Watching Xu Fang leave in a hurry, the Earth God of the Peach Garden and the Seven Fairies who had come to pick peaches were all perplexed.
“What happened to the Great Sage?”
One of the Seven Fairies, dressed in blue, asked. The Earth God shook his head and replied, “I don’t know. Since the Great Sage arrived at the Peach Garden, he’s been acting strangely. But since he has agreed to let you pick the peaches, please, ladies, go ahead and enter the garden to avoid delaying the Peach Banquet.”
Upon hearing the Earth God’s words, the Seven Fairies nodded in agreement and followed him into the Peach Garden.
At this moment, Sun Wukong had already plucked most of the peaches in the garden. Hearing footsteps approaching the entrance, he perked up his ears and a cold light flickered in his eyes.
“Elder sister, look! The peaches in the Peach Garden are all gone!”
The fairy in blue exclaimed as she gazed at the bare peach trees.
“What? How could this happen?”
The Earth God was equally bewildered. “I checked the peaches in the garden earlier today. How could they disappear in such a short time?”
“Hmph! It must be that demon monkey’s doing!”
One of the fairies spoke up, “I was wondering why he was dragging out the conversation with us at the entrance of the Peach Garden. He must have been stalling for time to steal the peaches and make his escape!”
Sun Wukong’s heart stirred upon hearing this.
“Was I just talking to them at the entrance of the Peach Garden?”
He quickly realized, “That must have been my brother in disguise! No wonder I didn’t see him in the garden.”
“I can’t stand staying in the Heavenly Court any longer; nothing beats the carefree life back in Flower-Fruit Mountain!”
Sun Wukong pondered for a moment, stroking his chin. “But before I leave, I should let my brother know and share some peaches with him. The Jade Emperor doesn’t invite us to the banquet? Then we’ll just eat all his peaches ourselves!”
With this thought, Sun Wukong couldn’t help but chuckle, “Now those deities the Jade Emperor is inviting won’t get to eat any of them, hahahaha!”
“Who’s there?”
Caught up in his elation, Sun Wukong laughed out loud, drawing the attention of the Seven Fairies and the Earth God.
Realizing the danger, Sun Wukong swiftly cast a freezing spell, immobilizing the Seven Fairies and the Earth God in place.
“I don’t know where my brother has gone, but I must find him. I can’t let you run off and report me. Just stay put here for a while.”
After freezing the Seven Fairies and the Earth God, Sun Wukong somersaulted into the air and rode the clouds away.
……
In the Western Spirit Mountain.
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Golden light of Buddhist law shone everywhere, and the sound of chanting echoed throughout the Great Thunderclap Temple.
Outside the temple, sitting on a lotus platform amidst auspicious clouds, Guanyin Bodhisattva arrived and entered the Great Thunderclap Temple.
Seated above was the Tathagata, with Ananda and Kasyapa standing behind him, and five hundred Arhats sitting on their meditation cushions, listening quietly to the Buddha’s teachings.
After entering the temple, Guanyin Bodhisattva clasped her hands in greeting to the Tathagata and said, “I report to the Buddha: The Peach Banquet in the Heavenly Court is about to commence, and the Jade Emperor has already taken action against the Tathagata’s disciples. However, according to my reports from the Buddhist sect, it seems that the Demon-Slaying Divine General is trying to obstruct our plans.”
“The Demon-Slaying Divine General?”
The Tathagata remained with his eyes closed, speaking faintly, “The spreading of Buddhist law to the East is a matter of destiny that cannot be hindered. There’s no need for you to worry, Guanyin Bodhisattva. Why not sit here and listen to my teachings?”
“Understood.”
Guanyin Bodhisattva nodded and settled down next to Bodhisattva Visvabhadra, joining the Arhats and Bodhisattvas in listening to the scripture.
……
Meanwhile, after Xu Fang left the Peach Garden, he transformed into a stream of light and headed straight to the Divine Strategy Camp.
“General! You’ve returned! Everyone, return to your posts.”
The Lord of the Martial Star had been waiting at the entrance of the tent. Seeing Xu Fang’s serious expression, he quickly moved to his side.
“What exactly happened? Explain everything in detail.”
Xu Fang’s face was grim as he entered the tent. The information from the jade slip that the Lord of the Martial Star had just crushed was unclear; he only knew that something had gone wrong.
The Lord of the Martial Star immediately recounted everything that had transpired in the Divine Strategy Camp, concluding with his suspicion that an outsider had infiltrated.
Xu Fang’s heart sank suddenly!
Something indeed had gone wrong!
Sun Wukong was missing, and with the Peach Banquet approaching, Sun Wukong had left the Divine Strategy Camp and was now nowhere to be found!
“There’s a high probability the Jade Emperor has made a move!”
Xu Fang took a deep breath, feeling a wave of fatigue wash over him.
He understood that the grand scheme of destiny could not be defied, but when it came to his own situation and that of his friends, Xu Fang still wanted to try to resist.
But now, after enduring so much and preparing for it, was it truly impossible to stop the inevitable course of destiny?
As the saying goes, worry breeds chaos, and Xu Fang was currently in a state of turmoil.
He and Sun Wukong had studied together at Mount Fangcun, and when they descended the mountain, Xu Fang had promised Master Bodhi that he would help Sun Wukong whenever an opportunity arose.
But now…
A feeling of faint defeat filled Xu Fang’s heart.
……
On the other hand, after Sun Wukong somersaulted away from the Peach Garden, he began searching for Xu Fang.
However, at this moment, Xu Fang had already gone to the Divine Strategy Camp, and Sun Wukong, having just left, could not possibly guess that Xu Fang had returned to the camp.
Wandering aimlessly, Sun Wukong eventually stumbled upon the Jade Pool.
Everything unfolded as it did in the original Journey to the West.
Upon arriving at the Jade Pool, Sun Wukong saw the Earth God and the fairies preparing for the Peach Banquet, while the Jade Emperor and Lady Queen Mother were elsewhere.
His rising fury prompted Sun Wukong to conjure a sleep-inducing spell, causing the Earth God and fairies to fall into a deep slumber.
Then, Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Jade Pool, consuming all the fine wines and delicacies, leaving the place in complete disarray!
After getting drunk, Sun Wukong swayed unsteadily and made his way to the Tushita Palace, located thirty-three heavens above!
Like in the original tale, upon seeing the elixirs stored in the Tushita Palace, Sun Wukong was captivated!
Having already caused a great ruckus, he decided to go all the way and stole all the elixirs left by Lord Laozi in the palace!
However, by this time, Sun Wukong's initial fervor had begun to fade, and he realized that he was in over his head!
He made a swift exit to the Divine General’s mansion, hastily leaving behind a letter for Xu Fang before immediately heading down to the mortal realm!
He could no longer stay in the Heavenly Court!
Unbeknownst to anyone, as Sun Wukong departed the Tushita Palace, a figure emerged from the flames of the Eight-Trigrams Furnace within the palace!
This figure was graceful and stunning, with a face filled with anger. As she broke free from the constraints of the furnace’s flames, she swiftly left the Heavenly Court, disappearing into the unknown!
