Chapter 451 – More Important Matters
Ye Tian didn't believe that Sun Wukong would reject him. The conditions he offered were simply too enticing—if Sun Wukong still refused under such circumstances, then something would be seriously wrong.
And just as he had expected, a few days later, Ye Tian found Sun Wukong, who had now agreed to become his disciple.
"Ye Tian, from now on, you are my master. Master, please accept your disciple's respects!"
Sun Wukong performed the formal rites of apprenticeship—three kneelings and nine kowtows. Ye Tian smiled. Now that Wukong had officially become his disciple, he said, "Good disciple, rise quickly. The path ahead of you is long, so there's no need to be so formal. From now on, we'll address each other as master and disciple. If there's anything you need my help with, don't hesitate to ask."
Sun Wukong was nothing if not pragmatic. He smiled and said, "I just want to grow stronger. Once I've become powerful enough, I'll definitely settle the score with the Buddha. What happened back then is a humiliation I can't forget."
"You want to settle the score with the Buddha? That's not going to be easy."
Ye Tian truly didn't think that would be simple. If Wukong intended to challenge the Buddha, his strength would have to rise by several realms. And to reach that level… who knew how many years it would take?
As the saying goes, a master can only lead the way—cultivation depends on the individual. Wukong might be powerful already, but surpassing the Buddha? That would likely take countless years. There was no way it could happen in the short term.
"My dear disciple, there are some things that just can't be rushed. If you try to force it, that'll only make things worse. As the saying goes, haste makes waste. Do you understand what I mean?"
"So, even though I've become your disciple, I still can't surpass the Buddha? Are you saying I won't be able to take revenge on him?"
Sun Wukong felt genuinely disappointed. Sometimes, even in his sleep, he would dream of the day he smashed the Buddha to pieces with a single swing of his golden staff.
Of course, while dreams could be satisfying, reality was what it was. Dreams and reality were often worlds apart.
"It's not that there's no way to take revenge. Don't forget, you have me now. On one hand, you need to rely on your own cultivation, but on the other, I can be your backing. So you don't have to worry too much. Even if you can't take your revenge anytime soon, the Buddha won't be able to bully you anymore. That's for sure."
Hearing this, Sun Wukong felt a bit more cheerful. That's right—in the past, whenever he saw the Buddha, he had to bottle up his anger. But now, things were different. At least now, he no longer feared him.
"So… when will you start teaching me cultivation?"
"I can teach you some techniques right now. But do you have time? Isn't your main task right now the Journey to the West?"
Sun Wukong indeed had duties to fulfill—namely, escorting Tang Sanzang to fetch the scriptures from the West. That was his mission, and compared to that, everything else seemed secondary.
"To be honest, I feel some resistance in my heart toward this Journey to the West. For me, it really isn't that important."
Tang Sanzang, who had been listening from the side, wasn't happy to hear that. How could Wukong say such a thing?
Did he have any idea how heartless that sounded?
At that moment, Tang Sanzang spoke up. "Wukong, you can't say things like that. It's your duty to protect me on the Journey to the West! If you don't want to go, then who will accompany me?"
"Master, the only reason I still call you that is because you've treated me decently along the way. Otherwise, I wouldn't want to be your disciple at all. Do you know who I am? I'm the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong. Given who I am, why would I ever agree to be your disciple? Don't you understand the reason behind it?"
"What reason? Wasn't it because you sincerely sought refuge in the Buddha's teachings and were willing to become my disciple?"
"Bah! Are you really that naïve, or are you just pretending? I'm the Great Sage Equal to Heaven! If not for the Buddha and Guanyin forcing me into this situation, I wouldn't be here at all. I was left with no choice. If I had it my way, I'd never go on this Journey—I'd live a free and unrestrained life. That's what I truly long for."
But Sun Wukong couldn't simply do as he pleased. What he really wanted was to return to Mount Huaguo and live the life he loved.
Unfortunately, reality was staring him in the face—his head was already under the control of the Tightening-Curse Spell. If he refused to go on the journey, Tang Sanzang would recite the incantation, and his head would be wracked with pain.
That said, he didn't actually harbor resentment toward Tang Sanzang. He knew his master was just a pawn in all this too. The Journey to the West was assigned by Guanyin and the Buddha (Tathagata).
So in his heart, his resentment was directed solely at the Buddha and Guanyin. As for Tang Sanzang, he didn't really hate him.
Ye Tian sensed that Wukong didn't want to continue the Journey to the West. But in his view, the pilgrimage was also a kind of training for Wukong. If he didn't endure the 81 tribulations, how could he ever grow stronger?
So Ye Tian smiled and said, "Disciple, if you want to become stronger, then you must go through hardship. I think this Journey to the West is also a path to power. So don't resist it. Keep going with Tang Sanzang. You may disdain it now, but in time, you'll see that what I said makes perfect sense."
"Master… do you really think this is useful? What I'm doing every day—does it really have any meaning?"
What Wukong wanted was to do something meaningful. He didn't want to waste his days repeating the same things without any growth. That was why he felt so conflicted in his heart.
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