Journey to the West (Black Myth)

Soon enough, Venus Tai Bai realized he'd made a big mistake by identifying the wrong person. The amiable-looking one was actually the Great King Sun Wukong of Flower Fruit Mountain. Why hadn't anyone informed him beforehand?

Sun Wukong, with a slight turn of his eyes, suddenly said, "You should step aside for a while; I need to discuss something with my two brothers."

Without waiting for Venus Tai Bai to respond, Sun Wukong waved his hand for the four elder monkeys to carry him off.

Then, scratching his head, Sun Wukong said, "This must be the good news, but I find it a bit odd. Why is it that only one of the three Great Kings of Flower Fruit Mountain is offered a heavenly position?"

Six Paths smiled and said, "It seems they want to divide and weaken the bond between the three of us."

Sun Wukong slapped his thigh in realization, his eyes suddenly brightening, "Indeed! That must be it. But what is The Heavenly Court planning? Is Flower Fruit Mountain really so disliked?"

Shi Yue thought to himself, "With your army of a million demons, you're nearly ready to attack The Heavenly Court. If they’re not targeting you, who would they?"

Shi Yue asked, "What do you plan to do?"

Sun Wukong scratched his head again and said, "For some reason, I’m quite certain it’s that unimportant Bimawen position. It's a mockery to me, showing that The Jade Emperor isn't sincere. Still, I want to take this opportunity to visit The Heavenly Court. What do you two think?"

Shi Yue’s eyes gleamed as he said, "I have no objections, but since you know it's a jest by The Jade Emperor, why degrade yourself by going?"

Sun Wukong chuckled and said, "I have some matters to settle. I must go to The Heavenly Court, but I'll keep this from you brothers for now."

After speaking, Sun Wukong looked at Six Paths, who smiled and nodded, "Since Brother has decided, I have no objections either." He thought to himself, "I’ll follow Brother Sun Wukong to the heavens and take the chance to eliminate that High Sun Officer, paving the way for a future meeting with my sister-in-law."

However, he didn't know Sun Wukong had the same thought, planning to use the opportunity to punish the High Sun Officer. His senior sister would not be available for such a being's schemes.

Shi Yue's eyes flickered. Since The Jade Emperor had targeted Flower Fruit Mountain, he couldn't complain if he acted first against his unworthy son.

With the combined intent of the three great demon kings, the High Sun Officer of The Heavenly Court suddenly shivered inexplicably.

As for the High Sun Officer, despite the grand-sounding name, he was merely responsible for announcing the morning, essentially an alarm rooster, even less than Bimawen, much like a eunuch in the imperial palace.

What no one could anticipate was that this official, responsible for waking The Jade Emperor, was actually his illegitimate son! Placed in such a humble position, it was for convenience and special treatment, as well as protection from harm by the Queen Mother.

The one famous for being afraid of his wife was indeed The Jade Emperor, but his situation was quite different from Shi Yue's. He genuinely feared the Queen Mother, partly due to her power and partly due to her malicious nature.

Shi Yue, on the other hand, felt differently. His fear stemmed from deep love; it was as if he feared she would melt if held in his mouth or shatter if held in his hand. Even at the cost of his own life, he wouldn't allow anyone to harm her. His current predicament left him uncertain of how to face the situation, but even when afraid, he was happily afraid. Some might call this foolish, but what did it matter to be foolish in front of one's woman? But that's a separate matter.

Sun Wukong observed that neither Shi Yue nor Six Paths had objections, so the three of them discussed further before calling Venus Tai Bai back, who had been untied by then.

When Venus Tai Bai arrived, Sun Wukong's eyes shifted mischievously as he addressed him, "I've discussed with my brothers and shall accompany you to The Heavenly Court. However, I want to make a bet with you. Do you dare to wager with me, old man?"

Venus Tai Bai was clearly baffled. A bet? "I wonder what kind of wager Great King Sun Wukong wishes to make?" he asked, still hesitant to look at Shi Yue.

Sun Wukong chuckled, "Let's wager that once I get to the heavens, The Jade Emperor will assign me as Bimawen, with no sincere intentions. If that happens, you will resign from his court and come to Flower Fruit Mountain. How about it?"

Venus Tai Bai's eyes widened in surprise, "How could that be? Surely, as Great King Sun Wukong, with your mighty powers and status as a Taiyi Immortal, His Majesty would not offer such a lowly position. Surely, you will at least become a general."

Sun Wukong’s eyes were full of mischief as he replied, "So, will you take the bet or not?"

Pressed by Sun Wukong’s insistence, Venus Tai Bai hesitated, "Such a wager might be inappropriate and disrespectful to His Majesty. Perhaps…"

Shi Yue gently interjected, "Brother, let's not tease him further. While it's indeed impossible for His Majesty to offer you only the role of Bimawen, our old friend here serves under his command and should not wager in such a way."

Hearing Shi Yue's words, Venus Tai Bai felt a surge of goodwill toward him and even nodded in gratitude. "Indeed, as Great King Shi Yue said, gambling on His Majesty’s intentions would be improper."

Shi Yue then smiled warmly and apologized, "Earlier, I acted without understanding the situation. I'm not one to eat humans; I was merely teasing you. I hope you can forgive me."

Bowing back, Venus Tai Bai replied, "Not at all, not at all, Great King Shi Yue. It was my lack of preparation that caused misunderstandings. The fault is mine."

Sun Wukong then snorted, "You old man, so unsporting. If you refuse to wager, I won’t accompany you to the heavens. Let’s see how you explain that!"

This alarmed Venus Tai Bai, prompting him to plea, "How could that be right?"

Sun Wukong retorted, "Why not?"

Finally, Six Paths, who had remained silent, smiled and said, "Perhaps we should change the terms of the bet. We wouldn't want to trouble you, Immortal Elder. Simply promise that if things turn out as my brother Sun Wukong predicts, you will stay in The Heavenly Court but inform us if you ever hear of any plots against Flower Fruit Mountain."

As someone of equal cultivation, Six Paths addressed Venus Tai Bai respectfully as "Immortal Elder," especially since he had motives for doing so.

Shi Yue then added in a soft, teasing manner, "If you’re not even willing to agree to this minor wager, which you are virtually guaranteed to win, I might doubt whether you’re truly from The Heavenly Court. Could it be that you are here to deceive us and make a mockery of us three brothers? That’s quite the nerve you have!"

Shi Yue's stern gaze immediately caused Venus Tai Bai to shiver, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead in an instant. Shi Yue, Sun Wukong, and Six Paths remained silent, simply staring intently at his ever-changing expression, emitting a powerful aura of great demon kings.

In just a moment, under the overwhelming pressure from the three, Venus Tai Bai finally succumbed, gritting his teeth and saying, "Very well! I shall wager with Great King Sun Wukong. If things indeed turn out as Great King Sun Wukong predicts, in the future, I shall abide by the three Great Kings' wishes! However, Great King Sun Wukong must first accompany me to The Heavenly Court."

Venus Tai Bai thought it was unlikely to happen and, feeling underappreciated in The Heavenly Court and disliked by The Jade Emperor, he decided to take the gamble out of both necessity and spite. After all, if he failed this task, just recalling The Jade Emperor's unusually calm gaze upon departure made him shiver. Despite his dedication to The Heavenly Court, The Jade Emperor seemed to continually disregard him.

The three were naturally delighted, not expecting such a fortuitous outcome. Particularly Shi Yue, who vividly remembered that the future representative for dealings between The Heavenly Court and Flower Fruit Mountain was this old man. Having him as a planted agent in The Heavenly Court could yield unpredictable benefits.

Shi Yue couldn't help but marvel at his good fortune, thinking indeed honest people were truly beneficial to deal with.

Having made his decision, Sun Wukong didn't delay further. After saying farewell to Shi Yue and Six Paths, he immediately rose on a cloud with Venus Tai Bai to head to The Heavenly Court.

Neither noticed, however, that Shi Yue and Six Paths also discreetly followed, each transforming into one of Sun Wukong's hairs.

The difference was that Shi Yue's "Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze" quickly spotted Six Paths' presence, although Six Paths remained oblivious to Shi Yue. This sparked Shi Yue's curiosity—did Six Paths also wish to see the Hall of Miraculous Mist?

As for Sun Wukong, he harbored a dream of The Heavenly Court in his heart. At birth, he had cast a golden light that pierced the heavens up to the Hall of Miraculous Mist, catching a glimpse of the golden radiance, rainbows filling the sky, auspicious vapors, and majestic palaces wrapped in purple mist. This left an indelible mark, becoming an ultimate goal within his subconscious, even unknown to himself.

One day, he wished to enter those celestial halls or even dominate them! Otherwise, why later claim the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven? There was no "Great Sage" title within the three realms before him. It was only after Sun Wukong that many "Great Sages" appeared throughout the three realms, though Sun Wukong himself didn’t consciously realize this underlying ambition.

After being expelled by Patriarch Bodhi, his desire for The Heavenly Court grew even stronger, yearning to achieve something significant and enter those celestial halls to "become a heavenly official" just for show. Even though this feeling had waned over time, it was once a deep-seated obsession, compelling him to seize this opportunity to explore firsthand.

Naturally, he also intended to eliminate the so-called High Sun Officer foolish enough to covet his senior sister, regardless of the official's rank. Additionally, Sun Wukong had always been unruly and never actually respected The Jade Emperor. Even in the original tale, he dared to claim equality with heaven at the slightest offense. In the current circumstances, he didn’t regard The Jade Emperor at all.

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