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墨書 Inktalez
He leaped down from the Ten Thousand Mirrors Pavilion, the rushing wind whistling past his ears, yet it could not dispel the lingering gloom in his heart. This Green World, bizarre and surreal, felt even more suffocating than the fiery mountains. Just moments ago, the words of his true god echoed in his ears, each sentence like thunder, stirring his very insides. It turned out that such hidden and powerful forces existed in this world, manipulating them like mere pawns, deciding life and death with a casual laugh. He had once thought that his ruckus in the Heavenly Palace was a display of freedom and joy, but in the end, he was merely a piece on someone else's chessboard, at their mercy.
He paused before a palace, looking up to see the three bold characters of "Jie Gua Palace," their strokes sharp and exuding an eerie aura. The ornate doors were lavishly decorated but felt overwhelmingly oppressive. The two crimson doors stood tightly closed; one depicted tumultuous waves while the other illustrated an unfathomable marsh, as if they were ready to swallow him whole. Flanking the doors were couplets inscribed with:
"Do not leave home, do not step outside, perilous land and perilous sky.
For the maiden, for words and tongues, sweet restraint and bitter endurance."
The words were filled with an inscrutable mystery that seemed to mock his arrogance.
He recalled the invisible red thread and the old monk's meaningful smile, feeling a sense of doubt. This Jie Gua Palace surely concealed secrets; he could not rush in recklessly. He decided to suppress his impatience and explore the surroundings first, to ascertain the truth before making any plans. After all, he was no longer that fearless Stone Monkey from years past; there were some things he could not afford to lose.
He circled around to the east side, where the slanting sun painted a dilapidated earthen wall in a bleak hue. On that wall hung a tattered piece of paper, as if it might be blown away by the wind at any moment. The paper had been soaked by rain countless times; its writing was now blurred and seemed to have been smeared with blood and tears. Wu Kong leaned closer to examine it; it was densely filled with accounts of Jie Gua Palace's construction expenses. Each entry of wages and every number felt like a sharp knife stabbing painfully at his eyes.
In the palace of the hexagram, there were sixty-four rooms, resplendent with gold and jade, consuming untold silver. Those carpenters, masons, and laborers had built this luxurious palace with their sweat and lives only to receive meager wages that were often withheld. Wu Kong seemed to see their hunched figures laboring under the scorching sun or shivering in the cold wind; their faces were etched with exhaustion and numbness, devoid of any glimmer of hope.
Looking further down, he saw another sixty-four rooms in the palace of Qian; this place had once hosted a wedding for Little Moon King’s sworn brother. The bride was named Lady Emerald Cord—a ridiculous name indeed. Just because of an argument on their wedding night, Little Moon King vented his anger on the workers by withholding their pay under the pretext of "satisfying his grievances." Wu Kong could almost hear those workers' pleas as they awaited their return home to their families who desperately needed support; yet what awaited them was perhaps only despair.
In every palace—Kun Palace and Tai Palace—each corner was soaked in the blood and tears of craftsmen; every account was filled with injustice and sin.
In Zhi Fei Palace alone, Little Moon King's bedroom was called "The Azure Room," boasting no less than fifteen thousand chambers! Do not think this is a typographical error or mere fabrication from storytellers; each room was constructed from millennia-old cold jade from Kunlun Mountain—warm in winter and cool in summer—a luxury beyond what emperors could dream of. Yet Little Moon King chose to use it as a bedroom and still found it insufficiently grand.
Now Little Moon King intended to add another mirror tower; do you wonder why? Recently, many worlds had inexplicably emerged within this realm. From Head Wind World came forth a small world named Time Literature World filled with pretentious literati composing poetry and claiming elegance; from Jing Lai World emerged Red Makeup World reeking of perfume with endless songs and dances—who knew what absurd play they were staging? In Lotus World alone sprouted Burning Books World where fierce flames consumed ancient texts; each crackle sounded as words turned to smoke drifting into nothingness. Besides these new worlds springing up like bamboo shoots after rain, there were countless others emerging endlessly. The original Knot of Confusion within Ten Thousand Mirrors Pavilion had become overcrowded; hence they needed to construct another Ten Thousand Mirrors Pavilion within Jie Gua Palace for accommodation.
Wu Kong felt a cold laugh rising in his heart. This Little Moon King certainly had a grand display! In his eyes, the cycle of life and death, the myriad things of the world, were nothing more than fleeting illusions, mere playthings for his amusement. Did he ever consider those worlds he toyed with and discarded so casually? The people within those worlds, their joys and sorrows, their loves and separations—what did they mean to him?
Tomorrow, various artisans would enter the palace to begin their work, each one trembling with fear, as if walking on thin ice. This was no easy task; a single misstep could lead to losing one’s head. But what choice did they have? For the sake of a meager living and their families, they had to bow their heads and submit.
For the construction of the Mirror Tower, wages would be distributed according to the old custom: carpenters would receive five million five thousand taels, stonemasons four million taels, and miscellaneous workers one hundred eighty-eight thousand taels and five cents. Just listen to those numbers—they sound detailed enough, but how much of that would actually reach the hands of these workers? It would all be siphoned off by corrupt officials, layer upon layer of exploitation filling their own pockets!
The Wanderer was dazzled by the spectacle, feeling overwhelmed by the sixty palaces behind him. He decided to employ a technique known as "Huaisu's View," sweeping his gaze across everything in haste.
After taking a look, this monkey couldn't help but mutter to himself, “I, Lao Sun, have seen the Heavenly Palace and the Isle of Penglai, yet I have never encountered such grandeur! The Sixty-Four Trigrams Palace is still not enough; within each hexagram lies another Sixty-Four Trigrams Palace. Even within each hexagram are more Sixty-Four Hexagrams! Such sights are not limited to just one place; there are at least twelve more! Truly unheard of and unseen! Who is this Little Moon King that possesses such earth-shattering power?”
Little did he know that this Little Moon King was merely a manifestation of resentment in this world. The worlds he created were nothing but reflections of his own obsessions. He craved power and control over everything; thus, he fashioned countless worlds for himself as the supreme ruler. He feared loneliness and being forgotten, which drove him to continually create new worlds to attract attention.
Wu Kong found this Little Moon King both pitiable and detestable. He could have experienced life like an ordinary person, feeling its myriad facets and the warmth and coldness of the world. Yet he chose this irreversible path, imprisoning himself in endless desires with no hope for rebirth.
This monkey had proclaimed himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven but now appeared like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world. Staring at the opulence of these sixty-four heavens left him dumbfounded. He had no idea that this Little Moon King was just a pitiful creature attempting to fill his inner void with hollow splendor.
Wu Kong scoffed; who among all beings could truly escape the cage of desire? He casually grabbed a handful of fur and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it before spitting out a puff of celestial energy. “Transform!” In an instant, countless little monkeys with furry faces and thunderous mouths appeared out of nowhere, jumping around chaotically like a swarm of disturbed hornets. Without even lifting his eyelids, Wu Kong lazily commanded, “Be sharp! Go look around! If you find anything rare or interesting, remember to come back and report. Don’t just enjoy yourselves and forget about your duties!” The little monkeys received their orders and charged off in all directions like they had been given a shot of adrenaline, disappearing without a trace in no time at all.
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