Chapter 52: Two Monkeys Steal Peaches, Queen Mother Wonders About Shi Yue

The Peach Garden is located on the outskirts of the Queen Mother's Jade Pool Celestial Palace. Upon arriving, Shi Yue realized that the Peach Garden wasn't as easily accessible as expected. It was protected by a powerful barrier; attempting to sneak in like in the mortal world would be disastrous even for a Taiyi Celestial Immortal like Shi Yue.

Sun Wukong also sensed this and, before coming, was given a token specifically for entering the Peach Garden. Shi Yue couldn't help but think how thoroughly The Jade Emperor had planned it—any issues would surely fall on Sun Wukong.

However, Sun Wukong didn't seem to consider this problem, only hearing snippets from Shi Yue that piqued his curiosity. As soon as he entered the garden, his eyes lit up.

In the Peach Garden, there were thousands of peach trees, full of blossoming and vibrant colors. Each tree stood nearly thirteen feet tall, with peaches that differed greatly from those at Flower Fruit Mountain. They shone with a crystal-like brilliance and emitted a captivating fragrance that made one feel utterly refreshed, with the sky above adorned with colorful clouds.

Sun Wukong nearly drooled at the sight. Suddenly, the Earth Deity emerged slowly from below, blocking Sun Wukong's path. Known as the God of the Earth for the Peach Garden, he asked, "Great Sage, where are you headed?"

Shi Yue thought it was obvious—having been called Great Sage, his intentions were clear enough. But then, Shi Yue noticed something and paused in shock. Although the Earth Deity appeared to only be at the True Immortal level, using "Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze" revealed his immense power, akin to a Taiyi Golden Immortal! This made Shi Yue cautious about acting rashly.

Sun Wukong suppressed his desire and, with a serious demeanor, answered, "I am appointed by The Jade Emperor to manage this Peach Garden from now on and have come to inspect it today."

Hearing this, the Earth Deity made an exaggerated gesture to step aside. Sun Wukong then asked pompously, "How many peach trees are there?"

Without hesitation, the Earth Deity replied, "There are 3,600 trees. The first 1,200 have small blossoms and fruits, maturing every 3,000 years; consuming them grants immortality and physical strength. The middle 1,200 yield luscious fruits every 6,000 years; consuming them allows one to ascend to heaven and gain eternal youth. The last 1,200, with purple-veined, fragrant fruits, mature every 9,000 years; consuming them grants longevity equal to the heavens."

Shi Yue thought to himself, 'Clearly, this is meant to tempt Sun Wukong!'

Indeed, Sun Wukong's eyes sparkled upon hearing this, and he began circling the Peach Garden, his eyes constantly darting around. One reason was to verify if there were truly that many trees, wary of being deceived by The Jade Emperor. Another reason was simply curiosity.

Simultaneously, Sun Wukong thought, "Since Shi Yue said this is a trap set by The Jade Emperor just for me, wouldn't it be wasteful not to play along? If Shi Yue advised me to follow my heart, and I feel like eating now, surely I can indulge? I wonder if Shi Yue is with me; it wouldn't be enjoyable to feast alone."

With his eyes darting about, Sun Wukong suddenly turned to the Earth Deity and said, "Go and wait outside; I, the Great Sage, wish to rest here for a while undisturbed."

Seeing a hint of amusement flash in the Earth Deity's eyes, he quickly agreed and walked out of the Peach Garden.

Once Sun Wukong was alone, he could no longer resist and immediately picked a peach to devour.

However, just as he was enjoying the fruit, he noticed the largest and reddest peach silently disappearing from a tree not far away. Thinking rapidly, Sun Wukong guessed it was Shi Yue and couldn't help but laugh, calling out, "Shi Yue, come out! I've already spotted you. Let's enjoy these celestial fruits together, my brother."

Shi Yue mentally sighed, not expecting Sun Wukong to watch one peach while eating another. Strangely enough, they had chosen the same peach. He didn't reveal himself but spoke aloud, "This is your opportunity today. I'm simply sharing in your fortune. Be cautious of that Earth Deity; if you manage to take a significant amount, remember to quickly return to Flower Fruit Mountain and prepare the troops with Six Paths. I'll join you soon."

Chuckling, Sun Wukong waved and replied, "Alright, go and enjoy, brother. If it's my fortune, it's yours too. There's no need to distinguish between us. I'm here to watch over things."

Hearing this, Shi Yue ceased speaking further, deciding that as long as everything followed the plan, there was nothing to worry about.

Thus, Sun Wukong spent his first day on the job indulging completely. After returning to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven Mansion and sleeping well, he returned the next day to the Peach Garden to continue feasting, pleased that his brother Shi Yue was also indulging nearby.

Shi Yue, meanwhile, remained in the Peach Garden, transforming the Measuring Sky Staff into a speck of dust below the ground, which further highlighted the Earth Deity's peculiar nature. Upon Sun Wukong's departure, the Earth Deity reappeared, noting the reduced quantity of peaches with amusement and a hint of surprise, making Shi Yue uncertain of his allegiance.

Neither a representative of The Jade Emperor nor the Queen Mother should have reacted that way, showing no gloating or concern over the missing peaches, merely finding it amusing how much Sun Wukong could consume.

Despite his lack of understanding, Shi Yue refrained from revealing himself or interacting with Sun Wukong in the days that followed, focusing solely on eating peaches with as much fervor as Sun Wukong.

In no time, the two of them had devoured all the ripe peaches from over three thousand trees in the garden. Shi Yue discovered that the peaches significantly enhanced his inner power, prompting him to feast vigorously alongside Sun Wukong. His power felt overwhelmingly full, almost on the verge of breaking through to the Taiyi Golden Immortal stage.

Shi Yue couldn't help but feel ecstatic, realizing these peaches were immensely beneficial. Achieving the Taiyi stage usually took tens of thousands of years, even hundreds of thousands. But much like Sun Wukong, when opportunity struck, his cultivation could soar rapidly.

Shi Yue also gained insight into why Sun Wukong would feast so extravagantly during the Peach Banquet. It was like leveling up in a game; every peach was an experience point, bringing him closer to a breakthrough. The sensation was irresistible.

Meanwhile, the Queen Mother of the West was aware of Sun Wukong, knowing him as a Body of Pure Yang. For some reason, despite knowing The Jade Emperor had assigned Sun Wukong to manage her Peach Garden, she made no objection.

Naturally, the Queen Mother surmised that the one bold enough to insult her was likely Sun Wukong's twin brother, the other strange black-haired and black-furred spiritual stone monkey. Though extremely angry, her curiosity grew upon reflection. If Sun Wukong was a Body of Pure Yang, what about this black-furred spiritual stone monkey? How could he be so audacious as to insult her?

Thus, the Queen Mother became interested in both brothers. She watched The Jade Emperor's actions without comment and secretly dispatched aides to gather information. Her curiosity was piqued: how did these two brothers, mere spiritual stone monkeys, only a few hundred years old, gain such abilities so quickly? Especially this black-furred monkey who could infiltrate the Hall of Miraculous Mist and dared to mock her.

The most astonishing and shocking thing for the Queen Mother was that the black-furred stone monkey had managed to escape her clutches and The Jade Emperor's, sparking more curiosity than anger towards Shi Yue.

She might give him a beating or flay him if caught, but she was unlikely to kill Shi Yue outright, particularly as she couldn't determine his destiny. This mystery intrigued her. Who really was he?

Despite the current disarray of destiny, making everything hard to predict accurately, those with great powers understood that there might be an immeasurable catastrophe looming. This is why The Jade Emperor was anxious.

However, the timing of this catastrophe was unpredictable—when it might start and finish was unknown. The Heavenly Court had already lost a Heavenly Official and a Great Deity of the Three Altars of the Oceanic Assembly, indicating the onset of this disaster.

Her investigations showed that the black-furred stone monkey, like his mystical nature, remained in shadows. Beyond knowing his name, Shi Yue, and his mystical golden body power, little else was known, deepening the Queen Mother's curiosity.

With time passing, it became the Queen Mother of the West's birthday, known as the Peach Banquet, celebrated every five thousand years and renowned across the three realms!

During each Peach Banquet, The Heavenly Court takes the opportunity to gather influential beings from the three realms, forging connections with renowned celestials and Buddhas, such as Buddha Tathagata, Bodhisattvas, Arhats from the west, and other key figures like Southern Extreme Guanyin, Sage Emperor of Supreme Grace in the east, Immortal Elder of Ten Continents and Three Islands, Northern Extreme Mysterious Spirit, Central Yellow Pole Grand Immortal Huangjiao, and Ancestral Earth Immortal Zhenyuan Daxian.

Also included are the Five Elders of the Five Directions, the Five Constellation Lords, disciples from the Three Pure Ones of the Upper Eight Caves, Four Emperors of the Heavens, and numerous renowned Taiyi Celestial Immortals like Sacred Sovereigns of the Middle Eight Caves, Nine Ramparts, Ocean Mountain Immortals, as well as Underworld Lords of the Lower Eight Caves and Manifested Earth Immortals. Deities from various palaces and halls all gather for the Peach Banquet.

On this day, in the Jade Pool Celestial Palace, the treasure cabinets were opened wide. The Queen Mother, presiding over the Peach Banquet, ordered her Seven Fairies to pick peaches from the garden.

However, unnoticed by anyone, as soon as the Seven Fairies left, a cold gleam flashed through her phoenix eyes on her flawless, icy face.

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