Journey to the West: Starting from Changing Sun Wukong’s fate
Chapter 380 - 381: Re-establishing the New King

Chapter 380: Chapter 381: Re-establishing the New King

Xuanzang glanced at the scene, could not bear to watch it anymore, and quickly turned his head away, bringing his hands together in prayer, "Amitabha Buddha, how good! How good!"

After the foolish ruler and the Demon Empress were torn to pieces, the angry citizens gradually began to calm down.

At this moment, one by one, the citizens knelt on the ground, bowing continuously towards the Wumen City Tower, shouting, "Thank you, Bodhisattva, for standing up for us and eliminating the foolish ruler and Demon Empress!"

"Thank you, Bodhisattva, for saving the lives of all the citizens of our city! Thank you, Bodhisattva!"

Hearing the citizens of the entire city, Sun Wukong turned to Xuanzang and said, "Master, it seems that killing isn’t necessarily evil, and saving isn’t necessarily good."

"To kill those who should be killed, and to save those who should be saved—this is perhaps what truly constitutes good deeds and merit."

Zhu Bajie couldn’t help but nod and said, "What Brother Monkey is saying today, I find it correct for the first time!"

"Amitabha Buddha."

Xuanzang pressed his palms together and chanted the Buddha’s name without saying much more.

Sun Wukong looked in the direction of the law grounds and saw that the citizens outside of Wumen were still continuously showing their reverence with beaming smiles on their faces.

He then turned to look at the civil and military officials of Bhikkhu Country beside him and said coldly, "You all listen to me, it’s said that a country cannot be without a ruler for a day; you should quickly organize the citizens to elect a wise monarch who will succeed as the king of Bhikkhu Country."

The officials were so frightened that they knelt down quickly, and one of the leading elders said, "Immortal, with the current situation, it seems that no one is more suitable to assume the role of king than you noble monks. Your humble servant begs you, Holy Monks, to condescend for the high office and ascend to the throne as king."

"We are but travelers passing through and cannot stay in Bhikkhu Country for long, therefore we cannot assume the role of king. You should select another capable person," Sun Wukong shook his head and refused.

At this moment, Zhu Bajie, with a smile on his face, said, "If your Bhikkhu Country really has no one suitable, I, Old Pig, can condescend to become the king of your country!"

"Bajie!"

Hearing what Zhu Bajie said, Xuanzang frowned and spoke.

With some resignation, Zhu Bajie said, "Master, they have no candidate for king. Old Pig is also sacrificing himself to help them!"

"Second Senior Brother is always so eloquent; he’s thinking of others’ good!"

Junior Brother Sand couldn’t help but laugh as he spoke.

"Wukong, what do you think?"

Xuanzang turned to look at Sun Wukong.

"Well..."

Sun Wukong also felt rather troubled at this moment.

Then, having thought of something, he said, "Since water can carry a boat, it can also capsize it, let the citizens vote for themselves!"

"Let the entire city vote openly, one vote per household. The one who receives the most votes will become the king."

"Should the candidates be chosen from among the royal family?" an official asked cautiously.

"Of course not. The foolish ruler is dead, and Bhikkhu Country no longer has a royal family. The position of king should belong to the wise. This kingship election need not be restricted by status. Anyone with talent who is loved and respected by the citizens can run for the position."

Sun Wukong believed that what was essential was to serve the people, not to preserve bloodlines.

"We understand. We shall attend to it at once," the officials responded one after another.

At this time, Xuanzang also nodded and said, "Wukong’s idea is indeed good. With this method, a wise ruler will certainly be chosen for the country."

Sun Wukong couldn’t help but smile and said, "Since we’ve killed their king, we can’t just walk away. At the very least, we should help them select a new king so that Bhikkhu Country can stabilize. If a war were to break out due to the lack of a king, wouldn’t that be my fault."

All of a sudden, Xuanzang remembered something and quickly turned to Sun Wukong, saying, "Wukong, I almost forgot, those one thousand and one hundred children who were swept away by your wind earlier are still out in the gully outside of the city, right? We should have the various gods bring them back."

"Right! Right! If it weren’t for Master’s reminder, Old Sun might have forgotten about this too. I’ll go there myself and bring all the children back."

Saying this, Sun Wukong leapt up into the clouds and flew towards the east. It turned out that the children swept away by Sun Wukong were hidden in a valley dozens of miles to the east of the city, under the protection of various gods.

Afterwards, Xuanzang shouted to the citizens below, "Folks, the children who were blown away by the wind are all still alive. You can now go to the outside of the east city to wait. Your children will be safely home very soon."

Upon hearing this, the citizens outside exploded into a cheer and after bowing several times towards the Wumen City Tower to thank Xuanzang, they got up and ran towards the outside of the east city. The parents who had lost their children hurriedly rushed there.

Indeed, it wasn’t long before Sun Wukong, along with the various gods, brought all the children back. The people immediately rushed forward to find their own children. After collecting their children and thanking Sun Wukong and the others, they went home jubilant and grateful.

By this time, the day was already getting late, and Xuanzang and his disciples returned to the posthouse to rest.

In the blink of an eye, it was the next day, and Xuanzang got up from the bed, stretched, dressed properly, and opened the door of his room. Several constables from the posthouse had already been waiting outside for a long time.

Seeing Xuanzang come out, they knelt on the ground and respectfully said, "Holy Monk, breakfast is ready, please have your meal."

"All rise! You needn’t be so formal in front of me. Go fetch me a basin of cool water; I want to wash my face first," Zhu Bajie said with a laugh.

When had he ever been treated like this?

"Yes!" The constable dared not delay, promptly responded, and then two of them ran to fetch water.

Before long, the two constables brought back a basin of cool water, along with towels and such.

After happily washing up, Zhu Bajie, led by the constable, went to have breakfast.

"We can finally have a good meal this time!"

Zhu Bajie called over to Sun Wukong and the others.

Zhu Bajie himself was fond of eating, and today’s breakfast was indeed very sumptuous. Nearly a whole table was set, and though all the dishes were vegetarian, there were dozens of varieties, each so intricate that they whetted the appetite immensely.

Zhu Bajie ate to his heart’s content.

Xuanzang, Sun Wukong, and Sand Monk were not as gluttonous, and after having breakfast, they went to the living room to rest.

At this point, the constable eagerly served them fine tea.

After all, these immortals and Bodhisattvas could subdue demons and eliminate evil; if they were not treated well, their very lives were at risk.

"Master, now that the evil spirits of Bhikkhu Country have been subdued and those children’s lives are safe, when shall we set off? We should reach Western Heaven as soon as possible to obtain the True Scriptures," Sand Monk urged with some impatience.

He was looking forward to returning to Celestial Court and resuming his position as Great General Who Lifts the Curtain.

"Junior Brother Sand, why the rush? Although the evil spirits of Bhikkhu Country have been subdued, the king was put to death by the people, and now the country is without a ruler, leading to inevitable instability. The pressing matter is to select a new ruler quickly!"

"One must follow through when accumulating virtue and doing good deeds. How can we abandon our responsibility halfway? Let’s wait until a new king is selected and Bhikkhu Country’s situation is stable before we set off. Wouldn’t it be irresponsible to leave now?" Sun Wukong interrupted, speaking with a smile.

Upon hearing Sun Wukong’s words, Zhu Bajie, with his mouth greasy from eating, laughed and said, "Brother Monkey is right, I think we should stay a few more days. Once a new king is in place, we can exchange the travel documents; it’s better to depart then!"

Xuanzang gave Zhu Bajie a stern look and said displeased, "You lazy pig!"

"Second Senior Brother, is it just because you’re being well fed and taken care of that you don’t want to leave, you lazy pig?" Sand Monk, upon hearing Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie speak as they did, could not be so rudely dismissive to Sun Wukong, so his dissatisfaction was directed at Zhu Bajie.

"Second Senior Brother, if we continue to delay like this, who knows how long it will be before we can reach Western Heaven!"

Zhu Bajie, scolded by Sand Monk, could not help but blush with embarrassment, lowering his head obediently and muttering, "Old Zhu is not one to seek pleasure. Given Bhikkhu Country’s current situation, we cannot leave anyway! At the least, without a king, who will issue our travel documents, and without such documents, how can we proceed on our journey?"

Laughing, Sun Wukong added, "Master, Junior Brother Sand, there’s no need to worry. They will select a new king soon, and it won’t delay us more than a few days."

"Master, everything is predetermined; there’s no use in being anxious. Why not stay a couple more days in Bhikkhu Country to sort everything out before we continue on our journey? Moreover, helping Bhikkhu Country select a wise and virtuous ruler is also an act of accumulating virtue and doing good deeds. Why not embrace it as such?"

Xuanzang sighed helplessly and said, "Alright then! Since you all say so, let’s stay a few more days. Once Bhikkhu Country has chosen a new ruler and we have exchanged the travel documents, we will set off immediately."

Sun Wukong then turned to look at Sand Monk.

Sand Monk could only sigh.

Since even the master did not object, what more could he say?

Just then, the Posthouse Manager came in with his head bowed and in a hurry, and he respectfully saluted, "The lower official greets the Elders. Reporting to the Elders, the Grand Tutor and the Prime Minister, leading civil and military officials, request an audience outside."

With a gleam in his eye, Sun Wukong said, "They must have already discussed it!"

He then nodded and said, "Let them come in."

"As you command!" The Posthouse Manager promptly complied, and then respectfully withdrew.

It wasn’t long before the Grand Tutor and the Prime Minister, leading a group of civil and military officials, hurried in. The living room was too small for such a large crowd, so most had to remain in the courtyard. Only the Grand Tutor, the Prime Minister, and a few high-ranking members of the court came inside, bowing deeply as they said, "The lower officials greet the Elders."

Sun Wukong waved his hand lightly and said, "Dispense with the formalities! What brings you here so early in the morning?"

The Prime Minister, a white-bearded old man, then said respectfully, "Holy Monk, we come not for any other reason but the matter of selecting a new king. The foolish ruler is dead, and a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. After consulting with my colleagues, we’ve already issued a decree, and we are preparing to start the election tomorrow."