Above the light screen, the sandstorm persisted.
Young Lu Fan fell silent for a long time after hearing his father's words.
The wind blew his dark hair from his forehead, revealing eyes brighter than stars.
He was not infected by the despair and numbness in his father's words; instead, he straightened his small chest.
He clenched his fists, and facing the swirling sand, he declared with all his strength:
"Father! Mother! When I grow up, I'm going to learn the most invincible martial arts in the world! I want to be a great hero who champions justice! Whoever is a bad person, I'll beat them! Whoever is a demon, I'll eliminate them! I want to make it so that no one in this world dares to bully good people ever again!"
......
"Good!"
"Well said!"
In the array of Heavenly Generals, someone first cheered, instantly igniting the entire scene.
"Hahahaha! Good boy! You have ambition!"
"This is how a good man should be!"
"Old Sun has wanted to do that for a long time!"
The Lei Department Generals, with their upright and straightforward nature, most appreciated such spiritedness.
They made no secret of their approval, and cheers rose one after another, shaking the sea of clouds.
Nezha's Phoenix eyes glowed, and he slammed his spear onto the ground with a crisp 'clang', laughing loudly: "Good! This kid is to my liking!"
......
Inside the light screen, Lu Fan's parents were first stunned after hearing their son's words, then a look of relief and pride appeared on their faces.
"Good child! My son has ambition!"
His father's rough, large hand patted his son's shoulder heavily.
His mother's eyes reddened as she hugged her son, rubbing her cheek against his hair: "My Fan'er will surely become a great hero in the future."
The family set off again.
They trudged along the desolate official road, getting closer and closer to the legendary strange mountain where the monkey was suppressed.
Just then.
"Whoosh—"
A sharp, piercing sound, without warning, rang out.
A black feathered arrow shot out from the withered woods by the roadside like lightning, moving so fast that it left only an afterimage in the air.
"Careful!"
The man reacted extremely quickly, pushing his wife and son behind him.
But he himself was half a step too slow.
"Puff!"
The sound of the arrow piercing flesh was dull and clear.
The arrow struck his thigh, and the arrowhead emerged from the other side, bringing with it a spray of blood.
"Ah!"
The man cried out in pain, his body shaking violently as he fell to one knee.
"Husband!"
"Father!"
The cries of his mother and young Lu Fan were heartbreaking.
Before they could react, a burst of arrogant, strange laughter erupted from the withered woods, and seven or eight ragged men, armed with weapons, jumped out, surrounding the family of three.
Leading them was a One-Eyed Dragon with a scarred face, carrying a ring-hilted broadsword, its blade still stained with fresh blood.
"Run! Run quickly!"
The man, kneeling on the ground, endured the intense pain and roared with all his might.
He grabbed the rusty axe by his hand and threw it at the bandits, trying to buy his wife and son some time.
The One-Eyed Dragon easily knocked the axe away with the back of his blade, spitting disdainfully.
His mother pulled Lu Fan and ran forward like a madwoman.
In the chaos, she tripped over a stone, falling forward.
The cloth bundle she had protected with her life flew from her arms, landing heavily on the dusty ground.
"Clatter."
The package came undone.
The coarse grains, mixed with husks, which embodied the family's kindness and sacrifice, spilled out entirely, mixing with the dirty soil.
......
Before the Karma Water Mirror, the world was silent at this moment.
The Immortals' gazes slowly, once again, shifted from the spilled grains on the light screen to Sun Wukong.
So that's how it was.
It wasn't that the family didn't go, nor that they changed their minds halfway.
They went.
They brought their life-saving rations, risking their lives, to help a monkey they didn't know, who was trapped under the mountain.
It was just that they couldn't reach their destination.
This kindness was intercepted halfway by the evil of the world.
Sun Wukong stood there, motionless.
No one could see his expression at this moment.
He lowered his head, his golden eyes fixed intently on the grains spilled on the ground in the light screen.
An extremely suppressed aura slowly emanated from his not-so-tall body.
His fists, beneath his golden armor, cracked as he clenched them.
He remembered those five hundred years.
Those five hundred years of utter darkness.
He was trapped under the Five Elements Mountain, unable to move, exposed to wind and rain, eating iron pellets when hungry, and drinking molten copper when thirsty.
The Mountain God and Earth Deity, following the decree, only maintained his most basic life force, not letting him starve to death, but also ensuring he would not have an easy time.
In those five hundred years, his only comfort was an occasional bold shepherd boy who would throw down a few sour wild peaches from the hillside.
Those sour fruits, to him, were the most exquisite delicacy in the world.
A full meal for a Mortal?
He had long forgotten what that tasted like.
He thought he had long grown accustomed to such suffering, thought he had long sealed away that memory.
But he didn't know that there was once such a family who, even when they were on the verge of starvation themselves, carried their life-saving rations, risked their lives, and traveled so far, just to bring a meal to him, a monkey they didn't even know.
And what was the result!
Just because of a few highwaymen!
Just because of a chaotic world with no one to govern it!
That meal was gone.
Sun Wukong is now the Victorious Fighting Buddha, and he no longer lacks for food.
Rare fruits from the Western Buddha Land, jade liquid and ambrosia from the Heavenly Jade Pool—he can have as much as he desires.
But none of those things could compare to that bag of coarse grains, which fell into the mud, if it could have been given to him when he was trapped under the mountain.
That was the most humble and sincere kindness of Mortals.
And it was just gone!
At this moment, looking at the grains spilled on the ground, an unbidden fire, without warning, surged from the deepest part of his heart straight to the crown of his head.
So...
So Old Sun could have had one more full meal back then!
Just because of these damned bandits!
"Boom!"
A golden Demonic Qi, mixed with pure Buddha light, shot up from Sun Wukong's body, straight into the sky!
The white jade ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, spiderweb-like fissures spreading outwards.
"Monkey!"
Nezha was the first to react, reaching out to press his shoulder.
"Brother Monkey!"
Zhu Bajie also jumped in fright, quickly stepping forward to grab his arm.
Sun Wukong suddenly looked up.
His fiery golden eyes were now completely crimson, filled with surging flames of rage.
Pure Thought Bodhisattva felt a chill in his heart, subconsciously taking half a step back.
He forced himself to calm his mind, clasped his hands together, and proclaimed a Buddhist epithet: "Victorious Fighting Buddha, the past is gone, all is but dust and smoke. A fated meal, after all, is but a reflection in a mirror, a flower in water. You have now attained Buddhahood; you should know that all dharmas are empty, and Karma is not false. Why cling to this past illusion, giving rise to attachment and anger? It is hoped you will let go soon, to achieve true freedom."
He used Buddhist principles to suppress Sun Wukong.
In his view, even if Sun Wukong was angry, it was only for personal gluttony, too small in scope.
As long as he stood on the righteousness of the Dharma, he would be invincible.
Unexpectedly, Sun Wukong, upon hearing his words, not only did not calm his anger but instead threw his head back and burst into a fit of wild laughter.
"Hahahahaha! What a 'past like smoke'! What an 'attachment in the heart'!"
Sun Wukong stopped laughing, his crimson eyes locking onto Pure Thought Bodhisattva, and he spoke, word by word.
"Bodhisattva, you speak to me of Buddhist principles?"
"Good! Old Sun, today, will also speak to you of Buddhist principles!"
