Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 50: An Unexpected Encounter

Yang Jian paused for a moment before saying, “This cup must be drunk. It’s not you who are to toast me, but I who am to toast you on behalf of all people in the mortal world!” With that, Yang Jian drained the wine in his cup.
The other five people at the table also stood up and said, “Thank you, Brother Yang!” Then they too drank up their wine.
Wukong was utterly confused. From what he heard, it seemed Yang Jian was their benefactor. If what he said was true, then Kang Anyu, who was willing to sacrifice himself to save others, must indeed be a good person.
Yang Jian continued, “Brothers, do not belittle yourselves just because you are demons. Whether human or demon, we all originate from heaven and earth, nurtured by the essence of all things. We should learn the teachings of the sages and the Dao, striving for righteousness in the world, regardless of others’ slander. I, Yang Jian, swear to heaven that today I form a brotherly bond with Kang Anyu, Zhang Boshi, Li Huanzhang, Yao Gonglin, Guo Shen, and Zhi Jian. We will stay together through life and share honor and disgrace. If I break this oath—”
As soon as Yang Jian said this, the six men knelt down and cried out loudly, “Never! Absolutely never!”
Yang Jian merely smiled slightly, cast a spell, and suddenly a loud voice rang out like a bell: “Make me deaf and blind, let arrows pierce my body and kill me!” The loud noise terrified the dozens of women dancing below, causing them to collapse.
Hearing such a vicious oath from Yang Jian, the six men burst into tears and wailed.
Yet Yang Jian acted as if nothing had happened, smiling and saying, “Brothers, why such despair?”
Kang Anyu shouted, “Brother Yang, we are all sinners who have violated heavenly laws. If you do this, you will surely ruin your own future! Brother Yang…” Another man said, “Brother Yang, you are the personal nephew of the Jade Emperor. As the saying goes, distance does not weaken kinship. With your abilities, it would be easy for you to create your own realm in heaven. Why bother associating with us mediocre people?”
Yet another man added, “Brother Boshi is right. It’s fine to bow today, but how will Brother Yang relate to heaven from now on? And what will become of us?”
Yang Jian pondered for a moment before saying, “I have thought about what all of you have said. But even the ancients were willing to sacrifice their lives for righteousness. What’s the point of worrying about a mere future? Heaven may be powerful, but if I don’t want to, what can they do to me?” His words carried a sense of great pride and confidence.
Hearing Yang Jian’s determination, Wukong secretly admired him. What a remarkable Erlang Shen who saved his mother by splitting mountains! He truly did not disappoint me!
Seeing that Yang Jian was resolute, Kang Anyu ordered his men to set up an altar. On the altar stood three statues, all resembling Taoists. On the plaque in front of the middle statue read, “Yueqing Sacred Realm, Great Luo Yuan Shi Tian Zun.” Clearly, these three Taoists were the Three Pure Ones.

Yang Jian knelt in the center, with the other six arranged in three groups on each side. Yang Jian declared loudly, “Heaven and Earth are heartless, treating all things as mere straw dogs. My seven brothers and I met and grew close in these chaotic times; our bond is as strong as that of brothers. This loyalty can shine as bright as the sun and moon. Today, we swear to be brothers, to live and die together. From now on, we will only worship the Three Pure Ones and not Heaven.” The other six echoed, “Live and die together, only worship the Three Pure Ones and not Heaven!” Hearing this oath, Wukong was secretly pleased. It seemed the relationship between Heaven and Yang Jian was quite complex. Although Yang Jian was a disciple of the Jade Cauldron Immortal under the Primordial Lord, he upheld the principle of “education for all,” just like Wukong himself. The difference was that Yang Jian was human, while Wukong was a true demon—so in that regard, Yang Jian had the upper hand. Seeing Yang Jian become brothers with those six demons, Wukong felt admiration and no longer wanted to fight him. He stayed on the beam for a while longer, listening to the seven discuss old events, then quietly flew out of the hall. From a distance, he transformed into a sparrow to go find the Bull Demon King and Feng Tong. Soon, he located the two of them. The three gathered in a secluded place, and the Bull Demon King asked, “Brother, why didn’t we fight?” Wukong replied, “I saw that Yang Jian is brave and magnanimous—a truly remarkable person, so I lost the desire to fight.” He then asked the two, “After investigating for so long, have you gained any information?” Feng Tong said, “These demons didn’t come here by force; they heard of the fame of the Seven Sages of Meishan and came here on their own volition.” “Huh? Why would they come here?” Wukong asked. Feng Tong explained, “I captured two minor demon leaders and used tricks to make them reveal the truth. It turns out that ordinary demons each occupy their own territory, seemingly living freely, but in reality, they are in extreme danger. Once discovered by Heaven, they will be exterminated. But the Seven Sages of Meishan are kind-hearted and powerful. Within thousands of miles, even heavenly soldiers dare not enter. That’s why many demons come here seeking a way to survive.” Wukong sighed, “The Seven Sages of Meishan are indeed extraordinary.” Then he added, “In that case, it’s not as if Brother Niu was right about fate.” The Bull Demon King looked embarrassed and said, “I spoke rashly. I thought Yang Jian was such a great figure that he wouldn’t look down on ordinary demons. I miscalculated.” Wukong comforted him, “Brother, don’t worry. What you said before made sense.” The three flew westward on clouds, continuing to search for demon lairs. Although this trip seemed fruitless, Wukong was convinced that if Yang Jian used his skills wisely, he might become a powerful ally. As for the Bull Demon King’s unusual behavior, Wukong didn’t know the reason, so he decided not to ask and would just keep an eye on it.

The three of them didn’t know how far they had gone when suddenly they heard a loud shout that seemed to reach the heavens. In a moment, four figures leaped up from the ground, moving swiftly. One of them said, “What a fierce beast—” Before he could finish, they saw Wukong and the others right in front of them.

Then another person came up from below. Upon seeing this person, Wukong smiled bitterly and said, “This world is really too small.” It turned out to be Zhenyuanzi from the Wuzhuang Temple.

When Zhenyuanzi saw Wukong and the others there, he was initially stunned, then showed a terrified expression, turned around, and left in an instant, disappearing without a trace. Wukong was also confused by Zhenyuanzi’s behavior—usually gentle and dignified, he now seemed insane.

The four of them were also shocked to see Wukong and the others, but seeing Zhenyuanzi flee in panic, they laughed inwardly. Could it be that he thought them to be accomplices of these three? Haha, even this old beast has moments of fear.

Wukong examined the four of them carefully and came to a conclusion. Why? The first one had a round head, broad face, green cheeks, a huge mouth, flowing mane, and a massive body—clearly a lion. The second had phoenix-like eyes and golden pupils, yellow teeth, thick legs, a long nose, silver fur, fair skin, and short arms—obviously a white elephant. The third had protruding golden eyes, two long beards, a mouth larger than its cheeks, and red armor covering its body—what else but a golden fish? The fourth had a pointed head, mouse-like eyes, sallow complexion, a hunched back, and short limbs—resembling a weasel somewhat.

Seeing the appearance of these four, Wukong laughed loudly. These four beasts had gathered together, likely to steal Zhenyuanzi’s ginseng fruits.

Wukong was right. These four were exactly the four demons who tried to stop Tang Seng from going on his pilgrimage in “Journey to the West”: the green lion under Manjushri Bodhisattva, the white elephant under Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, the golden fish known as the King of Inspiration from Guanyin’s lotus pond, and the last one being the weasel demon Huangfeng, under the control of Lingxi Bodhisattva at the foot of Mount Ling.

These four had received orders to provoke the Wuzhuang Temple on Mount Wanshou. Who would have thought that four demons at the rank of eighth-grade celestial beings couldn’t even defeat Zhenyuanzi, a Taiyi Golden Immortal? They were driven away by the divine powers Zhenyuanzi had recently mastered. Zhenyuanzi himself was also greatly shocked. For some reason, the mountain-sealing formation set up by Buddha in the Wuzhuang Temple had lost its effect, and every time he used his “Pocket Universe” technique, it was dodged by these four demons.

What Zhenyuanzi didn’t know was that the golden fish demon, known as the King of Inspiration, indeed possessed the strange ability to foresee the future. Even before Zhenyuanzi used his “Pocket Universe” technique, it had already given him a warning and informed its companions to flee—no wonder it was called the King of Inspiration.

Zhen Yuanzi chased after them for a while before suddenly seeing the old ox and the two monkeys fighting in the clouds. By now, he was already terrified, and subconsciously he assumed these seven were accomplices. If it wasn’t for my ginseng fruit, no one would believe it. You want to lure the tiger away from the mountain? I’ll remain unmoved—let’s see what you can do! So Zhen Yuanzi immediately returned to his estate to continue guarding his ginseng fruit tree.

The four demons were thoroughly beaten by Zhen Yuanzi and felt frustrated. Looking at the three opponents, only the old ox seemed somewhat capable, while the other two monkeys, each only four feet tall, appeared like mere lackeys. To make matters worse, the monkeys even sneered at them slightly—how bold! The Green Lion Demon, known for his violent temper, pointed at Wukong and said, “You monkey, why are you staring at your grandfather?”