Chapter 57

Outside the mountain gate.

Taibai Taibai Jinxing waited for a long time, but didn't see the old monkey who came to report return.

Just when he was wondering if he should walk in further himself, he saw the old monkey drill out of the woods again.

He saw that old monkey drill out of the woods again.

"Old God, our King invites you!" The old monkey bowed to Taibai Taibai Jinxing, his tone polite.

"Hehe, thank you."

Taibai Taibai Jinxing hung a gentle smile on his face, but he was secretly muttering in his heart.

This monkey, his airs are not small.

But thinking about it again, the more this demon monkey likes to put on airs, the more it shows that he cares about this reputation and scene, and his mission this time is easier to handle.

He followed the group of monkeys, walked through the small path in the woods, and walked all the way toward the Water Curtain Cave.

As he walked, he calculated in his heart.

When he sees the monkey king in a while, should he first put on the airs of a heavenly god and give him a slap in the face to show the majesty of the Heavenly Court?

Or should he be gentler, say more good words, coax the monkey first, and let him follow him to heaven obediently?

Taibai Taibai Jinxing calculated for a while and soon had an idea.

Most of the demon kings in the lower realm are hot-tempered and eat soft but not hard.

If he really puts on airs in front of him, and the monkey gets angry and doesn't want to go to heaven, it will be difficult to handle.

It's better to say more good words; as the saying goes, flattery never hurts.

As long as the monkey is coaxed to be happy and feels that going to heaven to be an official is a great thing, why worry that he won't follow him?

Having made up his mind, the smile on Taibai Taibai Jinxing's face increased a bit.

Soon, they arrived in front of the Water Curtain Cave.

They saw the waterfall like a huge white silk hanging from the cliff, the water sound roaring, and the momentum was majestic.

He followed the old monkey, passed through the water curtain, and entered the cave.

The scene inside the cave made him slightly surprised.

He saw that inside the Water Curtain Cave, it was spacious and bright, with stone tables, stone stools, stone beds, and stone stoves, all available.

It is worthy of the name of a cave heaven and blessed land.

Inside the Water Curtain Cave, groups of monkeys were busy shuttling back and forth, some placing tables and chairs, some serving various fresh and dripping fruits, and others carrying jars of monkey wine emitting wine fragrance.

And in the deepest part of the cave, on a high stone platform, there was a throne.

A monkey king wearing lock-mail golden armor, a phoenix-winged purple-gold crown, and lotus-silk cloud-stepping shoes was sitting on it with a big horse and a golden sword.

I think this is the demon monkey who made havoc in the Dragon Palace and Underworld, Sun Sun Wukong.

Taibai Taibai Jinxing stepped forward to salute, holding a whisk, and bowed to Sun Sun Wukong.

"This poor Daoist is Taibai Taibai Jinxing, serving the Jade Emperor's decree, specifically to pay a visit to Saint Saint Qitian."

He called this "Saint Saint Qitian" so loudly and smoothly, as if this title of Sun Sun Wukong had already been recognized by the Heavenly Court.

Sun Sun Wukong sat on the throne, but he was sneering in his heart.

"This old man looks kind, and his mouth is sweet, but little brother said these are all traps set by the Heavenly Court. I, Old Sun, cannot be fooled by his few words."

Although he was vigilant in his heart, he remained calm on the surface.

He learned the appearance of those human emperors, raised his hand slightly to Taibai Taibai Jinxing, and said: "Old God, you have come from afar, you have worked hard. No need to be polite, please sit down quickly."

"Thank you, Saint."

Taibai Taibai Jinxing sat down on a stone stool below as instructed.

Immediately, a little monkey served him a plate of the freshest fruits and filled him a cup of mellow monkey wine.

Sun Sun Wukong laughed and raised his wine cup.

"Old God, my Huaguo Mountain has no good things to entertain you. Only some wild fruits and thin wine brewed by myself, please don't dislike it. Come, I, Old Sun, will toast you first!"

"Saint is polite." Taibai Taibai Jinxing also hurriedly raised his cup. "Huaguo Mountain is the ancestral vein of the ten continents and the coming dragon of the three islands. The fairy fruits and spiritual wines produced here contain the essence of heaven and earth and are rare treasures in the world. This poor Daoist has a mouth blessing today."

The two exchanged pleasantries and drank the wine in their cups.

Sun Sun Wukong pretended to be a simple and honest person who didn't understand anything, scratched his ears and cheeks, and asked: "Old God, you just said you were serving the order of some Jade Emperor to invite me, Old Sun? Who is this Jade Emperor? And what is he asking me, Old Sun, for?"

Taibai Taibai Jinxing was secretly happy upon hearing this.

This monkey really doesn't understand anything, doesn't even know who the Jade Emperor is.

That's even better; whatever he says, he will believe.

He put down his wine cup, cleared his throat, and said in a solemn tone: "Saint doesn't know, this Jade Emperor is the supreme being who rules ten thousand heavens and dominates the Three Realms. Everything in the Three Realms of heaven, earth, and man, and the ten directions of the world, all gods, immortals, Buddhas, saints, humans, demons, and ghosts must obey his orders. This poor Daoist came here precisely to serve the Jade Emperor's decree to invite you, Saint, to heaven to be an official!"

"Serve as an official in heaven?" Sun Sun Wukong deliberately showed a surprised and happy expression on his face. "You mean, that Jade Emperor wants to invite me, Old Sun, to go to heaven to be an official?"

"Exactly!" Taibai Taibai Jinxing nodded heavily.

He continued: "The Emperor heard that you, Saint, have great divine abilities and are righteous, and he likes you very much in his heart. He feels that for a person like you, Saint, to be a mountain king in the lower realm is too aggrieved. Therefore, he specially sent this poor Daoist to invite you to the Heavenly Court to be ranked among the immortals, which is better than being happy and carefree in the mortal world."

Sun Sun Wukong listened with joy, jumped off the throne, leaned in front of Taibai Taibai Jinxing, and asked: "Go to heaven to be an official? Is that very prestigious? Even more prestigious than me, Old Sun, being a mountain king here?"

"More than just prestigious!" Taibai Taibai Jinxing stroked his long beard and laughed. "If you, Saint, go to heaven, you can be an official with the gods of the nine heavens, have auspicious clouds to step on when you go out, and have heavenly horses to ride when you come and go, enjoying endless heavenly scenery and endless fairy fruits and nectar. How can the honor of a mountain king in the lower realm compare to this?"

Sun Sun Wukong listened, scratching his ears and cheeks, his heart itching.

He pretended to be impatient, pulled Taibai Taibai Jinxing's sleeve, and asked: "That's great! That's great! Old God, tell me quickly, are the officials in heaven divided by size? His old self, the Emperor, is preparing to give me, Old Sun, how big an official?"

He stared tightly at Taibai Taibai Jinxing, his eyes full of anticipation.

"As for official positions, naturally they are divided by size." Taibai Taibai Jinxing said with a smile. "The official positions in the Heavenly Court are strictly graded, from ninth grade to first grade, each different."

"Then is ninth grade the biggest?" Sun Sun Wukong pressed.

"Not so." Taibai Taibai Jinxing shook his head. "This official position is first grade the biggest."

"Then is the Emperor preparing to give me, Old Sun, what kind of official? Is it a first-grade big official?" Sun Sun Wukong asked seriously. "With my abilities, Old Sun, being a first-grade big official shouldn't be aggrieved, right? Can't be smaller than that East Sea Dragon King and the Yama King of the Underworld, right?"

His series of questions directly stumped Taibai Taibai Jinxing.