High in the sky, Sun Wukong, whose chains A Bei had removed with a spell, somersaulted toward the Western Heaven.
Yes, he had refused to take A Bei's disciple as his master and become his granddisciple. The Handsome Monkey King was a monkey with dignity, after all. Becoming someone's grandson was something he would never do.
So he planned to visit the Great Hero Hall in the Western Heaven and explain the matter to the Buddha Lord himself. He would also declare that he was quitting the scripture-seeking journey and returning to the Heavenly Court to remain a junior general.
"Ah..." At the thought of continuing as a junior naval general, Sun Wukong could not help sighing. That divine position was still rather low, but there was nothing he could do. To continue seeking the scriptures, he had to acknowledge that monk as his grandmaster, and that... he simply could not bring himself to do.
Whoosh! A little over two hours later, Sun Wukong arrived in the Western Heaven.
After the Four Heavenly Kings announced his arrival, the monkey entered the hall and saw Black Bear seated high above, within the Merit Golden Lotus.
"This disciple pays his respects to the Buddha Lord!" Sun Wukong pressed his palms together and bowed to Black Bear.
"Wukong, why have you come here instead of assisting and protecting the Great Tang's State Preceptor on his quest for the true scriptures?" Black Bear asked calmly, his eyes closed.
At the question, Sun Wukong straightened up with a wounded expression. "Ah, Buddha Lord, you have no idea! That monk... insists that I take his disciple as my master before he'll let me follow him. Besides, his magic power is greater than mine. I'm not qualified to protect him at all."
As he spoke, Sun Wukong