In the West Sea Dragon Palace, the Western Sea Dragon King felt the instant his son, the Little White Dragon, had died.
"Tathagata! You deceived me!" he roared, his anger erupting. "Prepare yourselves! We are going to the Western Heaven to demand an explanation!" A powerful aura at the peak of Da Luo Golden Immortal surged outward, filling the palace with palpable tension.
Meanwhile, at the Great Thunderclap Monastery, the Five Noble Truths (Buddhism) rushed into report. Their sudden return startled the gathering of Tathagatas who were still debating the mysterious variables disrupting the pilgrimage to the West.
"Five Noble Truths (Buddhism), aren't you supposed to be watching over Tripitaka? Why have you returned?" Tathagata asked, his brow furrowing.
"Tathagata, we have dire news—the Little White Dragon is dead!" one of the envoys replied, his face grave.
Everyone in the assembly looked shocked. The envoys themselves were stunned by the dragon's inexplicable death, especially as they had just confirmed the safety of Eagle Sorrow Gorge moments before it happened.
"What happened?" Tathagata's voice was calm, but his expression was severe.
This isn't in the script! According to the plan, the Little White Dragon was supposed to challenge Tripitaka, leading to a skirmish with Monkey King. Then Guanyin would appear, transforming the dragon into a white horse to carry Tripitaka to the West. It was meant to be straightforward—no casualties!
"We don't know. Everything seemed normal, but just as Tripitaka reached Eagle Sorrow Gorge, the Little White Dragon attacked and then… something went wrong," the envoy explained.
"Any sign of outside interference?" Tathagata pressed.
"None, Tathagata."
"And where was Monkey King during this?"
"Monkey King stayed close to protect Tripitaka. After ensuring his safety, he moved toward the dragon, but by then, the Little White Dragon had already died."
Tathagata's brows knitted together, pondering this unexpected deviation. He had expected that, if anything, perhaps Monkey King's excessive strength would be to blame for the dragon's demise. But it appeared that Wukong hadn't even had a chance to act before the dragon's death, suggesting there was indeed more at play here.
"Bodhisattva Guanyin, go to Eagle Sorrow Gorge and determine the cause of the Little White Dragon's death," Tathagata instructed, trying to keep his composure.
"Yes, Tathagata," Guanyin replied reluctantly. The waters of the pilgrimage were growing murkier by the day, and though she wished to keep her distance, she couldn't disobey Tathagata's orders.
At Eagle Sorrow Gorge, Tripitaka finally began to realize the predicament he was in—without a horse, how would he continue his journey to the West? Walking all the way? He shuddered at the thought.
"Wukong, you're skilled at transformation, aren't you?" Tripitaka asked, a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
"What do you have in mind?" Monkey King replied warily. By now, he was well aware that Tripitaka's ideas rarely boded well for him.
"How about you turn into a horse and carry me to the West?" Tripitaka suggested with a mischievous glint.
"Absolutely not!" Monkey King snapped without hesitation. Being his disciple was bad enough—Tripitaka actually wanted to ride him? That was crossing the line.
"Wukong, think of it as a small sacrifice for the greater mission of obtaining the scriptures. For the salvation of all beings, surely this is a worthy sacrifice!" Tripitaka began his well-practiced persuasion, hoping to wear down Wukong's resistance.
But Monkey King merely rolled his eyes, giving Tripitaka a withering look. Please. Your lofty excuses don't fool me.
Tripitaka, undeterred, tried a new approach. He was convinced that with enough cajoling, his "obedient" disciple would surely agree. After all, hadn't Wukong come through with food every time he'd asked? A simple request to act as a mount wasn't so different, right?
"Wukong, consider this: if you were to transform into my steed, we'd reach the Western Heaven much faster, and you'd be free sooner too!" he reasoned. "If I have to walk all the way, we might never reach the Thunderclap Monastery. Your freedom is at stake here!"
"Humph! I'll just wait until you pass away, then. How long can a mortal like you last, anyway? I'm immortal!" Wukong retorted disdainfully.
Tripitaka's face fell, realizing he couldn't compete with Wukong's longevity. But he pressed on.
"Now, listen, Wukong. If you could just—"
"Enough!" Monkey King interrupted, raising his Golden-Banded Staff. "Say 'ride me' one more time, and I swear I'll knock you out cold!"
Tripitaka's face paled, and he quickly mimed zipping his lips shut.
Just then, Guanyin's voice rang out. "Monkey King, put down your staff! What are you trying to do?"
Having arrived at Eagle Sorrow Gorge to investigate the Little White Dragon's death, Guanyin was shocked to see Wukong brandishing his staff at Tripitaka. The sight sent her into a panic—she still had three Nine-Turn Resurrection Pills left, but they were too valuable to waste frivolously. She couldn't afford to let Tripitaka die again.
Monkey King blinked in surprise, taken aback by her assumption. Hold on, I wasn't actually going to hit him!
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