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Chapter 240 Breaking Up and Dividing Baggage

The inn was stiflingly stuffy. Pigsy waited and waited, but the Black Bear Spirit didn't return, and he felt like a claw was scratching at his heart. He couldn't sit still, nor could he stand still, so he simply dragged his rake and strolled out onto the street outside the inn.

The streets of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom were mostly populated by women, and only a few occasionally glanced curiously at him, a man, but Pigsy paid them no heed. He looked around, trying to find the Black Bear Spirit. Just as he turned a corner, he bumped into three people: Chen Guangrui, Sun Wukong, and the Pleiades Star Lord.

Pigsy's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively wanted to shrink back and pretend he hadn't seen anything.

Back in Gao Village, he tricked Chen Guangrui, using Chen's suggestion to steal Gao Cuilan, and then left to follow Xuanzang on his pilgrimage. Now that he's run into the real deal, he's mortified.

However, Chen Guangrui also saw Zhu Bajie and said with a smile, "This pig tries to hide when he sees me."

He called out to Pigsy twice from behind, but Pigsy walked even faster.

At this moment, someone stood on the other side of Zhu Bajie and said, "Please wait."

The Pleiades star official had a stern face and spoke in a low voice, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

"Tsk." Pigsy, his path blocked, was both ashamed and annoyed. He had no choice but to turn around, forcing an exaggerated fake smile.
"Oh my! Who do we have here? It's Mr. Chen! What a coincidence! What a coincidence! What are you doing here in this land of women?"

He deliberately called him "Mr. Chen" back, trying to appear more friendly.

Chen Guangrui's gaze fell on him, and she calmly said, "Zhu Ganglie, it's been a long time. You look much thinner than when you were in Gao Laozhuang."

He paused, his tone unreadable, "This journey to the West to obtain the scriptures is indeed arduous, unlike your carefree life as a son-in-law in Gao Village."

These words, like a needle, precisely pierced the most bitter spot in Pigsy's heart.

"Mr. Chen, you can just call me Pigsy, or you can call me Wuneng. As for the journey to the West, please don't mention it again!"

Pigsy's fake smile instantly crumbled, as if he had found an outlet for his pent-up frustrations, and he poured out all his bitterness.
"You have no idea how hard the journey to the West is. Demons and monsters roam everywhere, and there's no end to the hardships of eating and sleeping in the open. But that's nothing compared to the exhaustion. The most infuriating thing is that blind black bear."

He stomped his foot angrily, and the rake poked several holes in the ground.
"That black fellow, relying on his brute strength and his ability to flatter Master, always puts me, Old Pig, in a superior position. Master only has eyes for him, and nothing Old Pig and Junior Brother Sha do is right. We get scolded mercilessly, and we're exhausted both physically and mentally!"

He spoke with great enthusiasm, his voice rising with spittle, and he seemed increasingly aggrieved.

Chen Guangrui listened quietly, understanding dawning on him. This was different from the Pigsy he knew, who relied on flattery to get by. Now, he had encountered the Black Bear Spirit, who was more cunning and more powerful. No wonder Pigsy was so frustrated.

“The journey to the West is a great undertaking, and it is naturally not easy,” Chen Guangrui replied calmly, neither agreeing nor refuting.

After venting his anger, Pigsy remembered to ask, "Mr. Chen, what business have you come to this Women's Kingdom for?" He was very curious about what this place could do for Chen Guangrui.

The Pleiades Star Lord, standing nearby, chimed in with a touch of official jargon: "Marshal Chen is now the newly appointed Marshal Tianpeng of our Heavenly Court. He has been ordered to descend to the mortal realm to subdue the demons and evil spirits that have taken hold here." He emphasized the words "newly appointed Marshal Tianpeng."

"Marshal Tianpeng?" Pigsy's expression froze instantly. He looked up at Chen Guangrui with wide, disbelief and a dull pain as if he had been hit hard on the head.

Marshal Tianpeng, that used to be his position!

A complex and indescribable feeling suddenly welled up inside me, like a jumble of flavors spilled from a bottle. Shock, bewilderment, followed by immense disappointment and deep regret.

If back then, if he hadn't been banished to the mortal realm, or if he hadn't agreed to the pilgrimage in a muddled way, but instead had simply returned to Heaven with the two attendants, Jinlu and Yinlu, or perhaps he had simply lived a peaceful life in Gao Village...

So shouldn't the one sitting in this position now be Zhu Ganglie, the majestic Marshal Tianpeng, instead of the disheveled and constantly bullied Zhu Bajie?
This honor, which should have belonged to him, had now fallen on the head of this "Mr. Chen" in front of him. He was momentarily speechless, his throat feeling as if it were stuffed with cotton.

"Oh...oh...yes, it's Marshal Tianpeng..." Pigsy managed to squeeze out a few words, his voice dry. His previous grievances and resentment were replaced by a huge sense of bewilderment and bitterness. "Congratulations...congratulations, Marshal."

He felt all his strength drain away, his mind blank. Forgetting all formalities, he hastily bowed, dragged his heavy rake, and turned to walk towards the post station. His steps were unsteady, his back conveying an indescribable desolation. Only one thought remained in his mind: his Marshal Tianpeng was gone.

He didn't say anything more. Now, the other party had come down to subdue demons, while he had come to obtain scriptures. They were no longer on the same path.

He didn't know what they talked about, he just said a few random things and then left in a daze.

Watching Pigsy walk away dejectedly, Chen Guangrui's gaze was deep and thoughtful. The Pleiades Star Lord, however, maintained a stern face, as if merely stating a perfectly ordinary fact. Sun Wukong scratched the back of his hand, blinked his fiery golden eyes, seemingly finding the pig's appearance somewhat amusing, but didn't ask any further questions. The three continued walking deeper into the market.

Pigsy stumbled back to the inn, his mind buzzing with the words "the newly appointed Marshal Tianpeng." He pushed open the door and collapsed onto the hard wooden bed, throwing his rake into the corner with a clatter.

Sha Wujing was meditating on another bed. Seeing him return, he asked with concern, "Second Brother, did you find Eldest Brother? What did he say? About the official documents..."

Pigsy sat up abruptly, staring blankly ahead, muttering, "Official document? What document? You should ask him." The more he thought about it, the more frustrated and regretful he became.

What am I, Old Pig, after? He felt a little pathetic.

I worked myself to the bone to get to this Kingdom of Women, enduring endless humiliation and scolding. That black bear monster has no real skills, only a silver tongue to please my master. I, Old Pig, have worked myself to the bone and still haven't gotten any credit! And now look what's happened...

The air in the cramped room of the inn was stifling. When the Black Bear Spirit pushed open the door, he met Pigsy's gaze. Gone was the usual laziness in Pigsy's eyes; only undisguised annoyance and a deep-seated dejection remained.

The Black Bear Spirit himself was burdened with a heavy thought: how to make this eyesore of a pig "incur the wrath of the masses and become unbearable." He glanced at Pigsy, a sense of irritation rising within him.

"Eldest brother, how's the passage permit coming along?" Sha Wujing raised his head from the bed in the corner, his voice heavy with hope, the cloth strip on his forehead still in place.

The Black Bear Spirit didn't answer Sha Wujing immediately; he was still pondering his own thoughts. Pigsy, on the other hand, pouted, looking impatient, as if even the air in the inn was suffocating him.

"What's the rush?" Pigsy spoke first, his voice drawn out and full of sarcasm, his words aimed directly at the Black Bear Spirit who had just returned. "He's busy with countless affairs, busy subduing demons and monsters. How could he really care about our trivial matter of exchanging scriptures? He's probably just giving us a few perfunctory words."

Black Bear was already agitated, and these barbed words ignited his anger. He whirled around, his dark face tense, his voice as deep as iron.
"Fool! What nonsense are you spouting? Who am I working so hard for? Unlike you, all you do all day is eat and sleep, or complain! Incompetent? I think you're the burden! On Jindu Mountain, before that demon's trap was even set, you ran away faster than a rabbit. You dropped the rake and knew how to hide, and afterwards you blamed the trap for being evil. I think you're spineless and have no guts."

The Black Bear Spirit also had something to say about Pigsy's sarcasm. Along the way, the pig had been constantly backing down, which had long made him resentful, especially the incident at Golden Gourd Mountain, which had left him with a burning anger.

"Oh dear, I wouldn't dare."

Pigsy exaggeratedly shrank his neck, but the mocking smile on his face became even more pronounced, and his small eyes flashed with ignited resentment.

"You are Master's favorite, a great hero in vanquishing demons! What am I, Old Pig? Just a good-for-nothing who only eats and drags others down. How dare I blame you? I'm just telling the truth! It's you who, relying on your brute strength, always suppresses me and Junior Brother Sha!"

"Back at Lion Camel Ridge, you were the hero who charged ahead, and now you complain that I, Old Pig, didn't do enough? Master only has eyes for you, Old Black, and everything I, Old Pig, and Junior Brother Sha do is wrong. And you still have the nerve to mention Golden Gourd Mountain? If you hadn't insisted on fighting that Green Ox Demon head-on for so long, exhausting everyone, would that circle have been able to collect so many weapons all at once? You're the biggest troublemaker!"

He brought up old grievances about Lion Camel Ridge and Golden Gourd Mountain, venting all his pent-up resentment.

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting tense, Sha Wujing quickly got up to try and smooth things over.
"Second Senior Brother, Eldest Senior Brother is also busy trying to obtain the travel permit, just like that time at Golden Gourd Mountain..."

"Running around?" Pigsy's voice suddenly rose, as if he'd been stepped on, rudely interrupting Sandy. His pent-up anger had finally found an outlet.

"What's the result of all his efforts? Huh? This Women's Kingdom is like a spider's web, easy to get in but hard to get out! We can't get the documents, and Master isn't feeling well. Are we going to waste our lives here? I think we should just split up, divide our belongings, you go back to your Flowing Sand River, and I'll go back to my Gao Village."

He got more and more excited as he spoke, pointing his finger at the Black Bear Spirit and the hopeless situation, and also expressing extreme dissatisfaction with Sha Wujing's "biased support," saying, "Brother Sha, all you do is say that your senior brother is right, it's all useless."

The black bear spirit's eyes sharpened, and he thought to himself, "My chance has come. If this stupid pig makes the fire burn even brighter, then it's not my fault."

"Enough!" The black bear demon roared, his voice like thunder echoing in the small room. He strode up to Pigsy, his towering figure radiating an intense pressure. His fingers almost touched Pigsy's nose, his voice icy and piercing, each word like a knife to the heart.

"Pigsy, besides complaining, making sarcastic remarks, and bringing up old grievances, what else can you do? You hide when there's trouble, and at the slightest sign of trouble, you clamor to break up the group and divide the luggage. Someone like you is a burden and a disaster to the pilgrimage team!"

He deliberately emphasized the words "disbanding the group and dividing the luggage," his gaze sweeping across Pigsy's face, contorted with shock and anger, like a knife. He then glanced at Xuanzang, who sat silently on the meditation bed, his brows furrowed. His voice suddenly rose, carrying a resolute and inflammatory tone.
"Fine, you always talk about breaking up, right? Fine, today I'll grant your wish. If you're so capable, then break up right now. Your belongings are right there. Take as much of your junk as you want! Get out! Don't get in the way of us and drag Master down."

These words were like a boulder thrown into stagnant water. Pigsy was completely dumbfounded.

He was used to complaining, used to using "breaking up" as a way to vent his dissatisfaction and test the limits. Subconsciously, he thought it was just grumbling, a way to get his master and fellow disciples to coax and indulge him. He never imagined that anyone, especially the Black Bear Spirit, would so decisively, even with encouragement and contempt, tell him to "break up."

He subconsciously looked at Xuanzang, hoping that his master would reprimand the Black Bear Spirit for his rudeness as he always had, or at least try to persuade him to stay.

However, Xuanzang simply lowered his eyelids, clasped his hands together, and sighed deeply and wearily. That sigh contained so much helplessness, disappointment, and weariness of this endless internal strife that it made Pigsy's heart sink to the bottom instantly.

Even Sha Wujing turned his head away, not looking at him, seemingly accepting the situation.

A surge of immense shame, despair, and the utter desolation of being completely abandoned overwhelmed Zhu Bajie. He felt like a clown, all his tricks exposed, all his reliance crumbling in an instant.

It turns out that in everyone's eyes, Zhu Bajie was really a dispensable burden, someone they even wished they could get rid of. The hardships, grievances, and scoldings he endured on the journey to the West all turned into sharp mockery at this moment.

"Good! Good! Good!" Pigsy said "good" three times in a row, his voice trembling with excitement, his eyes reddening, and he was shaking all over with a great sense of humiliation.

He suddenly jumped up, pointing at the black bear spirit, then at Xuanzang and Sha Wujing, his voice hoarse, filled with a desperate ruthlessness and a deep sorrow.
"I, Old Pig, understand now! You've all disliked me for a long time, thinking I'm a burden, that I'm holding you back. Fine, go ahead! Who cares about this damned journey to the West? I, Old Pig, have traveled 108,000 li, braving wind and rain, enduring hunger and fatigue, vanquishing demons and monsters, only to end up like this? Nobody will accept me! If they won't keep me here, there are plenty of other places that will!"

He was utterly enraged and utterly desperate. He stopped looking at anyone, filled with the grief of abandonment and the bewilderment of having nowhere to go, and suddenly rushed toward the luggage piled up in the corner. He roughly pulled out his bundle, which contained a few old monk's robes and a begging bowl.

This was practically all the belongings he had on his journey to the West, which he haphazardly tossed onto his shoulder.

His gaze swept over the large box containing the travel documents and other important items, which represented the mission of the pilgrimage and the possible "fruition." A trace of reluctance flashed through his eyes, but in the end, he didn't dare to touch it.

He glared at Xuanzang and the Black Bear Spirit one last time, his eyes filled with complex emotions—resentment, sadness, and a hint of resolute determination born of heartbreak.

"I, Old Pig, am not serving you anymore!" Pigsy roared one last time, his voice trembling with tears yet forcing a fierce expression. Without further hesitation, he shouldered the small bundle, flung open the door, and rushed out without looking back.

The heavy footsteps, accompanied by heavy breathing and suppressed sobs, quickly disappeared into the quiet street outside the inn, leaving only a strong, pungent smell of pigs mixed with sweat and resentment in the air.

Just go!
The room was deathly silent. Only the lingering echo of Pigsy's last words, "I'm not serving you anymore," still reverberated in the oppressive air.

Xuanzang kept his eyes downcast, his hands gripping the prayer beads tightly until his knuckles turned white. Sha Wujing looked at the empty doorway, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, only sighed heavily, and sat back down on the edge of the bed.

The black bear spirit stood still, his tense shoulders slowly relaxing. He looked at the door that was still swaying slightly, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

The goal of driving away Pigsy was achieved, and the process was even more unexpectedly smooth; he burned himself in the fire he had set himself on fire. But seeing his master's extremely tired sigh and Sandy's silence, he did not feel the relief he had expected. Instead, he felt heavy, as if a larger stone was pressing down on him.

Then, as if remembering something, the black bear spirit walked to Xuanzang's side and said, "Master, the matter of the travel permit has been settled. The Queen will summon me in the next few days."

Sha Wujing was still sighing over Zhu Bajie's departure, but when he heard that the travel permit had been obtained, his eyes lit up. "Brother, it really worked?"

Black Bear nodded.

Even Xuanzang, who had been keeping his eyes down, opened them and chanted a Buddhist prayer, clearly affirming the Black Bear Spirit's actions. As for Pigsy, he didn't mention him at all.

(End of this chapter)