Wukong was greatly shocked to hear this.
He hurriedly bid farewell to Su Qing, intending to check on the old monkey's condition.
Su Qing hadn't planned to get involved, but she felt that something else might happen today.
So, she decided to follow and see how things unfolded.
Soon, they arrived at the old monkey's dwelling.
The old monkey was gasping for breath, on the verge of death; he had only held on until now because he was waiting for someone to arrive.
Hearing the commotion, the old monkey struggled to sit up, wanting to pay his respects.
However, Wukong stopped him and said, "Just lie there and rest!"
"Great King, your old servant fears he will not survive the day," the old monkey said. "I wanted to assist the Great King for a few more years, but I did not expect my body to fail me now."
Wukong heard this and said, "Military Advisor, do not worry, you shall not die! Before I left home, I said I would seek the Way of Longevity for everyone. Now that I have attained immortality, how can I watch you die like this?"
"Life is governed by fate; how many years one lives is recorded in the Life and Death Ledger. When the time comes, King Yama's Black and White Impermanence will naturally come to collect the soul. How could it be so easy to change?"
"Furthermore, we mountain monkeys have only just gained wisdom. To live to such an age is already considered longevity."
The Military Advisor seemed to be an open-minded monkey, having long since seen through the matter of life and death.
But Wukong said, "Hmph, if King Yama dares to come, I will make sure he never returns! How can the lives of my Flower-Fruit Mountain monkeys be decided by others?"
Wukong was currently at the height of his arrogance and naturally held King Yama in complete contempt.
If anyone dared to intrude, he would simply beat them to death.
This was Wukong's current mindset.
Su Qing watched from the side, thinking to herself, "It looks like King Yama is indeed going to be in trouble."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but look at the old monkey and shook her head slightly.
"However, can erasing a name from the Life and Death Ledger truly save this old monkey's life?"
Su Qing wasn't very sure. After all, she was only a few hundred years old and was still unclear about many hidden rules.
The Jambudvipa World was too vast; one could not understand everything in just a few hundred years.
However, if Wukong wanted to cause a scene in the Underworld, she naturally supported him.
As long as he didn't end up reporting her name at the end, that would be enough.
Just as she was thinking this.
Su Qing suddenly saw two men dressed in official robes walk in. The two of them bowed slightly to Su Qing, then took out a magical treasure to hook the old monkey's soul.
Seeing this, Su Qing silently took a few steps back. She already knew what was about to happen.
If Su Qing could see the Soul-Reapers, Wukong naturally could as well.
Wukong pulled the Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod from his ear and, without a word, smashed it toward the two Soul-Reapers...
Before the two Soul-Reapers could react, they were turned into meat paste... turning into dust and vanishing into thin air.
After Wukong killed the two Soul-Reapers, he gave a cold glance at the spot where they had died and then put away his magical treasure.
"I have startled my Big Sister!"
Su Qing waved her hand. She had seen all sorts of things; how could this count as being startled?
She only said, "It is no matter... what do you plan to do?"
"Naturally, I shall enter the Underworld and erase his name from that Life and Death Ledger!"
Hearing this, Su Qing didn't know if this fellow meant destroying the Life and Death Ledger entirely or just crossing out the monkeys of Flower-Fruit Mountain.
Thus, Su Qing had no choice but to remind him:
"I do not object to you going to the Underworld, but you cannot destroy the Life and Death Ledger. That object concerns all living beings under heaven. If it is destroyed, I fear the Yin and Yang will be thrown into chaos, which would also be disadvantageous for Flower-Fruit Mountain."
Although Su Qing felt that the Life and Death Ledger would not be so easily destroyed, it was better to give a reminder anyway.
After all, the current Wukong was clearly not the Wukong from the original story...
Heaven knows what he might do.
Although Wukong was very agitated, he hadn't lost his head. He would still listen to Su Qing's words, so he asked:
"Then what does Big Sister think?"
"Just erase the names of the Flower-Fruit Mountain monkeys and your own name. As long as the names are not on the Life and Death Ledger, you will not be under the jurisdiction of the Underworld," Su Qing said.
"I understand! I shall go to the Underworld right now!" Wukong nodded after hearing Su Qing's words.
Wukong didn't actually care whether he destroyed the Life and Death Ledger or not, as long as he could ensure his monkey children and grandchildren attained longevity.
Therefore, the monkey would still listen to Su Qing's advice.
After all, his Big Sister would certainly not harm him.
Seeing the monkey nod, Su Qing also said, "In that case, you may go! With me here, it will be enough."
Wukong heard this, performed a hand seal, and sat down cross-legged.
Suddenly, another Wukong emerged from the monkey's body, but this Wukong had no physical form; it was his Primordial Spirit.
The Primordial Spirit performed another hand seal and then dove into the ground, instantly vanishing.
Su Qing was not surprised to see this... after all, they were from the same sect, and she had long since grown accustomed to these techniques.
She simply found a chair to sit on, poured herself a cup of wine, and looked at the gasping old monkey, lost in thought.
After Wukong cast his spell, he had already arrived before a city.
A metal plaque hung at the city gate, with three large characters written on it: "Netherworld"!
Wukong looked up at the plaque, gave a cold snort, and said to himself:
"So this is the Netherworld, the place where King Yama resides? Hmph, it is truly far inferior to my Flower-Fruit Mountain."
Wukong talked to himself as he kicked open the city gate and walked in, causing many small ghosts to flee in panic.
"I wonder where that King Yama actually is... I'll find a ghost to ask first."
After all, this was Wukong's first time in the Netherworld, so he was naturally unfamiliar with the place.
So he grabbed a Soul-Reaper to question: "Little ghost! Tell me, where is King Yama?"
The Soul-Reaper was terrified and had no intention of resisting, hurriedly informing him of King Yama's location.
Having obtained the location, Wukong kicked the Soul-Reaper aside and headed toward the Senluo Hall.
Before long, Wukong arrived outside the Senluo Hall, where the Soul-Reapers stopped him and asked, "What ghost comes here? How dare you trespass into the Senluo Hall!?"
Wukong heard this and didn't waste any words. He pulled the Golden-Hooped Rod from his ear and smashed it toward the two Soul-Reapers.
With a loud crack, the two Soul-Reapers were turned into meat paste.
Wukong ignored everything and marched straight in, scaring many ghosts and monsters so much that they didn't dare to fight back or even move. Only a few generals dared to step forward to block him.
Inside the Senluo Hall, a ghost soldier hurriedly reported:
"Great King! This is bad, this is bad! A hairy-faced fellow with a thunder-god's beak has fought his way in! None of our ghost generals are a match for him!"
The Ten Kings of Hell were all stunned to hear this and hurriedly came out to investigate.
The Ten Kings of Hell saw that Wukong had a fierce appearance and that none of the ghost soldiers or generals could get near him, realizing that this fellow was not easy to deal with.
One of the kings said, "Immortal, please stop! Immortal, please stop! Do not fight, do not fight, let us talk this over."
Wukong heard this and forced back several ghosts, but he did stop and said:
"I am Sun Wukong, a natural-born sage from the Water Curtain Cave of Flower-Fruit Mountain! What official positions do you hold? Are you the ones in charge of this Underworld?"
The ten kings bowed and said, "We are the Ten Kings of Hell, the Emperors of the Underworld. We are King Qin Guang, King Chujiang, King Songdi, King Wuguan, King Yama, King Pingdeng, King Taishan, King Dushi, King Biancheng, and King Zhuanlun."
The Ten Kings of Hell were quite sensible and directly announced their titles.
"So, you are the ones in charge here!"
The ten kings looked at each other but nodded.
Seeing this, Wukong also knew that these ten kings did not dare to fight him, so he said, "Quickly bring the Life and Death Ledger for me to see!"
"This..."
The Life and Death Ledger was naturally not something that could be shown to others casually, so the ten kings were quite hesitant.
Seeing this, Wukong raised the Golden-Hooped Rod and thrust it deep into the ground, causing the Senluo Hall to tremble, and said:
"If you do not bring it, I shall make your souls scatter!"
Seeing this, the Ten Kings of Hell did not dare to say anything more and hurriedly went to fetch the Life and Death Ledger.
"Immortal, please be careful. This Life and Death Ledger is of great importance. If it is damaged, I cannot bear the responsibility..."
King Qin Guang said as he cautiously handed the Life and Death Ledger to Wukong.
Wukong heard this, bared his teeth, and looked at the few thin volumes in his hand, saying:
"Do not worry, I will not destroy your ledgers!"
Hearing this, King Yama breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Why does the Immortal wish to see the ledger?"
Wukong gave a cold laugh, baring his teeth to scare King Yama back.
He didn't waste any more words with them.
He simply began to flip through the Life and Death Ledger.
Wukong flipped through these volumes one by one. He went through several volumes without finding the old monkey's name.
It wasn't until he reached the monkey category that he finally found the old monkey's name.
Under the old monkey's name, it was written: "Should live to an age of three hundred and forty-seven years, a natural death."
Seeing this, Wukong flipped further and suddenly saw his own name.
It was written: "A natural-born Stone Monkey, should live to an age of three hundred and forty-two years, a natural death."
Wukong saw this name and gave a cold laugh, saying, "I have cultivated the Way of Immortality and attained a lifespan equal to heaven and earth. I have transcended the Three Realms and am no longer within the Five Elements. Why is my name still on this ledger?"
After saying that, Wukong raised his rod, ready to strike.
Seeing this situation, King Yama hurriedly said, "Immortal, please calm your anger, please calm your anger! There are many people with the same name in the world; perhaps the Immortal has misread it?"
"How could I not even know my own origin? Hmph, quickly bring me brush and ink; I want to erase this name!"
As Wukong spoke, seeing that the kings were somewhat unwilling, he said:
"If you are unwilling, then I shall destroy this ledger!"
Hearing this, the several Kings of Yama hurriedly stopped him and rushed to bring brush and ink.
Wukong gave a cold laugh, took the brush and ink, and crossed out his own name and the old monkey's name one by one. At the same time, he also crossed out the names of all the monkeys on Flower-Fruit Mountain who had names.
In the end, Wukong felt it wasn't enough. The monkeys' names were gone, but there were still some names that needed to be crossed out.
Thinking of this, he picked up the ledger for feathered creatures, flipped through it, found the names of those few sparrows, and crossed them out as well, while also crossing out the names of several other birds along the way.
Afterward, he picked up the ledger for scaled creatures, intending to find his Big Sister's name.
However, after searching through it once, he actually failed to find the two characters for Su Qing, or the three characters for Su Yingqing, in the scaled category.
His brow furrowed, and he began to search through other volumes.
After a round of searching, although he found several people named Su Qing, they were either from the human race or some strange insects; none of them were the one he was looking for.
As for Su Yingqing, he didn't see a single one.
It was as if Su Qing's name was not recorded in this ledger at all.
The monkey didn't believe it and searched through them again, but still found nothing.
King Yama was extremely anxious as he watched the monkey violently flipping through the Life and Death Ledger, fearing it would be damaged.
So he hurriedly said, "Immortal, Immortal, please be careful, do not damage it. Whose name is the Immortal looking for? I will help the Immortal find it."
Hearing this, Wukong turned to look at King Yama and gave a cold snort, not intending to tell King Yama his Big Sister's name...
But after thinking for a long while, he felt that erasing the name was more important, so he eventually told him the name.
"You are not allowed to go around telling people this person's name. If I find out, I will surely beat you until your soul scatters!" Wukong said coldly.
King Yama was shocked to hear this and hurriedly nodded, not daring to disobey.
However, he couldn't help but ask about the relationship between this person and Wukong.
Wukong only said, "An elder of my family, it has nothing to do with you! Just find it quickly! Do not waste time with useless talk!"
King Yama was terrified and hurriedly nodded, quickly searching for the name.
However, even with the Ten Kings of Hell searching for Su Qing's name together, although they found many people with the same name, none of them were the Su Qing from Flower-Fruit Mountain.
The Ten Kings of Hell were so panicked they were dripping with sweat, saying, "Immortal, Immortal, I fear the person you are looking for is not on our Life and Death Ledger!"
"Not on your Life and Death Ledger?"
"Yes, yes! Not on the Life and Death Ledger!"
Wukong heard this, revealed his weapon, and asked, "Are you trying to trick me?"
"We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare. How could we dare to deceive the Immortal? That person is indeed not on the Life and Death Ledger! We, the Ten Kings of Hell, are the ones most familiar with the Life and Death Ledger. If even we cannot find it, then it is certainly not on it."
Wukong heard this, his eyes blinked, and he said coldly, "If it is not on it, then so be it!"
Seeing this, the Ten Kings of Hell all breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Does the Immortal have any other business?"
"Nothing else. The account is settled, so I shall not beat you anymore!" Wukong threw the ledger back into King Yama's hands, then performed a hand seal and vanished.
After Wukong left, the Ten Kings of Hell discussed among themselves and went together to the Cuiyun Palace to pay their respects to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
They prepared to submit a formal report to the heavens to file a complaint against the monkey.
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva: "..."
After Wukong left the Netherworld, he went straight back into his body on Flower-Fruit Mountain.
His body gave a shake, and he jumped up.
Su Qing was sitting to the side watching. Seeing him wake up, she asked, "How did it go?"
"I have not failed my mission! I have already removed the names of the Flower-Fruit Mountain monkeys from the Life and Death Ledger. I also helped Big Sister erase the names of those few fat sparrows along the way."
Wukong said with a chuckle:
"It's just that when I was thinking of helping Big Sister erase her name... I couldn't find Big Sister's name no matter how I searched. I suppose Big Sister's name has long since been removed from the Life and Death Ledger."
Su Qing heard this, rubbed her chin, and said, "It is no matter. I have already attained longevity; whether it is on there or not does not affect anything. You should first go and see how that old monkey is doing."
Wukong heard this and only then remembered the old monkey.
Walking over to take a look, he saw that the old monkey had returned to his state from yesterday.
Although he was very old, he would not die.
Seeing this, Su Qing looked at the old monkey and thought to herself, "Is this truly a good thing for that old monkey?"
Su Qing shook her head and turned to leave.
"I must teach those little fellows to cultivate diligently. Without a matching level of cultivation, I fear that even if their names are removed, it will not be of much use."
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