared even more majestic and unrivaled. The four Sea Dragon Kings all exclaimed, “What a wonderful divine monkey!”

Wukong bowed in gratitude to the Dragon Kings, then bid farewell to the Dragon Palace. Although he obtained treasures from this visit, it left him with doubts. Though Aoguang acted coy, he showed no sign of reluctance, and his eagerness made things even more suspicious.

Wukong thought to himself that it was just a fight after all, and further speculation was pointless. So he split the water waves and returned to Flower-Fruit Mountain by the same route.