Lu Fan stepped out of the barren land that had given him birth and raised him, entering a wider, yet more treacherous, human world.
He was still a child, without a penny, and without support.
He became a small beggar.
In the bustling towns, he fought with stray dogs for food, was chased away with sticks by the servants of rich families, and received spit and curses as his most common alms.
He slept in a dilapidated temple, curled up at the cold feet of a deity statue, using cobwebs and dust to cover his body, hiding from the biting cold of winter nights.
He had witnessed too much evil in the human world.
For a bag of rice, brothers could turn against each other; for a piece of land, neighbors could draw swords.
He had also seen the good in the human world.
An old woman selling steamed buns would secretly place a still warm bun in the corner where he slept.
But that old woman was eventually beaten to death by local ruffians, simply because she refused to pay a three-fold increased 'tribute' money.
That small, warm bun became the last warmth in his memory.
From then on, the world in his eyes was only black and white.
The flames of hatred burned in his chest day and night, never extinguishing; instead, the more evil he witnessed, the fiercer they burned.
He needed power!
Power enough to burn away all injustice and evil!
He began to inquire where there were extraordinary people and where there were Immortal Caves.
The scene shifted.
Years later, Lu Fan had grown into a ragged but eagle-eyed young man.
He drifted to a large city in the heart of the Central Plains, where the most lively place was the storyteller's teahouse.
One day, he exchanged a few coppers he had begged for a bowl of the cheapest coarse tea, sitting in the most secluded corner of the teahouse, listening to the storyteller on stage spew saliva.
The storyteller was recounting an old tale from several hundred years ago.
“Speaking of the previous dynasty, there appeared an extraordinary demonic monkey! That monkey, born of Heaven and Earth, sought a master to learn skills, obtained the method of immortality, then went to the East Sea Dragon Palace to forcefully seize the Sea-Stabilizing Needle as his weapon, and even went to the Underworld to cross out names from the book of life and death, causing unrest throughout the Three Realms!”
The storyteller slammed his gavel, raising his voice: “The Jade Emperor was furious upon hearing this, dispatching one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, setting up the Heaven and Earth Net to capture this demonic monkey! What was the result?”
He deliberately created suspense, whetting the appetites of his audience.
“The result was that the demonic monkey possessed great Divine Ability, and with one person and one staff, he beat the one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers into throwing away their helmets and armor, crying for their mothers and fathers! What Nine Luminaries Star Officials, Four Heavenly Kings, none could withstand a single blow from that monkey’s staff! He fought until the Southern Heavenly Gate was tightly shut, and no one dared to come out! All of you, think, what kind of audacity, what kind of lawlessness was that!”
The teahouse erupted in an uproar, the listeners either amazed or sighing, discussing animatedly.
The storyteller spoke with great animation, narrating the great battle as if it were happening before their eyes.
The listeners in the teahouse were completely engrossed.
On the Execution Platform, the atmosphere became strange.
The Immortal Officials of the Heavenly Court all looked a bit unnatural.
Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing’s fingers unconsciously rubbed his pagoda; that year, he led the army but couldn't even harm a single hair of that monkey, a matter that had always bothered him.
The Lei Department Generals recalled the embarrassment of being knocked over by that monkey’s staff, and one by one, they looked at their noses, then at their hearts, pretending not to hear.
All the Immortals' gazes, intentionally or unintentionally, drifted towards that golden-armored figure.
Sun Wukong, however, was completely unfazed.
Not only did he show no embarrassment, but he grinned, nudging Nezha beside him with his elbow.
“Heh, hear that? They’re telling the glorious history of Old Sun!”
His face was full of pride, his expression as if he feared others wouldn't know the protagonist of the story was him.
He was not ashamed but proud.
Back on the journey to the West, whenever he encountered a difficult demon, his favorite thing to do was to boast about his glorious deeds of “Wreaking Havoc in Heaven.”
“I am the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven Sun Wukong, who wreaked havoc in Heaven five hundred years ago!”
This sentence had almost become his catchphrase.
In his opinion, to single-handedly turn the strictly disciplined and Rank-conscious Heavenly Court upside down was an incredibly exhilarating and magnificent feat!
As for being suppressed for five hundred years and becoming a Buddha later, that was another story.
At least at that moment, he was free, he was invincible.
Nezha rolled his eyes at him, but couldn't help but let a smile creep up his lips.
This mischievous monkey, his thick skin was as always.
Zhu Bajie listened from behind, his fat body trembling, burying his head even lower.
He didn't have the courage of his Monkey Brother; back then, he was still Marshal Tianpeng, and he suffered no less at the hands of that monkey.
Pure Thought Bodhisattva’s expression was also somewhat unpleasant.
He hadn't expected the Karma Water Mirror to show such a scene.
He had originally intended to prove that Lu Fan was a disciple of an evil demon, but instead, it exposed the old history of Victorious Fighting Buddha.
His peripheral vision glanced at Sun Wukong, only to see that the monkey, far from being angry, looked proud, scratching his ears and cheeks, clearly delighted by what he heard.
Pure Thought Bodhisattva cursed inwardly, and could only endure watching.
In the light screen, the storyteller’s tale continued.
“...That monkey possessed great Divine Ability, and the one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers couldn’t do anything to him! In the end, it was the Tathagata Buddha of the Western Heaven who took action, transforming his palm into the Five Elements Mountain, only then suppressing that mischievous monkey! All you esteemed listeners, this tells us a truth: when you are a Mortal, never be like that Sun Wukong, who becomes arrogant once he gains some skill, not knowing the immensity of Heaven and Earth, and will ultimately reap what he sows!”
The listeners below nodded in agreement.
“Yes, yes, this monkey just didn’t know what was good for him.”
“He refused to be a perfectly good Immortal, insisted on causing trouble in Heaven, he deserved to be suppressed!”
“Ultimately, he’s still a demon, wild and untamable.”
“Buddha is merciful! Such a demon monkey who doesn't know the immensity of Heaven and Earth deserves such a fate!”
“Yes, the Heavenly Court treated him well, making him the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven, what an honor! Yet he was ungrateful, instead wanting to seize the Jade Emperor’s throne, truly heartless!”
The tea drinkers discussed animatedly, their words filled with contempt and disdain for that demonic monkey.
This was the simplest value system of the Mortals in the world.
Imperial power was divinely bestowed, and the Rank system was strict.
Challenging authority was an act of great rebellion.
In the corner of the teahouse, the ragged, dust-covered young man Lu Fan listened quietly.
He heard all the judgments of Sun Wukong from the people around him.
Not knowing what was good for him, reaping what he sowed.
But in his eyes, there was no agreement; instead, a strange light ignited.
“You are wrong.”
The teahouse instantly fell silent, and everyone’s gaze turned to the ragged young man in the corner.
Lu Fan slowly raised his head, his eyes, which appeared exceptionally bright in the shadows, swept over the crowd.
“He was not wrong.”
A tea drinker sneered: “Little beggar, what do you know? That Sun Wukong disrupted the Heavenly Court, defied Heavenly might, and that’s not wrong?”
“Defied Heavenly might?” Lu Fan shook his head. “When did that Heavenly might ever look at him directly?”
“He was born a stone monkey, without father or mother, cultivating his skills by himself to achieve immortality. What was wrong with that? Why should the judge of the Underworld take his soul?”
“He possessed great Divine Ability, capable of overturning rivers and seas, so why couldn’t he take a weapon that suited him? The East Sea Dragon King himself agreed, but then went to the Heavenly Court to complain afterward. Is that the act of a gentleman?”
“The Heavenly Court offered amnesty, first making him Bima Wen, a minor official for raising horses. Was this amnesty or humiliation? He rebelled against the Heavenly Court, proclaiming himself the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven, merely wanting fair treatment.”
“From beginning to end, the Heavenly Court was always high above, treating him as a demon that could be manipulated at will! Since Heaven is not benevolent, treating all beings as straw dogs, then why should he revere Heaven?”
“He fought his way to the Lingxiao Palace, not for that throne, but for justice!”