"Demon King! Trouble is afoot!"
The little goat demon bumped into other minor demons, took a tumble, and only after getting up did he realize he had accidentally injured his eye. Despite the pain, he persisted in reporting to the Demon King that a monkey king had arrived outside.
The Demon King kicked the little goat demon who had run in, saying, "What nonsense are you babbling? You've ruined my mood."
Setting down his wine pot, the Demon King wiped his face before asking, "What trouble?"
The goat demon replied, "Demon King, a monkey has come from Huaguo Mountain, claiming to be your grandson, Sun, and he's here for revenge."
"The Monkey King?"
With a light laugh, the Demon King said, "I've heard those monkeys mention they had a king who went off to cultivate. How has he returned today? Perhaps he has come back from his spiritual practice?"
The goat demon stuttered, clearly frightened.
"Do not be afraid, tell me, what does this monkey look like? What weapon does he have in his hand?"
It is said that to know your enemy and know yourself ensures victory in every battle.
Having mingled in the demon realms, the Demon King needed only to know his adversary's physique, attire, and weapons to guess their formidable abilities.
The goat demon said, "Demon King, the monkey is dressed in red garments, tied with a yellow belt, and steps in a pair of black boots; neither monkish nor secular, and he doesn't resemble a Taoist immortal. He's bare-handed, without any weapon."
Bare-handed?
The Demon King pondered upon hearing this.
Such attire could mean either he's just learned some skills and has come to show off, or he's confident and fears nothing.
Just in case, the Demon King donned his armor, grasped his saber, and, leading his little demons, hurried out.
"Which one is the Monkey King?" the Demon King demanded fiercely, glaring at Sun Wukong.
"Hehe, turns out to be a blind one." Sun Wukong chuckled, hands on his hips, scrutinizing the other closely.
The Demon King wore a black gold helmet that shone in the sunlight; a dark robe billowed in the breeze. Below he wore black iron armor, bound tight with straps; his boots were like those of a great general. His waist was ten spans wide; he was thirty feet tall, holding a saber so sharp and gleaming.
Indeed, he looked fierce, a Demon King through and through.
"So it's you, the runt." Sun Wukong peered down disdainfully.
The Demon King burst into laughter. Despite the monkey's face being handsome as jade, his stature was insignificant, barely four feet tall.
How could he possibly best him?
"Country demon, only skilled in waving weapons, blowing black winds–utterly unsophisticated." Sun Wukong said with disdain, "Though I, Sun, may not be as burly as you, my strength is not small. I possess the power to overturn seas and rivers, shrink mountains, and subdue dragons and tigers."
"Seeing as your cultivation hasn't been easy and you haven't committed too much slaughter, why not release my monkey fellows and then serve under me as a protector? It would suit you, matching your notorious name."
"What say you?"
Hearing this, the Demon King flew into a rage out of humiliation.
He was a carefree king; how could he become someone else's subordinate?
Truly, this monkey was quick-witted, perhaps wanting to taste the severity of his broadsword!
"Hmph! How dare a mere monkey trick me!" The Demon King swung his saber, signaling his little demons—pigs, goats, cows, wolves—to rush forward noisily with their rusty swords and wooden spears.
Though disorderly, the tumultuous shouting was intimidating.
Sun Wukong chuckled and with a flick of his finger whispered a word: "Bind!"
In the blink of an eye, a myriad of little demons stood frozen in place, unable to move.
"This Binding Skill is truly exquisite!" Sun Wukong exclaimed in admiration. His piercing golden eyes then fixed on the only one who could still move on the field: the Demon King, who hastily retreated more than a dozen steps in shock.
"What spell is this?" The Demon King knew that after mingling in the demon realms, besides the six great Demon Kings, he was second to none, yet he had never seen such a spell.
"Binding Skill!"
No sooner had Sun Wukong spoken than he stepped forward, crossing a hundred meters to appear before the Demon King.
"Ah!"
The Demon King was startled and slashed with his saber.
Bang!
Sparks flew from the cold blade, and the force of the rebound sent the Demon King reeling back a hundred steps. Looking at his saber, he saw it was now blunted.
"What a hard head!" the Demon King exclaimed in shock, having realized he had encountered a tough nut to crack.
"Heh heh, Old Sun here has even harder parts," Wukong said with a chuckle.
The Demon King only felt a breeze by his ear, then a chill through his body, and suddenly the ground beneath him gave way, leaving him buried in the soil with only his head exposed.
How miserable!
It seemed he had encountered the Demon King!
But he could not understand how a mere monkey had mastered such Taoist spells.
"Grandfather! Grandfather!"
"Spare your grandson's life!"
Desperate to live, the Demon King pleaded earnestly.
"Hmph!"
Wukong had seen this guy in the simulator, and he should have taken the Demon King's sword and cleaved him in two outright, but considering that although the Demon King had kidnapped his monkey grandchildren, he had not wantonly slaughtered them, Wukong decided to spare his life.
Afterward, Wukong entered the filthy cave, which was dark and reeked of a foul stench.
He found about fifty small monkeys, untied the ropes on their hands, and was about to lead them out when one little monkey tugged at him and said, "King, these stone basins and bowls were all stolen from Shuilian Cave by that evil demon."
Wukong glanced at the pots and pans covered in mud and disdainfully said, "We can simply create new ones, no need to fuss over this junk. Come, let's go home."
Stepping outside the cave, they saw the Demon King buried in the ground and the little demons who couldn't move, which made the monkeys slightly scared.
"Don't be afraid, with the King here, they can't harm you anymore!" Wukong waved his hand, "Go, take their armor and weapons and bring them back home with us."
Obedient to Wukong's command, the little monkeys cautiously approached, and upon realizing the demons truly couldn't move, they became overjoyed and started to freely strip the armor and weapons from the little demons.
Some tugged, others pulled.
The mischievous monkeys even taunted the little demons, kicking their ankles, grabbing their groins, and picking their noses, terrifying the paralysed demons internally.
A few cheeky monkeys even approached the Demon King and fiddled with his head, then urinated on it.
Whizz——
It splashed all over his face.
Monkey urine is notoriously foul, and the Demon King could not bear it; at that moment, he actually fainted from the stench.
Wukong was somewhat dissatisfied with his monkey grandchildren's behavior, since they were all talking wild monkeys, uneducated.
But at that time he did not stop them.
The Demon King had trafficked his monkey grandchildren, and now receiving urine from them was poetic justice, an instant karmic retribution.
Being spared death was already a great grace.
"Let's go!"
Wukong recited a spell, and in an instant, a fierce wind arose, lifting the fifty or so little monkeys along with their weapons into midair, sailing with the wind.
In a blink, they had returned from the filthy cave to the entrance of Shuilian Cave.
The monkeys all gathered together joyfully, surrounding Wukong and carrying two stone lions back into Shuilian Cave.
"The two of you, are you okay with standing guard at the cave entrance?" Wukong asked the two stone lions.
"Willing! Willing!"
The two stone lions replied in unison, their faces showing delight.
It was, after all, their duty.
The monkeys were startled, not expecting the stone to talk.
"Children, don't be scared; I myself popped out of a stone, so it's not strange for stone lions to talk," Wukong reassured them.
Thinking about it, the monkeys felt it made sense.
One monkey asked, "King, what should we call them then?"
Wukong slapped his forehead and laughed, "I did forget about that. Do you two have names?"
"No," one stone lion said.
"How about the King give us a name?" the other stone lion looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"That will require some serious thought······"