144: Word Puzzle

Many immortals, deities, demons, and devils possess the ability to foresee the future, with some even able to see what will happen days or even decades later.

However, only those who are proficient in divination and exceptionally talented can see into the distant future like Maitreya.

And even a Master like him can only discern the general outline of the future, which is to say, a rough idea or the main direction the future will take.

“Where it came from, it must return.” Although ambiguous, it still made Tang Ku think a lot.

“Wu Neng was originally Marshal Tianpeng, in charge of the 100,000 celestial soldiers of the Heavenly River. Logically, his original place of origin should be in the Heavenly Court, but now that the Heavenly Court is gone, he shouldn’t be there… So it must be the place after his reincarnation… Is it Cloud Stack Cave in Fuling Mountain? Or Gao Family Village? But… these two places don’t seem to have any connection to the word ‘Wu’!”

Tang Ku murmured to himself, stroking his chin.

“Master, have you forgotten? Senior Brother once took us to visit Zen Master Wuchao. Could this ‘Wu’ refer to him?” Ao Lie mused.

“Hmm, that’s possible…” Tang Ku pondered for a moment, then suddenly said helplessly, “Since things have come to this, we can only go to Wuchao to take a look…”

“Wait, Wuchao?” Tang Ku suddenly remembered something.

The name Pigsy was given to Old Pig by Sun Wukong after he was subdued, and the paper Mahasthamaprapta gave him did not say Pig Wuneng or Pig Ganglie, but Pigsy.

In chronological order, Pig Ganglie and Pig Wuneng came first. If the phrase “Where it came from, it must return” referred to these two names, then it would undoubtedly refer to Cloud Stack Cave.

But, it specifically said Pigsy… So, in order of precedence, the phrase “Where it came from, it must return” very likely means returning to Gao Family Village.

However, what connection does Gao Family Village have with the word “Wu”? Is it saying that the soil in Gao Family Village is black and fertile? Old Pig once tilled the land for him, doing the work of dozens of people, so it’s not impossible for the land to become more fertile, but wouldn’t that be too far-fetched?

“…Ao Lie, I ask you, do you still remember if there was anything in Gao Family Village related to the word ‘Wu’ back then? For example, what was the name of that town, what was the name of that county, and so on…” Tang Ku asked Ao Lie.

“This… Disciple is not clear. I only remember that someone named Gao Cai… once told you that it was… uh… uh uh uh uh uh…” Ao Lie rolled his eyes as if he was choked, and after a long while, he finally burst into tears, “Hungry… want candy!”

Tang Ku slapped his forehead, looking utterly dejected: “Damn it, it just had to be at this moment…”

Everyone in the room almost couldn’t hold back their laughter.

“Has the Holy Monk returned?” A voice suddenly came from the doorway. Tang Ku recognized it as Zhang Anan, the chief eunuch. He hurried to the door, clasped his hands together and said, “I am here, I am here. Chief, have you come here with a message from Your Majesty?”

“Heh heh, no, no. The day after tomorrow is Your Highness the Crown Prince’s ascension to the throne. At that time, we would like to ask the Holy Monk to ascend the altar to pray for the new Emperor. This is a list of envoys from various countries who will be coming to offer congratulations. Your Majesty asked me to bring it for the Holy Monk to review!” Zhang Anan bowed respectfully and handed a scroll of golden silk to Tang Ku, smiling.

“Thank you for your trouble… Hmm, is it appropriate for an outsider like me to see this list?” Tang Ku suddenly thought that this matter seemed to involve secrets and couldn’t help but ask an extra question.

“Appropriate, of course appropriate… Every minister in the court has a copy of these lists, and Mr. Yuan of Qintian Prison also has a copy. Of course, besides asking the Holy Monk to pray, we also need to trouble you and Mr. Yuan with one thing, which is to prevent any evil spirits or other uncontrollable things from mixing among these people… Heh heh, you should know the specifics!” Zhang Anan said, making his point without elaborating.

Tang Ku knew in his heart that this was out of fear that someone might use strange methods to disrupt the ascension ceremony. He immediately nodded and said, “Please tell the Chief to report back that with us here, no evil spirits would dare to approach. Please tell Your Majesty to rest assured!”

“Heh heh, in that case, I will go back and report. Holy Monk, please stay!” Zhang Anan rode his horse alone. Although he was a eunuch, he was skilled in archery and horsemanship, and was well-versed in both civil and military arts. Therefore, Li Shimin entrusted many matters to him with confidence, and he acted decisively and efficiently, unlike those Yin and Yang people who were neither male nor female and made people uncomfortable. That’s why Tang Ku, the Holy Monk, always held him in high regard!

Without further ado, Tang Ku unfolded the list and knew that everyone on it should be under surveillance.

“Envoy Andabuli from the Uyghur Kingdom, Envoy Tiemuhan from the Gaochang Kingdom, Envoy Buche from the Karahan Kingdom, Envoy Fang Wen from Jisai Kingdom, Envoy He Yu from the Xiliang Kingdom, Envoy Tan Wu from Wuji Kingdom, Envoy Jiang Qin from Baoxiang Kingdom, Envoy Gao Xu from Ü-Tsang… Ü-Tsang… Holy crap!”

Tang Ku almost jumped up, exclaiming, “Ü-Tsang, Ü-Tsang… Damn it, how could I not have thought of it… Gao Family Village is right in this Ü-Tsang!”

“…This place is on the border of Ü-Tsang, called Gao Family Village. More than half of the households in the village are surnamed Gao, hence it is called Gao Family Village…”

In the original text of journey to the west, when Gao Cai told Sun Wukong the place name, he said it exactly like this.

“Pigsy, Wu… Where it came from, it must return… Heh heh, alright, this riddle still holds true after all this circling…” Tang Ku smiled bitterly and helplessly, “You know, Mahasthamaprapta is really something. If he had just written ‘Gao’, I would have known directly, wouldn’t I?”

Everyone heard him cursing and came out to look. Brick looked at the cloth in Tang Ku’s hand, curiously examined it for a moment, then opened his mouth to bite it, but Tang Ku slapped his hand away and then said, “Hmm, I need to go to the Gao Family Village area in Ü-Tsang as soon as possible. You keep this list. I will rush back as soon as possible to attend the ascension ceremony. If I don’t make it in time… you must help me take care of things…”

“Holy Monk, rest assured. My wife and I have received your great kindness, so you can leave this matter to us!” Princess Iron Fan pulled Old Bull, and Bull Demon King nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Nezha said, “This young Master has been bored these past few days. If there are any demons or monsters, it would be perfect…” Nezha rubbed his fists together, eager for a fight.

Tang Ku looked at Wu Zhen, and saw the beautiful nun stroking Ao Lie’s head, smiling, “Master, don’t worry, I will take good care of Senior Brother.”

Shi Jingmo frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, “Master, I will go with you!”

“No need!” Tang Ku suddenly glanced at Brick and smiled, “This guy eats all day and then sleeps. It’s about time for him to go out and wander around…”

Brick looked at Tang Ku’s ill-intentioned smile as if a great disaster was imminent, then suddenly knelt on his hind legs and kowtowed, “Mercy!”