Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 65, Encountering a Demon in the Black Pine Forest (Part 9)
Meanwhile, when Pigsy went to Flower Fruit Mountain to find Monkey, he was arrested as a spy.

The monkey marshal circled around Pigsy and asked:

"You said you came to see my king, what's your name?"

Bajie dared not say his name, and rolled his eyes as he said, "Um, I... I'm good brothers with your king!"

Marshal Monkey said, "You say you're my king's good brother? How come I've never heard of you?"

Bajie said, "Your king and I are newly sworn brothers, so you don't recognize me."

Marshal Monkey said, "A new brother? I've only heard that my king is protecting Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West to obtain the scriptures. That Tang Sanzang is just a mortal and can't tell the truth from the falsehood. He wronged my king. You wouldn't happen to be Tang Sanzang's disciple, would you?"

Bajie dared not admit it, and said repeatedly, "No, no, I hate monks the most in my life."

Marshal Monkey nodded and said, "Hmm, judging from your appearance, you don't seem like a proper monk. My king has gone out and is not at home. If you are looking for my king, you can wait here for a while."

Pigsy exclaimed in surprise, "He went out! Where did he go?"

Marshal Monkey proudly declared, "After the 'Apricot Appreciation Gathering,' my king was invited by the True Martial Emperor to go to the Taihe Palace on Mount Wudang in the Southern Continent with Nezha, the Third Prince, to practice martial arts."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy asked anxiously, "Ah, when will he be back?"

Marshal Monkey said, "I don't know, I don't know."

Pigsy was now in a dilemma.

We'll wait here, wondering when that monkey will return.

If he were to look for someone, he would find that he had been acquainted with the True Martial Emperor when he was in heaven, but now, in his current state, it would be difficult to meet his old friend.

After hesitating for a long time, Pigsy thought of Tang Sanzang and finally said:
"So be it, I have to save face either way. Considering that I was once the master and disciple of that old monk, I should do my best."

Pigsy rose on a cloud and headed south again.

Without the help of the wind, it took Pigsy seven or eight days to arrive.

Descending from the clouds, I saw Wudang Mountain.

Southeast of the great town lies the sacred mountain in the center of the sky. The Furong Peak stands tall and majestic, while the Zigai Ridge is imposing.

Shun toured and Yu prayed, with jade slips and golden inscriptions. Bluebirds flew over pavilions, and red banners fluttered.

Above lies the Treasure Cave of the Great Void, and the Spiritual Platform of Zhu Lu. The golden chimes of the thirty-six palaces resound, and countless guests come to offer incense. White cranes accompany the clouds, perching on the old cypress; blue phoenixes and crimson dragons sing towards the sun. This is the true immortal land of the Jade Void Master and Minister; the Golden Palace is the gate of benevolent governance.

Bajie straightened his robe and appearance, passed through the three heavenly gates, and arrived outside the Taihe Palace. There, amidst auspicious light and auspicious energy, five hundred spirit officials stood solemnly, holding their breath.

Bajie quietly approached to watch, only to see the Emperor sitting there, while Wukong and the Third Prince were performing martial arts.

This was no ordinary contest; rather, it was a demonstration of the profound mysteries of martial arts and a display of supreme and wondrous techniques.

Wukong first used the Golden Cudgel in the "Tai Chi Initial Separation" posture, then changed it to the "Zhou Tian Xing Dou" posture, and finally used the "Hun Yuan Yi Qi" move.

That third prince was no ordinary person either. His demon-slaying sword unleashed the ultimate truth of Taiyi, the Qiankun Ring rotated and changed, and the Hun Tian Ling possessed the power of creation.

The spirit officials watched, completely mesmerized. Wukong laughed:
"Have you all seen it clearly? This shadow of the staff and the light of the sword are not about winning or losing, but simply for you to understand—"

As they were talking, Wukong suddenly spotted Bajie in the crowd.

Because Bajie was large and his appearance was different from ordinary people, Wukong spotted him at a glance.

Wukong thought to himself, "Why is he here? It must be because Master is in trouble, so he has come to ask me for help."

So he said, "For this next move, we need to find someone else to practice it."

Wukong raised his hand and pointed at Bajie in the crowd.

"You're the one!" Pigsy couldn't avoid it and was pushed forward by the crowd.

Wukong said, "Stand still and watch me demonstrate my supreme martial arts with three strikes."

Pigsy said, "Your staff is heavy. If you hit it three times, won't it break?"

Wukong said, "It won't break. My staff is spiritual. When it encounters a good person, it becomes lighter and can't be damaged."

Seeing this, Nezha sheathed his demon-slaying sword, crossed his arms, and watched the scene with great interest.

Pigsy felt somewhat embarrassed and covered his face, saying:

"Brother, stop joking. Don't you recognize me?"

Wukong said, "Raise your face and let me see it."

Pigsy stuck out his mouth and said, "Take a look, do you recognize it or not?"

Wukong laughed and said, "So it's Pigsy! Brother, why aren't you going with Tang Sanzang to fetch the scriptures? Why are you here instead? Did you offend Master and he banished you back? What banishment letter do you have? Let me see it."

Bajie said, "I didn't offend him. He didn't issue any letter of dismissal, nor did he chase me away."

Wukong said, "Since there was no letter of demotion and I didn't expel you, why did you come here?"

Bajie said, "My master is in trouble and specially ordered me to come and invite you."

Wukong asked, "How did he get into trouble?"

Bajie said, “Ever since Master demoted you, you have been deceived by that demon. That demon lied that he was a prince and tricked Master into helping him seize the throne.”

He sent us away. Sha Wujing was captured by another demon, and I was no match for him. My master was transformed into a tiger demon by that demon and locked in the palace.

The white dragon horse fought the demon but was injured; therefore, Master regretted his actions and ordered me to come and invite you.

Wukong said, "He swore to the heavens that day and wrote a letter of demotion, promising never to see me again. How could he possibly send you to invite me? Are you making this up? Tell me the truth, what exactly did Master say!"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy thought to himself that even if it was a lie, it was the White Dragon Horse who was lying, and it had nothing to do with him, so he said:
“It really is what Master said. He said he misunderstood you and regretted not listening to your advice back then, and now he has been turned into a monster. He also said that you have great supernatural powers and only you can subdue that demon, so he specifically ordered me to come and invite you.”

Upon hearing this, Wukong refused to believe it and grabbed Bajie's ear, saying:
"Well, you idiot! You dare to lie to me! How could I, Old Sun, not know my master's temperament? Even if he really regrets it, he won't utter a single wrong word, yet you still dare to make up lies!"

Bajie hurriedly replied, "No, no, it was Master who said it. Brother, you don't know, Master has changed his ways and is not the same as before."

Wukong asked, "Is what you're saying true?"

Pigsy said, "I wouldn't dare to lie. Brother, Master has already admitted his mistake, so you should go back. No matter what, he's still your master. Even if he was eaten by a monster, you'd still have to wear mourning clothes for a few days!"

Upon hearing this, Wukong pondered and said:
"Fine, I'll go back with you and see. If I find out you lied to me, I'll give you twenty lashes first, then we'll go fight that demon!"

Bajie said, "No, no, I'm not lying at all."

Wukong then bid farewell to Zhenwu Emperor.

Zhenwu Emperor laughed and said, "Great Sage, you have returned to the right path. Congratulations! If you ever encounter any difficulties or hardships in the future, please come to my mountain for help."

Nezha, standing to the side with his arms crossed, said, "Your Majesty, this monkey won't stand on ceremony with you. He might leave now, but he'll be back in a little while!"

Wukong laughed and said, "Third Prince, what are you saying? Your Majesty, I'll take my leave now! Oh, by the way, may I borrow your spiritual tea?"

Pigsy said, "Brother, why are you still drinking tea?"

Wukong said, “Brother, you don’t know, I’ve been away for a long time, traveling all over the land, gathering friends and acquaintances. My aura is mixed and chaotic. My master is a mortal, and I’m afraid of offending him. That’s why I need to borrow the Emperor’s spiritual tea.”

From then on, Pigsy admired Monkey even more.

(End of this chapter)