Chapter 435: Blow It Up Straightaway

"Yu Lin? Yu Lin! What's the matter? Why are you daydreaming?"

Jin Dou Shan, inside Jin Dou Dong.

Transforming into the one‑horned rhinoceros king, a blue ox clad in imposing, awe‑inspiring armor, is sitting opposite Yu Lin, drinking.

Seeing Yu Lin raise his cup, his gaze drifted, as if his spirit roamed beyond, he couldn't help but wave his huge hand, like a palm fan, before Yu Lin's eyes and asked in a deep, resonant voice.

Yu Lin seemed summoned back by his voice, his eyes refocused, and he drained the cup in one gulp, waving his hand and saying:

"It's nothing, just... I happened to take care of a small matter."

He set the cup down and steered the conversation back: "Let's continue."

"You mentioned earlier you met a monkey that looked exactly like Sun Wukong? What exactly happened? Where did it go afterward?"

Qing Niu heard this, perked up instantly, without asking what Yu Lin had just "done," slapped his own thigh, producing a crisp "pa" sound, his ox‑like face full of astonishment:

"Ha! Speaking of that monkey, it was truly strange! Its looks, its build, its staff technique, and that stick flashing with Golden Light in its hand... it was practically carved from the same mold as Sun Wukong! If it weren't for..."

He paused, emphasizing: "If it weren't for the monkey's temperament—three points more mischievous and unrestrained than Sun Wukong, acting even more recklessly without any method."

"I really can't tell them apart! That daring, fearless, even a bit reckless vigor—tsk!"

Qing Niu recalled the scene, his speech quickening: "About three months ago, that monkey appeared out of nowhere, passing through my Jin Dou Shan."

"I thought it was a pilgrim monk arriving early, so I followed the Lord's orders and went down the mountain to intercept him."

"When we clashed, good heavens! The staff technique was almost identical to Sun Wukong's! We battered each other in front of the mountain for dozens of rounds, still unable to determine a winner!"

"Later, seeing the battle dragging on, I thought of drawing the Vajra Carving the Lord had bestowed, as usual to seize his weapon."

"I didn't expect the monkey to be so refined! The moment I produced the circle, it didn't fight hard at all, chuckled, performed a somersault and leapt far away, riding a cloud to flee! That Somersault Cloud... hey, it looked exactly like Sun Wukong's!"

Qing Niu raised his hand, pointing toward a direction outside the cave: "There—it ran that way, vanished like a puff of smoke."

"What, Yu Lin, could this monkey... have any connection with you?"

Yu Lin waved his hand: "Not now."

Qing Niu blinked his ox eyes, thinking silently: No now? That means maybe later? It seems that monkey that sprang from nowhere is lucky, having caught Yu Lin's attention.

He didn't voice the thought, instead grinned and said, "I see."

"Yu Lin, if we count the days, the Tang Seng and his disciples have probably already crossed the Tong Tian He; soon they'll arrive at my place."

"How about it, want to stay and, with Lao Niu, have a good 'play' with them?"

His tone carried a hint of slyness and anticipation: "I heard that Tang Seng has changed his temperament now!"

"Before, he would constantly chant 'Amitabha, compassion in heart', even refusing to let Sun Wukong kill the bandits who blocked the road or threatened his life, insisting on reciting the tightening spell—what a goody two‑shoes."

"Now, on the contrary, not only does he not stop that monkey from acting, but when he encounters evil monsters or villains, he himself chants a sutra 'for a good rebirth', urging them to 'be reborn soon and become good people'!"

"Hahaha, that's really... quite a progress! When they get to my Jin Dou Dong, they probably won't think twice before confronting Lao Niu me for a 'transcendence'—a fight will break out!"

Yu Lin listened to Qing Niu's enthusiastic description, and as the mastermind, he merely gave a faint smile, neither confirming nor denying:

"The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who arranged the Journey to the West will naturally intervene to 'correct' it."

"After all, a Tang Seng who practices 'compassionate abstention from killing', hesitates in matters, and is easily sowed discord, makes it easier to set up 'tribulations'."

"If, along the way, the demons, ghosts, and monsters they encounter are all casually 'transcended' by the master and disciples, everything smooth sailing, then what would be called the 'Eighty‑one Calamities'?"

"Many of those demons are actually on their side."

Qing Niu, hearing this, nodded his massive head in agreement: "Yu Lin, you're right! You see through it all!"

"Those Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, with all their twists and turns, could even turn old me, Lao Niu, into a fool! Still, my Lord is the best!"

However, Yu Lin clearly had no intention to continue this topic.

He stood up: "I won't stay to play with you."

"I have to go find that monkey; there are things to do."

"Huh? Leaving already?" Qing Niu felt a bit regretful, but also knew Yu Lin acted on his own, and hurriedly stood up with him:

"Yu Lin, take care! Come to Dou Shuo Gong often when you have time! The Lord surely misses you!"

Yu Lin gave a slight nod, and without anyone seeing his movements, his form became like a ripple‑distorted reflection in water, gradually fading and turning transparent.

Qing Niu escorted him to the cave entrance, watching Yu Lin's silhouette vanish completely into the air.

He patted his massive horns, preparing to turn back into the cave, still pondering how to entertain the soon‑coming pilgrims.

At that moment, his ox eyes inadvertently glanced toward the distant direction of the Tong Tian He.

With his sight, he could just catch a scene above the clouds—

He saw Sun Wukong leading the Guanyin Bodhisattva, who stood on a lotus platform and held a jade pure bottle of yak butter, rushing at lightning speed to the sky above Tong Tian He.

Guanyin Bodhisattva chanted a mantra, then drew a willow branch from the jade pure bottle and gently brushed the turbulent river surface below.

A shaft of Golden Light fell, straight into the heart of the river.

In an instant, a glittering, head‑wagging Carp Spirit was drawn from the river by an unseen force, soaring toward the seemingly ordinary bamboo basket in Guanyin's hand.

Everything seemed to unfold according to the predetermined script.

However, just as the Carp Spirit was about to fall into the basket—

"Bang!!!"

Under Qing Niu's gaze, the Carp Spirit, which should have been captured and taken back to the South Sea, suddenly—without any warning—exploded!

It exploded into fragments!

It turned into a dense, dark‑red mist of blood, drifting in the air above the Tong Tian He, quickly diluted by the raging river's breath, leaving no trace.

Above the clouds, Guanyin Bodhisattva's usually compassionate visage showed a clear, visible shock and bewilderment for the first time.

"Hahaha!"

Qing Niu, seeing Guanyin's bewildered expression, couldn't help but laugh: "Still, it's me, Yu Lin, who knows how to play!"

"I tell you guys, don't learn from me Qing Niu—just stay still! Now it's over, right?"