novelapdf Chapter 67 Wukong goes berserk
Chapter 67 Wukong goes berserk
Wang Tong opened the book and pointed to a page: "These days you have been giving lectures at Cuiyun Mountain, and more than a hundred people have listened. Among them, several independent cultivators broke through their bottlenecks on the spot... This matter has been recorded as seventy-eight points of your merit."
Wang Tong raised his head: "Has the content of this sermon been reported to the Heavenly Court superiors?"
Zhong Xuan shook his head: "No."
That's it.
Wang Tong closed the register and said, "According to the Heavenly Court's 'Regulations on the Management of Divine Preaching and Transmission of Laws,' whenever a mountain god or land deity opens an altar to preach, they must report the content of the preaching, the number of listeners, and the expected merits to the Department of Mountains and Rivers in advance."
"Any merits gained without prior registration will not be recognized."
Wang Tong looked at Zhong Xuan and said, word by word, "In other words, your seventy-eight points of merit must be nullified."
The words fell.
Outside, monkeys were shouting angrily.
"Why?!" Wukong barged in to question him, but was pulled back by Hu Junzhi.
"Exactly! Why should we?" Little Jade Rabbit, who was standing next to her, also dared to shout in a low voice.
Pound turned his head, a half-smile on his face, and retorted, "Yes, tell me, what gives us the right? Is it because we have absolute authority?"
Wang Tong laughed heartily, then widened his eyes, pointed at them, and said, "What, you're not convinced?"
Wukong could no longer restrain himself. Using the "object-capturing" technique he had learned in the past twenty days, and the "sense of communication with objects" technique taught by the mountain god, he summoned the iron rod from the shelf next to the wall, which was only a dozen meters away.
"I just won't accept it!"
Now dressed in a tiger-skin skirt, the monkey spirit Wukong could no longer contain his dissatisfaction. With a shout, he picked up his iron cudgel and was about to strike.
The words "What, you're not convinced?" were like a volcanic eruption that had been suppressed for a long time by the tiger demon sister.
But it finally couldn't hold back and erupted.
The exhilaration of the previous water and land gathering, the three prohibitions brought by Brother Ren, and the joy of reading and building a house on the back mountain over the past twenty days—all while being served by a group of monkeys and their offspring, it felt like returning to the days of being the king of Flower Fruit Mountain.
Now, it's even less acceptable.
Wukong didn't have such a deep understanding of the Heavenly Court and important figures.
It was born on Flower Fruit Mountain. After witnessing the birth, aging, sickness, and death of the monkeys in the mountain, it felt pity and pain for them and also experienced the great terror of death. So it followed the guidance of two great ape generals in the mountain...
So they sailed across the ocean, from the coast of Dongsheng Shenzhou to the eastern end of Xiniu Hezhou, experiencing some mortal affairs and passing through some mortal towns along the way.
But most people only see it as a monkey spirit or demon.
Despite being partially enlightened in Flower Fruit Mountain due to such treatment, it remained quite chaotic.
Things only changed after he met Zhong Xuan in Qing Shi Town.
These experiences are far from sufficient for it to understand what the Heavenly Court, the system, and the rule over the Three Realms and Six Paths mean...
Now, with just this one blow, Wukong completely forgot about the millions of Heavenly Court soldiers and generals.
It wanted to vent all the resentment and anger in its heart.
"Master!" Hu Junzhi couldn't stop him and hurriedly shouted at the old Taoist priest over there.
Zhong Xuan simply shook his head slightly at the tiger demon.
He didn't want to make a move.
This is precisely Wukong's true nature.
Or rather, he could intervene and prevent Wukong from experiencing this, allowing the anger to dissipate in other ways.
But how will we show Wukong in the future that "in this situation, we can also understand it in other ways"?
Zhong Xuan retreated step by step, allowing Wukong to swing his staff at the two celestial officials.
All the previous circumstances were overturned by this one blow.
Even Li Gongcao opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that he couldn't utter a single word—even though he was the one who tried the hardest, attempting to resolve the current trouble peacefully and amicably within the established framework.
But can such a violent attempt to resolve the issue actually work?
That would only escalate the problem to an irreversible and severe level!
Pound tried to block it, but his left arm was instantly broken, and he cried out in pain.
Not every celestial official in the Heavenly Court possesses the abilities of an immortal.
Combat ability, cultivation level, and comprehension of the Dao are not the same thing.
Those who study Buddhism have a very profound understanding of Buddhist principles and teachings.
But if you encounter bandits and get hacked down, you really die.
Or there may be reincarnation, but this life is just death.
These celestial officials are also like this. They spend all their time in the celestial environment, so they are free from all diseases. They can use their status and position to avoid all kinds of calamities and disasters... They may even have the opportunity to eat some elixirs and obtain some magical treasures more easily.
But now it's very obvious.
In Flower Fruit Mountain, Wukong was already a minor demon king, and he had only just arrived in Xiniu Hezhou, less than a year in total.
From following Zhong Xuan to Patriarch Bodhi, and then to where we are now, the entire process has taken less than two months.
But his fighting skills were enough to make the immortal official lose a hand and scream in agony.
Wang Tong, standing nearby, immediately grabbed his colleague and swiftly retreated, unleashing his magical power and shouting angrily, "You daring monkey! You have violated the heavenly laws! Prepare for divine retribution!"
"If I kill you all, no one will know!"
Monkey King shouted, suddenly channeling his inner power to create a gust of demonic wind around him, ready to rush forward and give chase.
That's it!
Some of the fairies below also came to their senses.
It turns out that the monkey demon that the mountain god brought along was thinking that if he killed the person, the matter would be over.
After thinking about it this way, most of them realized that it was indeed true.
Only people like Li Gongcao and Feng Lisheng, or even more intelligent demons, shook their heads vigorously after hearing this.
"Fellow Daoist Zhong isn't going to make a move?" Feng Lisheng asked nervously, looking up at the sky.
Zhong Xuan was also looking at the sky. Wukong was chasing after them, while Hu Junzhi didn't think much of it and flew to a higher place, blocking the retreat of the two celestial officials.
"If I hinder Wukong, how will I guide him in the future?" Zhong Xuan asked rhetorically.
"If you do not stop it, a great calamity will befall you!" Feng Lisheng's chosen path was one of tranquility and non-action to avoid disaster, so he could not imagine the behavior and choices of this mountain god.
Zhong Xuan blinked, put his hands behind his back, looked up at the sky, and continued leisurely: "I once heard a saying that a person cannot simultaneously possess youth and the complete understanding of looking back on youth. It is said that this applies to both cultivating the Tao and cultivating the mind."
Feng Lisheng was taken aback.
Li Gongcao was also taken aback.
A dozen or so demons who had gathered around, also looking up at the battle in the sky or turning their heads to watch the mountain god speak, were also momentarily stunned.
I don't quite understand what that means, but it's quite profound.
Feng Lisheng frowned, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper: "But is this price really worth it? You, the mountain god, are now... Unless you sever ties with it, then it's just this little monkey acting on its own."
Zhong Xuan shook his head: "I need to allow Wukong to act only when he truly wants to, to let that inner desire be expressed first, and then..."
Suddenly, he also waved his sleeve and rose gracefully into the air.
Just as Wukong was about to break Pound's leg with his staff, he suddenly felt a gust of wind come and actually wrapped around the iron staff as if it were a real object.
This single blow could have shattered those hard rocks and towering ancient trees!
"Wukong, if you've beaten them enough to realize their place and stop being so arrogant and insulting, then you'll be satisfied to some extent, won't you?"
Zhong Xuan turned his head and asked.
The monkey's anger subsided considerably, and he even stopped fighting. He blinked rapidly and seriously, thought for a few seconds, and nodded earnestly: "That's true! Seeing how weak and easily defeated they are, I have even more doubts. How did they dare to be so arrogant just now?"
Zhong Xuan laughed and turned to look at Pang De and Wang Tong: "Are you two willing to back down? Otherwise, this stubborn monkey won't be satisfied and might beat you to death before he'll stop... Tell me, was it inappropriate for you to bully others like that without explaining yourselves clearly? Speak from the bottom of your hearts."
Wang Tong was naturally the most unconvinced and wanted to shout again, but when he saw the red light deep in the monkey's eyes, he immediately shut his mouth.
Pound, however, said coldly, "So what if we verbally submit? We're just two celestial officials. You've humiliated the Heavenly Court. If we go back and report the truth, you, the mountain god, will be in trouble too... You seem to be quite powerful. Either you use your strength to kill us, or you wait and see how you handle it!"
Now, everyone except Zhong Xuan felt it was a difficult situation.
Whether they are clever, intelligent, or foolish.
Even Wukong frowned, his lips moving as if he sensed something was wrong. His eyes flashed with a fierce light, as if he was thinking of simply killing the person to make it a done deal.
Zhong Xuan nodded and said, "The Heavenly Court's assessment requires 100 merit points. With just one word from you, 78 points will be lost, which is a problem..."
He pondered for a moment, then waved his hand to control the wind, causing everyone to return to the ground.
For the past twenty days, he has been cultivating in the mountains, not only sensing the mountain winds, but also observing Hu Junzhi and Shanlisheng's wind control techniques. In the art of wind, he is currently the most proficient among the four elements of wind, fire, water, and earth.
"Everyone knows that many things are wrong, and then they try to justify that they are right, or rather, that they are in accordance with common sense... They think that what they are doing is right. So let me ask you yourselves, do you think that it is right for you to bully us, to make us worry, be afraid, or be manipulated?"
Zhong Xuan turned to look at the demons.
Then he looked at the two celestial officials.
Wang Tong scoffed, "So what if it is? Is it wrong? You dare not fight now, afraid of killing us, which would be a real problem. After all, you can kill us, but we've lost contact with the Heavenly Court. How can we be as simple as the lowly clerks and servants under your command?"
Li Gongcao's expression changed.
It turns out that these two celestial officials probably already knew, either before or in private, that Li Gongcao had not voluntarily stayed here to assist the Cuiyun Mountain God.
"The God of Cuiyun Mountain".
Pound's voice rang out, tinged with regret and a touch of businesslike indifference, "Fellow Daoist Wang and I came here not wanting things to escalate to this point, but the rules are what they are, and there's nothing we can do about it... Your tolerance of the monkey demon harming us is another matter entirely."
Pound didn't seem angry; he just held his severed left arm, sweat beading on his forehead from the pain.
Zhong Xuan waved his hand, and a talisman formed in the air, which landed on Pang De's arm.
To everyone's astonishment... except for a few who already knew or were used to it, everyone was surprised to find that the injury on Pound's rolled-up sleeve was visibly and rapidly progressing.
"Indeed."
Zhong Xuan didn't argue, but only asked curiously:
"Let's first talk about the matter of bullying others by abusing power. And put it another way, if those in power bully you by abusing power, and the bullying is serious enough to threaten your lives, would you feel that this is wrong?"
"Or perhaps you did a good job, but the other party said that's just how the system and rules are, and you just happened to run into them. You can't blame me or anyone else; it's just fate?"
Discussion, or rather, defense.
Or rather, it's a negotiation. At this point, the conversation has moved beyond its simple, superficial, or emotional nature.
Pang De and Wang Tong were injured by a ruthless monkey demon's staff and harbored resentment.
Yet, the demeanor of this Cuiyun Mountain God, and the profound truths in his words, have gradually intertwined with a subtle feeling from the beginning until now.
This filled them with resentment, yet they also felt a slight urge to follow the other person's words and ponder further.
The two exchanged a glance and roughly understood.
Zhong Xuan understood from their expressions.
It seems that you've convinced them.
Wang Tong interjected, "Regarding the incense offering portion of this assessment, while there is some controversy, we will set that aside for now. However, regarding the merit portion, since the preaching was not reported, the eighty-seven points of merit earned will not be recognized. Therefore, a comprehensive evaluation will be conducted..."
He paused.
"D-class".
As soon as he said that, everyone's expression changed.
Only Wukong was still holding the iron rod, and he began to think that he might have acted impulsively just now.
Wukong hurriedly asked, "Brother, brother! Mountain God, is this... is this good or bad?"
Hu Junzhi pressed down, but it hadn't even begun.
Little Rabbit, who had mustered up the courage to join in, muttered softly, "Master clearly taught us... A, B, C, D... the lowest level!"
Wukong's monkey face flushed with irritation. He turned and glared at her, then looked back at his older brother and quickly added, "I meant, is there any trouble?"
Zhong Xuan glared back at him, annoyed: "That's all... Now it's all the trouble you caused, you monkey... But maybe the reason they were willing to give me a 'ding' is because you beat me up."
Pang De and Wang Tong looked at each other in bewilderment.
Although he harbored resentment and hatred, the more he looked at the Cuiyun Mountain God, the more he felt that he was not ordinary... But a human immortal who could cultivate a human body to become an immortal, and was still so young, did not seem to be ignorant of the power of the Heavenly Court.
Could there really be a big shot behind this?
At this point, the key reason why they hadn't truly "exploded" in anger became increasingly clear in their minds.
The real reason they didn't completely break ties, and even after being beaten by the monkey demon, maintained the lowest possible level of civility, was that they had always suspected that this Cuiyun Mountain God had a powerful backer!
Even without a powerful backer, a influential figure, or a privileged background?
That's something they simply can't imagine!
If that's true, then how could this Cuiyun Mountain God have seemingly offended the Celestial Master's Mansion, causing rumors to quietly circulate in the Heavenly Court and even reach the gossip of his colleagues in the Mountain and Marsh Division?
One theory suggests that the radish pit was meant to house an old man who was just about to arrive before the Celestial Master's Mansion arrived, at the exact time of their discussion, and who also needed to be a skilled cultivator who knew how to refine the Mountain God Seal...
It's not that simple!
The person behind this is at least someone who knows this information and acts accordingly.
Otherwise, it would truly be an extremely coincidental coincidence.
But they didn't believe it.
For Pound and Wang Tong, however, it was not a gamble they dared to take.
Their backer was merely a superior in a five-colored robe (grey, white, red, purple, and gold), who was probably slightly stronger than Lu Qian, but not a true confidant; he was merely under the superior's command.