Chapter 357: The Seven Demon Kings Gather at Cangmang Mountain; The Day of the Grand Wedding Finally Arrives

The gardens were deep, with brocades and embroideries piled high within.

Rainbow bridges and water pavilions, green kiosks and small terraces were dotted throughout; green vines were everywhere, and the pines and cypresses were verdant, creating a profound sense of tranquility.

Fang Longye was laughing and chatting with two monkeys, looking quite engrossed in their conversation.

To the side, three or five beautiful handmaidens, draped in colorful garments and wearing exquisite makeup, wove through the space, pouring tea and water for Fang Longye and the two others, and changing the fruit platters.

Yet no matter what they did, their jade feet stepped lightly, and amidst the swirling fragrance, they did not make a single sound~

These two monkeys were none other than two of the Seven Great Sages who had sworn brotherhood with Sun Wukong in the original trajectory.

One of them was the Mihou Wang, who was well-acquainted with Fang Longye; at this moment, he appeared in his true form, his monkey fur shimmering with gold, exuding an indescribable refinement.

As for the other, he also appeared in his true form—a macaque appearance, with a brownish-gray body, a very short tail, and long, slender limbs, looking somewhat unremarkable.

What caught one's attention were his eyes; his eye sockets were very deep, like the mouth of a well, yet his pupils were incomparably brilliant, bright and generating light.

According to his own introduction, he came from a continent overseas, went by the name Mihou Wang, had always been familiar with the Dragon Clan, and upon hearing that the new Young Lord was getting married, had come specifically to offer his congratulations.

Clearly, this monkey was precisely that Mihou Wang from the Journey to the West of Fang Longye's past life.

At the time, after hearing this Mihou Wang's introduction, Fang Longye was noncommittal about his uninvited arrival, instead staring at his appearance and sizing him up for a long while.

For in Fang Longye's past life, many people had said that this Mihou Wang who swore brotherhood with Sun Wukong was the mysterious Six-Eared Macaque from the road to Scripture Seeking.

Yet, despite him sizing this Mihou Wang up for a long time—to the point that he even annoyed the Mihou Wang at the time—

he could not see where this Mihou Wang looked like Sun Wukong, nor could he see those six ears that no one knew where they grew~

He was truly just a plain and unremarkable macaque.

Well, perhaps in terms of innate divine abilities, he was somewhat similar to the Six-Eared Macaque of Journey to the West, who was "good at listening to sounds, able to perceive principles, knowing the past and future, and understanding all things."

But he was not that miraculous.

It was just that his five senses were born very keen, and over time, he had cultivated an innate divine ability to discern all things by listening to the wind~ I suppose his future title of 'Great Sage of Ventilation' must have come from this~ And just like that,

as Sun Wukong and the others stepped into the garden, the Mihou Wang immediately sensed something and turned his head to look at the newcomers.

To be precise, ninety-nine percent of his gaze and attention were cast upon Sun Wukong.

He saw that, surrounded by two burly Taiyi Demon Kings, a monkey with a body shimmering in gold was hopping and skipping as he walked this way.

This monkey's tail was longer than his shoulders, and he looked somewhat small and exquisite; his appearance was quite handsome, truly a rare beauty among the monkey tribe~

"Is this the Handsome Monkey King, Sun Wukong?"

The Mihou Wang muttered to himself and twitched his nose.

Within his nasal passages, seven orifices swirled, forming marvelous seal characters; his eyes opened and closed, with faint white light shining, piercing through everything; his two ears moved slightly, as if listening to the sounds of all things.

Yet no matter how he exerted himself, everything remained shadowy and blurry, impossible to see clearly.

"This Handsome Monkey King~"

The Mihou Wang's expression could not help but turn grave; he discovered that his innate divine ability had a negligible effect when used against this clansman.

Aside from being able to see this clansman's grand, enviable fortune and his cultivation realm, which was just shy of a complete Golden Immortal, he could see nothing else~ One must know that, apart from this Yuanlong Lord beside him, he could see a thing or two about everyone else present! At the same time, Sun Wukong, who had been hopping and skipping, looking left and right, similarly sensed something and turned his gaze over, his eyes burning like fire, shining brilliantly.

Reflecting the figures of the three people not far away~

"That Yuanlong Lord, and two other clansmen who look extraordinary~"

The monkey felt joy in his heart and, taking three steps in two, hopped and skipped his way forward.

Fang Longye, who had been paying attention to Sun Wukong and the others all along, naturally raised his eyes, laughed heartily at Sun Wukong and Niu Mowang, and said: "I intended to welcome you all personally, but as I am currently entertaining guests, I could not come to greet you from afar. I hope the three of you will forgive me!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong temporarily suppressed his urge to quickly get to know the two clansmen and began to size up the Yuanlong Lord he had been keeping in his heart.

He saw a rock like a lotus flower emerging from water, rising high; this Yuanlong Lord sat atop it, just preparing to stand, with inexplicable light naturally swirling around him.

Layer upon layer, it was impossible to see clearly.

Beneath the seat, the water shimmered long and deep; as the wind suddenly rose, the ripples were uneven, appearing like fine scales, with seal characters appearing and vanishing, deriving hexagrams, revealing a profound mystery that seemed to exist yet not.

Powerful, mysterious, lofty...

It made one feel awe~

"Greetings, Yuanlong Lord~"

The monkey had always held awe for Fang Longye, this Yuanlong Lord; upon meeting him this time, just as he had imagined, he naturally cupped his hands in salute.

His entire demeanor was respectful and modest, with no trace of his usual flamboyant nature. Of course, there was also an element of gratitude toward Fang Longye in this.

Otherwise, he would not be like this.

When all is said and done, the monkey was not the type of character to humble himself in the face of power.

Now that he was just starting out, he had not suffered any suppression and possessed a certain spirit, unlike later during the Journey to the West, when he became somewhat of a bully to the weak and a coward to the strong~

"Previously, whether it was Huaguo Mountain or myself, we have both been favored by the Yuanlong Lord's care; I, Old Sun, am endlessly grateful to you, Yuanlong Lord~"

As he spoke, Sun Wukong took out the Jinse Jinnang and handed it over, saying: "Since it is the occasion of your wedding, Yuanlong Lord, I have specially prepared a gift to express my humble sentiments~"

This monkey was truly interesting; even though his every gesture exuded the air of a wild demon, his speech was surprisingly bookish and polite.

Fang Longye walked over, patted Sun Wukong on the shoulder several times, and said:

"Handsome Monkey King, you are far away in Dongsheng Shenzhou, yet you were able to come in person to attend my wedding banquet; that is already no small feat, so why the need to prepare any gift?"

However, despite saying this, he had already acted, signaling the handmaiden to the side to accept the pouch Sun Wukong had handed over.

He gestured for them to take their seats,

and Fang Longye pulled Sun Wukong to sit beside him, pretending to be delighted as he looked him up and down, staring until the monkey's scalp went numb.

Only then did he open his mouth and laugh: "In the past, when I passed by Huaguo Mountain, I saw that your precious mountain was extraordinary, and I knew that a man of virtue and talent must reside there, so I came to pay a visit~"

"I did not expect that you, Monkey King, had gone on a long journey at the time, and we were fated not to meet. Today, we have finally met face to face!"

As he spoke, he even specifically patted Sun Wukong's shoulder again, "The saying goes: 'A place is made famous by the people who live there.' Seeing you today, Handsome Monkey King, you truly did not disappoint me!"

"With Huaguo Mountain being such a place of divine beauty and creation, how could its Mountain Lord be an ordinary person?!"

This feigned exclamation actually coaxed the monkey into beaming with joy, scratching his ears and cheeks, and he actually became embarrassed~

In truth, besides drawing closer to Monkey, Fang Longye's words were more about providing an explanation for his special attention toward him~

After all, although Monkey was ignorant at this time, his nature was shrewd, and there would come a day when he would eventually catch on.

To summarize his explanation:

He had no other motives; he simply saw that Monkey was born extraordinary and was a stock with potential, destined for great achievements, which was why he specifically showed care and sought to befriend him.

This was simple human nature; even if Monkey were worldly-wise and caught on later, he wouldn't have much to say. Making friends, isn't that just how it is~

……

After coaxing Monkey until he was beaming with joy, Fang Longye turned his head to apologize to Niu Mowang and Shituo Wang: "I was happy for a moment and neglected the two of you."

Niu Mowang and Shituo Wang naturally waved their hands with a smile, looking completely unbothered.

Deep down, however, both men sighed in unison; a true second-generation heir is just different, knowing things so early and being able to lay out their pieces on the board in advance.

Unlike them, who only know when things are upon them and the mission has been handed down; it really is infuriating to compare people.

In this, they were truly wronging Fang Longye; his laying out of pieces on Huaguo Mountain was entirely based on memories from his past life, and had nothing to do with anything else.

At that time, he hadn't even become the Young Lord of the Dragon Clan yet!

Having also received the gifts sent by Niu Mowang and the others, and after some words of thanks, Fang Longye smiled and said: "Come, let me introduce you all to one another~"

"This is Yurong Wang, ……"

"This is Mihou Wang, ……"

"This is Niu Mowang, ……"

"This is ……"

After the introductions, Fang Longye simply had his attendants summon Jiao Mowang and Peng Mowang as well, and the Seven Great Sages of the original trajectory were finally gathered together.

Those from Xiniu Hezhou, those from Beiju Lu, those from Dongsheng Shenzhou, those from the overseas Immortal Island, those from Shangqing, those from the Brahma gate, and those whose origins were still unknown, ……

Unexpectedly, for no reason, they were all more or less connected with him as the pivot. And the one who originally played this role was Sun Wukong, the protagonist of the Journey to the West~ But in this life, the one playing this role had changed to Fang Longye, this visitor from beyond the heavens.

One can only say that as Fang Longye's strength grows and his experiences become more complex, the influence and changes he exerts on this world are becoming increasingly unpredictable~

……

As the days passed, the day of Fang Longye's grand wedding drew ever closer, and the guests coming to offer their congratulations grew more numerous~

Of course, this was certainly not all of them. Moreover, the distinguished guests who truly represented the major powers of Honghuang would not arrive so early, and might not even come to offer congratulations in advance.

Status and face are at stake! Not to mention coming to congratulate in advance, there are specific protocols for who arrives before whom! And while Fang Longye spent his energy receiving these guests, Sun Wukong, Niu Mowang, and the others—the Seven Great Sages of this original trajectory—also began to get acquainted with one another.

This process seemed natural.

Even though six out of the seven people harbored ulterior motives, once they became familiar, there was a feeling of being like-minded and meeting too late.

It wasn't entirely acting.

It was just as if there were a destined fate in the dark.

Or to put it another way, there must have been the subtle influence of those with Great Divine Ability involved.

Whether Niu Mowang and the others noticed this, Fang Longye certainly did~ That's right,

In his spare time from receiving guests, he also joined them. There was no help for it; he didn't want to finish his work only to find that the seven of them had become inseparable while he had become a stranger to them.

What would be the point of playing then!

And after this period of getting along, Fang Longye discovered that among these seven demon kings, the one closest to him was still Yurong Wang.

After that, it was Jiao Mowang and Peng Mowang.

As for Sun Wukong, his feelings toward him were more of awe than closeness. This monkey was naturally closest to his two kin, Yurong Wang and Mihou Wang, as expected.

Besides that, Niu Mowang was also quite to this monkey's liking. And Niu Mowang was inseparable from his little brother, Shituo Wang.

Likewise, similar to Niu Mowang and Shituo Wang, there were naturally Jiao Mowang and Peng Mowang; they were fellow disciples, one family~

To summarize:

Fang Longye and Yurong Wang were the closest; Sun Wukong, Yurong Wang, and Mihou Wang—the three monkeys—were the most compatible; Shituo Wang and Niu Mowang were as thick as thieves.

Jiao Mowang and Peng Mowang were fellow disciples and naturally as close as family. Jiao Mowang was also very respectful to Fang Longye because he was the Young Lord of the Dragon Clan……

It really was "five groups in one dormitory," with you in me and me in you. You were close to me, I was close to him, but you and him were not so much.

Of course, this was also very normal.

Even in the tightest small groups, there are degrees of closeness…… let alone the fact that these eight people had only just come together.

There was also a lot of utilitarianism mixed in~ To be able to get acquainted, chat, not be hostile or hateful toward any one person, and not have any two people refuse to interact for the rest of their lives was already quite good~ However, familiarity is just familiarity.

But clearly, the eight people who had just met were far from the point of burning incense and swearing brotherhood.

The timing was still far off! And so, Fang Longye would occasionally step out to receive guests coming to offer congratulations, and occasionally spend time with the other seven demon kings to build rapport.

Quietly waiting for the day of his grand wedding~……

On this day, the sky was clear and bright, not a cloud for ten thousand miles; it was suitable for weddings and travel—a truly auspicious day.

The day of Fang Longye's grand wedding had finally arrived.

In Cangmang Mountain,

It was filled with floating pavilions and high platforms, with towers reflecting one another; large, fiery-red lanterns hung under the eaves, with large "Double Happiness" characters pasted on them—red, festive, auspicious, and dazzling~ At this moment, the Daoist grounds were buzzing with noise, as the guests who were supposed to come had mostly arrived, gathering together in a joyous and lively manner.

It was just past noon; the sunlight came from the sky, crossing the peaks and dyeing the surrounding clouds, then the colors shifted from bright gold to golden-green, lingering and wandering.

Falling upon Cangmang Mountain, it accumulated in a shallow layer, swaying in the wind, with light and shadow dancing gracefully.

Under the pine moss, on the rocks, and in front of the bamboo forest, it wove into a magnificent and peerless painting.

Suddenly, immortal music began to play, extremely joyous.

A Treasure Chariot pulled by eight dragon-horses, carved with dragons and painted with phoenixes, shrouded in purple-green precious light, appeared in the void, rendering the surroundings as colorful as clouds~

All around the front, back, left, and right of the Treasure Chariot were all sorts of people: some playing pipes, some beating drums, some blowing suonas, ……

Regardless of what they were doing, everyone wore festive clothing; even the soldiers guarding the Treasure Chariot were no exception, all dressed in a joyous manner.

All of this was nothing else,

It was precisely the wedding procession of Fang Longye.

Subsequently, Fang Longye was seen wearing a wedding crown and draped in wedding robes, shining with brilliance and full of festive joy, as he soared into the air from Longying Cave and boarded the Treasure Chariot.

"Depart—"

Following the shout, the jade maidens scattered Golden Flower, the young boys struck jade chimes, and various festive music was played by the wedding procession surrounding the Treasure Chariot.

Amidst the gorgeous and colorful radiance, the eight dragon horses let out neighs, their hooves treading upon clouds as they pulled the Treasure Chariot straight into the sky.

The entire wedding procession naturally moved in unison, and under the escort of a group of soldiers and generals on the perimeter, they headed in one direction, playing music as they went.

(End of this chapter)