Tang Sanzang clearly wasn''t too concerned about this; as a demon god accustomed to life and death, the downfall of nations, and the extinction of entire tribes, he had long since become indifferent to the concept of mortality.

    Everything under the heavens, in his eyes, consisted only of things he could tolerate and things he could not; there was no absolute right and absolute wrong.

    He found the current marquis quite pleasing, so he sat up and said, "Stop kneeling, just tell me what''s going on. Don''t delay unnecessarily, wasting time; I''m in a hurry to buy green... cough cough, to save the suffering people."

    Overhearing this, the marquis looked at Tang Sanzang with boundless excitement and said, "Indeed, a monk from the Great Tang is as compassionate as legend has it!"

    Even Tang Sanzang, with his thick skin, blushed a bit at these words.

    The officials behind him, who knew this monk''s true intentions, were no longer just frothing at the mouth but were now rolling their eyes.

    "It''s inadequate to host a high monk here; let me take you to a clean place where we can talk at leisure."

    After saying this, the marquis was ready to lead the way.

    Tang Sanzang, anxious and impatient, quickly shouted, "Don''t waste time; get to the point! Can''t you see the state things are in here? Every minute we wait is an agony for the people! Understand?"

    Sun Wukong and the others continued to roll their eyes collectively—is it really the people who are in agony?

    The marquis, who had never expected such kindness and mercy, dispensed with the formalities and said, "Revered monk, this is India, outside the county of Fengxian. It''s been three years of severe drought without a drop of rain."

    "By now, no grass grows, the grains are exhausted, we''ve dug every well we could, and now even the well water is running low.

    "Two-thirds have died of starvation, and the remaining third isn''t far behind.

    "I beseech you, great monk, to grant us a mere inch of rain to relieve the people, and in gratitude, I will offer you a daughter''s ransom in return for your benevolence!"

    Tang Sanzang, hearing that it involved money and seeing that payment was offered, found that to be a good talking point and looked towards Sun Wukong.

    Sun Wukong laughed and said, "Taking a person''s money to dispel their disaster, especially when it involves such a virtuous deed. Rest easy, marquis, I''ll bring you a downpour right away!"

    The marquis was stunned—he had thought that it was his somewhat slow-witted master who would pray for rain, not the skinny and severe-looking little monk beside him. However, he did not underestimate Sun Wukong and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your compassion is boundless, great monk!"

    Sun Wukong impatiently said, "Although making rain is a hassle, does it need to be as bothersome as you make it out to be? I think you''re just making excuses!"

    Rustle!

    Everyone looked again upon hearing the sound, to see a pile of dry wood had fallen beneath Sha Wujing, who wore a naive smile, saying, "As a cook, it''s not too much for me to carry some firewood, is it?"

    The Dragon King''s tears were nearly falling, for who didn''t know that along the way to India there was a beast, through whose path female demons were easily stabbed, male demons were also easily stabbed, and then ended up in the pot?

    The old dragon said, "My lords, I truly am not making excuses. Back then, the Jinghe Dragon King was beheaded with a single stroke by the Jade Emperor, just for letting a few extra drops of rain fall. If I were to make rain out of thin air, I''m afraid my entire clan would not be enough to satisfy the Jade Emperor''s wrath... I really don''t dare."

    Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong slightly knitted his brows and turned to Tang Sanzang, "Master, I''m aware of the Jinghe Dragon King''s incident. Indeed, he was beheaded for causing just a little extra rain. It seems the Heavenly laws are strict..."

    Tang Sanzang, yawning, said, "Why make it so troublesome? Wufan, can''t you Summon Wind and Summon Rain? Just make some water, and that''ll be the end of it."

    Zhu Ganglie replied with a bitter smile, "Master, the Summon Wind and Summon Rain I know is one of the Thirty-six Heavenly Techniques, and what it summons looks like water but is actually a type of energy. It''s fine not to call it, but if it really were to fall, I''m afraid Fengxian County would have to erect a new plaque in the netherworld."

    Tang Sanzang furrowed his brow and turned to Sun Wukong, "So, what do we do?"

    Sun Wukong said, "How about I go to the Heavenly Palace and have a word with the Jade Emperor?"

    Upon hearing that, Tang Sanzang''s eyes lit up, "I haven''t been to the Heavenly Palace yet. Can you take me to have a look?"

    Sun Wukong instinctively wanted to refuse, because after all, that bald man was one who couldn''t stay out of trouble, and causing a stir in heaven was not like causing trouble in the realm of the Earth Immortals.

    Here in the Earth Immortals Realm, at most there would be an ancestor from the Primordial Realm, and Saints rarely showed themselves.

    But the Heavenly Palace was different; not only did it have Saints presiding, but it also had Saints watching over. If things really got stirred up, and a Saint descended, just thinking about the scene made Sun Wukong''s scalp tingle.

    After all, he was the best warning from the past.

    But then...

    At that moment, Zhu Ganglie leaned in closer, "Brother Monkey, your current status makes it rather awkward to go to the Heavenly Palace. You might not even get to see the Jade Emperor, and things might even come to blows. I think, with the master present, it''d be safer."