Beneath Five Elements Mountain, the air seemed to freeze.
The muscles at the corners of the monkey head's eyes twitched within its stone prison.
Sun Wukong stared fixedly at the expressionless monk before him.
Five hundred years.
Not even Tathagata Buddha, who had pinned him beneath the mountain all those years ago, had made him feel so... helpless.
"If I don't swear, you really won't remove it?" Sun Wukong gritted his teeth, squeezing the words through them.
Xuanzang did not even lift his eyelids. He turned and walked away without the slightest hesitation.
"I'll swear! I'll swear!!"
Sun Wukong shouted. He truly feared this bullheaded young monk would simply leave.
Xuanzang stopped. With his back to Sun Wukong, he said coldly:
"Go on."
Sun Wukong drew a deep breath, lifted his face toward the heavens, and roared:
"Heaven and Houtu above! Old Sun swears this day: once freed, I will never slaughter the innocent or act with reckless abandon! If I break this oath, may all my cultivation be lost, may heaven strike me down and earth destroy me, and may I suffer another five hundred years... of imprisonment!"
Rumble!
As the oath left his lips, a muffled peal of thunder rolled faintly across the clear sky, as though heaven and earth had acknowledged it.
Xuanzang said evenly:
"Remember your oath."
"Wait here."
Climbing with both hands and feet for who knew how long, Xuanzang finally reached the highest peak.
The view opened before him.
A great square boulder stood amid the clouds, radiating ten thousand shafts of golden light and a thousand streams of auspicious radiance. A seal bearing six golden characters-"Om, ma, ni, pad, me, hum"-was affixed to it, emanating the majesty to suppress all ages.
Xuanzang approached and caught his breath. Pressing his palms together, he bowed several times before the six golden characters, then prayed toward the west.
Whoosh-
A fragrant breeze swept past. The golden characters transformed into butterflies and flew toward the Western Heaven.
The earth began to tremble.
Without needing anyone to warn him, Xuanzang sprinted toward a distant hillside.
He had run only a few miles when a deafening crash erupted behind him.
"Rumble-!!!"
The mountain crumbled and the earth split, shattered rocks piercing the sky.
Amid the dust that filled the heavens, a streak of golden light shot upward. The figure suppressed for five hundred years roared and somersaulted through the air, venting his wild joy at regaining his freedom.
"I'm out! Old Sun is out!!!"
A moment later.
The golden light landed directly before Xuanzang.
Sun Wukong stood there stark naked, every trace of dirt gone, brimming with vigor. Out of habit, he bared his teeth to laugh and reached for the monk's arm.
"Master! I..."
"Don't call me master!"
Xuanzang slapped the monkey's hand away.
His reaction was like a basin of ice water poured straight over Wukong's head.
It caught Wukong completely off guard.
Then Xuanzang straightened his clothes and pack and bade the monkey farewell.
"Now you are free, and your oath has been sworn. Heaven and earth are vast. Return where you belong, do more good deeds, and cultivate diligently. So long as you do not break your oath, you have nothing to do with this humble monk."
With that, Xuanzang strode straight west without so much as looking at the monkey.
Sun Wukong was dumbfounded.
He stood like a wooden rooster, staring at Xuanzang's retreating back.
He left?
He really left?
This monk... isn't letting me go just to reel me in?
He really wants nothing to do with Old Sun?!
An unprecedented sense of defeat and absurdity surged through Sun Wukong's heart.
He was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!
The mighty Great Sage Equal to Heaven, who had wreaked Havoc in Heaven-and now this mortal monk scorned him even when he practically offered himself up as a disciple?
But as he watched that lone figure gradually disappear around a bend in the mountain path.
An inexplicable panic suddenly arose in Sun Wukong's heart.
This monk had saved him yet wanted nothing in return, though he had made him swear an oath.
But if I just let him leave like this, what would that make Old Sun? The Three Realms would laugh me to scorn!
Wouldn't I truly become an ungrateful demon monkey?
"Wait! Master, wait!!"
Sun Wukong bounded forward in a few strides and blocked Xuanzang's path.
"Master! You can't go!"
Xuanzang stopped, his gaze calm and utterly unruffled. "Why can't I?"
"Ahead... ahead lie wolves, venomous creatures, tigers, and leopards, demons and monsters! You're a mere mortal. How could you get through?"
"I have long since set aside life and death for the Journey to the West."
Xuanzang said evenly, "If I die along the way, it will mean this humble monk's cultivation was insufficient. No one else will be to blame."
"You!"
Sun Wukong scratched his ears and cheeks in agitation. Neither oil nor salt could get through to this monk!
"Master! Old Sun promised the Bodhisattva! If I let you travel alone, wouldn't I be breaking my word?"
"Besides, Old Sun knows to repay kindness. You saved me. If I don't protect you until you obtain the true scriptures, my heart will never rest easy!"
Xuanzang looked at him and still shook his head.
"There is no need to repay me. You have served your punishment and were due to be freed. It has nothing to do with this humble monk."
"Move aside. Do not block my way."
Sun Wukong stepped forward to stop him; Xuanzang sidestepped and pressed on.
Just as their standoff reached an impasse.
Suddenly, ten thousand shafts of rosy light and a thousand streams of auspicious color filled the air.
"Sanzang, stay a moment."
A compassionate, solemn voice rang out.
Both looked up.
Guanyin Bodhisattva had manifested in midair, seated upon the Lotus Pedestal.
"Bodhisattva!" As though spotting his savior, Sun Wukong pointed at Xuanzang and cried out.
"Bodhisattva, you've come just in time! Judge this fairly! This monk has no sense at all! I've already sworn a solemn oath and even begged to become his disciple, yet he insists on driving me away! He won't give either Old Sun or you the slightest face!"
Guanyin lowered her cloud. Looking at the impasse, she sighed inwardly.
She had just reported the Pilgrim's unusual behavior to Tathagata at Spirit Mountain.
Tathagata had remained silent for a long while, then said only that this was a variable in the great tribulation, whose fortunes were difficult to predict. Golden Cicada's awakening to the wisdom of his past life was also a good thing, benefiting the transmission of their Buddhist teachings.
He had told her to return swiftly, watch over him, and keep detailed records.
She had never expected to arrive and find this scene.
"Xuanzang."
Guanyin looked at Xuanzang and gently advised him, "I have just returned from Spirit Mountain, only to find you at an impasse here."
"Hear me out. Though this monkey is unruly, he has received my guidance and, as you asked, sworn to mend his ways. The journey west is long, and demons abound. If you travel alone, when will you ever obtain the scriptures?"
Xuanzang turned, pressing his palms together, his expression unchanged:
"Bodhisattva, the journey west is not about arriving swiftly. It is also cultivation. This humble monk seeks the scriptures to deliver people from suffering, not to recklessly incur the sin of killing. There is no reason I cannot travel alone."
Guanyin smiled faintly and took something from her sleeve.
It was a dazzling Flower-Inlaid Golden Hat.
"I understand your concerns. His demonic nature is difficult to tame, after all. An oath alone may not restrain him."
Guanyin held the hat out to Xuanzang while secretly transmitting her voice to him. "Xuanzang, this hat contains the Tightening Fillet Spell. Coax him into putting it on, and I will teach you an incantation called the Mind-Settling True Words."
"If he refuses your instruction, recite it. It will make his head feel ready to split, his eyes swell, and his body go numb, leaving him no choice but to obey. With this, can you accept him without worry?"
Xuanzang slowly pushed the hat away and spoke:
"Bodhisattva."
His voice was quiet, yet each word struck the ground with weight:
"This humble monk does not want this."
Guanyin froze. "Why? This is a Buddhist treasure. It can help you discipline this unruly monkey."
Xuanzang raised his head and met Guanyin's gaze with clear eyes, his tone sincere yet carrying a trace of sternness:
"Discipline? I refuse to take him as my disciple not because his powers are great and he resists discipline, but because seeking the scriptures in the west is not his own wish. Why force him?"
"If pain and magical treasures are needed to discipline him, what is the point of his taking a master? He would be nothing more than a wild beast held in check by the lash, not a disciple of our Buddhist faith."
"This humble monk is going to fetch scriptures, not escort a prisoner."
These words left Guanyin speechless.
Beside her, Sun Wukong shuddered from head to toe!
He stared at Xuanzang in disbelief. This monk... actually rejected a treasure that could control me? And even spoke up for me?
"Not escorting a prisoner..."
Sun Wukong murmured to himself.
Xuanzang walked up to Sun Wukong.
He asked gravely, "Let me ask you this: if it were not to repay a kindness, with no Tightening Fillet Spell and no supernatural power to suppress you."
"Would you willingly take me as your master and heed my teachings? Walk west with me, step by step? Follow me in cultivating the Buddhist path and turning toward goodness, to deliver all living beings?"
Sun Wukong lifted his head and looked into Xuanzang's eyes.
There was no scheming, no threat-only a question directed at his true heart.
At that moment, Sun Wukong suddenly remembered the master who had taught him on Mount Fangcun, and all his flippant smiles vanished.
He straightened his spine and dropped heavily to his knees.
"Master! Old Sun is willing!"
Sun Wukong firmly cupped his fist in salute, his voice hoarse but resolute:
"Though Old Sun was born of heaven and nurtured by earth, I still know good from bad! You freed me, treated me sincerely, and were willing to trust me without putting a noose around Old Sun's neck..."
"Then Old Sun will lay it out right here today! Let the Bodhisattva bear witness."
"I will protect you wholeheartedly on the Journey to the West and keep you safe!"
"I will sincerely learn the teachings from you. If I refuse your instruction, you won't need to recite any spell. Old Sun will return to Five-Finger Mountain himself-not merely for five hundred years, but willingly to be imprisoned for all eternity!"
Xuanzang nodded slightly. A gentle smile appeared on his face, like a spring breeze bringing nurturing rain.
"If you are willing to be taught, then you are my disciple."
"There is no greater good."
He turned to Guanyin and bowed:
"Bodhisattva, this disciple is unruly, but he is not beyond saving. This humble monk is willing to accept him. As for this treasured hat, please take it back."
Guanyin watched the scene, her eyes filled with complex emotions that finally resolved into admiration.
"Excellent, excellent."
"Xuanzang, to think your spiritual attainment has reached such heights. You truly are a holy monk. It seems our Buddha spoke no falsehood: you have indeed awakened to the wisdom of your past life and understood the true essence of the wondrous Dharma."
Guanyin put away the hat, looked at Sun Wukong, and said sternly:
"Unruly monkey, count yourself fortunate to have found such an enlightened master! Remember what you said today. If you dare offend again, though this fillet is not upon your head, I will remember every word of your oath!"
Sun Wukong chuckled. "Rest easy, Bodhisattva! Old Sun is convinced! I truly accept him as my master!"
Guanyin nodded and lingered no longer. Rising on her cloud, she returned to the Western Heaven to report.
After Guanyin had left.
Xuanzang looked at Sun Wukong, who was still kneeling, and held out his heavy pack.
"Get up."
"Since you have entered my tutelage, you can carry the luggage."
Sun Wukong sprang to his feet, snatched the pack, and slung it over his back, feeling light from head to toe and in splendid spirits.
"Heh, let me, let me, Master! Let's go!"
"Oh, Master, why don't you give me another Dharma name? I hear everyone gets a name when they enter the Buddhist order."
Xuanzang straightened his cassock and stepped forward, asking a question whose answer he already knew:
"What was your original Dharma name?"
"My name is Sun Wukong."
"Wukong accords perfectly with the true essence of our Buddha's teachings. Why choose another?"
"But since you are to become a traveling monk, I will give you another nickname: 'Pilgrim.' How does that sound?"
Sun Wukong scratched the back of his hand and repeated it twice.
"Pilgrim, Sun the Pilgrim... Good! Good! Good!"
The sun sank in the west.
On the ancient road walked a man and a monkey.
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