Interesting Journey to the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom (XIX)

Meanwhile, the old Grand Preceptor advocated for the Recruitment and Pacification of the emperor, Wukong almost thought he was Li Chang Geng in disguise.

Even after realizing it wasn't a transformation by Taibai Jinxing, Wukong was still quite bewildered and couldn't help but feel a little sigh.

Although the old Grand Preceptor was cured of his stroke by receiving a breath of Immortal Breath from Wukong, he was still Fright. The King of the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom hurriedly ordered his Royal Guards to help him down from the Golden Hall and send him home.

After the Grand Preceptor left, the Court Hall officials began to argue.

The debate was simply about whether to offer Recruitment and Pacification or to launch a campaign against the enemy.

Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom was a small, stable country.

Most of the officials in the country still valued stability, so in the end, the majority agreed to the Recruitment and Pacification.

The King of the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom then agreed to the Recruitment and Pacification and asked:

"Based on what my esteemed ministers have suggested, I wonder what official position would be most suitable for him?"

A staff member from the Ministry of Personnel spoke up:

"Your Majesty, there are Imperial Court court. Hua Yunlong has no official rank or title. In my opinion, if he is given a real position, he will surely cause trouble. It would be better to take his former official title and grant him the empty title of Grand Marshal, so that he has the title but no real power."

Before the King the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom could reply, Wukong jumped out again, baring his teeth and shouting:

"Hey! Is that Grand Marshal some kind of official in charge of raising horses?"

The officials were so startled that they hurriedly fled, and the imperial palace was in an uproar.

The King the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom said, "Holy Monk, the Grand Marshal is not an official in charge of raising horses; this was an official position from the previous dynasty that controlled the Troops, a very high-ranking one!"

When Wukong heard that it wasn't an official in charge of raising horses, he stopped his smug expression.

The officials returned to their posts.

A military officer stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, we, your subjects, have risked our lives for you, leading troops in battle to Guards the State Altars, and rendered countless meritorious services. Yet we have never received the official rank of Grand Marshal. That Hua Yunlong, a mere Thieves of lowly birth, is now granted the title of Grand Marshal. We, your subjects, must bow and pay our respects to him. Does this not discourage all the generals in the land? I ask you, who will be willing to sacrifice their lives for Your Majesty and protect the State Altars in the future?"

The King of the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom listened and thought it made sense, and asked:

"In your opinion, what official position should he/she be given?"

The military officer said, "Being appointed as Five-City Commandant is neither a very small nor a very large position; it's already an honor for him."

Upon hearing this, the King the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom agreed and immediately issued an edict to erase Hua Yunlong's past crimes. He also asked Wukong to go and Recruitment and Pacification, and appointed Hua Yunlong as the Five-City Commandant.

Although Wukong noticed that the title "Five-City Commandant" didn't contain a single word about horses, he was still uneasy and asked, "What kind of official position is the Five-City Commandant? Are they horse breeders?"

The military officer said, "He's not just a horse breeder. A colonel is below the general, but he commands a large number of Troops, so he's practically a general!"

Only after hearing this did Wukong feel relieved and leave.

Before long, Wukong arrived at the Bandit Mountain, met Hua Yunlong, presented him with the imperial edict of Recruitment and Pacification, and said:

"Hua Yunlong, the King of the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom has already issued an edict to erase your record, tore down the documents in the city, and even issued Recruitment and Pacification decree to grant you amnesty, appointing you as the Five-City Commandant!"

The Patriarch Styx was delighted upon hearing this and immediately agreed to descend the mountain.

Upon seeing this, the bandits, including Ground-Digging Tiger and One-Eyed Dragon, rushed forward, weeping, and said, "Big Brother! You've been granted Recruitment and Pacification by the Emperor and have become a high-ranking official. What are we brothers going to do?"

The Patriarch Styx was a straightforward man, and upon seeing this scene, he was at a loss for words. If he were in charge of the Asura, he would have executed anyone who uttered even half a word of dissent. However, it was inconvenient to kill anyone at this moment, so he could only recall whether the Cult Leader had taught him how to respond.

Looking back now, Ao Tu really did teach. As expected of the Cult Leader, his foresight was remarkable.

The Patriarch Styx did as he was told:

"You two thieves, get out of my way immediately, lest you soil my clothes!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong couldn't help but say:

"Hua Yunlong, you heartless scoundrel! You haven't even become an official yet, and you've already abandoned your old friends and family!"

Patriarch Styx said:

"I don't consider them relatives! If we're talking about family, my parents are my closest relatives! Someone, bring me two hundred taels of gold; I'll take it back to support my parents!"

Wukong said, "Hua Yunlong, since you promised to return the stolen silver, why are you taking gold again?"

The Patriarch Styx said, "All the valuables I robbed are accounted for, and I will return them all without exception. As for the gold, it was accumulated by these thieves over the years. Since they cannot find the rightful owner, I am the Great King, and it naturally belongs to me!"

The thieves were furious upon hearing this.

The Patriarch Styx urged, "Go get it! Wrap it up in good cowhide for me!"

Left with no other option, the thieves took two hundred taels of gold and wrapped it up.

Thus, Hua Yunlong was Recruitment and Pacification by the imperial court and returned to his hometown in glory. All the looted goods were returned, much to everyone's delight.

Ao Tu and Guanyin Bodhisattva entertained Tang Sanzang and his disciples for several days before politely seeing them off out of the city.

Tang Sanzang and his disciples led the White Horse from the west gate. When they arrived at the city gate, they saw Hua Yunlong dressed in official robes, leading a group of soldiers, guarding the city gate.

The group met, exchanged a few words, and then Wukong whispered to Tang Sanzang, "Disaster! Disaster! Master, let's go!"

Tang Sanzang was unaware of the reason, but he still took his leave and went out of the city, heading Journey to the West.

On the way, Tang Sanzang asked, "Wukong, what trouble have you gotten into?"

Wukong said, "Those officials are truly cunning. Old Sun once asked them what the ' Five-City Commandant ' was, and they said a commander was below a general, practically half a general. That's why Old Sun became Imperial Envoy and Recruitment and Pacification Hua Yunlong to serve. Now it seems, what 'half a general'? He's clearly just a gatekeeper! We need to hurry on our way; if we slow down, something else might happen!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang immediately urged his horse to continue on its way.

Bajie followed behind, carrying the load, running along with heavy breathing. Feeling a bit tired, he said to Wukong:

"Brother! There's no need to rush off. I don't think anything might change!"

Wukong asked, "Why?"

Bajie said, "Although the captain is a minor official, he is still several ranks higher than the Bimawen!"

Wukong retorted angrily, "You idiot! I think you're asking for a beating!"

He unleashed a few monkey-style punches, aiming them at Bajie's body.

Bajie cried out and ran forward immediately.

Ao Tu watched the four of them leave from afar, showing no sign of urgency.

After that, he taught at home every day, and in his spare time, he played chess, painted, played the zither, drank tea, burned incense, and played pitch-pot with his wife. At night, they would talk about interesting things and make elegant jokes, enjoying themselves immensely.

After waiting for about twenty days, just as Tang Sanzang and his disciples were about to leave the Dharma-Extinguishing Kingdom, Ao Tu summoned the Patriarch Styx and gave him a few words of advice.

Upon hearing this, the Patriarch Styx went out, took five taels of gold, and ordered his officers and soldiers to prepare several tables of fine food to invite the generals, princes, Chancellor, and ministers of the Imperial Court to a banquet to mark their departure from office.

He invited only the highest-ranking officials in the Imperial Court.

Some of them were shrewd and came when they had free time; others didn't want to get involved, so they pretended to be sick and sent their sons, nephews, or stewards to deliver messages; still others were nobles and dignitaries who looked down on Hua Yunlong's humble origins and ignored him.

The Patriarch Styx hosted several banquets, but only a small fraction of the guests attended, which enraged him. He said:

"How dare these lowly princes and Dukes and Marquises be so disrespectful! I was invited by invitation, yet they dare to defy me, the Five-City Commandant, and refuse to attend the banquet!"

One of the generals, upon hearing this, couldn't help but say:

"A mere gatekeeper dares to presume to call himself 'sir,' it's truly laughable!"