Sun Wukong Had Not Raised a Banner, Yet the Jade Emperor Still Made Him the Great Sage

The Jade Emperor looked at the Vajra Bracelet in Laojun's hand, nodded, and said, "Then bring that Monkey up here. We'll follow the script we agreed on with the Buddhist sect and confer on him the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven. How does that sound?"

Laojun nodded and said, "Naturally. I've already arranged everything. If the Monkey hadn't caused a ruckus at Doushuai Palace, wouldn't all my preparations have been for nothing? As it happens, Erlang Shen has lost, so we'll have Great White Star come over to sue for peace and invite that Monkey to Heaven."

The Jade Emperor looked speechless. "I keep feeling that something isn't right. Laojun, after he steals the peaches and pills, when he enters the Eight Trigrams Furnace, please put in some extra effort and reduce the Monkey's cultivation. Otherwise, it'll be hard to put together the eighty-one tribulations."

Laojun burst out laughing. "Your Majesty, rest assured. Just send Great White Star down to the mortal realm to persuade Sun Wukong to surrender." And so, Great White Star went down to the mortal realm to deceive the Monkey.

Well, it wouldn't be so easy this time. Sun Wukong had grown a brain by now and was no longer so easy to fool. Great White Star arrived at the battlefield and said, "Stop fighting, all of you. His Majesty says that peace is paramount, and there's no need for violence. This Monkey King is immensely powerful; assigning him to raise horses would be a waste."

When Sun Wukong heard this, he flourished the Golden Cudgel in his hand and looked toward Great White Star. "You were the one who found Old Sun a job raising horses. You were the one who called Old Sun to a meeting and got the Heavenly Horses injured.