Chapter 762
You son of a bitch! Tang Sanzang roared in fury: Where's your manners?! Wukong, you
Tang Sanzang crouched behind the rock, cautiously peeking out half of his bald head, covering his mouth with his sleeve, and asked in a low voice, "Wukong, have you seen that monster?"
Sun Wukong glanced back at him, his brows furrowed, his tone full of annoyance: "My old Sun's eyes can see good and bad fortune a thousand miles away in broad daylight, and can even see a dragonfly spreading its wings within a thousand miles, but the only thing I can't find is your dead horse."
He pointed at the stream and retorted confidently, "Tell me, where exactly is your horse? Why does the monster eat your horse?"
Tang Sanzang's expression visibly darkened as he listened to Sun Wukong repeatedly use the vulgar term "your horse." His lips twitched, moved, twitched again, and finally he couldn't hold back any longer, saying in a very restrained tone, "Wukong, could you please stop using 'your horse' all the time? It sounds so awkward to me."
Sun Wukong tilted his head, his monkey face full of innocence: "What's wrong with what I, Old Sun, said? That's your horse, not my horse. Of course it's your horse."
"That's not the issue."
Tang Sanzang took a deep breath and realized that discussing language and civilization with a monkey might indeed be his problem. So he waved his hand, trying to steer the conversation back on track, "Wukong, the way you speak is very problematic. This is not how a human should speak; it's too rude."
Sun Wukong blinked and nodded seriously: "I, Old Sun, was never human to begin with."
Tang Sanzang: "..."
He was speechless for a long time, swallowed hard, and thought that trying to reason with this monkey was simply humiliating.
He took a deep breath, trying to make his tone sound calm, and said cautiously, "How about we put aside the matter of my horse for now and calmly think about how to deal with the monster?"
Look, the monster is in the water, and I am on the shore. Now I have no horse and cannot cross Eagle's Sorrow Gorge. I must think of a way.
"Or—" He paused, then his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had thought of a good idea, "Wukong, you know transformation magic, right? You can transform into a Kun, go down and swallow it."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's lips twitched downwards, forming a smile that was hard to define as either laughter or disdain.
He took the golden cudgel off his shoulder, slammed it on the ground, and crossed his arms, saying, "Master, you don't know this, but I, Old Sun, was born from a stone and am naturally incompatible with water. Fighting in the water will greatly reduce my skills; I'll be lucky to use three-tenths of my strength."
Going down rashly would probably not be a good idea.
He paused, then brought the topic back, suggesting earnestly, "How about we continue discussing your horse's matter?"
Tang Sanzang's face turned completely black, as black as the bottom of a pot. He jumped up, pointed at Sun Wukong, and his voice changed: "Manners! Where are your manners! You still say you're alright! You've broken the rules, do you know that?!"
Sun Wukong tilted his head, looking at him with a calm expression, even a hint of amusement. He asked slowly, "What do you intend to do?"
Tang Sanzang opened his mouth, then suddenly realized that he really couldn't do anything. He couldn't beat the monkey in a fight, he couldn't out-argue it, and he didn't know if his spells would work. The key point was that this monkey didn't seem to be afraid of him at all.
He stood there, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, until finally he deflated like a punctured balloon, his voice so low it sounded like it was squeezed out from a crack in the ground: "It's alright now."
After he finished speaking, he plopped back down on the rock, his face filled with despair.
He looked down at his worn-out monk's shoes, then looked up at the endless mountains to the west, his voice filled with a resigned sorrow: "How can I go to the Western Paradise without a horse? Am I really going to trot all the way? After walking this 108,000 li, my feet will be cracked. What's the point of fetching scriptures? I'm afraid I'll just end up meeting Buddha in the Western Paradise halfway there."
Sun Wukong thought that what he said made some sense. He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then seriously suggested, "Why don't we just put aside your horse and go around it? At worst, we'll get a couple of pricks in the foot, it won't kill us."
Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang felt even more distressed. He stretched out his legs, plopped down on the ground, and put on a childish, pleading expression: "No! I want a horse! I want a horse! How can we go this way! How can we get there!"
As he spoke, his voice even trembled with a hint of a sob. It's no wonder he was like this; his journey from leaving Chang'an City to now had been anything but smooth.
First, they were terrified by monsters, then deceived by a Bodhisattva. Finally, they got a horse, only to have it swallowed whole by a giant white dragon after just a few days. Anyone would be devastated in that situation.
The little white dragon Ao Lie, hidden at the bottom of Eagle Sorrow Stream, was currently coiled on a rock at the bottom of the water, looking through the layers of water at the bald monk sitting slumped on the ground above, his brows furrowed so deeply they could practically trap a fly.
Back in the Dragon Palace, he was used to a life of luxury and debauchery. He was short-tempered, impatient, and couldn't stand those good-for-nothings who would cry and beg for everything at the drop of a hat.
What kind of person is a monk who sits on the ground and acts like a child when something goes wrong? How can someone like that be a pilgrim on the journey to the West? The more Little White Dragon looked at him, the more irritated he became. The contempt in his heart surged so intensely that he almost wanted to jump up and bite him again.
Actually, this wasn't the White Dragon's fault. In the White Dragon's eyes, Tang Sanzang's behavior was indeed utterly useless, but he had no idea what the monk had experienced along the way.
Anyone would become like this after being repeatedly cheated and harmed so many times: they would always think of the worst-case scenario first, resort to words rather than violence, and take a detour rather than go straight. This is self-preservation, and there's nothing shameful about it.
Sun Wukong stood to the side, watching Tang Sanzang sitting on the ground, refusing to leave, and felt a little annoyed. If it weren't for having this burden to carry, he would have already somersaulted over there; why would he need to worry about all this?
Just as the three parties—the monk, the monkey, and the dragon—were locked in a stalemate, Guanyin Bodhisattva, standing atop a cloud in the sky, clearly saw the situation below through the gaps in the clouds.
A slight smile played on her lips, a knowing grin spreading across her face—here they come, finally here. She knew that without his horse, Tang Sanzang would be helpless, and Sun Wukong was no match for water combat; the two would be left glaring at each other.
"Knowing that there's nothing you can do is the right thing."
Guanyin Bodhisattva nodded slightly, her tone carrying a hint of confidence and composure, "Next, the Jiedi will step forward, reveal the origin of the White Dragon, and point out this path to them."
Tang Sanzang will naturally come to me for help, and I will then subdue the white dragon, taking it as my mount and replacing the white horse. This arrangement will shock everyone present, and the Western Paradise will have its reputation completely restored.”
The more she thought about it, the more perfect the script seemed. She had originally arranged for the White Dragon to be here, just to get Tang Sanzang a new dragon horse. Although Lin Zhu had interfered quite a bit along the way, the plot had finally gotten back on track. Guanyin Bodhisattva's smile deepened, becoming more and more composed, as if she could already see Tang Sanzang's tearful gratitude when she subdued the White Dragon.
As she was laughing, Guanyin Bodhisattva suddenly felt a jolt in her heart, as if a cold hand had gently patted her back.
Her smile slowly froze on her face.
—No, that's not right. Something just doesn't feel right.
Guanyin Bodhisattva suddenly turned her head and glanced into the distance. On a mountaintop in the distance, she saw a white figure.
Lin Zhu was leaning lazily against a rock, legs crossed, hands behind his head, eyes half-closed, clearly taking a nap.
Sunlight fell on his snow-white robe, reflecting a soft sheen, making him look as relaxed as a tourist on vacation in the mountains.
Guanyin Bodhisattva stared at him for a long time, and the unease in her heart grew stronger and stronger.
Lin Zhu actually went to sleep on such a distant mountaintop? He's not involved in this? How is that possible? In the past, when Lin Zhu encountered matters related to the Journey to the West, he would get involved if he could, and if he couldn't, he would create the conditions to get involved. Now, with the White Dragon Horse right in front of him and Tang Sanzang below just watching helplessly, such a big matter, and he actually went to sleep?
Guanyin Bodhisattva instinctively narrowed her eyes, her vigilance rising like a hedgehog's quills. She carefully observed Lin Zhu's state—legs crossed, dozing, even breathing, natural movements, not feigned. Did he really not intend to get involved? Or rather, did he not care about the White Dragon at all?
The more Guanyin Bodhisattva thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Lin Zhu was a very eccentric person who did things entirely based on interest and never considered logic.
Maybe he's in a good mood today and doesn't want to bother? Maybe he thinks the White Dragon's matter is too trivial to warrant his attention? Whatever the reason, as long as Lin Zhu doesn't interfere, the White Dragon's matter can be resolved smoothly. That's a good thing.
"That way, Lin Zhu won't get involved in Little White Dragon's affairs."
Guanyin Bodhisattva reassured herself, slowly exhaled, and felt a sense of relief, as if a heavy stone had been lifted from her chest. "Everything is much better now."
She stopped worrying about why Lin Zhu was sleeping on the mountaintop and turned her attention back to Eagle's Sorrow Gorge below. She raised her hand and sent out a telepathic message, which steadily reached the ears of the gods who had been lurking nearby.
Upon receiving the telepathic message, the Golden-Headed Jiedi and other deities revealed themselves from the clouds without hesitation, rushing down towards Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, enveloped in streaks of colorful light.
At this moment, by the Eagle's Sorrow Stream, Tang Sanzang was contemplating whether he should just run away.
He sat on the rock, his mind already seriously considering the possibility of returning to Chang'an—the journey to the West was too difficult. Perhaps he could find a wealthy family in a nearby village to stay with, and spend the rest of his life as an ordinary abbot of a temple, which would be a way of not letting down the Buddha's blessings.
As he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a series of clear voices coming from the sky: "Great Sage Sun, do not be angry! Imperial Brother Tang, do not cry! We are deities sent by Guanyin Bodhisattva to secretly protect the pilgrims on their journey to the West!"
Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong looked up at the same time and saw a group of immortals descending from the clouds. They were a large group of people of all heights, weights and builds, each wearing a glow and holding magical weapons. The scene was quite intimidating.
Sun Wukong frowned, his fiery eyes sweeping over the group of immortals. He immediately understood what was going on – these people were all at least True Immortals, and the leaders were the Five Directions Protectors. These people had been secretly watching him near the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, like little shadows. He would recognize them even if they were reduced to ashes.
"You dog from the Western Paradise."
Sun Wukong squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, his face instantly turning cold and hard.
Although he had known for a long time that he was being watched, he did not expect that so many people had been sent from the Western Paradise. The current lineup alone included the Six Ding and Six Jia, the Five Directions Jiedi, the Four Duty Officers, and the Eighteen Guardian Arhats, totaling dozens of deities.
This isn't covert protection; it's clearly a mobile surveillance station.
Tang Sanzang's reaction was more direct than Sun Wukong's. In all his life, when had he ever seen so many gods appear at the same time? Although these gods looked solemn and radiant, Tang Sanzang now had an instinctive fear of things falling from the sky.
Without a second thought, he rolled off the rock and hid behind Sun Wukong, only peeking out half his head. He cautiously observed the gods and muttered, "I won't try to fight those I can't beat."
Sun Wukong gripped his golden cudgel in one hand, holding it horizontally. A palpable aura of malevolence emanated from him, spreading outwards. His eyes, sharp enough to kill, stared intently at the group of immortals, his voice icy cold: "Who are you? Why are you following me, Old Sun?"
The gods felt uneasy under his murderous gaze. They exchanged glances, and finally, the Golden-Headed Jiedi took a step forward, steeling himself.
He clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect, and explained with a smile on his face: “Great Sage, please calm your anger. This humble monk is the Golden-Headed Jiedi, and these gentlemen are the Six Ding and Six Jia, the Five Directions Jiedi, the Four Duty Officers, and the Eighteen Guardian Arhats.”
We are acting on the orders of the Buddha of the Western Paradise, taking turns to stand guard and secretly protect the pilgrims on their journey to the West. We have absolutely no intention of following the Great Sage; please forgive us, Great Sage.
The Golden-Headed Immortal clearly explained his origins and adopted a humble attitude. According to his plan, Sun Wukong would at most grumble a couple of times and then be done with it.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Sun Wukong's brows furrowed even more, his resentment undiminished. Damn it, he's using Buddha again to intimidate him. But after that previous battle, Sun Wukong had truly learned his lesson—recklessness never ends well.
To avenge himself, he had to plan carefully, even if it meant enduring until the very end. So he gritted his teeth and suppressed his violent impulse, his knuckles cracking as he gripped the golden cudgel, but he didn't act immediately.
Tang Sanzang, on the other hand, cautiously peeked out from behind Sun Wukong, staring at the Golden-Headed Jiedi for a long while, his brows furrowing more and more, his expression becoming increasingly solemn.
He stared at the face of the Golden-Headed Jiedi, as if he had suddenly recognized something. His pupils contracted sharply, and he jumped out from behind Sun Wukong, pointing at the Golden-Headed Jiedi, his voice trembling.
"Goku!"
Tang Sanzang's voice suddenly turned shrill, as if he were crying for help, "Help your master! Shoot that Golden-Headed Jiedi down for me!" (End of Chapter)