"If I didn't know Chu Xingchen, I fear this disciple would not have been able to meet you here."
Wukong's tone carried a hint of self-abandonment, his expression one of resignation.
The old monk seemed to understand somewhat, figuring that this Buddhist Son had encountered Chu Xingchen to no good outcome.
He chuckled and cut to the chase:
"Getting in here was surely not easy. Does the Great Thunderclap Temple have a task for you to carry out?"
Wukong replied tactfully:
"The Buddhas are all concerned about whether you are unharmed."
The old monk chuckled and shook his head: "You are of the younger generation, and also a Buddhist Son. Speak plainly with me, I will not hold it against you. The higher-ups wish to question why I did not stop them, yes?"
"I made three wagers with them. I lost, and so I could not stop them."
"Simply relay these words back. What comes after is my affair."
"Is there anything else you wish to ask?"
Wukong bowed slightly. Regardless, this had resolved a major problem for him, and he continued his inquiry:
"If trouble should arise in the Western Ox Continent, would Ruzhong Buddha be willing to act?"
The old monk nodded quickly: "Naturally. If I have the ability, I shall naturally act."
Hearing these ambiguous words, Wukong directly categorized them as "will not act," though these were not the words he had wanted to ask. He asked on behalf of the Buddhist cultivators following him.
He cupped his hands in salute: "Many thanks, Buddha. Is there any message you wish me to relay back to the Great Thunderclap Temple?"
The old monk answered calmly:
"I am well. Tell them to rest easy."
Wukong bowed once more. Understanding that this Buddha was unreliable, he prepared to take his leave.
A Karma Buddha behaving like this — no wonder he had returned to the Western Ox Continent.
"By your command. Wukong takes his leave."
Wukong bowed and prepared to depart.
"Wait." The old monk called to stop him.
Wukong paused in his steps and turned to look back.
The old monk said with a smile:
"Zhengyin Dharma Temple has been in ruins for some time, and I cannot easily leave. So there are a few matters I must entrust to you to handle."
Wukong's heart sank slightly. The task from the Great Thunderclap Temple was already enough to make his scalp tingle, and now the task was spawning sub-tasks.
The most crucial point was that he could not refuse. Even a somewhat marginalized Karma Buddha was still a Karma Buddha.
Wukong kept his face as calm as possible:
"What might these matters be?"
The old monk pondered briefly, then spoke:
"Zhengyin Dharma Temple is short-handed. You are the Buddhist Son and the core of the mission, so I will not delay you. But those you brought — their highest cultivation is only Nascent Soul."
"The Western Ox Continent is riddled with dangers now. The Nascent Soul realm is somewhat inadequate. Have them stay and serve me."
"You are at the Integration realm. That should be sufficient to handle anything. You may act alone."
Setting Wukong aside, the other Buddhist cultivators were collectively dumbfounded.
They each had their own tasks to carry out.
Wukong found this even harder to accept. If these people left, should anything happen in the Western Ox Continent, his position would become impossible to maintain.
These Buddhist cultivators were his surveillance, but also his open and honest proof.
Wukong spoke to refuse:
"The fellow disciples who came with me all have their own tasks. I fear they cannot stay."
The old monk's expression turned stern, his face darkening:
"Are you refusing my command?"
"I would not dare."
"Their orders are orders, but mine are not?"
"I would not dare."
"If you do not dare, then follow my command. The orders I issue, I shall naturally account for in the future."
With these words, the Buddha's imposing pressure radiated from the old monk, as if reminding all that he too was a Buddha — and a Karma Buddha at that.
Wukong's expression was difficult to read, and he finally yielded with some reluctance:
"Then would it not be better for me to also stay and serve Ruzhong Buddha?"
The old monk looked displeased:
"The Great Thunderclap Temple's affairs naturally also need someone to handle. Do not question further. Go and attend to your own tasks."
Wukong still wished to argue, and at the same time looked at the Buddhist cultivators behind him — Could you all also resist a little?!
The old monk seemed unwilling to say more, nor did he ask further. He reached out and pushed, and a sea of Buddhist light directly pushed Wukong out of the Great Hero Hall.
The door was then shut.
Wukong stared blankly at the tightly closed door. For a moment, he wanted to peek around it to see the situation inside and beg a little more.
But in the end, he did not do so.
This door, closed or open, could nonetheless shut out an Integration realm cultivator like him.
Wukong did not understand Ruzhong's intent.
Why must he alone be sent to handle things?
And they had been conversing so well at first — his change of face had come too swiftly.
Wukong knew well that further talk would bring no benefit, and further questions might earn him a beating.
Reluctant, he stood outside that single door for a long time, before ultimately having to leave in helplessness.
The door that could block nothing had now blocked him.
Wukong headed outward.
Fortunately, leaving did not require invoking Chu Xingchen's name as entering had.
As Wukong emerged from the layers of formations, deep in thought over whether he should first return to the Great Thunderclap Temple in the Central Continent and bring more people, a familiar voice interrupted his musings.
"Well now, isn't this Buddhist Son Wukong?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Wukong paused and turned his gaze.
He saw Chu Xingchen leaning against a tree, wearing a smile as he sized him up.
Wukong hesitated briefly, but thinking that he was already trapped at Zhengyin Dharma Temple, he walked toward Chu Xingchen.
"Sect Master Chu, all is well with you?"
Chu Xingchen nodded with a smile:
"Thanks to the Great Thunderclap Temple's ocean-like generosity, I get by tolerably well."
Wukong pretended not to hear the sarcasm, and instead asked:
"Why are you here?"
"Someone sent me word that a monk was using my name to sneak into Zhengyin Dharma Temple. But I recall never granting any monk any convenience, so I came specifically to see which blind, death-defying monk it was..."
Chu Xingchen paused mid-sentence, his expression feigning surprise:
"That monk wouldn't be you, would it?"
"It is me." Wukong nodded readily in admission, then asked directly, "Was it Sect Master Chu who had Ruzhong Buddha specifically keep the Buddhist cultivators traveling with me behind?"
Chu Xingchen frowned:
"What kind of words are those? You speak as if the Buddha were mine to command. What he does — is that something I can change?"
Though Wukong felt this matter was absolutely related to Chu Xingchen, with these words spoken, he could only swallow his frustration.
After all, he had no evidence, and the Buddha was the Buddhist sect's own Buddha.
Chu Xingchen's gaze fell upon the layered ritual circles, and he seemed to count before saying:
"Eight formations in all. I hear you invoked my name once for every formation you passed."
"By this reckoning, you owe me eight favors. Do you acknowledge this?"
Wukong's eyes widened. Seeing Chu Xingchen's shameless arithmetic, he quickly retorted:
"But I only entered Zhengyin Dharma Temple once."
Chu Xingchen heard this and laughed coldly:
"If you want to calculate it that way, then I'll turn around and invoke your name to set things right, pushing from the Western Ox Continent all the way to the Great Thunderclap Temple, reporting your great name to everyone I meet. After all, I would only have visited the Great Thunderclap Temple once."
Wukong completely lost his temper. Composing himself, he said:
"Sect Master Chu, speak plainly. I acknowledge this favor."
A smile returned to Chu Xingchen's face:
"This is so much better. Things have two sides. Without burdens, you won't second-guess yourself when you need to act."
"Though my grace is as vast as the sea, with diligent effort it can still be repaid in full."
"I now have a small matter I would like you to handle."
Wukong's face turned iron-blue, his heart naturally understanding.
A grace like the sea could certainly never be repaid.
A single small matter would cost him his life.
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