Volume 1: Unsayable, Chapter 5: The True Self

The rock walls collapsed with a thunderous crash, and then two figures darted back and forth in midair like lightning, their weapons clashing repeatedly—producing the very sound of metal on metal heard earlier.
At this moment, the Stone Monkey could only move his eyes. At that sight, he was stunned speechless. Not far above him, there stood a giant greenish-black creature five zhang tall, its head covered in white fur. Its huge eyes emitted a faint golden glow from time to time, and from its gaping maw protruded jagged, snow-white fangs as sharp as blades. Its entire body was covered in upright stiff hairs, and a long white beard hung from its chin.
The monster let out a low growl, clearly furious. The Stone Monkey saw that dark red blood flowed through its greenish-black skin—it had indeed been wounded.
The opponent of this monster was a handsome young man, with a face as fair as jade and lips as red as drops of blood, exuding a serene and beautiful grace akin to that of a woman. Dressed in black combat attire that accentuated his slender figure, he held a long spear, its tip ending in a lightning-like tongue that stretched and retracted, pointed at his opponent.
“Wuzhiji, surrender now!” the young man shouted.
Wuzhiji! Could this giant ape really be Wuzhiji? The Stone Monkey was shocked. If this monster was Wuzhiji, then this young man must be Prince Zhang.
The Stone Monkey remembered clearly that Prince Zhang had studied under the Great Sage National Teacher, King Bodhisattva, and had joined him along with the four divine generals to subdue the Water Mother Goddess. The name “Water Mother Goddess” was a misinterpretation by later generations; her true form was actually Wuzhiji.
Since ancient times, Wuzhiji had caused chaos in the Huai River, stirring up storms and harming the people. When Dayu tried to control the floods, he summoned all the gods in heaven, but none could subdue this beast. Only by bringing out the divine beast Kui Long could it be trapped and suppressed at the foot of Turtle Mountain, after which the Huai River finally became calm.
Thinking of this, the Stone Monkey grew puzzled. Strange! If Wuzhiji had already been suppressed, how could it have escaped? Could this Wuzhiji not be the real one? Or was the story of its suppression just a rumor?
While he was lost in thought, the battle resumed.
Wuzhiji was enormous, while Prince Zhang seemed utterly weak in comparison. Yet Wuzhiji feared Prince Zhang’s spear greatly and dared not get too close. Although Wuzhiji was large, it moved with great agility. However, it seemed to suffer from some hidden illness, as its movements would stall whenever Prince Zhang launched an attack. With no weapon of its own, when it couldn’t dodge, it would brace itself against the electric sparks from the spear tip. The sound of metal on metal heard earlier was produced by this very clash.

Wu Zhiqi’s skin was incredibly hard, yet it could not withstand this electric light. A blue flash passed by, and blood spilled from the sky. He tried to escape, but some unknown spell seemed to have been cast in the air; no matter how he pushed or dashed, he couldn’t find a way out, leaving him roaring in fury.

The Stone Monkey felt a hint of pity upon seeing Wu Zhiqi’s desperate and enraged state. It reminded him of the chapter “Free and Easy Wandering” from the Water Curtain Cave: There was a bird called the Peng, its back as vast as Mount Tai, its wings like clouds hanging from the sky. It soared upward ninety thousand li, breaking through the clouds and carrying the blue sky upon its back…

Wu Zhiqi was like a Peng trapped in a cage, yearning for freedom in countless ways yet ultimately bound by reality.

Prince Zhang wielded his divine spear with such skill that not even wind or rain could penetrate it. His heroic appearance was as majestic as that of a celestial being. In about fifteen minutes, Wu Zhiqi could no longer escape or dodge. His massive body curled up, his defiant eyes losing their golden glow, and his stiff fur drooped limp.

At that moment, a auspicious cloud flew in from afar. Four divine beings in silver armor descended from the cloud, unfurling a large net to capture Wu Zhiqi. The net was made of silver threads, extremely thin and sharp, piercing deep into his flesh. Yet Wu Zhiqi remained motionless, as if dead, making no sound at all.

One of the divine beings said, “Prince, your spear skills are getting sharper by the day.” Another added, “Indeed! The prince is born with extraordinary talent; subduing this demon monkey is nothing for him.”

Demon monkey? Demon monkey!

The Stone Monkey was stirred again. If they called Wu Zhiqi a demon monkey, could it be that he was also a monkey? Upon closer inspection, it was true. When Wu Zhiqi was weakened, his appearance had changed greatly. Aside from his huge size, he resembled a docile ape! He and I are of the same kind, thought the Stone Monkey.

The four divine generals captured Wu Zhiqi and carried him away on the cloud with the net. At that moment, Wu Zhiqi’s huge eyes suddenly opened, staring in the direction of the Stone Monkey. He saw me! The Stone Monkey could sense that Wu Zhiqi had definitely seen it. In that gaze were sorrow, grievance, resentment, and sadness…

Prince Zhang shook his wrist, and his Chu Bai spear disappeared somewhere. He walked slowly through the air, reaching the Stone Monkey in just a few steps. He examined it from head to toe and thought, “My master asked me to take this Stone Monkey back to the temple. I wonder why.” He rolled up his sleeve and wrapped the Stone Monkey inside it, then soared into the clouds to carry out his mission.

Once inside the sleeve, the Stone Monkey felt immediately warmer. It realized that Prince Zhang’s sleeve wasn’t made of silk or cotton but seemed to be woven from gold threads.

In a short while, it felt as though they had landed. The Stone Monkey was placed on the ground, and before him stood a magnificent mountain gate made of three zhang tall white jade, with the four golden characters “Great Sage Zen Temple” inscribed on it. Entering the gate, there were grand halls all around, layered pavilions, colorful clouds, and winding corridors. In the distance, a nine-story tower shone brightly—likely a significant place. Prince Zhang said nothing and led the Stone Monkey into the main hall. Inside, an old man sat in silence, his eyebrows reaching his cheeks, with light black curly hair on his head. Dressed in plain black robes, he had a kind face. On either side of him stood young monks, both with rosy lips and white teeth, handsome and respectful. When the old man saw Prince Zhang enter the hall, he smiled slightly and said, “Disciple, have you gained anything today?” Prince Zhang joined his hands in prayer and bowed, saying, “It’s three minutes faster than last time, but this Wu Zhiqi seems to have sensed something; his intelligence exceeds that of before.” “Hmm,” the old man replied, showing no signs of joy or anger. Prince Zhang then stepped back slowly. The old man’s gaze shifted to the Stone Monkey, and he murmured, “The intelligent Stone Monkey—truly an extraordinary being in this world.” After saying that, he closed his eyes slightly, tucked his left hand into his sleeve, and began to calculate silently. It took half a stick of incense before he opened his eyes again, slightly surprised: This Stone Monkey had only been born for over a year, yet already faced such a great calamity—quite unusual. Let’s see what kind of calamity it will encounter. The old man stared at the Stone Monkey and asked, “Do you know where you come from?” The Stone Monkey waited for a long time before finally getting a chance to speak and hurriedly replied, “I come from Flower-Fruit Mountain in the Eastern Victory Divine Land.” “Hmm, indeed you understand timing and geography. Do you have parents?” “I have no parents, but I have several brothers.” “Do you have a name?” “No name?” “I’ll give you one—” At this point, the old man stopped speaking, as if interrupted by someone. Based on his words, it should have been, “May I give you a name?” But instead, the old man remained calm and said, “I’ll give you a set of clothes. Stay in my Great Sage Zen Temple.” The Stone Monkey was filled with doubts. This old man was Prince Zhang’s master—naturally, it was King Bodhisattva, the Great Sage who subdued Wu Zhiqi. When Sun Wukong couldn’t deal with the Green Ox Monster and came here for help, his most famous line was, “…But it’s early summer, and the Huai River is flooding. I’ve just captured the Water Ape Great Sage, who thrives in water. I’m afraid that after I leave, he might become mischievous, with no one to control him.”

Throughout the entire Journey to the West, it seems that the Tathagata possesses the greatest power and the Jade Emperor holds the most authority. Yet the Stone Monkey, who has thoroughly understood the story, knows that there are countless hidden giants in this world—those who appear on the surface are merely the tip of the iceberg, insignificant. Just Wang Bodhisattva’s statement, “There is no god to rule over,” speaks with such arrogance that it treats all the gods in the world as nothing at all. From this single sentence, one can imagine just how great his power is.

Earlier, when he wanted to choose a name for himself, it was clearly with the intention of taking control. But suddenly his words changed, as if he was forcibly stopped by someone else. Why? Who has the ability and power to influence Wang Bodhisattva’s decisions?

At this moment, the Stone Monkey couldn’t help but think of Patriarch Bodhi. Since the Monkey King set out on his adventures at sea, every moment of his life has been planned and controlled by others. Though he appears to lead a glorious life, he has long lost his true self. Now that I have come to this world, I will never allow my life to be like this.

Even if one’s fate is controlled by others and seems glorious, what meaning does such a puppet-like existence have? Only one’s true self is the real self.