# 514
**Chapter 514: Lin Qiye’s Treatment Plan**
“From now on, you’re the new orderly.” Lin Qiye patted the pug on the head. “Get along with Lord Baylor, and don’t swallow him.”
With that, Lin Qiye stood up contentedly and headed for the second floor.
Bell Cranel stared at the pug in a tuxedo, its lips curled in a wicked grin, and fell silent…
“Boss Squidward,” the pug said with a smile, “let’s go jellyfishing?”
Without waiting for Bell Cranel to refuse, it popped him into its mouth and trotted gleefully toward the bathroom…
…
Carrying a pot of rice wine, Lin Qiye stopped at the door of the fourth ward.
After hesitating for a long while, he knocked gently, then pushed the door open.
In the center of the empty room, the ancient ape in kasaya still sat like a stone statue, eyelids lowered, faint Buddhist light rippling around him, motionless, as if unaware of Lin Qiye’s entrance.
Lin Qiye walked straight to him, sat cross-legged, and placed two small bowls on the floor. He opened the wine pot and began to pour.
“The asylum’s resources are limited; we can only brew ordinary rice wine, but it tastes decent.”
He offered one bowl to Sun Wukong, who remained a stone statue, palms together, showing no intention of taking it.
Lin Qiye wasn’t surprised; he set the bowl on the ground in front of the ape, raised his own, and took a sip.
“You won’t let me call you Great Sage, so what should I call you?”
He talked to himself:
“Victorious Fighting Buddha?”
“Pilgrim Sun?”
“Sun Wukong?”
“Stable boy… mm… forget it.”
“Brother Monkey?”
At those last two words, the rock-steady frame trembled almost imperceptibly; the Buddhist light quivered.
A faint gleam flashed in Lin Qiye’s eyes.
“All right, Brother Monkey it is.” He set his bowl down slowly.
“Brother Monkey, do you know how famous you are in Great Xia?
Walk down any street—everyone knows you. Kids who can barely read still sound out your stories in pinyin…
You’re a national idol.”
He raised his bowl and drank again.
“Never thought I’d sit here drinking with you… even if it’s a one-man show.
Since you won’t talk, I’ll just talk more.
How about this: I’ll tell your stories as we Great Xia tell them. If anything’s wrong, interrupt me—or give me a sign.”
Seeing no response, he continued:
“Once upon a time, long, long ago, on the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit in the land of Aolai, East Victory Continent, there stood a huge boulder…”
Telling the Great Sage his own tale wasn’t impulse; it was the best plan Lin Qiye had devised.
From “Don’t call me Great Sage,” he guessed the illness was tied to those words. To pinpoint the problem, he had to cast a wide net—recite the entire Journey to the West and watch for reactions, then work backward.
In short, he was probing Brother Monkey’s “sore spot.”
Before this drinking session, Lin Qiye had reviewed *Journey to the West* countless times, memorizing every detail, leading to this scene.
It would be long and tedious, but also the most effective cure.
The pot of wine slowly emptied.
Lin Qiye drank the last drop, licked his dry lips, voice hoarse.
He had talked for nearly two hours, drinking every cup alone. The ape had remained motionless, truly like a Buddha beyond the world.
Checking the time, Lin Qiye stood slowly.
He picked up the bowls and empty pot, sighing.
“Brother Monkey, time’s up. I’ll come drink with you again tomorrow.”
He waved, stepped out, and closed the door behind him. Footsteps faded down the corridor.
Long after, in the ward, the ancient ape’s lowered eyelids slowly opened…
…
“Six bamboos.”
“Four circles.”
“Pon!”
“Win.”
Shen Qingzhu discarded a tile, pushed over his hand, and swept Baili Pangpang, Cao Yuan, and Jialan with a mocking gaze that said, “That all you got?”
Baili Pangpang’s mouth twitched.
“I quit! You’re cheating!” he huffed. “All morning—haven’t won once. Even Jialan won a hand…”
“…” Jialan’s eyes narrowed. “What did you say?”
“Er… nothing.” Baili Pangpang caved instantly. “Let Qiye or Little Fish play. I’m done losing.”
Cao Yuan glanced at Lin Qiye napping in a chair and An Qingyu sitting on a coffin staring out the window, and said gloomily:
“Cheaters banned.”
“What about Jiang Er?” Baili Pangpang turned to Jiang Er, who sat on a small stool watching.
“I can’t touch the tiles,” her voice came over the plane’s PA.
Baili Pangpang sighed, sat back down, and started shuffling.
“Couple more hands and we’re in Huaihai,” Cao Yuan said, checking the flight path.
“Huaihai… didn’t expect to be back so soon.”
Baili Pangpang looked around the cabin. “Five when we left, seven when we return.”
“You forgot Sword Saint,” Jialan reminded.
“He was the chaperone,” Baili Pangpang said. “Still, without his kidnapping-style speeches, something feels missing…”
“Missing the ransom vibes,” Cao Yuan added. “Actually kind of fun.”
“Yeah… wonder if Team 007 will own up when we confront them.”
“…”
As they talked, the plane landed. Six people and one coffin disembarked, boarded cars Baili Pangpang had arranged, and headed straight for Night Watch Team 007 in Huaihai.
“Team 007 has eight members: captain at Klein, vice-captain at Infinite, the rest at Sea,” Lin Qiye read from the file. “Best case, the Klein captain sits out and we fight seven-on-seven. If he joins, our odds drop sharply.”