“The Great Sage Equal to Heaven will not die!” This single sentence, as soon as it entered everyone’s ears, immediately triggered a memory mechanism, and many people instantly recalled the previous trailer!
Hey, wasn't the one who shouted that at the time the little baby who was still sleeping soundly in his swaddling clothes?
This wave of flashback was simply a “memory assassin,” catching people off guard.
In that era, peaceful and beautiful life was like a gust of wind, coming and going quickly.
Sure enough, the demons plaguing the human world appeared in groups as if they had planned it, and even precisely “sniped” the people of their small town.
What was even more chilling was that these demons specifically targeted children, truly “wholesale suppliers of childhood shadows.”
The plot “stepped on the gas” all the way, and tragedies unfolded one after another.
The small town, originally as tranquil as a paradise, was instantly engulfed by a sea of fire and demon calamity, utterly defenseless, directly becoming a “disaster scene.”
At a critical moment of life and death, the mother, holding her child, steeled her heart, closed her eyes, and jumped off the cliff. This plot twist was more thrilling than riding a rocket, making people exclaim, “Good heavens!”
The scene shifted, and an old monk was leisurely drinking water by the river when a cry suddenly came. The old monk followed the sound and saw, good heavens, a child floating in the water. This child seemed to have its own navigation, heading straight for the old monk.
The old monk quickly rescued the child and, thinking that the child had flowed down the river, decided to name him Jiang Liuer.
Hearing this, the adults in the cinema all showed smiles of “so that’s it,” as if saying, “Oh, so that’s what Tang Sanzang was called when he was little, good to know!”
As for the children, they were also smiling like flowers because Jiang Liuer was safe and sound. Their laughter felt like it could lift the roof off the cinema.
Just as everyone was immersed in this warm interlude, the movie title—"monkey king: hero is back"—suddenly appeared on the screen, like a hidden Easter egg in a game, the surprise coming unexpectedly.
Time flew by, seasons changed, and Jiang Liuer also slowly grew up without realizing it.
This growth process was like a fast-forwarded heartwarming short film, full of beauty and warmth, making the audience temporarily forget the troubling matters of the rampant demon calamity outside.
Between the screen dimming and brightening, the main plot officially “made its grand entrance.”
The first scene that appeared on the screen was the common people watching a shadow play of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace.
However, halfway through the shadow play, the little monk Jiang Liuer rushed out like a small cannonball to disrupt it.
Why? Because the shadow play said that the Great Sage Equal to Heaven had died, which greatly agitated Jiang Liuer.
It should be known that the last story his father told him was about the Great Sage Equal to Heaven wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and his father had sworn that the Great Sage Equal to Heaven would not die. Jiang Liuer deeply believed this, almost to the point of writing it on his forehead to announce to the world.
Seeing this scene, many viewers had a thought: So, this is what Tang Sanzang is like!
This contrast was absolutely brilliant, like throwing a large stone into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves.
The plot continued to “accelerate,” with mountain demons appearing again to cause trouble and capture children. In this chaotic scene, like a “battlefield,” Jiang Liuer accidentally rescued a little girl and then began his “escape journey.”
As he ran, he arrived at a mysterious place like another world.
As the camera slowly pulled back, the outline of “Mount Wuzhi” appeared on the screen.
Good heavens, he ran directly to Mount Wuzhi! This plot development was like riding a “light-speed rocket,” making it hard to keep up with the rhythm.
In the scene, the mountain demon was still chasing Jiang Liuer, probably not even knowing where it had run to, a pure “lost contestant.”
While fleeing, Jiang Liuer, by chance, arrived at a mysterious place.
Perhaps because he was a fated person, as soon as he entered, the chains here “clanged” and broke, and the rocks began to “crackle” and collapse, as if some super big boss was about to break free from its seal in the next second. The atmosphere felt so tense you could wring water from the air.
Jiang Liuer and the little girl in the basket behind him were still bewildered, completely unaware of what was about to happen, but the audience knew perfectly well.
Although everyone knew what would happen next, at this moment, everyone couldn't help but feel excited and expectant, like opening a blind box, their heartbeats almost exploding.
The mountain demon, this “foolhardy” one, clearly didn't know what “surprise” was coming next, and still chased in, oblivious to its impending doom.
Just then, our horse-faced monkey finally “came out after much anticipation,” revealing his true form.
The monkey in the scene was wearing yellow cloth clothes, looking like a wild monkey that had gained sentience. This appearance, to call it ugly-handsome would feel like an overstatement; it was simply a “mudslide in the world of looks,” making people unable to resist complaining.
Before the audience could complain, someone “acted on behalf of heaven.”
The little girl in the basket climbed onto Jiang Liuer’s head, patted the monkey’s head with her chubby little hand, and said in a milky voice, “Big Horse!”
This innocent remark was absolutely brilliant, directly stealing the words the audience wanted to complain about. This was walking the audience’s path, leaving them no path to walk, making everyone laugh so hard they leaned back and forth.
The monkey’s temper was quite good; he didn’t lay a hand on this human infant who spoke the plain truth. If it were a hot-tempered one, he would probably have “fought fiercely” long ago.
After regaining his freedom, the monkey was like a wild horse unbridled, entering “self-liberation” mode, fully venting the frustration of being trapped for five hundred years. His running posture seemed to say, “I’m finally free, no one can stop me!”
But he hadn't been happy for long when he discovered that his magic power was sealed by a golden bracelet. This speed of joy turning to sorrow was faster than changing faces, directly falling from heaven to hell.
The frantic horse-faced monkey simply couldn't accept this reality and began to madly smash the bracelet, thinking as he smashed: What's the use of being free if I have no magic power?
Can a Great Sage Equal to Heaven without magic power still be called the Great Sage Equal to Heaven? He was simply a “bronze,” easily manipulated.
Just as the horse-faced monkey was madly smashing the bracelet, he saw the enormous, overwhelmingly oppressive stone Buddha statue behind him through the reflection.
This Buddha statue was like a merciless mocking machine, as if mocking his overestimation of his own abilities. Its expression seemed to say, “You still want to resist? Don’t dream about it!”
The horse-faced monkey was completely enraged now, turned to look at the Buddha head, and roared, “Old man Buddha, have you not had enough of trapping me for five hundred years? Don’t forget, I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!!”
This aura felt like it could punch a hole in the sky, and that voice probably made people’s ears hurt even through the screen.
Jiang Liuer, hearing this, his eyes instantly lit up like two big light bulbs, and then he couldn't help but exclaim, “Ah? Great Sage Equal to Heaven!”
“Who’s there? Come out!”
“How is it you again!?” The horse-faced monkey looked at Jiang Liuer walking out with a look of disdain, as if he had seen some super big trouble. He probably thought, “Why did I run into this little brat again, how unlucky!”
“Ah, are you really the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?” Jiang Liuer asked with stars in his eyes and a look of adoration.
“So what if I am? So what if I’m not? Don’t follow me, little brat!” The monkey said, then directly slipped away.
Kids are too annoying.
He was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven; he didn't want to hang out with little brats. His look of disdain made it seem like he couldn't stand to look at them for another second.
However, how could Jiang Liuer listen to him? The Great Sage Equal to Heaven was his idol since childhood, an almost god-like existence in his heart, even more powerful than a superhero.
So he carried the little girl on his back and chased after him like a little shadow, trotting along.
This plot directly staged a grand drama of “you run, I chase, I won’t let you fly away,” more thrilling than a police and gangster film.
From the fact that the horse-faced monkey could never shake off Jiang Liuer, it was clear that after his magic power was sealed, he was truly no different from an ordinary person, just a “weakling” easily bullied.
However, the children in the cinema were very happy watching. If they met the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, they would probably also follow him forever, refusing to let go, their enthusiasm feeling like it could melt the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
Little Jiang Liuer was simply a “chatterbox,” talking like a machine gun, with questions one after another, annoying the horse-faced monkey to no end, making his head feel like it was about to explode.
But he couldn't shake off this little trouble, so he could only accept it helplessly, his expression feeling bitterer than eating coptis.
Many adult viewers secretly smiled when they saw this, because they thought of the Tang Sanzang who would constantly nag the monkey after growing up. This Echo was simply too clever, like playing a puzzle game and suddenly finding a key clue.
The monkey, pushed to the brink of collapse, simply began to give up, abandoning the struggle. His demeanor seemed to say, “Alright, alright, I surrender. Ask whatever you want.”
“Great Sage, Great Sage, is Juling Shen very strong?” Jiang Liuer asked.
“Very small.” “Are the Four Heavenly Kings brothers?”
“They are sisters!”
“Then is Nezha a boy?”
“A girl!”
This question-and-answer session was like a crosstalk performance, making the audience burst into continuous laughter, feeling like the entire cinema was about to be drowned in laughter.
Jiang Liuer was simply too cute and adorable, like a little angel, making people want to pinch his face.
In contrast, the horse-faced monkey’s arrogant demeanor directly subverted the image of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven in many people’s memories. It turned out that the Great Sage Equal to Heaven also had such a cute and helpless side.
As the editor, Su Yu wanted everyone to see the down-to-earth side of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
It turned out that he could also have joys, angers, sorrows, and not just be that super immortal who could fight against heaven and earth. This character redesign truly made people’s eyes light up, like discovering a new continent.