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Wu Kong shook his head, casting aside the desperate cries of Ba Jie. He never looked back; turning around only reminded him of those annoying promises and responsibilities. All he wanted now was to fly freely, far away, ideally leaving behind that nagging monk and the pig that only grunted and groaned.
But his stomach inconveniently growled, reminding him that even the Great Sage of Heaven needed to eat. Wu Kong irritably scratched his monkey fur. In this desolate wilderness, where could he find food? He aimlessly drifted through the clouds, his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils casually scanning below, hoping to encounter a target for robbery or at least a household willing to share some alms.
Two hours passed, and not a single person appeared—let alone a monster.
Just as he was about to give up and turn back to find that monk and pig, a city suddenly came into view. The towering walls loomed high, and the majestic towers stood tall. A green flag fluttered atop the city gate, emblazoned with sixteen gleaming golden characters: "Tang Dynasty New Son of Heaven Taizong Thirty-Eighth Generation Descendant of the Resurgent Emperor."
“‘Tang Dynasty’?” Wu Kong halted abruptly in mid-air, his eyes nearly popping out. How could this be possible? He rubbed his eyes; it was indeed "Tang Dynasty." Had he unknowingly returned to the East?
Impossible! Wu Kong shook his head vigorously, dismissing this absurd thought. He hadn’t even reached the Western Paradise yet; how could he possibly return to the East? There had to be some trickery involved.
Could it be the work of a demon? He had heard that some monsters loved to disguise themselves as earthly emperors to deceive people. Perhaps this was some foolish demon trying to mock him, Sun Wu Kong!
But then he reconsidered; it didn’t add up. After all, he had once caused quite a stir in the Heavenly Palace—what kind of deities hadn’t he seen? If those powerful demons were behind this, they might conjure illusions difficult to discern from reality. But these petty creatures thought they could play tricks right under his nose?
Could it really be the Eastern Tang Dynasty? A bolder thought crossed his mind. He recalled what Bodhi Patriarch had once said: in this world, everything operates according to its own rules, cycling endlessly in repetition. Perhaps this journey to the Western Paradise was merely a circular path that would eventually lead him back to where he started.
“But if this truly is the Eastern Tang Dynasty and I passed through the Western Paradise, why didn’t Buddha call out to me? Buddha and I have met several times; surely he is someone who cherishes old ties. How could he let me make a fruitless trip?” Wu Kong’s heart was filled with confusion.
He scratched his monkey cheek and suddenly remembered an old story. Back when he had yet to become a disciple and was carefree at Flower and Fruit Mountain's Water Curtain Cave, he had befriended a brother named Messenger in Green. This Messenger in Green was well-read and knowledgeable; he had given Wu Kong a book called Kunlun Chronicles. Within its pages were various strange tales, one of which Wu Kong still vividly remembered: “Those who claim to be Chinese are not truly Chinese but rather admire the name of China and thus adopt it.”
Could it be that this place wasn’t really the Eastern Tang Dynasty but rather somewhere in Apara-godānīya? They were impersonating the name of Tang Dynasty with the intent of deceiving him, Sun Wu Kong?
Wu Kong was originally just a stubborn rock in chaos, absorbing the essence of sun and moon until he gained sentience. Yet despite his intelligence, sometimes his mind worked slower than that of a stone. Here he was, staring at the characters for "Tang Dynasty" on the city gate for ages, scratching his head in frustration, utterly perplexed.
"Is this Great Tang really a facade?" Wu Kong pondered, his thick eyebrows knitting together like two caterpillars writhing on his face. He had caused quite a ruckus in the Heavenly Palace and had seen all sorts of bizarre things. Yet, could there be such a deceptive trick in this world that even he, Lao Sun, was fooled?
His heart raced like a trapped rabbit, unable to settle down. He couldn't help but think of Tang Seng, his master, who often rambled on about righteousness and morality but could always say something enlightening at critical moments.
"If Master were here, he would surely see through the mystery at a glance," Wu Kong sighed. But now that they were separated, as the disciple, he ought to do something.
He focused again on the city before him. The towering walls and grand gates loomed high, flags fluttered atop the watchtowers, and soldiers patrolled with an air of authority. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought he had returned to the prosperous era of Great Tang.
However, the fourteen characters on the banner reading "New Emperor Taizong's Thirty-Eighth Successor" pricked at his fingers like a needle, forcing him to accept this reality.
"Nonsense! This is clearly fake!" Wu Kong shouted angrily. "My master left Great Tang only twenty years ago at most; how could there be thirty-eight emperors? Is this emperor born from a hen that lays thirty-eight eggs a year?"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, unable to hold back his curses: "Fake! Fake! It's all fake! If you admire our Great Tang so much, why not just write 'China'? Why insist on writing 'Great Tang'? Besides, my master often says that today's Tang Emperor is a brand-new enlightened ruler. How could you little demon know such secrets about the great Li Shimin? This is clearly just a disguise trying to pass off as genuine! It's all fake!"
But then he reconsidered: "Who knows? What if this emperor changes like a child playing games? One month one emperor, and in less than four years, there could be thirty-eight? Maybe it's true after all?"
He had never been so desperate for an answer or an explanation as he was now. He descended from the clouds and landed on a hillside, feeling restless. He grabbed a crooked tree by the roadside, shaking it until its leaves fell like rain.
"Earth God! Come out!" he bellowed at the ground, his voice echoing like thunder in the valley.
Usually, as soon as he muttered a spell, the Earth God would come running in a panic to pay his respects. Today, however, there was no response at all.
"This is outrageous! What is going on?!" Wu Kong fumed. What was this? The Great Sage of Heaven couldn't even summon an Earth God?
He thought to himself: "Something must have happened; otherwise, this Earth God wouldn't dare to be so negligent. Well then, I should ask the Duty Officer; he's well-informed and will surely know what's going on."
Wu Kong shouted loudly at the sky, "Where is the Duty Officer? Where is the Duty Officer?" However, no one answered, no matter how much he strained his voice. Furious, he revealed his true form from when he had caused chaos in the Heavenly Palace, wielding the Ruyi Jingu Bang like a thick barrel. He leaped into the air, bouncing around and causing a ruckus for quite some time, yet still no deity appeared.
Deciding to ignore it, he activated his Cloud Somersault and headed straight for the Heavenly Court. He wanted to ask that old Jade Emperor what was going on in this world!
The anger within Wu Kong grew stronger as he charged into the celestial realm, determined to confront the Jade Emperor. However, upon reaching the heavenly gate, he found it tightly shut. "Open the door! Quickly open the door!" he shouted.
At that moment, a voice came from inside the gate, tinged with impatience. "You really don’t understand urgency! My Lingxiao Palace has been stolen; what are you doing here?" Then another voice chimed in mockingly, "Boss, you still don’t know? The reason Lingxiao Palace was stolen is that five hundred years ago, a guy named Sun Wu Kong caused a ruckus in the Heavenly Palace. At that time, he didn’t manage to steal Lingxiao Palace and has held a grudge ever since. Later, he gathered a bunch of monsters under the pretense of seeking scriptures and befriended various demons from the West. One day, he had these monsters use a scheme to steal Lingxiao Palace. This is what military strategy refers to as using the enemy to attack the enemy; there’s no way it wouldn’t succeed. This monkey is truly a long-haired Zhuge Liang; you have to admire him!"
Hearing this, Wu Kong felt both amused and infuriated. Being hot-tempered by nature, he couldn’t tolerate such unwarranted ridicule any longer and began to pound and kick even harder while shouting, "Open the door!"
The voice inside replied again, "If you really want to open this heavenly gate, wait five thousand four hundred sixty years and three months until my Lingxiao Treasure Hall is completed. Then we will welcome you as our esteemed guest!"
"Five thousand four hundred sixty years and three months? Hahaha!" Wu Kong laughed until he could hardly breathe, his laughter filled with bitterness and rage. "What a Lingxiao Treasure Hall! What esteemed guests! You bunch of clowns really think this world belongs to you? I, Old Sun, have roamed these lands for hundreds of years; what monsters haven’t I seen? Today I’m actually being fooled by your nonsense—how ridiculous!"
Wu Kong had come to the Heavenly Court hoping to meet with the Jade Emperor and obtain the Scripture of the Purple Text from the Spirit Book to clarify the truth about the New Tang on Earth. Instead, he was met with closed doors and baseless humiliation.
He wiped away his smile; his grip on the Ruyi Jingu Bang tightened until it buzzed ominously in his hand as flames of fury burned in his eyes. It seemed as if he wanted to incinerate everything before him. "Let me ask you: where is that old Jade Emperor now? Who exactly is this so-called ‘New Son of Heaven Taizong of the Resurgent Emperor’ down on Earth? If I don’t get an explanation today, don’t blame me for being ruthless with this staff!"
Hearing Wu Kong's genuine anger and recognizing the thunderous name of "Lao Sun," those inside felt a twinge of fear. Yet thinking of the Jade Emperor's might and authority in Heaven, they steeled themselves and replied defiantly: "The Jade Emperor has decreed that until Lingxiao Treasure Hall is completed, no human or demon from below shall be seen—especially not you, a mixed-up Havoc! As for that so-called grandson emperor down on Earth, it’s none of your business as an Unruly Monkey! If you know what’s good for you, just roll back to your Flower and Fruit Mountain and don’t seek your own demise here!"
Wu Kong laughed in rage: "Flower and Fruit Mountain? That place was flattened by your Heavenly Court after my last ruckus in the Heavenly Palace! Now I have no home to return to, yet you tell me to go back there—how absurd!" He swung his Ruyi Jingu Bang fiercely, aiming to smash through the heavenly gate. "Today I want to see who dares block my path!"
Unfortunately, although the gate trembled with his strike, it remained unmoved. So be it; Wu Kong decided to try bypassing the gate and flew deeper into the Heavenly Court along its barrier. He knew that today’s events between heaven and earth were no coincidence; there must be a massive conspiracy hidden behind them.
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