Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 88: Don’t Talk About the Past as if it Were Clouds and Smoke

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Don’t Talk About the Past as if it Were Clouds and Smoke

Xue Rengui, on a whim, took up his Square Sky Halberd and stepped out of the door, wielding the halberd with such vigor that it created a fierce wind, quite a sight to behold.

"This lad has excellent bone structure and carries great fortune. Brother Dao indeed has good eyesight to have discerned this at a glance," Yuan Tiangang said with a smile.

"Haha, hahaha! Brother Dao flatters me too much. It was merely a stroke of luck that I sensed the changes in the Heavenly Dao and discovered him. How could I possess such remarkable vision?" The Heaven-Defying Taoist laughed in response.

He sensed Xue Rengui when he was refining the Great Revolution Seal. As soon as the seal was completed, he noticed some fluctuations in the Heavenly Dao and found Xue Rengui, leading to this apprenticeship. Indeed, Xue Rengui proved to be outstanding in the days that followed. Yet this is a story for later and isn’t mentioned now.

Holding the halberd, Xue Rengui practiced for a while, feeling exceptionally exhilarated.

The Heaven-Defying Taoist said, "This halberd hasn’t been named yet. You should name it."

After pondering for a moment, Xue Rengui replied, "This halberd is forged from the melting of myriad weapons of our Great Tang. Thus, let it be named ’Tang Halberd’!"

The Heaven-Defying Taoist felt the name was not quite suitable but was too lazy to argue and simply said, "It will do."

Yuan Tiangang remarked, "Brother Dao, your artifact refining skills have become increasingly impressive."

Indeed, Wukong’s artifact refining skills had improved considerably after creating the Great Revolution Seal.

The Heaven-Defying Taoist replied, "Brother Dao overpraises me, it’s just passable."

Seeing that dawn was breaking, he bid farewell to Yuan Tiangang and led Xue Rengui into the Imperial Palace. Emperor Li Zhi had already given orders, so the Heaven-Defying Taoist, leading him, had an unimpeded path, as no one dared obstruct them.

Arriving at the shrine, the Heaven-Defying Taoist then said, "Rest here for a while. After a short wait, I fear His Majesty may summon you to bestow a reward."

Yuan Rengui nodded, took a meditation cushion, sat cross-legged on it, and closed his eyes to rest.

As expected, before long, Emperor Li Zhi sent an eunuch to call Xue Rengui to receive his appointment.

Xue Rengui then entered the court to listen to his conferment, being promoted to the rank of General of the Right Army and Marshal of Yunquan Prefecture...

The Heaven-Defying Taoist collected the Incense Willpower and then headed off to the Southern Ridge Demon Mountain.

Finding Wukong, he said, "Brother Dao, the matter has been taken care of!"

Wukong replied with a smile, "Thank you for your efforts, brother Dao."

The Heaven-Defying Taoist then discussed with Wukong about the Emperor’s Path Ranking—pulling it down and draping it over himself, he cast a spell to conceal their presence and followed discreetly. Even mighty experts with the Dharma Eye could not detect anything when the Emperor’s Path Ranking was worn. Ling Weiyang’s artifact refining skills were almost saintly; his creations could hardly be anything less than extraordinary.

Yuan Hong asked, "What task did you assign to your vile corpse servant?"

Wukong replied, "After the success of the Great Revolution Seal, a trace of Heavenly Dao was sensed. Thus, I sent him to the Eastern Divine Region to take a disciple named Xue Li. This child is the reincarnation of the White Tiger’s fortune, destined for conquest and bearing the fate of the Great Tang, and will become the Great Tang’s foremost general in the days to come. My revolutionary endeavors will certainly benefit from his service!"

Yuan Hong nodded slightly, deep in thought.

As the two of them strolled and stopped along the way through the Southern Ridge Demon Mountain, they enjoyed the scenery and found their spirits uplifted, minds flowing smoothly and comfortably.

This too was a form of understanding the Dao, as the common saying goes: "The Taoist magic is in harmony with nature." Appreciating the natural beauty was also a method of comprehending the Dao.

"White Bone Cave?" Wukong’s brows furrowed slightly as he mused, "Could it really be a twist of karmic connection? I once killed the White Bone Spirit, and today I find myself at this White Bone Cave."

Above this sea of clouds there was a cave abode named White Bone Cave, which left Wukong quite distracted.

Yuan Hong asked, "Why do you seem so lost in thought, brother Wukong?"

Wukong replied, "Back when I was traveling westward, I killed a demon known as the White Bone Spirit."

Hearing this, Yuan Hong was briefly taken aback, then chuckled, "Oh! There must be some karmic connection deep within the unknown, let’s go have a look."

He then pulled Wukong into the White Bone Cave. The cave naturally had powerful formations, but none were too difficult for Yuan Hong, whose innate divine ability was formidable; he broke through the formations with ease.

Upon entering the cave, they saw a woman holding a bone comb in front of a dressing table, combing her hair. Suddenly, seeing the reflection of two monkeys in the mirror, she was so startled that she dropped the bone comb to the floor and hastily asked, "Who might you two great immortals be?"

Wukong exclaimed in surprise, "Eh? White Bone Spirit, you’re not dead?"

This was indeed the White Bone Spirit, who had eaten three of Wukong’s sticks back on the Journey to the West, and Wukong was even driven back to the Water Curtain Cave by Tang Monk. He remembered it clearly, distinctly! On that day, he had surely beaten the White Bone Spirit into complete annihilation, turning her into ashes of calamity, so how could she appear here again today?

The White Bone Spirit hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Bai Jingjing pays respects to the Green Emperor!"

Wukong nodded, saying, "Your name is Bai Jingjing?"

Bai Jingjing replied, "Indeed."

Wukong asked further, "On the Journey to the West, was it you who disguised yourself as a woman to deceive Tang Monk, and then I beat you to death with three sticks?"

Bai Jingjing couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh, saying, "The Green Emperor is joking. If I had been beaten to death, how could I be here?"

Yuan Hong slapped Wukong on the shoulder and chuckled, "Brother Wukong, since you said the Journey to the West was but a conspiracy, perhaps those eighty-one tribulations were nothing more than a game between Buddha and Taoism. Tathagata wanted you to go to the Western Heaven to retrieve the true scriptures, to become a Buddha, so that Tang Monk could spread the Buddhist teachings throughout the Eastern Divine Region... And how could the Three Pure Ones agree to that? They must’ve reached a consensus, using you as a pawn, and the Three Pure Ones must have placed demons along the Journey to the West to obstruct your quest for scriptures. Could it be that this young lady Bai Jingjing was also summoned by the Three Pure Ones’ decree?"

It’s said that those involved are blind, while the onlookers see clearly. Upon seeing Bai Jingjing, Wukong was somewhat confounded, but Yuan Hong revealed the last piece of the puzzle.

Bai Jingjing bowed and said, "What the Divine Monkey Great General has said is absolutely true, I was indeed summoned by the Three Pure Ones Revered Taoist, which is why I went."

Wukong said, "I clearly remember beating you until your soul scattered and you perished. How did you escape that fate?"

Bai Jingjing replied, "The Three Pure Ones gave me a talisman that allowed me to substitute death three times."

Thinking about it, Bai Jingjing was not a fool. His own Fiery Eyes with Golden Vision were well-suited to breaking the disguises of demons and spirits, so it would be understandable if she had been beaten once and came back a second time, but to come a third time would be sheer foolishness! Where would you find such a foolish demon? On further contemplation, it seemed unworthy of scrutiny, unworthy of detailed thought.

Wukong sighed helplessly, saying, "So that’s how it was, so that’s how it was!"

Bai Jingjing bowed again and said, "I truly had no control over my actions, I hope the Green Emperor will not take offense."

Wukong had no choice but to help Bai Jingjing to her feet, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth. He opened his mouth, and finally said, "Do not be so formal, I take no offense. It’s all in the past, let the past go with the wind!"

Bai Jingjing said, "I’ve recently heard of the Rebel Sage ascending to the Green Emperor’s position, and I’ve been overjoyed. At last, our Demon Tribe will see a day when we are no longer oppressed by gods and Buddhas!"

Ever since she was beaten to death three times by Wukong on the Journey to the West, Bai Jingjing had returned to the White Bone Cave and could only move around within a two-hundred-mile radius. She was not allowed to go far, or she would be punished. They feared that if Bai Jingjing wandered too far and Wukong happened to learn of it, wouldn’t that expose a flaw? Over the years, Bai Jingjing had indeed had no freedom, not until the matter of the Journey to the West was concluded, and only then was she able to regain her freedom.

"The road is long and winding! To truly make the Demon Tribe equal to all the people in the world, there is still a long way to go," Wukong sighed.

Bai Jingjing said, "Please sit for a while, I will go get some fruits and tea to serve you."

Yuan Hong chuckled, "Miss Bai, there’s no need to trouble yourself."

But Bai Jingjing insisted, "This is proper etiquette. The two of you are high-ranking and influential figures in the Demon Tribe; I should indeed serve you tea."

After Bai Jingjing left, Wukong let out another light sigh.

Yuan Hong said, "People always say that the past is like smoke, not worth looking back on. But those who say this must be people who are well fed every day, wearing warm clothing, and have never suffered. If one claims the past is like smoke, then who can really remain as calm as a still lake when facing the past and old acquaintances? At least, I cannot. When I think of the things from the Ancient Era, I still can’t help feeling sorrowful."

Wukong nodded, saying, "What Big Brother Yuan said is true."

After a while, Bai Jingjing returned with tea and fruits.

Bai Jingjing said, "Green Emperor, Great General, please enjoy the tea."

Wukong laughed, "Miss Bai, there’s no need to be so polite. We will sit for a moment and then leave, just for a moment and we’ll be on our way!"

Bai Jingjing opened her mouth as if to speak, but stopped herself.

Wukong asked, "Is there a problem, miss? Feel free to speak your mind."

Just then, a sharp and thin voice came from outside, "Bai Jingjing, come out quickly, and stop resisting! Our master has called upon you to serve, and that’s your good fortune."

Bai Jingjing’s face suddenly changed, looking rather distressed.

Wukong inquired, "Who is this person, acting so presumptuously?"

With a helpless sigh, Bai Jingjing replied, "Some days ago, I went down the mountain to explore, and to my surprise, I encountered a formidable individual. This person is called the Nine-Headed Dragon, and he wanted to take me as his concubine. I refused to comply, so I had to flee, but he sent Spider Spirits to my Cave Abode to capture me. He gave me three days to consider, and if I still refused to comply after three days, he would forcibly take me."