Journey to the West: Black Six Ears

071. Battle

Pigsy led Xuanzang and ran around the city.

However, the capital of Baoxiang Kingdom was unusually quiet today.

Xuanzang stared at the main street of the imperial capital and couldn't help but ask:

"Bajie, why is there not a single person in this city?"

Pigsy also looked puzzled.

He didn't know what was going on in this place either. It was broad daylight, and logically, this place should be bustling with people.

However, a quick glance revealed it to be completely empty.

"Are they all like that old pig, not getting up until the afternoon?"

Pigsy scratched his head too.

He didn't know what was going on either.

However, Pigsy did not hesitate and kicked open the door, staring at the surrounding houses.

There were people in the house, but they weren't doing anything; they were just lying in bed.

"Is he really sleeping?"

Pigsy squinted his eyes.

Although he didn't know what was going on here, he began to ponder as he watched the white mist gradually spreading around him.

"Is this...an illusion?"

Pigsy reached out and pressed down on the head of the person on the bed twice.

Even after doing this, these people still didn't wake up, looking like they were having a sweet dream and weren't about to wake up.

"Hallucination?"

Xuanzang scratched his head.

He didn't understand anything about illusions, but after hearing what Pigsy said, everyone in the entire capital of Baoxiang Kingdom must be experiencing illusions.

So at this moment, he had a new idea.

"Let's go to the palace and exchange the travel documents."

That's right, now is the best time to switch the official documents!

Although Pigsy was very unwilling, he could not resist his master's words and had no choice but to follow Xuanzang to the palace.

When they arrived at the palace, as expected, the situation inside was also a mess.

Especially deep inside this palace, the once beautiful buildings look as if they have been vandalized, and are dilapidated from top to bottom.

"How did this palace become like this?"

Although Xuanzang had never been to the royal palace of Baoxiang Kingdom, he had seen countless royal palaces along his journey, none of which were in such a state of ruins as they are now.

Pigsy realized something was wrong and quickly grabbed Xuanzang, saying:

"Master, something's not right here. Shall we leave?"

Xuanzang simply shook his head and continued walking deeper into the palace.

Seeing that his master wouldn't listen to advice, Pigsy rolled his eyes and took the lead, heading towards the depths of the palace.

Just then, they suddenly heard a series of crackling noises.

The two exchanged a glance and followed the sound into the depths of the palace.

Soon, an old man stepped out in front of Xuanzang and Zhu Bajie.

Do you know how he dressed? He wore an old blue felt hat and a black woolen robe. The old blue felt hat was indeed rare, for it shielded him from smoke and sun; the black woolen robe was a rare sight for someone who could find joy and forget his worries.

Upon seeing that it was a living person, the two immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Pigsy stepped forward, pointed at the old man, and said:

"Old man, what are you doing here?"

The old man glanced at Pigsy but ignored him.

Pigsy rolled up his sleeves, pointed at the old man, and said:

"Old man, I'm asking you a question, why aren't you answering?"

Seeing the perilous situation between the two, Xuanzang quickly stepped forward and greeted the old man.

Seeing this, the old man finally spoke:

"Elder, what brings you here?"

Seeing that he could speak, Xuanzang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly began to speak:

"To tell you the truth, sir, we were sent from the East to the West to retrieve the scriptures. We were passing through Baoxiang Kingdom and were about to exchange our travel documents when we found the palace so quiet."

Upon hearing this, the old man looked up to the sky and laughed loudly:

"So he's a monk from the East, and he doesn't have any capable companions. He couldn't even tell how dangerous this place is. If he were to venture in again, he might lose his life."

Xuanzang was startled upon hearing the old man's words.

He bowed repeatedly and asked:

"Old man, how dangerous is it?"

The old man couldn't help but sneer.

He looked Zhu Bajie up and down, who had shrunk behind Xuanzang:

"You monk, taking on such a disciple, you must have been wandering around the mortal realm, learning some magic arts of writing talismans and incantations, which can only exorcise evil spirits and bind ghosts, and have never encountered such a vicious monster before."

Pigsy, who had been repeatedly teased, finally couldn't hold back any longer and jumped out, pointing at the old man's nose and cursing loudly:

"You old blabbermouth, how could I be such a disciple? Why shouldn't you find fault with me?"

The old man completely ignored Pigsy and just kept talking to Xuanzang.

Only after Xuanzang stopped Zhu Bajie did he speak:

"There's a demon in the palace. He draws portraits and wants to capture monks; he searches for names and surnames, wanting to eat Tang Sanzang. If you came from elsewhere, that's fine, but if you've committed the offense of using the character 'Tang,' you can forget about leaving!"

"We've seen plenty of demons like this."

Pigsy made a fuss.

Along the way, with Sun Wukong and the Yellow Wind King by their side, they encountered quite a few demons.

There were some powerful ones among them, but none of them could defeat Sun Wukong and the Yellow Wind King.

However, Zhu Bajie knew his own limitations; if he were really asked to do it, he would most likely lose.

"Monk, don't talk nonsense. That monster has extremely great and wide-ranging supernatural powers, and its magical treasures are extremely crude and powerful. Even if it were a jade pillar supporting the sky or a golden beam spanning the sea, it would still be dizzy if it were to protect a Tang Dynasty monk."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy trembled all over.

He looked the old man up and down, feeling that something was off about him.

This guy might not be an ordinary person.

Seemingly sensing Pigsy's surprise, the old man's expression gradually softened, quickly turning solemn.

When he raised his head again, the old man in front of him sneered:

"If you are seeking his teachings, then go straight ahead; if not, retreat immediately, and you will still have a way out."

Having said this, the old man transformed into a gentle breeze and vanished without a trace. Only a simple note and a bundle remained by the roadside, bearing a four-line poem: "To the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the old man is Li Changgeng. The Western Demon of Baoxiang Kingdom, the two monkeys who received the Buddha's heart in those days."

Xuanzang took the letter and turned around to look at it.

Bajie shuddered; there was no resemblance to the old man in front of him.

He could only shudder and quickly pick up his bundle:

"Master, our karma has been low these past few days. We saw ghosts during the two days of repentance! Who was that old man who turned into the wind?"

Xuanzang took a deep breath, handed the note to Bajie, read it aloud, and asked, "Who is Li Changgeng?"

This question stumped Xuanzang as well. He thought about it carefully for a while, but still couldn't come up with a solution.

However, as I pondered this, something suddenly came to mind.

"I have a feeling that I've seen this old man's face before."

"Master, everyone else says they've seen this younger sister before, but why has it become this old man I've seen before? Could it be a case of mistaken identity?"

Pigsy mocked.

With that smile, Xuanzang suddenly remembered someone.

"That person looks like Venus, the planet of the West."

Pigsy, in a panic, bowed down to the sky and said:

"Benefactor! Benefactor! If it weren't for Venus's intervention and the Jade Emperor's approval, I don't know what would have become of me!"

Pigsy was aware of what had happened back then.

Without Venus's help, he might have been killed outright.

Now that he has met Venus, he is all smiles and respect, as if he has completely forgotten his disrespect just now.

However, Venus didn't care about what happened before.

As Pigsy prostrated himself in worship, another voice descended from the heavens:

"Bajie, that monster is indeed incredibly powerful and capable of many transformations. You must be quick and clever, hurry westward, and carefully protect your master; if you are even slightly negligent, you will never be able to reach the Western Paradise."

Xuanzang's heart trembled upon hearing this.

He has a natural distrust of Venus.

The events of that time left a deep impression on me; the demons arranged by Venus were going to eat him.

He could never forget this incident.

Now that Venus has come to deliver the message, he is grateful, but also has doubts.

Could this be another arrangement by Venus?

In particular, that so-called "Western Demon" made him even more worried.

"Master, Guan Wen, Guan Wen!"

Just as Xuanzang was deep in thought, Zhu Bajie opened the bundle and saw the official document on it, already stamped with ink.

Seeing this, Xuanzang didn't want to cause trouble, so he quickly grabbed his bundle and turned to leave.

Just then, the soil behind them suddenly burst open, and several figures jumped out from below.

"That's... Wukong!"

Xuanzang was startled and looked over in surprise, immediately spotting the monkey among the four.

However, there were two monkeys, and they swung identical iron rods at the Golden-Winged Roc.

On the other side, the Golden-Winged Roc, despite being at a disadvantage, remained calm and composed, glancing at Xuanzang with unhurried speed:

"The person I've been waiting for has finally arrived."