Chapter 71: Guiding Wukong Through the Maze

As soon as the words paused, Chu Xiaoyu glanced at Sun Wukong and continued, “However, that Five-Finger Mountain has already been taken away by my Universe Pouch, so you, monkey, are no longer to be suppressed beneath it for five hundred years. Yet, the monk will still pass by this place; that is inevitable and cannot be changed.”

“Hehe, since that’s the case, why don’t I go and play a little trick on the monk when he passes by?” Sun Wukong suggested.

“You monkey, still as mischievous as ever. The monk hasn’t provoked you; why must you trouble him? That simply won’t do.”

“How about this, let me give you some advice. If not for that particular incident, you, monkey, would still be destined to be suppressed under the Five-Finger Mountain for five hundred years.”

“And the monk from Tang is fated to take you as his disciple and escort him to the West to fetch the scriptures. That is the inevitable outcome.”

“Wukong, let me show you a clear path. You’re always complaining that humans and beasts cannot stand as equals, aren’t you? Then, why not escort that monk to fetch the scriptures in the West?”

“Immortal Master, why should I do this?” Sun Wukong looked puzzled.

Chu Xiaoyu explained, “It is said that this monk from Tang is the reincarnation of Golden Cicada, a disciple of the Buddha. All the monsters and demons believe that eating his flesh will grant immortality. On his journey to the West, the monk will certainly encounter countless tribulations. Without a few disciples of great magical power at his side, he will never accomplish his grand quest.”

“Heh, what does the monk’s pilgrimage have to do with me? Besides, accompanying the monk all the way to the West would surely be a long, dull, and boring journey. I’d rather stay here in your manor, Immortal Master, enjoying good food and fun. Life couldn’t be more carefree.”

See? Once a person relaxes, they become lazy and despondent.

Sun Wukong was precisely in such a state now.

“Listen to me first before you refuse.”

“Sun Wukong, let me put it this way. Last time you wreaked havoc in Heaven, it was due to your temperament, but also because, in the eyes of the celestial immortals, you’re nothing more than a monkey. You will never be taken seriously or gain their approval. Tell me, do you really want to live your whole life being mediocre and looked down upon?”

“No! Immortal Master, that’s not what I want. I’ve always wanted to change my fate and not be belittled by those immortals in Heaven, but I…”

“That’s how you feel, but you haven’t actually taken any action.”

Chu Xiaoyu frowned. “Let me tell you, now—or, rather, soon—a golden opportunity will present itself before you, a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Aren’t you even a bit tempted, monkey?”

“What golden opportunity? Immortal Master, please tell me quickly, don’t keep me in suspense.”

The monkey grew suddenly anxious.

“The golden opportunity I speak of is for you to escort the monk from Tang to the West to fetch the scriptures.”

“During the journey, the monk will face eighty-one tribulations in total. Along the way, he will take on two more disciples: one is a pig demon, the other is a monk called Sha.”

“This pig demon was once a great general in Heaven, Marshal Tianpeng of the Heavenly River. Because he flirted with the celestial maiden Nicha and caused trouble in the Palace of the Ox, he was banished to the mortal realm and, by mistake, reincarnated as a pig.”

“As for Sha, in his previous life he was Curtain-Lifting General by the Jade Emperor’s side. He accidentally broke the Queen Mother’s glazed goblet and was exiled to the mortal world, eventually becoming a monster in the River of Flowing Sand, bringing calamity to the land.”

“These two will also be tribulations for the monk on his journey.”

“I’m telling you all this for one reason: if you help the monk complete his journey to the West and fetch the scriptures, you will be granted the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha. From then on, your identity as a member of the demon race will be completely transformed.”

“In the Three Realms and Six Paths, you will no longer be that crude, low-born wild monkey. Even if others gossip about you behind your back, it will only be out of jealousy and envy—nothing more.”

“Victorious Fighting Buddha? Appointed by the Buddha himself?” Sun Wukong’s monkey face flushed bright red with excitement.

Chu Xiaoyu nodded. “Yes, of course the Buddha will grant you the title. In the West, the Buddha reigns supreme, and his ten great disciples are renowned throughout the land. When you return from escorting the monk to the West, your merits will be complete. At that time, you’ll have both status and face. Tell me, in all of heaven and earth, the Three Realms and Six Paths, who will dare mock you then?”

Sun Wukong thought for a while. Indeed, it made sense.

Fine clothes make the man, a fine saddle the horse.

Whether beast or human, one must have a dream.

Even a salted fish must have its own dream.

Suddenly, Sun Wukong bowed deeply to Chu Xiaoyu. “Thank you, Immortal Master, for your guidance. Since this is your wish, I will obey in all things.”

“Hehe, you monkey, you always have such a glib tongue. Clearly you’re the one gaining the advantage, yet you act as if I’m the one benefiting from your good fortune.”

“Hehe, but you are my master! If your disciple occasionally takes advantage of you, you’re not really losing out, are you?”

Monkeyish in his playful charm, Sun Wukong was so endearing that Chu Xiaoyu couldn’t resist grabbing his face and giving it a rough squeeze.

“But still, we have to wait five hundred years, don’t we? That’s a long time yet.”

“One day in this manor is a year in the Journey to the West. You’ll only spend a little over a year here eating and drinking, and several months have already passed. Not even a year remains.”

Suddenly, Sun Wukong remembered something important and hurriedly asked, “Right, Immortal Master, if you hadn’t rescued me from beneath Five-Finger Mountain, then after five hundred years, the monk would surely have set me free. But now, that’s no longer the case, so there’s no bond of master and disciple between us, is there?”

Chu Xiaoyu pondered for a moment. If the monkey hadn’t brought it up, even he would have overlooked this. “Yes, that’s true. And then?”

“And then... er... how am I supposed to meet the monk from Tang?”

Now that Five-Finger Mountain no longer existed, this was indeed a problem—perhaps even a serious one.

Chu Xiaoyu thought for a while and said, “Ah, here’s what you’ll do. When the time comes, just go to the site where Five-Finger Mountain once stood and wait. If you see a monk riding a white horse, he will certainly be from the Great Tang in the East. Go up and introduce yourself.”

“Wukong, let me give you this advice. You can discuss it with the monk, or make an agreement. Have him hire you—as a bodyguard or whatever role you prefer, it’s up to you.”

“Once you’ve formed an employment relationship, there will be shared interests between you. Even if you’re not strictly master and disciple, you’ll still be bound together as if you were.”

And so, escorting the monk from Tang to fetch the scriptures in the West would follow as a matter of course.