Chapter 981
Continuing the Journey West
Sun Wukong quickly stopped them: "Fellow villagers, there's no need to trouble yourselves! We still need to continue our journey west to obtain the scriptures, and we can't stay here any longer. As long as you can live in peace, that's better than anything else."
“Great Sage, how can this be?” said Grandpa Li. “You saved the young people of our village and rid the people of a scourge. How can we let you leave like this? At least you should stay for a meal so we can show you the hospitality of hosts!”
"Yes, Great Sage, please stay for a meal!" "We have prepared a vegetarian meal, all made by Aunt Wang herself, it's delicious!"
Seeing the villagers' enthusiasm, Chu Yang said softly, "Brother Monkey, since the villagers are so hospitable, let's stay and have a meal. Let Master and Pigsy come and eat with us too. We should also rest for a while before continuing our journey."
Sun Wukong thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright, then stay for a meal. However, we can't trouble you all too much. Just have a simple meal, and then we'll continue our journey. We can't delay our pilgrimage."
"No trouble at all! No trouble at all!" Grandpa Li said quickly. "We'll go and inform Master Tang Sanzang and Benefactor Zhu Bajie right away, and ask them to come and eat with us!"
Soon, Grandpa Li brought Tang Sanzang and Pigsy to the village entrance. Pigsy's eyes lit up as soon as he saw the villagers. He stepped forward and said, "Fellow villagers, I've finally waited for you! I've heard that Aunt Wang's vegetarian meals are delicious. Give me some, I'm starving!"
Upon hearing this, the villagers all laughed and said, "Don't worry, Pigsy, the vegetarian meal will be ready soon, and we guarantee you'll have your fill!"
Tang Sanzang put his hands together and bowed slightly to the villagers: "Amitabha, thank you all for your warm hospitality. We, your humble monk and disciples, have troubled you."
"Master, you're too kind!" said Grandpa Li. "You are our great benefactors, and it's our honor to host you. Come on, everyone, let's go to the threshing ground in the center of the village, set out a vegetarian meal, and eat together!"
The group followed the villagers to the threshing ground in the center of the village. Several large wooden tables had already been set up on the threshing ground, with all kinds of vegetarian meals laid out on them, including vegetables, tofu, steamed buns, rice, and various pastries. The aroma was irresistible and made one's mouth water.
"Masters, Great Sage, benefactors, please have a seat!" Old Man Li warmly invited everyone to sit down. "Eat up, try our Li Family Village home-style dishes, it's just a small token of our appreciation."
Pigsy was starving. As soon as he sat down, he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily, constantly exclaiming, "Delicious! Delicious! So delicious! Granny Wang, your vegetarian meal is even better than the food in the Women's Kingdom!"
Aunt Wang said with a smile, "I'm glad you like it, Pigsy. If you like it, eat more. There's plenty left in the pot. We can add more if you're still hungry."
Tang Sanzang slowly ate his vegetarian meal, chatting gently with the villagers and inquiring about their lives. The villagers answered his questions, their faces filled with joy and peace. Sun Wukong, while eating, boasted to the villagers about his demon-slaying exploits, eliciting cheers from them. Chu Yang, meanwhile, ate his meal while keeping a close watch on his surroundings, remaining vigilant. At the same time, he silently planned the journey ahead—after the Women's Kingdom lay Lion Camel Ridge, a place teeming with powerful demons, the most perilous obstacle on the westward journey, requiring thorough preparation.
The meal was a lively affair, with the villagers being incredibly hospitable, constantly adding rice and dishes for Tang Sanzang and his disciples, creating a very harmonious atmosphere. After the meal, the villagers took out some dry food and fruit and gave them to Tang Sanzang and his disciples to eat on their journey.
"Fellow villagers, thank you for your warm hospitality. We should be on our way now." Tang Sanzang stood up, put his hands together, bowed to the villagers, and said, "This humble monk and his disciples will surely obtain the true scriptures as soon as possible, save all sentient beings, and live up to the expectations of you all."
"Master, take care on your journey!" "Great Sage, take care on your journey!" "Benefactor Chu Yang, take care on your journey!" The villagers waved goodbye, their faces full of reluctance.
"Take care, fellow villagers!" Sun Wukong and Chu Yang waved goodbye. Zhu Bajie, carrying the dry rations given to him by the villagers, walked away while waving back: "Fellow villagers, I, Old Pig, will come to see you again, and will come to eat the vegetarian meals made by Aunt Wang again!"
The group reluctantly left Lijiazhuang and headed west. The villagers of Lijiazhuang stood at the village entrance, waving goodbye, until the figures of Tang Sanzang and his disciples disappeared into the distant mountains and forests before gradually dispersing.
After leaving Lijiazhuang, the mountain road gradually became rugged, the trees on both sides grew denser, the sunlight became less and less, and the atmosphere in the air gradually became gloomy. In the distance, the mountains stretched endlessly, their peaks soaring into the clouds, shrouded in mist, obscuring the shapes of their summits, exuding a mysterious and terrifying aura.
Pigsy, carrying his dry rations, walked along, eating heartily as he spoke, mumbling incoherently, "Master, Monkey King, Brother Chu Yang, where are we going? This mountain path is getting harder and harder to walk, and the atmosphere here is so eerie, I'm a little scared."
Sun Wukong, carrying his golden cudgel, walked at the front, his golden eyes scanning the surroundings warily, observing the movements. Hearing this, he turned back and glared at Zhu Bajie: "You idiot, all you know is fear! The journey to the West is fraught with danger, what's a little bit of gloom? Back in the day, I, Old Sun, was imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years, in places a hundred times more gloomy than this, and I wasn't as cowardly as you!"
"I'm not a coward!" Pigsy pouted, feeling wronged. "I just think the atmosphere here is too strange. There isn't even a bird in sight. It's eerily quiet. If a monster were to appear, I, Old Pig, might not have time to react."
Riding on the back of the white dragon horse, Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together and said softly, "Bajie, don't panic. With Wukong and Chuyang here, we will be fine. The journey to the West is a journey of cultivation, and we will inevitably encounter all kinds of dangers. As long as we keep good intentions and work together, we will definitely be able to overcome the difficulties, reach the Western Paradise smoothly, and obtain the true scriptures."
Chu Yang walked at the back, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, and said in a steady tone, "Master is right. Moreover, we should be arriving at Lion Camel Ridge soon."
"Lion Camel Ridge?" Sun Wukong frowned. "Brother Chu Yang, are you talking about that Lion Camel Ridge, teeming with monsters and extremely dangerous?" "Exactly." Chu Yang nodded. "Lion Camel Ridge is the most perilous pass on the journey to the West. There are three great demon kings there: the Green-haired Lion Demon, the Yellow-toothed Elephant Demon, and the Golden-winged Roc. These three demon kings are incredibly powerful, and they have 48,000 lesser demons under their command, forming an inescapable net. They are extremely fierce. In the original story, the four of us, master and disciples, encountered an unprecedented crisis at Lion Camel Ridge and almost perished. If it weren't for the Buddha's intervention, we wouldn't have been able to pass through smoothly."
Upon hearing this, Pigsy trembled all over in fright, dropping the dry rations in his hands to the ground: "W-what? Such a powerful monster? And forty-eight thousand lesser demons? I, Old Pig, have no desire to go there. Let's take a detour, shall we?"
"Take a detour?" Sun Wukong scoffed. "You fool, there's only one road to the West. Why would you take a detour? Besides, I, Old Sun, refuse to believe that a mere Lion Camel Ridge and a few demons can block my way. I, Old Sun, want to see just how powerful these three demon kings really are!"
"Brother Monkey, don't underestimate them," Chu Yang warned. "Those three demon kings are no ordinary monsters. The Green-haired Lion Demon is the mount of Manjushri Bodhisattva, with immense magical power, capable of swallowing 100,000 heavenly soldiers in one gulp; the Yellow-toothed Elephant Demon is the mount of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, with boundless strength, whose trunk can lift mountains; and the Golden-winged Roc is the maternal uncle of the Buddha, with extremely fast speed, capable of traveling 90,000 li with a single flap of its wings, even faster than your somersault cloud, and its magical power is unfathomable and extremely ferocious."
Sun Wukong's expression gradually turned serious: "Oh? There are such powerful monsters? They're even relatives of Bodhisattvas and Buddhas? It seems that Lion Camel Ridge is indeed not easy to deal with."
"Yes." Chu Yang nodded. "Moreover, their 48,000 lesser demons are all fierce, and the net they have laid is extremely tight. If we rashly rush in, we will definitely be in danger. At that time, not only will we not be able to save our master, but we will also be in danger ourselves."
Tang Sanzang frowned and said softly, "Amitabha, what should we do? We can't just stay here, nor can we recklessly rush in. Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?"
“Master, don’t worry,” Chu Yang said. “We can’t act rashly now. We must first go to Lion Camel Ridge to gather intelligence, find out the details of the three demon kings and the arrangements of their subordinate demons, find their weaknesses, and then think of a way to get through Lion Camel Ridge smoothly.”
Sun Wukong nodded in agreement, saying, "Brother Chu Yang is right. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. We must first gather intelligence before we rush in, or we'll just be throwing our lives away."
"But who will go and gather intelligence?" Pigsy asked. "Lion Camel Ridge is teeming with monsters and extremely dangerous. If we get discovered by them, we'll be in big trouble. I, Old Pig, am not going. I'm too timid and afraid of being caught by the monsters and having my pig trotters eaten."
"You idiot, all you do is hide!" Sun Wukong glared at Zhu Bajie. "This kind of intelligence gathering is naturally my job! I, Old Sun, am incredibly powerful. I can transform into seventy-two different forms and even become invisible. Even if a monster discovers me, I can still escape safely!"
“Brother Monkey, I’ll go with you,” Chu Yang said. “Lion Camel Ridge is extremely dangerous. I’m worried about you going alone. Besides, I can keep an eye on you. If anything happens, we can cooperate with each other and successfully complete the intelligence gathering mission.”
Sun Wukong's eyes lit up, and he nodded: "Good! With Brother Chu Yang coming with me, I feel much more at ease! You are meticulous, and I am agile. With the two of us working together, we will definitely be able to gather intelligence smoothly without being discovered by the monsters."
Tang Sanzang looked at the two and gently instructed them, "Wukong, Chuyang, you two go to gather intelligence. Be careful and cautious, and do not be reckless. If you encounter danger, come back immediately and do not linger in battle. Remember, you must protect yourselves. We will wait for you here."
"Don't worry, Master!" Sun Wukong and Chu Yang replied in unison.
Sun Wukong then said to Zhu Bajie, "You idiot, the two of us will go and gather intelligence. You stay here and protect Master, keep an eye on the White Dragon Horse and the luggage. Don't slack off or run around. If anything happens to Master, when I, Old Sun, return, I will not forgive you!"
"Brother Monkey, don't worry!" Pigsy nodded hurriedly, patting his chest. "I, Old Pig, will definitely protect Master well, keep an eye on the White Dragon Horse and the luggage, and I will never slack off or run away! You can go with peace of mind, I, Old Pig, will be here waiting for you to come back."
"Alright, let's set off then." Sun Wukong nodded, then turned to Chu Yang and said, "Brother Chu Yang, let's go!"
The two leaped into the air, their figures instantly transforming into two afterimages as they flew towards Lion Camel Ridge. Tang Sanzang and Zhu Bajie stood there, watching the direction the two had disappeared in, their faces filled with worry.
“Master, don’t worry. Brother Monkey and Brother Chu Yang are both very capable. They will definitely be able to gather intelligence and return safely,” Pigsy said. Although he was also very scared, he still tried to remain calm and comforted Tang Sanzang.
Tang Sanzang sighed softly and clasped his hands together: "Amitabha, I hope so. I hope the two of them can return safely, and I hope we can pass through Lion Camel Ridge smoothly and continue our journey westward."
Sun Wukong and Chu Yang sped towards Lion Camel Ridge. The closer they got to Lion Camel Ridge, the denser the demonic energy in the air became, and the more sinister and terrifying the atmosphere grew. In the distance, Lion Camel Ridge towered into the clouds, its peaks shrouded in thick mist. Dense forests and a sinister castle could be vaguely seen on the mountain, their outlines appearing and disappearing in the mist, exuding a chilling aura.
“Brother Chu Yang, Lion Camel Ridge is just ahead.” Sun Wukong stopped, hovered in the air, pointed to the mountain peak ahead, and said in a solemn tone, “Look, how dense the demonic energy is on that mountain. It seems that the three great demon kings are indeed on the mountain, and they must have many lesser demons under their command.”
Chu Yang also stopped, his gaze fixed on Lion Camel Ridge ahead, his brows furrowed: "Yes, the demonic aura is even stronger than I imagined. It seems that Lion Camel Ridge is indeed more dangerous than we thought. We must be careful, transform into lesser demons, and sneak into Lion Camel Ridge to gather intelligence. We must not be discovered by the demons."
“Alright!” Sun Wukong nodded. “I, Old Sun, am skilled in the Seventy-Two Transformations. Transforming into a minor demon is a piece of cake for me! Brother Chu Yang, what kind of demon do you want to transform into? We can both transform into different demons and gather intelligence separately. This way, we can improve efficiency and avoid being discovered together.” (End of Chapter)