Chapter 743
The Tightening Headband Was Actually Placed on Tang Sanzang's Head
Amidst his anger, a chilling calculation also arose. Since you want to play, then I, Old Sun, will play along! I'll turn the tables on you!
In the blink of an eye, Sun Wukong had made up his mind.
The cold expression on his face quickly faded, replaced by an expression that conveyed a sense of "guilt" and "sincerity".
He didn't take the flower hat that Tang Sanzang offered again. Instead, he took the cotton robe and casually draped it over his arm. Then, looking at the lonely flower hat in Tang Sanzang's hand, he sighed deeply.
“Master,” Sun Wukong’s voice became calm, even carrying a hint of “concern” that he hadn’t shown before.
"I was a little harsh with my words just now, please don't take it to heart, Master. I was only doing this for your own good."
Tang Sanzang was already unsettled by Lin Zhu's abrupt denial, and was taken aback by what he heard.
"For...for the good of your teacher?"
"Exactly!"
Sun Wukong had a look on his face that said, "I'm thinking of you."
“Master, think about it. I am a Great Luo Golden Immortal with great supernatural powers. Ordinary demons and monsters cannot get close to me. Whether I wear this hat or not, what difference does it make to me? It’s just icing on the cake.”
He abruptly changed the subject, pointing westward, his voice lowered, carrying a solemn tone of "revealing the cruel reality."
"But what about you, Master? You are a mortal, with no strength to even kill a chicken, yet you insist on walking 108,000 li to the Western Paradise! Along the way, there are towering mountains and countless demons and monsters! Not to mention the distant ones, just look ahead..."
Sun Wukong casually pointed to a scorched mountain in the distance, which was still not fully recovered from the previous attack by the Glass Buddha, and said in a serious tone.
"Look at that forest, ten miles of scorched earth, lifeless, with the faint scent of corpses still lingering! What kind of powerful demon could have passed by to create such a scene? Master, the road ahead is far more dangerous than we can imagine!"
Tang Sanzang looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a scene of devastation and charring. Combined with Sun Wukong's solemn tone and the words "corpse" and "great demon," he was immediately terrified and turned pale. The joy of obtaining the "magic weapon" vanished, and the terrifying image of his good brother being torn to shreds by a monster flashed through his mind.
"Wukong! Don't scare your master!"
Tang Sanzang's voice trembled as he tightly clutched the flower hat in his arms, as if it were his only lifeline.
"I...I don't want to die! I still want to obtain the true scriptures and bring glory to Buddhism...no, I want to fulfill the Immortal Lord's request! What...what should I do?"
His eyes, fixed on the flower hat in his hand, shone with an even more urgent and yearning light—a protective treasure! He needed it right now!
Seeing that the time was almost right, Sun Wukong chuckled inwardly, but his face became even more "sincere." He imitated Lin Zhu's "thinking of you" manner from his memory, shaking his head and sighing.
"So, Master. Your disciple can shield you from countless hardships and dangers, but there is no guarantee that there will be no oversights."
On this journey west, even a venomous snake that has become a spirit, or a wild boar that has gone mad, could take your life, Master! This hat…”
His gaze fell on the flower hat, and his tone became more "earnest".
“Since that old woman said it’s some kind of ‘protective treasure,’ capable of automatically protecting its owner and warding off evil spirits, then it’s exactly what you need most, Master! I’m tough and don’t need it. But only when this treasure is on your head can I feel at ease protecting you on your journey to the West! Master, please accept it! Consider this my… token of my respect!”
After saying that, he actually reached out, not to take the hat, but to gently push the flowery hat, along with the headband hidden underneath, back into Tang Sanzang's arms! His movements were gentle, and his eyes were "sincere," as if he were truly offering his most precious treasure to save his master's life.
Tang Sanzang was so moved by his words and actions that his eyes welled up with tears. What a good disciple! He always thought of his master, even willing to give up the "protective treasure" bestowed upon him by the immortal lord! The unease and doubt in his heart caused by Lin Zhu's denial were instantly dispelled by this deep "master-disciple affection" and his worry for his own life.
His hands trembled as he instinctively reached for the ring, but when his fingers touched the cold gold band, he abruptly pulled back. A look of intense struggle and reluctance flashed across his face, which ultimately turned into a long sigh.
"Wukong... I appreciate your kindness."
Tang Sanzang took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and pushed the flower hat towards Sun Wukong again, his voice trembling with tears, yet he tried his best to maintain his "principles".
"However... this item was ultimately given to you by the Immortal Lord. A gentleman does not take what others cherish; this is a basic principle of being a person! Although I... although I really want it and need it to save my life, I... cannot accept it! Absolutely cannot accept it!"
He spoke with absolute certainty, but his eyes were filled with endless longing and desire for that "invulnerable" treasure, and his hands trembled even more violently.
Sun Wukong cursed the monk inwardly for being hypocritical and cowardly, but on his face he showed an even more "moved" expression and pushed the flower hat back again.
“Master! What are you saying? The Immortal Lord gave it to me, and I will give it back to you. What’s wrong with that? This hat is yours now! Please accept it without worry! Otherwise, I will not be at ease and how can I protect you on your journey to the West with all my might?”
The two of them pushed and shoved each other, passing the flower hat that concealed the deadly headband back and forth between the master and disciple, as if it had become a hot potato, or as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
For Tang Sanzang, it represented the absolute security he had always dreamed of, but he dared not possess it alone because he was "specifically named by the Immortal Lord for Wukong" and bound by the "way of the gentleman"; for Sun Wukong, it was a poisoned bait that he had to throw out in his scheme, and he would never touch it.
After several rounds of back and forth, Tang Sanzang finally "gave in," or rather, his inner desires and fear of death finally overwhelmed his pitiful "principles" and his entanglement with the immortal's orders.
"Enough! Enough!"
Tang Sanzang appeared helpless, as if he couldn't refuse Sun Wukong, but in reality he was overjoyed. He hugged the flower hat tightly to his chest, as if afraid that Sun Wukong would change his mind.
"Since you insist, my disciple, then... then I will keep it for you for now! I will return it to you when you need it in the future!"
He said "keep safe," but his eyes were fixed on the hat, and he swallowed hard, his anticipation evident.
Sun Wukong sneered inwardly, but smiled heartily on the surface and waved his hand.
“Master, what are you saying? Just wear it! What’s this talk about returning it? I, Old Sun, don’t care about this thing. It’s no big deal if I lose it.”
"nonsense!"
Tang Sanzang immediately put on a stern face and scolded him.
"This was bestowed by the Celestial Lord, how can it be discarded so easily? You child, you are too disrespectful to the Celestial Lord! Remember, it's one thing to be disrespectful to those stupid... those Bodhisattvas in the Western Paradise, but you must have a thousand, ten thousand respects for the Celestial Lord of the Prison! Whether we can succeed in obtaining this scripture may depend on whether we go to the Heavenly Court to ask the Celestial Lord for help!" He spoke these double standards as if they were perfectly reasonable, which made Guanyin in the clouds feel her blood churn again.
Tang Sanzang ignored Sun Wukong and eagerly lowered his head to examine the "treasure" in his arms.
He stroked the gold-embroidered hat and suddenly felt a hard ring under the hat.
He carefully lifted a corner of his hat brim, and suddenly, a metal ring that shimmered with dark gold, had an ancient design, and was covered with fine runes was revealed!
"Ah! So the hat was just a disguise! This is the real magic weapon!"
Tang Sanzang's eyes widened in excitement, and he almost jumped up. He looked at the golden ring from left to right, and the more he looked at it, the more he liked it. He felt that the golden ring was shimmering with light and was mysterious and extraordinary.
He looked at the flowered hat with disdain.
"This hat is so colorful and gaudy, it detracts from my dignity as a monk and is also in the way! This gold ring is the real treasure!"
While he was overjoyed, Sun Wukong walked to the side, leaned against his golden cudgel, seemingly deep in thought, but actually observing coldly out of the corner of his eye, calculating his next move.
Tang Sanzang played with the golden ring for a while, then suddenly raised his head and looked at Sun Wukong with an expression that was a mixture of expectation, pride and uncertainty. He held the golden ring up to his bald head and asked.
"Wukong, look... wouldn't it look good if I wore this?"
His question came out of nowhere, with a touch of childish boasting, as if he had gotten a new toy and needed to ask his friends' opinions.
However, to Sun Wukong, it was like a bolt from the blue! He was suddenly jolted awake from his reverie, abruptly looked up, and stared intently at Tang Sanzang and the ominous dark gold headband that Tang Sanzang was holding above his head!
Sun Wukong was stunned by that glance.
At the same time, high in the clouds, Guanyin Bodhisattva, who had just barely managed to distract herself from her humiliating and indignant entanglement with Lin Zhu and was now paying attention to what was below, and Lin Zhu, who was leisurely pondering how to continue "demanding compensation," both looked down at Tang Sanzang's gesture of putting the headband on his own head.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Guanyin, still feeling ashamed and indignant, and Lin Zhu, who had a "wise man" expression on his face, were both stunned at the same time.
Time seemed to be held down by an invisible hand, frozen for a breath or two.
Three pairs of eyes, each carrying a distinct emotion, focused on the bewildered yet excited monk in the middle of the official road.
Tang Sanzang ultimately could not resist his inner desire for "absolute safety" and his love for the appearance of the golden circle "magical treasure".
Under the astonished gaze of Sun Wukong, the horrified Guanyin, and the amused gaze of Lin Zhu, he grinned, picked up the headband that shimmered with dark gold and had runes appearing in his hands, and without the slightest hesitation, as if putting on an ordinary monk's hat, he steadily put it on his shiny bald head, which had been stained with tiger blood not long ago!
"Click".
A soft, crisp sound, like the click of a mechanism, was particularly clear on the quiet mountain path.
The headband landed on Tang Sanzang's head, and its size seemed to fit perfectly, conforming seamlessly to the contours of his skull.
The dark golden luster created an eerie contrast with his slightly worn monk's robe. The fine runes seemed to come alive, flowing with a faint yet undeniable golden halo, adding a touch of... strange "solemn dignity" to his whole appearance, if one ignored his face, which still bore an expression of greed and excitement.
"boom--!"
Above the clouds, Guanyin Bodhisattva felt as if a billion bolts of lightning had exploded in her mind at once! Her beautiful eyes widened, her pupils suddenly shrinking to the size of pinpoints, as she watched helplessly as the golden headband she had painstakingly given away, even at the cost of stealing Lin Zhu's name, which was meant to be placed on Sun Wukong's head to control the most crucial step of the Journey to the West, was now... actually on Tang Sanzang's own head?!
"Do not--!!!"
Guanyin let out a silent, extremely shrill scream in her heart. Her vision blurred, her delicate body swayed precariously, and beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on her forehead, sliding down her pale, paper-white cheeks.
She felt a chilling sense of despair and absurdity instantly overwhelm her reason!
"Tang Sanzang! Jin Chanzi! What... what's in your head?! Mess?! A trap?!" Guanyin roared inwardly, furious and almost losing her composure as a Bodhisattva. "That's for Sun Wukong!"
It's a tool to control that lawless monkey! It's insurance to ensure the Journey to the West doesn't stray off course! You...you're just a mortal, a pilgrim, what are you doing wearing it on your head?! Huh?! Are you fucking up to something?! A huge trap?!
Everything she had meticulously planned, the humiliation she had endured, the price she had paid—at this moment, with Tang Sanzang's gentle tap, it all seemed to have become a colossal joke! A ridiculous joke that would leave the entire Western Paradise, even the Buddha himself, speechless and spitting blood!
Lin Zhu, who was standing to the side, quickly developed an even stronger, almost overflowing, look of surprise and amusement after his initial astonishment.
He stroked his chin, making a clicking sound.
"Wow, this is something I never expected. Elder Tang, you are indeed extraordinary, doing extraordinary things, wearing an extraordinary headband, awesome!"
Almost at the same time he was feeling sentimental, the familiar system notification sound in his mind rang out cheerfully with a subtle fluctuation in its tone.
[Ding! The side quest 'The Binding of the Tightening Headband' is complete! You have successfully prevented Sun Wukong from wearing the headband provided by Guanyin.]
[Task Rewards: One special item 'Tightening Band' and 50,000 Merit Water have been sent to your system space.]
[Note: This replica of the headband is crafted based on the original laws and possesses the potential for 'enhancement' and 'mutation,' requiring specific conditions to trigger. Its effects are unknown; please use it with caution.]
"Oh? It's finished? And they even gave you a fake?"
Lin Zhu's heart stirred. He checked the dark gold circle in the system space that was almost identical to the one on Tang Sanzang's head, as well as the heavy 50,000 merits. He felt even more pleased.
"Tsk tsk, some are happy, some are sad. But then again, who wears this headband doesn't seem to matter that much, does it? It doesn't necessarily have to be that monkey. Maybe it would be more interesting if it were on Tang Sanzang's head?"
A wicked glint shone in his eyes, as if he were seeing some new, more chaotic, and interesting future.
Below, Guanyin, after her initial breakdown and frantic state, felt an irresistible urge surge within her—she had to rush down immediately! To remove that damned headband from that fool Tang Sanzang's head! Even if it meant exposing her identity, even if it meant all her previous efforts were in vain, she absolutely could not let this mistake continue! (End of Chapter)