noveltune Chapter 10 You were all fooled by the monkey's act. Send another messenger to question those ol
Chapter 10 You were all fooled by the monkey's act. Send another messenger to question those ol
The Golden-Headed Guardian raised his head and looked into the eyes of the Universal Salvation King.
"Your subordinate confirms."
The meditation room fell silent again.
King Puji looked at the Golden-Headed Jiedi, his gaze darkening.
Then--
"Golden-headed Jiedi".
"Your subordinate is here."
How great is the difference in strength between you and the Monkey King?
The Golden-Headed Jiedi paused for a moment, then honestly replied, "The difference... is vast. Even if the five of us joined forces, we wouldn't be a match for the Great Sage's single blow."
King Puji nodded.
"Then let me ask you, with your strength, can you tell whether the Monkey King is using his full power?"
The Golden-Headed Immortal opened his mouth.
He was speechless.
King Puji leaned back in his chair, his tone indifferent.
"It's normal for a celestial-level cultivator to not be able to tell whether a golden immortal is using their full strength. If Sun Wukong wanted to put on a show of 'going all out but still losing,' even the five of you combined wouldn't be able to see through it."
The Golden-Headed Jiedi's face turned red.
"But Your Majesty, I personally fought that man—"
"I believe you fought that person to a draw," King Puji interrupted him. "But that precisely shows that person's strength is at least above your Five Directions Protectors, or even far above them. Someone who can fight to a draw with your Five Directions Protectors is a figure of great importance in the Three Realms."
He stood up and paced around the meditation room.
"The question is, how could an existence of this caliber be 'unclaimed in the Three Realms'?"
The clerks nearby began to whisper among themselves.
King Puji sneered.
"Last time we investigated, they said no force in the Three Realms had any connection with this person. I think it's not that they have no connection, it's just that those shameless old bastards refuse to admit it."
"Just like last time, he clearly threw the belt to his disciple as a magic weapon to cause trouble in the mortal realm, but then he insisted that the item wasn't lost."
The atmosphere in the meditation room changed instantly.
"What the King of Light means is..."
"You know those Taoists well," King Puji sneered. "They say they haven't sent any disciples down to the mortal realm, but who knows what they're up to behind the scenes? Those old fogies of the Three Pure Ones, which one of them is easy to deal with?"
"And then there's the Heavenly Court. The Jade Emperor says he doesn't know this person, do you believe him? He's in charge of the registers of the Three Realms, and if there's no such person in the Book of Life and Death, either he truly doesn't exist, or someone erased the record. Who has that authority?"
Everyone gasped.
"So—" King Puji slammed his hand on the table, "that last round of investigation was too hasty. They just sent envoys around to ask, and people said they didn't have it, so that's it? Who would admit to doing something wrong?"
"Investigate again this time!"
"We not only need to investigate, but also keep an eye on them. See if those old fogies have been doing anything unusual lately."
He paused, then added.
"Especially the Taoist sect."
"The eastward expansion of the pilgrimage to the West affected the territory of the Taoist sects. It's perfectly normal for them to send someone to disrupt things."
"No wonder that monkey didn't dare to go all out. The other party is most likely a disciple of a saint, and may even be carrying a protective magic weapon given to him by a saint. No matter how arrogant Sun Wukong is, he wouldn't dare to offend a saint."
Everyone suddenly realized.
Yup!
That makes sense!
The monkey isn't that it can't beat you, it's that it's afraid to fight!
The other party must be someone from a big shot!
The reason we couldn't find it last time was because those old fogies were too stubborn to admit it!
This time we need to investigate thoroughly; we can't just ask questions, we need to keep a close eye on things!
King Puji made the decision: "Send another round of envoys, this time with higher-level protocol. They will go directly to the various sacred sites of the saints for face-to-face confrontation. At the same time—"
He looked at the Golden-Headed Jiedi.
"You five guardian deities should return to the pilgrimage team and wait. We will make a decision after we have found out who their backers are."
"Yes."
The Golden-Headed Jiedi bowed his head and accepted the order.
Behind him, King Puji was already arranging the candidates for the second round of investigations.
The directions are the Three Pure Ones of Taoism, the Jade Emperor of Heaven, and the Buddhas of the West.
The investigation will focus on whether any disciples have recently descended to the mortal realm without authorization, whether any holy-level magical artifacts have been leaked, and whether there have been any secret plans targeting the Journey to the West.
The entire intelligence network of Lingshan was once again fully operational.
…………
The delegation was quickly assembled.
Leading the group was a Vajra under the command of Weituo, the Dharma Protector of Lingshan. His Dharma name was Guangmu, and his rank was not low, representing the official attitude of Lingshan.
Accompanying them were two duty officers, carrying the decree from Mount Ling and copies of the archives of the Three Realms.
The message was clear: we're not here to chat, we're here to demand an explanation.
Our first stop was the Taoist Taiqing Palace.
Laozi is refining elixirs.
The Eight Trigrams Furnace glowed red with fire, and the air was filled with the fragrance of elixirs. He sat on a futon with his eyes closed, meditating, a whisk lying beside him.
The Vajra of Wide Vision landed in front of the Taiqing Palace gate and, after being informed, was invited into the main hall.
"Laojun, the Vajra of the Vajra of Mount Ling has come on my orders."
Laozi opened his eyes and glanced at him.
"here we go again?"
The word "again" was uttered casually, but Guangmu Jingang understood the implied meaning. The messenger had come before, and Taishang Laojun remembered it.
"Laojun, when the messenger came to inquire last time, your sect stated that no disciples had descended to the mortal realm recently, nor had any treasures been leaked out. However, after further investigation, Mount Ling discovered numerous suspicious points in this matter and had to seek verification again."
The tone of Guangmu Jingang was much harsher than that of the last messenger.
"Has your sect truly not had any disciples secretly descending to the mortal realm for training recently? Has no Saint-level magic weapon fallen into the mortal world?"
Laozi narrowed his eyes slightly.
When I asked him last time, he took it as a routine matter for Buddhists and gave a casual answer.
This time, the tone was accusatory.
"I already said that last time," Laozi's voice remained calm, but his fingers unconsciously flicked his whisk. "If it's not there, it's not there. If the Buddhist sect doesn't believe me, they can come to the Taiqing Palace to search for themselves."
Undeterred by these words, Guangmu Jingang continued to press, "Laojun, a strange person has appeared on the journey to the West, unclaimed by anyone in the Three Realms, who can fight the Great Sage Equal to Heaven to a standstill. This person's origins are a mystery, and Mount Ling must be cautious. If this person has nothing to do with the Daoist sect, I hope Laojun will understand Mount Ling's position."
Lao Tzu did not respond.
He looked at Guangmu Jingang with a detached gaze, neither clearly showing displeasure nor indifference.
"I understand."
"But if I say no, then no."
"If the Buddhist community still has doubts, they can ask the Primordial Celestial Venerable or the Tongtian Sect Master. This humble Taoist only governs the Taiqing lineage; the rest are none of my concern."
Guangmu Jingang bowed and took his leave.
As he exited the Taiqing Palace, he glanced back at the majestic Taoist temple and muttered to himself: "This old man doesn't seem to be lying, but he doesn't seem to be telling the truth either. His words are ambiguous and watertight."
Old fox.
The second stop is the Heavenly Palace of Lingxiao.
The Jade Emperor sat on the dragon throne and listened to the purpose of Guangmu Jingang's visit.
"Have there been any irregularities in the household registration records of the three realms recently? Has anyone tampered with the Book of Life and Death?"
The Jade Emperor's expression was subtle.
He wasn't confused, he was just not very happy.
Last time the Buddhist sect came to inquire, he treated it as normal communication and gave them face. This time they came again, and their tone had changed to "whether someone has tampered with it," as if they were interrogating a criminal.
"The Heavenly Court has always been meticulous in managing the registers of the Three Realms," the Jade Emperor said calmly. "We already assured you last time that there were no abnormalities in the Book of Life and Death, and no oversights in the registers of the Three Realms. That answer still holds true today."
Guangmu Jingang, steeling himself, asked again, "Your Majesty, that strange person on the journey to the West is indeed not recorded in any of the Three Realms' archives. Mount Ling wishes to request the Heavenly Court's assistance in conducting a thorough investigation."
The Jade Emperor picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down.
"The Buddhist sect's pilgrimage to the West is its own affair. The Heavenly Court can assist in reviewing the records, but it is not in the Heavenly Court's capacity to interfere in a thorough investigation."
The translation is: You guys handle your own problems, don't drag me into it.
Having been rebuffed, Guangmu Jingang took his leave and left the hall.
Behind him, Venus took two steps and smiled as he saw him off at the palace gate: "Take care, Vajra, come and visit again next time."
They made polite remarks, but didn't provide any useful information.