Volume 1: Unsayable, Chapter 34: Han Feizi

The Bull Demon King was stunned. He would just let him go? Zhen Yuanzi was too easy to deal with. In fact, the last time Zhen Yuanzi had fought the Bull Demon King, he had already realized that the Bull Demon King possessed superb martial skills and extraordinary Daoist powers, clearly having been taught by a great master. Since he hadn’t suffered any loss, how could Zhen Yuanzi dare to trouble him easily?
Unexpectedly, the Bull Demon King refused to accept this kindness and said, “If you let me go, you must also let my brother go.”
Zhen Yuanzi shook his head and said, “Your brother looks sly. It’s obvious he’s not a good person. Letting him go would only bring disaster.”
Wukong asked, “So what else can you do?”
Zhen Yuanzi replied, “How about sealing your magical powers and forcing you to do menial work for me for hundreds of years?”
Neither of them showed any change in expression. Wukong laughed heartily and said, “What bold claims! Even if you have the ability, I doubt you have the courage.” Why did Wukong make such outrageous claims? It was because he knew that in “Journey to the West,” when he cut down the Ginseng Fruit Tree, Zhen Yuanzi hadn’t even tried to kill him but instead tried to curry favor and form an alliance.
Though the reason was unknown, this man had a indifferent personality and disliked conflict the most. With both of them possessing great powers, Zhen Yuanzi must have considered the consequences. Which cultivator doesn’t have backing? So Wukong deliberately boasted to scare Zhen Yuanzi.
Zhen Yuanzi chuckled and said, “What kind of background do you, you monkey, have?”
Wukong thought, As expected, he’s guilty. Let me scare him a bit. So Wukong said, “The Buddha and the Three Pure Ones in the Western Heaven are all my old friends. The Five Directions and the Celestial Beings are all on good terms with my brothers. How about you?”
Zhen Yuanzi snapped and said, “What arrogance! Today, I’ll give it a try to see who can deal with me.”
After saying that, Zhen Yuanzi formed a hand seal with both hands. Wukong found Zhen Yuanzi’s gesture quite strange, resembling a Buddhist hand seal diagram he had seen in a past life, which puzzled him greatly.
When this hand seal was cast, a lotus flower of void floated gently toward Wukong. Wukong focused his gaze. Although the lotus seemed formless, it contained infinite mysteries and immense magical power.
He didn’t dare to confront it head-on and instead used a technique to transform his form. The lotus passed through his illusory image, and Wukong had already dashed out of the combat range and stood atop a wall.
Zhen Yuanzi was secretly shocked. His lotus was a masterful technique for sealing someone’s magical powers. It might not seem fast, but it actually locked onto the opponent’s vital spirit once released, making escape extremely difficult. How could he know that Wukong’s Thirty-Six Transformations were the most authentic transformation techniques? Although his own magic was powerful, after several transformations, it had lost its original power and was now just a hollow form. It might work against gods with weaker magical powers, but it was utterly ineffective against Wukong.

Zhen Yuanzi pondered in silence. Though he possessed great magical power, only “The World in the Sleeve” was his most formidable skill—a technique that could trap people but not harm them. Among the ancient texts left by that monk, there were many methods to enhance magical prowess, yet few techniques for fighting and subduing others. He couldn’t help but resent not having any methods for cultivation.

Wukong saw Zhen Yuanzi standing there in a daze, lost in thought. After a pause, Zhen Yuanzi said angrily, “All of you, go! Leave now!”

Seeing Wukong still standing motionless on the wall, the Bull King hurried over and pulled him out of the courtyard. The Bull King said, “What’s wrong with this old Taoist today? Last time I came, he trapped me with that spell for a long time, but today he’s so easy to talk to.”

Wukong laughed and said, “I guess he’s scared of me.”

After leaving Wuzhuang Temple, the two realized there were always those better than them. Zhen Yuanzi locked himself in his room, filled with frustration. Though he was a Taiyi Golden Immortal, the spells he could use were merely a few basic techniques—like trying to pour tea from a teapot into dumplings—unable to fully utilize his abilities.

Zhen Yuanzi recalled the many heavenly generals, arhats, and bodhisattvas he had seen, each possessing countless combat strategies and diverse magical powers. Did he really have to rely on others?

Legend said that thirty ginseng fruits could be used to create one Hunyuan Dao Fruit. It was frustrating that the Buddha hadn’t made this clear back then; otherwise, he wouldn’t have wasted two of them. Now, he would have to wait another nine thousand years for another chance.

That bull and that monkey both had remarkable skills. Without “The World in the Sleeve” and his array of spells, he really wouldn’t stand a chance against them. If only he could build some relationship with them… Hmph! As a lofty Taiyi Golden Immortal, how could he lower himself to associate with demons!

After much deliberation in his room with no solution in sight, Zhen Yuanzi angrily went to the back garden to stare at those ginseng fruits.

After leaving Wuzhuang Temple, Wukong thought to himself that one day he would definitely return to pick a couple of ginseng fruits for himself.

As they flew through the clouds, the Bull King said, “This time we were tricked by that Golden Winged Roc. If I don’t avenge this, I won’t be able to calm my anger.”

Wukong replied, “Brother, don’t rush. Sister-in-law is worried. Let’s go back to Flower-Fruit Mountain first to report that we’re safe. We can seek revenge later.” The two set off together for Flower-Fruit Mountain.

Soon they arrived at the mountain. Sure enough, the Rakshasi woman stood on the summit, looking anxiously. Seeing that the Bull King and Wukong were unharmed, she immediately smiled with relief.

The Bull King landed, and the Rakshasi woman stepped forward, taking his hands and fussing over him, leaving him feeling awkward. Wukong laughed and said, “Sister-in-law is truly considerate of our brother. I really don’t know how many lifetimes of merit it took to earn such kindness.” The Bull King replied, “Women’s nagging really makes one brother laugh.”

Wukong said, “Not at all, I merely feel envious.” The two brothers returned to the Water Curtain Cave and drank merrily once more. That night, the Bull Demon King went back to his own cave to rest, while Wukong sat alone in the Water Curtain Cave. Suddenly, a voice sounded in his ears: “The Dao is the origin of all things and the standard of right and wrong…” Wukong became excited—wasn’t this the mysterious preacher he had met when he first entered the Water Curtain Cave? He listened attentively, not understanding the meaning of the words. It continued, “The Dao is invisible and its function is unknowable. In emptiness and stillness, one can discern flaws. To see without truly seeing, to hear without truly hearing, to know without truly knowing. Follow its teachings without change, and use them as a guide for reflection.” Wukong suddenly realized it was a passage from Han Feizi. He didn’t remember anything else, but he had heard this sentence before: “The Dao is invisible and its function is unknowable.” Confused, Wukong wondered why this mysterious person kept teaching him. Listening carefully, he intuited that this person could not be Master Subhuti! There was no reason, just an inner feeling. This passage from Han Feizi was different from the usual ones; it was read very slowly, taking six whole hours to finish. Finally, the mysterious person left a message: “One volume of Han Feizi adds 36,000 units of fortune. How lamentable, pitiful, and sad!” After that, there was no further sound. Wukong was still immersed in the teachings when he was suddenly jolted awake by these words, greatly puzzled. Why “lamentable, pitiful, and sad”? What did these words mean? This person always brought him fortune, so he must not have malicious intentions. After pondering for a long time, he still couldn’t figure it out. This time, Wukong truly felt the fortune entering his heart. It was vastly different from the hundreds of thousands of units of fortune he had obtained in heaven before—it was a nourishing influence from within, bringing great satisfaction and abundance to his heart. In contrast, the fortune taken from others was like dross. With these 36,000 units of fortune, Wukong could clearly sense that his internal fortune was divided into several groups: one side belonged to the teachings of the Tao Te Ching, another to those of Zhuangzi’s “Free and Easy Wandering,” another to the “Sutra on Cause and Effect,” and another to Han Feizi’s teachings. There were also two other groups—one contained all the fortune he had accumulated through his own cultivation, which was mixed and uneven, while the other… strangely, it was a chaotic mass he couldn’t clearly identify, like a chick, emitting a sense of new life.

Wukong faintly felt that these powers also varied in quality. The powers passed down to him by his mentor were of the purest and most genuine kind, surpassing all others, except for that mass of chaos, which he could not penetrate. He tried to combine these powers into one, but failed to find a method and gave up. After sitting quietly on the stone bed for a while, he heard the voice of the Bull Demon King outside the cave: “Brother, come out quickly!” Not knowing what was wrong, Wukong went out and saw the Bull Demon King with a disheveled and depressed appearance, clearly having suffered some grievance. Wukong asked with a smile, “Brother, where did you get that dirt on your face? Why haven’t you washed it off yet?” The Bull Demon King replied, “Don’t tease me, brother. I can no longer endure these peaceful days of wandering the seas.” Hearing this, Wukong immediately understood that there must be some discord with the Rakshasi. He didn’t dare ask further. Then the Bull Demon King added, “I cultivate by fighting. If I get entangled in romantic affairs, my fighting spirit will be completely drained by those tender emotions. How can I then focus on my cultivation?” Wukong asked, “If that’s the case, why did you get married in the first place?” The Bull Demon King’s face turned red, and after stammering for a long time, he failed to give a proper answer. Wukong stopped pressing him further.