Rat in Yellow Wind Ridge, rising from plundering entries

Chapter 33 The Dragon King Bleeds Dry! Monkey Brother’s Divine Weapon—Ruyi Jingu Bang!

The Dragon King was exasperated.

“Are you two here to ask for weapons or to rob my palace?” One of them rejected every weapon.

The other wanted them all.

What kind of logic was this?

Was this fun to you?

The Yellow Wind King winked and grinned.

“Old Dragon King, since you’ve already gifted two weapons, why stop now? You might as well go all the way!”

The Dragon King felt like crying but had to force a smile.

“Fine, fine! Take it!”

“Great!”

The Yellow Wind King laughed heartily.

“The Dragon King is truly generous!”

Sun Wukong chuckled and added, “Old Dragon King, don’t frown! My dear brother here is also a master in weapon forging and formation arts!”

“Since you’ve given him three weapons today, in the future, if you ever need a custom-made divine weapon, you can go to him!”

The Dragon King raised his brows in mild surprise but didn’t take it seriously.

A demon craftsman?

What a joke!

After all, The Dragon Palace had its own skilled artisans.

If necessary, they could commission divine craftsmen from the Heavenly Court, such as Master Lu Ban or the Celestial Blacksmiths.

Yes, it would be expensive, but who cared about price when forging a life-bound treasure?

Only wild demons with no connections would settle for an amateur craftsman, likely lacking proper enchantments or formations.

_____

Seeing Yellow Wind King snatch up three treasures, while he himself got nothing, Sun Wukong became impatient.

“Old Dragon King, do you have any more weapons?”

The Dragon King waved his hands quickly.

“No more! No more!”

Sun Wukong scowled.

“Nonsense! The ancients said: ‘The Dragon King of the Sea never runs out of treasures!’ Search again!”

“If I find one I like, name your price!”

The Dragon King rolled his eyes.

“Which ancient said that? Show yourself! I swear I’ll beat you to death!”

Spreading his hands, the Dragon King firmly refused.

“Truly, I have nothing left!”

He had been willing to part with some weapons to avoid trouble, but if they pushed too far, he wouldn’t tolerate it.

“What, do they think I’m a weak snake they can squeeze dry?”

_____

At that moment, the Dragon Queen and Dragon Princess entered, pulling the Dragon King aside.

“That monkey and rat demon aren’t good characters,” the Dragon Queen whispered.

“Didn’t that monkey say he prefers heavy weapons?”

“In the sea, we have a piece of divine iron from the bottom of the Milky Way. Lately, it’s been glowing with golden light—perhaps it’s destined to be wielded by this demon saint?”

The Dragon King hesitated, “That’s the measuring rod left behind when Great Yu controlled the floods! It’s a solid block of divine iron—how can it be used as a weapon?”

The Dragon Queen shrugged.

“Who cares? Give it to him and see how he deals with it! Just get rid of them first!”

After some thought, the Dragon King sighed.

“Better to cut my losses than let these two cause more trouble.”

Though he was angry, his anger only lasted a brief moment. The Dragon Clan’s fate was grim—hated by the heavens even more than the demons.

With a heavy heart, the Dragon King led Sun Wukong to a distant part of the sea. He pointed towards the golden glow in the distance and said,

“That radiant object is what you seek.”

______

Sun Wukong hurried forward, reaching out to touch the massive iron pillar. It was thick as a barrel, over twenty feet long, and immensely heavy.

Wrapping both arms around it, Wukong muttered, “Too thick and too long! If only it were shorter and thinner!”

Boom!

As if responding to his wish, the divine iron shrank—a few feet shorter and slightly thinner.

Sun Wukong grinned and shook it.

“Still a bit too thick! If it were just a little thinner, it’d be perfect!”

Boom!

Again, the divine iron adjusted itself to his ideal size. Sun Wukong was overjoyed. He lifted it and examined the two golden bands at either end. Carved on the iron surface was a line of characters.

“Ruyi Jingu Bang”

(The Compliant Golden-Hoop Staff).

Weight: 13,500 jin (approx. 6,750 kg).

______

Ecstatic, Sun Wukong shouted,

“Brother! Old Sun has finally obtained a divine weapon!”

As he walked back, he continued adjusting the size, shrinking it to twenty feet long, about the thickness of a bowl. Swinging it around, he unleashed a storm, stirring up giant waves.

The sheer power terrified the Dragon King, Dragon Princess, and sea demons. They huddled together in fear, praying they wouldn’t get hit.

________

“Damn it!” The Dragon King muttered under his breath.

“You fool, Dragon Queen! You just gave away a divine weapon!”

The Dragon Queen snapped back.

“How was I supposed to know? That iron had been sitting there for countless years without changing at all!”

“But the moment this monkey arrived, it became his perfect weapon—clearly, it was destined for him!”

The Dragon King clutched his chest.

Pain!

Heartache!

A divine weapon with limitless potential—gone!

“What a loss!”

_____

More Demands!

Now that he had his Ruyi Jingu Bang, Sun Wukong looked at the finely dressed Dragon King and Princess, then at himself and Yellow Wind King, who were still in simple robes.

He smirked.

“Old Dragon King, now that I have a weapon, I still lack armor! How about gifting me and my brother two sets of battle gear?”

The Dragon King’s eye twitched.

“This damn monkey! He’s really milking me dry!”

“Is there no justice? No rules!”

But when Sun Wukong grabbed his collar with one hand and lifted the Golden-Hoop Staff with the other, the Dragon King immediately caved.

“Fine, fine! I’ll get you some armor!”

However—he refused to suffer alone. The Four Sea Dragon Kings were brothers, sharing fortune and misfortune alike. He rang the palace gong and beat the ceremonial drum, summoning the other Three Dragon Kings.

Yellow Wind King listened closely.

“These aren’t ordinary drums and gongs… they function like a spiritual telecommunication system, transmitting messages across the Four Seas!”

“Interesting… so this is the mythological equivalent of wireless communication?”

His engineering background kicked in, sparking a crazy idea.

“If technology has already mimicked ancient mysticism, could modern devices be adapted into mythology?”

“After all, many ancient magical arts have modern counterparts—”

Rain summoning → Weather modification technology.

Flying to the heavens → Space programs.

Lightning control → Electrical engineering.

If we reverse it, could modern mechanical innovations be introduced into mythology?

As he pondered, the Three Other Dragon Kings arrived.

_______

Thanks to Sun Wukong, Yellow Wind King also received a full set of armor.

Sun Wukong: Phoenix-Winged Golden Crown, Locking-Golden Chainmail, Lotus-Thread Cloud-Walking Boots.

Yellow Wind King: Black-Feathered Scarlet Sun Crown, Silver-Scale Fish Armor, Lotus-Patterned Cloud-Stepping Boots.

As the two left the Dragon Palace, the Four Dragon Kings gritted their teeth and immediately sent a petition to the Heavenly Court.