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Chapter 146 Everyone has a Sun Wukong in their heart; I also think of him as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
Beside the Liangjie Mountain pass, a familiar farmhouse courtyard stands. The old peach tree, with its gnarled branches, is still lush and laden with fruit.

Chen Guangrui pushed open the wooden gate, startling the white-haired old man sunbathing under the tree. The old man strained his cloudy eyes to make out who it was, and recognized him as the official who had been going to see the monkey a few days ago. His face softened as if he had seen an acquaintance.

"Father-in-law," Chen Guangrui greeted calmly, then walked to the peach tree on his own.

The old man grunted and pointed shakily at the peach tree, "Pick one for yourself, it's fresh."

Then he closed his eyes again, enjoying the midday sun.

Chen Guangrui didn't say much, casually picking a plump, red peach from a low branch. The sweet taste of the wild peach filled his mouth, juicy and delicious, but Chen Guangrui felt no sweetness in his heart, only a heavy burden. He ate it in silence.

The old man half-closed his eyes, his voice dry and slow, as if he were talking in his sleep or to himself.

"As far back as I can remember, that monkey was already trapped under the rock. In the early years, some brave young men, feeling sorry for the monkey or finding it strange, would carry hoes and pickaxes to dig up that mountain..."

He paused, as if recalling a distant scene.

"But it's strange... those rocks are so hard, a hoe only leaves a white mark, and even the pickaxe chipped. Some people say that the monkey himself said that there are paper slips written by Buddha pasted on the top of the mountain, very powerful, and no one in the world can peel them off. Later... gradually, no one tried anymore, it was too tiring and would damage their equipment."

Chen Guangrui listened quietly, finished the peach, and gently placed the pit at the base of the tree. Only then did the old man half-open his eyes, his cloudy gaze falling on Chen Guangrui's somewhat travel-worn appearance. He slowly raised his withered hand and pointed to the largest, reddest peach on the stone bench under the tree. That peach was clearly something the old man had deliberately left for him.
“My lord, you are kind-hearted. If… if you can’t save him, take these peaches to the monkey at the bottom of the mountain. It’s just a small token of my appreciation. My old bones are too weak to walk that mountain path anymore…”

The old man's voice lowered, "If I ever pass away, tell my little grandson to continue delivering peaches to the monkeys in the mountains..."

Chen Guangrui looked at the bright red peach; its juicy flesh seemed to contain a kind of futile persistence.

He walked over and reached out to pick up the peach that carried the old man's simple wish.

"I'm leaving, old man," he said softly, clutching the peach tightly, and turned to walk out of the yard.

Behind him, came a long, weary sigh from the old man.

"Sigh, the mountain is over there. You're heading in the direction of Black Wind Mountain, aren't you?..."

Chen Guangrui didn't pause for a moment, his figure disappearing into the quiet area outside the courtyard gate, covered by the dense shade of peach trees. He didn't turn back to respond to the old man's sigh, but simply continued walking in his own direction, his steps becoming even more determined.

The rocks remained jagged, and the thorns grew even more rampant. This time, the mountain seemed even more desolate than before. The mountain path wound its way through the deserted landscape.

It has been three hours since we left the old man's courtyard, and one hour since we arrived at the foot of Five Elements Mountain.

There were no Five Directions Protectors appearing to investigate, nor were there any mountain gods or local deities peeking out; it was as if this land had truly been forgotten.

Chen Guangrui passed through the last patch of vines and thorns blocking his way without any hindrance and stepped into the familiar valley.

The familiar monkey head that was exposed beneath the Five Elements Mountain, with its fiery eyes like molten gold, looked over the moment he appeared.

The monkey's lips seemed to twitch upwards slightly, with a hint of worldly-wise mockery, and it spoke first.

"Guanyin came a couple of days ago."

"I guessed it." Chen Guangrui stood a few steps away, his voice calm.

A fleeting, almost imperceptible emotion flashed in the monkey's golden pupils, like a spark ignited by the wind, before quickly returning to its arrogant, scrutinizing gaze. "She said that I, Old Sun, am about to leave this place."

"I know," Chen Guangrui said, still looking at him calmly.

The monkey twisted its neck, a hint of impatience in its eyes, and pierced Chen Guangrui with its sharp golden gaze. "Then what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to ask." Chen Guangrui met the monkey's gaze and took a step forward.

"What do you want to ask?" the monkey asked, its voice laced with provocation.

Chen Guangrui's gaze fell on the heavy rock pressing down on the monkey's body, then slowly moved back to the monkey's wild face, and he spoke clearly, word by word.

"Are you ready? I'm going to take you out."

The valley fell silent suddenly. Only the mountain wind whistled through the bare rock walls.

The monkey remained silent. His exposed head drooped slightly, his tangled fur obscuring his eyes.

After a while, he raised his face, his eyes filled with complex emotions: disbelief, a hint of wavering that was almost impossible to detect, but more than anything, a melancholy and almost cold self-mockery ingrained by a long period of confinement.

He didn't answer Chen Guangrui's question. Instead, he spoke with a resolute, almost desperate tone,
"The Buddha's six-syllable mantra is on the mountain; you cannot remove it."

Chen Guangrui did not immediately refute, but looked into the monkey's eyes, and after a moment, answered clearly with the same certainty, even with an undeniable force.

“I can peel it off.”

These two short sentences collided back and forth in the valley.

The monkey finally raised its head, its golden eyes, which had burned for hundreds of years, staring intently at Chen Guangrui, as if it were seeing this person clearly for the first time.

He stopped questioning the talisman and instead changed his approach, offering a hint and a probe.

"It's not just those five useless Jiedi guarding this place. There are also the Four Duty Officers and the Day and Night Patrol Gods..."

"I'm not afraid." Chen Guangrui's voice was resolute, without the slightest hesitation. The monkey grinned, this time with less mockery and more sharpness, like a long-forgotten blade trying to break free from its rust.

"Why did you save me?"

"Because I have a Sun Wukong in my heart, and I think he is still the Great Sage Equal to Heaven."

Hearing this, the monkey laughed.
"Alright. If you can really unravel that damn thing, then I, Old Sun, will still be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!"

“It’s a deal.” Chen Guangrui uttered four words, shifting his gaze from the monkey’s face to the rock face on the mountaintop, which was faintly shrouded in Buddhist light.

Without pausing, he turned and began climbing up the steep cliff.

The rocks were hard and cold. Chen Guangrui, agile and nimble, climbed upwards using the jagged rocks and vines. The closer he got to the summit, the more intense and heavy the solemn and awe-inspiring Buddhist atmosphere became.

Just as he was not far from the most prominent rock face at the top of the mountain.

"Bah!"

"Who dares to trespass into the forbidden area of ​​Five Elements Mountain!"

With flashes of golden light, several figures suddenly emerged from behind the hidden clouds or rocks, instantly blocking Chen Guangrui's path above.

The leader, clad in golden armor and wielding a ritual implement, was none other than the Golden-Headed Jiedi. Behind him, the Silver-Headed Jiedi, the Paragatedi, the Mahagatedi, and the Parasamgatedi had all appeared, each with a majestic countenance. Further away, among the rocks, the figures of the Four Duty Officers, the Day-Roaming God, and the Night-Roaming God were also faintly visible.

The Golden-Headed Immortal glared at Chen Guangrui, his magical weapon pointing directly at him.

"You audacious madman, retreat at once! This is the place where the Buddha subdues demons; how dare you approach!"

Chen Guangrui stopped and stood on a slightly gentle rocky slope. His gaze swept over the guards who were standing at attention, and his voice was calm but carried an undeniable power.

"This monkey has been imprisoned for over six hundred years; it's time to release it."

"Bullshit!" Silver-headed Jiedi, with the worst temper, shouted angrily.

"This demon monkey has committed heinous crimes, and even the Buddha himself has suppressed him here. How can you just dismiss him with a few words? Surrender immediately to avoid the annihilation of your soul and spirit!"

"I'm going to release this monkey today, don't stop me." Chen Guangrui's tone was uncompromising, and he even took another step forward.

"Insanity!"

"Unbelievable!"

Several reprimands rang out simultaneously.

A hint of disdain flashed in Mahagate's eyes.
"Ignorant child, do you know who left the Buddhist inscription on the mountaintop? It was the Buddha Tathagata of the Western Paradise! How dare you, an unknown little immortal, try to shake a tree like an ant?"

He clearly did not know Chen Guangrui, and his words were full of blatant sarcasm.

The faces of the Jiedi (a type of deity) and the Gongcao (another type of deity) and Youshen (a type of spirit) who were vaguely visible all showed mockery, as if Chen Guangrui's idea was so absurd as to be not worth mentioning.

However, despite their sarcastic remarks and orders to stop, Chen Guangrui seemed not to hear them and continued walking forward.

Even if he couldn't defeat any of the people in front of him, this was his only chance to save the monkey.

Before his time travel, he admired the Monkey King as a child; as an adult, he pitied the Monkey King.

And now, he finally has the opportunity to stand here, and every step he takes is an explanation to another version of himself.

I've always had a Monkey King in my heart. Since he's imprisoned here, I'll smash this mountain, tear up that Buddhist scroll, and release him!
Seeing Chen Guangrui like this, the Five Directions Protectors, the Four Duty Officers, and the Day and Night Wanderers stood even closer together, their magical artifacts glowing, clearly indicating that they had increased their vigilance.

Ignoring the mocking and warning glances, Chen Guangrui untied a golden silk ribbon from his waist, the Golden Rope.

A golden light shot out, silent and swift as lightning. The Silver-Headed Jiedi, still cursing and yelling, was caught off guard and instantly bound tightly by the golden rope!

"what!"

Silver-headed Jiedi was shocked and furious. He struggled desperately, but felt his magical power stagnate and he was unable to move!
The other Jiedi were instantly terrified, their magical artifacts gleaming brightly as they prepared to attack.

"I'll say it again, get out of the way!" Chen Guangrui shouted sharply, his aura suddenly surging, showing a determination to fight to the death.

He knew he was no match for these guards, but the determination in his eyes remained unchanged.

Just as tensions were rising and a fierce conflict was about to erupt,

Woo!
A strange mountain wind, carrying the smell of earth and heat, suddenly swept up from the ground without warning.

It swept across the bare rocks, making a mournful, ghostly sound, stirring up dust and gravel that momentarily blinded people and disrupted the solemn and heavy aura of Buddha's light on the mountaintop.

Everyone froze, staring in disbelief at the sudden, ominous gust of wind.

(End of this chapter)