"Oh no! This monkey's serious!"
In the blink of an eye, Judge Cui reacted fast and swept his sleeve, knocking over the bowl of Meng Po's Soup. It hit the ground and shattered, and the liquid seeped into the gaps between the bluestones of the Bridge of Helplessness, letting out a faint hissing sound.
King Yama wiped away his cold sweat and cursed inwardly:
That was close! If this had really turned into a disaster...
As the King of the Underworld, he'd be in deep trouble, if not dead!
Sun Wukong, meanwhile, spread his hands with an innocent look and blinked his gleaming golden monkey eyes. His tone sounded almost as if he were blaming them:
"King Yama, Judge Cui, what are you two doing now? I was perfectly fine, getting ready to reincarnate. What kind of logic is this?"
Cold sweat poured down Judge Cui's forehead. He forced himself to stay calm, then hurriedly pulled the Book of Life and Death from his sleeve, shaking as if he'd found a priceless treasure:
"Sun Wukong, it was a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! The Underworld made a mistake. Your lifespan isn't 342 years, but... uh... 34,200 years!"
"Oh?"
"A mistake?"
Sun Wukong looked the two of them up and down, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking smile:
"Heh, what a load of crap! You underworld lackeys treat the Book of Life and Death like a joke? Just now you said my lifespan was over, and now you're saying it was a mistake? Are you messing with Old Sun?"
As he spoke, he really did lean over to look at the Book of Life and Death, then let out a scornful laugh:
"Handsome Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain, born a Stone Monkey... Tsk, you wrote it up real nice! You think you can make a monkey out of me? No, wait! I am a monkey!"
"You actually dared to make a monkey out of me? Despicable!"
King Yama and Judge Cui exchanged a glance, their backs going cold as sweat trickled down their spines.
"Th-this really was a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!" Judge Cui said with a bitter smile.
"A misunderstanding?"
Sun Wukong snorted, his gaze darkening as he spoke with force:
"Old Sun won't leave until I get an explanation! This isn't over! I'm going to Empress Pingxin and getting her to settle this!!!"
Empress Pingxin was the incarnation of Empress Houtu, one of the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
Back then, moved by compassion for all living beings, Empress Houtu had answered Heaven's call and sacrificed herself to become the Six Paths of Reincarnation. From that day on, Ancestor Witch Houtu no longer existed in the world; only Empress Pingxin remained.
Sun Wukong knew full well that the Underworld was tangled up in all sorts of power struggles, and everyone probably wanted to scheme against him and reap some karmic benefit. But Empress Pingxin had already attained sainthood. Having transformed into the Six Paths of Reincarnation and become the spokesperson of the Netherworld, she could never leave the Netherworld. She had long transcended worldly concerns and had no interest in scheming against a mere monkey like him!
So in the entire Underworld, Empress Pingxin was the only one he could trust.
"Old Sun is going to Empress Pingxin to get her to settle this!"
Hearing Sun Wukong shout and carry on about going to Empress Pingxin, King Yama and Judge Cui felt like dying.
What was this supposed to be!
Heavens above!
If I've done something wrong, punish me according to the laws of Heaven! Why send this monkey after me!
This monkey was strange in every way and never played by the rules!
And now he wanted to see Empress Pingxin? That absolutely could not happen!
King Yama knew full well that Empress Pingxin was aware of everything that happened in the Underworld. She never got involved because she couldn't be bothered with them. If they really went and disturbed her, they were sure to be punished and reprimanded.
King Yama immediately lowered his head and forced a stiff smile:
"Sun Wukong, this really was the Underworld's mistake. It's all the fault of those temporary workers—they even managed to seize the wrong soul. I apologize on their behalf. How about we let this go? You can be on your way now."
"On my way? Hahaha..."
Sun Wukong brushed the flower petals off his shoulders and shook out his fur, then snorted:
"Dream on! Old Sun is getting compensation for emotional distress today. Otherwise, I'm not leaving the Underworld! And if I have to, I'll go to Empress Pingxin and argue my case. Nobody can stop me!"
King Yama watched the monkey hop around, throwing a tantrum and rolling on the ground. His head throbbed, and he regretted everything!
Damn it!
It really was easier to invite a monkey than to send one away!
Before you continue