Chapter 11: The Heaven Measuring Staff Appears; Shi Yue Trapped at the Volcano's Base

Shi Yue could deeply feel Sun Wukong's emotions—sadness, anger, confusion, reluctance, homesickness for Flower-Fruit Mountain, and a vast reservoir of resentment.

Sun Wukong couldn't comprehend why he was expelled for a minor mistake, barred even from mentioning Bodhi as his master. Departing in such anger helped explain his reckless future, emboldened by defiance until he was ultimately trapped beneath Five Elements Mountain.

Perhaps he wanted to prove something to Bodhi, like a rebellious youth declaring independence—"See, I can thrive without you!" He strove to prove himself against the heavens, leading to inevitable disaster.

Shi Yue audibly kneeled before Bodhi, "Master, I have questions. I beg your wisdom."

Bodhi's voice was calm, "Speak."

"Master, your divine abilities are unrivaled. Surely you see my brother's future? I was born knowing my name and sharing insights, sensing his looming hardship. Yet my brother travels unaware of his fate—could you enlighten him?"

A persistent calm persisted in Bodhi's response, "I know not."

Shi Yue's heart surged with excitement; if Bodhi couldn't foresee Shi Yue's path, perhaps no deity could, provoking him to risk another utterance. "Have you considered why my brother acts with abandon—possibly fueled by today's expulsion? This same drive leads to disaster."

Bodhi's expression remained unchanged, indifferent, "He will learn."

Bodhi's vagueness deterred Shi Yue's pressing inquiries, leaving Feng Nu astonished at his daring dialogue, shaken by Bodhi's uncertainty regarding Shi Yue's future, complicating her perceptions of him.

"Master, is my brother still your disciple?" Shi Yue dared.

"Yes," Bodhi answered unhesitatingly.

The answer surprised Shi Yue and Feng Nu, filling them with hope. Feng Nu interrupted clear-eyed, "Then why must—"

Unfinished, her question mirrored Shi Yue's understanding, yet Bodhi offered no explanation, simply stating, "He will learn."

Shi Yue ventured further, "Master, if my brother remains, is his life truly in danger?"

"Yes," Bodhi confirmed.

Feng Nu fell silent, stunned, while Shi Yue pressed on, "Will I similarly face danger if I speak your name?"

Bodhi paused before replying, "Your life would be at risk."

Feng Nu trembled, wide-eyed, intuition clarifying as she asked, "Master, would you have us not remain here?"

"Yes," Bodhi affirmed.

With a sweep of Bodhi's sleeve, the other disciples vanished as starry specks absorbed into him. Feng Nu was taken aback, but Shi Yue, anticipating this, realized the others served minimal roles akin to silent bystanders.

Melancholy settled over him, and he asked, "Upon leaving today, may I no longer see you, Master?"

"Sometime, perhaps never," Bodhi murmured.

Feng Nu knelt, tears falling, "Master."

Shi Yue, steeling himself for the loss, said, "Master, I've yet to harbor any grand powers. I've only refined the Heaven Measuring Ruler over a year—how shall I survive beyond?"

This was a final attempt to extract wisdom, words inciting Feng Nu's ire, "You are a Golden Immortal! The world awaits, what is there to fear? If unafraid, come with me."

Shi Yue mused, wishing such, but to serve Feng Nu's whim would be servitude intolerable—there must be more.

Bodhi regarded Shi Yue, "For someone cunning, you speak truthfully. Relinquish your ruler to me."

Feng Nu watched wide-eyed, wondering if Bodhi considered giving Shi Yue another gift. She shot him a sharp look as Shi Yue sheepishly retrieved a black staff shimmering in purple aura from his ear.

Bodhi softly noted its presence, wiping the staff to reveal its true form, purifying the aura as Shi Yue mourned—how mundane it now appeared, though knowing deeper secrets lay within.

Bodhi dismissed weighty concerns, "Fitting for twin monkeys like yourself, this shape suits you. Let me bless you with another life-preserving magic embedded within."

Excitedly, Shi Yue interjected, "Let it be called the Golden Cudgel."

A flicker of amusement crossed Bodhi's eyes, "It isn't the Golden Cudgel—it's the Heaven Measuring Staff. Within, I shall forge a space indomitable even by Da Luo."

Feng Nu regarded Bodhi enviously, silently pleading for fairness across genders, compelling him to utter, "Your fate connects to Shi Yue."

Shi Yue's eyes widened, internally fretting—Feng Nu's enamored presence complicated matters, binds unresolvable by might alone. He glanced woefully at Bodhi, protesting with a look, feigning innocence. Surely a little charm wouldn't offend Bodhi, a figure of unfathomable mystery; after all, he had already knelt many times before Bodhi.

Ignoring Shi Yue's antics, Bodhi ran his hand over the Heaven Measuring Staff, "Clever monkey, indeed, full of emotions yet inscrutable. I perceive Sun Wukong and Feng Nu's fate linked to yours. The disorder in heavenly fate concerns you; I won't harm you. But what are these six characters on the staff?"

Caught off guard, Shi Yue admitted, "Master, I don't actually recognize those characters myself."

Bodhi paused, while Feng Nu's eyes widened in wonder, looking at Shi Yue as though he were some curiosity. Noticing Bodhi's intent focus, Shi Yue quickly interjected, "Master, they are merely random markings I added, with no intent to deceive. I hope it causes no offense?"

Feng Nu glared, while Bodhi chuckled softly, Shi Yue's blunder lightening the farewell melancholy.

Bodhi dismissed them with a nod, "You may go."

A sensation of spinning overwhelmed Shi Yue and Feng Nu, the ground vanished—when vision and balance returned, they found themselves in new, unfamiliar places.

On the other hand, Feng Nu found herself in a desolate mountain area, devoid of any human presence. Surveying the heavy mountains from her vantage point, she murmured, puzzled, "Master said my fate is intertwined with Shi Yue's, yet here we are, separated. No matter, I must find him. Even though he has achieved Golden Immortal status, his magical skills are underdeveloped—he can't be far. I should look for him, and if I can't find him, I'll go to Flower-Fruit Mountain."

She pondered Sun Wukong's future ordeals, acknowledging his mischievous nature and potential for disaster, feeling sympathy for the troubles he'd face. Committed to her discipleship and new-found strength given by her Master, determined to protect her brothers, she vowed silently to help them, especially when her stature had ascended to a highly esteemed Bodhisattva level.

Having resolved her inner thoughts, Feng Nu knelt to pay homage, "Master, though my comprehension pales compared to my junior brethren, I understand that your actions were for our benefit. Though I am born of the lunar essence with no parentage, as Shi Yue said, you are now my father. Shi Yue and Sun Wukong are my kin, and I won't allow harm to befall them. Master, I bid you farewell."

After offering her respects, Feng Nu stood, veiled her face with a black veil, and, like a celestial being, glided gracefully into the distance.

Meanwhile, Shi Yue found himself at the mouth of an active volcano, thick smoke billowing into the sky. He could see the bubbling lava churning below, threatening imminent eruption. The surrounding desolation was a bleak tableau, extending into an endless wasteland shrouded in gray smoke, evoking end-of-the-world imagery.

Despite his Golden Immortal form, the ground's fiery burn was unbearable, a sharp pain shooting through his feet. He howled in agony without realizing it, escaping into the sanctuary of the Heaven Measuring Staff. The staff itself plummeted into the volcanic depths below, free-falling into the abyss.

Immersed in the staff's interior for the first time, Shi Yue paused, nursing his scorched feet. "This is deliberate! He definitely planned this. Damn, that hurt! Why trap me like this?"

Gradually, the sickening pain in his feet abated, prompting Shi Yue to examine his surroundings. The discovery startled him, leaping to his feet in amazement, "Whoa!"

Transfixed in disbelief, he stood slack-jawed. Unbeknownst to him, the space within the staff mirrored a world unto itself. Though the sky lacked starlight, faint luminescence erupted from the ground—an embryonic primordial earth unfurling before him.

Shi Yue chuckled, marveling at the meticulous grandeur bestowed by his Master. As perceivable lord of this domain, he played the role of Creator.

A thought transported him vast distances over the landscape, halting before a veil of grayness—the world's boundary. Curiosity piqued him; what lay beyond? The cosmic intrigue of a boundless universe mirrored modern human dreams.

Once his exploration yielded little understanding, Shi Yue relinquished his ponderings. He surmised it resembled unshaped chaos, though questioned its certainty, knowing he lingered within the staff, fully aware of the fiery realm beyond.

Recalling the initial oversight to fly upward, he acknowledged Bodhi's astute manipulation, accounting for every reaction. Speculating on Bodhi's motives proved fruitless, yet troubling—what grand design lay behind his mentor's actions?

Shi Yue couldn't fathom the reasoning, yet confirmed Bodhi's intentions. No cosmic entity, merely a tangled plan ensnaring him deep beneath volcanic fires.

As Shi Yue grappled with confusion, he acknowledged his entrapment within the volcano's core. Why indeed? The mystery loomed unsolved, a puzzle stretching into eternity. Every question bore the weight of time, compelling patience against overwhelming odds.

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