The Earlier Story

Just as Zhu Bajie finished speaking, Sun Wukong appeared from another direction, having already moved away from them, and walked to the old man's side, saying:

"Grandpa, I've come here to ask you something."

Seeing that Sun Wukong was handsome and promising at a young age, the old man returned the Sun Wukong casually, patted Sun Wukong's head, and said with a grin:

"Little monk, where did you come from?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong immediately said:

"We come from the Great Tang of the Eastern Lands in the Western Heaven. Now we've arrived here. I just heard you say there are monsters here, and my master is timid and afraid."

"So I'd like to ask what kind of monster is here and what it has done. Could you please tell me in detail so I can get rid of it?"

Before Sun Wukong could finish speaking, the old man burst into laughter, only stopping slowly after a long while, and then said to Sun Wukong:

"You young monk Yaomo, how dare you claim you can eliminate all those Yaomo Divine Ability? You're so naive!"

Sun Wukong laughed and said upon hearing this:

"From what you're saying, it seems you're trying to boost others' morale while diminishing your own to protect the monster. You and the monster must have some kind of kinship or friendship, otherwise why would you keep praising its power and refuse to honestly tell me its origins?"

"You monk, you certainly have a sharp tongue. You must have traveled far and wide with your master, learning various Law Technique, perhaps even exorcising demons and warding off evil spirits. You just haven't seen any ferocious monsters."

The old man sneered, looking at Sun Wukong with disdain.

After speaking, Sun Wukong pretended to be puzzled and asked the old man, "Why is that monster so fierce? Can you tell me in detail?"

"You're clearly very ignorant. If a demon sends a letter to Spirit Mountain, five hundred Luo Han will come to greet him; if a letter reaches the Heavenly Palace, all the gods will come to welcome him. The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas was once his friend."

"The immortals of the Eight Caves often invited him to meals, he addressed the Yamas of the Ten Courts as brothers, and he was essentially on equal footing with the other immortals."

The old man snorted coldly, his disdain growing as he spoke, seemingly looking down on Sun Wukong.

However, Sun Wukong didn't care at all and said nonchalantly:

"Stop talking, please stop talking! You call all those fairies and my junior brothers and friends, but they're not exactly powerful, are they? If they knew I was coming, they'd probably have moved out overnight."

"You little monk, don't talk nonsense! You're utterly inhuman! All those gods are your juniors! Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe your lies!"

The old man puffed out his beard and glared at Sun Wukong, saying...

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong smiled and said, "To tell you the truth, old man, I used to live in the Water Curtain Cave on Flower-Fruit Mountain in the Aolai Kingdom. My name is Sun Wukong, and I was once a demon, accomplishing some great deeds."

"I drank a few too many drinks that night, and then I fell asleep. In my dream, two people took me to the Netherworld Underworld. In a fit of anger, I raised my Ruyi Jingu Bang) and injured the judge, King Yama."

"It seems they stirred up the entire Underworld Underworld, scaring the judge so much that he had to sign and put his fingerprint on a piece of paper. I won't hit them; they're now willingly becoming my juniors."

"Amitabha Buddha, you monk have gone a bit too far with your words. You can forget about ever growing up again."

The old man seemed to feel that Sun Wukong was beyond saving, so he said to Sun Wukong...

"Old man, I've grown enough; I can't grow any older."

Sun Wukong sighed and said to the old man with a half-smile.

"How old are you exactly? You must be only seven or eight years old!"

The old man tentatively asked Sun Wukong a question, but Sun Wukong smiled and replied:

"If that's how it is, then there are a million seven or eight-year-olds. I'll turn back into my old self right now and show you my true colors."

"But if I turn back into my original form, it might scare you, so please don't blame me."

Upon hearing this, the old man said to Sun Wukong, "Do you think your mouth can scare me? Quickly show me your true form!"

Seeing that the old man was completely oblivious, Sun Wukong his face to reveal his true form, baring his teeth and grinning, his face flushed red. He wore a tiger-skin skirt around his waist and held a Ruyi Jingu Bang staff) in his hand, standing at the bottom of the cliff like a living Duke of Thunder.

Upon seeing this, the old man turned pale with fright, his legs gave way, and he couldn't stand up. He fell down, got up, and fell again.

"Old man, please don't be afraid. I'm very easy to talk to. Don't be afraid. Thank you for your kind reminder about how many monsters there are. Please tell me all of them. I'm very grateful."

After speaking, Sun Wukong quickly stepped forward and helped the old man up. However, the old man was trembling and could not speak. He also said that he was deaf and could not hear a word.

Seeing that the old man remained silent, Sun Wukong walked over to Tang Xuanzang. Tang Xuanzang, noticing this, asked Sun Wukong:

"Wukong, you're finally back. What exactly did you ask?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong smiled and said, "Don't worry about these things. There are many monsters in the Western Heaven too, but the people here are very timid and take those monsters to heart. It's alright, it's alright, I'm here for you."

Tang Xuanzang scratched his head and continued to ask Sun Wukong, "Did you ask him what kind of mountain or cave this is? How many demons are there? Which path leads to Thunderclap Monastery?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Bajie immediately interrupted Tang Xuanzang.

"Master, please heed my advice: whatever you say when asked will be untrue. Although our transformations are not as good as Sun Wukong's, to be honest, even if all the Sun Wukong lined up, they wouldn't be as good as me."

"What you said is true; you're the only one who's honest."

Tang Xuanzang agreed with what Zhu Bajie said, and after receiving Tang Xuanzang's affirmation, Zhu Bajie continued:

"Sun Wukong only asked a few questions before rushing back. I'll go ask him now and get straight to the point, then I'll report back to you."

"Bajie, you must ask carefully, make sure you don't miss anything. And I must emphasize one thing to you: don't frighten that old man."

After speaking, Tang Xuanzang mounted the White Dragon Horse and quietly waited for Zhu Bajie's return.

Before Tang Xuanzang could finish speaking, Zhu Bajie placed the Nine-Toothed Rake at his waist, straightened his clothes, and awkwardly walked up the hillside to the old man.