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Chapter 170 Did this stick really cause a major incident back then?
Huaguo Mountain remains as beautiful as a fairyland painting.

Several newborn, exceptionally mischievous little monkeys, having somehow acquired some crooked golden crowns and golden armor sewn from tattered cloth, were now imitating the Monkey King, baring their teeth and making faces.

One of the particularly lively little monkeys jumped onto a large rock, put its hands on its hips, and shouted in a high-pitched voice.

"I, Old Sun, can somersault... um... eighteen li, and this stick weighs a full 180 jin!"

What he was waving in his hand was nothing more than a sharpened twig.

Several old monkeys watching nearby shook their heads. One gray-furred old ape couldn't resist stepping forward and gently patting the little monkey's head.

"Little monkey, what nonsense are you spouting? Back in the day, our Great King could travel 108,000 li in a single somersault! His Ruyi Jingu Bang weighed 13,500 jin! So what if the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Garden, the Jade Emperor's Lingxiao Palace, or 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals surrounded the mountain? Our Great King, with just his Ruyi Jingu Bang, turned the world upside down. That's what you call mighty! He was the number one demon in history!"

"Really? Is Your Majesty really that powerful?" The little monkey blinked, full of doubt.
"But we've never seen him before! The king is in the cave right now, and he doesn't look... that fierce, does he?"

"You bastard!" The old ape feigned anger, making a move to strike.

"The King stayed here for the sake of our Flower Fruit Mountain. Does he need to show off his skills to you little monkeys every day?"

Inside the Water Curtain Cave, behind the swirling mist, Sun Wukong sat cross-legged on a smooth stone platform. The noise outside reached his ears clearly, especially the phrase "He doesn't look... that fierce," which pricked him like a tiny thorn.

He gazed at the cascading waterfall outside the cave, taking in the breathtaking scenery of Flower Fruit Mountain. In the three years since, the mountain's spiritual veins, under his conscious care and nourishment, had largely recovered. Monkeys frolicked, full of life, far better than when he first escaped his predicament. This should have been a cause for celebration.

Yet a strange sense of loss crept into his heart. This Flower and Fruit Mountain was beautiful, but what of the monkeys' future? Were they destined to frolic and die in this mountain? What was he pursuing when he rebelled against Heaven?
Silently, he took the Ruyi Jingu Bang, the size of an embroidery needle, from his ear. With a flick of his wrist, it transformed into a thick, black iron rod. The cold, metallic touch was heavy, as if it contained the unbridled wildness of five hundred years ago, and also gleamed with a sharp edge that had nowhere to go in the present.

He gently stroked the shaft with his palm, his movements so light they didn't seem like he was holding a weapon.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the cave, and Chen Guangrui returned with a beaming Tang Sheng. Sun Wukong sheathed his golden cudgel, suppressing his slight annoyance, and asked,
"What did that old man say to you?"

Chen Guangrui didn't answer immediately. He looked around the blessed land, his gaze seemingly piercing through the water curtain and landing on the lush Flower and Fruit Mountain outside. He spoke as if in casual conversation...
“Brother Monkey, your Flower Fruit Mountain, this blessed land, and the Water Curtain Cave, this grotto-heaven, are truly wonderful places. It’s quite a coincidence that I also stayed at the Wuzhuang Temple in Xiniu Hezhou. They also call themselves the Longevity Mountain, the blessed land, and the Wuzhuang Temple grotto-heaven. What is the difference between their place and your blessed land and grotto-heaven?”

Sun Wukong, unaware of his true intentions, casually replied,
"His grotto-heaven is in Xiniu Hezhou, while my blessed land is in Dongsheng Shenzhou. In a continent, there are only one or two places that can be called grotto-heavens and blessed lands. They are places where the spiritual veins of heaven and earth converge and are born from the creation of heaven and earth."

"Oh? Such a wonderful place must be extremely rare?" Chen Guangrui pressed.

"Of course! Born in such a blessed land, surrounded by the beauty of mountains and rivers, and endowed with extraordinary talents, cultivation is twice as effective with half the effort. My success today is largely thanks to Flower Fruit Mountain." Sun Wukong's tone carried a hint of barely perceptible pride.

Chen Guangrui nodded, then abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming serious.

"Indeed, such a blessed land is one in a million. Brother Monkey, how long do you think your Flower Fruit Mountain blessed land can remain peaceful?"

Sun Wukong was taken aback, then a golden light flashed in his eyes, "What are you talking about? Who dares to touch my Flower Fruit Mountain?"

Meeting his sharp gaze, Chen Guangrui spoke calmly and slowly.
"Look at Wuzhuang Temple. They have the ginseng fruit tree that suppresses the flow of fortune, so they are naturally as stable as Mount Tai. Your Flower Fruit Mountain is also the pinnacle of spiritual energy in the Eastern Continent, nurturing you, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Now you live here in the mountains, raising monkeys, eating peaches, and living a leisurely life. Tell me, what do you think those with greedy hearts will think?"

He paused, his voice growing even deeper.

"They will surely think that Huaguo Mountain, without the sharp edge of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven in his prime, is just a treasure mountain, like a pearl covered in dust. If they can seize this blessed land and manage it carefully, in time, they might be able to create another Sun Wukong! At that time, Huaguo Mountain will still be Huaguo Mountain, but the master... may not be you."

"Hmph!" Sun Wukong flew into a rage, abruptly standing up. An invisible pressure instantly filled the cave, causing the water curtain to sway slightly.

"Who dares to try and seize my foundation? My golden cudgel will be the first to smash their dog's head!"

He cursed a few times, but looking at Chen Guangrui's calm face, he suddenly seemed to understand something. The anger in his eyes quickly subsided, replaced by a cold laugh of being manipulated. He sat back down on the stone platform, his tone mocking.

"Hey! You, Chen Guangrui, after all this roundabout talk, you're still trying to trap me, Old Sun. Tell me, what hot potato did Laozi send you this time that you couldn't handle, so you came to Flower Fruit Mountain to fool me, Old Sun?"

Chen Guangrui frankly admitted, "Laojun did give me a task, but he also gave me a great opportunity to rise above." These words aroused Sun Wukong's curiosity. He didn't scold him anymore, but just glanced at Chen Guangrui, waiting for him to continue.

Chen Guangrui said directly, "He told me to go and attack the Buddhist sect, and to attack them until they feel pain."

"Attack on Buddhism?!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's eyes instantly blazed with a long-lost, intense light, as if it came from five hundred years ago, as if sparks were about to fly out. But in an instant, that light was suppressed by a deeper vigilance. A sarcastic smile curled at the corner of his lips as he sneered,

"Heh, I knew it! That old man couldn't openly confront them, so he sent you, his pawn, as a scapegoat. What are you, Chen Guangrui, capable of? With your meager skills, you can only fart and add a little wind. Forget about hurting the Buddhist sect; you'd be lucky to even get close to their gates! He sent you here because he knows I, Old Sun, have a grudge against the Buddhist sect and wants to drag me down with him?"

"You guessed right." Chen Guangrui did not deny it.

“He didn’t give me a single hand, because he didn’t want a direct confrontation. If I win, the credit goes to him; if I lose, or cause a big disaster, the blame will fall on me and you. He’s sitting back and doing nothing.”

"Then why did you agree?" Sun Wukong glared at him.
"Are you stupid? I, Old Sun, have only been crawling out of the Five Elements Mountain for a few years. I finally managed to restore Flower Fruit Mountain to its current state, and I just want to live a peaceful life with these monkeys. I'm not getting involved in this mess! You shouldn't go either! Stay on Flower Fruit Mountain, with me, Old Sun, here, no one can do anything to you!"

Chen Guangrui shook his head, a helpless yet determined smile on his face.

“Brother Monkey, you are loyal, and I appreciate that. But I am different from you. You jumped out of the Five Elements Mountain and severed your karmic ties with Buddhism, so they won't bother you for the time being. You have Flower Fruit Mountain as your escape route. What about me?”

His gaze was fixed outside the cave, his voice low but clear.

“I’ve come all this way from Chang’an, and every step I’ve taken has been fraught with the schemes of Buddhism. I ruined the perfect plan for Jin Chanzi’s reincarnation, released you from under the Five Elements Mountain, and stirred up trouble at Wuzhuang Temple… Every single one of these acts makes me a mortal enemy. Now that I’m no longer under the protection of the Tushita Palace, I’m just a fish on the chopping block of Buddhism. It’s easier for them to crush me than to crush an ant. If I don’t go, I’ll just be waiting for the butcher’s knife to fall.”

He took a deep breath, his eyes becoming sharp and resolute.
“I should have died in Chang’an. I’m lucky to be alive. I’m going there this time for no other reason than to fight against Buddhism! To tell them that you can kill me, Chen Guangrui, but do you think I’ll beg for mercy? Sorry, I have no idea how to beg for mercy.”

Sun Wukong snorted coldly, "No matter what you say, I, Old Sun, am not going, not going, not going, I'm just not going!"

"Actually, I didn't want you to go. You have Flower Fruit Mountain and so many monkeys behind you, while I have nothing. If I go, I'll just fight against Buddhism. So what if I lose?"

“If it weren’t for luck, I would have died in Chang’an. I’ve waited so long just to fight against Buddhism and tell them that you can kill me, but you can’t subdue me.”

After saying that, he didn't say anything more. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Sun Wukong, turned around and pulled Tang Sheng away. His back view revealed a resolute determination to go all in.

Sun Wukong sat on the stone platform, neither rising to stop him nor speaking. He simply watched silently as Chen Guangrui's figure disappeared behind the cascading water. Only the roar of the water remained in the cave.

After an unknown amount of time, the monkey's eyes gradually dimmed.

My heart, which had been pounding just moments before, gradually calmed down.

He listened to the monkeys playing outside the Water Curtain Cave, looked at the lush foliage of Flower Fruit Mountain, and thought about how the monkeys on the mountain had just suffered hardships. He had returned and finally given them a peaceful home.

If I go again this time, I'll have nothing left.

No way! Only a fool would go!

Sun Wukong snorted again, warning himself not to be tempted.

He took out the Ruyi Jingu Bang again, the icy touch spreading through his palm. He slowly stroked the shaft, his movements deliberate and heavy, as if caressing a sleeping past.

Just then, a slightly bolder little monkey timidly sidled up to him, tilting its head back with eyes full of admiration for the great hero, and asked softly,
"Your Majesty... I've heard that your staff really did pierce the sky back in the day?"

(End of this chapter)