The Battle in Journey to the West-Chapter 79 - 0 The Peaches Are Bright and Blossoming

With a thought, he sank his consciousness, circulating his Primordial Spirit, and saw the Swallowing Dragon Stele firmly positioned in his Spiritual Platform, with two Primordial Spirits seated next to it in meditation.

“So it wasn’t a dream. I wonder what the story with that coffin is? What kind of person sleeps in it? Clearly not dead, yet resting in a coffin, what an intriguing individual.” Wukong pondered, placing the rainbow peach on a jade plate on the table.

Wukong thought, “This rainbow peach seems slightly different from the ones I ate on Peach Mountain. I wonder what its effects will be?”

He then grabbed a meditation cushion, threw it into the Quiet Room, sat down in the lotus position, took out the peach, and without wasting time, chewed it quickly and swallowed.

Immediately, he circulated True Fire within himself, the peach generating streams of Congenital True Qi in his stomach, each strand so pure that one was equivalent to several years of arduous cultivation by others.

“Perhaps this is one of the most precious Peaches of Immortality, possibly the oldest; otherwise, how could it be so potent?” Wukong had been eating peaches from Peach Mountain for years and clearly understood the value of these fruits.

The Congenital True Qi from the peach was completely refined by Wukong, leaving him feeling refreshed and invigorated, his two mighty Primordial Spirits competitively absorbing the rich and pure Congenital True Qi, significantly enhancing their strength.

“What a pity! Most people only need to nourish one Primordial Spirit, yet I must sustain two. Once this one matures fully, I’ll have to find a body for it; otherwise, the cultivation will proceed too slowly,” Wukong sighed.

He possessed three Primordial Spirits in total; one had already entered Yuan Hong’s body, becoming the Daoist Equal to Heaven, while two resided within him, one of which remained fragile and required extensive cultivation to fully mature.

Eating Peaches of Immortality without pursuing the Dao of Immortals raised one’s realm but kept one’s combat ability weak; relying solely on miraculous elixirs without wisdom was no way to achieve the Great Dao.

Wukong had eaten a Peach of Immortality but still hadn’t become a Daluo Golden Immortal because another Primordial Spirit had split some of the True Qi, leaving not enough for Wukong’s life-giving Primordial Spirit to break through its shackles.

“It seems I must go and stealthily eat more peaches from the Flat Peach Garden and Doulu Palace, otherwise becoming a Daluo Golden Immortal will remain out of reach.”

Wukong scratched his head reflectively, thinking, “It must be fate, indeed fate! I seem unable to escape the destiny of sneaking peaches and immortal pills this time.”

Having refined the Peach of Immortality, Wukong left the Quiet Room to find the day had already dawned brightly, and he exclaimed, “Oh my! I still have the key to the Peach Garden on me.”

Locking the door required no key, merely closing the lock would do, but to open it, he needed the key in his possession. Realizing he was over an hour late starting work, he hurriedly left the Equal Heaven Mansion, headed straight to the Peach Garden, where he found the Local Deity and the Hercules waiting outside.

“Great Saint, this old man has been waiting here a long time. Did the Great Saint indulge too much in wine yesterday and come late today?” the Local Deity asked.

Since the Great Sage Equalling Heaven was responsible, they wouldn’t be blamed for the delay by the Jade Emperor. The Local Deity was happy to lazily wait outside without working—what a rare opportunity.

In the Heavenly Court, most immortals glorified idleness, and the most exhausted were these minor spirits, who were of low rank and performed the most menial tasks. Exhausted and poorly compensated, they had no role in the grand feasts of the court. Once they joined the Heavenly Court, it was hard to leave intact, lest they provoke a military onslaught, which is why many Loose Cultivators who became immortal hesitated to join and take official positions—it was exactly for this reason.

Wukong gave an awkward smile and said, “Thank you for waiting, let’s start work now. I’ll open the gate.”

Wukong smacked his head, hurriedly stepped out, but then realized he had forgotten the key and somersaulted back to the Equal Heaven Mansion to grab it.

The Local Deity shook his head, saying, “This Great Sage, truly in a rush!”

The laughing Hercules added, “The Great Sage has vast divine powers; it’s said he even defeated the Great Marshal of Exorcism, Li Jing. With such capability, being assigned merely to guard a Peach Garden seems quite unworthy.”

The Local Deity remarked, “Although the Great Sage possesses vast divine powers, his temperament is impulsive, and he resists the Emperor’s commands. How could His Majesty entrust him with an important position?”

The Garden Hoeing Hercules commented, “Lord of the Land speaks the truth. The Great Sage is indeed impulsive. Perhaps this is another of the Emperor’s strategies, using the Peach Garden to temper him.”

Wukong returned to his mansion to fetch the key and then came back to the Peach Garden, gesturing with his hands, he said, “As one gets older, memory fades, even forgetting to bring the keys. I’ve become a joke for you all.”

A group of people hurriedly replied, “Not at all, not at all.”

Wukong took out the key, opened the grand gates of the Peach Garden, and a group of strong men surged in, found their tools, and began to work.

Wukong walked deep into the Peach Garden but could not find the Rainbow Peach Tree anymore. He felt puzzled in his heart, but with nothing else to do and the peaches still years from maturity, he wasn’t worried. Seeing the grass was lush and sparkling with dew, he flipped over with a somersault and laid down, deciding it was a good time for a long spring and autumn dream.

“This Great Sage is truly lazy!” The local deity saw this scene and couldn’t help but shake his head, then stepped far away, fearing that the Great Sage would punch him in his dream.

He still had a dark circle around his eyes from that punch, which was not light at all.

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Wukong was sleeping soundly when he suddenly felt someone fiddling with his nose. He sneezed and woke up, only to see a girl in pink clothes holding a long piece of foxtail, prodding at him.

“Who are you? This place is an important part of the Peach Garden, how did you get in?” Had it been someone else, Wukong might have already pulled out his staff and driven them away, but seeing the girl’s delicate appearance and naïve expression, he hesitated to act.

The girl then said, “You chased me for a whole day yesterday, how could you have forgotten me so quickly?”

Wukong frowned and suddenly woke up with a start, he said, “Are you the Rainbow Peach Tree?”

The girl smiled and said, “Yes! Yesterday you even ate one of my fruits, and today you pretend not to know me.”

Wukong was amazed, “You have cultivated into a spirit?”

The girl asked, “Why don’t you ask what my name is?”

Wukong then said, “May I know your esteemed name?”

The girl said, “If you ask me, must I tell you?”

Wukong could not help but smile bitterly. This girl was spirited and seemed to have just become a Demon Immortal, he said, “Then I won’t ask.”

But the girl said, “You don’t ask, but I’ll tell you anyway!”

Wukong said, “Please, tell me.”

The girl just spun around, laughing, “You want me to say it, but I just won’t!”

Wukong finally understood the girl’s whimsical nature, as whatever others said, she would do the opposite. He gestured with his hands and said, “Then I humbly ask you, please don’t tell me it.”

Yet, the girl burst into laughter and said, “Then I must tell you! Listen well, my name is Tao Yao. Have you read the ‘Poetry’? It mentions ‘Peering peach blossoms, so brilliant and splendid’ — my name comes from there.”

Wukong said, “You just became a Demon Immortal, where did you get books to read?”

Tao Yao said, “Oh! My father gave it to me.”

Wukong said, “Your father?”

Tao Yao said, “My father is the one sleeping in that black box, but, after you took away the stele yesterday, he left as well.”

At this point, a fleeting despair and sadness appeared on Tao Yao’s radiant face, but she quickly smiled again and said, “I don’t think you’re a bad person, and since you were here sleeping soundly and being lazy, I came to play a trick on you. By the way, I haven’t asked your name yet.”

Wukong thought to himself, “This peach tree probably wasn’t originally from the Flat Peach Garden; though these peaches bear the essence of heaven and earth, none could cultivate into the Dao of Immortals but this Tao Yao. It seems she’s inseparably linked with the man in the coffin. Perhaps, it’s time to inquire a bit further.”

“Oh! My name is Sun Wukong. Do you know where your father went?” Wukong asked.

“Father didn’t tell me! I also don’t know where he went, he never tells me his business. In my lifetime, I’ve only heard him speak twice,” she said.

“Which twice?”

“The first time was when he created me, he recited an oral spell for me to cultivate on my own; the other was when you chased me down to the lower levels.”

Wukong was secretly amazed. It seemed that the man in the coffin was likely not a Demon Immortal transformed from a peach tree; otherwise, what kind of father only speaks twice in a lifetime to his daughter? Perhaps, the man in the coffin never regarded her as his daughter at all, and she was merely wishful in thinking so.

To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the following episode.