Chapter Thirteen: Fang Xin

  "Foolish one, you've brought down the Guanghan Palace, what will become of your little Chang'e then? Hmm?" Sun Wukong plucked a strand of his hair and transformed into Chang'e's appearance, striking poses in front of Zhu Bajie.

  "Dead monkey, you'd better get rid of this smelly fur immediately! If you dare to make fun of my family's Chang'e again, I'll fight you to the death! And by the way, I haven't settled accounts with you for what happened earlier!" After saying that, he brandished the pitchfork in his hand menacingly.

  "Alright, I won't make a fuss." After saying that, he put away the monkey hair and turned to ask Sha Wujing: "Old Sha, how much longer will it take for this water to erode the entire Heavenly Palace? We don't have much time left!" Sha Wujing thought for a moment before responding: "Probably about half an hour. Moreover, there are several places with powerful defensive arrays that even this corrosive water won't be able to erode in a short while."

  "Oh? Which places are those? Can't you just divert water from other areas?"

  "The hardest to erode is the Peaches Garden..." Before Sha Wujing finished speaking, he felt a gust of wind blow by, and Sun Wukong's figure disappeared. Only a faint voice came from mid-air "You three quickly retreat, go find Nezha they will be together. Damn it, the Peach Tree can't be gone."

  "Second, Second Brother, do you think Master will get angry if we do this?" Sha Wujing asked Zhu Bajie with some trepidation. "Hmph, who let that dead monkey always trick me? And you're not unaware of Master's feelings for her, it's just... Alas. It's better for Master to be angry at us than for them to miss each other again! Alright, the three of us should leave too, the Jade Emperor and the others will soon break free from this dead water, by then we three won't stand a chance."

  "Alright, I'll transform into a dragon. Second brother, third brother, you two sit on my back, let's go." As soon as he finished speaking, a loud and clear dragon roar sounded, followed by the appearance of a pure white jade-like water dragon. With a splash, it dove into the water, then revealed its dragon back, and Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie jumped onto it. The three of them left calmly.

  The four Jade Emperors, although their seven orifices were smoking with rage, were unable to escape the dead water that bound them. They could only use their great magical powers to slowly peel it away. The four mighty emperors of the heavenly court, who governed the countless living beings and existed high above, were actually outsmarted by a small golden arhat, and what's more, they seemed to have lost the entire heavenly court as well. It can be imagined how furious the four heavenly emperors must have been. If Sun Wukong and his companions fell into their hands, the four heavenly emperors would probably use the most vicious punishments in the world to vent their anger.

  Who did Sun Wukong meet in the Peach Garden?

  Sun Wukong listened to Sha Wujing's words and suddenly felt anxious in his heart. The Peach Garden, the Peach Garden, how could he have forgotten the Peach Garden? With a swift movement of his cloud somersault skill, he arrived at the Peach Garden almost at the fastest speed of his life. However, when Sun Wukong landed on the gate of the Peach Garden, he felt a slight relief in his heart. It turned out that the dead water summoned by Sha Wujing had not invaded the Peach Garden, but had only flowed past the entrance. The gate of the Peach Garden was still tightly closed.

  "This old guy has learned to be bad from that fool and actually dares to deceive me." After finishing speaking, he turned around and wanted to leave. A faint voice came: "You've all come, why don't you want to look at me? Are you still feeling guilty towards me?"

  Upon hearing this voice, Sun Wukong was as if struck by lightning, his foot that had stepped out halted in mid-air, not falling for a long time. After a while, Sun Wukong let out a deep sigh and said: "You... you're alright? When did you wake up? I..." He wanted to speak but stopped himself!

  If there were people who knew Sun Wukong here, they would be shocked. The majestic and unparalleled Qi Tian Da Sheng Sun Wukong actually showed such a gentle and ashamed expression. And whose voice was this soft and gentle? Unfortunately, except for Sun Wukong, there was no one else present.

  "What's past is past, why can't you let go? No matter who was wrong back then, it's been so many years already, why still dwell on it? Besides, I've already recovered from my injuries and will be able to transform into human form soon. All these years, I haven't held a grudge against you!"

  But I couldn't forgive myself. It was my fault that harmed you! Before I went to fetch the scriptures, I had sworn an oath: in this life, I would not overthrow Heaven, and I would never see you again! Fan Xiang, I'm about to succeed. Wait a little longer, and I will definitely avenge this grudge. You cultivate well in the Peach Garden, and when I succeed, I'll come to take you back to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits!" After finishing speaking, Sun Wukong left resolutely without looking back.

  However, the ground where Sun Wukong stood had already been soaked with tears.

  In the deepest part of the Peach Garden, an ordinary little peach tree swayed its branches. It seemed to be shaking its head. "It's been almost a thousand years and you still have this temper! Alas, when will you understand that what I care about is not how the heavenly court is, nor is it the hatred of those days? What I care about is only you! The you who was once the supreme ruler of the demon tribe but always played with a group of little monkeys, the you who would go to war with the heavenly court for me, the you who dared to stand up to heaven and earth, the you who only loved me. Sun Wukong, you fool!"

  Soft voice, drifting in the entire Peach Garden! Suddenly, a memory, floated up to the long-dormant heart!

  That year, she was just a small peach tree that had not grown up yet. The leaves were tender and the branches were delicate. With the arrival of spring and autumn, flowers bloomed and fell, carefree! The only regret was that in this vast peach garden with thousands of peach trees, unfortunately, there wasn't one willing to chat with her, to relieve boredom. Even the peach tree that blooms once every 9,000 years deep within the garden couldn't do so. As a young peach tree, all she could do was occasionally chat with the small birds that stopped by.

  The days passed quietly for a long, long time. Until one day, a monkey came to this place. This monkey looked very majestic, wearing armor and a crimson cloak, incredibly handsome! However, what made the little peach tree unhappy was that since this monkey arrived, every day he only drank wine, slept, or went out to play with friends, and not once had he come to talk to her. So, the little peach tree secretly played a trick, and one day when the monkey went out to play, she turned all the peaches on the peach tree into stones.

  Then... the monkey bit a stone peach fiercely when it came back. But unexpectedly, the monkey got angry and swung its iron rod to hit the peach tree. The little peach tree was so scared that it immediately spoke out: "Stop, stop, you stupid monkey."

  "Huh? Who's talking to me, Lao Sun? Come out quickly! Otherwise, I'll beat you to death with one stick!"

  "Oh my, I was just joking with you, why are you getting angry? Who told you to come and ignore me for so long?" As the little peach tree muttered to itself, its branches shook slightly, and in an instant, all the peach trees returned to their original state. Then, a branch swayed again, and a big, juicy peach flew right into the monkey's mouth.

  "This is for you to eat, it's the biggest peach in the whole garden. Don't be angry anymore!" The little peach tree said, its tender branches shaking again.

  That monkey looked at the peach tree with a suspicious gaze, then tentatively took a small bite. Indeed, it was exceptionally delicious, many times better than the peaches he usually stole. With a smile on his face, he said to the peach tree: "Considering the peach's sake, Old Sun won't settle accounts with you this time. However, if you dare to trick Old Sun again in the future, I'll strip all your leaves off." After finishing speaking, he made an evil and fierce expression.

  "Hehe, I don't know, I don't know. By the way, what does 'Lao Sun' mean?" asked Little Peach Tree.

  "My surname is Sun, and my name is Sun Wukong. So I'm Old Sun. And you? What's your name?" The monkey said while gnawing on a big peach.

  "I, I don't have a name, since I was born, except for the little birds in the sky, no one has ever spoken to me. Or, would you give me a name?"

  "Me? My name was given by Master. I wouldn't know how to give a name." Before he could finish speaking, he swallowed the remaining peaches in a few mouthfuls.

  "Just give me a name then! Is that okay? If you give me a name, I'll give you big peaches to eat every day!" The little peach tree stretched out its branches in a showy manner.

  "Hmm? Alright then, let me think. You get me another big peach and I'll come up with something." The monkey wiped his mouth clean with the robe on his body after finishing the peach pit. He wiped very carefully and cleanly.

  In a moment, another big peach flew in front of the monkey. However, the monkey did not reach out to take it, but instead waved his hand at the sunset. The next moment, a colorful purple cloud rope appeared in his hand. The monkey then took out the golden hoop rod from his ear and transformed it into a thin needle, which he used to pierce through the top of the peach pit. He then threaded the purple cloud rope through it. At this point, Sun Wukong finally raised his hand to take the peach and took a big bite, saying: "I was originally the stone monkey from the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, but later I went to heaven to be an official. However, I often miss the mortal world's Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, so you will be surnamed 'Fan' (meaning 'mortal' or 'ordinary').

  He said, "And from the moment I saw you, I felt like I was seeing a family member. Although you are a peach tree in heaven, the feeling you give me is just as warm as the peach trees on Mount Huaguo.

  The monkey continued to carve a fragrant character under the peach pit. After finishing, the monkey got up, gnawing on the flat peach in his hand and walking towards the small peach tree. When he reached the side of the peach tree, he bit the flat peach into his mouth, stretched out both hands, tied the peach pit necklace to the trunk of the peach tree, and made a dead knot.

  The monkey walked a few steps away, looked at the peach in his mouth, and then glanced at the small peach tree: "Hmm, very matching. Hehe. Fang Xiang, from now on you will be the only peach tree named Fang Xiang in this peach garden. Haha."

  Little peach tree, no, it should be said that in the depths of one's heart, a figure has been deeply buried.

  That peach kernel necklace made by Zi Xia with a purple silk cord has become Fan Xing's most treasured possession for life!