"Hahaha! The monkey says he doesn't want to be a monkey?" A hearty laugh rang out from afar, startling all the disciples inside and outside the temple.
"Uncle Golden Cicada." Belle immediately rose and bowed respectfully, a pause settling over the scene.
"Golden Cicada? Xuanzang?" Simon Stone froze, the fruit in his hand slipping to the ground as time seemed to pause.
In the distance, a figure rode the clouds and approached, as if a year had passed in a single day.
As the figure drew near, Simon Stone finally saw him clearly. It was said that a thousand years later, three great events would be recorded on this day.
He was a monk—handsome, slender, draped casually in a gray robe, holding a string of 108 prayer beads. He looked utterly unrestrained. That year, the Eastern Heavenly Court's greatest warrior, Lord Erlang, split the mountain to save his mother. Because of her death, he turned against the Jade Emperor, gathered the Seven Sages of Meishan to raise an army at Guankou, and pointed his three-pointed double-edged spear at the Heavenly Court.
"Uncle, what happened..." Seeing the monk's appearance, Belle was visibly stunned, as if shocked by something. The Heavenly Court urgently summoned Erlang's master, Jade Cauldron, but Jade Cauldron refused to leave his chamber, claiming he could not win.
"Are you talking about my Buddha radiance?" Second, in the West, the Buddha's second disciple, Golden Cicada, was troubled by doubt. He debated Dharma with the Buddha at Spirit Mountain, broke his resolve, and lost his Buddha-golden body.
Belle nodded vigorously. Afterwards, Golden Cicada vowed to endure ten lifetimes of hardship, willingly entered the cycle of reincarnation, and became a wandering monk on the vast earth. From then on, the West no longer had Golden Cicada.
Golden Cicada let out a long sigh. "Yesterday, at the Debate on Spirit Mountain, my Buddha radiance was lost." Third, the ancient Western sage Subhuti, defying karma and consequence, took a stone monkey as his disciple and named him Sun Wukong. This last event happened three hundred years ahead of schedule.
"Lost?!" Belle's mouth fell open in astonishment.
Once the Buddha radiance is lost, it means he is no longer a Buddha.
Golden Cicada seemed unfazed and smiled, glancing at Simon Stone. "Do you truly wish to cultivate immortality?"
Simon Stone clenched his teeth and remained silent.
Golden Cicada—later known as Xuanzang, and in the future, his master—had met him in such a way.
It was as if this world was subtly hinting at another fate—a fate he could not bear to face.
Still, no matter what, Simon Stone would never become his disciple. Yes, no matter what!
Seeing Simon Stone gritting his teeth and glaring, Golden Cicada frowned slightly. "Do we know each other?" he asked.
Simon Stone remained silent.
"I have a feeling," said the monk, "that you and I are destined to meet."
"It's best if we don't!" Simon Stone replied coldly.
Golden Cicada let out a chuckle. "If there is, there is. If there isn't, then there isn't. Why would 'it's best if we don't' be an answer?"
Simon Stone turned his head away, refusing to look at him.
"Very well. You wish to seek immortality, so I shall grant your wish." Golden Cicada lifted his gaze to the temple and asked, "Is your master inside?"
Belle bowed respectfully. "Replying to Uncle Golden Cicada, Master is cultivating in the Meditation Hall."
"Alright, I'll be right back."
With that, Golden Cicada flicked his sleeve, clouds gathered beneath his feet, and in a flash, he soared over the wall.
After Golden Cicada left, Belle rolled up her duster and gently tapped Simon Stone on the head. "You really have no sense, Stone Monkey! Do you even know who Uncle Golden Cicada is?"
"Of course. He's that clueless monk from Journey to the West!"
If he falls into his hands, it won't matter whether he obtains the true scriptures or not—the outcome will be tragic either way.
Belle ignored Simon Stone's nonsensical answer and scolded, "Golden Cicada is the second disciple under the Buddha in the Western Paradise! How can you speak to him like that?"
"Hmph!" Simon Stone turned away, then suddenly spun back around, his face full of surprise. "You said Golden Cicada is the second disciple under the Buddha in the Western Paradise, and you call him Uncle—then... then Master Subhuti must be..."
"You insist on apprenticing under Master, yet you don't even know his background?" Belle shot Simon Stone a contemptuous glare.
"The Buddha and Master Subhuti are fellow disciples?!" Simon Stone exclaimed.
If that's true, then wasn't the entire Journey to the West orchestrated by these people?
Belle raised her duster and tapped Simon Stone on the head again. "Nonsense! How could the Buddha and Master be fellow disciples?"
"Then why do you call Golden Cicada 'Uncle'?"
"Master and the Buddha both inherited the same lineage. By seniority, we address Golden Cicada as 'Uncle.'"
"Oh?" Simon Stone sighed in relief, then asked, "How did they inherit the same lineage? This is a Daoist temple, but the Buddha practices Buddhism."
"That's something you don't know." Belle cleared her throat and explained, "Master first practiced Daoist arts. After mastering them, he followed the Supreme One westward past Hangu Pass, transformed barbarians into Buddhists, and studied Buddhist teachings. Sadly, he never fully mastered Buddhism, so here, only Daoist arts are taught."
With that, she lowered her voice. "Don't mention this again, or Master will be displeased."
"Oh." Simon Stone furrowed his brow, his gaze drifting across the sky.
Practiced Daoist arts first, then mastered them? If he already mastered Daoist arts, why pursue Buddhism afterward? Given his standing, he shouldn't be inferior to a Buddha from the West. It doesn't make sense. Simon Stone glanced at Belle but didn't voice his doubts.
Inside the Meditation Hall, Master Subhuti and Golden Cicada locked eyes.
Golden Cicada gently picked up a black stone and placed it on the board.
"Click."
"Please." Golden Cicada slowly withdrew his hand, passing over the densely packed white stones on the board.
"Golden Cicada, what... what do you mean by this?" Staring at the lone black stone on the empty space, Master Subhuti stroked his long beard, his face full of surprise.
"It was a dead game, but sometimes one must find life in death." Golden Cicada met Subhuti's gaze and spoke slowly.
"Finding life in death?" Subhuti couldn't help but smile wryly. "Years ago, we played a game with an unfinished end. I never thought you'd make such a move. But..."
"But this move to find life in death—it's me, isn't it?" Golden Cicada's smile gradually faded.
"This move is extremely risky." Subhuti pointed at the black stone.
"I know what I'm doing."
"Are you sure? If it fails..." Subhuti paused, and the hall grew quieter.
After a long silence, Subhuti finally uttered the last few words: "There will be no redemption for ten thousand lifetimes."
In that instant, thunder cracked in clear skies, and a flash of lightning illuminated Golden Cicada's face—handsome, unperturbed.
His expression remained calm as he pressed his palms together. "For salvation, I am willing to become this chess piece, to unravel a hundred generations of Buddhist doubt."
Looking at Golden Cicada's resolute gaze, Subhuti was startled. After a long while, he asked, "Your mind is made up?"
"I have asked the True Law to watch over the final lifetime. If Heaven still holds virtue, let me pursue salvation. If not..." Golden Cicada rose and bowed deeply. "This journey is my farewell. I may never return. Please take care, Daoist brother!"
The thunder faded, and the sky was as it always had been.
Soft rays of light filtered through the white gauze on the window, casting deep shadows on the ancient floor beneath Golden Cicada.
Master Subhuti slowly opened his eyes wide, saying nothing.
...
After a long while, the vermillion doors swung open. Golden Cicada stepped out, his robe trailing as he crossed the high threshold.
Under Simon Stone's gaze, Golden Cicada walked down the steps, passing by him and said, "The door to the Dao, I have opened for you. From here, you must rely on yourself."
A gentle breeze brushed his sleeve as his figure strode gracefully into the distance.
His silhouette merged with the drifting clouds and the green leaves of the forest, becoming one with heaven and earth.
Do not look back.
Inside and outside the temple, all the disciples watched in silence.
Beyond the door, on the long stone steps, Master Subhuti stood in the wind, sighing for a long time. "The younger generation is truly formidable..."
Simon Stone struggled to stand, forcing his numb legs to stagger toward the door.
Master Subhuti slowly closed his eyes. Only after Golden Cicada vanished into the distance did he open them again, watching Simon Stone climb the steps.
This was the first time he and Simon Stone truly met each other's gaze.
After years of waiting, separated only by a wall, they had finally reached this moment.
Simon Stone stopped, staring at Master Subhuti—this was an agonizing wait.
After a long silence, Master Subhuti suddenly laughed. "You stubborn monkey... Very well, come, follow me into the inner chamber!"
With that, he threw his head back and laughed, then turned and walked away.
Simon Stone's frozen expression slowly melted into a smile. Limping, he crossed the threshold like an exuberant monkey.
"Into the inner chamber... Is Master going to...?"
"A direct disciple!" The last cloud in the sky drifted away as Belle, duster in hand, walked through the crowd. "From now on, we'll all have to call him Uncle."
All the disciples inside and outside the temple were astonished!
...
One day in Heaven is a year on Earth.
A thousand years later, the celestial records stated that three great events occurred on this day.
First, the Eastern Heavenly Court's greatest warrior, Lord Erlang, split the mountain to save his mother. Because of her death, he turned against the Jade Emperor, gathered the Seven Sages of Meishan to raise an army at Guankou, and pointed his three-pointed double-edged spear at the Heavenly Court.
The Heavenly Court urgently summoned Erlang's master, Jade Cauldron, but Jade Cauldron refused to leave his chamber, claiming he could not win.
Second, in the West, the Buddha's second disciple, Golden Cicada, was troubled by doubt. He debated Dharma with the Buddha at Spirit Mountain, broke his resolve, and lost his Buddha-golden body.
Afterwards, he vowed to endure ten lifetimes of hardship, willingly entered the cycle of reincarnation, and became a wandering monk on the vast earth. From then on, the West no longer had Golden Cicada.
Third, the ancient Western sage Subhuti, defying karma and consequence, took a stone monkey as his disciple and named him Sun Wukong.
This last event happened three hundred years ahead of schedule.