Broken walls and crumbling ruins, yellow sand swirling in the wind.
Not far ahead lay the nearly abandoned Phoenix County.
Tripitaka, his face streaked with yellow sand, sipped from a bowl of clear water and glanced back from afar.
Beside him, an elderly man struggled to haul up a bucket of water from the well, panting with exhaustion.
Turning back, Tripitaka sighed softly, "Old sir, how deep is this well?"
"About fifty zhang, I suppose. In all of Phoenix County, only this well still holds water."
"On ordinary days, is it water from this well that you use to grow crops?"
"Grow grain?" The old man immediately laughed, then said slowly, "This well is not only deep, but yields little water. There’s barely enough for people to drink—how could we spare any for crops? No one in Phoenix County has planted anything for a year now."
Hearing this, Tripitaka paused in surprise, then glanced down at the precious water in his bowl and sighed helplessly.
"If no one in Phoenix County grows crops, and there are no cattle or sheep, nor any hunting to be had... Old sir, how do you manage to eat on ordinary days?"
Wiping his face with the gray towel around his neck, the old man exhaled deeply, walked over to Tripitaka and crouched down beside him. "Look at me—what sort of person do you think I am?"
Ah?
Well... What do you think I do for a living?
A living..." Tripitaka furrowed his brow and thought for a moment, then sighed softly. "Old sir, your hands are callused but not thick, not like a farmer’s. From the way you speak, it sounds like you’ve had some schooling. As for your occupation... this poor monk truly cannot guess."
The old man stood up, put his hands on his hips and smiled with pride. "To be honest, I am the county prince of this place."
County prince?" Tripitaka was slightly surprised.
A prince of a county—even if it were just an empty title—shouldn’t have fallen so far, or so he thought.
That’s right, county prince." The old man turned his face and raised his hand with pride. "This hundred li all around is my ancestral fief. Though it’s worthless now, I must still guard it, to be worthy of my ancestors. It hasn’t rained here for years—everyone else left, but I stayed. Because I still have a little grain left. I gave a lot away when sending my family off, but there’s still a bit. Just a bit..."
The old man gestured with his hand, a playful smile on his face.
But not much. If there’s no rain for another three or five years, I’ll starve to death too. Hahaha.
Turning back, the old man saw Tripitaka hesitating over the half bowl of clear water and the thin bread at his side. He chuckled, "Go ahead and eat. This county prince may be poor, but I’m not lacking for this little bit. If Heaven really means to starve or parch me to death, even a little more or less from you won’t change that. Don’t stand on ceremony."
Tripitaka managed to force a faint smile and nodded to the old man.
"Besides, I’m still hoping your Buddha Patriarch might show me some mercy. The Eastern Heavenly Court—well, I’ve offended them beyond forgiveness. There’s no hope there. But the West? Maybe there’s still a chance."
"You’ve really offended the Eastern Heavenly Court?"
"That’s right."
"But aren’t you just a county prince in the mortal realm? How did you end up on the wrong side of Heaven?"
"Well... it’s a long story, hard to explain all at once. In short, the Jade Emperor issued a decree: no rain in this land for a hundred years. He sent the message in a dream to everyone. At first, I thought it was a joke. But now, it’s clearly real..."
With a helpless sigh, the old man glanced at Tripitaka twice more and urged, "Master, eat quickly. Once you’re done, we should head back. It gets cold here at night—better to stay at my manor."
Far off, Monkey stood in the blowing sand, watching from a distance.
"Has King Bullhorn come back yet?"
"Not yet. He went to the Heavenly Court—won’t be quick, I’m afraid."
...
At that moment, King Bullhorn was standing outside South Heaven Gate, locked in a stare with General Lee.
King Bullhorn frowned, puzzled. "Phoenix County’s drought is for Blossom Mountain?"
"Yes." General Lee nodded silently. "Destroying the temple was just an excuse. If Heaven were truly enraged, why would they send dreams in advance to warn the locals about the coming drought?"
"How exactly is this ‘for Blossom Mountain’? I... I don’t understand."
"Rainfall across the Three Realms is fixed. If one place gets more, another must get less."
"But when Blossom Mountain was under a rain ban before, our county’s rain still fell as usual. The Dragon Kings seemed to summon it with a gesture—none of this complicated business."
General Lee straightened slightly. "The dragon clans can call wind and rain—it’s their gift. But it’s not limitless. If they overdo it, the rain dries up, and even dragons can’t summon it. Besides, back then Blossom Mountain didn’t need much rain. Now, after centuries of drought, it’s in ruins. Without heavy rainfall, there’s no way it can recover. And that’s just the first reason."
"The second reason is..."
"The second reason is souls. Rain nourishes life, brings revival. But where do the souls for this revival come from? Even for a single ant, there must be a matching soul entry in the Netherworld. For every life, there must be a death."
"You mean, the Jade Emperor is willing to destroy all of Phoenix County just for Blossom Mountain? Would he really go that far?"
"First of all, centuries ago Phoenix County was already barren earth. Years back, another disaster struck, and all life was wiped out. Now it’s returned to dust, and there’s nothing wrong with that." General Lee nodded slightly, then sighed, "Besides, His Majesty isn’t doing this for your Great Sage’s sake, but for Lady Nuwa. Blossom Mountain is home to Lady Nuwa’s palace."
General Lee pursed his lips. "That’s all for now. Go report this to your Great Sage. See what he says. If he’s truly willing to sacrifice Blossom Mountain for Phoenix County, then let me know, and we’ll act accordingly."
King Bullhorn silently nodded.
This was his first time representing Monkey. On the way here, he’d imagined countless ways to intimidate the Heavenly Court and its immortals. But in the end, it wasn’t anything like he’d pictured. He didn’t even need to see the Jade Emperor—a few words from the other side had left him speechless.
Especially once Blossom Mountain was mentioned, this was no longer something he could decide.
With a helpless sigh, King Bullhorn could only turn away and soar into the sky.
...
On the way back, Tripitaka pressed his palms together, following the old man in silent procession.
They walked through empty, desolate streets and passed buildings shrouded in darkness and silence.
Facing these sights, Tripitaka could only fall into silence.
Once, this little town must have been lively and prosperous. Now, all it took was one edict from Heaven to turn it into a wasteland devoid of smoke and life...
Before Heaven and Buddhism, mortals—and everything in the mortal realm—are as insignificant as ants, with no power to decide their own fate.
Now, thinking about his quest to seek the Dao as a mortal, Tripitaka wondered—was this path too bleak, too futile?
With no outside intervention, facing all this, perhaps there is only one choice left: to endure, like the old prince before him. But can patience and endurance truly lead to a day when the clouds part and the clear moon shines through?
Perhaps all that awaits is death.
The old man said nothing on the way, and Tripitaka didn’t speak either.
Soon, the two arrived at the old man’s manor.
It was a thoroughly ruined estate—the courtyard walls had crumbled from drought, and the sign above the gate was so weathered the characters could no longer be read. Every corner was filled with a sense of imminent collapse.
Pushing open the flimsy door, Tripitaka saw an old woman seated at a small hut’s entrance. She looked eighty or ninety, her face lined and furrowed like the dry earth itself, so frail she seemed barely able to walk.
"Prince... you’re back?"
Her voice was as dry and hoarse as the desert wind.
"I’ve told you, don’t call me prince anymore. I stopped being a prince long ago."
With that, the two old folks laughed together, a dry, weary sound.
Tripitaka asked quietly, "Who is she?"
"She’s... a relative from the village."
"A relative?" Tripitaka was a little surprised.
The manor was large; it was clear that the old county prince, though not one for luxury, had once had a solid foundation.
Only when they walked deep enough to be sure the old woman couldn’t hear did the prince lower his voice: "All the young people fled to the wilderness. The old folks, too frail to leave, had no choice but to rely on me. There are four or five left in this manor. Now I’m the youngest—still able to draw water and do a bit of work."
"What about your children and grandchildren, Prince?"
At this, the old prince hesitated, then simply sighed.
...
"Phoenix County’s drought—is it really for Blossom Mountain?"
"Yes, that’s what General Lee said."
Monkey suddenly burst out laughing, "Would the Jade Emperor really be so benevolent?"
"General Lee said His Majesty’s decree wasn’t for you, Great Sage, but for Lady Nuwa."
"Nonsense!" Monkey roared, startling King Bullhorn so much his neck snapped back. "Lady Nuwa’s affair was ages ago! Phoenix County’s rain was cut off years ago! Blossom Mountain did get some rain, but it was just a token, barely enough to wet the ground. The Jade Emperor’s supposed benevolence is a joke! Go again, and if you don’t get a clear answer, don’t come back!"
"Ye—yes!" King Bullhorn hurried off, head lowered.
Turning, Monkey pointed to Louis Quickpaw, who stood nearby. "You! Go see what Tripitaka says!"
"Me... me?"
"What, you want me to go stick my warm face to his cold backside?"
Helpless, Louis Quickpaw could only hitch up his pants and dash out the door.
The others in the room all frowned, watching the angry Monkey.
...
In a flash, Louis Quickpaw arrived at Tripitaka’s room.
He rolled up his sleeves and declared, "Great Sage says: Master Tripitaka, you wish to walk the Universal Salvation Path—he supports you. You want to suffer with all beings and rely on your own strength—he supports you. Now he asks you one thing: the suffering in Phoenix County is Heaven’s doing. If you want to resolve it, it’s simple—send a petition to the Jade Emperor, and everything will be fixed. Whether to send it or not, that’s up to you, Master."