Tripitaka pressed his palms together and nodded silently, gazing at Marshal Silver.
Marshal Silver furrowed his brow, glanced up at Monkey who was watching from the rooftop, then turned to Tripitaka with a puzzled look. "I heard it was the Buddha Patriarch who ordered you to go west for the scriptures, intending to spread the Dharma."
"Does Marshal Silver believe that?" Tripitaka asked softly.
Marshal Silver slowly shook his head. "No, I do not."
"Why does Marshal Silver not believe it?" Tripitaka asked again.
"Buddhism seeks to escape the Eight Sufferings and let go of attachments—where is this notion of spreading the Dharma? If they truly wished to propagate it, then after the battle at Blossom Mountain, with the demon race crushed, the Daoist Heavenly Court weakened, and Buddhism ascendant, the Tathagata Buddha could have simply given one command and the world would be filled with temples. Why wait until now to send you, a lone monk, westward for scriptures? This idea of spreading the Dharma through the scripture quest is pure nonsense."
Finishing, Marshal Silver let out a cold snort, and his gaze toward Tripitaka grew more hostile.
Tripitaka only smiled faintly at his words. "It seems Marshal Silver does understand our Buddhist ways."
"Back then, the Six Demon Kings occupied the Western Continent, which is Buddhism’s traditional sphere of influence. I commanded armies against the Six Demon Kings there twice, over several years—how could I not know something of it? Such rumors can hardly fool me." Marshal Silver raised his head slightly. "But I am curious: why do you really travel west? And why is that demon monkey with you? They say eating your flesh grants immortality, but I see no sign he wants to devour you. Besides, he’s already broken through the Heavenly Dao and achieved immortality long ago. The scripture quest must serve another purpose."
"It’s a long story," Tripitaka said, pressing his lips together in thought. He brought his palms together and spoke: "Let me tell Marshal Silver one thing—perhaps, with what you know, you’ll be able to piece it together."
"Speak," said Marshal Silver.
"Ten lifetimes ago, I was called Golden Cicada," Tripitaka replied.
Marshal Silver’s eyes widened slightly in disbelief as he gazed at Golden Cicada. A flash of white light shot through his eyes, piercing straight into Tripitaka’s soul.
For an instant, he froze, then his cold, sharp eyes slowly narrowed to slits as he studied Tripitaka, as if pondering something deeply.
The night wind drifted gently past, and the whole world fell into silent stillness.
Nisha looked utterly bewildered, while Tripitaka simply watched Marshal Silver with a gentle, smiling gaze.
Monkey, standing on the rooftop, couldn’t help but sneak a glance in their direction, then quickly looked away—stretching his ears to catch every word.
After a long while, Marshal Silver finally recovered and said softly, "So, the scripture quest is truly a doctrinal struggle within Buddhism?"
Monkey immediately rounded his eyes in outrage from the rooftop. "You wouldn't believe me when I said it, but you accept it when he says a few words? What’s that supposed to mean?"
"A high monk of Buddhism, reincarnated—within ten lifetimes, there must be a Buddha-spirit guarding him." Marshal Silver didn’t even look at Monkey, but sneered, "Such common knowledge—don’t tell me you, the so-called Great Sage Equal to Heaven and king of all demons, didn’t know? Truly, meeting you in person is less impressive than your reputation."
Monkey’s face twitched twice, and his hand gripping the Golden Staff rose again.
Tripitaka hurriedly stepped between him and Marshal Silver.
"You think that just because you’ve reached the Heavenly Dao, you’re truly invincible?" Marshal Silver tilted his head, not bothering to look at Monkey, and spoke leisurely, "Whether you cultivate Dao or pursue Buddhism, even if you walk the Traveler’s Path, in the end it all tests your heart and your insight. Frankly, you reached Heavenly Dao cultivation in less than two hundred years—that was just luck. What isn’t yours will never truly be yours. Otherwise, why did you lose it?"
With that, Marshal Silver gave Monkey a leisurely glance.
Monkey’s face flushed bright red, his eyes wide as he bared his teeth. "Looks like you won’t be convinced until I knock you flat!"
In that moment, the tension was palpable—like drawn swords and readied bows.
Even Tripitaka found himself unsettled by the scene, repeatedly signaling Monkey from afar to calm down, calm down.
At last, Monkey took a deep breath and simply sat cross-legged on the rooftop, muttering through clenched teeth, "I’ll let it go for now, but soon enough you’ll be begging for my help!"
He turned his face away, refusing to look at Marshal Silver.
Nearby, Prince Adrian, Louis Quickpaw, and Barry Bear could only look on helplessly.
If you really want to talk about it, Marshal Silver’s Heavenly River Fleet slew no less than ten million demons, and among them, tens of thousands from Blossom Mountain fell to his blade. Under Monkey’s command, Blossom Mountain wiped out the entire Heavenly River Fleet. This blood feud runs so deep that no matter how many years pass, neither side can truly forget. But in the end, they were just serving their own masters. In their positions, they did what was required. Honestly, there’s not much hatred left. Monkey’s resentment toward Marshal Silver is nothing compared to his hatred for Shakyamuni—or even for the long-dead Dragon Demon King.
Still, sometimes hatred doesn’t account for everything. Some people—maybe it’s just the clash of the Five Elements—whenever they’re put together, trouble is bound to follow…
Watching the tension, Prince Adrian let out a quiet sigh and whispered to Louis Quickpaw, "The Great Sage is really trying to recruit Marshal Silver... If he fails, well, that’s one thing. But if he succeeds, just look at them—I’m afraid even before the Buddhists cause trouble, we’ll end up fighting amongst ourselves on the road."
Louis Quickpaw quickly shook his head and waved his hand, saying, "Don’t comment rashly on the Great Sage’s decisions."
With that, Louis Quickpaw turned his face away.
Prince Adrian glanced over at Barry Bear, only to see Barry tilt his head back and look around, pretending he hadn’t heard a thing.
"Heh... Why do I get the feeling this team is heading straight for disaster?" Prince Adrian said, spreading his hands.
Seeing Monkey withdraw from the brink of a fight, Tripitaka finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned and bowed to Marshal Silver, saying, "The Great Sage’s temper is a bit fiery. Please forgive him, Marshal."
"Fiery?" Marshal Silver chuckled. "Maybe so."
Up on the rooftop, Monkey’s ears twitched, his teeth grinding audibly, but he said nothing.