Volume 4: The Revelation Unveiled Chapter 496: Meeting an Old Acquaintance

As Wukong chanted, Longshu rallied his spirits and set off eastward without looking back. After he had gone far, Wukong felt a sense of melancholy. He had a premonition that he would encounter this mysterious yet simple monk, Longshu, again.

Wukong, of course, wouldn’t walk step by step like Longshu. He stretched out his body and instantly left the Spirit Mountain. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a white cloud, letting it drift in the wind. Before long, he saw the ground illuminated by lights. He then guided the cloud down, landing silently.

What lay below was not an ordinary town—it seemed to be at least a large provincial capital. In the darkness, a magnificent scene unfolded: every household had bright lights, music played all night long, with splendid buildings and grand palaces. Incense burned continuously in the altars, and lamps never went out, as if every household was celebrating a joyous occasion.

Wukong mixed in with the crowd and asked a passerby, “Brother, I’m new here. Is this a festival or a wedding?” The man laughed and said, “From the way you speak, I know you’re from out of town. Can’t you even remember the date? Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival.”

“The Lantern Festival?” Wukong felt sentimental. Since arriving in this world, he hadn’t remembered any festivals. Hearing about the Lantern Festival made him feel inexplicably sad. Though the world was vast and within his reach, those memories buried deep in his heart seemed incredibly distant.

His heart was agitated, but he still smiled and said, “What place is this? The people here are truly prosperous and happy.” The man replied, “This is Jinping Prefecture in Tianzhu Country. Here, there’s a custom: during the Lantern Festival, golden lamps are lit. Look—” He pointed to the busiest area. “There’s a Golden Lamp Bridge. It’s the most lively place. I’ll go take a look too.” With that, he left.

Jinping Prefecture in Tianzhu Country—this name sounded familiar. Wukong remembered that in *Journey to the West*, Tang Seng had come here to worship Buddha but encountered three rhinoceros demons disguised as monks. But now that the power of Qitian Ridge covered almost the whole world, those rhinoceros demons probably had nowhere to hide.

Well, since he was here, it wouldn’t hurt to stay for a day. If those rhinoceros demons were still around, they would surely come to collect the lamp oil.

That night, Wukong found a place to stay casually. The next day, he got up early to see the sights of Jinping Prefecture. As the sun rose, the market was bustling with noise and vendors, and vehicles came and went—very lively. Wukong usually stayed away from the mortal world in the heavens, but experiencing this worldly atmosphere gave him a different kind of feeling.

As he was walking, he saw a group of people dressed like Taoists coming from the east. Most of these Taoists possessed some magical powers, and even a few were at the level of celestial immortals. Wukong found it strange—this was already Buddhist territory, so what were these Taoists doing here?
Upon closer inspection, he almost burst out laughing. It turned out there was someone he knew among them! A middle-aged Taoist in gray robes, at the level of a terrestrial immortal, with a thick beard and a burly build—it was Zhang Hui, the infatuated man he had met in the Three Realms. What fate! Wukong thought to himself. Back then, Zhang Hui had been thrown into the Realm of Good and Evil. If not for his help, Zhang Hui would likely never have been able to return to the Realm of Calamity. And in the Country of Black Chickens, if not for his plan to capture the Nine-Headed Worm, Zhang Hui would most likely have failed to escape the pursuit of the Jade of Self-Examination. If captured by the Nine-Headed Worm, he would now be in grave danger.
Wukong naturally wouldn’t expect anything in return for saving Zhang Hui, but since they had met, he decided to ask him what these Taoists were doing here.
Wukong stepped forward and called out, “Brother Zhang Hui, it’s been a while since we last saw each other.”
Seeing someone approaching, Zhang Hui was startled and immediately became wary. He saw a scholar in white standing in front of him. After a moment’s thought, he exclaimed, “Wow!”
This exclamation caused the surrounding Taoists to spring to their feet and surround Wukong. Zhang Hui quickly said, “It’s okay, it’s okay!” Then he knelt down and kowtowed to Wukong three times, saying, “Benefactor! I must have worried you terribly!”
Seeing Zhang Hui’s sincere kowtows, Wukong smiled and said, “Get up. Why do you think of me?”
Zhang Hui stammered a few words but couldn’t say much. He had never talked about the affairs of the Three Realms to others, so it was awkward for him to speak openly in front of so many fellow Taoists.
At that moment, an old Taoist dressed in yellow robes came from behind. He seemed to be of high rank. Without even glancing at Wukong, he rebuked Zhang Hui, “In Taoist cultivation, one should follow the principles of tranquility and non-action. Look at what kind of state you’re in!”
Although scolded by the old Taoist, Zhang Hui wasn’t afraid. He pointed at Wukong and said, “Uncle, this person is… is…”
Only then did the old Taoist look at Wukong. But at that moment, Wukong appeared no different from an ordinary person. How could a mere eighth-rank celestial immortal recognize him? Seeing that Wukong had no cultivation at all, the old Taoist became even angrier and shouted, “You, a terrestrial immortal with remarkable talent, are kneeling before an ordinary person! What kind of decency is this?”
Zhang Hui hurriedly said, “Uncle, he… he once did me a favor!”
“Oh?” The old Taoist grew suspicious. Wukong now looked no older than twenty, while Zhang Hui had been a Taoist for hundreds of years. What kind of favor could that be? Could it be… that he was hiding his true abilities?

Wukong saw through the old Taoist’s intentions at a glance. Not wanting to cause trouble, he said to Zhang Hui, “Let’s step aside and talk.” Zhang Hui nodded. Unaware that Zhang Hui wouldn’t ask for leave from him, the old Taoist felt his face was lost in front of so many juniors and shouted, “Come back!” Wukong was slightly surprised—this old Taoist was quite arrogant and unreasonable. Wukong waved his hand, using a spell to freeze all the Taoists, sealing their six senses. The Taoists stood motionless in the street, unable to move or react. Wukong said, “Everything’s settled. Where are you going?” Zhang Hui noticed that Wukong had cast no spell, and his dozens of fellow Taoists were frozen like clay or wood carvings. He thought to himself, “My benefactor’s powers have grown even more.” Zhang Hui said, “It’s been years since we last met. There’s a long story. If you have time, I’ll tell you more. I wonder…” He glanced at Wukong, who smiled and nodded, so he began to speak. Wukong looked around. Many people, seeing the strangely dressed Taoists standing motionless in the street, gathered to watch. Wukong smiled helplessly. Using magic here would be too shocking. He waved his hand to lift the spell from everyone and said, “Go back. I just need to talk to Zhang Hui for a while.” The Taoists regained their freedom, filled with shock and fear. They dared not speak to Wukong again and stood by the side of the road, waiting for Zhang Hui. Seeing a small shop nearby, Wukong pulled Zhang Hui inside. They sat down, ordered two bowls of food as a formality, and then Wukong asked, “Where did you become a Taoist?” Zhang Hui replied, “After leaving the Three Realms, I was sent to Xiniuhézhou. Back then, the world was relatively peaceful, and I encountered no evil demons. But because my cultivation was low, I still suffered. After drifting around for about thirty to forty years, I arrived in the Kingdom of Bhikku. There, a Taoist temple was recruiting disciples, so I joined it. I’ve been a Taoist for many years, practicing meditation day and night—quite a peaceful life.” Wukong remembered that when he first met Zhang Hui, his cultivation was only at the fourth rank of immortals, but now it was already at the fifth rank of earth immortals. For ordinary practitioners, it’s extremely difficult to reach this level. Fortunately, Zhang Hui had the Black Water physique, which allowed him to cultivate much faster than others. Wukong praised, “You’ve made great progress.” Zhang Hui felt a bit ashamed in front of Wukong and said, “You’re too kind. I wonder when I’ll be able to reach your level.” Wukong thought to himself, “I’m afraid you’ll never reach my level.”

The Kingdom of Bichu – I’ve heard of this name before. Wukong thought for a moment. In “Journey to the West,” when Tang Seng passed through the Kingdom of Bichu, its king favored Taoism and despised Buddhism. He invited an old Taoist priest, who was actually a deer spirit under the Southern Pole Immortal, to collect children’s hearts in order to brew an elixir of immortality. During the battle in the South Sea back then, that demonic deer was beheaded by Feng Tong with a machete, so it naturally could no longer cause harm. Since then, Taoist temples still exist in the Kingdom of Bichu to this day; it seems that old habits are hard to change, which is quite understandable.

Zhang Hui said, “The abbot of the temple is of the eighth rank among celestial immortals. He serves as the national advisor in the Kingdom of Bichu, his status second only to the king.”

Wukong asked, “If he can’t live a good life in the country, why did he come here?”

Zhang Hui replied, “It’s quite coincidental. The Kingdom of Bichu is located in Xiniuhuo Continent. For hundreds of years, Buddhist monks from the East have often gone west in search of the origins of Buddhism. Previous kings didn’t care and simply allowed these monks to pass through. But the current king only respects Taoism. Seeing so many monks heading west, he was puzzled. Taoist scriptures are said to be the best in the world. Why do these monks go to such lengths just to seek Taoism in the West?”

Wukong asked, “So what? Do they expect you to destroy the Western Heaven?”

Zhang Hui laughed and said, “We certainly don’t have such power. Since the king is puzzled, he wants the abbot to find a way to bring back some scriptures from the West so that they can be studied and see what the differences are.”

Wukong asked, “The Buddha’s teachings have spread throughout the world. Why do you still need to make this trip?”

Zhang Hui replied, “Buddhist scriptures can be found everywhere, but those spread throughout the world vary, and it’s hard to distinguish between genuine and fake ones. That’s why we need to make this special trip. There’s another reason too…” Zhang Hui glanced outside and lowered his voice, fearing his uncle might hear, saying, “My uncle really despises Buddhism. He says that if he gets the chance during this trip to the West, he’ll argue with the monks on Ling Mountain to see whether Taoism or Buddhism is the true orthodoxy.”

Wukong couldn’t help but laugh. This uncle was truly like a frog in a well. With his limited abilities and knowledge, he dared to go to the West. Not to mention Maitreya or Guanyin, even if he met Nagarjuna, he wouldn’t be able to argue with him.

After asking further, Wukong said, “If that’s the case, continue your journey west. Don’t delay.”

Zhang Hui replied, “We’ve been traveling day and night for seven or eight days. Today, we’re taking a break here. I really didn’t expect to meet my benefactor here…” Zhang Hui rubbed his hands, his face full of excitement.

Seeing Zhang Hui’s nervous expression, Wukong laughed and said, “Your uncle is right. With so many distractions in practicing Taoism, you should cultivate a peaceful mind.”

Zhang Hui smiled innocently and said, “I’m not like this when I’m with others. It’s just that you, sir…” At this point, Zhang Hui didn’t know what else to say.
Wukong had an idea and sent an invisible force into Zhang Hui’s body. This force originated from the extreme energy of water. If Zhang Hui practiced diligently in the future, it would be highly beneficial to his cultivation. But if he became lazy, he would be no different from ordinary people.
With Wukong’s current level of cultivation, it wouldn’t take much effort to lift Zhang Hui to the rank of Taiyi Golden Immortal. However, a higher level of cultivation wasn’t necessarily a blessing—steady practice was still the best approach.