"Old Dragon King, do you really want to stand here at the entrance and talk to me?"
Sun Wukong didn't answer; he just looked at Ao Guang with a smile. Realizing his own lack of manners, Ao Guang quickly ushered Wukong into the Crystal Palace. After offering a seat and serving tea, he asked curiously again, "May I know when and from where the Immortal ascended to enlightenment?"
"I, Old Sun, live next to your Eastern Sea, at the Water Curtain Cave in Flower-Fruit Mountain. I've been cultivating abroad these years, and today I came specially to see the old neighbor and also to ask for a handy weapon. I've heard that the treasures within your Eastern Sea Dragon Palace are plentiful, and you are renowned as a sage and hospitable individual. Surely, you wouldn't disappoint Old Sun, would you?"
"Of course, of course! It's merely a weapon. The Immortal may choose at his leisure."
With a mix of soft and hard words, Sun Wukong flattered Ao Guang and implicit threats. Ao Guang dared not refuse and immediately ordered his shrimp soldiers and crab generals to bring a succession of weapons. Sun Wukong found none suitable, as he had come for the Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod and would not settle for the ordinary blades in Ao Guang's possession.
Ao Guang found this troubling. There was no shortage of weapons in his palace, yet none seemed to please Wukong. Seeing Wukong's stance, it appeared that he wouldn't leave without a suitable weapon. Ao Guang tugged at his dragon whiskers with a troubled expression.
"Your Majesty, don't we still have that piece of divine iron in our Dragon Palace?"
"What divine iron?"
"The very Divine Precious Iron that Great Yu left at the bottom of the Heavenly River to stabilize it during the Great Flood. This monkey says it's too light; that piece of Divine Precious Iron is incredibly heavy. As long as he can lift it, let him carry it away. How he modifies it is his business, nothing to do with us. Just send him off with it."
"That makes sense. Let's do it!"
Upon hearing the words of the old dragoness, Ao Guang nodded and explained to Sun Wukong, who inwardly rejoiced but maintained a composed facade. Following Ao Guang, Wukong reached the Sea Eye where Ao Guang pointed to the gleaming divine iron, "That shining part is the Divine Iron."
Sun Wukong's eyes brightened, and he dived directly into the Sea Eye towards the Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod, caressing its shaft and murmuring softly, "Old friend, long time no see!"
The Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod vibrated with resonance. As Sun Wukong's thoughts moved, the moss clinging to it shattered, revealing its true form—a Black Iron Staff engraved with Dao Patterns and two Golden Hoops at each end. Engraved upon the staff was the inscription, "Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod weighs 13,500 jin," unchanged from Wukong's memory.
"Hum~!"
Sun Wukong shrunk the Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod to about 3.3 feet long and as thick as the rim of a bowl before holding it in his hand. Suddenly, the 36-petaled Pure World Green Lotus stems in his Dantian Qi Sea reacted, sending ripples that flowed along his meridians towards his palms. The rod shrank further, smaller than a needle, and shot directly into Wukong's palm, hurrying along the meridians into his Dantian Qi Sea.
The stems of the Pure World Green Lotus turned into a cloud of primordial Chaos mist, enveloping the Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod. Threads of Chaos mist began to wind themselves around the rod, altering the engraved Dao Patterns.
"What's happening?"
Sun Wukong was taken aback as things once again deviated from his expectations. He had merely wanted to retrieve the divine Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod, but now it was being absorbed into his Dantian. It seemed that the Pure World Green Lotus stem was fusing with the Golden-Hooped Rod, potentially raising its rank!
The Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod was an Acquired Spiritual Treasure forged within the Crucible of the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, but its material was extraordinarily rare, originating from a chunk of ninefold refined iron from the dawn of creation, shaped by Chaos. However, when the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord crafted the Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod, it wasn't intended as a weapon, merely to suppress the Heavenly River. The full potential of the ninefold refined iron hadn't been unlocked. Now, desired by the stems of the Pure World Green Lotus, it might well transform into an Innate Supreme Treasure after fusion!
But who could say when this fusion and upgrade would be completed? During this time, wouldn't he be without a suitable divine weapon?
Wukong's emotions were an intertwined mix of joy and concern, uncertain whether to be happy or to sigh. After emerging from the Sea Eye, Wukong thanked Ao Guang with a clasped fist and darted toward the sea surface, quickly disappearing without a trace.
"Is he leaving just like that?"
Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, felt somewhat stunned. The massive chunk of Divine Precious Iron had suddenly shrunk and vanished without a trace. While he was eager to ask about it, Sun Wukong had simply left. What just happened? Could it be that the Divine Precious Iron really was an exceptional treasure, and that monkey feared he might renege on his word and thus slipped away swiftly?
"Your Majesty, even if that Divine Precious Iron was a treasure, we already agreed to give it. We can't ask for it back now. It's for the best that he left like this. Let's consider it ridding ourselves of a calamity."
"Fine, let's go back to the palace!"
After a couple of soothing words from the old dragoness, Ao Guang decided not to dwell on it. As she said, they might as well consider it ridding themselves of a calamity and swam back toward the Crystal Palace.
Half a day later, in front of the gate of Three-Star Cave at the Mountain of Spirits and Immortals, Sun Wukong sat anxiously on an old pine, scratching his head, his gaze shifting back and forth to the entrance of Three-Star Cave Heaven, yet he didn't dare to step in.
He had intended to retrieve the Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod at the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, so that Puti Patriarch would shift his attention to the rod. Unexpectedly, the rod had been swallowed by the stem of the Pure World Green Lotus and was now in the midst of a fusion and upgrade that Wukong could not control. How was he to report the events of the last few days to Puti Patriarch?
With Puti Patriarch's abilities, a mere figuring could expose Mosquito Daoist's whereabouts, and the matter of the Pure World Green Lotus stems might even be deduced. And what the outcome would be then, Sun Wukong could only imagine with a throbbing headache.
"No matter what! A monkey dies with the heavens watching, if not, it lives for tens of thousands of years. Maybe Master won't even bother to divine the future, and even if he does, perhaps he won't find out, right?"
After much hesitation, Sun Wukong finally grit his teeth and leaped down from the pine tree, striding into Cave Heaven and advancing to the preaching platform. Puti Patriarch was seated on the high platform preaching, and Sun Wukong, lacking confidence, didn't dare to interrupt Puti Patriarch's sermon. He timidly took a seat on the last cushion at the end, bowing his head, not daring to look at Puti Patriarch.
Soon after, Puti Patriarch finished his sermon and his gaze shifted to Sun Wukong, a flash of sharpness in his eyes as he called out, "Wukong, you're back."
"Master, your disciple has surpassed the Great Sun Fire Disaster and broken through to the Heavenly Immortal Realm."
Sun Wukong hurriedly stood up, bowed respectfully to Puti Patriarch, and responded, though his palms were sweating.
"Hmm, not bad!"
Puti Patriarch nodded, but his eyes held a strange look that made Sun Wukong's scalp tingle. After a pause, Puti Patriarch stood up and walked towards the inner hall. However, a telepathic message floated into Sun Wukong's ears, "Wukong, follow your Master to the back mountain."
Doomed!
A sinking feeling hit Sun Wukong's heart. Master must have divined something. Was he going to be forced to come clean?
With an anxious heart, Sun Wukong obediently stood up and with a grim face, left the platform, heading towards the back mountain. The other disciples, used to such scenes, quickly dispersed on their own.
Sun Wukong arrived at the pool beneath the back mountain's great waterfall, where Puti Patriarch stood facing the waterfall, his back to him. Hearing footsteps, Puti Patriarch didn't turn around but spoke softly, "You've arrived? Tell me, what have you been up to these past few days?"
A jolt hit Sun Wukong's heart; Puti Patriarch had indeed divined the truth. Yet he still struggled, "I haven't done much, just found a place to hide from disaster and cross tribulation..."
"Is that so?"
Puti Patriarch turned around, his expression seemingly amused but not quite, and suddenly he flicked Sun Wukong's head hard, scolding him with laughter, "You cunning monkey, still trying to deceive me, your Patriarch?"
"Master, I truly don't understand what you're talking about!"
Sun Wukong decided to adamantly deny everything until the end. He would admit only what Puti Patriarch had divined, and never volunteer anything he hadn't.
"Not understanding? I think you're feigning ignorance,"
Puti Patriarch glanced at Sun Wukong disapprovingly, "What's going on between you and that Mosquito Daoist? Don't tell me you've never met him!"
There it was, Puti Patriarch had figured it out!
Inside, Sun Wukong sighed, Luo Wen, brother, it's not that I don't want to keep your secret, it's that my Master is just too cunning! You're on your own now!
"Master, you know about it? What else do you know? Just spill it all at once, don't keep me hanging here!"
"What, is there something else you're hiding from me?"
Puti Patriarch's eyes narrowed slightly, and Sun Wukong hurriedly waved his hands and shook his head, "No, no, how could your disciple dare?"
Yet, he secretly sighed with relief. It seemed that Puti Patriarch hadn't divined anything about the affair of the Thirty-Six Purity World Green Lotus Stalk. Even the Heavenly Dao Saint's prognostication isn't omnipotent!
But on second thought, it made sense. The Thirty-Six Purity World Green Lotus was an Innate Supreme Treasure, and its stalk inherited a quarter of the Hongmeng Purple Qi and Great Dao Laws from the entire Green Lotus, possessing a natural shielding ability against the Heavenly Dao, something not even the Saints could divine through a connection with the Heavenly Dao.
"Forget it, if you don't want to say, I won't force you. Just tell me about your dealings with that old Mosquito. How did you end up with him? He's no easy character!"
Puti Patriarch waved his hand dismissively. Sun Wukong stole a glance at Puti Patriarch, who didn't seem very angry. Moreover, it appeared that Puti Patriarch had no intention of settling accounts with Mosquito Daoist. Strange!
"Master, well, this matter actually began with a misunderstanding..."