Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

Turning his head, the Monkey saw Lu Yu and spoke in a flat tone, "So the Scholar has come."

"Wasn't it you who called for me?" Lu Yu said with a smile.

"What's the deal with the old Monk? Was I wrong to kill that Demon? Wasn't it all to protect his journey to the Western Heaven for the scriptures? Just over a dead Demon, he wanted to chase me away. All these years, when has Old Sun ever suffered such indignity?" the Monkey complained.

Lu Yu then asked, "What exactly happened? Tell me about it."

The Monkey recounted everything that had happened previously. When Lu Yu heard about Madam White Skeleton, he couldn't help but sigh, and the image of the woman in red, like a flame, resurfaced in his mind. Even as the years changed, that stunning red remained etched in his memory.

"Perhaps he harbors guilt!" Lu Yu said softly.

The Monkey looked at Lu Yu, puzzled. He clearly felt that after he had spoken about these events, Lu Yu's mood had not been good.

"The young lady mentioned by Madam White Skeleton is likely an old acquaintance of Golden Cicada and me, a woman named Bai Xiaoyao."

At that moment, the Monkey seemed to understand Bajie's words. There was someone in Golden Cicada's heart, and that was why he had lost his composure at that time.

Even after ten cycles of reincarnation, with memories continually resetting, the hidden brilliant red in the depths of one's heart never faded. When the opportunity arose, the memories would surge like the tides, overwhelming that long-numbed heart and shattering its calm.

Thinking this, the Monkey somehow felt relieved. Since his youth, he had practiced his cultivation, never understanding the so-called affection between men and women, but through Tang Monk, he seemed to vaguely grasp something.

"Love, ah!" Suddenly, the Monkey let out a long sigh, his voice carrying a special emotion.

Lu Yu looked at the Monkey in surprise, not expecting him to utter such a sentiment. It seemed that this experience had indeed left a profound impression on him.

"Who is this Bai Xiaoyao, that the old Monk is so fixated on her?" the Monkey asked. He was very curious about this woman who the old Monk couldn't forget even after ten lives, and for whom Madam White Skeleton was willing to face death. She must be different from ordinary women.

The Monkey's words took Lu Yu back to a distant memory. He recalled the time when he, Golden Cicada, and Bai Xiaoyao first met and the trials they had been through. Experience new tales on My Virtual Library Empire

"She was indeed an extraordinary girl, always like a burning flame," Lu Yu said, his voice tinged with nostalgia.

Truth be told, Lu Yu was still shocked by Bai Xiaoyao's ultimate choice; not everyone can renounce the temptation of immortality so easily, especially when such longevity comes at a cost.

But Bai Xiaoyao had chosen death without hesitation, accepting her end with equanimity, without blaming heaven or others in her final moments. Lu Yu knew that in that moment, Bai Xiaoyao had let go of the hatred in her heart and truly found liberation. Perhaps, this was the true Buddha Nature.

Lu Yu's words eased some of the heaviness in the Monkey's heart, who, being proud, was reluctant to make amends with Tang Monk.

"But maybe it's for the best. Since you escaped from Five Elements Mountain, you haven't really taken the time to enjoy Huaguo Mountain. Take this chance to rest a bit. As for Tang Monk, given his troubled fate, he'll seek you out sooner or later. Just wait patiently," Lu Yu consoled the Monkey.

"You're right, Scholar. Let's take out the treasured Monkey Wine and have a good drink. It's been ages since we've drunk together," the Monkey suggested with a laugh.

Lu Yu looked at the Monkey with a smile, seeing the renowned Great Sage Equalling Heaven somewhat sheepish. He knew the Monkey was just looking for an excuse to drink, having tasted every jar of the treasured Monkey Wine of Huaguo Mountain.

Once, as fellow disciples, they sat atop Huaguo Mountain, drinking and chatting together. Now it was night, and darkness enveloped the land. A bright moon rose from over the sea, casting a silver veil upon the waters. Waves crashed against the cliffs, roaring mightily.

Lu Yu and the Monkey drank the fine wine in their hands, enjoying such a gathering for the first time in a long while.

"Thinking back to when we went to sea to learn our arts, it feels like another lifetime," the Monkey said, gazing at Lu Yu with a sense of breathlessness.

"Indeed, centuries have passed without us noticing." Since achieving their cultivation, time seemed to have lost its significance for them. Over the long years, they had seen too many joys and sorrows of life, perhaps one reason Immortals choose a hermit's existence.

"To several hundred years of friendship, let's drink," the Monkey laughed, raising his cup.

Lu Yu clinked his cup in response, downing the wine. Throughout the endless years, to have a friend who knew you inside out and whom you could trust with your life was the greatest gain on the path of cultivation.

In their merriment, Lu Yu suddenly stood up, looked out at the vast Wang Yang Sea, and asked, "Monkey, show me where you were born."

Pointing to a protruding platform on the mountain peak, the Monkey said, "Right there. I was once a stone, just over there."

Hearing this, Lu Yu began to closely examine the spot. When he first came to Huaguo Mountain, he had asked the Monkey about it, but at that time, with his cultivation only just beginning, he knew little of the many secrets of the Three Realms and couldn't make much of it.