Chapter 1423: Salted-Fish Monkey — Guanyin and Ksitigarbha's Attitude (1/5, please subscribe)

"Sun Wukong, native of Flower-Fruit Mountain, a stone monkey born of Heaven, lived three hundred and forty-two years — do you have any objections?"

"None."

"None?" King Yama's heart went numb.

How could you have none?

Shouldn't you fly into a rage and wreak havoc in the Underworld?

You are a Taiyi Jin Xian, after all!

How can you be so even-tempered?!

The substitute monkey nodded: "Indeed, none. The Way cycles as ever; since my lifespan is at its end, just send me into reincarnation!"

King Yama instantly felt as if he were sitting on a bed of needles.

Send him into reincarnation?

You must be joking!

The fortune of the immortal stone of Flower-Fruit Mountain — how terrifying was it?

If I send you into reincarnation, do I want to keep my life?

Besides, I was only acting; I wouldn't dare make it real.

In his heart he secretly sent a voice transmission: "Bodhisattva, this monkey simply isn't playing by the rules — what do we do?"

In fact, Guanyin was speechless at this moment as well.

A dignified Taiyi Jin Xian, his soul summoned by the Underworld — not to mention making you fight back, you won't even argue?

This is way too much of a salted fish!

"Forget it, Yama, carry out the other plan." Guanyin had no choice; she could only send a voice transmission, letting Yama execute the backup plan.

King Yama took the hint, flipped through the Book of Life and Death again, his expression awkward, and said: "Immortal, a mistake, a mistake. It was Black and White Impermanence shirking their duty, summoning the wrong person. How about we strip the mortal registers of all the monkeys of Flower-Fruit Mountain as an apology?"

"Inappropriate, inappropriate." The substitute monkey shook his head. "It was merely summoning the wrong person — just let me go back, why disturb the cycles of the Way and make things difficult for you, King Yama?"

He was not the Sun Wukong of the original, who knew only divine powers and feared not the karmic cause and effect of the Way.

A mortal register, though a binding, was also a form of protection.

To strike it off seemed carefree and unbound, no longer under the Underworld's jurisdiction.

But in truth one would no longer be sheltered by Heaven and Earth, like a corpse-walker outside the Six Paths.

When that time came, the lives of the Flower-Fruit Mountain monkeys would no longer be within the Way — even if someone slaughtered every last monkey of Flower-Fruit Mountain, the Way would not bring punishment down.

Such a thing was utterly terrifying.

It was the equivalent of a person living in a modern country without that country's household registration.

Then none of that country's rights would have anything to do with you.

You would not have the slightest sense of security here.

Though the substitute monkey had already become a Taiyi, he was not arrogant; he naturally knew he could not shelter an entire race forever — how could he let Yama do something that looked like an apology but was in truth extremely dangerous?

King Yama was stunned.

He found that he actually couldn't quite read the monkey before him.

Though wearing a monkey's body, there was not a trace of a monkey's impetuousness; instead he seemed like a Perfected One of the Way.

"Since the Immortal does not pursue the matter, this minor god thanks you greatly." King Yama cupped his hands, his expression solemn. "In the future, should anything come up, just say the word — if I can help, this minor god will certainly be of service."

"Lord Yama, you are too kind."

Thus, amid King Yama's courtesy, the substitute monkey's soul returned to his body.

"I'm back!"