Volume 3: A Long Journey Chapter 269: The Change of the Dragon King
As they spoke, the boat approached. Eager to cross the river, Tang Seng said, “It’s rare to see a boat here. You say it’s impossible to cross, but can you take me across?”
Wukong looked closely and saw that the boatman was no ordinary person—he was clearly a demon, resembling a dragon yet not quite one, and like a crocodile yet not quite that either. He said, “Master, the waters of this river are extremely strange. It’s best to be cautious; otherwise, once we reach the middle, I won’t be able to save you.”
Seeing Tang Seng hesitate, the boatman said, “Monk, if you don’t come, I’ll leave!”
At that moment, Wu Ping put down his load and stepped forward, saying, “Holy Monk, I’ve lived in the South Sea for a long time. Such a small river poses no problem at all. Let me carry you across—there’s no need for a boat.”
Wukong momentarily forgot that Wu Ping was the old turtle who carried Guanyin’s vase, and thus could move effortlessly through water. He said cheerfully, “Exactly! That’s perfect!”
Tang Seng was overjoyed and said, “Then please do me the favor.”
Wu Ping jumped into the water and revealed his true form—a large turtle about ten zhang in circumference, with a very smooth back. He said in the water, “Holy Monk, please don’t be polite!”
Tang Seng stepped onto his back. Suddenly, the boatman let out a strange laugh, struck the oars hard on the water’s surface, causing waves to surge and cover the sky, raising the water level by five zhang. Tang Seng was instantly submerged.
Wukong realized that the monster in the river was the nephew of the Western Sea Dragon King, known as the Little Alligator Dragon. He was the son of the Jing River Dragon King, and his powers weren’t particularly strong—Princess Mo’ang could capture him with ease. Because Wukong remembered this clearly, he had underestimated the situation. He thought he was on land while Wu Ping was in the water, and even if the Little Alligator Dragon intended to capture Tang Seng, would he dare act openly? Yet the power of his magic was indeed formidable, and Tang Seng was likely in great danger underwater.
The Little Alligator Dragon used his extraordinary powers to raise the water level. Seeing his plan succeed, he jumped off the boat and dived into the water to capture Tang Seng. As soon as he entered the water, a tremendous force hit him, sending him flying like a kite with its string cut, soaring dozens of zhang before falling into the middle of the Black Water River and disappearing.
It was Wu Ping who repelled the Alligator Dragon. Though the waves in the Black Water River were fierce, they were nothing compared to those of the South Sea, so they posed no threat to him. Wu Ping rescued Tang Seng and brought him ashore. The elder was completely soaked. Wukong said, “Master, I failed to notice in time, causing you to be nearly captured. It’s thanks to Wu Ping’s quick wits.”
Tang Seng drank some water, still shaken, and too weak to speak, only trembling. Fortunately, the weather was warm, so they found a sunny spot to wait for Tang Seng’s clothes to dry before attempting to cross the river again.
Wukong stood by the Black Water River and watched for a while. As the little alligator dragon was knocked into the water, the rising river water gradually receded. Wukong made up his mind and went back to Tang Seng, saying, “Master, this demon is so bold. It’s likely it won’t let us cross the river in peace. I want to explore the bottom of the river to find out what’s going on. What do you think?”
Tang Seng asked, “Wukong, how skilled are you in water?”
Wu Ping said, “Great Sage, perhaps I should go instead.”
Wukong laughed and said, “Although your skills in water far surpass mine, when it comes to hiding and moving stealthily, you’re probably not as good as I am. I’ll go.”
So Wukong flashed into the river. His control over water magic was already highly refined, allowing him to swim without causing even the slightest ripples. He went deeper and deeper, noticing that the water was pitch black from top to bottom, for some unknown reason.
The water wasn’t very deep. When Wukong reached the bottom, he saw many water monsters. It seemed the little alligator dragon had built a sizable domain in this Black Water River. After swimming a bit further, he saw a pavilion ahead, with the words “Hall of the River God of the Black Water River in Hengyang Valley” written on the door. Seeing water monsters guarding the door, Wukong realized the little alligator dragon had taken over the River God’s territory. Since the River God’s magic was weak, he naturally couldn’t compete with it.
The door was slightly ajar, so Wukong slipped in through the crack. Inside, it was bright and tidy.
Entering the hall, he saw the alligator dragon sitting on a chair, panting heavily. Wu Ping’s sudden attack had caught it off guard, giving it time to recover. There was another person in the hall. Upon closer inspection, Wukong recognized him—he was a black dragon he had rescued from the Dragon Subduing Tower of the Three Realms, named Ao Gong! Indeed, all dragons in the world are related; no matter where they go, they eventually find their place.
Ao Gong said, “I told you not to trouble Tang Seng. Why go to such lengths?”
The little alligator dragon, with a stubborn expression, snapped, “Hmph! What’s so special about that Tang Seng? I still want to meet that Great Sage Equal to Heaven!” Ao Gong replied, “That’s not right. I taught you the magic to turn the river water black only because your parents were dead, to give you a skill to protect yourself—not to use it to capture people.”
Hearing this, the little alligator dragon gritted his teeth and said, “One day, I’ll go to the Heavenly Court and avenge my father!”
Ao Gong smiled bitterly and said, “My dear nephew, calm down for now.” He called the little alligator dragon his nephew. Wukong realized the two of them must be related. He remembered the little alligator dragon calling the Dragon King of the Western Sea his second uncle. The five dragons in the Three Realms and the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas were all brothers—so calling each other nephews made sense.
The little alligator dragon said, “Back then, my father changed the timing of rain and water. Such a trivial matter was enough for the Jade Emperor to execute him. If I don’t avenge him, how can I be considered a true man?”
Wukong listened carefully. It turned out this little alligator dragon was a reckless fool. He knew everything about the Dragon King of the Jing River being beheaded, and who would dare defy the Emperor of Heaven’s orders? Even the Dragon Kings of the four seas probably wouldn’t dare intercede. To think he dared to attack the Heavenly Court—how utterly ignorant he was!
Ao Gong said, “Uh… it’s not urgent. But Tang Seng, the one on the pilgrimage, is right on the east bank. What do you plan to do?”
The little alligator dragon replied, “I intend to capture him and show everyone in the world that my abilities, coming from the Jing River, are no less than those of that monkey who caused chaos in the Heavenly Palace!”
Ao Gong said, “Alright. If you insist on doing this, you’d better consult your fourth uncle, Ao Run, first.” Wukong was puzzled. Ao Run was the Dragon King of the Western Sea. Among the Dragon Kings of the four seas, arranged in order of east, west, south, and north, he should be the second uncle—so why was he called the fourth uncle now?
The little alligator dragon said, “My four uncles are extremely timid. I doubt asking them would yield any result. I’ll capture Tang Seng first, then invite them over to take a look. If they say to release him, I’ll do them a favor. If not, I’ll eat Tang Seng!”
Ao Gong snapped, “No! Your Black Water River is connected to the Western Sea. If you act on your own, others will surely think you’re acting under your fourth uncle’s orders. That would implicate him, and the crime would be grave!”
The little alligator dragon thought for a moment and said, “It happens to be my uncle’s birthday. Wouldn’t Tang Seng make a rare gift then?”
He took paper and pen and wrote a letter in great detail. It read: “Your humble nephew, Da Jie, bows deeply and respectfully to my second uncle, Lord Ao. I am deeply grateful for your past kindnesses. Now, a monk from the Eastern Land has come to the Black Water River—a truly rare sight in the world. I wish to capture him as a gift to celebrate your birthday. What do you think? I hope you can give me your wise judgment!” In the letter, he still referred to the Dragon King of the Western Sea, Ao Run, as his second uncle, out of habit.
The little alligator dragon was extremely arrogant. His letter was filled with confidence, as if Tang Seng were already in his grasp. He summoned a black fish spirit and ordered it to deliver the letter to the Western Sea.
At that moment, Ao Gong got up to leave. The little alligator dragon asked in surprise, “Why do you want to leave now, fifth uncle?” Ao Gong replied, “I have an appointment with your third uncle. I’ll just go see him and return tomorrow.” The little alligator dragon saw no reason to doubt him and said with a laugh, “Tomorrow is perfect for eating Tang Seng’s flesh!”
Wukong secretly smiled. This Ao Gong was quite cunning too. Knowing this place was full of trouble, he found an excuse to slip away first. The Dragon King’s family was really lively—third uncle, fourth uncle, fifth uncle… It seemed the dragons sent from the three realms would all gather here soon.
It turned out that the nine dragons of the Ao family, ranked by birth order, were as follows: the eldest was Ao Sheng, who later changed his name to Wan Sheng; the second was the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, Ao Guang; the third was Ao En, who was currently at the Sea Dragon’s lair in the Northern Sea; the fourth was the Dragon King of the Western Sea, Ao Run; the fifth, who gave advice to the Turtle Dragon, was Ao Gong; the sixth was the Dragon King of the Southern Sea, Ao Qin; the seventh and eighth were rescued from the three realms and were named Ao Jing and Ao Nan; the ninth was the Dragon King of the Northern Sea, Ao Shun.
Previously, the Turtle Dragon had called Ao Run “Fourth Uncle” based on the order of the nine dragons. Before that, the little Turtle Dragon didn’t know about the existence of the nine dragons and had always called Ao Run “Second Uncle,” which wasn’t wrong either.
When Wukong saw Ao Gong leave, he followed the Black Fish Spirit to see how Dragon King Ao Run of the Western Sea would handle the situation.
Upon arriving at the Western Sea, the Black Fish Spirit dived straight to the bottom of the sea toward the Crystal Palace. Wukong saw that although the palace was adorned with shining pearls and luminous jade, it wasn’t as grand as that of the Eastern Sea. He knew it was because the Night-Shining Wall had been lost in the Western Sea and was now in Guanyin’s possession.
The Black Fish Spirit was stopped at the entrance and only after some explanation was allowed in. Once inside, Wukong was shocked upon seeing the person sitting on the throne—how could the Dragon King of the Northern Sea be the ruler of the Western Sea’s palace?
Back when he went to obtain the Golden Cudgel in the Eastern Sea, all the dragon kings of the four seas were present, and Wukong naturally remembered each of them. The one sitting on the throne in the Western Sea’s palace was none other than Ao Shun, the Dragon King of the Northern Sea! Wukong couldn’t help but exclaim, “Strange!”
Ao Shun heard this clearly and shouted, “Who dares enter my dragon palace?”
Wukong revealed himself, bowed, and said with a smile, “Dragon King, I come to offer you congratulations!”
Ao Shun was shocked to see Wukong and quickly put on a smile, saying, “I’m sorry, Great Sage. Please forgive me.”
Wukong replied, “I’ve come to deliver a message. You’d better accept it first.”
Ao Shun took the letter from the Black Fish Spirit, glanced at it briefly, and his expression changed drastically. He cursed, “What an audacious scoundrel!” He ordered his subordinates to arrest the Black Fish Spirit and apologized to Wukong, saying, “Great Sage, please don’t be angry. I had no idea about this. I will surely give you an explanation!”
Seeing that there was no one else in the hall, Wukong asked, “I remember you were the ruler of the Northern Sea. How did you end up in the Western Sea? Where is Ao Run?”
Ao Shun thought for a moment and said, “Great Sage, you may not know this, but the dragon kings of the four seas take turns being in charge.”
Wukong sneered, “Nonsense!”
Seeing Wukong’s displeased expression, Ao Shun shuddered, and cold sweat appeared on his face. Despite repeated questioning, Ao Shun refused to speak. Wukong looked around the Crystal Palace and said with a smile, “Old Dragon King, since it’s your turn, you’ve lost out this time.”
Ao Shun asked, “How can I have lost?”
Wukong said, “The Dragon Palace in the Western Sea is pitch dark—far not as good as yours in the Northern Sea.”
Aoshun forced a smile and said, “It’s the same, it’s the same!”
Wukong replied, “It’s not the same. The Northern Sea has night pearls, but the Western Sea doesn’t.” Hearing this, Aoshun became uneasy. Wukong continued, “Old Dragon King, it’s you who’s bold enough to take advantage of your duty to steal your own brother’s treasures!”
Aoshun said, “Great Sage, don’t joke. The night pearl was clearly burned by the Third Prince of the Jade Dragon. Otherwise, how could he agree to be a mount for the pilgrims? You know this well.”
Wukong asked, “Burned? There’s water everywhere in the Dragon Palace—how could fire start there? Don’t try to deceive me. I saw that night pearl when I went to the Southern Sea. Did you give it to the Bodhisattva? Speak up!”