A mass of rain clouds slowly gathered above Phoenix County.
Everyone gazed upward, but no rain fell; only peals of thunder rolled on without end.
The scene grew more and more reminiscent of last time.
Monkey stroked his chin and mused, "Could someone be up to mischief again? Should I go up and catch them in the act?"
"Just relax." Marshal Silver sighed beside him. "General Lee already said it's truly a rain cloud—just that the time hasn't come yet. Wait a bit longer. The Dragon King is here only to put your mind at ease."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"I hope it's true." Monkey bared his teeth, gripping the Golden Staff. "If they mess this up again, I'm going to smash a corner off South Heaven Gate and leave it unrepaired, so they'll never forget this lesson."
Turning his head, Monkey saw Prince Adrian, the Little White Dragon, standing nearby, staring blankly at the sky with a strangely uneasy look.
"What's wrong with him?"
"It's the Western Sea Dragon King," Marshal Silver whispered, lowering his voice. "His father."
Monkey instantly understood, and a flicker of mischief rose in his heart. He snickered to himself.
Prince Adrian and the Western Sea Dragon King—truly a pair of estranged father and son. Last time General Lee brought the Western Sea Dragon King, they just stared at each other from afar, not even exchanging a greeting. It really looked as if they were ready to sever ties.
Not far away in Phoenix County, Tripitaka was still laboring at the well, while the Old County Prince worked the pulley, hauling up sand and mud to dump outside.
After several days, the earth outside the well had piled up into a mound as tall as a small hill.
The Old County Prince glanced at the mound, then up at the rain cloud overhead, and finally sighed in resignation.
When the rain cloud first appeared, he had been truly excited, believing the Buddha had finally forgiven his sins and would send rain to Phoenix County. But as time dragged on, the feeling changed.
With the rain cloud hanging overhead for so long without a single drop falling, it felt more like mockery. The Old County Prince couldn't help but recall that rainy night.
"Perhaps the Buddha is reminding this old man that his sins are not yet repaid." Bowing his head, he silently continued helping Tripitaka dump the waste earth. Down in the well, Tripitaka seemed to have given up hope for rain, focusing only on digging.
By dusk, the rain still hadn't come. Tripitaka climbed out of the well and sat by its edge, quietly eating the thin cakes the Old County Prince had brought. Every so often, he stretched his neck to peer back down into the shaft.
Beside him, the Old County Prince kept glancing at Tripitaka, then up at the sky, as if hoping Tripitaka would say something about the rain cloud overhead. But Tripitaka acted as if he hadn't seen it at all.
Not far away, Monkey muttered to himself, "How deep is that well by now?"
"Fifty zhang." (Note: 'zhang' is a traditional Chinese unit of length, about 3.3 meters or 11 feet. Fifty zhang is roughly 165 meters/540 feet.)
"Still digging past fifty zhang... Ai, he's really lost his mind. I told him there was no water, but he insists on digging. Just bringing trouble on himself."
Just then, Prince Adrian's brows suddenly furrowed. He quickly rolled off the rooftop and pressed a hand to the ground. At that touch, he seemed to sense something, and jerked his hand back in alarm.
After a moment's hesitation, he pressed his hand to the ground again, his gaze flickering with uncertainty.
"What's wrong?" Monkey craned his neck to ask.
Prince Adrian stammered, "There... really is water. It's about to break through!"
"What?" Monkey's face froze in shock.
He too slid off the rooftop, grabbed Prince Adrian by the collar, and growled, "Didn't you tell me there was no water?"
There really wasn't any water before... How was I supposed to know it would suddenly appear?
Prince Adrian struggled to escape, but Monkey held him fast.
What do you mean suddenly appeared? Can water just pop up out of nowhere? You're absolutely useless. As a dragon, you can't fight, you can't carry things, and now you can't even sense water properly.
When I checked, there wasn't any! The water just arrived—I have no idea why it suddenly showed up!
Just as the two argued, Marshal Silver slid down from the rooftop and reached out to sense the ground.
Monkey had mastered the Seventy-Two Earthly Transformations, but sensing water sources wasn't his specialty. Marshal Silver, on the other hand, had learned the Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations; though not as sensitive as the dragon clan, he should still be able to handle water sensing.
He hadn't sensed anything before, so why had underground water suddenly appeared?
"A seasonal underground river." As Monkey and Prince Adrian's argument escalated, Marshal Silver suddenly spoke up.
Suddenly, everyone fell silent.
"A seasonal underground river?"
That's right," Marshal Silver nodded. "There used to be an underground river below, but after years without rain, the local water supply dried up. Still, the river isn't fed solely by local rainfall. When the source area enters the rainy season, the underground river reappears. When we checked before, it was the dry season. Now, the water's come back. Once we finish this well and set up some storage, having water year-round shouldn't be a problem.
Monkey just laughed speechlessly and shoved Prince Adrian to the ground.
How is this my fault?" Prince Adrian rolled to his feet, brushing off the dirt. "I only sense water. If I sense none, there's none. Now there's water, so that's what I sense now. Figuring out when underground rivers will return isn't a dragon's job; that's for Sage's Path cultivators. And honestly, most of them couldn't predict it either.
Prince Adrian grumbled, but Monkey had already lost interest. He stared blankly at the sky and murmured, "Hurry."
What?
Tell your father to hold off on the rain!' Monkey suddenly shouted. 'If we can draw water from the well, why bother with rain? Just let him dig! Only a day or two left! Who cares about the water—we want him to attain the Dao! That's what matters!
Startled by the shout, Prince Adrian finally understood, nodded, and sprang into the air toward the rain cloud.
A blind cat catches a dead mouse, a blind cat catches a dead mouse!' Monkey burst out laughing. 'Turns out he really can do it—we worried for nothing. We should've just let him dig, all our fuss was pointless.
Marshal Silver also breathed a sigh of relief and sat down beside Monkey. "Tripitaka really does have some skills, especially in ways we don't understand. Maybe we should listen to what he wants to do, since he's the one seeking enlightenment."
If he could do this every time, I wouldn't have to worry.' Monkey chuckled, finally feeling at ease.
With things here settled, Spirit Mountain wasn't far off. Though the matter was small, it was the best news they'd had in days. Monkey's mood improved considerably.
Just then, a carriage rumbled toward Phoenix County from the distance.
Hearing the carriage from afar, Monkey paused in surprise. Before he could ask, King Bullhorn hurried over and reported, "Great Sage, someone is coming—a mortal."
A mortal? What kind of mortal?
Not sure, maybe a passing merchant. I checked—they have no cultivation, so I didn't do anything.
Monkey gently brushed past King Bullhorn, gripped the Golden Staff, and hurried forward, peering into the distance.
At that moment, aside from Tripitaka who was still working in the well, the Old County Prince and the few remaining elderly in Phoenix County all heard the sound of wheels and came out.
The carriage stopped not far from the Old County Prince. A neatly dressed middle-aged man stepped down, accompanied by two armed guards and a driver.
In a place so dusty, being neatly dressed was no small feat.
Seeing the middle-aged man, the Old County Prince froze.
The middle-aged man smiled broadly and approached. "Father, His Majesty has compassion for the people of Phoenix County and has granted us a new fief. I've come to escort you!"
Monkey's eye twitched at those words.