Journey to the West: Demon Emperor: Beginning as a Little Toad

Chapter 579 A man won’t shed tears easily

Wu Gang looked at Xiao Chen and asked in surprise:

"So, Captain Yang is also skilled in axe fighting, just like me?"

Xiao Chen smiled upon hearing this, and took the opportunity to praise Wu Gang's skill with his axe:

"The axe is a heavy weapon, wielded by Pangu, the great god who created the world, and is truly the supreme of all weapons!"

"When I saw the general wielding his axe, splitting mountains and splitting trees, the axe light was like a cascading river of stars, implying the supreme demeanor of the great god Pangu at the beginning of chaos, which filled me with awe and longing."

"Therefore, suddenly, I felt a longing and wanted to emulate General Wu and find a suitable axe so as not to waste my brute strength."

In this world, if you say a few nice things, you can basically win over 50% of people.

If you say some nice things and give them some gifts, you can win over about 70% of people.

"Say things that appeal to their tastes" and "offer just the right amount of benefits" and you can win over 99% of people.

If you can handle 99% of people, you don't need to worry about the remaining 1%.

You can't handle it.

Anyway, saying nice things won't hurt King Golden Horn in the slightest, so why not go with the flow and give it a try?

If you ask someone for a favor, you neither say nice things nor give them gifts, but just have a bitter face and open your mouth without asking, you expect them to do it for you.
Who would do things for you if you're not related to them?
Why should I do anything for you?
Then we have no choice but to follow the "rules".

Sometimes:
"I can do without it, but you can't refuse to give it to me."

this is the truth.

A keen understanding of human relationships is the essence of literature; a keen insight into the ways of the world is the essence of knowledge.

The journey westward is 108,000 li long, and every step is filled with human relationships and worldly wisdom.

If one only knows how to be brave and fierce, fighting and killing, and does not understand human relationships and social customs, then one is nothing more than a brute who will not be able to move an inch.

If one does not understand human relationships, even if one reaches the sacred mountain, it will be difficult to obtain the true scriptures.

After all, even Buddha needs people to serve him in order to show his piety.

……

Pangu, the great god, split the heavens with an axe, thus becoming the ancestor of axe-wielding art.

Xiao Chen's words actually compared "Wu Gang's Axe Technique" with "Pangu's Axe Technique," and he even said that he was moved by the momentum of splitting mountains and breaking peaks, and felt a longing for it.

Such praise is truly excessive.

Upon hearing the name "Pangu," Wu Gang grinned, his rugged face softening instantly.

Wu Gang gently patted the "Moon Palace Chopping Laurel Axe" at his waist, a weapon that had retained its luster for millennia, and declared with boundless pride:
"Very well! Since we are kindred spirits, and you are willing to use the axe, I will certainly lend a hand!"

“I do know that there are several primordial laurel trees in this laurel palace, which would be perfect for making axe handles.”

Xiao Chen was overjoyed upon hearing this.

Wu Gang spent countless years chopping down the cassia tree in the moon palace, and he knew the cassia palace as well as the lines on the palm of his hand.

Immediately, Xiao Chen said:

"Thank you for your trouble, General Wu."

"I still have a few jugs of imperial wine here, which were personally bestowed by the Jade Emperor at the An Tian Assembly. They are rare and exquisite wines in the Three Realms."

"If I obtain a suitable piece of cassia wood, I will certainly present it to you as a token of my gratitude."

The Queen Mother of the West has peaches of immortality that can prolong life, and Lao Tzu has the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir that can enhance supernatural powers.

The Jade Emperor, on the other hand, would offer imperial wine to reward his meritorious officials.

At the Heavenly Peace Assembly, most of the attendees were meritorious individuals who guarded the Lingxiao Palace and protected the Jade Emperor.

At this point, the Jade Emperor naturally couldn't be stingy.

He obtained a large quantity of the Jade Emperor's imperial wine to reward the generals and soldiers from all sides.

Xiao Chen also managed to smuggle a few bottles of the Jade Emperor's Imperial Wine at the An Tian Conference.

Most men in ancient times were fond of drinking, especially military generals.

The "Jade Emperor's Imperial Wine" is considered the "Number One Wine in the Three Realms," and can only be tasted at special banquets or when bestowed by the Jade Emperor.

Upon hearing the name "Jade Emperor's Imperial Wine," Wu Gang's appetite was greatly aroused. Without hesitation, he laughed heartily and patted his chest, saying:

"Haha, leave this to me."

“I will certainly help Brother Yang choose a satisfactory axe handle.”

Say it.

Wu Gang nodded slightly, turned his gaze to the fairy Su'e beside him, and said:
"Fairy Su'e, the path ahead is rugged and difficult to traverse. When you are felling trees, there may be stardust and cassia branches flying everywhere, which may soil your beautiful clothes."

"I will take Brother Yang there alone. Fairy, please wait here to avoid any mishaps."

Upon hearing this, Fairy Su'e understood that Wu Gang thought she was the "eyes and ears" of the Moon Goddess and wanted to send her away so he could "instruct" Xiao Chen alone.

She smiled, said nothing more, but looked at Xiao Chen with a meaningful look in her eyes, as if to say:

Don't forget our promise.

Xiao Chen nodded subtly, meaning:

I will give you an explanation.

At this moment, silence speaks louder than words; everything is understood without being spoken.

Fairy Su'e then gave an elegant bow, her figure transforming into a stream of light and disappearing into the cold mist of the moon.

Subsequently.

Wu Gang strode forward, using his movement technique, heading straight for a corner of Guilin.

Xiao Chen naturally followed closely behind, not daring to slack off in the slightest, for fear of missing this rare opportunity.

The silvery moonlight beneath their feet gradually thinned, and the terrain became increasingly rugged and uneven.

It went on for a while.

Wu Gang stopped and said:
"Brother Yang, we've arrived."

Xiao Chen looked ahead.

The scenery ahead was quite different from anywhere else.

In the middle of a forest, dozens of broken giant trees stood out conspicuously, appearing particularly out of place!

Compared to the towering, lush laurel trees surrounding it, this place is a woodland that seems to have endured countless calamities.

The tree roots are deeply embedded in the fertile soil of the moon, but the broken trunk, like a giant black iron spear snapped by immense force, points diagonally towards the deep sky.

The cross-section is rough and uneven, as if it has been eroded by countless ages, forming a stark contrast with the vibrant mother tree around it, adding to its desolate and tragic atmosphere.

It is clear.

The natural laurel forest before us is a "broken forest".

Seeing this, Xiao Chen was surprised and couldn't help but ask:
"Brother Wu Gang, why haven't these laurel trees you chopped down grown back yet?"

With a solemn expression, Wu Gang strode to a broken stump. His large, rough hands gently caressed the jagged edges of the broken stump, his movements carrying a strange sense of awe.

He smiled, pointed to the sky and the earth, and said:
"This innate cassia tree was not felled by me, nor was it created by heavenly fire or lightning."

"Their wounds stem from the catastrophe at the beginning of creation."

"It was done by the great god who created the world."

"Pangu?"

Xiao Chen's heart skipped a beat, and his gaze fell once again on the desolate broken wood.

Wu Gang nodded slightly and then explained:
"Perhaps, more accurately, this primordial cassia tree is the result of the residual power of the Great God Pangu in creating the world."

"At that time, after the great god Pangu created the world, he died from exhaustion and his body transformed into all things."

"Its breath becomes wind and clouds, its voice becomes thunder, its teeth and bones become metal and stone, its left eye becomes the sun, and its right eye becomes the moon..."

"The Taiyin Star where we are now is the embodiment of the divine essence of the Father God's right eye."

"And the eyelashes on the right eye transformed into this natural laurel forest."

"In ancient times..."

At this point, Wu Gang paused, his expression complex.

His face held both the warmth of reminiscing about the past and a lingering bitterness.

Wu Gang slowly began to speak:

"Captain Yang, do you know why I am here in the Moon Palace chopping down the cassia tree?"

Observing Wu Gang's expression, Xiao Chen calmly took out two flasks of "Jade Emperor's Imperial Wine" from his Ruyi Treasure Pouch. He handed one flask to Wu Gang and kept the other for himself, saying:
"Brother Wu Gang, come, let's drink!"

"With this divine wine, it's good to reminisce about the past."

The rich, intoxicating aroma of the wine instantly filled the air, enveloping the surroundings.

A glint flashed in Wu Gang's eyes. He snatched the wine jug, uncorked it, and took a big gulp.

The strong liquor went down his throat, scalding hot like lava, seemingly soothing his deep-seated sorrow. He let out a long sigh, his voice low and heavy with alcohol:

"Good wine! Delicious! Brother Yang is truly a wonderful person..."

Fueled by alcohol, memories buried for millennia burst forth like a floodgate being opened.

"In ancient times."

"Bo Ling, grandson of Emperor Yan..."

Wu Gang seemed to have something stuck in his throat, and his eyes blazed with anger that time could not completely erase and deep-seated humiliation.

"Grandson of Emperor Yan? A descendant of the Human Emperor?"

Xiao Chen's expression was solemn.

The bloodline of the Human Emperor held a transcendent and extraordinary position in ancient times.

"That's Emperor Yan's grandson!"

Wu Gang gritted his teeth and said:
"Bo Ling took advantage of my absence while I was seeking immortality and enlightenment to have an affair with my wife!"

"When I returned home, I stumbled upon his shameful affair with my wife. I was consumed by rage, and with one blow of my axe, I ended the life of that 'nobleman of the human realm' who had so humiliated me!"

As he spoke, his knuckles turned white from gripping the wine jug so tightly that his bronze face twitched violently with anger and grief.

"The grandson of Emperor Yan...that's the bloodline of the Human Emperor!"

He took a big gulp of wine, the liquid dripping down his tangled beard and soaking his clothes.

Wu Gang's words were filled with endless desolation and resentment:

"And I am nothing but a crude and vulgar warrior."

"Killing for life is a matter of course."

"Even though I have suffered countless humiliations, I killed the grandson of Emperor Yan. How could Emperor Yan tolerate me?"

“My actions have angered Emperor Yan.”

"The Yan Emperor then banished me to this Moon Palace and punished me with the eternal punishment of chopping down the cassia tree! I will serve in hard labor forever, until I die."

"Unless the laurel tree is completely felled, one cannot leave the Moon Palace."

"From then on, I was demoted by the Human Emperor and abandoned by the human race."

The humiliation of ten thousand years, the despair of having nowhere to go, and the pain of being exiled by the entire tribe erupted from this towering man.

Tears, like beads from a broken string, mingled with the strong smell of alcohol and slid down her cheeks.

Wu Gang said sadly:
"Ha... The world is vast, and there is no place for me among the human race; my clan has been wiped out, my family destroyed, and my bloodline severed. What difference is there between this prison and that wilderness for me?"

"From now on, I have neither a country nor a home..."

"In this vast world, is there even an inch of space for me, Wu Gang, to stand?!"

At this point, Wu Gang was overcome with emotion, recalling the past, and tears streamed down his face.

"Hey……"

He tilted his head back and poured all the wine in the flask down his throat. The spiciness and bitterness burned together, eventually turning into a long and suppressed sigh.

The man did not shed tears, but he did not go to the sad place.

This scene is truly heartbreaking.

"Hey……"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen also sighed deeply, his heart filled with countless emotions.

This matter is somewhat complicated.

This Yan Emperor, also known as Yan Huang, was one of the three ancient emperors of the human race. He was revered as the "Earth Emperor" and his fame was renowned and unparalleled throughout history.

According to the "Classic of Mountains and Seas: Classic of the Seas Within":
"Bo Ling, grandson of Emperor Yan, was married to A Nu Yuan Fu, wife of Wu Quan (Wu Gang)..."

The word "同" here means "to have sexual relations".

This refers to an illegal marital relationship.

The matter is roughly as follows:
Wu Gang, also known as Wu Quan, was ambitious at the time. He went away to study mathematics for three years, leaving his wife Yuanfu at home. He planned to return after completing his studies and make a name for himself.

Unexpectedly, Bo Ling, the grandson of Emperor Yan, was a womanizer and had a fondness for other men's wives. Taking advantage of Wu Gang's absence from home, he harbored wicked thoughts and had an affair with Wu Gang's wife, Yuan Fu.

To do such a shameful thing is truly against human ethics and morals.

You say, your wife is having an affair and you've been cuckolded. What kind of man could swallow such a disgrace?

Who can suppress this anger?

When Wu Gang returned, he discovered that his wife was having an affair with Bo Ling. Enraged, he killed the adulterer Bo Ling with a single blow of his axe.

However, Bo Ling was, after all, the grandson of Emperor Yan, a descendant of the human emperor, and could not be allowed to be killed at will by others.

Murderers must pay with their lives.

Wu Gang was therefore sentenced to life imprisonment by Emperor Yan, and punished with the task of chopping down the cassia tree, forcing him to perform labor for eternity without any chance of release.

Although, later, the Jade Emperor ascended the throne and took control of the Heavenly Court.

However, this matter was decided by the Emperor.

Although the Jade Emperor is the ruler of Heaven, he would not offend the Human Emperor of the Fire Cloud Cave for the sake of a human named Wu Gang.

After all, the Human Emperor held immense prestige and power in the Three Realms, and the Jade Emperor was unwilling to easily antagonize him.

Thus, Wu Gang's life imprisonment continued indefinitely. Day after day, year after year, he chopped down the ever-growing cassia tree, becoming an eternal prisoner of the cassia palace in the moon.

As the saying goes:
"Men, cry, it's not a sin. Let them taste the long-lost flavor of tears."

……

A wife having an affair is the most heartbreaking thing for a man.

However, this matter involves the bloodline of the emperor and ethical norms, and the rights and wrongs of the matter have long been buried in the river of time and are difficult to judge.

Xiao Chen could offer no words of comfort, and could only drink some wine with Wu Gang.

He raised his wine flask and clinked it against Wu Gang's, saying:
"Brother Wu Gang, the past is like smoke, all gone now. Let's drink this cup of bitter wine!"

"What a bitter drink! Come on, drink up!"

Wu Gang held up the wine flask, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp, as if trying to pour all the bitterness in his heart into the strong wine.

After a long time.

The strong liquor burned like fire as it went down his throat, yet it also seemed to give Wu Gang a bit of courage to relieve his pain and helplessness, allowing him to temporarily forget the pain and helplessness in his heart.

Wu Gang pointed to that section of Guilin, then changed the subject, returning to the main point, his voice regaining some of its composure:
"Let's get back to this point."

"I am here in the cassia palace, chopping cassia trees all day long, unaware of how many years have passed."

"This innate laurel tree is an innate spiritual root transformed from the origin of the Taiyin spiritual vein. It grows and thrives in symbiosis with the essence of the moon. Nourished by divine power, it is naturally endowed with the supernatural power of immortality."

"Ordinary knives and axes are like tickling to it; the wounds heal instantly, and the axe marks close up as soon as they are swung. It is truly miraculous."

"Even after being cut down, this innate laurel tree can absorb the essence of the moon and revive, just like the moon waxing and waning, which is a natural phenomenon."

"But this fragment of Guilin still exists here."

"No one knows why it exists, nor can anyone unravel its mysteries. It seems as if it was meant to be here, witnessing the vicissitudes of the Moon Palace."

"When I first came to the Moon Palace, I was unable to cut down these innate laurel trees. Although I felt unwilling and helpless, there was nothing I could do."

"I feel that fate is too cruel to me, trapping me in this endless predicament from which I cannot escape."

Wu Gang paused, sighed softly, and then said:
However, things are unpredictable.

"Fortune may be the harbinger of misfortune, and misfortune may be the harbinger of fortune

"As I spent my days felling cassia trees, countless years passed by in a flash. My family has been felling trees here for ten thousand years, and my axe skills have improved day and night, reaching an indescribable level."

"My ax skills are perfect!"

"One day, my mind was clear and I suddenly felt something, as if someone was guiding me from the shadows. The axe was able to cut down the primordial laurel tree."

"Through these broken pieces of wood, I 'saw' the scene at the beginning of chaos!"

"The scene was like a dream, yet incredibly real, making me feel as if I had traveled through time and space to the beginning of the primordial chaos."

"I witnessed the moment when the Father God Pangu created the world!"

"When chaos collapsed, the clear and the turbid were first separated, heaven and earth were first created, and all things began to be born!"

Wu Gang's eyes gleamed with excitement, as if he had traveled through time and space, and was once again placed in that era of primordial chaos and the beginning of creation, personally witnessing that great moment.

"It was at that moment that I finally understood the origins of this 'Broken Laurel Forest'!"

After Wu Gang finished speaking, he paused slightly, a look of shock flashing in his eyes, as if the scene was too astonishing to be true and made his heart tremble.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen's heart stirred, and he asked:
"Brother Wu Gang, what exactly did you see?"

"Appreciate further details."

(End of this chapter)