Journey to the West: I really want to improve!

Inside the Water Curtain Cave, Sun Wukong was sitting high on his staff, drinking and making merry with the monkeys, when suddenly he heard celestial music from beyond the heavens and auspicious colors spreading across the mountains. He couldn't help but raise his head sharply, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

He leaped to the cave entrance and looked up at the sky filled with clouds and feathered canopies, fragrant breezes and auspicious air. He was slightly taken aback; in the past, when the Heavenly Court sent envoys, there had never been such a grand and respectful display.

He then scratched his head and cheeks, a proud smile curling at the corners of his mouth, his chest puffing out even higher involuntarily.

The Heavenly Court is serious this time, with a grand procession and elaborate etiquette. It seems my junior brother wasn't talking nonsense.

A surge of pride welled up within him, and he secretly felt quite pleased with this sense of dignity, which swept away the resentment he had felt from being slighted earlier.

He neither knelt nor greeted them, but simply slammed his golden cudgel on the ground and laughed loudly:

"Old man Taibai, such a grand display is quite rare! Tell me the decree, I want to hear what kind of face the Heavenly Court is giving me this time!"

Although his tone remained arrogant, there was no trace of resistance in his eyes. He had been persuaded to return to the court by the sincerity of the Heavenly Court.

Seeing that Sun Wukong was not only not angry, but also stood proudly at the cave entrance, his tone full of satisfaction, Taibai Jinxing's heart, which had been hanging in suspense all the way, immediately settled down. He then lightly waved his horsetail whisk, his face beaming with smiles, stepped forward, and bowed deeply, his tone respectful and earnest:

"The Great Sage's divine might is awe-inspiring, and his name resounds throughout the Three Realms. His Majesty and the entire Heavenly Court are truly in awe of him, which is why they dare to welcome him with such a grand procession, for fear of slighting the hero."

"This is no ordinary offer of amnesty; it is a sincere invitation for the Great Sage to ascend to the Heavenly Realm, to enjoy honor and glory, and to be ranked alongside all the celestial saints, so as not to betray your unparalleled divine power and the prestigious name of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong laughed heartily, hoisted his golden cudgel over his shoulder, and his eyes were full of high spirits.

Since the Heavenly Court has humbled itself to such an extent, he is not one to be ungrateful, and any previous resentment has long since vanished.

"Very well! Since Old Venus speaks so earnestly, I, Old Sun, will accept your kind offer!"

He responded loudly, and the old man Taibai transformed into the old Venus. He turned around and loudly instructed the monkeys in the Water Curtain Cave to guard the cave well and restrain the demons. Once he had established himself in the Heavenly Court, he would protect the stability of Flower Fruit Mountain.

The monkeys and demon kings all over the mountain cheered and kowtowed, shouting the name of the Great Sage, their voices echoing through the valley.

Sun Wukong straightened his brocade robe, tucked his golden cudgel into his ear like an embroidery needle, and raised his hand to invite Taibai Jinxing. He showed no trace of timidity or humility, but rather an air of arrogance that seemed to look down upon the Three Realms.

"Old Venus, please go first. I'll follow you to the Heavenly Court and see just how much honor the Jade Emperor has prepared for me!"

Venus was overjoyed and immediately bowed to lead the way. With a command, celestial music resounded in the clouds, and blue phoenixes and white cranes cleared the way, with banners and canopies surrounding them on both sides.

Sun Wukong rode on auspicious clouds, walking side by side with Venus, surrounded by auspicious energy, and headed straight for the Heavenly Court with great majesty.

……

Upon arriving at the Lingxiao Palace, auspicious clouds descended, and two rows of celestial beings lined up. The Jade Emperor sat majestically on his nine-dragon throne, exuding majesty.

Venus led Wukong forward, bowed, and reported: "Your Majesty's decree has been carried out to bring the Holy Monkey of Flower Fruit Mountain here. His heart is now submissive, and he wishes to receive the grace of Heaven."

Sun Wukong remained neither humble nor arrogant, standing with his hands clasped. He did not perform the three kneelings and nine kowtows, but simply greeted the Jade Emperor in a loud voice: "Old Sun greets the Jade Emperor."

Seeing his unyielding yet uncontested nature, and remembering the need to appease the heroes of Heaven, the Jade Emperor surveyed his assembled celestial officials and spoke gently:

"Since Sun Wukong sincerely submits and possesses great supernatural powers, he previously called himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Therefore, I hereby officially bestow upon you the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven, a rank above the highest grade, free from political affairs and military command, and allowing you to enjoy a life of leisure and nobility."

An imperial decree was immediately issued, establishing the Great Sage Equaling Heaven's Mansion next to the Peach Garden. Within the mansion were two offices: the Tranquility Office and the Peaceful Spirit Office. Dozens of celestial officials, celestial children, and strongmen were assigned to the mansion. They were provided with celestial wine, celestial fruit, and imperial meals daily, with generous salaries. The mansion's facilities were comparable to those of a top-ranking celestial official, with nothing lacking.

Upon hearing this, all the immortals understood that this was merely a high-ranking but empty title, used to restrain him and prevent him from causing trouble in the mortal realm again.

No one dared to say anything, and they all obeyed the decree.

When Sun Wukong heard the imperial decree bestowing upon him the title of Great Sage Equaling Heaven from the Jade Emperor, the feeling was distinctly different from when he heard it from Mu Xin.

This set of rewards included an exclusive residence, servants, and generous salary; it provided everything one could desire in terms of title, prestige, and treatment. Feeling completely satisfied, he looked up to the sky, laughed heartily, and expressed his gratitude:

"Thank you for your kindness, Jade Emperor! I, Old Sun, will enjoy myself in heaven and live a happy life, not letting this kindness go to waste!"

……

Meanwhile, on both sides, Sun Wukong went to the Heavenly Court to receive his reward, while Mu Xin had already begun a new task: to renovate the Peach Garden.

The reason is simple: a sudden emergency occurred in the peach orchard due to a strong wind that destroyed the fence and overturned the roof tiles.

This time, the fierce winds from the heavens were more powerful than ever before, directly destroying the bamboo fences and wooden railings inside the Peach Garden, blowing off the roof tiles of the palaces, and breaking thin branches along with the supports.

In addition, the roots of the large peach trees in the peach orchard expand outwards year by year, breaking the bricks, stone walkways, and low walls protecting the orchard, and even tilting the boundary markers and boundary stakes. It is necessary to dig up the soil, prune the roots, and repave the foundation.

In order to ensure the smooth progress of the Peach Banquet preparations and the event as scheduled, the Heavenly Emergency Duty Team, after analysis and consultation, decided to immediately activate the emergency response and repair and reinforcement plan for the Peach Orchard disaster, and to carry out comprehensive hazard investigation, emergency repair, environmental restoration and safety reinforcement work.

This emergency repair strictly followed the regulations of the Celestial Engineering System and the standards for the maintenance of spiritual plants, and carried out a comprehensive inspection, reinforcement, replacement and restoration of damaged facilities, loose structures and weak points.

During the renovation process, strict safety control measures will be implemented to minimize the impact on the park's ecology and the growth of the peaches.

All major matters, progress updates, and unforeseen issues related to this emergency repair must be reported immediately, handled promptly, and documented throughout the process to ensure the successful completion of this emergency repair task and to fully guarantee the timely and successful holding of the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Banquet.

Looking at the urgent notice in front of him, Mu Xin couldn't help but sigh that he really couldn't stay idle...

My teacher really doesn't treat me like an outsider, or even like a human being!

This workload is too much for even an ox or a horse to handle!

He had just finished dealing with the matter of recruiting Sun Wukong when he started repairing the Peach Garden, not allowing himself a minute's rest.

However, there is one good thing: I am the person in charge of the renovation project of the Peach Garden, and all other departments must fully cooperate.

After so many years, this is finally my first time independently managing a project.

This document directly mentions the Queen Mother of the West, whose status is extremely high, belonging to the top core of the Heavenly Court, the head of the female immortals, and the lord of the Jade Pool.

The Peach Garden and the Peach Banquet both belong to the Yaochi system and are directly under the jurisdiction of the Queen Mother. They were not granted to her by the Jade Emperor, but are her inherent territory and core assets.

Peaches of immortality are the most important strategic resource for longevity in Heaven, and are exclusively controlled by the Queen Mother of the West. Who gets to attend the Peach Banquet and eat the peaches is basically determined by her.

Therefore, no celestial official dared to be negligent, as delaying the Peach Banquet would be tantamount to desecrating the highest rites of the Heavenly Court, which would be a major political incident!