Journey to the West: Demon Emperor: Beginning as a Little Toad

Chapter 34 The Road Down the Mountain
"Going down the mountain?"

Sun Wukong was stunned when he heard this. He turned around subconsciously and was about to go down the mountain, but he quickly realized that if he went down the mountain, would his master want to drive him away?
"Master, where do you want me to go down the mountain?"

Sun Wukong couldn't believe it, scratched his head and asked again.

"Wukong, where are you from?"

Patriarch Subhuti asked.

"I come from the Flower-Fruit Mountain in the Eastern Land of Gods."

Sun Wukong replied quickly.

"Then let's go back to Huaguo Mountain."

Patriarch Subhuti flicked his whisk and was about to leave.

"Master, Master, please don't chase me away. I have received your great kindness in teaching me, and I have not even repaid you in the least. How can I leave?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was shocked, and fell to the ground, hugged Subhuti's calf, dragged Subhuti's trouser leg, and burst into tears.

Be a teacher for one day, and be a father for life.

In ancient times, the grace of teaching is almost as great as the grace of giving birth to a child. As the saying goes, a teacher is like a master, and a teacher is like half a father.

He was born and raised by nature, without a father or a mother, and had no way to become an immortal. Fortunately, he was taken in by the Master Subhuti and became his disciple.

The master patiently taught him how to read and write, and how to be polite in speech. He also gave him a name, and taught him the Taoist magic so that he could enjoy longevity.

As an orphan, he had already regarded Master Subhuti as a father-like figure in his heart.

Master Subhuti reached out his hand, squatted down, and touched Sun Wukong's hairy head.

Patriarch Subhuti looked at the well-behaved monkey in front of him, his eyes full of tenderness and pity. Then he stood up resolutely, turned around, and said lightly:

"What kind of repayment?"

“In the future, if you get into trouble, just don’t tell Master about it.

"From now on, you are not allowed to say that you are my apprentice, and I will never see you again."

"You are not allowed to say a word about becoming my disciple!"

"Go."

"Master, Master, please don't chase me away. Please let me stay!"

Sun Wukong knelt on the ground, his eyes red, and kept begging.

"You, go too."

Patriarch Subhuti said to Xiao Chen.

Afterwards, Master Subhuti flicked his whisk, threw off his sleeves, and walked towards the Taoist temple. The door of the temple was then closed, indicating that it was closed to visitors.

“Master, Master, Master!”

Sun Wukong fell to the ground and burst into tears. At this moment, he looked so sad, like a child who had lost his home.

Xiao Chen looked at Sun Wukong's sad appearance, sighed, and stood with the monkey in front of Master Subhuti's door.

He has been with the monkey for nearly thirty years, no matter if the monkey was beaten, scolded, or driven away.

He had never seen the monkey so out of control and sad before.

Xiao Chen couldn't help but sigh deeply, thinking in his heart:

"Perhaps this should be the saddest moment in the monkey's life."

However, as a bystander, he saw that the love and pity that Master Subhuti had for Sun Wukong was genuine and without any falsehood.

Even though Master Subhuti said that he would never see the monkey again, when the monkey later pushed down the ginseng fruit tree, the monkey had no way to go up to the sky or into the earth. Master Subhuti still showed up, gave Sun Wukong pointers, and taught him how to save the tree.

In the past ten years, Xiao Chen has never seen Master Subhuti scold Sun Wukong as a bad monkey or a demon monkey. He almost treats him like his own child.

Even though Master Subhuti knew that Sun Wukong was wild and difficult to train, in order to tame Sun Wukong's temper, he only used gentle methods such as reading and writing, growing flowers and watering trees, and never used rough means like the tight hoop.

In front of Master Subhuti, Sun Wukong will always be the little monkey who never grows up.

As for Tang Monk?

Does that also count as a master?

In the future, Xiao Chen will definitely ask Tang Monk a question on behalf of Master Subhuti:
"How come my clever and smart disciple has become a wicked monkey after coming to you?"

"But, what is the secret of this Subhuti Patriarch?"

"Why exactly?"

Xiao Chen was a little confused.

The monkey stood blankly at the entrance of the Taoist temple, looking at the room of Master Subhuti. He knelt at the entrance for a long time, unable to come back to his senses.

"Goku, let's go."

Xiao Chen sighed softly and patted Sun Wukong on the shoulder.

He noticed that Master Subhuti said he would not see Wukong, but did not say he would not see him. If he was thinking about the old man, wouldn't it be fine for him to come over?

Moreover, he felt that Master Subhuti had two different feelings towards him and Sun Wukong. To Sun Wukong, it was undoubtedly the relationship between a master and a disciple, or even a father and son.

But to him, it was more like a brotherly relationship? A fellow Taoist? This Subhuti Patriarch would occasionally tease him and make fun of him.

"Master! Master! Master!"

"Disciple, I'm going."

Sun Wukong kowtowed three times again in front of Master Subhuti's door, then went down the mountain reluctantly, looking back every few steps.

"In the autumn, I lie on the roots of a pine tree facing the moon, and sleep until dawn. I recognize the old forest, climb the cliff and cross the ridge, and cut the dead vines with an axe..."

From the mountain in front of the Xieyue Sanxing Cave, a familiar singing voice came from that woodcutter.

"Brother Woodcutter, let's go."

Xiao Chen greeted the woodcutter.

They lived together day and night and chopped wood together for three years, so they could be considered to have a woodcutter friendship.

"Hey, you little toad are leaving now. I really don't want to let you go."

The woodcutter laughed.

As he spoke, the axe in the woodcutter's hand flew out and chopped down a tree not far from Xiao Chen. The woodcutter waved his hand again, and the axe came back "whoosh".

Although this move was not as good as Xiao Chen's flying axe that cut down hundreds of trees, it was still a step forward.

The woodcutter gave Xiao Chen a mischievous smile, and that smug little expression seemed to show off a bit.

The meaning is very clear. Little toad, you see, I can do it too.

"Everything has power."

"This woodcutter has realized it."

"Hahaha……"

Xiao Chen chuckled and bowed to the woodcutter to say goodbye.

"Little Toad, turn around and continue."

The woodcutter suddenly took out an axe and threw it towards Xiao Chen.

"Ok?"

Xiao Chen turned around and took the axe steadily in his hand.

"It's for you."

The woodcutter smiled heartily and continued to chop wood using the flying axe technique.

"Host, I have touched the C-level attack magic weapon, the Mountain Felling Axe. This axe is extremely sharp and indestructible. It has the power to cut down mountains and cut off rivers."

Suddenly, a familiar prompt sound was heard, and several lines of golden characters appeared in Xiao Chen's mind.

"Scan and copy?"

"Ok?"

"This woodcutter is quite generous. He sells high-quality goods."

Xiao Chen chuckled.

Xiao Chen held the axe and thanked him solemnly: "Brother Woodcutter, thank you very much!"

The woodcutter waved at Xiao Chen and continued chopping wood and singing, looking contented.

"Scan and copy the felling axe, and fuse it with the left metacarpal bone."

Xiao Chen gave the order, and after the fusion was completed, he put the axe on his waist and continued to walk down the mountain with Sun Wukong.

After a while, we arrived at the foot of the mountain.

"Toad, I wonder how my monkeys and grandchildren are doing now? Are they all right?"

After nearly thirty years of separation, Sun Wukong at this moment thought of the monkeys in Huaguo Mountain. He missed Huaguo Mountain very much and confided to Xiao Chen beside him.

"Hahaha, Monkey, don't worry. We have been on this road for more than ten years. At that time, we only felt that the vast ocean was so far away and endless."

"But now, if you go back to Huaguo Mountain, it will probably take less than an hour to get there, and you will be able to see your monkeys and grandchildren soon." Xiao Chen comforted.

The two smiled at each other. After thirty years of searching for a way out, they finally had a result.

Seeing that there was less than a mile left, the two would walk out of Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

Xiao Chen's ear.

Suddenly there was a deep sigh.

"Xiao Chen, if one day Wukong's six senses and six consciousnesses were cut off, he lost his second heart, and his original nature was worn away, what would you do?"

Xiao Chen was shocked when he heard the words and stopped. This was the voice of Master Subhuti.

Could it be that the speculations of countless Taoist friends in later generations were not groundless? But were actually true?

(End of this chapter)