Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 305 Old Tales of Flower and Fruit Mountain

Zhao Yifu was rapidly absorbing the information of this world, constantly enriching himself while also thinking about ways to break the deadlock.

The predicament he sought to break was not the grand scheme of heaven and earth, but rather the predicament that imprisoned mortals.

The sage thinks from a grand perspective, while he chose a small one.

As I pondered these thoughts, time slipped by unnoticed.

His original body, which remained in the Heavenly Prison, unexpectedly received a visitor.

He stopped his contemplation, went outside, and looked at the monkey standing outside the Heavenly Prison, as well as the 'fly' hiding on the monkey's shoulder, speechless.

Goodness, this monkey really spoils his apprentice! Did he bring Chenxiang to 'visit' him in prison?

The gates of the Heavenly Prison were wide open, and Zhao Yifu stood inside, smiling as he said, "Brother Monkey, please don't be offended, I cannot leave this Heavenly Prison for the time being."

The monkey didn't care at all. He said, "Quick, quick, let me go in and take a look around."

Looking at the monkey's guilty expression, I wonder what it's afraid of.

He smiled and said, "Okay, let's go in."

He then made way for the monkey to move inside.

After entering the Heavenly Prison area, Zhao Yifu said, "Chenxiang, you should also return to your original form. Here, you don't have to worry about being discovered by the Heavenly Court."

The monkey paused for a moment, then said guiltily, "What are you talking about?"

But a fly on His shoulder flew up and landed in front of Zhao Yifu, saying, "Brother, is it alright to be visible here?"

Zhao Yifu said, "Of course it's alright. This is my territory now. You can come here as if you're back home."

Agarwood immediately revealed its true form.

Hearing Zhao Yifu say this, he did feel much more comfortable and at ease.

Seeing this, Zhao Yifu said, "Come with me to the seventh level of the Heavenly Prison. The Goddess of Mount Hua is staying there."

The monkey asked curiously, "Sevenfold? Aren't those all places where rebellious demons are imprisoned?"

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "Yes, the great demons over there are all quite obedient. In addition, the prisoners on the lower levels have all died due to some accidents. I was afraid that Goddess Huayue might not be willing to stay down there, so I let her stay with these obedient great demons."

The monkey scratched its head, sensing that something was amiss.

However, since we've already arrived at the Heavenly Prison, we might as well go and take a look.

They followed Zhao Yifu to the seventh level of the Heavenly Prison... and then they witnessed a scene of demons running rampant.

A group of sea monsters struck a pose reminiscent of the Dragon Palace on this seventh level.

The eldest prince of the Dragon Palace, Ao Jia, sat in the main seat, surrounded by a group of sea monsters, some as guards, some as attendants, and some as female sea monsters dancing gracefully.

Meanwhile, some powerful demons sat there like guests, enjoying the alluring dances and fine wine.

The monkey sniffed. Good heavens, is this some kind of heavenly nectar?

Then, they saw Yang Chan as the first person the Crown Prince targeted.

She raised her glass and drank heartily, gulping down the wine and eating large chunks of meat.

As for what kind of meat they ate?

Oh, it's a big piece of crab leg meat.

Good heavens, this crab leg is thicker than the monkey's golden cudgel in its normal state! What kind of crab is this?

He looked around blankly and saw a large crab sticking to the Heavenly Prison Pillar with one of its large pincers out... Suddenly, a celestial fire rose from the pillar, and the large pincer turned red in a moment.

The giant crab immediately raised its perfectly cooked claws and said, "The crab claws are ready, who wants to try some?"

"I want I want!"

Yang Chan raised her hand without any regard for her image, completely ignoring the fact that she hadn't swallowed what was in her mouth yet.

Her once slender, fairy-like appearance now features a double chin...

It's really worrying; will she develop high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar, becoming a "high-risk fairy"?

Wait, with so much seafood here, wouldn't it be easy to get gout?

Hopefully, Yang Chan's Heavenly Emperor bloodline is good enough that she won't get gout...

Chenxiang couldn't bear to look anymore; the image of his beloved mother had been shattered in his mind.

His mother wasn't a dignified goddess or aloof fairy, but rather a mature, spirited young woman...

The monkey's feelings were even more profound. He walked into this unique banquet and asked an old ox, "Brother? Is that you?"

The old ox looked up and glanced at him, then lowered its head again and ignored him.

The monkey said awkwardly, "Brother, don't you recognize me? Are you still blaming your little brother?"

Old Niu sneered, "I, Old Niu, am now separated from my wife and children and have become a prisoner. It is all my own fault. How dare I blame the Victorious Fighting Buddha?"

The monkey said, "I never expected them to act like this, I..."

The old ox waved his hand dejectedly and said, "It's not your fault. Just blame yourself for not coming to help you when you wanted to rebel against heaven back then. Sigh~"

He let out a long sigh, making it seem like he was very tired and didn't want to say anything more.

What happened back then?

Zhao Yifu was very curious.

The events of that year have left behind many legendary stories in the mortal world, but what was the reality?

Zhao Yifu began to calculate out of curiosity.

With his current level of cultivation, he can quickly deduce the answer by observing even the slightest clues in the world.

Just like now.

A wisp of his dream manifested and he arrived at Flower Fruit Mountain, where he witnessed the battlefield of the 'encirclement and suppression of Flower Fruit Mountain' in those days.

The energy here was sensed, and it was found that the residual demonic energy from the same period matched the spiritual energy characteristics of Flower Fruit Mountain, meaning that only the native demons participated in this great battle.

That confirms the question: none of the monkey's sworn brothers came back then.

Is that really the case?

Zhao Yifu then thought of the fact that the commander of this encirclement and suppression campaign was none other than the military genius Li Jing!

Although according to legend, this great battle was just a stage for a few high-end combatants, how could a military genius only have this much command art?
Zhao Yifu himself had been on the battlefield. Putting himself in the enemy's shoes, he wondered whether it was easier to defeat a strong enemy by having them concentrate their forces together, or to divide their forces and defeat them one by one.
Without much thought, since Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, is a god of war, we must consider the issue from the perspective of a god of war.

Therefore, Zhao Yifu expanded the scope of his calculations.

Sure enough, he discovered another battlefield.

This place is located southwest of Huaguo Mountain, and there was also a battlefield from the same period here.

The lingering aura felt somewhat familiar to Zhao Yifu… the aura of the bull demons from the Bull Demon Kingdom in the endless mountains.

So it's not that the Bull Demon King didn't come to help, but the reinforcements were blocked by an ambush set up in advance.

He then precisely calculated the occurrence and duration of the major battle between the two sides.

He discovered that the war here had broken out before the one at Flower Fruit Mountain, but its intensity was not high, clearly indicating a delaying stalemate. Only after the war at Flower Fruit Mountain ended did a high-intensity battle erupt here, resulting in significant casualties for both the Bull Demon Kingdom and the Heavenly Soldiers.

Based on what Zhao Yifu learned during his 'visit' to the Bull Demon Kingdom, this Bull Demon King was their former clan leader, and not just through a 'glorious retirement.' By calculating the timeline, it's easy to see that the Mighty Bull Demon King resigned his position as clan leader after the Battle of Flower Fruit Mountain.

Furthermore, by examining the 'prison records' in the Heavenly Prison, we can infer that the Bull Demon King was imprisoned around the time the Monkey King was on his journey to the West to obtain the scriptures... So, now the logic here makes sense.

This bull was subdued after the Flaming Mountain incident.

And what about Princess Iron Fan?
Zhao Yifu did some more calculations... and then he figured out the identity of the seventy-two Asura princesses of Mount Ling... Hmm, they went to Mount Ling.

That old ox truly lost his wife and children.

Zhao Yifu sighed.

Then they turned their attention back to Flower Fruit Mountain and searched around it again.

He also discovered three smaller battlefields.

Judging by the aura, besides the aura of the Heavenly Court, there was also the demonic aura of the golden monkey, the demonic aura of the dragon in the sea, and the enormous corpse of a lion demon.

A slightly more precise calculation would reveal that the Great Sage Who Moved Mountains, the Lion Camel King; the Great Sage Who Drives Away Gods, the Yu Rong King; and the Great Sage Who Overturned the Seas, the Jiao Demon King, all visited.

However, after their encounter, King Yu Rong and King Jiao Mo realized they were no match for them and retreated. King Shi Tuo, on the other hand, stubbornly fought to the death, and even his own Lion Camel Ridge was taken over by other monsters.

The remaining two demon kings did not show themselves, presumably because they knew they were no match for the enemy and fled into hiding.

Zhao Yifu then withdrew his finger from the calculation, thinking to himself that this made more sense.

The legends in picture books only talk about the monkey's bravery, but not about the efforts and fates of the others.

If the Seven Great Sages could join the Monkey King in rebelling against Heaven, how could they have done nothing when the Heavenly Army attacked?
As for whether the monkey knew this?
Zhao Yifu felt that even if He didn't know before, He should know now.

But so much time has passed, what can He still do?

He sighed, a hint of pity in his eyes as he looked at the monkey. He thought to himself, "Who knows how many secrets this monkey hides beneath its playful facade? It seems to be forcing a smile every day."

The monkey was feeling embarrassed when it saw Zhao Yifu looking at it with regret and shaking its head, making it very uncomfortable.

Then He said, “Brother, why are you looking at me like that?”

Zhao Yifu said, "Brother Monkey, I didn't expect you to have carried so much. You must have had a very tough time all these years."

The monkey was confused and asked, "What's so hard about it?"

The old ox snorted coldly and said, "This monkey has no heart. Don't overestimate him!"

Zhao Yifu was stunned for a moment and said, "No way, the Monkey Brother I know is very responsible, kind-hearted, and gentle. He's a reliable senior."

Chenxiang nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Only then did Yang Chan hear the commotion and look over. Her eyes were blurry with drunkenness as she said, "Oh, son, what brings you here? Come and have a drink with your mother!"

As if struck by lightning, Chenxiang quickly hid behind Zhao Yifu... At this moment, Zhao Yifu's broad frame was much more reliable than the monkey's thin and frail body.

Yang Chan rubbed her eyes and suddenly burst into tears, saying, "Huh, am I hallucinating because I miss my son? Parents' hearts are truly full of love and worry..."

As he spoke, he was moved by his own longing and rewarded himself with a glass of fine wine.

This made Chenxiang really suspect that he was the product of being drunk.

After all, he now had a very complete set of experiences and ways of thinking. He could only think rationally and couldn't understand under what circumstances a goddess would willingly have a one-night stand with a passing mortal scholar and give birth to her child.

He knew what kind of person his father was; he was a rather traditional scholar.

He is traditional, self-disciplined, strict with himself and lenient with others, and can be considered a gentleman.

Under what circumstances would someone like this make a mistake?

Gee...

Everything is contained in the 'tsk tsk'.

Zhao Yifu was surprised by the monkey's reaction; how could this monkey really seem to know nothing?

So he tentatively asked, "Brother Monkey, you wouldn't be unaware that when your Flower Fruit Mountain was besieged, Old Bull brought many of his people to help in the battle, would you?"

The monkey nodded and said, "Of course I know that. I saw my brother Niu's banner from afar when I was fighting Yang Jian, so I still consider him my brother!"

Upon hearing this, the old ox blushed and said, "Then do you know that the fourth brother, the Lion Camel King, died in battle to help you?!"

The monkey exclaimed in astonishment, "How is this possible?!"

It seems He doesn't know.

Zhao Yifu was speechless, realizing that he had overestimated the monkey.

So he asked, "Brother Monkey, you are now a Great Golden Immortal, you should be able to figure this out with a little calculation, right?"

The monkey said with difficulty, "I, Old Sun, am really not good at that."

Well, a guy who put all his talent into martial arts.

Zhao Yifu could only reconstruct the scene from the past based on the information he had collected, and then show it to the monkey one by one.

Thus, He witnessed the Bull Demon Kingdom's demon soldiers suffering heavy casualties against the Demon Subduing Guard, and the Bull Demon King being held back by the Demon Subduing Emperor, ultimately forced to watch helplessly as his own men died tragically, weeping bitterly.

They also witnessed the Lion Camel King's mountain-like body collapsing under the True Martial Emperor's sword, eventually turning a barren mountain into a lush forest.

The Yu Rong King and the Jiao Demon King arrived by land and sea respectively, but were blocked by the White Tiger God and the Azure Dragon God respectively, and finally escaped wounded...

Even the Monkey King and the Roc Demon King came, but under the intimidation of the gods of the Fighting Tribe, they dared not move forward and could only leave quietly.

His eyes suddenly reddened.

He thought he was blind, that no brothers would come to his aid when he encountered difficulties.

In reality, his brothers all contributed to the effort to varying degrees; it was just that the Heavenly Court was simply too powerful…

He thought that his enemies at the time were only the Giant Spirit God, the Four Heavenly Kings, Nezha, and Yang Jian.

In reality, this was only the force surrounding Flower Fruit Mountain. The real situation was that the forces deployed around it included the True Martial Emperor, the Demon Subduing Emperor, the Azure Dragon and White Tiger Gods, and the Star Lords of Doubu, each of whom was enough to make the monkey feel troubled.

This isn't even the full strength of the Heavenly Court!
The monkey's eyes reddened, but he quickly wiped them away and said, "Brother, I'm actually quite happy."

This monkey is very lively.

The old ox snorted coldly and said, "But I'm not happy. My brothers have died or been injured because of you monkeys, and my clan's men have also suffered heavy losses. It's not for your 'happiness'."

Upon hearing this, the monkey immediately and shamelessly approached, saying, "Hey, brother, don't say that. I, Old Sun, am not such an ungrateful person."

"I, Old Sun, will rescue my brother right now, and then call all the other brothers back. We'll avenge Fourth Brother, and then we'll all have a good time together!"

Old Niu shook his head and said, "Don't talk about that anymore. Now I'm under the warden's protection, and I don't think about anything anymore. I'm living a very good life."

The monkey scratched the back of its hand, feeling quite annoyed.

He turned to look at Zhao Yifu, his face flushed with anger as if he were about to shout: I'm going to beat this warden to death with a stick!

Then he remembered that he also owed Zhao Yifu a favor...

He pouted, looked aggrieved, grabbed a jug of wine, and squatted down to drink it all in silence.

These monkeys are quite cute.

Unfortunately, He eventually realized that He could no longer act recklessly.

(End of this chapter)