This sudden turn of events stunned the Bull Demon King and Princess Iron Fan.
Even the Green Mane Lion was left speechless.
Sun Kong was truly unpredictable!
"Brother, what nonsense are you spouting?"
"Didn't you give me this mount?"
"How can you frame me, old Bull!"
The Bull Demon King asked, looking utterly bewildered.
Though the Bull Demon King appeared foolish, he was far from it.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have managed to infiltrate the Western Circle.
Moreover, Princess Iron Fan was a Rakshasa, destined to achieve true immortal status in the future.
Had she not married the demon Bull Demon King, she would have held a rank among the immortals.
To have a potential immortal willingly marry him, it wasn't just brute strength that did it.
He must have possessed some intelligence and skill.
It was only afterward that the Bull Demon King grew arrogant.
Disregarding his own status, he dared to acquire a mount beyond his rank.
This was what led to the spontaneous siege by a group of immortals.
Sun Kong's previous threats, alluding to his connection with Lingshan, had made the Bull Demon King realize the truth.
He understood that Sun Kong had come to Lingshan to condemn him!
As for the reason, he assumed it was because he had married Princess Iron Fan, thus offending the powerful figures of the West.
And since he was in the wrong, he naturally dared not directly confront Sun Kong.
"Frame you?"
"I call you brother out of respect for our sworn brotherhood."
"Now that I am devoted to Buddhism, I am a disciple of the Buddha."
"I ask you, has Lingshan ever invited you to join Buddhism?"
"And have you refused Lingshan's invitation?"
Sun Kong questioned with a dark expression.
Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King couldn't help but step back, his face filled with shock.
Indeed, this impudent monkey had come for this very reason.
The Bull Demon King's true form was that of a white ox, and white oxen were revered as divine cattle by the people of the West.
This made him a proper deity of the West!
Coupled with the common saying of the Buddhas, "You are fated with my Buddha."
It was only natural for the Bull Demon King to join the Western sect.
However, according to the usual practices of the Western Buddhas, forcibly converting others was considered inhumane.
At the very least, they would concoct a crime and then capture him under the guise of slaying demons.
This would provide them with a righteous cause.
Then, the Bull Demon King married Princess Iron Fan…
This was him leaping into a fiery pit himself, not Lingshan forcing him!
Afterward, Lingshan enthusiastically sent envoys to invite the Bull Demon King to join their ranks.
However, this great, foolish ox, lacking foresight, refused!
Good heavens, he dared to refuse?
It was an insult to the Buddhas, utterly unforgivable!
Yet, the Buddhas held onto this grievance for five hundred years.
It wasn't until Tang Sanzang embarked on his journey to the West with his three disciples, arriving at Flaming Mountain, the Bull Demon King's territory.
On the surface, it was Sun Wukong's failed attempt to borrow the Banana Leaf Fan that led to his feud with the Bull Demon King.
But in reality, as soon as Sun Wukong entered Green Cloud Mountain, an old man had warned him not to reveal his identity as Sun Wukong.
Because of the matter involving Red Boy, the Bull Demon King and Princess Iron Fan already harbored hatred towards him.
Yet, this monkey, knowing the inner workings, revealed his name upon arrival.
Was he there to borrow something?
Clearly, he was there to pick a fight!
And then came the events as written in the original story.
Sun Wukong and the Bull Demon King fought for hundreds of rounds, drawing the attention of various deities from above who joined the fray.
Even the Six Ding and Six Jia, the Four Constellations of the Heavenly Court, and the Five Directions Guardians all participated in the battle.
The Bull Demon King was defeated.
Although he managed to preserve his life, he was eventually sent to the West.
As for his situation in the West, it was never mentioned even after the journey to the West concluded.
However, the Bull Demon King was, after all, a white ox, a symbol of the divine cattle of the West.
No matter how dire his circumstances, they wouldn't kill him.
But like Sun Wukong, he could likely forget about being granted a divine golden body.
Even Red Boy, serving Guanyin as a attendant, probably wouldn't have such good treatment.
At best, he might be made a mount for some great deity.
Much like the Green Mane Lion and the White Tusk Elephant, becoming a possession of another.
"That's right, I refused."
"Being a monk in Lingshan means I cannot marry and have children, nor is it as free as my current life."
"Is it because I refused Lingshan's invitation that you intend to make things difficult for me, old Bull?"
The Bull Demon King felt indignant.
He had finally managed to wed Princess Iron Fan, a wealthy woman, and Lingshan wanted him to become a monk.
Who conducts business this way in the world?
Moreover, just because he disagreed, Lingshan had to target him?
If that were the case, what about the Buddhist principle of compassion?
"Heh heh!"
"You misunderstand."
"My Buddha never said anything about targeting you."
"The one targeting you is me, old Sun!"
Sun Kong sneered, with ill intent.
"What?"
The Bull Demon King and Princess Iron Fan were instantly enraged.
Sun Monkey and the Bull Demon King were sworn brothers, how could he treat his brother like this?
"You good-for-nothing Sun Monkey."
"I treated you as a brother, yet you treat me this way."
"Today, I, old Bull, sever our brotherhood, be gone!"
The Bull Demon King roared angrily.
"Gone?"
"Then how do you account for you riding Manjushri's mount?"
Sun Kong chuckled, nonchalantly.
"..."
The Bull Demon King was speechless.
The accusation Sun Kong leveled against him was clearly fabricated.
But often, fabricated charges were the hardest to refute.
Because the Bull Demon King genuinely did not know if this was Sun Kong's idea or if Lingshan was backing him.
If it were the latter, then the Bull Demon King would be facing countless gods and Buddhas.
In that case, no matter how he explained, he was destined to be put in a difficult position!
"You... what exactly do you want?"
The Bull Demon King gritted his teeth, his bull eyes glaring.
He assumed Sun Kong's purpose for coming was merely to force him to convert to Buddhism.
However...
"I, old Sun, intended to join Lingshan, but the Buddhas would not accept me."
"I have no choice but to borrow you, elder brother, as a stepping stone."
"I hope elder brother will grant me this favor!"
"As long as elder brother agrees, I'll give you this Green Mane Lion, how about that?"
Sun Kong said with a thick skin and a smile.
"..."
The Bull Demon King fell silent.
Princess Iron Fan also fell silent.
The Green Mane Lion was utterly stunned.
He had seen people with thick skin, but never one this audacious.
Giving away a mount that was lent to him by someone else.
This was truly shameless!
But that wasn't the main point.
The main point was that he had gone through all this trouble, even threatening and persecuting his sworn brother, all for the sake of joining Buddhism?
What a shameless, brazen monkey!
"Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!"
The sound of grinding teeth emanated incessantly from the Bull Demon King's mouth.
His usually ink-black bull face turned bright red.
His robust muscles trembled violently.
It was evident that he was truly furious!
"Sun Monkey, I, old Bull, will kill you!"
With a roar, the Bull Demon King instantly conjured a Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod in his hand.
Before Sun Kong could speak, he directly raised the rod and brought it down.
"Husband, I shall assist you!"
"This impudent monkey is so detestable, let us husband and wife slay him together to quell our hatred!"