Volume One: Unsayable Chapter 312: Reminiscences Arise

Seeing Wang Yu had arrived at the entrance of the temple, Wukong and Fengtong took a large detour around to the back mountain.
The back mountain was deserted. Wukong found the bottomless abyss and signaled Fengtong that this was the place. Fengtong, already impatient, dived in at once, while Wukong paused for a while. At that moment, he heard chaos from the temple on the front mountain—constant shouting and commands, likely as Wang Yu had already resorted to his tactics.
Only then did Wukong descend, entering the bottomless abyss for the second time. Though called bottomless, it was actually only a thousand or so feet deep. Wukong descended gently and saw Wu Zhiqi staring at Fengtong, his large eyes filled with tears but none falling. How could he know that Wu Zhiqi no longer had a single drop of water left in his body?
Fengtong was already weeping bitterly, gazing fixedly at Wu Zhiqi. In that silence, words were unnecessary. Wukong sighed and said, “Why shed tears on a day meant for joy?”
Wu Zhiqi trembled and said, “Don’t bother. These chains cannot be undone. Just being able to see you again is already a great blessing from heaven.”
Fengtong snapped, “What heaven? If heaven is unjust, I’ll punch a hole in it! If the earth is uneven, I’ll dig out its roots!” Wukong stopped him and said, “Hurry up. It’s better to unlock them first.”
Following the techniques in the “Qi Tian Stick Method” for refining Ruyi iron, Wukong summoned true fire in his hand and slowly tempered it with two types of true fire. Such fire was extremely powerful—Wu Zhiqi thrived in water but feared fire the most. His flesh immediately blackened, yet a look of joy appeared on his face.
When the chains turned slightly red, Wukong changed his technique and added another type of true fire. Every half hour, he adjusted the intensity of the fire, increasing it from one type to three, then back to one, repeating this process. After four or five hours, the chains indeed gradually thinned.
Wukong had never tried this method before, and he was overjoyed to see it work.
With patience, by the third day, the chains had become half as thick. He continued to focus on his spells, unaware that Fengtong had disappeared long ago.
On the fourth day, voices suddenly came from behind him—it was the furious scolding of the Great Sage National Preceptor, King Bodhisattva: “Who dares disturb my peaceful cultivation?” Wukong froze, realizing Wang Yu’s strategy of luring him away had been uncovered. Not knowing King Bodhisattva’s true strength, he grew anxious. Wu Zhiqi also looked sorrowful; having suffered under this bodhisattva for years, he now felt fear, along with intense hatred and resentment!

At that moment, a voice came to Wukong’s ears: “Don’t pay attention. I’ve set up several major arrays here. No matter how skilled he is, he won’t be able to get in.” The voice was extremely arrogant, and Wukong thought to himself, wondering who this Feng Tong learned from.

Seeing that they couldn’t enter the cave, even the simplest-minded would realize that someone must have come to rescue Wu Zhiqi. The Great Sage National Preceptor Wang Bodhisattva tried countless methods but couldn’t break through the arrays. Filled with rage, he started shouting loudly, his vulgar curses combined with his powerful Zen skills creating a strange sight—though his insults were even more vile than those of a street hag.

Feng Tong said, “He’s trying to disrupt your focus. Ignore him.”

Wukong possessed the thirty-six transformations of the Heavenly Gang, so how could he be disturbed by him? Focusing intently with no distractions, the iron chains thinned faster, eventually becoming as thin as chopsticks.

Suddenly, the Great Sage National Preceptor Wang Bodhisattva stopped and began beating a wooden fish while reciting Sanskrit scriptures. Wukong couldn’t understand a single word of the Sanskrit, so he paid no attention to what he was saying.

After listening for a while, Feng Tong’s expression changed. He wanted to say something but saw that Wukong was still fully focused on refining the Ruyi Rope, so he remained silent. Wu Zhiqi also understood Sanskrit and, like Feng Tong, showed signs of anxiety.

When the Ruyi Rope became as thin as a hair, it still didn’t break after a long time. Wukong patiently used the Three Flavors of True Fire several more times, but saw no results, feeling as though he was just short of success.

Suddenly, Feng Tong became alert and sent a message to Wukong, “Don’t rush. Wait for me to return!” Then he spun around and disappeared from that place.

A short while later, a loud cry of pain came from the Great Sage National Preceptor Wang Bodhisattva, seemingly suffering a severe injury. The recitation of the Sanskrit scriptures also stopped abruptly. Then, Feng Tong reappeared before Wukong, his hands covered in blood.

He stepped forward and dropped the blood on the thin Ruyi Rope. With a soft “sizzle,” it snapped like a knife cutting through hemp!

Feng Tong grabbed one end and shouted, “Hold on!” With a shake of his wrist, he pulled the Ruyi Rope out of Wu Zhiqi’s body. Wu Zhiqi’s shoulder had already been burned black, and now, with the Ruyi Rope removed after being implanted for ten thousand years, he endured excruciating pain. Yet, his face was filled with joy, as if he had forgotten the pain altogether.

As soon as the Ruyi Rope was pulled out, Feng Tong shouted, “Go quickly!” He grabbed Wu Zhiqi and leaped upward. Wukong didn’t understand why Feng Tong was in such a hurry, but he quickly followed.

Only after leaving that bottomless abyss and flying thousands of miles did Feng Tong say, “That Bodhisattva was reciting the ‘Wish of Illuminating All Directions’ from the Sutra of Infinite Life. If he finishes it, even if we flee to the ends of the world, he will still be able to find us.”

Wukong was overjoyed to have rescued Wu Zhiqi and laughed, “This way, he’ll suffer in silence—excellent!”
Tongfeng looked ashamed and said, “We were so anxious that we focused only on forging these chains, forgetting to obtain the essence blood of the Great Sage National Advisor, King Bodhisattva. Fortunately, he fell into my trap; otherwise, who knows how much trouble we’d have had.”
Wukong suddenly realized something and, looking back, felt a wave of fear. If King Bodhisattva hadn’t been in the temple, their efforts would have been in vain, and he would now be on guard, making it harder to rescue Wu Zhiqi in the future.
Wu Zhiqi had been trapped for tens of thousands of years and had finally gained freedom. He shared a deep bond with Wukong and Tongfeng, so words of thanks were unnecessary. Yet, having been deprived of water for so long, he was weak and frail; even standing on the clouds, he was swayed by the strong winds.
Wukong asked worriedly, “Is everything alright?”
Wu Zhiqi replied with a smile, “Now that I’m free, of course everything’s fine.”
Tongfeng suggested, “The water of the Northern Sea is the purest in the world. How about you and I go and have some fun there?”
Wu Zhiqi was overjoyed and said, “That’s exactly what I wish as well.”
At that moment, another auspicious cloud approached from behind: “Count me in!” It was none other than King Yu, the King of Yuyun.
Upon seeing King Yu, Wu Zhiqi was shocked, as if unable to believe it. Tongfeng gave him a slight nod and said, “The Divine Ape is feared by gods and Buddhas. Have you forgotten that?”
Wu Zhiqi shook his head. “How could I forget? It’s just that the Seven Divine Apes were once scattered, yet now four of us are reunited—it feels like a dream.”
Wukong laughed loudly, “What’s so strange about that? Don’t worry. If you miss us so much, I’ll join you in a few days.”
The other three, seeing Wukong’s carefree attitude, thought to themselves: This wise and divine ape truly has good fortune. As soon as he was born, the Seven Divine Apes showed signs of revival. Could it be that our race of divine apes is destined to fall under his control?
Inspired by Wukong’s boldness, they also refused to lag behind. They roared together and soared through the sky toward the Northern Sea.
……
On Flower-Fruit Mountain, the fierce battle from a month earlier had long been forgotten. Now, however, the scene was one of upheaval. From mountain top to bottom, troops were neatly organized, with everyone serving as a soldier. King Bull Demon inspected the various mountains and saw that the generals and demon kings were training rigorously and obeying orders without fail. He then returned to his cave. As soon as he entered, he saw his wife, the Rakshasi, with a joyful expression, though it seemed insincere.
King Bull Demon asked, “What good news is there?”
The Rakshasi replied shyly, “I… am pregnant.”
King Bull Demon’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “Ah!” That day, he had fought fiercely against the heavenly generals and, in high spirits, had slept with the Rakshasi that night. He never expected it to work right away.

Seeing that the Bull Demon King remained silent for a long time, the Rakshasi snapped, “Silly ox, why are you unhappy?”
The Bull Demon King laughed heartily and said, “Happiness has come from the heavens, but I’m so overjoyed I can’t speak.”
The Rakshasi’s expression immediately turned sorrowful. “I just have to leave now.”
The Bull Demon King was startled. “Where to?”
The Rakshasi glared at him fiercely. “Have you forgotten what our master said? Once I’m pregnant, I must return to the Sumeru Palace to live there—it’s very beneficial for the child.”
The Bull Demon King seemed to wake from a dream. He scratched his head and said, “I’ve been practicing all day long and forgot about this.”
The Rakshasi said, “If that’s the case, give me back the banana fan for protection on the journey.”
The Bull Demon King took out the banana fan and handed it to her, saying, “Since you’re pregnant, I’ll just send you back.”
The Rakshasi said, “Uncle Sun has entrusted Flower-Fruit Mountain to you. Please take good care of it and don’t make any mistakes.”
The Bull Demon King nodded awkwardly. Seeing his foolish expression, the Rakshasi felt indescribably angry. With their separation imminent—knowing that one day in heaven equaled one year on earth—could he really not care about her at all?