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Chapter 183 Weakness
After leaving Li Jing's camp, Chen Guangrui and Tang Sheng descended on a cloud, landing in a bustling street in a prefecture. The two found a lively restaurant and sat down, where a waiter brought them some ordinary food.

Tang Sheng rummaged through the food in his bowl, sighed like a little adult, and blinked his big eyes at Chen Guangrui.

“Dad, we’ve all come down here, why don’t we go to Flower Fruit Mountain to find Master? If he comes, it will be so much easier to subdue the demons, given how amazing his skills are.”

Chen Guangrui took a sip of tea and looked out the window at the bustling crowd.
"He only came out of the Five Elements Mountain a few years ago. He was imprisoned for hundreds of years, and now he has returned to Flower Fruit Mountain, single-mindedly focused on rebuilding his home. His monkey descendants are what he cares about. We shouldn't drag him into this anymore. If he wanted to help us, he would have come out with us long ago. The fact that he didn't come makes it clear that he wants to protect Flower Fruit Mountain and provide a stable environment for the monkeys."

Tang Sheng tilted his head and thought for a moment, recalling the desolate scene he saw when he first went to Flower Fruit Mountain, and the old monkeys who were so hungry that they were skin and bones. He softly said "Oh," as if he understood.

But then his brows furrowed again, and he tapped his chopsticks on the rim of his bowl, looking a little anxious.
"But Father, where are we going to find that Yellow Wind Monster now? It's already the second day. Nezha, the Third Prince, said he's locked in a stalemate with Red Boy near the Fire Cloud Cave in the Dry Pine Stream of Mount Hao. We've circled the Fire Cloud Cave three times already, and haven't seen a single yellow hair. We've searched the front and back of the mountain, left and right of the cave, but there's nothing there. Is the Third Prince unreliable, giving us false information?"

Chen Guangrui shook his head, his expression calm.
“Nezha wouldn’t lie to us. He just said that the Yellow Wind Monster and Red Boy have some unclear entanglement and are at a stalemate. A stalemate doesn’t mean that the Yellow Wind Monster is squatting at Red Boy’s door every day and cursing him. He’s definitely nearby, but this nearby area may be quite large.”

Upon hearing that the scope was quite large, Tang Sheng's face immediately fell, and her voice even sounded like she was about to cry.
"Nearby? This area is such a large mountain range, with deep forests and ravines. There are only two of us on four legs. How long will it take us to find it? If the Yellow Wind Monster keeps hiding and doesn't come out, what kind of demon are we supposed to subdue?"

Chen Guangrui looked at Tang Sheng's anxious expression, but a subtle smile appeared on his lips.

"Don't rush. Actually, finding this Yellow Wind Monster is both difficult and easy. He has a very distinctive characteristic that other monsters rarely have."

"What are its features?" Tang Sheng's curiosity was immediately piqued, and he leaned forward, his eyes sparkling.

Just then, the calm on Chen Guangrui's face vanished abruptly. He slammed down his teacup, covered his face with his hands, his shoulders trembled violently, and a suppressed sob escaped his throat. The sound of his crying was particularly jarring in the noisy restaurant.

"Waaah, waaah!" Chen Guangrui's crying grew louder and louder, eventually turning into a wail, which caused all the diners in the restaurant to stop eating and look over in surprise.

Tang Sheng was bewildered by his father's sudden outburst. His little mouth was slightly open, completely unaware of what had happened. He stared blankly at Chen Guangrui, still holding half a steamed bun in his hand.

Chen Guangrui, while "crying" and wiping away non-existent tears with his sleeve, shouted at the astonished diners in a voice filled with sobs.

"Damn monster! My poor family, sob... I'm Manager Chen, a silk merchant. Yesterday, I had just crossed that mountain thirty miles south of the city... when... when I ran into that man-eating demon! Thirteen of us, all thirteen of us, only I and my poor child escaped. Sob... My parents, my wife, my brothers, they were all eaten! No trace of their bodies, nothing left, all our possessions gone, we can't go back. Sob... Please, someone have mercy, give us some silver for our journey, so that my son and I can survive..."

He cried so earnestly, tears and snot streaming down his face, and his hoarse, desperate voice instantly created a panic in the restaurant.

"A monster thirty miles south of the city? Good heavens! Is there really a monster that eats people?"

"Thirteen mouths! My goodness, how ferocious these monsters are!"

"Hurry up and go! We can't go that way again!"

"What a tragedy, so pitiful..."

The diners were buzzing with discussion, their expressions changing drastically. Some looked sympathetic, while others were filled with fear. The news spread like wildfire throughout the restaurant.

After wailing for a while, seeing that the effect had been achieved, Chen Guangrui grabbed the still dazed Tang Sheng, lowered his head, and looked extremely miserable. Amidst the complicated gazes of the crowd, they hurriedly left the restaurant.

Once they reached a secluded spot, Tang Sheng finally recovered from her shock. She tugged at Chen Guangrui's sleeve, her little face full of worry and doubt.
"Father, will this really work? The news has been spread, but will that Yellow Wind Monster really rush to the south of the city?"

The sorrow on Chen Guangrui's face had vanished without a trace, replaced by his usual calm. He patted Tang Sheng's bald head. "If it were any other monster, upon hearing this news, it would only hide in its cave and sneer, or simply not take it seriously. But the Yellow Wind Monster is different."

He looked towards the south of the city, his eyes resolute.

“Although we’ve only seen him once at Huangfeng Cave, I can tell that this guy is a busybody at heart. If he finds out that demons have harmed so many people near his ‘territory,’ he definitely won’t sit still and will go to check it out.”

Tang Sheng nodded as if she understood, her little hands gripping Chen Guangrui's clothes tightly. She was still a little apprehensive, wondering if this "meddlesome" Yellow Wind Monster would actually take the bait.

……

An unusual quiet has enveloped Huaguo Mountain these past few days. The monkeys, who used to love frolicking and tumbling outside the Water Curtain Cave, now seem somewhat confused and puzzled.

Their king, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven Sun Wukong, has not stepped out of the cascading waterfall for three days, nor has he leaped and roared among the peaks as usual.

Several baby monkeys, who had just learned to climb trees, clung to the vines at the entrance of the cave, peering inside with tentative eyes, only able to see blurry stone shadows deep within. They scratched their heads, chattering amongst themselves, asking each other questions.

"What is Your Majesty doing in there? Sleeping?"

"No, no, Your Majesty used to be able to sleep for ten days straight, but he would still come out for a stroll."

"Are you practicing a new skill? Like last time, pulling out a few hairs and instantly creating many clones?"

"Fool, the king is already so powerful, why would he need to learn any new skills?"

The slightly larger monkeys gathered on the rocks by the stream, chewing on wild peaches, and their chatter grew louder.

"Didn't that guy surnamed Chen and that little monk come here a while ago? They must have wanted to invite Your Majesty to come out of seclusion and fight!"

"Yes, yes, I heard it too! They said they were going to fight some kind of monster!"

"Fighting monsters is great! Our king is the most famous monster in history, what are those ignorant monsters compared to him!"

"That's right! Once the King goes out and utterly defeats that monster, our Flower Fruit Mountain's reputation will be even greater!" "Then, who in the Eastern Continent will dare to look down on us?"

The monkeys grew more and more excited as they talked, as if they could already see their king in golden armor, wielding his golden cudgel, sweeping across the battlefield, returning in triumph.

Throughout Flower Fruit Mountain, from the old apes to the cubs, there was a fervent anticipation, hoping that their king would regain his former glory and lead them to even greater achievements.

Amidst this eager anticipation, a wisp of auspicious cloud descended from the sky, landing on the outer peak of Flower Fruit Mountain. The cloud dispersed, revealing a young traveler.

His arrival immediately alerted the patrolling monkey soldiers. Several strong monkeys immediately surrounded him, baring their teeth and letting out threatening growls.

"Halt! Who goes there and dares to trespass on Flower Fruit Mountain? State your name!"

The traveler wore a kind smile, clasped his hands together, and spoke respectfully.
"Please do not be alarmed, everyone. My name is Muzha, a disciple of Guanyin Bodhisattva of the South Sea. I have come today only to pay my respects to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong. I have no ill intentions. Please inform me."

Hearing that the visitor was a disciple of Guanyin Bodhisattva, the monkey soldiers dared not be negligent, but remained vigilant. One of them immediately turned around, and with a few leaps disappeared into the forest, returning to the Water Curtain Cave to report the news.

Not long after, the water vapor from the waterfall at the entrance of the Water Curtain Cave suddenly surged, and a figure emerged from the water curtain. It was Sun Wukong. He still had that hairy face and thunder god's mouth, but his eyes had lost some of their former fierce and mischievousness, and instead held a deep weariness.

He walked up to Muzha, his fiery eyes scanning him up and down, a mocking smile habitually curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Who do we have here? It's just a little disciple of the Bodhisattva. What's the Bodhisattva doing sending you to this poor mountain valley? Do you think the wild fruits on my Flower and Fruit Mountain aren't good enough, or do you just not like me?"

Mu Zha's smile remained unchanged, even becoming more humble as he bowed deeply to Sun Wukong.
“Great Sage, you are joking. The Bodhisattva sent me here for no other reason than to hear that you have been quietly guarding the immortal mountain and focusing on managing your cave, without getting involved in the worldly disputes. The Bodhisattva is very pleased.”

He paused, his voice becoming even more earnest, "The Bodhisattva knows that Flower Fruit Mountain is a blessed land, nourishing all living beings. She specially ordered this humble monk to bring several unique spiritual seeds and saplings from the South Sea. The Bodhisattva said that if the Great Sage grants permission, this humble monk is willing to find several places where spiritual veins converge on the outskirts of Flower Fruit Mountain and plant these immortal fruits and exotic trees. Firstly, it will beautify the scenery of the sacred mountain, and secondly, when these immortal fruits ripen, they can also provide for the thousands of monkeys on Flower Fruit Mountain. This can be considered a small token of the Bodhisattva's appreciation for the Great Sage and all the monkeys."

After Muzha finished speaking, he clasped his hands together in prayer again, his attitude extremely sincere.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding monkeys and their offspring were first stunned, then erupted into a commotion.

"What? What did he say? Why isn't our king going to subdue the demon?"

"Why should I? Our king is so amazing!"

"That's right, that's right! What's that monster? The King killed it with a single blow!"

"This Bodhisattva is meddling too much. What business is it of hers that our king has made a name for himself?"

"Your Majesty, don't listen to him! We're all waiting to see you in action!"

Several impatient little monkeys even jumped in front of Muzha, put their hands on their hips, and angrily retorted.

"Hey! What are you saying? Our king is here to vanquish the monsters! He's the greatest hero in the world!"

The other monkeys echoed this sentiment, their thoughts simple: they hoped their mighty king would once again achieve fame and glory.

In an instant, the crowd was excited and all looked at their king, waiting for him to scold the talkative fellow and drive him away as he always had, and then announce that he would lead them to subdue the demons.

However, something unexpected happened to all the monkeys.

Faced with Muzha's respectful suggestion and the monkeys' excited anticipation, Sun Wukong did not fly into a rage as usual, nor did he gleefully agree to the monkeys' request.

He simply stood there, his gaze passing over Muzha and landing on the distant, rolling mountains of Huaguo Mountain, with its lush forests, cascading waterfalls, and playful monkeys.

Silence. An unspeakable silence enveloped him.

The roar of the water curtain and the chatter of the monkeys seemed to fade into the distance. The mockery on his face slowly disappeared, replaced by a complex expression he had never seen before, one that the monkeys couldn't decipher.

Muzha waited patiently, maintaining his bowing posture.

After the little monkeys finished shouting, they gradually quieted down, blinking their eyes in confusion as they looked at their silent king.

Time seemed to have passed for a very long time.

Finally, Sun Wukong slowly withdrew his gaze from the distance and fixed it on Muzha. He neither became angry nor mocked him, but simply spoke in an unusually calm voice,

"The Bodhisattva is very kind."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the monkeys around him who seemed somewhat uneasy because of his silence, before looking at the immortal seeds and seedlings that Muzha had brought.

"Alright." Sun Wukong's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every monkey and Muzha.

"You... just pick a few less important outlying areas and plant them there."

After saying this, he stopped looking at Muzha and the monkeys and their offspring whose faces were filled with confusion and disappointment. He turned around, silently parted the water curtain, and disappeared back into the roaring water, leaving behind a group of astonished faces and a deathly silence on the outskirts of Flower Fruit Mountain.

(End of this chapter)